What if Ranma had parents who were (a little) more responsible? What if
the fateful training trip had not been meant to last ten years, but only
a couple of months? What if Genma returned with a cursed Ranma at age
six? What if Ranma had had to live with the curse for ten years, trying
to function as a normal kid in school? Reflect on the hell that school
is, when your peers, both genders, are insensitive jerks who see your
curse as an endless source of fun. Try being a girl, and have jealous
classmates splash you with hot water - instant crossdresser. Try being a
guy, and constantly be on your guard in the locker room. Try being
yourself, all the way, and have the teachers fail you on general
principles. Having to stay girl for four days a month, or not be able to
walk because of the pain...


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

Hell on earth - a Ranma � Alternate universe

Disclaimer: Certain characters contained herein are the property of
Takahashi Rumiko. They are used without permission. This fanfic is rated
'R' for language.

Pronouns are wierd things, and are used almost interchangably when
referring to Ranma. Live with it - being both girl and boy for this long
does things to your sense of self...

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


School can be hell. For Saotome Ranma, it most definately is. You see,
Ranma has a curse, one he's had for over ten years. He turns into a girl
when he gets splashed with cold water. It takes hot water to turn him
into a boy. This, in itself, doesn't bother Ranma very much - He's had
lots of time to get used to it. What does bother him, though, is the way
his peers react. Most of them, especially the girls, start by recoiling.
No way are we letting a pervert like that into our locker room. He'll
probably try to peep on us. Some, mostly among the boys go "*Wow*,
what's it like, have you done *it*, is there a difference, huh, huh?" A
few, the real practical jokers, decide to "assist" the curse, by
triggering it in the most embarrasing fashions. Like the boys' showers,
or if by chance Ranma comes to school wearing a dress. And best of all,
defending yourself gets the teachers on your case. Which, in extremis,
gets us to the present situation: Switching schools.


"I knew it, I just fuckin' knew it," a wet, (currently) female and
obviously disgruntled Ranma muttered. "'The life of a Martial Artist is
fraught with peril.' Feh."

Ranma had been trudging along on the way to her new school - Furinkan
High, and how she'd wound up registered _there_ was a story in itself -
when he'd fallen foul of an old lady engaged in an old Shinto ritual -
cleaning the pavement by splashing water on it. This was nothing new -
she'd lived with being a water magnet for a long time, and knew there
was no real counter. Stay a guy long enough, and water _would_ find him,
no matter where he was. And then he'd be a she again. Luckily, it was
still early - it shouldn't take much more than a couple of minutes to go
the rest of the way.

Ahead, she could see two other girls, both wearing the Furinkan girl's
uniform, so she knew that she was at least on the right track. Both
girls were fairly tall - an inch taller than her female form, and two
short of her male height. Probably sisters, or something, since they
seemed to be arguing. Suddenly, one of the pair raced ahead, yelling
something that wasn't quite intelligible at this distance. 'Oh well,
better see what this was about.'

When Ranma reached the school gates, it was all over. The yard was
littered with groaning boys, trying to pick themselves up. The girl that
had raced ahead stood in front of the main doors, staring daggers at a
tall kid in kendo garb that was declaiming something in a loud, but not
loud enough, voice. Whatever it was, the girl didn't like it, because
she countered by punching the guy's lights out, and stormed inside.
'What a wierd place. I'm gonna fit right in...'

Ranma made her way across the yard to the door, and reached down to wake
the bokken-wielding guy. "Hey there. You wouldn't know the way to the
principal's office, by any chance?" she greeted him, hoping for a quick
answer. What she got when his eyes focused on hers was anything but.

"A goddess! A goddess has come to Furinkan. I would date with thee!" he
spouted, before Ranma put him back into the state she'd found him.
'Great. First guy I talk to is a total loon. Auspicious, ne? I'd better
find the office myself, before this moron wakes again.'

It took Ranma a few minutes to figure out the stylized map on the wall -
someone had had fun with moving the 'you are here' marker. Nice prank.
She'd have to remember that one for future reference. Once she'd figure
out her real position, it was quick work finding the route she was
after - two floors up and round a couple of corners. Nothing major.
Which was how she found herself across a desk from the vice principal.

"So you're Saotome, huh? I was expecting a boy, not a girl," the
vice-principal, a middle-aged woman in a severe business dress,
suspiciously asked.

*sigh* 'Yet another explanation. Hope she'll take it better than the
last one.'

"It's my curse. I turn into a girl when I'm splashed with cold water.
Takes hot water to turn me back," Ranma started. "I've lived with it for
ten years."

"Preposterous, at face value, but I've seen some strange things before.
Mind demonstrating, before I believe you?" The woman still looked
somewhat suspicious.

'Damn it! Can't some people read the damned files, and *trust* them?
It's all *in* there!' "Sure. Let me get my Thermos." Reaching down into
her bag, Ranma pulled forth an old military-issue hotflask. "I hope it's
still warm enough..." she said, as she unstoppered it. "No blinking!"

Pouring the water over herself, Ranma gained three inches of height, 30
or so pounds of bone and muscle, and lost some very prominent body fat.
The facial bones shifted slightly, giving the previously female face a
very distinctly male aspect.

"The change itself is no big deal, to me," Ranma explained to the now
slack-jawed, but recovering, vice-principal. "I've lived with this since
I was a kid - I know the way everything works, no surprises. Having
periods is a nuisance, since I can't stay male - I've tried once, and
I'm not doing it again. The only really bad part is the damned trigger -
I keep getting splashed at the worst moments."

"In other words, no use keeping it a secret."

"I've tried that. It only gets people mad when they find out. On the
other hand, going public invites its own kind of hell."

"I can imagine."

'No, you can't.' "Yeah. Well, with what you know, how do we play this?"

[Continued conversation for a bit. Ranma decides to go public, and asks
about the disturbance outside. Finds out about Kuno, and that he's the
principal's kid, and thus untouchable. Swithc to Akane's POV. Ranma
enters his homeroom, and presents himself and demonstrates the curse. He
then gets seated next to Akane, who doesn't like him. By lunch, the
whole school knows about the "aquatranssexual", and Kuno storms up,
demanding to see his pigtailed goddess. When Ranma doesn't comply
immediately, Kuno brands him a sorcerer and a foul fiend, and makes
several slurs on Ranma's family. Tentative scene.]

With that, Ranma had finally had enough. Putting aside his empty bento,
he slowly got up. 'I just had to make enemies with the principal's kid
on the first day. Yessss!'

"So, Tatewaki of clan Kuno. Have you quite finished? Twice now, you've
stated your intention to perform carnal acts with me, and threatened me
with an obviously lethal weapon to make me comply. For my refusal, you
accuse me of sorcery, when I myself am the one bespelled, and you
besmirch the honor of me and my family. Had this been but a century ago,
you would be dead right now."

With that, the air between Ranma's hands started glowing with a soft
blue color, forming a ball.

"Right now, I don't really care who you are, or what kind of trouble
I'll get into for this. But know this - threatening me is futile, and
mostly painful. Consider this your only warning - next time, you're
dead." With that, Ranma let loose the ball of energy he held, straight
into the deranged kendoist's chest, and without sticking around to
observe, reached down to grab his bento and walked out of school.


AN: Dunno where this is going really. I'm still working on how and when
to introduce Ryoga and Ukyo, since they obviously can't have the same
backstory as in the Canon. The Amazons are another matter to consider -
I've got an idea or two, but again, the motivations would probably
differ greatly. Also, due to Genma being a different person, there are
no engagements. Ranma ki-blasting Kuno is a result of five years of
ki-training, due to some scroll or other that hinted that the curse
could be controlled through ki-mastery.

The point of this story is to show Ranma's school year, the year that he
finally takes back his life from the curse, the year when he learns that
he _can_ be him/herself, without worrying what anyone else thinks. Hope
you'll like it...




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