《Tendo All-Boys School of Anything Goes Martial Arts》


 Heres Ranma: Dojo Destroyer?

    Hana Tendo kept turning the postcard over, as if doing so would change the words written on the side opposite the picture of a panda. It had been addressed to her late husband, Soun.


    "Tendo. No time for pleasantries, I''m coming back to Japan. Bringing Ranma. Lots of love, Genma!"


    She''d never met the man, but Soun had told her stories of his fellow disciple and best friend, Genma Saotome. They''d only received a few letters from him while he was alive, and she remembered hearing that he had a son; she presumed that''s who "Ranma" was. Though maybe it was his wife? Hana never pried into why her husband kept in such poor contact with his old friend. From what she understood, his family used to live in Tokyo!


    While the¡­brevity of the letter was irritating enough, the strangely urgent tone of it was also unsettling. "No time for pleasantries," he''d said. Well why not? It was a letter! He was already taking the time to write it, would it have killed him to provide a little context?


    She sighed in frustration. Soun had often alluded to his time with their former master with a far-off look in his eye, like someone who had seen war. What if this Genma was still a thief and an oaf? What if he took after their former master, who by all accounts sounded like a true monster? Her husband had been a very kind man but could be dense and naive. This "old friend" could very well have intentions on her household. Or, simpler but no less worrying, he was looking for a handout.


    Well, there was only one thing to do: gather her troops.


    "Katsumi! Naoki! Akio!" she yelled for her sons.


    <hr>


    Akio Tendo was finishing up a run. He hadn''t gone as far as he normally would, but it looked like it was going to rain soon. In Nerima you were lucky if you got a warning at all, so he heeded the signs before he got soaked. He sprung through the front gate and up to his room, where he deposited his tank top and running shorts and changed into his gi.


    By the time he started stacking cinder blocks in the dojo the downpour had started. Grinning to himself, he let out a "Kiai!" as he smashed through five blocks, crushing all of them to gravel.


    "You know you can pound more than rocks, baby bro," mocked his older sibling, Naoki, from the edge of the room. Akio rolled his eyes and looked over at him. He would never admit it, but he was jealous of his brother''s looks. He was wiry and lean, the shortest of the three brothers but still quite a bit taller than the average Japanese boy. Akio often felt like his broad shoulders took up too much space, despite what some of the girls (and a couple of boys) tried to assure him.


    "Oh I''m sure you''re pounding plenty by yourself up in your room," Akio teased back. Normally he didn''t manage to one-up Naoki like that, and he savored flustering his older brother.


    "Th-I mean¡­Mom wants to see us," he sputtered and spun around, retreating back to the house.


    <hr>


    "Who does this guy think he is?" Katsumi roared. The tallest Tendo was standing, furious, at his mother''s news. A flash of lightning glinted off his glasses, making him seem frightening and ominous.


    "Sit down, boy," Hana impatiently gestured. "I never met the man so I''ve no idea. The card was addressed to your father." She smoothed the nonexistent creases on her long, impossibly straight black skirt.


    "If he was one of dad''s fellow disciples, I''m not so sure about this guy. Dad never sounded proud of that time in his life," Naoki said calmly.


    Hana nodded. "I had the same concern. But there is also a chance he just wanted to visit an old friend now that he''s back in the country. I guess they''ve been traveling for quite some time," she speculated. "If that is the case, I want you boys to be polite: we''ll likely be the ones breaking the news about your father to him."


    That cooled the mood significantly. Katsumi sat back down with a huff. Akio finally spoke, if for no other reason than to break the uncomfortable silence. "So, uh, who''s Ranma?"


    <hr>


    Trudging through the dense streets of Nerima, a young man with black hair wrapped into a quick pigtail watched the crowd and their occasional glances at the strange pair. Ranma was wearing a red Chinese silk shirt and effortlessly hauling an enormous traveling pack on his back. Beside him his father, Genma, who was just wearing a gi, a bandana cover over his bald head, and enormous glasses, grumbled over a map they''d picked up at a corner store. And actually paid for, which surprised Ranma.


    Granted, his father had been surprising him a lot recently. Over the years they''d traveled together, he used to be quite the hard-ass. Judgemental, cold, distant. Ranma didn''t know any better but he''d still hated it. Then a few years ago he''d started to soften, seemingly at random.


    Right now he was being a grump. "You''d think things wouldn''t have changed that much in only 2 years, it feels like we''re in a different country."


    That made Ranma roll his eyes. "Sure it''s not just your memory going on ya, pops?"


    "Hrmph," retorted his old man. Ranma frowned at that. Normally he''d have gotten something more back than that, even if it was just a "Quiet, boy!" He''d been uncharacteristically quiet since Jusenkyo. Ranma had to admit it wasn''t that strange, but they''d figured out how to manage their new curse at least.


    But he was behaving strange in other ways as well. Once he was human and Ranma was a man they immediately headed back to Japan. Ranma assumed he''d want to at least look for a cure. Being a panda didn''t seem fun, even if it was an easy fix.


    "Okay, what''s this all about, anyway?" he demanded, finally giving voice to his feelings from the past few weeks. "Why are we in Japan anyway instead of looking for a cure? You wouldn''t tell me then, but I think before we get to this old friend''s place I deserve an explanation."


    While this did provoke a response, it wasn''t what Ranma expected. His old man seemed¡­sheepish? "Ah, right, well¡­I''ve told you about Soun Tendo, right? The only other disciple of Anything Goes Martial Arts. After we, uh¡­graduated we st-¡­inherited different halves of the discipline''s scrolls and secrets. We promised after we''d gotten established we''d get back together and unite the schools once again!" In his enthusiasm he didn''t notice the distant echoes of thunder or the gathering dark clouds.


    That last bit was punctuated with some pride, but Ranma knew he was also deflecting. "Okay, but why now? And couldn''t I at least have kept looking? I promised I would share whatever I found with you."


    ¡­Was Genma blushing now? "Well, you see, the thing is my boy, uh¡­we promised we''d marry our heirs to ensure that the tradition would continue with a bloodline. A Saotome-Tendo bloodline!"


    He tried flashing Ranma a big smile, but the pigtailed boy stared at him. "Wait, what!?" he shouted, drawing more than a few stares.


    A bolt of lightning flashed as it started to rain. The stares intensified as the boy and his father turned into a short girl with red (or possibly pink?) hair and her panda. The two stared at each other for a moment more before the girl sprinted away, pursued by a bear.


    <hr>


    "Let me go you oaf!"


    The Tendos looked around when they heard the shout. "No way they got here the same day as the postcard?" Katsumi asked as the front gate opened. "Ugh, that''s probably them. Asshole is already walking in like he owns the place," the eldest son grumbled before standing up and storming towards the door.


    "Katsumi, now you wait just a moment!" their mother reprimanded as she hurried after him.


    The younger sons sighed and laughed a little. "Gonna protect us from a dojo thief? Guess all that rock breaking is useful for something." Naoki said sarcastically.


    "Careful, that sounded like praise." Akio grinned. "But yeah, let''s make sure everyone''s okay." The two got up and started walking towards the door as their older brother and mother came sprinting back into the room. Despite the boys towering over her, Hana stood in front and spread her arms out.


    "Huh?" Naoki and Akio said in unison as they heard the floorboards creak and whine as something massive moved through the halls. "A panda?" the youngest Tendo exclaimed as it came into view. It was carrying two travel bags in one hand, and in the other¡­


    "Put me down you freak you''re scaring people!"


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    What looked like a reddish-pinkish-haired young girl squirmed as the panda picked her up by the waist and put her on the floor right in front of their mother. The panda looked around, confused while the girl looked up at Hana, the picture of innocence.


    Akio didn''t know why his heart started racing. Her enormous eyes, exotic hair color, and foreign clothes gave her the appearance of some sort of Chinese princess, but he could see wiry muscle resting under her soft skin. He and his oldest brother blushed, hoping nobody would notice.


    Ranma had been cursed for almost two weeks, but he hadn''t spent that much time around anyone other than his father. As such, he wasn''t used to being so short. Either that or everyone here was so tall. Even the nice-looking woman in the blouse and skirt was almost as tall as his old man in his human form, and her sons dwarfed her.


    For some reason Ranma didn''t feel bothered by it. It made him feel¡­dainty? No, definitely not that. Compact. It made him feel compact.


    Hana glanced between Ranma and the panda several times, taking in the surreal sight. Neither of their sudden guests said anything. "And you must be¡­?"


    Suddenly feeling very conspicuous despite his height, Ranma grabbed his pigtail and averted his eyes. "Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."


    "Oh! Oh of course, no worries, we were expecting you! So nice to meet an old family friend!" Hana effortlessly switched to being a proper host as she pulled Ranma into an unexpected hug. "We weren''t expecting you quite so soon though, we only got your father''s postcard this¡­morning¡­?" she trailed off as something squished against her stomach.


    She pushed Ranma away and looked him up and down. In the chaos of the moment, she forgot propriety, took a finger, and poked Ranma right in the chest. Of course, not wearing a bra, Ranma felt her manicured fingernail poke into the soft flesh as irritation and embarrassment flashed across his face. "Um, please stop that," he managed to politely request.


    The awkward silence that followed was broken when Naoki exclaimed, "You''re a chick!?"


    <hr>


    Katsumi stood with his mother in the kitchen as Akio and Naoki entertained the girl and¡­panda in the living room. "Did dad ever tell you his friend raised pandas?" he asked sarcastically.


    "No. The girl''s also wearing some kind of Chinese outfit, if that''s where they just were maybe they picked it up there?" she mused.


    Her son snorted derisively. "Ah yes, it''s famously easy to just adopt wild pandas, the place is absolutely lousy with them."


    "Okay, I''m getting tired of your attitude mister," Hana snipped. "Just because the day hasn''t gone¡­normally doesn''t mean you get to use that tone with me." She wielded her pointer finger like a wand in his face, causing him to blush and rub the back of his neck nervously.


    "Sorry, mom. Dr. Tofu''s just been running me ragged, I didn''t mean to take it out on you."


    Hana heard the sincerity in his voice. Her oldest occasionally forgot himself since he''d had to take on so many of his late father''s responsibilities as he grew up. She tried to be patient with him but recognized that it got to his head and he needed a lesson in humility every so often.


    The moment passed, she looked back at the other room. "I could have sworn I heard Genma had a son. I never spoke with him or his wife directly though, I suppose I just forgot."


    "I guess she was just a late bloomer," Katsumi joked, which got him another glare from the Tendo matriarch.


    "Young man! You will save that kind of bawdy talk for the middle school locker room you clearly heard it in." She quickly composed herself and grabbed some sodas from the fridge. "Please make some tea, I''m going to see what our little guest and her pet are doing here."


    "Yes ma''am," Katsumi snapped to attention and got a kettle going.


    After getting situated at the tatami, Naoki had started chatting with Ranma while Akio started inspecting the strangely well-behaved animal. The two guests occasionally shared a look, and the girl was getting frustrated as time went on. "Sooooo, just got back from China?" the middle Tendo inquired. "You''ve got the outfit for it. Is that silk? It''s lovely," he mused, which simultaneously sent a shiver down Ranma''s spine but also made his skin crawl. There was an earnestness to Naoki''s question but at the same time he didn''t care for how much the older boy was invading his personal space.


    Ranma hoped he''d be able to sneak out before anyone saw his curse in action, let his dad figure things out on his own, but Mrs. Tendo was being very nice and he didn''t want to offend her. "Y¡­I think so?" His voice cracked a little, which got Naoki to smirk. Ranma tried to shrink away from him but that just left her pushing into Akio''s space.


    The youngest Tendo pried his attention away from the panda as the small girl got closer. He looked down at her scintillating hair. It looked soft and clean, if still damp from the rain eariler. She must have detected his gaze and looked up at him. I could get lost in those eyes, both of them thought. Ranma blushed and tamped that intrusive thought down, and Akio noticed her discomfort. "Hey man, don''t you think you''re getting kinda close?" he started to say before their mother came in and started distributing drinks.


    "Naoki, Akio, give the poor girl some space. She''s soaked and in a stranger''s home," she chided while handing Ranma a soda.


    Akio wanted to complain that he hadn''t been doing anything, Naoki had basically pushed her into him, but didn''t want anyone to pay attention to his own blushing.


    "Oh, th-thank you Mrs. Tendo!" Ranma exclaimed as he took a took the offered bottle. Before Hana could offer him a bottle opener he''d popped the cap off with his thumb and taken an enthusiastic swig. He drained half the bottle before letting out a satisfied belch.


    The three Tendos froze in place. Hana stared and blushed, Naoki''s eyes lit up as he stifled a giggle, and Akio turned a crimson color. That was really cute, he thought.


    Then the panda tapped Ranma''s shoulder with a giant claw. She scowled but gave the beast the drink which it finished off with a floor-rattling belch of its own before handing the empty bottle back to Ranma, who set it back down on the table. "Thanks again ma''am, we appreciate it."


    That broke the spell and Hana sputtered a bit, "Um¡­well, I''m glad you enjoyed it. You really must have been traveling with just your father for quite some time, hmm? Where is he, by the way?"


    Glaring at the panda, the girl answered, "Last time I saw him was next to a corner store. He was staring at a map when it started to rain and we got separated. I''m sure you''ll seem him later." Everything she''d said was technically true.


    "Oh, I see. And did you come from China like Naoki suggested?"


    "Yep! Been traveling there for the past couple a'' years, just the two of us studying martial arts." Akio perked up at that. "Then he suddenly drags us back to Japan to meet an old friend. Not that it''s not kind of nice to be back. I haven''t actually been inside a house in¡­a while. And yours seems really nice!" he beamed.


    Hana smiled as the young woman complimented her home, it''d been years since they''d had a guest like her. "Well thank you, dear, I''m glad you like it. And I''m glad to hear your father is around at least. It''s changed quite a bit in the past few years so I''m not surprised someone who hasn''t been here in so long would get a little lost."


    That provoked a strange, chuff-like bark from the panda which almost sounded like a laugh, to which Ranma rolled his eyes. "I''m sure he''ll be vindicated to hear you say that," he said in a matter that reminded Hana far too much of her boys when they were being sarcastic. She''d wait to interrogate Mr. Saotome about the purpose of their visit then, let Ranma enjoy a little hospitality after roughing it for so long.


    Akio took the opportunity to finally address Ranma directly. "I heard you also practice Anything-Goes Martial Arts. Does that mean you know kempo?"


    Naoki groaned at Akio''s eagerness and Hana shot the younger boy a concerned look. "Kind of," Ranma replied, looking up at Akio''s earnest face with a smile of her own.


    Akio seized on the moment, "Do you wanna check out the dojo while we wait for your dad? I''d love to spar with you, we don''t get new martial artists in Nerima very often."


    Hana was about to object but Ranma lit up at the suggestion. "Really? That sounds great!"


    As the two beamed at each other Hana and Naoki shared a look, then a grin slowly spread across their faces. "You''re excused you two. Don''t spar for too long, though. Ranma," she spoke firmly before the two sailed off.


    "Oh! Yes, ma''am?"


    "You''re invited to dinner, as is your father if he shows up before then." The young girl just nodded before she and Hana''s youngest practically jogged down the corridor.


    Naoki waited until dojo doors closed before turning to his mother. "It makes sense that he''d fall for a tomboy who does karate," he joked.


    Hana was about to nod when he ruined the wholesomeness of the moment, "I''m sure her massive rack doesn''t hurt either."


    She spat her drink and glared at her middle child. "Tendo Naoki! You don''t have to be interested in women, but you damn well better respect them in my house!"


    Naoki''s laughter was cut short by the panda, who suddenly stood up and trundled away. Hana swore it was searching for something.


    <hr>


    Ranma was legitimately impressed by the dojo. He didn''t know that people could just have something like that attached to their house. "I''m pretty excited about this, I don''t get a chance to fight new people very often," Akio was explaining. "Even the idiots at school who do keep challenging me don''t really¡­challenge me anymore." That sounds stupid, Akio, don''t say stupid stuff like that, he reprimanded himself internally. Ranma giggled a little though, which made him blush.


    "Yeah, it''s hard to keep your skills fresh if you don''t mix it up."


    Akio nodded. "Yeah, I''m still one of the best martial artists I know, I''m undefeated! But don''t worry, I won''t give it my all or anything, just a friendly spar."


    The pink-and-or-red-head smiled for half a second before she processed the actual words, then frowned. "What? You saying I can''t handle it?"


    Oh. Oh shit, I didn''t mean to insult her! Akio panicked. Instead of calmly apologizing however, since he was getting into fight mode, he put his foot in his mouth. "I just didn''t want you to think I''d seriously try to hit a girl." Saved it. Wait, no, she''s madder, shit.


    Ranma gave Akio a cold stare before he adoped his "stance": standing straight up with his hands behind his back. Ranma hadn''t planned on going all out either but now he was going show off. If it bruised the presumptive ass''s pride a little, ah well. "Ready when you are, big guy." He said sarcastically. But also honestly; the guy was ludicrously taller than him, especially right now.


    Akio took a second to get back into it before adopting a fighting stance. "¡­Do you wanna come at me first?" he asked, which made Ranma roll his eyes.


    "Do y''all take it in turns here in Nerima? Seems weirdly limiting. Nah, way I see it you challenged me, so it''s your move."


    The Tendo fought an internal war about throwing the first punch. Whether or not the girl is good at fighting, she''s definitely good at pushing my buttons, he thought before finally relenting and going for her.


    It was a wide swing, purposefully telegraphed to give Ranma ample time to block or dodge. Like a flame she twisted out of the way, or had she even moved? Akio followed up with a faster, more direct jab which Ranma barely shifted to avoid. So far Saotome hadn''t changed her pose, but she did smirk. The subtle expression awoke something in Akio because he started throwing punch after kick after elbow at Ranma, none of which connected.


    At several points the pigtailed girl even jumped over Akio. Not Akio''s sweeps, his whole body. Akio felt like she was moving so fast he couldn''t keep his eyes on her, but she never made any attacks of her own. Well, not if you didn''t count the adorably smug smirk on her adorable face. It motivated him even further, and despite his promise he was soon taking it all out in the hopes of scoring something against Ranma.


    Akio thought he was getting somewhere when he started pressing Ranma toward the wall. His anti-air game was getting better: she''d had to block one of his overhead kicks mid-jump. In his intense rush, Akio threw a powerful kick which Ranma once again leapt up to avoid. "Got you!" Akio said as he unveiled his trick and went for an uppercut.


    But she''d expected him to do that and was already twisting during her descent. Akio''s fist grazed her pigtail as she dove past him, their faces centimeters away for an instant. The pigtailed martial artist landed behind Akio, spun around, and gently tapped the base of his neck. He slowly turned and stared directly into those big, beautiful eyes.


    Ranma started laughing. The sound made Akio''s heart flutter and he started chuckling as well. He was exhausted, sweaty, and a little frustrated that he hadn''t come close to even touching her.


    "Oh man, that was awesome," Ranma said as she patted his bicep. Then frowned, blushed a little, and squeezed it. "You''ve got some power in those muscles, huh?"


    Akio didn''t know how to respond to that, "I-I, uh, n-not that that does me any g-good if I can''t hit or g-grab you," he stammered.


    Ranma seemed oblivious to his nervousness. "True, but now I''m really glad you never got your hands on me." Akio coughed and looked toward the clock on the other side of the wall, hoping it''d hide his expression as he processed Ranma''s phrasing. Which meant that he missed Ranma''s blush as the pigtailed boy realized what he''d said.

 Circling the Wagons

    Hana was prepping dinner with Naoki and Katsumi when a soft, polite "Ahem," interrupted their flow. All 6 eyes turned and stared at the man standing in the kitchen doorway. He was only wearing a gi, a white bandana covering his head, and a pair of glasses.


    "Sorry about this, I''m Genma Saotome," he said with a bow.


    Was he damp?  Katsumi thought. It had rained hours ago at this point.


    Hana was composed enough not to express her irritation at his impropriety. He hadn''t even knocked! "Oh, Mr. Saotome. Your daughter told us you''d show up eventually. Please, let me take you to the living room, she''s sparring with my youngest son at the moment. I don''t know where your, uh¡­panda got off to."


    She gestured at her boys to keep going, which elicited groans of protest but no disagreement. Before she followed Mr. Saotome she grabbed a bottle of good wine and a couple of glasses, thought a moment, and then a second bottle.


    Genma politely sat down and waited for Hana to take her place, eyeing the wine nervously. The lady of the house made sure to keep her voice even as she laid into him. "Mr. Saotome! I understand you and your daughter have been traveling alone together for quite some time but to leave a young woman  alone  on the city streets like that? I hope you have the decency to be ashamed of yourself."


    That caught him off guard, but he nodded slowly. "You''re right. I will apologize to hi¡­the next time I see Ranma. And thank you for being so kind when h¡­to my child." He looked out at the tree in the yard, listened to the wind chimes, smelled the breeze. Hana could see turmoil in his eyes. "I had hoped Soun would be here, especially on a Sunday." He couldn''t bear to look at her face, but he could sense that it softened as soon as he began speaking. "A-a-a-and¡­I apologize for being direct, but can you confirm my suspicion?" Eyes reddening, he looked at her again, noting the sorrow on her face as well. "Is Mr. Tendo¡­is Soun going to be here tonight?"


    Hana''s crestfallen face told him everything he needed to know. Tears began to flow from his eyes, somehow without sobbing. "I¡­am sorry," he began as she started opening the first bottle. "Despite my rudeness, and if it''s not too much could you tell me when? And how?"


    She sighed as she poured them both a glass and raised hers. "To Soun, the only man I''ve ever loved," she toasted.


    "To Soun, my b--best friend," Mr. Saotome managed to say.


    An illness had taken him over ten years ago, when Akio and Naoki were still young. Genma was shocked and admonished himself for not knowing that his friend had been suffering and never came to visit. Hana explained that he only ever spoke fondly of Genma. "Though sometimes what you were  both  doing didn''t sound very proper," she teased, which got him to chuckle.


    In exchange he shared a few of his favorite memories of Soun, mostly about the ways they worked together to strike back against their sensei. She listened intently, sad that she''d never gotten a chance to hear these stories from her husband but happy she was getting to learn new things about him after all these years.


    "Your master sounds like a demon!" she exclaimed at some point. "Is he still around? Will we have to worry about him?" Genma looked a little embarrassed, though that could have just been the third glass of wine.


    "Well, despite our many attempts to rid ourselves of his particular brand of evil, we never succeeded. One day he just didn''t come back to camp. We checked the local village the next day and it turned out he''d drank himself into a stupor, fallen into the creek, and drowned. Completely by happenstance."


    Hana was aghast. "Oh, I''m so sorry!" she said reflexively.


    Genma guffawed to Hana''s confusion. "While we were arranging his funeral, we shared the story to the attendant. She also said she was sorry. It was Soun who¡­to quote Soun himself: ''Well someone has to be.''"


    A sob wracked the middle of his chuckle and Hana found herself cackling. Oh, oh my I should cut back on the wine. Haven''t had this much since Katsumi graduated.


    That sounded like her Soun. His sense of humor was surprising. He could project an air of stoic composure and keep a perfectly straight face even while delivering the most untoward and off-color jokes she''d ever heard. Now she understood a little bit better how he got that way.


    The two sat and stared out at the koi pond before Hana broke the silence again. "Mr. Saotome, I''m so sorry I had to break this news to you. I understand you''ll want time to process things but I have to ask: why are you here?"


    <hr>


    Ranma stared at his stuff in the guest room. He wondered how it got there before realizing his dad probably did it. Well, this was his chance to squirrel away before¡ª


    "Hey, girl!" sang Naoki''s cheery voice. Ranma anxiously spun and saw him drying his hair with a towel. "Bath''s ready for you. No offense but I can smell you from here."


    Ranma politely smiled and tried to deflect, "Oh, no, I''m fine, you don''t have to¡ª"


    "No, no, I''m really afraid I must insist. If you''re going to be a guest at mama''s table, you''re gonna have to get clean. You do have  something  else to wear, right?" Ranma looked at his ratty bag and then back to the Tendo boy. "Ugh, okay, if you come to my room after your bath I''ll let you pick through the things my girl friends have left over. None of them were quite as blessed as you in the chest department but we can squeeze you in to something." He disappeared before noticing the blood completely drain out of Ranma''s face.


    Well, obviously that''s not gonna happen  , the pigtailed boy thought, while simultaneously picturing himself in a cute set of overalls over a t-shirt.  But a bath does sound really nice right now.


    <hr>


    Akio was stretching in his room, thinking back over the fight. That wasn''t quite right, he was just thinking about Ranma. About the way his opponent moved, with all those muscles gracefully dancing under her smooth skin. He was good and humbled, that was for sure, but in the aftermath of their match he was hungry to do it again. And again. Yeah he''d disappointed himself, and probably her too, but that was okay: he''d just keep getting better until he could at least challenge her!


    As he touched his elbows to the ground, feeling the stretch through his hamstrings and quads, his recollection turned to fantasy. There they were, facing each other again for the hundredth time. She finally respected him enough to take a proper stance, and his was lighter, bouncier than he''d learned. He threw the first punch: a tradition they began in this very dojo. She swatted it away, grinning. He followed up with a kick, which she fluidly ducked under.


    She would get inside of his range with her incredible speed and tag him with rabbit punches, knee strikes, and elbows but he''d be used to this, of course. It was a dance by then. At one point he''d try a front kick just to create some space, but she''d use his own leg as a springboard to launch herself into the air. Instead of trying to take advantage of her being in the air with a followup strike, he would hold his arms out and she''d twist to land in them, purposefully. They would laugh, he''d spin them around as she hooked her arms around his neck, they locked eyes and leaned in to¡ª


    Katsumi shattered his reverie. "Hey ''kio, it''s gonna be dinner soon and you stink after that fight with your new girlfriend." He grinned. Akio had never had that kind of chemistry with anyone, not even the other martial artist girls at school. Or boys for that matter, and he''d received plenty of love letters from both. Even better, Katsumi had taken a moment to observe his brother staring into space with a dumb grin on his face and rapidly reddening cheeks. Once he saw drool at the edges of his mouth he couldn''t stand it anymore.


    Akio started and turned red, then his leg started cramping up. "Girlf-no! We''re just sparring partners! I mean not like partners, I''m more like her punching bag, I mean she''s waybetterthanmeand¡ª"


    Katsumi held up his hands to punctuate his words. "Whoa! Sorry man, my mistake. You still need a bath. Just make sure to knock before you go in this time, remember that there''s a  lady  visiting," he chided over his shoulder.


    His brother grumbled in agreement and headed to the bath with a slight limp.


    By the time he got there he was already back on Cloud 9, and absent-mindedly got undressed.  I bet she knows how to pick out really authentic Chinese restaurants. I should see if she wants to check one out sometime. Just friends chilling out. She''ll need someone to show her the neighborhood anyway. Especially if she''s staying. I hope her dad is cool and they end up staying nearby. Maybe I''ll get to go to school with her? She looked the right age.


    At the same time not 6 feet away, Ranma Saotome, once again in his dark-haired base form, sat brooding, stewing, and fuming in the furo.  They''re gonna figure out sooner or later anyway, right? Plus I''m sure dad''s found some hot water by now, I heard a tea kettle go off earlier.


    He sighed and sunk lower, sprawling out under the surface of the water. Baths didn''t have the same appeal they used to. It was nice to calm his muscles after a fight but it just didn''t feel right to soak anymore. He used to take really long, hot baths. Maybe that was just part of getting older?  Well, I can''t stay in here all day, might as well just get this over with, he thought and stood up, right as Akio slid the door open. Their eyes caught each other first, but Akio glanced down, then back up, before wordlessly sliding the door closed again.


    Oh!  Ranma thought while turning redder than his silk shirt.  I guess that didn''t go as bad as I thought¡ª


    "Kiaaaaiiiii!" came a horrifying shout as Akio slid open the door again and dove through, wearing just his gi jacket.


    <hr>


    "Kiaaaaiiiii!" echoed through the whole house, as did the subsequent sounds of a fight: raised voices, things getting knocked over, splashing. Everyone sprinted to the bathroom to see Ranma, naked, coiled around Akio''s back while the Tendo boy crushed him into the corner of the room. Ranma had an arm wrapped around Akio''s neck but the larger boy was keeping him from squeezing. Nobody could tell who was winning per-se. The Tendos all looked at Ranma with murder in their eyes. "Who are you?" "Who is that?" "Akio are you okay?" they asked, looking for an opening.


    Ranma remembered this. He remembered this exact thing happening once, years ago. He was in the showers at school, cleaning up after recess. His best friend was there. They were talking and¡­all the other students¡­No. He would not let that memory take hold: he was in a fight,


    Akio grunted, "Don''t worry, he can''t hold his breath forever!" and pushed back even harder to emphasize his point. Ranma had his arms and legs locked around Akio but the Tendo boy was right: he was at a disadvantage and wouldn''t be able to maintain this hold much longer. There wasn''t as much room to maneuver in the bathroom, and Akio had gone for grabs instead.


    "Ranma, are you okay?" Mr. Saotome exclaimed, which confused the Tendos. All movement stopped and all eyes were on him.


    "Oh yeah¡­peachy!" he managed to sass. Akio stopped putting his power into crushing the bathroom pervert but didn''t move, keeping him pinned. Ranma gasped for air while he had the chance.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "What the hell is going on here, Saotome?" Hana asked, furious. "This is not the little girl that came here earlier who said  she  was Ranma."


    Genma was capable of spinning a yarn and commiting to a bit, he''d had to do it enough times on the road to garner sympathy. But he lacked Ranma''s quick wit and improvisational skills, so he opted to go with a straightforward demonstration. "Okay. This is Ranma. We got caught in the rain earlier and because of a curse we both picked up in China, he turned into a girl. I was that ''pet'' panda. And I''ll prove it," he said while walking into the cramped room and up to the shower.


    Katsumi was about to say something about delusional hucksters and how they should throw the Saotomes out on the street as Genma turned on the cold water. Suddenly the already-crowded bathroom was full of a giant panda, who slowly turned to the assembled Tendos and shrugged, his glasses hanging off one side of his face.


    Akio fully lost focus as a faceful of panda fur distracted him, and Ranma used the opportunity to slip out and dive for the other corner of the room where he snatched up a towel and wrapped it around his hips. "H-h-he¡­hah¡­c-c-can''t talk as¡­hah¡­p-panda."


    Their stares hadn''t stopped and now that he could breathe he was right back in middle school. He could feel the shame and embarrassment in his face. But Mrs. Tendo nodded, "Okay, you''ve got five minutes. Do  not  leave the building." Even as a panda, Genma''s look of contritition was evident. He nodded and the Tendos filed out around him. Only Akio glanced at Ranma as they exited. Adrenaline and shock were still coursing through his system but he could see  her  in the dark-haired boy now. Before he stepped out he swore he saw tears in his eyes. He fought the urge to run over and comfort their guest and felt a simultaneous pang of guilt for abandoning him.


    Once the door was closed, Genma wrapped his child up in a hug. Ranma was too shocked to refuse at first, and he gripped his father''s sides to return it. He didn''t realize what was happening until a single sob burst out of his lips. For a brief second, his facade cracked. Genma heard it and squeezed tighter. That slight touch, meant to comfort, snapped Ranma back to reality: his reality. Real men don''t cry, and he didn''t want to cry anyway, because nothing had happened that made him need to cry. Summoning rage from his shame he lashed out at his father. "Get offa me you¡­you bear!" he shouted and pushed hard enough that the bear slammed against the wall, rattling the shower.


    Ranma refused to reveal his feelings right now. He''d almost slipped: sometimes it was hard to remember that the panda was a person, and his father at that. He wouldn''t make that mistake again.


    Genma shakily stepped into the furo, still warm from Ranma''s bath earlier, and quickly shrank back to his human form. "Sorry son. Take the time you need, I''ll make sure to take responsibility for this."


    Fighting back tears, Ranma spat "I don''t need  time  , I was just at a disadvantage. I kicked his ass earlier in the dojo as a girl, so I''m not scared or anything. The only one who should be embarrassed here is  you  because this is all  your  fault!"


    His father swallowed his pride and nodded. "I''m sorry Ranma. You''re right." He couldn''t afford to push his son away now. It didn''t happen as often as it used to, but the boy had a tendency to run if things started getting tough. That was Genma''s failure as a father though, the inevitable result of how he used to treat him.


    "You''re damn right I''m right," Ranma muttered. "Now these people think w-we''re, h-home invaders and p-perverts or something."


    With sigh and a nod, Genma exited the furo and started wringing out his gi. "Perhaps. We''ll go apologize¡ª I''ll  go apologize and we''ll go find somewhere to stay, okay? I just want you to come with me so that they don''t think I''ve sent you to steal their jewelry or something."


    Ranma grumbled but knew that was the smart thing to do. Last thing either of them wanted was to get the cops called on ''em.


    <hr>


    Hana was furious. Mostly at herself, for having that third glass of wine. She knew she wasn''t thinking clearly at the moment. She felt betrayed, made a fool of, cheated, entrapped¡­and several other words. It was important that she direct that anger at the elder Saotome though. And even then, she recognized that just  explaining  their strange condition would have been difficult no matter the circumstance.


    But the reason it was important wasn''t because Mr. Saotome particularly deserved grace, but because his daught¡­son was clearly hurting. She''d raised three boys by herself since the youngest was 5, and she''d seen that hurt before. When Katsumi thought he wasn''t smart enough, when Naoki thought there was something wrong with him and Akio, sweet Akio, whenever he broke something, they had That Look.


    It wasn''t that the alcohol made her more likely to forgive or forget. It made her mad, it made her proud, it made her cruel. That''s why she was so mad at herself. Fortunately, she  knew how it affected her. Most importantly, she knew what to do when she was in this state. She needed to outsource.


    "Okay boys," she began at the tatami in the living room. "I need a gut check. What are your thoughts?"


    Katsumi was burning up. The boy wanted to be a doctor, had since he was 9. The logical, analytical,  rational  part of his brain screamed that this whole situation was impossible. But that just made it all the more  tantalizing . Now that the perceived threat to his family had passed he saw an opportunity to study something that he''d never heard of before.


    "Nothing about this makes sense and I don''t like it," he began. "But so long as they behave themselves I see no reason to kick them out, at least not tonight." A thoughtful expression came to his face before he continued. "Plus if it''s just the two of them we don''t have to worry about the legal or logistical issues of keeping a panda around."


    Hana nodded, rolled her eyes at what she assumed was his attempt at a joke, and looked to her middle child.


    Naoki was uncharacteristically quiet as he drummed his fingers against his lips, though not because he was conflicted about letting them stay. He was certain they should, in the brief moment he''d seen Ranma''s boy form he saw the same sense of desperate fear he''d seen on dozens of kids'' faces, that he was sure he''d had on his own at least once. Fear, shame, disgust, oh yes, Naoki knew what that looked like, and his heart ached for the cute boy.


    Sighing, he thought about three of his friends who would  kill  to be able to do what Ranma could do, in either direction. He didn''t know if he should introduce them or not. That''s when he realized his mother was looking right at him. "I''m sorry mama, what?" he asked with a blush.


    "I asked what your thoughts were on the situation. I''m considering what to do about our guests." She was pretty sure she knew what Naoki was gonna say. And she was pretty sure why exactly he was lost in thought. He''d brought over enough "strays" the past few years that she figured his instincts were telling him to adopt Ranma as well.


    "Oh. I mean they haven''t actually done anything wrong, I wouldn''t be surprised if they were gonna tell us anyway. Hard to keep something like that a secret. I''m betting  someone  just walked in on somebody else mid-bath without knocking then flew off the handle," he chided Akio. "Don''t think I didn''t recognize that ''  kiai '' of yours earlier."


    His youngest brother groaned and hung his head. Especially since Katsumi had called out his bad habit minutes before it happened. Like his brothers he didn''t want to send their guests away. But something was bothering him. He didn''t know if he should be feeling  betrayed  like he was. When he first met Ranma, he thought he was meeting the  cutest  girl he''d ever seen and everything since that first moment just made her¡­  him  more and more attractive to him. And he recognized that look on Ranma''s face too. He''d seen it on Naoki''s face once, when Akio had walked in on  him  in the bathroom with another boy. There was a fight then, too, when he thought the stranger had been attacking his brother.


    Ranma couldn''t have  meant  for that to happen though, right? Her¡­  his dad said something about cold water? And it had been raining right before they showed up. Sh¡­Ranma couldn''t control how Akio would respond to him as a girl any more than the girls he''d grown up with, right? It''s not like he''d been wearing girls'' clothes.


    He still felt like an idiot, but he reminded himself that martial arts was about protecting others when they needed it. He thought about what his dad would do in this situation, and took a deep breath.


    "Uh, yeah, sorry about that. You''re right, I just walked in without thinking. But Naoki''s right: they haven''t actually done anything wrong," he couldn''t help but turn a little pink as he said it. "The dad''s here now, let''s let him explain things and they can leave tomorrow or something."


    Hana was so proud of her sons. They were wary but still ready to reach out with a willing hand. With wetness in her eyes she stood up and beckoned them to her for a hug. With more than a little embarassment, and Naoki''s ineffectual protest of "Moooooom¡­", the Tendos embraced as a family.


    She squeezed, told her boys how proud she was of them, and the hug was over. Wiping a few errant tears from her eyes she sat back down. "Okay. Katsumi, will you get me a glass of water? The whole pitcher actually, mama''s got a headache."


    <hr>


    After everyone had a chance to settle back down in the living room Ranma and Genma sat opposite the Tendo sons, silhouetted by the night sky. Ranma frowned when he confirmed they were  still  all taller than him, even as a boy. Katsumi looked the angriest, a glare on his glasses concealing the fury in his eyes. Naoki kept scratching his chin as he looked Ranma up and down. Akio though¡­Akio looked okay, all things considered. He was staring at Ranma without any kind of malice, just¡­confusion. Ranma also thought he saw disappointment. Which was fair, he felt kinda disappointed in himself right now too.


    Hana was seated on the side of the table between the groups, rubbing her temples.


    Genma had a stoic air about him, despite being cold and damp. Ranma fidgeted a little, hoping someone would say something. Hana did, after a moment. "Ranma?" The question felt less like a question and more like a demand.


    "Obviously I saw your father turn into a panda. I feel like my eyes are still playing tricks on me. Do you feel comfortable demonstrating that you are also cursed? I just feel like I can''t believe it until I see that too."


    Ranma thought about it. If nothing else, it''d give him the advantage in compactness in a small space like the living room, in case Akio attacked him again. Even in his boy form, he didn''t know if he could do much against all that  power  that the other boy had, so he should prioritize¡ª


    No, no. Akio wasn''t going to attack him. The situation had been defused.


    Still, he felt like he was ready to crawl out of his own skin. He wondered if they''d feel more or less betrayed if he assumed the form they''d first met him in. Or would they just assume he was an impostor from now on?


    Ultimately he decided that staying on Mrs. Tendo''s good side took priority. If she''d asked him to, he''d jump off the roof. Then something taller if she didn''t think that was enough high enough.


    "I can do that," he replied. "Do¡­do you want me to do it right here or can I like, go to the bathroom?"


    She considered his question and asked, "How much do you need? Will a glass of water be enough?" Indicating the glasses and pitcher on the table.


    He hadn''t really experimented with how much water triggered the change, but considering that someone had spilled a cup of tea on him was enough to trigger the change at one point a glass would probably be fine. "Yes ma''am," he practically saluted and grabbed a glass, filled it up, and walked out into the garden so that the floor wouldn''t get wet. After a quick splash he''d been replaced by his red-or-maybe-pink-haired doppelganger.


    Ranma kept his eyes on the Tendo sons'' reactions, hoping they''d soften and stop staring at him like an intruder. It might have worked? Katsumi''s scowl marginally lightened, Naoki kept running his eyes over Ranma''s body like he was trying to mentally dissect him, and Akio¡­


    The pigtailed boy swore Akio''s face brightened just before the youngest Tendo blushed and averted his gaze. Ranma felt his heart beat a little faster in response, justifying it as relief. He''d been preparing for disappointment if Akio¡­if any of the Tendos had looked at him like some sort of, of¡­predator. The moment in the dojo earlier when he''d sparred with Akio had felt like such a good first impression, he didn''t want that feeling to stop.


    Genma, however, was watching Hana''s reaction, and noticed that she wasn''t even looking at Ranma: she was also looking at her sons, and had a thoughtful expression on her face.


    "Thank you Ranma, if you want to use the facilities to change back now I''ll understand," Hana said without any obvious change in her mood. "I want to say this is impossible but Soun had enough stories about magic and the supernatural that it would be foolish of me not to believe you at this point."


    "Oh, uh, thank you Mrs. Tendo," Ranma bowed politely. Both Akio  and  Katsumi blushed a little.


    That was¡­frustratingly adorable,  thought the eldest Tendo son. While still processing the shock from earlier he was running through all the ways this violated so many natural laws. Conservation of mass, conservation of energy, biology, genetics, no to mention the metaphysical questions raised by the existence of curses. He wondered how this affected Ranma''s hormones, muscle mass, weight.  She  had to be lighter than  him , right?


    Curses¡­he thought of the many books in Dr. Tofu''s office just a few blocks away where he worked as a nur¡­physician''s assistant. The good doctor was well educated but an insistence on a traditional, hollistic approach ¡ª which Katsumi had previously looked down on as quaint at best ¡ª meant that there were a number of treatises on strange maladies and afflictions scattered throughout the bookshelves. With only a little irritation he knew he''d have to take a look at those.


    Akio was dealing with an entirely different set of internal discussions. He didn''t care so much about how the curse worked, he cared more about it was affecting him.  So she''s actually a boy. Why do I feel disappointed about this? I mean that''s normal, isn''t it? She''s a..  he''s  a knockout as a girl. Wait, no, he''s not a knockout, that doesn''t make sense, guys can''t be knockouts, he''s just kind of cute for a guy.


    It took a second for his last thought to properly process.  I mean guys aren''t cute! They''re cool! We''re cool! I mean some girls say we''re cute, and Naoki definitely thinks some guys are cute, but I''ve never felt that way about a guy before. Or a girl, I guess.


    His thoughts were flitting through his skull so quickly he wasn''t paying attention to the conversation, but did key into Ranma''s response to his mother. "I''ll take care of that later, I know y''all still have questions." Akio stared as the pigtailed martial artist girl¡­ boy  sat back down at the tatami. They caught each other''s gaze for a moment and Akio''s heart  leapt  as she gave him a relieved smile.


    Genma and Hana were both watching their children''s reactions closely while Naoki watched theirs. The middle Tendo son could tell the parents were thinking something. He knew his mother, she could be a lot when she wanted to be. He locked eyes at one point with Mr. Saotome and the two sized each other up. Naoki would have to act first before he could take control of the situation.


    "So, Mr. Saotome, now that all the misunderstandings have been cleared up, this morning we were all very curious about why you two decided to show up now. Does it have something to do with the, uh¡­curse?" He realized that he felt self-conscious using that word,  curse . It felt strange to discuss something otherworldly so casually.


    Ranma took the opportunity to glare at his dad. "Oh that would make sense, wouldn''t it? Except we got cursed in China barely two weeks ago and he decides  now  was the best time to come try to marry me off," he spat accusatorily, not expecting or prepared for the reaction that would cause.


    "What!?" every Tendo shouted in unison, directed at Genma. The old man nervously waved his hands in front of him, as if that''d protect him from the combined fury of the Tendo household. "What the fuck is sh-¡­he talking about, Mr. Saotome?" Hana demanded, the swear not even registering with her sons. "What were you hoping your old friend only had daughters so that you could swoop in and steal his dojo from him through some sort of arranged betrothal?" She was visibly shaking at this point, a mixture of betrayal and wrath pouring out of her aura.


    "No! No I swear it was nothing like that!" Genma sputtered, giving Ranma murderous side-eye after being thrown under the bus. "Soun and I made a promise after our master died that we''d go our separate ways, get established separately, and then come back together in a few decades to unite our houses, to reunite the Schools of Anything-Goes Martial Arts under one banner. That was before either of us had met our wives or had children."


    The explanation¡­didn''t do much to placate anyone. Ranma thought that they all knew already, otherwise he probably wouldn''t have put his dad in the hot seat like that. "We wanted to give the style time to¡­recover after our master''s frequent indiscretions, develop new techniques as we built our own lives, and bring them back together to create a legacy worth being remembered," Genma continued. Hana  did  lighten up at that.


    "But I promise you, that dream died with Soun. I have no intention of interfering with your lives because of a verbal agreement we made to each other over twenty years ago," he concluded with a deep bow. "We appreciate you letting us into your fine home, Mrs. Tendo," he continued. Ranma sighed, realizing that they were about to have to leave. "We''ll grab our things and get going while it''s still early, find a hostel or somewhere out-of-town to set up camp." Couldn''t they at least stay through dinner? He''d been  invited .


    Ranma hung his head. It''s not like he hadn''t expected this. Even if his dad''s friend were here he didn''t think they''d just be able to waltz in and crash like they owned the place. All of the Tendo boys, however, practically jumped out of their seats. "Wait just a minute!" "Not so fast!" "No!" they shouted in unison.


    Hana gave them a look to sit back down and addressed Genma. "Mr. Saotome, thank you for putting our worries at ease. However, it is already dark, we''ve already made dinner, and you are friends of the family. Please at least stay the night." It was not a request, and Genma appreciated that she didn''t ask about the alternative plans that he didn''t have.


    So he nodded and thanked the Tendo matriarch, who sent her sons to gather food for the table. Then she dismissed Ranma by asking him to "change into his nice clothes" before dinner. When it was just the parents left in the room, she turned to Genma with fiery determination in her eyes. He immediately saw why Soun had chosen this woman and retroactively congratulated his best friend''s taste.


    "I have a proposition I''d like you to consider, Mr. Saotome. What if we honored the promise you made with Soun?"


    Well. He didn''t expect  that .

 Home at Last?

    Ranma tested the water in the furo and grimaced that it had cooled too much to change back. It was an older house so the shower couldn''t do hot water either. He scampered up to the guest room and dug through his bag, hoping something was dry. He had several silk shirts that he''d acquired in Shanghai before they swam ov¡ªoh and of course they were all wet still. Since they hadn''t unpacked anything, everything in their bags that wasn''t waterproofed was soaked.


    In desperation he started looking for his gi, hoping it''d be sealed up in plastic or something. Unfortunately, he''d worn it for a week and a half straight while roughing it in China, and that was after acquiring his curse. Plus it had also gotten soaked on the swim from China and the rain earlier today. Frankly he probably shouldn''t wear it ever again. Would Mrs. Tendo accept a tank top and boxers? He pulled out a few pairs which were, like everything else, even more damp than the clothes he was wearing.


    Naoki gently rapped on the door frame again as Ranma started hyping himself up to just go in his red, sleeveless tangzhuang. "Still nothing to wear?" he asked flatly. Ranma sized him up, trying to determine if Naoki saw him as a threat or some sort of freak. While he was much less warm than earlier he was no less polite. "Offer still stands on loaning you what we can scrounge up in my room. Though¡­" his gaze lingered on Ranma''s bust for a moment. The pigtailed martial artist almost raised his arms up to cover himself but remembered that he didn''t have to do that because he wasn''t actually a girl.


    I can''t accept this, right? Ranma asked himself. He knows I''m a guy now, it''d be weird of me to wear girl clothes. Though I guess right now I am a girl, so it''s not weird, right? They''re probably the only thing in the house that''ll fit me, and Mrs. Tendo asked for me to change into something dry and clean. If this is the only thing I can wear, that''s my only option, right? Naoki seems like a nice guy, this probably isn''t some sort of prank.


    Naoki continued, "Do you want a binder? I imagine you don''t want wanna wear girl clothes."


    How Naoki knew what he was thinking astounded Ranma, but he was absolutely right. Though he did have one question.


    "What''s a binder?"


    The middle Tendo son wasn''t surprised by his ignorance. "I''ve got some friends who want a bit more compression than normal athletic supporters can manage." Naoki squeezed an imaginary bust on his own chest. He didn''t elaborate on why he kept them at his place, he got the sense that the Saotome kid would react poorly to knowing that the couple of boys he knew with boobs would be shamed for wearing the figure-flattening garments.


    After what seeemed like minutes but was only a couple of seconds Ranma simply responded, "¡­Okay."


    Naoki clapped his hands and got a little bit of that twinkle back in his eyes from earlier. "Great, follow me!"


    All three Tendo sons'' rooms were right next to each other on the second floor, and each was labeled with their occupant''s name. Naoki''s name in hiragana was engraved on a simple blue plank, the romaji characters brushed on underneath in a stylish script. Inside, his room was packed. His twin bed was pushed up just under the window and surrounded by two wardrobes. A full-length mirror hung on one of the doors. Yoga mats in a vivid array of colors were pushed under the bed. A small bookshelf sat on top of one of two dressers, the other sported a collection of tackle boxes which really stood out.


    Naoki opened up a few drawers and started pulling out clothes. Once he''d made a pile on the bed he took out a key and unlocked one of the wardrobes, then opened up a little door set in the bottom. Ranma realized it was a secret compartment. On the few occasions he and his dad needed to resort to burglary they''d find something like that every now and then. Usually it was a good place to find cash, but Naoki''s seemed to be full of more clothes.


    He took out what looked like a few black tank tops and tape or gauze or something, Ranma wasn''t sure, and laid them on top of the clothes pile. "Okay, you''ve only been doing this for two weeks, right?" he asked while waving his hands in a curvy motion. "I''ve had the honor of helping some of my friends who are¡­unhappy with their bodies shape them into a more natural-feeling state."


    Pivoting so his profile was facing Ranma, he once again put his hands in front of his chest then pushed the imaginary boobs down. "Best way to do that is simple compression. If you find yourself being stuck in that body for long periods I think knowing how to do this will make you feel better."


    The number of times he''d comforted a young boy going through an unwanted puberty had left him with a sense of professional pride. He swore to treat Ranma''s curse like an unorthodox version of that. Ranma''s masculinity would be respected no matter what he looked like. Teaching Ranma how to feel like a boy even when his body disagreed with him would take longer than simply heating up a kettle but Naoki knew it wouldn''t always be so simple.


    The currently red-or-pink-haired martial artist found it hard to respond to Naoki''s aura of determination. He''d gone into full sensei mode and Ranma couldn''t help but admire him. He was out of his element but the middle Tendo son radiated confidence. With wide eyes he clapped his hands together, excitedly nodded, and exclaimed, "Thank you Naoki-sensei! You''ll find that I am an excellent student."


    With a grin, Naoki gestured to the garments on top of the pile. "Okay, quick rundown. We''ve got your basic sarashi," he held up the bolt of white cloth. "Easiest to get on ''cause you don''t have to futz with it but not as effective as a proper binder." He held up the two tank tops, which Ranma realized were very small. "Two options for you here. Don''t worry about getting a completely flat chest. I don''t want you to get upset, but outside of surgery that''s not an option for you."


    Ranma gulped. He hoped he wouldn''t have to get surgery at all, for any reason. Naoki''s look was serious but reassuring. There wasn''t any judgement, just experience. He felt his ears heating up, probably out of residual embarrassment.


    The lesson continued. "The other thing to keep in mind is that you cannot wear either of these all day. For dinner that''ll be fine, we can get some hot water for you afterward. If you''re gonna go to school or work or something and you end up getting splashed? Binding is too intense to be a long-term solution. You''re not gonna be able to fight very effectively while doing it and you could be looking at long-term issues like clotting if you do it too often." Naoki realized he''d probably have to talk to Katsumi to help come up with some medical solutions for Ranma. Like a thermos of hot water, maybe? He could carry that around with him all day.


    His student nodded. "Sounds like I want the sarashi then." Naoki didn''t immediately agree, instead he made a noncommittal grunt.


    "Any amount of binding is going to present the same issues given enough time. And it''s no more helpful in a fight: the sarashi might even fall off." He steeled himself for the next step. "If you know you''re gonna be in a fight in your current form, you should consider athletic supporters. They don''t compress so much as secure. Every martial artist who has to deal with boobs will be wearing one. I imagine you weren''t super comfortable during your spar with baby brother, right?" This was where Naoki had to be careful. He''d avoided saying the word "bra" but he needed to address this.


    Fortunately, Ranma was enraptured. He''d completely adopted the poise and countenance of a dutiful student, committing everything Naoki-sensei was telling him to memory. And he was right, not just about the fight with Akio. In the two short weeks since he''d been cursed, any time he''d done any sort of physical activity while in spring form his chest made sure he felt it. Naoki was telling him that there was relief, that he didn''t have to be afraid of his combat prowess being affected.


    That revelation spread through his mind and for the first time in two weeks he felt free. Like he was in control of his own body, that the curse wasn''t as dire as he''d thought. He wondered why he''d never heard of an athletic supporter before but he''d ask his dad about it later.


    Beaming, his aura burning with newfound confidence, he matched Naoki''s sharklike grin with his own. "Hell no, sensei! These things suck to fight with. Thank you for the lesson!"


    "Excellent. Pick one of the bindings, I''ll help you get it on properly, and then we need to get you in some clothes." Naoki didn''t let him see the sheer sense of relief he felt. He was honestly worried the feral child would punch him in the arm or something for just suggesting he wear a bra, and he couldn''t take a hit near as well as Akio.


    Ranma ended up picking the sarashi. He wanted to start practicing getting it on. As he slipped off his tangzhuang he realized that Naoki wasn''t reacting to his bare chest like his brothers did, despite paying close attention to it. Ranma did blush a bit being looked at, but he realized that he was already comfortable with Naoki-sensei.


    His trust proved to be well-placed when Naoki held up a hand for him to stop. "You''re making it too tight, that''s gonna give you trouble. Do you mind if I help? I will have to touch you."


    "Uh¡­" Ranma stuttered. The only people who''d touched him there so far, including Naoki''s mother who at least did it through his shirt, hadn''t really bothered to ask or make sure he was comfortable with it. The closest he''d ever gotten to giving consent was when he got into a duel with someone. Naoki saw his discomfort and shook his head.


    "No worries, I''m not gonna do anything you''re not comfortable with. Undo a couple of loops then go again. Breathe in and hold it while you''re doing it: you don''t want to exhale first because it''ll mean it''s too tight to allow your chest to expand but you also don''t want to, like, puff yourself out. Maintain a firm core, a neutral stance." He could tell he was nailing it with the martial arts comparisons.


    Ranma followed his instructions and grinned as his teacher nodded in approval. He''d trained under a lot of different teachers over the years, and Naoki was just as good as the best. Without touching him, Naoki started explaining how to tie it off at the end but Ranma interrupted him. "Thank you sensei, but can you do it for me?" It made him feel vulnerable and anxious, not just letting another man touch him but asking him to, but he was a visual learner and he really did feel safe.


    Naoki nodded proudly as he secured the band. "There you go, how''s that feel?"


    "Fantastic! I see what you mean about breathing. It''s tighter than anything I''ve ever worn but I love how¡­compact I feel!" He started bouncing lightly on his feet and Naoki saw relief wash over him.


    He made for the wardrobe mirror but Naoki stopped him. "Nope! Quick second lesson: don''t look in the mirror until you''re finished and only for minor adjustments. The sarashi is the least restrictive of our options so you''ve still got a lot going on up there. We''re gonna fix that with the right silhouette."


    Gesturing at the pile of clothes, he continued, "I picked out some of my older stuff that should work with your height. Don''t worry, I''ve known clothes for a long time. My recommendation is something simple¡­" He picked out a simple black t-shirt and a pair of jeans that he hadn''t worn since 1985. As Ranma started pulling them on Naoki hung up a few jackets to compare.


    When he looked back, Ranma was frustratedly trying to pull the jeans over his hips. The redness on his face made it clear that he was ready to tear something.


    "Okay, hey, look at me," he said with a snap. Once Ranma was looking him in the eye he resumed. "Not for you. Don''t worry about that, finding the right clothes is like¡­testing your opponent''s defenses. Don''t try to force it when you know it''s just gonna get parried, right?"


    "Yes sensei," Ranma replied, slipping the jeans back off. Naoki got a look at his yellow boxers peeking out from under the black t-shirt, and for a minute the illusion was completely wrong: Ranma looked like a girl wearing her boyfriend''s clothes.


    Dispelling that image Naoki thought through their options. Glancing at the clock, it had been almost ten minutes since his mother had dismissed them. She''d be mad if they were much later. He reminded himself this moment was about Ranma''s comfort, not style. "Okay, we don''t have time to try a lot out so we''re gonna break out the sweatpants."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    He retrieved a gray set that had been too big for him when he was 14 and tossed them to Ranma. "Tie them up around your waist and don''t tuck in your shirt. Then¡­" he grabbed a navy flannel button-up shirt. "Put this on, don''t button it up, and I''ll help you roll up your sleeves."


    A minute later Naoki stood back and admired his work. Despite being in his spring form, Ranma looked like a boy just a couple of years younger than he actually was. The button-up and t-shirt obliterated his curves, obscured his boobs, and gave him the shape of a plank of wood. Since nobody could see the tie for the sweat pants they even resembled the black gi pants Ranma had been wearing when they arrived.


    With a nod, Naoki gave him permission to look at himself.


    As Ranma processed what he saw in the mirror, he felt a sense of control return to him that he was worried Jusenkyo had completely taken away. Yes he was still short. Yes his hair had changed color. Yes his face was round and his features were softer, and that all made him feel a tingle of pride, but most importantly: he felt in control of his own body. Naoki gave him in fifteen minutes what sixteen years had stolen from him.


    Naoki-sensei crossed his arms and beamed at his pupil. "Great job, man. Now let''s get to dinner before mama skins both of us alive."


    <hr>


    Hana let out an audible gasp when Ranma entered the room, closely followed by Naoki. She''d been seconds from sending one of his brothers to check on them, and would have earlier if he hadn''t given her one of his signature smirks before setting out to help the younger Saotome. Katsumi, Akio, and Genma''s eyes all went wide. Ranma couldn''t help but notice his father had a big smile on his face.


    To Genma''s eyes, Ranma had reclaimed the energy he''d seen his son lose two weeks ago. He didn''t know anything about fashion but he saw a fire in Ranma''s eyes he was worried he''d never see again. When Ranma wasn''t looking, he caught Naoki''s eyes and mouthed "Thank you" to recognize the Tendo boy''s accomplishment.


    Naoki sighed contentedly as he sat down at the tatami. This is why I do it, he thought. Now that he was out of sensei mode though, he looked over his student and newfound creation and realized the boy was awfully cute. Big, muscular guys didn''t appeal to him too much, they reminded him of his brothers and dad, but Ranma was wiry and flexible. He realized he could feel heat rising under his cheeks so he took a deep drink of water before they began to eat.


    Akio found himself jealous of the moment Naoki had shared with Ranma. Sure, he''d gotten a good spar in with him earlier, but Ranma seemed so much happier after his time with Naoki than with his time with Akio. Naoki already had plenty of friends, he didn''t need to steal his too! He made a mental note to offer sleeping clothes to Ranma after dinner. Even if the currently-red-or-pink-haired martial artist had some dry boxers he''d hopefully appreciate the gesture.


    After all the stress of the day, Ranma was looking forward to eating. Breakfast had been the meager leftovers he and his dad had on them, lunch hadn''t happened at all, and dinner had been delayed thanks to the Saotomes'' sudden arrival and the revelation of their curses. Despite his hunger though, the food was disappointingly bland. On the road he and his old man had to learn how to cook for themselves and he was proud of that skill. He''d made meals way better than this with barely anything like the proper equipment or fresh ingredients, these people had no excuse.


    "I work for a local doctor who might have some insight on what''s happening to you," Katsumi said out of the blue. "He''s got a doctorate from a credible institution, but his approach is hollistic. In the past I''ve been arrogant enough to question some of his decisions but after tonight I''m grateful for the breadth of his knowledge."


    Ranma''s father glanced at Hana, then Ranma. "Thank you for the offer Katsumi, though I worry that visiting a medical professional will lead to Ranma or me getting put in a lab somewhere."


    Katsumi shook his head. "Dr. Tofu runs a private practice and mostly serves as a family doctor to the community." Despite the fact that he was trying to assure the Saotomes that the doctor was trustworthy, there was a hint of irritation in his voice. "In this instance, I believe that will prove very useful. But you have my word that your conditions will remain strictly confidential."


    Hana agreed with Katsumi. "Dr. Tofu is our long-time family doctor and has proven to be trustworthy when it comes to matters of discretion." She said with a quick glance at Naoki.


    "He''s also an accomplished martial artist," Akio interjected.


    Ranma scoffed, "Full-time doctor and a martial artist? That sounds ridiculous."


    But Genma was intrigued. "No, Ranma, it''s tradition. Many of the martial techniques humanity has developed over the years came about as the result of thorough study of the human body. Any technique that takes advantage of pressure points, for instance." Genma demonstrated his point by quickly jabbing Akio''s wrist with an outstretched finger, causing the boy''s fingers to spasm and fling his chicken karaage onto Ranma''s plate.


    Akio was about to protest that he''d been manhandled by Mr. Saotome like that, but through the haze of discomfort and anger he heard a sound that instantly defused his violent intent.


    Ranma giggled. It was quick but honest and vulnerable. Akio saw her¡­his face and the unguarded amusement shhhh¡ªhe was feeling. And it was just one piece of chicken after all. Getting to hear that melodic sound was worth it.


    Genma did feel a little bad for essentially attacking Akio, but he did want to get help for the boy and making sure he was excited about the doctor was an important part of the process.


    "I guess that makes sense," Ranma admitted as he tossed the stolen bite into his mouth, giving Akio a smug wink in the process. He indulged in petty satisfaction as the other boy blushed and looked away in shame, failing to notice the smirk on his lips.


    "Please don''t attack my children just to make a point," Hana deadpanned. "Akio is right though, Dr. Tofu has had martial training. And I don''t want you to stress too much about leaving right away. Take a few days to review your plans."


    Only Genma seemed unsurprised by Mrs. Tendo''s magnanimity. "Mother, that seems very generous," Katsumi interrupted, much to Hana''s frustration. "Are we really going to eat out every night they''re here? None of us can spare the time to help you cook enough for everyone."


    Hana was about to reprimand her son for such talk in front of their guests, but Ranma outdid his rudeness. "Sounds good to me, dad and me made better stuff than this on the road all the time."


    Genma pinched the bridge of his nose and scowled at his son for his impropriety. Hana looked scandalized. The boys, however, locked eyes on Ranma and said, practically in unison, "You can cook?!"


    Hunger radiated from the Tendo sons, he hadn''t expected such an¡­enthusiastic response. "I¡­uh¡­of course! It''s a basic life skill! Especially when you don''t know where your next meal is gonna come from. Dad and I cooked almost all the time."


    The Tendo matriarch''s eyes were twitching that her sons hadn''t come to her defense. It wasn''t easy cooking for three boys who were always busy! "My own sons! Betrayal!" she wailed, laying it on thick. It worked though, and they leapt to her side.


    "I''ve been working extra hours at Dr. Tofu''s! I haven''t even been able to get home before it''s time for dinner!" Katsumi exclaimed with tears streaming down from his glasses.


    "I''m very socially active!" Naoki cried while massaging her shoulders.


    "I will literally make everything worse!" Akio wept as he delivered her a cold towel.


    And now it was time for the strike. Hana saw that Ranma was off-balance after her family''s display and unsure of how to respond. She set him up for the final blow: "Well, Ranma, since you and your father will be staying with us for a few days, I appreciate that you''ve volunteered to help us make proper, home-cooked meals."


    Ranma felt the anger rising behind his eyes, ready to unleash on this harpy who couldn''t even cook. "No way! I''m not gonna be your stupid kitchen accessory or feed your bratty kids." He realized that said ''brats'' were now staring daggers at him, though Hana remained calm and delivered the fatal blow.


    "Oh, you''re probably right young man," she began, keeping the exaggerated regal voice. "While I''m sure you know how to prepare a small, rustic meal for yourself and your father, a proper meal for six people is doubtless beyond the folksy methods you''ve picked up on your travels."


    Genma knew his son. Ranma was prideful, arrogant, vain, and despite having a strong appetite could be specific about what he ate. There was no way he could stop what was coming, so he just sighed and took another bite of rice.


    "Excuse me!? I once prepared a five course meal for an entire hungry village after personally killing the giant boar that was menacing its fields!" The Tendo boys blinked, not sure if he was telling the truth.


    Genma got a far-off look in his eye and grinned. "I mean technically we both killed it," he mumbled to himself.


    "Your fancy kitchen and fresh ingredients are hardly a challenge for a martial arts master chef like me!" Ranma crossed his arms and glared at their host defiantly.


    Hana put up her hands in ''surrender''. "So be it! While you''re staying here you''ll make dinner, I could not imagine my cooking meeting the standards of one so skilled."


    After a moment to process what just happened, Ranma opened and closed his mouth wordlessly several times. He was about to get angry again when he felt his dad''s hand on his forearm. The older Saotome was shaking his head, a gesture that Ranma knew meant "She''s beaten you son, a true martial artist accepts defeat with dignity."


    <hr>


    The rest of dinner passed without incident, partially because Ranma learned to keep his mouth shut. He and his father retired to the guest room and started unpacking their bags. "Gonna need to handle the laundry tomorrow. It''s a school day so hopefully it''ll be just us and Mrs. Tendo," Genma explained. Ranma didn''t answer.


    Akio rapped his knuckles on the open door frame. In his hand he held a steaming kettle. "Hi Ranma, sorry we didn''t have time to get this ready for you before dinner." Ranma took it and sighed, which is when Akio deployed the second part of his plan. "And do you have anything to sleep in? ''cause if not I can lend you something. Naoki is very particular about his sleep clothes." A little bit of a white lie, but Akio didn''t want to put the image of his older brother wearing only briefs in Ranma''s mind.


    "Oh, that''d be nice, thank you." Ranma graciously accepted the offer and they headed to Akio''s room. The door was labeled, like Naoki''s, with a wood cutout of the sun engraved with the romaji of his name. Inside was a normal boy''s room: a stereo with a stack of CDs and cassettes scattered around it occupied a writing desk under the window, twin bed against the wall hastily made with blue spread, free weights, bookshelves full of literature including manga, Western comic books, non-fiction, and poetry. Trophies from various events were arranged on a floating shelf opposite the door. Ranma saw kendo, archery, and track and field and was impressed.


    Three things caught Ranma''s attention however: stuffed animals. A tiger, a bear with a bib, and a¡­gremlin? Some sort of green thing with big ears and a brown cloak. Without realizing it, Ranma had picked up the tiger and was staring at it.


    "Here you go Ranma," Akio''s voice snapped him back to the present. The Tendo boy smiled at him, offering a pair of boxers and shorts. "That''s Tora-Tora," he gestured to the tiger. "Dad got him for me at the zoo when I was, like, 5?"


    Ranma took the clothes and put Tora-Tora back on the shelf, but kept looking at it. "He reminded me of one I used to have," Ranma said wistfully.


    Akio really wished he hadn''t invited Ranma to his room in girl form. The way "she" was standing there looking softly at his toys, barest hint of a blush on her cheeks, and those big, sad eyes set his soul aflame and he had to push back the masculine urge to wrap the smaller boy up in his arms and squeeze. "That''s cool! Katsumi told me I should get rid of them once because they''re for kids. I think he''s just jealous ''cause he regrets getting rid of his. Did you have to get rid of yours because you went on that trip to China?"


    "Something like that," Ranma smirked, reminisicing.


    He''d "scavenged" a little black piglet two months into their trip. It had a bright blue bow around its neck and something about the button eyes grabbed his attention. Without thinking he pocketed it and snuck it into his bag.


    For weeks Ranma hid it from his father, who back then was always droning on and on about being "manly," whatever that meant, and thought the old man wouldn''t approve. But one evening, during dinner around a campfire, Genma brought it out of his bag. Ranma froze, staring at it wordlessly, already wincing in anticipation of his father''s disapproval.


    None came. Genma examined it without comment. "What''s his name?" he''d asked, softly but earnestly. "P¡­P-chan? H-her name''s P-chan." Ranma stuttered, which he swore brought a tear to his dad''s eyes. The older man looked back at the fire for a moment, then back at the doll. An honest chuckle escaped his lips. "Heh. Like the English word for pig. That''s clever."


    A pregnant silence passed between them. Genma looked back at him and smiled as he handed P-chan back. "You''re a clever kid, Ranma. You seem to like the little gal, so take good care of her. Maybe I''ll get you a real pig one day," he said while standing, letting out an exaggerated groan as he stretched out his arms. "You get to bed, I''ll clean up tonight," he said while collecting the dishes.


    Ranma fell asleep tightly hugging his toy, tears streaming down his face, and with the biggest smile he''d ever had.


    When Akio saw the wetness forming in the corner of Ranma''s eyes, he almost gave in to the urge. Almost. Ranma was skittish and Naoki once told him that kids who''d been in a bad situation sometimes needed a little space. So instead of wrapping her up Akio cleared his throat, stretched, and faked a yawn.


    "Sorry to hear that. But I''ve got to do some homework before school tomorrow and I''m sure you gotta finish getting unpacked," he lightly laid a hand on Ranma''s shoulder and started guiding him to his door.


    Ranma flinched a little as he was shocked out of his memories but took the hint, making sure to leave Tora-Tora with Akio.


    <hr>


    After a light application of hot water in the bathroom, Ranma returned his dinner clothes to Naoki. The middle son opened the door, saw Ranma in Akio''s over-sized tank top and boxers and had to force himself to stare at a point between Ranma''s eyes instead of directly, because he couldn''t look at those beautiful baby blues without blushing either. Much like his younger brother he quickly thanked and dismissed Ranma, also citing schoolwork and the need for calm.


    So Ranma found himself back in the guest room with his dad who''d taken their dirty clothes to the laundry.


    "Ranma, I need to talk to you," Genma began once the door was closed. His voice was calm but serious.


    "Oh my gods, what? Every interaction since we got here has been such a huge deal, can we not just go to sleep?" He knew he was being a pain, but he was also exhausted after everything that had happened during the day.


    Despite the apparent seriousness of the talk, Genma chuckled. "And I''m sorry to make one more fuss, but it''s important. Mrs. Tendo has invited us to stay indefinitely."


    Ranma dropped his mostly-empty bag in surprise. "Uh¡­that''s a big deal. What''s the catch?"


    His father shook his head. "No catch. While she didn''t approve of Soun and I deciding to arrange a marriage between our children she was intrigued by the notion of unifying the school. So we''d be living here, you''d get to know the Tendos, and while it would remain their property we''d have a chance to combine our disciplines and teach a new generation. Possibly your children once you start finding wives."


    The younger Saotome was glad that they wouldn''t have to leave so soon after getting here. Despite the stress of the day he had enjoyed himself. He sunk to his knees in thought. "What did you tell her?"


    "I told her I appreciated the offer but that I needed to talk to you first."


    A burst of emotion surged through Ranma. His dad was asking him about their plans? "Wh-you¡­whaddya need me for?"


    Genma nodded. "That''s exactly why. Ranma, I''ve been dragging you all over Asia for your entire life because I thought I knew what was best for you. While it is a parent''s duty to take care of their children, I never even asked you what you wanted. And look where that got us.


    "I want to accept Mrs. Tendo''s offer. We don''t really have anywhere else to stay. And I''ve still got no idea where your mother is." At the mention of Ranma''s mother, Genma fiddled with the wedding band on his finger. "With a place to stay we can get back on our feet much faster, find some much-needed stability after all this time, plus it was nice to see you make friends so quickly."


    Everything he was saying nailed how Ranma had felt for years. Hearing his father just¡­say it? Out loud? It almost didn''t seem fair. "What about fixing the curse?" He didn''t know if he actually wanted to pursue that line of thinking, but he didn''t want to just agree with whatever his dad said without questioning it.


    "Ugh, this curse. It''ll be nice to see it gone, and I''ll go with you if that''s what you want, but we have no idea where to start: that guide at the springs didn''t have any advice about that so we''d be looking at starting with no leads. I can''t pretend to know what you''re going through, but at least you''re still human."


    That was basically what Ranma had figured. It was important that his dad knew that he asked about it though. Plus, he didn''t even seem that bothered by it! One of the things Ranma had been most terrified of is that his dad saw him as less than he was.


    "Hmph. Yeah, you''ve got no idea what I''m going through," Ranma huffed. He needed to make a big enough deal that his dad didn''t think he liked the curse, but not so big a deal that he insisted on setting out for a cure. "But you''re right. The last thing I wanna do is start stumblin'' all over China looking for something we don''t even know is there."


    Hope in his eyes, Genma smiled. "Well then, do you want to stay here?"


    Giving it just enough time not to seem too eager, Ranma kept his arms crossed and his eyes closed to make it seem like he was deep in thought before begrudgingly nodding. "Yeah. Let''s show these city-slickers what real martial arts look like."


    Ranma yelped as his father pulled him into a hug. He almost panicked like he had earlier, but the hug was over fast enough that he didn''t have to.


    "I''m glad to hear it, son. I''ll tell her first thing in the morning. Now I think you and I have earned a good night''s sleep."


    Ranma pulled his blankets over him and waited until he heard his father''s snoring. With practiced stealth, he silently reached for his backpack and dug around in one of the pockets. He withdrew a plastic bag, inside of which was another bag, and another. Four layers of protection for what he was looking for.


    He dared not get his hopes up, that he could actually call this place home. But as he hugged P-Chan tight to his chest and drifted off to sleep, he wanted to.

 Group Combat Tactics 101

    Katsumi bolted upright to a loud thunk coming from his ceiling. A second, softer thunk followed and he heard muffled voices which almost immediately sped away. Confused, he grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and threw open the window, pajamas fluttering in the pre-dawn breeze.


    Craning his neck he saw Genma and Ranma fighting on the roof, standing so close to the edge they could fall at any moment. And yet neither seemed bothered by the potential drop as they gracefully attacked, dodged, and blocked each other. The shouting he heard was clearly good-natured posturing based on the grins on their faces.


    ¡°Hah! One night in a real bed and you¡¯re already going soft on me, old man!¡±


    ¡°I see roughhousing with your new friend didn¡¯t teach you anything new, boy!¡±


    For a man in the throes of middle age Katsumi was astounded by Mr. Saotome¡¯s speed and agility. He wasn¡¯t as fast as Ranma but his size and experience were clearly up to the challenge of keeping pace with his teenage son.


    He watched as the two leapt to the tree in the back yard and continued their fight there, though the fact that they were midair didn¡¯t stop them from striking out with fist and foot. The aerial dance was interrupted only when his mother called out to the household that breakfast was ready.


    Genma blocked and gripped Ranma¡¯s hands, turned to the Tendo matriarch and thanked her, oblivious to Ranma¡¯s protestations as they fell into the koi pond. A waterlogged girl pulled herself out of the pond and started yelling at the panda that was her father.


    Oh geez, this is gonna be a thing isn¡¯t it? Katsumi groaned as he started getting dressed.


    <hr>


    Akio was dreaming. It was one of those funny dreams where it starts with waking up, but then he saw Ranma and his dad flying outside his window. The dream continued as he plodded downstairs and saw the gorgeous figure of Ranma¡¯s girl body sitting on the engawa wringing a soaking-wet tank top over the grass wearing nothing but a pair of boxers with Akio¡¯s name on them.


    Sleepily he mumbled something like, ¡°Hey beautiful,¡± as he walked past her.


    The shrill response dug into his spine as Ranma shouted, ¡°What the hell did you call me?!¡±


    Suddenly he realized he was actually awake and actually staring at her mostly-naked form. Trying desperately to divert the attention away from himself he darted his eyes around to focus on anything else and picked quite possibly the worst option.


    ¡°Why are you wearing my boxers?¡±


    Ranma¡¯s eye twitched as he stomped up to Akio, ready to pound the baby Tendo into next week for daring to call him beautiful. Sure it made the little hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he felt the blush spread from his face down to his navel, but that was embarrassment. Guys did not get called beautiful.


    Fortunately for Akio, he had a guardian angel.


    ¡°RANMA SAOTOME!¡± boomed his mother¡¯s voice so violently that Ranma shrieked and hopped straight up, clinging to the roof¡¯s overhang like a cricket.


    ¡°What?¡± the boy-turned-girl yelped back, unsure if he was in trouble or somebody was attacking or what was happening.


    Fuming, Hana marched out into the garden so she could look their youngest guest in the eyes. ¡°Young man, you will keep yourself covered up as long as you¡¯re in my house. Do you understand?¡±


    Genma chuckled, which as a panda came out sounding like a series of chuffs and barks. Hana whirled on him as well, extending her finger like a virtuoso composer. ¡°Mr. Saotome! Since you will be moving in I expect you to hold you and your son to the standards of urban living. My home is no country retreat for feral pugilists, do you understand?¡±


    Ranma was embarrassed, but it felt good to see someone take his old man down a peg after their spar. In a single fluid motion he dove off the roof into Akio¡¯s borrowed tank top and rolled until his feet were on the ground right in front of Mrs. Tendo.


    Their host turned back to see Ranma, hands politely at his sides, looking up at her with a pert smirk and doe-like innocence. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure we¡¯re both the best-behaved guests you¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    Hana blinked. Her sons occasionally tried the cutesy routine on her ¡ª rarely did that go in their favor ¡ª but Ranma was selling the crap out of it. Was that just the result of years running scams and improvisation, was this something Ranma had practiced prior to acquiring his curse, or was he just a natural at over-the-top performative femininity? Was Hana just a sucker for a young girl¡¯s face since she always wished she¡¯d have at least one daughter?


    ¡°Sorry mama, did I hear you say ¡®moving in¡¯?¡± Naoki was already dressed for school while he stood in the hallway eating his grilled fish. ¡°Aren¡¯t they just staying for a few days?¡±


    Hana waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Yes yes, there¡¯s been a change of plans. I was going to make the announcement while we were all eating but someone decided to take a dip in the pond.¡± She stared daggers at Ranma, who recoiled in fear.


    ¡°Hey that was pop¡¯s fault, I didn¡¯t know he was just gonna stop.¡±


    <hr>


    Ranma and his father, both in their birth forms after a quick splash from the kettle, joined the Tendos as they were finishing breakfast. They both went for the same bowl, scowled at each other to assert dominance, but Ranma relented and took the last one for himself.


    ¡°This will only take a moment Katsumi, I know Dr. Tofu will understand so listen to what I have to say first.¡± Hana began as her oldest son was already trying to run out the door. He sighed as obviously as he could and sat back down, performatively checking his watch.


    ¡°Last night I invited Mr. Saotome and Ranma to live with us on a permanent basis. This morning they told me they agreed.¡±


    She expected push back, or protests, or Katsumi at least to make a snarky comment, but all three boys nodded as they processed what she said. ¡°Do...does anyone have any questions?¡±


    Katsumi answered first, ¡°Not really. I assume if they¡¯ve been living an itinerant lifestyle it makes sense that they haven¡¯t had a permanent place to stay for a while. Tokyo prices just keep going up so it¡¯d be hard to find a place if you wanted to settle down.¡±


    He practically sped through his words. While he said them with a clinical detachment the Saotomes didn¡¯t detect any judgment or condescension in his tone. He just stared at them in a way that made them want to argue but the only thing they could do was agree.


    ¡°That¡¯s...right,¡± Genma reluctantly assented. Years of living as a wild man made him want to wring the arrogant child¡¯s neck, but he had a sneaking suspicion that was something he¡¯d have to get used to.


    Katsumi nodded and looked back to Hana. ¡°Was there anything else, mother?¡±


    She gave him a look. The look was disapproval, but she shook her head. ¡°No, that was all. Have a good day at work!¡± By the end of her sentence he was already out the front door.


    Akio broke the silence that followed. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not related to them staying, but Ranma, can I ask you a favor?¡± Turning a little pink once the attention quickly passed to him, Ranma just nodded.


    ¡°Thanks. I was hoping you¡¯d walk to school with Naoki and me. There¡¯s a...combat ritual that I¡¯ve been a part of before class starts and I was hoping you would watch me and give me some notes to practice later?¡±


    Ranma realized he was staring directly at Akio¡¯s big, brown eyes so he flicked his gaze down, which just meant he was now staring at the boy¡¯s broad chest in a tank top. He couldn¡¯t decide which option was worse, so he deflected with an exaggerated shrug.


    ¡°Sure, I guess. Got nothing better going on.¡±


    His father cleared his throat. ¡°Actually, you do need to be somewhere today. We¡¯re going to go meet this Dr. Tofu, see what he has to say, and then we¡¯re going to help Mrs. Tendo with the groceries.¡±


    Ranma groaned. He¡¯d honestly hoped they¡¯d forgotten about that. ¡°Okay, whatever, guess I¡¯ll check out the fight tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Actually Ranma, I think it¡¯s a good idea to go to the school,¡± Hana interrupted. ¡°Since you¡¯ll be staying here we should get you enrolled. Your father told me he tutored you some during your trip, if you can score well on the assessment you can start in a week or two. You can go to the doctor after you get back.¡±


    ¡°Good idea, Mrs. Tendo. These boys can show you where the office is and you can bring back the registration form and let us know what else they¡¯ll need to get that started.¡± Genma smiled. He hadn¡¯t done well with things like math and science but he enjoyed going through history with Ranma, he was confident the boy wasn¡¯t that far behind in his studies.


    His son was frowning though, and Genma knew why. The whole reason he¡¯d taken Ranma out of school and into the Chinese wilderness was to get away from all the rumors and bullying that had tormented him during those middle school years. He didn¡¯t dare bring that up in front of their host and Ranma¡¯s new friends though, so he clapped a hand against Ranma¡¯s back and let out a hearty chuckle. ¡°Plus think of all the sports you¡¯ll be able to dominate. You think those kids have seen anything like Ranma Saotome before? I doubt it!¡±


    The smile on his face and fire in his eyes was all the confirmation Genma needed to know that his tactic worked.


    They¡¯d learned all sorts of strange, esoteric martial arts on their journey which Ranma was itching to try in a real fight. And what were sports but martial arts competitions with very particular rules? He thought through all the ones he¡¯d want to try: Kendo, archery, basketball, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, cheerleading, lacro¡ªwait, cheerleading?


    Surely he was just excited about cheerleaders. Of course, that was why he thought about that. He was less sure why he pictured himself ¡ª or, at least, herself, given that he was in his cursed form in the image ¡ª in a cheerleading uniform but he¡¯d been picturing himself in all sorts of uniforms as part of the daydream.


    Regardless, he¡¯d show up all those so-called athletes. Impress the ladies a bit, find a girlfriend. His dad mentioning wives and kids last night had stuck with him. Though he doubted he¡¯d find a girl like that at his school: if one existed he had the sense that Akio would already be in a relationship with her. He started to get jealous just thinking of it and chuckled to himself. It was good that he¡¯d found a rival in the youngest Tendo. Maybe he¡¯d learn how to get some of that insane power the kid had in exchange for teaching him a thing or two about speed.


    <hr>


    Naoki and Akio walked along the river at a quick pace. Ranma was effortlessly following them on the safety fence. They couldn¡¯t tell if he was showing off or if that was just habit. He seemed to like to balance or perch on things.


    He¡¯d also been quiet, which they weren¡¯t expecting.


    Five minutes into the walk Akio finally said something. ¡°So Ranma, where¡¯d you live before you went to China?¡±


    ¡°Tokyo, we moved around and didn¡¯t stay in one place for too long. Part of that was training but it was mostly dad finding work where he could. Longest we stayed in one place was Suginami for three years.¡± He didn¡¯t mention that¡¯s where he went to middle school, or any of the awful things that happened there. It did make him reminisce about his best friend from that time in his ilfe. He hoped he got a chance to see him again, assuming he hadn¡¯t gotten himself lost somewhere.


    ¡°Oh wow, that¡¯s close. Weird knowing we could have met you by chance one day,¡± Naoki mused.


    ¡°That¡¯d have been something. Though now I¡¯m wondering if my dad intentionally never brought us to Nerima¡­¡± Ranma was just speculating but he suddenly wondered why Genma had never thought to pull the whole school unification thing earlier. Maybe he originally intended to wait until Ranma was 20?


    Once they¡¯d reached the end of the fence, Ranma leapt off, did a superfluous flip just to show off, and landed in front of the Tendo boys. ¡°So what¡¯s this combat ritu¡ªAL!¡± A surprise surge of cold water rushed over him, shrinking him down to his shapely spring form.


    His attacker, a clearly blind but nice-looking old lady, didn¡¯t even seem to notice she¡¯d hit someone.


    ¡°Uggghhh, honestly the worst part about this stupid curse is having wet clothes to deal with all day.¡± He was being whiny, sure, but at this point he felt like he deserved it.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Akio gallantly draped his school jacket over Ranma, whose cheeks started to match his hair color. ¡°Oh! Uh, thank you? I was just gonna head back to your place and take a bath.¡± He realized he could smell Akio on the jacket and had to make several snap-decision judgments about whether or not he would hand it back. Then he chided himself for even having that feeling. He was a boy, Akio was a boy, they could both smell like sandalwood and mint, that¡¯d be fine. Plus he was shivering despite the warm summer morning, so he had to keep the jacket. By the time he was heading back home he¡¯d be dry and warm.


    While Ranma¡¯s thoughts spiraled, Naoki shook his head. ¡°That¡¯ll take too long. We could stop at Dr. Tofu¡¯s¡­¡± he started to suggest but Akio cut him off.


    ¡°I mean you¡¯re not actually coming to school with us or anything. You just want to pop in, grab a registration form, and pop out, right? We still need to get there and get through the Horde.¡±


    Akio was surprised by how intense his older brother was as he stepped forward and jabbed a finger in Akio¡¯s face. ¡°We¡¯re not making him stay in that form any longer than he has to.¡± It had been a long time since Naoki was able to take Akio in a fight. He usually wasn¡¯t so forceful with his younger brother. This had the opposite of the intended effect though, and Akio gritted his teeth in irritation.


    Ranma didn¡¯t want to start a fight, especially before getting into a real one, so he opted to placate everybody. ¡°Hey, Naoki-sensei, remember what you taught me last night?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to be more specific.¡± He monotoned while continuing to stare Akio down.


    Leaping onto a street sign, crossing his arms, and letting the jacket flutter around him in the breeze, Ranma struck a pose like he¡¯d seen in manga and grinned broadly. He could see his shadow and knew he was exuding a masculine, powerful aura.


    Naoki and Akio were captivated by the display, the older Tendo beaming with pride as he realized he had enabled this swaggering confidence.


    Despite the pitch of his voice in spring form, Ranma¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°That no matter what my body is telling me, I¡¯m me! Ranma Saotome!¡± He curled his fist into a ball and stuck out his thumb to point at himself as he grinned madly. ¡°I¡¯ll change if I feel like it, when I feel like it, but I wanna get to this fight thing.¡±


    The Tendo boys, moved by Ranma¡¯s excitement, shouted in agreement and began dashing toward the school, followed closely by their new housemate.


    <hr>


    Furinkan High School stood surrounded by stone walls that prevented Ranma from seeing into the courtyard, but outside everything seemed peaceful. He didn¡¯t see anything that indicated there was some sort of fight happening.


    Naoki was flagging, not being quite as durable as the martial artists, and he slowed to a walk as they got close. Akio waved goodbye to him and gave Ranma a quick rundown. ¡°Okay! Get somewhere you can keep an eye on me while I take these guys out. Oh and hold this, I really appreciate it!¡± He threw his school bag to Ranma who caught it despite being confused.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ranma tried to get him to explain but he surged forward through the gate. Ranma hopped up onto the wall and saw a literal Horde of boys, most of whom were wearing athletic uniforms. He saw baseball bats, bokutos, hockey sticks, boxing gloves, rugby pads. There was a sumo wrestler even! All of them converged on Akio once he passed through the gate.


    And Ranma was enraptured by his new friend. Akio slammed into a baseball player who¡¯d been too slow. He snaked an arm through the boy¡¯s arms and twisted, disarming him and taking the bat for himself. Instead of wielding it like a club he spun it around like a short staff, blocking blows from a couple of lacrosse players.


    While he held the bat and used it for defense, his legs were a flurry of offensive motion. Ranma was legitimately confused as to why he didn¡¯t seem this fast in their spar yesterday. Maybe being a third-party observer made things seem faster? Regardless, a breeze chilled him again and he pulled the jacket tighter, which had the effect of intensifying that scent. He was suddenly very happy that his new friend was otherwise occupied.


    The bat performed well as a mini-staff. Using jabs and sweeps he kept anyone from getting too close while his feet struck out. Ranma realized that Akio¡¯s biggest weakness was range. In a one-on-one he could grapple and that would be that, but against a group that wasn¡¯t an option. Using the bat was a great way to make up for that shortcoming.


    Sumo boy rushed while Akio was busy striking at a boy in a Speedo, and Ranma felt his heart stop for an instant. He was about to get hit! But before the wrestler got close enough to strike Akio backflipped over him and clobbered him over the head. Ranma whooped, realizing that the Tendo had already incorporated some of what he¡¯d learned in their spar yesterday. With that kind of mobility he¡¯d be able to mitigate the range issue.


    Some of the boys didn¡¯t even bother continuing as Akio kept knocking away their compatriots without getting hit once, and before he knew it the fight was over. Akio threw the bat at an charging warrior in a kendo outfit and bokuto. The fool took the bait and swatted the bat away, which gave Akio an opening to pull him into a grapple and bend backwards, piledriving the boy¡¯s face into the dirt.


    While he was sad he didn¡¯t get to participate in the fight, Ranma was hyped up and excited for his friend. Akio, breathing hard, surveyed the damage he¡¯d done and turned to Ranma in a victory pose, flashing his beautiful smile and making a V with his fingertips. Time slowed as Ranma gazed upon him, illuminated by the morning rays of the sun, still panting from the effort.


    ¡°That was awesome!¡± Ranma exclaimed as he leapt down. He finally took the jacket off to give back to Akio along with his bag, and held a hand out to give the Tendo boy a celebratory high five.


    ¡°Once again these delirious fools assail you only to be met with swift and decisive ends, my dear Akio, Lion of Tendo.¡± A husky but melodic voice rang out from across the yard, prompting Akio¡¯s eyes to roll and Ranma¡¯s hand to drop. When Ranma saw the person the voice was attached to, however, his jaw, the jacket, and the bag dropped as well.


    A tall girl, around Naoki¡¯s height, advanced on the two of them. She wasn¡¯t wearing the school uniform, instead she wore a green kimono with black roses creeping up from the hem and a yellow belt tied in the back to resemble a sunburst. Her sleeves were rolled up, her raven black hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, and she held a hockey stick as if it was a naginata.


    ¡°Wh¡ªhuh?¡± Ranma exclaimed. ¡°Who¡¯s this, the drama teacher?¡±


    ¡°Hi Kodachi,¡± Akio groaned. ¡°I didn¡¯t even take a hit that time, will you please call these guys off?¡±


    Ranma stared at him, slack-jawed. ¡°You know this lady?¡±


    Akio was about to respond, about to tell Ranma about how Kodachi had been Naoki¡¯s weird friend for a while before becoming smitten with Akio in middle school, but she spoke first.


    ¡°You, common wench! You speak to Akio with wanton familiarity! Who do you think you are?¡± She leveled the hockey stick at Ranma with venom in her words and ice in her gaze.


    Bristling at the idea that she couldn¡¯t be friends with the nice guy who liked to fight, Ranma opened her mouth to shout back at the weirdo but was cut off.


    ¡°Though it is proper for one to introduce themselves first, I suppose. My name is Kodachi Kuno, upperclassman Kuno, junior. Group E. School president and captain of the girls¡¯ hockey team, I am Furinkan¡¯s Black Rose!¡± She rose her hockey stick as a crack of lightning filled the sky and out of nowhere a flurry of black rose petals whirled around her.


    Ranma blinked, not quite sure if what was happening was real. Maybe he¡¯d never actually woken up this morning. He pinched Akio, who yelped in surprise. ¡°Okay, not dreaming I guess,¡± he muttered to himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to pinch you!¡± he heard Akio whine. Kodachi¡¯s eyes flared at the touch.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m staying at the Tendo dojo for a while,¡± Ranma began, which incensed the older girl even more, and she once again interrupted before Ranma could continue.


    ¡°You what? What manner of madness is this? I shall be the only woman to lay with Akio Tendo!¡± Ranma went crimson at the suggestion, and was grateful to see Akio blush as well.


    Both of them began protesting Kodachi¡¯s assumption, but the wannabe onna-bugeisha was well beyond convincing at this point. ¡°I shall defeat you here, harlot, and claim gallant Akio¡¯s hand for myself!¡± She rushed forward with the stick, jabbing with furious but disciplined motions.


    Immediately Ranma was on the back foot, forced to dodge away from the strikes. Getting inside her range would prove difficult, but it was the fastest way to neutralize her. She sprang up into a tree, outside of Kuno¡¯s reach, but the upperclassman swung it with such speed and ferocity that she cut straight through the trunk, which began to slide and fall.


    He figured the stone wall around the school would be better able to resist a blow from the...plastic? He didn¡¯t know what hockey sticks were made of. It would better be able to resist a blow from a hockey stick but she surprised him by annihilating the part of the wall he¡¯d been standing on. The dust from the blockback gave Ranma enough of an opening that he could dive in right in front of the girl, and he tried to deescalate.


    ¡°Listen! I¡¯m not interested in Akio like that! I¡¯m just staying at their home as a tenant, my dad is a friend of Mrs. Tendo!¡± He pressed his face as close to hers as he could and walked forward. She tried to step back fast enough to bring her makeshift naginata to bear but Ranma would not relent.


    She¡¯s...so fast! Kodachi grimaced. She tried striking at the stranger with the handle but Ranma twirled around the blow and swept her legs, practically throwing her to the ground. In a fluid motion he snatched the hockey stick from her while she fell and hurled it to the horizon.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ve gotta get to the administrative office. See you around never!¡± Ranma gloated before dashing away with Akio right as it began to rain, soaking Kodachi to the bone. The upperclassman lay there for a moment as the rain mixed with the tears of her shame. This wasn¡¯t over.


    <hr>


    Akio quickly gave Ranma directions to the registration office on the third floor and booked it to class just in time for the bell to ring. Cognizant of the fact that he was a girl at the moment, Ranma took a detour to the bathrooms. Gloriously, the sinks did hot as well as cold water and he splashed himself to change back to his birth form. He noticed a bruise forming on his neck and realized that Kuno had somehow struck him while she whirled that stick around and he hadn¡¯t even noticed it. Hopefully he never met her again while a girl.


    Getting a copy of the registration form was easy, they even provided a plastic folder for him to take it home to make sure it didn¡¯t get wet, which he appreciated. When he asked what else they needed for registration, other than a simple intake form with his personal details, they told him it was late enough into the school year that he could wait until summer to take an assessment test and determine if he would be joining the second years or starting first year fresh. The couple of months left in the year he could use to prep for the test, meet the teachers, and familiarize himself with the school. He would still have to take the end-of-year exams, but the counselor he spoke to told him to think of them as practice for the assessment.


    After the discussion he practically skipped toward the entrance. He didn¡¯t know if he was still feeling excited after the fight earlier, newfound confidence from Naoki¡¯s ¡°lesson¡± the night before, or like things were just going his way for once but it was immensely satisfying.


    The plastic folder turned out to be helpful immediately. As he turned a corner he crashed into a group of girls holding buckets full of water in the hall. He yelped as he tumbled into a puddle, pushing the one he¡¯d run into with a long dark ponytail away to keep her from falling with him.


    ¡°Owwwwww, oh no I¡¯m so sorry!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He could tell he was once again in spring form.


    The girl he ran into actually seemed to have avoided the splash and was still standing: Ranma took the brunt of it. She and her friends glared at him for a moment before they realized he was legitimately sorry and that he¡¯d saved her from getting drenched like him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t...don¡¯t worry about!¡± she said, offering Ranma a hand up and a smile. ¡°Are you okay? That was a lot. I¡¯m Sayuri, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    He didn¡¯t stop to think before taking her hand and blurting his name out, he was just happy they weren¡¯t mad. ¡°Ranma Saotome!¡± Shit. Shit! Why¡¯d I say that? Now if he came to school as a boy they¡¯d think he was weird. Or a freak. Or worse, some kind of pervert.


    No, no, it¡¯d be okay. If he got out of the conversation quickly enough whenever he came back he could say he just died his hair or something. If he wore different clothes he could pull it off, right? Though...if his curse were to get out later that would make him look like a liar.


    Before his fears consumed him, Sayuri gestured to her friends. ¡°This is Yuka, Asami, and Hiroko.¡± The other girls nodded, waved.


    Hiroko, whose hair was shorter than Naoki¡¯s but had freckles on her cheeks and nose that looked adorable, was looking at him with stars in her eyes. ¡°Is that a tangzhuang? Are you from China!?¡± she practically squealed.


    Trying to pitch his voice down subtly Ranma answered brusquely. ¡°It is but I grew up in Tokyo. Just got back from a training in China.¡± He inched away from the group but they were persistent and apparently very interested in learning more about him. They were probably bored from having to stand in the hall. If he could just be rude to them he could run off but he was enjoying the chance to make friends with actual girls for the first time in his life! The closest he¡¯d ever gotten to hanging out with girls was...a week ago, when he and his dad came across that village of warrior women before they¡¯d figured out how to control their curse.


    But the longer he took to get out of the conversation the worse it was gonna be when his curse eventually came out. Considering he¡¯d ended up in his cursed form three times already today ¡ª and it wasn¡¯t even noon yet ¡ª something would happen beyond his control and that would be that, the secret would be out. Ugh, if only hot water is what changed him instead of cold. Cold water was basically everywhere!


    A single thought skipped across his mind as the pressure of just how hard it would be to manage his condition: It would be easier to stay as a girl full-time at school.


    He wouldn¡¯t even allow himself to process that thought as panic welled up within him. ¡°Sorry girls, I¡¯ve actually got to get this form home¡ª¡±


    ¡°RANMA SAOTOME!¡± bellowed a voice from down the hall, thick with hate and anger.


    Oh gods, this is going to keep happening, isn¡¯t it? He thought as Kuno advanced. She was wearing a white kimono over her uniform and had a golf driver instead of a hockey stick this time, but the savagery on her face was no less intense.


    He almost responded before he realized he¡¯d never told Kuno his name. One of the girls ¡ª Yuka, was it? ¡ª whispered ¡°You haven¡¯t even started and you¡¯ve got upperclassman Kuno mad at you? Are you dating Akio Tendo or something?¡±


    To keep anyone from seeing the recognition on his face Ranma stayed focused on Kodachi. ¡°Kuno who are you talking about?¡± He quickly threw together a name that sounded good. ¡°My name is Yoi¡ª¡±


    ¡°Akio¡¯s brother told me everything! How you and your cretinous father have infiltrated House Tendo to steal it from its rightful owners!¡± She sounded personally offended somehow, or maybe she took her onna-bugeisha schtick too seriously? Ranma figured she probably felt like she owned the Tendo house if she had designs on Akio.


    Anger flitted through him. To imply that his newfound friendship with the Tendos was false, like it was part of some elaborate scam? And to implicate his father in it?


    ¡­Well, okay, he¡¯d done some sketchy stuff in the past, but Ranma didn¡¯t think he¡¯d so much as shoplifted for at least a year, and he wasn¡¯t as good at the long cons as Ranma used to be. He seemed like he was legitimately trying to be a more honest person.


    Which is why Ranma was so pissed off by this Kodachi chick. He started to approach her, realizing that if she charged him there was a good chance his new frien¡ªthese girls would be at risk. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about my pops, blueblood.¡± He growled.


    Raising her club like a katana, Kuno charged. Ranma grabbed one of Asami¡¯s buckets and flung it. His intent wasn¡¯t to splash her directly but to soak the floor. She leapt into the air, not realizing that she¡¯d played directly into Ranma¡¯s gambit.


    Saotome leapt as well, and Kuno swung her blade vertically¡­which snagged on the roof, arresting her momentum and allowing Ranma to deliver a kick directly to her midsection. The two tumbled to the ground, sliding away from Sayuri and her friends.


    Kodachi was far from finished though, and jabbed her fingers into Ranma¡¯s side. He yelped in pain as she rolled, pinning him and pressing the club into his neck. Ranma did not appreciate how the Nerima folks loved to shut down his ability to breathe. That was his favorite ability!


    She didn¡¯t expect how flexible he was though, as he managed to snake his legs around her torso and under her arms. Kicking with his whole body, he flung her off of him, sending her dozens of feet down the hallway.


    The girls started coming toward him as he picked himself off the floor but he waved them away. ¡°Nuhhh¡­no! She¡¯s not done!¡± he managed to cough up as he caught his breath and whirled to face Kuno again, but saw she¡¯d gone flying out an open window.


    For a moment he let himself relax before Hiroko shrieked. ¡°We¡¯re on the third floor!¡±


    Without thinking he dashed and leapt out the window. The last thing he needed was to kill a random girl on¡­not even technically his first day, like Yuka said! Fortunately the window overlooked the pool, but he saw Kuno lying face down, unmoving.


    Diving perfectly, he shot through the water toward her and pushed her up from underneath as he awkwardly paddled to the pool¡¯s edge. By the time he got her there students had noticed a commotion and were crowding the hallways trying to get a look at what was going on.


    Kodachi wasn¡¯t breathing, so Ranma groaned and got her in position for CPR. He really hoped she woke up before he got to the rescue breaths. Before he started chest compressions he shouted up at the window. ¡°Sayuri, get a doctor! Or¡­school medic, or whatever y¡¯all have!¡±


    Then he started pushing. Everybody was different and he was terrified he¡¯d press too hard. Most of the time if he was doing CPR it was on his dad, and the middle-aged martial artist could handle a lot of punishment.


    To his immense relief, after the fourth or fifth compression she coughed and expelled the water from her lungs and started breathing on her own, taking gasping breaths. Ranma leaned back and gave her space. ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that,¡± he said sheepishly. ¡°At least you didn¡¯t need any rescue breaths.¡±


    Eyes wide, Kodachi stared at the girl. She was probably her own age, maybe a little younger, Naoki didn¡¯t say. Gears shifted and turned in her head. Slowly, but they turned nevertheless.


    Ranma considered it a win that she wasn¡¯t attacking anymore.


    <hr>


    Once the drama died down and the actual school nurse came to check on Kodachi along with the swim coach Ranma was swarmed by students. He spotted Akio and Naoki in the crowd, both seemed confused but concerned. Drenched as he was, it was impossible to deny that he currently shared more in common physically with the girls than the other boys. He had to be very careful how he answered questions.


    He was staying with the Tendos. His father had been friends with Akio and Naoki¡¯s dad. He¡¯d just gotten there on Sunday but his family would be staying with them full-time. Yes, he was going to be coming to school as well once the registration went through.


    The attention was getting to him but after a few minutes of pestering the teachers managed to wrangle everyone and get them back to class. Yuka handed him the registration form that he¡¯d dropped and all four girls took an extra couple of minutes gushing about how awesome he was, and how everybody had been so scared of Kodachi, and they even asked if he¡¯d be willing to show them some martial arts.


    What stuck in his mind was the way they phrased the request. ¡°Ran-chan, you¡¯re so cool!¡± Sayuri exclaimed. ¡°Are you gonna be teaching at the Tendos? Are you gonna do girls¡¯ classes? It¡¯s gonna be so great having another girl around who¡¯s so good at martial arts, you and Akio will make such an awesome team!¡±


    Girls¡¯ classes. A girl who¡¯s good at martial arts. They saw him as a girl. How couldn¡¯t they, when that¡¯s all they¡¯d seen? His thoughts drifted as he finally processed how the day had gone. How cold water seemed to stalk him at every turn. How impressed and relieved the girls looked at him. Not just Sayuri, Yuka, Asami, and Hiroko, but almost all the girls he¡¯d talked to ¡ª some kept staring at his chest judgmentally for some reason. It felt nice how quickly they¡¯d warmed up to him, welcomed him.


    It also cast doubt on his decision to go back to school as a boy. Nobody had ever reacted to him like that, were never so warm and bubbly. Everybody always thought he was a potential threat until he proved he wasn¡¯t. Wasn¡¯t Akio a cool guy? Did he not keep them safe? Were they all like the Horde? Akio said that was like, half the male student body, but the ones he¡¯d seen were all athletes. Was that how it worked at a mixed school? Would anybody be able to trust him if he went back as a guy, especially after the splash he¡¯d made on the first day as a girl?


    Flipping the registration form around as he walked through the Tendo¡¯s front gate he let himself have the thought he¡¯d put on pause when Kodachi showed up. Wouldn¡¯t it be simpler to just go as a girl full-time?

 Fact Finding

    Since their children had left, Genma Saotome was uncomfortably aware of the fact that it was just him and his dead best friend¡¯s wife in the house. Alone. It didn¡¯t feel appropriate, especially since he still considered himself married. but Hana Tendo was a good woman and a fantastic host, and Genma would not betray the trust she put in them by inviting them into her home.


    Which, frankly, confused him. He stopped thinking of himself as a good man years ago, and a good father even longer. While he was trying to improve now he couldn¡¯t shake the sense that he was just pretending, that everyone who met him somehow knew the decades of wrongdoing he¡¯d committed. He was far too gone for anyone to take a chance on, he¡¯d done too much bad to be good now.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Ranma that is. His only child, the last piece of his missing wife to connect him to a noble past and the promise of a brighter future.


    Ranma was, he suspected, the reason Mrs. Tendo invited the two to stay. Genma¡¯d made a lot of mistakes raising the boy, falling back on lessons that were failing him before Ranma was even born and that was evident in his behavior. Ranma was basically feral because of his mistakes. Genma paid attention to the way Hana treated Ranma when he¡¯d arrived ¡ª seemingly alone ¡ª at her house. She¡¯d been protective, compassionate, kind, even made sure her boys weren¡¯t bothering Genma¡¯s kid.


    There was no way he could ever repay her for this.


    Not that he wasn¡¯t going to try. He¡¯d spent the morning washing the dishes, moving the laundry, cleaning the bathroom (panda hair got everywhere), and sweeping the first floor. After two hours of homemaking she called him into the living room for tea.


    ¡°Mr. Saotome, you make a better housewife than I did,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Certainly you¡¯ve done more this morning than Soun ever did in a day.¡± She kept her eyes on him while sipping her tea, taking measure of how he responded to her good-natured ribbing.


    To his credit he took it in stride. ¡°You¡¯ve made your home available to my child and me, keeping it maintained is the least I could do,¡± he responded with a smile while politely sipping his own.


    Nodding, she subtly analyzed him as they sat in silence. He fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable, and kept twisting the wedding band on his finger whenever he had a moment. It didn¡¯t make for a relaxing break, so she moved on to the next stage of her plan.


    ¡°Soun told me you played shogi? We probably have time for a game before Ranma gets back.¡± Hana slid an aged, wooden box out from under the table as she ended the awkward silence. Genma¡¯s eyes went wide with recognition.


    ¡°That¡¯s the same set we used!¡± He excitedly took it from her and began setting it up. Some pieces had been replaced over the years, so the set was a mixture of old and new, but to him it was clearly still the same set.


    One piece was blank ¡ª the kanji had worn off ¡ª but he knew it was one of the pawns. ¡°Soun and I spent so much time trying to cheat each other. This was the one honest piece in the bunch ¡®cause we wore it down.¡±


    Hana grinned, remembering Soun telling her the story when she offered to repaint the piece. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve kept your skills sharp then, Mr. Saotome: Soun never played fair with me and I¡¯m not going to start now.¡±


    His resounding guffaw broke whatever tension was left in the room and she nodded. She appreciated his willingness to help around the house, and it was nice to have someone else around during the day, but he¡¯d been so nervous she couldn¡¯t relax.


    <hr>


    Ranma stepped into the genkan and slipped off his now-oversized shoes. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± he called out. He was still mulling over what to do about school as he walked through the house.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the living room!¡± his dad called back. He sounded happy, which boded well for the rest of the day. Maybe they¡¯d decide to order out instead of cooking?


    As he entered the room he saw Genma and Mrs. Tendo playing shogi. That explained his mood, he loved the game. Ranma never really had the patience for it so he was glad he finally found someone else to play with. Mrs. Tendo looked over Genma¡¯s shoulder to smile at Ranma when her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with her hands to gasp in shock. Genma whirled, looked at Ranma, and sprang up with fear in his eyes.


    ¡°What?¡± Ranma glanced around in a panic, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. His dad was in front of him in a flash, staring at his neck?


    ¡°Where¡¯d you get these bruises?¡± he demanded. ¡°Are you okay? Did someone do this to you?¡± His nose wrinkled as he smelled something odd, chemical. He leaned in for a closer inspection. ¡°Did you go swimming?¡±


    Oh, Kodachi had put, like, all her weight on Ranma¡¯s neck at one point, now it made sense. He shrugged. ¡°Kind of?¡± The adults guided him over to the table and sat him down, Mrs. Tendo disappearing and reappearing with a glass of cold barley tea and a mirror.


    Sure enough, Ranma¡¯s neck was basically a red and purple splotch. ¡°Oh, huh, that wasn¡¯t there when I left, I think.¡± He sounded utterly unperturbed which somehow both calmed and worried Genma. He knew his son had a tendency to minimize his own pain, especially in front of an audience.


    ¡°So this bruise just magically showed up on your neck then?¡± Genma needed Ranma to focus and explain what happened. Flashes of Ranma coming home during middle school and the aftermath of that horrible bullying played in Genma¡¯s mind.


    Ranma¡¯s irritation was expected but at least it got him on track. ¡°No, idiot, this crazy girl attacked me...or I guess technically she attacked Akio. I was dumb enough to get in the way.¡±


    Genma breathed a sigh of relief. If he was getting involved in a fight he hadn¡¯t started they could work with that, so long as he¡ªwait, Mrs. Tendo just sighed. What did she know?


    ¡°Kodachi Kuno?¡± Ranma nodded in agreement. ¡°She was one of Naoki and Akio¡¯s best friends in middle school. They used to spend a lot of time here, she and her little brother, Tatewaki.¡± She sighed as she reminisced. ¡°When Akio was in eighth grade she asked him out and he said no. She seemed okay if a little disappointed, but once she got to high school she changed. At first it seemed like a good change: she was driven, quickly became the most popular girl in her class, joined the hockey team. We were so proud, especially Akio. She tried asking him out but he said no again. She didn¡¯t take it as well this time.¡±


    Something fluttered in the bottom of Ranma''s stomach when he heard that Akio turned down the beautiful, talented, awesome ¡ª if clearly obsessed and violent ¡ª martial artist girl  twice , even after she¡¯d gotten popular. He wondered if Akio would have gone on a date with him if he''d asked before the Tendos discovered his secret.


    Mrs. Tendo grit her teeth before continuing. ¡°She¡¯s been taking her frustration out on Akio ever since. I¡¯ve tried to talk to the school but her father is the principal and the Kuno family is very wealthy and tied to several local institutions.¡±


    The ominous way Hana described her family made Ranma imagine the intense, wannabe samurai he¡¯d met this morning as some sort of yakuza wife and he had to suppress a giggle. ¡°Well I doubt she¡¯s gonna bother me or Akio anymore, I won both our fights. Didn¡¯t even feel this one though, she¡¯s better than I thought.¡± He gingerly touched the bruise on the side of his neck.


    Ranma¡¯s dad didn¡¯t seem so sure. The girl sounded determined and was demonstrably willing to pursue her goals. The fact that she picked a fight with two boys especially. Something about that thought felt wrong somehow, like he was missing something. Something important. Something right in front of him.


    ¡°Oh! Were you a girl when you fought her?¡± It suddenly clicked and he realized his son must have been the target of jealousy.


    Confirming his suspicions, Ranma nodded. ¡°Yeah, sorry. I¡¯ve been trying to stay in my boy form but weird stuff happened to me three times today! First there was your stupid move this morning in the pond, then some old blind lady splashed me on our way to school, then I ran into a group of girls holding buckets in the hallway. I was already a girl before I jumped in the pool!¡±


    Pool? Well that explains the smell . Genma thought. ¡°Why''d you jump in a pool, anyway?¡±


    An enormous grin split his son¡¯s face in half as pride filled his eyes, and he began gesticulating wildly to punctuate his explanation. ¡°Oh dad, you would have loved it! We were on the third floor, I was talkin¡¯ to those girls and Kodachi shows up. Naoki told her we were staying here and she did not like that. Anyway, we have a quick fight, pretty sure she gave me these bruises when she was on top of me with a golf club, but I ¡ª accidentally, I promise ¡ª threw her out the window.¡±


    Hana gasped again. ¡°From the third floor?¡±


    ¡°Yep! Lucky the window was over the pool, so I dive in and pull her out of the water, she¡¯s not breathing¡ª¡± he took a breath mostly to build anticipation for the climax of the story. ¡°And had to give her CPR. Just a few chest compressions and she was fine, nurse told her she could go back to class if she wanted.¡± He put his hands behind his head, grinning all the while.


    Mrs. Tendo sighed in relief as Genma beamed. ¡°Ranma, I¡¯m so proud of you! Every martial artist knows injuries come with the territory, but you probably saved that girl¡¯s life." Truly his son had come a long way since middle school. It made the trip to China feel like maybe it was worth it. With a guffaw he continued, "I won¡¯t be surprised if she comes after you once she finds out you¡¯re a boy.¡±


    Akio¡¯s morning brawl against the Horde played through Ranma¡¯s mind, lingering for a moment on Akio''s victory pose before the fight with Kodachi. Then all he could see was the fury in her face. The way she¡¯d looked at him after the pool creeped him out and honestly he didn¡¯t want anything to do with her anymore.


    Worse was the worry that if she found out he was a boy she had the social power to make his life  hell . Especially if she wanted to¡­get involved with him like that. Unfortunately, his dad seemed pretty excited about the fact that he might have gotten an unwanted admirer. He didn¡¯t want to disappoint him after he¡¯d been so supportive recently.


    Before he could begin spiraling, Mrs. Tendo interjected. ¡°Ranma, your laundry is probably dry by now. You should get changed and head to Dr. Tofu¡¯s now, I¡¯ve still got some chores to take care of. Get that bruise looked at, ask about your conditions, I¡¯ll come collect you two for groceries.¡±


    With an all-too familiar groan Ranma stomped off to comply. Before Genma could follow Hana grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Mr. Saotome, apologies. Would you care for some advice, one single parent of boys to another?¡±


    Uncertainty clouded Genma¡¯s thoughts as he worried what he might have done or said or not done. Hana was a good woman who cared about his son¡¯s well-being, and she did have more experience. He quieted an echo of the unreasonable pride he used to embody, ¡°Please, I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you get a sense that your children have something to say but don¡¯t want to upset you. Katsumi never had that problem but Naoki and Akio, especially Akio, did. I suspect Ranma isn¡¯t excited about the prospect of Kodachi¡¯s romantic attention given that his first interaction with her was violent.¡±


    There was wisdom in her words, Genma knew. ¡°Are you sure? We haven¡¯t had a chance for him to meet very many girls, especially his age, for a while. Before we went to China he was in an all-boys school. And normally he loves fighting.¡±


    Hana rolled her eyes but wasn¡¯t surprised. Soun could be oblivious like this too. ¡°What I¡¯ve learned is that young men aren¡¯t exclusively motivated by young women, and Kodachi is...resilient. Regardless, I saw Ranma¡¯s face and he seemed stressed. You have to coax boys into saying what they¡¯re feeling, so I¡¯d ask him about it. Sooner rather than later.¡± She delivered the last line to emphasize its importance.


    Genma smiled. He should have found Ranma a mother figure sooner. ¡°Thank you Mrs. Tendo, I appreciate it.¡±


    <hr>


    Broaching a potentially sensitive topic turned out to be harder than Genma expected. Ranma changed back to his birth form and donned a sleeveless white tangzhuang. He realized Hana was probably right when his son didn¡¯t say anything on the walk. They used to be able to hike for hours without saying a word and he¡¯d always assumed that was a sign that they had a close bond, but now the silence felt awkward and distant.


    What he didn¡¯t know was that Ranma was also working up his courage to ask about a potentially sensitive topic. He really wanted to know what an athletic supporter was after this morning¡¯s multiple fights and hadn¡¯t dared ask Naoki- sensei while at school. He was surprised his chest wasn¡¯t bruised after all the bouncing he¡¯d done.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Naturally, they both finally started to talk at the same time.


    ¡°Ranma did you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Hey dad what¡¯s a¡ª?¡±


    They stopped, stared, and laughed. Tension and awkwardness dissolved in an instant, the specter of social fear dispelled. Genma wiped a tear from the corner of his eye as his laughter diminished. ¡°Sorry son, what¡¯d you want to ask?¡±


    He wanted to do the polite thing and let his dad talk first but was worried he¡¯d lose the nerve to ask his question if he waited, so Ranma dove straight in. ¡°Last night when Naoki was showing me how to, uh, look like a boy he told me about something called ¡®athletic supporters.¡¯ He said they¡¯d help me in fights and after this morning I wish I had one, do you know what he¡¯s talking about?¡±


    To his relief, Genma was just as confused as he was. ¡°Uhhh¡­the only athletic support I¡¯m familiar with is a jock strap. Which¡­I mean that¡¯s certainly useful for support when you¡¯re a boy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that wouldn¡¯t have helped me out this morning. Maybe Dr. Tofu will know? Or Katsumi?¡± Ranma shrugged. If nothing else he¡¯d ask Naoki after school. ¡°What¡¯d you want to say?¡±


    Genma swallowed, he was much less prepared than Ranma to follow through with what he needed to talk about. But Hana knew what she was talking about, and the worst that could happen is that Ranma thought he was being a little annoying. ¡°So¡­back at the house, when I joked about this Kuno girl pursuing you¡­did that bother you? I don¡¯t want you to feel like I¡­I don¡¯t know, want you to get involved with a girl like that.¡±


    Ranma looked away and bit his lip, considering what his father said. It was true though, he didn¡¯t like the idea of dating Kodachi. It was like his dad lifted a weight off his shoulders though. ¡°It¡­it did, yeah. I don¡¯t want to go for the first girl who throws herself at me, ya know?¡± He shuddered. ¡°Plus she¡¯s some sort of obsessive weirdo. She wore a kimono. She wore two kimonos, she changed into a new one between fights!¡±


    Scratching his chin in thought, Genma cracked a smile as he flippantly responded. ¡°Family must be pretty loaded.¡±


    ¡°Pfft. Yeah I¡¯ll bet. But, uh¡­¡± Okay, he could do this. His dad might not know what an athletic supporter was but he¡¯d probably have advice about how he should go to school. It had to be a bad idea anyway, right? ¡°...So, everybody I talked to except for, like, the receptionist met me as a girl today. Including all the students who came up to me after the pool thing. Sayuri and her friends even¡­asked if I wanted to teach girls specifically. They were hopeful about it.¡±


    His dad just nodded. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re gonna be a bonafide celebrity before your first day. You seem worried though.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s just¡­what if I just went to school¡­as a girl?¡± The question hung there as Ranma stared at his dad¡¯s bare feet. His cheeks burned and the world started to spin the longer Genma took to respond. Just asking was stupid enough, but his dad would tell him it was a bad idea and that would be that, and he could stop obsessing over it, and he¡¯d just explain the curse. People would think it was weird but he¡¯d tried to present himself honestly. If that didn¡¯t work out, well, there was probably another school in the area he could go to.


    That¡¯s not what Genma said though. ¡°I think people will understand you¡¯ve got a strange curse if you just show the staff, and I bet we can get Dr. Tofu to write you some sort of note, but I''ll support whatever you want to do.¡±


    Wide-eyed, Ranma looked to see his dad¡¯s calm, thoughtful face. No judgment, confusion, or even surprise. Just a sad smile. ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea?¡± Ranma asked.


    ¡°I want to make sure you¡¯ve thought through what you¡¯re proposing. You¡¯d have to use the girls¡¯ bathrooms and locker rooms, you¡¯ll probably have to take home economics¡­though they¡¯ve been trying to make that mandatory for boys for a few years now anyway.¡± Two things did worry Genma, given Ranma¡¯s history. ¡°You¡¯ll have to put up with boys being interested in you instead of girls. I dropped out of high school in the 60s but I doubt they¡¯ve changed too much. Finally, the longer you go without revealing your curse the harder it will be if it¡¯s ever made public.¡±


    Everything laid out like that did sound scary, but was it more or less scary than the alternative? If he made close friends would they accept or even forgive him once the curse became known? Maybe he could even get them to help if it wasn¡¯t too public. Akio and Naoki already knew so he at least had a couple of people who could help him out.


    ¡°When we fill out the registration form I¡¯ll leave your gender blank so you can take as much time as you need to think about it, okay?¡± Genma gave him a reassuring smile yet again.


    Ranma realized he was bothered by how unbothered his dad was by all this. How unbothered he¡¯d been for the past two weeks. Two years ago he pulled Ranma out of school because he was too girly but now he was fine letting him go as a girl? Even going so far as to give him advice on how to handle it? It didn¡¯t make sense.


    <hr>


    Katsumi heard the desk bell ring while he was helping Dr. Tofu with a patient. Katsumi was still pre-med so he wasn¡¯t doing more than observing, taking notes, and getting anything the doctor asked for, so he was able to take a break and head to the front. He knew to expect the Saotomes, his mother called when they headed out.


    He wasn¡¯t expecting them to show up dripping wet and in spring form. Or at least not Mr. Saotome. They weren¡¯t a veterinarian¡¯s office after all. He couldn¡¯t worry about that though: as soon as he laid eyes on Ranma and saw the bruises around her neck he was locked in. ¡°Good afternoon Mr. Saotome, Ranma. Sir I took the liberty of setting up a couple of thermoses for each of you in case something like this happened, they¡¯re in the kitchen area there, please help yourself to one.¡± He gestured down the hall. ¡°If you change back please wait here until Dr. Tofu or myself returns, thank you. Ranma I want to start treating that bruise immediately. If you want to change I understand.¡±


    Nobody responded. Katsumi winced at himself. Dr. Tofu warned him about speaking too fast, especially to new patients. It was just so hard to slow down when someone was injured.


    The panda ¡ª Mr. Saotome that is ¡ª pulled out a marker and sign and quickly scribbled a response. #THANK YOU# and trundled off to the kitchenette. Ranma shrugged. ¡°Katsumi, whatever you think is best, I guess.¡±


    Oh. I wonder why they paused , Katsumi wondered as he ushered Ranma into a private area. He was determined to impress the Saotomes after the way they¡¯d crashed into his life. And a part of him especially wanted to impress Ranma. She¡­he?...no, right now it was she, of course. She was a lively, feral traveler who¡¯d already gotten injured somehow. He wanted her to know she could trust his expertise, especially since she¡¯d probably be getting into more scrapes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Dr. Tofu here as soon as I can. Here is a cold compress, press that against your neck. If we reduce the swelling it will heal faster.¡± He pulled out a clipboard and swiftly filled in all the normal intake information. ¡°Just a couple of questions. May I list our address for you? When is your birthday? Do you know your height and weight and if not may we measure you? When¡ª¡±


    Before he could keep asking questions Ranma snapped her fingers to get his attention. ¡°Hey, hey nerd, slow the hell down. Haven¡¯t even had a chance to answer.¡± Katsumi blushed and raised the board defensively out of habit. Nobody had called him a nerd for over a year now; coming from Ranma the nickname stung.


    The reason Ranma and his father had paused wasn¡¯t because Katsumi was talking too fast. If anything he was talking too slow. Something they¡¯d noticed about him in the short 24 hours they¡¯d been in his house is that he was always rushing. Or angry. They expected him to sneer at them for taking longer than fifteen minutes getting to the clinic, to talk down to them for their itinerant lifestyle, for being cursed in the first place,  something .


    Instead he was a perfect gentleman. Once he got Ranma into a private area alone he started slipping only in terms of how fast he talked, and then only as he was filling out paperwork. Ranma¡¯s eyes boggled at how fast his hands were and how neat his handwriting was. It wasn¡¯t mechanical either, it was just very good, very clear writing.


    Then he made the poor guy blush and his heart skipped a beat. For all his bluster and anger at home, he was somehow more vulnerable and more defensive at the same time here at the clinic. ¡°Hey man, sorry about that. I got a habit for nicknamin¡¯ people and I went with the low-hangin¡¯ fruit, won¡¯t do it again, okay?¡±


    Katsumi nodded and relaxed a little bit. ¡°I¡¯ll let you fill out the rest while I get Dr. Tofu.¡± As he drew the curtain closed he chastised himself.  Good job Katsumi, one more cute girl called you a nerd. At least she apologized, but that¡¯s not the first screw up is it? You were pushy and mean, just like¡ª


    ¡°Dr. Tofu, Ranma Saotome in exam room 3 when you¡¯re ready.¡± He spoke softly and tapped the doctor on the shoulder as he was assisting his previous patient to her feet.


    ¡°Thank you Katsumi. This way Mrs. Okamoto.¡±


    <hr>


    Ranma was nervous. Katsumi just left him here and now he was worried the elder Tendo was mad at him for calling him a nerd. He needed to work on thinking before he spoke, especially if he was gonna try and go girl at school.


    The longer he thought about it the more it seemed like it was just gonna happen, or more specifically that he was gonna make it happen. It would be his choice. All his and nobody else¡¯s. Nobody was telling him to do it, but nobody was telling him not to do it, not even his dad. Mrs. Tendo was a woman, maybe she¡¯d set him straight. Yeah¡­yeah! When he got back to the Tendo house he¡¯d ask her about it. She¡¯d be a little offended that he was thinking about pretending to be her gender, tell him he shouldn¡¯t be trying to get a free show of the girls, and that¡¯d be that.


    Finally relieved that he¡¯d found a way out of his predicament he leaned back, pressed the cold thing up to his neck, and let himself relax.  Damn Katsumi is tall  , he thought.  Why¡¯s everybody so much taller than me? Am I that short as a girl?


    He thought about all the Tendo boys. Their mom was tall for a woman, almost as tall as Ranma was as a boy. He imagined they got most of their height from their dad, guy must have been huge. They were all almost as tall as they were nice apparently, even Katsumi once you got him in some scrubs.


    The man who came through the privacy curtain was ¡ª finally ¡ª not some sort of freaky giant person. ¡°Hello Ranma, I¡¯m Dr. Tofu. I¡¯m told you have a couple different reasons for being here today?¡±


    Between his round glasses, bandana, and mask Ranma couldn¡¯t really make out the details of his face but his voice was clear, soft, and polite. ¡°Ah yeah, sorry doc,¡± he said while pulling the compress off his throat. ¡°Got into a fight earlier, the other girl hit me with a hockey stick and then basically put all her weight on a golf club on my neck for a second. I didn¡¯t even realize it until I got home.¡±


    ¡°May I?¡± Tofu asked, indicating his hands. Ranma nodded and the doctor gently moved his head around and pressed on the bruises. ¡°This certainly looks dramatic but it seems superficial. I see Katsumi has already given you a cold compress, you¡¯ll want to apply some sort of cold for no more than a half hour per day to bring the swelling down and encourage proper healing. I¡¯ve also got a cayenne-based rubbing oil if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Ranma shook his head. ¡°Nah that¡¯s fine, doc, honestly I feel okay. Bruises ain¡¯t usually a problem for me.¡±


    ¡°All right then. The other issue Katsumi told me is more mystical in nature, though he was vague about the details.¡±


    ¡°Mystical all right. If you get me some hot water I can show you exactly what I¡¯m dealing with.¡± Ranma put the compress back on his neck, soothed by the cold. ¡°The short of it is that a magic spring makes me turn into a girl or a boy depending on water temperature.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my, a spring? Where¡¯d you find something like that?¡± Tofu¡¯s inflection sounded the same as if Ranma said he¡¯d seen a weird-looking dog.


    ¡°Northwest China, dad and I went on a training trip. Dumbass can¡¯t read Mandarin though.¡± Ranma opened and closed his mouth a few times before continuing. ¡°I mean I can¡¯t either, I don¡¯t wanna throw him under the bus or nothin¡¯. He got it worse than me, he turns into a panda.¡±


    Tofu¡¯s eyes went wide behind his glasses, though his voice remained even. ¡°Oh, yes I¡¯d say you got the better end of that deal. Do either of you experience any sort of mental changes? I don¡¯t know how you would know but what about him?¡±


    For some reason Ranma focused on himself rather than thinking about his dad¡¯s condition. There were plenty of mental changes when he was a girl. His senses seemed more acute, for one. ¡°Well, actually doc I have noticed some stuff change when I¡¯m a chick.¡± Maybe the doctor would have something to work with. ¡°Like colors, ya know? They¡¯re more¡­colorful, if that makes sense? Like things seem brighter an¡¯ more¡­positive. Plus food tastes better, like sugar!¡± He¡¯d developed quite a sweet tooth as a girl, though he wasn¡¯t going to admit that he¡¯d been indulging in it.


    ¡°Interesting. Would you say the world seems more vibrant, more expressive? And would you say your mood is better in general?¡± The doctor was taking this seriously! Ranma thanked whatever kami decided to give him a break. Katsumi was right, Tofu was legit.


    ¡°Vibrant! Yeah that¡¯s a great way to describe it. And I dunno if I¡¯d say I¡¯m in a better mood, but I guess it¡¯s easier to cheer myself up?¡± That was probably why people said women are more emotional than men. He was living proof!


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk with your father and see what sort of mental changes he experiences, thank you for sharing that with me.¡± He picked up the clipboard Katsumi left and looked it over. ¡°I notice Katsumi didn¡¯t write down your sex. Would you like to be referred to by your anatomical sex, which I assume is male?¡±


    Ranma thought the question was odd. Why would the doctor need to ask that? ¡°Anatom¡­I was born a guy if that¡¯s what you mean, yeah.¡±


    ¡°So that is what you want me to put down?¡± Tofu repeated the question.


    ¡°...Yeah?¡± Maybe the doctor wasn¡¯t as legit as he thought if he was having trouble with the question. ¡°I fell into the Spring of the Drowned Girl, so now my curse is to turn into a girl when I get cold water on me, and hot water turns me back into a guy.¡±


    The doctor didn¡¯t write anything down yet. ¡°When did this happen to you?¡±


    ¡°Little over two weeks ago,¡± Ranma was now fixated on the doctor not writing down his gender. ¡°Didn¡¯t find out about the hot water thing for like a week so I was stuck as a chick the whole time. Uh, doc, why ain¡¯t you writing down that I¡¯m a guy?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my apologies Ranma.¡± He finally made the mark and handed the clipboard back to the cursed boy. ¡°Is everything on the form correct?¡±


    Ranma still didn¡¯t actually know the Tendo¡¯s address but everything else looked good. Though now that he was looking at it he wondered why the M next to sex made him feel like he had a pit in his stomach. ¡°Yeah, do you have any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Not right this moment, though I haven¡¯t spoken to your father.¡± Tofu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll look into the matter though, you have my word. Have you met anyone else who¡¯s fallen in to one of these springs?¡±


    ¡°Nope, just us. The guide at the springs told us some poor kid had ended up there right after us but he¡¯d wandered off before we came back,¡± Ranma hoped whoever that was hadn¡¯t ended up in one of the ones that sounded really bad, like the spring of drowned duck.


    ¡°Oh, before you go, I had a question, not about my health or anything,¡± Ranma almost forgot. ¡°What¡¯s an athletic supporter? The only one my dad and I could think of was a jock strap, but a friend...well you know him, Naoki Tendo, suggested I check out athletic supporters for when I¡¯m in this form, said it could help me fight.¡±


    Dr. Tofu froze. It was the first time Ranma saw him look nervous. ¡°Ah, well, the more common term for them would be sports bra. They¡¯re for securing breast tissue.¡± Ono Tofu knew as soon as Ranma asked he wouldn¡¯t like the answer and he was not wrong.


    Betrayal surged up in Ranma¡¯s gut as he felt heat flash behind his face, his skin turning a deep shade of red from fury and embarassment. ¡° He wanted me to wear a bra!? ¡±


    <hr>


    Back in Furinkan High school, Naoki Tendo suddenly sneezed as he sat down to eat his lunch, a simple storebought katsu sando. He savored the tangy sweetness of the kewpie as he chowed down, chasing it with a Sprite Light. Normally he ate by himself in the courtyard, but today Kodachi Kuno decided to come sit next to him.


    ¡°Damn, did Ranma ruin a second kimono of yours today, Kodachi baby?¡± He monotoned, daring her to confront him. ¡°I can¡¯t even remember the last time I saw you in uniform.¡±


    ¡°Cease thine prattle, Tendo-san,¡± she snapped back. ¡°I come not to match blade or wit but to speak, honestly, as men do.¡±


    Naoki chuckled. Ranma must have really pissed her off by giving her CPR. He just hoped her retaliation against the Saotome kid wasn¡¯t too dire. ¡°Sweetie neither of us are qualified to speak about men unless we¡¯re talking about what kind we like, and even then I don¡¯t wanna hear your answer because I don¡¯t wanna think about my brother like that.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± she shouted. He frowned as he finished off the first half of his sandwich. ¡°This is about the Saotome girl staying with you and yours. I would ask you to explain why, how, and her intentions with the good Lord Akio.


    Rolling his eyes, Naoki considered just telling her the truth. It would make things easier for everybody just to get it over with now, Ranma showing up tomorrow as a guy would confirm it and while Kodachi might end up with a little egg on her face everybody would probably get a big laugh out of it.


    But she¡¯d been tormenting his brother for almost a year now, he was gonna mess with her. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s the truth.¡± He leaned forward conspiratorially and lowered his voice to near silence. ¡°They weren¡¯t gonna announce it until she started coming here full time but it turns out our dads were, like, brothers in arms back in the day, yeah?¡±


    Kodachi nodded as she followed along. ¡°So to secure the future of their bloodlines and keep their martial arts school thing¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Tendo Anything Goes School of Martial Arts?¡± Kodachi asked, jealous that the Tendo family had a whole martial arts school.


    ¡°The Unified Anything Goes School in this case, but yeah. Anyway, they promise each other that when their children come of age they¡¯ll meet back up and bring the schools together¡­¡± He paused to take an indulgent swig of his aspartame-infused soda, enjoying the look of desperation on Kodachi¡¯s face. ¡°Ahhh, refreshing. Anyway, they were gonna bring the schools together with¡­¡±


    Making a big show of looking around to make sure nobody was close, he leaned in even closer to Kodachi and gave her a serious look. ¡°I need your word that you¡¯re not gonna tell anybody about this, okay? I¡¯m only telling you ¡®cause of our history.¡±


    Kuno¡¯s head whipped up and down frantically. ¡°I swear on mine family¡¯s honor!¡±


    Naoki nodded in a way that he hoped read as somber, he really needed to keep a straight face for just a few more seconds. ¡°Thank you Kuno-san. My dad and Genma Saotome promised each other that their heirs, to secure the bloodline and the school, would be...married.¡±


    The look on her face was worth it, and the best part is that he didn¡¯t even lie. Their dads  had  done all that.


    Kodachi wanted to scream. Her heart was being pulled in a thousand different directions. The promise of two warriors was a noble, powerful thing indeed, and it meant that the Saotome girl and her beautiful Akio hadn¡¯t technically chosen each other so much as they were thrust together, but this meant that he was forever lost to her.


    She stood up, heard herself thank Naoki for confiding in her, and robotically walked away. She needed to meditate on what to do next.


    Naoki wore the biggest, smuggest smirk he could as he finished up his sandwich. Normally he preferred savory but this small, petty sense of revenge tasted oh so sweet.

 Challenges

    Akio wasn¡¯t used to girls hanging around, not since his falling out with Kodachi. He hadn¡¯t been particularly charming before, so he only had a couple of girl friends, but after she started pursuing him other girls gave him a wide berth in case they attracted her ire. Unfortunately the other boys were too busy hanging off her every word, so when she challenged them to defeat him in combat he lost most of those friends too.


    It made his freshman year of high school a somewhat lonely experience, to say the least.


    Today, however, he had  two  girls come stand at his desk, staring at him with expectant curiosity. ¡°Hiroko, Asami¡­hi?¡± He had to know why they were here.


    Hiroko leaned in, her freckles suddenly dominating his field of view. ¡°Tell us about Ranma! We met her right before she saved Kodachi!¡±


    Before Akio could try and formulate a response, Asami joined her friend. ¡°Ranma told people she was living with you! Is that true?¡±


    They were referring to Ranma as ¡°she¡± and ¡°her¡±, so Akio had to be careful what he said. Shifting into what he thought was a cool, casual mode to deflect suspicion he deployed some obfuscatory lines to stall for time. ¡°The whole school is talking about Ranma, what have you heard so far?¡±


    As the girls recounted what they¡¯d heard ¡ª mostly just the things Ranma had confirmed that morning at the pool ¡ª Akio offered a little bit of clarity when he thought it would help. His hope was that it would cause Ranma as few problems as possible when he eventually got to school, so he mostly tried to emphasize Ranma¡¯s martial arts skill, minimize anything girly, and head off any obviously fanciful stories about monsters and gods in China. Though he did remember that little story about a giant boar that¡¯d been threatening a village or something.


    Little did Akio realize that he was now subject to the scrutiny of a high school gossip machine, and what he thought was an impenetrable poker face was instead a clear blush as he clammed up; what he thought was talking up Ranma¡¯s martial arts skill was flustered praise; what he thought was ensuring people wouldn¡¯t think of Ranma as a girl gave the impression that Akio thought ¡°she¡± was a tomboy ¡ª and half the school believed he was secretly pining for Kodachi already because  she  was a tomboy ¡ª and therefore Akio¡¯s type.


    What also didn¡¯t help was how he would often pause after they asked a question, blush a little harder, then too-quickly drop a canned answer. By the time the teacher came in, Hiroko and Asami were certain the two were dating.


    For the rest of math, Akio was left to try and sort through his feelings about Ranma¡¯s newfound popularity and the fact that Akio was right next to ground zero. He remembered the fantasy he had about Ranma before he¡¯d walked in on her¡ª him  in the bath. It was important that he reconfigure that fantasy, make sure it reflected the reality of their situation.


    Firstly, that Ranma was, without question, a  boy . He¡¯d made that abundantly clear, no matter how his muscles moved the same under his skin in both forms, no matter how big and expressive his eyes were, no matter how his pigtail bounced when he giggled, no matter how how Akio¡¯s tank top and boxers had hung off his body this morning¡ª


    Agghhh, no, that was just making things worse. He¡¯d only known Ranma for about a day and he was already doubting fundamental aspects of his identity. Instead, he¡¯d focus on the fact that Ranma ¡ª before he even got to school ¡ª was already incredibly popular. Akio would be dealing with Kodachi¡¯s Horde for the rest of the year while Ranma was gonna be swarmed by girls. Or worse, the Horde wasn¡¯t even gonna bother him anymore because Kodachi¡¯s attention was gonna be on Ranma and then Akio wouldn¡¯t have  anyone .


    ¡° Mr. Tendo, are you paying attention?  ¡± Came a resounding, sharp reprimand from the teacher. ¡°Are the trees really  that  much more interesting than my lesson?¡±


    Before anyone had a chance to sarcastically respond in the positive, he resumed lecturing. Akio, meanwhile, was dealing with a pit that recently opened up under his stomach. His subconscious had one more parting shot for him before he focused on class as he remembered what he¡¯d seen this morning as Ranma sat on the engawa wringing out Akio¡¯s tank top.


    <hr>


    Hana doubted her decision to manipulate the poor Saotome boy into cooking with her after picking him and his father up from Dr. Tofu¡¯s. Though now that Mr. Saotome¡¯s arm was in a sling she would need the extra pair of hands if she was going to make food. Dr. Tofu had been inspecting Genma when Hana arrived and the cute, clumsy doctor bent it entirely the wrong way when she¡¯d announced her arrival. Katsumi hurried her and the Saotomes out, assuring her that their examinations had gone well.


    She didn¡¯t pry, but Ranma didn¡¯t behave like things had ¡°gone well¡±. He was visibly fuming the whole time ¡ª at least partially because he¡¯d upturned an entire boiling kettle on himself without waiting for it to cool down ¡ª brusquely answered any questions with as few syllables as possible, and glared at the ground in front of him with his arms crossed.


    Once they arrived at the market she sent him off to get rice so she could stay back and question his father about it. ¡°Ah, well, it turns out that Naoki recommended he wear bras in girl form. He, uh, didn¡¯t take the revelation well.¡±


    Naoki had actually explained his plan to her last night after dinner. She knew he never would have suggested that, so what was Genma talking about? Ranma got back carrying several heavy bags of rice and Hana realized she¡¯d have to deal with his posturing, performative masculinity for a few hours.


    ¡°Ranma, you had a long morning and your father¡¯s injured, you don¡¯t have to help me cook tonight,¡± she offered in a way that let him save face.


    He perked up at that, and was dangerously close to grinning, but he didn¡¯t immediately accept either. When he was thinking deeply about something he acquired a manic energy that reminded Hana a lot of Katsumi. ¡°I can see you¡¯re thinking about it. Since you¡¯re already here, I hope you¡¯ll at least help me with the groceries, and if there¡¯s anything you  want  to make for us you can pick it out.¡±


    Each of her sons had at least tried cooking before and developed a favorite or signature dish ¡ª the less said about Akio¡¯s the better ¡ª they enjoyed cooking. She hoped Ranma, self-described martial arts master chef, would be motivated if he had something similar.


    The sinister smile on his face made her immediately regret that decision. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a  great idea  Mrs. Tendo, thank you. I learned how to make a Sichuanese dish that everyone will  love .¡±


    Genma interjected before he could run off and start gathering ingredients. ¡°Maybe we wait until my arm heals before making anything too¡­ advanced , Ranma?¡±


    The boy pouted but agreed, muttering something about how ¡°they probably won¡¯t have the right peppers anyway.¡± Hana felt like she¡¯d dodged a bullet.


    <hr>


    Naoki didn¡¯t know what Kodachi was up to, but he didn¡¯t like it. In the middle of their last class of the day together she suddenly pulled out a letter-writing kit from what he assumed had to be the 1600s and started composing  something . When their teacher asked what she was doing her response was, ¡°The only course of action left to me!¡± in a tone that allowed no disagreement.


    He had a horrifying suspicion it had to do with what he told her at lunch and didn¡¯t want to get involved, so he readied his bag just before the bell, planning to make a dash for the door.


    The martial artist, class president, and hockey team captain was entirely too fast for him however, and she caught his wrist before he made it two steps. Whirling around, she pressed the immaculately handwritten ¡ª hand brushed  really ¡ª letter into his hands. ¡°Naoki-san, heed my words: Deliver this message of apology to thou future¡­new houseguest. I await her response tomorrow.¡±


    Without waiting for  Naoki¡¯s  response she walked away. He stood there, grateful he hadn¡¯t done anything to make any martial arts experts mad at him.


    <hr>


    Ranma perched atop the wall surrounding the Tendo¡¯s home. Ultimately he was too mad to help in the kitchen and took Mrs. Tendo up on her offer. That meant he¡¯d probably have to suffer through another evening of bland food but it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    Unfortunately, just sitting there waiting for Naoki to come home didn¡¯t make him feel any better. For one, he didn¡¯t have a plan or anything like that. He wasn¡¯t even really sure why he should care. He knew he should be mad: another boy had told him to wear a bra, he just used terms Ranma never heard of to describe them so he¡¯d look like an idiot when he eventually asked someone. His  dad  didn¡¯t even know what they were!


    The other issue is that he didn¡¯t have anything to keep his mind occupied so he just ended up  thinking  , a dangerous prospect, first about Naoki. He couldn¡¯t let himself reconcile the boy who tried to trick him into crossdressing and Naoki-  sensei , who gave him the tools to shape his body no matter what form he was in.


    That in turn led to him wondering if the ¡°binders¡± he¡¯d been given were bras as well. They didn¡¯t look like the few bras he¡¯d seen ¡ª the binders looked like tank tops and the sarashi were just strips of cloth ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t sure because apparently bras could have innocent-sounding names like ¡°athletic supporters.¡±


    Before he could spin his wheels pondering that, he switched to thinking about Kodachi. His dad¡¯s voice echoed in his mind as he considered how differently things would have gone if he¡¯d been a guy when they first met. He knew he was a handsome guy, but would Kodachi like his lithe physique if a beefcake like Akio was what she normally went for?


    Probably not. Ranma was built like Naoki, who Kodachi was equally close to. For a chick like her it seemed weird to go for the younger guy if you were at all interested in the older brother.


    ¡­Was it weird to think that? He was just trying to think through things from other peoples¡¯ perspectives. It wasn¡¯t that different from anticipating an opponent¡¯s moves in a fight, right? Except this was in a social situation? If he considered how Kodachi thought about him the way she met him today, for instance, where all she saw was a girl cozying up to the guy she liked. Maybe if she wasn¡¯t such a possessive harpy she wouldn¡¯t scare him away to someone like Ranma. That was something she might think about herself, right?


    His musings were interrupted by the sound of the front gate opening. Shooting straight up he glanced over the side of the wall and saw the tops of Naoki and Akio¡¯s heads coming through the gate.


    ¡°Hey Naoki- sensei !¡± He leapt down in front of them, which turned out to be a mistake. Akio was apparently a bundle of nerves and right as Ranma¡¯s toes touched the ground Akio¡¯s foot collided with his stomach, sending him careening into the garden and rolling to a stop in a bush.


    Breath thoroughly knocked out of him, he could only listen as Naoki ran over exclaiming ¡°Hells Saotome, what was that about? Damn near gave us a heart attack! I¡¯m only 17, I¡¯m too young to go into cardiac arrest!¡±


    Ranma blinked and Akio was helping disentangle him from the leaves and branches, and to his horror he felt the enormous Tendo lift him up like a bag of rice instead of just assisting him up like a reasonable person would. The fact that he was doing it while Ranma was a boy was even worse, ¡®cause now he knew Akio was strong enough to pick him up like a toy regardless of what shape he was wearing.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Ugggh lemme go you lummox!¡± He squirmed and rolled out of Akio¡¯s hands, wobbling on his feet as he landed.


    ¡°Sorry for trying to help, man,¡± Akio held up his hands. He didn¡¯t tell Naoki, but he¡¯d sensed violent intent before he realized it was Ranma. Saotome would get one chance to explain himself but Akio¡¯s defenses were up.


    Wiping himself off, Ranma regained his focus, took a deep breath, and glared at Naoki. For a moment his mouth wiggled while he tried to find the words, and the Tendos weren¡¯t sure exactly what he was gonna do.


    ¡°Why did you want me to wear a bra!?¡± Was what he finally settled on. Akio turned crimson and was grateful neither of the other boys were paying attention to him.


    Naoki blinked before matching Ranma¡¯s aggressive energy. ¡°I recommended you wear a  sports bra, idiot! Do you not know the difference?¡±


    Akio did not want to be present for this conversation but had to stick around for Naoki¡¯s sake. He really didn¡¯t need the image of Ranma¡¯s girl form wearing just a sports bra and shorts. He¡¯d seen Kodachi in those a handful of times before they stopped hanging out and it never really phased him, but picturing them on Ranma had an entirely different effect on him.


    ¡°A bra¡¯s a bra, ain¡¯t it?¡± Ranma bellowed. Naoki was a little taller than him, so getting right up in his face wasn¡¯t as effective as it could have been, but he hoped his volume and intensity would do the trick.


    Naoki didn¡¯t want to be angry. He figured Ranma was gonna have this reaction last night, and now at least he had Akio to make sure the firecracker wasn¡¯t going to hurt him. It would be difficult, but if he kept his cool and focused he could keep things from escalating further.


    That being said, Ranma seemed like the sort of guy who didn¡¯t understand a lot outside of violence and shouting. ¡°No! There¡¯s like dozens of types, most of which just provide support and protection. And I know guys who wear them!¡±


    Something in Ranma broke and his face went slack. That last thing Naoki said didn¡¯t make sense. Bras were clothes for girls. Guys wouldn¡¯t be wearing them. But Naoki said it confidently, possibly truthfully. ¡°...What, like crossdressers?¡±


    The middle Tendo son sighed, gently pushed Ranma so the kid wasn¡¯t in his face anymore, and clapped his hands on the boy¡¯s shoulders. ¡°No. No, you dumbass. Men with boobs, kinda like you have to put up with but they have to do it  all the time  because they didn¡¯t find a magic spring to fix it for them.¡±


    Ranma wanted to shout back about the springs being  cursed  , that nobody would  want  this to happen to them, except for the part of his brain that was taking up all the available processing power trying to understand what Naoki was even saying.


    Naoki waved his hand at Akio to leave. He could manage from here. ¡°Ranma, buddy,  bro ¡­ehh, no don¡¯t like that one. I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t more upfront with you. We were short on time and I wanted you to feel good about yourself. Did you at least feel good about yourself?¡±


    Ranma nodded in response. He had felt good, he felt in control. A whole universe had opened up for him. Hell, he hoped he¡¯d get a chance before he started going to school to get some clothes for himself, put together a wardrobe, figure out what he liked. ¡°Yeah, I just¡­it felt weird knowing you wanted me to get girls¡¯ clothes.¡±


    Okay, it was time to use this card. ¡°Ranma, clothes aren¡¯t  for  men or women. Clothes are  marketed  to men or women, but they¡¯re just pieces of cotton and plastic arranged a certain way.¡±


    He needed to tie this to martial arts somehow, needed to find the right metaphor¡­damn he¡¯d need to talk to Akio about catering his lessons to fit Ranma. ¡°Oh! Okay no, this is perfect. Anything Goes Martial Arts.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ranma was confused at the apparent change in topic.


    ¡°What do our families¡¯ styles have in common, Ranma? Other than the whole ¡®created by a petty thief¡¯ thing, I mean.¡± Naoki knew he could get to him like this. ¡°I know Akio knows like a dozen different martial arts styles but he¡¯s picked out the best parts of each and improvises what to use based on the situation. Is it no longer Anything Goes just because he throws in some¡­aikido or Jeet Kune Do or¡­Hamon? Sorry, he got all the martial arts genes in the family, I hope I¡¯m making sense.¡±


    In fact, Naoki was finally making sense, the most sense he¡¯d made to Ranma so far. ¡°Oh¡­Oh! Yeah! Naoki- sensei  I¡¯m getting it. It¡¯s like Anything Goes¡­Fashion Arts!¡± If Naoki¡¯s lesson from the previous night opened a door for Ranma, this new revelation knocked down the whole damn wall. Yesterday he no longer felt like being in a girl¡¯s body had to define him, but now he realized that he had access to the best of all worlds.


    He was gonna be unstoppable.


    Naoki saw the realization dawn on Ranma¡¯s face and worried that he¡¯d birthed a monster. ¡°Not the name I¡¯d pick but I¡¯m glad you get it!¡±  And I can finally unclench, this kid would flatten me .


    As they headed inside, Naoki remembered Kodachi¡¯s letter and fished it out of his school bag. ¡°Here you go, Ms. Kuno called this a letter of apology and hopes you¡¯ll respond tomorrow.¡±


    Ranma took the folded paper, admiring the brushwork but frowning at the way Kodachi had spelled his name. ¡°She wrote it as ¡®orchid horse¡¯. That doesn¡¯t even make sense.¡±


    ¡°Who spelled it like that?¡± His dad said, catching only the end of the conversation as they entered the living room. He was playing shogi with Hana again.


    ¡°That Kodachi chick sent me a letter of apology. Haven¡¯t read it yet, just complaining about nothin¡¯.¡± Despite his grousing, he always enjoyed when people made that mistake. Complaining was just a way to call attention to it.


    Lady Ranma Saotome,


    First I wish to apologize for mine boorish behavior this morn and for disparaging thine lineage. Thine actions prove thee to be of noble heart and integrity, and thine skill is unassailable. I hope in the coming years our friendship blossoms into an indomitable fortress and that I have the opportunity to demonstrate mine skill to thee in a more honorable match.


    Perhaps the opportunity will be tomorrow, for I wish to challenge thee to a proper duel. After the events of this day I understand if you refuse, but know that I will challenge thee again on the day thou step foot in Furinkan as a student.


    Yours, Lady Kodachi Kuno, Black Rose of Furinkan


    Ranma put the paper down. ¡°This lady is  wordy ! And insane; Akio, how did you put up with her for so long?¡±


    Akio, who was walking past the room in his gi on the way to the dojo, had no context and gave Ranma a confused look. ¡°Who are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, never mind, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ranma waved him off and leaned back into his hands. He¡¯d have to go to school tomorrow to turn in his registration form. His dad had filled out everything but the gender space just like he¡¯d promised.


    Honestly, having gotten a proper challenge letter was pretty exciting. And Kuno impressed him. Though he wondered if she¡¯d still want to be friends if she knew¡­which reminded him.


    Mrs. Tendo and his dad were in the middle of a game so he waited until they hit a break. ¡°Um, Mrs. Tendo, can I ask you something in private, please?¡±


    ¡°Of course Ranma, let¡¯s go to the kitchen. Mr. Saotome, please reset the board.¡± Genma grumbled as she¡¯d won the previous couple of games.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, sweetie?¡± She worried the epithet was too familiar, too girly, or too infantilizing as soon as she said it, but he took it in stride.


    ¡°Uh, so¡­I¡¯m considering going to school as a girl. I¡¯ve already talked to my dad and he said he would support me. I just wanted to know what you thought.¡± He was sure she was going to say no. Maybe even feel disgust.


    Instead, Hana began pouring two glasses of cold barley tea, a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°Do you mind if I ask why you¡¯re considering it?¡± She was legitimately curious, not understanding why a perfectly healthy, attractive young man like Ranma would want to present as anything else.


    However, she had a secret, an impulse that she hadn¡¯t shared with anybody, that she was terrified would impact her judgment, that she was ashamed to even be thinking. She always wanted a daughter, it¡¯s why they¡¯d tried for a third child, something she¡¯d never even told Soun.


    She never stopped thinking of Ranma as a girl. Her first impression had been of a lost little thing, fiery yet polite, who immediately got along with her youngest. There was chemistry there, even after the Saotomes¡¯ curses were revealed.


    Raising Naoki taught her about the diverse world of gender and gender presentation, so she was determined to keep that urge in check. It¡¯s why she had gotten so frustrated when Ranma flounced around topless this morning. Yet here she¡ªhe was asking her permission to¡­live as a girl.


    Sipping his glass slowly to gather his emotions, Ranma thought about how to answer. She was  supposed  to give him a Look, accuse him of being a pervert, or at the very least say it wasn¡¯t a good idea. Did he give people the idea that he liked being girly? Between Naoki telling him to wear a bra, Dr. Tofu refusing to write down a single letter, his  dad  giving him advice, and now Mrs. Tendo¡¯s curiosity he wondered if there was a sign on his back.


    ¡°Well, three main reasons.¡± He would be as honest as he could, at least with the first two. ¡°People already know me as a girl, they saw me save Kodachi from drowning and swarmed me with questions. Then some of the other¡­some of the girls came up and were super impressed with me.¡± People had been impressed with his martial arts skills in the past, but he always got the sense that they were happy to be impressed from a distance. The girls he¡¯d met today were impressed  and  wanted to know more about her, about  him .


    ¡°Some of them even asked if I would teach classes. Girl classes. I don¡¯t wanna disappoint ¡®em, and based on the few guys I met while I was there I get why they¡¯d want that.¡± He didn¡¯t know if Akio taught classes or anything like that, but he imagined the two of them running the dojo together, teaching a Unified Anything-Goes style to all comers. He¡¯d never thought of himself as a teacher but he pictured herself standing proud shoulder to¡­well, pecs with Akio, proudly beaming at a collection of students.


    ¡°Also, Kodachi seems to respect me, at least if that letter meant anything.¡± He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Mrs. Tendo. ¡°I doubt she¡¯d issue me a direct challenge if she knew I was a boy. Did she ever challenge Akio?¡±


    Hana shook her head as she read the note. ¡°No, her methods against boys are usually indirect. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she thinks they¡¯re stronger than her or because she thinks she¡¯s too strong for them, but either way I¡¯ve never seen anything like this.¡± Part of her hoped that Kodachi would leave Akio alone now that he was living with a gir¡­another boy with comparable skill.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried that if she thinks I lied to her she¡¯ll do something like that to me, or at least make my life way harder.¡± Memories of middle school resurfaced, well before the curse, and the way the other students in his all-boys school mercilessly teased and bullied him until he had to make them stop, only this time the instigator would be a girl he couldn¡¯t properly fight without looking like an even bigger bully.


    He didn¡¯t want to tell her that though. ¡°And I didn¡¯t have a good time in school when I was a boy.¡± That was the true, if vague, explanation he went with.


    Hana swirled the tea around in her glass, savoring the nutty, caramel scent before she sipped. Ranma wasn¡¯t asking permission to peep on girls in the shower, if he wanted to do that he wouldn¡¯t broadcast it to the two adults in his life. She remembered when Naoki had asked if he could stop going to school altogether, so afraid he was after his secret got out.


    ¡°Ranma I¡¯m going to say a few things that I want you to consider, but the short answer is that if this is what you want I will support you.¡± If only she could trust she was making the right decision. ¡°I don¡¯t believe Kodachi will retaliate like that if she finds out, she never did anything like that to Naoki for instance.¡± Ranma wondered what she meant but was too busy reeling from Hana¡¯s support.


    ¡°Second, and please understand I¡¯m just making a suggestion, you¡¯re going to  want  to wear a bra.¡± Hana made sure Ranma was paying attention. ¡°One of the realities you¡¯re going to have to put up with is that boys¡­sorry, the other boys will make a big deal out of your body. You are¡­your girl form is very pretty and I want to make sure you understand how that¡¯s going to affect your experience. Girls may treat you worse as well if they think you¡¯re¡­intentionally flaunting something they¡¯re jealous of.¡± She hated having to explain this to Ranma, but she didn¡¯t want her to¡­  him  to be surprised by it.


    And it got Ranma to scowl at his glass. Whether that was because the idea of wearing specific types of undergarments, the injustice of life as a girl, or some secret third thing bothered him Hana couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°I also want to warn you that the longer you go without revealing your curse ¡ª which is something that might be beyond your control ¡ª the more likely people will be to consider it a deception if it comes out.¡± Wine would be better than tea right now, it would explain the redness of her cheeks. But she said it, whatever Ranma¡¯s choice would be.


    ¡°Thanks Mrs. Tendo, ¡®preciate it.¡± He mumbled before finishing his tea, rinsing out the glass and setting it to dry, and walking out of the kitchen.


    The groceries they¡¯d picked up today stared at her as the only person left in the room. She glared back at them, downed her tea, and grumbled, ¡°Definitely ordering takeout tonight.¡±


    <hr>


    Akio needed a chance to unwind and release some stress. He started with stretches and free weights before running through a few kata, some slow, some fast. Then he brought out the cinder blocks.


    As he stacked the first few he thought about Ranma again. His own frustration bothered him, he didn¡¯t want to think badly of him, he liked the guy! Just ¡®cause they¡¯d had a connection when Akio thought he was a girl didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t be friends now, especially since he was living with them full-time.


    Maybe that was what was really bothering Akio. Ranma would be a permanent house guest but it had barely been a day. That wasn¡¯t time to get used to the new status quo. He focused on the stack of bricks, only four as a warmup, and let out a ¡° Kiai! ¡± as he shattered them in a single strike.


    He felt good as he wiped the sweat from his brow. That¡¯s what he needed. However, as he turned to grab more bricks none other than Ranma was there, holding one at the ready for him. ¡°Here you go, man,¡± he offered.


    ¡°How did you¡ª!¡± Akio started. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you come in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Saotome School. We¡¯re quiet like that. Haven¡¯t managed to break that many bricks in one go before though. Mind if I watch?¡± Something was different about Ranma. He was¡­small, quiet. Not in the sense that he was stealthy, that was also true, but his  presence  was diminished.


    Taking the brick from Ranma he started stacking and the other boy kept handing him more until he had a tower of three. Part of him wanted to give Ranma something to do that the boy just admitted to not being able to do, just to see him fail at  something  . But he knew that wasn¡¯t fair, that he was being unreasonable. It shamed him, and even worse was that he didn¡¯t understand  why . Could it be as simple as having been the unquestionably best martial artist of his age group for so long, and now he was jealous someone even better had dropped out of the sky?


    It had to be that. Simple jealousy. The only other explanation is that he was mad that he¡¯d thought Ranma was a cute girl when they first met and unfairly blamed him for actually being a cute boy,  or  that he was scared that he was attracted to Ranma even when he was a cute boy. And it definitely couldn¡¯t be that last one.


    ¡°What about three blocks?¡± Gesturing to the stack, Akio stepped away to let Ranma have at it.


    His new house guest didn¡¯t take him up on his offer. He just stared at the stack. Was he deciding the best way to come at it? Inspecting the stack to make sure they were even? But he shook his head. ¡°Nah, gotta focus ta do somethin¡¯ like that, I ain¡¯t focused right now.¡±


    Akio nodded, the other boy seemed like something was bothering him. ¡°Okay, how about a spar then? Or you could tell me how you think I did this morning?¡±


    Ranma¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Holy crap, that was this morning!¡±


    Akio was more-or-less used to the Horde, especially on Mondays, so he just laughed at Ranma¡¯s revelation. ¡°Long day, huh? What¡¯d you get up to while Naoki and I were at school? Didn¡¯t I hear something about you giving Dr. Tofu a visit?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, I don¡¯t really wanna talk about it if that¡¯s okay. But I do wanna spar, that sounds great.¡± For a moment Akio saw the same excitement in his eyes that he saw in hers yesterday and his heart skipped a beat, and for that moment he didn¡¯t care that he found him attractive.

 Welcome to Furinkan High

    Once again, Ranma fumed in the furo. His spar against Akio started great, Ranma was excited, he felt some energy come back to him as he danced around Akio¡¯s strikes. Turns out the Tendo boy wasn¡¯t having as much fun. After sliding under Akio¡¯s wide stance to avoid an attack ¡ª an objectively awesome dodge by any metric ¡ª he finally had enough and clocked Ranma with a cheap shot in the back.


    From there the spar turned into a full-on brawl which required both boys¡¯ parents to come in and break them up. Dinner, which was once again bland ¡ª through no fault of the Tendos ¡ª was quiet and awkward. All the emotions of the day roiled around in his head and eventually he asked to be excused before seconds, so he was still hungry. He tried stretching in his room, running around the block a few times, and after a half hour of directionless meandering decided all he could do was take a bath and turn in early.


    He shouldn¡¯t have asked his dad or Mrs. Tendo about school. The curse would be weird to deal with and he¡¯d probably be lonely, but some guys probably wouldn¡¯t care, right? His best friend in middle school never cared once the rumor mill started going so he¡¯d be able to find new friends like that, especially given how charming he could be.


    But he  did  ask them, and they were both supportive, and he was  actually  considering it. When Mrs. Tendo told him he¡¯d probably have to ¡ª or at least want to ¡ª wear a bra when he went to school it made him question how mad he¡¯d gotten at Naoki. Wasn¡¯t the other boy basically suggesting the same thing but for fighting?


    Dad mentioned he¡¯d have to use the girls¡¯ locker room. While that did give him some anxiety, it scared him far less than the alternative. Boys¡¯ locker rooms just creeped him out now. Two years on the road learning martial arts hadn¡¯t dulled the panic he felt thinking about going back.


    What if he just made the curse public? Still go to school as a boy, but explain and demonstrate the curse to the staff, and make a case to be sent to the nurse¡¯s office or something when he needed to shower instead? Would they go for that? Maybe, though it wouldn¡¯t address any of his other reasons for wanting to try school as a girl.


    A quick, loud knock at the door echoed through the bathroom and broke him out of his introspection. ¡°It¡¯s Katsumi, may I come in?¡±


    People around here ¡ª other than Akio ¡ª sure were considerate about stuff like that, huh? ¡°Sure thing, I¡¯m almost done anyway.¡± He replied.


    The eldest Tendo stepped through the door and Ranma realized he was just gonna have to get used to how tall this family was at some point, wasn¡¯t he?


    In addition to being tall though, Katsumi was  jacked . Akio¡¯s chest was broad, Naoki¡¯s was thin, Katsumi¡¯s was somewhere in the middle. While Akio had bigger shoulders from working out, Katsumi was more¡­filled-in. Ranma found himself imagining Akio with Katsumi¡¯s strong chin, broader core, thicker thighs, and¡­annnnnd nothing else. Yep, Katsumi was objectively a good-looking guy, he could respect and admire that.


    He didn¡¯t say anything or pay Ranma much attention, which was fine while he showered and washed himself off, but got awkward after he sank into the furo. His eyes were closed and he groaned as he stretched out, practically filling the tub with his long limbs.


    The silence didn¡¯t seem to bother him so Ranma eventually realized he had to be the one to break the tension. ¡°Long day, huh?¡± He chuckled, echoing Akio¡¯s question from earlier.


    Whether Katsumi was waiting for Ranma to ask or just needed to vent, he basically unloaded. Not just about the stuff that frustrated him either, he relayed almost every minor detail about his day to Ranma without ever seeming to take a pause or a breath.


    And he did it so fast! Was he always bottled up so tight? Is that why he was such an ass yesterday? Ranma realized he couldn¡¯t even remember most of the details and worried Katsumi would think he zoned out. After the nerd comment earlier today ¡ª which he skipped in his recap ¡ª Ranma didn¡¯t want to hurt his feelings again if he could avoid it.


    Without his glasses, Katsumi¡¯s eyes were fully visible for the first time since Ranma met him. Like Akio he had big, expressive brown eyes that danced as he spoke.


    Once he was finished, Katsumi chuckled. It was a pleasant, relaxed sound that put Ranma at ease. ¡°Sorry to talk your ear off, I don¡¯t get a chance to just vent like that. Double sorry if I went too fast to keep up with.¡±


    He gave Ranma a smile and the younger boy was grateful that the heat of the bath had him red already. ¡°D-don¡¯t worry about it. Did you say something about my dad asking about a job?¡±


    Katsumi nodded. ¡°Yep, before my mom showed up. Dr. Tofu told me he was considering it since he seemed to know first aid. Said you both were pretty good at roadside medicine. Bragged about you doing CPR today.¡±


    Pride gave Ranma an something to focus on besides the butterflies in his stomach. ¡°Yeah, Kodachi Kuno. Accidentally threw her out the window into a pool, I had to save her.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, Kodachi, haven¡¯t seen her since last summer. Thanks for doing that, I¡¯m sure Akio and Naoki appreciate it.¡± Another smile which meant more butterflies for Ranma.


    ¡°U-uh-huh, sure would be nice if they¡¯d said something. So far the only one who has was Kodachi.¡± He remembered how she looked at him again, and wondered if there was attraction there, even though he was a girl at the time.


    ¡°Hah, sorry about my brothers. I think they¡¯re still coming to terms with how much they like you.¡± He said while rubbing his own shoulders.


    It was like he¡¯d commented on the weather. He said it so casually, in fact, that Ranma didn¡¯t parse it at first, it was conversational filler.


    ¡°...Wait, what?¡± Hot water couldn''t explain the shade of red he turned as he squeaked and sunk down to his chin.


    Katsumi chuckled again. ¡°Oh yeah. I¡¯m pretty sure Akio fell in love with her when she first walked in the door, Naoki once she sat down for dinner.¡±


    None of his words made sense. This family was as nonsensical as they were tall. ¡°H-how¡­w-why¡­H-h-her?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­oh I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Katsumi sat up and blushed, and Ranma breathed a sigh of relief that he¡¯d just fallen victim to some sort of prank. ¡°In my head it just makes it easier to think of your forms as¡­not different people but different¡­roles? I didn¡¯t mean to offend you.¡±


    ¡­No, that wasn¡¯t the part Ranma took issue with! Now he was blushing like a  girl  in front of her cru-friends¡¯ brother over the idea that one of them¡ªboth of them¡ª  liked  her. The idea that Naoki-  sensei  specifically was into her especially didn¡¯t track, he¡¯d helped her look like a boy! ¡­Because sh¡ª  he  was a boy! That was the kind of human he was. The boy kind. Yes.


    Katsumi at least looked appropriately mortified by what he¡¯d done to Ranma and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m real sorry Saotome, that just sort of slipped out.¡±


    Ranma decided his bath was over so he stood up, stepped out of the tub, and began to dry off. ¡°H-how¡­how sure are you that they feel like that? Did they say something to you?¡±


    Realizing he needed to be careful here to protect his brothers, Ranma¡¯s ego, or Ranma¡¯s sense of self, Katsumi pondered his answer for a moment. ¡°I am not an expert at analyzing peoples¡¯ faces or body language, and have been wrong about what I believe people are feeling based on assumptions in the past.¡±


    He was exaggerating a little. He¡¯d lived with and partially raised his younger siblings so he was very good at reading their faces and hadn¡¯t made a mistake about how they were feeling in over five years.


    It was what Ranma needed to hear though, and he nodded and walked out to get changed.


    Katsumi sank until only his face remained above the water.  Glad I didn¡¯t say I thought she was cute too .


    <hr>


    After a night of dealing with his dad¡¯s snoring while trying to quiet the conflagration of feelings Katsumi had dropped on him, Ranma woke up with the dawn. His dad was still asleep. Morning sparring would have to wait until after his arm was fully recovered.


    To work off some of his nervous energy he went out for a jog which turned into a sprint which turned into vaulting across rooftops. He was glad for the privacy because he didn¡¯t feel like talking to anyone, but it meant that he had to quiet the embarrassing thoughts somehow.


    As the wind whipped through his hair he told himself Akio didn¡¯t really like him, he liked the pretty girl he turned into sometimes, which made perfect sense. Ranma knew he was good-looking in either form, he¡¯d probably have lots of suitors seeking him as a boyfriend, and Mrs. Tendo confirmed the boys would be pursuing him as a girl. Katsumi had to be wrong about that.


    He also had to be wrong about Naoki. If Naoki had ¡°fallen in love¡± with him during dinner, that was when Ranma looked like a boy. Unless Naoki liked his red-or-maybe-pink hair? He had just helped Ranma get dressed in girl form, maybe he was more affected by Ranma¡¯s figure than he let on.


    Almost an hour later he returned to the Tendo house, breathing hard but not too hard, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He¡¯d need to stretch before doing anything serious with Kodachi. As he leapt over the gate (he should to ask Mrs. Tendo for a key) he nearly landed right on top of Akio, who was already dressed for school.


    ¡°Ah! Sorry, sorry!¡± He threw his hands up, hoping to avoid getting kicked again.


    ¡°Holy¡ª! Saotome we gotta stop meeting like this,¡± he laughed as his heart rate came back down.


    Ranma wished it didn¡¯t sound so nice. ¡°Hah hah, more like your mom needs to give me and my dad a key,¡± he said brusquely as he headed inside. ¡°Do you have time to wait? I¡¯m just gonna take a quick shower.¡±


    Springing up to his room, he paused for just a moment while he grabbed his clothes. He told himself he hadn¡¯t made his decision yet, that he still had another half hour before they got to school, and then another few minutes waiting to hand the paper over to the receptionist, but he was already picking out his favorite long sleeve red tangzhuang jacket that he knew was big enough around the chest to accommodate his other form. He also grabbed the sarashi wrap; it might come loose during the fight but he wanted to give himself as much of an advantage as he could.


    The shower only took a couple of minutes and he was dressed and wrapped in five. He took a few exploratory bounces and felt like things were as secure as she was gonna be able to manage. Something inside her was excited to figure out sports bras if they were gonna help even more than the sarashi.


    He couldn¡¯t do anything about the shoes so he shrugged. He¡¯d toss them to Naoki or Akio when the fight started and just go barefoot. She wasn¡¯t as comfortable with that as her dad but it was better than fighting with shoes that didn¡¯t fit.


    Less than ten minutes after she¡¯d run into Akio she popped through the front door. He and his brother were chatting but stopped as soon as they saw him. ¡°Thanks for waiting, hope it doesn¡¯t make you late.¡±


    Expecting them to move he stepped forward and almost slammed into Akio¡¯s arm. ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna change?¡± Naoki asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not actually starting school today, I¡¯m just turning in my registration.¡± He said, holding up one of Katsumi¡¯s old bags Mrs. Tendo let him borrow. ¡°It¡¯s just in here to keep it from getting all crinkled.¡±


    Akio continued his brother¡¯s line of questioning. ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna go as a boy?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that. Look, Kodachi is expecting a girl so I¡¯m not gonna disappoint her. Imagine if she called off the fight ¡®cause I showed up all black hair!¡± She flashed a confident smile which thoroughly ended any protest from Akio as his heart melted.


    Naoki wasn¡¯t so easily mollified. ¡°You¡¯re gonna fight her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what her apology letter was! First an apology, said I was honorable, blah blah blah, then a challenge if I felt like it. And I do feel like it! Your fight yesterday was really cool, Akio, but I was a little disappointed I didn¡¯t get a piece of the action.¡±


    Shit  . Naoki started sweating.  Oh no, ohhhhh no. Okay, there¡¯s still time for Ranma to just turn back into a guy before his actual first day. That¡¯s when I told Kodachi they were ¡°announcing¡± it. It¡¯ll be okay, it¡¯ll be okay.


    They didn¡¯t have to sprint to school this morning but they maintained a brisk jog, Ranma barely able to contain her excitement. ¡°Thanks again Naoki- sensei  . I know I freaked out a little but if sports bras are half as good as these band things I¡¯m gonna be  set .¡±


    For some reason that just made Naoki feel more nervous. ¡°Uhh¡­you¡¯re welcome!¡±


    Akio blushed and hoped nobody expected him to help shop for anything.


    They reached the gates of the school by 8:10, plenty of time for Ranma to stretch a little before they headed into the courtyard. A surprising number of people stopped and said hello to her, mostly girls, and she turned into a chatterbox. She surprised herself with how well she remembered people from yesterday, by face if not by name.


    She almost leapt out of her own skin when someone let out an unearthly squeal and rushed over to her. It was Sayuri, followed closely by Yuka. ¡°Ranma! It¡¯s so exciting to see you again!¡± she exclaimed, wrapping the martial artist up in a hug.


    ¡°Ah-hah-hah-hah!¡± Ranma laughed nervously, not sure where to put her hands. ¡°H-hi Sayuri! Hey Y-Yuka! How¡¯s it going?¡± She sent Akio a pleading look.


    Akio shook his head with a grin.  You asked for this, buddy , he thought. ¡°Hey Sayuri-san, Yuka-san, Ranma¡¯s registering today. Officially decided to come to Furinkan High.¡±


    Another squeal made Ranma wish she had earplugs. ¡°Yay! We were worried Kodachi gave you a bad first impression and you¡¯d end up at St. Bacchus or Kolhotz or Seisyun. Not that we wouldn¡¯t have visited you at the dojo.¡±


    Yuka seemed irritated that Sayuri was still clinging to Ranma and pulled at her collar to get her to step back. While Sayuri was distracted the reddish-pinkish-haired martial artist mouthed ¡°thank you¡± to her rescuer and got a smile and nod in response.


    ¡°Nah, as a wandering martial artist Kodachi made me feel right at home,¡± she grinned, flashing a V with her fingers. ¡°She actually challenged me to a proper duel this morning, I¡¯m just stretching a little first.¡±


    The girls gasped excitedly and wished her well before heading in.


    Naoki snuck in behind them to avoid Akio and Ranma¡¯s attention and immediately began scanning for Kodachi. It didn¡¯t take long to spot her, she was kneeling next to a statue of the school¡¯s founder.


    If her kimono yesterday morning was fancy, the one she was wearing now was downright ostentatious, extravagant even. It was made of red silk embroidered with her signature black roses. Instead of a bow it was held in place by a shimenawa that made her look like a mythological figure. Her hair was done up in a knot and kept in place with a very nice looking black comb that continued the black rose motif. The only thing that seemed wrong with the picture was the hockey stick in front of her.


    ¡°H-hey Kuno-san!¡± Naoki approached nervously. ¡°S-so you challenged Ranma to another fight, huh?¡±


    Without moving, Kodachi replied. ¡°Yes. I intend to have it out for thy brother¡¯s hand today. I will respect thou fathers¡¯ wishes, of course, but I refuse to give up mine Akio without a fight. Ranma Saotome has proved herself an honorable woman and a skilled fighter. Should I fail today I shall rest easy knowing the Tendo house is in capable hands.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Naoki nodded, muttered something noncommittal, and began running back to his brother and Ranma, hoping he could try and stop this before they came into view. He thought he was gonna get away with it, too, but when he was mere steps away from the gate they came around, Akio almost running right into him.


    ¡°Whoa! Hey man, is everything okay?¡± Akio queried helpfully.


    Before Naoki could respond, Kodachi bellowed across the courtyard. ¡°Ranma Saotome! Thank you for answering my message!¡±


    Wielding her substitution naginata, she walked to a spot in front of the school¡¯s front door and bowed at the waist. Ranma grinned, handed her bag and shoes to Akio with a nod of thanks, and approached her challenger.


    Students began to gather, and already Naoki could tell this was going to be big, loud, and messy.


    <hr>


    Ranma figured Kodachi just wanted a clean rematch. It¡¯s what she would want if their roles were reversed. It was big of her to apologize and Ranma was incredibly excited to see what she would bring to a proper fight instead of two quick, anger-driven assaults.


    ¡°You kiddin¡¯? I wouldn¡¯t miss this for the world!¡± Everything felt right. She wasn¡¯t exaggerating when she told Sayuri it felt like home: for the last 13 years, martial arts was all she¡¯d known. Something about this fight felt even better than her previous ones. The sun was perfect, everything seemed vibrant, her senses were reaching out and noticing little details she¡¯d never noticed, and her body was rested and primed.


    Kodachi couldn¡¯t help but blush a little. The joyous confidence the girl exuded was obviously warranted, she practically glowed. If Kodachi won the fight she¡¯d try and convince the girl to join the Tendo household as a consort. If she lost the fight¡­well she wasn¡¯t going to lose.


    ¡°Dost thou intend to accept my challenge, then? I have a condition I did not mention in mine letter.¡±


    That tempered Ranma¡¯s excitement a little. She guessed the condition had something to do with Akio: Kodachi probably got the wrong idea about Ranma staying with them.


    ¡°What¡¯s your condition?¡±


    ¡°I have pursued Akio Tendo, the Lion of Tendo, too long to let him be taken from me without a fight, despite the promise made between two noble warriors.¡± She was nervous. She hadn¡¯t been nervous in a long time. Saotome was a skilled, powerful fighter, and Kodachi was risking everything she¡¯d worked towards in this fight. ¡°Should you defeat me I shall renounce my claim on him and allow your engagement to continue!¡±


    The school  erupted  with excitement, gasps, cheers, and wild speculation. Nobody expected this was how the morning would go.


    Least of all Ranma and Akio, who both immediately turned red. Ranma was suddenly facing a dilemma: he could refuse the fight, truthfully deny there was an engagement, and reveal his curse. There were two major cons to that choice: the first is that Akio would, once again, be the subject of daily harassment from Kodachi and the small army of boys she apparently commanded. Most importantly, Ranma¡¯s pride would be bruised. He didn¡¯t like to concede.


    The first con was why he didn¡¯t consider revealing his curse, the second was why he didn¡¯t want to refuse. He turned to get Akio¡¯s reaction but the boy was surrounded by curious, gossip-hungry students.


    ¡°I apologize for pre-empting your announcement. If I fail, then you will have the perfect occasion to make the announcement official.¡± Kodachi saw Ranma¡¯s hesitation and mistook it for worry.


    Another thought occurred to Ranma. This was an opportunity to display her family¡¯s martial art. The Tendo school was established in Nerima, but the Saotome school was unknown. If she was gonna get people excited about a unified school, they¡¯d need a demonstration of both halves.


    She switched on the charmer, the showman, the crowd-pleasing Ranma, the one who loved an audience, who dreamed of crowds cheering her name. ¡°I am Ranma Saotome, Fierce Tigress of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts!¡±


    Pointing to the sky and cocking her hips to affect a victorious pose, her smile caught the morning sunlight. ¡°I don¡¯t put much stock in what my old man had planned for me, but I accept your condition and your challenge! Not for the gallant heir of the Tendo School, but for me!¡±


    She gave the crowd a moment to absorb her speech and begin cheering as she fell into Akio¡¯s stance from their first spar. Kodachi was doubtlessly familiar with it, maybe some of the more martially-inclined students who¡¯d seen Akio fight before. She was starting with something familiar so she could wow the audience when she pivoted to something new and unexpected.


    <hr>


    Now that everyone was focused on the fight, Naoki took a small step back so he could start sneaking away before a gentle but firm hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.


    ¡°Hey bro?¡± Akio whispered. ¡°You got any guesses where Kodachi, your classmate, got the idea that our dads arranged a marriage between us?¡±


    The middle Tendo son gulped. ¡°I h-have a few, yeah.¡±


    <hr>


    Kodachi knew she had the reach advantage, but Saotome was fast. She¡¯d need to keep her at a distance before the tigress could disarm her. Fortunately, she was familiar with the basic tenets of Anything Goes Martial Arts: specifically, that anything was fair game.


    Ranma expected her to charge. She did not expect her to drop a hockey puck from the sleeve of her kimono and fire it so fast that Ranma barely had time to dodge. Her ears picked up the smacking sound it made on the wall behind her and she ducked to avoid the ricochet.


    More pucks hit the ground as Kodachi began rapid-firing, her form perfect as she launched each one. Ranma boggled at her speed and accuracy, she had to scramble to avoid both the frontal attack and when it bounced. Sometimes Kodachi even targeted her own projectiles mid-flight to create even greater chaos, but never randomly: each move was precisely calculated to target Ranma. Somehow she even avoided hitting other students, though the crowd was quickly retreating to a safer vantage point.


    The unarmed fighter could only dodge so many, and even though Kodachi seemed to be out of new pucks some of them bounced back to her, giving her a renewable source of ammunition. A puck zinged past her ear and she realized she needed to get above ground level. Kodachi could probably aim up but at least Ranma wouldn¡¯t have to worry about dodging each one twice. She rolled over a pair of pucks that criss-crossed beneath her and sprung up the founder statue, leaping at least 3 meters into the air.


    As expected, Kodachi angled her shots as Ranma dove down toward her. Twisting helped a little, but being unable to change her trajectory gave Kodachi the ability to predict where she¡¯d be. Two pucks grazed Ranma¡¯s thigh and collar and she let out a yelp. Kodachi stopped firing and drew a red and black fan from her sleeve. With a flourish she snapped it open and furiously waved it around.


    Somehow this generated enough wind that Ranma landed several strides short of her goal and Kuno had her naginata at the ready. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re craftier than I gave you credit for upperclassman!¡± Ranma practically giggled. She was struggling and having the time of her life.


    ¡°Quit the chirping, Saotome!¡± came the gruff response. Kodachi¡¯s elegant onna-bugeisha schtick was gone, replaced by the unstoppable captain of the Furinkan High girls¡¯ hockey team. She refused to let Ranma get any closer and alternated swings of her stick with flaps of her fan to drive Saotome back toward the wall.


    Ranma either wasn¡¯t paying attention to where she was being driven or didn¡¯t care, and Kodachi was going to take advantage of her carelessness. What she failed to notice was how Ranma used her hands as she dove and ducked around Kuno¡¯s naginata.


    ¡°See I¡¯ve only been studying in China for the past two years,¡± Ranma managed to keep smiling and talking while dodging. It reminded Akio of their first spar two days ago and he couldn¡¯t help but grin.


    ¡°But I¡¯ve been training basically my whole life!¡± Kodachi¡¯s blade sliced millimeters away from her face but she kept going. ¡°So, you know, I¡¯ve seen a lot of different styles! But you¡¯re over here making stuff up and I¡¯m super impressed!¡± She leapt up and spread her legs to avoid a wide swing from Kodachi. If the upperclassman had tried to press she¡¯d have brought herself into kicking range but she stepped back with a counter-slash to punish the rush Ranma didn¡¯t perform before returning to jabs and quick strikes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me, Saotome! You¡¯re all talk and style, no substance whatsoever!¡± If she could just get the reddish-pinkish-haired girl to overextend a little bit she¡¯d hit her with a hidden technique, she just had to take the bait.


    ¡°Hey there we go! See, just gotta get into the spirit of it! Have fun with it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to have fun when you¡¯re the last thing to stand between me and Akio!¡± Kodachi roared with an overhead attack.  Buy it you flea, buy it!  She pleaded for Ranma to take the bait. It was risky given her speed, but if she pretended to leave an opening maybe she would¡ªYES!


    Ranma rushed in to punish Kodachi¡¯s powerful swing only to realize too late the upperclassman had trapped her. In quick succession Ranma felt the handle of the stick slam into her temple, then the blade slashed across her belly, then the handle caught her left wrist as she brought it up to block, and she realized Kodachi was spinning the hockey naginata like a propeller.


    Somehow, instead of being blown away from the strikes, Ranma was being pulled toward Kodachi. ¡°Hah! Got you! My Axial Box Fan Blade Technique generates low-pressure airflow that I can direct toward or away from me! You¡¯re mine!¡±


    At that moment, Ranma desperately wished she could be Kodachi¡¯s student. But she had a fight to win. ¡°Upperclassman! That¡¯s so cool! I¡¯m sorry to spoil its weakness in front of everybody!¡± So fast was Kodachi¡¯s attack Ranma¡¯s voice was distorted into a vibrato.


    Kodachi couldn¡¯t let the other girl¡¯s taunting get to her, she needed to land a decisive strike. Her technique¡¯s only weakness was that it was hard to stop once it got going and she¡¯d be vulnerable for almost a second if she did. There was no doubt in her mind that Ranma was fast enough to capitalize on that gap.


    When she didn¡¯t respond, Ranma just shrugged. ¡°Thank you for providing all the ammunition, by the way!¡±


    She hadn¡¯t chosen the long-sleeve tangzhuang for any particular tactical advantage, she just liked how the big sleeves looked when she fought. She didn¡¯t  plan  to hide handfuls of hockey pucks up her sleeves when she left the house this morning, she just made use of what was available.


    Kodachi felt at least four pucks slam into her arms and legs plus five that struck her hands and fingers at the center of the whirlwind. Ranma flicked them at irregular intervals to make sure they would pass through the whirling blades and the airflow accelerated them to incredible speeds. Crying out in pain, the hockey stick flew out of her hands and embedded itself in a nearby tree.


    Ranma came in for a finishing blow and was surprised and impressed that Kodachi hadn¡¯t given up the goat. She blocked Ranma¡¯s first punch, grabbed the second, and would have pulled her into a judo throw except for the intense pain in her stomach from one final puck Ranma literally had up her sleeve.


    With a wheeze she doubled over in pain and fell to her knees. Both girls were panting from the effort, but the fight had taken less than two minutes.


    Akio heard Ranma laugh and thanked whatever kami was looking out for him that he got to hear the sound again. Hadn¡¯t he been mad at her for something? He couldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°Hey, upperclassman, do you yield?¡± Ranma asked softly while extending a hand. Kodachi looked up at her, blinking away tears of pain and loss.


    ¡°Nggghhh¡­yes, I yield.¡± She took Ranma¡¯s hand and stood, then brought the other girl in for a hug.


    Ranma didn¡¯t expect that, to be hugged twice in a fifteen minute span. ¡°Uhhh¡­okay, yes, hugging.¡± She didn¡¯t know what to do with her hands so she kept them locked to her sides.


    Wincing, Kodachi released Ranma from the hug and bowed to Akio. ¡°I hereby withdraw my claim of you, dear Akio, Lion of Tendo. Your fianc¨¦e is as strong as she is honorable, and you have my blessing to wed.¡±


    That snapped Ranma back to reality:  his  reality. ¡°Hey, no, that was just something our dads set up before we were ever born! We¡¯re not even honoring it, arranged marriages are so old-fashioned!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! A vow between warriors is not so lightly thrown away, and having witnessed the wit of House Saotome and the will of House Tendo first-hand I declare that your union is myth in the making!¡± She raised her fists skyward as her fantasy overtook the narrative Ranma tried to spin and was joined by the applause of a large number of students who were apparently invested in the  legend  of Ranma Saotome and Akio Tendo.


    How had he let this happen? Why¡¯d he do something this stupid? His dad and Mrs. Tendo both said he¡¯d have to deal with attention from boys but he expected it to be a bunch of dumbasses like Kodachi¡¯s Horde, not¡­the whole school trying to get him together with Akio. Flustered, he rushed over to grab his things from the youngest Tendo before bounding up and away from the crowd before it swarmed him. He shot an apologetic look at Akio as he did, sorry to leave him to face the students alone but he just¡­couldn¡¯t.


    <hr>


    Akio didn¡¯t pursue Ranma immediately, he had to keep an eye on Naoki to make sure he didn¡¯t run his mouth again. The only thing he could think to do was cup his hands around his mouth and shout. ¡°You heard the lady! That¡¯s all we¡¯re gonna say for now!¡±


    He grabbed his brother¡¯s wrist and sprinted away, leading the two inside and up the stairwell. They collapsed against the door leading to the roof where he suspected Ranma had gone.


    Naoki stared at the wall while he rubbed his arm. He wasn¡¯t gonna complain, not to Akio.


    Neither said anything for a few minutes, even after the bell rang.


    Akio didn¡¯t know who he was madder at. Naoki for making up the engagement, Kodachi for challenging Ranma and announcing the engagement, or Ranma for accepting the challenge. She didn¡¯t have to do that! She could have just refused, nobody would think less of her¡­ of him . ¡°Dammit!¡± The wall shook as he slammed his fist against it in frustration.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Naoki muttered. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve this. Neither of you do.¡±


    Akio scoffed. ¡°He¡¯s the one who accepted Kodachi¡¯s stupid challenge. So far as I can tell all three of you planned this to screw with me.¡± Visions of ever having a normal high school experience vanished into nothingness. Once Ranma came to school as a guy everything would change.


    Naoki shook his head. ¡°No, this was all because I wanted to mess with Kodachi a little. It¡¯s not fair that your freshman year was dominated by her obsession, and after yesterday I thought Ranma taught her some humility. But it was stupid and now I¡¯ve ruined both your lives.¡±


    When Akio didn¡¯t immediately disagree with him Naoki knew he was right. It would be impossible to walk everything back. People would talk, make assumptions, spread rumors that some idiot would act on, maybe teachers would get involved.


    Meanwhile, Akio was replaying the morning''s events in his mind. While the engagement was unexpected, to say the least, it had serious positive effects on his life. Kodachi wouldn''t bother him anymore and like half the student body was fascinated by him and Ranma. Maybe it meant that he wouldn''t be able to have a "typical" high school boy experience, go on dates, or get as many love letters as he used to before Kodachi started messing with him, but he was basically attached to the most popular "girl" in school.


    Grunting, Akio stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest, neither of us was gonna have a normal high school experience.¡± He said as much to himself as to Naoki.


    Naoki raised an eyebrow. Where did this Akio come from? A second ago he was punching the wall.


    Then he blushed and tapped his fingers together. ¡°And¡­did you see Ranma¡¯s face during that fight?¡±


    His brother nodded. The cursed boy couldn¡¯t have possibly looked happier, even when he was getting slammed by sports equipment. ¡°There are worse places for a fight-happy idiot to be than Furinkan,¡± Naoki agreed.


    Akio shook his head, ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it. At least, not all of it, and we¡¯ve only known him for, like, two days, but do you get the sense that he likes¡­being her?¡±


    There were a few different explanations for why Akio was thinking like this, Naoki figured. He hadn¡¯t gotten over meeting Ranma as a girl and was projecting. He was mistaking Ranma¡¯s love of fighting for gender euphoria. Or, and Naoki didn¡¯t want to give the thought too much credibility, Ranma really was happier as a girl.


    The last thing didn¡¯t make much sense to Naoki: he saw Ranma¡¯s face after their first fashion lesson, he was so happy to learn how to boy even if his body wasn¡¯t the right shape. If his laundry was any indication his previous style was either figure-hugging Chinese shirts, tank tops, or communism.


    Plus he was a very good-looking boy in either form, Naoki couldn¡¯t see someone working that hard being willing to just give it up.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re projecting man, sorry.¡± Naoki would take Ranma at his word no matter what. If he said he was a guy, he was a guy.


    <hr>


    Ranma was sitting on top of the fence around the roof, staring at his registration paper, when he heard the roof door open. Two pairs of feet approached him and he heard Akio first. ¡°Hey Ranma, I promise I¡¯m not upset about you taking off like that. I don¡¯t know if I would do any different if I was in your situation.¡±


    That made Ranma smile. Akio really was a sweet guy. Some actual girl deserved that, not Ranma.


    ¡°Hey Ranma, I¡¯m the one who told Kodachi about our dads¡¯ stupid promise.¡± Naoki sounded nervous. ¡°That was stupid of me, I just did it to get back at her and didn¡¯t think about how she would respond.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, dunno how you thought it was a good idea though. I¡¯ve known her for a day and I could''ve told you it¡¯d be messy.¡± Ranma didn¡¯t want to be mad at his new friends, he didn¡¯t want to leave, and he didn¡¯t want to change his plans.


    ¡°Before I decide what I¡¯m gonna do,¡± Ranma sprang up to his feet and did a backflip off the fence onto the roof. ¡°Akio: I was thinking of staying a girl at school, even before today. You can ask your mom if you don¡¯t believe me, I asked her what she thought.¡±


    Both Tendos¡¯ eyes went wide. Naoki immediately began second-guessing everything he knew about Ranma.


    ¡°I¡¯m still actually a guy, of course, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Akio hated it when Ranma got that troubled blush on his cheeks, it was hard to resist the impulse to pick him up and hug him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go into detail, but I had a real bad time in middle school. It¡¯s why my dad took me to China. And the idea of going back as a boy¡­feels bad.¡±


    Naoki felt like he finally understood. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry man. When people found out I was gay I didn¡¯t want to go back to school for a month, I totally get it.¡±


    Ranma¡¯s confused look spoke volumes before he even opened his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re gay?¡± He asked incredulously. Ranma had never knowingly met a gay person before, his only experience with the term was having it shouted at him before the punching started. ¡°Like¡­you like boys instead of girls?¡±


    The silence was deafening. ¡°Yeah, man. Shit, do I read as straight? Akio you¡¯d tell me if I came across as straight, right?¡± Naoki looked at his brother with enormous, wet eyes before he cracked up and giggled.


    ¡°I think Ranma is just incredibly sheltered despite being well-traveled, bro.¡± Akio chuckled.


    ¡°You can just¡­do that? Be gay and nobody cares?¡± Naoki felt like he was getting frighteningly accustomed to Ranma¡¯s revelatory face.


    ¡°I mean, not  nobody , but yeah most people know by now. Kodachi definitely knows and while she¡¯s not a gossip she¡¯s also not good with subtle.¡±


    Ranma tried to process this new information but decided he¡¯d figure it out later. There were more urgent matters to discuss.


    ¡°Okay, well, anyway. Akio. Me, girl at school. This affects you now so I don¡¯t wanna make that choice without your input.¡± Finally, someone would tell Ranma he was being silly, or even yell at him for screwing up his life, or just think it was weird.


    ¡°That makes my life a whole lot easier honestly, as long as you¡¯re okay with it.¡± Akio replied. If Ranma had asked him ten minutes ago his answer probably would have been different, but the break he took with Naoki gave him a chance to think things through. And if his new best friend wanted to spend most of his time as the cutest girl he¡¯d ever met while the two of them pretended to be engaged he didn¡¯t think that sounded too bad either.


    ¡°O-oh¡­okay, glad to hear it.¡± Three people independently told him it was okay, that he wasn¡¯t weird, that he wasn¡¯t a pervert or a creep or¡­well he¡¯d have to excise ¡°gay¡± as an insult from his vocabulary, because Naoki- sensei  was the coolest person he knew.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go¡­uh, turn this into the office then. Sorry if I made you late to class.¡± He started walking while staring at the paper. He could change his mind. Just because three people told him it was okay didn¡¯t mean he had to do it. It just meant they were okay with it.


    A month ago he would never have thought to do something like this. Before he got the curse. Was Jusenkyo affecting him mentally? Did it want him to enjoy his cursed form? That wouldn¡¯t make any sense for a curse though, right? Dad didn¡¯t seem to enjoy his cursed form after all.


    Before they got to the office, Naoki stopped him next to the boys¡¯ bathroom. ¡°I want you to know I¡¯ve got your back if you decide to go through with this,¡± he began. Ranma couldn¡¯t believe he hadn¡¯t even asked the guy first and he was already telling her it was okay. ¡°But I know people who force themselves to live as something they¡¯re not and it tears them up inside.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t being told no, or that he was wrong for doing it. One more time he tried to picture going through the day as a boy. He did fine for a couple of classes but then he thought of recess, or gym, or whatever, and then he thought of the locker room and having to share the space with a bunch of boys and everything got cold and dark. Then she was in the next class hanging out with her friends and making plans, and even Kodachi was there because they were steadfast rivals who pushed each other to new heights. After school she walked with Akio to the Tendo house where they taught classes together.


    ¡°I appreciate it Naoki, but I¡¯m gonna stick with it.¡± His heart beat so fast. He was gonna go through with it and it was going to be okay.


    The secretary looked up and smiled as he walked in. ¡°Well hello, you must be the girl everybody¡¯s been chatting about.¡± She was cheery, which bothered Ranma a little. Yesterday she seemed like she barely registered his existence.


    ¡°Probably, if it involves a really awesome fight outside.¡± Ranma grinned. She slid the paper onto the counter, making a show out of looking it over one more time for any¡ª


    ¡°Whoopsy, pops forgot one little detail,¡± she pointed to the blank space for gender.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t worry about that, I¡¯ve got you covered, hon.¡± She quickly made a mark and double-checked everything else, then invited Ranma to take a seat.


    He did it¡­ she  did it. Ranma reminded himself to try and think like a girl while in school from now on, to make sure he¡­  she  didn¡¯t slip up. With the curse it was entirely possible a rogue bowl of ramen or tea or burst water pipe would make it impossible to hide, but she wouldn¡¯t make any mistakes.


    Ranma must have looked like she was in trouble, the way she was sitting ramrod straight and fidgeting with her bag. Doubt crept in again.  He did it.  Now if somebody found out they¡¯d  know  he did it, he couldn¡¯t take it back, couldn¡¯t undo the choice.


    ¡°Saotome!¡± came a husky voice he didn¡¯t recognize. He opened his eyes and saw Kodachi, wearing a school uniform and sporting bandages. Ranma decided he did not like the uniform. It looked fine on Kodachi and the other girls, but it wasn¡¯t for him. He was probably expected to wear one himself, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to do that yet.


    ¡°Oh, hey Kodach¡ªuh, upperclassman Kuno.¡± She nodded but didn¡¯t stand. Part of her was worried she¡¯d be wobbly and show weakness in front of her new rival. Plus she just realized that Kodachi was yet another giant in this town, she was probably the same height as Naoki.


    Thank the gods he¡¯d met Sayuri and her friends, Yuka and Asami weren¡¯t any taller than her.


    In response, Kodachi bowed low. ¡°Saotome, I apologize once again for broadcasting your engagement during our fight. There¡¯s no excuse for my behavior. I hope¡­I hope we can still be friends.¡±


    Did¡­did Kodachi just blush? Ranma nervously shot up to her feet and bowed in return. ¡°N-no! I mean, I hope so too! I was r-really impressed by your naginatajutsu.¡±


    Another new expression, Kodachi flashed her a huge smile. ¡°Oh I¡¯m so happy you knew what that was! I have to explain that to so many people!¡±


    Ranma realized she was smiling too. Kodachi seemed so¡­friendly, and excited. But he eyed the bandages on her hands and grimaced. He might be going to school as a girl but he knew he was a¡­boy. He was a boy who¡¯d hurt a normal girl. One more reason not to reveal the curse.


    ¡°Saotome¡­don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Kodachi said softly. ¡°I¡¯ve lost Akio but¡­if I had to lose him at least it was to someone like you.¡±


    Oh, right, she was sad about the Akio thing. Ranma felt a little swell of pride that she¡¯d defended her school  and  won Akio¡¯s hand. Or rather, the schoolgirl Ranma was proud of that. Real Ranma was proud because he¡¯d demonstrated how talented he was, and how powerful the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts was, and how much she deserved someone like Akio.


    ¡°Look, Kodachi, I¡¯ve only known them for a couple days but all the Tendos seem to miss you.¡± Ranma reached out and patted Kodachi¡¯s arm, making sure not to touch the bandages. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love to see you again as a friend.¡±


    Kodachi¡¯s lip quivered and for a second Ranma was worried she¡¯d go in for a hug, but the secretary interrupted their moment and called Ranma over. ¡°Thank you Saotome. I don¡¯t think I can handle that right now, but I¡¯ll consider it.¡± She gave Ranma a sad smile before heading back to class.


    Ranma approached the counter and was handed a manila folder full of papers. A quick scan confirmed they were orientation documents, a schedule, uniform requirements, and other administrivia.


    ¡°Welcome to Furinkan High, Miss Saotome.¡±

 Pre-Production

    In a daze, Ranma Saotome walked out of the administrative office at Furinkan High School. Currently pink-haired with rust-colored eyes and battle damage to his red tangzhuang exposing some of the sarashi wrap he was using as a binder, it was clear he was in his cursed girl form.


    Additionally, he was staring at the folder of documents he¡¯d gotten from the school secretary. He didn¡¯t seem to notice Akio or Naoki Tendo standing just a few feet away. The younger boy was about to say something when Ranma¡¯s face split into a huge, pearly white smile and she  jumped  ,  twirled  , and  giggled . Instead Akio gawped and stared with his mouth open.


    Naoki, with a roll of his eyes, cleared his throat. Ranma froze mid-air with her back to the boys, landed, and very slowly spun around. Her face was a pale mask of embarrassed fear, which shook Akio out of his paralysis. He raised a hand high enough for her to have to jump to give him a high five. ¡°Did you make it in?¡± Asking would hopefully distract from the fact they caught her¡­ him doing something kinda girly. Apparently that was embarrassing for him.


    Fortunately, it did the trick. After only an instant¡¯s hesitation, he stretched and leapt up to smack Akio¡¯s hand with his own, grinning. ¡°Hell yeah I did! Looks like I¡¯m gonna start on¡­¡± He half-mumbled some pop song as he thumbed through the papers in his hands. ¡°Friday!¡±


    ¡°Okay, kids, c¡¯mere,¡± Naoki grabbed each of their wrists and dragged them back to the stairwell. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should have this discussion right outside the office.¡±


    Akio knew why Naoki was so irritable right now: Kodachi came out of the office minutes before Ranma, and unlike the pink-haired martial artist, she noticed the Tendo boys.


    Any hope Akio had that Kodachi''s intensity was mollified vanished as she approached him without a trace of warmth or camaraderie. ¡°Tendo-san, on my honor I have renounced my claim on you. Saotome-san is a fearsome warrior, but it is my obligation as her fellow woman to warn you: if you hurt her or fail in your duties as her future husband I will subject you to suffering the likes of which no man could ever imagine.¡±


    All he could do was squeak and nod in response, and Kodachi nodded to his older brother. ¡°Naoki-san, see you in class later.¡±


    Granted, Akio felt like  he  should be the one who was irritated, but Ranma¡¯s enormous smile and the way she''d jumped for joy replaced the icy ball in his gut with a swarm of butterflies and he knew he would never do anything to hurt her.


    ¡­Because she was actually a guy, and they weren''t actually engaged or in a romantic relationship! Akio  couldn''t  do anything to hurt her¡ª  him  like that anyway.


    Naoki clearly still took Kodachi¡¯s threat seriously though, which Akio had to admit was probably smart, and once the three were on the roof he let go of their wrists, whirled around, and dramatically pointed at Akio and Ranma.


    ¡°What are we gonna do about this?¡± His question was something between a demand and a plea, not that Akio knew how to answer. Nor did Ranma, from the looks of it. He just blushed and scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, Naoki, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re gonna have to worry about it for too long.¡± Akio¡¯s wait-and-see approach worked for him more often than not, no reason to try and fix what wasn¡¯t broken. ¡°We¡¯ll be the big gossip for a little while but people will forget and move on to the next scandal or whatever.¡±


    The furrowed brow and frown on Naoki¡¯s face told Akio that he remained unconvinced. Akio looked to Ranma to back him up, but the pink-haired boy also looked angry for some reason. Why was he the bad guy all of the sudden?


    ¡°A martial artist doesn¡¯t just let his problems fade away, Tendo!¡± The spark in Ranma¡¯s eyes flashed like lightning as he proudly pulled himself up. ¡°He faces them head-on!¡±


    ¡°And a  good  martial artist doesn¡¯t leave himself open to an attack!¡± Akio countered, defiant embers smoldering in his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re not running away from anything, we¡¯re letting our enemy tire themselves out!¡±


    As the two argued they kept getting closer, which made Akio realize just how short Ranma was as a girl. She had her hands on her hips and was giving him the most intimidating glare she could, but he was practically looking straight down at her. Especially since, as far as he was concerned, their fight record was 1:1. She beat him in the dojo, he beat her in the bathroom, and their spar-turned-brawl last night ended in a draw because their parents had to drag them apart.


    Him. He beat  him  in the bathroom, because Akio understandably thought he was a pervert. It was an awkward, slippery fight that Akio knew he would have won if not for the interruption of their families.


    Arms shot through the small gap between them and spread them apart. Naoki snapped his fingers to get their attention. ¡°Not now, lovebirds, this is serious. Akio: that¡¯s not a plan, that¡¯s literally the opposite of a plan, and it¡¯s not gonna work. As far as the school¡¯s concerned you two are  the  new couple of Furinkan High. It¡¯s got everything you need for a really cheesy romance manga: ancient vows made between warriors, noble families, a mysterious foreign princess, and you¡¯re both hot as hell.¡±


    Ranma sputtered and scoffed, but Akio heard that from Naoki all the time, usually to get his self-esteem up. He¡¯d heard it a  lot  this past year due to how lonely he¡¯d gotten, especially around the holidays.


    ¡°Even after the novelty wears off, people are going to be all over you. Jealous suitors, people who are gonna get  way  too invested in your relationship, and just plain old nosy busybodies.¡± He shook his head. ¡°If we don¡¯t figure out how to walk this back we¡¯ll have to get out in front of it and control the narrative.¡±


    When he realized Naoki had launched into his ¡°I know better¡± teacher mode, Akio rolled his eyes. ¡°This is your fault, though! What are  you  gonna do to help  us  ?¡± Unconsciously, Akio reached out and pulled Ranma next to him as he indicated the two. ¡°Ranma beat Kodachi  twice  yesterday, I bet she would have backed off soon anyway.¡±


    He felt a small, soft hand wrap around his side as Ranma pulled him closer to her, reinforcing their unified front. ¡°Yeah! And I bet we woulda been rivals soon! I coulda talked to her about leavin'' Akio alone or somethin¡¯!¡±


    Akio imagined a projection of lightning and flame behind the two of them as he felt their auras combine. Naoki stared at them, cogs turning in his head. Placing his index fingers and thumbs together in the shape of a rectangle, he held it out and framed the two martial artists. A grin slowly split his face open.


    ¡°Oh¡­oh this is perfect.¡± Akio knew that smile. That was Naoki¡¯s scheming smile. On the one hand, his schemes usually worked out. On the other hand, his schemes never  felt  like they were going to work out until the very end.


    ¡°Okay, here¡¯s what we¡¯re gonna do. First, no telling the parents. At least not until after Friday. If you think you can¡¯t handle keeping that a secret from he¡ªthem,¡± Naoki glared at Akio for a minute, knowing what a mama¡¯s boy his younger brother could be. ¡°At least tell the rest of us first so we¡¯re not surprised. Then, on Friday, we have a big  announcement .¡±


    Akio felt Ranma inhale to interrupt him, so Akio gently squeezed her shoulder and whispered. ¡°He¡¯s got a vision, let him get it out of his system first.¡± He felt her nod in response.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not  really  an engagement announcement, is it? No no no: It¡¯s for the new martial arts school you two will be developing! We¡¯re not even gonna  mention  an engagement unless someone asks, and if they do? We shrug. Yeah, technically there¡¯s an engagement. The whole plan rests on you two behaving like boring, normal friends. It gives the rumor mill something to focus on other than the engagement while simultaneously downplaying the romantic angle.¡±


    His energy faltered a little, but he persisted. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s still a romantic  situation  , and people will talk, but as long as we keep the focus on you two being, yanno¡­  jocks  or whatever, it¡¯ll be less of a fairy tale romance and more of a sports power couple thing. And we¡¯ve already got one of those with Konjo and whoever she''s dating right now, so you¡¯ll be competing for the same audience.¡±


    To Akio¡¯s surprise, Ranma was almost shaking with excitement. ¡°Exactly! Yes, Naoki- sensei , we need to talk about this kind of thing more often!¡±


    Confused, both Tendos looked at him. ¡°Really?¡±


    Stepping away from Akio, she thrust a finger into the air as if pontificating to the heavens themselves. ¡°That''s what I tried to do this morning! I slipped up and let Kodachi take back the story after the fight, but I''m not gonna make that same mistake again!¡±


    ¡°You get it!¡± Naoki exclaimed as he clapped a hand down on Ranma¡¯s shoulder. The two grinned at each other before turning to Akio, hoping he''d get it as well.


    For some reason, Akio felt a twinge of jealousy as the two shared a moment. He knew didn''t have to worry about anything though: Ranma didn''t like guys, so even if Naoki fell for her she wasn''t going to reciprocate. Which, yes, was a shame for Akio, who was also a guy, but that was fine because Ranma was a guy too, not a girl, and therefore Akio didn''t want to be into him. It was just that simple.


    No, the jealousy was just for platonic closeness, because Ranma was a martial artist who could handily beat Akio. If anything he wanted to train under her¡ª him , so it was disappointing seeing him train under someone else.


    Was it a little selfish? Sure, okay, he wasn''t perfect. But it wasn''t pining for another boy or getting jealous that his older brother ¡ª who had a much better track record with romantic relationships ¡ª was interested in the same person, because, again, he wasn''t interested in Ranma to begin with.


    Plus this whole scheme was about faking an engagement between  Akio  and Ranma. He''d probably have to spend lots of time with her, be introduced to her friends, make the occasional public appearance with her, there''d be plenty of time to develop a non-romantic friendly relationship together.


    And since they''d both be in on it they wouldn''t mistakenly develop feelings for each other. Obviously anything they did while ¡°in-character¡± would be part of the act, and they could just go back to being normal friends afterwards.


    ¡°You okay man?¡± Ranma¡¯s voice broke through the web of thoughts that ensnared Akio¡¯s mind. He blinked, and realized that while Naoki¡¯s eyebrows were cocked in a gesture of judgy confusion, Ranma was looking at him with genuine concern and worry. He felt heat behind his cheeks and waved his hands in front of him to distract from the blush.


    ¡°Y-yeah! S-sorry? I was just thinking about¡­¡± He scrambled to come up with something that sounded good and was related to the discussion. ¡°The¡­exhibition. On Friday. That we''ll do.¡±


    Now both of them were giving him confused stares, so all he could do was press on. ¡°Well, if we''re gonna be announcing that we''re uniting the schools it makes sense to show off what we can do together, right?¡±


    ¡°Choreography!¡± Naoki practically shouted, his face aglow with excitement. ¡°A martial arts demonstration from both halves of the Anything Goes school! Great idea, I knew we were related.¡±


    Ranma had a light dusting of pink on her cheeks but smiled in relief. ¡°I''m just glad you''re in.¡±


    The bell for the end of first period rang, and Naoki panicked. ¡°Already? Okay, we gotta get to class. Ranma, we¡¯ll see you later.¡± The older Tendo dashed away.


    Akio knew he needed to get going as well, but he was grateful for the few seconds of privacy with Ranma. He needed to thank him.


    ¡°Hey, Ranma, right quick¡­¡± He didn''t know why this was suddenly difficult, he was just thanking a friend for doing him a favor. Though when said friend was looking up expectantly at him with those enormous, rosy eyes he got flustered for some reason.


    ¡°I know you tried to fix the engagement thing, but I do really appreciate you getting Kodachi off my back. She made my whole year suck.¡± He chuckled to relieve some of the tension. ¡°I know it''s weird but I''m looking forward to the hell we''ll raise during our ¡®betrothal¡¯.¡±


    He would have seen Ranma turn beet red, had he not spun around at that exact moment to head to class and hide how red his face got. ¡°I''ll see you tonight, yeah?¡± He grinned over his shoulder.


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± was all she could sputter before he slipped inside.


    <hr>


    Ranma stared at the kitchen counter in front of him, desperately wishing he hadn''t opened his big mouth on Sunday evening. Was bland food really that big a deal? It wasn''t worth insulting the host who made it for them, or more specifically the punishment she''d cooked up for him.


    Despite finally being back in his male form, he was looking at an apron. It wasn''t frilly or embroidered or shapely or anything like that, just a simple black rectangle with straps to loop it around his neck and waist. Apparently it was Naoki¡¯s, each boy had one.


    Even knowing they were for a boy did little to assuage Ranma¡¯s fear that he was crossing a line into girliness that turning into a girl, wearing binders, and signing up to go to school as a girl didn''t, for some arbitrary reason.


    Aprons were inherently girly. Cooking in a kitchen was, somehow, inherently girly. Not like cooking outside over a campfire that you''d built yourself with your dad, with meat you''d hunted or stolen that day.


    ¡­Mrs. Hana warned him he''d probably have to wear an apron in home ec, which he was gonna be required to take. When he complained about the double standard, his dad reminded him that schools were moving towards requiring home ec for every student regardless of gender.


    He still probably wouldn''t have had to wear  the uniform . That''s what was really bugging him, had been all day.


    When he got back to the Tendo house after talking with Naoki and Akio, his dad and Mrs. Tendo congratulated him on the fight and went over his administrative paperwork. That''s when  the uniform came up.


    Of course, Furinkan High being in the middle of a somewhat traditional ward, girls didn''t get a shirt and pants option. And the uniforms were so frumpy! Even if Ranma was positive he  could  have pulled it off, gorgeous as his female body was, he shouldn¡¯t have to. Hana warned him that girls were typically scrutinized and judged more harshly than boys and expected to behave themselves, so what would be considered delinquent but acceptable behavior at his old school probably wouldn¡¯t be tolerated here.


    His argument that Kodachi wore kimonos to school instead of the uniform did little to convince her. She offered up a compromise though:


    Naoki, Ranma, and she would go find Ranma a suitable new wardrobe tomorrow. They''d get him a uniform but he wouldn''t have to wear it on the first day. If the staff made a stink about it, he''d have it as an option.


    Ranma swore to never take that option. As soon as Naoki got home this afternoon Ranma was gonna ask him how to get in touch with Kodachi and figure out how to get a waiver or have her pull some strings as a favor or something.


    Sighing, he knew he wouldn''t be able to do that for the apron if it was class equipment. Plus Hana told him home ec could get messy on cooking days, and he''d be glad to have something to protect his nice silk clothes. Accepting his fate, he reached out and grabbed Naoki¡¯s simple rectangle and almost immediately started struggling.


    Tying a knot backwards was surprisingly difficult, and Hana came over when she noticed. ¡°Ranma, would you like to know a trick for aprons?¡± She asked sweetly.


    ¡°No, I got it, it''s just¡­a little weird reaching behind myself like this to  tie  instead of  untie  something.¡± Hana watched him struggle a little bit longer. Certainly his flexibility wasn''t the issue, nor his manual dexterity. He''d get it before long, probably, but she wanted to move on to actual food prep.


    Grabbing her own apron she wrapped it around her waist backwards so she could tie the straps in front. She made sure to do this right in front of Ranma so he''d see her. Once secured, she spun it around and pulled the loop over her head.


    Pretending she hadn''t done that for Ranma''s sake, she looked at him and said ¡°Let me know when you''re ready and we''ll start,¡± before she approached the counter.


    Stubbornly, he struggled a little bit longer but did manage to tie it behind his back. ¡°Hah! Knew I could do it!¡± Shooting Mrs. Tendo a grin only to be met with a smug eyebrow raise, he sheepishly chuckled.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    It was just the two of them in the kitchen: despite Genma¡¯s offer to help, he''d gotten a call from Dr. Tofu to come demonstrate his first aid skills and he rushed away to prove himself. Ranma hoped that meant his dad would have a job soon. If Genma was bringing in money, maybe he¡¯d get an allowance.


    ¡°Okay martial arts master chef, can you handle thinly slicing some veggies?¡± Hana took out cutting boards, knives, eggplant, carrot, radish, and cucumber. ¡°Ever make tsukemono?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Ranma took one of the knives and started cutting into the cucumbers. He was so fast that by the time Mrs. Hana got him to stop he¡¯d sliced two into perfect quarter-inch thick coins.


    Hana was impressed at his consistency and speed, but frustrated by his impatience. ¡°Thin slices, child, thin. Watch.¡± Holding her knife at an angle, she sliced one of her cucumbers into paper-thin oblong sheets. Ranma nodded and managed to reslice his coins thinner, but followed Hana¡¯s lead for the rest.


    She made a point of showing her method for slicing the rest of them and the work went quickly. Ranma was tasked with cutting up a few sheets of kombu while Mrs. Hana prepared jars and pulled a bottle of dark homemade brine out of the fridge. It was practically the color of soy sauce, and Ranma gawked. ¡°Isn¡¯t brine supposed to be a little¡­clearer?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, this is a concentrate. We¡¯re going to dilute it with a  lot  of water. Here, try this.¡± She poured a few drops on a spoon that she offered to Ranma.


    As soon as the elixir hit his tongue his mouth felt like it was going to collapse in on itself. ¡°Gah! That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s so salty! Blah!¡±


    Mrs. Hana chuckled and handed him a glass of water which he drank sloppily. ¡°I use Taiwanese and Japanese black vinegar. The former can be expensive so I make a strong batch like this to dilute.¡±


    Ranma nodded while he vigorously swished his mouth, hoping to clear it of intense flavors.


    Once the veggies were pickling, they moved through the rest of the meal. Hana was particularly impressed by Ranma¡¯s familiarity with all the ingredients and his technical skills. She expected his cooking to be rustic, sloppy, and overseasoned, but he had a firm grasp of how to handle each task with very little guidance or assistance.


    What he didn¡¯t expect was how much fun it would be. Nothing was so difficult they couldn¡¯t chat and joke while they worked, mostly about food. Hana shared stories about cooking with her sons and warned Ranma against accepting anything made by Akio.


    ¡°Do you mind if I ask you a sensitive question, Ranma?¡± She asked while rinsing salad greens.


    ¡°Oh, uh, sure thing Mrs. Tendo.¡± He was busy whisking a miso vinaigrette.


    ¡°Do you have any family recipes or dishes you¡¯d like me to make?¡± At all costs, she avoided using the word ¡®mother.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t imagine that was an easy subject.


    ¡°Chicken curry!¡± He said without hesitation even while whisking. ¡°It was the first thing I ever learned to cook and we made it a lot on the road. Pops says he got the recipe from Ma.¡±


    If that topic bothered him she couldn''t tell. ¡°Oh, what a coincidence! That''s Akio''s favorite dish too.¡± She turned just in time to see Ranma blush while he focused on the dressing.


    Hana once again remembered that pink-haired girl who walked into their lives barely two days ago, who Hana promised she would stop fantasizing about marrying her baby boy. Of course, she hadn''t expected to need mental defenses against the image of coddling pink-haired grandbabies while she and her daughter-in-law enjoyed each others¡¯ company in the kitchen. The escalation from wedding bells to grandchildren shocked her so much she almost dropped the salad.


    Before Ranma looked up, Hana deflected back to an earlier topic. ¡°Be careful, he loves it but he still can''t cook it.¡± Tittering to disguise her nerves, she took the well-mixed dressing from Ranma and tossed it into the greens.


    As if on cue, they heard the front door open and Akio shouting ¡°We''re home!¡± In a panic, Ranma tried to remove the apron and in his haste rattled the shelf behind him and knocked his glass of water onto his head. The smell of tonkatsu brought the teenage boys right to the kitchen, just in time to see the freshly drenched girl.


    Akio, ever gallant, even managed to catch the glass before it shattered on the ground. ¡°Dropped something.¡± He flashed a sarcastically overconfident grin and posed like he¡¯d just rescued her purse from a mugger, and despite her frustration and the embarrassment of boys seeing her in an apron all she could do was mumble her appreciation.


    Doing her best to ignore that adorable interaction, Hana embraced her sons. ¡°Welcome home, boys! Did you have a good day?¡±


    Ranma felt a bit of schadenfreude as the teenagers squirmed in their mother¡¯s arms but it was tinged with yearning and envy. It was time to shift focus to the food and he took his position at the stove to oversee the pan-fried breaded pork cutlets.


    There were only a couple left once he flipped the currently-sizzling one out of the pan. It needed a little more oil so he splashed some in and waited, readying a clean chopstick. Earlier, Mrs. Hana showed him how wood utensils would sizzle in hot oil. If you put food on the pan too soon it wouldn¡¯t be hot enough and it would stick. If you waited too long it would burn before anything inside was finished cooking.


    It worked: Ranma tossed the last of the cutlets into the skillet and proudly sighed when they immediately sizzled. He¡¯d thank Mrs. Hana later, when she wasn¡¯t catching up with her sons.


    He almost jumped when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders as Mrs. Hana leaned over to inspect her progress. Her sons followed her and Ranma was surrounded by brown-eyed giants. His internal critic, emboldened by how small and isolated he felt, started pointing out every possible thing he could have been doing wrong. He put too many cutlets in the pan at once, he sliced the cucumber too thick, he overwhisked the dressing¡­


    ¡°Ranma has been a most dutiful student in the kitchen today, I should get all of you together in here soon. Akio, you could learn a thing or two from him.¡± Hana was  beaming  at him, Akio and Naoki enthusiastically complimented how good everything smelled, and suddenly all his self-criticism vanished as he was wrapped up in a blanket of familial support.


    ¡°All right boys, that includes you, Ranma, I¡¯m going to take care of the last few things before your brother gets home. We¡¯ll eat in, say, a half hour.¡± Mrs. Hana expertly swapped places with Ranma. ¡°Go enjoy being teens for a little while. Punch each other in the dojo, whatever it is you like to do.¡± She said cheerfully.


    ¡°Perfect, we¡¯ve got something big to discuss anyway. Come Ranma!¡± Naoki commanded as Akio started pushing the pink-haired boy along with them to the stairs.


    ¡°Gah! I¡¯m goin¡¯, lemme take this apron off first, geez!¡±


    As their footsteps receded into the house, Hana began to hum.


    <hr>


    Akio laughed when Ranma¡¯s jaw dropped at the sight of Naoki¡¯s work. Papers were spread out all over the floor of Naoki¡¯s room, each depicting a maneuver or sequence for Akio and Ranma¡¯s ¡°exhibition¡± on Friday. Though at this point it more closely resembled a dance routine.


    ¡°I went a little overboard, but that¡¯s what the editing process is for,¡± Naoki assured his brother and fake future sister-in-law. ¡°Feel free to suggest something or veto anything that makes you uncomfortable.¡±


    Frankly, Akio was proud of the effort his older brother was making. Obviously part of it was a desire to choreograph a routine involving high-level martial artists, but his willingness to work with them indicated his sincere desire to make up for putting them in this situation in the first place.


    And given how excited Ranma had been earlier, he¡¯d probably be just as enthusiastic about¡ª


    ¡°No way am I getting thrown around like some sort of¡­cheerleader!¡± Ranma practically exploded, his intensity shocking both Tendo brothers.


    He held up two pages depicting Akio throwing Ranma into the air and then catching him. Naoki went pale. ¡°I¡­sorry Ranma, you or your dad said something about how aerial the Saotome school was, and you remember how high you jumped when you fought Kodachi?¡± Naoki was shaken, spurring Akio¡¯s protective little brother instincts.


    ¡°Naoki said we could veto anything we wanted, you don¡¯t have to be an asshole about it.¡± Akio winced internally as soon as he said it, but it was too late now. At least Ranma¡¯s anger shifted to a target who could handle it.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say, you¡¯re not the one he wants to get out and pretend to be a damn doll!¡± He jabbed a finger into Akio¡¯s stomach, then did a quick double take when the taller boy didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°I¡¯m strong enough to throw you, too. Why don¡¯t we trade places?¡±


    Naoki tried to interrupt, but Akio started getting stubborn. ¡°I¡¯d actually be fine with that, except I don¡¯t know how to do a lot in mid-air. If you just wanna throw me and watch me spin a little  I¡¯d be happy to .¡±


    ¡°Hey guys¡ª¡±


    ¡°And have you ruin the good name of the Saotome School? Like I¡¯d let you do somethin¡¯ like that.¡± Like this morning on the roof, they tried to intimidate each other but that just ended up with Ranma craning his neck to look up at Akio, even on his tip-toes. Akio had to bend down slightly to look him in the eyes.


    ¡°Listen¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d do a better job of representing your school than a violent tomboy like you!¡±


    Naok¡¯s jaw dropped, it wasn¡¯t like his brother to intentionally try and rile someone up.


    ¡°Who are you calling a tomboy you gangly ogre?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Both of you!¡± Naoki clapped his hands before the fiery sparks flying between Akio and Ranma¡¯s eyes caught his room ablaze. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna fight, please at least do it in the dojo. Out, outta my room.¡± He grabbed his camera and started herding them. They bristled as he squeezed them through the door together.


    Akio couldn¡¯t believe how quickly Ranma was set off. Obviously he wasn¡¯t happy with his curse, but Akio figured if he was willing to go to school as a girl he wouldn¡¯t be that bothered by something as innocent as a suggestion.


    That wasn¡¯t worth hitting him, but Ranma and Naoki both were practically racing to the dojo, bringing Akio along for the ride. As they passed by the kitchen, his mom called out, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Naoki shouted back, ¡°Punching each other in the dojo!¡± with far too much excitement for Akio¡¯s comfort.


    By the time they started setting up, Akio realized that Ranma shouldn¡¯t even be mad at him anyway: Naoki was the one who suggested the throw-and-catch maneuver, all he did was defend his brother. But now Akio was the one with a diminutive pink-haired martial artist threatening to kick him in the face.


    Ranma somehow kept that furious look on his face through his stretches. Akio tried to walk things back, partly because despite his earlier confidence that he could handle Ranma, he knew the other boy had the advantage in a big space when he could move, but also because he didn¡¯t like the idea of hitting someone who looked like a girl. ¡°L-look, we don¡¯t have to do the throw thing, Ranma, let¡¯s not fight about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh we¡¯re not fighting about that anymore, you called me a  tomboy  .¡± Akio winced. He¡¯d make sure never to use that word again if this is how he was gonna respond. ¡°So now I¡¯m gonna show you what this  tomboy  can do.¡±


    Naoki, who was ready to capture their impromptu fight on camera, gave a thumbs up. ¡°Ready on my end, you guys start whenever.¡±


    ¡°Are you even paying attention?¡± Akio¡¯s older brother apparently didn¡¯t care that he was responsible for this, and Akio didn¡¯t know why he had a camera.


    ¡°You ready for this,  fianc¨¦ ?¡± The venom in Ranma¡¯s voice as he spat the last word sent a cold shiver up Akio¡¯s spine, but it was quickly replaced by anger. He couldn¡¯t be upset at Akio about that, right? That definitely wasn¡¯t Akio¡¯s fault, that was entirely on Naoki and Ranma.


    ¡°Whatever, one hit and this¡¯ll be all over I bet, you''re built like a twig no matter what form you''re in,  sweetie .¡± Did he have it in him to actually go all out against Ranma, especially in girl form? As long as Akio remembered he was actually a guy, that they weren''t actually engaged, that as martial artists they both liked this stuff¡­maybe.


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re gonna pay for  that! ¡± Ranma dashed forward, losing the battle of composure against Akio and falling into the taller boy¡¯s trap. Akio feinted a sweep but pivoted to an overhead chop that Ranma jumped right into. The force from the blow knocked him back, but he bounced off the ground and flipped up to his feet to charge again.


    Making sure not to rely on the same trick twice, Akio waited until the last second before hopping back, catching Ranma¡¯s leg as he tried to pull off a jumping kick and slamming him face first into the ground. Ranma gasped in pain as Akio put him into a leg lock.


    Akio leaned down and hissed ¡°Got my hands on you. What¡¯re you gonna do now?¡±


    The answer was as painful as it was effective, as Ranma whipped his head back and bashed Akio¡¯s face. The searing pain in his nose sent him staggering back, but Ranma hooked his now free foot around Akio¡¯s and the taller boy crashed to the floor.


    Ranma was on him in an instant, straddling Akio and hammering with his fists and elbows. ¡°Had enough yet?¡± He spat through gritted teeth, and Akio realized he was  way  more angry than he¡¯d let on, and Akio still wasn¡¯t sure exactly why.


    His blows  hurt  though, Akio had to lock the fight down. ¡°Why would I?  You hit like a girl! ¡± He bluffed, but Ranma got sloppy when he wasn¡¯t focusing.


    ¡° Why you¡ª!? ¡± With a snarl he swung both fists together in a double axe handle at Akio¡¯s face. He bucked his hips and rolled to the side, taking Ranma with him. The blow overshot his head and Akio slammed the pink haired boy onto his back, driving the air out of his lungs in a wheeze.


    He grabbed one of his arms and pulled it to the side, securing it with his body weight, then put his free elbow in his solar plexus just enough to be noticeable.


    Ranma squirmed and Akio increased the pressure on the smaller boy¡¯s torso. Unfortunately for Akio, this required he pick up his hips. He wasn¡¯t prepared for Ranma¡¯s flexibility: as soon as there was space, he pulled his feet under Akio¡¯s torso and kicked straight up.


    ¡°Told you I could throw you around!¡± Ranma roared as Akio felt, for the first time in his life, the sensation of weightlessness. Were they outside, he would have gently slowed until he began falling back to the ground, but they were inside, so after a very brief ascent his back crashed against the dojo ceiling and bounced him back to the floor.


    Ranma was on the offensive and punted Akio through the open doors into the yard. He crashed and rolled in the dirt but still managed to get back up on his feet in time to receive his diminutive opponent¡¯s charge.


    During their first fight, when Ranma was a girl, he never actually attacked. Akio at the time thought this was because he was weaker in that form, but he discovered that Ranma was definitely not weaker like this, ¡°her¡± strikes just hit a smaller surface area. The result was that ¡°her¡± blows  stung  even when he blocked.


    ¡°You hit like a  hornet  or something, aggh!¡± He was wholly on the defensive, hoping to grab one of Ranma¡¯s limbs but his attacks came so fast all he could do was deflect or roll with them.


    ¡°Not bad for a  girl  , right?!¡± Ranma sneered back, but Akio heard a little bit of the ¡°fun¡± Ranma in his voice, that same cockiness Akio found so cute on Sunday.¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, I don¡¯t hit girls!¡± Akio timed his rebuttal with a hail mary, letting one of Ranma¡¯s punches through so he¡¯d take the full force of a forward snap kick. It worked, and Akio got the brief satisfaction of seeing Ranma¡¯s eyes bulge as he was rocked back across the yard and landed in a heap.


    Steam rose from their bodies in the cool Spring air. The wind chimes and water clock played nostalgic notes for Akio, who really wanted to be done with the impromptu fight. Ranma coughed and got back up, but Akio could tell it took effort.


    ¡°I just remembered you fought Kodachi  this morning  .¡± Akio panted. Was Ranma fatigued before the fight started? Was Akio benefiting from a handicap the whole time? Their new house guest was  scary  good.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and I spent the last hour on my feet helping your mom,¡± Ranma wheezed. He wasn¡¯t taking a defensive stance, though he was still tense.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Hana stood on the engawa, mildly irritated. ¡°Katsumi called a moment ago and said he and Mr. Saotome are on their way home. Dinner will be ready by the time they get here, but you two had  better  clean up.¡± She gestured at their now-filthy clothes.


    <hr>


    Naoki watched Ranma and his brother march off to the bathroom in a huff, his stomach roiling around anxiously.


    Part of it was jealousy that Akio would be in there with Ranma, alone. It was hard for him to deny his attraction to the fiery, black-haired, blue-eyed boy, but the kid was way too close to home for that relationship to work. Maybe once Naoki graduated and moved out, but that wasn¡¯t for another year at least.


    The rest was guilt over Ranma¡¯s explosion. He should know better, he¡¯d cradled sobbing friends going through the same gauntlet of nonsense gender expectations as Ranma, they just had their whole lives to figure out how to cope. Ranma had only had his curse for, what, two and a half weeks? He probably wasn¡¯t even finished recovering from the  shock  of it.


    Dashing up to his room, he started looking for a well-hidden little black book. It was time to make some calls.


    <hr>


    Had they more time, Ranma would have insisted on going first, but he didn''t want to argue. Instead, he glared at Akio in the tight space of the outer bathroom. ¡°Here''s what we do: I''m gonna go scrub and wash an¡¯ all that, then get in the furo, then you can do you. But you stay in here until I change, got it?¡±


    Akio''s eye twitched, probably out of irritation, but he relented. ¡°Yeah that makes sense, just be fas¡ªAH!¡± Ranma started taking off his clothes and tossing them in the basket, forcing Akio to look away. ¡°Warn a guy first, would you?¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Ranma slipped into the inner bath. ¡°We''re both guys, don''t be such a baby.¡± Truth be told, he was glad Akio wasn''t looking at him because then he''d see Ranma blushing. He''d get to¡ª have to  see Akio in a minute anyway.


    It didn''t take him more than a couple minutes to wash himself off, but that was long enough to reflect. The fight against Kodachi was amazing, he couldn¡¯t wait to fight her again. Everything after that, though? It was like a slow-moving train crash. The engagement, his meeting with Akio and Naoki, then talking with his dad and Mrs. Tendo. He had a slight reprieve after lunch when he did some yoga and a light workout to relax his body from the fight¡­and the cooking was fun.


    The cooking was more than fun, he loved the time he got to spend with Mrs. Hana, swapping stories about food. He couldn¡¯t wait until they did it again tomorrow. Maybe they¡¯d make curry!


    ¡­Oh, right, tomorrow they were going shopping for clothes! It was a little frustrating that Mrs. Hana insisted they buy things for his female form, but she assured him that properly-fitted clothes would work best for whatever type of presentation he wanted, and Naoki would back her up on that.


    He didn¡¯t understand why everyone kept helping him with this. It wouldn¡¯t be that hard to just coast through high school as a girl, his grades weren¡¯t going to be great or anything, and after he graduated it wouldn¡¯t matter anyway, it wasn¡¯t like he was going to college.


    Finally he finished and hopped in the tub. ¡°C¡¯mon in,¡± he drawled, letting the warmth wash the pink out of his hair. Then Ranma got his first good look at Akio since Sunday, when he¡¯d been too panicked to process anything. He was smaller than Katsumi with broader shoulders, but skinnier everything else. They¡¯d have to work on that, his shoulders and arms would throw off his center of balance, they needed to fill in his core and legs.


    Neither of them spoke even after Akio got in the tub, they just soaked and glared at each other, the emotions from the fight not having completely worn off. Ranma¡­realized that as a guest it would probably be a good idea to apologize first. Plus he was the one who freaked out over something so minor. He didn¡¯t even really know why it bothered him so much now.


    ¡°Hey, uh¡­sorry. About what I said earlier, an¡¯ I¡¯m sorry I called you an ogre.¡± No amount of hot water could disguise the red on his cheeks.


    Akio just laughed. ¡°Honestly, out of all the things I¡¯ve been called, ogre ain¡¯t bad. If anything it¡¯s pretty cool. And I¡¯m sorry about what I said too. I just got defensive about Naoki, I¡¯m used to looking out for him. You should apologize to him, too.¡±


    Ugh, why¡¯s this guy so nice?  Ranma nodded. ¡°Yeah for sure. Thanks for understanding.¡± They both relaxed a bit after the short exchange, though Ranma could tell something was still bothering Akio.


    ¡°Do you¡­can I ask what got you so upset?¡± Ranma leaned back and stared at the ceiling when Akio finally asked the question. Despite preparing for it, he didn¡¯t feel ready to answer, so he started winging it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure myself. I found out I might hafta wear a stupid dress, an¡¯ your mom wants ta take me an¡¯ Naoki shopping for new clothes tomorrow, and I know once I get there I¡¯m gonna hafta put up with people thinkin¡¯ I¡¯m a girl all the time¡­y¡¯all¡¯ve just been doin¡¯ such a good job  not  doin¡¯ that it kinda got to me.¡±


    What he didn¡¯t say was that the idea of Akio holding him like a bride after the throw  embarrassed  him, just like when Akio called him beautiful yesterday morning, the same sense of fluttery weightlessness spread through his core. And that embarrassment, of course, made him feel ashamed and he lashed out. What he said sounded better.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t expecting Akio to look so hurt. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ranma, we didn¡¯t mean to make you feel that way. Naoki especially, he¡¯s been really good at explaining how much that kind of thing can hurt.¡±


    Ranma tilted his head. ¡°What would he know about how I feel?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got some friends, I¡¯ve never met them, who were, uh¡­born in the wrong body? That¡¯s one of the ways Naoki explained it to me.¡± He gesticulated entirely unhelpful shapes while he spoke, which Ranma thought was a little cute. ¡°They didn¡¯t realize it until later and they have a hard time getting people to respect them because of it.¡±


    Oh, right, the guys Naoki mentioned on Sunday . Ranma nodded. ¡°Okay yeah, that does sound right.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, Ranma, if you¡¯re ever feeling, yanno, overwhelmed by the girly stuff at school, just let me or Naoki know, we¡¯ve got your back.¡± Akio smiled and that stupid fluttering feeling came back.


    Ranma had to choose between riding it out or lashing out again, and he didn¡¯t want to start something in the bath, so he just smiled back. ¡°Thanks, I appreciate it, man.¡±


    <hr>


    Ranma helped Mrs. Tendo bring the food to the living room, and everyone was visibly excited by the bounty on display. ¡°Ranma, thank you so much for your help today. It was a joy having you in my kitchen, and I hope you got something out of it as well.¡±


    Thanks from everyone else warmed his cheeks, and he deflected the enthusiastic support with some well-placed arrogance. ¡°A martial arts master chef like me doesn¡¯t back down from a challenge.¡± Which for some reason generated a chuckle and he lightly pouted.


    Once everyone started digging in the compliments kept coming, and Mrs. Hana kept gushing about his help, especially complimenting how knowledgeable he was. ¡°Honestly it was less like training a new student than it was comparing notes with another veteran of the kitchen,¡± she praised him with the utmost sincerity.


    He was about to protest, to say that cooking like that felt like something girls and women should do, that he was only good at it ¡®cause of the things he had to learn when they didn¡¯t have the luxury of a kitchen, like perfectly dicing food to make sure it cooked evenly and none was wasted.


    But then Mrs. Hana disrupted his thoughts. ¡°Ranma, thank you for indulging me. Don¡¯t worry about the rest of the week, you¡¯ll be starting school in a few days and I know you¡¯ll want to enjoy your freedom a little longer.¡±


    Genma gave him a supportive clap on the shoulder, the Tendo boys all looked a little disappointed, but Ranma felt like she¡¯d punched him in the gut. Had he done something wrong? Was he actually really annoying? He was looking forward to cooking with Mrs. Hana again, and as¡­awkward as it was that people were celebrating his food he liked being praised for something other than martial arts for once.


    But he couldn¡¯t just  admit  that, he had to maintain the illusion of casual indifference. He scanned the table for something he could latch on to, something to¡­seeing his dad¡¯s face made the idea click. ¡°Oh no, the Saotomes aren¡¯t freeloaders. And we always keep our word,¡± he raised his nose and crossed his arms, projecting haughtiness. ¡°I said I¡¯d help for the week, and that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±


    The boys all lit up, Mrs. Hana looked like she was about to cry, and his dad¡­his dad looked pensive. Like he was trying to solve the puzzle of Ranma.


    Meanwhile, Ranma was trying to solve the puzzle of how to keep cooking even after the week was up. Mrs. Hana was  very  thoughtful, and would probably insist he stop once the week was over.


    Katsumi must have been reading his mind, because the eldest Tendo knew exactly what to say. ¡°Technically, Ranma, you agreed to help with dinner  every night you stay here .¡± His smile was tinged with only the slightest smidge of smugness, but Ranma didn¡¯t care: that was a perfect excuse.


    Hana blushed and tried to walk that back. ¡°Of course I was just teasing when I said that, you don¡¯t really have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right, I don¡¯t hafta help every night. I¡¯m startin¡¯ school an¡¯ all, so I won¡¯t have too much time, and I gotta keep my martial arts sharp. But after this week it would be  dishonorable to not at least help, say, on Sundays?¡±


    Now everybody was staring at him, and it took every ounce of willpower not to reveal how he felt, though he knew his dad could probably see sweat forming on his brow. He had to keep it going, if for no other reason than to break the awkward silence. ¡°I mean y¡¯all ain¡¯t even tried my chicken curry yet, ain¡¯t that right, dad?¡±


    Thank goodness Mrs. Hana either caught on or just didn¡¯t see the need to ask questions. ¡°Well, all right, if those are the terms that will satisfy your honor I¡¯d be happy for the help, Ranma.¡± She bowed with a huge smile and turned to his father. ¡°You¡¯ve raised a very responsible boy, Mr. Saotome.¡±


    Grinning like an idiot, Ranma looked at his dad and saw¡­a strangely sad smile. ¡°Very responsible indeed, Ranma.¡± Genma said softly.

 Dress Rehearsal

    Genma Saotome spent the last hours of his day in contemplative silence. For the first time in years, he¡¯d worked an honest job and enjoyed himself! While Dr. Tofu and Katsumi handled the chiropractic and administrative elements of Tofu¡¯s clinic, Genma mostly acted as an office assistant, secretary, and aid.


    They were impressed with his knowledge of triage and field medicine, and consulted him on ways to make the office more efficient, but it would have been improper for him to actually treat any patients. That was fine, he still got paid, and it felt good.


    Then there was his son. Ranma was his pride, his joy, and the most important part of Genma¡¯s life. And he was troubled. Thirteen years he¡¯d raised the boy alone, so he knew what to look out for. The fact that this was the third night in a row he got into a fight with the Tendo boy bothered Genma, it signaled he was having difficulties fitting in.


    He also knew when Ranma blustered to hide his true feelings. The boy liked to cook, he never made a secret of it around Genma, so it was confusing that he would hide behind his family ¡°honor¡± in front of the Tendos, especially considering how supportive they all were.


    Not for the first time, Genma wondered if staying here was a good idea. He didn¡¯t have any alternatives lined up, but they¡¯d been wandering for two years already and could make do until an opportunity presented itself. Ranma just seemed to have trouble around boys his age, and bringing him to a household with three didn¡¯t seem to be working.


    As they were getting ready for bed in the guest room, he figured he had to address it. ¡°Close the door, son, we need to talk.¡±


    Ranma, who had just walked in, loudly groaned and angrily shut the door. ¡°Whaaaaaat?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Tendo said you and Akio were fighting again, and judging by the bruise on your stomach,¡± Genma poked to make his point, which made Ranma wince. ¡°It wasn¡¯t friendly sparring. Why don¡¯t you tell me what that was about?¡±


    Ranma rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but guiltily hung his head as well. ¡°We already talked about it and we¡¯re good, ain¡¯t that enough?¡±


    ¡°No, because you and I haven¡¯t talked about it. If you¡¯re having trouble getting along with our hosts I need to know so we can find somewhere else¡ª¡± Ranma¡¯s panicked yell shocked Genma.


    ¡°What!? No, I don¡¯t wanna leave!¡± Whatever composure he had was gone in an instant at the idea of moving and Ranma¡¯s plea almost turned into a bow as he threw his hands on the floor in front of him.


    ¡°Okay, then what¡¯s the problem? I¡¯m not trying to punish you, son, I¡¯m  worried .¡± He put a reassuring hand on Ranma¡¯s arm. ¡°I want to know how I can help.¡±


    For a moment, he thought Ranma would actually open up, the way his eyes shimmered. But that defensive attitude snapped back up before he could press further.


    ¡°You could start by layin¡¯ off, old man. Akio ¡®n me are just¡­figurin¡¯ each other out, okay?¡± He sniffed and looked out the window, once again crossing his arms. ¡°I really get along with Naoki and Katsumi is actually okay when he¡¯s not bein¡¯ a jerk, Akio¡¯s just¡­¡±


    By this point, Genma was aware of the chemistry his son had with the youngest Tendo boy. There was  some  sort of connection, maybe even an attraction, so it wasn¡¯t wholly surprising the way Ranma trailed off and started blushing. The last thing Genma wanted to do was call attention to that though and risk setting Ranma off.


    ¡°We¡¯re too alike, yeah? Same age, martial artists, carryin¡¯ on the legacy of our dads and stuff.¡± Then he chuckled, which set Genma¡¯s soul at ease. ¡°Can you imagine if he¡¯d been a girl? Maybe we coulda actually got engaged or whatever like you and your friend wanted. Martial artist wife would be pretty cool.¡±


    Genma guffawed and realized he¡¯d been right on the money. Clearly his son was dealing with an attraction he didn¡¯t know how to handle, just like with that friend of his a couple years ago, and that girl he liked when he was 6.


    The problem was that Genma had no idea how to broach that topic with him. He didn¡¯t have any issues with his son being attracted to another boy, but having that discussion about girls a few years ago was hard enough. He couldn¡¯t talk to Hana about it either, since it involved one of her sons.


    Maybe Dr. Tofu could give him some advice tomorrow.


    ¡°That makes sense, I suppose. And I¡¯m glad to hear you already talked to him. Sparring is fine: in fact, since I¡¯m gonna be working, I think it¡¯s great that you have a new training partner. But you know you can talk to me about anything, right?¡±


    Ranma probably wouldn¡¯t want to talk about anything more tonight, but he had to make sure that was out there.


    ¡°Sure thing, pops. Thanks.¡± Genma almost started crying at the sight of the first unguarded smile he saw on his son¡¯s face in years but kept his composure.


    ¡°No worries. Good night.¡±


    <hr>


    It was bittersweet, how the lack of a Horde of challengers reminded Akio that his freshman year of high school was almost over and he was only just now able to experience a normal morning. The bruises from last night¡¯s fight against Ranma reminded him that it was probably for the best that he wasn¡¯t fighting anyone today though.


    There were, however, a couple boys waiting for him. One with straight, black hair, parted in the middle, Shingo, and one with shaggy brown hair, slightly taller, Kiichi. They were two of Akio¡¯s closest friends in junior high, and tried to stay friends with him at the beginning of the year but were understandably scared away by Kodachi¡¯s escalating antics.


    ¡°Hey man! Congrats on freedom!¡± Shingo yelled as he went for a high five.


    ¡°And congrats on landing a babe!¡± Kiichi followed up, which made Akio scowl. He didn¡¯t  land  Ranma, he just¡­well okay,  landed  wasn¡¯t the worst way to describe the Saotomes arriving at their doorstep three days ago, but he knew what Kiichi meant by that.


    ¡°Hey guys, good to see you again,¡± he said, going for the high five. ¡°Ranma isn¡¯t¡­I didn¡¯t  land  her, the whole engagement thing is overblown. It¡¯s mostly an excuse to unite our families¡¯ martial arts schools.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t deny the engagement, but he¡¯d do whatever he could to downplay it. His friends wouldn¡¯t give him much to work with, however.


    ¡°C¡¯mon man, you don¡¯t have to lie to us,¡± Kiichi needled him as they walked into school. ¡°Everybody knows you liked Kodachi ¡®til she got all crazy, it can¡¯t be coincidence you got  another  brawler chick comin¡¯ after you.¡±


    That bothered Akio more than he could admit. Ranma definitely didn¡¯t like him, not after all the fights they¡¯d gotten into, and just because he was cute ¡ª as a girl, of course ¡ª didn¡¯t mean that Akio liked him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know she existed before Sunday, you guys, we barely know each other.¡± Akio deposited his shoes in his locker and casually strode to his first class, which he  didn¡¯t  share with the two knuckleheads shadowing him.


    ¡°She lucked out gettin¡¯ you in the engagement then, didn¡¯t she?¡± Akio wanted to knock the smirk off Shingo¡¯s face. ¡°Did you guys draw straws or something?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t random, I was the obvious choice and she picked me!¡± Too late Akio realized his mistake as he opened his classroom door. For one, that was a lie, Naoki more-or-less took the decision away from Ranma and Akio when he ¡°leaked¡± the engagement to Kodachi. But more importantly, not only had he just told his dumb friends that Ranma wanted to be his fianc¨¦e, but Hiroko and Asami, who were already in their seats, absolutely just heard him  proudly  declare it.


    Naoki would be furious, but he was already wincing at the pain Ranma was gonna inflict on him once she found out.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s great! She knows you better than you think, then, you¡¯re a catch, dude!¡± Kiichi¡¯s sincerity did little to distract Akio from the heat in his cheeks or the pit in his stomach.


    He didn¡¯t even get a reprieve once they left, because the girls were on him in as soon as he was seated.


    ¡°How long did she have to choose you? Was it love at first sight?¡± Hiroko asked with sparkles in her eyes as Asami spurred him on.


    ¡°No, I just meant¡­Katsumi and Naoki don¡¯t really practice the Art, you know? Since this whole thing is just some weird dream of our dads to unite the schools, I was the only one who made sense.¡± The sadness he added to his words did seem to have an effect on the girls who gasped and whispered to each other conspiratorially.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad Akio, she fought  Kodachi  to defend your engagement,¡± Asami reached out a comforting hand to rest on his arm. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t do something like that if she wasn¡¯t serious, you know?¡±


    Wow, Naoki was spot-on about how people who aren¡¯t involved would insist on making it their business , he lamented. These girls barely knew him, and knew Ranma even less! He was glad today was a half day, class hadn¡¯t even started yet and he¡¯d already added fuel to the fire.


    <hr>


    For Ranma¡¯s first quiet morning since they¡¯d arrived, he allowed himself to sleep in a little. His dad¡¯s arm still wasn¡¯t totally recovered, and Ranma''s stomach still hurt where Akio kicked it. Breakfast was quiet but at least dry, and he went to the dojo after everybody had gone to work or school to do some relaxing slow forms.


    Eventually, Mrs. Hana came in brandishing a full laundry basket. ¡°Ranma, any chance you can give me a hand with this?¡± She asked in a sing-song voice and he wondered what had her so chipper today. Hopefully it wasn¡¯t their shopping trip later, he wasn¡¯t in the right headspace to handle that much cheeriness.


    ¡°Of course, Mrs. Tendo. Saotomes aren¡¯t freeloaders, after all.¡± Just a few years ago he couldn¡¯t have imagined ever saying something like that, because for most of his life the Saotomes  absolutely  had been freeloaders, or at least moochers, deploying their martial arts skills to acquire the things they needed to survive without paying for them.


    Plus, he liked spending time with Mrs. Hana. She was really nice, and full of advice and stories, mostly about her sons. Especially while they were going through clothes, Ranma had no idea how she remembered so much just from looking at t-shirts and pants but just about every piece had a story attached.


    Things took a turn once they started hanging wet clothes, though. Ranma was listening to a story about Naoki playing baseball when he was 10 and absent-mindedly handing her things to hang, when suddenly he realized he was holding some of her underwear.


    His face turned the color of a tomato and he tried to look away while also handing it to her, but instead of taking it she laughed. ¡°Ranma you¡¯re going to have to get used to seeing and handling those, I¡¯m afraid. Why don¡¯t you hang that one up?¡±


    The frozen look of betrayal on his face must have been obvious because she rolled her eyes. ¡°You understand you¡¯re going to have to change in the girls¡¯ locker room for gym, yes? And you¡¯ll probably see much more risqu¨¦ things than my high cut panties.¡±


    Ranma¡¯s brain stopped functioning at that point as all the blood in his body rushed to his face. At least she mercifully took the verboten item out of his hands and hung it herself, leaving him to quietly wish for death.


    As she put up more unmentionables, Mrs. Hana was deep in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­speaking of which, are you going to be able to wear the gym uniforms?¡±


    It took a minute to process what she asked. ¡°Uniforms, plural? Aren¡¯t they just, like, a t-shirt and shorts? That¡¯s fine.¡± Sure, his entire legs would be on display but that would just let him show off his lean, muscular physique.


    ¡°And the swimsuit?¡± Hana turned and looked at him with concern. He supposed his reaction to the dress was extreme enough to warrant it, but honestly he didn¡¯t care as much about the gym uniforms. They were practical, casual, and designed for athletics.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine too. I worked hard for these muscles, I don¡¯t mind showin¡¯ ¡®em off!¡± Ranma flexed and hoped Mrs. Hana would see the definition he¡¯d strived so hard for.


    She tilted her head a little but did it with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s good, I was worried about inviting you and your father on our annual family beach trip this summer. Maybe we¡¯ll even pick you up a swimsuit today.¡±


    ¡­He wanted to say that worried him, that wearing a girl¡¯s swimsuit in front of his hosts was more embarrassing than the idea of wearing one in front of hypothetical schoolmates, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to care. That worried him a little, did it say anything about him? ¡°No thank you, I don¡¯t wanna get somethin¡¯ like that until it¡¯s absolutely necessary.¡±


    Mrs. Hana tittered as she hung up the last of the wet clothes.


    <hr>


    Ranma noticed Akio seemed disappointed when he and Naoki came home. The middle Tendo son dashed up to his room without even saying hello, just a hurried, ¡°I¡¯ve gotta get ready!¡± as he sprinted up the stairs.


    ¡°You okay, man?¡± Ranma asked Akio, who flopped his shoes off in the genkan with all the enthusiasm of a wet cat.


    ¡°Eh, I was excited about training this afternoon but Naoki just told me you all were going to the store for clothes. If he¡¯s there it¡¯s gonna take  forever .¡± He was so bummed it made Ranma feel guilty, the trip was for his benefit after all.


    ¡°Well¡­do you wanna come with us?¡± Ranma suggested. ¡°Might be a little more fun than a solo jog or workout, right?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯d just sit there while he threw a bunch of different outfits at you.¡± He waved his hand dismissively as the two chilled in the living room. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I trained by myself for years before you showed up, I can manage a few more hours.¡±


    ¡°Well, actually, you could make sure he doesn¡¯t put me in anythin¡¯ too girly.¡± Ranma found himself weirdly excited about Akio coming with them. As a fellow martial artist he¡¯d be able to analyze what they got for weaknesses that Naoki and Mrs. Hana wouldn¡¯t notice.


    The idea seemed at least a little appealing. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. Aren¡¯t you just getting simple stuff though?¡±


    ¡°Your mom said stuff for guys and girls, plus maybe a swimsuit. I said no but she just chuckled.¡± Ranma took a long drink of water to hide his blush, which meant he failed to notice Akio¡¯s face all the way to the tips of his ears turn bright red.


    ¡°Wh-why¡¯d y-you¡­whaddya need a swimsuit for?¡± Akio stammered for some reason.


    ¡°She said something about a yearly family trip to the beach. I guess since it¡¯s March swimsuits are still cheap so it¡¯s better to get one now.¡± Ranma shrugged. When Mrs. Hana made the suggestion it didn¡¯t bother him, so now they just might get a swimsuit. He didn¡¯t need to wear it any time soon anyway.


    Naoki practically leapt into the living room and Ranma¡¯s jaw almost dropped. The boy completely transformed himself for a simple shopping trip, and Ranma understood Akio¡¯s trepidation if his brother was going to be this serious about it.


    His short brown hair was spiked back instead of combed to the side, save for a plumage-like curl that shot out of the front of his hairline. He wore several clashing necklaces atop a black t-shirt with the romaji words ¡°ANGEL¡¯S EGG¡± written on it in large, white letters. His jacket was a garish, pink sukajan with sakura blossoms on the back, but it was so large he wore it down around his elbows. While both his shirt and jacket were oversized, his jeans were tight and tucked into boots that ended halfway up his calf.


    Ranma  thought  he knew how to project confidence, but Naoki¡¯s effortless swagger put him to shame. ¡°Ranma baby, you¡¯re not gonna see this side of me too often. I want this trip to be a learning opportunity for you: watch how I carry myself and remember our first lesson.¡±


    If Naoki tried to put Ranma in anything like what he was currently wearing, Ranma wasn¡¯t sure how he¡¯d react. But the clothes themselves likely weren¡¯t the lesson Naoki was trying to teach. ¡°Yes, Naoki- sensei . I¡¯ll be mindful.¡±


    Mrs. Hana appeared with her purse and a much more sensible outfit for running errands and smiled at her sons. ¡°Well Akio, you¡¯ve got the run of the hou¡ª¡±


    ¡°Actually, I wanna come with you, if that¡¯s all right.¡± Akio interrupted with odd determination while looking at Naoki and Ranma. ¡°Uh¡­Ranma asked if I¡¯d help.¡±


    Naoki snickered but Mrs. Hana nodded. ¡°Of course, Akio. Is everybody ready?¡±


    <hr>


    The one really frustrating thing about traveling with the Tendos, especially as a girl, was how they were all taller than Ranma. It wasn¡¯t as bad in their house, he was starting to get used to it, but out in the world with other people to compare them to, it just reinforced how dainty¡ª compact  he was.


    A small part of him considered perching on Akio¡¯s back so he could see over the crowd, but he¡¯d already asked him to come along on an errand he didn¡¯t enjoy, and having someone sitting on his shoulders probably wouldn¡¯t make that any more comfortable.


    It didn¡¯t help that he also didn¡¯t wrap today, and after yesterday he realized just how big a difference having support made even when doing something as simple as walking around. The longer the trip lasted the more he just wanted to get to the store and grab a sports bra already, his chest was starting to  ache .


    Malls were something of a mystery to Ranma. He wasn¡¯t a stranger to them, but he and his dad rarely had a good reason to enter one. Once inside, Mrs. Hana turned to him and smiled. ¡°Okay Ranma, there¡¯s two major stops we have to make, bras and clothes. You and I will start with bras while the bo¡ª my  boys will start picking out clothes.¡±


    Ranma¡¯s mouth was dry as Mrs. Hana led him to the escalators and the second floor. Most of the shoppers up here were women, which immediately made Ranma feel out of place and nervous. At least there were fewer of them in general.


    They approached a shop absolutely plastered with soft, pastel colors. ¡°Fair warning, we¡¯re going to talk to a sales associate and get your measurements. She¡¯ll probably make all sorts of suggestions for things you don''t need. Just nod and say thank you, you don¡¯t have to try anything that you¡¯re not comfortable with.¡±


    A spark of defensive anger fired off in the recesses of Ranma¡¯s psyche, but he was able to halt the charge before it amplified into a flash of fury. ¡°Okay, thanks for the warning Mrs. Tendo.¡± He reminded himself that the salesperson would just see a normal girl, and wasn¡¯t insulting his masculinity.


    The crushing din of the mall quieted to a muffled hum once they were inside the shop, and immediately some of Ranma¡¯s anxiety subsided. Compared to the mix of natural and fluorescent lighting of the main shopping area, the store was lit with warm bulbs that put him at ease.


    Mrs. Hana patiently waited for one of the few saleswomen to finish with the woman she was helping while Ranma let his eyes wander. He didn¡¯t feel any voyeuristic thrill in the boutique, just curiosity tinged with the nagging feeling he shouldn¡¯t be here.


    It¡¯s fine, you¡¯re a girl right now, it¡¯s fine to be here, Mrs. Hana wouldn¡¯t have brought you if she didn¡¯t think it was okay.  He tried not to pay too much attention to the lacier, racier options that adorned some of the mannequins and focus on the plainest ones.


    Something clicked as he scanned the other shoppers, all of whom were utterly indifferent to his presence. This was  normal  . It was  fine  that he was here. She was just a girl who needed new bras.


    She tugged Mrs. Hana¡¯s sleeve and whispered ¡°Lemme handle this.¡± The older woman nodded and stood back to watch Ranma work.


    Once the saleswoman, whose tag read Megami, was done Ranma stepped forward. ¡°Hi! I need my measurements taken, please.¡± She didn¡¯t give her biggest smile but the polite smirk of a girl who¡¯d done this before and didn¡¯t want to take up too much of the woman¡¯s time.


    ¡°Sure thing, darlin¡¯,¡± Megami led the pair to the private fitting rooms in the back. Ranma didn¡¯t expect to have to take her shirt off but figured any nervousness would be perfectly natural for any girl in this situation.


    After Megami measured twice and rattled off a set of numbers and letters that Ranma had no idea how to interpret, she let out a low whistle. ¡°Growth spurt?¡± She asked with mild interest.


    Ranma pulled one of the corners of her mouth to the side, nodded, and replied with a mixture of pride, resignation, and banal irritation. ¡°Yep.¡±


    And that was the whole interaction! She didn¡¯t even make any recommendations, just asked Ranma if she needed anything else and went on to help the next customer when Ranma said no.


    Mrs. Hana beamed at her when she came back and whispered the size she¡¯d been given. Other than a slight widening of the eyes, Mrs. Hana¡¯s only response was to nod. ¡°Perfect, the sports bras are over this way.¡±


    She led them to a corner of the store that didn¡¯t have any mannequins, just shelves with what looked like the binders Naoki offered her. Mrs. Hana picked a few out and handed them to Ranma, who impressed herself by not blushing or getting nervous. Mrs. Hana¡¯s exposure therapy must have helped.


    ¡°Are we getting these?¡± There were three bras in her hands, with slightly different styles.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re going to try them on and figure out which ones fit you the best.¡± Mrs. Hana answered softly while looking toward a different part of the store with a thoughtful expression.


    Tilting her head, Ranma asked, ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t I just get measured for that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if it was that easy,¡± Mrs. Hana sighed. ¡°Women¡¯s clothing sizes are¡­inconsistent. But sports bras typically use a different measuring system. Knowing your measurements is important for finding the closest size.¡±


    Glowering at her first step into the complicated, frustrating world of women¡¯s clothes, Ranma started shuffling back to the fitting rooms. ¡°I¡¯m already regretting this¡­¡± she muttered.


    A few minutes later, Ranma was struggling with the pads in her first bra. Once she pulled it over her head like a tank top, the loose pads inside the bra¡­folded up or something? She could tell they needed to lie flat and it was tight enough that the lump created by the fold was uncomfortable. Her strategy was to try and massage the pad back into its proper shape while she was wearing the bra, but that was tricky and frustrating.


    ¡°Ranma?¡± She heard Mrs. Hana call for her.


    ¡°In here¡­¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± The older woman spoke softly through the door, responding to the clear distress in Ranma¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­there are these pad¡­things that got all twisted up.¡± She didn''t like admitting defeat, but she''d been ineffectively massaging herself through the bra for the last five minutes to no avail. If she thought of Mrs. Hana¡­no, Tendo- sensei  as her¡­Anything Goes Girlhood instructor then she could ask for training.


    The thought sent a chill down her¡­ his  spine. What was he doing? He didn''t need to learn how to¡­to be a girl. He let himself get talked into wearing a bra and whatever Akio and Naoki were picking out for him elsewhere. He already had those wraps, they held up just fine for him against Kuno, he  didn''t need this .


    Ranma yanked the sports bra off with a grunt and started redoing his tangzhuang. He''d apologize to the Tendos for wasting their day later. He was already committed to cooking their dinner, they''d get over it.


    ¡°Ranma, would you like some help?¡± Mrs. Hana¡¯s voice, nurturing and kind, cut through the red haze. ¡°I promise you''re not the first¡­child to have trouble with their first bra.¡±


    He¡­he couldn''t¡­he wasn''t a girl, he didn''t need help, it was fine that he didn¡¯t know how to wear a bra. This was all pretend, just a way for him to get through school without worrying about boys teasing him and making fun of him and¡­annnnd that''s exactly what Mrs. Hana was talking about.


    If he didn''t know how to pretend to be a girl he''d stand out, not just to the other girls but to the boys. It''d be junior high all over again, if not worse because his ¡°deception¡± would be found out.


    ¡°Y-yeah, thanks.¡± Mrs. Hana didn''t trick him into anything, she wanted to help. She recognized his ignorance about girls and was helping him shore up his defenses, just like a martial arts sensei.


    She slipped in to the changing room and looked at Ranma, who hadn''t finished tying his shirt back up. ¡°Oh, you haven''t started yet? You know, if you¡¯re uncomfortable we can just go home.¡±


    Just like that, she was giving him an out in a way that let him save face. They could call the day here and he didn¡¯t have to feel guilty about wasting everybody¡¯s time. Hell, Naoki probably enjoyed just getting dressed up.


    All he needed to do was take her offer. Looking at the pile of unworn sports bras, he realized¡­he really couldn¡¯t handle this today. It was too much, too fast. He hadn¡¯t even had his curse for a month and he was already trying on girl''s underwear and looking at swimsuits, how much longer until he was wearing makeup, dresses, and going on dates with Akio?


    Boys, rather. Not Akio specifically, though any boy was equally unappealing, even Naoki.


    ¡°Before you make your decision,¡± Mrs. Hana began, with a wholly calm, reassuring voice. ¡°I want you to know that I''m very proud of you. Very few boys are brave enough to do what you''re doing.¡±


    Her words and smile pierced deep into Ranma''s memories and unlocked a moment he could barely remember, of a red-haired woman beaming at him. ¡°I''m so proud of you, Ranma!¡± she said before the memory looped. In that moment he realized he couldn''t let Mrs. Hana down: if she was proud of him he''d get through the day!


    He felt his eyes watering but before tears could appear, he slipped out of the emotional almost-girl he was developing and back into his true, proper persona. ¡°Nah, it ain''t nothin'',¡± he dismissed her praise with a wave of his hand. ¡°Th-thanks though. I jus¡¯ couldn''t figure out these pad things.¡±


    She took the bra from him and pointed to two holes on the inside of the strap. ¡°You can grab the pads through here, which makes the process much simpler.¡±


    Handing the bra back to Ranma, she dropped a few more items on the pile. One was a plain, burgundy piece of fabric that held its shape. ¡°This is a normal bra.¡± She warned him. ¡°You do not have to try it on. But, since we''re here, I thought you might want to see what it''s like.¡±


    She did say something about a normal bra, didn''t she?  Ranma regarded the support garment somberly. He couldn''t let himself spiral again, not when Mrs. Hana¡¯s approval was at stake, but he found it difficult to focus while it was here in the room with them. He either needed to ask her to take it away or get it over with and try it on now.


    ¡°No worries,¡± he boasted as he picked it up and examined it. ¡°Pops¡¯n me hiked in this big forest up in Hokkaido during a blizzard once, I can handle it.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you need help with it let me know,¡± she smiled again and stepped through the curtain to give Ranma back his privacy.


    <hr>


    Hana was prepared for today. The whole point was to give Ranma, a boy, the necessary tools to  pretend to be a girl, because he was, in fact, a boy. That included approval and gentle encouragement since, as a boy who''d been exclusively raised by his father and didn''t have many girl friends growing up, which was normal for boys, he knew very little about what was expected of him while pretending to be a girl. Since he was a boy.


    It didn''t matter what he came out of the girl''s fitting room wearing, he would be a boy, and¡ª Oh gods she looks so nice!


    Ranma opened the curtain and presented herself to Hana expectantly, even pleadingly, rosy eyes searching Hana¡¯s face for any sign of disappointment. They found none, because Hana''s face was the epitome of motherly joy, even though Ranma was not her daughter. Child.  Son .


    Still, it was clear Ranma didn''t know what he was doing: the straps were too loose and flesh was spilling out of the sides of the burgundy cups. ¡°Very good, Ranma! Let me just adjust a few things for you, if that''s all right.¡±


    Once Ranma had her tangzhuang tied back up she inspected herself in the mirror. Hana marveled at the subtle difference: a simple T-shirt bra didn''t make her seem any bigger than she already was, but it shifted things around and even with the boy-sized Chinese shirt she was wearing it emphasized her feminine figure.


    And, Hana noticed, she didn''t find it objectionable.


    ¡°Yanno, it makes sense that the fine stud that I am would look this good as a girl.¡± He boasted quietly enough not to be heard outside the booth, and flashed Hana a cocky grin.


    She was happy and devastated she didn''t bring her camera, because she wouldn''t have been able to resist snapping a picture. Maybe Naoki brought his? ¡°You figured it out very quickly, did it give you any trouble?¡± Hana decided if she talked it would stop her from thinking.


    ¡°At first, then I remembered that thing you did with the apron last night and figured it''d work the same.¡± Ranma gestured at himself and stuck out her chest for emphasis.


    Hana could not stop herself from wrapping the girl up in a tight hug. ¡°Oh I¡¯m so proud of you! If you apply yourself this well to your studies I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be top of your class before long.¡± She beamed down at Ranma, her enormous smile practically reflecting on the girl¡¯s shimmering eyes.


    Ranma slowly raised her arms up and returned the hug and leaned into Hana. The older woman realized she shouldn¡¯t have done that, Ranma wasn¡¯t  her  daughter after all, but now that she was returning the hug it was clear she appreciated it.


    He  appreciated it. Dammit, Hana was doing such a good job, she  prepared  for this. And now she was mid-hug with her friend¡¯s son. ¡°Oh, so sorry Ranma, I get a little emotional during big milestones. You should have seen how much I cried when Katsumi graduated last year.¡± She giggled to relieve some of her tension, and that signal convinced Ranma to disengage from the hug.


    He let out a little sniff and turned to grab one of the sports bras from the pile. ¡°Uh-uh huh, d-don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he replied shakily. ¡°I-I¡¯m gonna try these on now, I¡¯ll be done in a minute.¡± Hana didn¡¯t need the mirror to tell her that Ranma was fighting back tears, and guilt wracked her as she stepped back out into the hallway.


    Fortunately, Ranma¡¯s emotional episode didn¡¯t last. After a few minutes Hana heard a light  thump  from the fitting room. Then another, then several in quick succession, accompanied by a light giggle. ¡°Mrs. Hana!¡± Ranma exclaimed as she burst out of the curtain just in a black sports bra. ¡°Look at this!¡± She cartwheeled and flipped up and down the hallway, eventually landing on one hand, and looked up at Hana with glee. ¡°They¡¯re barely movin¡¯!¡±


    Ranma¡¯s childlike joy was contagious and Mrs. Hana forgot her worries. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you! How does it feel? It doesn¡¯t look too tight.¡±


    ¡°Nah, this is like the third one.¡± She switched to her other hand and started doing pushups. ¡°They¡¯re even better than the wrap, it moves with me and doesn¡¯t feel like it might come undone any second!¡±


    Hana nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the idea. If you¡¯re ready we¡¯ll grab a few and head out, I¡¯m sure Naoki has Akio carrying half the store at this point.¡±


    Ranma giggled and rolled back into the changing room, emerging after a moment with the sports bra she¡¯d been wearing and the normal one. ¡°We don¡¯t have to get that one today if you don¡¯t want to, Ranma.¡± Hana wanted to make sure the gir¡ª boy  didn¡¯t feel pressured, but he shook his head.


    ¡°I ¡®preciate it Mrs. Tendo, but I¡¯m good.¡± He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes as a thought tumbled into his mind. ¡°It¡¯d be weird if a girl didn¡¯t have at least a couple regular bras, yeah?¡±


    With a smile, Hana was delighted that her new ward was such a quick study. They grabbed a few more sports bras and two more t-shirt bras in white and black, Hana explaining that bras had an unfortunate tendency to show through clothes so Ranma needed options.


    They made their way downstairs to one of the mall¡¯s anchor stores, a multilevel department store. Akio was standing near the escalators and, exactly as Hana predicted, was holding an enormous stack of clothes. He looked miserable, but brightened up considerably when he caught sight of Hana and Ranma.


    Ranma, still excited from earlier, called out to him. ¡°Akio! Check this out!¡± She cried and sprinted toward him, somersaulting and flipping through the air. A few shoppers stared and Hana blushed a little, but he covered the distance so quickly it wasn¡¯t worth saying anything. Ranma landed in front of Akio who, like Hana, had been captivated by the joyous expression on the younger boy¡¯s face.


    Standing on the tips of her toes, Ranma whispered something into Akio¡¯s ear that made Hana¡¯s youngest son blush but he responded with a hearty, ¡°Congrats!¡± Ranma started quickly chatting about how much easier it was going to be to train and fight, and she wouldn¡¯t need to take so long wrapping up.


    Briefly, Hana saw the two of them tousling a little pink-haired boy¡¯s hair while Hana held their second child instead of a bag of undergarments, a black-haired little girl who wasn¡¯t quite old enough to run around unattended like her brother, and Hana had to stop and repeat the now-familiar mantra Ranma isn¡¯t a girl, Ranma is a boy; Ranma isn¡¯t a girl, Ranma is a boy; Ranma isn¡¯t a boy, she¡¯s a gir¡ªdammit, he¡¯s a boy, not a girl, to herself.


    ¡°Akio, where¡¯s your brother?¡± Hana asked, shifting focus to her own children to get her mind off hypothetical, impossible grandchildren.


    ¡°He¡¯s upstairs. This is all stuff we picked out from the men and boys sections.¡± The mountain of clothes in his arms jiggled for emphasis. ¡°I  think  it¡¯s all for Ranma¡­¡± He sounded unsure of his words.


    ¡°Well, if either of you find anything you need let me know, it¡¯ll be summer before long.¡± Hana reminded him, ¡°Do your swim trunks from last year still fit?¡± Akio blushed, which Hana expected. What she didn''t expect was to see Ranma blush. Hana smiled, remembering the swimsuit conversation earlier.


    ¡°Uhhh, probably not, I haven¡¯t had a reason to wear them since August but I did have a growth spurt this year.¡± Akio mumbled and Ranma¡¯s blush intensified as she distracted herself by picking at some of the clothes in Akio¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Good point! Since we were talking about getting one for Ranma, we¡¯ll have you boys try on some swim trunks as well.¡± That pushed Ranma over the edge, who practically jumped to the escalator.


    ¡°Hey I¡¯m gonna go find Naoki and see what he¡¯s doing I¡¯ll see you guys upstairs bye!¡± The words tumbled out of her mouth at speed and Hana couldn¡¯t help but titter.


    Akio watched Ranma run off before turning to Hana and quietly  admonishing  her. ¡°Hey, mom, he¡¯s sensitive to that stuff, you didn¡¯t see what set him off last night.¡±


    Hana wasn¡¯t used to Akio, of all her children, pushing back against her. Heck, she wasn¡¯t used to him  disagreeing  with her. He was well into his teens and never ¡°rebelled¡± against her in the same way both of his brothers did in their own ways. Despite the fact that she  should  have been shocked, scandalized that he was doing it now¡­


    He was doing it in defense of Ranma¡¯s feelings. Hana¡¯s jaw sagged but she kept her mouth closed, and Akio looked mortified that he¡¯d said anything but didn¡¯t apologize or walk it back, just stood his ground and stared at her.


    ¡°...Thank you for reminding me, Akio.¡± Hana responded softly. ¡°Ranma did a very good job earlier and I let that get to my head a little.¡± Her boy was going to make some woman very happy one day, and it definitely wasn¡¯t going to be Ranma who was, Hana reminded herself, actually a boy.


    They ascended to the second floor and Hana instructed Akio to go wait near the changing rooms. ¡°But mom, those are the women¡¯s changing rooms,¡± he quailed, understandably worried about being seen skulking around them.


    ¡°If you¡¯re holding a stack of clothes people will assume you¡¯re shopping with your mother or your girlfriend, which in this case is true.¡± She tried not to notice his blush at ¡°girlfriend¡±. ¡°Just don¡¯t get too close and don¡¯t look in their direction, I want to make sure we can find you.¡±


    She decided to indulge a little and see if there was anything she¡¯d want, so she wandered over to the dresses and skirts section. Despite her preparations, there was no way she could have defended herself against what she found.


    Turning a corner, she saw Ranma standing stock still. The boy didn¡¯t notice her because something had his attention. His cheeks were practically glowing red and Hana followed his gaze and saw¡­a mannequin wearing a simple light blue sundress. It had a white ribbon belt tied in a bow on the back.


    Hana¡¯s eyes went wide and she instinctively stepped back behind a rack of clothes, peering just enough to see what Ranma would do. It felt wrong to spy on her¡­him¡­her(?) like this, but she didn¡¯t know the  right  thing to do either.


    A sales associate walked up to Ranma, who squeaked a little in surprise but didn¡¯t immediately try to get away. Hana couldn¡¯t quite hear what they were saying, but she did catch ¡°and we¡¯ll hem it in if you don¡¯t like the length.¡±


    At that point Hana had to leave. Conflicting, contradictory feelings flashed through her mind. Ranma¡­stopped and looked at a dress all his-her-his¡­herself, and at least listened to the associate¡¯s sales pitch. All the fantasies and urges she¡¯d been fighting, not even successfully, roared back to the forefront of her mind, though now her future daughter-in-law was wearing such a pretty dress.


    She didn¡¯t even hear Naoki¡¯s voice until he walked in front of her and clapped. ¡°Mama! You okay?¡±


    Mouth dry, she looked at her middle son with confusion. ¡°Hmm? Oh, Naoki! There you are, sorry, I was just¡­¡± Desperate for something to distract herself, she looked down and saw the couple of skirts she¡¯d picked out. ¡°Doing a little shopping for me.¡±


    Smirking, he thumbed through the items hanging on her arm. ¡°Well, you are the best-dressed mother I¡¯ve ever known,¡± he said charmingly, and it brought a grin to her face.


    ¡°Th-thank you. Have you seen Ranma? Sh- he  came up here to find you a few minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh good, I¡¯ll keep an eye out. I saw Akio near the changing rooms.¡± He flashed a V-sign at her and pushed her toward the next aisle. ¡°You go do your shopping, I¡¯ll find our little lost boy and take over for you. Have fun, mama!¡±


    Hana stood frozen while she thought about what to do next.


    <hr>


    Ranma was exhausted. After leaving the dress (and politely explaining to the sales associate that ¡°Auntie Hana¡± was handling the money and didn¡¯t want Ranma picking up anything so expensive) and wandering back toward the sportier part of the store where the women¡¯s suits and trousers were, Naoki found Ranma and guided the pair to the changing rooms.


    He took several minutes showing Ranma the different outfits he¡¯d put together (there was so much flannel) eventually catching the attention of a (thankfully) different sales associate. ¡°Excuse me, miss, my cousin needs her measurements taken, we¡¯ve gotta put her together a whole new wardrobe!¡± he said with glee, and Ranma was once again taken to a private room while a salesperson measured body parts. At least she could take Ranma¡¯s measurements over the clothes.


    But Ranma still wasn¡¯t done after that: Naoki somehow found even more clothes in the few minutes Ranma was getting measured and described another handful of outfits, the reasoning behind them, and how each choice was going to completely masculinize Ranma¡¯s figure.


    Once he¡¯d explained everything, he shoved all of the clothes into Ranma¡¯s hands and pointed back to the changing rooms. ¡°Just try on everything the way I explained it, but experiment a little. Leave anything you don¡¯t want in the room and we¡¯ll see what we¡¯re working with when you¡¯re done.¡± He flashed two V-signs and grinned wide, which Ranma half-heartedly returned.


    The problem was that Ranma couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the blue dress. Ranma didn¡¯t want to try on a billion different trousers and pants and jackets, especially with the summer coming up. It¡¯d be hot, and they should be buying clothes that would breathe, not multiple layers.


    After the twelfth or so outfit, Ranma heard someone hang something next to the privacy curtain and walk away. Not thinking anything of it at first, once it was clear they weren¡¯t coming back, Ranma peeked out and gasped: the blue dress was hanging right there. The sales associate must have found one in the right size.


    Grabbing the dress and bringing it into the room, Ranma¡¯s heart began to race. Dresses were never something the Saotomes paid much attention to, but Ranma always thought they looked very pretty. Once again, the image of the frumpy school dress uniform came up, and Ranma grimaced at the thought of it. No school would have anything like the blue dress, but there were so many cuter options than the Furinkan pinafore.


    It¡¯d be rude not to try it on, at least. Ranma removed the most recent of Naoki¡¯s suits and took a deep breath before pulling on the dress. The bow was sewn into the dress so thankfully there was no need to tie it. Ranma smoothed out the creases and realized it was difficult to look at the mirror. The dress felt so tight it  had  to look silly on a boy¡¯s body¡­right? Could Ranma handle it if it did?


    Eyes closed, Ranma turned and faced the mirror, counted down from ten, then opened¡ª


    The girl in the mirror looked back at her, and her breath caught in her throat. She was so¡­pretty. Color theory was a foreign concept to Ranma, but she knew that women liked to wear lighter colors during spring. She looked like she was ready for a picnic in the park, maybe she¡¯d walk flower-lined paths with a parasol, enjoying the breeze through her hair, wrapping her arm around Akio¡¯s¡­


    With that thought, reality snapped back into place:  his  reality. In a panic, he practically clawed the dress off and threw it to the ground, refusing to look at the mirror any longer. His breathing was ragged and tears flowed freely down his face, but he wouldn¡¯t let any of the sobs out. He saw red in the corners of his vision and counted down from 50, trying to bring his anger back under control. Causing a scene right now would just get him in trouble, the associate was just trying to help.


    Obviously the dress was a mistake. Just looking at it was a mistake, because he liked how she¡­he¡­he liked how the girl in the mirror looked. But he wasn''t her, he didn''t want to be her, no matter how good it felt. No matter how much it hurt that he wasn''t.


    Nobody would understand. Not his dad, not Mrs. Tendo, not Naoki, Katsumi, his new friends at school, Kodachi¡­


    Not Akio, he definitely wouldn''t understand, he''d think Ranma was a freak just like every other boy. He probably already thought that, probably hated that he was gonna be fake engaged to a boy, probably hated that Ranma was gonna be pretending to be a fake girl.


    Because Ranma wasn''t unobservant: he noticed how flustered Akio got around Ranma''s girl form. That had to be tearing him up inside, knowing the hot girl was actually a paragon of manliness. So Ranma wouldn''t make that worse for him by prancing around in girly clothes.


    Sighing, he gathered the outfits he didn¡¯t hate and left everything else in the room, never letting his eyes settle on the dress. He was pretending to be a girl, but he was, in fact, a boy, and he couldn¡¯t forget that. Couldn¡¯t  let  himself forget that.


    Mrs. Hana was waiting with a small stack of clothes for her and her sons when he came out, and they gushed over the outfits he¡¯d picked. He tried to match their excited energy, but when Mrs. Hana observantly asked him if everything was okay, he put on a tired grin. ¡°It¡¯s just been a lot today, I¡¯m ready to leave I think.¡±


    Everyone agreed and they got in line to check out. Ranma¡¯s heart almost jumped out of his chest when the cashier pulled the blue dress out of the pile. Had he accidentally picked it up? He didn¡¯t have it after he¡¯d left the changing room, then how¡­


    ¡°Mama, that dress!¡± Naoki exclaimed. ¡°Are you getting fancy for any  particular  reason?¡±


    Mrs. Hana chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m allowed to buy something nice for myself every once and a while, dear. Akio, Ranma, what do you two think?¡±


    The younger boys shrugged and mumbled something along the lines of ¡°It looks fine,¡± though Ranma swore Mrs. Hana¡¯s smile faltered a little when she looked at him.


    <hr>


    Hana noticed Ranma regained some of his energy while they cooked dinner. It was going to be a little late, which meant Mr. Saotome could help, so the work went fast. She wondered if she should talk to Ranma¡¯s father about what happened today. On the one hand, she should probably tell him how his son was doing, but on the other she wasn¡¯t entirely sure  how  he was doing.


    Instead she focused on the mahi mahi. Grilling fish was her specialty, and it gave her something to distract herself with. Ranma handled the kakiage, once again using the technique for determining the perfect oil temperature, always turning to give her a proud smile whenever he got it right and excitedly showing his father.


    Even better, he had a chance to teach  her  something afterward. ¡°What are you doing with all the oil?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Normally once it¡¯s cool I pour it into a can and throw it out.¡± She replied.


    ¡°Nah, you can keep it, this much oil has to be expensive.¡± And he was right, there was at least half a liter left in the pot. ¡°Once it¡¯s cool we¡¯ll strain it with cheese cloth a few times to get all the burnt stuff out. You can reuse oil three or four times that way!¡±


    Genma flashed a thumbs up to confirm. ¡°Helped us keep our pans seasoned and rust-free.¡±


    Hana brought the Saotomes into a group hug and squeezed. ¡°Ah, you both are so nice! You''ve been wonderful guests, I hope we''ve been half as good as your hosts.¡±


    Ranma laughed nervously and started rinsing greens as soon as she let go, while Genma chuckled with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°Actually, I have a request, Mrs. Tendo,¡± Genma began hesitantly. ¡°I haven''t talked to Ranma about it, but¡­would it be too much to ask if we could use your second guest room?¡±


    Ranma dropped the cabbage into the sink in shock, and looked at his father with a cross between betrayal and fear.


    ¡°Well, we haven''t been using it, but could I ask what for?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pops, what  do  you want it for?¡± Ranma spat.


    Genma sighed. ¡°Ranma, you haven''t had your own room in five years. A young man should have his own space.¡±


    Hana realized Ranma was  objecting to getting his own room and immediately took Mr. Saotome''s side. ¡°Oh he''s right, Ranma. Especially with all the clothes we got today, you''ll need a desk for your schoolwork, and¡­¡± she almost suggested a vanity, but after today she wasn''t sure how to approach that topic anymore.


    ¡°Not to mention now that I''m working I''ll need my own space too. A single room is just not big enough for two people,¡± Genma reasoned.


    Anger burned in Ranma''s eyes. ¡°I don''t need any of that stuff, I can do homework in the livin¡¯ room or the dojo or somethin¡¯, o-o-or we could just set up a desk and closet and stuff in the spare room like an office.¡±


    Her sons begged her and Soun to let them have their own rooms, back when they used the extra space for storage. It seemed so odd that any child wouldn''t want that.


    ¡°Well, Ranma, I''m sorry but I have to insist. I know I have a tendency to talk in my sleep and that disturbs your rest.¡± Hana hadn''t seen Genma pull out his stentorian, fatherly voice yet, she sat back to watch her fellow single parent in action. ¡°Since it seems like Mrs. Tendo is fine with it, I  will  be moving into the downstairs guest room on Saturday.¡±


    Hana nodded in agreement.


    Ranma glowered at them, but Hana was long inured to the sight of an angry teenage boy, and Genma could clearly handle his own son. ¡°Fine! Whatever, I don''t care, it''s your life!¡±


    He whipped off his apron and tossed it on the counter as he stormed out of the kitchen. ¡°Boy, where are you going?¡± Genma demanded.


    ¡°Dojo!¡± His son angrily barked back, refusing to elaborate.


    Hana patted Genma on the back as he let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°Well fought, Master Saotome,¡± she mockingly took on the voice of a wizened old martial artist, sagely congratulating a fellow master, and Mr. Saotome chuckled.


    ¡°Thank you for allowing us to take up even more of your home.¡± He gave Hana his biggest grin and bowed at the waist, arms at his side. ¡°And for covering Ranma''s clothes today, I could tell he was excited when I got home.¡±


    She looked away with a little guilt, using the food as an excuse to avert her eyes. ¡°No worries, I know you''re good for it. And you wouldn''t be trying to put down roots here if you were planning on running out.¡± She said the last part with a knowing wink, assuring him it was a joke.


    To her relief he chuckled. ¡°He needs stability in his life, space to be his own person. I should have never taken him on the trip¡­¡± The weight of old sins crashed down on him and Hana gave him another comforting pat.


    ¡°My door''s open if you ever want to talk about it." She offered, and he smiled.


    <hr>


    Naoki was overcorrecting, Akio concluded. Since Ranma  definitely  didn¡¯t want to be thrown and caught, Naoki wanted to see how high Ranma could throw Akio, then leap up and fight in mid-air like he did with Mr. Saotome. He wanted this to happen at least six times in the ten minutes Naoki thought they could keep a bunch of high schoolers entertained.


    Akio had to repeatedly remind his brother that he didn¡¯t know how to fight in the air at all, which didn¡¯t seem fair for an exhibition that was supposed to showcase  both  Ranma and Akio¡¯s skills. Naoki¡¯s idea of compromise was five times.


    Fortunately, Ranma came into the dojo where they were having their¡­discussion.  Un fortunately, Ranma was clearly upset, and Akio didn¡¯t want to end the evening with another fight against the black-haired boy.


    ¡°Oh, you two are here. Akio, I¡¯m takin¡¯ a couple¡¯a cinder blocks, I need to  break  somethin¡¯.¡± Akio hadn¡¯t seen Ranma¡¯s simmering, growly anger yet, and had no intention of getting in his way.


    ¡°Whatever, man. You wanna help out when you¡¯re done?¡± So far Ranma had let the Tendos handle all the exhibition planning; Akio at least wanted him to be aware of the plan.


    Ranma let out a noncommittal grunt as he started stacking bricks. Akio kept his eye on the boy, wanting to know just how many bricks he was going to stack. Normally anger made him sloppy, but did quiet rage focus him?


    Four bricks. Akio¡¯s warmup, more than Ranma had ever broken in a single strike. He took a deep breath, centered his fist, and let out a surprisingly high-pitched ¡° Kiai! ¡± as he punched straight down.


    The tower shattered completely, much to Akio¡¯s chagrin. Either Ranma lied to make him feel better or his anger was giving him necessary clarity. Still, it wasn¡¯t Akio¡¯s maximum.


    ¡°Good job, Ranma.¡± Akio stood and approached Ranma as he rubbed his wrist. ¡°Wanna try for five?¡±


    Ranma¡¯s glare gave Akio pause. Maybe he needed some time, maybe he thought Akio was trying to sabotage him by giving him more than he could do, maybe he was just snapping at the nearest thing. ¡°...No, that hurt.¡± He sniffed. ¡°Y¡¯all plannin¡¯ for Friday?¡±


    Akio nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, right now Naoki has you throwing me and jumping up so we can fight  mid-air  a bunch.¡± Given how angry Ranma seemed, and the fact that it gave him the focus he needed to perform feats of strength, Akio hoped it could be directed to productive rather than destructive ends. Especially since they really needed to get everybody¡¯s mind off¡­the engagement.


    Groaning, Akio knew he needed to come clean about the mess he made this morning, the shopping trip occupied much of his attention once they were out of school. He considered waiting until tomorrow, but he didn¡¯t want to forget again and he figured Ranma would be way madder if he found out from someone at school instead of Akio.


    ¡°Ugh, before we get into that, I might have messed up a little today. People were asking me questions and I might have made it sound like Ranma¡­ chose  me to be his fianc¨¦.¡± His eyes were locked on Ranma in the hopes that he¡¯d be able to block any rage-powered punches from that direction.


    Surprisingly, Ranma just tilted his head in confusion. ¡°No offense to your brothers, but doesn¡¯t that make the most sense? You¡¯re the only one who practices martial arts.¡±


    Letting out a sigh of relief, Akio vigorously nodded his head. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s how I explained it, yes, thank you Ranma.¡±


    Naoki even seemed impressed. ¡°Whoa, good job, bro. Lemme guess, you blurted something out that sounded romantic but thought of something plausible after the fact?¡±


    ¡°I¡­yeah that¡¯s what happened exactly.¡± How¡¯d his brother always know exactly what he was thinking and doing?


    Both of the other boys nodded and let out little gasps of ¡°Ah,¡± which only creeped Akio out a little; Ranma was so much like his brother sometimes. This actually helped when Akio was felt weird about being attracted to Ranma¡¯s boy form by serving as a reminder that he  shouldn¡¯t  be. Not because being gay was a bad thing, but Akio didn¡¯t think he was, he¡¯d never been attracted to other boys in the past.


    Granted, that was equally true of girls, and now he was confused again. Why did Ranma have to be so¡­so¡­cute?


    ¡°You know, this might be a good time to finally teach you some acting skills baby bro.¡± Naoki sidled up and put his arm around Akio. ¡°Maybe next year you¡¯ll finally get to play Romeo!¡±


    Citing one of Akio¡¯s childhood dreams, Naoki knew exactly how to both snap Akio out of the emotional whirlpool he was caught in and redirect his energy entirely. Who cared about the exhibition? This concerned the rest of his high school career!


    Having something to throw himself into made him forget all about the confusing thoughts he was having about Ranma as the three boys went over improvisation drills, trust exercises, and even voice training. Naoki mostly had advice for long-term social engineering whereas Ranma had more experience with fast talking and quick thinking. Both emphasized the usefulness of speaking with confidence and committing to the bit.


    They were interrupted far too soon by his mom¡¯s voice shouting that it was time for dinner, though Ranma stayed behind and sulked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming?¡± Akio asked, not wanting to make his new friend stay in the dojo alone.


    ¡°Nah, I got mad at pops an¡¯ yer mom earlier, I¡¯m just gonna stay out here.¡± He moseyed over to the cinder blocks and started setting up another stack.


    ¡°Well whatever they did I bet they deserved it. I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡± Akio came over and started helping him stack blocks, noticing a slight blush on the other boy¡¯s cheeks. And just like that, all the confusing thoughts came rushing back and Akio wished he¡¯d just gone to dinner. He couldn¡¯t now, though, not after what he said.


    ¡°Y-you did a good job with the bricks earlier, you wanna watch me do some, get some pointers for doing four again?¡±


    Ranma rubbed his wrist and nodded. ¡°Better¡¯n me doin¡¯ it and hurtin¡¯ myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me!¡± Akio rushed over to his school bag and brought out a spare gym towel. ¡°Lay this over the bricks next time, it¡¯ll protect your hands. I used to do this all the time when I started.¡±


    Ranma stood opposite Akio and watched the taller boy square up against the four-block tower. Normally four blocks was Akio¡¯s warmup, so he wasn¡¯t too worried, especially with a towel, but then Ranma smiled at him, like he did on Monday, and Akio felt his insides melt.


    He didn¡¯t want his sudden, intense blush to be obvious so he coughed and quickly started measuring out his punch. Too quickly, it seemed, since when he punched instead of shattering the tower he only smashed the first two, cracked the third in half, and left the fourth wholly intact.


    Akio audibly winced and started rubbing his hand. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t rub it like that,¡± Ranma held his hand out and gestured for Akio to let him take a look.


    Hesitantly, Akio put his hand in Ranma''s, who started gingerly rubbing and pinching each individual bone in Akio¡¯s fingers. All he could do was hope Ranma didn''t notice his escalating heartbeat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll only hurt if there was a fracture, and if there was we¡¯re gonna want to make sure it¡¯s treated properly.¡±


    Once he made sure Akio¡¯s fingers were fine he moved to his hands, then his wrists. It was too quiet as Ranma moved up his arm, and Akio heard his breathing quicken.


    Ranma was being¡­sweet right now. He hadn''t seen this side of him yet, just the explosive anger, the bubbly joy, or brief glimpses of vulnerability. He didn''t want to snatch his arm away, but he was worried he was gonna do or say something that would set the other boy off. He needed to talk to Naoki later and¡ª


    Akio winced as Ranma''s fingers brushed over his forearm just above the wrist. ¡°Okay, I''m gonna massage this a little and make sure it''s not broken, ¡®kay? You got lotsa little bones in your hands, breakin¡¯ ¡®em is a real pain.¡±


    He walked forward, cradled Akio¡¯s arm, and pulled the two down to their knees. Akio was, at this point, just so much clay in Ranma''s hands. All he could focus on was staying as still as possible and letting Ranma finish his examination.


    His ministrations were painful at first, but as time went on the soreness faded and only hurt when Ranma touched that very specific spot.


    ¡°Great! You probably just need some ice and I wouldn''t punch anything tomorrow, but it should be¡ª¡± Akio looked up at Ranma¡¯s face and saw barely-concealed anger and tightly drawn lips.


    Akio wasn''t sure what happened, but as he turned to leave he saw Mr. Saotome standing in the doorway. ¡°Hello Akio. You should go eat, your mother is waiting.¡± Genma said, not looking away from his son.


    Despite the fact that he was Ranma''s dad, Akio felt an urge to stay and defend his crus-his fianc-his  good friend  from whatever argument they were having. He felt his blood start to boil, he stood up, and¡­


    Ranma gently squeezed his hand and shook his head. ¡°Go eat dinner, Akio.¡± Ranma hissed.


    Not wanting to be told a third time, Akio walked out past Mr. Saotome. He hoped Ranma would come join them after they were done.


    <hr>


    Ranma would not be the first one to talk, he decided. If his dad wanted to speak to him, he¡¯d have to initiate the conversation. Ranma had all night and Thursday, his dad had to go to work. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time the two of them stood all night, sometimes their training got  very  strange.


    After a disappointingly short time, however, Genma sighed and took a seat on the dojo floor. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want your own room, son?¡± He had the temerity to ask.


    Of course, he asked because Ranma could never tell him the truth. That he was terrified his father was just going to disappear in the middle of the night, that he¡¯d wake up an orphan, or that his dad¡¯s sleep talking was actually soothing because it reminded him that his dad was still there.


    That his dad was all he had and he couldn¡¯t lose him.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you and I both know we¡¯re not gonna be here much longer. We¡¯ve got martial arts to master, temples to visit, monks to beat up. No need makin¡¯ ¡®em rearrange their lives for a couple¡¯a wanderers, yeah?¡±


    Genma shook his head. ¡°This morning you literally begged to stay. Do you want to try that again?¡±


    Dammit, he had said that. He cursed his own sloppy work, especially after Akio''s acting lessons. He blamed it on that mushy crap he''d just done, he didn''t need to be doing that with another boy. Shoulda just sent Akio to his mom, she''d have taken a look at his hand, it would have been fine.


    But he couldn''t worry about that now, he needed to get his dad to stop being so infuriating.


    ¡°I just¡­we haven''t been training the past few days, and I know that''s just ¡®cause you''re injured, but I''m worried we''ll do it less and less if we''re not in the same room.¡± A weak defense, but it was something Genma couldn''t immediately disprove.


    Though he could nullify it. ¡°We can just go to each others¡¯ rooms, you know? Is training really what you''re worried about?¡±


    Hanging his head, Ranma floundered for something, anything he could use other than the truth. It finally hit him: the nightmare he''d been having since he was ten.


    ¡°No. What if¡­what if a cat shows up and you''re somewhat else?¡± Paydirt. Genma immediately softened and looked ashamed.


    ¡°I see, now it makes sense.¡± His father sighed. Ranma didn''t like playing that card, but it was his dad''s fault anyway. ¡°Thank you for being open with me. I still think you should have your own space, but we''ll have a longer discussion about it tomorrow, okay? I need to sleep on this. You should come eat dinner, though: it''s getting cold.¡±


    Sighing, Ranma only felt a little guilty.

 Opening Night

    To say Ranma got a bad night¡¯s sleep would be a significant understatement. Despite his father''s normally reassuring presence, every creak and groan, every whistle of the wind, every far-off emergency siren seemed to seek out and disrupt Ranma''s sleep. Even P-chan didn''t help, Ranma had to claim whatever sleep he could by facing his sleeping father''s futon until his eyes closed out of sheer exhaustion, only to open them minutes later thanks to whatever noise dared invade their room.


    As such, he had ample time to plan out his last free Thursday, and the last day before he committed to two years of daily girlhood.


    One of his new articles of clothing was a spacious red hoodie. He was going to explore Nerima in his birth form before anybody had a chance to get to know his pink-haired, rosy-eyed alter ego, Miss Ranma Saotome. He would pack a thermos to deal with any likely surprise water attacks, he''d get up early and make himself a bento to eat for lunch, he''d practice some martial arts. When school was out he''d head back to the Tendos, help Mrs. Hana cook, then practice for the exhibition tomorrow. Even when he got back to the Tendo home he''d stay in boy form as much as possible. Previous days he''d been less stringent about it, but this was his final day of unbridled manhood: he was gonna make it last. If he needed to give someone a name he''d say Kenshiro. If someone asked where he lived he''d flippantly say ¡°around, what are you, a cop?¡±


    Around 4:30 he decided any sleep he managed to get would be irrelevant, so he quietly made his way to the kitchen to get ready. By the time Mrs. Hana woke up an hour later, just before sunrise, he''d already finished lunch for himself, his father, Akio, Naoki, Katsumi, and Mrs. Hana and was working on breakfast: pork fried rice.


    ¡°Ranma? What are you doing up so early?¡± She hadn''t even finished getting fully dressed, rubbing sleep out of her eyes while wearing a robe over her pajamas.


    ¡°Bad night. Made food. Going out later.¡± Ranma kept stir frying as he monotoned.


    ¡°Oh, sweetie, I''m sorry to hear that. Thank you for making breakfast.¡± Ranma could only subvocalize an acknowledgement, which earned him a much more urgent and disciplinary ¡°Okay young man, move over.¡±


    Hana shooed him away from the wok and carried on herself. ¡°If you had such a bad night I want you to sit down or go back to bed. I''ll finish breakfast.¡±


    Here Ranma discovered the antithesis of the euphoric feeling of motherly pride: motherly disapproval. ¡°Yes''m,¡± he quickly mumbled and ducked through the noren, too tired to be defiant.


    He refused to go back to bed, figuring it was too late, so he drummed his fingers on the living room table. To keep his mind occupied he reviewed his plans for the day, mentally checking off his preparations. He''d avoid Furinkan entirely if he could, there''d be more than enough time to explore it later, and he wanted to avoid any other students catching sight of his birth form.


    There was a map on the table, so he grabbed it to better memorize his route. Oddly, it was a map of the route he took from his home in Suginami to junior high to his best friend''s house, then from there to the circuitous route they took through China.


    Genma, in panda form, came in and asked him if he was ready and held out the girl''s uniform, but Ranma politely declined and the panda wandered off only to be replaced by Akio coming into the bathroom and asking to join him in the furo where Ranma was scrubbing herself off.


    Her lustrous, girl form black hair bounced as she nodded but the motion caused her to fall backwards into the Spring of Drowned Girl, but Naoki- sensei  was there in a leather jacket with spiked shoulders pulling him back before he fell all the way in.


    The morning was going really strangely when Mr. Tomioka, his middle school English professor told him he was dressed inappropriately for class and needed to go change since he was in the Furinkan High School¡¯s boy uniform and also a girl, so he needed to either get a dress or change back into a boy but none of his classmates knew where the hot water was.


    Shrugging, he reached for the burlap sack backup uniform and¡ª


    <hr>


    ¡°Ranma?¡± Katsumi gently shook the black-haired boy snoring on the living room table. He groaned and waved one of his hands at the eldest Tendo son. ¡°Ranma buddy you should go back to bed,¡± he insisted with another, less gentle shove.


    ¡°He''ll be up before long, don''t worry,¡± his mother walked in carrying steaming two bowls of fried rice, setting one in front of Ranma. ¡°When he wakes up, thank him for breakfast and lunch, okay?¡± she warned him as if he''d somehow forgotten common courtesy.


    Probably because he had, on numerous occasions, completely forgotten common courtesy. It wasn''t his fault people made basic interactions so arbitrary!


    ¡°Of course, Mom.¡± He gave Ranma one more gentle shake before retreating to the kitchen to get himself a bowl.


    On the counters he spotted a stack of bento boxes, already packed and ready, one for every current resident of the Tendo home. At first he frowned. He didn''t like to cause a fuss at dinner or breakfast, but he was a picky eater and lunch was the only meal he had any control over. When he inspected the boxes, however, he realized Ranma wrote everybody''s names on a little card to differentiate them. Now curious, he found and opened his box. White rice, tamago, grilled mahi mahi, and unpickled vegetable slices. He tore off a piece of the fish to taste: it looked lightly seasoned like he liked, but the dinner Ranma helped make the last two nights was frustratingly salty so he worried the fish would be too.


    Except it wasn''t. Not a grain of salt anywhere in his food. He almost started crying and it took all his willpower not to devour the lunch right there, but he resealed the box.


    Normally, Katsumi wasn''t one for daydreams or fantasies, preferring to focus on the moment or organizing his thoughts. As he spooned rice into his bowl, however, he pictured Ranma, in girl form, expertly maneuvering through the kitchen in Katsumi''s mom''s sensible but feminine apron as she made food.


    From there, his logical, task-oriented mind quickly ran through the steps necessary for courting a young woman (and reminded himself that ¡°courting a young woman¡± was an anachronistic, clinical way to refer to dating) and assigned Ranma''s girl form to the role of ¡°Katsumi''s future wife.¡± Akio''s obvious schoolboy crush and Naoki''s hidden attraction didn''t factor into his calculations, it was just Katsumi and Ranma.


    It wasn''t until he returned to the living room and saw the still-dozing boy Ranma that he begrudgingly returned to the present. Their gender-bending house guest probably wouldn''t appreciate being the subject of Katsumi''s inappropriate fantasies, and the older boy promised himself to maintain his usual calm, collected composure.


    ¡°Oi, wake up.¡± He demanded by prodding Ranma''s side with his toes which initiated a sequence of events so quick neither he nor his mother remembered them clearly.


    Reflexively, Ranma sprang into the air, spinning his legs in an ascending circular kick, which knocked Katsumi out into the koi pond. Despite being half-asleep, Ranma caught the bowl of rice Katsumi dropped before it hit the ground.


    Ranma stood, blinking in confusion, as Katsumi dragged himself out of the pond. ¡°Sweetie, I said to leave him alone¡­¡± His mother chided from her place at the table. ¡°Ranma, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­yeah? What happened?¡± He looked at the food that had mysteriously appeared in his hand, then at Katsumi in his drenched work clothes.


    Katsumi would not revisit his fantasies of ¡°her¡± for a while.


    <hr>


    As Ranma''s first day of school approached, Akio found himself increasingly nervous. Not because of their exhibition, which would go off without a hitch despite the fact that he and Ranma had barely practiced, but everything that was coming after.


    Their ¡°relationship¡± was still the only thing people seemed to want to talk about. Some of the students from other classes, upperclassmen, and even some of the teachers approached him with questions about Ranma and ¡°her¡± life. Fortunately Akio didn''t have to lie when he said he didn''t know much.


    Way more invasive and gross were the guys who used to try to fight him in the mornings. They just wanted to know what Akio and Ranma had done with each other yet, and none of them would accept that their relationship was chaste.


    It didn''t help that every time someone asked about that stuff Akio tended to freeze up and turn purple. Kiichi and Shingo believed him when he said he and Ranma hadn''t done anything ¡ª though their assumption was that if he had he would be bragging about it which was almost as gross ¡ª but they did ask if he''d seen her naked, which was unfortunately true. Akio tried to deny it but they knew his tells and made some incorrect assumptions.


    The only ones who seemed to believe him were the girls, and he had to deal with the same ¡°you better treat her right¡± speech from Ranma''s little fan club as well as it seemed like half the girls at school. There''s no way Ranma made friends with this many people in the few minutes he''d been on campus¡­right?


    Ranma said he''d done all sorts of cons and scams before when he was younger, but could he keep up with the rumor machine for two whole years? Especially considering he hadn''t been in school since junior high  and he had no idea how teen girls were since his last school was boys only!


    By lunch Akio was exhausted, ready to open up the bento box his mom had handed him. At first he thought she''d made it for him, but noticed his name was spelled not with kanji like his mom usually would, Õѹâ, but with hiragana, ¤¢¤­¤ª. Plus he didn''t recognize the handwriting.


    That wouldn''t have been a problem by itself, except he just blurted it out when he realized. ¡°Oh! Ranma made my lunch.¡±


    He was sitting right next to Hiroko and Asami, and the way they  spun  and  squealed almost made him leap out of his seat.


    ¡°She made your lunch?¡± Hiroko¡¯s voice was a mix of incredulity and adoration.


    ¡°She made your lunch!¡± Asami¡¯s proclamation, shouted at the same time as Hiroko''s question, was equal parts excitement and awe.


    ¡°Uh, I mean, it''s not like she made it especially for me. She got up early and made everybody''s lunch today.¡± In Akio''s head, the explanation diverted attention away from the idea that he and Ranma had a special relationship, that she was one of those girlfriends who made their boyfriends lunch.


    Unfortunately, he was describing a girl who was already so integrated into her future husband¡¯s family that she was cooking meals for them. Not only that, but they caught that he didn''t say she helped his mom make it: the girl was clearly vying to be the next homemaker of the Tendo household.


    ¡°Ooooh, I bet your mom loves her even more than you, huh?¡± Asami cooed, and immediately he understood his mistake.


    Okay, he could fix this¡­somehow. What would Ranma and Naoki do? Commit to the bit, pivot to the desired result, borrow from the truth, and don''t let them see you panic.


    ¡°Well, we''re sharing techniques and practices from our schools, right?¡± Akio started talking and almost panicked when he realized he didn''t know where his mouth was going. ¡°Since she and her dad picked up all sorts of recipes and cooking tricks on their travels they''re cooking for us this week, showing us what they learned.¡±


    That felt¡­plausible? Akio felt a pang of guilt that he was misleading these girls, but it was in service of making Ranma''s life easier.


    Hiroko''s eyes lit up, and for a moment Akio thought he''d screwed up again somehow. ¡°Akio, that¡¯s so cool! Are Ranma¡¯s dad and Mrs. Tendo gonna, like¡­become a thing?¡±


    Time slowed down as the seed of that idea sprang from Hiroko¡¯s lips to the ever-fertile soil of high school, and Akio learned that he was  not  as good at wrestling narratives as he was wrestling people.


    What he didn''t expect was the sudden panic that rose up in his gut at the idea of their parents getting together. If they did, Akio and Ranma would be step siblings. If Akio and Ranma were step siblings they couldn''t get married.


    This would have been perfect: if the heads of the Saotome and Tendo households got married then there was no reason for their heirs¡¯ engagement. Ranma and Akio wouldn''t have to pretend to be in any sort of relationship.


    ¡°No!¡± Akio slammed his fist against his desk as he stood, prompting wide eyes from Hiroko and Asami and everyone else in the room. ¡°They wouldn''t do that to Ranma and me!¡± He asserted passionately.


    Then he blushed and wondered why exactly he did it. Well¡­to protect Ranma, of course, right? She''d be coming into this environment with only her two explosive visits and whatever Akio and Naoki told their classmates. Ranma already made Akio''s life much easier by dealing with Kuno, so he needed to return the favor.


    How exactly was this helping Ranma though? All he''d done was put the focus back on the engagement.


    ¡­Yes! The engagement had one major benefit for Ranma: it was a barrier between her and every boy in school who''d otherwise be all over her. This being Furinkan and Ranma being an accomplished martial artist meant that she might even get challenged for the right to date or something crazy like that.


    That wouldn''t happen if Akio was a  little  passionate about defending their relationship publicly, fictional though it was. Right? Right. So he had to commit to the bit.


    ¡°Sorry, I just¡­Ranma and I are gonna unify our schools and kick off the next generation of Anything Goes students, right?¡± A seasoning of truth. ¡°It was my dad''s dream, both our dads¡¯ dreams.¡±


    But everyone already knew that. He needed a little more to seal the deal. Scratching the back of his head, he let his blush show on his face and chuckled. ¡°Plus she is  really  cute.¡±


    Gottem. Asami and Hiroko let out some variant of ¡°Awww¡± and giggled along with some of the other girls, some of the guys looked at him with envy while others just nodded in enthusiastic agreement, and he felt like he''d won a hard fight. Now only Akio looked like a lovestruck idiot.


    <hr>


    Naoki was having a much easier time. Ranma was a kindred spirit, and the older boy had no doubts he''d dominate high school by the time he graduated. Hell, the boy already had a sizeable fan base before his first day, and he clearly knew how to handle himself in social situations.


    Well, except for what happened immediately after his fight with Kodachi. Granted, Naoki had never been told he was engaged to someone by a nemesis right after a stressful fight and had said engagement made public at the same time.


    After the last class of the day, as he gathered his things to leave, Kodachi stopped at his desk. ¡°Naoki-san, I''d like you to tell Saotome-san that I¡¯ll have a gift for her tomorrow.¡±


    Naoki shot up in horror before she could walk out. ¡°Wait! Wait wait wait¡­what kind of gift?¡± He didn''t like this. Whatever she was planning couldn''t be good for him, Akio, or Ranma. Couldn''t she even wait a week before reneging on her promise?


    ¡°A surprise. It''s nothing nefarious, I assure you.¡± She replied with uncharacteristic mischief in her voice and an equally uncharacteristic grin that seemed predatory. Naturally, it made it seem entirely nefarious.


    ¡°Kodachi, last time you asked me to deliver a message to Ranma and¡ª¡± and he couldn''t finish the sentence. As far as Kodachi was aware, she''d only ruined a surprise announcement by a couple of days.


    ¡°Er¡­well it ruined the surprise. I think right now she''s not going to be fond of any more surprises, you know?¡±


    At this Kodachi had the gall to  roll her eyes  and  titter at him. ¡°It''s a token of my respect for her prowess. I''ll see the two of you tomorrow!¡± She practically skipped away, in entirely too high of spirits for Naoki''s liking.


    Naoki was no longer having an easy day.


    <hr>


    Ranma had a fantastic day. The only water-related mishap was when he visited Dr. Tofu''s for lunch and his dad accidentally splashed himself with mop water: it didn''t even come close to Ranma.


    The rest of his day was spent just exploring. He spent most of his time walking on fences or vaulting across rooftops, so he didn''t talk to anybody, and nobody seemed interested in talking to him.


    It was peaceful, and he didn''t remember the last time anything was peaceful.


    He expected to be more anxious about tomorrow, but he felt confident in his ability to live as¡­to  pretend  to be a girl. It didn''t scare him. If anything, he was kind of excited. Before his first day he already had some potential friends, he''d defeated the girl who was most likely gonna be his nemesis, and he didn''t have to worry about boy trouble because he''d accidentally gotten into a relationship with a strong, nice, cute boy who would scare away any would-be suitors and wouldn''t let anything bad happen to him.


    After the weirdness of having everyone support him wore off he realized he was glad for it. His dad made sure Dr. Tofu changed his paperwork to reflect it, in case the school needed copies of his medical documentation; Mrs. Hana was helping him figure out normal girl stuff; and Naoki knew how to influence the high school gossip network.


    No wonder he wasn''t stressed about being a¡­playing a girl! Life was gonna be easy, he''d graduate, then he could switch back to being a man full-time, help Akio run the dojo, and develop Anything Goes.


    By then all the high school drama would be behind him and he could look for a cure, or maybe reveal that he acquired the curse after graduating and now he ¡°turned into¡± a man. Obviously it would ruin the prospects of  marriage  with Akio and the two would just be good friends.


    He didn''t head back until the sun started to set. It felt bad to leave Mrs. Hana hanging like that, but he''d let her know today might go like that.


    It turned out he needn''t have worried. As he stepped out of his shoes and announced his return, he heard his dad calling him from the living room. He turned the corner and was greeted by all the Tendos and his father sitting around a table already covered in food.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, did I miss somethin''?¡± He looked at the smiling faces peering at him, then at the colorful dishes.


    Mrs. Tendo stood. ¡°Ranma, it''s a tradition in the Tendo household to make a big meal the day before the first day of the new school year. Since tomorrow is your first day, I wanted to share that part of our lives with you and your father.¡± She and her sons bowed. ¡°I, uh, do apologize for the food. I bought things that were on sale, and didn''t realize until your father came home that I''ve essentially made you a Girl''s Day dinner.¡±


    Katsumi blushed and scratched the back of his head. ¡°We''ve never had a reason to celebrate it so we forgot chirashi sushi was, ah, used for that.¡±


    Ranma considered performatively throwing a huge fit, screaming about how insensitive they were being and how cruel a prank this was¡­but he was too busy smiling and holding back his more intense emotions.


    ¡°O-oh,¡± he croaked. ¡°Me goin¡¯ out musta been really convenient then, huh?¡± He allowed himself to chuckle, which risked making him crack, but¡­¡±And don''t worry about the food: it''s kinda funny!¡±  Honestly, shrimp and eel sounds really good right now. Ooh, is that pickled lotus?


    Dinner was loud and lively, everybody''s worries and anxieties drowned under the din of celebration. The Tendo sons shared some of their favorite school stories, a few of which Ranma had already heard from Mrs. Hana, but it was fun hearing them from a different perspective.


    Ranma gave a stirring account of his last school, and the juvenile mischief he got up to with his best friend. Genma listened with a slight smile for most of the story, but nobody noticed how subtly his smile faded when Ranma described himself as ¡°a guardian of the weak and bullied.¡±


    ¡°The purpose of martial arts is to defend those not strong enough to defend themselves, right pops?¡± Ranma grinned at his dad, who nodded to hide the change in his demeanor.


    By the end of dinner everyone was in high spirits, and Mrs. Hana dismissed Ranma and her sons to enjoy their evening. Akio and Naoki joined Ranma in the dojo where they''d get at least an hour or two of practice for tomorrow''s exhibition.


    ¡°Ranma, heads up: Kuno¡¯s got a surprise planned for you,¡± Naoki warned him as soon as the dojo doors were closed.


    Akio groaned but Ranma tilted his head in confusion. ¡°If it''s for me and not Akio what do you think it could be?¡±


    ¡°With her it could be anything,¡± Naoki shrugged and began setting up his camera. ¡°Just keep an eye out for any funny business.¡±


    <hr>


    Despite the vague warning, Ranma and Akio managed to focus on the sequence of moves Naoki and Akio had put together. Eventually the Tendo boys had to focus on their schoolwork, however, leaving Ranma on his own.


    He slid open the door to the guest room and spotted a bag next to a note on his futon. Even from here he saw teal cloth sticking out of the bag and knew it was that godsdamned uniform.


    The note was from Mrs. Hana, and it explained that she''d picked up Ranma''s uniforms while she was out, ¡°just in case.¡± His lips curled in irritation, not at Mrs. Hana¡¯s kind gesture, but at the situation. Whatever surprise Kodachi had in store for him, it would give him the perfect opportunity to ask about how to get around the uniform requirement.


    Beneath the pinafore were a couple sets of gym clothes and swimsuits, and Ranma blushed slightly when he inspected them. The gym clothes weren''t quite the same as his tank tops and boxers. For one, they were smaller, tighter, and lighter. Holding them in his hands and he was all too aware of how little they would cover.


    Maybe if he went and tried them on now, he wouldn''t have to worry about any weird feelings tomorrow¡­no, he promised himself he''d be a girl as little as possible today and he''d stuck to that promise so far. He could handle showing a little skin, it was fine.  It was fine .


    ¡­What didn''t sit well with him was how fine it was. It shouldn''t be fine, right?


    Okay, it wasn''t real for him yet, that was the problem. Maybe he  should  try the gym uniforms out, get properly upset about them. He needed a bath anyway.


    He took the bag with him all the way to the inner bathroom, put up the ¡°do not disturb sign¡± on the door, and quickly changed into his girl form, just a light splash from the shower. Even in the fitting rooms he didn''t look at himself closely, but since this was all about getting to know himself it was time to really examine his form.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    And the girl was good looking, he had to admit. She kept all of his musculature, the scars from his travels, the uneven tan on his head, neck, and arms. Briefly she thought she should try to even that out, though it would probably happen naturally with how little the gym uniform covered.


    Speaking of which, he was here for a reason. He pulled the t-shirt and¡­well they were called shorts, but he''d seen underwear in the bra store that covered more than them. He slipped both pieces of clothing on and counted to five before spinning around to look at himself in the mirror.


    To her chagrin, it didn''t feel particularly¡­¡±special¡±. This was probably what every other girl looked like. She wasn''t angry or upset or even irritated. It wasn''t even frumpy like that awful pinafore, it was just a shirt and shorts.


    What''s worse, she couldn''t even bring herself to get mad about not getting mad. Seemed a waste of energy.


    Rolling her eyes, she tossed those clothes off and went for the swimsuit. She noted with irony that the one-piece covered  more  than the gym clothes thanks to the built-in ¡°shorts¡± that actually went down her thighs a little.


    She supposed it was tighter than the other uniform, and showed off the shape of her body, but that didn''t bother her either.


    Fine, whatever. Now she knew, but it felt like a waste of having broken her promise to herself. As she peeled off the suit her eyes wandered to the bag and idled on the uniform.


    If¡­if she  had  to wear it, she should make sure it fit, right? Or even better, since she didn''t get a chance to try it on, maybe the one Mrs. Hana got her wouldn''t fit. If her uniform didn''t fit, the school couldn''t force her to wear it, and she''d have a couple days to get a new one, right?


    The bag rusted as she pulled it out and unfurled it. The puffed shoulders were kind of cute. Sayuri had similar hair to Ranma''s and she looked fine in it, right? Maybe it wasn''t as bad as she thought.


    After what seemed like an eternity, she had donned the uniform. She hadn''t looked at the mirror yet, she¡­didn''t know what she wanted to see. She expected to look and see a pink-haired girl in a frumpy dress, she expected to get angry about it, and she''d take it off and never worry about it again.


    That''s not what she wanted though. She wanted to¡­she wanted to like what she saw. She wanted to see a normal, if athletic, schoolgirl. And she didn''t know why she wanted that.


    So he had to try it on, once he did he''d realize he''d been right and it was a stupid, frumpy dress that nobody could make look good, except for Sayuri. And Yuka and Asami. And Hiroko.


    But not Ranma! Not with her warrior¡¯s physique. Well, Kodachi had a warrior¡¯s physique and she also looked good in it.


    ¡­


    Okay so undershirt, then the dress just kinda slipped on over it. Like with the sundress, the bow in the back was already tied, and Ranma didn''t have to futz with it at all.


    Now all she had to do was look at herself in the mirror. Which she was going to do. After the blush died down, of course, he couldn''t be all red-faced, that wouldn''t be an accurate look at himself. Herself? No, he wasn''t actually at school yet, he didn''t need to start thinking of herself as a girl. He was a boy.


    He still wasn''t looking at himself, though he had no idea why. He''d already tried on that sundress and loved hated it, why was he so worried about a frumpy pinafore?


    Taking a deep breath, he turned and the door slid open as a naked Akio stepped into the bathroom. They stared at each other like deer caught in headlights.


    The irony was that despite how much the uniform covered, Ranma had never felt more naked in front of Akio than he did right now, even the times he was literally unclothed.


    Akio slowly turned beet red and stepped back, but Ranma wouldn''t have it. ¡°Akio¡­¡± he said calmly, taking a step forward while he kept his rose colored eyes steely and serious. ¡°You''re not going to tell anyone about this, right?¡±


    He gulped and nodded, despite how much bigger than Ranma he was, despite how right now she looked like every other normal Furinkan girl.


    ¡°I just needed to know if it fit, all right? I tried on the other uniforms too, your mom got them for me today.¡± He needed Akio not to think he was weird. Needed him to see Ranma as another guy, even though he was currently wearing a dress.


    When Akio nodded this time he had a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°Y-yeah, that makes sense, Ranma. I-I¡¯d do the same thing, i-in your situation.¡±


    Ranma nodded. ¡°Good. And good timing, I was about to shower and I could use help scrubbing my back in the furo when you''re done.¡± He started pulling the uniform off and heard Akio make a strangled, flustered noise. While the dress was over his head he grinned mischievously; it could be fun to mess with the guy sometimes.


    <hr>


    Sleep came quickly for Ranma: in addition to how little he slept the previous night he spent almost the entire day on his feet running, jumping, and climbing, and the dinner and moment in the bathroom left him drained emotionally.


    If he had dreams he didn''t remember them, though he woke up curled around a pillow which meant he was doing  something in his sleep.


    Unlike the last few days, he was very nervous about starting school now that it was staring him in the face. He stretched and did slow katas in the dojo instead of a proper workout, his peace only interrupted when Akio walked in a few minutes after he started they blushed and sheepishly avoided paying attention to each other.


    Breakfast helped, Mrs. Hana cooked shrimp fried rice using the leftovers from the previous night and it filled Ranma up. He changed and soon he, Akio, and Naoki were headed to school, though not before Genma clapped his hands on Ranma''s shoulders and reiterated how proud he was. Mrs. Hana asked Ranma if she could take a picture to commemorate his first day of high school but he politely refused. He didn''t want the moment immortalized, not while he was a girl.


    As he walked out the door, he inhaled and she exhaled. Today was Ranma Saotome¡¯s ¡ª the Fierce Tigress of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts ¡ª first day of high school and she would not be intimidated.


    Akio was already in his gi, and Ranma ended up wearing a sleeveless red tangzhuang and her smallest pair of black pants. Naoki agreed that it gave her an air of mystique and visually differentiated her from Akio. And to be honest, her traveling gi was too big and ratty, she needed new ones.


    Of all the ways she expected the day to go wrong, she didn''t expect to see the Horde again. Many of them still sported bandages from their fight against Akio on Monday, but they seemed otherwise rested and in high spirits.


    Naoki, the first to speak, pointed at one of the croquet players standing at the front. ¡°Tanaka? What¡¯re you guys up to?¡±


    The player hefted his mallet over a shoulder and stepped forward with a grin. ¡°Kuno told us whoever managed to defeat Ranma would be able to take her hand, so we''re taking that challenge!¡±


    A chorus of excited grunts and shouts joined him, and Akio and Naoki groaned. Ranma, however, realized Kodachi''s game. This was a wonderful surprise, and she grinned ear to ear.


    ¡°Oh? You''re approaching me?¡± She said, walking forward and handing her bags to Akio. ¡°Didn''t I demonstrate the awesome power of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts last time I was here?¡±


    Some of the boys started to sweat and chuckle nervously. That was fine. She''d start with the biggest, cockiest, meanest-looking athletes and rout them without even breaking a¡ª


    Akio dashed in front of her and raised a finger to the crowd. ¡°If you want a crack at her, you''re gonna hafta go through me first!¡±


    Anger flushed through Ranma both because of Akio''s  temerity  in interrupting  her  challenge, but also because it had a bigger impact on the crowd than her own proclamation. ¡°Hey! This is my fight! You got all these guys to yourself all year!¡± She slipped in front of Akio, and pouted when she realized with her reduced height she wasn''t blocking his sight at all.


    ¡°I could never let my fianc¨¦e fight a horde of  brigands  when I''m more than capable of defending our engagement!¡± As he dramatically untied his belt and flung away his jacket, Ranma realized he was performing. Unfortunately, the sudden sight of Akio''s bare chest and stomach froze her in place and caused her rebuttal to die in her throat.


    Tanaka sputtered as well, ¡°N-no! You''re not allowed to interfere!¡± He protested while clutching his mallet defensively. This reminded Ranma that both her pride and the pride of her family''s school was at risk, and she was freed from the confusing spell of Akio''s abs.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna fight my battles!¡± She put a hand out and tried to push her well-intentioned but frustratingly attractive friend away, but he stood resolute and all she accomplished was a handful of firm muscle.


    Naoki, fortunately, figured out the perfect way to pivot the unexpected gang to their advantage. Producing a wireless microphone from his bag, he raised one of his arms to address the audience of high schoolers assembled to watch the latest brawl.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, with the arrival of the legendary Fierce Tigress Ranma Saotome herself, and the support of my brother, Akio, the Lion of Tendo, we will officially announce the creation¡ª¡± he paused and dashed to Akio and Ranma, pushed their hands together and raised them to the sky ¡°of the  Unified School of Anything Goes Martial Arts! ¡±


    Ranma was still mad about Akio''s attempt to horn in on her fight, but she couldn''t let that disrupt their plans. They had to keep control of the engagement narrative.


    ¡°Thanks to our lovely volunteers today,¡± Naoki continued, then proceeded to list every athletic club represented in the Horde and their captains, and Ranma realized that almost every one had ¡°martial arts¡± in their title. What kind of crazy place was Furinkan? ¡°You will witness the Furinkan Anything Goes Masters defeat the entire assembled host of challengers in an awesome no-holds-barred brawl. Who will score more knockouts? The indomitable strength of Akio Tendo or the lightning speed of Ranma Saotome? Let''s hear it one more time for the Fierce Tigress!¡±


    A high-pitched cheer from the audience erupted in support for Ranma.


    ¡°And for the Lion of Tendo!¡±


    Another cheer, deeper and full of raucous whoops.


    Naoki switched off the mic and leaned in to his conspirators. ¡°You''re welcome, go demolish those guys together, yeah?¡± He hissed before sprinting back to the sidelines.


    One question remained as Ranma and Akio released their hands and shared a look. ¡°Wait, did he set speakers up ahead of time, or¡­?¡±


    The Horde let loose a battle cry and charged. Ranma and Akio fell into fighting stances.


    ¡°Hah, this''ll be easy, I''ve done this over a hundred times,¡± Akio boasted. It was a friendly brag but Ranma wouldn''t have it, not when she should have been fighting by herself.


    ¡°Oh yeah? I''ll show you what a real martial artist can do.¡± The Tendo School, at least Akio''s interpretation of it, was much more defensive than the Saotome School. On Monday, Akio let most of the Horde approach him and retaliated, focusing on counter attacks, drawing them into his long reach, and punishing mistakes. It was a slow, safe way to deal with large numbers of opponents.


    Befitting her title, Ranma charged right at the Horde, putting herself in front of Akio. She crashed into Tanaka feet-first, driving him back into the oncoming rush like a bowling ball.


    Before anyone could react to her she sprang from head to head, delivering one-hit KOs to unsuspecting temples. A gangly basketball player tried to throw his ball at her but she grabbed it and flung it at his face before slamming him into the ground.


    She was no longer above the crowd, however, and the boys thought that gave them the advantage. They were wrong.


    Grabbing the nearest boy, a boxer who for some reason had his gloves on, she started swinging him around in a wide arc, knocking multiple challengers away entirely, before releasing the spinning pugilist and sending him flying across the courtyard.


    Nobody dared step into the two-meter ring of space surrounding her, and she flicked her pigtail back and let out a Kodachi-inspired laugh into the back of her hand. ¡°I''ll have to thank Kuno for this wonderful surprise later!¡± She exclaimed, adding an extra layer of insult to the many injuries she was dishing out.


    Someone roasted in frustration behind her and she heard his clumsy footfalls as he rushed. Grinning, she casually turned to receive him. He was a kendoist, shinai raised above his head. Without breaking her smile, she stepped back in anticipation of his swing¡ª


    And suddenly felt her feet leave the ground as Akio grabbed her by the waist from behind, scooping her up into both arms against his chest. The shinai struck the ground as he stepped up onto the weapon and snap kicked the attacker back into the throng of boys.


    Ranma very badly wanted to yell at him, to crack him under the jaw with a fist, to knee him in the nose,  something to express her intense frustration at being snatched away from the fight like a mewling infant. But he looked down at her with those glittering brown eyes and smirked confidently, and she felt a knot in her chest arrest her words and movements.


    ¡°Gotcha,¡± he said with surprising softness, gently setting her back down.


    As her feet touched the ground the sensation brought her back to the present and her anger came back in full force. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± She screamed. ¡°Stay focused on your own fight, you wannabe prince charming!¡±


    Akio flinched as though he''d been struck, which left him open to an attack from behind by a rugby player. Ranma, not wanting the idiot to actually get hurt, vaulted over both of them, wrenched the attacker¡¯s arm away from Akio, and swept his legs out from under him so that he faceplanted into the dirt.


    She didn''t need this right now, why couldn''t Akio see that? Why couldn''t he see that his attempts to help were¡­were¡­ undermining  her in the eyes of their peers? It was important for her to showcase her skills, and when he butted in like this it made her look weak.


    ¡°Excuse me,  tomboy , I just don''t wanna see my future wife get hurt!¡± Akio snapped back and stepped up to her. At first she thought he was gonna grab her again, but he actually grabbed a golf driver that''d been aimed at her head, snatched it out of its owner¡¯s grip, and flung it into the crowd to take out a different opponent.


    Not only was he refusing to listen but now he was insulting her, ruining both objectives of their so-called exhibition.


    More attackers started rushing them so they turned back-to-back and focused on defense while they continued arguing.


    ¡°Don''t call me that! Why won''t you get it through your thick skull that I don''t need you to protect me?¡± Seven members of the Horde went down in an instant as she kicked so fast that it looked like a single blurry sweep but was actually dozens of kicks delivered to their vitals.


    ¡°When will you realize that I can''t be seen as the guy who doesn''t stand up for his girl?¡± Akio blocked a baseball bat and stole it just like he did on Monday, but this time he went on the offensive and swung it with abandon, clobbering multiple targets at once. ¡°Plus if Kodachi thinks this is some sort of loophole out of her promise I''m not gonna just sit here and let her get away with it!¡±


    Ranma refused to let Akio¡¯s romantic declaration make her blush or mess with her heart or maybe even swoon later once they''d dealt with the circumstance at hand. It was pretty awesome knowing she had such a devoted fian¡ªfriend to fight by her side.


    But then Akio reached over her with his baseball bat and clobbered one of the doubles tennis players she was fighting, once again playing the hero when she really didn''t need it.


    Once she dispatched the remaining tennis player with an axe kick, she saw that Tanaka guy¡¯s bruised face approaching Akio with croquet mallet in hand.


    ¡°¡®scuse me, need to borrow this!¡± she demanded, slamming a palm into Tanaka¡¯s confused face and wrenching the mallet away from him. ¡°Hey, Akio!¡±


    The Tendo boy bashed two of their attackers together before whirling to face Ranma. ¡°What''s¡ªUGH!¡±


    Ranma swung the mallet into Akio''s stomach with enough force to send him flying through the crowd ¡ª Ranma noted smugly that he took out a few challengers on his way ¡ª and crashing into the wall next to Naoki, sending spiderweb cracks through the brick on impact.


    Gasps shot through the audience and even the Horde paused, unsure of what Ranma''s apparent betrayal of her fianc¨¦ meant, but she casually flicked her pigtail, tossed the mallet aside like loose trash, and cracked her knuckles.


    ¡°Okay. Who''s next?¡± She grinned viciously.


    <hr>


    Naoki''s voice and gentle slaps stirred Akio from his hazy daze. When his eyes focused he groaned, feeling intense pain on his stomach and back. Who hit him? Nobody in the Horde was that strong.


    ¡°¡ªbro? Baby bro? You with me?¡± Naoki didn''t stop chattering or patting his face after his eyes opened, concern written all over his older brother''s face.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, who hit me? Tanaka? Yoshioka? Please tell me it wasn''t Sat¨­.¡± Akio wasn''t gonna be able to live this down. He''d gone the whole year without losing to these buffoons, and as soon as a pretty girl got involved he went down in one hit.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Naoki hesitated and looked around nervously. Why was he avoiding the question?


    ¡°Naoki-san? Tendo-san? What''s going on?¡± Suddenly Kodachi was crouched next to Akio, gingerly poking the bruise already forming where the mallet hit him. She was wearing a teal kimono today with white sakura petals trailing down the sides.


    ¡°Ah! Kodachi!¡± Akio yelped, surging to his feet as Naoki handed him the top of his gi. ¡°We should have known you would try to weasel out of your promise!¡±


    She flinched and averted her gaze, the truth of Akio''s confrontation clearly causing her a great deal of shame and guilt.


    ¡°I don''t know of what you speak¡­but that you accuse me reveals just how awful I''ve been.¡± Those couldn''t be tears gathering in her eyes, right? Akio didn''t know if he''d be able to maintain his righteous anger against his oldest friend crying.


    Naoki, at least, didn''t have that weakness. ¡°Don''t give us that! You told me you had a surprise for Ranma and then the Horde challenges her, saying you put ¡®em up to it?¡±


    Her eyes narrowed and the tears were replaced by a fiery blaze. ¡°No! I was going to invite Ranma to join the girls'' hockey team next year!¡±


    She held up the teal and orange bundle of cloth she''d been holding and let it unfurl. Sure enough it was a hockey jersey, the name SAOTOME stitched in romaji over the number 38.


    ¡°O-ohhh¡­¡± Akio sputtered. Once again he was amazed that Ranma had enmeshed herself¡ª himself  into the school, his first nemesis was already making him custom gifts.


    ¡°Okay but Tanaka literally said ¡®Kuno told us if we beat Ranma we could take her hand¡¯, explain that!¡± Naoki impatiently demanded, which made Kodachi''s eyes go wide.


    ¡°No¡­he wouldn''t dare¡ª¡± she hissed.


    <hr>


    Ranma finished up the last of her challengers with a dismissive backhand and performatively stretched and yawned. ¡°Well that wasn''t much of a warmup, but I guess I''ll take what I can get.¡± Once Akio was out of the picture, Ranma could stop worrying about getting shown up or the big oaf cramping her style. She did feel a little bad about hitting him with a mallet, but she could make that up to him later.


    Before she could check on him though, a slow clap started behind her. She turned, sighed, and looked up at the ¡ª of course ¡ª incredibly tall¡­boy? Man? Person. Honestly, she couldn¡¯t focus on his height or gender, not when his outfit was so  loud.


    Knee-height black riding boots covered white jodhpurs. A royal blue shirt peeked out from beneath a royal blue hussar jacket with gold epaulettes, and a black shoulder cape. A raised collar gave him the bearing of some kind of old-timey Western aristocrat. Once she finally looked at his face, his eyes and dark hair were eerily familiar.


    ¡°Lady Saotome, words captured neither your beauty nor your skill. Allow me to introduce myself,¡± he performed a Western-style bow with one arm in front of his stomach, the other behind his back, and Ranma rolled her eyes. Whatever this guy was doing was not endearing him to her. ¡°I am Tatewaki Kuno, age 16, rising star,  l''hydre ¨¤ treize t¨ºtes , and future captain of the St. Khushrenada School for Young Gentlemen fencing team.¡±


    Ohhh, that¡¯s why he looked familiar, he was Kodachi¡¯s little brother. ¡°Oh, hey, Mrs. Tendo told me about you. Uh, hi! Sounds like you already know me.¡± She¡¯d be friendly, from what she heard he used to be good friends with Akio and Naoki, there wasn¡¯t any need to antagonize him even though she was catching seriously bad vibes from him.


    ¡°My sister has told me quite a lot of your prowess, but spared too much recounting your fair form.¡± Suddenly she was much less interested in being friendly or polite, but before she could respond he swung his fist, launching some sort of projectile at her.


    Reflexively, she caught it and held it aloft, planning on returning it to sender, when a colorful petal drifted down in front of her face. She looked at the payload in her hands and realized it was a gorgeous bouquet of orchids in red, pink, purple, and blue.


    Flowers. A boy¡­he, they¡­she¡­it was a bouquet of¡­and¡­her favorite colors? But he was actually a boy, but a boy¡­and¡­Akio¡­what?¡°Please, no¡­¡± she mumbled as she felt the color drain out of her body. She wanted to blow away like dust. The kami clearly had a cruel sense of humor, to pull this on her first day. The whole engagement thing was supposed to prevent stuff like this!


    <hr>


    ¡°Oh my gods,¡± Naoki suddenly mumbled while Akio was busy tying his gi. ¡°Look how  hot  Tatewaki got¡­¡±


    ¡°Tatewaki, what?¡± Akio blanched and realized Kodachi''s younger brother had just appeared in the courtyard. He was chatting with Ranma, though from here Akio couldn''t make out what they were saying.


    That didn''t matter once Tatewaki threw the flower, and Akio saw Ranma''s shoulders slump. In a frenzy, he surged forward and put his hand on Ranma''s shoulder to reassure her before the younger Kuno could follow up. She didn''t respond but that was fine, Akio wouldn''t know what to do in her situation either.


    ¡°Akio-kun! Glad to see you after so long.¡± Tatewaki¡¯s eyes narrowed and voiced was strained, as if he was holding something back. But he strode forward and brought his hand out for a Western style handshake.


    ¡°Tatewaki-kun,¡± Akio shook his hand quickly but politely. It was clear Tatewaki was behind the Horde today, and he¡¯d come with a bouquet for Ranma. His former friend was up to something, ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡±


    The last time he and Tatewaki saw each other was a few days after the first day of high school, when Kodachi asked him out. Since then they¡¯d had no communication of any kind, and if circumstances were different Akio would have loved catching up with Tatewaki, maybe sparring to see what he¡¯d learned at his fancy private school.


    ¡°I wanted to meet the woman who defeated my sister, of course.¡± His expression turned to a sneer, a cold fire burning in his eyes. ¡°In romance as well as on the battlefield. When I learned she was to be wed to you I had to see what she could possibly offer that my sister could not.¡±


    Of course it was some sort of family ego thing. ¡°Well, I hope you got what you came for then. We were planning a big announcement and you messed it up.¡±


    ¡°Not quite. I came to make the radiant pigtailed girl a superior offer: marry me instead.¡± His smile was infuriating and Akio really wanted to punch him in the face.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± He gripped Ranma¡¯s shoulder tighter and inched forward, trying to put himself between her and Tatewaki.


    ¡°I''m asking your fianc¨¦e to marry me. With her skills she''d make an excellent Kuno.¡± Crossing his arms he gave Akio the smuggest, most predatory grin he''d ever seen. ¡°Though I suppose I should prove myself worthy of her first, hmm?¡±


    Akio''s blood boiled. What was Tatewaki thinking? Ranma wasn''t gonna marry him, he wasn''t gonna marry anyone, but especially not another man. Akio supposed their fake engagement obliged him to respond to Tatewaki''s challenge.


    ¡°Well I''m not gonna let you! You want her, you gotta go through me!¡± He proclaimed for the second time today, though he kept his clothes on this time.


    <hr>


    She was vaguely aware of a presence next to her, a hand on her shoulder, and heated voices. Probably about her, but she wasn¡¯t sure. The hand pulled her close to someone and she leaned against them without thinking. That just aggravated the voices and she was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of a slap.


    Tatewaki had produced a glove and struck Akio with it. ¡°Akio Tendo, I challenge you to a duel. Saturday 21, after school at St. Khushrenada. Fencing, of course.¡± Ranma wasn¡¯t sure what they were fighting about, but she wanted Akio to punch this guy in the face.


    ¡°You¡¯re on,  Tatewaki!  Winner keeps Ranma¡¯s hand in marriage!¡± He pulled Ranma against him even tighter, but her desire to see Akio enact righteous violence against the younger Kuno vanished as she realized the stakes.


    ¡°Wait, what? Akio!¡± she protested but Akio guided her toward the entrance to Furinkan. He hadn¡¯t listened to her at all! It was one thing to interrupt her challenges and treat her like some sort of fragile waif, but it was another thing entirely to make her some sort of trophy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not gonna lose. I¡¯ve been fighting Tatewaki since we were little, he can¡¯t beat me.¡± His confident smile frustratingly eased some of her anxiety, but that wasn¡¯t the point. Was he going to keep doing this stupid gallant savior thing every time a fight broke out? Furinkan seemed like a great school to be a martial artist, but was she gonna have to deal with hopeful suitors as well as Akio¡¯s misplaced attention?


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that, I ain¡¯t gonna be the prize in no duel! ¡®Specially one I¡¯m not even in!¡± She burned with righteous anger, but Akio actually shot her an irritated look.


    ¡°You mean like the one you had with Kodachi over  me? ¡± It was the first negative emotion he¡¯d expressed since they arrived at school, which simultaneously relieved and panicked Ranma.


    ¡°Th-that was different! She added that after challenging me!¡±


    ¡°You still accepted! You had a chance to call the fight off but you didn¡¯t. I¡¯m gonna win, so don¡¯t worry about it; I¡¯m not gonna let anything happen to you.¡± And he smiled again, which for some reason heated up her face and tied her stomach into knots, leaving her stunned enough for Akio to lead them into the building.


    Kuno and Naoki caught up with them next to the shoe lockers, and Ranma realized she was still holding the bouquet. Ashamed, she growled, crumpled them into a ball, and chucked them out the door.


    She glared at Kuno, who had the decency to look embarrassed by her brother¡¯s conduct. ¡°Upperclassman, can you get your brother to call off his stupid duel? Akio won¡¯t listen to reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡­will ask him, but we have agreed not to interfere with each others¡¯ business.¡± She scratched her cheek and blushed. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee he¡¯ll listen to me, and considering it was quite brazen of him just to come here he likely has an agenda. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t be of more help.¡±


    Ranma shook her head. ¡°Nah, thanks for that at least. Sorry I thought you were the one who sicced those guys on me.¡±


    In the awkward pause that followed, Ranma overheard Naoki saying to Akio ¡°Did you see those pants? When did he get so tall? I just wanna  climb him ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please stop talking about this,¡± Akio pleaded.


    ¡°Oh! I had this made for you, Saotome-san,¡± Kuno held out the jersey, letting Ranma take a good look at it. ¡°Consider it an open invitation to the girls'' hockey team next year if you''re interested. I believe with you on the team we''ll be unbeatable.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­thank you, upperclassman Kuno,¡± Ranma accepted the gift and made a non-committal noise of acceptance as she bowed.


    ¡°Okay Ranma, I gotta go get changed, see you in 1-F,¡± Akio tapped her shoulder and then headed off to the locker rooms.


    She groaned, realizing she''d be in the same class as him. He was the last jerk she wanted to see right now.


    <hr>


    Once Kodachi wasn''t around, Ranma was swarmed by students eager to ask questions and confirm gossip. To her chagrin, a lot of them were about the engagement and Akio.


    She fielded those questions as best she could, but it just got worse when she got to homeroom. Hiroko and Asami practically bowled her over and dragged her to the back corner with devilish intent in their eyes.


    ¡°Ranma! It''s so cool that you''re in our class!¡±


    ¡°Did you have to fight to get in the same class as Akio?¡±


    ¡°Ooh, good point, you''d think they wouldn''t want to put you in the same room as your fianc¨¦, otherwise you''d get  distracted. ¡± Hiroko winked mischievously, and Ranma''s cheeks warmed at the embarrassing thought of ogling her good friend.


    ¡°Ah but we''re so excited to get to hang out with you! You should totally come eat lunch with us, we¡¯re gonna meet Sayuri and Yuka on the roof.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you probably want to eat with Akio, don''t you?¡± Ranma scowled when Asami mentioned Akio again, which made the girls gasp.


    ¡°Oh, that''s right! You hit him this morning, didn''t you? Are you guys fighting? Is your engagement over already?¡± Ranma couldn''t let that rumor get out, otherwise the suitor problem would only get worse, and Kuno would probably start bothering Akio again, even after Ranma earned him fair and square. Even though she was still mad about Tatewaki, she had to behave like a supportive new girlfriend.


    ¡°No! No nothing like that!¡± Ranma waved her hands and whisper-shouted. She had to play things carefully, figure out a good reason to have malleted him that didn''t make it seem like they were having anything other than normal early relationship issues.


    Of course, Ranma had never been in a relationship, nor had she ever paid attention to the concept of romance. Girls normally liked it when boys came and rescued them, right? Even Kuno referred to Akio as a gallant, knightly lion or whatever.


    Maybe that was the angle. Ranma was obviously a lone martial arts badass, used to taking on challenges by herself: it was weird to suddenly have a boy come in and do the work for her. She was probably even scared by the idea someone would do that for her, because what if it meant she was losing her edge or going soft?


    She pulled Hiroko and Asami close and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°I''m just not¡­used to boys doing things for me without some sort of expectation, yanno? It''s sweet that Akio wants to keep me safe but we barely know each other.¡±


    Brought into her confidence, the girls nodded somberly. Hiroko put a hand on Ranma''s shoulder. ¡°My big sister was like that when she met her husband, don''t worry: remember Akio just wants to keep you safe.¡±


    Asami nodded in agreement, and Ranma let out a carefully calculated sigh of relief. ¡°Thanks guys. I  do  kinda like it, but I¡¯m worried it means he doesn¡¯t take me seriously.¡±


    As if summoned, Akio came through the door freshly washed and wearing his uniform right before the bell rang.


    Ranma introduced herself to the class and, of course, found herself seated next to Akio. He was still frustrated and the tension was palpable; she''d need to do some more damage control.


    <hr>


    Akio was in a bad mood. Ranma didn''t have to reciprocate his fake feelings but he didn''t have to injure Akio either. Fortunately the school nurse said his bruises were superficial and would heal quickly.


    More irritating was how defensive Ranma got about the duel against Tatewaki. She was being completely unreasonable! Tatewaki was Akio¡¯s longtime friend and rival who he hadn¡¯t seen in over a year, he¡¯d been challenged specifically, and Ranma already fought Kodachi for basically the same thing.


    It wasn''t just unreasonable, it was hypocritical, it was infuriating. And now people were going to spread rumors about their rocky relationship. Oh gods, if he was really unlucky they''d think it was all one-sided. He''d done a great job acting like he had a crush on her, what if people assumed she didn''t actually like him? Like their engagement was forced on her?


    If Kodachi ever heard that story he''d probably have to deal with her wrath instead of her affection, and that sounded much worse.


    Fortunately he didn''t have to worry about that for long. During first period, Ranma asked to be excused. As he got out of his desk, he slipped and Akio''s hand shot out to catch him. When he pulled himself up his arms suddenly wrapped around Akio''s waist and in a panicked, breathy voice he exclaimed ¡°Oh, thank you so much Kiochan!¡±


    The murmurs that spread through the class in response set Akio''s heart at ease, and he looked down at Ranma pressing herself against him and looking straight up, dopey grin on her face. Akio''s heart skipped a beat but he couldn''t let himself be distracted for his friend''s sake, no matter how cute she was right now.


    ¡°No problem Ranma, I''ll always be there to catch you.¡± The saccharine display elicited a few ¡°awwwws¡± from the class and Ranma sold it even harder with a blush. He¡¯d have to ask how she did that.


    ¡°C¡¯mon you two, hands off each other during class. Miss Saotome, you are excused.¡± The teacher interrupted.


    She let go of the hug but squeezed his hand as she practically skipped to the door. Akio knew he was tomato red as he sat back in his seat. Asami and Hiroko sent him big smiles, the latter even a V sign.


    He allowed himself a silly grin and tried to focus for the rest of class.


    <hr>


    Lunch provided Ranma another opportunity to publicly reaffirm her devotion to Akio and the engagement. Despite wanting to hang out with her new friends, she bid farewell to Hiroko and Asami to eat with Akio, Shingo, and Kiichi.


    The four of them pushed desks together and started chatting. Ranma was relieved Akio''s friends were more interested in her than her and Akio, about the places she''d been and the martial arts she''d learned. Though she was gonna punch Kiichi in the face if he kept letting his gaze wander to her chest.


    Still, she made sure to act like she and Akio were close, scooting her chair close enough their thighs were touching, tittered any time he made a funny joke or comment, complimented his mom''s cooking¡­


    ¡°Oh, you didn''t make this today, Ranma?¡± Shingo asked innocently.


    Her chopsticks stopped moving as she slowly tilted her head up to look at Shingo, then Akio, who was blushing. She wasn''t sure if she should be irritated or proud that he''d apparently been bragging about his fianc¨¦e cooking for him like a good little housewife, but she knew she needed to pretend to be the latter.


    ¡°Nope! This is all Mrs. Tendo¡¯s, even mine!¡± She said with a smile. ¡°I''m looking forward to learning even more from her! What did Akio say about my food?¡± It had been a while since she''d last pulled a con like this, she was worried she was getting rusty. But it was getting easier as the day went on! She didn''t expect to ask about Akio''s opinion of her cooking, it just slipped out of her mouth, and it was the exact thing a girl like her¡ªlike the students expected her to be¡ªwould ask about.


    Before any of the boys could answer her, though, Hiroko put her elbows down and smirked venomously. ¡°I''ll have you know that he didn''t say anything, Ranma.¡±


    Asami, from the other side, slapped her palm on the desks. ¡°Not about your food anyway.¡±


    Akio started sinking in his chair, hoping he''d be able to disappear, but his height did him no favors. ¡°C¡¯mon, guys, I just wasn''t expecting it¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ranma''s curiosity was piqued. ¡°What did he say?¡± She didn¡¯t bring it up, but she laughed when she realized her friends decided not to eat on the roof after all, too curious about Ranma and Akio to pass up this opportunity.


    Kiichi was eager to join in on needling his friend. ¡°Oh, are you saying you  don''t think she''s ¡®really cute¡¯?¡±


    Akio''s friends laughed as he went from red to purple and tried very hard to avoid looking at Ranma. She, however, didn''t expect to blush in return and covered it up with a laugh of her own. After school, she needed to sit down with the Tendo brothers and work out exactly how they were gonna act out their relationship, because things were already progressing faster than she was comfortable with.


    Still, she didn''t want to walk anything back, so she looped one of her arms around Akio''s and smiled. ¡°You''re not too bad yourself, handsome.¡±


    When he turned to look at her she had a flashback to when she''d first arrived at the Tendo''s, only five days ago, before her curse was revealed. It was dangerous to look him in the eyes, the way it made her stomach flip.


    For the rest of lunch she pivoted to talking to their friends. Enough about her and definitely enough about her and Akio. She never did let go of his arm though.


    Damn,  Ranma thought,  I''m so good at pretending to be a girl.

 The Reviews Are In

    As her first day back at school wore on, Ranma became increasingly nervous. Turns out Genma¡¯s tutoring left her with a somewhat  uneven  education, especially where math and science were concerned. Ranma wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d score well enough to place with the junior class. She only had a few weeks to prepare for the placement exam, and if she didn¡¯t do well enough to be placed with her age group she¡¯d walk into school in April as a first year.


    Now, she didn¡¯t particularly care about her academic progress for its own sake, that wasn¡¯t the issue. The issue was that if she had to start high school over that¡¯d be another year of pretending to be a girl. Almost as bad, Akio would be her upperclassman, and they probably wouldn¡¯t have any classes together.


    N-not that she wanted to hang out with him  more  than she already did just by living with him, but it was nice to have a friend who knew about her curse, plus if they took the same classes they could work on homework and study together.


    Hopefully the swarm of attention would die down, but in the few classes she had without him she felt compelled to meet expectations of girlhood that she¡¯d never learned or internalized, and she wasn¡¯t sure how often she¡¯d be able to deploy ¡°I never knew my mother and was raised only by my father¡± as an excuse for her ignorance.


    There was also the matter of the uniform. Akio had changed into his after the brawl, and Ranma left hers in the bag in her locker, just in case, but meeting each new teacher came with a spike of anxiety that they¡¯d tell her to get changed. If only she¡¯d remembered to ask Kodachi about the uniforms earlier. Thinking about  that  reminded her about how frustrated she was by the situation, however, and she needed to focus on her last class of the day: Home Economics.


    Ranma expected cooking, hell she was  excited  about cooking, but no: at the end of the year home ec focused on  budgeting  and other household management topics, which was basically applied math, part of the stuff Ranma and Akio¡¯s  wives would handle one day. Ranma wouldn¡¯t be able to pursue romance until after high school, which was a bummer, but at least she''d have inside knowledge about what girls liked in a guy by then.


    Plus she''d be able to help out around the house a little! Knowing she¡¯d be able to lord that over Akio, who apparently couldn¡¯t even cook instant ramen, brought a wide smile to her face. Even better, she''d be able to  help  Akio find a good future wife! And Katsumi, too, he wasn''t dating anyone and probably needed some help talking to girls.


    On the bright side, all of her new friends ¡ª Sayuri, Yuka, Hiroko, and Asami ¡ª were in home ec with her, and that was as fun as it was  loud . More than once Ranma was worried she¡¯d get in trouble, but Sayuri seemed to be the problem student.


    Near the end of class, when even the teacher was exhausted and ready for the day to be over, the girls started softly chatting and Ranma quickly learned that girls were  not  more proper or chaste than boys.


    ¡°So, Ranma, how¡¯s Akio?¡± Hiroko sidled up beside her while she tried in vain to complete a practice budget spreadsheet.


    ¡°Uh, he¡¯s okay? Last I checked, anyway. Why? Did something happen?¡± Ranma looked up quizzically, she¡¯d seen him in Science less than an hour ago. Should she be worried? Hiroko didn¡¯t seem worried.


    Indeed, she was wearing a shit-eating grin and Ranma realized the other girls were leaning in to listen. ¡°Heh, no I mean what¡¯s he like?¡±


    Ranma still didn¡¯t understand the question, and her confusion was evident. Sayuri and Asami started giggling. ¡°What have you two, you know¡­done together so far?¡± Hiroko kept going, clearly enjoying Ranma¡¯s cluelessness.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­we¡¯ve sparred a few times.¡± She dropped her pencil and tilted her head. Her friends were looking for the answer to a specific question but wouldn''t just say it outright for some reason. ¡°We  were  gonna show off our family styles this morning in front of the school so we¡¯ve been practicin¡¯ for that?¡± All four of her friends burst out laughing, earning the group a shush from their teacher.


    ¡°Ranma you¡¯re so¡­sheltered!¡± Yuka teased.


    Heat built up behind Ranma¡¯s cheeks as Hiroko finally dropped the pretense and redirected all of Ranma¡¯s blood to her face. ¡°Has he taken you on dates? Gotten you any gifts or flowers? Have you kissed yet? You live at his house, do you sleep in his bed?¡±


    A pitiful ¡°eep¡± squeaked out of Ranma¡¯s mouth as she tried to melt through the floor to escape the conversation, and with each question she wished she could just turn into a drill and burrow down to the molten center of the Earth. (Or it was technically solid, heavy metal, according to her Science teacher, but she knew there was lava down there somewhere). Her heartrate skyrocketed due to how hard she  wasn¡¯t thinking about Akio carrying her to his bedroom, laying her down in his twin-sized bed, wrapping his broad shoulders around her like a suit of armor, and pulling her into a romantic salvo of soft, warm kisses.


    ¡°N-no, w-w-we haven¡¯t d-d-done anyth-thin-...kissing, no.¡± The girls giggled again, softer this time, though it was no less embarrassing. Hiroko at least recognized Ranma was uncomfortable and waved her hands to calm the other girls down.


    ¡°Relax Ranma, we¡¯re just teasing,¡± she said reassuringly. ¡°But a lot of us are jealous; if it wasn¡¯t for Kodachi, and now you, just about every girl in school would have put a letter in his locker.¡± Despite her embarrassment, for a brief moment Ranma was proud knowing she¡¯d locked down the most dateable boy in school. With her good looks and inimitable skill, it only made sense.


    But that wasn''t relevant since she and Akio weren''t actually in a relationship. ¡°Well, I just met him on Sunday,¡± Naoki''s advice to keep their relationship boring flashed through her mind. ¡°We didn¡¯t get a lot of time to get to know each other. I picked him ¡®cause he¡¯s the only one of his brothers who still practices the Art. My dad and I sleep in the guest room.¡±


    Every now and then Ranma would say or do something and the way her friends responded told her it was Weird. Apparently sleeping in the same room as your dad was Weird.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have your own room? That sucks!¡± Sayuri righteously leapt to Ranma¡¯s defense, provoking another shush from the teacher.


    ¡°Yeah! Is that to keep you or Akio from going to each others¡¯ rooms or something? That¡¯s so controlling!¡± Yuka, quietly but no less indignant, joined Sayuri.


    Waving her arms defensively, Ranma quietly protested the sudden wave of anger directed at her dad. ¡°No! No no, I kinda, uh¡­insisted on it.¡± Her conversation with her dad a few nights ago came back to her, and a new surge of guilt from playing the cat card. Coupled with the unintentional shaming from her friends all the confidence in her body leaked away.


    Hiroko tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Why?¡±


    Ranma couldn¡¯t throw her dad under the bus, she wanted her friends to like Pops, after all. But she also couldn¡¯t say something silly like she was scared, they probably wouldn¡¯t believe that!


    ¡°Well it¡¯s jus¡¯ been the two of us since I was a baby, and we were on the road together for most of it.¡± She leaned into the mystique that surrounded her and the girls got closer, eager to hear details about the new girl. ¡°I got used to pops bein¡¯ around, yanno? Before I learned how to take care of myself he protected me.¡±


    Her friends¡¯ expressions softened and she swore Sayuri let out a subtle ¡°Aww¡­¡± Hopefully they didn''t get the wrong idea or anything, she absolutely  could  sleep by herself if she had to. But if she  didn''t have to then why subject herself to it?


    ¡°Still, that must suck not having your own space.¡± Asami insisted. Ranma didn''t like that now her friends were siding with her dad and Mrs. Hana, but she couldn''t explain all the reasons they were wrong.


    So she started fidgeting nervously with her pigtail and looked at the desk pensively. What would her new friends buy as an excuse that would be easy for her to remember long-term? That she could be vague about?


    ¡°I''ve never really needed it,¡± she began, trusting her improvisational instincts to triumph. ¡°We moved around a lot so I didn''t own much. Slept in a tent most of the time.¡±


    One of the girls gasped and Ranma believed she''d convinced them, but instead it backfired. ¡°Wait¡­so what''s your wardrobe look like?¡± Sayuri asked.


    ¡°My¡­wardrobe?¡± Ranma blinked. ¡°Well you''ve seen my gi and my favorite tangzhuangs, I''ve got a few more, a tunic suit, and Naoki helped me pick out a lot of new stuff a couple days ago.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, what kind of stuff?¡± Yuka exclaimed, and Ranma was glad to finally get to a topic she didn''t have to dance around or be careful about.


    ¡°Couple a¡¯ sukajan, trousers and slacks that ain''t as baggy as my normal pants, shirts,¡± she started rattling off the list, looking forward to showing off some of it tomorrow, and very grateful nobody got on her case about the uniform today. ¡°Mostly plaid button ups and a few T-shirts.¡±


    None of the girls seemed particularly impressed, especially Asami. ¡°Wow, you''re really a tomboy, huh Ranma?¡±


    Ranma was prepared for this. She knew since she''d be presenting herself as a girl but not changing her behavior that''s exactly what she was going to be perceived as. But it stung, albeit not as bad as when Akio said it.


    ¡°Yeah, well, that''s just how it''s been, yanno?¡± She shrugged, hoping she could advance to the next topic.


    ¡°Hey, do you wanna go on a shopping trip with us this weekend?¡± Yuka perked up, eyes trained on Ranma. ¡°You could get some cute things to cheer on Akio at his fight next week!¡±


    As her eyes widened in fear, the final bell of the day rang and Ranma shot out of the classroom like a racehorse, desperate to escape her friends'' well-meaning affection. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged around to pick out dresses and makeup and frilly things and shoes and¡­and who knows what else girls shopped for. They''d probably want to take her to a salon and get her hair and nails done, too, since they couldn''t know how dangerous that would be for Ranma.


    Certainly her time with Mrs. Hana was fun, but trying on that dress proved to her that wearing stuff like that was asking for trouble.


    She ran into Akio and Naoki waiting for her at the gate, ready to get home. The sight of Akio brought her back to the embarrassing gauntlet of questions the other girls subjected her to, and she needed to focus on something else.


    ¡°Oh thank goodness you guys are here,¡± she breathed a sigh of relief and slumped, much to the Tendos¡¯ confusion as they started walking home. ¡°The girls started talkin¡¯ ¡®bout shoppin¡¯ for girly stuff.¡±


    Naoki nodded grimly while Akio had the gall to  chuckle  at Ranma¡¯ predicament. Between the doting on him she''d done to keep up appearances and her conversation with her friends, she didn''t care for his flippant attitude. More and more it was clear their arrangement was entirely good for him at Ranma''s expense, especially considering it hadn''t even kept boys from bothering her.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, laugh it up big guy,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Yanno they''d make me drag you along to carry bags and pay for stuff.¡± A mischievous grin split her face open and she stood up straight. ¡°In fact, maybe I  do  deserve a treat for everything I''ve been doing for the engagement.¡±


    If she expected to fluster him, her plan backfired as he turned it around on her. ¡°Well you know how important it is for a girl to model new clothes for her boyfriend,¡± grinning and looking her up and down. ¡°I think that''d be worth a few weeks¡¯ allowance to buy you a few dresses.¡±


    Ranma and Naoki froze as he laughed at his own joke, which caused Ranma to blush and pout and Naoki to glower. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not funny, jerk!¡± How dare he make light of her predicament? How dare he pretend he was interested in Ranma like that? She was still reeling from how her friends talked to her and he was just making things more confusing and frustrating!


    Naoki came to her aid, and even though she hadn¡¯t asked for his help she was grateful for it all the same. ¡°Seriously Akio, what the hell?¡± Brotherly disapproval dripped from his words like venom and stung Akio, whose smile vanished as sweat gathered on his forehead. Then he put an arm over Ranma¡¯s shoulders. Instead of the way Akio enveloped her and pulled her close, Naoki left space between them, and his touch was reassuring and peaceful. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t enjoy being dragged around being forced to wear girly stuff either.¡±


    As Akio hung his head, an infuriating thought crossed Ranma¡¯s mind: did Akio  forget  she was actually a boy? Had her performance been so convincing that even he got confused? Or was he just that stupid? ¡°Yeah, you remember I¡¯m a guy, right?¡± She marched up to him to force him to look at her, thunder rolling from her in waves. ¡°The last thing I wanna do is dress up all cute,  especially  not for an enormous idiot like you!¡±


    ¡°Come on guys, don''t¡ª¡± Naoki realized they were about to start fighting again and tried to intervene, but he was too late. Akio¡¯s sheepish expression flipped and fury blazed from his form.


    He straightened his back and  loomed  over Ranma, making sure to look straight down his nose at the diminutive temporary girl. ¡°I¡¯m the idiot? Who¡¯s the one who decided to pretend to be a girl and get fake engaged to his only friend?¡± He crossed his arms and  leaned down  to rub in the height difference between them. ¡°And now that you¡¯re the school¡¯s biggest  tomboy  you¡¯re complaining that girls want to get to know you? You¡¯re not just stupid, you don¡¯t know how good you have it!¡±


    ¡°Okay, you guys have this big fight in the middle of the street, I¡¯m gonna head home¡­¡± Naoki shook his head and walked away without having to confirm he was being ignored. The last place he wanted to be was at ground zero for their next knuckle-dragging brawl.


    ¡°How good  I  have it?¡± The piercing shrill of her own voice rang in her ears, but she could ignore the pain. ¡°You went from being the school weirdo to being engaged to the hottest girl around, to the guy every girl wants to date, and whose fianc¨¦e makes him lunch and  fawns  over him in public.¡± She was getting ready to punch his stupid mouth, but it was such a relief to get all this out of her system. ¡°Meanwhile  I¡¯m  constantly asked stuff I don¡¯t know how to answer, look like an idiot every time I say somethin¡¯ weird, I  still  gotta put up with other dudes¡¯ attention, and to top it off  you  only try when it gets in my way!¡±


    Silence surrounded them in the wake of Ranma¡¯s tirade, though their faces were practically touching. Fortunately, nobody was around to notice them or their point-blank shouting match. They were so close that Ranma couldn¡¯t see Akio¡¯s lips quiver, and she was so angry that she didn¡¯t notice the quiet voice urging her to get even closer or how her stomach had tied itself in knots.


    He leaned back just a bit and stopped looking directly at her eyes, instead glancing down slightly. ¡°You just froze when he showed up, I had to do something.¡±He said plaintively. Obviously he realized he¡¯d screwed up, and that was something, but it was too late to help her now. Especially since now she could properly appreciate those shoulders she¡¯d been trying not to think of for the past thirty minutes.


    ¡°Did your stupid shoulders eat your brain or something? I was gonna tell him to leave me alone.¡± To her surprise, Akio flinched at her words, and his retort, while venomous, lacked energy.


    ¡°Yeah well you sure seemed like you liked those flowers, tomboy, better make sure your curse isn''t eating  your  brain.¡± He started walking away, unaware of the enormity of what he¡¯d just said.


    Not a second had passed since Ranma fell into the spring that she wasn¡¯t worried about the curse. The guide told them about all sorts of mind-altering springs, and while he promised the Spring of Drowned Girl wasn¡¯t one of those, just knowing that was a possibility filled Ranma with dread. Especially since she knew the curse could alter her mood and senses, maybe it could alter subtler things, like making Ranma  consider  being attracted to boys, like a girl would be.


    Worse, what if it affected other people too? Ranma was surprised that so many girls wanted to hang out with her and get to know her at school; was the curse firing some sort of signal that drew girls to her? That could also affect boys, maybe that¡¯s why Akio got confused! The curse made it so that she couldn¡¯t  help  but be seen as not just a girl, but  girly .


    As confusingly giddy as the idea made her, Ranma refused to let anyone think of her like that. Him like that. School was over, he could be a boy again.  He could be a boy again!


    That realization overwrote everything else and he flung himself toward the Tendo dojo.


    <hr>


    The Kuno estate loomed large over the surrounding homes, a reminder to all of the wealth and power of the family that dwelled within. Kodachi never considered it a home, that honor belonged to the comparatively frugal Tendo household, back when she and her brother were as close to Naoki and Akio as each other.


    It was where she ate, rested, and plotted, however, and she strode in with noble purpose as the servants welcomed her. ¡°Lady Kodachi, welcome home,¡± a black-clad woman appeared at her side and walked with her. ¡°Shall I draw a bath, or would you prefer to eat?¡±


    ¡°Neither, is my brother home yet?¡± Kuno was on a mission, and would not be deterred. She and Tatewaki weren¡¯t close, but they respected each other. Or should respect each other, at least. In addition to Ranma¡¯s request, she had stern words prepared for her brother regarding his usurpation of the students at  her  school.


    ¡°Yes milady, he arrived moments before you. He¡¯s in the east wing training room.¡± The woman bowed and kept pace with Kuno.


    ¡°Thank you, Yura, you are dismissed.¡±


    She opened the door to her brother¡¯s Western-styled private gym, lined with antique suits of armor, helmets, and swords. If it weren¡¯t for the undeniably Japanese architecture, one would assume it was a back room in a European museum.


    Tatewaki was still getting changed into his workout gear, doubtless removing his school¡¯s audaciously impractical dress uniform had taken up most of his time. As a courteous guest, Kuno waited for him to acknowledge her presence, which he did only after tightening his weighted wrist bands.


    ¡°Sister, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± He picked up an ¨¦p¨¦e from the tray of practice dueling swords held by his personal servant, Sasuke, and began lunging drills.


    ¡°As a favor to Saotome-san, I promised to request that you withdraw your challenge against Akio Tendo.¡± Direct and to the point, no pleasantries. He¡¯d refuse and she¡¯d have done what she promised.


    ¡°Then you shall let her know that unfortunately I cannot and will not honor her request, but that my love for her burns bright.¡± Once he¡¯d reached the far wall he thrust his sword over a dozen times into the mounted, padded target, then turned and began advancing in the other direction.


    ¡°Will you indulge my curiosity, brother? Why the interest in Saotome-san? Surely you don¡¯t envy me my new apprentice?¡± Even if that was the case, he¡¯d have to deny it, else that would count as interference in her business.


    ¡°In truth I have little desire to conquer or possess Miss Saotome. While elegant and graceful in combat, she lacks the polish of nobility that I desire in a companion. To teach her such nobility would be far too grueling a project that I have not the patience for. I¡¯m not a  Chardin .¡± A servant in fencing garb interrupted Tatewaki in the middle of the floor, and the two clashed for a moment before the younger Kuno scored a hit against the servant¡¯s face mask, then resumed his advance.


    If Tatewaki didn¡¯t care about Ranma, then his motivation must have something to do with Akio. As far as Kuno was aware, the two of them weren¡¯t on bad terms, and Tatewaki only stopped speaking with the latter because of her falling out.


    ¡°So why challenge Akio at all then?¡±


    Her brother stopped, stood, pondered his response as he sipped the water bottle Sasuke brought him. ¡°Revenge, dear sister.¡± His voice was soft, but when she looked into his eyes she saw a burning blaze.


    That, of course, only confused her further. She couldn¡¯t think of any reason for her little brother to harbor such feelings for Akio. Was he like her friend Naoki, attracted to members of his own sex, and jealous of Saotome?


    ¡°What could you possibly seek revenge against Tendo-san for? I believed the two of you to be fast friends.¡±


    ¡°Ah, if it¡¯s not clear then I¡¯ll let you puzzle it out yourself.¡± He grinned and winked. ¡°But fret not: once I¡¯ve beaten Akio and broken his engagement you¡¯ll be free to pursue him once again. Perhaps once he tastes the bitterness of loss he¡¯ll finally appreciate your sweetness.¡±


    Tatewaki¡¯s uncanny ability to find the most unsettling way to phrase something succeeded and made Kuno shudder. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave you to your drills. Please don¡¯t take it personally if I attend your duel on the side of the defender.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, dear sister.¡± Tatewaki politely waited for her to leave before he picked up his blade again.


    <hr>


    Akio stepped into the genkan and tossed off their shoes, and heard two voices from the kitchen welcome him home. Somehow Ranma beat him home and changed back into a boy by the sound of it.


    Despite the heavenly smells filling the air, Akio had no desire to talk to Ranma right now. As close as the boys had gotten in such a short time, Ranma somehow zeroed in on Akio¡¯s biggest insecurity. He shambled up to his room to focus on schoolwork until Mr. Saotome got home, where hopefully he could get the older man to help him prepare for his duel.


    Of course, Mr. Saotome might wonder why he didn¡¯t ask Ranma. The last thing Akio wanted to deal with today was explaining the stupid fake engagement to either of their parents, not to mention how embarrassed he¡¯d feel admitting it was to another boy.


    It was a little shameful, thinking like that. Naoki was gay, so Akio knew there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with it. So why did the idea scare Akio so much? Was he a hypocrite or did he secretly think his brother was lesser?


    No, that wasn¡¯t it. Naoki came out years ago and had time to thicken his skin against the insults and bullying, but Akio was only two years away from graduating and was just now getting a taste of normal high school life. Of course it would be a problem if Akio was gay: he¡¯d have to adjust to a whole new social dynamic and by the time he did, school would be over.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    So he couldn¡¯t be gay, at least not right now. Maybe after he graduated he¡¯d consider it, but that was an issue for later, after he and Ranma got through their stupid arrangement.


    Except, the way Ranma was acting, he kind of wanted to forfeit. His pride would sting but he was so mad at Ranma. No amount of cooking could fix the hurt and betrayal his new so-called friend subjected him to.


    Granted, he likely didn''t know Akio was embarrassed by his shoulders. They''d practically exploded over the last year and a half and with the amount of muscle he put on them they were wider even than Katsumi''s. The rest of his body refused to bulk up, leaving him feeling awkward and top heavy.


    And of course Ranma''d done it with a cute girl''s voice. That was insult added to¡­well more insult. Akio knew girls were intimidated or put off by his weird body shape, Ranma''s pointed insult confirmed that.


    With a frustrated sigh he scowled at the empty page of homework. Half an hour since he got home and nothing to show for it. He''d just have to forget about Ranma and Tatewaki for a bit and focus¡ª


    An unfamiliar, heavy knock thudded against his bedroom door and Mr. Saotome''s bassy voice rumbled through it. ¡°Hello Akio, may I come in?¡±


    Akio was surprised. Did Ranma tell his dad something about their fight? Did he say Akio had been mean to him? ¡°Uh, sure Mr. Saotome.¡± He beckoned the elder Saotome, still in scrubs, into his room.


    Fortunately, he didn''t seem angry or upset. If anything he seemed as confused as Akio. Briefly, the Tendo boy blushed in embarrassment as Mr. Saotome¡¯s gaze stopped at his small collection of plushies, but they just seemed to make him smile.


    ¡°Ranma told me you might need help getting ready for a duel next Saturday. I''m more than happy to pass some of the Saotome School secrets down to Soun¡¯s children.¡± Exuberance radiated from his wide grin, filling Akio with a newfound determination.


    ¡°Oh! That''d be awesome, yeah!¡± Akio leapt to his feet, homework forgotten behind him. ¡°I''ve got a duel with Tatewaki Kuno. He used to be one of my best friends but, uh¡­¡± Oh he couldn''t tell Ranma''s  dad  that the two were in a fake engagement and Akio answered a challenge for Ranma¡¯s hand. ¡°I guess he wants to be my rival now that Kodachi''s not after me anymore.¡±


    Genma accepted that answer and clapped Akio on the shoulder. ¡°Excellent! I''ll get changed and see you in the dojo.¡±


    As he ran off, Akio knew he needed to talk to Ranma. They needed to come up with a plan to address how they were gonna talk to the parents.


    ¡­Actually, he''d talk to Naoki. His brother would tell Ranma whatever they discussed, that way Akio wouldn''t have to talk to his ¡°fianc¨¦e¡±. He quickly threw on his gi and silently stepped into Naoki¡¯s room without knocking, closing the door behind him just loudly enough to get his brother''s attention.


    ¡°What''s up, bro?¡± Naoki didn''t even look up from his work, unbothered by his younger brother''s sudden and unexpected entrance.


    ¡°I don''t have a lot of time,¡± Akio whispered from inches away from Naoki''s ear. ¡°We need to figure out what we''re gonna tell Mom and Mr. Saotome about the engagement.¡±


    Akio blushed as Naoki rolled his eyes. ¡°Baby brother, we don''t need to tell them anything.¡± He went back to his work. ¡°What are they gonna do about it anyway?¡±


    Frowning, Akio grabbed his brother¡¯s shoulder and spun his chair around, provoking a sarcastic glare. ¡°They¡¯re gonna find out sooner or later, don¡¯t you think they¡¯d appreciate being told?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they would, but it¡¯s only the first day and you¡¯re already freaking out?¡± Naoki crossed his arms and legs and somehow managed to look down at Akio while literally looking  up  at Akio. How was he so good at that?


    Glancing at the clock, Akio winced: he didn¡¯t want Mr. Saotome to suspect anything. ¡°We¡¯re not done talking about this.¡± Akio warned Naoki before he hurried to the dojo.


    <hr>


    Dinner was tense. Hana knew something was up as soon as Ranma got home before her sons, and he''d been uncharacteristically quiet during dinner prep. When she asked him how his first day went, his answers were terse and vague. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Good.¡±


    It was the strongest evidence yet that he was, in fact, a teenage boy.


    The only piece of actual information she got was that home ec was boring since he wanted to cook, not learn how to balance a checkbook. She couldn''t really argue with that.


    Then Akio and Naoki came home and Ranma got even colder, even quieter, and her sons never came into the kitchen. They must have had a fight. That wasn''t too surprising, maybe after dinner they''d work it out with their fists like the first few nights and everything would go back to normal.


    Dinner was chilly thanks to their tension, however. As a good host and mother, she needed to lighten the mood somehow. ¡°Akio, how was your day?¡± Hana hoped she''d get more out of her son than Genma¡¯s.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He shrugged.


    Ugh, now they were both doing it. She looked at Genma, and he met her gaze. They both rolled their eyes.


    ¡°Did you have any classes with Ranma?¡± She''d force the two to acknowledge each other, even though Naoki was flashing warning eyes at her.


    ¡°Yeah, a couple. Homeroom, math, history, P.E.¡± He glared at Ranma, who did his best to ignore Akio.


    ¡°Well, now that Kodachi''s not bothering you,¡± Naoki''s eyes went wide as he glared, silently begging her to stop, not that she noticed. ¡°Any girls make a move on you yet?¡±


    Naoki facepalmed, Akio blushed, and Ranma chuckled. ¡°Oh yeah Akio, any girls ya got your eyes on?¡± Ranma leaned forward and put his chin in his hand. ¡°Any ¡®really cute¡¯ girls make you lunch or anything lately?¡±


    So it  was  girl trouble. Hana figured something like this might happen. So many girls¡¯ parents reached out to her over the past year asking if she could get a message to Akio without Kodachi finding out. It never worked out for them.


    ¡°Oooh, do you have an admirer, Akio?¡± Hana was excited, relieved that she could shift the fantasies about grandchildren away from Ranma.


    Without breaking eye contact with Ranma, Akio practically threw down his chopsticks and leaned forward as well. ¡°Oh yeah, she called me handsome, did a lot of nice stuff for me. But she''s also stubborn, selfish, and an ungrateful tomboy so I doubt it''ll work out.¡±


    Hana''s middle son lowered his forehead until it hit the table with a soft thunk. ¡°Oh gods they''re going at it again¡­¡± he mumbled.


    She didn''t notice Naoki, so excited she was that Akio was getting attention from people and not immediately turning them down. ¡°Well you should give her a chance. You never know where things might go or if you have more in common.¡± Hana tried to pull Akio¡¯s attention back to her and away from Ranma. Her youngest didn''t need to let his romantic rival distract him.


    ¡°Nah, she deserves better than Akio,¡± Ranma spat back and the two slowly started standing, their faces getting closer and closer. ¡°He makes everything about him, gets in the way of her fights, and even gets into one-on-one duels where  she''s the prize without consulting her.¡±


    Definitely jealousy. Hana felt a little sympathy for Ranma but she''d warned him this sort of thing could happen. Naoki said there were plenty of girls who''d probably be very attracted to Ranma, he shouldn''t be pining for Akio¡¯s potential girlfriend.


    ¡°A martial artist?¡± Genma sounded impressed. ¡°Good job, boy. Between Miss Kuno and this girl Furinkan must be a great place to practice the Art.¡±


    Something Mr. Saotome said made the gears start turning in Hana''s head, ¡°martial artist¡± specifically. She didn''t know of any other serious martial artists. Not unless¡­


    ¡°Your school has another martial artist girl and we didn¡¯t know her already? Is she new?¡± For the sake of their nascent friendship, Hana refused to consider  that  possibility. She scrutinized her youngest and Ranma¡¯s faces closely, praying she wouldn¡¯t see a connection.


    Akio¡¯s eyes went wide, he looked around the table, and then started waving his hands in a panicked defense. ¡°N-no! I mean, yeah! She¡¯s¡­very new.¡± Ranma kept smirking at him, savoring how awkward Akio had suddenly become. Naoki had given up and was just silently finishing up his meal while Katsumi sat perfectly still with a confused look on his face.


    If there was something going on between Akio and Ranma, they weren¡¯t gonna give it up that easily. Out of the corner of her eye, she met Genma¡¯s gaze and the two nodded. Whatever their sons were hiding, they¡¯d get to the bottom of it.


    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± Determination blazed within Hana; she  would  learn the true identity of Akio¡¯s admirer.


    ¡°R¡­rrrr¡­¡± Now focusing exclusively on Akio, she could only see Ranma cock an eyebrow as he leaned back and crossed his arms. It was Genma¡¯s responsibility to watch his own son. ¡°Ri¡­ka¡­?¡± Akio couldn¡¯t even form the words without it sounding like a question. But he wasn¡¯t even finished. Hana had to quietly stare him down for almost a minute before prompting him to continue, using her most polite, dainty voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s her family name, sweetie?¡± Eyes shining innocently, curiously. She was just a mother trying to get a simple answer out of her boy, nothing nefarious or paranoid about that!


    Beads of sweat raced down Akio¡¯s cheeks, and he gulped. ¡°...S...Tsu¡­noda? She¡¯s¡­she¡¯s a second year. Her birthday was in¡­January.¡±


    Naoki coughed, which snapped Hana¡¯s attention away from Akio. His middle brother rolled his eyes and casually rested his chin on his wrist. ¡°It¡¯s  Rei  ka Tsuno  ka , brother. You really do need me to do everything for you, don¡¯t you?¡±


    That name sounded familiar to Hana. Tsunoka¡­¡±Oh, her parents run that caf¨¦ near the art museum, right?¡± Naoki nodded, unable to speak while he slurped the last dregs of his soup. Meanwhile, Ranma was clearly deriving too much fun from Akio¡¯s discomfort and grinning like an imp.


    While Hana considered her next play, Genma took over. ¡°What about you Ranma, did you meet anyone?¡± He stroked his chin, implacable face rebuffing Ranma¡¯s attempts to read his intentions.


    The boy looked between Akio and Naoki, which raised Hana¡¯s hackles again, but instead he sighed and lowered his head. ¡°No, I actually had a really bad day.¡± Hana tilted her head. Was he trying to change the subject?


    ¡°Some of it was nice, all my new friends are in home ec ¡ª  not  as fun as I thought it¡¯d be, by the way ¡ª but¡­¡± His face slumped to the table and he laced his fingers into his hair. Everyone else leaned in, curious what could be causing him so much distress. ¡°I¡¯m way behind in class, pops!¡± Hana blinked and the boy was crouched on the table, shaking Genma in distress. ¡°I¡¯m gonna do bad on that stupid placement test and have to come back as a first year in April!¡±


    Akio snickered and Ranma glared at him, but Katsumi, quiet until now, spoke up. ¡°What subjects?¡± He wondered aloud in a calm but stentorian voice. ¡°And please get off the table.¡±


    Ranma flinched but did as he was asked. ¡°Math and science, ¡®n the math stuff in home ec¡­¡±


    Katsumi nodded. ¡°I''ll tutor you. When''s the exam?¡± He didn¡¯t deliver his question like a question, he delivered it like a prompt, expecting an immediate response.


    Ranma answered without thinking. ¡°March 29, so in 16 days.¡±


    ¡°Plenty of time, assuming you were doing acceptably in those subjects during junior high.¡± His glasses flickered as he pushed them up his nose. ¡°I¡¯ll help you through your homework and study material for an hour a day after dinner, and for three hours on Sunday 15.¡± Ranma and Genma both stared at Katsumi like he¡¯d grown a second head, and Hana grinned at their astonishment. Neither had seen Katsumi like this before: confident and demanding. It frustrated her that he couldn¡¯t express himself like that more often, he¡¯d probably have a steady girlfriend by now.


    After that little outburst, Hana didn¡¯t want to delve into the boys¡¯ romantic issues at the table. So dinner moved on to less dramatically volatile topics such as upcoming festivals, her family¡¯s plans for the school break, Naoki¡¯s latest gossip, and the like. She was delighted that Mr. Saotome was able to contribute as he shared some of the stories he heard in Dr. Tofu¡¯s waiting room.


    Despite the fuss when dinner started, it felt like family dinners used to, before her husband passed.


    <hr>


    In the morning, Ranma woke up early to go on a jog. He didn¡¯t want to spar with his dad after the previous night. Their private conversation wasn¡¯t horrible or anything, but it was unpleasant. Pops told him to talk to the teachers about how he could better prepare for the placement exam, ask around about other tutors beyond Katsumi, that sort of thing.


    Ranma couldn¡¯t dwell on the discussion, however, preoccupied as he was with pops insisting on moving to his own room. When he brought that up, any negotiation was shut down instantly. ¡°You¡¯ve got to focus on your studies, not just for the next two weeks. You need a private space for that.¡±


    As he quickly got dressed in the dark, careful not to make enough noise to bother his dad, his traitorous brain acknowledged that, if he had his own room, it would be nice not to have to worry about waking anybody in the middle of the night. He wondered if Naoki would let him sleep on the floor if he got too nervous.


    When he quietly stepped into the hallway he ran into Akio exiting  his  room, also ready for a run in his t-shirt and shorts. Ranma smiled, missing that Akio was tired and jumpy. ¡°Hey! Wanna go for a jog together?¡±


    Akio nervously hesitated before answering. ¡°Uhh¡­no I don¡¯t jog on Saturdays, I¡­do strength training in the dojo.¡± He scratched the back of his neck. Ranma¡¯s excitement was tempered somewhat but he waved a hand dismissively.


    ¡°Oh, cool! I¡¯m in a joggin¡¯ mood so maybe next time, yeah?¡± He gave a quick two-finger salute before he buzzed down the stairs and out the front door. When he got back he needed to figure out what Akio¡¯s schedule was like, it¡¯d be nice to have a regular running partner.


    Almost an hour later, when he returned to the smell of breakfast, he excitedly slid into the living room to his place across from Akio. ¡°Itadakimasu!¡± he exclaimed to Mrs. Hana as he split his chopsticks and started filling his bowl.


    Suddenly Akio started shoveling natto and rice into his mouth and rocketed up. ¡°Oh! Akio, how was your workout?¡± he tried to ask before the other boy was gone, but he shouted back over his shoulder.


    ¡°It was fine!¡±


    That was oddly terse for Akio, but Ranma shrugged and started eating, savoring his food after the run.


    Ranma finally noticed Akio was acting strange when he went to take a bath. He peeled off his sweaty running clothes and stepped into the inner bath where Akio was showering. ¡°Oh! Sorry, hah.¡± He sheepishly stepped in and set down his bath supply basket. ¡°Shoulda knocked, though you¡¯re still beating me two-to-one there.¡± Over his self-satisfied giggling, he didn¡¯t notice that Akio didn¡¯t chuckle or respond in any way beyond lightly tensing up. ¡°Hey, you want me to scrub your back when I get in the furo?¡± Ranma offered.


    ¡°Uhh¡­no, I¡¯ve actually got to¡­get to school early today and talk to my¡­science teacher,¡± he spat between rivulets of water. Ranma tilted his head but nodded. That was one of the few classes they didn¡¯t have together, so he didn¡¯t know exactly what Akio¡¯s relationship with that teacher was, but it was plausible. ¡°So I¡¯m not gonna use the furo this morning.¡± And he gestured at the  full  tub, steaming and full of crystal clear water. ¡°All yours.¡± He quickly scooped up his full basket and towel and exited the room.


    It didn¡¯t feel good, realizing Akio was avoiding him. Ranma kind of understood why, he got very upset about Tatewaki yesterday, but he didn¡¯t want to lose his newest friend over it. Since he hadn¡¯t slept much he had plenty of time to think about how he¡¯d handled the duel and Akio¡¯s behavior confirmed it. Well, he wasn¡¯t gonna bother with the furo either since he was just gonna use the shower to turn back into a girl anyway. That way he¡¯d be able to catch up with Akio.


    It took even less time to get dressed, since he had the foresight to set out his clothes last night. He had a bright red sukajan with a tiger on the back, which he thought was good branding with his whole ¡°Fierce Tigress¡± moniker. Under that he wore a black, sleeveless turtleneck. It was a little tight and emphasized his boobs and curves, but he''d be wearing the jacket most of the day anyway and it still looked good in his guy form.


    His slacks were high waisted and straight cut. If they had been the proper size they would have made his hips pop and look weird with his boxers, but Naoki got him a size higher than they should have been, which had the added effect of making it easier to move,  and  if he accidentally turned back he wouldn¡¯t rip them. His shoes were the same boy-sized martial arts sandals he''d been wearing, since they didn''t make time to grab anything new.


    Unsurprisingly, neither Tendo boy was waiting for her as she sprinted out the front gate, but running at full speed she caught up to them before they''d even gotten halfway to school.


    ¡°Akio!¡± Ranma cried out as soon as she saw the tall boy. He flinched when he heard her, which twisted her stomach out of guilt; she must have really upset him. Both brothers turned and regarded her darkly.


    ¡°Hey! I, um¡­¡± Ranma skidded to a halt in front of the Tendos and froze, not because she was tired or out of breath, but because she hadn''t figured out what she was going to say. She shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot, suddenly at a loss for words, and of course they glared at her impatiently.


    ¡°Y-you, uhh, I-I¡¯m¡­¡± Why was this so difficult? She logically knew she had to apologize, knew that she''d been the one to act irrationally. Was it pride? Something else? What if he was still mad, or didn¡¯t forgive her? She hated the idea of Akio giving up on their relation¡­on their friendship so soon. If she wanted him ¡ª to stay friends! ¡ª she had to man up and apologize. Which she was going to do¡­


    She was gonna do it, for real.


    Akio scoffed and turned back around. ¡°Whatever it is I don''t have time, Ranma, I have to get to school.¡± Ranma blinked and tightened her fists as he walked away. That was fine, she was fine with that! She opened her mouth to yell at him, but Naoki held up a hand and wagged his finger back and forth and shook his head.


    Just apologize . He slowly spelled out with his lips without any sound coming through, and Ranma hung her head. She was trying, it was harder than it looked! Of course¡­was it really that important? He¡¯d probably get over it in a few days, maybe she could do something for him tomorrow on Sunday, like cook chicken curry!


    Yeah, yeah she¡¯d just let him wear himself out, like in a fight. She didn¡¯t need to leave herself vulnerable by doing something as girly as apologizing. Shaking her head, she watched him walk away until Naoki stepped right in front of her, and jabbed a finger in her forehead. A torrent of anger surged through her but before she could punish him for his impertinence he cut her off with a hiss.


    ¡°Look, I get why you¡¯re upset, normally I¡¯d be on your side about this kind of thing,¡± Ranma braced herself for whatever his point could be, but made sure to keep an open mind: Naoki- sensei  hadn¡¯t led her astray yet. ¡°But he was just trying to help and you threw it back in his face in the meanest way possible.¡± He wasn¡¯t trying to be quiet, but spoke softly enough Akio wouldn¡¯t hear.


    Ranma understood though, she just didn¡¯t need or want his help. She wasn¡¯t a little girl! She wasn¡¯t Akio¡¯s girlfriend or fianc¨¦e, not for real! She didn¡¯t  want  to feel his strong arms wrap around her when she felt bad or lonely, and she definitely didn¡¯t have a dream last night where he came into the guest room and wrapped her up when her dad was gone.


    ¡°If nothing else, listen to this,¡± Naoki switched to a different tactic, one that bypassed all of the feelings Ranma was not feeling. ¡°While you¡¯ve got his mind all twisted and frustrated he¡¯s not gonna be in top form, got it? If he¡¯s not in top form, he¡¯ll lose to Tatewaki.¡± He leaned down, emphasizing his point while their noses were millimeters apart. ¡°You may not have to honor the challenge, but you¡¯ll have to put up with Tatewaki¡¯s affections. He¡¯s just as bad as Kodachi, if not worse. Plus every other punk boy who thinks you¡¯re free game is gonna come after you.¡±


    For a very,  very  short time she considered that a good thing. Infinite fights? Getting to fight a horde every day before school like Akio did? Why would she hate that?


    None of those boys would be Akio¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­Because Kodachi would go right back to bothering him, of course! Suddenly her heart was pounding for some reason, accompanied by a sense of nausea. She couldn¡¯t let that happen, not after winning Akio¡¯s hand from her in the first place. Which wasn¡¯t her goal but it was a happy ¡ª or at least useful ¡ª side-effect.


    Ranma just had to swallow her pride and say two words. Just two, and maybe answer any questions he had as a follow-up. She could do that.


    Groaning in frustration, she rushed to get in front of Akio, threw her hands out to the side like a goalie, and practically shouted right in his face. ¡°I''m tryin¡¯ to apologize ya jerk!¡±


    His eyes went wide and he stepped back in surprise, but he didn¡¯t seem impressed by her attempt. ¡°Oh yeah? What for?¡± He slung his bag over his shoulder and put a hand on his hip, looking down his nose at her. She fumed, but wouldn¡¯t let his attitude get to her.


    ¡°Look I shouldn''t have yelled at you about Tatewaki! An¡¯...an¡¯ I ¡®preciate that you, yanno¡­¡± A bright red blush lit up her cheeks and she started fidgeting with her pigtail as she trailed off into a mumble.


    ¡°Actually I don''t know Ranma, what do you appreciate?¡± A mischievous snicker escaped his lips, and her heart fluttered when she heard his cheeky tone. Naoki failed to contain a snort of laughter in response to his brother¡¯s teasing, and Ranma took a quick peek at Akio¡¯s face through her bangs. On anyone else his grin might seem petty and arrogant, but on him it looked self-assured and playful. Her cheeks burned as she looked away again.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­appreciate th-that, you, uhhh¡­¡± Gods, she just wanted to punch his vainglorious, cocky, pretty face. She didn''t like to be played with.


    He just grinned harder as she glared at him and stepped forward, doubling her embarrassment because now she had to tilt her head up just to look him in the eye. ¡°Sorry, still not getting it.¡± His voice would be cruel if it wasn''t so playful, and she pouted.


    ¡°Thanks for stickin¡¯ up for me, you stupid, tall, muscular jerk!¡± She finally spat out, crossing her arms in a fruitless attempt to seem intimidating and defiant,  which just made him laugh .


    It wasn''t a condescending or mocking laugh, but a genuine, sincere sound that cracked Naoki and Ranma¡¯s faces into grins. ¡°So we friends or rivals again?¡± She wished she''d done this as a boy to lessen the impact of Akio¡¯s height, she felt so small compared to him  and  his brother.


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± He waved his hand coolly and casually, but immediately resumed walking without further comment. Ranma hopped up on the nearest fence and followed quietly. Despite what he said, Akio still seemed preoccupied and distant, making Ranma think something else was going on, but she''d figure that out later without risking the tenuous progress she¡¯d made.


    <hr>


    Ranma¡¯s apology helped a little, but he didn¡¯t apologize for the right thing. Akio was irritated by Ranma¡¯s reaction to the duel but it wasn¡¯t a huge deal, he understood why Ranma would be upset. The closer they got to school the more he tried to shrink himself, collapsing his shoulders, slumping forward, keeping his face as neutral and inoffensive as he could.


    He couldn¡¯t keep that up once they passed through the front gate though, as Ranma came up beside him and threaded their fingers together. Before he could adjust to that, Ranma leaned against Akio¡¯s arm and somehow matched his gait perfectly to Akio¡¯s. His face turned beet red and he snapped to attention in surprised panic.


    Everybody else assumed he was doing it for perverted reasons however, as he heard more than a few giggles erupt out of some of the girls watching them. Even  Ranma  let out a couple chuckles¡¯ worth of laughter, and responded by wrapping both his arms around Akio¡¯s forearm. That just made it worse as he felt the softer parts of her-  his  body press up against him. He couldn¡¯t throw him off without arousing suspicion, so he had to put up with it until they got to class.


    Was she intentionally making him feel awkward? Was this some sort of guilt trip? Was this a misguided attempt at cheering him up? It was probably simpler than all that: she was just acting to maintain the lie she¡¯d got them both stuck in.


    Except Ranma and Naoki were cut from the same cloth: they were deceivers. They carefully considered every word and action to best manipulate the people around them. Ranma had to know, somehow, that Akio had trouble staying mad at girls, so Ranma would act extra girly and confuse Akio¡¯s poor brain which was  already  having trouble figuring out how to handle Ranma.


    Especially Ranma, since she was gorgeous. He was self-aware enough to understand that the prettier a girl was the stupider he seemed to get around them, unless they were crazy or obsessive like Kodachi. Or at least how Kodachi used to be. But even Kodachi didn¡¯t compare to Ranma, especially with her tan and muscles.


    So he put on the best smile he could muster, knowing that Ranma was just using him out of convenience, and they separated long enough to deposit their shoes. His traitorous, foolish body questioned why what it thought was a pretty girl pressed up against it was gone even for a moment, but he willed the shivers and shudders away before any embarrassing, autonomic bodily processes could occur.


    He didn¡¯t need to bother, however, as an avalanche of envelopes poured out of his locker, colorful paper piling at his feet. As he stared, unsure what to do, he became aware that Ranma had come back and was standing next to him, gawking at the obvious pile of love letters.


    Flashbacks of Kodachi¡¯s jealous wrath whenever a new letter made its way into his locker danced through his mind, and he couldn''t help but step away from Ranma out of instinct, just in case. When he actually looked at his face, however, Ranma was grinning, holding back laughter.


    Ranma gave Akio an excited look and held up two similar looking letters, albeit with less flourish or color than the mountain around Akio''s feet.


    ¡°Love letters! I never got these in junior high,¡± Akio made sure not to point out that since he went to an all boys school letters probably weren''t very common. ¡°And today I get two and you get, like, 200! We''ve got to read these later.¡±


    Akio thought she was about to twirl and head to class without him, but she helped quickly stuff everything back in his locker so they could go together. While he appreciated the help, the fact that she wrapped his arm up again before opening the door told him it was just to keep up appearances, especially after they found all the letters.


    First period hadn''t even started and he was already tired of being toyed with.


    For the rest of the half day Ranma was mercifully less attentive than he¡¯d been that morning. Mostly that was due to his friends asking dozens of questions about his outfit. Akio felt a hint of Schadenfreude seeing Ranma sputter and blush when they brought up going to the mall.


    She turned to him for help, silently mouthing ¡°Help me!¡± He remembered how he''d flustered her yesterday, and figured he''d have a little fun at her expense.


    ¡°Ranma you know I''ll take you to the mall,¡± he began with a vicious grin. Ranma''s pleading expression morphed to betrayal and confusion as he continued. ¡°You girls would probably appreciate a big guy like me around to hold your bags.¡± Hiroko and Asami nodded excitedly. ¡°Plus a few weeks of allowance is worth buying you some cute dresses, I know you don''t have any.¡± Now Ranma was angry, so angry Akio worried he''d pushed things too far and Ranma would retaliate violently.


    Until her friends spoke up, that is. ¡°Tendo-san! That''s so sweet of you!¡± Hiroko exclaimed. Akio felt a pang of guilt that the girls mistook his jab at Ranma for a nice gesture. ¡°We could all do lunch too, get to know you guys better?¡± Her cheerful suggestion mollified Ranma, and the red in her face faded.


    ¡°Aww gee Hiroko, that''s awful nice a¡¯ ya ta suggest,¡± Ranma drawled, giving Akio an ostensibly pouty face that he knew masked irritation, ¡°but I still ain''t got any allowance, father''s only had a job for a few days ¡®n all.¡±


    Akio knew what Ranma was hinting at, and he couldn''t let either of the other girls say it first. ¡°Don''t worry Ranma, I''ve got you covered.¡± He couldn''t stop there, though, he had to reassure his fianc¨¦e that he was a good, reliable guy who could pay for her to have a good time¡­


    That is, he knew it made Ranma uncomfortable and the way she pouted when she couldn''t do anything about his teasing was cute.


    No!  He meant that they needed to keep up appearances and that meant Akio had to be proactive and go above and beyond to sell everyone on how close they were already. So he leaned over, put a gentle hand on Ranma''s shoulder, and gave him a big smile.


    ¡°You won''t have to worry about anything while you''ve got me.¡± His words were soft but firm, spoken with a conviction he didn''t know he was capable of expressing. Maybe it really was his year to play Romeo.


    Hiroko and Asami squealed, which drew stares from their other classmates, but Akio was looking into Ranma¡¯s eyes as they widened while her pupils shrank. He saw a tiny gasp slide out from her lips and her cheeks turn bright red as her mouth tried to form a smile.


    For a moment, he felt good, he''d clearly excited his girlfriend and impressed her friends. Then he remembered that she wasn''t even a girl, and he was just pretending to be smitten. It bothered Akio how easy it was for Ranma when it was so difficult for him.


    ¡°Th-thanks Akio¡­¡± he mumbled as crocodile tears formed in the corners of his eyes.


    Finally the bell rang and their final class of the day began. The time passed in awkward silence until Akio detected motion from Ranma¡¯s seat. He was taking off his sukajan and¡­and¡­


    None of the things Akio hated about his own shoulders could be seen on Ranma¡¯s. The sleeveless turtleneck she wore highlighted them, so even though he''d (accidentally) seen her naked they were never the  focus , and from the angle and cut of her top he could clearly see her back muscles when she slouched forward to take notes.


    Whereas his shoulders were ungainly and wide, hers were lithe and graceful. Each movement was deliberate and measured, even the tiny twitches that accompanied the scribbling of her pencil.


    Time stopped for him as he stared, everything else completely forgotten. Her arms weren''t any less covered than they were by the sleeveless tangzhuang she wore yesterday, why was he so enraptured by them today?


    Sculpted. That was the perfect description for her flawlessly smooth form. He needed to run his hands over her, savor the feeling of each curve under his fingers. Occasionally, when they were both in the furo, he''d grip Ranma''s shoulder or arm while scrubbing his back, and despite it being impossible he couldn''t help but imagine how  she  would feel, slick with hot, soapy water, pressed up against him, as he wrapped his arms around¡ª


    ¡°Mr. Tendo!¡± The teacher yelled. Akio jumped as he was ripped out of his lurid fantasy, prompting a chorus of giggling from his classmates. ¡°I''m sorry if I''ve interrupted naptime, but you''re needed in the hall with two buckets of water.¡±


    Walking gingerly so as not to call attention to his pants, he mumbled his apologies and spent the next few minutes just trying to get his heart rate to calm down. Even though thinking about her is what got him into this situation, all he could think was how embarrassing it was for Ranma to catch him staring, drooling according to the dampness on his chin, face probably as red as her favorite shirt.


    And Ranma was a straight guy, so far as Akio was aware, he knew what Akio was thinking, he was probably grossed out, and Akio wouldn''t be surprised if he didn''t want anything more to do with him, maybe even cancel their false engagement.


    Akio wouldn''t blame him.


    By some miracle, however, Ranma strolled around the corner coming toward class, humming without a care in the world. A single eyebrow went up with a mischievous grin when she saw him. ¡°What''d you do, boy scout?¡±


    How out of it was Akio that he hadn''t even noticed her get up and leave the classroom? Keeping his cool, he played it cool. ¡°Got bored, dozed off. Ready for the weekend.¡±


    Ranma nodded and casually leaned back against Akio¡¯s stomach, looking straight up to maintain eye contact. This wasn''t part of a bit, nobody else was in the hallway, so Akio was immediately confused. ¡°Ugh, I know. Can you believe I was excited to come back to school? I miss the wilds of China already.¡±


    Something was wrong with this situation. ¡°Where were you?¡± Akio wondered aloud, and Ranma snorted a single chuckle.


    ¡°Bathroom, where else do you go in the middle of class?¡± He answered matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Do you use¡ª!¡± Calm, not too loud, Ranma was probably doing something wrong but he couldn''t shout right outside class. ¡°You''re not going in the girls¡¯, right?¡±


    Ranma glowered and used his elbows to push himself away from Akio, making him wheeze in sudden pain. ¡°Of course I am, jerk, I''m not gonna go into the boys¡¯ like this.¡± He jabbed an accusatory finger in Akio''s face. ¡°I''m just there to use the restroom. And it''s not as glamorous as you think it is in there anyway, pervert.¡±


    And with that, Akio was once again alone in the hall, save for two full buckets and a bruised ego.


    <hr>


    All day Ranma had tried to be nice to Akio, just for the taller boy to throw everything back in her face. The worst part was that Ranma knew it was her fault, at least a little bit. Maybe Naoki knew why his younger brother was still upset.


    She didn''t want to ask while the three of them walked home though, so it was a tense, awkward journey despite the pleasant spring weather. Naoki didn''t comment on it at least, though he did occasionally glance from Ranma, balancing on fences whenever available, and Akio with an eyebrow raised.


    ¡°We''re home!¡± The middle Tendo son called out as they piled into the genkan.


    ¡°In the living room!¡± Called Mrs. Hana, in a cheerful but commanding fashion. Ranma felt a cold shiver down her spine, and felt a burst of dread, but the sensation passed and she shrugged it off.


    Pops was home, and the two of them were playing shogi. It was nice, Ranma realized, watching his dad just hang out with his friend. Once he changed back into his guy form, he planned on doing just that.


    ¡°How was school today?¡± Mrs. Hana asked, not specifying which boy she was asking. Something set off that sense of danger again, and the hairs on the back of Ranma¡¯s neck stood up. He scanned the room with all his senses as Naoki spoke first.


    ¡°A welcome reprieve after the  drama  of the week,¡± he said with exaggerated exasperation. ¡°I only had five people ask me about Ranma today. By the end of next week I''m hoping it''ll just be one or two a day.¡± His glare contained the barest hint of a grin, reassuring Ranma he wasn''t serious.


    Unlike whatever had him on edge. The midday shadows seemed darker, more twisted, he couldn''t pinpoint the source of dread ki. Akio was saying something, but Ranma had stopped listening and was wholly focused elsewhere. Was he the only one who noticed?


    ¡°Pops, do you feel¡­that¡­?¡± Pops wasn''t cheating. As soon as the boys came in not a single piece moved on the board, and Genma was focused on  them , not the game. Worse, he was scrutinizing Ranma and Akio particularly closely. As soon as Ranma called it out, the parents looked at each other.


    Dread gave way to an icy chill. Even the Tendo boys could feel something was wrong. Ranma knew only one thing could make them act like this, and without realizing it he moved closer to Akio.


    ¡°So,¡± Mrs. Hana began with unnerving calm. ¡°When¡¯s the wedding?¡±

 Mid-Season Rewrites

    Akio, Ranma, and Naoki sat across the table from Mrs. Hana and Genma. Ranma sat ramrod straight, hands on his thighs, hiding his guilt and shame behind a steel curtain of composure. His sukajan lay on the floor behind him, in a pile with Akio and Naoki¡¯s jackets and school bags. He wasn¡¯t allowed time to change ¡ª and while he was grateful he didn¡¯t sweat as much in spring form ¡ª it aggravated his embarrassment.


    Ranma almost squirmed under Genma¡¯s critical gaze. In his eyes, Pops was the absolute pinnacle of masculinity ¡ª not that he¡¯d ever admit that to his father¡¯s face ¡ª and every second he was perceived it felt like he was transgressing against every ideal he was expected to embody. Maybe ¡°allowing¡± Ranma to attend school as a girl was actually a test, a test that Ranma failed when he chose to avoid his fears and hide behind a girly facade.


    The other boys were little comfort. Akio was a fidgety mess, constantly shifting, scratching the back of his neck, failing to quietly clear his throat; Ranma heard every attempt Akio made to swallow the imaginary blockage obstructing his breathing.


    Naoki was the opposite, acting entirely unbothered even when faced with the anger of their parents. A crinkling, metallic sound grated on Ranma¡¯s eardrums as Naoki absent-mindedly struggled to open a bag of crunchy chocolate snacks. Whatever relief Ranma felt when the boy successfully opened the bag evaporated as he continued crinkling the bag with each snack.


    ¡°Yesterday I was very excited to learn about Tsunoka-chan,¡± began Mrs. Hana in the same voice one might gossip, ¡°this morning I gave her mother a call. Now I understand high school girls don¡¯t always tell their mothers everything ¡ª indeed, high schoolers rarely tell their parents everything,¡± her accusatory glare wasn¡¯t lost on Ranma, ¡°but I wanted to see what her mother did know. For some reason, she congratulated me! I, of course, had no idea what she was congratulating me for. Imagine my surprise when she said, ¡®For Akio-kun¡¯s omiai of course!¡¯¡±


    Fear bored a hole into Ranma¡¯s belly as Mrs. Hana escalated from calm scolding to almost shouting. The house matriarch took an enormous swig of water and straightened the creases out of her already immaculately-pressed skirt to recompose herself.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get too many details from Mrs. Tsunoka, she heard everything from her daughter. Who isn¡¯t even a martial artist!¡± The betrayal in her voice was particularly pointed, and would have been funny were the situation not so dire. Ranma felt awful: Mrs. Hana had been nothing short of amazing to him and his dad since they¡¯d arrived.


    Pops was staying quiet, but Ranma saw the signs of hurt on his face as well: red, puffy eyes hidden behind his thick glasses, deliberate, slow breaths, the fact that he never stopped staring directly at Ranma. Truly, the younger Saotome felt ready to throw himself out on the street in shame.


    ¡°That was bad enough, having to hear news like that from another parent: I almost looked like a fool or a bad mother who can¡¯t maintain order in her own home.¡± She drained another glass of water, which Genma refilled immediately. ¡°I surreptitiously managed to find out who I supposedly arranged to marry my youngest son. Before either of his brothers, which you better believe Mrs. Tsunoka brought up.¡± Now her gaze finally shifted to Ranma, and he had to fight the urge to flee.


    ¡°None other than the ¡®daughter¡¯ of my new friend Mr. Genma Saotome: Ranma Saotome.¡± She pursed her lips and took a sideways, icy glance at Naoki, still munching away. ¡°Well, after a phone call like that let¡¯s just say I was¡­curious about how that all happened. Mr. Saotome was good enough to come home and discuss matters, and we¡¯ve decided to give you a chance to explain what she got wrong,¡± Mrs. Hana dramatically paused to take a deep breath and Ranma¡¯s heart froze, ¡°but more importantly, what she got right.¡±


    Nobody said a word, but Akio and Ranma both looked at Naoki, who didn¡¯t bother to put his snacks down. ¡°It was my fault, and I¡¯ve apologized to them,¡± Naoki threw a flippant gesture at Ranma, completely dismissing the severity of the situation. ¡°On Monday, after Ranma gave Kodachi a well-deserved clobbering, I may have¡­made a stupid mistake.¡± At least he had the decency to look ashamed. Ranma crossed his arms under his breasts and allowed his irritation to show through a gap in his steely concentration.


    ¡°She came up to me at lunch and started asking questions about Ranma,¡± he unconsciously tugged at his collar while he told his story, nerves finally cracking through his icy resolve, ¡°As payback for all the stuff she¡¯s done to Akio I thought if I told her about the promise Dad and Mr. Saotome made¡­¡± he trailed off, shrinking from the waves of disapproval emanating from each parent.


    ¡°No, no, please continue.¡± There was a ferocity in Mrs. Hana¡¯s voice that Ranma recognized from the few times Pops got really angry. He was starting to think maybe they were overreacting to the whole situation, but when he looked at Genma he saw¡­tears? Not from his dad, surely, real men didn¡¯t cry, he¡¯d never seen the man cry.


    They just flowed silently down his cheeks as the rest of his face remained impassive until he noticed Ranma¡¯s bewildered stare. He didn¡¯t react with shame or surprise, just gently shook his head and subtly raised a finger. It was a casual gesture that Ranma knew meant to be patient and stay calm, and despite Mrs. Hana¡¯s anger and Pops¡¯s¡­tears, maybe they weren¡¯t in as big of trouble as it seemed.


    ¡°...And, well, Kodachi just had to yell it in front of the whole student body.¡± Naoki finished summing up his and Kodachi¡¯s part of the story. To Ranma¡¯s relief, Mrs. Hana nodded sympathetically.


    ¡°Sweetie¡­given Kodachi¡¯s questionable ability to keep a secret, why did you think that was a good idea?¡± Naoki¡¯s brow furrowed, reminding Ranma of what he¡¯d said a few days ago. Ranma knew the feeling, it¡¯s how he felt whenever he remembered the guys in junior high who¡¯d made his life hell.


    ¡°I get it.¡± Ranma offered. ¡°When someone¡¯s taken somethin¡¯ from ya, or hurt someone important, ya just gotta¡­hurt ¡®em whenever ya see an openin¡¯, right?¡± Naoki sniffed and nodded.


    ¡°That was shortsighted and irresponsible.¡± Hana''s words were harsh but her voice was soft and understanding. Ranma had no idea what that meant or what to expect, but Naoki gave his mother an apologetic smirk. ¡°Well, what about you two, then?¡±


    Now Ranma and Akio were in the spotlight. Ranma was ready to take responsibility: he was the one who accepted Kodachi¡¯s condition, he was the one who pushed the hardest to keep the act going. Akio wouldn''t even let him have that though.


    ¡°I''m sorry mom, Mr. Saotome,¡± Akio bowed before Ranma could open his mouth. ¡°I asked Ranma to go along with it so that Kodachi would stop bothering¡ª¡± In a flurry of motion, Ranma rose to his feet and shouted at the youngest Tendo.


    ¡°No! I ain''t gonna let you take this from me too!¡± His outburst caused every set of eyes except for Akio¡¯s to go wide. His fake fianc¨¦ stood up and glowered back at Ranma, anger writ across his features.


    ¡°I''m not taking anything! You admitted that I''m getting the better end of the deal.¡± Their faces were, once again, mere centimeters apart and their gazes bored into each other''s eyes. If Ranma were less angry he would have noticed and reacted to the heat of Akio''s breath against his lips, but he was too angry to notice little details like that, or how pretty Akio¡¯s eyelashes were, or the now-familiar scent of his soap. ¡°You even asked me about it and I remember I said ¡®it makes my life way easier¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t make this your fault though!¡± Ranma countered, unwilling to let Akio take the blame for going along with Ranma¡¯s stupid impulses. ¡°It also makes my life easier! I only got two love letters today, you got hundreds! My friends get ¡®em all the time when they''re single, that''d¡¯ve been me.¡±


    ¡°You still have to deal with Tatewaki, and you had to fight the Horde yesterday.¡± Akio crossed his arms and leaned back, looking down at Ranma like he¡¯d just won the fight or something.


    ¡°Or I would have if you didn''t interrupt!¡± She thrust a finger in his face, reminding him exactly how the morning went. ¡°I had to knock you away so I could focus on them. You even grabbed me. And I couldn''t fight Tatewaki because you ran in like a wannabe Prince Charming and stole my fight!¡±


    Words sputtered out of his mouth in defiance of her ironclad logic, so desperate he was to be right. ¡°You froze when he gave you a bouquet like some kinda smitten princess. I had to do something!¡±


    ¡°No you didn''t! I''m gonna have to learn t¡¯deal with that kinda crap on my own,¡± she stepped back and gestured to her body, emphasizing her curves. ¡°Have you seen me? Doesn¡¯t matter which form I''m in neither, I¡¯d be fightin¡¯ kids off no matter how I went to school.¡±


    Akio was rendered speechless, and Ranma cocked her hips and grinned. ¡°An¡¯ don''t think I didn''t see ya staring at these in class.¡± Muscles popped as she flexed her arms, and Akio turned a deep red and mumbled something about not noticing.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Genma''s bark shook the house, bringing the arguing couple back to reality. Ranma turned red as she just remembered they had an audience. Naoki watched with an amused smirk and Mrs. Hana had a weird, far-off look like she saw straight through Ranma and Akio and was deep in thought.


    ¡°Well Tendo, they¡¯re already a perfect couple,¡± Genma let out a sigh. Mrs. Hana laughed nervously and downed another glass of water to hide the furious blush that colored her cheeks.


    Ranma, however, didn¡¯t think it was funny at all. It wasn¡¯t fun pretending to be engaged, especially not to a guy, and definitely not to Akio, who towered over Ranma, had a wingspan like Bruce Lee, was skilled enough to give him a proper fight, and kept trying to keep him safe even from stuff he was perfectly capable of handling. Having Akio around made Ranma feel like a girl.


    ¡­


    Which was awful for a manly guy like Ranma.


    ¡°We are not!¡± Both of them protested.


    ¡°Great. Sit back down.¡± His tone brooked no argument, and the teens begrudgingly complied. ¡°Understand what¡¯s at stake here: you and your families¡¯ reputations. Arranged marriages are a huge deal, especially as they become less and less common. Two decades ago, when Soun and I made that vow? They were the norm.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Mrs. Hana cut in. ¡°Akio, Naoki, your father and I were the scandalous ones for marrying without involving our parents until after we got engaged.¡±


    ¡°Same with your mother and me,¡± Genma continued. ¡°But because the three of you didn¡¯t think this through we¡¯re all going to be the center of gossip. And with a family as well-regarded as the Tendos?¡± He spread his arms to indicate the large, comfortable, traditional home in which they were having their discussion. ¡°Good attention can sour quickly. You and I are in even greater risk, boy.¡± It took all of Ranma¡¯s willpower not to snicker when his pops said that, given his current form and the topic of conversation. Naoki had no such qualms and freely chuckled before a harsh glance from his mother shut him up.


    ¡°The Saotomes have no status, no family wealth, and if I¡¯ve cultivated a reputation I don¡¯t want it getting out.¡± There was no shame in his words, just confidence born of experience. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    Ranma understood too well. He understood that he was a fool, that he should have stopped, told Kodachi the truth, and refused to fight her until she acknowledged it. He should have just gone to school as a boy. Being a girl was making his life more and more complicated every day, he wished things could just be simple.


    He stared at his lap and heard himself mumble an affirmative as he began to spiral. If something as mundane as an engagement could cause all this trouble, the only option would have been to keep his curse secret. When it got out, the gossip and rumors would have been a nightmare. Worse, when his male classmates found out about it, they¡¯d try to trigger his curse in the showers as much as possible. That¡¯d be a new level of harassment from what he had to put up with in junior high.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve announced it, the smartest thing to do is follow through with it.¡± Ranma snapped out of his reverie and stared at Mrs. Hana in wide-eyed panic along with her sons. She wasn¡¯t suggesting they actually get married just to satisfy some sort of old-fashioned sense of propriety, was she? That couldn¡¯t even work since Ranma wasn¡¯t legally a girl!


    ¡°What?¡± All three shrieked in utter confusion, and she had to wave her hands in front of her defensively.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡± she insisted while laughing. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that, of course! I meant we can¡¯t just deny it now that it¡¯s out, so we need a plausible reason to cancel¡ª¡±


    Once again Ranma and Akio jumped to their feet and in unison cried out, ¡°No!¡± The sudden intensity knocked Naoki on his back, scattering the last of his snacks.


    Both parents regarded them curiously. Ranma sat back down and averted his eyes, hoping he could keep his embarrassment from showing. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s just¡­it¡¯s working.¡± A sudden reassuring warmth ironically sent shivers down his spine as Akio gently squeezed his shoulder. He wasn¡¯t prepared for just how good the sensation of bare skin on skin felt, the surprise causing him to sharply inhale. Fortunately, the sound was covered by Akio¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s¡­weird, but neither of us expected we¡¯d have a normal high school experience.¡± Akio sounded just as embarrassed as Ranma, which made her simultaneously relieved and irritated by his obvious lack of interest. But she hoped he didn¡¯t move his hand: it felt like she was treading water and it was the only thing keeping her from drowning.


    Mrs. Hana and Genma looked at each other, Mrs. Hana with wide eyes and a raised eyebrow, pops with his usual stoic expression. Ranma needed to clarify, needed them to understand that this was her best shot at normalcy. ¡°My friends get a lot of love letters every day, it sounds exhausting.¡± Moving her shoulders as little as possible, hoping he wouldn¡¯t let go, she indicated Akio. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna fight every guy every day just to get to school, that¡¯d get boring real fast. I only had to worry about it yesterday because Tatewaki showed up.


    ¡°And like I said earlier, I only got two letters in my locker,¡± Akio took his hand back and she had to quash the sudden sense of cold where it¡¯d been. ¡°I¡¯m so cute I thought I¡¯d get a bunch like Akio. You should see his pile, it¡¯s huge.¡± The giggle escaped her lips before she could stop it. ¡°We were gonna laugh at ¡®em later.¡±


    ¡°And Kodachi hasn''t bothered me since the fight,¡± Akio jumped in. ¡°Except for right after, in the office. She threatened to come after me if I hurt you.¡± His nervous chuckle and the image of Kodachi intimidating her fake fianc¨¦ on her behalf made her giggle and snort as she slapped his thigh.


    ¡°Hah! Yeah, she''s already invited me to the girls'' hockey team,¡± Ranma missed Hana and Akio¡¯s blushes at her casual contact as she addressed Genma. ¡°You''re right pops, she prob¡¯ly woulda gone for me if I went as a boy.¡±


    Genma scratched his chin and let out a pensive grumble. Mrs. Hana eyed the empty pitcher and drummed her fingers on the table.


    ¡°Well, after everything we''ve said,¡± the Tendo matriarch began carefully, ¡°you''re both sure you want to go through with this?¡± Even with their pleas, Ranma wasn''t sure either parent would¡ªcould support them. Especially not Mrs. Hana, who had way more to lose than him and Pops.


    Ranma turned to Akio to gauge how he felt, and ended up staring into the other boy¡¯s big, brown eyes once again. What originally seemed to be a simple solution to a problem ended up altering the dynamic of the whole household and potentially the social health of two families.


    Honestly their fake engagement was starting to be just as much trouble as a real one.


    But the alternative, figuring out how to be a girl while also completely undefended from every two-bit punk who wanted to date Ranma, wasn''t feasible. Maybe it was selfish but he liked having that excuse to keep Akio around.


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Tendo.¡± After what felt like hours, Ranma respectfully lowered his head to answer.


    He felt Akio shift and stammer out a hesitant, ¡°Y-yeah, me too, mom.¡± Ranma didn¡¯t realize how anxious he was about Akio''s response, but a set of muscles just under the base of his neck relaxed.


    Naoki, ever the gremlin, snickered. ¡°So, when''s the wedding?¡±


    Ranma, Akio, and Mrs. Hana shot him a glare, but Genma let out a floor-shaking belly laugh. ¡°Boy, truly you have mastered the heart of Anything Goes!¡± Tilting his head, Ranma was confused. What did what he was doing have to do with the Art?


    ¡°Remind me to tell you about some of the scams I pulled off with Soun! Your curse gives you the edge, but he knew how to style that hair of his just right¡­hah hah hah!¡± With that, all the tension evaporated, but Ranma didn''t know how to react. Who was this man?


    ¡°Uh¡­sure, Pops. Can I go change now?¡± He needed a break and a chance to clean himself off. Getting grilled by his dad and fake fianc¨¦¡¯s mom was way more stressful than any fight.


    ¡°Mr. Saotome and I will have some conditions for the two of you,¡± Mrs. Hana announced like a teacher about to dismiss class, ¡°we¡¯ll talk about that later. But yes, you all may go. Ranma?¡± He flinched at the sound of his name. ¡°If you want to help, I''m going to start working on dinner around 4:00.¡± With a nod she got up and followed her sons out.


    After everything, despite the risks¡­This was okay? What he, and now Akio, was doing was acceptable? Nobody called Ranma a pervert, nobody called him girly, nobody said what he was doing was wrong or weird or anything like that. They just told him the risks and let him decide if they were worth it.


    A hand shook his shoulder, drawing his attention away from his navel. It was his father with a wide grin. ¡°C¡¯mon, boy, got somethin'' to show ya.¡±


    <hr>


    Ranma was probably the best martial artist Akio had ever met. It stood to reason that his master, Mr. Saotome, was also an exceptional martial artist.


    Logically understanding that and seeing Genma in action, however, were two different things. Genma had a powerful core, long limbs and a heavy build¡­ and yet, he fought almost exactly like his son. It was clear who taught Ranma how to dodge.


    Given Ranma¡¯s ability to avoid Akio¡¯s grapples, he suspected Genma was a proficient grappler, but there was no way to test the theory since they were training for a fencing match and both of them were avoiding grabs.


    Why Genma was the only one allowed a weapon was beyond Akio.


    ¡°Does it make sense to learn how to fence without a sword, Mr. Saotome?¡± Akio complained, getting tired of the lunges, stretches, extensions, and perfectly straight strikes they¡¯d been working on while his teacher retreated and snapped Akio¡¯s arms away with a short length of flexible wood.


    ¡°Footwork is the most important element of a proper duel,¡± Genma intoned, flourishing his improvised foil, slapping Akio¡¯s leg away, and following up with a lunge directly into his chest. ¡°Once I¡¯m satisfied you can keep your body under you as you advance and retreat we¡¯ll move on to the attack.¡±


    ¡°Just jump over ¡®em and smack ¡®em on the back.¡± Ranma groaned from the corner of the dojo where he was sulking while doing homework. Akio yelped in surprise and Genma capitalized on the distraction by whipping the boy¡¯s ankles in quick succession, then driving forward with enough force to send Akio¡¯s butt to the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever let your guard down!¡± Mr. Saotome barked. ¡°Fifteen hanging sit ups, then get some water and we start again.¡±


    Akio groaned and leapt up to the ceiling. Now he understood why Ranma was always climbing around like a monkey. How did the kid survive training like this for 16 years? ¡°When did you even get here, Ranma?¡± He made no effort to hide the annoyance in his voice and the other boy rolled his cerulean eyes.


    ¡°I dunno, five minutes?¡± He returned to his work without further comment. Akio grumbled while he watched the pigtailed boy pore over worksheets and textbooks, leaning back and glaring at the papers in his lap like he could make them combust.


    Mr. Saotome analyzed Akio¡¯s sit up technique just as seriously as his stances and attacks: any time Akio did something wrong Mr. Saotome would wait until the 14th rep to correct him and make him start over, which left him with little opportunity to chat. He was being much harder on Akio today. Had Ranma actually been a girl, Akio would have assumed Mr. Saotome was giving him a hard time for hiding their engagement. He¡­wouldn¡¯t actually do that to Akio though, right?


    As he collapsed to the ground, abs burning and gi drenched with sweat, he didn''t think there could be any other explanation.


    ¡°Good, now you know how to do a sit up.¡± Mr. Saotome sounded unimpressed, and Ranma snickered. Akio took as deep a breath as he could and tried to ignore it. Ranma was just mad because his dad forced him to¡­take a free room? Whatever, Ranma was a scaredy cat who couldn''t sleep without his daddy, there was nothing he could do that could embarrass Akio.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, that''s enough of a break. Get some water and let''s continue.¡± Genma took his position on the other side of the dojo, and that''s when Akio lost his cool.


    ¡°Hold on a minute!¡± He shouted, still laying on the ground. ¡°You don''t run Ranma this hard, I can barely move.¡± This had to be some kind of test to see how much nonsense Akio would put up with, nobody actually trained this vigorously.


    ¡°Ranma!¡± The commanding bark had the younger Saotome on his feet with his hands behind his back. He gave Akio a smug grin. ¡°Gimme 150 squats, then we show your future husband how to train.¡±


    That earned Genma a sour look from Ranma but Akio chuckled. At least if Mr. Saotome was mad he was mad at both of them. Regardless, Ranma immediately complied while his dad walked over to the water and¡­started taking off his gi? Akio wasn''t sure what the plan was until the man splashed himself.


    Ranma also seemed confused, though he didn¡¯t stop. ¡°We gonna spar while you''re a panda, pops?¡± The man couldn''t respond of course, but he leapt up on to Ranma''s back and balanced on one foot. All that seemed to do was annoy his son. ¡°Oh, hah hah, I get it.¡± His pace didn''t slow at all and soon he and his father, still in panda form, faced each other. Ranma was unarmed, Genma upgraded from a switch to a shinai.


    There wasn''t a specific moment when everything clicked for Ranma and he started winning. It took a lot of tries, each failure rewarded with a sharp jab or stinging swipe. Almost the entire time, Ranma stayed low: knees bent, legs spread wide, back straight, not at all like his usual light-footed freeform stance. Yet he glided across the floor smoothly with tiny, swift steps.


    Akio knew Genma wasn¡¯t holding back, but Ranma was either inured to pain or bull-headed enough to power through it without complaint. He never shut his mouth either, even after multiple bruises started to appear, he just kept yapping and sniping at his father, seemingly always in good humor.


    After a handful of failed attempts, Akio recognized Ranma¡¯s tactic, or lack thereof: he never approached the same way twice. Sometimes he¡¯d feint, sometimes he¡¯d bait a strike, once he even tried to jump. He scored his first hit sometime after the 20th attempt, and Akio let out a quick cheer on instinct.


    From there his wins came more frequently until Genma chuffed at the two to stop. Both of them were panting, Ranma was so drenched in sweat Akio was surprised he didn¡¯t transform. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed that almost an hour had passed as the two sparred.


    Despite his labored breathing, Ranma was ecstatic. ¡°Woo! Saotome training, that¡¯s right!¡± Hell, forget ecstatic, he was practically bouncing off the walls. Akio was impressed despite himself, especially when Ranma gave Akio an enormous, brilliant smile that caught the early afternoon light just right and his heart fluttered.


    ¡°Ranma, how¡­¡± Akio uttered breathlessly. But he had to hold strong. Just because Ranma was amazing and adorable when he got all happy and was glistening didn''t mean he could lose his head. He had his pride to consider after all. ¡°...How are your legs not a puddle of jelly?¡±


    ¡°Sao. To. Me. Training.¡± Ranma repeated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mr. Saotome barked in agreement as he stretched, which provided Akio with a much needed distraction. Ranma¡¯s dad didn¡¯t spend a lot of time in his cursed form if he could help it, so Akio was unaccustomed to the sight of a panda in Crescent Moon Pose.


    ¡°Y¡¯know pops, this almost makes up for what you did to the bedroom.¡± Even in the throes of a post-workout high, Ranma avoided saying ¡°my¡± bedroom. ¡°You run Akio this hard maybe he¡¯ll make for a real challenge someday.¡±


    Akio wanted to be angry, irritated, or at least annoyed, but Ranma gave Akio a wink and a hearty, wet slap on the arm, which left him too distracted to register Ranma¡¯s insult. ¡°H-hey I¡¯m at least a challenge already,¡± Akio whined, but his stutter undermined whatever point he was trying to make. ¡°I¡¯ve won a couple of our fights.¡±


    Ranma hated losing, and that meant he found ways to explain away his losses. So it surprised Akio when Ranma tilted his head in thought, but eagerly nodded. ¡°Huh, you¡¯re right! I got you figured out though, so keep gettin¡¯ better or I¡¯ll get bored.¡±


    With that, he pivoted and marched toward the house, throwing his dad and Akio a V as he shouted over his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna help Mrs. Tendo like this, and y¡¯all make sure you¡¯re clean before dinner so she doesn¡¯t get mad!¡±


    Once he was certain Ranma wasn¡¯t paying attention, Akio let himself grin. His fake fianc¨¦e got so cute whenever Akio¡¯s mom was involved, even when he acted like a gremlin. And Akio knew Ranma would be just as mad if they came to dinner covered in dried sweat. Ranma would probably make a really great mom someday, as seriously as she took dinner. She¡¯d probably be great with the kid¡ª


    A shinai slammed into his temple and knocked him ass over teakettle, completely derailing his train of thought. ¡°Huh-wha?¡± was the only semi-intelligible noise he could make as Mr. Saotome poked him in the abs, still sore from the earlier workout.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever let your guard down!¡± When did he turn back to human? Where did he get the hot water? Why was he upside-down? ¡°That¡¯s 20 hanging sit ups, and you better do ¡®em right.¡± Akio groaned.


    <hr>


    Hana strode into her kitchen full of purpose and almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Ranma, pink-haired, wearing red flannel and blue jeans under Naoki''s¡­well, really now his apron, he''d already worn it more than her middle child.


    Much like yesterday he snapped to attention when she walked in but she could tell he was nervous. He was helpful but she didn¡¯t need an assistant who was going to make food prep awkward.


    ¡°I''ll be honest, I didn''t expect you to be here tonight.¡± Hana started tying her own apron and pulling food out of the fridge. She wanted to do something hardy and filling after the emotional whirlwind of the day, but she had something special planned for tomorrow and didn''t want something heavy two days in a row.


    ¡°Well, I promised, yanno, and Saotomes aren''t freeloaders.¡± He was practically mumbling while he stared at his feet, the poor boy. Hana had to take care of the problem now.


    ¡°Ranma, look at me when I''m speaking to you.¡± Gentle yet unquestionable, Hana''s words took hold of Ranma and drew his attention to her. All he saw was her smiling face and comforting brown eyes. ¡°I''m upset that you and my son hid a very big, potentially troublesome decision from me. My boys have upset me before, and I''ve made my share of bad decisions too. We solve our issues in this household by talking to each other, apologizing, and helping. We still love each other, we forgive, and we move on.¡±


    She gave the boy a few moments to digest her words. Genma Saotome was, as far as she could tell, a good father, but he and Ranma probably never spoke as openly with each other as Hana was to Ranma now. That worked, perhaps, when it was just the two of them, but if they were going to live in her house they needed to learn to communicate.


    ¡°Guess Akio hasn¡¯t learned that yet¡­¡± Hana barely heard the mumble, but she was a veteran mother of teens and had a keen sense for mumbling, muttering, and under-the-breath subvocalizing. Since it concerned her baby boy, she couldn¡¯t let it stand.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± She didn¡¯t snap, but she did add a scolding edge to her voice that immediately got the boy¡¯s attention. ¡°What do you mean by that, Ranma? Have you and Akio been fighting again?¡±


    Ranma froze and blushed. Hana felt the familiar stirring of her inner matchmaker, but she was ready. When she heard about the fake engagement she was so shocked it reset her, allowing her to think clearly about the situation and construct a barrier to rebuff fantasies about grandchildren or daughters-in-law or anything like that, especially with regard to Ranma.


    The tiny, pink-haired boy sighed before rambling, opening the dam of feelings he¡¯d built up. ¡°I think Akio''s mad at me and I don''t know why. I said sorry for bein'' upset about the Tatewaki thing an¡¯ he said okay but he''s been weird about it all day, an¡¯ then he teased me in front of our friends even though I know we''re s¡¯posed to put on a good show to keep the other kids offa our backs but he went too far and embarrassed me.¡± Ranma said basically the entire thing in a single breath. Her vulnerability, the slight tremble in her voice, the deepening blush on her cheeks, and the fact that she was worried about Akio demolished Hana¡¯s mental barriers almost immediately.


    Maybe a spring wedding, with sakura petals? Or would her hair disappear? Maybe a winter wedding, I think Soun¡¯s sister still has that cottage in Myoko, that''d look lovely. Wait¡­dammit Hana, we practiced this!


    She shook her head and put an arm around Ranma''s delicate but firm shoulders and shut away the thoughts about switching to a Western style wedding so she could wear a sleeveless dress because there isn''t going to be a wedding Hana get a grip godsd¡ª


    ¡°It''s possible he''s just taking his time getting over it,¡± she reassured Ranma, ¡°but if you''re worried he''s not telling you something you just have to ask. If he gets defensive or avoids the question don¡¯t push him and feel free to ask me about it. Is there anything about that day you might have overlooked?¡±


    Ranma shook her-her-his head. ¡°Naw, I remember sayin¡¯ some mean things about how he handled Tatewaki but if I said somethin¡¯ I don''t remember what it was.¡±


    She just had to remember that Ranma was a sweet boy who had trouble expressing and discussing his emotions. He probably hadn''t formed many friendships with other boys being on the road most of his life and she''d need to be patient and give him guidance and support.


    ¡°Well, I''m sorry I can''t be more help, but the fact that you noticed and care means an awful lot to me sweetie.¡± Hana tilted Ranma''s face up and beamed. ¡°If he keeps making you uncomfortable just let me know, okay?¡± Ranma nodded and a slight grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. ¡°Why don''t you tell me about how your schoolwork¡¯s going while you get some wood ear mushrooms ready to soak?¡±


    Her sous chef was much more pleasant after their chat. Ranma shared his revelations about how girls experienced the world, most of which Hana was familiar with, though 1987 was a very different time than the early ¡®60s. Hana filled in some of the context Ranma was missing since she often spoke with the parents of his and Akio''s classmates.


    ¡°Oh, I never asked: how was P.E. yesterday?¡± Hana wanted to make sure Ranma was comfortable and not drawing too much attention to himself.


    ¡°P.E. was P.E., doesn''t matter if you''re a girl or a boy,¡± he shrugged. ¡°But if you mean how did I handle the locker room, I did okay. Showers have their own stalls so I didn''t need to dodge blasts of hot water or stare at my toes.¡±


    He suddenly got quiet and looked away, scratching his jawline. That was his tell when there was something else on his mind but didn¡¯t want to mention it.


    ¡°Go on.¡± She offered, earning her a startled, wide-eyed Ranma looking at her like she was a witch. Laughing, she continued. ¡°No, I can''t read your mind, but I can tell when a kid has more to say.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, uh¡­¡± Whatever it was must be embarrassing, given the blush on his cheeks and his awkward stance. ¡°The other¡­the girls sure didn¡¯t mind looking at me, and commenting, and¡­I dunno, I kept worryin¡¯ they were gonna figure me out.¡±


    More vulnerability from Ranma? Maybe getting him and his father to open up wouldn¡¯t be as monumental a task as she feared. ¡°Well, they¡¯ve had years to get used to their bodies, and they¡¯re clearly comfortable with you.¡± She considered explaining that girls had to learn early on how to spot potential threats, but she wasn¡¯t sure how to broach that topic. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out; you¡¯ve got two years and I¡¯m always here to help.¡±


    Ranma nodded and the two got back to prepping plates and setting the table. ¡°Will you go let Naoki, Akio, and your father know dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes, dear?¡± Ranma nodded and bounced off to summon the household. Hana hummed and tossed the kikurage salad, pleased by how the day had gone ¡ª even after the rocky start.


    When Ranma returned he came in bright red and clenching his shoulders, then began wordlessly ladling bowls with miso soup. ¡°Told everybody.¡± He sputtered. Hana wasn¡¯t sure what happened until people started arriving at the dinner table. Genma came in first with an enormous grin and had to hold back a chuckle when he saw his son¡¯s still-blushing face.


    Akio came in, hair still wet from the shower, also blushing and the two teens refused to look at each other, and that¡¯s when Hana put two and two together. She risked giving Genma a knowing look and couldn¡¯t help but grin along with him. Naoki came in, immediately intuited what was going on, and grinned along with the adults.


    ¡°Katsumi will be home soon, he called a few minutes ago,¡± Hana announced to the room with a smirk. ¡°We¡¯ll go ahead and start eating now.¡± To everyone else¡¯s amusement, Ranma and Akio ended up sitting catty-corner to each other. Neither wanted to speak or look at each other, so once everyone said thanks Hana asked Naoki how his day went.


    Dinner was pleasant for a little bit before the first disturbance. Naoki was complaining about his workload and the increased difficulty of second year exams when Akio cried out.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Akio was glowering at Ranma, who looked every bit as innocent as the day he arrived, just ate his food quietly.


    Akio looked around incredulously, and saw nothing but blank faces. ¡°Did you see¡­?¡± Hana frowned, realizing Ranma must be engaging in juvenile pranks.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t antagonize anyone at my table, Ranma.¡± Emphasizing ¡®my table¡¯ to reinforce her authority, Ranma complied without a word, and for a few more minutes they knew peace.


    ¡°C¡¯mon!¡± This time it was Ranma¡¯s shrill voice that disturbed their dinner and Genma¡¯s musings. Akio was slurping up the last few inches of a soba noodle while parrying Ranma¡¯s attempts to steal some of his, their chopsticks a blur of motion as the martial artists used their amazing skill for such a petty display.


    ¡°Akio! Ranma!¡± Hana commanded, freezing the both of them who looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°You¡¯re almost adults, act like it. Akio, I shouldn¡¯t have to tell you to not misbehave.¡± Her youngest child gulped, nodded, and tried to tell her he was sorry. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me, apologize to each other. If you can¡¯t behave together your arrangement is over, understand?¡± She left the implied threat of what she¡¯d do if they disrupted dinner a third time unsaid.


    Everyone at the table watched the two glare, bruised egos refused to concede. They thought they were saved when Katsumi finally announced he was home, but Hana wouldn''t let them get away that easy.


    ¡°Ranma and Akio have to apologize to each other.¡± She informed Katsumi as soon as he turned the corner into the living room. The squabbling pair shot her belligerent glances but returned to their staring contest.


    Katsumi watched the scene unfold as he sat down. ¡°Ranma should apologize first,¡± he offered, much to Ranma''s chagrin.


    ¡°Why? He started messing with me first.¡± That thoroughly childish logic failed to convince anyone, though before Akio could respond in kind Katsumi pulled himself up to his full height and adopted his most stentorian affectation.


    ¡°You''re the youngest, you should apologize first, then Akio.¡± Hana smirked as Katsumi began eating as if this was an everyday occurrence. What astonished her the most is that it worked. It was stilted and brusque, but Ranma turned to Akio, pouted, bowed, and apologized.


    ¡°¡®m sorry.¡± He mumbled, and from her angle Hana saw that he was tightly gripping the hem of his shirt.


    Akio sighed but bowed his head. ¡°I''m also sorry.¡±


    And with that the tension at the table dissipated and dinner was resumed, albeit noticeably chilly at one end.


    ¡°How''d you know I''m the youngest?¡± Ranma asked a few minutes later while idly moving some food around with his chopsticks.


    ¡°I filled out your intake form at Dr. Tofu''s, remember?¡± Katsumi informed him, not even pausing to look. ¡°Akio''s birthday is in April, you''re the youngest by seven months.¡±


    Ranma balked and glowered at Akio like he''d been betrayed. ¡°You''re gonna be 17 in a month?¡± Akio just shrugged, but Hana spotted the slight grin on his lips. ¡°Ugh, whatever, it just means I''m gonna outlive ya.¡±


    ¡°How was your day, Akio? Ranma?¡± Katsumi didn''t want another argument erupting at the table. Akio was caught with a mouth full of cucumber and mushroom, leaving Ranma to answer.


    ¡°School was fine, got a bunch of study material from my teachers. Came home, Mrs. Tendo an¡¯ pops found out about the engagement, did some homework, showed Akio how to train properly,¡± Akio''s eyebrows twitched in protest, ¡°An¡¯ made dinner, nothin'' special happened.¡±


    So quick and casual was Ranma''s recollection of the day that Katsumi nodded along and went back to his food along with everybody else. For a few moments anyway. Hana was refilling her soup bowl when her oldest dropped his chopsticks and practically shouted ¡°Wait, someone got engaged?¡± at Ranma.


    Naoki laughed out loud and put his chin in his hands when Akio and Ranma started turning red. Hana smirked along with Genma, but Katsumi was less amused.


    ¡°You engaged my little brother to your kid?¡± Katsumi stood up and roared at Genma, who blinked and scowled but otherwise didn''t respond to the outburst. ¡°Not even a week in our home and you take advantage like¡ª¡±


    ¡°Katsumi, sit down and be quiet!¡± Hana didn''t have to stand up or shout, but the chilling aura swirling around her darkened the room and rattled the dishes. Her eldest begrudgingly sat back down, anger still focused on Mr. Saotome.


    Ranma and Akio looked mortified and Naoki eyed the backyard in case he needed to make a quick getaway, but Hana wasn''t going to suffer one of her children ruining dinner.


    ¡°Before you jump to conclusions and embarrass our family, ask for more details.¡± Her voice was calm but inviolate. ¡°I''ll let Ranma and your brothers explain.¡±


    Katsumi was mortified by the time they finished explaining, and put his forehead to the tatami floor. ¡°Please forgive my outburst mother. And my apologies to you as well Mr. Saotome.¡±


    Hana was well used to his overly formal apologies; she knew it meant he was sincere. ¡°It''s all right Katsumi, I should have told you on the phone.¡± She nodded at Genma, who grunted his forgiveness.


    Once again, Hana sighed. Men his age just couldn''t use words properly, could they? ¡°Mr. Saotome, if you would please utilize the same level of respect in acknowledging my son''s apology as he did making it I would be most grateful.¡±


    Genma was taken aback by her forward request, but he quickly smoothed his expression and inclined his head. ¡°Ahem¡­thank you Katsumi, I appreciate the apology and I apologize in turn for any disrespect.¡±


    Once her eldest returned, humbled, to his seat, Hana allowed herself a sigh of relief. She needed to talk to Katsumi about his temper, but at least there wouldn¡¯t be any more engagement-related drama.


    <hr>


    An unfamiliar scent wafted through the air, disturbing Genma''s shaky focus as he meditated next to the koi pond. It had been a trying day, and he wanted a chance to make sense of it all. The slightest disturbance distracted him, however, so he sighed and sniffed to figure it out.


    Once he turned his focus to analysis, he recognized it: smoke. Not the acrid odor of burning wood but the sweet, heady scent of tobacco. It was close, too close to belong to a pedestrian walking by the wall. He needed to investigate.


    Hana sat on a bench behind the dojo, gazing at the sky, lit only by the ambient illumination coming from the city. She didn''t seem surprised as he came around the corner and gave him a sardonic but apologetic look.


    ¡°Sorry Saotome, I only get one pack a year.¡±


    This was a much different version of Hana than the one he''d gotten to know over the past week. In her he saw the decade of emotional and physical labor and both admired the strength she needed to thrive and appreciated the pain she had to endure.


    ¡°¡®preciate it, but I don''t smoke cigarettes.¡± He leaned against the wall and looked skyward. ¡°Good cigar or pipe? That''s my weakness.¡±


    They soaked in the soft noise of Nerima¡¯s early evening, letting the far off sounds of downtown Tokyo fill the space between them as they struggled to begin the conversation they''d been avoiding.


    ¡°What do you think, Saotome?¡± Hana asked. ¡°I never expected anything like this. Maybe when you first showed up and I was looking at a 16-year-old girl, her weird pet, and her absentee father, but not¡­well, not after.¡±


    Genma chuckled to give himself time to think. Maybe talking with a friend and fellow parent would help him clear his mind. His thoughts twisted and turned like a maze, leading him deeper into a quagmire of doubt. ¡°Honestly, Mrs. Tendo, I don''t know what to think either. Ranma''s always been a hard kid to read. He''s got a few tells but he keeps everything locked up tight, even from himself.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Sounds about right. Teens. I guess we should count ourselves lucky he''s not making it everyone else''s problem.¡± She seemed preoccupied. Genma couldn''t well ask what was bothering her though: he was preoccupied himself.


    ¡°Saotome, how does Ranma feel about his curse?¡± It wasn''t the question she wanted to ask, he could tell, but perhaps starting there would help..


    ¡°He was angry at first, but that''s nothing new for him.¡± Genma remembered how his son screamed in horror, then in rage, before chasing Genma into the forest. ¡°It was the following week, after the shock wore off, he seemed¡­lighter.¡±


    Hana snorted. ¡°Well he looks about 10 kilograms lighter whenever he''s got pink hair, doesn''t seem that surprising.¡±


    ¡°Haha, true. Meanwhile I gain about 200. But I mean lighter in spirit. Certainly there was a lot weighing on us. We feared the curse was permanent, I couldn¡¯t write yet, and we ran out of food after about three days. But¡­when he was resting, when he lost himself in kata, or when he was asleep, he was calmer than ever.¡± He pinched his chin in thought, recalling an important detail. ¡°He hasn''t had nightmares since.¡±


    She leaned forward, intrigued. ¡°Were they a problem before?¡±


    ¡°Constant, especially if he was alone.¡± Genma shuddered as he remembered some truly awful nights back when he worked late hours. ¡°I snore, but he woke me up most of the time.


    ¡°What do you really want to ask me, Mrs. Tendo?¡± He sensed her hesitation, her wariness, her fear of his response.


    A clump of ashes hit the damp street and she took another drag to steel her nerves. ¡°When we were shopping for clothes, I saw him looking at something when none of us were around.¡± She hesitated, but Genma could guess where she was going.


    ¡°Girl clothes?¡± She nodded.


    ¡°A dress. A very pretty blue sundress with a white bow around the back. He didn''t try it on I don''t think. But he was mesmerized by it.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Genma grunted while he processed this information. Ranma occasionally showed signs that he was interested in ¡°girly¡± things. Genma always assumed it was because he lacked a mother figure or feminine presence, and that created an air of mystique around the fairer sex. Perhaps he should have enrolled Ranma in a coed junior high school.


    ¡°Now we find out he¡¯s involved in a fake engagement with my son and I have to wonder what he wants or expects to happen.¡± She continued while Genma pondered. ¡°I have to wonder what his father wants or expects to happen.¡±


    Before the smell of her cigarette brought him here, that was exactly why he was meditating. Hana lacked an important piece of context, however: Ranma¡¯s full reason for going to school as a girl, and why he would go to the lengths he did to avoid attention from other boys. Genma decided she deserved to know a little more.


    ¡°Ranma¡¯s last school was boys only, and there was¡­a bully problem.¡± Flashbacks to the times Ranma came home with bruises and wet eyes threatened his composure, but he kept his cool. ¡°It escalated from name-calling to violence, eventually that¡¯s why I decided to unenroll him. Going on a two-year training trip to China was, in hindsight, not the smartest follow-up but I wanted to give him something else to focus on.¡±


    ¡°How awful!¡± Mrs. Hana shook her head. ¡°Were any of the bullies held accountable, at least?¡±


    Genma brusquely replied ¡°Yes,¡± before quickly returning to the previous topic. ¡°I don''t think he''s excited about pretending to be a girl, being called ¡®girly¡¯ tends to set him off. He''s adaptable, stubborn, and hardheaded, and¡­¡± he had to confess to how they used to live. He hoped Mrs. Hana would understand, especially since she married Soun.


    ¡°For a while we, uh, had to make ends meet through¡­dishonest means.¡± He couldn''t keep his embarrassment from showing. ¡°Scams, cons, things I learned from the Master. Ranma has always been very good at¡­acting. Has a tendency to lose himself in the roles he plays.¡±


    He risked a guilty glance at Mrs. Hana, and was heartened to see that she looked sympathetic and understanding. ¡°This was after your wife disappeared?¡± It was barely a question. ¡°Believe me when I say I was a mess after Soun passed. It''s a miracle my boys turned out as well as they did. You''re done with all of that, though?¡±


    Genma nodded emphatically. ¡°Absolutely. You have nothing to worry about from either of us.¡±


    Hana took another drag of her cigarette. ¡°Well, you''re his father, and Naoki tells me he''s adamant about being a boy. I guess we''ll see how this engagement thing plays out.¡±


    For some reason, Genma could swear she sounded disappointed. Did she want them to have a relationship? When he thought of Akio''s trouble with Kodachi, he realized none of the Tendo boys had girlfriends, not even Naoki. Before he shared his observations of Ranma''s potential feelings toward her son, he needed to make sure she was safe.


    ¡°Would you have a problem with them developing a real relationship?¡± He asked plainly, ¡°hypothetically¡±. There were a few ways he considered she might react, but gasping and coughing like she''d been struck in the throat wasn''t on his list.


    He made to help her but she waved him away to catch her breath, the last bit of her cigarette rolling away on the asphalt.


    ¡°Wh-why would you ask that?¡± There was a shaky quiver in her voice, probably from having just caught her breath. ¡°I don''t, of course, it''d be hypocritical of me after Naoki.¡±


    ¡°Naoki?¡± Genma wasn''t sure what her middle son had to do with his question. Had he told her he was interested in Ranma? He did seem confident enough to be so forward.


    Hana¡¯s eyes went wide and she cursed under her breath. ¡°Dammit Hana¡­Okay Mr. Saotome,¡± the cold aura from earlier radiated from her once more, and Genma felt an immense weight on his soul as she laid her gaze upon him. ¡°Why don''t you tell me how you''d feel about a relationship between our boys first?¡±


    Clearly she was a greater threat than he realized: he felt claustrophobic but couldn''t move, and the edges of his vision darkened. ¡°I wouldn''t have a problem with it at all, it''d be hypocritical of me after Soun.¡±


    Color and light came back and Hana looked shocked. ¡°After¡­what about my husband?¡±


    Despite the chill, sweat started gathering on the back of Genma¡¯s neck. ¡°Oh he, he never told you about some of the things we tried, eh?¡±


    He couldn''t tell if she was upset, intrigued, curious, just shocked, or some combination of all four, but she got a faraway look in her eye and stroked her chin. ¡°I suppose¡­that explains a few things. Well, if you¡¯re worried about me or my sons disapproving of something like that¡­don¡¯t. Why do you ask?¡±


    Now that Genma was at the precipice of revealing his thoughts to her, he wasn''t so sure. But considering the situation they''d found themselves in, perhaps it was best not to subject their children¡¯s futures to uncertainty. ¡°Ah, well, I believe Ranma has a crush on Akio.¡±


    Finally, he gave her some news that didn''t hit her like a truck. Instead, she grinned and leaned back into her seat. ¡°I thought so. I wasn''t positive, but I''m happy to have independent confirmation.¡± The box of cigarettes was back in her hand in a flash before she paused and shook her head.


    They simply sat together in silence for a time, thinking. Genma wondered what Ranma''s mother would think, if she were still around. They probably wouldn''t have gone to Jusenkyo to begin with, so the situation wouldn''t have happened anyway, but he wished she were here to offer her perspective.


    ¡°He looks so much like his mother, you know?¡± Genma mused. Hana perked up, his voice snapping her out of her own rumination. ¡°I met her when she was 19, we were married when she was 23. He took after her enough before the curse, but¡­when he popped out of the spring, I''m grateful I couldn''t speak. I thought it was her somehow. And now I see her face whenever I see him in that form.¡±


    Hana patted the bench next to her, and he accepted her offer. Her smile was warm and understanding. ¡°I know what you mean, it''s like that with Katsumi and Akio. I see so much of Soun in them. I''ve had a long time to see them grow into it though. You''ve had a month.¡±


    She was right, of course. It had to be harder for Ranma, he had pictures of his mother, did he see her face every time he looked in the mirror?


    Footsteps approached, and Hana sighed. ¡°Looks like someone found us.¡±


    Someone was Akio, who only seemed surprised to see Genma. ¡°Oh, hi Mr. Saotome. Mom, can I get your help inside?¡± Hana donned her motherly mantle in a flash and hopped up to her feet with a smile.


    ¡°Of course sweetie. Mr. Saotome, have a good evening.¡± And like that Genma was left alone with his thoughts and the lingering scent of cigarette smoke.


    <hr>


    Ranma¡¯s first night alone was miserable. Creaks and moans emanated from the old house without rhyme or reason, ensuring his already light sleep was disturbed constantly. When he had them, his dreams were colored by the stress he felt about school and the awful first tutoring session with Katsumi.


    First he poured scalding water on Ranma without warning when he was still wearing his girl clothes and a sports bra. The stomach-clenching rip of his jeans as his body struggled to expand wasn''t just embarrassing in the moment, it was constantly on his mind afterward, making it very difficult to focus on the nonsense Katsumi droned on about.


    Then the taskmaster assigned Ranma homework. For a tutoring session! Katsumi expected it by their next session: tomorrow at two in the afternoon, which meant Ranma probably wouldn''t have time to help with dinner. Mrs. Hana promised she wouldn''t make anything special or complex without him, just a normal Sunday family dinner.


    It was after he offered to ¡°make up¡± the day when she gave him a knowing look, put her hands on his shoulders, and said ¡°Ranma, I know you like to help me cook and I¡¯m grateful. You''re lovely company and always welcome in my kitchen, okay?¡±


    That had to be the source of the nightmare where he skipped out of the Tendo kitchen wearing a frilly apron and served dinner to his classmates in the middle of an exam being proctored by Professor Katsumi. It was the only dream he was grateful to be woken up from.


    Well, that and the stupid dream with Akio. In girl form he chased a grumpy Akio all over Nerima, Suginami, and eventually all the way to Jusenkyo where he again fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl, and when Akio pulled him out he was dressed in a huge Western wedding gown and the two came together for a kiss. He was very grateful when the sound of barking dogs woke him up before their lips actually touched.


    All that to say: Ranma didn''t want to get up when his alarm clock went off. By itself, the device was alien and jarring. A shrill cacophony of tiny bells wasn''t, strictly speaking, worse than when pops used to wake him up with a bucket of cold water, but he learned how to handle that.


    No way would he let one bad night of sleep and an awful alarm get in the way of his training though. Without his usual ebullient energy it took him a little longer to get dressed but he strode out into the hallway in running shorts and a tank top and of course ran right into Akio, wearing basically the same thing.


    Part of him hoped that Akio got a good night''s sleep and wouldn''t be as prickly today, but that hope was dashed when Akio looked him up and down with a judgy raised eyebrow. ¡°You''re going running like that?¡±


    So much for being friendly. Had Ranma gotten a better night''s sleep, maybe he would have remembered Mrs. Hana''s advice before he opened his mouth. ¡°What, I should go naked?¡± Akio blustered and turned red with anger.


    ¡°No, idiot, as a guy. You want people to see a boy who looks almost like popular new girl Ranma Saotome running around? And what if you get splashed on the run?¡± Ranma grit his teeth. He meant to lay out girl-sized clothes last night but the frustrating session with Katsumi left him too riled up to remember.


    No way could he admit that to Akio while he was being a jerk. ¡°Of course not, I''m gonna splash myself before we go out. What, I''m supposed to make a mess in the guest room?¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Akio rolled his eyes and headed for the stairs. ¡°Wait, we?¡± Ranma was determined to figure out why his friend was upset with him. If it was something Ranma did he wanted a chance to fix it. If it was something stupid he''d laugh at Akio''s face and tell him to get over it.


    ¡°Yeah. You did strength training yesterday, so you''re running today, right?¡± Ranma ducked into the kitchen to splash himself and rejoined Akio before he could finish putting his shoes on.


    ¡°I feel like running so I''m gonna go with you.¡± Ranma slipped on his oversized shoes, internally grumbling for putting himself in a situation where he''d be running without a sports bra or properly fitted footwear. ¡°Gotta problem with that?¡±


    Apparently Akio was so angry that one quick glance at Ranma made him turn tomato red again. ¡°N-no, y-you can run with me if you''re not embarrassed or something.¡±


    Ranma had seen some of Akio''s runs, or more accurately jogs. It''d be easy enough to manipulate him into spilling the beans at that pace.


    ¡°Soooo¡­what¡¯re ya up to today?¡± Ranma began once they cleared the front gate. He was legitimately curious, but he also hoped if he got Akio talking he''d give Ranma a thread he could pull.


    ¡°Homework, training with your dad, studying for my end of year exams.¡± Terse, brusque. That was fine, Ranma could work with that, even when Akio started speeding up, probably hoping to discourage talking.


    ¡°Sure, but I meant for fun.¡± Maybe Akio didn''t like it when Ranma showed off? Guys, other guys that is, had fragile egos and didn''t like getting shown up, especially by their friends. ¡°I haven''t hah stayed in one huh place in two ye-hah-ars. Any fun whoo stuff to doaroundhere whuh?¡± Maybe the panting was excessive, but as long as Akio bought it he didn''t care.


    Of course, Akio sped up again. ¡°There¡¯s the movie theater near the train station, but Sundays are always packed. We-huh like to go on discount d-hah-ays and watch older stuuhff.¡± Another burst of speed. ¡°Weather¡¯s nice haaa today so I think haaa I''ll goskateboarding wheeze.¡±


    Ranma couldn''t feign exhaustion after that. ¡°Wait, you skateboard?!¡± Whatever problem he and Akio were having could wait: Ranma had a new aspiration. ¡°Where? Can I come? Will you teach me?¡±


    Akio stopped abruptly, though that might have been due to Ranma sprinting backwards right in front of him and bouncing as he asked his questions (otherwise they couldn''t see eye to eye). At first Ranma thought Akio was so angry he was about to explode, the way his face turned red and he started blustering, and the taller boy grabbed his wrist and dragged them into a nearby alley.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± he hissed urgently through his teeth and rubbed his temples. Ranma tilted his head, both frustrated Akio was mad at him for innocent questions and curious why the sudden need for secrecy. ¡°Nerima is a gossipy, traditional town, and full of old people who will complain the second they get a hint of a skateboard.¡±


    Two trains of thought collided on the tracks of Ranma¡¯s mind: Akio was worried his hobby could get him in trouble but Akio also had a hobby that could get him in trouble. Ranma¡¯s personal history of legal noncompliance included breaking and entering, so he had absolutely no room to talk. If anything, his estimation of Akio rose considerably, and his eyes widened in excitement at the same time that his mouth split into an impish, toothy smile.


    ¡°Akio! I didn¡¯t know you could be so¡­rebellious.¡± Akio found himself pushed against the wall as Ranma stepped forward, suddenly all too aware of how close they were and how compromising things looked. Ranma wasn¡¯t even paying attention to that: Akio represented Ranma¡¯s first close glimpse into a mystifying sport and subculture he¡¯d had to admire from afar for the past five years, and two of those years were hiking through the Chinese wilderness.


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m not!¡± Akio weakly protested. ¡°It¡¯s j-j-just something I like to d-do that my br-brothers aren¡¯t b-b-b-better than me at.¡± Despite the current 20-or-so centimeter difference in height between the two, Ranma felt bigger than Akio for once, and the pink-haired boy didn¡¯t know how to proceed.


    Inadvertently, however, it seemed like Ranma found the source of Akio¡¯s discomfort and anger. Ranma actually felt a little guilty: he didn¡¯t mean to manipulate Akio into opening up. Technically he hadn¡¯t, he was just excited to learn about one of Akio¡¯s hobbies, but it was clearly more important to Akio than a means to waste time.


    The responsible thing to do was not to push him and respect his boundaries. If he insisted on skateboarding alone, Ranma should be okay with that.


    Neither of these were Ranma¡¯s strong points, and he figured Akio would be excited to show Ranma something he was passionate about. Ranma just had to make sure he hid just how good he¡¯d be by the end of their first lesson so he didn¡¯t embarrass Akio.


    ¡°I promise, your secret¡¯s safe with me, ¡®Kio.¡± Ranma mimed zipping his lips shut and put his hands behind his back, giving Akio just enough time to think he was finished. ¡°Buuuut you gotta take me with you today and show me the basics!¡±


    <hr>


    A frustrated, borderline angry noise almost escaped Akio¡¯s lips as Ranma delivered her ultimatum. Intense willpower and a tornado of conflicting urges and emotions kept the noise contained, though he had to manage so many different autonomic processes happening in his body at the same time he knew something would get through eventually.


    Ranma couldn¡¯t possibly understand just how¡­cute he was, right? Akio didn¡¯t buy that she meant to come out with an oversized shirt, shoes, and no bra, but there¡¯s no way he planned for Akio to get an eyeful of her bouncing¡­pigtail right as he asked Akio for something.


    Because he was trying to keep his mouth shut, the blood from rushing to his pants, and his eyes from wandering down to her glistening body, his judgement was severely compromised. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m gonna head out after dinner if you wanna come with me.¡±


    Once he said it he regretted it. In the best case scenario, Ranma proved again that he was better at one of Akio¡¯s things. In the worst case, Ranma¡¯s reckless, carefree attitude got them in trouble and Akio¡¯s mom would confiscate his board again. Somehow, whatever happened would be Akio¡¯s fault.


    ¡°Yes, thank you Akio!¡± All regrets ¡ª indeed, all thoughts ¡ª were immediately cancelled as Ranma jumped up and hugged Akio around the neck. Everything below her shoulders hung limp against his body and her feet were popped up behind her, which meant all of her soft, gentle weight pushed against him. Especially her ¡ª previously established ¡ª bare chest, separated from his by two damp layers of cloth. Her cheek pressed against his neck and he caught a whiff of shampoo as her pink hair tickled his nose.


    It had to have been an eternity by the time he regained control of his limbs and grabbed her waist, gingerly pulling her off of him, his body somehow managing to ignore the hormones screaming in his blood to hold her tight and¡­initiate other things. ¡°Yeah! Of course! No problem! Ha hah hah hah!¡± Why was he laughing? He didn¡¯t know, probably the same reason he was almost shouting every word.


    They needed to get home so Akio could shut himself in his room for a couple of hours and cool off. ¡°This run was really good! I need to relax before training today, we should head home!¡± Finally allowing himself to look at Ranma, he noticed she was idly playing with her pigtail the same way she¡¯d done a week ago, on the day she first arrived. And she was averting her gaze and blushing. There was no way he could understand why she was making that anxious expression, all he could say was that it made her even cuter.


    ¡°Okay let¡¯s get going bet I can beat you back!¡± His legs started moving before he consciously told them to, but the split second head start on the impromptu challenge didn¡¯t help: Ranma was very competitive, and apparently just as eager to get home as Akio, because even though he sprinted at full speed to get home, Ranma beat him there by almost 30 seconds, and somehow seemed unsatisfied with that.


    ¡°I would have done better if my legs weren¡¯t still sore from yesterday,¡± she stretched and rubbed her shapely calves while Akio fumbled with the front gate key. In the morning light, every rivulet of sweat shone brightly on her skin. Akio realized he was staring and quickly managed to redirect his focus to finding the right stupid key, but that meant he missed Ranma getting similarly distracted by his glistening abs when he raised his shirt up to wipe the sweat from his face.


    ¡°Lunch!¡± Ranma blurted out as Akio finally unlocked the gate. He gave Ranma a questioning look, and the pink-haired boy smiled. ¡°Buy me lunch since I beat you back.¡± Oh, right, Akio did say it was a bet.


    ¡°What would you have done if I¡¯d won? You don¡¯t have money to buy me lunch.¡± Ranma just shrugged.


    ¡°I woulda made you lunch, I guess. Or asked pops if he¡¯s got my first allowance yet.¡± Her eyes went wide. ¡°I should ask him anyway!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re home!¡± Akio announced from the genkan, the homey smell of cooked rice making their mouths water. When they rushed to the living room to partake of breakfast, however, his mother took one look at the two of them and threw up her hand.


    ¡°Not one step farther!¡± she commanded, halting their advance. ¡°You¡¯re not sitting at my table before you clean up. Shoo!¡± Despite the audible grumble from Ranma¡¯s stomach, both of them complied with a groan and slumped off to the furo.


    Akio had seen his fake fianc¨¦e nude, in both forms, several times by now. He was willing to say he¡¯d gotten used to the sight. However, given just how¡­energetic they¡¯d been this morning, his body reacted as soon as she began peeling off her sweat-slick clothes. ¡°Uhhhhh I¡¯m gonna go grab a change of clothes.¡± he sputtered before removing his shorts.


    He was stopped before he could make a hasty exit as Ranma gripped his wrist. ¡°Oh, wait, I¡¯m starving, can you get my¡­¡± she blushed and trailed off for some reason as her eyes drifted down from Akio¡¯s face. Not that he noticed, as his attention was glued to her uncovered form.


    ¡°N-nevermind!¡± he squeaked and freed Akio, ¡°I¡¯ll ask when you get back.¡± Both of them stepped through their respective doors, leaned back, and let out panicked sighs.


    <hr>


    Okay Katsumi, you¡¯ve got this. The eldest Tendo locked eyes with his opponent, who refused to blink before him, who met his steely gaze with his own, who matched Katsumi¡¯s impressive glower¡­his reflection. Yesterday was abysmal. Ranma was incredibly behind and had trouble focusing despite Katsumi¡¯s attempts to help. It was reasonable to assume she¡¯d have an easier time studying in his birth form, it wasn¡¯t Katsumi¡¯s fault she was wearing the wrong clothes.


    Perhaps carrying the shinai was a mistake, Ranma seemed unable to take her eyes off of it while he lectured, but wasn¡¯t she a martial artist? He knew Mr. Saotome trained her with a shinai, he¡¯d seen the man exiting the dojo holding one. Still, yesterday was just the first session, it made sense they¡¯d encounter some growing pains. The relationship between mentor and student was a sacrosanct agreement to take the student¡¯s education seriously. Hopefully Ranma took Katsumi¡¯s extra work suggestion seriously.


    He glanced at the clock. 12:35, and Ranma still wasn¡¯t back from her lunch with Akio. Less than half an hour, but Katsumi paced around his room nervously anyway. Why was he so nervous, anyway? He¡¯d successfully tutored lots of kids. It wasn¡¯t because she was a girl sometimes, was it? Girls never asked him to tutor them, so maybe it felt new to him even though Ranma was a boy. If he asked Ranma to transform back, maybe he wouldn¡¯t get mad.


    12:36. Dammit, what was wrong with him? Maybe his room was the problem. Should they study in the living room? No, that was a public space, and today was their only three-hour session. Perhaps Ranma¡¯s room, then? While he waited for Ranma and his youngest brother to get back from their da¡ªlunch Katsumi peeked in to examine the space.


    The only furnishings so far was a futon on the floor, a wardrobe, and a desk where Ranma¡¯s books were haphazardly piled. A stuffed animal sat atop the uneven stack of books and a framed picture of an older woman with pink hair sat on the corner of the desk.


    In a word, it was the perfect study space. He¡¯d ask her when she finally got back.


    ¡°Big Bro, it¡¯s rude to go through someone¡¯s room when they¡¯re not home.¡± Naoki appeared so suddenly behind Katsumi that he yelped and spun like he¡¯d been caught trespassing.


    ¡°Warn me when you sneak up like that!¡± he bellowed, which earned him a chuckle.


    ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t be sneaking, would I?¡± Naoki fired back, which stumped Katsumi. His brother wasn¡¯t wrong, of course, sneaking was by definition something you did to avoid detection, and giving someone advance warning defeated the purpose. The sort of pedantry Naoki knew would bother him. ¡°What are you doing in Ranma¡¯s room, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Just checking to see if she¡¯d prefer to study in here than in my room.¡± Katsumi explained as if his nerves weren¡¯t on fire. ¡°I don¡¯t want a repeat of yesterday, especially for our longest session.¡± He checked his watch: 12:41. ¡°Do you have any idea how much longer they¡¯ll be?¡±


    Naoki shrugged and slipped past Katsumi to take a look at the former guest room. Well, Katsumi supposed it was still a guest room, just an occupied guest room, since a guest was staying here. A guest¡¯s room.


    ¡°I¡¯d say he was lucky to get the biggest room on the second floor, but I¡¯m not jealous of the East-facing window.¡± Katsumi started analyzing the room and Ranma¡¯s needs.


    ¡°She¡¯ll probably need a second wardrobe too, if she¡¯s going to maintain two sets of clothes for both of her forms.¡± He pointed out, which made Naoki frown but nod. Katsumi quickly glanced at his watch ¡ª 12:43 ¡ª and put his hand on his brother¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Something the matter, Naoki?¡±


    As Man of the House, Katsumi had responsibilities to his mother and brothers. He had to be strong, certain, and help them when things were difficult. Usually that just meant straightforward advice or a willingness to listen: he had time for that.


    ¡°I just¡­I dunno. Ranma.¡± Katsumi frowned inwardly, worried that this might take more than a couple minutes and a rote suggestion. ¡°He¡¯s¡­hard to figure out sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve only known her for a week,¡± Katsumi offered. ¡°And I think only Mom has experience with someone like her and Mr. Saotome.¡± Naoki nodded but didn¡¯t seem convinced, or he hadn¡¯t asked the question he really wanted an answer to. Sifting through what he knew about Naoki and Ranma¡¯s relationship, Katsumi wondered if it was related to Naoki¡¯s obvious schoolboy crush on Ranma when he was expressing masculinity.


    Ranma was adamantly male, even when she was a girl, something Katsumi made sure to internalize as quickly as he could. It was possible Ranma was, like Naoki, attracted to members of the same sex, but Katsumi doubted it: if that was the case, it was possible Ranma could be attracted to Katsumi as well, and he dared not get his hopes up that was the case.


    ¡°I just wish I knew why he¡¯s willing to pretend to be someone he¡¯s not for so long.¡± Naoki hesitantly admitted. ¡°I hope he¡¯s okay.¡± This subject was not something Katsumi had much experience with, despite growing up with Naoki: his brother explored his sexuality privately, even after Akio accidentally found him out.


    ¡°Well, the best we can do is be there for her.¡± Katsumi moved his hand to Naoki¡¯s other shoulder and pulled him in for an awkward side hug. ¡°If she needs help we¡¯ll make sure she has it.¡± Just like that was the best thing Katsumi could think to say in the moment. If it helped, great! If Naoki needed more time, it would have to be enough.


    Akio¡¯s voice sounded from the genkan for the second time today as he announced they¡¯d returned home. Katsumi checked his watch: 12:50. They cut it awfully close. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get out of the guest¡¯s room.¡± He pushed his brother into the hall without waiting for a response, closed Ranma¡¯s door, and took the stairs down two at a time to retrieve his pupil.


    <hr>


    ¡°Maybe I''m just an idiot who needs another year to catch up,¡± Ranma slammed her head into her book and Katsumi winced. He knew it''d be a hard session, but Ranma was struggling quite a bit.


    Using her room was a good idea, and he didn''t bring the shinai, but she was doing even worse than yesterday. This was the session they''d establish a learning plan though, they couldn''t give up after only 45 minutes.


    ¡°This is only our second study session after two days at school after a two year break.¡± Katsumi quickly weighed the pros and cons of putting his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and went for it. She was unlikely to kick him into the pond from here, after all. ¡°It''s normal to feel frustrated. We''re getting a baseline so we can tailor how you''ll spend your time studying for the next two weeks, so don''t stress yourself out trying to learn everything right now.¡±


    The raspberry Ranma blew in response to his impromptu pep talk was impressive, Katsumi had to admit, but ultimately counterproductive. ¡°Classy.¡± He said dryly, ¡°Is your next trick going to be balancing a pencil on your upper lip?¡±


    Ranma didn''t make a noise as Katsumi moved around the desk, but as soon as he sat down she raised her head to look at him in confusion. ¡°Did you just make a joke?¡± The sincerity in her voice countered his anger, allowing him the wherewithal to maintain momentum.


    ¡°I''m a very funny man, Ranma: just ask my mother.¡± Her outburst of laughter broke him and he smiled. ¡°Remember that you showed up without any warning and then spent the next several days ruining my carefully curated routine. I''ve been a little grumpy.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I cooked your lunch at least once, and dinner lotsa times.¡± Ranma practically giggled her counterargument and Katsumi kept smiling. ¡°But ¡®m sorry we made such a splash.¡±


    ¡°Between you and your father you''ve been splashing quite a bit.¡± Katsumi gave his best wry smirk, but Ranma raised a single unimpressed eyebrow.


    ¡°Pfft. Really? I set you up and that''s the best you got?¡± Well, comedy wasn''t Katsumi''s strong suit, but at least the tension was gone.


    ¡°You''re not studying comedy, you''re here for math and science.¡± Ranma groaned, but it was an exaggerated, easy-going noise. ¡°C¡¯mon, let''s get back to it.¡±


    <hr>


    Akio never should have mentioned skateboarding. He wasn''t even seriously considering it today, it was just a random thought that crossed his mind thanks to the weather. But now he was dragging it out of its hiding place in the dojo while Ranma eagerly watched.


    He''d been in a good mood all day, which just exhausted Akio even more, and he was considering cancelling the whole stupid engagement thing. It was confusing, anytime Ranma was nice to him or acted cute Akio couldn''t be sure if that was genuine, exaggerated, or just completely made up. And Akio had spent the last two days second-guessing every thought, feeling, and interaction and it was all her fault. His fault. Dammit, Naoki didn''t have this problem, his mom didn''t have this problem, why was it so hard for him?


    Whatever, one more reason to call things off. ¡°You ready?¡± He asked once his board was secure and hidden. Ranma, wearing jeans, a long-sleeve shirt under a flannel button-up, and shoes that actually fit (that he''d borrowed from Akio¡¯s mom, apparently) nodded, his excitement just as powerful as it was this morning.


    Bubbly. That was the only way Akio could explain it, especially while she¡­he was a girl. Once again Akio wondered if it meant anything that he seemed so much happier in that form, but he remembered what Naoki said.


    Of course, Akio was grappling with the fact that he found himself staring at and fantasizing about Ranma''s boy form too. If that was the case, he couldn''t be projecting his desire onto Ranma, right? Or did he just think Ranma''s boy form was cute because of its similarities to his girl form?


    Uggghhh, he couldn''t waste time thinking about it. Regardless of his form, Ranma thought Akio was ugly, so it didn''t matter what he thought. It hurt for some reason, but he''d get over it. ¡°Great, let''s go.¡± He announced impatiently.


    Despite Akio''s attempts to dampen Ranma''s mood, he remained upbeat and bouncy the whole walk. ¡°Where¡¯re we goin''?¡± Came his adorable question from the top of a fence, rubbing in that he''d master the board in a few minutes.


    ¡°Can''t skateboard on the sidewalk or street. Cops around here are big fans of confiscating boards, most of the old folks who live around here are happy for them to do it, and there''s not enough of us to complain and get them to ease up.¡±


    They continued walking in silence before Ranma piped back up. ¡°Okay, so we''re goin'' to a quarry or another district or¡­.?¡±


    Akio pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course he forgot to actually answer Ranma''s question. ¡°No, there''s a little park nearby where skateboarding is allowed, so long as we''re out before 10.¡± Akio could practically hear Ranma roll his eyes as he scoffed.


    ¡°That''s boring, though I guess we got school tomorrow¡­agh!¡± Akio spun when Ranma made a noise of disgust, but he was just staring at the sky with his hands behind his head.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Akio wondered aloud, hoping whatever it was made Ranma want to turn around.


    ¡°I just realized I spent almost my entire first Sunday as a girl.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I meant to spend it as a guy, even if I had to stay in all day.¡±


    ¡°Well you screwed that up as soon as you turned into a girl just to save face.¡± To Ranma''s embarrassment and frustration, Akio chuckled.


    ¡°You¡­ugh!¡± Whatever Ranma intended to do by cutely stamping his foot on the fence backfired, and the section he was standing on started to collapse. ¡°Wha-wh-whoa!¡±


    He sprang back toward the path at the same time Akio rushed to grab him, and thus both boys were flustered as Ranma landed right in Akio''s arms in a princess carry. For a second neither knew what to do and stared, hearts racing from the sudden scare.


    Before she could yell at him, Akio quickly ¡ª but softly ¡ª put her on the ground. She leaned against him for just a moment as her legs wobbled under her.


    ¡°I didn''t mean to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Th-thanks for¡ª¡±


    Akio looked away, hiding his blush and scratching the back of his head. For a second he thought she said ¡°thank you¡±, but that wasn''t Ranma. Couldn''t be her-him.


    ¡°...So where''s this park?¡±


    <hr>


    It wasn¡¯t very impressive, though Ranma had no idea what to expect. He¡¯d always seen skateboarding in the wild, not caged up like a zoo animal. The skating area was restricted to a triangle-shaped lot backed into the corner of a proper park that wasn¡¯t actually that close to the Tendo¡¯s home. A few ramps, arbitrarily placed grind rails, and a single quarterpipe surrounded by concrete still managed to feel cramped in the tenth-acre plot.


    Ranma wasn''t gonna let something like almost falling into the canal, some wannabe gorgeous heroic knight, a small park, or that they could only be here for another hour and a half ruin his night: he was gonna get on a skateboard and figure it out.


    So long as it wasn''t anything like snowboarding he''d be fine. Or ice skating. Or roller skating. Or skiing¡­okay so he didn''t like it when stuff under his feet moved, but that was fine, he was an expert martial artist.


    That¡¯s why he was watching Akio skateboard first, that was just responsible. And Akio was really good at it! Ranma perched atop the fence and thoroughly appraised Akio¡¯s form and movements, grateful he''d worn a tight T-shirt so he could see how all those rippling muscles were moving to keep his tall, broad-shouldered form stable.


    It was actually very impressive that he maintained his balance given how high up his center of gravity must be and how small the skateboard was.


    ¡°Do those get bigger?¡± Ranma asked after Akio dismounted, earning him yet another irritated glance, but at least the sourpuss answered.


    ¡°Skateboards don''t, anything longer is a longboard.¡± Before Ranma could ask a follow-up question Akio was already back at it, running up to the top of the quarterpipe and grinding away.


    Fascinating as it was, even Ranma couldn¡¯t just watch for long. He had to get out there, and if he wanted to salvage his friendship with Akio he had to be respectful. Pops had taught him how to do that, he could be respectful if necessary.


    He waited for a good opportunity and pounced when Akio stumbled coming off a rail. The empty board skipped toward Ranma and he scooped it up with aplomb. ¡°You¡¯re very good at this.¡± he meant it but he also had to sell it, so he opened up his eyes and injected a little awe into his voice. Akio was a little red from his stumble but he nervously chuckled and scratched his cheek in response to Ranma¡¯s flattery.


    ¡°I think I got it, can I try?¡± A little fluttering of his eyelashes ¡ª a powerful weapon in a girl¡¯s arsenal he knew from experience ¡ª might have been overkill but it worked: Akio sputtered and gestured at the park, trying to maintain his cool demeanor with a shrug.


    ¡°Have at it.¡±


    Like a kid in a candy store, Ranma took off, clutching the skateboard in his hands. He wanted to show off his amazing agility and balance, so he needed to do something suitably awesome for his first attempt. Akio looked on, leaning against the fence with a despondent look on his face that Ranma didn¡¯t notice.


    After a few moments¡¯ scrutiny, he knew what he was gonna do: he¡¯d leap from the park entrance sign, land on the tallest grind rail, then skip from rail to rail until he managed to make a full circuit, hitting each rail in the park despite their haphazard placement.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t break my board.¡± Akio groaned when Ranma began climbing the fence. He knew he shouldn¡¯t be showing off this hard, but he couldn¡¯t help it: he¡¯d been looking forward to this for years.


    ¡°Relax, I¡¯m way lighter than you in this form and you know how good I am.¡± Whatever the board¡¯s owner mumbled in response was too quiet to hear, but Ranma was ready. Eyes focused on his first target, he took a deep breath and leapt.


    Falling wasn¡¯t a big deal for Ranma: he did it all the time, learning how to fall and, more importantly, how to land was one of the first things pops taught him. Having the board between his feet and the railing wouldn¡¯t change that much.


    Turns out that landing wasn¡¯t his issue: going forward, however¡­


    The back of his head clanged off the railing as he fell back, the skateboard shot off and clattered meters away, and in the aftermath all Ranma heard was a metallic ringing and Akio¡¯s raucous laughter. As he cautiously stood and dusted himself off, he felt his sore legs groan.


    ¡°Ahem¡­Don¡¯t laugh, that was a fluke.¡± The light pink on his cheeks belied his embarrassment, but it was fine. Even he messed up sometimes, he wasn¡¯t perfect. ¡°Watch, I¡¯m just a little sore is all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe don¡¯t jump from three meters up next time.¡± Akio chided unhelpfully.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± After a brief walk of shame to retrieve the board he looked for a different starting point. ¡°I won¡¯t break your board, I just need to work my way up to the good stuff.¡±


    This time he¡¯d get a rolling start, hop up to one of the rails close to the ground, and work on speed. Yeah, yeah he had this. He was Ranma Saotome, dammit, no stupid piece of wood and some plastic wheels could beat him.


    If there was a bright side to face-planting as soon as he tried to push off, it was that it wasn¡¯t from as high up as his first attempt. Before he finished picking himself up again, Akio rushed over looking actually concerned.


    ¡°Hey, you wanna make sure you don¡¯t have a concussion? Two blows to the head¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin!¡± Ranma interrupted. ¡°I¡¯mma martial artist, we get hit in tha head all the time!¡± Akio didn¡¯t immediately back off like Ranma wanted, but after a frustrating moment of consideration the taller boy shrugged and got out of the way.


    Fifteen minutes and seven attempts later, Akio put his foot down. The best Ranma managed was to stand straight up on the board as it slowly moved, and he only managed that by rolling it by hand and then jumping onto it. Ranma wasn¡¯t having it though. ¡°One more!¡± he protested around a busted lip. ¡°Next time I¡¯ll do it! It¡¯s just these stupid boobs throwing off my center a¡¯ gravity!¡±


    ¡°You said that two tries ago, let¡¯s just head home and we can work on this in the dojo with a proper first aid kit nearby!¡± Akio held out his hand for Ranma to return the skateboard but the pink-haired boy leapt back to keep it away.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not leaving ¡®til I get¡ª¡± his foot caught on a grind rail and he flailed and fell backward. After so many failed attempts, his already sore legs were like jelly and something twisted. To make sure Akio wouldn¡¯t catch on, Ranma made sure to catch himself on his uninjured leg and stand up proudly, putting the hurt leg behind the other and putting his hands on his hips so that it looked like he was posing defiantly.


    Akio blinked, having already cleared half the distance between them. Ranma¡¯s stomach couldn¡¯t help but flutter knowing that the big lug tried to help. But before Ranma could say or do anything Akio rushed to the fumbled skateboard and secured it in his grip. He gave Ranma a victorious smile but the shorter boy just shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll just snatch it back when you drop it.¡±


    Ranma was bluffing, of course, he wasn¡¯t even sure he could put weight on one of his feet, but Akio didn¡¯t need to know that. The boy scout would dote on him or something and make his stomach do those confusing flips again, and he didn¡¯t need Akio¡¯s pity anyway. Subtly he tested a little weight on his back foot and barely contained a wince. It¡¯d be a miracle if he could make it to a bench without revealing his shameful secret. Maybe he could jump it without using his other foot¡­


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m done for the night.¡± Akio derailed Ranma¡¯s train of thought and he gawped at the taller boy. ¡°It was funny watching you fall over yourself at first, but I¡¯m not taking any more risks.¡± Keeping his grip on the board tight, he smugly sauntered over to his bag and started putting things away.


    The way back was simple enough, but largely uphill and it took them almost a half hour to get here. He¡¯d handled hikes like this before, and in way worse conditions, he could handle it. ¡°Uggghhhhh¡­fine, I guess I¡¯ve got some homework to finish anyway.¡± With exaggerated put-upon-ness he steeled his nerves and made for the park entrance.


    Each step was like hot knives flensing his entire leg under the knee, but as long as he kept his cool and nothing surprised him he¡¯d make it back to the Tendo¡¯s where he¡¯d soak the thing in a bucket of ice water until it was better.


    ¡°Cool, I¡¯ll catch you up in a¡­second¡­¡± Akio trailed off for some reason, staring at Ranma¡¯s legs with a concerned look.


    ¡°Hmm? I got somethin¡¯ on my pants?¡± Turning and pivoting on his good leg, he inspected himself but didn¡¯t notice anything obvious beyond some dust.


    ¡°Yeah, you got something on the back of your leg, lemme get it for you.¡± If this was a trick of some sort, Akio must have been practicing his subterfuge because Ranma didn¡¯t detect a hint of trickery. He shrugged and let the boy come close.


    Perhaps it was the pain and mental focus he was exerting to maintain his composure, but it was absolutely a trick. As soon as Akio laid his hand on Ranma¡¯s leg he felt an intense pain and yelped. Akio was gently squeezing the exact spot.


    ¡°I knew it! No way you¡¯d be that reasonable.¡± Ranma was a little relieved he didn¡¯t have to keep up the charade but now he was holding back tears of pain.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­fine.¡± He hissed, glaring at Akio¡¯s smug face. ¡°I can¡­walk¡­just fine!¡± To back up his words he ¡ª gingerly ¡ª planted both feet on the ground, crossed his arms, and desperately tried not to let the pain show on his face.


    The last thing he needed was Akio¡¯s compassion or pity or whatever, and it¡¯s not like he could do anything anyway. It¡¯s not like he could carry Ranma all the way¡ª


    ¡°Stand right there for a second.¡± Akio ordered before taking four long strides. ¡°If I hit you first, you have to let me carry you home.¡±


    ¡°No way! I¡¯m not a little girl!¡± A furnace bellowed in Ranma¡¯s chest as anger surged through him.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not, but you know you need to stay off that leg for at least a few hours.¡± The frustrating way he talked down to Ranma stoked the flames of rage even higher, but the worst part was that Akio was right. The longer he put his weight on the leg the more obvious it became.


    ¡°Hmph. Fine.¡± Akio¡¯s game was obvious. He expected Ranma to leap using his good leg, which reduced his attack options. If he tried to step off his injured leg he might flinch or come slow enough Akio could switch and counter. No worries, Ranma knew what to do.


    ¡°Ready when you are, tomboy.¡± Akio taunted as he settled into his usual defensive pose. Ranma nodded and took a high horse stance, not bothering to hide the grimace on his face.


    Akio surprised him and came forward, but that just made things easier. Doubtless he expected Ranma to come forward or dodge to the side with his good leg, but Ranma had a different plan: he jumped, flipping over Akio¡¯s head and thumping it for good measure. He didn¡¯t need to do it too hard but the idiot had to feel it. Then he landed and SPENT EVERY LAST OUNCE OF WILLPOWER NOT TO SHRIEK.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Akio swore and spun, but he was mollified as soon as he saw Ranma¡¯s face twisted into a shaky, forced grin with wet eyes. ¡°I¡­guess you win?¡± Akio shook his head and started walking.


    ¡°H-hold it!¡± Ranma commanded before the idiot walked off. ¡°W-we n-never s-said wh-what I g-got if I w-won.¡± Akio crossed his arms and glared.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you back on this skateboard.¡± Okay, Ranma probably deserved that, but he had something else in mind.


    ¡°H-hah, n-nope. I d-demand you c-carry me.¡± They both stood still until Ranma winced and shifted his weight off his leg. ¡°I pr-probably sprained o-or t-twisted it or s-somethin¡¯. It¡¯d b-be p-pretty stup-pid to w-walk all the way b-back t-to your p-place like th-this.¡± He beat Akio¡¯s stupid game and now the idiot had to carry Ranma back.


    Once he accepted his humiliating fate, he rolled his eyes and bent down to hook one of his arms under Ranma¡¯s knees and the other around his torso. As soon as Ranma was suspended in the air the weight was no longer pressing on his injured leg a wave of relief crashed over him. It was even more crucial Akio not notice it than the pain, because at least it was manly to fight through pain.


    Neither spoke for a time, which gave Ranma a chance to settle against Akio¡¯s chest. It was soft but firm, and there was a calming rhythm to his strides and a soft jostling as each step hit the street. He was warm, too, which Ranma grew to appreciate as the mid-March night air grew colder.


    At some point, Ranma realized she was starting to nod off now that the adrenaline wore off and the pain pushed against her eyelids. She needed to say or do something to stay awake, the embarrassment of falling asleep in a boy¡¯s arms would haunt her forever.


    ¡°Why¡­why are you being so nice?¡± Dammit, did she have to sound like a hurt puppy when she said that? The shaking never really went away, apparently.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurt, and we¡¯re friends, I hope you¡¯d do the same for me.¡± He answered brusquely, mechanically. It might have been true, but it wasn¡¯t the answer Ranma was looking for.


    ¡°N¡­no, why are you being so nice when I can tell you¡¯re so mad at me?¡± Akio slowed and considered how to answer. ¡°I¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ ta be friends but if you¡¯d rather not spend every second of tha day with me I get it.¡±


    It was a big mistake, letting him carry her like this. Should have insisted he carry her piggyback. They could see each others¡¯ faces, and staring at Akio¡¯s¡­well it left her feeling all weird inside. Again. Especially combined with how gentle he was carrying her. Given his size, his fighting style, and how he¡¯d been treating her lately, Ranma didn¡¯t expect a comfortable trip.


    ¡°No, I wanna be your friend too, Ranma¡­¡± Akio sighed, and Ranma felt his heartbeat quicken. She could only pray he couldn¡¯t feel hers as well. ¡°I just¡­well I¡­¡± When he started blushing Ranma had to will herself not to give him a comforting pat.


    Akio stopped and shifted his hands, elevating Ranma so their faces were even closer. In the dim light she couldn¡¯t make out the details of his face as well, but given how red her cheeks had gotten she didn¡¯t want him to tell either. His hand was also now in the small of her back, and she thanked her earlier self for picking out multiple layers when shivers ran up and down her spine.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you this¡­but you¡¯re very pretty when you¡¯re a girl.¡± Ranma would have laughed if he didn¡¯t sound so serious, or if hearing him say that didn¡¯t make her heart beat faster. ¡°And when you¡¯re nice and flirty and stuff¡­you know I get that it¡¯s an act but part of me¡­¡±


    A profane, blasphemous part of her brain finished his sentence for him, ¡°part of me wishes it was real¡±, and she felt a pang in her chest in the hopes that he¡¯d pull her even closer and press his lips¡ª


    No, nope, nuh-uh, not happening brain, this is just our cute friend confessing that he doesn¡¯t love me and that¡¯s good and fine because I¡¯m not actually a girl, and even if I think he¡¯s hot he¡¯s not into guys. Naoki¡¯s his brother, if he was gay he would have figured that out by now. So calm down.


    ¡°I just think about all the girls who think I¡¯m ugly, you know? And how even before Kodachi I never had a chance with them.¡± Akio hung his head and resumed walking, but Ranma was confused.


    Not about his feelings, those were locked down, but about what Akio said. ¡°Who thinks you¡¯re ugly?¡± Ranma couldn¡¯t hide the disbelief, which got a cocked eyebrow from Akio.


    ¡°Uh¡­girls? Guys who like guys? I¡¯m, you know¡­shaped weird. Top heavy.¡± Now Ranma knew he hit his head or something, because Akio was gorgeous! Er, handsome! Dammit, he was¡­Ranma envied Akio¡¯s body.


    ¡°Did you not read your love letters? Or remember that you got like a hundred of them?¡± Surely he could logic his way out of this situation, right? Akio was a smart guy, he had to understand. ¡°I know Kodachi scared everybody away but we all¡­all the other girls¡­I mean, all the girls I know are jealous of me.¡±


    He couldn''t help but be proud of his status as ¡°Akio''s girlfriend¡± considering he was such a catch. And those other girls didn''t even know how kind he could be. None of those other boys were gonna carry their sweethearts for forty-five minutes, that''s for sure. Especially since she earned it by literally beating out the competition.


    Akio scoffed. ¡°Why?¡± Ranma sighed and put an arm around the back of his neck to pat him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Here''s something I''ve learned after only two days: girls are just as gross as boys.¡± Akio''s disbelieving eyebrow had her giggling. ¡°It''s true! First day of home ec and all my friends asked if we''re¡­if we''ve done anything yet.¡±


    ¡°We''d already sparred or fought at least three times by then¡­¡± Akio¡¯s eyes boggled with innocent confusion, and Ranma couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. This must have been how her friends felt while they were grilling her.


    ¡°Have Shingo or Kiichi asked you about what we¡¯ve ¡®done¡¯ so far?¡± Ranma waggled her eyebrows suggestively and burst out giggling when Akio¡¯s face practically turned purple. He tried to flinch away from her but must have forgotten she was literally in his arms. Her giggles turned into shrieks of laughter as he found his balance.


    Akio¡¯s pout thwarted her efforts to get her laughter under control but must have been infectious because she heard him nervously chuckle before they were both letting out full-throated guffaws. As Ranma wound down she wiped her eyes and realized their faces were very close after the stumble. Close enough that all they¡¯d need to do was lean forward and¡­and¡­


    ¡°My friends just think you¡¯re hot and assume we¡¯ve done lots of stuff.¡± Akio¡¯s voice was soft, perhaps a little hopeful, and Ranma felt a warm, coiling sensation somewhere below her stomach. She swallowed, mouth suddenly watering.


    ¡°S-same with mine¡­¡± He didn¡¯t need to know she didn¡¯t correct them. ¡°B-but that¡¯s my point, that they think you¡¯re hot. That¡¯s what¡­they said all the girls think.¡± Did Akio want to do anything with her¡­with, with him?


    Did Ranma want to do anything with Akio? Well¡­that was the problem, wasn¡¯t it? That this stupid girl body wanted him to lean forward just a few centimeters. That Ranma¡¯d spent too much time as a girl, that he was forgetting about being a badass martial artist and worrying about things like clothes and boys and romance.


    So why couldn¡¯t he push away or say something? Why was he just sitting there, arms around Akio¡¯s shoulders, heart racing, red-faced? A hand gingerly fell against his cheek, fingers snaked into his hair. It was warm, Akio¡¯s hand, despite the blazing heat rushing just beneath Ranma¡¯s skin, but a cold shiver arrested her entire body and she let out a tiny gasp. Ranma didn¡¯t even realize they¡¯d sat down on some bench or retaining wall or¡­whatever.


    An eternity passed while Ranma gazed into Akio¡¯s eyes, at least when she wasn¡¯t looking at his lips. Like Ranma¡¯s, they were pursed and ever so slightly open. They were so smooth¡­


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ranma¡¯s whisper was tiny, cracked, but to the couple sitting beneath the cover of night it was deafening. Akio blinked and the spell was broken. Nervously he leaned back and rubbed his thumb against Ranma¡¯s cheekbone.


    ¡°...!...ahem,¡± the first noise to come out of his mouth was practically inaudible. ¡°Sorry, you,uh, had something on your cheek. Dirt or something.¡± He shrugged and slid his arm back under Ranma¡¯s legs, and even through the denim the sensation sent a thrill up her body.


    ¡°Oh. Thank you¡­¡± Ranma shrank away from Akio¡¯s face as he moved his arm behind Ranma¡¯s back and gripped his shoulder.


    For a while neither one of them said anything, but for Ranma it was anything but silent. His brain was swimming with alien chemicals and he had no idea how to deal with the lustful feelings they engendered. ¡°Pops is gonna freak out about my leg¡­¡± He had to think about something, anything else.


    ¡°Y-yeah, mom too, probably.¡± Her fian-boyf-good friend nodded, then hesitantly smiled. ¡°They¡¯re totally gonna get the wrong idea when they see me carrying you.¡± His stupid smile threatened to shatter the mental defenses Ranma was in the process of rebuilding, but he could handle it.


    ¡°We need ta give your mom a break, she looks like she¡¯s about ta panic every time she sees us standin¡¯ next to each other.¡± Ranma chuckled as he remembered the times Mrs. Tendo sort of froze and stared into space for a second. Was that a normal thing for her? Her kids never said anything about it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we were ready for the weirdness you Saotomes brought with you.¡± Akio teased, and soon the two were chatting like ordinary friends.