[ranma][fanfic][lemon] Nullifier part 2

[Webdragon]

Alright! Part two has just been refitted for 1997! After reading
the old part two, and comparing this one to the old one, do tell me
what you think - by way of whatever mailing list we are all using, of
course.

Ranma 1/2 = (C) of Shogakukan

Nullifier 122
By Webdragon

Part 2 : Revelations and Realizations
-------------------------------------------------

Morning broke over the land of the rising sun and birds soared
above Nerima Ward, chirping their greeting song to the golden sun
ascending into the sky. Dewdrops graced the tip of each stalk of
grass and every leaf on every tree. For a short moment, the paradise
that was lost when man abandoned Nature and turned to machinery,
was present and glittered with a promise to remain till the end of
time... Then the first car backed out of its driveway and the dream
was shattered. As if by chain reaction, more cars filled the streets
within minutes and the quiet morning was drenched in the sounds and
smells of a typical Tokyo day.

Kasumi, always up at the crack of dawn, knocked on Akane's
bedroom, calling to the girls within and reminding them of school.
Immediately what sounded like a free-for-all ensued behind Akane's
door as all the girls doffed their PJ's and pulled on their uniforms,
desperate to get ready and get into school before the bell rang.
Kasumi, always unruffled by any daily event, smiled and walked over
to Ranma's room and knocked on it.

"Ranma! Ranma! Mr. Saotome! Wake up, it's morning
already! Ranma and Ranma? The both of you have school! And I
won't be home to cook lunch this afternoon so you two will have to
eat out just for today" she called.

Ranma slowly opened his eyes at Kasumi's words, then he
rolled over and he encountered.....a female chest not an inch from his
face. His hand was suspended just above his female side's chest and
if he hadn't had such good reflexes he might have touched
her........During the night Ranma-chan had rolled off her futon and
onto his, half curled up near Ranma, as if for warmth. She slept on
her side, facing Ranma, with both her hands supporting her head.
Her right leg was curled up, with her other leg straight out. He
backed away slowly. When he was out of range, he shook Ranma-
chan by the shoulder.

"Wake up. We have school, you know", he said as he shook
her.

"Ssschoool?" slurred Ranma-chan as she came half-awake.
Ranma shook her again.

"We're gonna be late unless you wake up! You don't want to
tangle with the teacher, now do you?"

Ranma-chan woke up with an annoyed look on her face, then
she begins to take off her PJs. First came the top half, revealing the
fact that she had worn nothing else under, then the bottom half.
After taking the PJs off, she was left in her boxers and she begins to
look for her clothes, grumbling all the while. Ranma cursed himself
for being a hentai and he looked away from his female self, searching
for his clothes as well.

They dressed up, finished their washroom duties, then they tore
out of the house with Akane and her friends. Ranma and
Ranma-chan were running in perfect balance on the fence, while
Akane and her friends brought up the rear. They managed to get into
their classes in time and Akane said goodbye to Erika and Sayaka as
they headed off to their classes. Everybody was already seated and
waiting for the last minute stragglers to come in. As Ranma,
Ranma-chan and Akane walked in, the whole class gasped. Ukyo's
eyes went wide in surprise.

"Hey....isn't that Ranko?" whispered Hiroshi to Daisuke.

"But she's the same girl who won that Martial Arts Rhythmic
Gymnastics Tournament, right? Didn't she use Ranma's name?"
replied Daisuke. They fell silent as Ranma-chan followed a little
uncertainly behind Ranma, over to Hinako.

"Ranma Saotome, who's the girl with you?" asked Hinako.

"She's Akane's cousin, who came to register in this class",
replied Ranma. Ranma-chan nodded in agreement.

"I'm....Ranko Tendo" she said, but without the airheaded-ness
she reserved for times when her mother was around.

"Well, Ranko. You can sit next to Ukyo over there. Ukyo,
will you raise your hand please?" After that, Hinako turned to her
books and began to turn to the day's lesson. Ukyo raised her hand
and Ranma-chan sat next to her childhood friend. Class started, then
Hinako had to leave - at the summons of the principal. Ukyo turned
to Ranma-chan.

"R...Ranma? Is that you?" she asked as she looked from
Ranma-chan to Ranma, and so forth. Ranma-chan tried to smile
reassuringly, but she didn't succeed in calming Ukyo down a whit.
She leaned in close to Ukyo.

"We'll tell you after class. Let's not talk about it right now."

Ukyo nodded silently, but she intended to get some answers out
of her as soon as possible. Time flew by and the lunch bell rang. A
few boys made their way over to Ranma-chan, who smiled nervously
at them all as they clumsily made passes at her. Embarrassed at last
beyond anything, Ranma-chan stood up, opened the window and took
off. Ukyo hesitated for a moment, then she dropped the book she
had been reading and followed Ranma-chan as well.

Ranma-chan hopped from window ledge to window ledge,
getting cries of surprise from the students still in them, until she
landed on the roof of the school. This was her place where she could
get away from the usual madness of school. This was to be her place
of solitude, of precious minutes spent in beautiful silence.

Ranma-chan put a hand against a wall and leaned on it, letting
out a sigh. She did not miss the look on Ukyo's face when she had
walked in. She still didn't know how to feel about it. Should she be
sad? Insulted? Even....happy? No, she decided. Never happy.

She heard a sound behind her and she whirled around. Ukyo
was standing there, with both of her hands clasped together. Ranma-
chan relaxed, but not by much, and she forced a smile.

"H..hi, Ukyo. Look, you're probably wondering why there is
two of me, right?" asked Ranma-chan. Ukyo nodded and Ranma-
chan continued. "See, we had this potion called a Nullifier, blend
122, and we used it by....well...accident, I guess. What it does is
nullify the curse and make two separate, uncursed people. I'm just
the female half."

"And...and Ranma is uncursed?" asked Ukyo, a touch of hope
in her voice which Ranma-chan did not, could not, miss.

"Y..yeah. But I'll get cured! You'll see! There is always a
cure, and once I get a hold of it, everything will be back to normal!"
Ranma-chan was desperate to stress that point to Ukyo. She would
find the cure and everything would go back to the way it had been in
the first place.

"Like it was normal to begin with in the first place, sugar."

"Yeah, but at least I'll be one person then."

Ukyo sat down and she rubbed her forehead. The fact that
Ranma, her fiance, had been cured was great news - the best news so
far regarding him - however there remained the matter of Ranma-
chan. What if there wasn't a cure for the Nullifier? What then?
And even if there was a cure, that would mean that Ranma would be
cursed once again. Still, if it came down to choosing, Ukyo would
always choose the lesser of two evils.

And her choice was to find a cure for Ranma and his female
side - for the alternative, while attractive, did not sit well with her at
all. Ranma was more than her friend. In fact, he had been more
than her friend since childhood, and she had never stopped loving him
since the time he had to....leave. She couldn't refuse him anything,
within reason of course, nor could she abandon him like he did her a
decade ago.

Yes, that was it. Abandonment. Abandoned by Ranma,
abandoned by one of the only ones who had mattered to her in life,
Ukyo had cast aside all the other cares in her life and dedicated her
mind and soul on being the best in what she did - cooking
okonomiyaki. A strange goal, some may say of it, but a worthy goal
nonetheless.

Now, she was faced with a decision, one that asked her to
abandon the most important person in her life - Ranma. And Ukyo
was afraid that she knew who would be the one to go - should a cure
for the Nullifier never be found.

She imagined the fates were laughing at this most ironic twist in
her life. Abandon him as he had abandoned her.

Could she love two people at once? For that matter, could she
love a girl - no matter if she knew the truth about that `girl' or not?
Yet, she could not give up her love for Ranma in an instant. He
meant too much to her to do that. Ukyo looked up, almost shyly, at
Ranma-chan.

"Why don't the two of you come over this afternoon to my
restaurant? And bring Akane too, okay? I'll treat you all to free
food", offered Ukyo. Ranma-chan's eyes went starry at the thought
of free food, especially at the Ucchan's, and she thanked her.

Ukyo spent the rest of her time in class thinking and wondering,
weighing the consequences of certain actions, and sighing a lot.
Ranma-chan frequently asked her if she was alright, and she kept
reassuring her that she was. It was just that the situation was not, but
she didn't tell Ranma-chan that.

Hinako, seeing Ukyo looking rather unwell, gave her leave to
go home for the day. Ukyo thanked her and left. The Ucchan
opened early and the hordes of customers, waiting for her, poured in.
Soon, okonomiyaki were flying left and right. All who frequented
the Ucchan noticed the change in mood of their chef, and one or two
ventured to ask Ukyo what was the matter. She shrugged off their
questions, perked up with a forced smile, and fed them all to
contented silence.

School ended, Ukyo could tell by Furinkan's bell, and in short
order Ranma, Ranma-chan and Akane stepped into the restaurant. As
usual, it was packed full, except for the counter seats, which all the
regulars knew were unofficially reserved for Ukyo's friends. The
regulars nodded at them, used to seeing them visit Ukyo all the time.
A small black pig sat on the counter, in front of a plate with a half
eaten okonomiyaki. It looked around, and squealed in delight as it
saw Akane. Then its eyes widened in confusion as it saw Ranma and
Ranma-chan side by side. It blinked once, then twice. Ranma-chan
mouthed the words, "I'll explain later", to the pig, and it squealed
uncertainly.

"P-Chan!", cried Akane as P-chan leapt into her arms, "What
are you doing here?"

"He...sort of walked in. I felt that I had to...uh...you know,
feed him, or something. Can't expect a pig to pay, can't you?" Ukyo
looked embarrassed at her words.

"Thanks, Ukyo!" said Akane as she scratched her `pet pig'
behind the ears.

"No problem. Say....why did it take you guys so long to get
here anyhow?" asked Ukyo as she flipped an okonomiyaki with one
spatula, the other spatula scraping the grill clean.

"*You* skipped out on your classroom cleaning duties...so we
had to do your share of it!" cried Akane with as much mock outrage
as she could put into her voice.

"Aww, Akane. I'm sorry....let me make it up to you with an
okonomiyaki of your choice, okay?" pleaded Ukyo jokingly, a grin on
her face.

"B-bribery won't get you anywhere, Ukyo", warned Akane.
Her stomach grumbled at that moment and Ranma snickered. Akane
jabbed an elbow in *his* stomach.

"A hungry stomach won't get you anywhere, Akane. Come on,
take me up on my offer." Ukyo already knew how it would turn out.
Akane would....

"Alright. Fine. But just this once!"

"Alright, Akane! One okonomiyaki coming up!"

With that, Ukyo spun an okonomiyaki to her and Akane began
to dig into it, trying to keep a facade of anger on her face, which
softened to her normal features after a short while. She could never
really stay angry at Ukyo for long...mainly because she was kind,
sweet, and generous. In fact Ukyo was much like her in a number of
ways. She was almost everything a stereotypical girl was not -
strong, stubborn, free-willed and quick tempered.

Ukyo, when she first arrived in Furinkan High, had been
dressed as a boy and acted like one too. Since then, she had changed
a great deal. She wore her a gi of a sort, with the words `good' all
over it, and she also wore a bandola filled with mini spatulas.

Akane looked at Ukyo, who was smiling and chatting with
another customer, even as she cooked an extraordinarily tasty looking
okonomiyaki. Akane turned away and looked long and hard at her
okonomiyaki. Ukyo was so...so...much more beautiful than her. She
had long hair, beautiful skin and a great figure. She felt so lumpy
and ugly compared to her. Jabbing her okonomiyaki with a fork and
savagely ripping a piece off, she popped the morsel in her mouth and
took great satisfaction in chewing it. P-Chan leapt out of her arms
and started gobbling his food.

Ranma-chan watched Akane stab her food with uncharacteristic
vigor. She saw that her eyes were slightly narrowed and her brow
was creased. <Yup, she's angry again. But over what?> Her
gaze travelled upwards and she looked at Ukyo, who was preparing
an
especially delicious-looking okonomiyaki. Ranma-chan began to lose
herself in looking at Ukyo, trying to imagine how she had looked like
when she was playing with....him in her childhood, but she just
couldn't
picture her being the way she had been. She had grown and changed
alot since those days. She turned around and put her elbows on the
wooden counter behind her, and let her memories travel back a
decade, to a time when little had troubled him. She could remember
the town where he and Ukyo had stayed. She thought of the `safari'
adventure he had with Ukyo back then, a wild romp through the
flowering
meadows........<ahhh, yes....>

[Ranma jumped onto a rock in the middle of the meadow and
looked about with a hand shading his eyes. Dragonflies zipped all
about and insects filled the air. The chirping of birds drifted off a
scattering of nearby trees. He looked up into a gloriously blue sky
that seemed to stretch forever and ever, encompassing the entire
world that was his birthright. He took a deep whiff of the sweet
summer grasses that reached up from the moist earth to the shining
sun which gave freely of its light, and he exhaled slowly. It was so
good! The heady aroma of flowers seemed to swirl and drift all
about him, encouraging him to take another breath. And another.

He closed his eyes and let out an impulsive cry of exultation,
the shout of somebody who was completely content with the world
about him, akin to the majestic symphony of nature which now sang
its praise and gave its thanks to the gods for creating such a
wonderful world. The cricket chirped, the birds sang, dragonflies
flitted in the air and dodged the drifting dandelion puffs swirling in
the breeze and spiralling up, and up, and upwards into an endless
summer sky.

<Hey, whatcha doing, Ranchan?>

Ranma turned around. Ukyo ran up to the rock he was on and
squeezed herself next to him. Ranma graciously let him take her spot
on the rock; after all, she was his friend. Ukyo was his best friend in
the world.

<Ucchan, isn't this the best?>, he said to his friend. Ukyo bobbed
her head up and down, and she sat on the rock. Ranma remained
standing and looked at the grass covered hill which lay just ahead of
the meadow, then he looked over at Ukyo. Ukyo had a handful of
flowers in her hand and she was counting out the stalks, humming a
tune to herself as she did. Ranma leapt off the rock and started to
run to the hill.

<Hey, Ucchan! Come on! Let's go up that hill!>, he called to his
friend even as he ran.

<Ranchan!!! Wait up!> Ukyo threw the flowers away and started
after her friend. The two surmounted the hill with no difficulty and
the two stood at the peak, looking down at the land all around. The
greenery was gone and the two friends looked down at the town and
its concrete structures. Cars rushed to and fro, and people thronged
the sidewalks. Ranma shuddered. People were not meant to live so
closely packed together. He looked back down the hill and the
welcome sight of the forest and the meadow greeted his eyes.

<Ranchan, what's wrong?>, asked Ukyo.

<Nothin', Ucchan.>

A far off voice echoed through the large meadow, <Ranma! Ukyo!!
Where are the both of you?!>. A man wearing a bandanna, a pair
of glasses and a karate gi, stepped from out of the concealing shade
of the trees at the far end of the meadow.

<Come on, Ucchan, or you'll be left behind! Race you to the
okonomiyaki cart!>

With that, Ranma sprinted towards his father, eyes fixed ahead and
not looking back.

<W-Wait! Don't leave me behind, Ranchan!> Ukyo shook off her
lethargy and sprinted after Ranma....]

Ranma-chan chuckled to herself. Back then, she had thought
Ukyo was a boy, like her. She turned back and looked at Ukyo,
both hands under her chin. No way anybody could mistake her for a
boy again, and those who disagreed were either stupid or blind. She
had legs that looked so slim and sexy, especially while she was
wearing tight, black jeans. She smiled and closed her eyes, walking
the paths of her memories, memories of Ukyo.

Ranma was perplexed. First, Akane was placated all too easily
by Ukyo. Then his female self sighed dreamily and seemed to stare
off in the distance. And now, he saw Ukyo cooking the best and
most delicious-looking, and smelling, okonomiyaki, putting her
customers' orders on hold for the time being, occasionally looking at
Ranma and giving him a smile. What's with the puppy dog eyes,
Ucchan?, he was tempted to ask, but he said nothing.

"Ranma! Here it is!" cried Ukyo happily as she scooped the
okonomiyaki up and placed it on a plate, then giving it to Ranma.

'Th-that was for...for me? Wow. I would have never thought
that....anyways, thanks, Ucchan!" With that, Ranma begins to eat
the okonomiyaki. Ukyo smiled at him.

"Anytime, Ranma. And now, the same thing for you,
Ranchan", said Ukyo to Ranma-chan as she began to pour another
okonomiyaki on the grill. Ranma-chan snapped out of her dream-
state and she smiled at Ukyo.

"Thanks, Ukyo."

"Say, Ukyo. Could you take my order?" asked a customer
waiting at the counter.

"I had ordered a super deluxe combo okonomiyaki ten minutes
ago, and I still haven't received it. I know your friends are over, and
I respect that, but I have to be at a business meeting in twenty
minutes, so....", said another customer.

"Ahh...alright. Ranchan, I hope you understand", said a
flustered Ukyo as she quickly began to whip up okonomiyaki for the
two customers.

"Umm...okay, Ucchan", said Ranma-chan uncertainly. It was
beginning to get to rush hour, and both of them knew it. Murphy's
Law had a way of showing up when it was not needed, especially in
a certain Ward situated in a certain city.

"I'll try my best, Ranchan. Just sit tight."

Ukyo started to take orders and to fill them out. However, as if
on cue, a horde of people flooded the restaurant at that moment.
Ukyo was kept extremely busy trying to take orders, fill them and
collect the money - all by herself. Ranma-chan looked hopefully at
Ukyo but Ukyo did not have the time to even talk with her, so busy
as she was. Eventually, Ranma-chan tried to say something to Ukyo,
to tell her that she was leaving, but Ukyo was already running into
the back of the restaurant to get more supplies. The counter was
already burgeoning with hungry people and when Ukyo came back,
Ranma-chan tried again.

"Ukyo, I....", she began.

"Not now, Ranma!" said Ukyo in an exasperated tone. Ranma
looked up from his food and Ukyo scowls. "Not you, Ranma. I
meant Ranchan. I'm very busy right now." Ukyo looked very
flustered and she kept glancing at the stack of orders on her table.
Then she ran into the back for something else that she had forgotten.

Ranma-chan got up and she left the restaurant.

Ranma-chan knew that it was selfish of her to get angry at
Ukyo, for not getting a free meal, but she still couldn't help herself
from feeling....betrayed. She had taken time out for Ranma, why
hadn't she taken time out for her? Ranma, seeing his female side
leaving, got up and ran out after her. Akane waved to Ukyo, who
didn't even see the wave, and she too left.

"Ranma! Wait up for us, man!" cried Ranma as he jogged
towards Ranma-chan, Akane following up at a fast walk while
holding P-chan. Ranma-chan turned around, a slightly exasperated
look on her face, then she relented and slowed down.

"Where're you going in such a hurry?" asked Akane as she
drew up with both Ranma and Ranma-chan.

"To Nekohanten. Come on, let's go. Maybe I can get
something to eat there." With that, Ranma-chan started to shuffle off
to Nekohanten. As usual, the place was also packed, but the three
manage to find a table. Within a minute or so, Cologne hopped over
to their table with three bowls of ramen balanced on one hand. No
sooner does she set the food down when Ranma-chan grabbed two
bowls and started to devour their contents. Ranma took the third
bowl, and looked up at Cologne.

"Where's Shampoo? Your hands seem kinda full now, with all
these people in here....", he asked her.

*Crack*

The cup in Akane's hand had shattered into pieces. Akane
looked at the mess on the table in surprise. Cologne frowned a little.

"You will reimburse me for the cup, of course."

"S-sorry. I...I guess I must have been holding it a little too
hard."

Ranma-chan rolled her eyes. Funny how that happens.

"She's out delivering, son-in-law, and won't be back until
tonight. I have to go. And before you ask, no, I have not
remembered a cure for the Nullifier." With that Cologne hopped
away.

They finished their food and return home. Ranma-chan
staggered over to the couch and she threw herself full on it, snuggling
up on one side, and turning the TV on as she did. Then she folded
her arms across her chest, remote in one hand, and she thought about
what had happened today. It still didn't seem fair that Ukyo had
catered to Ranma first, instead of to her. After all, she was him,
right? She was still Ranma, not `Ranko'! She still felt a little bit
betrayed by Ukyo, her childhood friend, even though Ranma-chan
knew that she really was being obstinate with her view of the
situation. Ranma-chan knew it was unfair to assume that Ukyo had
an obligation to her, but it still didn't quell the feelings of depression
within her. She sighed. Then she felt a finger tap her from behind.
It was Akane, holding P-Chan.

"Ranma....could you hold P-Chan for me? I'm going to go to
the washroom for a sec, and I don't want him wandering about", said
Akane, as she held out her pet pig with both hands. Ranma-chan
grunted and she took P-Chan.

"Bwee?" asked P-Chan in piggy. Ranma-chan chuckled and she
filled him in on the current situation. P-Chan nodded sagely, as well
as a pig could, and he started to stroll away. Ranma-chan caught him
and pulled him close to herself, squishing P-Chan to her chest.

"Oh no, you're not going nowhere, buddy. Your owner wants
you to stay. You know, *heel*? *Stay*?"

P-Chan glared at Ranma-chan with narrowed eyes and he
squealed in angry protest over Ranma-chan's comparison of him to a
trained dog. Ranma-chan made a face at him, and P-Chan made one
back as well. That was when P-Chan realized what the *soft* things
were that had been pressing on his back. He began to turn red, as
much from embarrassment as from the blood threatening to find a
way to burst from his snout, and he tried to squirm free. Ranma-
chan, totally oblivious to P-Chan's predicament, continued to watch
TV.

She started to feel a little better now, over the disappointment at
the Ucchan's. Time certainly healed all wounds, and it was now
working to deaden some of the pain within her. The pain was not
much to begin with, but it was still there. Just that sense of rejection
when Ukyo.....

"Ok, Ranma, I'll take P-Chan back."

Without looking up, Ranma-chan took P-Chan and handed him
to Akane over her shoulder.

"P-Chan! Your face is all red! Oh, poor baby....come on.
Let's go and get some tidbits for my widdly piggy...?" Akane kept
cooing over P-Chan while heading to the kitchen.

Ranma-chan shuddered. <Poor Ryoga>, she thought as she
switched to another channel, which was a documentary about the way
men and women thought.

Ranma came up to the couch with a bag of chips and a can of
pop in his hands and he eyed Ranma-chan, who was now lying
straight out on her side and taking up the whole couch.

"Hey, move it! Where am I gonna sit?" Ranma demanded.
Ranma-chan stuck a tongue out at him but she pulled her legs close to
herself, leaving a small space for Ranma to sit.

"Thanks a lot for the *HUGE* favor," commented Ranma with
just a touch of sarcasm.

"Anytime. Gimme some chips."

Ranma gave her a handful of chips and Ranma-chan devoured
them. Ranma took a drink from his pop and put it on the floor,
preparing to settle back and watch TV. Ranma-chan leaned down,
grabbed it and took a drink from it.

"Hey, that's my pop!" cried Ranma in protest.

"So that makes it mine as well! Don't whine!"

"Gimme that back!" Ranma swiped the can from Ranma-chan
and he drank the whole thing. Ranma-chan snuck a handful of chips
from the bag when Ranma wasn't looking, and she stuffed it in her
mouth.

"Do you....think there.....really is a cure for....me?" asked
Ranma-chan between munches. Ranma eyed Ranma-chan
suspiciously as he looked into his chip bag and found a handful
missing.

"Why shouldn't there be?" replied Ranma at length. Ranma-
chan sighed.

"I mean.....if the three hundred year old ghoul doesn't know,
then how the heck are *we* supposed to know?" Ranma-chan
sounded depressed.

"Well.....she just didn't remember, that's all. You've got to
give her time to remember," said Ranma in an attempt to console
Ranma-chan, who sighed again and turned from her side until she was
lying on her back with both legs bent and slightly spread, facing
Ranma, but with her head turned to the TV.

Ranma couldn't help but sneak a peek at Ranma-chan, especially
in her new position. Her legs moved slightly to and from each other,
the knees touching once in a while, and the rise and fall of her chest
was quite a sight for Ranma to see, while the region between her legs
attracted the most attention from his wandering eyes. And all that
compounded this was the fact that he was less than an inch from
Ranma-chan, practically on top of her. He felt his heart thump a
little faster, and the tips of his ears burning with some
embarrassment. Another change, less obvious but completely
impossible to ignore, began and he quickly slapped a couch pillow on
his lap to conceal it.

Time passed and Ranma began to get tired of learning how
differently a man and a woman thought, due to biological differences
or upbringing, or other factors, and he held a hand out to Ranma-
chan.

"Pass the remote. Let's watch something more interesting."

"No, I wanna watch this", replied Ranma-chan petulantly.

"That's just a stupid documentary! Let me have it, then we can
watch something with action in it, or something like that."

"And this isn't interesting?" Ranma-chan sounded surprised.
She found it very fascinating to learn the way men and women flirt
with one another. For instance, some women flirted by tossing their
head and making their hair fly to one side and hang down....then they
exposed their neck and assumed a shy/demure/hungry look, usually
while crossing their legs and blushing a little. Such actions were
instinctive, according to the program, and excited the male to no
small end. The male, on the other hand......Ranma-chan turned the
volume up so that she could hear it better.

"No, it's *not* interesting." With that, Ranma reached over to
grab the remote from Ranma-chan. She pulled it away from him and
held it to herself, sitting up at the same time and edging a little
further away from Ranma.

"Well, I think it's interesting. So, you can't have the remote,"
said Ranma-chan. She turned her head so that her pigtail hung over
her left shoulder and her neck was quite exposed to Ranma, and
added (with a slight purr, learnt from the TV program),
"but....maybe you think you can take it away from me?"

Ranma knew a challenge when he heard one, and he rose to
meet it. He made a grab for the remote but Ranma-chan clutched it
close to herself, while starting to giggle a bit. Growling, Ranma
launched himself onto Ranma-chan, who squealed and fought to keep
the remote from Ranma's grasp. The two wrestled on the couch,
Ranma on top and trying to rip the remote from Ranma-chan's hands,
Ranma-chan laughing and enjoying herself.

Ranma made a snatch for the remote, but Ranma-chan pulled it
away at the last moment - from her chest. Unable to halt his forward
momentum, Ranma's hand landed on her left breast with his fingers
completely encircling that tender portion of female anatomy.

"Oh!" cried Ranma-chan as she blinked and she looked down at
Ranma's hand, touching that portion of her body, and Ranma looked
too, the sweat starting to bead on his forehead. <Uh...oh....>,
thought Ranma.

"Uh...I'm uhh....sorry," stammered Ranma as Ranma-chan laid
the remote by her side and pried Ranma's hand off of her chest with
both her hands.

"That's...that's alright. No big deal. I mean, I'm still a guy,
right?" replied Ranma-chan with no small amount of uncertainty. She
blushed a bit and turned away from Ranma. She could almost still
feel his hand on her breast, even though he wasn't touching it. It was
like it was still there. <That was close...I shouldn't have tempted
him>, thought Ranma-chan as she tentatively rubbed her breast, to
get the phantom feeling off her skin.

"I didn't mean to...uh...grab you in there. I was aiming for the
remote."

"I know. Don't worry about it. It was all my fault anyhow."

"Alright...if you say so. Now, gimme the remote."

"No."

"Say again?"

"No. No means no." Ranma-chan grabbed the remote and
started to smile a bit, awaiting Ranma's inevitable reaction.....

Ranma pretended to relax, then he snapped into action and
lunged at Ranma-chan, straddling her and wrestling with her again,
trying to rip the remote from her hands. She laughed, and shrieked,
and kicked her legs ineffectually, and turned her body from side to
side, denying Ranma the chance to get the remote. Ranma finally
pinned Ranma-chan on her back with one strong hand, then he
snatched the remote from her hands and held it up in triumph.

"Finally!! Now I can watch something more interesting!!" he
cried.

"That...that was fun!! Let's do it again!" squealed Ranma-chan
between bouts of giggling fits.

"Do what again?"

Ranma and Ranma-chan froze at that voice. Akane. Ranma
looked up and he saw Akane watching both of them. P-Chan, in her
arms, watched with wide eyes and perked ears. Ranma was suddenly
aware that his legs were on either side of Ranma-chan, and his left
hand was just beneath Ranma-chan's breasts, the fingers splayed out
to keep her immobile. He was also aware of the fast beat of her
heart in synchronization to his own.

Likewise, Ranma-chan was also aware of how close Ranma was
to her. His legs were on either side of her and touching her sides,
and his body blocked the light from above. She felt a bit of heat
between her legs, a not-unpleasant sensation that turned her face red
with shame as she realized that she *liked* the way her body was
reacting to Ranma's. Her nipples were starting to harden a bit, and
they were starting to show through her shirt. Either Ranma or Akane
would notice her sexual arousement in a moment - Akane more so, as
she was a girl too - and Ranma-chan felt her face redden some more.

"Uh...Akane! I...I...uh....", began Ranma somewhat
intelligently.

"Aw, come on, Akane. It's not like you have anything to worry
about when I'm around him. I mean, we were just fighting over a
dumb, old remote, and we weren't doing any of *that*...!"

"Hey! It wasn't like that at all!" cried Ranma. Ranma-chan
smiled mischeviously at Ranma.

"Smile at me, will you?!" growled Ranma with mock anger as
he began the attack dreaded by people worldwide. He slid two hands
up Ranma-chan's sides and began to.....tickle her. She squirmed
about on the couch, squealing with laughter and trying to pull
Ranma's hands away from her but failing.

Akane relaxed as she saw the innocence of the whole incident,
as Ranma and Ranma-chan play on the couch. The shrieks of
Ranma-chan's protest and laughter, mingled as one, brought a half-
smile on Akane's face. She was happy that it was nothing more than
play fighting, but she still felt a portion of jealousy. Ranma had
*never* played with her the way he was playing with Ranma-chan.
He had never tried to tickle her, nor play fight with her, and she felt
more jealousy as she watched Ranma and Ranma-chan. Jealousy
because she hadn't received as much attention as Ranma-chan was.
Jealousy because Ranma-chan was genuinely enjoying herself, while
Akane was left out of it. Akane wondered how much better her
relationship with Ranma would have been if he played with her, the
way he was doing with Ranma-chan, instead of insulting her.

Even now, deep within her, she felt the desire to be in Ranma-
chan's place, enjoying and having fun with Ranma. But since she
was a latecomer, she was already out of it and unable to join in. And
Akane being the way she was, she was *NOT* likely to tell Ranma
of her feelings. So Akane concealed her feelings of envy and desire
beneath a mask of calm and curiosity, out of a deep and abiding
consideration for the feelings of the two roughing it up on the couch
in a play fight. <Next time, I'll not be the one left out. *Ranma*'s
going to be in *my* place soon enough...!>, thought Akane as she
walked up to the couch where Ranma-chan was being tickled to such
a degree that she actually had tears in her eyes.

"Okay, enough, Ranma. Can't you see that she's already given
up?" said Akane to Ranma.

Ranma gave Ranma-chan a last tickle then he got up from her
and sat down on the couch, changing the channel. Ranma-chan wiped
the tears from her eyes and she began to sit close to Ranma - perhaps
unconsciously, perhaps intentionally. Literally butting in, Akane
interposed herself between Ranma and Ranma-chan, sitting quite close
to Ranma. She stared straight ahead at the TV, P-Chan in her arms,
as Ranma and Ranma-chan looked at her with surprise and confusion,
respectively.

Akane had never sat quite so close to him as she did now and it
surprised Ranma quite a bit. She was closer to him than she was to
Ranma-chan, he noted.

Ranma-chan was confused, and a little hurt. She didn't know
how she knew, but she knew that Akane had butted in because she
seen her as a threat to her relationship with Ranma. <As if!>,
thought Ranma-chan with more than a little unkindness. Feeling
bold, Ranma-chan sat closer to Akane, until their legs were touching.
She was a girl as well, at least for the time being, and that gave her
more courage to do what she did. As Akane looked at her with
surprise, Ranma-chan leaned in close to Akane.

"It was just in fun, Akane. We weren't doing anything other
than play fighting," said Ranma-chan to Akane in a whisper.

"Why are you trying to explain? There's nothing to explain",
replied Akane in a whisper as well, a forced smile on her face.
Ranma-chan knew and she was not fooled by it.

"Look, I'm the same person as he is, Akane, so don't worry.
But tell me....why're you so mad?"

"I'm not angry." Akane turned away.

"Yes you are." Ranma-chan leaned closer.

"No, I'm not. You and Ranma were just playing, that's all,
right?"

"Y-yeah....and...your point is?"

Akane took a while to answer as she wondered if she should tell
this female version of Ranma. She seemed different than Ranma
already, despite her protests to the contrary, and she seemed
more.....more reasonable. And easier to talk with. The barriers of
gender seemed to have been lifted between Akane and this female
Ranma, and somehow Akane knew she could disclose more of her
mind to her than to Ranma. Somehow, Akane felt more comfortable
around Ranma-chan than Ranma. There was an absence of that
element of awkwardness she always felt around Ranma, or Ryoga, or
other guys for that matter. In summary, Ranma-chan was *different*
in some way.

Akane stood up and she motioned for Ranma-chan to follow her.
Ranma-chan followed Akane, leaving a confused Ranma behind.
They needed to have a private talk - girl talk as it were, and Ranma
was not included in it. Akane led Ranma-chan up to the upper deck,
then she turned and faced the outside world, turning her back on
Ranma-chan.

"Okay, what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Akane?"

"Well....Ranma....? You were just playing with Ranma, right?"

"Duh! What else? I'm him, and he's me! Of course I was just
playing with him! What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing."

Ranma-chan could still sense that Akane was not quite finished,
and she was withholding something. Ranma-chan went up to Akane
and she laid a hand on her shoulder. Akane jumped a little.

"What's wrong, Akane?" Ranma-chan asked.

"Nothing's wrong, Ranma. Nothing." Akane hugged P-Chan a
little tighter.

"That's not true. You're not telling me something. Come on,
Akane. You can tell me. I'll not say a word about it if you do. You
look like you're sad, or something."

"I'm not sad."

"Yes you are. That long face, and the way you're looking out
at something that I can't see. Come on, Akane....", Ranma-chan
squeezed Akane's shoulder, "Tell me."

There was a long moment of silence, then Akane sighed and
turned to Ranma-chan. If she wanted to know, then so be it!

"Al....alright. It's just that...you know....Ranma has never...I
mean...." Akane faltered a little.

"Go on," encouraged Ranma-chan.

"I mean...he's never shown such...affection for me. He...he
hasn't ever played with me the way he did with you. I mean, you're
him and he's you, but I'm....well...." Akane trailed off into silence,
leaving Ranma-chan to interpret as best as she could. P-Chan blinked
a little, then he narrowed his eyes.

There was silence as Ranma-chan digested Akane's words. So
that was it. Akane was jealous of Ranma-chan and Ranma. <Oh,
please...!>, thought Ranma-chan, <As if I'm gonna get it on with
myself!> Really, Akane had nothing to worry about. After all,
Ranma-chan would find a cure and then she would become one
person again, with Ranma. That was all there was to it. Then Akane
wouldn't have to worry, right?

"Akane....that's...uh...." Ranma-chan faltered and Akane turned
away.

"Why don't you have anything to say, Ranma? After all, you're
him and he's you, right?" Akane sounded a little cheated, a little
betrayed. P-Chan squealed in agreement.

"What I was going to say was......you know....he...no, me and
him, wouldn't have.....minded playing with you. It's just
that...uh...we didn't know how you'd take it....and we were afraid
you might get...m-mad."

They had wanted to, but didn't do it for fear of getting her mad?
Akane felt all the weight of the missed opportunities to get on better
terms with Ranma, and she suddenly felt a lot sadder than before.
She kept him at a distance because of her frequent use of the mallet
or the avenging fist to hit him for things which she later found out
were not really his fault. The magic mushrooms that Shampoo had
fed Ranma, and later Akane, had been one such incident in a line of
many. As far as she could remember, that was one of the few times
when she had openly apologized to Ranma for mistaking the facts of
the situation.

She felt the hand on her shoulder reach down to her free hand
and squeeze it. She looked up in surprise at Ranma-chan, who was
smiling a little as she held Akane's hand. The wind blew and ruffled
both Ranma-chan and Akane's hair, and clothing.

"Don't worry, Akane. Everything will work out. When I get
cured, and become one person again, I'll...I'll try to be...n-nicer to
you. I'm also kinda sick of getting hit by you....maybe things will
change. Who knows until we try, r-right?"

"Ranma...." began Akane. P-Chan jumped out of Akane's arms
and he started to run away at full speed. "P-Chan!! Come back!!"

Akane pulled her hand from Ranma-chan's, and she started to
run after P-Chan, then she turned back and looked at Ranma-chan
with gratitude. For a moment, as their eyes locked, Ranma-chan and
Akane shared a bond like no other. Then the moment shattered as
Akane turned and dashed after her pet pig, calling loudly.

Ranma-chan sighed and she started inside, after Akane.

Ranma was perplexed, again. First, Ranma-chan and Akane
had left to talk about something which did not involve him, to his
knowledge anyways, and now Akane was thumping down the stairs
and chasing after P-Chan, who was running as fast as he could. As
P-Chan ran by the couch, Ranma snagged him by the bandanna and
held him up. P-Chan's legs moved furiously as he squealed threats at
Ranma, but Ranma just dangled him until Akane came to retrieve her
pet.

"P-Chan! What's wrong, baby?" asked Akane to P-Chan, yet
not expecting an answer. Ranma turned to Ranma-chan.

"Hey, what's up with Ryoga?" he asked her. Ranma-chan
sighed.

"Ask him yourself later on. I can't tell you." With that,
Ranma-chan turned on her heel and left the living room.

As Ranma-chan was on the way to the dojo, she was just
passing by the front door when it slid open and a figure stepped
inside, a long bundle on her back. Ranma-chan stopped dead in her
tracks as her gaze travelled from the floor to the beautifully
embroidered kimono up to the face that resembled her own to an
uncanny degree. There was only one word she could form at the
moment.

"M-mom...", whispered Ranma-chan.

"Ranko-chan! How are you?" said Nodoka Saotome in greeting
as she stepped up to Ranma-chan and hugged her. Ranma-chan was
still too stunned to do anything but slowly hug her mother back.

Akane came upon the scene while on the way to the kitchen, P-
Chan in her arms, and she too stopped dead in her tracks. Nodoka
disengaged herself from Ranma-chan and hugged Akane in greeting as
well.

"Akane-chan! You're looking well, and growing up too!"
exclaimed Nodoka.

"A-Auntie Saotome...! We weren't...expecting you....", began
Akane.

"I'm sorry, dear. I really should call before coming over, don't
you think? Silly me."

"Hey, Ran...M-mom?" said Ranma as he rounded the corner in
pursuit of Ranma-chan.

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

The effect of seeing her son, after ten long years, was absolutely
profound on Nodoka. Her sword-shaped bundle slid to the ground
from nerveless fingers, her eyes widened with astonishment, then she
ran over to Ranma and hugged him, the tears already coming to her
eyes. She couldn't form any words to express her joy and excitement
at seeing her son, her only son, standing before her in the flesh.
Long were the times when she had imagined holding her son again,
like she had done over ten years ago when he was just a child of six.
Now, her dreams realized, she was as happy as any mother reunited
with her child can be. Then she held Ranma out at arm's length and
looked into his face, and eyes.

"Tell me you're him!! Tell me you're my son, Ranma
Saotome!!" she whispered fiercely.

"M-mom...I'm Ranma", whispered Ranma, feeling a lump in
his heart - and an incredible amount of strange emotions in his throat.
He had never experienced this before, not in his life, but it seemed
like he had been saving all of it up for this moment. <Mom....>,
thought Ranma.

And Nodoka wept tears of incredible joy, and of hopes fulfilled.

Ranma wept too, for reasons he did not know but would
understand later on.

Akane wiped tears from her eyes and hugged P-Chan a little
tighter. Then she thought to turn to Ranma-chan, to see how she was
reacting to all of this, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Ranma and his mother sat down for a long reunion talk - after a
thoroughly frightened Genma was hauled out by Soun, that was.
Ranma-chan reappeared and she sat down next to Akane, who was
also sharing the couch with her two sisters. Genma, Nodoka and
Ranma sat down at the table, while Soun stood behind the couch.
Mother embraced father, and son, and questions were asked, and
answered. Periodically, Nodoka threw in comments on how `manly'
Ranma looked, earning huge sweat drops on Genma's forehead, and
general assent from the Tendos. Ranma and Genma recounted their
travels, albeit cutting out the part about Jusenkyo, and Nodoka
listened intently. Akane glanced over at Ranma-chan, who was
looking down at her feet and sighing once in a while. She looked to
be quite unhappy, and sad, and Nodoka picked up on that with a
mother's instinct.

"Ranko-chan....why do you look so sad? This should be a time
for joy, not for long faces!" said Nodoka as she laid a hand on
Ranma-chan's knee.

"Time...for joy?" mumbled Ranma-chan.

"Why, yes. My son has returned after ten years - only God
knows how much I have missed him!"

"Yeah. I know, A-auntie Saotome." Ranma-chan's shoulders
slumped a little.

"Have you met him yet? Isn't he so much like a man now?
Why, to think that only ten years ago he was just a child in my
arms...!"

"Y...yes, Auntie. I've met Ranma. E...excuse me, I've gotta
go some...somewhere." With that, Ranma-chan got up.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ranko. Is that why you're looking so worried?
You must have a date with your boyfriend, right? Yes, I understand
the feeling."

Ranma-chan stopped and she turned around, slowly. Ranma and
Akane watched Ranma-chan intently. Nodoka looked up into Ranma-
chan's face and she smiled.

"Come now, don't let me keep you waiting! He might get
impatient and leave, you know. Boys are like that, always looking
for someone better when the best person for them is right in front of
their noses. Well, not all of them. Anyway, a healthy girl like you
really should enjoy life to the fullest, while you're young and
beautiful."

Ranma-chan looked as if she was about to disclose something to
Nodoka; her mouth worked silently, and her hand was half-raised, but
she looked uncertain as to what she was going to say. Finally she
turned around and left without a word. Akane got up, excused
herself, and followed after Ranma-chan.

Inside her room, Ranma-chan reached back and deliberately
pulled her hair tie off. Her pigtail untwirled and spread out into a fan
of red hair, covering half of her back. She brushed it out with her
fingers and looked into a mirror. <How different I look without a
pigtail>, she thought to herself. Now, even more so, she looked like
any normal girl, and she was a little disturbed by that. She quickly
tied her hair back in a pigtail, then she flopped down on her bed,
letting the soft futon accept her body and comfort it.

<It's not fair>, she repeated over and over in her mind, tears
coming out even though she tried hard to keep them in. Downstairs,
the chatter increased in volume, as Nodoka let all her pent-up
emotion out, gathered over ten, long, years. She could hear Ranma
telling Nodoka more about his training and journeys to many places,
and Nodoka exclaiming in joy and happiness. Ranma-chan pulled the
comforter closer to her, trying to find solitude in the dark confines of
her room, but she failed. The clock read six in the afternoon, hardly
even time for bed.

At last, she grabbed Ranma's pillow and stuffed it around her
ears. With the sound muffled, she drifted in and out of sleep, always
on the edge of the land of dreams, but never setting foot within that
fabled country - for the sounds of merriment from below keep her
from sleeping. Her door opened and somebody stepped inside,
hesitantly.

"Ranma?" It was Akane. Ranma-chan turned away from
Akane.
"Go 'way. Just leave me alone," muttered Ranma-chan.

"I can't, Ranma. I...know what you're...."

"No, you don't," said Ranma-chan, sulking a bit now.

"Yes, I do, if not even better. I....I don't even have a mom
anymore, Ranma. Think of how sad I am whenever I think of her.
I'm sorry for you, and all that, but....at least you still have a
mother."

"It doesn't seem that way, though. I'm only Ranko-*CHAN*.
Your country cousin. How the heck am I supposed to tell her that I
really am Ranma, too?!" Ranma-chan's voice was starting to rise.

"Who says you have to tell her? If you get cured then...."

"But what if I don't get cured?! Then suppose what if I told her
the truth of me and Ranma? I think `ritual suicide' kinda sums up the
whole thing, in two words." Ranma-chan hugged her comforter
tighter. Akane started to step towards her.

"But...."

"But what? Heck, what if she doesn't even believe me?"

"She will....after your dad changes into a panda, in front of her.
Come on, Ranma, stop being sorry for yourself. You'll find a cure,
and then everything will be back to normal."

"I've been looking for a cure for so long, and after this Nullifier
`cure', I don't think I'll be looking for a cure again."

"Don't say that, Ranma! Keep searching for one!" Akane
reached over and she touched Ranma-chan, briefly.

"Akane! Akane! Where is my son's fiancee? Come down,
Akane, so I can see how well the two of you look together!" cried
Nodoka from downstairs.

"Ack! I can't believe she just yelled tha....Ranma?" Akane
quickly swallowed her embarrassment as she turned Ranma-chan
over.

Ranma-chan had a few tears in her eyes, and she wiped them
away quickly.

"You...you go on downstairs, Akane. I'll...I'll be fine. I
haven't seen my mom for ten years...so what's a little while longer,
anyhow?" Ranma-chan sounded quite depressed.

"Ranma...."

"Go already. I...I need time to think. I mean, I've only lost
my manhood, maybe my best friend, my identity, and....and...."
Ranma-chan trailed off as she looked at Akane, then she reached over
and tentatively touched Akane's hand.

Akane watched in wonder as Ranma-chan squeezed her hand in
her own. Akane watched as Ranma-chan struggled to find the words
to finish her sentence, to tell Akane what or *whom* she had also
lost. Then Ranma-chan seemed to give up and she let Akane's hand
go.

"Ranma....are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah. Go and sit next to Ranma, or something. Let my mom
see how the *two* of you look, together."

"That's not what...."

"Akane!! Where are you?" called Nodoka again.

"Ranma...!" pleaded Akane.

Ranma-chan did not answer. After a moment's hesitation,
Akane got up and she left, gently shutting the door after her.

* * *

Ukyo finally closed her restaurant, relieved to be able to breathe
easily once more. She counted the cash in her drawer; almost
seventy thousand yen in bills, cheques and coins. She sighed. This
money would go to paying for her overhead, and her suppliers and a
whole bunch of others. She expected to pull out a profit of about 28
000 yen out of today, but that was about it. Ukyo swept the
restaurant up - it was in remarkably clean condition considering how
busy it had been. Then she scraped her griddle clean, threw the
grease away and began to put her ingredients away. She methodically
put away the sauce, the prepared toppings and anything she could
find. At last, only a tray covered with some wax paper remained.
She lifted the wax paper, to see where this thing would go to.

An extra-large size bowl of batter, covered with cling-wrap, sat
on a plate in the middle of the tray. Her specially prepared
ingredients, intended only for the most expensive okonomiyaki on her
menu, were arranged neatly around it, and there was a little piece of
paper on top of the bowl written side facing down. Curious, she
picked the paper up and read it. It was in her own handwriting and it
read, "For the other Ranchan."

It was as if her heart had stopped, and there was nothing in the
world but the bowl of batter and the piece of paper in her trembling
hands. Ukyo sat down heavily, and she felt the sensation of having
failed someone. In her rush for much-needed profit, she had
neglected Ranma-chan, when she had already promised herself that
she wouldn't. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't even seen
Ranma-chan leave the restaurant. She had probably been too busy to
notice. <Ranchan...I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, soon.>

Ukyo put the bowl of batter, and the ingredients, in the
refrigerator and she finished cleaning. Then, with a last look at the
seat where Ranma-chan had been sitting on, she turned the lights out
and headed upstairs for a shower.

* * *

Ranma finally managed to leave the little company gathered in
the living room, and he headed upstairs, fully intending to crash and
sleep for a week. He entered his room and shut the door behind him.
Then he fumbled around in the darkness for the light switch, and
flicked it on. The first thing he saw was Ranma-chan, curled up on
her futon and with her back to the door, facing the window. Even
with the bright light, she did nothing more than stir a little bit.

He remembered how Ranma-chan had left the living room, as if
she had been very glad to leave. Seized by some emotion, or perhaps
sympathy, Ranma made his way over to Ranma-chan and he slowly
knelt down near her. Something caught his eye, and he leaned over
to see what it was, blocking the light from Ranma-chan's face.

<Tears?>, thought Ranma as he hesitantly touched the wet
spot on the pillow, near Ranma-chan's eyes.

"I would really appreciate it if you turned the lights off...",
mumbled Ranma-chan as Ranma withdrew his hand from the pillow.

"S-sorry," stammered Ranma as he got up quickly and turned
the lights off.

"That's alright....everybody's sorry. Sorry for me, that is."

"How long...have you been in here?" asked Ranma.

"Since I left the living room. Haven't been able to sleep since."

Ranma-chan did not even twitch, and Ranma laid a hand on her
shoulder.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked with concern.

Ranma-chan seemed to hesitate, then she turned over and sat up.
Ranma couldn't see her face, because of the darkness of the room,
but he imagined she looked tired. At least, that was what her body
posture seemed to suggest. Her shoulders were down, her neck bent
a little, and her arms lay limply on her lap.

"No, I'm not alright. So, did you tell mom all about what we
did?" There was a note of jealousy, and a bit of anger in her voice.
It made Ranma flinch, to be on the receiving end of such personal
bitterness - made even more personal since Ranma-chan was the same
as he, barring physical differences.

"Y-yeah. Except for the Jusenkyo part. We cut that one out."

"Why?"

It seemed to Ranma that this was the real question that Ranma-
chan had been leading up to. Why not tell their mother about
Jusenkyo, about the spring of drowned girl? Why not speak of how
she had nearly had a heart attack when she had felt her new body all
over? Why not relate about all the troubles and worries that her
female body had gotten her into?

Why not come out with the truth, the truth about `Ranko-chan'
and Ranma?

"You know as well as I do why I did not. Are you forgetting
that stupid promise our dad made before he left to train?"

Ranma-chan looked at him like one would look at an idiot, as if
to say "of course I know that, why ask?", then she folded her arms
up over her knees and drew her legs close to her. At length, she
spoke.

"I've been thinking. Can we tell mom about....about me and
you? I mean, tell her that I'm really Ranma."

"It may not be a good idea. See, if she believes our story, she
might hold *you* to the promise. Remember, dad said that he'd
make us `a man amongst men', or we would commit seppuku -
and....and you don't look like a....man right now. Sorry."

Ranma-chan narrowed her eyes involuntarily at Ranma's words,
but she knew he meant no harm. She had already known the
direction Ranma's answer would take - she just needed to hear it.
For what reason, she did not know, but she just...had to. Maybe to
convince herself that telling her mother was not the best course of
action. Maybe not. At any rate, not only might her mother, in the
name of honor, force her to commit seppuku but she might also force
Genma to commit seppuku as well - thereby following the promise to
the word. Ranma-chan fidgeted a bit, then she turned a little away
from Ranma.

"I'm....I'm glad that you and mom are happy at being reunited.
But I think you understand why I....couldn't stay and listen. She
refers to me as `Ranko'. I'm NOT Ranko. I'm Ranma. Ranma
Saotome. But she does not know that, does she? Did you hear that
comment she made about a `boyfriend' for...for me?"

"Yeah. I nearly choked."

"*I* choked. And I was not very happy. In fact, I was more
than a little mad at her....and you."

"Why me?"

"You're the one getting all the attention. Mother finally meets
her long-lost son. Long-lost son finally meets mother, without the
curse. But what about me? I'm the curse. I don't belong. Sorry,
I'm just rambling. Don't mind me."

Ranma laid a hand on Ranma-chan's shoulder and he turned her
around. She did not resist, but neither did she look up to meet his
eyes. Ranma spoke, softly.

"Do you really want to tell mom? I mean, right now. Tell her,
and get it over with. Are you afraid of dying, Ranma?"

"You know the answer as well as I do. But....there's another
reason. Not only is the threat of death stopping me from telling
mom, it's also....also...I dunno. Let me put it this way. She was
expecting a manly son. Like you." Ranma-chan stopped and she
waited for Ranma to reply. He should know what she meant.

"And...and you don't want to tell her, because it could be a
great disappointment for her.....and for you."

"Yeah."

"I know. I was kinda expecting that."

Both of them knew the real reason behind the unspoken decision
to keep the secret from their mother. Ranma-chan didn't want to go
before her mother as a girl, when she really was a guy inside. Their
mother had gone through ten years of hoping that her son would be
manly, and masculine - and, as well, fearing that her son would not
be a `man amongst men'.

Ranma-chan did not want her mother to see her as she was - not
until she got a cure for the Nullifier 122 *and* a cure for the spring
of drowned girl curse. Then the whole matter can be hushed up and
nothing more would be said of it. End of all their worries, and
troubles.

At length, Ranma and Ranma-chan lie down to sleep in their
respective futons, and Ranma-chan fell asleep - secure in the
knowledge that someone, at least, knew her dilemma. She should
have told Akane about her problem. That thought floated through her
mind just before sleep fell upon her and whisked her away to the land
of dreams.

Within her body, strange and weird changes were happening.
Ranma-chan tossed and moaned as her body went through a change
according to a schedule that only it knows. It readjusted itself to its
new condition, starting to erase old instincts and replacing them with
instincts of the new body.

The wind rustled the leaves of trees in the Tendo backyard,
blew the drapes open and let the light from a million million stars
bath Ranma-chan, in starlight.

Tomorrow would come soon enough, and with it, explorations
of the new self.

--------------------------

Whew. Part two down. Four more to go. If you have any
comments, please post them on whatever mailing list we are currently
using at the moment. ^_^

- WD