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Chapter Text

Ranma Saotome was a good swimmer. He was strong, fast, athletic, and had the endurance of 3 Olympic sprinters combined. He’d swam from Japan all the way to China with his father, and he’d come out the other side alive.

But his limbs were failing him at the moment. This spring had been much deeper than he had anticipated, and he was now furiously pumping his arms to reach the surface. His body felt… off, somehow, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He was also occupied with more pressing concerns, the first of which being that his old man had just turned into a damn Panda.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to really think on that because his lungs were burning like hell itself. He’s gasped when he hit the water, and now he’d swallowed a bunch of it. He broke the surface, coughing and sputtering as he accidentally swallowed more of the water. It felt… fizzy? It had a strange warmth to it that spread down his spine and made him feel sick.

He clawed his way onto sweet dry land, flaring up at the panda standing over him. “The hell did you do that for, old man?!” 

He froze. His voice, why did it sound like that? It was high and… girly. Their guide looked at him apologetically. “I’m sorry son, you’ve fallen into the Spring of Drowned Girl. Your father fell into the Spring of Drowned Panda.”

Ranma’s face was blank for a second as he processed that. Why were there multiple springs named after things that had drowned, and why did that even… Wait. He looked down, eyes widening in shock and horror. He unbuttoned his shirt just to make sure.

I have boobs. I have boobs now. I’m a girl. I’m a fucking girl?!

He screamed, closing his shirt and leaping to his feet. “Change me back!” Their guide held up his hands placatingly, his voice slightly frightened. “Relax, son, you just need some hot water! The curses are known to be permanent, but you’ll be able to change back.” 

Ranma watched numbly as their guide went to heat up a kettle of water, his head spinning. 

Permanent? I’m going to be stuck as a girl forever?

The thought made him sick to his stomach even more than swallowing the water had.

The guide picked up the now warm kettle and poured it over his father’s head, changing him back to normal. Ranma’s eyes lit up, and he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. It would be ok, he could just go back to being a boy and pretend nothing was wrong, just like before.

“Now, the curses are still there, and cold water will return you to this form.”

Ranma’s heart sank, but at least he wouldn’t be stuck like this all the time. That would be hell. The guide stepped over to him, pouring the warm water over his head. Ranma sighed happily, already feeling… nothing? His eyes shot open, and he looked down to find his body unchanged.

“Uh, don’t know if you noticed, but I didn’t change back.” Ranma struggled to keep his voice even as panic flared up in his chest. He felt like he was drowning again.

The guide frowned, stepping back. “I’ve never seen this before… You were in there for a while, maybe you swallowed some?”

Genma laughed, his eyes narrowing at Ranma. “Well, boy, it seems that body is already making you weak. But no son of mine is going to live as a girl”

Genma grabbed the kettle and placed it over the fire again. “It just has to be hotter.” The guide looked uncomfortable with Gemma’s tone, but he didn’t have any better ideas. He’d never seen anyone stay under that long, maybe it had become permanent…

Ranma groaned, glaring out at the cursed springs. “Yeah, real nice move, pops, getting us cursed.” He grumbled.

I won’t be stuck like this, I’m the apex of masculinity and martial talent! No stupid curse is going to-

Ranma screamed as boiling water was poured down his back. His vision blurred, but he could feel his body returning to normal. “You can stop now!” He screeched at his father, barely believing the pain he was feeling. Steam curled off his back as the deluge of hellish water finally ceased, leaving an angry red line down his back. Ranma clenched his fists hard.

Men are strong. Men don’t cry. Pain is weakness. Men are strong. Men don’t cry. Pain is weakness. It’s just training…

Genma looked at him disapprovingly, crossing his arms. “Pansy.” He turned, walking off to go set up camp for the night. Ranma glared after him, wiping the moisture from his face. His eyes flicked to the kettle as he stood up, wincing. There had to be some way to fix this.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: The Postcard;

My name is Ranma Saotome

Genma’s pathetic excuse for a son was sleeping in the tent, despite it being 6:00. That little whelp should’ve known that it was training time, and normally, Genma would have punished him for such lazy behavior. Unfortunately, he was getting very fucking tired oh the brat’s incessant whining. Ever since those damn cursed springs, he’d been complaining non stop about how the water was too hot, or his burns hurt, or he couldn’t keep up. Genma thought he’d banished these behaviors when the boy was young, but it seemed he was not so lucky.

He turned to the kettle, deeming it hot enough. If the boy was so hurt by a little water, he’d need to build up a tolerance to it. Besides, Ranma would need that water whether he liked it or not, unless he wanted to emasculate himself any further. Genma tossed the kettle into the tent and took off towards the nearby town.

Their guide had parted ways with them a few days ago, pointing them towards this place, which was supposedly known for their mystical medicine. Honestly, it was preposterous that Genma was doing this alone, but his pansy of a son was getting on his nerves, and he could only take so much.

But once he had cured them of their afflictions, they could return to Japan to certify the engagement while Genma plotted their next trip. He was certain Soun would be happy to see them, and it would be nice to finally unify their schools.

Genma smiled as he arrived at the edge of town. He could just search for what he needed and beat anyone that tried to stop him. Who needs some ridiculous western language like Mandarin when you can just speak with your fists?

-

The water was everywhere, and he was certain he was drowning. It rose up to his elbows, and he was already gasping for air. He could feel himself changing, feel his control and strength slipping away as he was left in this tiny, fragile body. The water was rising faster now, up to his chest, and he was getting pulled down. He tried to swim, tried desperately to escape the hellish force pushing him further and further towards the line. But his father’s hand was too strong, it always had been, and he felt the water filling his lungs. He could feel it invading his soul, gleeful to rip apart everything he knew and stitch him back together wrong.

Just when he thought the darkness would claim him, the water all drained away. He coughed, sputtered and retched, desperate to spit up every last trace of the foul substance. And then he heard it. The soft hiss, the sound of the steam escaping. He looked up, dread and terror spiking inside him as the kettle got closer. But he was frozen, he couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, he could hardly even think. It would help him. The kettle helped. The kettle was supposed to make him right. The kettle was supposed to save him. So why did it hurt so much? 

The hissing column of water touched his forearm and- Ranma screamed in pain as he bolted upright, his entire body drenched in sweat. He felt the new burn on his arm before he saw it. He would never forget that feeling. He leaped to his feet, dashing out of the tent flap. The kettle lay on the floor of the tent, spilling steaming water into  the ground. Ranma let out a shaky breath, seeing that it had only been a small splash that actually got him.

He saw Genma in the distance, bounding towards a nearby town. Supposedly, they had some kind of mystical medicine that would fix this curse. Ranma wasn’t so sure he wanted any medicine from his old man right now, least of all something for this specific ailment. His previous treatments had been lackluster, to say the least. 

Ranma sat down next to their cartoonishly large travel pack, running a hand through his hair. He wasn’t shaking, it was just extra adrenaline from the abrupt wake up. He was fine. Men don’t cry after all. Men are strong. And Ranma is one hell of a man.

Ranma forced himself to stand up and stretch, going through a light workout routine, no matter how much it hurt. It’s just pain, just training. He can handle that. The workout helped him think a little more clearly, though his mind still lingered on the way his skin was peeling in places. He looked out over the small town below, brow furrowed.

What does pops think he’s doing? That dumb bastard doesn’t know a lick of Mandarin, how’s he going to find a damn cure?! At least he left me alone for once. 

His eyes flicked to the travel pack, and he smirked.

I could just run away, and he wouldn’t be able to catch me. No more cursed training grounds, no more 5:00 wake ups, no more kettle…

The idea certainly sounded appealing, but he’d have nowhere to go, and he wasn’t in great shape right now. But he’d probably end up in worse shape if he stayed… 

No, maybe there is a cure. And we can find it if we keep searching. But… we don’t know Mandarin, how are we supposed to find it? It’d be easier to just leave and come back with some supplies, maybe a translation guide…

Ranma bit his lip, considering the idea. He continued staring at the travel pack, noticing a small postcard he hadn’t seen before. That definitely wasn’t there yesterday. He snatched it and read his father’s chicken scratch.

“Soun, Ranma and I will be returning from China. I’m sure you’re excited to meet him and finalize our plans. -Genma”

Ranma flipped the card over. It was addressed to the ‘Tendo Dojo’ in Nerima. He had an address, he could actually go there. And his father would know where he went, so he could just follow along, right? He wouldn’t be too mad, since Ranma was trying to fix things. Yes, it would be fine once he explained.

He stuffed the card in his pocket and grabbed the pack. He should be somewhat close to the coastline, surely he could swim back again… On second thought, maybe he could take a ferry or something. He’d gotten a translated map from their guide, so he knew there was a port nearby.

Ranma gave the town one last look before running as fast as his tender feet would carry him.

“Sorry, pops, but you always taught me to be a man, and real men don’t rely on old bastards like you!”

-

It took Ranma two days to reach the city he was looking for. Maybe it was farther than he thought, or maybe he wasn’t running as fast as normal. Regardless, he was here, and he was shocked. He’d spent the last decade of his life mostly on the move, so even glimpsing big cities like this was a rarity. Being in one was an entirely different experience. There was just so much of everything; people, buildings, stores, pets, hell, there was even a staggering number of boats at the port. 

Of course, it took him a few hours to figure out how to get there, and he had no idea which ferries were going to Japan. He had to figure it out quickly though, because he only had one more day of food in the pack, and it would take him a while to reach Tokyo.

He began asking around until he found the ticket counter. He used what little money the guide had given them to buy a ticket, and he was officially on his way back to Japan.

-

Genma was furious. He’d spent all day searching this town for something to help with this damned curse, and he’d come up empty handed. Even the people he’d shaken down hadn’t told him anything useful. Not in his language, at least. And now he had to run from the police, who were shouting nonsense at him.

It wasn’t too much of a problem, he was a martial artist after all. He stopped, turning on the three people chasing him. He leaped forward, dispatching one with a punch to the solar plexus and taking the other two down with a rib snapping kick.

His head snapped up as he sensed something approaching him, but he wasn’t quite fast enough to avoid the car. The vehicle sent him flying into the wall, and three people piled out of the vehicle to arrest him while he was dazed. He fought them of course, but he’d taken quite a hit, and his hands were already bound.

He growled in frustration as he was hauled off to some foreign prison. At least his son would break him out and they could move on from this nonsense. No closer to a cure, but Ranma still needed to toughen up a bit, anyways.

-

Ranma was beat. It had taken days to get from the coast to Tokyo, and he had to ride on the roof of several buses because his body was too sore to run that far. He hadn’t eaten in almost 3 days, but he was finally here. Filthy, hungry, soaked with rain, and in his girl form, sure, but he was finally here. The Tendo dojo.

He knocked on the door, postcard in hand.

“H-hello? My name is Ranma Saotome.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: The girl;

Friendship and rivalry

The sky was overcast and bleak, with dull storm clouds carpeting the air from horizon to horizon. The soft patter of rain filled the air alongside the shouts and thumps of Kenpo training.

Akane hadn’t been able to go on her morning run due to the constant rain, so she was substituting with extra time in the dojo.

She drilled a series of strikes on a dummy, rattling its base with each one. Each hit was called out by a sharp outtake of breath and the solid smack of fist on fabric.

“Hai!”

She started her last kata, the ending strikes landing powerfully on the dummy at the end of the room. She finished off her routine by smashing her fist through a stack of cinder blocks.

She grabbed a towel and wiped some of the sweat off before hanging it around her neck. She ran inside, skirting past one of her sisters as she came down the stairs.

“Woah! How are you so lively this early?” Nabiki groaned, stumbling back from the blur of dark hair in front of her. 

“Sorry, Nabiki!” Akane responded as she rushed into the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water. Her eldest sister, Kasumi, chuckled at her enthusiasm.

“My, you’re certainly energetic this morning.” 

“I don’t know, I just feel good today. ” Akane responded with a smile. And it was true, she was feeling great. Maybe it was the weekend, mwybe it was the workout, or maybe it was the smell of the rain and the food Kasumi was making, but she was happy. 

She’d gone out with her friends yesterday, and for once, she had gotten all her homework finished before the weekend, so she was free to train and relax today. It felt good not to have any obligations for once. Tomorrow would bring her regular troubles back into focus, but she could ignore them for now.

She returned to the sitting room and took her place at the table, greeting her father. He smiled faintly at her, happy to see his daughter so joyous. Kasumi brought breakfast in just a few minutes later, and they ate happily. Her cooking was always fantastic, after all.

Oddly, their meal was interrupted by a faint knock at the door. They all looked up with varying levels of curiosity before the girls glanced at their father. He stood up, walking down the hall.

“That’s strange, I hadn’t been expecting guests…”

Nabiki followed him, and after a second of hesitation, Akane followed. Kasumi crossed her arms, frowning slightly. “We shouldn’t snoop, girls.”

Nabiki snickered, undeterred. “Don’t be such a prude, Kasumi, we live here too.” 

“Wha- I am not a prude.” Kasumi responded, sighing as she stood up to follow them.

-

Ranma fidgeted as he waited for the door to open. It was just his luck for it to be raining now, of all times. He was certain he looked awful, though he hadn’t seen his reflection in weeks. He felt grimy and tired, and he knew he looked it too. 

Why do I even care, it’s not like I’ve had much of a chance to clean up? And I’m never going to look good like this…

He glanced down at his chest, trying to keep a grimace off his face.

The door creaked open, and a tall, black haired man stood there. “If you’re here for training, I’m afraid we’re not accepting-“

“H-Hi, my name is Ranma Saotome” He interrupted, holding the postcard out to the man. His voice had come out softer and shakier than he had expected. Why was he so nervous? This guy apparently knew his father, it should’ve been fine.

“Saotome? You couldn’t be…” The man quickly read the postcard, and a smile broke out on his face. “You’re Genma Saotome’s son! Well, I’m delighted to meet you, Ranma. Come on inside, we wouldn’t want you freezing in the rain.” He put a hand on Ranma’s shoulder and guided him through the door.

It was a perfectly nice gesture, but it made Ranma feel uneasy. And had the man not realized that Ranma was a girl right now? Well, he looked like one, at least. What was this guy’s deal anyways? And he was so tall. Rather, Ranma was so short. He hated feeling powerless and jumpy like this, it wasn’t him! He was confident, he was strong, and he certainly wasn’t intimidated by another man just touching his shoulder.

He steeled his nerves, looking up. The man turned as he brought Ranma inside, preparing to call for his daughters only to find all three of them staring at their new guest. “Oh good, you’re all here. Girls, I’d like you to meet Ranma Saotome. He’s an old friend’s son, and he’s traveled here from a training journey in China. Ranma, these are my girls, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane.”

“Nice to meet you” Ranma replied, forcing his voice to stay even.

Kasumi looked at the poor, dirty, nervous girl before her, and her heart broke. What had happened to her? Where were her parents? “Uh, father, I don’t think-“

“Dad, that’s a girl.” Nabiki interrupted bluntly, pointing at Ranma’s chest.

Ranma blushed faintly, and then much less faintly as the man leaned down and stared incredulously at his chest. It was at this moment that he truly realized he was a girl right now.

Shit.

He scrambled to cover his chest with his arms, even though he was fully clothed. He hated the way that made him feel. The man realized how uncomfortable he was making Ranma, and he backed up. 

“I’m deeply sorry, dear, I didn’t realize. But Genma said he had a son…”

Ranma realized he was going to have to tell them about his particular predicament, and that thought was mortifying. “Well, I-“ He started, but he froze at the thought of their questions. They might ask him to change back. The water. His face paled considerably, and he couldn’t organize his thoughts enough to come up with a coherent excuse.

“Well, I think this is great!” Akane’s voice broke the fragile silence, and Ranma’s gaze snapped up to her. She was smiling brightly, and she was really, really, pretty.

Woah.

“Want to be friends?” Akane asked suddenly, shocking him out of his stupor. Ranma had friends before, of course he had. His pa said that friends were just a crutch, so it had never really bothered him when he left. But… no one had ever just asked him to be friends. Certainly not anyone so pretty.

“Uh. Sure?”

Akane smiled again and grabbed Ranma’s hand, leading him away to the dojo.

“Do you know any kenpo?” She asked him, opening the door to the dojo.

“Y-yeah, I know a bit.” He replied, scolding himself for being such a wimp. Why was he stuttering so much, and why was he downplaying himself? He’s a great martial artist, and there’s no way this random girl was making him feel threatened. She’s just a girl. She’s really pretty though…

“You up for a match?”

That caught his attention. He perked up, actually smiling. “Yeah.” Akane grinned, getting into a fighting stance. She was a little confused to see that Ranma wasn’t getting into any stance, and he was just standing there casually. “Hope you’re ready!” She exclaimed as she punched straight for Ranma’s face.

Ranma dodged easily, tilting his head to slip the punch. He did the same for the next two strikes as well. He sidestepped a punch, ducked another, slipped a kick, and jumped straight over a second kick. And the whole time he didn’t throw a single strike in return. A real man never hits a girl, after all.

Akane was getting a little angry now. This girl was avoiding everything effortlessly, and she wouldn’t even throw a single punch back! “Come on, hit me!” She started up a sequence of strikes, forcing Ranma back into a corner. She put all her strength into one final punch just before Ranma hit the wall. She smiled, only to see Ranma flip over her punch. She started turning, but she wasn’t quite fast enough to stop Ranma from poking the back of her neck. She did manage to throw one more strike that Ranma couldn’t dodge, and she was really proud of that. She was much less proud when she saw the other girl wince.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, ‘m fine” Ranma grinned. “You’re pretty good, for a girl.” 

Akane gave her a puzzled look. She felt kinda hurt by that implication. “You’re a girl too, moron. Besides, you’re leagues better than I am” She frowned slightly.

Ranma flushed, holding up her hands. “W-well, yeah, ‘s just, you know…” She hesitated for a moment, her confidence seemingly vanished from just a simple insult. “I… sorry. Maybe I could help?” 

Ranma didn’t know why he said it. He didn’t have any obligation to this girl, and what he said certainly wasn’t wrong. He just felt bad, for some reason. 

Must be this stupid girl body. I’m going soft.

It didn’t stop him from offering to help, and it certainly didn’t stop him from blushing when Akane actually smiled again.

Akane, for her part, didn’t know why she couldn’t stay upset at Ranma. She’s said something stupid and weird, and she hates to hear it. But something about the other girl’s awkwardness was really endearing and cute. But not in like, a weird way or anything, it was just an observation! Like how Ranma’s clothes were a little soggy, or how her hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in a week, but she was pretty anyways. Normal stuff like that.

“Yeah, I’d like to learn how you move like that” She said sheepishly, letting go of her remaining frustration. She had to be kind to their guest, so she wouldn’t get scared off. Ranma was really weird though. Pretty, but really strange. She kinda acted like the boys at school, but Akane supposed someone like that would fit in perfectly with her. 

Tomboy!

She’s so weird…

No one’s going to want to date her…

What, is she some kind of Dy-

Yep, Ranma would fit in with her just fine, no question about that. She seemed a lot less nervous now, and for the first time, Akane noticed the marks on Ranma’s arms. There were angry red spots, some of the skin was peeling a little, and she even had a few blisters! No wonder she winced when Akane hit her, she must’ve been in so much pain.

“What happened to your arms?” She blurted out before she could stop herself. It probably wasn’t polite, but she was really curious. Ranma stiffened, her head snapping up. She almost seemed to shut down a little.

“Nothin’. ‘S fine.”

“Oh, ok” Akane paused, hoping she hadn’t already upset her new friend. She took Ranma back inside, trying to figure out what to say that wouldn’t make her sound weird or judgy. 

“I’m really glad you’re a girl.”

Ranma seemed  confused, and maybe even a little offended. “Why’s that?”

Akane was getting flustered now. She’d tried to be normal, and she’d already upset Ranma somehow. Twice, even!

”I hate boys, they’re so annoying and stubborn. And they never take a hint, no matter how many times you beat the point into their stupid heads!” Akane huffed, crossing her arms.

”Not all boys are like that!” Ranma replied, crossing her arms in turn.

Why was she defending boys like this? Akane almost felt like she had some personal interest in it.

”Oh yeah? Have you ever met one that isn’t?”

“Duh!” Ranma replied immediately, but she seemed to reconsider a second later. She furrowed her brow for a moment before sheepishly amending her statement. “Well, maybe not…”

Akane’s scowl broke at the faint blush on Ranma’s cheeks, and she giggled. Ranma blushed even harder and stiffened up. “What’re you laughin’ at?” She crossed her arms again, pouting.

”Nothing, silly. I just think we’re going to get along.” She smiled, and Ranma grumbled, but she didn’t object. Akane found herself excited to finally get to know someone similar to her, and she couldn’t help but feel happy.

-

Kasumi watched as Akane led Ranma away, her brow creased in worry and a slight frown on her face.

“She looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.” Nabiki said flatly before turning and heading up the stairs. New girl is weird, they’re going to take pity on her, blah blah blah. Not really her problem. She’d probably have less spending money with an extra mouth to feed, but she’d wanted to expand her business ventures anyways.

New girl is pretty, maybe I could sell more photos…

Soun, meanwhile, had his fingers on his chin thoughtfully. “We had planned to engage Genma’s son to one of you, but that clearly can’t happen. I wonder why my old friend would have lied to me about such a thing…”

Kasumi stepped up next to him, speaking softly. “Father, did you see her arms? They were red and blistered, and she’s filthy. I fear what happened to that poor girl, she must’ve been through so much.” She turned to him, her eyes fierce. “We’re letting her stay.” 

Soun met her gaze, eyes widening slightly at the force behind the statement. “Of course, my dear. We’ll let her stay as long as she needs. And I’ll try to get in contact with her father. He has a lot of explaining to do.”

Kasumi’s eyes softened, and she smiled. “Great!” She busied herself gathering up leftovers into a container and drawing a bath for Ranma. No guest in this house would go hungry or stay dirty. Not if she could help it. She tried to lift Ranma’s pack from where she had left it by the door, but it was heavy. Had she traveled all the way from China with this big thing?

Kasumi looked out towards the dojo, her stomach turning at the thought. She had a lot of work to do.

Now left alone in the entryway, Soun gazed down at the postcard Ranma had given him. “Where are you, old friend? What have you done?” 

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: The mirror;

Men don’t cry

“You’ll be staying with us in the guest room for as long as you’d like, so we’ll take good care of you.” Kasumi’s voice was soft and kind, and Ranma wanted to believe her, to trust in her kindly exterior. But no one was just nice, and certainly not to a guest like him. His father had beaten that lesson into him plenty of times in primary school.

Friends are for girls, real men don’t need help from weaklings, and I won’t have those whelps making you soft.

Ranma felt like a moron, and it was just getting worse with every passing minute. If friends made him weak, then he was a nationwide charity case by now. He could barely introduce himself at the door, was constantly tripping over his words, worrying about his appearance, offered to help train a girl, and now the eldest Tendo daughter was fussing over him. He’d never felt more emasculated in his life. No amount of insults or dirty looks could ever compare to the feeling of showing up at a stranger’s door, hungry, dirty, and desperate. 

He knew he should’ve just gone to the kettle as soon as he’d seen it, or at least told the Tendos about his curse. But… The idea wasn’t very appealing, considering the consequences. And now, he might lose his new friend if he turned back, and that thought scared him more than he’d ever admit. What would his father say to him now?

Pathetic.

Useless.

Girlish.

Brat.

It’s just water.

She’s just a girl.

Just tell them.

You can’t live as a girl.

Fucking queer.

He didn’t know when his father’s voice had turned into his own, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. 

“Ranma, dear, are you alright?”

He finally registered Kasumi’s voice again, but he looked away from her eyes. They were judging him, he was sure of it. And they had every right to. He was pathetic, and weak, and gross. He didn’t know why it made him feel so hopeless when he should’ve been angry.

“Yeah, ‘m fine.”

Ranma looked up just in time to see something on her face. He didn’t know what that look meant, but he didn’t like it. But he didn’t say anything, acting like the pathetic little bitch his body presented to the world. 

“Well, I’ve got some food for you. It’s leftovers from breakfast, but I promise I’ll make something fresh later, ok?” He nodded. She frowned, and he almost snapped at her. What was her problem? If she had some comment to make, she should just say it and stop looking at him like that. He hated it when people stared.

“I drew a bath, so you can go wash up after you eat. When was the last time you bathed?” 

The question really bothered him. He hadn’t had a proper bath in weeks, and the last time he had anything close to bathing was at Jusenkyo, and that was… Not something worth thinking about. She was right, he was filthy. It’s just a bath, he had no reason to be scared, and he shouldn’t be scared of talking. Real men don’t get scared.

“A while…” He muttered, his hands digging into his sleeves. He could just feel her eyes on him, feel the judgement and disdain. He just wanted to punch her, even if she was a girl. What right did she have to look at him and-

“Ok.” Kasumi stepped back. His hands were shaking where they gripped his shirt. It was fine. Everything was fine. She wasn’t looking, he could just sit down and eat like nothing was wrong. And he did. He let go of his sleeves, dropped to the floor, and realized how fucking hungry he was. He hadn’t eaten in days, and he’d just been running on desperation. He was too distracted when Akane pulled him away to notice how painfully empty his stomach was, but now it was all he could think about.

He began scarfing down food, not caring that it was a little cold. It was delicious. It was quite possibly the best meal he’d had in years. And it was just rice and fish. He was so distracted, he didn’t even notice that Kasumi was in front of him again.

“Would you like some tea?” He looked up, and saw a kettle. He leapt to his feet, stumbling back. He couldn’t breathe. It was too close. He forced air through his lungs. It wasn’t moving. She wasn’t moving. She wasn’t going to burn him.

“N-no, no, thank you.” He stammered, tearing his eyes away from the steaming abomination. She had that look again. It was better than the kettle.

I’m a pathetic excuse for a man.

“Oh, alright. Well, if you’re finished eating, why don’t you go take that bath?” Kasumi had barely finished talking before he was grabbing his bag and sprinting to the stairs.

“Wait, Ranma, Akane can get that for you!” 

He didn’t bother responding, he was already up the stairs with his pack in tow. He whizzed past Akane, who had also been headed to the bath, and she gave him a confused look.

Ranma wouldn’t stop to explain his behavior, and honestly, he couldn’t. This body was doing something to him, that must be it. He’d never been so… girly before. It was nauseating.

He finally reached the bathroom and closed the door behind him, setting his bag down. It was nice. He was only now realizing how great this house was. Certainly nicer than anywhere he could remember staying. He surveyed the room, and before he could think better, his eyes landed on the mirror. 

The person that stared back wasn’t Ranma. She had vaguely the same shape and build: relatively thin, athletic, and visibly strong. But she looked so tiny compared to what he was used to. He hadn’t really seen his female form yet, but he knew she was inches shorter than he was. Her hair was red, not the black he was used to, and everything about her was softer. He’d never been one to appreciate his reflection, but this was something else entirely. It felt revolting to look in the mirror and see someone who wasn’t him. Someone who exemplified everything he wasn’t supposed to be. And god, was she filthy. Her clothes were scuffed and worn, her hair was limp and unkempt, and her face was… Well, her face was actually beautiful. He watched as the girl in the mirror studied herself, tilting her face and inspecting everything. Even dirty as she was, she was undeniably pretty.

He felt weird. Seeing her, the face that he now wore… It was just terrible. It made his stomach turn. What would his father say if he were here? What would he think of the girl? She looked tired, but she didn’t have the disgusted look that Ranma had been expecting. She didn’t seem to have the storm of wrongness he was feeling. She looked curious.

He looked away from the mirror, taking his clothes off. He didn’t linger on his new curves, just kept his eyes up and moved quickly. He didn’t want to think about this body any more than he already had.

He looked up, stepping forward and sighing as- he stumbled backward, eyes locked onto the tub. He’d been so distracted with the mirror and just clearing his thoughts that he’d forgotten why he was here. A bath. A hot bath. One that was currently steaming.

He couldn’t, it was too hot, he could just feel the burns itching already. That searing pain had never left his mind. But it could save him. He could just go back to being a man and stop all these pathetic thoughts and incidents. He’d probably lose Akane, but he’d only known her for an hour, he couldn’t really care that much… He glanced at the mirror, meeting the girl’s wide eyes. Her breath was shallow, almost like she was afraid of what he was thinking. But he couldn’t be afraid like her. He’s a man, and men don’t get scared.

He walked to the edge of the tub, his breath growing sparser the closer he got. He could feel the warmth rising through the air, see the faint wisps of steam curling away into nothing. His legs were shaking, his hands trembled. But he wasn’t scared, he was just tired. He was just tired, and the steam was making his eyes blurry. He’d be fine as soon as he touched the water. He’d stop being such a pansy, and he’d get ready to go back to China. He’d come prepared, he’d find his father, and he’d fix this damn curse before it could ruin his life entirely.

He plunged his arm into the water, and he screamed. It was hot, his burns weren’t healed, and it was like he could feel every last splash of that damn kettle on his skin. He ripped his arm out of the tub, clenching his teeth and trying to stop the tears falling from his eyes. He looked down, and he knew. All the pain, the tears, the humiliation. It was for nothing. It wasn’t hot enough.

He could make it hotter. The tub wasn’t quite full yet, he could put more in. But he couldn’t pull the handle. He put his trembling fingers on the dial, and he turned it all the way to cold. He choked on the feelings trying to escape, the moisture in his eyes. 

Men don’t cry. Men are strong. I’m better than this. I’m not weak. I’m not pathetic. I can’t cry.

By some miracle of repression, he managed to internally chant himself into numbness until the bath was frigid. He shivered violently as he stepped into the bath, but he was just shaking from the cold. That’s all. It was just cold. And it soothed his entire body.

-

“Ranma, dear, are you alright?” Kasumi asked softly, resisting the urge to hug the poor girl. Ranma almost seemed to startle out her thoughts, stiffening slightly.

“Yeah, ‘m fine.” she mumbled. Kasumi was certain Ranma was not ‘fine’ by any measure of the word, but she didn’t want the girl closing herself off any more than she already had.

It broke her heart to see Ranma’s reaction to everything, and it was all she could do not to cry for her.

She offered her some food before backing off and going to heat the kettle. Maybe some tea would calm the girl down. But when she offered, Ranma just bolted off the ground and stumbled back, face paling. She looked like she’d seen a damn ghost, and was she hyperventilating?! She barely managed to stammer out an answer, visibly snapping her gaze away from the kettle.

Kasumi’s eyes flicked to the angry red marks on Ranma’s arms. She’d taken them at first to be a mix of scrapes and sunburns, but… What made her so afraid of a kettle? She kept her voice even, despite her growing rage for the brute who had hurt this child so deeply.

Kasumi had barely managed to suggest a bath before Ranma was racing away, ignoring her suggestion to let Akane carry her bag. Kasumi set the kettle down, smoothing out her dress in an attempt to ease the stress building in her chest. 

She walked upstairs to find Akane standing outside the bathroom door, her hand raised as if to knock. But she wasn’t moving, and she looked worried.

“Akane?” Her sister’s head whipped around, and Kasumi gestured for her to come over.

“I think Ranma needs to be alone right now.”

“I thought maybe we could take a bath together…” Akane mumbled, torn between her desire to connect with her new friend, and her respect for the girl’s boundaries.

Kasumi shook her head gently, a sad smile on her face. “Just… give her some time, okay?” 

Akane hesitated before nodding, though she didn’t seem very happy with that answer. “Guess I’ll go back to training while I wait.” She turned and headed down the stairs, wandering back into the dojo with much less enthusiasm than she had earlier.

Kasumi sighed, making a mental list of the things she’d need to do for their guest. There was a lot she still didn’t know about Ranma, so she’d have to talk to her father about the matter sometime. For now, she could at least ensure that everyone would have a delicious meal to look forward to. 

She grabbed her purse and headed out the door, pushing aside her concerns for the moment. If Ranma couldn’t be strong right now, Kasumi would do her damn best to make sure she was. For the little red-haired girl in the guest room.

-

Nabiki wasn’t having a great morning. Money for the new kid was definitely going to cut into her margins, and her spending budget was down to a pittance. Plus, the brat seemed too jumpy for her to be able to take good photos. At least Akane was going to have more than two friends, that would probably be good for her.

She groaned as she sat up, trying to think of ways to squeeze more money out of her classmates. As she was pondering that particular issue, she heard a shrill scream. She stood up from her bed, but stopped halfway to the door. It didn’t sound like Akane, and it certainly wasn’t Kasumi or her dad. Probably the redhead, then. 

That wasn’t really Nabiki’s problem, and Kasumi was more of the caretaker of the family. Come to think of it, Akane was Ranma’s friend, so it would be better for her to deal with it too. Couldn’t hurt to check, though. She peeked her head out into the hallway, finding nobody in sight. Even her dad wasn’t at his normal spot at the table.

Still, it was probably just a spider or something. It seemed like it had come from the bathroom, so maybe the bath water was too hot. Nothing serious, not worth thinking about. 

Besides, even if Ranma did need something, Nabiki wasn’t the person for that job. She wasn’t good at helping people with injuries or emotional shit. She was more of an opportunistic asshole, if she was being honest.

Trying to help would more than likely end up with Nabiki making fun of the fragile teenager that had walked through their door less than an hour ago and cause a bigger problem for the girl. There was just no point to it.

She retreated back into her room, frowning as she thought about the jumpy little mess that would be taking over their guest room. No one had told her yet, but she knew Kasumi and her dad well. There was no chance in hell this kid wouldn’t be staying here. The jury was still out on whether that was good or not.

As she thought more about their first interaction, she realized that Ranma had looked really injured. She had all those marks on her arms, and she’d clearly been stuck outside for a while. And her dad had assumed she would be a boy.

Actually, Ranma was more of a masculine name, why would someone give their daughter such an odd name? Something about it all just didn’t add up, but Nabiki doubted she’d be able to get any answers from a girl that was probably  even afraid of her own reflection.

She didn’t realize she’d been chewing her pencil until a noise startled her out of her thoughts. She stepped into the hallway, pausing to listen. It was faint, but she could hear someone crying. No, not just crying, sobbing. The kind of tears that rip your guts out and tear them to shreds. Every Tendo had felt that. But she already knew this wasn’t one of her sisters. It was Ranma. And she was bawling her eyes out. She padded up to the door, reaching out for the handle.

She stopped, listening to the poor girl on the other side. She knew that pain, that struggle. She wanted to help, sure. She was a hustler, not a monster. But what could she really do?

It’s not my business, and it’s not my problem. What am I gonna say? “Sorry you’re feeling down, have a hug from someone you don’t know. Hope you feel better.”

It would be fine if she could just find Kasumi, she always knew how to handle this shit. But Kasumi didn’t seem to be home, and no one was in earshot. It was just her.

Nabiki lowered her hand and just stood there. She listened as the sobs turned to wails, and the sound started to grate at her brain. She didn’t know what the fuck was going on with this kid, and she didn’t know how to make her feel better. You don’t just magically start feeling better with these things. A hug isn’t going to stop the pain. You need a specific kind of person. And it just wasn’t Nabiki.

“Where’s mom? Kasumi, why is daddy crying?”

Damn it.

She opened the door and found Ranma sitting in front of her bed, knees drawn up to her chest. Nabiki closed the door, sat down next to Ranma, and hugged the poor girl. She initially jumped at the intrusion, but she was in no state to resist the warm embrace of another person. Nabiki stroked her hands through Ranma’s hair, whispering softly.

“Shh, it’s okay, you’re okay, let it out…”

She didn’t say much. She couldn’t. Because despite her best efforts, she was crying too.

Chapter Text

By the end of the first day, Genma had realized his son was not coming. Another man might’ve made excuses for his child, but burning rage had always been Genma’s preferred method. Did that little whelp have no respect for the man who raised him, who gave him everything? He felt disgusted. How could he have failed so terribly as a father that his own son was too chickenshit to help him?!

Unfortunately, the police had been smart enough to keep his handcuffs on, so he had little chance of escaping on his own. He’d tried kicking the bars, but they had proved resistant to his efforts, and it had only gotten more guards posted nearby.

So he had been stuck here for three days, getting his meals through a slot and pondering how his son could be such a pansy. Ranma was probably back at their campsite, basking in a temporary feeling of superiority over his father. Well, he’d fix that right up as soon as he got out.

He was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps and a latch opening. Food. One of the core teachings of Anything Goes Martial Arts is to never refuse a free meal. So no matter how much he hated these bastards for locking him up, he wouldn’t starve himself.

It was difficult to eat with his hands cuffed together, but not impossible. As he replenished his strength, his thoughts turned back to Ranma. The boy probably wasn’t looking for a cure, he was far too weak to do the right thing. And he was even weaker than usual. A single puddle could drain every last drop of his masculinity! What a disgrace.

His own curse was certainly not easy to deal with, but he wasn’t being a child about it like Ranma. He was fortunate it had been the boy to fall into that damn spring and not him. As much as he despises his lumbering panda form, being a girl would be much worse. And it must’ve been rubbing off on the boy, too, because he’d gotten so much whinier after Jusenkyo.

To think, just a little bit of cold water was enough to undo over a decade of training. Cold water. He picked up his cup and drank thoughtfully. Then it hit him. He could escape. He sneered, looking at the cup of water in his hand. Truly, a lesser man may not have figured it out, but a real master of the Anything Goes style is always thinking.

He poured the water over his face, and for once was grateful for his brutish new form. The cuffs snapped from the sudden expansion of his wrists, and he used his new freedom and strength to pound at the bars until they snapped. These people could not contain him, and they certainly couldn’t fight him. He was free.

-

The campsite was empty, and it clearly had been for days. Genma growled, seeing that the only remaining vestiges of his property were the kettle and the tent. His bastard son had taken his stuff and left?! The pack had the guide’s map in it, Ranma could be halfway across China by now!

Genma kicked the tent over, snatching the kettle from inside and making a new fire to heat it again. That stupid, pathetic, queer little ingrate! When he found his son, Genma would have to beat every lesson right back into him.

But he had to find the little bitch first. He might have gone back to Jusenkyo, he might have gone elsewhere in China, or might have even gone back to Japan!

He would need to go back to Jusenkyo first, to find that idiot guide and get a new map, if nothing else. Maybe he could regroup with Soun at some point and come back with more supplies. Plans for later. Now, his kettle was warm, and he needed to move.

Chapter Text

Even when there were no more tears left, he kept sobbing. He just couldn’t stop. His mantra had been playing in his head the whole time, but it didn’t work. He only felt worse.

Men don’t cry. Men don’t need to be held. What’s wrong with me?

But there were other thoughts, too. Traitorous thoughts.

Men don’t take cold baths, either. Men don’t look like girls. I’m not a man right now, so it’s fine.

Ranma sniffed, his hands finally releasing their death grip on Nabiki’s shirt. He was almost too ashamed to look up, but he did. And she was smiling. Her eyes were red, and it actually looked like she might’ve been crying as well, but she was smiling at him.

That eased some of the twisting in his stomach.  He should’ve felt judged or ashamed, but there was only numbness and a little bit of relief. He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there, but it was too long. He stood up, wiping his eyes one last time and turning away.

“Y-you can go now, I’m fine. I don’t need your help.”

“Uh-huh, whatever you say, kid.” Nabiki replied, ruffling his hair as she stood up. He stiffened, turning to her as she walked to the door. 

“Wha- hey!”

She ignored his protest, just leaving and closing the door like nothing had happened. He glared at the now closed door, resisting the urge to pace. He needed to blow off some steam.

He rushed out of his room and down the stairs, seeing that the bathroom door was now closed. Akane had probably gone in there while he was crying. He hoped she hadn’t heard, he didn’t want her thinking he was some kind of wimp, even if he felt like one.

He stepped into the dojo and started the first kata that came to his mind. One with a lot of shouting and strong punches.  Less style and a lot more hitting. There was something really nice about beating out your frustrations, just putting them all into a fist and smashing it into something. It doesn’t really matter what it is, so long as you can break it.

He finished the kata, but that pervasive rage still coiled in every muscle. Why had he let himself break down like that? Why did he let a stranger hold him? He knew the answer, and he hated it.

He spotted some cinder blocks in the corner.  Perfect. He tossed one in the air and punched straight through it.

You weren’t strong enough.

Smash

You were afraid.

Smash

You couldn’t commit.

Smash

You failed.

There were no more cinder blocks. He turned to the dummy at the other side of the room, growling. He shouted as he sprinted towards it, whipping his entire body around in a spinning roundhouse kick.

You’ll never be a man again.

The dummy’s head smacked softly against the wall before hitting the floor. He stood there, panting and seething for a moment. He was a girl now. And he knew he wouldn’t be able to go back. 

“Did that dummy offend you?” He looked up, finding Akane leaning against the doorway, now dressed in casual clothes rather than a gi.

“What do you want, Akane?” He snapped, immediately regretting it but too frustrated to take it back. She glared at him, seeming a little annoyed.

“Jeez, no need to get touchy…” she grumbled, dropping to the ground and leaning against the wall.

He turned back to the dummy, practicing regular sequences of strikes to work out the rest of his anger. He didn’t really want to snap at Akane again, but he felt so wound up. He was tired, too, but he couldn’t sleep in the middle of the day, naps are for girls.

Akane watched Ranma beat her training dummy for a few minutes, marveling at how fast the other girl was. Akane was strong, and she was skilled, but she couldn’t move like Ranma could. The way the other girl just glided around like she weighed nothing was mesmerizing. It wasn’t the only thing about her that made Akane feel that way, but that’s irrelevant…

But her movements were odd, too. Ranma seemed really frustrated about something, and she was almost perpetually glaring at her target. Weirder still was the way she seemed to mistime some of her attacks. She looked dumbfounded each time she hit earlier than the ideal moment. And her movements almost seemed hesitant, like she was still figuring out timing. But that couldn’t be right, that was a basic tenet of any martial art! There was no way Ranma wasn’t used to her own speed, right? Everything Akane observed about this girl was just so strange. 

She hadn’t been trying to look, but she also noticed that her friend was not wearing a bra. It wasn’t exactly hard to see when she was jumping around, but it made Akane blush regardless. Ranma looked to be around her age, she should have bras by now! Especially with her particular figure- Yep. Time to stop thinking.

Say something!

“Your timing is way off.” 

Real smooth, Akane.

Ranma startled at the sudden critique, stopping her attack and turning around to face Akane.

“Whaddya mean by that?!” She snapped defensively.

Akane tried to hide her embarrassment and just doubled down on her observations.

“I’m just saying that you’re hitting at really weird times, and you look like you’re surprising yourself.” 

“Wha- I am not!”

“Well, it sure looks like you are!”

Ranma huffed, and Akane could practically see the gears turning in her head as she tried to come up with a retort. That pout was lethally adorable. But not to Akane, of course, she didn’t care. At all.

Finally, Ranma just turned, crossing her arms.

“I’d like to see you try my moves, tomboy.”

“Tomboy?! You’re calling me a tomboy?!” Akane was actually offended by that. The audacity of this girl to use that stupid insult like it didn’t apply to her as well. Akane couldn’t escape it, even with someone so similar to her.

“Duh, who’d ya think I was talkin’ about?” Ranma taunted, sticking her tongue out.

“Why you- Look at yourself! You’re smashing up a dummy with your fists and calling me a tomboy! If I’m a tomboy, then you must be an actual boy.”

“Hey, I’m way more graceful than you! N-not that I care or anything! I-I was just saying…” Ranma almost seemed to deflate, the antagonistic anger seeping away for a moment, replaced with a flash of vulnerability.

Akane blinked, shocked by the sudden shift in the other girl’s demeanor. She seemed to do that a lot, just flipping on a dime. 

“Fine, neither of us are tomboys.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Ranma grumbled, turning away.

Akane couldn’t help herself. She snorted, then she giggled.

“H-hey, what’re you laughin’ at?!”

Akane could barely speak through her laughter.

“Nothing, you just look so cute when you’re moping.”

She was too distracted to realize exactly what she said. Ranma, on the other hand, was now blushing profusely, and she looked scandalized.

“I’m not cute! And I wasn’t moping…” She dropped to the floor and sat criss-cross, looking distinctly like she was moping.

After another minute of laughing at Ranma’s face, Akane finally calmed down enough to just smile and talk again.

“You’re probably the weirdest girl I’ve ever met.” 

“W-well, I’m not really used to it…”

What was that supposed to mean?

“Huh?”

Ranma stiffened, like she’d made a mistake or something. She worked her jaw for a moment, not saying anything. Then, her voice came out quiet and hesitant.

“M-my old man, he didn’t raise me like a girl.”

Akane cocked her head, staring quizzically at the other girl.

“Why not?”

“I… he really wanted a son, so he raised me like a boy. ‘S not a big deal or anything, just my pops bein’ weird.”

Ranma was looking down at her lap, fidgeting with her hands. 

Raised like a boy? That must’ve been terrible. How much did she miss out on? Did he make her pretend to be one? Is that why she’s so weird?

Akane shut down those thoughts quickly. She shouldn’t be thinking so critically of her friend.

“I could help.”

“Help what?”

“Help you learn to be a girl, stupid.”

“I’m not stupid! A-and what could a tomboy like you teach me, anyways…” Ranma grumbled.

Akane resisted the urge to slap her. 

“Do you want my help or not?”

“Yes! I m-mean, fine, I guess so.” Ranma was gripping her sleeves, and she seemed mortified. Akane briefly wondered why she was so odd. She was loud and a bit of an asshole, honestly, but she could get so quiet and embarrassed at the mention of normal stuff. It was a little endearing, honestly.

“Ok, great! Lesson number one: you need to wear a bra.”

Ranma’s face turned the color of her hair.

“W-what? Why were you looking?!”

Now it was Akane’s turn to blush and get defensive.

“Well, I wasn’t trying, but it’s impossible not to when you’re leaping around everywhere with no support!”

They both got quiet for a moment, avoiding each other’s gazes.

“Did your dad really never let you get a bra?”

Ranma shook her head, picking at the hem of her silk shirt. Was this who Ranma was? This nervous, flustered girl who’d never gotten the upbringing she needed? Or was she the loudmouth martial artist who can’t take an insult?

She’s hopeless. She’s like me but… worse. Can I really fix this?

“It’s not even lunchtime yet, we can go shopping this afternoon. Maybe we can get you some regular clothes as well, cause there’s no way you’re wearing the same shirt every day.”

“It’s not the same shirt!” 

She looked down, mumbling. “I have two…” 

Akane couldn’t help but laugh again, and Ranma scowled, but she couldn’t hide the little smile tugging at her lips.

-

Kasumi hummed softly to herself as she stepped back into the house. Her arms were laden with grocery bags containing various ingredients and a few hygiene products. She hadn’t looked in Ranma’s pack, but she was making the rather safe assumption that the girl didn’t have a lot of these necessities. She’d been ragged when she arrived that morning, and Kasumi didn’t want her to be uncomfortable if it could be prevented.

She busied herself unpacking all the groceries into the kitchen before setting the rest of her purchases in her room. She’d have to find a bag and make a little kit for Ranma, but she could do that later. It was almost lunchtime, and she planned on making a lot of food. 

She was about to head downstairs when Nabiki opened her door and stepped into the hallway. Something immediately felt off. If Nabiki isn’t holed up in her room or out enacting some scheme on a weekend, then she’s bored. And she tends to do stupid things when she gets bored. But that wasn’t it. Kasumi knew that look, though she hadn’t seen it in a long time.

“Nabiki, what’s wrong? Is Akane alright?”

“Yeah. New kid’s got issues though.” Nabiki’s eyes were slightly red, though her tone was as impassive as ever.

“Oh. How long?” Kasumi asked softly.

Nabiki turned away. “Like, 40 minutes.”

Kasumi frowned. She hadn’t been there when poor Ranma broke down? Nabiki had to step in for her, and Kasumi knew her sister hated doing that.

Nabiki pressed an envelope into Kasumi’s hands and walked past. “For the new girl. I don’t want you spending all your allowance.”

“Nabiki, you didn’t have to-“

“I’m going out to meet Kuno. See ya, sis.”

Kasumi sighed, opening the envelope to find entirely too much money. She knew it had been earned through dubious means, but she still felt bad taking it from her sister. That girl already helped out with bills, she shouldn’t feel pressured to do this as well. But the extra money couldn’t hurt, and arguing with Nabiki was pointless, so she pocketed it.

It was almost lunchtime now, so she got into the kitchen and started working. Her father trudged back into the room a few minutes later, brow furrowed. He looked frustrated, but she knew he would brush off her concerns.

“Where were you, father?”

He looked up, apparently surprised.

“Oh, I was just in my office, making some calls. I’ve been trying to get in contact with Genma, but he seems to have disappeared entirely. Apparently no one has seen him since he and Ranma left on their trip, and he didn’t say where he was going. I’ll have to talk to her and see if she knows where he is. I’ll ask why he sent her here without coming himself, as well.”

Kasumi nodded, though she had a sinking feeling that Ranma wouldn’t want to see her father. Those marks… she hoped for the best, but she wasn’t confident. She couldn’t forget the way the girl had locked up when she saw the kettle.

Chapter Text

Nothing had ever mortified Ranma as much as being told he needed to wear a bra. Telling Akane he wanted her help learning to be a girl was a very close second, though.

He honestly couldn’t believe he’d accepted that offer so readily. And it was after she had insulted him repeatedly! He should’ve been furious with her, but she’d started laughing and he found it way too hard to scowl when she was like that. 

At least lunch was delicious. Once again, Kasumi had made the best meal he’d ever eaten, and she’d made a lot. He wasn’t going to pass up a free meal, not when he still had days of hunger to make up for. But he didn’t feel good about it, either.

Sure, Kasumi was nice, but she was too nice. No one actually cared that much about some stranger who’s imposing on their life. And he hadn’t forgotten the looks she’d given him earlier.

Akane was rude, but at least he could trust her to be honest, because she clearly wasn’t trying to pretend. He hadn’t seen much of Nabiki, but she didn’t really seem to care, and he didn’t want to reflect on their one interaction.

Soun cleared his throat. “Ranma, I’ll be calling the school this afternoon to get you registered.”

Ranma’s head snapped up, and he looked at him incredulously.

“School?”

“Mhm, you should be in the same year as Akane. Oh, and we’ll need to order you a uniform as well.” Kasumi added, her voice far too bright for the hell they were sentencing him to.

His face paled slightly as he pictured going back to school as a girl, wearing a girl uniform. He couldn’t imagine how this day could get any worse.

Akane looked at him from her spot across the table. “What’s wrong, are you scared?”

“N-no! Of course not.” He snapped, looking down at the table. “I just haven’t gone in a while…”

“How long have you been out?” Kasumi asked.

He hesitated. “I dunno, maybe a year. Pops had me training most of the time, so I guess I missed a few more.”

“Oh.”

He didn’t look up. He didn’t have to. He knew he’d see that look on her face. That feeling he couldn’t quite name. Maybe it was pity or maybe it was disgust, but it made his blood boil either way. 

“Do I really have to?”

“Well, yeah, what else are you gonna do? Besides, you’ll be with me, it’ll be fine.” Akane replied, rolling her eyes.

“Great, school as a girl…” He mumbled, eyes locked on the table.

Soun gave him a look this time. “What do you mean, dear?” 

He realized his mistake much too late, and he cursed his own big mouth. 

“O-oh, ‘s nothin’, just my old man-“

“She was raised like a boy.” Akane interjected.

They seemed taken aback, judging by the lengthy silence.

“So you went to school as a boy?”

He nodded dumbly, still refusing to meet her eyes. 

“I’m sorry dear, that must’ve been very hard.”

That wasn’t exactly the reaction he’d been expecting, but he was sure it was coming. The seconds ticked by, but the others just returned to their meal. He was dumbfounded. They’d just been handed the most ridiculous piece of information about him, and they weren’t using it to call him stupid. Hell, they weren’t doing anything with it. Even Soun had just scratched his chin and moved on! He should’ve been lecturing Ranma by now, maybe sending him out to train again, not just ignoring the issue entirely.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by Akane dragging him off the ground. 

“Come on, stop spacing out.”

“I wasn’t!”

“Yes you were.”

She turned to the others.

“We’re going clothes shopping, be back in a bit!”

Kasumi perked up, grabbing an envelope from her pocket.

“Wait, Ranma. Before you go, Nabiki wanted me to give this to you.”

He eyed the envelope suspiciously.

“What’s in it?”

“Just a bit of allowance to get you started. Sounds like you’ll need it today.”

He took the envelope, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he opened it. This was a small fortune! To him, anyways. It wasn’t really a lot, but he didn’t think he’d ever seen this much money before.

“Thanks…” He mumbled before Akane yanked him over to the door.

They slipped on their shoes and Akane said a quick goodbye to her family. Then they were out the door. The rain had finally cleared up, and sunlight peeked through the pockets of clouds dotting the sky. The dull, dreary atmosphere was clearing, though it did nothing to ease the roiling sea of anxiety in his stomach.

-

The department store loomed in front of him, its windows filled with horrors beyond his imagination. Mannequins dressed in various frilly styles and pastel colors, posed casually as if they weren’t omens of his greatest humiliation.

“A-are you sure we have to do this?”

“Of course we do!”

“M-maybe we could just come back-“

She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him inside. “No time like the present, come on!”

He tried desperately to pry his hand from her grip, but it felt like he was wrestling a gorilla.

“Let go of me, you oaf!”

She glared at him over her shoulder.

“I’m doing this for you, moron, stop being so fussy!”

He glared right back. “I’m not bein’ fussy!”

“Whatever, we’re here.”

Ranma nearly tripped as she suddenly stopped, still keeping her iron grip on his hand.

“Woah! Maybe give me a warnin’ next time!”

He looked up, eyes widening at the extensive shelves before him. There must’ve been hundreds of bras, and he couldn’t even see all of them from this first row. How many styles were there?

So this is where my masculinity dies.

“Do you know your size?”

“My what?”

“You really are like a boy…” She muttered.

“Your cup size? You know, your measurements?”

She gestured around her chest, and Ranma blushed slightly.

“I dunno, bigger than yours?”

She glared at him, her tone flat. “Real helpful, smartass.”

She stared at his chest for a second, literally sizing him up. It didn’t feel creepy like it usually did when people looked, but he still had to resist the urge to shield himself.

“Ok, I think I know where to start.”

She led him to a specific set of shelves and surveyed the myriad of options before them. Of course, Ranma was too busy studying the floor tiles to look at any of them.

Akane, to her credit, wasn’t making fun of him for once. He hadn’t known she was capable of that, but it was a welcome change of pace from the constant bickering, which was absolutely not his fault.

“Are there any styles you’re interested in, or should I just grab some stuff?”

He’d accepted that he couldn’t skip this, but he would not allow himself to wear some of the frilly, girly crap on the shelves.

“Just something simple.” He groaned, too confused to specify further. Akane didn’t need any more prompting though, grabbing a handful of different types and sizes and piling them in his arms. He felt like his head was spinning. He’d had no idea there were multiple kinds of bra, much less that there were this many.

But Akane didn’t pause for a second, and she sent him right off to the dressing rooms. He set down his stack of bras and closed the stall door, pointedly avoiding the mirror on the wall.

He grabbed the first bra and pulled it over his head, but he struggled to get the strap secure behind his back. He spent a whole minute fiddling with the damn thing, but he couldn’t get it to stay put.

Why is this so hard?!

He growled, pulling it off and staring at the strap. He tried again, finding it much easier to do now that he could actually see it. He pulled it on again, but it still didn’t quite fit right. He repeated the process with a different size, and it fit much better that time.

There’s something uniquely embarrassing about hitting a wall with such a simple task, but he didn’t have time to dwell. He was surprised to find that wearing a bra actually felt… well, not comfortable, but not awful either. And that pain in his back felt a little calmer now. He’d just assumed it was some lingering ache from the last fight with his old man, but maybe there was a bit more to it.

He did a little hop, and the bra actually supported his chest rather well. He didn’t feel like a total buffoon every time he moved. Maybe it would get strangers to stop staring at him, too. He wasn’t hopeful, but it was a nice dream. He found himself smiling, surprised by how much more protected and clothed he felt.

He burst through the door, beaming. “Akane, this is actually nice!”

She stared at him for a second, her face turning crimson. She snapped her head to the side, holding up her hands to cover her eyes.

“YOU CAN’T JUST WALK OUT WITHOUT A SHIRT ON!”

He froze, looking down at his chest as he processed those words.

Shit.

He yelped, rushing back into the changing room and pretending like his cheeks weren’t burning. He busied himself trying on the other styles, setting aside the ones he liked best and hanging up the ones that didn’t fit.

When he got to the last one, however, he was confused. It looked like a cross between a bra and a shirt.

“Akane, what’s this last one?”

“What?” Her voice was a little higher than he had expected, and she almost seemed to have been startled by his question. 

“It’s like a shirt but small.”

“Oh, that’s a sports bra. They’ve got better support for movement and stuff, so I use them when I’m training.”

Well, that did sound nice. He tried it on, jumped a few times, and found that it had a lot less movement than the others. That would definitely come in handy for training. 

Once he’d finished trying everything on, they went back and grabbed extras of all the ones he liked in a few different colors. He’d managed to get away with just grabbing a pack of underwear on the way out, though he was still mortified by the thought of wearing panties. At least Akane hadn’t made a big deal out of it.

After a thoroughly embarrassing checkout, Akane had dragged him off to another department for their bigger task. He’d been so focused on the more embarrassing problem that he’d forgotten they were going clothes shopping as well.

After more excuses and yet another bone crushing grip, he found himself in hell. A very soft, colorful hell full of dresses, skirts, and every other feminine thing he could think of.

Oh. This is where my masculinity dies.

-

Akane was once again shocked by just how little Ranma actually knew. Sure, the other girl had specifically said she’d never had a bra before, but she hadn’t been expecting her to need five minutes to put one on. Admittedly, she could’ve been biased from years of experience, but the other girl really did seem clueless sometimes.

She also hadn’t been expecting to get blindsided by her friend’s cleavage, but she didn’t really want to think about that right now. Or ever, actually. Her cheeks were still warm from that little stunt, though she felt like she might’ve overreacted a little.

But who wouldn’t feel creepy staring at another girl’s chest like that? Well, men wouldn’t, but every girl I know would probably have the same reaction. You’re not supposed to look at those, it’s normal to be embarrassed.

She’d been startled out of her wandering thoughts and ended up blushing all over again, but she managed to calm down by the time they left the department. 

Now they could finally get to the fun part! Once again, Ranma tried to make excuses to escape, but she wasn’t having any of it. She wouldn’t let her friend wear two identical shirts and a school uniform for the rest of time, that would just be irresponsible! Being a martial artist, Ranma was already cursed to the same social fate as herself, but it would definitely get worse if the other girl had no actual outfits.

Besides, clothes are fun, and they make you feel pretty. Ranma didn’t really have to worry about being pretty, she was a total natural at that. But having nice clothes would make her even prettier, and who wouldn’t want that? Akane certainly wanted it. For her friend, of course, it’s not like she had any personal stake in the girl’s appearance, she just wanted her to be her best self!

Focus on the clothes.

Right, of course. She needed to stop daydreaming. 

“So, is there anything catching your eye?”

She turned to her friend, only now realizing how overwhelmed she looked. It was a big store, sure, but Ranma looked distressed. She had this nervous, fidgety energy that belied her typical confidence.

She seemed to get this way whenever she was uncomfortable, but this was the worst Akane had ever seen it. Her eyes softened with concern and a little bit of embarrassment. Had she really been trading insults with this girl less than an hour ago?

“Hey, you okay?”

Ranma flinched, shaking off her stupor. “Y-yeah, ‘s just a lot of stuff. What do I pick?”

“Whatever you like.” Akane did her best to smile and mind her words. She doubted her friend needed something to be defensive about right now.

Ranma hesitated, her eyes scanning the many racks in front of them.

“We can start simple, if you want. Come on, let’s find some jeans.”

“Ok.” She still seemed hesitant, but she did actually follow Akane without any more prompting.

They found a few pairs of jeans, and Ranma actually chose to grab a pair of sweatpants. She almost seemed entranced by how soft they were. Akane convinced her to grab a second pair, as well.

They browsed t-shirts for a while, eventually settling on a few plain ones of different colors and one pastel pink floral print. It was Akane’s suggestion, of course, and she thought the soft color complemented her friend’s hair really nicely.

She didn’t want to overwhelm the girl with too many choices, so they headed to the fitting rooms. The first time Ranma walked out of the dressing room, she was honestly shocked. Even with such a casual outfit, the redhead looked amazing.

“H-how is it?”

“You look great! And that shirt is super cute on you.” 

Ranma blushed and quickly retreated back inside, but she seemed to enjoy the compliment. Once again, she took longer than expected trying on all the clothes, but Akane was fine waiting. This outing wasn’t for her, after all.

A few pairs of pants didn’t fit, so they swung by and picked up some new sizes, but she actually seemed fine with most of the clothes. She’d been so resistant to this trip, and she clearly hadn’t been thrilled about all the feminine clothes, but Akane was overjoyed to see her friend actually enjoying them.

They stopped by the skirts next, and Ranma was hesitant again, though she was more cooperative than before. Akane picked out a simple white one because she liked how it looked with the floral shirt. Of course, Ranma didn’t pick out anything else, so they moved on to dresses.

They probably didn’t have enough to buy much more than they already planned to, nor did they need to fill an entire wardrobe, but she wanted to make sure that her friend would have at least one dress that wasn’t the school uniform. They browsed for a little while and she eventually picked out a soft, deep green sundress. She loved the way it contrasted with Ranma’s fiery hair, and it was a nice material as well.

Ranma, for whatever reason, didn’t seem particularly thrilled about it, but that was irrelevant. She hadn’t looked very happy about this trip at all, but it was turning out wonderfully!

They headed back over to the fitting rooms and it went much faster this time, though it still took a while for just two items. After a few minutes, Ranma hesitantly stepped out of the dressing room, wearing the sundress. Her jaw dropped.

“Um, what do you think?” She seemed unsure of herself, and her voice was quieter than usual,  though Akane couldn’t imagine why.

She was gorgeous, and she wasn’t even trying! The color contrasted beautifully with her hair, and it drew attention to the unique shade. The dress had a rather modest cut, but it did nothing to diminish her figure. If anything, the loose cut kinda made her look better. Akane would’ve been jealous if she weren’t so flustered.

You’re staring. You need to say something.

“I-It looks really nice!” The words tumbled out faster than she’d intended, but it was all she could do just to take her eyes off of it.

She just looked really pretty, that’s all! Nothing wrong with admiring another girl’s looks. That’s practically gossip 101, it’s totally normal!

She was grateful for the opportunity to calm her spiraling thoughts, she didn’t want to spend the rest of the day looking like she had clown cheeks. Her sisters would never let her hear the end of it.

Thankfully, there was nothing else to try on, so they could leave that incident in the past and pretend like it never happened. Ranma seemed especially quiet when she came out, though.

Why’s she so mopey all of a sudden?

Akane was so distracted trying to figure out what had upset her friend that she almost forgot something important. Luckily, they passed by that section on their way to the front.

“Oh, I almost forgot pajamas! Come on, you don’t even need to try them on.”

“Pajamas?”

“Yeah, they’re just sleeping clothes. They’re really comfy.”

Ranma followed her over, seemingly enamored with how soft everything was. And she actually took initiative! She hesitated a lot, but she eventually picked out a set of long sleeved pink pajamas that were roughly her size.

With that, their little trip was complete! Good thing, too, because they only had a few thousand yen to spare. Despite all the embarrassment, it had been a nice outing, and Akane was happy to have helped her friend.

-

Ranma stared glumly at the pile of clothes in front of him. Most of them were fine, but that stupid flower shirt was on top, and he felt like it was mocking him.

Might as well get it out of the way.

He grabbed a pair of jeans and that awful shirt, quickly pulling them on. He stared at the floor for a moment before forcing his gaze up to the mirror. 

The girl looked fine. Pretty, even. The jeans fit her a little tighter than he would’ve liked, but he was starting to get used to the way people looked at that sort of thing. The shirt looked good on her, too, and it fit well. She looked normal wearing it, almost like a regular girl. She had a little smile on her face, and she certainly wasn’t bothered by all the flowers.

He felt differently. It was just so pink, so feminine, it couldn’t fit him. His body, maybe, but not him. He shook his head, turning to the door. He needed Akane to tell him it looked horrible.

“H-how is it?” He hated how shaky his voice had become. This anxious energy was now his constant companion, and he was sick of it.

“You look great! And that shirt is super cute on you.”

He blushed, and something inside him swelled with pride. He rushed back into the stall, crushing that momentary euphoria. That was her emotion, not his. He tried on the rest of the clothes, set aside the few that didn’t fit, and didn’t look back at the mirror. The thought of her emotions seeping into his brain again made his stomach turn.

Unfortunately, his torture wasn’t yet finished, as Akane dragged him around the store to get a skirt and a dress. It’s like she was trying to kill his pride. And just like that, he was right back in the dressing room, staring at two much scarier articles of clothing.

If I say it doesn’t fit, she’ll just make me grab another one.

He felt his body filling up with despair, and it was like his feet were sinking into the floor. He couldn’t wear a skirt! Jeans and girly shirts were one thing, but there was nothing more feminine in his mind than a skirt. Except for a dress, but he had been saddled with one of those too.

I’ll say it fits, I don’t actually have to wear it.

But something stopped him from just lying. Maybe he was afraid Akane would know, or maybe he’d seen a hopeful look in the mirror. Whatever possessed him to pick up that skirt, he didn’t fight it. He could try it on just to make sure he hated it, and he could leave it in his wardrobe.

He slowly pulled the skirt on and looked in the mirror. It felt… okay? Just like before, it wasn’t as bad as he’d built it up to be, but that only made him feel worse.

Am I really so much of a pansy that I can’t hate a skirt?

Still, he was curious. It wasn’t like a pair of pants, it moved differently when he turned. He looked to the girl in the mirror, and she looked right back. Her eyes flicked down to the skirt, and then back up at him, her expression hopeful.

He sighed, but he supposed it couldn’t hurt to do this one time, right? He got up on the balls of his feet, and did a little spin. He felt ridiculous, just twirling around in a changing room, and he knew his face was showing it. The skirt flared out and spun with him, swishing through the air and curling around him. Ok, that was admittedly kinda fun, but it was absolutely girly, and he wouldn’t be caught dead doing it. The girl seemed happy with that demonstration, so he took it off and told himself he’d never try that again.

He looked at the dress, the only thing left to try, and his smile faded. He felt… well, he didn’t know how he felt. His stomach was doing flips, but something else itched at the back of his mind.

He didn’t want to touch that dress, but Akane had seemed really excited about it, and the girl probably wanted to see it, too. He didn’t really know them, but he didn’t want to let them down.

Guess I’m outnumbered. But it’ll be quick, and the skirt wasn’t so bad, this can’t be too different. Besides, it’s just to make them happy.

He put the dress on, and he forced down the raging anxiety in his stomach as he looked up at the mirror. The girl inspected the dress, smiling,  and he had to admit that it did look very pretty on her. He didn’t understand exactly why, but it looked nice with her hair, and it just seemed right.

He met her eyes, and he once again spun for her. The dress flowed around him differently than the skirt had, and it felt weightier, but it was still fun to look at. If anything, the differences almost made it more fun, like he was experimenting with something new and not making a fool of himself. But he didn’t linger on the mirror, he had to show Akane. It took him a second to remember why, but he was already opening the door.

Right, she was excited, she probably wants to see it. 

And that was the only possible reason that he wanted to show her, because she’d never get another chance to see it. Nothing more to it.

“Um, what do you think?” He cursed himself for being so timid. He was getting tired of his voice betraying him like that.

Akane stared for a second, and he started fidgeting. What, did she not like it? Surely, it couldn’t be that bad…

“I-It looks really nice!” She sputtered, blushing as she turned away. 

He was mortified, and honestly a little angry. Was she really so embarrassed of him that she was blushing? So ashamed that she couldn’t even look at him?

He rushed back into the changing room, closing the door just a little too hard. He stripped the dress off and got back into his regular clothes, not bothering with the mirror. He knew the hurt look she would have on her face, and he didn’t want to see it.

His mood did improve a little bit when they stopped by the pajamas, and he felt how delightfully soft they were. That was certainly a novel concept. He didn’t want Akane picking anything else for him after her last attempt, so he eventually settled for the nearest ones, which happened to be pink. He already had a bunch of girl clothes, and he doubted his pride could fall much lower, so he just accepted the color.

They walked in silence after checking out, and Ranma felt conflicted. On the one hand, having bras seemed like it would actually be nice, but on the other, it had been a terrible trip, and he doubted he’d ever recover his masculine honor. And to think he’d have to go back to school the next day. What a nightmare.

-

When they got back, Ranma trudged upstairs and tossed his bags into the closet. He briefly considered going downstairs to join the Tendos for dinner, but he was tired, frustrated, and just wanted to be alone. Besides, he’d probably just be imposing on them, even if he managed to keep his temper.

He turned to his bed, and he saw a little blue box with a note taped to it. He walked over and picked it up, a little surprised by how neat the handwriting was.

“I made a little toiletry kit for you, so you don’t have to worry about the essentials. ;) -Kasumi”

He dug through the kit, finding a few things he recognized like a toothbrush and toothpaste, but there were also a bunch that he couldn’t name. There was a small white container labeled ‘moisturizer,’ a few packs of strangely shaped fabric products, and other stuff he couldn’t be bothered to care about.

He supposed it was nice of her to make this for him, but he didn’t really know what it was for. He packed up the box again and set it on a desk in the corner. Maybe he could ask Kasumi tomorrow, but he didn’t want to seem stupid, and he absolutely didn’t want to see that look on her face.

He was halfway back to the bed when he remembered the pajamas. He dug them out of his closet, grimacing at the color. What possessed him to choose pink? He sighed, tossing his old clothes into the corner and pulling on the pajamas. Stupid color notwithstanding, they were super comfortable.

He laid down on the bed, closing his eyes and doing his best to relax. The bed was extremely soft, which was kinda nice, but it felt like he was sinking into it. And… It was pulling him down, he could hardly see the surface anymore. His lungs burned, he couldn’t-

He bolted upright, panting and sweating. He glared at the mattress beneath him, standing up to pace for a moment. He was tempted to skip the bed entirely, to just grab the covers and sleep on the floor. The ground was familiar, and although it was firm, it was also safe.

But he’d already become such a nuisance to these people. They were feeding him, sheltering him, spending an obscene amount of money on him, and going out of their way to help him. And throughout it all, he’d been nothing but moody and awkward. Maybe school was his punishment, but they seemed to think it was a good thing. He was probably on thin ice with all that he owed them, and he didn’t know if messing up his room would be the last straw. 

If they sent him packing, he probably wouldn’t have anywhere else to go. He’d have no way of planning his return to China, he wouldn’t be able to feed or house himself, and he doubted he’d be able to pick up a job. And he’d probably never see Akane again. He didn’t know why, but that thought hurt the most. That stupid tomboy was rude and frustrating, he shouldn’t care about her! But she was also pretty and kind, and she was the first person who’d ever actually wanted to be his friend.

He sighed, forcing himself to crawl back under the covers. It was just a bed, and there was no water in sight. He was fine. 

The unease still lingered in his mind, but the week was catching up with him. He’d been able to power through the shopping trip on adrenaline alone, especially with how stressful it was, but he couldn’t keep going forever. So he tossed and turned, but he managed to fall into a fitful sleep within the hour. And to the bed’s credit, it was the most comfortable rest he’d had in a long time.

Chapter Text

It was barely past 5:30 when Ranma woke up, but it was the longest he’d slept in years. His old man was particular about training, and he always insisted on going to bed late and waking up early because it “keeps the mind sharp.”

Sharp my ass. What kind of psychopath sleeps for five hours and doesn’t feel tired?

Regardless, he was actually feeling somewhat awake, and he didn’t even need a bucket of water for it. Although, the knowledge that he would be going to school today served as a similar shock to his system.

He sighed, getting up to rummage through his closet. Kasumi had said his uniform would be arriving tomorrow, so he could at least be spared for one day. Not that he wouldn’t be wearing girl clothes. Akane had made sure of that.

He picked out a pair of sweatpants and a plain yellow shirt. He had been frustrated to discover that jeans actually had fake pockets that couldn’t even fit your hands, and sweatpants were similar, though not quite as bad. He thought it was strange, considering that his pants from before had great pockets, but he wasn’t really a fashion expert, so he didn’t think much of it.

He walked to the mirror, taking off his pajamas and pulling the other clothes on. The girl in the mirror looked fine. A little messy, sure, but the outfit was nice. The red of her hair looked especially vibrant next to the yellow, which he hadn’t been expecting.

Speaking of her hair, it was a bit of a mess. He went over to his pack and dug out a hair tie before heading back to the mirror. His hair always seemed to come undone when he slept, but he hated wearing it loose like that. It always got in his eyes when he trained, and it was distinctly girlish in the way it hung around his shoulders.

So he braided it back into a little pigtail, secured with a hair tie, and moved on. He could’ve cut it short, but he hated that too. Short hair just made his head feel naked and itchy, even if it was more practical. Besides, he’d been using hair ties for years, and it had just become part of his routine, so there was no need to change it.

He studied the girl in the mirror, and he took in her completed look. She was pretty, as always, but she had a tension in her shoulders and a slight frown on her face. There was something else she wanted from this outfit, but this wasn’t a clothes store. Besides, he didn’t owe her anything.

Still, her face lingered in his mind as he exited into the hallway. She was everything he hated, everything he didn’t want to be, why did he care so much about how she looked? No, he couldn’t care, it must’ve been something else. She was soft and curvy and colorful, and she’d already taken enough of his manhood from him. He wouldn’t let himself surrender any more, and he certainly wasn’t going to worry about how she felt.

He hadn’t been expecting anyone else to really be up yet, but Akane was already downstairs, warming up for something.

“Whatcha doin’?”

She looked up, smiling as she saw him.

“Just getting ready for my morning run. Want to come with?”

He glanced around the empty room, realizing that there wasn’t really anything else for him to do. Some extra training couldn’t hurt.

“Sure.”

They slipped their shoes on and headed out the door into the crisp morning air. Akane was actually dressed in her gi, though he couldn’t really figure out why. If she did this every day, it couldn’t be all that intense.

“So how long are we running?”

“My usual route’s almost five kilometers, so it’s like forty minutes.”

Ranma snorted. “I bet I can do it in half that!”

She snickered. “Oh, yeah? Do you do a lot of running?”

He faltered a little, but he was confident. “Well, no, but I’m still faster.”

She seemed amused, and that just made him want to beat her even more. “Alright, let’s race then.”

She described the route to him, and he felt lucky that it was so simple. As soon as she said go, he sprinted off down the street, even moving a little faster than he had expected. He was still getting used to it, but this body wasn’t completely without merit.

He made it to the halfway point in about 10 minutes, but he was getting a bit winded. It didn’t matter, of course. He’d trained his entire life in martial arts, he could handle a little run. He kept going for another few minutes before his breath started getting really heavy, and he slowed down. By the time Akane passed him a few minutes later, his lungs were burning, and he was reduced to a measly jog.

“See you, Ranma!”

She was hardly even panting! And that stupid smug smile on her face… He would’ve said something if he’d had enough oxygen to do so. 

This is humiliating! How can that gorilla be so good at running?

When he finally got back to the house, he felt like a husk. Akane, meanwhile, had already dressed into her uniform, and was sitting down for breakfast.

He looked down at his own sweaty clothes and realized why she had worn her gi for the run. 

“What’s wrong, Ranma? I thought you were faster than me.”

So she was not only a brute, but apparently a track star as well. He glared, and she giggled at him. Then she smiled more genuinely, and his humiliation didn’t seem quite so pressing.

“Go get changed, we’re about to have breakfast.”

He grumbled, but he did as she said anyway. He tossed his now dirty clothes into the corner and picked out another set. He had another staring contest with his reflection, and he realized how bland the white shirt he’d picked looked on her. The pink one was much more vibrant, and she had looked happier when he’d tried it on yesterday…

“Ranma, get down here already!”

He swapped the shirts before he could let himself think twice about it and headed back downstairs. He sat down for breakfast with them, and blissfully, Akane didn’t tease him any more about that stupid run. He didn’t feel like talking, so he just ate quickly and silently. He did notice Nabiki leaving really early, which seemed odd. But then again, she was just an odd person. Once he was finished, Kasumi stood up and grabbed a book bag.

“Ranma, I wanted to give you this before you leave. It used to be mine, but I don’t need it anymore. Have a good first day!”

He took it, mumbling his thanks and avoiding her eyes. It already had some books, notebooks, pencils and other supplies in it. Before he really had much time to inspect it, Akane grabbed him and dragged him to the door.

“Bye, see you after school!”

Once they got going, Ranma hopped up onto a nearby fence, walking along the thin metal frame. After a few minutes, Akane glanced up at him, blushing slightly.

“Ranma, you should probably get down from there.”

“What? Why? It’s great balance practice.”

“Well, sure, but when you’re wearing a dress, people might see… you know?”

He turned crimson, stepping down to walk next to her.

“You’re so dirty minded, always thinkin’ of stuff like that…” He mumbled in a half hearted attempt to cure his flushed cheeks. 

“I am not dirty minded! I’m just not oblivious like you!”

He bristled at the insult, but he didn’t really have a response, so he just fell silent. After a few more minutes, he tried to start up a conversation again.

“Why’d we leave so early?”

Akane sighed. “You’ll see when we get there.”

The school soon came into view, and she tossed her bag into his arms.

“Hold this for me, and stand back. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“What’re you talkin’ about? And why would I get hurt?”

She didn’t respond, she just stepped onto the path to the front door. As if on cue, what must’ve been more than thirty boys dressed in various sports gear jumped out of hiding. Ranma watched, dumbfounded as each one professed their love for her and charged.

What the fuck is happening? 

He thought, watching the ridiculous display. Akane just growled.

“I keep telling you morons to leave me alone! Get out of my way!”

He watched, transfixed as she moved between her attackers, dispatching each one with fast, coordinated strikes. She used that brutish strength of hers to send each one to the ground, wheezing or clutching some minor injury. He had to admit that she was clearly very skilled, even if she was a girl. And it was kind of awesome to see her battling so many people at once. Not that he couldn’t do better, of course. He felt something stronger than respect bubbling up within him, and a faint blush rose to his cheeks.

His gawking allowed him to notice that her footwork was a bit rough, despite her speed. Her stances seemed too heavy, though she was clearly having no trouble with these buffoons. By the end, she’d defeated all of them without so much as a scratch on her. He was utterly smitten. Ranma shook himself out of his stupor and jogged over to her, unable to keep the smile off his face.

“Akane, that was awesome! But what’s their deal?”

Akane frowned, putting her hands on her hips.

“Some idiot decided to spread the rumor that whoever defeats me in combat will get to date me. Stupid boys...”

Ranma wrinkled his nose. That was pretty scummy, even if it had given him a chance to watch his new favorite person.

“And they do that every morning?”

“Yeah. And they never learn, no matter how many times I beat them.”

“Truly, these brutes could never earn the hand of such a fair maiden. That honor is reserved only for gentlemen such as myself! Until they learn the true depth of your beauty and strength, they will never tame you, Akane Tendo!”

Ranma looked up at the newcomer, feeling bile rising in his throat. Who did this bastard think he was, talking to her like that? He was dressed in a traditional kendo keikogi and hakama, and he was carrying a bokken. 

“Who’s this clown?”

“That’s Kuno,” she said flatly. “He’s the dumbass who started this mess.”

Kuno seemed to notice Ranma for the first time, and he bowed. He actually, fully, bowed.

What a nutcase.

“Ah, but who is this? Another fair lady graces my eyes! Tell me, pigtailed girl, what is your name?” His eyes flicked down to Ranma’s hair, and then his chest. “It is rare that I find such an exotic beauty.”

He felt sick. The word ‘exotic’ echoed in his head, and he clenched his fists. That rage flooded every fiber of his body.

That disgusting fucking rat!

“You can’t talk to people that way, you creep!”

He wanted to bury his fist in Kuno’s stupid, gross face, but Akane grabbed him by his shirt.

“Let go of me, ‘Kane! Let me beat his ass!”

“Ah, a fiery temper to match your hair. I, Tatewaki Kuno, accept your challenge, pigtailed girl. I look forward to winning your affection.”

He readied his bokken, that arrogant smile still plastered on his face.

“I’m going wipe that stupid look off your-“

“Stay back, Ranma. This isn’t your fight, and I won’t let you get hurt.”

He faltered for a moment, ceasing his struggle. She sounded furious. She let go of him, and he reluctantly stepped back, watching as she cracked her knuckles. She honestly looked a little scary, with a cold fury etched into every beautiful curve of her face.

“Kuno, you’re fighting me. And you better not lay a single one of your disgusting fingers on my friend.”

He smiled. “If that is what you wish, Akane Tendo, I’m happy to oblige. I can challenge the pigtailed girl another time. Today, The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High claims his-“

He was interrupted by Akane’s fist whizzing past his head. He’d barely managed to dodge in time. Ranma watched, his rage giving way to awe and then pride as his friend beat that creep’s ass.

Kuno was fast, and he was certainly skilled enough to keep up with her, but she was relentless. Every strike of his wooden sword was blocked or dodged and met with a returning strike. 

Still, despite her furious onslaught, he actually had her on the defensive. His sword was whipping around so fast that Ranma could barely track it. He moved forward in a series of jabs before swinging at Akane’s head, forcing her to duck. He used that chance to bring his bokken around at her ribs. She blocked most of it with her forearm, but he landed a glancing blow on her side. She winced, and Ranma could tell it hurt.

But she didn’t stop. She righted herself, using that chance to grab his wrist and yank him forward. Akane slammed a thrust punch into his gut, and he dropped. He didn’t stand back up.

He looked up, wheezing, though he stayed on his knees. “Tomorrow, Akane Tendo, I will earn your hand…”

“Shut up, Kuno.”

Ranma ran over to them, handing her bag back to her. It had been wonderful to see her in action again, and he certainly wasn’t complaining about that, but he’d have preferred to beat the smug bastard himself. Especially since she’d gotten hurt.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sometimes he gets one in.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Akane, I can take care of myself.”

She turned her head down, knuckles whitening slightly on the strap of her bag. Her rage seemed to have calmed slightly, but it was clearly still there. 

“It’s not your fight, Ranma. Let me handle it.”

“But you-“

“I’m fine. We’re going to be late, come on.”

He shot one last glance back at Kuno, frowning. He was clearly defeated, but no one who could move that fast went down so easily. Not consistently, at least. Something was definitely off about him.

-

Nabiki had watched the entire fight from the second floor, leaning against the railing. She smiled as Kuno made a fool of himself again, spouting some flowery nonsense about Ranma. Unfortunate for the redhead, but very fortunate for her. If he had taken a liking to the new girl, then there was demand. Demand that Nabiki was happy to satisfy, even if that bastard had hit her sister.

But her mind was more occupied by the way Ranma gawked at Akane as she fought, and she had to resist the urge to laugh. Their new guest had a habit of blushing around her sister, though she knew Akane was way too dense to notice.

Judging by her reaction to Kuno’s theatrics, she might even feel the same way. Nabiki knew her sister well, and she could sense that there was more to her rage than just his antics. He didn’t normally upset her that much.

Well, that’s cute. Too bad I’ve got places to be.

As much as she wanted to tease her sister about their puppy love, she didn’t want to deal with the fallout. Besides, there was business to be had, and money waits for no one. 

-

“What do you want, Nabiki Tendo? Can’t you see that I’m planning my next battle with fair Akane?”

She snickered. “Yeah, because the last one went so well. I don’t care about that, though.”

She leaned in a little closer. “I hear you like the new girl.”

His head snapped up. “What, do you know something about the pigtailed girl?”

He was just too easy.

“I might. In fact, I might even be able to deliver a message.”

“Really? That’s wonderful, I’ll-“

“For the right price of course. I’m thinking… six thousand.”

He sputtered. “Six thousand?! Just to deliver a message? You greedy, wicked she-devil!”

She grinned. “You flatter me, Kuno-baby, but it’s not just for that. Think of it as an entry fee. I’ve got plenty of other goods to sell…”

You’re lucky I don’t raise it more for what you did.

Her sister’s tough, she’s fine. No need to get emotional about it.

“You and your schemes…” He muttered, even as he pulled out his wallet.

“Great! Always happy to do business with my most loyal customer.”

Today was shaping up to be a wonderful day.

-

“M-my name is Ranma Saotome, pleased to meet you all.”

He struggled to write his name on the chalkboard, and his cheeks were burning with shame as he took his seat next to Akane. This day was already turning out to be a total wreck.

Unfortunately, the classes themselves hadn’t turned out any better. He tried his best to take notes, but so much of it sounded completely foreign. Hell, some of it was literally foreign. He had no idea why they were learning English when they were on the other side of the world from anyone who spoke it.

He couldn’t tell when he was just supposed to write down what was on the board and when he was supposed to write what the teacher was saying, much less how to actually decipher any of it. History, at least, seemed fairly simple. It was just reading in a textbook, it couldn’t be that hard.

But that didn’t ease the stress of his other classes. Who had decided to put English letters in math? Probably the same moron that said Japanese students needed to learn a western language.

By the time lunch rolled around, his head was spinning with the weight of all he’d missed. He’d known school would be bad, but it was just infuriating how little he understood.

Akane tapped Ranma’s shoulder, pulling the other girl out of her stupor.

“Come on, let’s go outside for lunch.”

“I didn’t bring anything.” She mumbled.

“Kasumi packed you a bento, I’ve got it in my bag.”

She wanted to say something else, but she wasn’t sure what to say. She’d been a little rude to her friend earlier, and she felt bad. She’d just been so angry at Kuno for what he’d said, she couldn’t calm down. But that anger had melted into concern as she saw how panicked the other girl was in class. Hopefully lunch would help them both unwind.

They headed outside towards her usual spot under a tree. Two other girls were already there, and they waved as she approached.

“Yuka, Sayuri, I want you to meet Ranma.”

“Hey.” 

“Nice to meet you.”

“Um, yeah, you too.”

The two were roughly the same height, though Yuka wore her light brown hair long, and Sayuri had her darker hair up in a ponytail. 

They all started digging into their lunches, though the silence didn’t last long.

“Akane tells us you’re a martial artist like her.” Yuka said.

Sayuri nodded. “So you do all that cool punching stuff, right?”

Ranma nodded.

“I wonder if any of the guys will start attacking you, too.”

“Kuno probably will. You heard what he was saying about her, right?”

The two seemed to be joking around, but the other girls’ expressions immediately darkened at the mention of Kuno.

“Yeah, he’s a real creep.” Ranma muttered.

“And he’s gonna be real dead if he keeps it up.” Akane snapped, picking up a piece of fish with a little too much force. She didn’t even realize what she said until she looked up and found all three of them staring at her. She blushed slightly.

“W-what, I’m just tired of him being weird!”

Yuka and Sayuri exchanged a glance, and their smiles were damn near predatory.

“You never used to get that upset about him before.”

“Yeah, you said he was ‘annoying but not important.’”

“Well, that was before he said that stuff about one of my friends!”

“Mhm. Sure.”

She mustered her best glare, but the two just giggled at her. She scowled, glancing at Ranma and breathing a sigh of relief as she saw the confused look on her friend’s face.

“Don’t mind them, they’re idiots.”

Fortunately, they didn’t press the issue, and the rest of their conversation was more mundane. They did ask Ranma if she had any other hobbies, and she didn’t have an answer for that, but it was the only other awkward moment. Overall, it seemed to have gone well, and Ranma looked a bit less overwhelmed than before.

Still, their conversation weighed on her mind. 

So now I can’t even be mad without them getting on my ass. What’s their problem? They’re supposed to be my friends, why are they being like the others? Just because I hate men doesn’t mean I’m some kind of deviant!

A chorus of voices clawed into her mind.

“Tomboy!”

“Fag!”

“You think she gets goo goo eyes for other girls?”

“Yeah, she must be some kind of dy-”

No, my friends wouldn’t say those things, and I’m not like that. I’m not a freak.

The thought soothed her anxieties enough to push them aside. For now, at least.

-

The second half of the school day went much the same as the first, and Ranma felt like a moron by the end of it. He’d only missed a few years of school and suddenly nothing makes sense? How is that fair?

His notebooks were flooded with chicken scratch that even he could hardly read, not that it would do him any good. He’d taken more notes in the later classes because he didn’t know what was important, but he didn’t really understand any of the stuff he’d written down.

It was a complete nightmare, and he had no idea how he was going to finish the homework. Now, walking home, he was realizing how hopeless this was. Suddenly, Akane spoke up, startling him out of his thoughts.

“Can you train me when we get home?”

She wanted training? From him, of all people?

“You’re plenty strong already, I think you proved that this morning.”

“What, so I can’t get any stronger?”

“W-well, no, but-“

“It doesn’t matter, you told me you would, Ranma.”

“What? No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did! Yesterday, after we sparred, I said you were better than me, and you said you could help.”

Had he said that?

“I… sorry. Maybe I could help?”

Oh yeah.

“I guess I can try, but I’ve never taught anyone before...”

She smiled, and suddenly his stomach was fluttering again. That would’ve been really frustrating if he didn’t like her so much. 

As the Tendo residence came into view, he thought about how he was going to help Akane. He’d noticed that little issue with her footwork being too heavy, so she was probably putting too much weight on her heels. Other than that, she was really talented and strong, so he hadn’t seen anything else to fix. He’d probably have to spar with her some more to figure it out. 

It’s okay to hit a girl if she asks for it, right?

He wasn’t sure about that, but he was sure that Akane would hit him if he refused, and he didn’t want to test that. Maybe the training could help him unwind from the stress of school as well.

They hurried inside, taking off their shoes and depositing their bags in their rooms before meeting back up at the dojo. Akane had gotten changed into her gi, and Ranma 

“Ok, first lesson is footwork. Punch me.”

She stared at him.

“I thought you said you were teaching me footwork.”

“Just punch me!”

“Fine.”

She moved to punch him, and he slipped the strike, pushing her right above the chest. She stumbled, and he dropped to the ground, supporting himself only with his hands. He kicked his leg out and swept her off her feet. She hit the ground hard, her breath escaping her.

He stood up, putting his hands on his hips as he stared down at her. She glared back as she sat up. As soon as she regained her breath, she shouted at him.

“What the hell was that?!”

“Training.”

“How is that training?!”

“I’m gettin’ there! You should just be glad I’m not trainin’ you the way my old man did.”

“And how’s that?” She asked flatly, dusting herself off.

He grimaced.

“I said punch me, boy, don’t you know what that means?!”

“Get up. Are your ears broken? Get up or I’ll give you a reason to stay on the ground!”

“Stand still, you little bitch, it’s just water! This is part of your training now, so stop whining!”

She’ll think I’m weak if I complain.

“Nothin’, don’t worry about it. Anyways, you’re putting too much weight on your heels, that’s why you got so off balance.”

She stared at her feet, eyes widening slightly.

“Oh.”

It was a basic lesson, he was a little surprised she hadn’t learned it sooner.

“Now I’m gonna punch you, and you try to push me over.”

She obliged, and she was much less combative this time. She dodged his punch and tried to push him, but he didn’t stumble. Sure, he gave a little ground, but his feet didn’t move. He hadn’t been sure he’d be able to resist Akane’s herculean strength, but it had worked perfectly. He grinned smugly.

“See? I put my weight forward, and you can’t even make me stumble.”

She looked dumbfounded.

“I can’t believe I went so long without realizing that.”

“Your teacher never told you?”

“No, not that I remember. I mean, I was pretty young, maybe he did tell me and I just forgot.”

“What, you haven’t had a teacher in that long?”

“Well, yeah. My dad taught me for a while, but he stopped when…”

She cleared her throat.

“I mostly taught myself.”

Ranma’s eyes bulged out of his head. She’d gotten that good teaching herself? What the hell kind of child prodigy was she? Most trained martial artists can’t face down an entire crowd of enemies, much less as part of their morning routine!

“Well, it seems like you missed some of the basics.”

“Hey!”

“What? I’m just tryin’ to teach you!”

“Right, sorry…”

      Over the next few hours, Ranma explained how Akane could shift her weight to the balls of her feet. It was a little difficult to break such a long ingrained habit, but she was getting used to the new stance by the end of it. She felt so much faster on her feet now, like she was leaping rather than stomping. The redhead even taught her some new dodges. She wasn’t confident enough to use them yet, but she was feeling good about everything she’d learned.

Her teacher wasn’t half bad either. It was clearly her first time teaching anything, and she wasn’t great at it, but it was a promising start. She seemed to see everything wrong with each move and stance, though she sometimes struggled to describe those issues.

Ranma’s teaching ability was just another perplexing thing about her. She was loud and boisterous, almost obnoxiously so, but she was so closed off about her past. And she got all quiet and fidgety whenever she was around too many people. She was definitely an odd girl, but she was one that Akane found herself wanting to spend more time with. 

Dinner was incredibly awkward, just like every other meal with Ranma. Everyone else was talking, but she just stared at the table and ate like someone had threatened to take her food away. Of course, Kasumi had something important to talk about, and the redhead refused to meet her eyes. So weird.

“Oh, Ranma, I almost forgot! We need to get you in for a doctor’s visit soon so we can start scheduling checkups.”

She nodded.

“Do you have a medical record I could give the doctor?”

She hesitated, then she shook her head. Kasumi frowned, and Akane recognized the concern in her eyes. She was clearly worried about their guest, though she couldn’t imagine why. The redhead seemed fine to her.

“Well, do you know when you last saw a doctor?”

“Um… a few months ago?”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Was it just a regular visit, or were you sick?”

She hesitated, and her voice came out quieter than before.

“I was in the hospital…”

Everyone stared. Even Nabiki seemed a little shocked. 

“Oh… Well, I’m sure we can clear up the details when you see Dr. Tofu.”

No one seemed particularly conversational after that, and Ranma soon retreated to her room. Akane wasn’t too surprised by the revelation. Every martial artist encounters an injury at some point, and you can land in the hospital for lots of reasons. Still, she couldn’t smother her concern. The thought of her friend getting hurt scared her more than she’d ever admit.

“So, are we gonna talk about that?” Nabiki asked flatly.

Soun and Kasumi both shook their heads.

“She has a right to her privacy, dear. She’ll come to us when she feels ready.”

His tone was soft, but she wasn’t having it.

“Ok, sure, but we all see it right? This could be a serious problem.”

Akane furrowed her brow.

“See what?”

Now they were staring at her.

“Seriously? She shows up dirty and hungry with no parents in sight, has some kind of blisters on her arms, freezes up whenever Kasumi asks her something normal, and the last time she saw a doctor was in the hospital. That’s like, textbook abuse.”

Had Akane really missed all that? Now that she thought about it, it did seem a little weird, but not to the point of being abuse.

That’s a total jump! I bet Kasumi would agree with me, too.

“Nabiki, you can’t just say something like that! What if she was listening, how would she feel then? She’d probably be too scared to tell us anything else.”

Was she missing something? Why did they seem so certain about this? This discussion was making her feel queasy.

“She needs help, Kasumi. You think we should just sit here and let her stew in whatever she’s going through? Would you do the same to me? To Akane?”

“Of course! Because I know you wouldn’t want me prying in on your feelings when you weren’t ready to share them!”

“Girls, calm down. Shouting at each other won’t help Ranma, you’ll just hurt each other. Right now, the best we can do is make her feel safe. Nabiki, promise me you won’t say anything to her about this.”

“Fine. Whatever.”

She got up and stalked off to her room, slamming the door a little harder than necessary. Akane almost wanted to do the same. What right did any of them have to decide what Ranma was dealing with? Why were they plotting behind her back? The whole thing made her angry, but she couldn’t be too mad at her family. They were just trying to help.

“I’m going to do my homework.”

She got up, leaving her dinner half finished. She didn’t know how well she’d be able to focus with all this on her mind, but she wanted to distance herself from the whole ordeal. She felt like she was betraying her friend, even if she’d had no part of it.

-

Homework was evil. Ranma had no doubt in his mind. He’d been doing it for hours, and he’d only finished one assignment. Biology had been simple, he just had to read part of the textbook and match the names with their corresponding part. He’d thought history would be similar because it was so textbook heavy, but he’d been very wrong. The book kept mentioning other parts of history that he hadn’t learned, and he couldn’t figure out where to read about them. The whole thing was taking forever, as well, because he had to stop frequently to look up words in a dictionary.

And that was all without even starting his math or English homework. He had no hope for either of them. He checked the clock on his wall.

It’s 11:00 already? I’m never going to finish this…

He didn’t want to be humiliated on his second day at school, but he was exhausted, and he wasn’t getting anywhere with his homework. He just wanted to curl up in his too soft bed and pass out, even if it meant failure. Maybe they’d kick him out for being such a moron, but he was too tired to care.

He’d been so focused on homework, he’d actually forgotten that someone had cleaned his room. There were no more dirty clothes in the corner, and his sheets had been made. Well, if they thought his room was such a mess, he’d give them something to clean. He tossed his day clothes into the same corner, dressed into his pajamas, and flopped into bed. He fell into another uneasy sleep, his body sinking too far into the mattress.

Chapter Text

They pushed through massive stalks of bamboo and thick bushes, guided by some unimaginable logic. They emerged into a large clearing, the ground filled with small springs. They knew this place, but they couldn’t remember anything about it. Or themself, for that matter. Their head felt foggy, their thoughts sluggish.

“Where am I?” They called out, receiving no answer except the echoing of their own voice. This place felt too empty, and somehow impossible. The scenery seemed to stretch forever, and a pervasive feeling of wrongness tugged at their mind. A boy suddenly fell into one of the springs. He knew that boy.

That’s me! How could I forget?

They looked down at their hands, studying them. That’s right, he was here for training. He needed to train, or he’d go hungry again. His muscles began to ache, and bruises made themselves known all over his body. Yes, he needed to get stronger so he could stop losing. So he could stop hurting.

A girl burst out of the spring, coughing and sputtering desperately. 

No, that’s me! But…

They looked down at their hands again. They were softer now, the nails slightly longer. She ran her hands through her hair. It was loose now, long and comfortable. But that couldn’t be right!

I can’t be a girl! It’s not… not…

He couldn’t remember why, but he just knew he wasn’t a girl. He wasn’t supposed to be. His old man had beat that lesson into him far too many times.

He watched as a man approached the girl, kettle in hand. It was his father. The kettle was steaming, and its heat warped the air around it. He could feel it, even far away as he was. He wanted to run, to scream at the girl to leave, to save herself. But he couldn’t speak, and he felt like he was walking through mud. 

He tried anyways. He worked his legs, his pace agonizingly slow despite his efforts. He tried again to shout, to force the words out of his mouth. But if he talked back, it would only hurt more. The kettle would turn on him.

His throat closed up. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t save the girl. He watched as the water splashed over her skin, and she screamed. He felt that hot agony rushing down his spine, and he realized he was screaming too. 

“Ranma!”

The pain receded. He knew that voice… 

He bolted upright, hands trembling and unshed tears welling in his eyes.

“Ranma, you up?”

It was Akane. It was just a dream, there was no kettle, and his father was gone. He knew who he was. Everything was fine.

“Y-yeah!”

He tried to ignore how pathetic his voice sounded.

“Ok, good. Do you want to run with me again?”

“Sure, just give me a sec.”

He quickly changed out of his pajamas and slipped into sweatpants and a t-shirt. He picked the white one this time because he knew it was going to get dirty, and it was his least favorite. For no particular reason, of course.

They set out on their run, and he paced himself this time. He may have learned his lesson, but he still wasn’t going to acknowledge such a humiliating defeat. At least he could keep up with her like this.

“Did you finish your homework?”

He groaned.

“Not even close. Who decided to put letters in math?!”

“Oh, variables? They’re not so bad once you get used to them. How much did you finish?”

Part of him wanted to lie to her to save his pride, but a bigger part of him was tired of all the lies. And he had no idea how to bluff about something he didn’t understand.

“I got the biology thing done.”

She fell silent for a moment.

“Wow.”

Yeah, he definitely should’ve lied. Now she was just going to call him stupid and laugh, and his pride would never recover.

“Let’s skip training tonight and do the homework together. I’ll help you figure out what you missed.”

Huh. That was decidedly less humiliating than he had been expecting. His pride still wouldn’t recover, but he was starting to get used to that. 

I can skip training now. It’s fine, he’s not here.

“Ok.”

He couldn’t quite bring himself to thank her because it still felt like an insult.

Real men wouldn’t need help with stupid homework, but I’m not much of a man anymore, am I?

They finished their run much more calmly this time, and without much more conversation. Akane seemed a bit quieter than usual, and she had this weird look on her face. It wasn’t anger, excitement, or joy, so he had a hard time placing it. Faces were just too complicated.

He went up to his room to get changed, coming face to face with a demon: the Furinkan High girls’ uniform. He’d have to wear this five days a week until he left. He shuddered at the thought.

Still, he forced himself to pull it out of his closet and try it on. He trudged over to the mirror, dreading the sight of yet another dress. The girl looked upset, but she brightened up when she saw the dress. It was longer than the other one, hanging just above her ankles. The blue of the dress looked really nice with her hair, and it seemed to fit her really well. Once again, he had to admit that she was pretty.

She looked down at the flowy garment, then met his eyes pleadingly. No, he wasn’t going to debase himself again by spinning like some- oh, he was already doing it. He shoved down the feeling of giddy wonder as the dress spun around him. It had more weight than his other one, and it was longer, too. Each dress and skirt seemed to fly so differently when he spun, it was fascinating.

Focus, stop letting her control you. 

He ignored the stupid smile on her face and marched back out of his room, joining the Tendos for breakfast. He’d barely started eating before Soun started interrogating him.

“Ranma, I’ve been meaning to ask, where is your father? I called everyone I could think of, but he seems to have disappeared entirely.”

His heart jumped right into his throat. They couldn’t find out, they’d send him away. He’d never be able to get back to China if they kicked him out, and he didn’t want to lose Akane.

Just lie. You’ve done plenty of that already. They won’t know, just say something.

“H-he’s um… lookin’ for somethin’ back in China. He sent me here cause he didn’t want me gettin’ in his way.”

“And he didn’t even bother delivering you himself? When I see him…”

Soun shook his head, frowning.

“I’m sorry, dear, that must’ve been very difficult for you.”

Ranma looked up from his food. No one was staring. 

They believed me?

He thought incredulously, returning to his meal. Best not to push his luck, though. He was still terrified of being caught, and every question felt like a trap.

      Nabiki shared a look with Kasumi. This was getting out of hand. Even if Ranma’s unlikely explanation had been true, it was still disturbing and indicative of a serious problem.

How the hell was she supposed to profit off this traumatized mess of a kid? She still had Kuno’s message tucked into her pocket, threatening to ruin her reputation with him. She’d wanted to deliver it yesterday, but that hadn’t worked out, and now she’d feel like shit giving that bastard’s creepy poetry to poor Ranma.

Sure, it was weird and had all of his usual comments, but it wasn’t anything disturbing. She’d read it, of course. She wasn’t just going to let something potentially sickening get to the younger girl. Even so, she had a nagging fear that he’d try something.

Ranma was a martial artist though, she could probably handle herself around Kuno. And she really couldn’t afford to lose her best customer. She sighed, getting up and dropping the note into the other girl’s lap as she walked by.

“Kuno told me to give this to you.”

The redhead stared at it.

“Is it a challenge?”

She snorted.

“Not one that you’ll want to agree to. Don’t be surprised if he shows up with a bouquet.”

She grabbed her stuff and headed out the door, fighting to keep her concern at bay. She needed to clear her mind. Maybe she could part Kuno from his money again, that always made her feel better.

-

“I don’t get it, why does he talk like that?”

Akane shrugged. She was still being quiet, and Ranma was starting to get worried that he’d upset her. But that letter weighed on his mind more than anything.

“Sweet pigtailed goddess, how you light up my eye,

With your fiery beauty, I feel I can fly.

You’re like an elegant sunset upon which I spy,

Rare and fleeting, bringing a tear to my eye.

It would be my greatest honor to claim your heart. Meet me in front of the school tomorrow afternoon so that I may convince you.

-Tatewaki Kuno, The Blue Thunder”

He hadn’t read much poetry. Or any, actually, but he immoderately knew that this was terrible. It must’ve been some kind of elaborate trick, getting him angry with that ridiculous poem so he wouldn’t be focused in their fight. But then again, everyone had said it was a love letter, so maybe he should just ignore it. The thought of another boy having feelings for him, especially that boy, was repulsive. 

Between that, Akane’s weird behavior, the consistently awkward mealtime conversations, that awful dream, and his concerns about school, he was drowning in stress.

He needed to blow off some steam, so it’s a good thing there were a few dozen punching bags in the school courtyard practically begging for a beating. And one in particular that really deserved it. As much as he’d love to watch Akane in action again, it would feel really good to beat Kuno himself.

She tossed her bag into his arms, but he just dropped it next to his own and cracked his knuckles.

“I bet I can take out more of these clowns than you can!”

She turned sharply.

“What? No, stay out of this, it’s my fight, Ranma!”

“Well, that’s stupid, it looks like some of them are comin’ for me anyways!”

It was true. There were a couple splitting off and charging at him now.

She growled.

He and Akane moved roughly at the same pace, knocking potential suitors aside at a dizzying pace. He dodged attacks from bats, hockey sticks, and fists alike, dispatching each assailant with a well placed punch or a solid kick. One guy almost got the drop on him, but he was able to use the kid’s momentum to throw him into a few other attackers.

When it was all said and done, he’d taken out twenty one boys, which left… fourteen for Akane. Pretty good for his first time fighting in a dress. It had gotten in his way less than he expected, which was certainly nice.

“Ha! Told you I would get more than you.”

She glared at him. “Just shut up, Ranma!”

He faltered. That had actually hurt. And it was totally uncalled for! This was just confirming his fears that she was mad at him, but he had no idea what he’d done to make her so upset.

“Such lovely maidens should never raise their voices at each other! Perhaps my handsome visage may calm your aching hearts.”

The ringleader had arrived. Delightful.

Kuno spread his arms, gazing over the injured boys.

“I would expect nothing less of my true loves. It is a blessing to watch you fight, and it will be glorious when I earn your affection!”

They both stared at him flatly. Ranma retrieved the note from his bag and held it up.

Guess it really was a love letter.

“This yours?”

Kuno smiled. He wanted to throw up.

“I see that you’ve received my declaration, pigtailed girl. I poured my heart and soul into-“

His jaw dropped as Ranma ripped it in half and let it fall to the floor.

“I’m not interested, you creep! I’ll fight you any day, but I’m not gonna date you.”

“Let me handle this, Ranma.”

“Why? He’s bein’ weird to me, too.”

“I just don’t want you getting hurt!”

Was that why she was angry? But why would she be angry at him?

“Against this guy, are you kiddin’ me?

She grimaced. Seriously, what was he doing wrong? 

“Fine. Whatever.”

She retrieved her school bag and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. He felt sick. This was supposed to make him feel better, not make Akane hate him! He turned back to Kuno, more frustrated than ever. 

“I shall defeat you, pigtailed girl, and then I will do the same for fair Akane!”

He was practically begging for a beating at this point. The thought of this douche touching Akane made his blood boil even more than the comments about himself.

He didn’t bother responding, he just dashed forward, opening with a series of punches. Kuno was certainly fast, and he successfully parried each strike. Fortunately, he didn’t see what was coming.

In the span of a second, Ranma pivoted and smashed a side thrust kick directly into the other boy’s chin. He caught a second of air time before gravity sucked him back down, forcing the air out of his lungs.

He was unconscious, but probably fine. Ranma’s dad had pulled similar moves on him plenty of times, and he’d always recovered quickly. He rejoined Akane and grabbed his bag. They walked inside quietly, and he felt like he’d made things worse somehow.

-

Not good enough. They were right.

Akane was having a hard time focusing with those thoughts echoing in her head constantly. She’d had the shittiest morning imaginable, and it was only getting worse.

She still felt guilty about her family’s conversation last night, and she didn’t know what to say to her friend. It had been weighing on her conscience all morning, but it had quickly been overshadowed by Kuno’a stupid note. He was such a creep, and seeing him talk to Ranma that way made her irrational. But part of her was pissed at herself, too.

So I’m not even good enough for a creep like him. I’m not pretty enough for anyone.

It made her sick to think that everyone might’ve been right about her. That she was a tomboy and she’d never be a normal girl. And that other thing she wouldn’t acknowledge. But apparently she wasn’t very good at being a tomboy, either!

She should’ve been happy to see her friend fighting with her, and it was honestly really impressive. But it felt so infuriating when she was getting upstaged so easily! Ranma had taken out seven more guys than her. She’d counted. And then the redhead had knocked Kuno out cold in seconds, all without taking a single hit.

Not strong enough.

And she shouldn’t have been mad at her friend, but she was drowning in her feelings, and it was hard not to lash out. Her classes had muted those emotions, but not enough. She couldn’t even talk to Yuka and Sayuri without spacing out. And now she was supposed to go to lunch and just act like everything was fine? Like she hadn’t yelled at her crush friend?

But she couldn’t just skip lunch, either. Ranma would definitely think she was ghosting her if she did. So she marched out of the classroom and off to lunch, bringing Ranma with her. She still didn’t say anything.

“Hey, girls!”

She looked up at the sound of Sayuri’s voice. She could do this, she could look happy for half an hour. She plastered a smile on her face and waved back.

“We saw you guys earlier, you were great!”

“Yeah, you’re totally badass.”

“W-well, Akane was, but I’m not-“

Does she really think that?

Her cheeks got warm.

“Nope, you’re not allowed to downplay yourself!”

Now Ranma was blushing. She took a moment to study her friend. The girl always seemed embarrassed about praise, but she clearly enjoyed it. Akane found herself staring for a moment, and she realized how great the uniform looked on her friend. She hadn’t thought it could be flattering on anyone, but the redhead had a habit of making anything look good. She forced herself to look away, pointedly ignoring the little voice in her head raving about Ranma’s soft lips.

“You guys really do work great together, though.”

“Mhm. You’re a perfect pair.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

It was really unfortunate that she and Ranma said it at the exact same time. The other two girls looked at each other and just started giggling.

“See? You’re basically the same person!”

Yuka grinned, starting to count their shared qualities on her fingers.

“Let’s see, you’re both strong, stubborn, loud, sweet, and skilled martial artists.”

“Don’t forget pretty!”

“Right, that too.”

She smiled, despite how embarrassing it was. Those two always knew what to say, and she was lucky to have them.

What was I thinking? I’m good enough for my friends. And for Ranma.

“You say all that like you two aren’t glued at the hip.”

Sayuri smiled.

“That’s exactly what makes us qualified.”

Even Ranma seemed more comfortable now, and she actually participated in the conversation.

“So, what’re you guys interested in?”

“Yuka’s really into motorbikes, and I’m an avid reader.”

“Romance manga doesn’t count, Sayuri.”

She gasped, clutching her chest in mock offense.

“How dare you! You’re clearly just uncultured.”

Everyone started giggling, and Akane couldn’t help but feel better. Her insecurities felt less like a stab wound and more like an old bruise. Frustrating, but bearable. 

-

School was over, but Ranma’s suffering certainly wasn’t. His teachers had given him study hall for not finishing the homework. It felt like a stupid punishment; more time wasn’t going to fix his lack of understanding! At least Akane didn’t seem mad at him anymore. Lunch had been great, actually. Yuka and Sayuri were super nice, and he was actually really happy to learn more about them.

He’d been hoping he could just go home and have Akane help him, but he couldn’t risk further punishment from his teachers. That would be mortifying. So he stepped into the empty classroom. Well, mostly empty.

There was a girl sitting at one of the desks. She had black hair hanging just above her shoulders, with streaks of purple throughout. She was writing with one hand and playing with a hair tie in the other. She looked up as he passed by, picking a desk to sit at.

“Oh, hey, you’re the new girl, right? I saw that fight this morning, you were pretty cool.”

“Uh, y-yeah. Ranma Saotome, nice to meet you. Thanks, I guess.”

“Reina Kato, and it’s nice to meet you, too. So, what’re you in here for?”

“I um… didn’t finish the homework.”

This was humiliating. This random girl that he’d just met was going to find out how stupid he was.

“Ah, me too.”

“Really?”

She leaned back, sighing.

“Yeah, I just never have enough time to finish it all. I guess my teacher finally got sick of it and sent me here.”

Huh. Maybe he wasn’t as far behind as he’d thought. He still had no idea what he was doing, though. He sat down next to her, pulling the worksheets out of his bag. He stared at them for a second, groaning.

“I don’t even know where to start. My friend Akane said she’d help, but I’m going to be stuck here for an hour.”

“Oh, are you talking about that girl Kuno goes nuts over?”

“Yep.”

“I thought you two hated each other, though?”

“What?!”

“Well, you were yelling at each other a lot. Most friends don’t do that.”

It was true, he hadn’t seen anyone else yell at their friends. And Akane had been really mad at him…

What if she doesn’t like me? Are we really friends, or is she just pretending?

It was too painful to think about, but it ate at his mind anyways. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again when no words came to mind. Reina frowned.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

“No, ‘s fine, I just wasn’t expectin’ that.”

They fell silent for a moment.

“Well, since the attendant isn’t here yet, do you want some help?”

He desperately needed help, but he didn’t know if he wanted it. It was so humiliating that he couldn’t understand any of this, and he didn’t want to be judged. But what else was he going to do? Sit around twiddling his thumbs until he could leave?

“Sure, I guess. But I thought you had stuff to do, too?

She shrugged.

“You’ve got more than I do, I can just stay up late if I need to.”

If he was going to be here for a while, he might as well get something out of it. They started with history because it was the simplest subject that he couldn’t do. The mini lesson basically boiled down to Ranma asking questions about other historical events, which Reina explained in relatively simple terms. He managed to finish the assignment from yesterday, but he still wasn’t feeling great about the subject as a whole. There was just so much he didn’t know.

He wouldn’t let himself tell her why he was so incompetent. He didn’t want her to give him the Kasumi look. He looked up, only then realizing that the attendant was also in the room. Had he been that focused on his work?

“Do you want to keep doing history, or move on?”

“I-I guess we should move on.”

They went through the English assignment, which was mostly about tenses. He didn’t understand them very well, but he could follow the rules once they were explained to him properly. He needed a few corrections, but she never insulted him or made him feel bad about it. She was actually really nice.

Math didn’t go very well, though. She spent a while explaining variables, and he thought he understood, but he just didn’t know what to do with them. Multiplication and division were long forgotten, and he’d never been very good at math in general. Still, she was patient with him, and he was relieved that she didn’t pry.

“Let’s try it again, ok? Tell me what a variable is.”

“It’s an English letter, and it’s covering up the actual number in the equation.”

“Right. And if we want to find out what number the variable is covering up?”

He hesitated. He still wasn’t exactly sure how to do this part.

“We… put it on one side?”

She smiled.

“Exactly! Last part: how do we get it alone on one side?”

“Um…”

He stared at the numbers on the page. She’d explained this part already, but it hadn’t stuck in his mind. She seemed to sense his confusion.

“Here, think about it like this.”

She leaned over and started drawing on his paper.

“The equation is ‘2x + 2 = x + 5’, so we’re going to write two x’s on this side…”

She drew out the equation, representing the numbers with circles. She reminded him that x had to be alone, so they had to erase the two circles on the left. But both sides have to be equal, so she erased them on the other side as well. Then, she did the same with the x’s, erasing one on each side to turn the equation into ‘x = 3’.

Oh. That’s not so bad.

He tried the rest, breaking each number apart into circles until he got used to the rule. He was able to do the last few without even drawing them. He beamed, turning to her.

“Thanks, Reina. You’re pretty cool.”

She smiled back.

“Any time. Let me know if you ever want to hang out.”

“So… we’re friends?”

“Of course!”

He smiled.

“Right. See you later!”

She waved as he left, and he realized that he had four friends. He was still scared about Akane being angry, but he had regained his confidence. They yelled a lot, sure, but they were friends. She shared his interests, invited him to lunch, trained with him, and offered to help him with homework just like Reina had. And he really cared about her, more than he’d ever admit. If that wasn’t friendship, it must’ve been something stronger.

-

What was that girl’s problem? Who the hell was she to make judgements about Akane’s friendships? 

“I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

Oh yeah, I’m sure it was totally innocent!

And the thing that hurt the most was the fact that Ranma hadn’t said anything. She hadn’t come to Akane’s defense. They’re great friends, actually, and she should’ve said as much! She’d been planning on teaching her friend during her study hall, but that definitely wasn’t happening now.

Yeah, she shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, and yeah, she shouldn’t have felt protective as soon as Ranma talked to another girl. But she had, and now she was pissed off. Besides, she’d been headed there, it wasn’t really her fault if she just happened to stop and listen for a moment. Regardless, that girl had dyed hair, she was probably the kind of deviant that everyone thought Akane was.

She was just worried that this new girl would try to infect Ranma with her… her gayness, or something. And she wasn’t jealous, she was just looking out for her friend! They would both find nice guys and be happy for each other because that’s what normal girls do, and she wouldn’t let this thieving newcomer get in the way.

But Ranma was going to be stuck in there with her for who knows how long, probably feeling wildly uncomfortable. Yeah, she wouldn’t enjoy being around that girl, and there was absolutely no way they were going to become friends, or anything more. Because she already had a best friend, and it was Akane.

I need to hit something…

She made a beeline for her room as soon as she got home.

“Ah, how was your day, Akane?”

Her father furrowed his brow.

“And where is Ranma?”

“It was fine. She’s still at school.”

She raced upstairs, got changed into her gi, and retreated to the dojo. She started a Kata, focusing on her footwork. She was still getting used to her new balance, but adapting quickly. Once she’d run through it twice, she felt good doing it on muscle memory, and she actually started beating out her frustrations. Each imaginary target was an anxiety, and each strike an act of resistance.

I’m alone

I have my friends.

I’m a freak

I’m just different

I’m not good enough

I’m enough for them

I’m jealous

I’m not

I’ll lose her

I can’t

I’m fine. I’m happy.

But there was another voice, a smaller one.

Then why am I so angry?

She didn’t know how to quiet that voice.

This wasn’t working, she needed something more physical. Unfortunately, Ranma had already used up all her cinder blocks the other day, so she settled for the dummy. It was no longer beheaded, so Kasumi had probably repaired it at some point. She’d try not to make a bigger mess for her sister to clean up, but she really needed this.

It was therapeutic to pummel her frustrations into the straw creation, but it wasn’t the distraction she’d been hoping for. Every anxiety soothed called attention to another, and she couldn’t escape the crushing sensation of hopelessness threatening to squash her.

She just needed to throw herself into something else. Maybe if she was tired and preoccupied, it would drown out her thoughts. She wanted to see if she could replicate that kick Ranma had used on Kuno. She’d always favored her fists over her feet, but she was beginning to see how versatile agility could be.

Her first few attempts were met with limited success. Very limited. She briefly wondered if it would be easier with Ranma’s instruction, but that thought just motivated her to do it alone. She tried again, changing her foot position. It had looked like a heel kick, so she was feeling pretty good with what she landed on. She wasn’t sure about the mechanics of the kick, but she knew there was a pivot involved.

She kept trying, but she couldn’t maintain form and hit above the chest at the same time. By the end, her hip flexors were screaming, and she felt incompetent, but it had worked. She was tired, and she’d gone a while without really thinking about anything.

She trudged inside to take a bath, her concerns leaking back into her mind, albeit calmer this time. She sighed as she sunk into the hot water, feeling the tension bleeding from her muscles. The exercise had certainly cooled her temper, even if it had flared in the moment.

Now that her head was clearer, she had time to think about what upset her the most: Ranma and that stupid girl. If the redhead thought they weren’t friends, then she would just have to prove that they were. She was going to be the best study buddy in the world, and she was going to make sure that her friend understood everything so she’d actually be able to learn. It was the least she could do for lashing out.

-

By the time Akane had gotten changed, Ranma was already holed up in her room, and she was probably doing her homework already. Perfect.

She walked over to Nabiki’s room, poking her head inside. Her sister was staring at a camera.

“Hey, Nabiki!”

She jumped, setting the camera down.

“Ever heard of knocking?”

She said flatly, turning to face Akane.

“Sorry, I need your help with something.”

“And what’s that?”

“Well, Ranma’s struggling with school, and I wanted to help teach her. I figured you’re good with math, so you could help with that.”

“Alright.”

Akane blinked. That was easy.

“You’re not going to complain about it?”

“Do you want my help or not?”

“Right, sorry.”

They walked back over to Ranma’s room, and she knocked this time.

“Hey, Ranma, I can help you with your homework now.”

“Oh, um, alright then.”

She opened the door, and she seemed a little surprised to see Nabiki. Maybe even uncomfortable? But that was ridiculous, it was probably just her typical nervousness.

“Hi.”

“Hey, kid.”

Ranma frowned.

“I’m like, a year younger than you.”

“Still a kid.”

She sighed and walked back to her desk, letting the other two follow her.

“So, what’re you working on now?”

“I’m tryin’ to do the math from today, but it’s more complicated than the stuff from yesterday.”

“I thought you didn’t finish the math yesterday.”

Ranma smiled.

“I didn’t, but Reina helped me with it during study hall!”

She couldn’t mean…

“Who’s Reina?”

“She’s this cool girl I met earlier. She’s got purple in her hair and she helped me with all the work I didn’t finish yesterday.”

That bitch. Well, now she just had even more motivation to be a great tutor. Maybe she’d be so good that Ranma would never have to go back to study hall and see Reina ever again. Tragic.

“That’s great.”

She plastered a smile on her face, forcing herself to focus. Nabiki smirked at her, though she couldn’t imagine why.

“Well, math is my strongest subject, so I can help with this stuff. What’re you getting stuck on?”

Ranma fidgeted in her seat, and she got quiet again.

“T-the multiplication…”

“Oh, that’s good.”

Ranma seems genuinely surprised by that.

“What?”

“Yeah, that’s easy to teach. You probably just missed it when you were out of school.”

This was wonderful, but she really needed to be helping.

“Akane, you take over while I draw a times table.”

Bless you, Nabiki.

Together, they explained multiplication and division and set up some practice problems. Ranma actually seemed to be taking to it really well. She had huge gaps in her knowledge, but she was really a quick learner now that they were giving her a more personal lesson.

History was a little less straightforward, but it was a lot more fun. Akane took the lead on this one because she loved history, and she needed to prove that she was a good teacher. She described each of the events mentioned in the worksheet, as well as what each of the questions was really asking. She also highlighted how important it is to answer objectively, and to only provide opinions when directly asked for.

It started off a little slow, but Ranma was already getting some of the right ideas, and she was able to answer most of the questions after digging around in the textbook for a while. It also gave Akane some time to do her own homework, which was pretty nice. She was feeling better with every passing minute, and she was excited to see her friend succeeding.

     Ranma was actually starting to understand everything. Between Reina’s initial help and this longer lesson, he didn’t feel so stupid anymore. Once he understood the rules, the math was really straightforward. History took a bit more time because he had to go through the textbook so often, but he was starting to get a handle on it.

He was honestly surprised by how helpful Nabiki was, too. She didn’t even have anything snarky to say once they got started. Regardless, she was really good at explaining math, and she taught him how to separate each problem into steps so he didn’t have to draw it out or do it all in his head.

Unfortunately, his most dreaded subject was next. He didn’t think he’d ever understand English beyond the rules Reina had told him. He could get some of the answers right, but he didn’t have a very firm grasp on why. Hopefully the others would be able to help him, though.

“Hey girls, what’re you doing?”

Great. It just had to be her.

Akane perked up.

“We’re helping Ranma with her homework. We’re going to start on English here in a minute.”

“Oh, that’s my favorite! Here, scoot over.”

Was the universe punishing him for lying?

“Let’s see… parts of speech, ok. So, how much do you know about English, Ranma?”

He wanted to lie so bad, but he knew he’d just make a bigger fool of himself if he did.

“Um… not much.”

“That’s ok, we can start with the basics.”

He blinked. That wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting. She usually got quiet and had that stupid look on her face that he couldn’t decipher, but she was just being normal this time.

Real men aren’t scared, real men meet people’s eyes.

He looked up, and Kasumi was smiling. No judgement, no disgust, just an easy smile. The knot in his stomach started to untangle. Maybe she wasn’t as bad as he’d thought, but she’d still stared at him before.

She began writing some definitions on a spare piece of paper, and she explained as she went.

“To start off, there’s the alphabet, which has twenty six letters. Each one makes a little sound, and you put them together sideways to make words. It’s like writing Japanese, but there’s more characters…”

She explained the alphabet in detail, which corrected a few misunderstandings he had. Then, they went through the sound of each letter until he could do most of them without too much issue. When they finally got to the actual assignment, he felt terrible. Not because he was failing, but because he’d hated her so much. She was nice, and she was helping him, and he’d been an asshole. Like he always was. None of them made him feel stupid, and they were actively choosing to spend their time helping him. He shoved down his guilt. He could apologize later.

By the time Kasumi had to leave to start dinner, they’d gone through nouns, verbs, and adjectives. It was all still very new, but he felt ok completing the assignment.

“Kasumi, I’m…”

She turned back to look at him.

“Thanks for helpin’.”

She smiled.

“Of course! I’d do the same for anyone in my family.”

He wasn’t really part of the family, but it made him feel warm and giddy anyways.

      Soun hadn’t seen his daughters so united in seven years. All three of them, laughing and working together to teach Ranma, it warmed his heart. But it also made him realize just how isolated they’d been. 

He’d let himself wallow in his grief for so long, he’d forgotten the joys of life. He’d let Kasumi take care of the family while he sat back, useless. It was time for a change.

-

Reina dropped her bag by the door to her apartment. Blissfully, she didn’t have a shift today, so she could actually catch up on her work without staying up until midnight. As she took off her shoes, her little brothers came running.

“You’re home!”

She smiled, pulling them into a big hug.

“Hey boys, how was your day?”

“It was good! But Daisuke got in a big fight at lunch.”

Her heart stopped for a second. She began inspecting his face.

“Are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m fine, and I sure showed them!”

“Did you start that fight? Daisuke, you can’t do that.”

“But that stupid kid was saying mean things about you! And he said me and Mineo are gonna be freaks, too.”

“I’m sorry, boys, but you can’t fight everybody that says mean things, ok? Remember what I always tell you?”

“Bullies just want to make us angry…”

“That’s right. And what do we do to stop them?”

“Ignore them.”

“You got it!”

She ruffled their hair.

“Now, go do your homework, and tell me if you need any help.”

“Ok!”

They ran off to their room, and she smiled. They got into trouble sometimes, but they’re sweet kids. She sat down at the table to finish her own homework. She was a couple days behind, but none of it was particularly hard, so she thought she’d have time to finish it all. She was almost done when her father walked by.

“Reina? When did you get home?”

“An hour ago.”

“Oh. Well, I’m… going out for a while. Don’t burn the house down while I’m gone.”

Don’t let the door kick your ass on the way out.

She bit back the words. He seemed rather docile right now, no need to antagonize him. But with him gone, probably to get blackout drunk, it looked like she’d be cooking again tonight. Fantastic. She was lucky her brothers would eat pretty much anything, because they’d starve otherwise.

But even with her useless father bringing her down, it had been a good day. She’d made a friend after all, and the new girl hadn’t even clocked her. She probably hadn’t heard all the gossip because she’d just transferred in. Regardless, she didn’t really seem like the type to care about sexuality, so Reina was feeling good about it.

She did feel kinda bad about her tutoring though. She did it so much with her brothers, she was practically an expert by now, but she felt like she hadn’t really helped Ranma. Obviously she had, but her contributions had seemed a bit lackluster. It was tough because she didn’t really know where the other girl was confused or how much experience she had with the topics, so it was tough to actually teach helpfully. But she’d done her best, and Ranma seemed like a quick learner too, so it was probably fine. 

Things were generally starting to look up for her, and she was happy, at least for the moment.

Chapter Text

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven’t released anything these past two weeks, I’ve been in a serious writing slump, and I’m struggling to motivate myself. I’m not canceling the fic or anything, I just need time to get back into my groove. I’m not sure exactly when this chapter will be finished, so I’m not going to make any estimates.

Once again, sorry for the delay, and I hope to see your thoughts when I finally get back to it!