Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Genmas Daughter ❯ 04 ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Imported From: RAAC
From: Deborah Goldsmith <dgoldsmith@mac.com>
Subject: [Ranma][FanFic] Genma's Daughter, Chapter 4: Explorations

As always, all rights to Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and
Shougakukan

Genma's Daughter
Chapter 4: Explorations

By Deborah Goldsmith
Original concept and parts of Chapter 1 by Steve Pardue

Deborah Goldsmith <dgoldsmith@mac.com>
Steve Pardue <spardue@zebra.net>

http://www.zebra.net/~spardue/anime

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Nodoka scrubbed at a stubborn spot on one of the breakfast dishes. There
hadn't been very many, since she ate alone, but she liked her kitchen to
be spotless at all times. She held the dish up and inspected it; the bit
of food had meekly given up under her onslaught. She smiled, and went on
to the next.

As she scrubbed, she sighed. She hadn't seen or heard from Ranko...
Ranma... at all since the previous Tuesday, when she... no, *he* had
finally remembered to return the documents and video he and Akane had
borrowed.

She finished the washing and started to dry the dishes with a towel. The
children had been in too much of a hurry to get to school, and hadn't
had time to chat. They'd mentioned stopping by on the way home, but
Akane had called that evening with a sheepish apology: things at school
had been hard, she'd said, and they'd forgotten.

As she started to put the dishes away, she frowned. Since then, she'd
heard nothing. She didn't have a very good idea of what was going on in
her... child's life right now. She knew Ranko was under stress, and
Nodoka wished she could do more to help her little girl. She bit her lip
in worry.

As she put the last of the dishes away, the door chime rang. "Hai!" she
called out, and hurried over to the genkan. The door slid open of its
own accord, revealing Akane and... and...

Standing in front of her was her own most cherished dream, an image she
had held dear in her mind for a dozen long years. It was a young lady
with fiery red hair cut in a flattering (but plain) style, wearing a
dress (somewhat frumpy, her inner mother's voice noted critically),
carrying an outdated-looking purse, with a very nervous look that
spoiled her pretty face.

And that girl looked more beautiful to her than any other girl in the
entire world.

"Ran... Ranko?" Tears started to fall from her eyes.

The redhead nodded, tentatively, her eyes becoming moist as well.

Nodoka rushed forward into the genkan, still in her house slippers, and
crushed Ranko in a hug, and they were both crying. "Oh, baby... I... I
never thought I'd see my little girl again..." Ranko's head was spinning
a little from being referred to in such terms. Akane pulled a tissue
from her purse and wiped her eyes.

Nodoka held Ranko out at arm's length. "Let me look at you... Oh, you
look just the way I imagined you! You're such a beauty!" She sighed.

Ranko blushed and smiled a watery smile. Nodoka noticed where they were,
and blushed herself. "Where are my manners? Come on in, girls." Ranko
wondered again at being referred to that way. A... A girl...

When they were all seated in Nodoka's living room, she was still gazing
lovingly at her resurrected daughter. "Do... do you like it, Mom?" asked
Ranko.

"Of course, dear!" She frowned suddenly. "You didn't do this just for
me, did you? Is this something *you* want to do?"

Ranko looked at Akane, then nodded. "Yes, it is. I... I didn't tell you
before... I never told anyone... but I... I never really liked... being
a boy. I thought that was normal, just part of being that way, but...
but Dr. Toufuu said it wasn't. I also thought the curse is what made me
feel that being a girl was more comfortable." She blushed. "I feel kinda
dumb, now."

Nodoka shook her head firmly. "Why should you? After what you've been
through, you can be forgiven for thinking anything. Did you go to school
this way?"

Ranko looked nervous, and looked over at Akane. "Ranko, you have to tell
her." Ranko gulped and nodded.

Nodoka suddenly felt worried. "What is it, dear?"

Ranko turned back to her mother. "Mom... I... Dr. Toufuu suggested I...
kinda try out being Ranko, over summer break. I... I just started last
night, after school. I'm supposed to try it for four weeks, then..." she
trailed off.

Nodoka spoke firmly. "Then decide what you want. In other words, this
may not be permanent, correct?"

Ranko nodded. "I'm sorry, Mom. Your... your daughter might disappear
again at the end of the summer."

Nodoka shook her head. "Don't be. I've accepted what's happened to you,
sweetheart. I just want you to be happy, and I'll accept whatever you
decide. In the meantime, I'll enjoy having my daughter again." She
smiled, and Ranko smiled back. "Did you two come here just to visit me?"

Ranko shook her head. "I... I kinda need to go shopping, Mom. I only got
one set of underwear, and I already wore it once yesterday." She
wrinkled her nose and made a face. "Akane and me, we thought you might
like to... tag along?"

Yatta! And I didn't even have to suggest it. "Of course, dear. I'd love
to."

*****

Ranko felt dizzy. She had thought she would need some underwear, a dress
or two, and a couple of other things. Her mother had had other ideas,
and Akane seemed to agree. They had bought a ton of lingerie, several
pajamas, summer dresses, skirts, slacks, shorts, blouses and tops, more
swimsuits, a hair ornament or two, some jewelry (Ranko now wore a simple
charm necklace), some clip-on earrings (Ranko had refused to consider
piercing when she hadn't decided to stay female yet), several pairs of
shoes, a new purse and wallet, some very basic cosmetics ("You're so
pretty, dear, you don't really need it, but when you want to look
extra-nice..."), and a staggering variety of hair-care products
(including Kasumi's requested shampoo and conditioner, plus stuff she
couldn't even identify; just what *was* a "triple bonding
reconstructor"?). And they were still going strong.

Ranko had no idea how they were going to get all this home. She didn't
think she'd ever get a chance to wear it all, even if she wore a
different item every day for the next four weeks. But she knew her
mother was having the time of her life, making up for twelve lost years.
Seeing her mother so happy was worth visting every store in Nerima. And
it seemed like they were doing just that.

At the moment, she was trying on a beautiful dark green formal gown her
mother had spotted in a store window. "Oh, dear, it would be just
perfect with your hair!" Ranko wanted to point out that she wasn't
planning to go to a formal dinner-dance any time soon, but refrained.
She was in a booth in the dressing room, trying to get into the dress,
while Akane and her mother sat just outside and waited for her to appear.

One of the salesladies came into the dressing room carrying a tray with
tea things on it; she offered some to Nodoka and Akane: "Would you
ladies like some tea?"

Nodoka was a bit surprised since the weather was so hot, but guessed it
was just a formality. She smiled and said "No, thank you," and Akane
declined as well.

The saleslady bowed slightly, and turned to go. Her heel caught on the
carpet, and the tray went flying. A cup of tea sailed through the air,
and directly into the booth Ranko was using.

"Oh my!" breathed the saleslady. "Miss, are you all right in there? I am
so sorry!"

There was a long pause. A squeaky falsetto drifted out. "I'm fine. Thank
you."

The saleslady started a bit at the voice, but shrugged, and left the
room, collecting the remains of the tea tray.

Nodoka was watching the departing saleslady when she heard a whisper,
which she didn't quite catch. She looked around. Akane was staring at
the dressing booth and looked concerned. The whisper came again, louder.
"Mother!" Nodoka got up and walked over to the booth. "What is it, dear?"

The whisper came out again. "Mother, please get me a glass of cold
water. Now."

Akane winced.

"What's wrong, dear? Are you thirsty?" Akane rolled her eyes. Obviously,
Nodoka hadn't lived around the curse long enough.

The voice rose slightly above a whisper, and sounded distinctly
masculine in tone. "No, I'm not thirsty, Mother."

Nodoka's eyes widened in understanding. "Right away, dear."

*****

Akane, Ranko, and Nodoka walked down the street with a dizzying array of
purchases. One of them was not a lovely green formal gown with a tea
stain. The proprietress had been so apologetic for dumping tea all over
Ranko that she had insisted on giving them the dress, and paying for the
dry cleaning as well. It would be ready in a few days. Ranko supposed
she would have to find a formal dinner-dance to attend.

Ranko was in a bit of a daze, and not just from the clothes. "I... I
can't believe it happened in a *dressing room*..."

"That really was quite an accident, wasn't it, dear? Thank goodness the
fabric had some stretch in it."

"I... I can't believe it happens with hot water, too..."

Nodoka looked puzzled. "What happens?"

"I... I mean cold water, that makes sense..."

Akane decided she'd better answer. "Ranko's curse seems to... turn her
into a water magnet. Before, she was constantly being splashed with cold
water, seemingly by chance, but always at the worst moments. I... I
guess she wasn't expecting the curse to have the same effect when she
wanted to stay in her cursed form."

They turned in to Nodoka's front gate, and struggled to get all the
packages through the front door. Eventually, they were collected in a
pile in the living room.

"Cold water is everywhere, but hot water... how can the curse tell?"

"Ranko, dear, is there anything you can do to keep this from happening?"

That was enough to snap Ranko out of it. "I could never keep from
changing when I didn't want to before..."

Akane reminded her, "Ranko, that was when you wanted to stay *male*."

Ranko's memory flashed back to the Cat's Tongue, and...

"Cologne."

Nodoka frowned. "Cologne? Well, I have some, but I never thought that it
had any magical properties."

Akane and Ranko laughed. "No, Mom, Kuh Lon. She is an elder of the
Chinese Amazon tribe. She's here in Nerima with her great-granddaughter,
Shampoo, and a boy who came with them, Mousse. Their village is right
next to Jusenkyou, so they know a great deal about it. Once, she... she
locked me in my female form for a few weeks."

Nodoka didn't miss anything. "They certainly have an interesting way of
naming people. Why did she do that, dear?"

Ranko looked embarrassed. "Well, uhh, she was trying to... to blackmail
me, I guess. Force me into marrying her great-granddaughter."

Nodoka grew angry. "Why on Earth would she do that?"

Ranko and Akane looked at each other. "Maybe we'd better sit down, Mom.
This may take a while."

Several minutes later, after explaining the whole of their history with
the Amazons, including Cologne's helpful attitude after their recent
visit, Nodoka nodded. "It sounds like she might be able to help you
avoid changing accidentally. Why don't we go see them later today? I'd
like to meet this woman." This latter was said in a slightly harder
tone. "Meanwhile, let's rest a bit and have lunch." She laughed. "I
don't think I've shopped that much in years and years."

Ranko still felt dizzy. Akane turned to her and playfully asked, "So,
Ranko, what did you think of your first major shopping expedition?"

Ranko thought for a while. "Actually, it was kinda... fun. When... when
I tried stuff on, or you tried stuff on, it was like... like..." she
reached for an analogy, "like tryin' out new moves in Kenpo, to see if
they work or not." Akane sighed slightly at Ranko's somewhat
one-dimensional value system. "And... and I liked the way I looked, even
when we didn't buy stuff." She blushed slightly.

Akane turned to Nodoka and said in a stage whisper, "Oh, she's a girl,
all right!" She and Nodoka laughed as Ranko turned a deeper red.

"Ranko, do you have closet space to put all your new clothes in?" asked
her mother.

Ranko thought a bit, and her face fell. "I guess... if I move some
of..." she trailed off.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"It's... the room I have at the Tendous I share... shared with Pop...
Father. It... it reminds me a lot of him, and it reminds me a lot of
being... a boy." She sighed. "It's kind of a constant reminder of things
I'd rather not think about right now."

Akane chimed in. "Last night she came and spent the night in my room;
she was having trouble sleeping."

Nodoka thought for a while. "Ranko, dear, would you like to come live
here with me over break? You can stay in your old room. I've already put
the cats in storage." She smiled.

Ranko thought about what her relationship with the Tendou sisters had
been like the past few days. She wanted to spend time with her mother,
but she would miss them... "I'd... I'd like that Mom, but I'm... I think
I would miss Akane and her sisters a lot. They've become my second
family. I... I don't know what to do. I'd like to be with both you and
them." She looked sad.

"Akane, dear, would you like to come stay here over break as well? You
could have that spare room we don't use."

Akane thought. There was no way she was going to allow Ranko off on her
own during such a stressful time as the next four weeks would be. She...
she hadn't stayed away from home for that long ever before, though. She
knew she would miss home, would miss her sisters. Maybe... maybe she
could go visit... "May I think about it for a while, Auntie? I want to
stay with Ranko while she's trying out being a girl, but I... I think
I'd miss my family. I also really ought to talk it over with Kasumi."

Nodoka nodded. "Why don't we leave all the clothes here for now? Ranko,
if you decide you'd rather stay at the Tendous, we can take them over
later today. Now, how about some lunch?"

"That would be great! I'm starvin'!"

"Ranko, watch your language. Try to speak a little more politely."

"Yes, Mother."

Akane was happy to see Ranko being enthusiastic about food again. It
seemed she was feeling better.

*****

Shampoo was cleaning tables again. She sighed. She cleaned tables a lot.
At least, during summer break, she would have a little time off since
business tended to drop off. Maybe she could spend some time with Ranma
and work on getting him to go out with her, help him get over the
revelations about his past.

The door chime signaled, and Shampoo turned to answer. "Welcome to
Nekohan..." she trailed off.

Akane, she recognized. There was also a middle-aged woman. But the other
girl...

The second-hand dress had been discarded at Nodoka's, and she was now
wearing a green sundress ("I always loved the way you looked in those,
dear"), a hair ornament in her neatly styled fire-red hair, some pretty
sandals, a charm necklace, clip-on earrings, and lipstick. This person
looked entirely female. The only giveaways were the red hair, and the
eyes.

"Ran... Ranma??!"

Ranko smiled nervously. "Hi Shampoo. Ummm, it's... it's Ranko, at least
for summer break."

Shampoo felt like her heart was dropping down a hole. It had only been a
week! Ranma... Ranma was living as a girl? Was going to spend the summer
that way? He'd chosen to become Ranko again? Shampoo felt a little
light-headed, and leaned heavily on the table she had been cleaning.

Ranko didn't notice Shampoo's reaction. "Shampoo, this is my mother,
Saotome Nodoka." Nodoka bowed slightly. "Mom, this is Shampoo, one of
the Chinese Amazons I told you about." Nodoka wondered at the girl's
purple hair.

Shampoo tried to collect herself, and bowed back. Ranma's... Ranko's...
mother had to be paid the proper respect. "Shampoo very glad to meet
honored mother of... of... Ranko." She tried to smile. She was about to
ask what on Earth was going on when Cologne hopped in, and the
introductions were repeated. When Nodoka was introduced to Cologne, she
seemed to scrutinize the Amazon matriarch carefully.

They sat down, and Ranko explained Dr. Toufuu's idea, and her decision
to try it. Cologne nodded. "I think it's a very good idea, Ranko. By the
end of the summer you should have a much better idea of how you feel
about this."

Ranko nodded. "I... I'm still kinda not sure about this, but... so far,
it seems OK."

"Very good, child. I suspect, however, that you didn't come just to pay
a social call."

Ranko blushed. "Well, I... earlier today, when we were out shopping,
I... I had an accident -- with hot water. I... I didn't know that the
curse worked the same way with hot water. Anyway, I knew there ain't...
isn't really a way to stick me... uh, keep me in my male form, but I was
wondering if there was something I could do to stay female through the
summer? I... if I keep changing as often as I did before, it's gonna be
hard to really see what it's like being a girl. I... I thought you might
know of something, considering... how... how we met." Nodoka raised an
eyebrow at this, but decided not to press the issue here. She wanted to
speak with Cologne about what she had done to her daughter. Perhaps
another day.

Shampoo looked on morosely. The rapidity with which this had happened,
the fact that Ranma... Ranko was asking to be locked in female form,
even temporarily, spoke volumes about her true feelings. She had
misjudged this situation badly, because of her attachment to Ranma. And
Great-Grandmother had known that.

Cologne thought for a while. "I think I might have something that will
help. Come with me."

They all followed Cologne back into the storeroom of the Nekohanten.
Cologne went over to a small trunk, and blew off some of the dust. She
turned to speak. "Shampoo, Mousse, Ranko, I think you had best stand
well clear. If I have an accident with what is in here, it might do you
serious harm." The three cursed individuals stood on the other side of
the room.

Cologne opened the trunk. Inside were various bottles of what appeared
to be water, nestled in very thick padding. Cologne checked that they
were all intact, then nodded and turned around.

"Ranko, have you ever heard of the Musk Dynasty?" Ranko shook her head,
but Shampoo's and Mousse's faces grew ashen. "I won't go into the
details, but they have a magical artifact, the Chiisuiton. Water kept in
this vessel, when splashed onto a cursed person, will lock them in their
cursed form, essentially forever. The Musk use it in ways that... I'd
rather not describe right now." Ranko, Akane, and Nodoka felt a chill
from the way Cologne spoke.

She continued. "Water used directly from the Chiisuiton is full of its
magic, and the lock on the curse lasts far longer than any individual
could hope to live. But water that is no longer in the Chiisuiton starts
to lose its magic, and after a time, will only lock an individual as
their cursed form for a few years, or a few months, or even a few weeks.
After hundreds of years, the water loses its magic altogether. In these
bottles, I have some water from the Chiisuiton, stolen from the Musk. It
is rather old, and so only lasts about 3 weeks."

Ranko warily eyed the bottles from across the room. If she... if she
used this water, she wouldn't be able to become a man again until it
wore off. She wasn't sure she *wanted* to become a man again, but she
wanted to keep that option open for now. Still, 3 weeks wasn't too
long... "I... I guess that will work. Can I come see you when I need
more?"

Cologne nodded. "I have a relatively large amount of it. However, Ranko,
I must warn you of one thing: due to the chaotic nature of magic, there
is a very slight chance when you use this water that it will act with
its full, original strength. The chances are low, less than one in a
thousand for water this old. But this is something you had to know: that
this water might lock you in your female form forever. Also, if you use
the water repeatedly, the chances will build up. Normally, it would take
many years of use for the random factor to occur, but it could always
happen sooner by chance. Even the very first time."

Ranko considered this. "Do... do you have anything else?"

Cologne shook her head. "I have various others, like the curseproof
soap, but they all have problems and are unreliable. This is really the
only thing that works well." She stopped and thought. "The Cat's Tongue
wouldn't really lock you in your female form; it just makes hot water
painful. It wouldn't prevent accidents at all."

Ranko stared at the bottles, which looked so innocuous. Three weeks
without the craziness of the curse, but... but maybe the rest of her
life as a girl. She might want that someday soon, but not right now.
Still, the odds were pretty good. She swallowed. "I'll... I'll do it."
She hoped by the time she'd used the water a few times she would have
made up her mind once and for all. Right now, being Ranko was too new
for her to embrace it forever.

Cologne nodded. "Shampoo, could you fetch me a baster from the kitchen?"
Shampoo nodded mutely and left, returning moments later with an ordinary
roast baster. Cologne walked over to her, took it, and walked back. She
removed one of the heavy-looking bottles from the trunk, carefully set
it upright, and turned back to Ranko. "Come here, child."

Ranko nervously walked over to Cologne. "I'm... I'm ready."

Cologne removed the latched stopper from the large bottle, inserted the
baster, and carefully withdrew a few teaspoons of the contents. She
restoppered the bottle before turning back to Ranko. She raised the
baster over Ranko's head, and discharged the contents onto her; it
soaked into her hair. "There. It's done." Shampoo closed her eyes and
bowed her head.

Ranko blinked. She didn't feel any different, just... wet, though that
feeling was disappearing rapidly. Cologne repacked the bottle and placed
it back in the padding.

When the trunk was closed, Ranko asked, "Are you sure this worked?"

Cologne nodded. "I'm sure. Let's go back into the dining area. Mousse,
fetch a kettle." Mousse nodded. A few moments later, they were all
assembled back in the front of the Nekohanten. Mousse appeared with a
kettle, after a quick detour into a closet. Shampoo took it, and poured
more than enough hot water onto Ranko to cause the change.

Nothing happened.

Ranko felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The curse, and
all the magic associated with it, still gave her the creeps. Even when
that magic caused the curse to appear to be absent. How could
ordinary-looking water do things like this? Despite the warmth of the
water, she shivered.

Nodoka as well found her mouth a bit dry from all of this. "Well, dear,
it looks like your hot water problems are solved, at least for the time
being."

We hope, thought Akane.

*****

Akane watched Ranko as they walked with her mother to the Tendou Dojo.
Ranko was looking around, her eyes wide, taking in everything. She
almost looked like a child, seeing the world for the very first time. In
a way, she is, thought Akane.

As they walked along the large shopping street near the Nekohanten, many
young men passed them, each taking time to give the two pretty girls the
once over, especially Ranko. This was not the first time Ranko had
experienced this, but it was happening much more often than it ever had
before. She guessed it must be because she now looked much more the
part. It... it didn't bother her as much as it had when it was a direct
affront to her manhood. Still, the pleasure of knowing she was pretty
enough to be worth looking at was offset by the thought of what was
going through the minds of the young men who looked at her.

Ranko worried about running into some of her schoolmates, but so far
they seemed not to have. "Akane, Mom, I... I think that I wanna... want
to spend less time here in the usual places during break. I... I'm not
ready to meet people from school yet."

Akane nodded. "Sure, Ranko. I know lots of places we can go, other
places right here in Nerima, or even downtown. Have you been downtown
very often? To Shinjuku or Shibuya or Harajuku?"

Ranko shook her head. "No, not really... where's Harajuku?"

Akane blinked, then offered a lopsided grin. "You and I are going on a
mission, girlfriend." Ranko nodded uncertainly.

Yuka and Sayuri were just finishing lunch in a little cafe on the main
shopping street near Fuurinkan High. Yuka was drinking her coffee while
Sayuri was indulging in a little French pastry.

Yuka was just taking a sip when she heard Sayuri's fork clatter to the
plate. She looked up, to find Sayuri's eyes bulging as she looked past
Yuka. Turning around, Yuka just barely caught a glimpse of a red-haired
girl and two other women passing out of view beyond the plate-glass
window. Nothing remarkable. She turned back to Sayuri, and found her
mouth hanging wide open. "What... what is it, Sayuri-chan?"

"Ran... Ran..." Sayuri trailed off.

Yuka started to look concerned. "Sayuri-chan, what's wrong? I just saw a
redhead and her friends, is all." She stopped. "A redhead?" she repeated
to herself.

Sayuri nodded. "Yuka-chan, how many Japanese girls do you know who have
red hair?"

Yuka shook her head. "It couldn't be. She was wearing a dress, and her
hair was styled. Maybe... maybe she was an American?"

Sayuri shook her head. "She was Japanese. I got a better look than you
did, Yuka-chan. One of the girls with her was Akane. And... and the girl
was about Ranma's height when he's female. Maybe seven centimeters
shorter than Akane. And she looked like Ranma's female form. They were
with an older woman who also had reddish hair." She sighed. "It was
him... her... all right. There's no doubt in my mind."

Yuka was mystified. "But why is he walking around as a girl? And... and
he was acting so strangely at school this week."

Sayuri shook her head slowly. "I don't know. But we're going to find
out. Something very strange is going on here."

*****

Kasumi regarded the cup of tea in her hands. "Move out?..." she asked
again.

Akane flushed. "It... it's just for the summer break, Oneechan. I... I
don't want to leave here for good, yet. I'd like to be near Ranko during
this time, to help support her." She and Ranko smiled.

"And... what about after summer break? Will you be staying with your
mother, Ranko-chan?"

Ranko's head drooped. "I... I don't know. I want to be near Mom again,
to get to know her better, but... but I know I would miss all of you."
Her eyes misted over. "I don't know what to do..."

Kasumi thought a moment. She knew it was important to have Ranko near
her mother again, for the two to reestablish the ties between them.
Besides... she thought Father might be bringing Uncle Saotome home soon.
It would be much better if neither Ranko nor Akane were around when he
arrived. Having them not too far away, but not in the same house, might
make it easier to reconcile the family.

Kasumi was undoubtedly the only person in the room who thought this was
even remotely possible.

She smiled. "Why don't we worry about that later, Ranko-chan? You have
so much on your mind right now. Go live with your mother for a few
weeks, get to know her again. And I think Akane will enjoy staying with
you. It will help her start getting ready for when she goes off to
college."

Nabiki lifted her eyes briefly from her business magazine to look at
Kasumi. She shook her head. Oneechan was always surprising her. She went
back to reading.

"Do please come back and visit us, though, OK?" Akane and Ranko both
nodded and smiled.

Akane looked nervous. "Well, Oneechan, I... I guess we had better get
packed."

Nodoka said, "Akane-chan, why don't Kasumi-chan and I help you get
packed?" Nabiki smiled as she read; there weren't too many people who
called Kasumi "Kasumi-chan". "Most of Ranko's things are over at my
place already, since we bought so much today."

Kasumi smiled. "I'd love to see what you bought some time, Ranko-chan."

Nodoka's face brightened. "Why don't I have you girls over to dinner
some evening? I'm sure you could use a break from cooking, couldn't you,
Kasumi-chan?"

Kasumi nodded enthusiastically. "I would love to come over and see your
home, Auntie."

Everyone glanced at Nabiki. "Fine by me," she said, not lifting her eyes.

Kasumi went to fetch some suitcases from storage while Nodoka, Akane,
and Ranko headed up the stairs. Ranko paused at the door to her room.
"I'll see you in a bit, OK? It won't take me long to collect things."
She went inside.

The room was dark, so she went to open the curtains, and took a look
around. She went through the closet and the drawers looking for things.
She had precious little she needed to take with her: her other dress,
her one bathing suit, the school clothes. Ranma had had very few
possessions, and all the clothes were male clothes. He had not had the
luxury of collecting trinkets during the long hard years spent with his
father.

Ranko had an eerie feeling as she went through the room, as if she were
rifling the belongings of a dead man. She shivered. As she was pulling
out one of her own drawers in the old dresser, it caught on her
father's, spilling its contents on the floor.

She sighed as she started picking up her father's items and replacing
them. A spare pair of glasses, some of his clothes, and... the Jusenkyou
brochure. Ranko smiled. If Pop... Father hadn't taken her... him there,
she never would have had the opportunity to try being herself again, as
she was now. It was a good thing the brochure had been in Chinese, which
her father couldn't read, or she never would have gotten the chance.
Crazed as he was about training grounds, even Father would have given
Jusenkyou a wide berth. She moved to put it back in the drawer, then
stopped.

This brochure was in Japanese.

She flipped through it. It was all there: about the pools, about the
curses, some history, even a map of the pools, with... with...

With the Nyanniichuan and Shonmaoniichuan circled in pencil.

She was stunned. Father had had a Japanese brochure? He *knew* about the
springs? About the springs of drowned girl and drowned panda in
particular? Had he planned to go there? Why? Or was this something he
had picked up after their visit?

Ranko shook her head. It seemed her father had lied to her about a lot
of things. It would have to wait until she confronted him. She placed
the brochure in her purse, and continued picking up.

She came to a photograph. It showed a younger Genma, with a maybe 8 year
old Ranma. It looked like it had been taken on the road somewhere. Genma
was seated, and Ranma was standing next to him. Genma was smiling
proudly and had his hand laid on Ranma's shoulder; Ranma had a quiet,
neutral expression on his face.

Akane, Nodoka, and Kasumi were knee-deep in packing. Akane had sorted
out her summer clothes, since she would be back before the weather
changed. Still, she had several suitcases full of clothing and
belongings, and it would take all three of them to carry it back. She
hoped Ranko didn't have too much; if there were much more they would
need to call a taxi.

Nodoka lifted her head, as if she had heard something. Akane and Kasumi
stopped, and strained their ears. There was quiet crying coming from
down the hall. The three women looked at each other, and Nodoka stood to
go check.

She found Ranko kneeling on the floor, the contents of a spilled drawer
around her, crying over a photograph. She gently took the photograph
from her daughter's hands and embraced her. How wonderful it was to be a
mother again, to be able to comfort her child.

"What is it, dear? What's wrong?"

"It's... it's Pop. I mean, Father. How... how could he have lied to me
about so much? I... I thought he loved me! How could he have done that
to me if he loved me? I miss him so much..." She continued crying softly
into Nodoka's embrace. The thought of how unmanly it was to cry this way
flitted briefly across her consciousness, then was dismissed. She didn't
have to worry about that for now, and... and she didn't really care. It
felt so good to deal with her emotions as they came, rather than bottle
them up as her father had taught her to. To hell with being manly.

Nodoka didn't know what to do about this issue. She had guessed that
Ranko would not be able to stand cutting off all contact her father. She
had no idea how it would be possible to reconcile Ranko's need for Genma
with everyone's anger at the atrocity he had committed, her own and
Ranko's most of all. She sighed.

*****

Yuka fidgeted. They could be shopping, or going to the movies, or any
one of a number of fun things. But no, they had to play Holmes and
Watson.

"Sayuri-chan," she said, with more than a little whine in her voice,
"this is incredibly dull. How long are we going to stand here? Let's go
do something else!"

Sayuri once again peeked around the corner at the entrance to the Tendou
Dojo, then pulled her head back. "They have to come out some time or
other."

"Assuming it really was Akane you saw."

"I'm sure of it. It was definitely Akane, and they were headed in this
direction."

"Sayuri-chan, someone walking down that street could be going
practically anywhere in Tokyo."

"Yuka-chan, please, just a little longer. Don't you want to find out
what's going on?"

Yuka tilted her head and thought. "I... I guess so. Ranma's life is so
weird, though, it'll probably turn out to be just another one of those
crazy things he does." She sighed.

Suddenly they heard a gate creak. They both peeked an eye around the
corner. Out of the gate, loaded with suitcases, came Akane, the
middle-aged woman, and... and...

There was no doubt. It was Ranma. He... she was in female form. Her hair
had been styled, she was wearing a green sundress and sandals, and she
looked as if she might be wearing lipstick. She was beautiful. Yuka
sighed. Why did a boy have to be the prettiest girl at Fuurinkan?

Voices came. "I don't know dear, this is a lot of luggage. Shouldn't we
call a taxi?"

Ranma shook her head. "Don't worry, Mom. Akane and me'll handle it OK."

The woman scolded, "Ranko, your language."

"I'm sorry, Mother. Akane and I will be able to handle the luggage.
We're both pretty strong."

Sayuri and Yuka looked at each other. "Mother?" Ranma was going around
as a girl with Akane and his *mother*? Who was teaching him to talk like
a girl, and was calling him "Ranko"? Yuka whispered to Sayuri, "Gomen,
Sayuri-chan. No movie could top this." Sayuri nodded in satisfaction.

Akane, Ranma, and her mother set off, and Sayuri and Yuka trailed them
at a discreet distance.

After about twenty minutes of walking (during which time their quarries
were stopped twice by men offering assistance, politely declined), the
three turned into a residential street. Sayuri and Yuka followed, and
turned a corner just in time to see them disappear into a house. They
walked up to the gate, and looked at the name plate. "Saotome".

Yuka turned to Sayuri. "I guess this is Ranma's family home. I didn't
even know his family lived in Nerima." She paused. "So what do we do
now? I hope you're not going to suggest we wait here until they come out
again. It'll be dinner time soon."

Sayuri had been thinking the whole time, but didn't have an answer.
"Ummm... let me think..."

She was still thinking five minutes later, Yuka tapping her foot
impatiently, when the front door to the Saotome home opened again; she
and Yuka quickly hid behind a pillar. All three women (well, two and a
half, thought Yuka) came out again.

Ranma's mother turned to the others. "I know it's been a long day,
girls, but I just need a few things for dinner. If you help me out a
little, dinner will be ready sooner."

Akane and Ranma chorused "Hai!" They turned to head for the shopping
street when one of the neighbors came out of her house and walked over
to them.

"Saotome-san! How nice to see you again. And with two lovely young
ladies! Won't you introduce them to me?"

Nodoka bowed slightly. "Matsui-san, this is my daughter Ranko, and her
childhood friend, Tendou Akane." Each girl bowed in turn, and greeted
the neighbor.

Matsui-san seemed agitated. "Your daughter? You've finally found her
again after all these years? Didn't she disappear with your husband when
she was four?"

Nodoka nodded and smiled. "Yes, but recently we were reunited."

Matsui-san was fussing over Ranko. "How wonderful! She's such a beauty!
The image of you when we first met. You must be so happy to have your
daughter back."

"You are too kind, Matsui-san. Yes, she is a great joy to me."

The pleasantries continued in this vein for a few moments more, not that
it mattered: Yuka and Sayuri were too far gone in shock to hear anything
else. When they became aware of their surroundings again, Ranma's mother
and her two charges were gone.

"Sayuri-chan, could... could this be Ranma's twin sister? Maybe... maybe
it's not Ranma..."

Sayuri knit her brow. "Yuka-chan, this girl looks exactly like Ranma's
female form. Exactly. Even if Ranma had a twin sister, she couldn't be
an identical twin. She's been with Ranma's father since she was four,
and we know that Ranma and his father traveled by themselves. And...
Akane has been acting protective of Ranma all week. And you heard them
in the locker room! Ranma said it was the first time the boys had looked
at *her* body. And she said she didn't want to turn back into a boy."

She swallowed. "It... it sounds like... Ranma... Ranko... is a girl. And
she just found out about it. Oh, my..."

They stood there for several more minutes, digesting that, until mother,
daughter, and friend returned. They were talking. "Akane, what's so
great about Harajuku?"

"Well, it's just fun to visit. They have all sorts of little shops with
all sorts of cute things, and it's fun to watch the people. Mind you,
one visit goes a long way, but you have to see it once. Besides, I
thought you wanted to get out and around a bit."

"I... I guess so. Tomorrow morning?"

"Sure. Let's leave after the rush hour, OK? I don't want to have to
stand on the train."

"OK."

Sayuri and Yuka looked at each other. "Tomorrow morning, Watson. The
game is afoot." They giggled.

*****

Ranko wondered at the sea of humanity she was floating on. Every
teenager in Tokyo was out of school, and it seemed like they were all
right here in Harajuku. She hardly ever went downtown, and the sheer
numbers of people in Tokyo amazed her, just like any visitor from the
countryside. At the moment, she and Akane were working their way out of
the Harajuku station of the Yamanote line, which had been built to
resemble a train station in the English countryside, of all things.

They finally escaped through the exit gates, and stood on a sidewalk
with the train tracks on one side and a huge street on the other. Hordes
of people walked every which way. There were sidewalk vendors hawking
all sorts of items. Behind them, on the other side of the train tracks,
was the Meiji Shrine, an oasis of green in the middle of the urban chaos.

Ranko swept her gaze over the entire scene. "What do you think we should
do first, Akane?"

"Why don't we start with a little chat... 'Ranko-chan'." Akane and Ranko
froze, then slowly turned around.

They smiled nervously. "O-ohayou, Sayuri-chan, Yuka-chan..."

A half hour later four girls were sitting quietly on a bench on the
grounds of the Meiji Shrine. The mood was very subdued.

Yuka seemed close to tears. "I... I can't believe your father did that
to you, Ranko-chan." There was a chorus of agreement.

Sayuri thought back over the few months she had known Ranma. Always
obnoxious, macho, overbearing, and dismissive of women. And yet... there
had been the rare occasions when Ranma had shown some of his inner self,
tantalizing glimpses of sensitivity and vulnerability. It was amazing
what he... she had been hiding inside. She looked over at the redhead
who was looking off into the woods, her face pensive and her lips
pursed. You really can't judge a book by its cover, can you, she thought.

"So, Ranko-chan," she said, "you're going to try this out over summer
break? You're not sure you want to be a girl again?"

Ranko's head sank to her chest, and her voice dropped to a near whisper.
"I... I think I do want to be a girl again. But... but I've been a boy
for so long... I don't know if I can... and... what will everyone think
of me?" She shut her eyes tightly, a few tears forcing their way out.

Yuka took one of Ranko's hands. "Ranko-chan, I don't know what
'everyone' will think, but I don't think that there is anything wrong
with you being a girl again. I... I think you're just a girl who's had
some horrible things done to her." Yuka smiled. "I... I'd be happy to
help and support you. Even if you decide you want to stay a boy."

Ranko's face lit up. "Really, Yuka-chan? You... you really don't think
I'm some kind of... of pervert?"

Akane and Sayuri looked at each other. What had they been doing to Ranko
all this time by calling her names? Calling her a pervert without
understanding what she was going through inside? Akane suddenly put her
hand over her eyes and bowed her head. Sayuri didn't feel too good
herself.

Yuka scowled. "Of course not, Ranko-chan! You didn't ask for any of this
to happen to you."

Sayuri spoke up. "I feel the same way, Ranko-chan. I'd like to help.
You... you deserve it." Ranko was positively beaming, and Akane managed
a smile.

She sure seems like a real girl to me, thought Sayuri. Ranko seemed to
be acting an awful lot like a normal girl, considering she had been
living as one for less than a week. Then again, maybe she didn't need to
practice... Her behavior seemed natural, unforced. Ranma's manhood had
always seemed more than a little exaggerated; he had always leapt to
defend it.

Now, that shell was gone, and they were getting a look at what had been
inside it. Sayuri had never seen Ranma as relaxed as Ranko seemed now,
even though she had been upset recently. I... I guess "Ranma" was the
role that needed practice, she thought.

She stood up. "Ranko-chan, Akane-chan, I seem to remember that you were
coming to have some fun in Harajuku." She smiled mischievously. "Would
you care to make it a foursome?" Akane and Ranko looked at each other
and grinned.

*****

"What did you call it?"

"PU-RI-KU-RA -- that's an abbreviation of the English for 'Print Club'.
You get your picture taken and it makes stickers with the photo on it."

Ranko looked at the line of teenage girls in front of them, patiently
waiting to use the machine. She found it hard to believe it was worth
waiting this long for stickers with pictures on them.

Akane noted the skeptical look. "You do it with your friends. That way,
you have stickers with your picture taken together, and you can stick it
in your books and things, so you have your friend's pictures around all
day at school." The line moved forward, while Ranko thought about what
it would be like to have friends -- more than just one -- whom she cared
about that much.

Eventually, Yuka reached the front of the line, and turned around. "Hey
guys... want to see if we can get four of us in here at once?" She
grinned.

The girls behind them in line rolled their eyes as all four of them
crowded in front of the machine. It was a very tight fit.

*flash*

"Sayuri-chan, your hand was in front of Akane-chan's face." "It's still
in front of my face!"

*flash*

"Ranko-chan, you had your eyes closed."

*flash*

"Please don't print that one of me. Please." There was giggling.

From outside the curtain came a voice. "Are you planning to take all day
in there?"

*flash*

"Perfect!"

In short order, they were walking away from the booth with a set of
printed stickers, which they divided evenly among themselves. Ranko
looked at the photo. Akane, Yuka, Sayuri, and... herself. Four... four
teenage girls, all giggling like mad and having a great time. I'm... I'm
wearing a dress, and shopping, and giggling... and... and I thought I'd
hate it but I'm having a good time, thought Ranko. It's not at all what
I thought it would be like. I'm... I'm happy...

Akane noticed the huge smile on Ranko's face, and smiled herself.

They wandered up Takeshita street, a narrow alley with all sorts of
specialty shops. It seemed as if they were awash in a sea of teenagers;
making progress was like swimming. Ranko goggled at seeing people other
than Chinese Amazons with purple hair. Groups of girls like themselves
were all over, browsing through the shops. Clothes, old records and CDs,
jewelry, even a shop devoted to used blue jeans from America. Sayuri
called out, "Ranko-chan! Have a look at these earrings! They're perfect
for you!"

Ranko looked at the earrings Sayuri had taken from a display in front of
the store. They were made of beautiful green jade, the perfect shade for
her red hair... and were made for pierced ears. She sighed. "I... I
really like them, but I... I'm not ready to pierce my ears yet."

"Oh..." said Sayuri, hanging the earrings back on the display. She saw
how Ranko's face had fallen as she looked wistfully at the earrings.
"Well, over there are some great scarves! You guys go ahead, I'll be
right there. There's something I want to look at." As the others moved
off, she took the earrings off the display once more and took them to
the register...

Sayuri caught up with them as they were looking at the store that
specialized in Totoro merchandise. The other girls tried to get Ranko to
buy some Totoro pajamas, but she wasn't sure she was ready for that yet,
either.

Eventually, they stumbled out the other end of Takeshita street.

"Hey, Ranko," said Akane, "I know just the thing. There's an ice cream
place just a few meters down this street."

"Ice cream?" Ranko's face lit up. They started walking. After a while,
Akane called out, "Here it is!"

Ranko looked around. She didn't see any ice cream place. "Where is it,
Akane?"

"It's right in front of you."

Ranko looked up. All she saw was an old bus up on the sidewalk, in front
of one of the trendy stores that lined the street. Its sign said
"destination: home town". On the windshield was painted the legend "Ice
Cream, Sherbet". People were lined up to go inside. "It's in the *bus*??"

Akane grinned.

*****

Several hours later, the four were headed back to Nerima on the train,
after squirming their way through the crowd in Harajuku station once
more. None of them had really bought very much, but they had tried on or
looked at a staggering amount of merchandise, talking the whole time.
Ranko had heard from Sayuri about her piano lessons, from Yuka about her
interest in Western poetry, from Akane about her interest in drama. They
talked about the other girls at school and what they were like, the
social groups that had formed, the school clubs and activities, the boy
that Yuka was interested in. Yuka tried to pump Ranko for "inside
information" on him, but all Ranko knew was that he seemed nice enough.

Ranko had talked a little about her martial arts. The others listened
with genuine interest, and Akane told a story or two about Ranko's
adventures, but afterwards Ranko fell silent, for she found she had
nothing else in particular to make conversation about. She... she didn't
have any other interests. Had martial arts taken up so much time as to
exclude everything else, or... had she used it to take up all her time
so as to exclude everything else?

Akane interrupted her thoughts. "So, Ranko, what did you think of
Harajuku?"

Ranko crossed her eyes. "It was almost too much. I don't think I've seen
that much cute stuff in one place in my entire life. It's the cute
center of the universe." They all laughed.

Akane nodded. "I told you one visit went a long way." They laughed again.

After changing trains once, they disembarked at the Nerima station near
Nodoka's house. Ranko and Akane faced Sayuri and Yuka.

Ranko spoke. "Yuka-chan, Sayuri-chan... I... I was worried when I found
out you had followed us, but... I had a great time today. Being with all
of you was so much fun. Thank you."

Yuka and Sayuri smiled broad smiles. "We had fun, too, Ranko-chan," said
Sayuri. "I... we didn't know what to expect when we followed you after
spotting you yesterday, and when we found out about you, we... we wanted
to talk. I'm really glad we got a chance to meet and talk with you."

Yuka piped up. "Let's... let's get together again soon, OK?" Everyone
agreed.

Ranko turned to Akane. "We should probably be going, Akane. Mother is
probably working on dinner already."

A chorus of "ja ne!", and Ranko and Akane headed home. Sayuri and Yuka
turned towards their own homes, walking together.

"Want to give odds on her coming back to school as a boy?"

"No way."

*****

Over the next few days, Akane took Ranko all over Tokyo. Since Ranko had
spent so much of her life on the road, she hadn't seen very much of it
despite having been born there. In line with Dr. Toufuu's suggestion to
not hang around their usual spots, Akane thought it was a perfect
opportunity for Ranko to see more of her birthplace.

They traveled all over, visiting the sights that every Tokyoite was
bored stiff with by the age of 12, but which Ranko had never seen. They
did the tourist thing at the Tokyo Tower. They went to Shibuya and Ginza
and the other shopping areas and window-shopped. They browsed the
bookstores in Kanda, visited the temple at Asakusa, strolled through the
gardens of the Imperial Palace.

One day, Akane and Ranko were just finishing breakfast when the door
chime rang. Nodoka called "Hai" and hurried over to open the door,
revealing... Shampoo. Ranko and Akane looked at each other.

Nodoka smiled. "Why, Shampoo-chan, what a nice surprise! Please do come
in." The purple-haired Chinese Amazon girl bowed respectfully and
stepped inside.

Ranko walked over to greet her, an uncertain look in her eyes.
"He-hello, Shampoo." Akane came up behind Ranko, frowning slightly.

Shampoo looked over Ranko from head to toe, and tried to smile. She
answered the unasked question: "Today Shampoo day off, want come see
Ai... Ranko." She bit her lip slightly at her slip of the tongue. Her
eyes wandered around the Saotome living room.

Ranko had not missed the slip, and swallowed nervously. She followed
Shampoo's gaze. "This is the house where I lived when I was born. Would
you... would you like to see it?"

Shampoo nodded, and they led her on a short tour of the Saotome home,
winding up in Ranko's room. Shampoo took in all the details: dolls on
the bed, lacy curtains, soft pastel colors. She wandered over to the
dresser, and noted the knickknacks and photographs of Ranko as a child.
She moved to the bed and sat heavily on it, looking around one more
time. The man she had thought she knew could never have lived in a room
like this. Apparently, she had been in love with an illusion. She looked
at the floor, frowning, her lips pursed.

Akane and Ranko looked at each other. Ranko turned to Shampoo and asked
"Shampoo? Are you all right? What's wrong?"

Shampoo looked up and found Ranko leaning down to look at her, concern
on her face. She has such beautiful, expressive eyes, thought Shampoo.
You can see what's in her heart just by looking into them. Before, they
were like a closed door. Shampoo looked into Ranko's eyes for a long
time, as if she were looking for something and having trouble finding it.

Ranko found Shampoo's gaze unnerving; she dropped her eyes, and
straightened up. Shampoo looked down again, embarrassed. When would she
be able to attain the emotional detachment Great-grandmother had, the
cool rationality necessary in one who was supposed to lead? She had
listened to her heart to the exclusion of her mind.

She tried to collect herself. "Shampoo OK." She stood up, and bowed.
"Shampoo sorry to intrude. Go now." She seemed very somber.

Ranko felt like she had to do something. "You... you don't have to go.
You're not intruding."

Akane looked at her watch. "Ranko, we were going to be leaving soon."
Ranko nodded.

Shampoo's curiosity got the better of her. "Ranko, Vio... Akane going
somewhere?" Shampoo winced. Old habits were hard to break. Akane didn't
miss this slip, either, and fumed silently.

Ranko looked nervously back and forth between the two of them. "We
were... we were going to go to Tokyo Disneyland today. We wanted to get
there early, to beat the crowds a little."

Shampoo nodded. "Shampoo go, then." She tried a smile and failed
miserably. "Have fun, OK?"

Ranko turned to Akane, pleading in her eyes. Akane looked cross for a
moment, then seemed to come to a decision, nodding a bit sullenly.

Ranko turned back to Shampoo. "Would... would you like to come with us?"

Shampoo, startled, looked up. "Really?" She turned to Akane, with a
hopeful expression on her face. "Akane, is OK?"

Akane wanted to be angry, but she'd never seen Shampoo this depressed
before. The normally effervescent Amazon was terribly morose. She didn't
think it could hurt: she was no longer worried about Shampoo fawning on
Ranko. If she did, she would just be making a fool of herself. Ever
since Ranko had shown up at the Nekohanten as herself, though, Shampoo
had seemed to back off from her physical affections. She seemed to be
slowly coming to terms with what had happened. Akane knew that Ranko
liked Shampoo at some level, and wanted to help cheer her up.

Akane nodded. "We're going in order to relax and have fun. I... wouldn't
mind if the three of us relaxed and had fun." She looked Shampoo
straight in the eye. "All three of us, together."

Shampoo nodded in understanding, and a genuine smile started to spread
across her face. "OK." Ranko smiled.

Many hours later, as dinnertime approached, they were on their way home,
chatting excitedly about all they had seen and done. Akane had been to
Disneyland many times before, but this had been the first time for Ranko
and Shampoo. Ranko had thought it would be like some kind of big
festival, but it had been something else again.

The had toured the attractions, filled up on junk food, and ridden the
rides. Akane had watched with quiet joy as Ranko laughed from pure,
childlike delight. Ranko hadn't screamed quite as much as Shampoo and
Akane had on some of the rides -- after the Nekoken, her threshold for
fear was a bit higher -- but they had all had fun together. The
rivalries between the three of them had seemed to take the day off, too.

Shampoo waved goodbye to both of them at the Fuurinkan station and
turned towards the Nekohanten with a smile on her face. This day had
turned out so much better than she had expected. She would never have
imagined that she could have that much fun with the two of them. To her
surprise, she had found herself growing to like Akane, now that she
wasn't fighting with her constantly. Her thoughts drifted back to her
life at Joketsuzoku; she hadn't had fun like this, just hanging out with
girlfriends, in years--

Suddenly, she stopped short, as if she'd run into a brick wall. Shampoo
realized in shock that early on in their visit to Disneyland, the fact
that Ranko used to be a boy -- not just any boy, but Ranma, her Airen --
had quietly faded from her mind. She'd been thinking of Ranko as a
girlfriend for most of the day, and she hadn't even realized it until
now. Ranko's behavior had seemed so... natural, that Shampoo had simply
fallen into thinking of her that way.

She resumed walking towards the Nekohanten in a much more thoughtful
mood.

*****

One afternoon, Ranko and Akane were sitting in the living room watching
TV when Nodoka came out of the kitchen and stood over them.

"Ranko, dear, did you ever learn to cook when you were on the road with
your father?"

Ranko looked a little confused. "Well, he... I learned a little. You
know, camping-style food." She made a face. "We had a lot of meals which
were just rice. I sure know how to make that!"

Her mother smiled. "Would you like me to teach you how to cook?"

Ranko started to object that guys don't cook, but stopped. She wasn't a
guy; at least, not for the summer, and maybe... "I... I don't know. Is
this something I should learn?"

Her mother nodded. "I think it's something everyone should learn, though
the men seem to want to leave it mostly to us." She made a face herself,
as Ranko blushed in embarrassment. "If you ever get married, your
husband will probably expect you to do it."

Ranko's eyes started to glaze over. The idea of being someone's wife...
of cooking for them... of being a moth... being a moth... she couldn't
imagine it; she was still getting used to the idea of being a girl. She
blocked those thoughts out. But a tiny part of her felt strangely
excited.

Akane piped up. "I'd love to help Ranko learn to cook!" Ranko instantly
snapped out of her mental dithering, her adrenaline surging. Daydreams
had to wait; this was an emergency.

Nodoka smiled. "That's very kind of you, Akane-chan, but my kitchen is
rather small, and I think there won't be much room in there if I am
trying to help Ranko. Besides, I'd like to teach her the way my mother
taught me." Ranko awaited Akane's answer, holding her breath.

Akane's face fell, then she smiled. "I... I guess so, Auntie..."

Ranko sagged in relief, her heart still pounding. That had been close...

Nodoka said gently, "Don't worry, Akane-chan, once I get Ranko started,
we can all three work in the kitchen!" Akane nodded, and smiled. Ranko
turned pale.

Nodoka turned to her daughter. "Well, dear?"

The tiny, excited part of Ranko's mind prodded her. "Sure... I mean,
yes, Mother, I'd like that." She got up and followed her mother into the
kitchen.

That evening at dinner, Nodoka was beaming, and Akane was impressed;
Ranko seemed to have a talent for cooking. She blushed as her mother
complimented her on how well she had done for a beginner. Nodoka turned
to Akane and said "I think we'll be ready for you to join us soon,
Akane-chan!" Ranko's blush faded quickly. She wasn't looking forward to
that.

*****

A few days later, while they were eating lunch, Nodoka suddenly looked
distracted, then clapped a hand to her mouth.

"What is it, Mother?" asked Ranko, concerned.

Her mother shook her head. "Nothing that bad. I've been having so much
fun having you two here that I completely forgot a date I had. I'm
supposed to go to Hakone tomorrow for a couple of days to meet a
classmate of mine at one of the hot springs. We get together there every
summer."

Ranko looked perplexed. "Hot springs? In August?"

Akane chimed in. "Oh, they're up the side of the mountain, Ranko. It's
quite cool there at night, even during the worst of summer. We went a
lot when I was younger, but it's been quite a while for me."

Ranko nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I don't see why you shouldn't go,
Mother. I think Akane and I can take care of ourselves for a couple of
days."

Akane beamed. "That's right! I can help with the cooking!"

Ranko thought frantically to come up with an escape; her mother saved
her. "Well, I'm sure you two would be fine, but would you like to come
with me? I would love to show you off to my classmate; she hasn't seen
you since you were a little girl. Have you ever been to a hot spring,
dear?" She was surprised when her daughter's face fell.

"Yes," she said sadly, "but hot springs and Jusenkyou curses don't
really mix well." Nodoka frowned. She hadn't thought of that.

Akane reminded her, "But Ranko, your curse is locked right now. You
wouldn't have any problem at all."

Ranko looked up in surprise. "You're... you're right." To actually enjoy
a hot spring, and not have to worry about her curse?... And, she would
be saved from Akane's cooking! She started to smile, and turned to her
mother "Yes, Mother, I'd love to come!"

Nodoka smiled. "You're invited too, of course, Akane-chan." Akane nodded
enthusiastically. "After lunch, I will call the inn where we have
reservations; I should be able to get a room for you two to share."

The next day, after an hour's train ride from Tokyo, they found
themselves in Hakone station, where they transferred to the cog railway
that made its way up the side of the mountain in a series of
switchbacks. After about twenty minutes of breathtaking views, they got
off in the small town of Miyanoshita, where their inn was located.

A short walk brought them to it. As they walked in the front door with
their bags, a middle-aged woman who had been sitting in the lobby got up
and rushed over.

"Nodoka-chan! It's so good to see you again!"

Nodoka beamed. "Reiko-chan! You look wonderful!"

Her friend noticed the two girls and smiled. "And who are these two
young ladies?" Before Nodoka could answer, she took a closer look at
Ranko. "Nodoka-chan... could this possibly be..." She seemed very
excited.

Nodoka nodded happily. "Yes, this is Ranko, my daughter. Ranko, this is
Tanaka Reiko. We went to high school together."

Ranko thought that her mother's friend was going to fly apart at the
seams, she was so excited. "Ranko-chan, I can't believe it's you! Oh,
let me look at you!" She took Ranko by the shoulders and turned her from
side to side, as Ranko blushed. "My goodness, I haven't seen you since
you were a little girl! Not since your father ran off with you..."

Nodoka said, "We were reunited a couple of weeks ago, quite by accident."

Tanaka-san turned to Akane. "Oh, and I'll bet you must be Akane-chan! I
remember you, too; you two always did everything together!" She was
still bubbling. "I'm so glad to see that you turned out so nicely,
Ranko-chan! Who knows what your father might have done to you?" She
noticed as the other three's smiles became a little strained, and
dropped her voice. "Did... did something happen to you?"

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Nodoka's room, the luggage
pushed off to one side. Tanaka-san was much more subdued. "He... he
raised you as a *boy*?!"

Ranko nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. He... he took me on a martial arts training
trip, all over Japan and China, and tried to teach me to be a boy." She
omitted the magic and curses; she wasn't ready to share that with
everyone, and wasn't sure she ever would be. A part of her wanted to
forget it herself.

"How... how awful! How could he do something like that to his own
daughter?"

You don't know the half of it, thought Akane.

Tanaka-san seemed to revive a little. "Please call me Auntie,
Ranko-chan. I remember you very well from when you were little. You too,
Akane-chan." She sighed. "Poor Nodoka-chan, I didn't think she would
ever recover from losing you. I'm so glad to see you back, safe and
sound." She chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm sure your mother will be able to
help you overcome the way you were raised." Akane was struck by how
hopeful Ranko looked at that.

Auntie Tanaka stood up. "Well, why don't we go have dinner as soon as
you are all settled? Then we can all go soak for a while!" Ranko and
Akane nodded and smiled; a nice hot bath would be just the thing.

After dinner, they changed into their robes, and headed for the baths.
As she stepped inside and headed towards the entrance, Ranko was
startled by Akane's hissing behind her. "Ranko! Not *that* way." She
looked up; she had been about to go in the men's side.

At that point, realization hit her, the realization that she should have
had when her mother first said the words "hot spring". She was a girl
now, all the time. She was going to go in the *women's side*. She was
going to sit in a hot spring full of women who were... n-not wearing any
clothes.

She had been on the women's side before, of course, but only as part of
the usual chaos that surrounded her curse, and then only for a short
time. It had always been terribly embarrassing when it had happened.
Now... now she was going to be on the women's side from start to finish.
And possibly for the rest of her life.

Akane reached over and tugged her sleeve, seeming to read her thoughts.
"It's OK... don't worry."

Auntie Tanaka turned to Nodoka. "My goodness, your husband really
confused her, didn't he?" Nodoka could do nothing but nod in agreement.

Ranko cautiously entered the women's side. Within moments, she was
turning bright red as Akane, her mother, and Auntie Tanaka all proceeded
to take their robes and slippers off, and put them in cubbyholes
provided for that purpose. Akane turned and found Ranko staring at her
and trembling.

Akane sighed. How was Ranko going to be able to be a girl if something
like this terrified her? She had to help her get used to it, somehow.
And there was only one way to do that... She went over and took Ranko's
hand. "It's OK, really. See? I don't mind." She grinned. "I'm not going
to pound you for looking at me." Ranko smiled a tiny smile. "I'm a girl,
and you're a girl. It's OK, right?" Akane cocked her head.

Ranko slowly nodded, and took off her robe and slippers. Auntie Tanaka
was about to comment on her beautiful figure, but something told her it
would be wiser to keep quiet just now.

They headed inside, and Ranko found herself in a room full of women,
washing themselves in preparation for entering the springs. And none of
them were wearing a stitch of clothing. Akane noticed as Ranko's hands
flew up to cover her eyes, and she was trembling again.

Akane walked around to face Ranko, and gently took her hands, uncovering
her eyes. Ranko looked back at her fearfully. Akane looked around, then
led Ranko by the hand over to a full-length mirror on one side of the
room. She put her hands on Ranko's shoulders and turned her to face the
mirror. Ranko calmed down a little.

"Ranko, what do you see? In the mirror."

Ranko was confused. "I... I see me..."

"Look closely. Is that really you in the mirror, or someone else?"

Ranko did as she was told. She examined the petite, pretty, redheaded
Japanese girl looking back at her, and a wave of comfortable familiarity
washed over her at the sight; she felt a little better. "Yes... Yes,
that's me."

"Is that a boy or a girl?"

Ranko looked again. "It's... I... I'm a girl."

Akane smiled. "Do *we* girls go to the men's side?"

Ranko felt more relaxed. "No. *We* don't." She started to smile herself.
"Thanks, Akane."

They turned and went to wash off. Ranko was still nervous, but not
terrified. Akane led her by the hand again as they went outside to the
springs. The pools had a nice view from the side of the mountain, and as
promised, the air was quite crisp; Ranko shivered a bit. She heard male
voices on the other side of the wall that divided the two sections. I...
I may never be on that side again, she thought in wonder. Not that I
necessarily want to be... she thought back to the locker room incident,
and shuddered.

Her mother and Auntie Tanaka had picked out a pool, and Akane and she
followed, and climbed in. For a second, as she got in, she felt an icy
chill of terror run up her spine, but nothing happened; she sighed, and
got all the way in.

The hot water soothed her muscles and relaxed her, and she sagged
comfortably against the side of the pool as her tension left her
completely. She looked up; the stars were faintly visible. The view from
the pool was wonderful. There was a faint scent of sulfur due to the
volcanic origin of the springs, but nothing so strong as to be
objectionable.

She looked at her companions, and they also showed every sign of being
much more relaxed. She noticed there were several other women in their
pool, including a couple of girls the same age as she and Akane.

Her mother and Auntie Tanaka were catching up on each other's news since
their last meeting, so Ranko turned to Akane. "Akane... Thank you. This
can be... a little overwhelming sometimes." She looked around and
dropped her voice so only Akane could hear her. "I... I keep expecting
everyone will be able to tell I'm not a real girl."

Akane looked Ranko straight in the eye, and whispered her reply
forcefully. "Saotome Ranko, I don't know what makes you think you are
not a real girl. You are just as real a girl as I am! Stop running
yourself down!"

Akane saw hope in Ranko's eyes. "Do... do you really mean that?"

Akane rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, silly! If you weren't a real
girl, would I be sitting here naked in a hot spring with you?"

Ranko gave a mischievous smile. "If our fathers had anything to say
about it, you would."

Akane made a show of mock anger. "Oh, you!" They both started giggling.

"What's so funny, girls?" Auntie Tanaka and Nodoka were looking over.

"Oh, nothing," said Akane. "Ranko is a little nervous about being here
since she was raised as a boy, and we're just joking about it to put her
at ease." The two older women nodded and went back to their chat.

Akane turned back to Ranko. "Ranko, I've been meaning to ask you. How...
how do you like being a gir... I mean living as a girl again, so far? Is
it what you expected?"

Ranko looked thoughtful. "I... no, it's not really what I expected."
Akane gave her a questioning look, and Ranko smiled. "Actually, it's
much better. I thought... I thought all the 'girl stuff' would bother
me, but... but it doesn't, not really. Sometimes I enjoy it." She looked
up at the stars. "And... I don't feel all tense and unhappy, like I did
when I was... living as a boy." They both glanced over at Auntie Tanaka.
"I feel relaxed."

"Does that mean you're going to... keep living as a girl?"

Ranko felt a familiar wave of fear wash over her. "I... I don't know.
Right now everything is fine, but... but I still don't know what it
would be like to go to school this way. To spend the rest of my life
this way. I'm still thinking about it..." Akane nodded, lost in thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she and Ranko noticed the two girls
their own age making their way over to their side of the pool. Ranko
slid down into the water a little bit more.

The two girls came up, and they both looked nervous. "Ex-excuse me,
Miss, but... but I was wondering... if... if I might ask you..." She
seemed flustered.

Her friend interrupted. "My friend here is nosy, and wants to know where
you got your hair colored that shade of red." She grinned. "I think
she'd like to try it herself." Her friend blushed.

Ranko relaxed a little, but still felt wary. "I... it's not colored.
This is just the color it is."

The tongue-tied girl seemed surprised. "It's natural?! Really? I don't
think I've ever seen a Japanese girl with red hair before."

Ranko nodded in her mother's direction. "That's my mother over there.
See for yourself."

The two girls turned, and sure enough, there was a middle-aged woman who
had reddish hair herself. She interrupted her conversation to call over,
"Akane-chan, Ranko, did you make some friends?" She and Auntie Tanaka
were smiling at them.

The two girls looked embarrassed. "I... I'm sorry for the intrusion."
They turned to go.

Something made Ranko speak out. "No... No, that's OK. Do... do you want
to sit here for a while?"

The girls looked at each other and smiled. "Sure!" They made their way
back, and sat down.

The one who had stuttered to begin with spoke. "I'm Yamaguchi Shiho, and
this is my friend Morisawa Yuuko. And you must be Ranko and Akane?" She
smiled.

Akane and Ranko smiled back. "I'm Saotome Ranko, and this is my friend
Tendou Akane. Did you come from Tokyo, Shiho-san?"

Shiho tilted her head. "Well, Yokohama. Does that count?" They all
laughed.

The four of them started chatting, and time passed quickly. Ranko found
herself enjoying the talk; she didn't feel quite so much like an
intruder, someone who didn't belong. Until the two girls from Yokohama
started comparing notes on their boyfriends.

"Say, Ranko-san, Akane-san," said Yuuko, "do you have any boys you're
dating right now?" Akane and Ranko both turned red. Akane spoke first.
"Um, I... I did have a boyfriend, but... but the... relationship ended
recently..." She looked sad.

Shiho and Yuuko were all concern. "Oh, Akane-san, I'm so sorry. That
must be hard."

Akane managed a smile. "Don't worry. He and I are... very good friends.
It's OK." She and Ranko smiled at each other.

The two other girls nodded. "And you, Ranko-san?"

Ranko once again experienced that deer-caught-in-headlights feeling.
"Me? D-Date?" She didn't want to think about that at all. "I... I don't
think I'm quite ready for that yet."

Shiho and Yuuko giggled. "You must be the shy type! Don't worry, you'll
know you're ready when the time comes." They nodded sagely, and burst
into giggles again.

Ranko nodded. "I... I guess."

There was a call from the other side of the pool. "Shiho, Yuuko-chan!
We're going!"

The two girls excused themselves. "Well, the call of the parents," said
Shiho. "I hope we get a chance to meet you again."

Akane said, "We'll be here until the day after tomorrow." She smiled.
"I'd love to get together again, too." Ranko nodded in agreement, and
the other girls moved off.

Ranko sat back and sighed. "It... it wasn't so bad, was it?"

Akane knew what she meant. "Remember what I told you. You're a girl, and
people see you that way. They can tell better than you can."

Ranko nodded. The bath was so relaxing, it was hard to get nervous about
anything. She looked up at the stars, and noticed there seemed to be
more of them than before. And they were getting fuzzy...

The next thing she knew, she was lying on a towel in the wash area, with
a bath attendant applying a cold washcloth to her forehead. Her mother,
Auntie Tanaka, and Akane stood nearby, looking worried. "What... what
happened?" asked Ranko. She still felt woozy.

The attendant smiled. "Nothing to worry about, Ranko-chan. You're such a
small, light girl, the hot water got to you; your body temperature went
up and you fainted. But you're fine now." She stood up. "Try not to
spend so much time in the water in one sitting, OK? I think drinking
some cold water and going to bed now would be a good idea."

She smiled again, and left, and Ranko got shakily to her feet. She...
she had never had this problem before. Then again, she had never soaked
in a hot spring as a girl before, and her boy form was a lot bigger. She
noticed her new friends standing over in a corner; they came over.

"I'm glad you're OK, Ranko-san. Yuuko and I were worried for a while."

Ranko smiled. "I... I'm fine, thanks. I bounce back pretty quickly."

Shiho giggled. "I'm glad. You were almost as red as that hair of yours!"
She shook her head. "I can't believe it's really natural, but there's
sure no doubt about it." Ranko wondered why Shiho was so sure now when
earlier she had thought it was dyed.

"Anyway," added Yuuko, "See you tomorrow!" They turned and left.

Nodoka said, "We should go too, dear. You should rest."

Ranko nodded, and happened to catch her reflection in the mirror again.
Once more, she thought in wonder, I'm... I'm really a girl. She shook
her head; she could still scarcely believe it. She smiled at the red
hair which had so impressed the two other girls. Suddenly, as she looked
at herself, she realized how Shiho had known she was a natural redhead,
and her knees started to give way.

Akane was there to support her. "You're going to bed, young lady."

Ranko smiled weakly. "No... no argument."

*****

The next day, Ranko, Akane, and their two new friends explored the
Hakone area. They took the cog railway and visited the open-air art
museum, then took the cable car up over the volcanic crater, which
constantly vented copious quantities of sulfurous fumes. Everyone agreed
that it was far too smelly a place to linger for long.

Ranko found that, as with Yuka and Sayuri, she was having fun with
friends in a way she never had as a guy. For her, the way they
interacted, and did things together, was so much more fun. I... I guess
I really am a girl, she thought. Doing things this way just seems so
much more relaxed to me...

After a day of roaming around they were all looking forward to a nice
long soak, and after dinner they were once more in the hot springs. The
bath attendant had thoughtfully given Ranko a basket of cold, wet
washcloths, so that she could last a little longer. Ranko felt the cold
cloth on her head, and thought, I look like Father this way. I... I
wonder where he is and what he's doing...

Shiho noticed Ranko's sad expression. "Ranko-san, what is it?"

Ranko's eyes were downcast. "It's... it's my father. He... he often
wears a washcloth like this on his head, and it reminded me of him..." A
tear slid down her cheek.

The other girls looked at each other in concern. Akane took Ranko's
hand, and explained. "Ranko and her father... have had problems in their
relationship. He... uh... wanted a son, and he... that got in the way of
him really accepting her as a daughter. He... he left recently, without
saying where he was going or when he would be back, and she hasn't seen
him in a couple of weeks." Whew. That had been a difficult editing job.

Yuuko nodded thoughtfully. "I... I understand, I think. I... I've been
having problems with my father, too. He... he seems to want me to be
someone else, the ideal daughter he envisioned." She sighed. "But I
still love him... he's still my father."

Ranko nodded silently, more tears streaming down her cheeks. Akane moved
over, and put her arm around Ranko, who accepted it gratefully, not even
noticing that neither of them were wearing any clothes.

After a while, she felt better. I... I don't know if I can take all
these emotions, she thought. It feels better than holding it all inside,
but they can be so overwhelming sometimes. I... I never used to cry all
the time like this... She sniffled a bit. Then again, I never used to
laugh all the time, either...

After that, the conversation turned to cheerier things, like the schools
they went to, and what interests they had, and where they lived. As
usual, they were spellbound by some of Ranko's (heavily edited) stories
about her martial arts adventures, and Ranko too found each girl to have
an interesting set of experiences and interests. As Ranko's time limit
in the bath drew near, they exchanged a promise to visit if she and
Akane were ever in Yokohama, or if Yuuko and Shiho were in Nerima.

The next morning, the four of them stood in the lobby of the inn,
frantically scribbling addresses and phone numbers on inn stationery.
Akane and Ranko waved goodbye as the other two girls went off to rejoin
their families, then went to join Nodoka and Auntie Tanaka, who were
saying their farewells.

"Nodoka-chan, you simply must bring them again next year. Perhaps I can
talk my son into coming; he thought it would be as dull as drying paint,
but he might change his mind if he knew there were two girls his own age
here. Especially two girls as pretty as you!" She winked at Ranko and
Akane, and Ranko blushed deeply.

A short while later they were riding the cog railway back down the
mountain, where they boarded different trains: Nodoka and her two
charges one for Shinjuku, and Auntie Tanaka one for Tokyo station; there
she would transfer for Chiba Prefecture, where she lived. Her train left
a little later, and so she waved at them from the platform as they
pulled out. Ranko waved back, enthusiastically.

As she settled back in her seat for the short ride back to Tokyo, she
reflected on the past two days. She had gone out in public as a girl,
had met strangers and made friends, and... and no one had had the
slightest inkling she had spent twelve years of her life as a boy,
physically and mentally, if not emotionally. It had been just perfect,
except for fainting in the bath. She shook her head and smiled; she had
thought she was used to this body after five months, but obviously it
still held surprises for her. Well, hopefully that's the last big one,
she thought as she looked out the window at the scenery.

Akane saw the calm smile on Ranko's face, and smiled herself. It was
obvious Ranko had had a wonderful time, and her fears about living as a
girl had diminished a lot. She seemed more and more comfortable with it,
and Akane had to admit that had she not known about Ranko, she wouldn't
have had a clue about her past. She seemed pretty much like a normal
girl, if a little shy.

Nodoka smiled at the two of them. She had been about to ask how they
liked their two days at the hot springs, but the expressions on their
faces made that unnecessary.

As their train pulled into Shinjuku, Ranko said, "You know, Mother, I...
I think I *would* like to go again next year. That was fun..." Nodoka
smiled, and they set off to change to their next train.

*****

End Chapter 4