Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Genmas Daughter ❯ 08 ( Chapter 7 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Imported From: RAAC
From: Deborah Goldsmith <dgoldsmith@mac.com>
Subject: [Ranma][FanFic] Genma's Daughter, Chapter 8: Who Is This Girl?

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

Genma's Daughter
Chapter 8: Who Is This Girl?

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

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

A few days after Ranko brought home her violin, Kasumi, Akane, and
Nabiki noticed that she was dragging a bit, and picking at her
breakfast. She seemed very moody.

Kasumi asked, "Ranko-chan, is something wrong?"

"Nothing!" snapped Ranko; she looked down at her food, and sighed. "I...
I'm sorry, Oneechan. Ever since I got up this morning, I... I just feel
edgy, and... and I feel a little funny, like I have indigestion or I ate
too much. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." She offered a
sheepish smile.

The Tendou sisters looked at each other. Kasumi said gently,
"Ranko-chan... I think this is probably... what your mother told you
about that first night after school."

Ranko's head jerked up. "You... you mean..."

Kasumi nodded. "You can get moody or emotional for a few days before it
starts, and your symptoms definitely sound right." Ranko nodded, and
looked a little frightened. "Don't forget to... be prepared." Ranko
nodded again. "Don't worry, in a few days it will be over."

On the way to school a couple of days later, Ranko was looking morose.
She turned to Akane. "Akane, how on Earth do you put up with this?
It's... it's... gross."

Akane sighed and nodded. "You just get used to it, I guess. After a few
years, it just becomes part of life." She smiled. "I remember, before I
started, I used to think it was such a special thing, such a mystery. My
girlfriends and I were all jealous of girls who had started already."
She laughed. "What a rude awakening! I guess the old saying is true: be
careful what you wish for!" They both laughed.

Ranko's good humor died when they walked through the front gate; Kunou
was waiting for them again. "Oh, my beauteous Ranko, fair Akane, let me
console you for your grievous loss!" He rushed forward to embrace them.

A few seconds later, as they were stepping over his unconscious body,
Ranko said, "I think I liked it better when he attacked me with the
bokken." Akane giggled.

Unfortunately, Kunou seemed determined that day. He pestered them at
lunch, he pestered them in the hallways. And right in the middle of her
first period, too! This was the last thing she needed right now. Ranko
was fit to be tied by the time school was over.

As she and Akane were heading out the door, Hirota walked up to them.
Ranko tensed, but he didn't look angry or belligerent; in fact, he
looked contrite. "Ranko-san, I was wonderin'... if I could have a word
with you?"

Ranko looked at Akane. "I'll wait by the gates, OK?" Ranko nodded.

As Akane walked off, she turned to Hirota. "Yes, Hirota-kun? What is it?"

Hirota swallowed nervously. "I... I just wanted to, y'know, sorta
apologize for... for all the mean things I said and did to you, you
know, before." He looked down. "I... it was wrong, really wrong. I never
did anythin' that mean to someone else before, and I feel really bad. I
was just kinda... well, jealous, I guess, of how lucky you were with the
girls." He laughed, and put a hand behind his head, embarrassed. "I feel
kinda dumb, now!"

Ranko smiled. "Th-that's OK, Hirota-kun. I... I think it's very big of
you to apologize like this. Thank you." She blushed. "I... I'm sorry I
teased you the other day."

Hirota nodded. "Anyway, I was thinkin', y'know, we... we kinda started
off on the wrong foot, and... and I was wonderin'... if, like, maybe,
you... you wanted to... like, go have some... some coffee and talk about
it?" He looked at Ranko hopefully.

Ranko's jaw fell open. He... he was asking her for a date! "You...
you..." she trailed off. At that moment, she was intensely aware of what
was going on with her body right now.

Hirota's face fell. "It's... never mind." He turned to go.

Something made her speak. "Wait! Hirota-kun..." He turned back, a
questioning look on his face.

She swallowed. "I... give me a few days to think about it, OK?" She
managed a small, frightened smile. "I... I'm flattered, really."

A smile slowly crept onto his face, and he nodded. "OK." He turned and
walked away.

Ranko walked slowly over to where Akane was waiting at the gates. "He
asked you for a date, didn't he?"

Ranko nodded. "Y-yes."

"How do you feel about that?"

Ranko bit her lip, and tears started to gather in her eyes. "I don't
know, to be honest. He was really cruel to me before, but he did
apologize sincerely, and... and I just don't know what to feel. I... I'm
not sure I want to go out with him with our history. I... I'm not sure I
want to go out with anyone, yet! And with Kunou hitting on us all day,
and I'm right in the middle of my p-period, and... I'm just overloaded.
I didn't want to think about it, so I asked him to wait a few days."
Tears were streaming down her face. "I don't think I can deal with
anything else today."

Akane put an arm around her. "Come on, Sis. Let's just take you home,
where you can relax." Ranko nodded.

As they walked up the path to the front door, Ranko felt her tension
start to ease. She'd take a nice hot bath, practice her violin, take it
easy, and regain her equilibrium. They slid open the door and called out
"Tadaima!"

No one answered.

Akane and Ranko looked at each other. "They must be out." They didn't
notice the extra shoes in the genkan.

As they turned the corner into the living room, Kasumi and Nabiki were
there looking at them, and so were Souun and...

Ranko gasped. "F-father?" Genma was staring at her too, his eyes wide.
Souun looked like he was about to take root and sprout leaves.

Oh, Kami-sama, when it rains, it pours, thought Akane.

Ranko unceremoniously dropped her briefcase on the floor, where it
landed with a thud. "Father..." Suddenly, she dashed forward and wrapped
her arms around him, hugging him tightly, her eyes closed and a quiet
smile on her face. "Oh, Father, where have you been? I've been so
worried about you! I'm so glad you're all right."

Souun's jaw would have hit the floor if it wasn't attached. Genma stared
down in disbelief at the girl who was hugging him. "Ran... Ranma?!"

Ranko let go of him and stared up into his face, confused. "'Ranma'?"
she echoed, a blank look on her face. Slowly, her expression turned to
fury. "You... you son of a bitch!" She reached back and slapped him
resoundingly across the face.

Hoo boy, thought Nabiki.

*****

There was a grim tableau in the Tendou living room. Genma and Souun were
still deep in shock, staring at Ranko. Akane was glaring daggers at
them, and had her arms around her sister, who was sobbing long,
drawn-out sobs. They sat on the sofa, opposite their fathers. Kasumi
looked on, worried, and Nabiki regarded the whole scene impassively, as
always. There might have been a harder edge in her gaze when she looked
at Ranko's father.

Ranko choked out her words between sobs. "I... I th-thought you luh...
loved meee. H-How could you have luh... lied to me l-like that? H-How
could you have duh... done all those things? You took me from muh...
Mother, you turned me into a buh... boy..." She lost the ability to
speak.

Genma wanted to speak, but couldn't. What had happened to Ranma, his
strong, manly son? How... how could he possibly be this girl? Well, OK,
but that was a dozen years ago! Memories floated up from twelve years
before, painful memories. He swallowed.

Souun spoke for him. "What... what on Earth happened? We've been gone
less than two months. Ranma was a boy when we left. How is this
possible?"

Ranko looked up, fury in her eyes. They wondered at her neatly styled
hair, her pierced ears. "I *wasn't* a boy! And my name is Ranko! You two
should know that, more than anyone!" Her face slowly screwed up in pain,
and she started sobbing again.

Akane gently rubbed her sister's back and spoke, ice-cold fury in her
voice. "What you *didn't* know, Daddy, is that Ranko has hated being a
boy, all along. It made her miserable. You should have been here to see
how happy she's been since she stopped trying to be one." Her voice took
on a withering tone. "Once *he* stopped forcing her to be one!"

Souun was in shock all over again. "Wh-what?..." he asked. He turned to
Genma, only to find a horribly guilty look on his face. "You... you
knew?!" Genma nodded.

Kasumi shook her head. "Uncle Saotome, in Kami-sama's name, why did you
push her that way?"

Genma managed to speak. "After... after what had happened... I thought
it was for the best."

Ranko's anger exploded. "For the *best*?" she shouted. "After what
*happened*? What happened happened because of *you*! If you hadn't taken
me to Jusenkyou by mistake, I'd still be a... a boy!"

Genma hung his head in shame. "I know. It... it wasn't a mistake..." he
whispered.

It was Ranko and Akane's turn to be shocked; Ranko was so startled she
forgot she was crying. Even Nabiki sat up in shock, for once her
emotions on full display.

Akane found her voice first. "What... what did you say?"

Genma looked up. "I said, it wasn't a mistake. I took her... him to
Jusenkyou on purpose." He grimaced. "It was the first thing I could find
to undo what... I had done. It took me twelve years to find something."

Ranko felt light-headed; this was the last thing she had expected from
her father. "But... but... all those years... you told me being a boy
was hard, that I should be manly, that women were weak and stupid and
silly. If... if you wanted me to be a girl again, why did you do that?"

Genma looked grim. "I had no idea if I would ever be able to help you
become a girl again. I wanted you to be able to live as a man, since it
looked like that was what you were going to be for the rest of your
life. You needed focus and discipline to be able to deal with it. I gave
you that. I... I was surprised. You finally seemed to be coping, making
a life for yourself." He hung his head again and whispered, "I guess you
just stopped talking about it."

Nabiki spoke. "Why should we believe you? What proof do you have that
you took Ranko to Jusenkyou on purpose?"

Ranko started, then dug in her purse. Wordlessly, she handed the
Japanese Jusenkyou brochure to Akane, whose eyes widened.

Genma nodded. "I finally heard about the place. I didn't know if it
would work against Happousai's magic, but I wanted to try."

"Why didn't you tell me then, after I fell in the Nyanniichuan? Why
didn't you tell me before, for that matter?"

Genma sighed. "You were so adamant about your manhood. I didn't know
whether to believe you or not, and I thought you might not like the
idea. Why do you think I interrupted the Guide every time he tried to
tell us about the springs? When you came out of the Nyanniichuan so
angry, I thought it was too late for you to change back, that I had just
made your life even worse. That's when Tendou and I put Plan B into
effect."

Stares abounded. "'Plan B'?"

Souun nodded. "We knew how close Akane and Ranko had been, so we thought
we would make it up to them by... engaging them."

Akane and Ranko both put their heads in their hands. "I... I don't
believe this..."

Ranko looked up, accusing. "Why should I believe you? You were the one
who wanted me to be a boy in the first place!"

Genma winced. "Not exactly."

Akane and Ranko looked at each other. Ranko turned back to her father.
"What? Then why...?"

Souun and Genma exchanged guilty glances. "Well, we were out drinking
one night..."

*****

"Bartender! Another sake!"

Souun and Genma clinked their glasses. "To our children!"

"Ah, Saotome, we are truly blessed. My three daughters are wonderful."

"Indeed, Tendou. Our Ranko is a joy to us."

"And she and Akane are such friends. The family ties will continue into
the next generation. Kanpai!" They clinked and drank again. They were
starting to get a little unsteady.

"You know, Saotome, our joy would be complete if we only had sons to
carry on the Art, the family line."

"You're right, Tendou. But we have tried, and failed. Nodoka cannot have
another child, and your wife is not well."

"A shame."

"Indeed." They both grew morose.

"Bartender! Another sake!"

A half hour later, they were very, very unsteady. "Oh, Saotome, if... if
only we could be granted a magic wish, to have the sons we want." He
squinted at his sake cup, as if trying to divine the answer there.

Genma weaved uncertainly as he waved his cup, looking not unlike a snake
charmer. "Perhaps... perhaps the Master... knows a way."

Fear came over Souun's face. "The Master?! Is... is that wise?"

Genma tried to look stern, but only managed to look inebriated. "Do you
want a son, Tendou? It may be the only way!"

Souun nodded firmly. "You are right, Saotome."

Some hours later, they had managed to find their way -- with some
difficulty -- to the cave where the Master was incarcerated. They
laboriously pushed aside the boulders blocking the entrance, falling
over in a heap in the process.

A second later, Happousai rapped them both on the head with his pipe,
and was perched on Genma's head. "You boys have been very, very naughty.
It's about time; it was quite damp in there."

They prostrated themselves, with little difficulty since they were
already lying on the ground. "Oh... oh Master! Forgive us!"

He sighed. Pathetic, as usual. And did they smell of sake... phew.
Worse, they hadn't brought any for him! "Oh, I suppose. Are you ready to
resume your training?"

"Forgive us, Master. We have families now, and cannot leave them."

He nodded. "I see. I assume you didn't come to let me out from the
goodness of your hearts?"

They looked at each other. "Well, Master, we... we were hoping you could
help us with a problem."

He sighed. "Oh?"

"We have only daughters, Master. We... we have no sons to carry on the
family lines."

Happousai licked his lips. "Did... did you say daughters?"

Souun nodded. "Yes, I have three, and Saotome has one." He wept. "And we
cannot have any more children!"

Happousai was still focused on one thing. "How... how old are they?"

Genma had to think a while; thinking was somewhat difficult at the
moment. "The... the oldest is... seven, I think."

Happousai's face fell. "Rats. Oh well, have to come back in a few years.
Anyway, how do you think I can help?"

Souun looked up. "We... we thought that maybe... you knew some magic
that could give us the sons we want!"

Happousai thought. "Well, I do know one little trick, but I'm not sure
you're going to like it... I know I sure don't." He stuck his tongue
out. "What a waste..."

Genma and Souun weren't attending very well. "Oh, thank you, Master,
thank you! We knew you could help us!" They sobbed on him in gratitude.

Happousai brushed them off. "Yes, yes... Well, if you *really* want to
do this, you must each bring me one of your daughters."

This almost penetrated the drunken haze the two were swimming in.
Almost. "Our... our daughters?"

Happousai nodded in irritation. "Yes, your daughters! Do you want a son
or not?"

That was enough. "Oh yes, Master, right away!"

*****

Tendou Kirara couldn't sleep. This "condition" her doctors refused to
discuss with her sometimes kept her up at night. She was trying to read
a book and relax, when she heard a noise coming from down the hall.
It... it sounded like a window being opened! Oh, where was that fool
husband of hers when she needed him?

She gulped, and hoped she remembered enough of the martial arts her
husband had tried to teach her to cope with a simple burglar. She crept
down the hall, and stopped. The noises were coming from Akane's room!
Her baby!

She slowly twisted the knob and pulled the door open the tiniest bit,
then peeked in. Then she yanked it open the rest of the way and turned
the light on. "Dear! What on *Earth* are you doing in here?!"

Souun was holding the sleeping Akane in his arms, and was weaving to and
fro. The window was open, and he had clearly come in that way. "I... I
need to take her to... the Master."

Kirara showed the temper that Akane had inherited. "The Master?! Are you
insane? Don't you dare take my baby to that perverted gnome! Why in
Kami-sama's name would you do that?"

Souun looked down at the little girl sleeping in his arms, and his head
seemed to clear a bit. "Maybe... maybe you're right." He gently laid her
back in her futon, leaned over to kiss her, and promptly fell on top of
her as he passed out. Akane started to cry.

Kirara rolled her eyes. "Men..."

*****

The next morning, Genma woke slowly. His head was throbbing, and from
the taste, he was sleeping face down in the dirt. He spit it out and
tried to open his eyes. Morning light flooded in; that was a mistake. He
snapped them shut again.

After a few minutes, he groaned, and sat up, slowly opening his eyes. He
hadn't been that drunk in a long, long time. What was he doing out here,
anyway? Suddenly, his heart nearly stopped. Ranko! Where was she? How
could he have been stupid enough to take her out at night when he was
drunk? He looked around. She... she wasn't anywhere to be seen! Nearby
there was a small boy sleeping, but where was his daughter?! He got up
in a panic and started to search, then stopped. Blurry memories from
last night resurfaced, and he whipped around to look at the boy...

The black-haired boy who was the spitting image of Ranko. He slept
fitfully, and his face showed that he had been crying, hard. He squirmed
and moaned in his sleep. Genma sank to his knees. He looked around; the
Master was nowhere in sight.

"Oh... Kami-sama... Ranko... I..." His baby girl... what had he done?

Nodoka. Her katana. Nodoka would... would... Genma's heart felt like it
turned to stone. He knew in that moment that he and his... son could
never go home again.

*****

Genma looked up from recounting his tale. All of the daughters were
staring at him, except Akane, who was staring at her father. "D-daddy?
Are you saying... that if... if Mother hadn't been awake that night?..."

Souun nodded in shame. Akane's eyes rolled up, and she fell over against
Ranko in a dead faint. Ranko put her arms around her.

Nabiki tried hard not to laugh. How typical of these two, to have it all
be a huge bungle. She looked at the brochure, which had made its way to
her. "Why did you circle both springs, Uncle?"

Genma shook his head. "I knew I couldn't knock him into the one I wanted
if I didn't distract him. That one was right next to the Nyanniichuan;
it was perfect."

Ranko's jaw fell. "You... you fell in the Shonmaoniichuan on purpose?
You... you became cursed in order to try to help me?"

Genma nodded.

It was a good thing Ranko was holding the unconscious Akane, as she
served as support when Ranko fainted, too.

*****

While Kasumi was ministering to Ranko and Akane, Genma took his pack
upstairs to put it away. He slid the door open...

Slowly, he looked around. The pastel walls, the lacy curtains. Stuffed
animals and dolls on the bed, including one doll he remembered from his
daughter's childhood. A vanity, a makeup kit. A hanger on the closet
door, waiting for a uniform.

He opened the closet, and looked at the array of dresses, skirts,
blouses and slacks. He closed the closet, pulled open a dresser drawer
at random, took a look inside, then slammed it shut, his face red. On
top of the dresser, a photo of their family in happier times. He looked
at the desk; there was a notebook. On it was a tiny picture, a sticker:
Ranko, Akane, and two of Akane's friends, all crowded into a photo booth
and wearing goofy smiles.

He looked around again, and spotted the music stand in the corner. He
walked over, noted the violin case sitting next to it, the music books.
She was taking violin? He shook his head.

He walked over and sat on the bed, snorting when he saw the stuffed
panda. He looked around the room once more. No, he wouldn't be sleeping
in here any more.

He had told himself for years that he would do anything to get his
daughter back, even as he tried to make his son a man, so he could
survive and deal with the situation Genma had put him in. Now, it looked
like his daughter *was* back... except, he didn't know this girl, and
the son he had loved and reared was gone. He had grown used to having a
son... He felt guilty, knowing he had no right to have a son, but he
couldn't help the way he felt. He put his head in his hands.

Moments later the door slid open, and he looked up. His daughter was
standing there, arms folded, looking him over. She still wore her
Fuurinkan uniform. Once again, he looked over this girl: the styled,
unbound hair, the pierced ears, the girl's uniform. He had seen this
body a hundred times, but not the person who wore it now. And yet, this
girl was his child, the same person who was that boy he had raised. He
just didn't understand this at all.

She walked in, closed the door, and leaned back against it, her hands
behind her back. "I came up to change."

Genma nodded, and started to get up. "That's OK. It... it can wait a
minute." He sat back down.

She looked around the room. "It's pretty different, isn't it?"

He nodded. What else could he do? "Yes." He wondered if he should say
it, then went ahead anyway. "So... so are you."

She nodded, a neutral expression on her face. "Yes. I... I'm not Ranma
any more, Father. I'm me." She lost a bit of control, and a tear
escaped. "I never knew how wonderful it could be just to say those
words: I'm me." She took a deep breath. "And I had to go through a lot
of changes to be able to say them."

Genma shook his head. "I... I know you're the same person, but... I just
don't understand. What happened?"

She laughed humorlessly. "All I did was stop pretending to be a boy and
start acting the way my feelings told me to, Father." She shook her
head. "It may sound easy, but letting go of being Ranma was one of the
hardest things I've ever done, the hardest battle I ever fought. You did
a good job drilling all that stuff into me. You know, about how girls
were weak, stupid, silly, an obstacle to the Art? Remember all that?"
She was glaring. "Do you know how all that... garbage made me feel about
myself, when I felt like a girl inside?"

He looked down. "I... I thought it would help you feel good about being
a boy. I thought if you believed being a girl was worse, then maybe...
it wouldn't bother you so much."

She was still glaring. "Well, it didn't help. And when I arrived here,
and spewed all that back at my dearest friend, my sister, she nearly
killed me! And you had the nerve to engage us to each other on top of
that! When we were both girls!"

Genma looked surprised. "But... I thought... you were a boy... wouldn't
you?..."

Ranko nodded. "Yes, I was a boy. But I was still me inside, and I sure
knew there was something about that engagement I didn't like. Besides,
by that time, I was already spending time in my girl form. That made the
engagement even worse! I was so confused." She sighed.

Genma closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I ruined your life, and then I kept
making it worse."

Her gaze softened. "Father, I..."

"I don't even have the right to be your father. I've been telling myself
all these years how happy I would be if I could get my little girl back.
Now you are back, but I feel like you're a stranger, and... and the boy
I raised is gone." He sighed. "I miss him."

Ranko stared at her father for a few moments, then shook her head.
"Father, in one sense that boy *is* gone. I... it's a long story, but
Happousai's spell and the Jusenkyou curse are both gone. I'm just plain
Ranko again. I'll never be a boy again as long as I live. At least not
if *I* have anything to say about it." She paused. "But... in another
way, I'm still me. I'm still your child. I haven't forgotten our years
together. I'm not Ranma any more, but... I'm still *me*."

He nodded, and once again put his head in his hands. "I... I understand.
I think."

He was surprised when he felt slim arms wrap around him. He opened his
eyes, and found his daughter sitting next to him on the bed, hugging him
as best she could given their relative sizes. She smiled. "So don't you
think it's time you started getting to know your daughter?"

Genma felt the beginnings of hope, and nodded.

*****

After almost two months of neglect, the shogi board was once again in
use, as Genma and Souun played a game. Akane was reading a book on the
sofa, Nabiki was in an armchair reading one of her business magazines,
and Kasumi was in the kitchen making dinner. It almost seemed as if
everything were back to normal -- which was hardly the case.

Akane could not concentrate, and glared at Genma from behind her book.
His explanation of the situation had dissuaded her from killing him, but
she still had not forgiven him for the ordeal he had put poor Ranko
through. And her own father had almost done the same thing! The
revelation earlier still sent chills up her spine.

Nabiki was more forgiving. She had always known that Genma was an
irresponsible fool, and frankly, this was just par for the course. Ranko
was now in the care of her mother and her de facto sisters; the past was
the past. Nabiki was focused on the future: helping her little sister
recover from what had happened and build a normal life for herself.

Kasumi, of course, could never think such uncomplimentary thoughts about
Uncle Saotome, or anyone. She was simply glad that he and Father had
returned, and that he seemed to be trying to reach out to his daughter.
She shared Nabiki's focus on setting Ranko's life aright. At the moment,
she was focused on her cooking.

Genma wondered how he was going to train his daughter, and whether he
could still outrun Nodoka when she was wielding her katana. Being around
here now that Nodoka knew was dangerous, but... he couldn't stay away
from his child.

He was trying to figure out how best to cheat on his next move when
music started emanating from somewhere in the house. He looked around,
not noticing as Souun palmed a few pieces. "Could someone turn that
radio off? I'm trying to think."

Akane cleared her throat. "That's not a radio, Uncle Saotome. Ranko is
practicing her violin."

Genma looked up at the ceiling, jaw agape, as Souun palmed several more
pieces. Ranma had never touched a violin when Genma had left. How could
he... she play so well now?

Twenty minutes later, Ranko came down, wearing jeans and a cotton top
with a bright print. She looked around and smiled at the shogi game. She
felt better after practicing. She stretched, tilting her head first one
way and then the other. "Ahhh... that felt nice. I feel better." She
shook her head. "What a day!" She went over and sat next to Akane on the
sofa.

Genma looked up. "Did something else happen today?"

Ranko rolled her eyes. "What didn't happen today? Kunou was hitting on
Akane and me all day, a boy who hated me before summer break asked me
out on a date, and as if *that* wasn't enough, I'm..." she stopped
suddenly, and exchanged glances with Akane. She wasn't ready to discuss
this with her father yet.

Genma continued playing. "You're what?"

"I... I... it's a girl thing."

Genma's eyes widened, but he said nothing. "I trust you taught the boy
who asked you out a lesson." When there was no answer, he looked up, to
find his daughter glaring at him.

"Why should I, Father? He's a boy, and I'm a girl! He has every right to
ask."

"But... you're engaged!"

Ranko couldn't quite believe this. "Father, the engagements are all
over. That was the first thing Mother did after we were reunited. I'm a
girl, for goodness' sake! Legally, I can't marry any of them. Besides...
I don't *want* to marry another woman."

Genma stuttered. "But... you..."

"Father, do you want grandchildren?"

"What? Of course! But you and Akane..." suddenly he stopped. "Uhhhh..."

"There isn't going to be a 'me and Akane', Father, not that way. If you
want grandchildren, I am going to be their *mother*." She paused in
wonder; she could actually say it now. "They'll need a father, too, you
know. That's how it works." Akane was watching this exchange and trying
hard to keep from laughing. Nabiki wasn't bothering to; she was
snickering over in the armchair.

Ranko thought his eyes were going to pop out. "You... you... boys..." He
couldn't say it.

She nodded. "Yes, Father, I... I do." She shuddered; admitting this was
harder than she thought it would be. "I... like boys. That way." He was
still staring at her in shock. "Father, I'm a girl! Girls usually like
boys! Is there something wrong with that?"

He stared at her for a long time. "Before... did you..."

She shook her head. "I wasn't interested in anyone then. Boys or girls.
They both felt wrong. I... I just didn't care."

He nodded. "And... this boy... are you...?"

She sighed. "I haven't decided yet. He wasn't very nice to me earlier. I
don't know if I'm going to give him a second chance or not. I... I don't
know if I like him that much."

Akane thought, Ryouga is much more of a gentleman.

Genma's head was spinning as he nodded, then looked back to the shogi
board, expecting to find it rearranged after he had been distracted for
so long. Fortunately, Souun was distracted too; he had followed the
whole exchange in equal disbelief. Genma smiled. Saved!

After playing for a while, he asked "And the Art? Have you kept up your
training?"

Ranko cringed; this was going to be ugly. "No."

Genma's head snapped up. "Wh-what? Why not?" He grew angry. "How can you
expect to be a great martial artist if you don't practice?"

Ranko glared back. "I don't want to *be* a great martial artist, Father.
Not when the price is devoting my entire life to it. Now that I *have* a
life, I don't need a distraction any more to keep me from noticing I
*don't* have one!"

"So, you've given up? You've turned your back on our family's school?"

Ranko's temper went up like a Roman candle, and she shot to her feet,
her hands on her hips. "Our family's school? And who founded that,
Father? The pervert who turned me into a boy?!" She paused, fuming. "No,
I haven't turned my back on it, because I do enjoy it and it's important
to me. It's just not my whole life any more. I spar with Akane for an
hour every morning. That's it. That is all the time I am willing to put
into it, Father." She was starting to cry and practically shouting now.
"I want to live my life, not turn it into a monument to the Art!
Monuments are for DEAD PEOPLE!!" She spun on her heels and stalked off
into the kitchen.

Akane sighed; Uncle Saotome could not have picked a worse day to come
home. She heard crying noises coming from the kitchen, and Kasumi
murmuring something comforting. She got up to go help.

Genma felt a chill run up his spine. The way she talked, the look in her
eyes... she was just like her mother. He hoped she didn't have a katana
hidden away somewhere. He heard the crying from the kitchen, and closed
his eyes. He... he didn't even know how to talk to her any more. He had
no idea how to be the father of a teenage girl. This was what he had
wanted, wasn't it? To have his daughter back, to undo the disaster he
had caused? He had told himself that, but his son had been there. It had
been so easy to get lost in the dream of finally having a son, a son who
would follow in his footsteps. But that was the problem, wasn't it? It
had been just a dream, and it was time to wake up. He turned his
attention back to the board. It had been completely rearranged, and
Souun was innocently looking off into the garden. Genma scowled.

A few minutes later, Kasumi called everyone in to dinner. Genma looked
over at Ranko, but she was still glaring at him. He took a seat a little
further away.

Katana or no, he had looked forward to Kasumi's cooking. He cast his
hungry eyes over the dishes; so many! Suddenly his eyes stopped. "Red
beans and rice? What's the occasion?" He didn't notice Ranko and Akane
looking at each other in shock.

Kasumi beamed. "Today is a very special day! We're celebrating
Ranko-chan's menarche."

There was complete and total silence in the dining room. Ranko was beet
red, and Akane had an arm around her. Nabiki rolled her eyes. Oneechan
definitely continued to surprise her... in many ways. She knew Kasumi
was simply thinking of Ranko as if she were any other girl; this was
what was traditional, and what Kasumi had done for herself and for
Akane. But Ranko was still getting used to the whole idea...

Genma and Souun looked a little pasty. Genma finally found his voice.
"M-m-menarche?"

Kasumi looked confused. "Don't you know? Her first period!"

Genma turned white. "Oh. Yes, that's what I thought you meant."

*****

After dinner, Genma and Souun were back at the shogi board, to finish
their game. Kasumi had brought them tea, and they took a sip every now
and then as each pondered how to pull a fast one on the other. Normally,
it wasn't quite as easy as it had been before dinner, when Ranma...
Ranko had been producing revelation after revelation.

Genma had felt guilty ever since accidentally causing Ranko to be
transformed into a boy, and he had searched for a cure for years, but he
found himself troubled by the actual achievement of his goal. He knew
that he had a daughter again, instead of a son, but... he didn't quite
know how to deal with it. He had thought that if Ranma became Ranko
again, she would be pretty much the same person, just... a girl. But
Ranko seemed very different from Ranma.

Akane came down from her room, where she'd gone after dinner to finish a
last bit of homework. She looked around. "Where's Ranko?"

Nabiki looked up from her textbook on accounting. "She's in the bath.
She said she needed a good long soak after today."

Akane brightened. "That sounds wonderful! I think I'll join her."

Suddenly there was a spitting sound, and Akane turned to see Uncle
Saotome wiping tea off his face while giving her father a dirty look.

"Akane! How can you do that?" wailed Souun.

Akane was confused. "Do what?"

"Waaaah! My little girl is taking a bath with her fiance!"

Akane rolled her eyes. "Daddy, she's not my fiance! Ranko's mother ended
all the engagements!"

Souun thought for a moment. "Oh. You're right. Waaaah! My little girl is
taking a bath with a boy!"

Akane was starting to get angry. "Daddy, she's not a boy!"

Souun paused. "Oh. That is true, isn't it?"

"Besides, it's hardly the first time I've bathed with her."

The two men looked at each other. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that we did lots of things together this summer. Auntie took us
along to Hakone when she went to meet a classmate, and we used the hot
springs. Some other girls came over and sat with us, too. It was good
for Ranko, it helped her get used to being around other girls in
situations like that. And Auntie also took us to a beach cottage in
Ibaraki with Sayuri, Yuka, and Ukyou, and we all slept and changed in
the same room. Besides, she's attending school as a girl. She uses the
girls' facilities there. So it's not a big deal at all."

Souun nodded his head, stroking his chin, while Genma was trying to get
his jaw to close. Somehow, the abstract knowledge that she was a girl
didn't quite compare to details like this about her life.

Akane shrugged, and went off to the bath.

Genma swallowed. Ranko was right: he had to try to get to know her
again. He had thought he knew who his child was, but...

Ranko was trying hard to relax. This had been one of the most stressful
days of her life. She sank a little deeper into the water, trying to get
her muscles to loosen up.

Suddenly the door slid open, and Akane was standing there. Ranko sat up
straight with a start. They paused and looked at each other for a
moment, then laughed.

Ranko shook her head. "Every time you come in like that, I still can't
help remembering the first time you walked in on me in the bath."

Akane nodded and smiled. "At least I don't try to brain you any more!"
They laughed again.

She went to the stool, sat down, and started washing. "Our fathers are
having a bit of trouble adjusting to the new you. I guess I can
understand it. We had weeks to get used to it, but they're getting it
all at once."

Ranko brooded. "I don't know what to do about Father. It's like we don't
understand each other any more. He doesn't know what to do with me, and
I... I guess I don't know how to deal with him." She sighed.

Akane rinsed herself off. "You may just have to give it time, Sis. I...
sometimes I think I knew you better than he did. All he ever seemed to
do was lecture you about martial arts. But I... I always felt that
connection with you. Somehow, when this all came out, it... it wasn't
really a surprise to me."

She walked over to the bath, and put her hands on her hips in mock
indignation. "Are you going to give me some room?" Ranko giggled, and
scooted over.

Akane got in. Ohhhhh, did that feel good... she could feel the tension
starting to leave her muscles. She sighed and leaned back.

She frowned for a second as she tried to recover her train of thought.
"I mean, it was a surprise in one sense, but... somehow, it seemed... I
don't know, right." She shook her head. "I don't think your father sees
you the same way."

Ranko looked sad. "He told me that he misses his son. It's... it's
almost like he doesn't know me. Like I'm someone else to him."

Akane shook her head. "But you're not a completely different person.
Your father will understand that eventually."

"I hope so..." said Ranko, and sighed.

*****

Genma lay on his futon in the Dojo, trying to sleep. He hadn't felt it
right to sleep in Ranko's room, and everyone else seemed to agree: no
one had so much as mentioned that as an option. Kasumi had apologized,
saying they would work out new sleeping arrangements the next day.
Probably Happousai's old room, since it was a given the old pervert
would never be allowed to stay at the Tendou home again. The Master's
ire was nothing compared to that of four very angry young women. He
sighed, rolled over on his side, and stared at the "i-ro-ha" sign on the
wall.

He was still somewhat in shock. Ever since Ranko had come home from
school, it had been driven home time after time that she was no longer
Ranma, his son. The way she behaved, the relationship between her and
Akane, her activities over the summer, even the expressions on her face.
Ranma could never have done the things this girl did. And yet, he knew
she *was* Ranma, was his child, born a girl, raised a boy, and now a
girl again. He had always loved her/him, and now he felt a gulf between
them. He didn't quite know where to begin crossing that gulf. He sighed.

A tentative knock came at the Dojo door, followed by a soft voice.
"Father? May I come in?"

Genma rolled over and sat up. "Sure." He couldn't sleep anyway.

The door slid open, and Ranko turned the lights on. She stood there,
wearing light green pajamas with satin trim, her red hair now cascading
past her shoulders after growing out all summer. It looked a little
unruly; she must have been having trouble sleeping, too.

She walked over to his futon and sat down. "I... I wanted to say I'm
sorry for yelling at you that way earlier. You made me angry, but
still... I felt bad..." She cast her eyes down.

He nodded. "I guess I was... expecting you to still be Ranma, and...
you're not." He paused. "Tell me... I want to hear what happened to you
while I was gone. The whole story, from the beginning."

Ranko nodded, and looked off into the distance. "I... well, when Mother
was telling me I was her daughter, I... I just couldn't believe her. At
first I thought she must be mistaken, that she wasn't my mother after
all. But even after she convinced me she was, I thought she must be...
you know... crazy or something." She blushed. "I mean, I knew I was a
boy until Jusenkyou. I... I had forgotten about being a girl."

She looked pensive for a few moments. "Even though I... I felt like I
wanted to be a girl, that I didn't like being a boy, I thought those
feelings were wrong, bad,... perverted. You... you taught me to prize my
manhood, to hold it up over everything else." She smiled uncertainly.
"You taught me well; I fought back against what she was telling me as
hard as I could.

"She showed me photographs, she even showed me home video of Akane and I
having a tea party with our dolls." She giggled, and memories drifted up
from the back of Genma's mind: he had taken that video. "But then... she
showed me my room, from when I was a little girl, and there was this
photograph of me holding up this big c-cat, and I remembered. I
remembered that, and I remembered her constantly telling me not to do
that, because it got... hairs all over my dress." She shook her head.
"I... I couldn't deny the truth any more. She might be crazy, but... but
now I remembered being a girl myself. I couldn't deny that.

"Well, after that, I went to pieces really quickly. I had all these
bottled-up feelings inside, about hating being a boy, wanting to be a
girl. I could keep them under control when I thought I was a boy, but
once I found out I was really a girl, I... I just couldn't do that any
more." She bit her lip.

"I... I decided to tell Akane everything. What I was feeling, how I felt
about being a boy and being a girl. I had to tell someone, and somehow,
I couldn't imagine telling anyone else. Not even Mother." She smiled,
her eyes a little wet. "Bless Akane's heart, she showed me that she and
Kasumi really are sisters after all. She took me by the hand and never
let go. She took me to Cologne and Dr. Toufuu, who showed me that I was
lying to myself about how I felt."

She sighed. "I tried holding out for another week, until school was
over. But I couldn't look at myself the same way any more. When I saw my
female form in the mirror, it stopped being 'my cursed body' and started
being 'me', just because I... I knew it *was* me. I dreamed about being
a girl. Finally, the last day of school, the boys in the locker room
pulled that stupid stunt they sometimes do, turning cold water on me..."
She trailed off, and a look of fear came over her face.

Genma had never worried about Ranma being able to take care of himself,
but somehow, this revelation was making him very nervous. "What... what
happened?"

She broke out of her distraction, then gave a short laugh. "I... I
screamed my head off. This time, they weren't looking at some cursed
form, they were looking at *me*." She shivered. "I never felt so
violated before in my life."

Genma found himself nodding, saying "Yes? Go on..."

Ranko smiled. "Akane came to the rescue. She came right into the boy's
locker room to get me. She took me back to the girl's locker room, and
she and Ucchan finally got me to calm down." She shook her head. "That
forced me to face the truth: I wasn't going to be able to close
Pandora's box. All my female feelings were coming out, and I couldn't
stop them.

"Dr. Toufuu had suggested I spend summer break as a girl, and that night
I decided to try it. I wore some of the clothes I already had, and
Kasumi styled my hair. The next day I went shopping with Mother." She
giggled. "I thought we were going to buy out the whole town. I *still*
haven't worn that green formal dress..."

She paused. "Akane and I moved in with Mother for the summer. Mother...
being with her again, living at home in my old room, seeing her every
day, feeling her love... I... I never realized how much I had missed
M-Mother." Suddenly, there were tears in her eyes, and she stopped
speaking.

After a while, she wiped her eyes and continued. "She's even teaching me
how to cook." She thought for a few moments more. "You know, after that,
I never looked back. Cologne locked my curse for me, temporarily, so I
wouldn't change. Sayuri and Yuka, Akane's friends from school, managed
to find out what had happened, and we spent time with them, and now...
now they're my friends, too. We went with them to Harajuku, we went to
Hakone and met some new friends from Yokohama there, we went to Ibaraki
with Sayuri and Yuka and Ucchan." She laughed. "Ryouga managed to find
us there, and after trying to kill me again, he found out what was going
on. He calls me 'Ranko-san' now." She smiled. "We even went with Shampoo
to Tokyo Disneyland."

His eyes bugged out. "With... Shampoo?!"

She nodded. "Yes, Cologne told me the Kiss of Death and the Kiss of
Marriage were both nullified, though she wouldn't say why. She's helped
me a lot, and Shampoo is attending Fuurinkan now. She's my friend, too."
She smiled.

"Anyway, I... I never had such a wonderful time in my life. I have so
many friends now, wonderful friends. The whole summer was like a dream,
and I didn't want to wake up. Being a girl, spending time with Akane and
other girls, I... I don't know why it made such a big difference. I used
to think it didn't matter. You know, if you're a boy you're a boy, if
you're a girl you're a girl; you just live with whatever you are, and
you could be happy either way."

She shook her head. "But that's not true. I learned this summer that I
had to be a girl to be really happy. I'm still not sure I understand
why, but I know it's true. Dr. Toufuu says it's because I was still a
girl inside. Anyway, when the temporary lock on my curse wore off, I
discovered I couldn't stand being a boy any more. I hated looking at
myself in the mirror that way. And it was a good thing, too. Cologne's
magic had messed up Happousai's spell, and within a week all the spells
on me had broken. I was just an ordinary, unenchanted, uncursed girl
again." Her voice became soft, and he could hear the emotion in it. "And
that made me so happy." For a minute, she didn't say anything.

"After... after that, it was time for school. Mother re-registered me as
a girl, and I stood in front of my class the first day and told them my
whole history. I thought I was going to die, but I was surprised. A few
people still didn't believe me, but almost everyone has been wonderful.
The girls have almost completely accepted me, and almost all the boys,
too. And... and I like school, for the very first time. I like being
with my friends, with the other girls." She smiled a dreamy smile. After
a few moments, she said "I guess... that's about it."

He nodded. "What about the violin?"

Ranko smiled again. "I decided to take music as an elective this term.
During the first class, Sensei had us try out various instruments, and
when I tried the violin..." her voice trailed off. "I... I felt
something special. I really like playing the violin. It's like it's
playing me while I'm playing it." She looked up at him. "You should come
by and meet Kobayakawa-sensei some time. I see her Fridays, right after
school."

She was silent for a few moments, then laughed. "You know, Father, if
you hadn't trained me to be a martial artist, if you hadn't eaten the
prize that day in the Amazon village and set Cologne and Shampoo on our
trail, I never would have learned the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken and all
those other techniques. And those are what gave me the skills I need to
play the violin." She smiled up at him. "Isn't that funny?" Her smiling
face provoked further memories from long ago...

Genma was in a bit of shock. Ever since the incident with Happousai,
Ranma had been a tight-lipped child. He responded when spoken to, or
when provoked, but he just hadn't talked much. He had kept his feelings
to himself, except on the rare occasions when he had confessed how he
felt about being a boy. Those had ceased after he passed the age of 10.

Once more, Genma was struck by the difference between Ranma and Ranko.
Had all this feeling, all this passion, all this love and friendship,
all these smiles and giggles, really been bottled up inside Ranma? He
felt even more guilty for what he had done. No, Ranma wasn't gone. Parts
of Ranma that he hadn't seen in twelve years were visible again, and
they were overshadowing the reticent martial artist and son, the only
facet of his child that he had known.

He smiled. He'd have to get to know these parts of his child, the parts
he hadn't seen in so long. "I... I think I'm starting to understand,
Ranko."

She smiled a happy smile. "I'm glad."

He shook his head. "I... I'm so used to thinking of you as Ranma. It
will take me a long time to forget that."

Ranko shook her head. "You don't have to forget Ranma, Father. I... I
haven't. I was him, and... he was me, too. Saotome Ranma, man amongst
men, was a girl." She giggled, and he nodded thoughtfully.

She got up from her sitting position and kneeled. "We should both
probably get to sleep." He nodded, and she began to get up, then
hesitated. "Never forget something else, either." She leaned forward on
impulse, and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you... Daddy. I always
will." She blushed, rose quickly, and walked out, turning out the light
and closing the door.

Genma rubbed his cheek. More memories floated up... a four year old
face, surrounded by a halo of red hair, kissing him and saying those
very same words: "I love you, Daddy." He smiled. Maybe he knew who this
girl was, after all.

*****

Saotome Genma, master of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial
Arts, sat on the porch and sulked.

His daughter had informed him that morning that she intended to continue
sparring with Akane. She had apologized, saying she would work out
something with him this weekend, but her mornings were planned now, and
she didn't want to throw her schedule off. He watched as the two girls
sparred. He was relieved to see that Ranko hadn't slacked off
completely. Something about the way they were sparring bothered him, but
he couldn't put a finger on it.

Akane and Ranko both had smiles on their faces, and they talked a bit in
between moves. He couldn't quite make it out, but it was about school,
about their friends; small talk. He shook his head. Ranma had always
been intently focused on his Art.

Suddenly, Ranko took Akane down with a leg sweep. They were both still
smiling, and Ranko reached down to help Akane up. Instead, she yanked on
Ranko's hand and pulled her down too, the two of them tangled in a heap.
They both shrieked with laughter, before getting up and continuing their
workout.

Images floated up in Genma's mind, images of two little girls playing
together. When he had brought Ranma to the Tendous, he had thought the
two would resume their close relationship. It had been a bitter
disappointment when they had fought constantly; it was one more thing in
his child's life that he had ruined. Now, though, he couldn't watch them
without constantly being reminded of their childhood. They seemed as
close as they had ever been; maybe closer. Clearly, Ranko being a girl
had made all the difference, just as she had said last night.

Akane and Ranko finished and bowed to each other. Ranko walked over to
her father, and smiled. "Really, Father, I'll spar with you tomorrow,
OK? Today is Friday. Maybe I can redo my schedule for school days, too,
for next week." She gave him a wink and put on a stern look. "Don't
sulk, it's not manly!" Genma spluttered, and she giggled and ran off to
clean up. He shook his head and smiled.

A few minutes later, cleaned up and in their school uniforms, Akane and
Ranko came to the breakfast table, and they all sat down to eat. They
both had their briefcases, and Ranko had her violin. Once again, he
watched as she ate politely and neatly; clearly Nodoka's doing. She and
Akane talked about the day's classes, about their friends, and tried to
come up with a plan for what to do this weekend.

They finished, and Ranko looked at her watch. "Oh my! I think we're
going to have to hurry, Sis!" Genma blinked; obviously, she'd been
picking up things from Kasumi, too. They both stood, picking up their
school things.

Ranko turned to her father. "Don't forget, Father, please stop by some
Friday and meet my violin sensei, OK?" She smiled, and he nodded. They
headed for the door, called out "itte kimasu!" and were on their way,
"itte 'rasshai" following them out.

They talked as they hurried towards Fuurinkan High. "Ranko, you seem to
be getting along better with your father today."

Ranko nodded. "I went and had a long talk with him in the Dojo last
night. I... I think he's starting to understand what happened. He's
starting to see me as his daughter again." She smiled. "By last night,
I... I felt better, too. Not so angry."

Akane smiled. "Usually once it starts, your emotions level off again.
It's something to keep in mind when it's that time of month." Ranko
nodded.

The gates of Fuurinkan came into view. "I wonder if Father will come to
school today..."

As they walked through, Kunou presented himself. They sighed. "My loves,
now that you are both unattached, why will you not date with me? Surely
there can be no man worthier for both your hands! Come, accept my love!"

Moments later, Ranko turned momentarily to look at Kunou's unconscious
body as they proceeded into the school. "You know, I'm getting pretty
good at doing that in a dress." She smiled at Akane. "Thanks for the
tips!" Akane giggled and nodded.

One of the girls spotted Ranko taking something out of her purse in the
restroom that day, and the word spread rapidly among the girls at
Fuurinkan. In the locker room after PE, many girls came by and
commiserated with her. It was odd, despite the universal agreement about
how bothersome it was, she could tell that there was an undercurrent of
congratulations and respect. Sayuri had winked at her: "Welcome to the
club, for what it's worth." They had both laughed. Ranko felt truly
accepted; she shared something with them all that was definitely
girls-only. Too bad it had to be *this*...

She dressed, and hurried to the music room for her lesson with
Kobayakawa-sensei. She opened the door; Sensei was there waiting for
her, but her father was not. She sighed.

Sensei frowned. "What's wrong, Ranko-chan?"

She smiled sadly. "I... I was hoping my father might be here today. I
told him about the lessons, and I asked him to come meet you some day,
but... I guess he didn't want to come today..."

Sensei smiled. "I'm sure he will eventually." She glanced at the window.
"You know, now that you mention it, there was a middle-aged man standing
out there a while ago, at the gates. I wonder..."

Ranko had rushed to the window. Sure enough, Father was standing just
inside the gates, watching as students passed him by on the way home,
looking as if he were unsure whether to come in or not. She turned
excitedly to Kobayakawa-sensei. "That's him!"

She opened the window, and was about to yell to him, then stopped.
Shampoo and Ucchan were stealthily approaching him from behind, bonbori
and spatula at the ready! What... what were they doing? Ranko saw
Shampoo preparing to spring. "Father! Look out behind you!"

He turned, in time to dodge Shampoo's first blow, barely. He twisted as
Ukyou's spatula whistled through the space where he had been a moment
before. She couldn't tell what they were saying to him, but she could
tell they were very, very angry and were shouting. Her father was very
skilled, but she didn't know how long he could hold up against two
martial artists like Shampoo and Ucchan.

Ranko turned to Sensei, who had rushed up to the window next to her.
"Sensei, excuse me a moment, I'll be right back!" She leapt out the
window, praying she still knew how to land after a jump from the third
story. She landed fine, but her face turned bright red as she realized
she didn't know how to do this properly in a dress. Thankfully, there
hadn't been any boys watching; all the students were watching the fight.
Akane seemed to have already gone home.

She charged towards the combatants. "Shampoo! Ucchan!" she yelled.
"Stop! Please stop! What are you doing?"

Shampoo turned to see Ranko running full tilt across the cracked asphalt
schoolyard, her school dress whipping against her legs. "Good. Ranko
coming to help us finish him off."

As Ranko drew closer, however, Shampoo and Ukyou could hear her shouting
"Stop! Please! Don't hurt Father! Please!!"

They backed off, confused, but still kept a wary eye on Genma to keep
him from escaping. Genma was breathing hard; he hadn't been in a battle
like that in a while. Ranko dashed up and wrapped her arms around him.
"Father! Are... are you all right?"

Several of the girls who had been watching looked at each other. "That's
her *father*? The bastard who turned her into a boy?!" They grew angry,
and murmurs ran through the crowd. Genma swallowed nervously; this could
turn ugly.

Ranko turned to Shampoo and Ukyou, a little out of breath. "What... what
were you two doing? Why did you attack him?" Her eyes showed her
confusion.

Her two friends looked perplexed as well. "Ranchan, after what he did to
you... why are you protecting him?"

Shampoo nodded. "Pervert panda hurt you very badly. I cannot forgive.
Why you not feel the same?"

Ranko's eyes started to shimmer. "Because... because he's my father, and
I love him, that's why. Besides, he... he didn't mean to hurt me. It was
all a stupid accident!" She turned around and hugged her father tightly.
Slowly, Genma brought his arms up around his daughter, and held her.
Years-old feelings stirred within him...

Ukyou and Shampoo looked at each other. "An *accident*? He turned you
into a boy by *accident*?" Ukyou folded her arms, and looked skeptical.
"Would you mind telling me how *that* happened?"

Ranko released her father and faced her friends; her eyes might have
been a little wet. "He... he and Uncle Tendou got really, really drunk
one night, and told Happousai they wanted sons. They meant they wanted
sons *in addition to* their daughters. Happousai told them he could do
it if they each brought a daughter to him. They... they were too drunk
to realize what that meant. Uncle Tendou never made it back with Akane,
and when Father woke up sober the next day, he finally realized what had
happened."

Shampoo looked Genma in the eye. "Is this true?" Too ashamed to speak,
he nodded.

Ranko continued. "He took me to Jusenkyou on purpose. He cursed himself
to be a panda on purpose, so he could knock me into the Nyanniichuan!"
She shook her head. "I... he was stupid to take me and run away from
Mother, but... but he really didn't mean to hurt me. He raised me as a
boy because he didn't think he had any other choice. He may be foolish,
and irresponsible, and... and really really stupid sometimes, but he
loves me and I love him! I won't let you hurt him!" Genma winced, but
decided to let it slide. Any port in a storm.

Ukyou continued to look skeptical. "Do you have any proof of his story?"

Ranko nodded. "When I was moving in with Mother this summer, I
accidentally spilled one of his drawers in our room. I found a Jusenkyou
brochure -- in Japanese. He knew about the pools beforehand."

Ukyou sighed. Why did Genma always manage to evade her revenge? She
really wished she could just kill him and be done with it, but if
Ranchan loved him, she couldn't. Rats. How would she ever get her honor
back?

Shampoo had other things on her mind. "Old Pervert listened to them, do
*that* to you -- when they *drunk*?!" Ranko nodded. Shampoo fumed.
Vengeance was not denied, just... redirected. Fools were not punished;
their folly was punishment enough. She knew she could not take away
Ranko's father if she loved him. The old pervert was less of a problem:
she didn't think there was *anyone* who loved him.

She nodded curtly. "Very well. I get vengeance on Old Pervert." She
glared at Genma. "You is just fool and bad father, is all." Genma winced
again. "Be better father now, yes? Or I punish still!" Genma nodded
vigorously. He didn't want the Amazons after him.

Though several of the girls continued to glare at Genma, the crowd
dispersed, and he and his daughter were soon left alone. He looked at
her. "Th-thank you, Ranko." She just smiled up at him, and once again
feelings from many years ago surfaced in his heart. That look...

"Come on." She tugged at his sleeve. "You were going to meet my music
sensei." He nodded and followed her inside.

A half hour later (the lesson had had to be cut short since it had
started late), they were walking home together. He had watched as Ranko
had played under the tutelage of her sensei. He could tell from the
contented smile on her face as she played that it was very special to
her, and he could tell from the way Kobayakawa-sensei had behaved around
Ranko -- and from his own ears -- that his daughter had great talent. He
felt confused. He was excited for her, and proud, but he still wanted
her to be a great martial artist. It didn't seem possible for her to do
both.

Ranko broke his train of thought. "What did you think of Sensei? Did you
like my playing?"

He smiled. "Well, she clearly thinks you have talent, Ranko. And I have
to say after listening to you, I agree with her. You play very well.
Have you really been at it for just a few weeks?"

Ranko blushed and nodded. "Yes. I've always liked music, but I never
tried an instrument before." She looked off into the distance, her eyes
unfocused. "And to think I might never have tried it, if I hadn't become
a girl again..." she trailed off. They walked in silence for a few
minutes.

She turned her head up at him and looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry,
Father. I was... very angry with you this summer. I didn't know what had
happened. Everyone heard the story, and... I guess that's why Shampoo
and Ucchan attacked you. Akane was ready to do the same thing, I think,
until she heard what you had to say." She looked sad. "I'm sorry, it was
my fault..."

He smiled down at her. Being the father of a teenage girl might not be
as hard as he had thought. "It's all right. I... you were right to be
angry. I did a very foolish thing." He sighed. "I'm sorry I hurt you so
badly... sweetheart."

She stopped, and he noticed and stopped too. She smiled up at him, the
happy, loving smile he remembered from that little girl so many years
ago. She came over and wrapped her arms around him, though they didn't
reach very far. "I forgive you... Daddy."

She took his arm, and they walked the rest of the way home that way, she
carrying her briefcase, and he her violin.

As they turned in at the Tendous' gate, he spoke again. "I certainly
didn't expect a workout like that when I just came to meet your sensei!"
He laughed. "A quiet evening at home will be nice. I'll listen to you
practice your violin while Tendou and I play shogi." She nodded.

They stepped into the genkan, and took off their shoes as they called
out "Tadaima!" They stepped up, and walked into the living room...

Where Genma found himself staring at a razor-sharp steel point, an inch
from his nose. "O-kaeri nasai... Dear."

*****

End Chapter 8