Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Genmas Daughter ❯ 10 ( Chapter 9 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Imported From: RAAC
From: Deborah Goldsmith <dgoldsmith@mac.com>
Subject: [Ranma][FanFic] Genma's Daughter, Chapter 10: Ready or Not...

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

Genma's Daughter
Chapter 10: Ready or Not...

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

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

Trains clattered across the Ikebukuro line bridge every few minutes,
carrying the salarymen and O.L.'s who worked in downtown Tokyo back to
their homes. The sounds of traffic could be heard on the streets of
Fuurinkan-cho, and people bustled along the path that lined the canal,
hurrying on their late afternoon errands. Children were busy at play on
the large flat area on the opposite bank. The days were growing shorter,
though, and the sun was already close to the horizon.

Amongst all this bustle, no one paid much attention to the petite
redhead who sat by herself under the bridge, deep in thought.

Ranko shivered slightly. The temperature was starting to drop, and she
should be on her way soon. Her family was probably wondering where she
was. But she had felt the need to come to her favorite thinking place to
think about this latest development in her life.

Did she want to immerse herself in her violin the way she had in martial
arts? Did she want to be a top concert violinist, as Murata-sensei had
said she could be? Someone whose name appeared on concert programs the
world over? Did she still want to teach martial arts? She was enjoying
the variety in her life now; did she want to bring it to a single focus
again? The thought made her heart sink. But if she didn't, was she
running away from herself? From her gift? She shook her head. I... I
don't even know how to think about this... She folded her arms on her
raised knees, and lowered her head.

She was starting to think it was getting way too cold to stay when a
voice interrupted her reverie. "Excuse me, Miss, but can you tell me how
to get to Tokyo? I'm looking for the Tendou Dojo."

She raised her face to look, then smiled impishly. "Oh, I think I might
be able to help."

Ryouga looked surprised. "Ranko-san! What are you doing in Nagoya?"

She laughed. "Silly. This is the exact same place I was sitting the last
time, when you thought we were in Osaka!"

He looked around. Darned if the place didn't look a little familiar.

She stood up. "Come on. I was just headed home myself; it's getting too
chilly for me. I'll take you there."

"Th-thank you, Ranko-san." He followed her up the embankment, watching
her as her hair blew lightly in the breeze. Kami-sama, but she was
beautiful. He sighed. How was he going to get himself out of this latest
mess, and decide? The Kunou approach of pursuing them both clearly
didn't work...

He kept walking, lost in thought, until he heard a voice.
"Ryouga-kunnnn! This way!" He looked up; Ranko was walking in a
completely different direction than he had been. He walked over to meet
her.

She shook her head. "You know, you are really hopeless sometimes. Come
on." With that, she grabbed his hand, and pulled him behind her. Ryouga
hoped desperately that while holding his hand, she would not feel the
pounding of his heart.

Soon they arrived at the Tendou home, and Ranko released Ryouga's hand
and gently propelled him towards the front door. She made sure he was
still next to her, and slid it open. "Tadaima!"

Akane came down the hall. "O-kaeri. Where have you been? It's late...
Oh, Ryouga-kun. Have you come for a visit?" He gulped and nodded. Akane
smiled, and they proceeded down the hall, Ranko keeping on eye on Ryouga
to make sure he didn't get lost in a closet.

An idea was starting to form in her mind, to try to get Ryouga to be
more open about his feelings for Akane. She had to get him to be more
above board about it, instead of hiding as P-chan.

Kasumi appeared in the kitchen door. "Why, Ryouga-kun! What a nice
surprise! Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Ryouga smiled. "Yes, I'd like that."

Ranko looked around. "Where's Mother?"

"In here, dear." Nodoka was sitting in the living room, and they all
went to join her. Genma and Souun were at the shogi board.

"What took you so long, dear?"

Ranko dropped her eyes, embarrassed. "My lesson ran late, and... and I
went to the bridge to think for a bit."

Akane sat up. "Did something happen at your lesson?"

Ranko nodded. "My sensei's sensei came by to listen to me play. He's a
professor from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He
told me I was... was gifted, that I could become a top concert
violinist. He told me he wanted me to come study under him when I
graduate." Her face fell, as did Ryouga's jaw.

Nodoka and Akane looked at each other. "Why, that's wonderful, dear!
That is one of the top fine arts schools in the country; it's right near
Tokyo University. I've heard they graduate many fine musicians. It would
be a wonderful honor to attend. Why the long face?"

"Because to do that, I'd have to really work hard at it. Maybe as hard
as I did at martial arts, or more. I'd have to dedicate myself to the
violin. I just don't know if I ever want to spend that much time on one
thing again. I... I like having a real life, with friends, and other
interests." Genma grimaced, but said nothing.

"He said that was OK, that I could still be a violinist, or even just do
it as a hobby." She sighed. "I honestly don't know what I want. The idea
of developing my skill on the violin is exciting, but... but I just want
to be normal. I've had a weird life for so long, and I just want to be
*normal*." She paused for a long moment, overcome by the intensity of
her feelings.

"I don't know if I want to go to a special university for music
training, and travel all over the world the way he says." Her head
drooped. "They also gave me a really hard piece for the school talent
show. I don't know if I can do it."

Akane was worried. "Sis, this isn't like you. I've never seen you fail
at something you put your mind to. You're one of the most talented,
determined people I know."

Ranko smiled a sad smile. "That was Saotome Ranma, not Saotome Ranko."
She looked down again.

Ryouga felt something in his heart twist a little.

Akane shook her head, a little angry. "That's nonsense! I'm talking
about *you*. You can do it if you want; you've met every challenge that
was ever thrown at you. Because you didn't give up. And I know that
you're still that same person inside." She smiled. "I'm glad you're not
bragging all the time like you did when you were Ranma, but I hate to
see you losing your self-confidence this way. We both know you have
talent, in martial arts, and violin, and who knows what else?"

With some surprise, Ranko realized that Akane was right. Where *has* my
self-confidence gone? I... I haven't really had much since I became
Ranko again. Will I ever get it back? Well, she remembered one thing
from her worst martial arts challenges: never give up. Could she still
summon that iron will?

"You're right, Akane. I... it doesn't hurt to try. I'll give that piece
my best shot." They both smiled. "And I'll try to do what Professor
Murata said: just work on my violin for now, and enjoy it, without
worrying where I'm going with it."

Nodoka frowned; she was starting to get a true picture of just how badly
Genma's mistake had hurt their daughter. Ranko had seemed to recover
miraculously once she was a girl again, but Nodoka was starting to see
signs of longer-lasting damage. Pushed into a life she didn't want, the
way some girls get pushed into gymnastics or tennis, apparently she was
now wary of getting seriously involved with anything. Her
self-confidence seemed to be in tatters, too. Nodoka sighed, and hoped
that her daughter would get over it in time.

She turned to Ryouga. "And what brings you here, Ryouga-kun? Not an
attack this time, I hope?"

Ryouga had been totally focused on the talk about Ranko, and was taken
by surprise when the conversation turned to him. He blushed and nodded.
"No, Ma'am. Umm, I just wanted to... to drop off some o-miyage I picked
up." He reached into his pack, and drew out two boxes. "Candies from
Sapporo." Ranko brightened. This was a much better way for Ryouga to
express himself than by cuddling with Akane as P-chan. "I got one for
each of you," he said, and handed one box to Akane and one to Ranko.

Ranko was astonished. "For... for me?" Ryouga smiled and nodded.
"Th-thank you, Ryouga-kun." Akane chimed in her thanks as well. For some
reason, Ranko found she was blushing and having a hard time looking
Ryouga in the eye.

Kasumi popped her head out of the kitchen. "Dinner is just about ready,
everyone."

Nodoka flushed. "I am so sorry, dear, I had meant to come in earlier and
give you a hand, but I got distracted."

Kasumi shook her head, smiling. "Please don't worry about it, Auntie."
Nodoka went into the kitchen with Kasumi, and Ranko went upstairs to
change out of her uniform.

Soon they were called to the dinner table. It was a little crowded, but
Kasumi always seemed to know how to set a place for one more. Ryouga
enjoyed watching Akane and Ranko chat about their day and engage in
lighthearted banter. He smiled at the irony: six months ago, he would
have been furious at the same thing. He also couldn't help noticing the
coldness between Ranko's parents.

After dinner they were all seated in the living room, the fathers
returning to their shogi board. Ranko noticed the clock on an end table.
"Oh, it's late. I should go upstairs and practice." She smiled
apologetically at Ryouga. "I'm supposed to practice even on lesson
days." She turned to leave.

Ryouga blurted out, "Would you... would you mind practicing down here?
I... I haven't heard you play, and I'd like to."

Ranko looked at him, surprised. "Are you sure?" He nodded. She turned to
the others. "Is that OK, everyone? I don't want to disturb you."

Akane laughed. "Sis, your violin playing could never disturb anyone! Of
course it's OK."

Ranko nodded, and went upstairs to fetch her things. A few minutes
later, her music stand and her violin were ready, and she began.

Ryouga was impressed; she *was* good. Once again he wondered how this
girl could be Ranma, the boy he had thought obnoxious and without any
redeeming features. He watched closely as she played, her eyes often
closed, emotions flashing across her face in tune with the music. Her
delicate hands flew back and forth; her petite fingers danced on the
strings. She was so beautiful, and her face was so expressive... He was
lost in her playing, in her beautiful music, and in her heart, which was
plainly visible on her face.

None of the other women missed the way Ryouga was looking at Ranko.
Akane smiled to herself.

After playing through all her practice pieces, Ranko dropped the violin
from her chin, opened her eyes, and smiled. She never tired of this.

Ryouga just sat there with his jaw slightly open, gazing at her face,
until he shook himself and looked away, embarrassed.

"Sis, are you going to play that piece that Murata-sensei gave you?"

Ranko was aghast. "I haven't even tried it with my sensei yet! I won't
be able to play it right away. It'll sound terrible!"

Akane stood up and went over to hug her. "I think we can stand one
terrible piece out of all that beautiful music. I want to hear it now,
and I want to hear you work on it, and I want to hear it when you've got
it conquered." She smiled.

Ranko nodded uncertainly. "Well, I guess... I warn you, it won't be
pretty." She laughed. Akane sat down, and Ranko pulled out the sheet
music Murata-sensei had given her. She looked over the music doubtfully,
as if it were Akane's cooking, then sighed and raised her violin to her
chin.

She started to play, and winced as she tripped over the chords, stumbled
through the trills. She grit her teeth and tried to navigate through the
maze of notes, but it was devilishly hard. After a minute, she gave up,
exhausted. Her face fell. "I'll never be able to play this..."

Akane shook her head. "I'm sure you will. Just keep trying. It always
worked for you before."

Ranko was looking warily at the music. "I never tried to play something
like this on a violin before."

*****

"You're getting sloppy, girl!"

Ryouga watched as Ranko barely dodged a strike from her father. He
shifted uncomfortably on the mats; he had already seen her take several
hits this morning. He had stayed the night at the Tendou home, and when
he'd overheard Ranko and her father heading off to spar, he'd asked if
he could watch. Ranko had smiled and nodded.

Ryouga saw Genma execute a leg sweep, but Ranko seemed to have
anticipated it. She leapt over her father's head to avoid it, tapping
him lightly on the back of the head with a gentle kick as she flew by.
They grinned at each other; Genma had gotten the message.

"Good," was all he said, and nodded.

Ryouga smiled. Watching the two of them had been fascinating. What had
captured his attention was not so much the action -- that was tame
compared to the past -- but the way Ranko practiced the Art.

For the first time, he was understanding in a direct way that this girl
really was... Ranma. Even though she practiced the Art in a different
way now, even though she never hit her father hard enough to hurt him,
there was no mistaking who this was. He would recognize Ranma's style
anywhere; it was as distinctive as handwriting. This part of her was the
least changed, and the first he could recognize. But having recognized
one part...

He had heard Akane tell her that she was the same person inside,
something he had had trouble believing. But as he sat and watched her,
other parts of Ranma came to mind: his impish sense of humor, his
awkwardness, his kindness, his arrogance, his devotion to those he cared
for. Some facets of Ranma -- like the arrogance -- were gone now, and
previously hidden ones had appeared; still others were unchanged, but...
rearranged.

He shook his head. It was as if he were now seeing her clearly and
directly, where before he had seen her -- him -- reflected in a
distorted mirror. That earlier person had constantly made him angry;
now, she provoked very different feelings in him. Could it be that he
had glimpsed the truth in that distorted image, and that was what had
enraged him so? Was that why she had been able to fool him every time
she had posed as a girl? He'd probably never know, and it didn't matter;
all that mattered was here and now.

Ranko and her father finished and bowed to each other. "Thank you,
Father. One hour with you is like three with anyone else."

Genma laughed, and she stretched up on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek;
even so, he had to lean down a little. Ryouga watched as she picked up a
towel, blotted her face with it, and came over to talk to him. Genma
went out to clean up.

She smiled. "Ryouga-kun, I'm so glad you're still here. I was worried
you might... disappear last night." She looked a little embarrassed at
the observation. "I'd like to talk to you about..." she looked around
and lowered her voice, though they were alone "Akane." He blanched. "But
first, let me clean up. Don't wander off, OK? I'll be back in a little
while." He nodded, and she went off towards the house. He got up to
follow her in; he was damned if he was going to sit in the Dojo and wait
for her.

He was still trying to find the living room a half hour later when she
poked her head around a corner. "There you are! I was worried you had
managed to leave somehow." She was wearing slacks and a turtleneck
sweater; winter was not far off.

She looked around. "Maybe it's just as well. Why don't we... go for a
walk somewhere or something. I'd like to talk to you in private." He
gulped and nodded. "Follow me." Watching her carefully, he followed her
around the outside of the house, and they slipped out the front gate.

Ten minutes later they were sitting on a bench in the park. Surprisingly
for a chilly Saturday morning with a gray sky, the place was abustle
with activity; joggers, volleyball players, mothers chatting, their
children at play. For a few moments, Ranko idly watched two young
mothers on a nearby bench. Their children were on the neighboring
swings, and one of the women was obviously pregnant. Ranko smiled, and
mused about her future.

She broke out of her daydreams and turned her attention back to Ryouga.
"Ryouga-kun, I wanted to talk to you about Akane. I thought it was nice
of you to bring candy for her, and it got me thinking." She paused a
moment, to gather her thoughts. "If you have a girl you really care
about, you should tell her how you feel. At least, that's what I would
want if it were me."

Ryouga seemed very nervous for some reason. "Re-really?" he squeaked.

Ranko nodded. "I've watched you dance around Akane ever since you
arrived here. You've taken her out a few times, but you never told her
that you loved her."

Ryouga managed to smile. "Since you were there trying to break us up
every single time, I didn't have the chance."

She blushed and giggled. "You're right. I... I'm sorry about that..."

He shook his head. "It's all right. I understand; you didn't think I was
good enough for her."

She looked thoughtful. "You're probably right..."

He swallowed and regarded her nervously. "Wh-what do you think of me
now?"

She looked off towards the pond, and thought for a moment as she idly
searched for the ducks that had been there in the summer. "I... I still
don't like the whole P-chan routine. It's just wrong. Still... you've
been very sweet to both of us." She frowned. "I wonder sometimes why my
being a girl made such a big difference." She sighed. "You were always
so angry at me before."

He looked down, ashamed. "I... I know. I'm still trying to figure that
out myself. I... I'm not proud of it. I can't understand why you made me
so angry. I'm... sorry. Truly sorry. I wish I had been your friend
instead." He looked up; she was looking at him, her eyes probing. She
nodded. Neither of them said anything for a while.

Ranko spoke. "I... I think you're a nice guy. I always wanted to be your
friend, too, from the beginning. It was sad, the way we were always
fighting." She sighed. "Anyway, we were talking about Akane, not me."
She smiled. "I think you should tell her."

He bit his lip. "How can I do that?"

She puzzled that over for a moment. "Here, let's try a little acting."
She blushed. "Akane is much better at this than I am, but let's try
anyway. Now, I'll be Akane, and we'll try to coach you through this. OK?"

Ryouga paled. "Umm, all... all right."

"OK, let's start. You need to get her attention, to let her know you're
serious. Go ahead."

Ryouga turned bright red. "Uh.... uh... Akane-san, uhhh..."

Ranko shook her head. "I know it's hard, but you have to try to get your
nerves under control." Her face brightened as an idea came to her.
"You're a martial artist; I've seen you in some really hard battles. You
can keep your cool if you need to." Her gaze softened. "Ryouga-kun, she
might not reciprocate your feelings, but if you can't tell her, you'll
never know. Try to keep that in mind, OK?" He nodded. "Let's try again."

Ryouga was still nervous, but seemed to control himself. "A-Akane-san,
I... I... Ireallylikeyouwouldyougooutwithme?" He looked hopeful.

Ranko sighed in exasperation. "Ryouga-kun, you're talking to the girl
you love, not reading the legal disclaimer for a radio commercial." She
smiled. "You have to make that love come through, to let her hear it.
Focus on how you feel about her. Tell yourself, 'I love this girl and I
want her to know it!'"

Ryouga felt his heart twist again, a strange mixture of agony and bliss.
He looked down into her beautiful blue eyes as she smiled up at him,
friendship and warmth showing on her lovely face. He swallowed
nervously, and knew he should look away, but he simply could not take
his eyes off of hers. Her eyes... The eyes of the girl I... the girl I...

She grew uneasy at his stare, and her smile faded. "Ryo.. Ryouga-kun?"
she asked uncertainly.

Suddenly, from somewhere inside him, strength came, and his expression
grew determined. "Ranko-san, I... I care for you, a lot. I have for a
while now. Would you... would you be willing to go out with me?"

She nodded, beaming. "That was *wonderful*!" She giggled. "But you
forgot, you're talking to Akane. You said my name instead."

He shook his head firmly. "I didn't forget, and I'm not talking to
Akane-san. I'm talking to you, Ranko-san."

She laughed again, nervously. "Ryouga-kun, be serious. I'm trying to
help you."

"I am serious."

Ranko's face grew pale. "Wh-what?"

Ryouga felt a yawning, bottomless pit in his stomach, but plunged ahead.
He had no choice. "Ranko-san, I... I do care about you. I like
Akane-san, too, but... but over the last couple of months, as I've
gotten to know you better, I've found myself falling in love with you.
When I heard you playing your violin last night, I... I knew." He shook
his head. "You're the girl I love, Saotome Ranko-san, the girl I want to
tell. Not Akane-san or anyone else, you." His eyes pleaded. "Please give
me a chance."

Ranko's eyes were riveted on Ryouga's face, and she trembled. Oh...
Kami-sama... he... he's in love with me?! "But... but Ryouga-kun... why?
How?... You... you tried to kill me so many times!"

He turned crimson with shame, and hung his head. "I know."

"You sleep with Akane as P-chan!"

His head drooped a little further. "I know."

"You were so angry at me all the time! You hated me! How can you love me
now?"

His eyes came up and met hers, conviction in his gaze. "I have no idea.
But I do. I love you, Ranko-san." His voice dropped to a whisper.
"More... more than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone." She
gasped.

She felt blinded by the intensity of his feelings, as one is on a cloudy
day when the hidden sun unexpectedly breaks through in all its glory,
overpowering the eyes. The intensity of his love left her disoriented
and confused, lost. She had never, ever heard him talk about Akane like
this. She just stared at him, not having any idea how to respond.

Finally, she swallowed. "How could we possibly date after all we've been
through?"

"Because you haven't said the one and only thing that would make me give
up."

She stared at him, mystified. "What... what's that?"

"You haven't said you don't want to date me." There was desperate hope
in his eyes.

Ranko looked up into those eyes, surprised, and held his gaze for a long
time. She knew she had the power to break his heart in that very instant
if she so chose; it would take only one word from her. It was a power
she did not want.

She looked down and blushed. After a few moments, she looked up again,
and regarded him carefully. His face wasn't twisted in anger and hatred,
as it had been at the beach; instead, it held gentle warmth. For the
first time, she noticed that he had kind, soft brown eyes... eyes that,
at the moment, were filled with love for her. They almost made his words
unnecessary.

Oh, Kami-sama... am I ready for this? And with *Ryouga*? Why was she
even considering this? Why was this different from Hirota, whom she had
turned down? Hadn't Ryouga been just as mean in the past? A tiny voice
inside her said "No, angry, but not mean. I... I trust Ryouga..." Why
she trusted him, she didn't know, but she did.

His eyes grew mournful. "Please? Just... just try it, OK?" He steeled
himself. "If you don't like it, we... we can call it quits."

She looked into those mournful eyes for a few moments, then swallowed.
With his history of pursuing Akane, it must have taken a lot of courage
for him to tell her this. Her first date had to happen sooner or later,
and he clearly cared deeply for her. Why... why not? It was just a
date... "All... all right." She managed a tiny smile, while her heart
pounded.

His face lit up, and he grinned his fang-toothed grin. "Yatta!" He held
out his hand to her, and slowly, she lifted hers, hesitated for a long
moment, then put it in his. They both blushed. Ranko dropped her gaze,
but he could see the shy smile on her face. Ryouga felt something warm
growing in his heart.

"How about I take you to dinner and a movie tonight?"

Tonight?! He wants to go on a date tonight? Her head spun a little. She
couldn't really think of a good reason to say no. She blushed again, and
nodded, then looked up at him, a mischievous smile on her face and an
eyebrow raised. "You'll take me?"

He laughed. "All right, you can lead me there." She felt her humor
return, and laughed with him.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and they were pelted with a light drizzle.
It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough: Ranko found herself
holding a trotter. The redhead and the piglet looked at each other, and
sighed.

*****

"P-chan!"

Ranko stopped, the deer in headlights look on her face again. The whole
family turned to see what had caused Akane's exclamation. Ranko was
standing in the hallway, carrying P-chan towards the bath, a bundle of
clothing under her arm. She nervously looked back at everyone. Just her
luck; everyone was there, except Nabiki.

Akane stood up. "Where did you find him?"

Ranko stammered. "Uhh... I... I found him at the park..."

Akane looked confused. "What were you doing there?"

A voice behind Ranko said, "Oh, we just decided to go on a walk together
this morning. Isn't that right, Ranko?"

Ranko felt a shiver run up her spine; slowly, she turned around. Nabiki
was behind her, looking like the cat who ate the canary, her arms
folded. Ranko swallowed, and nodded. "Um, yes. Yes, that's right."

Akane came up to take P-chan, but stopped. "Why, look! He's being
perfectly nice to you. He's not trying to bite or scratch you at all. In
fact, he's being quite friendly." She smiled. "I guess he can tell now
what a nice person you are."

Ranko exchanged glances with P-chan; the piglet nodded, and Ranko
couldn't help blushing. "I guess so."

Akane giggled. "I'll let you two get acquainted, then." She turned and
went back to sit down.

Nabiki said drily, "Oh, I think they've already had a head start on
that." Suddenly, Genma and Souun lifted their heads from the shogi board
and stared. Ranko smiled nervously, and P-chan's eyes were wide.

The rest of the family went back to their activities. Ranko proceeded
down the hall to the bath, Nabiki right behind her. She could feel her
father's and Uncle Tendou's gazes boring into the middle of her back.

Ranko slid open the door to the bath, and placed the piglet and the
bundle of clothes inside. "I... I guess we need to talk. We'll wait out
here." He nodded, and she slid the door closed.

She turned back to Nabiki while they waited. "Oneechan, you... you saw?"

Nabiki smiled. Ranko wasn't quite sure whether it was a nice smile or
not. "Of course. Did you guys really think you could go sneaking around
without me knowing about it?" She tsked. "I'm disappointed."

Ranko swallowed. "What... what are you going to do?" Her face was pale.

Nabiki sighed. She could torment Ranma like this, but she just couldn't
do it to her little sister Ranko; she deserved better after all she had
been through. She dropped her poker face and put a hand on Ranko's
shoulder, a genuine smile on her face. "It's all right, kiddo. I just
want to talk to the two of you. *Especially* with him. You two don't
realize what a powder keg you're sitting on."

Ranko sighed, and nodded. The door slid open and Ryouga stood there, his
hair slightly damp. His face was grim.

Nabiki jerked her head towards the Dojo. "Come on." They meekly followed
her out, and the three of them were soon sitting on the floor in a
corner of the Dojo, close enough to the door to hear someone if they
were coming.

Nabiki turned to Ryouga. "You sleep in my little sister's bed." She said
it as if she were making an observation about the weather.

Ryouga flinched, and hung his head. "Yes."

"I didn't make a big deal out of it, because I knew you weren't going to
try anything, and you weren't making a serious effort to date her. It
didn't exactly give me a high opinion of you, though." Ryouga's face was
crimson. "But now, you want to date my little sister. My *other* little
sister. Now I *have* to care about it."

Ranko gasped. "O-oneechan?!" Nabiki was watching out for her?

Nabiki nodded. "That's right, I *am* your big sister. Not by blood, but
in every other way that counts. And I can't let you date this boy unless
we straighten this out."

She turned back to Ryouga. "Why should I let you date her after what
you've been doing with Akane? And what do you think is going to happen
if Akane finds out that Ranko knew about you? It would shatter the trust
between them." Ranko turned white and clapped a hand to her mouth; she
hadn't thought about that.

Ryouga was silent for a long, long time. "I can't think of a good reason
you should, except... except it's going to stop." He looked up, steel in
his eyes. "It's going to stop now. I swear it, on my honor as a martial
artist."

Nabiki nodded. "OK, that's a start. You guys are going to try dating.
Suppose you decide you're in love? Suppose you get married?" Ranko felt
dizzy. "One day, another girl you know throws herself at you. You know,
like Shampoo did. She's got it bad for you, and she's all over you. Are
you going to be weak, like you've been about P-chan?" Her eyes narrowed.
"Are you going to hurt Ranko? You're already going to have to hurt Akane
to put an end to P-chan."

Ryouga's voice was a hoarse whisper. "I know." He sighed. "I... I hope I
wouldn't be weak. All I can say is I've learned a lot from this. I won't
make the same mistake twice. I can't promise I won't make new mistakes."

Nabiki smiled. "Good. You're learning." She sat up straight. "All right,
I'll let you go ahead. You're on probation, Mister. I'll be watching
you. One false move, and you're pork roast." Ryouga gulped and nodded.
"Now, how are you going to get rid of P-chan?"

Ryouga and Ranko looked at each other. They looked back at Nabiki,
bewilderment on both their faces. She sighed. "I figured you wouldn't
have a clue. Let me work on it, OK?" She looked at Ryouga. "If Akane
corrals you into her bed before I can figure this out, I'll let it pass.
But this is the end of it, or you can forget about dating either of
them." He nodded.

Nabiki stood up, and Ranko and Ryouga followed. "Give me a few days. I
don't want to hurt Akane any more than I have to. That'll take some
planning."

Ranko spoke tentatively. "Oneechan?"

Nabiki smiled. "What?"

Ranko smiled back. "Thank you. For worrying about me. And Akane."
Suddenly, she threw her arms around Nabiki. "I'm glad you're our big
sister."

Nabiki, caught by surprise, slowly wrapped her arms around Ranko. She
could get used to this big sister stuff. Better not let her clientele
find out she had a soft spot, though. "Me too, kiddo, me too."

*****

"Mother?"

Nodoka looked up from the book she was reading. Ranko was standing in
front of her, and the Hibiki boy hovered a few steps behind her. Nodoka
smiled; she had a feeling she knew what her daughter was going to say.
"Yes, dear?"

Ranko cleared her throat, and looked intensely embarrassed. "I'm, ummm,
going... going... ummm, out. Tonight." She blushed bright red. Akane set
aside her magazine and listened.

Nodoka played dumb. "That's nice, dear. Are you going somewhere?"

Ranko lowered her eyes to stare at the floor. "I'm... I'm going on a
date."

All activity in the Tendou living room ceased. Both families turned
their attention to the Saotome daughter.

Nodoka smiled. "How wonderful, dear! And who asked you out?" She nodded
towards Ryouga. "Would it be Ryouga-kun here?" Ranko blushed again and
nodded, speechless.

Ryouga spoke up. "If... if that's all right with you, Saotome-san."

Nodoka's smile broadened. "Of course it is. You always struck me as a
well-brought-up young man. I'm sure you'll treat her very well." She
laughed. "Just don't attack her again!" Ryouga studied the floor. Would
she ever let him live that down?

Akane was excited and pleased. "Ranko, that's wonderful! I had a hunch
Ryouga-kun would ask you." Ryouga and Ranko blushed. "We'll have a blast
getting you ready!".

Genma was somewhat less enthusiastic. He and Souun were staring at
the... the c-couple, speechless. He thought he should say something, but
found he had nothing to say. He had known she was going to date
eventually, and he had thought he had come to terms with it... but the
cold reality was harder to digest than mere speculation. He looked on
silently.

Ranko smiled. "Thanks, Sis. I... I think I'll need some help in that
department."

Ryouga shook his head. "We're just going to dinner and a movie. You know
me; you don't need to dress up." He smiled.

Akane grinned. "She needs to get ready whether she dresses up or not."
Ryouga nodded uncertainly, not sure he understood.

*****

Ranko sat on her bed and watched with some anxiety as her mother and
Akane went through her closet, evaluating her wardrobe. She was glad
they had volunteered to help, because she most certainly would have
begged them to had they not. She sighed.

At the sound, Akane and Nodoka paused from their inventory, and turned
towards the bed. Ranko was fiddling nervously with the doll she'd
nicknamed "Ranma-chan". They looked at each other, then headed over to
sit on either side of her.

Akane took Ranko's hand. "How do you feel about this, Sis?"

Ranko grew pale. "To be honest? Terrified."

Akane shook her head. "You didn't have to accept, you know."

Ranko nodded. "I... I know. But he really cares for me, and... and I
want to try this. I don't know if I feel the same way about him, but
I've always liked him." She laughed. "Even when he was trying to kill
me."

"That's what dating is for, dear. To get to know the other person, to
see how you feel about them. If you don't like it, you can just break it
off."

Ranko nodded. "That's what he said." She managed a small smile. "I guess
I shouldn't be so scared."

Her mother nodded. "Just try to enjoy it, dear. Try to have fun."

Akane bit her lip. "Sis, you do realize you're supposed to give him a
little kiss at the end of a first date?"

Ranko nodded. "I... I know." She paled again. "I... I think I can handle
it. I want to try." She pursed her lips. "I need to know..."

Nodoka frowned. She hoped that Ranko wasn't pushing herself too hard.

Akane headed back to the closet and started looking again. "Let's see...
you're going casual, but what can we do?..."

*****

Ryouga sighed, and was just about ready to change channels on the TV
again in search of something worth watching, when he heard footsteps and
looked up. Ranko was coming down the stairs, a shy smile on her face,
followed by her mother and Akane, who both looked pleased. He stood up.

Ranko was dressed casually, in a long skirt and turtleneck, which showed
off her figure nicely. Her face had been made up, though it was so
subtle that he couldn't for the life of him figure out what was
different. All he knew was that she was stunning. He realized he was
staring at her, and dropped his eyes.

Ranko came up to him. "Are you ready?" Am *I* ready?

He looked up and nodded. "You look beautiful."

She blushed. "Thank you. Akane thinks I might learn to do it myself
eventually." She and Akane giggled.

He smiled, then fished in his pocket for a piece of paper. He handed it
to her. "Here's where we're going." He looked embarrassed.

She smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

He offered his arm, and after a moment's hesitation she took it. From
behind them they heard a call of "Hey, guys!" They turned around, and
blinked as the flash on Nabiki's camera went off. The photographer
grinned. "Ranko's first date. Definite scrapbook material." Ranko
blushed, and the rest of the family laughed, even her father and Uncle
Tendou.

They turned once again, and headed for the front door, Ranko tugging
slightly on Ryouga's arm every time he veered off course. To the
uninformed eye, it looked as if he were leading. They donned their
coats, and left.

*****

Ranko looked out over the restaurant from her vantage point near the
front door; the room was full. Not just with people, but a melange of
sounds. There was the clink of cutlery on plates, the buzz of many
conversations, the occasional pop of a bottle of wine being opened,
laughter of both genders. The waiters wove their way through the whole
scene with aplomb.

There were many couples scattered throughout the place, at various
levels of romantic involvement. Some were chatting casually; others were
oblivious to everything but each other. Ranko looked over the female
members of these twosomes, and felt somewhat overwhelmed at having
joined their ranks.

Tonight, she was someone's date. A boy's date. She wryly reflected that
Father hadn't included this kind of thing in her training. How remiss of
him.

Not just any boy, either. This boy was Hibiki Ryouga, who had somehow
managed to find his way all the way from "Prepare to die!" to "I love
you!" without getting lost once. It was quite possibly the most direct
route he'd ever traveled in his life.

Her musings were cut short by the Maitre d'. "Ma'am, Sir? Your table is
ready."

Ranko followed the man out onto the floor, Ryouga behind her; he was
close enough to be a little possessive. She wasn't sure how she felt
about that. They made a small procession through the dining room, as had
all the couples she had watched ahead of them in line. The pattern was
fixed: Maitre d', girl, boy.

They reached a cozy little table next to a potted plant, and the Maitre
d' held her chair out for her. Ranko sat down, arranging her skirt as
the man slid the chair forward under her. Ryouga was left to fend for
himself.

The Maitre d' departed, and a waitress took his place immediately. She
handed a menu first to Ranko, then to Ryouga, and Ranko had the odd
feeling she was participating in some age-old ritual, a ritual that
cemented her new role.

"I'll be back shortly to take your order," said the waitress. "By the
way, we have a very nice special tonight: pork sausage with lentils."

Ryouga's face turned pasty, and Ranko winced in sympathy. She turned to
the waitress. "It sounds delicious, but I'm afraid we don't eat pork."
Ryouga produced a tiny smile of gratitude.

The woman smiled, nodded, and left.

Ryouga still looked a little pale, and was staring at the entrance to
the kitchen. Ranko cleared her throat. "This place looks very nice.
Thank you." He was still staring at the kitchen. "Ummm, do you have any
recommendations?"

Ryouga wrenched his attention back to his dinner companion. "Huh? Oh,
ahh, not really. I've never been here; I just read a good review of it."
They both started reading the menu.

Ranko looked through the menu, and was relieved to see that pork was not
a heavily featured item. She sighed inwardly; dating him was obviously
going to mean giving up a couple of her favorite foods.

The waitress returned shortly, as promised, and took their orders. Soon
the two of them were left alone with no further distractions. Ranko's
hands fidgeted nervously in her lap.

Ryouga leaned forward, folding his arms on the table, and smiled. "Thank
you for going out with me tonight."

She blushed and dropped her eyes, then shook her head. "Thank you for
taking me out." She continued to blush, her gaze in her lap.
"Ryouga-kun?"

"Mmmm?"

She continued in a small voice. "I... I'm glad this happened. I've
always wanted to be friends with you, to get to know you better. But we
were always fighting so much. If nothing else, I'm... I'm glad we can be
friends now."

He said softly, "You're far more than just a friend to me, Ranko-san."
She blushed furiously. He continued, "But you're right. We were missing
out on something, before." He grinned. "It's never too late to get
started."

She looked up with a tentative smile. "So where shall we start? Martial
arts? Junior high? All the places you've been?"

He laughed. "I'd like to talk about all of those. But first, I want to
hear about your violin. Watching you play last night was what made me
realize that I loved you. You looked like you were born to play it, just
like you always looked like you were born to practice the Art." Almost
unconsciously, he reached a hand out across the table.

She regarded his hand for a long moment, then tentatively reached her
own across to take it. The intimacy tinged her cheeks pink. "It... it's
very special to me. I've always liked music, but I never dreamed I would
be able to do something like this. To be able to make music myself...
it's wonderful. It makes me very happy." She had a dreamy smile on her
face, but it faded. "I hope I can learn that Bach piece they gave me."
Her eyes fell.

Ryouga bit his lip; he still saw vulnerability in Ranko. It made him
want to protect her. Physically, she could easily handle that herself,
but emotionally she was as sensitive as most other girls; perhaps more
so. Her happiness, which he had once sworn to ruin, had become something
precious and fragile in his eyes. Perhaps because he finally understood
how little of it she'd had.

Maybe that's why he'd been able to overcome his shyness with her, the
shyness that had always stymied him with the opposite sex. For the first
time in his life, he'd wanted to make someone *else* happy. He'd never
felt that before.

She was still looking downcast. He squeezed her hand. "I'm sure you'll
do fine. I've never seen you fail to meet a challenge." Her smile
returned, peeking out like a timid animal.

As their waitress hurried past them on the way to take another order,
she glanced their way to make sure they didn't need her for anything.
She smiled as she saw them chatting quietly, holding hands and gazing at
each other.

She served a lot of couples in this job, and she knew a first date when
she saw one. The redhead and the boy with the bandanna seemed to be
progressing nicely. The matchmaker in her cheered them on.

*****

Several hours later, they stood once more outside the gates to the Dojo.
Ranko knew better than to say goodnight within view of the Tendou home.
She looked up at Ryouga, and smiled. "Thank you. I had a wonderful time.
The restaurant was very good, and I enjoyed the movie." She blushed.
"And you were good company."

He smiled. "I'm glad. I was pretty sure about the restaurant, but I
wasn't sure you'd like the movie."

She nodded, and they looked at each other again. Ranko's heart started
to pound, for she knew that this was the point where they would kiss.
She knew it would be a simple kiss, since Ryouga really was a gentleman
and this was a first date, but this was the very first time she was
going to kiss a boy (well, Sanzenin didn't really count -- he had been
molesting her).

She knew she was a girl, she was pretty sure she liked boys, but...
twelve years of thinking of herself as a boy made this... very
difficult. Could she forget her past well enough to kiss him? Could she
think of herself as a normal girl? Ryouga deserved a kiss that wasn't
half-hearted or uncomfortable.

He seemed to sense her struggle. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He
had no reservations: to him, she was a girl, end of story.

Ranko closed her eyes. A boy. I'm going to kiss a boy. Some small part
of her, left over from her previous existence, quailed at the thought.
Well, OK then, how about girls? The thought made her uneasy. But is that
how I really feel, or am I just afraid of being seen as a... a lesbian?
I shouldn't run away from it if that's what I am. Am I just lying to
myself? She tried to imagine pressing her lips against another girl's in
passion, pressing her body against... she couldn't even complete the
thought; a wave of revulsion rose up to engulf her. I... I don't *want*
to do that... I really don't... it feels so *wrong*.

She opened her eyes, and saw Ryouga's lips. She tried to stop *thinking*
so much, tried to put everything out of her mind but imagining her lips
touching his. *His* lips... a boy's lips... As she focused on that,
something warm stirred deep within her. She shifted her gaze to his soft
brown eyes. Never mind who I thought I was, how I was raised... how do I
feel about this now, at this moment. No thinking, just feeling! Do I
want to... yes. Yes, I do. Do I ever... As she gazed into his eyes, the
warm feeling inside of her continued to grow.

Ryouga was looking at her a little uncertainly. "Ranko-san?..."

She smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. I... I do want to. It's who I am now...
actually, it's who I always was. I... I want to..." She sighed. "It's
just a little hard to actually *do* it."

He shook his head. "We don't have to."

She shook hers, firmly. "Yes, we do. *I* want to. Just... give me a
moment." She closed her eyes. I'm a girl. I'm not a boy, I'm a girl.
And... and I *do* like boys. She tried to focus on the feelings he was
drawing out in her, the warmth she felt at the thought of... of sharing
herself with a boy. She opened her eyes and looked up, and focused on
those soft brown eyes, that handsome face, the gentle, fang-toothed
smile... "I'm... I'm ready."

Ryouga saw fear in her gaze, but he saw something else, too: she *did*
want this. He gently put his hands on her shoulders; she tensed
slightly, then relaxed. He smiled, a loving smile, not a lecherous one.
He leaned forward, and she did too, and their lips met, and slowly,
slowly, Ranko's arms went up around his neck, and his arms went around
her.

I'm... I'm kissing a boy. I'm really kissing a boy. How do I feel? The
warmth that spread throughout her was her answer: she felt *wonderful*.
After years of feeling uneasy about her sexuality, years of feeling
comfortable with neither girls nor boys, this felt undeniably *right*.
After a few moments more, they separated. She smiled up at him, and
tears started to fall from her eyes.

He frowned. "You're crying... What's wrong?"

She shook her head, smiling and crying at the same time. "Nothing's
wrong. I... for so long, I didn't feel like I could share something like
that with anyone. Boys felt wrong, but so did girls. I... I thought I
was going to spend the rest of my life alone. But... but now that I'm a
girl again, *something* finally feels *right*."

She sniffled, and her voice grew heavy with emotion. "I... I thought I
would never, ever feel what I felt when we kissed just now... I... I'm
really a girl... I really am..." She lost her voice, and threw herself
against him again, her arms wrapped tightly around him. He brought his
arms back up and held her gently, as she cried from relief, years of
fear and anxiety melting away.

He grinned. "You needed a kiss to tell you you were a girl? I could have
told you that." She nodded into his chest as she cried, but didn't say
anything.

After a while, she pulled away again, smiling. "Th-thank you. I... I
really enjoyed that. I was so scared I wouldn't." She blushed. "Thank
you."

He smiled. "I enjoyed it too." For a moment, they said nothing, and just
looked into each other's eyes.

Ryouga finally spoke. "I... I guess I should let you go inside, and get
going. I can't very well move in with the Tendous." He seemed to steel
himself. "Can I take you out again?"

She hesitated a moment, then nodded. A frown appeared on her face. "But
if you leave now, when will that happen?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon. I just know it." He
grinned his fang-toothed grin, and she smiled back; his fangs really
were kinda... cute. "See ya." He waved, and walked off, his happiness
showing in his stride.

Ranko watched him go until he was out of sight, then turned to go
inside. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she found herself facing
Nabiki.

"O-oneechan! What are you doing here?" Ranko tried to calm her pounding
heart.

Nabiki shook her head. "I told you. He's on probation. I wanted to make
sure he really was a gentleman, the way Akane is always saying." She
grinned. "He passed." And I got some pictures, too...

She looked over Ranko, who was still hyperventilating. "Sorry about
that, kiddo. Come on, let's go inside."

Inside, Ranko found the entire family looking at her expectantly as she
took her coat off. She tried hard not to laugh at the anxious expression
on her father's face.

"How was it, dear?"

Ranko smiled at her mother. "Very nice. I enjoyed myself. Ryouga was a
perfect gentleman." Akane smiled and nodded her head. "He asked me out
again... whenever he manages to show up again." She giggled.

Her father cleared his throat. "Did... did you..."

Ranko looked at him, confused. "Did I what?"

He swallowed. "You... you know..."

"Kiss him?" Her father nodded.

Ranko sighed. "Yes, Father. It's expected on a first date. Don't worry,
it wasn't steamy or anything." She fluttered her eyelashes and dropped
her voice into a sultry tone. "That's for next time..." Everyone laughed
as her father turned bright red.

After a round of congratulations, everyone turned back to what they had
been doing, or seemed to. Ranko noticed that Akane and her mother
quietly followed her up the stairs as she went to her room. She wasn't
surprised when they followed her in, and closed the door.

"Well?" asked Akane.

"Well what?"

"How was it? Really?"

Ranko looked confused. "Well, he took me to a nice restaurant, and a
good movie. We talked a lot. It was a wonderful evening." She smiled. "I
enjoyed all of it."

Akane smiled and nodded. "And what about the end?"

Ranko blushed and looked down. "The end?"

Akane sighed, went over to take Ranko by the hand, and led her to the
bed, where they sat down. "The end. Where he kissed you."

Ranko blushed again, and nodded. "I was really worried about that. After
twelve years as a boy, the idea of kissing a boy was... really hard for
me. I... I knew I didn't want to kiss girls, I knew I liked boys, but
I... I just didn't know if I could do it." She paused for a few moments.
"I wanted to try it, though. I tried as hard as I could to forget I had
been a boy, and then told him to go ahead."

"And?"

Ranko smiled sheepishly. "I... I guess I am a girl after all. I keep
surprising myself that way. I thought it would gross me out, I thought
it would feel like when Sanzenin kissed me, but it didn't, not at all.
It... it felt wonderful. I felt all warm inside. And I was so happy I
cried... finally, kissing someone felt *right*." She touched her lips,
and sighed. "He sure knows how to kiss, too... I didn't really want to
stop."

Nodoka and Akane laughed. Akane squeezed Ranko's hand. "That's
wonderful, Sis! I'm so glad this is working out for you." She reached
over and gave Ranko a hug.

Nodoka regarded her daughter carefully. "How do you feel about him,
dear?"

Ranko's face fell a little. "He's a really nice boy. I enjoyed the time
I spent with him tonight; he was fun to be with. He's handsome, and...
and a good kisser, too. But..."

Akane smiled sadly. "No fireworks, huh?" She had been hoping they would
click together.

Ranko sighed and shook her head. "No, I... I don't think so. I just
don't think I feel the same way about him that he seems to feel about
me. I mean, I like him, he's a wonderful friend, but..."

"Give it time, dear. Go on a few more dates. You might find that your
feelings for him will come out over time, and if that happens, you can
take it from there. If not, well, we don't usually find the love of our
life on our first date, and there are plenty more fish in the sea."

Ranko nodded. "I know. It's just painfully obvious how much he cares
about me, is all. I'm worried I'll hurt him."

Akane shook her head. "He's a big boy, Sis. He knows what dating is for.
Who knows, he might even find that he's not as head over heels as he
thinks."

Ranko wasn't sure whether she wished that would happen or not.

*****

Ranko knew something was up the moment she and Akane walked into their
homeroom Monday morning. A sizable fraction of the female eyes in the
room locked on to her, and followed her as she made her way to her seat.

Why are they looking at me? And why do they all have smug grins on
their... uh oh.

It all came out at lunch, and it didn't take long to spread around the
whole school. Ranko's friends commiserated with her as they ate in the
cafeteria.

Sayuri sighed. "It's your red hair and that bandanna he wears,
Ranko-chan. You guys are like celebrities. People recognize you
anywhere."

Yuka nodded. "Uchibara is such a gossip, and she didn't even see it
herself! Her brother mentioned he'd seen a Japanese girl with red hair,
because that's so unusual. She asked him what the girl looked like, and
when he said petite, pretty, and... uh, well, I won't give the whole
description, but she recognized it was you. Then, being nosy, she asked
what you were doing, and he said the girl had been on the arm of a
really muscular guy with a fang-toothed smile, wearing a bandanna, and
they'd been coming out of the same movie theater he'd gone to. That was
enough."

Ranko smiled and shook her head. "It's OK, I guess. It's not like I was
trying to keep it a secret."

Her friends looked at each other. "So... how was it?" asked Ukyou.

"Ucchan! We're in the cafeteria! It's not exactly the place for a
conversation like this."

Ukyou blinked and looked around. "I guess you're right... After school?"
Ranko nodded.

Later that afternoon, Ranko and her closest friends were all sitting in
her room at the Tendou home. She repeated the details she had shared
with Akane and her mother.

Shampoo sighed. "Who would guess he would be such a good kisser?"
Everyone giggled.

Sayuri said, "Ranko-chan, you say you're not sure about him?"

Ranko shook her head. "He's attractive and he's a good friend, and I
like him, and can he kiss, but... I don't know... I was expecting
something more. It just didn't feel like love." She looked around.
"Please don't pass this on, guys. I want to try dating him a bit more,
and who knows, it might work out. Also, if this got back to him, I know
he would be hurt." Ranko got earnest nods from her friends.

She sighed. "I don't know, maybe I shouldn't be so fussy..."

Yuka shook her head. "Ranko-chan, if you don't love him, it can't last.
That's the most important ingredient."

Ranko nodded. "I... I don't think I love him, but this is all so new to
me... I'm just not sure about anything."

Akane gave her a quick hug. "If you're not sure, Sis, then you're doing
the right thing, like your mom said. Go on a few more dates with him and
see how you feel." The others all nodded.

Ukyou grinned. "So, Ranchan, you've taken the next step. You've gone on
a date with a boy, you've kissed him. How do you feel about that?"

Ranko looked at the ceiling and thought. "I still have all this stuff
sitting in the back of my mind from being a boy. There's a part of me
that keeps expecting that I'll hate each new 'girl experience' when I
have it." She laughed. "So far, it hasn't happened. I'm starting to
learn to ignore that part of me." She smiled. "It feels wonderful.
Everything has felt wonderful. I'm... I'm glad I'm a girl." Akane and
Ranko looked at each other and smiled.

As the others watched her, her smile slowly disappeared and her face
clouded. Akane leaned forward and put a hand on Ranko's arm. "Sis?
What's wrong?"

Ranko bit her lip. "I haven't been through one yet, but I'm guessing
breakups don't feel wonderful." Her brow knit in worry.

She noticed that no one tried to contradict her.

*****

Ranko sighed in exasperation, and lowered her bow and violin.

Kobayakawa-sensei put her hand over her eyes and rubbed her forehead.
"Try it again."

Ranko drooped. "But Sensei... I've already tried it eight times! I... I
just don't think I can get this passage today."

Sensei knit her brow. "You should be able to do it. Some of the other
passages you've mastered are harder than this one."

Ranko bowed her head. "I know, but..."

Sensei thought for a moment. "Why don't we take a little break,
Ranko-chan? You've been working hard today. Let's just sit down for a
moment."

Ranko nodded, a little confused. "OK..."

They sat at adjacent desks in the music room. Ranko planted her elbows
on the worn wooden desk, put her chin on her hands, and sighed. Her face
was glum.

"What is it, Ranko-chan? What's wrong?"

"I... this piece is just so much harder than what we were doing before.
I feel like it's taking forever, like I'm never going to learn it."

Sensei looked at the calendar on the wall. "Ranko-chan, we've only got a
bit over three weeks left. I think you can master this, but you might
have to put more time into it." She thought. "Can you put in more than
20 minutes a day at home? Can we meet twice a week instead of once? I
think we can get you ready with a schedule like that."

A fearful look passed over Ranko's face. "I... I don't know Sensei.
Maybe..."

Sensei bit her lip. Through the student grapevine, through halting
conversations with Ranko herself, she had found out much of the history
of her star pupil. She knew she couldn't push Ranko into this; she was
terribly gun-shy from what her father had done to her. She was trying
her best to gently encourage the girl to apply herself, but it was
taking time. Ranko reminded her of her niece by marriage; the girl's
mother had pushed her unmercifully to develop her skill in figure
skating, until she had abruptly rebelled and turned her back on the
whole thing.

She sighed. "Ranko-chan, maybe... maybe we should give up on this, for
now, and work on it next term. Maybe you should play that Tchaikovsky
piece after all."

Ranko sat up a little. "Wh-what?"

Sensei placed her hand gently on Ranko's arm. "I'm not saying to give up
for good. But we've only got three weeks left, and we're running out of
time. There's always next term."

Ranko looked miserable. "I... maybe you're right..."

Sensei looked her over carefully. "Let's try this. Why don't you see how
much you can practice, and how much progress you can make by next week?
We'll evaluate things then. I'm sure you can easily be ready to play the
Tchaikovsky piece in two weeks, so if we have to give up on the Bach
then we won't be out of time. OK?"

Ranko nodded slowly. "O-OK..."

Ranko walked home slowly that day, feeling terrible. She had never had
to give up on something before; she had never been defeated. But she
just wasn't sure she had it in her. She didn't even want to go to the
bridge to think; she just wanted to be with her family, as soon as
possible.

She wasn't watching where she was going, and was startled when she felt
herself bump into someone. She straightened up and backed away as she
heard the cry of a baby, and looked up.

A young woman, who looked oddly familiar, was pulling her wailing infant
out of the baby carrier she was wearing and trying to placate it.
"There, there, there, it was just a little bump. There's no need to
cry..."

Ranko bowed deeply, mortified. "gomen nasai... please forgive me..."

Her head was still bowed as she heard the woman reply, "Oh, please,
there's no need for that! I remember doing the same thing myself." She
continued to jostle the infant in an attempt to quiet it down, as Ranko
straightened up.

The woman smiled. "Teenagers always seem to have a lot on their minds."
Ranko smiled back timidly, and wondered where she knew this woman from.

The woman lifted the infant up to her face. "Who's my baby? *You* are!"
She touched her nose to the infant's. "Who's my baby? *You* are!" she
repeated. After playing this game a couple of times, the baby started to
laugh, and her mother smiled back at her. Crisis under control.

She looked back at the petite redhead she had bumped into, and couldn't
help smiling. The girl was watching her and the baby intently, and had a
kind of slack-jawed, lovestruck look on her face. She tried hard not to
giggle; every time she went out with her baby, she got this kind of
reaction from junior high and high school girls. It was getting to be
rather predictable. Something else about this girl looked familiar,
though...

"Would you like to hold her? Her name is Miki."

Ranko's face lit up. "May I?" Miki's mother nodded, and Ranko put down
her briefcase and violin.

Ranko gingerly cradled the baby in her arms. "No, no, not like that. You
have to put your arm there, to support her head. Haven't you held a baby
before?" Ranko shook her head nervously.

Miki's mother was nonplussed. "How unusual, for a girl your age! Well,
there's a first time for everything."

Ranko looked down at Miki, who looked back up at her in a wary, owlish
way. Miki's eyes scanned her face intently, then suddenly, the infant's
face lit up in a huge smile. "Gaaaaaah!", she exclaimed happily.

Ranko felt her heart melt, and found her voice shifting into baby talk
without thinking. "Miki-chan... aren't *you* the cutest little thing!
Yes you are!" She touched a finger to Miki's nose, and the little girl
squealed with delight.

Miki's mother smiled at the show, then blinked as she took another,
closer look at the redhead. "Haven't we met before? You live with the
Tendou family, don't you? I think I ran into you at the park a few
months ago, when Miki was a newborn."

Inwardly, Noriko boggled. The girl was so different! She wouldn't have
recognized her at all except for the red hair and those startling blue
eyes. The girl seemed to be all of a piece now, harmonious, not an
enigmatic mosaic as she'd seemed before. The incongruous hints of
masculinity were gone. She wondered what had happened.

Ranko looked up, a huge smile on her face. "Yes, Ma'am, that was me."
She giggled. "I was wondering why you looked familiar!" She inclined her
head. "My name is Saotome Ranko."

Noriko looked confused. "That's... odd. I've heard the name, but I
thought it was Saotome Ranma, a boy..."

So did I. "No, Ma'am, I'm a girl."

"Obviously -- I'm sorry. I must have misunderstood Kasumi-san." The
woman inclined her head. "I'm Kobuchizawa Noriko, Ranko-chan." She
laughed. "You can come visit Miki if you like. She seems to like you."
Ranko smiled, and Noriko winked. "I can always use another babysitter."
They both laughed.

Ranko's gaze was drawn back to Miki by an "Eeeeeee?" She looked down to
find the little girl with a cross look on her face, which immediately
changed to a smile once she had Ranko's attention again.

Ranko laughed. "What, you have to be the center of attention?" The baby
gurgled happily. "I guess so."

She played with Miki for a few minutes more, until Noriko interrupted.
"Ranko-chan, I'm so sorry but I have to go prepare dinner." Ranko
reluctantly handed the baby back; Miki looked upset, but on seeing her
mother again was happy.

Noriko eyed the redhead. "You really can come visit, you know. You seem
like a very nice girl." She pulled a name card out of her purse, and
handed it to Ranko. "Here's my address. Fair's fair; I know where you
live, so now you know where I live. It's the big apartment building near
the park. Stop by some time; I'm sure Miki would be happy to see you."

Ranko smiled; a strange set of emotions swirled through her. "Th-thank
you, Kobuchizawa-san. I... I will." With a small bow, they were each on
their way. Ranko giggled as she heard another exclamation from Miki
drift down the street.

As she walked home, the smile on Ranko's face slowly faded away.

*****

End Chapter 10