Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ State of Mine ❯ First ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

State of Mine





Story: State of Mine

Storylink: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1798628/1/

Category: Ranma

Genre: Angst

Author: Shall-Iin

Authorlink: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/477239/

Last updated: 04/16/2005

Words: 54040

Rating: M

Status: Complete

Content: Chapter 1 to 18 of 18 chapters

Source: FanFiction.net



Summary: Why does Ranma act the way he does? Can anything be done to help him?





*Chapter 1*: State Ch1


Ranma sighed as he watched Akane talking with Kasumi in the kitchen. It hurt to know that they were still having problems. He had met her three years ago. They had been through a lot during those years. Lately, however, the pressure was getting to be worse than ever. Especially since Shampoo and Ukyo were no longer fiancee's and Kodachi was getting some much needed help at a hospital in the US.



Everyone was trying to pressure him into marrying her, including Akane. And while he did think he loved her, he was only 17 and didn't really understand what love was. He wanted to finish school and try once more to find a cure before he thought of getting married to her. He just couldn't make her understand. He wanted to be able to provide for his family. He did not want to be like his father and freeload off of his family and friends.



Reaching a decision, he leapt off the dojo roof to the back entrance of the Tendo home. He slid open the doors and stepped inside. He changed into his house slippers and padded silently towards the kitchen. Pausing, he listened for a break in the conversation before entering. ********************************************************************* "It's just so hard, Kasumi!" Akane stated, her spoon swirling around her ice cream. "I do love him, and want to marry him. But he keeps insulting me and I get mad, and we fight."



Kasumi held back a sigh, as she dipped some more ice cream into her own bowl from the carton. She had been listening to this, and comments like this from her youngest sister for years. At least now that most of Ranma's suitors were no longer in the running, they weren't as angry. Now, they were mostly filled with longing and sorrow. Though the anger did flash now and again when Akane learned that Ranma had spent a few hours with his "sister" Ukyo and "cousin" Shampoo. 'I really must thank Khu Lon for finally admitting her relationship to Nodoka's family. It has really freed up some time for me and money for the family.'



"Tell him that Akane." Kasumi glanced at the door behind Akane, noting that it was slightly open. The tail-end of a black braid stuck into the air, letting her know who was there.



"I don't know if I can." Akane whispered, dropping her head.



"Are you still worried about the other girls, Akane?"



"A little, I guess. Even though Shampoo is his cousin, it's not like it's close enough to really mater. People a lot closer related have been married in order to preserve bloodlines. And I know Ukyo is still trying to get him. She might act like a daughter and sister when Auntie is around, but when she isn't, she acts the same she used to, trying to seduce him."



Kasumi noticed that the pigtail shot straight back and hid a smile by taking a drink of her tea. "And this angers you?"



"Of course it does! Ranma is my fiance. I love him. I think he loves me. I just don't know. He still acts like he used to, denying everything. If even just once, he would thank me when I cook for him, or treat me like a martial artist and spar with me."



"Why do you think he doesn't spar with you?"



"Because he think's I'm not good enough. That I should just stop altogether. He's always saying how bad I am and how I'll never be good enough to really spar with him." Her spoon angrily churned the melting remnants of her comfort snack.



Kasumi sighed. "Akane, you have to accept that Ranma is better than you. He will always be better. Yes, he is rude and insensitive. But think, really think about how he was raised. He was raised by his father, a man who, let us be honest, is a crude and insensitive pig. He has no idea how to behave with others. His father taught him only how to fight. He forced Ranma to lie, cheat, and steal in order to get such basic things as food and shelter. He sold Ranma a dozen times over to satisfy momentary bouts of greeds. He told Ranma that showing his emotions made him weak and girly. He held that damned contract with Nodaka over Ranma's head, forcing Ranma to bury a part of himself, the part that allows a person to show their feelings and to understand them. In many ways, Ranma is still a child. He still needs to learn what it truly is to be a man, not the type of man his father tried to make him, or that his mother wants."



"What do you mean, Kasumi?"



"Genma tried to make Ranma into a warrior, not a man. Genma's idea of a man is tied entirely into his skill as a martial artist. He neglected Ranma's education and social development in order to make him a tool, a living weapon. Nodaka's idea of a man is just as skewed. Nodaka sees Ranma as little more than a tool to continue the family line. She may care for Ranma in some way, but she cares more for the continueation of the Saotome line than anything else. Nodaka would like nothing more than if Ranma was running around with all the girls who are after him, since that would give a greater chance of his producing heirs for the family."



"You mean she wants Ranma to chase after girls?" Akane asked, her temper starting to rise. "She wants him to . . . to . .. . do that with those tramps?"



"Yes. Ranma, however, does not see it that way. This is were what I mentioned about him still being partially a child comes in. Since he did not grow up around any females he does not know how to act around them. He was always told that girls are weak, emotional babies who weren't worth anything except to take care of the home and have babies. When he started to express his emotions, Genma would call him a weak little girl since that is the worst insult he knows.



"So Ranma started to surpress that part of himself. He concentrated only on his martial arts. And when he finally came to live here, surrounded by girls and women, he didn't know how to respond to them, so he was stuck. He treats you the way a very young boy treats all girls. He is rude and insulting because that is all he knows. Genma was always rude and degrading towards him, so he thinks that's how you treat people. When he insults your skills, he is trying to goad you into proving him wrong. He is trying to make you better.



"Whether he really knows and understands it or not, Ranma is very much in love with you. He has been for almost as long as he's known you. Think about the way he treats you and the way he treats the others. Yes he insults you and laughs at you, but he is polite to Ukyo since she was an old friend and tries to ignore Shampoo. Kodachi is insane and he always avoids her. Despite his superior skills he allows you to hit him constantly. He never strikes at you, under any circumstance."



"But he does that to everyone!" Akane stated angrily.



"Not the way he does to you, Akane. Ranma has, on occasion struck other girls, despite his claims to the contrary. It's you, that he has never struck."



Akane gripped her teacup tighter. "And what does that say about what he thinks of me? He thinks I'm not good enough to hit, even in sparring. How am I supposed to get better, if he refuses to teach me."



Kasumi put down her bowl. "Have you ever asked him to teach you, Akane? Or have you only tried to scream and hit him into fighting you? Ask him calmly, Akane, and I'm sure you'll be surprised by his reply. As I said, he thinks you're playing with him the way boys and girls do when they are young. Since you've never really asked him to teach you, only to hit you during a sparring session, it hasn't occured to him to actually volunteer to help you get better."



"Ranma still thinks like a little boy? Do you think. .. do you think there's something wrong with him?" Akane asked in a small voice. "You know, physically? Because he's hit in the head a lot even when it's not me."



Kasumi thought for a moment. "I don't know. But I would hate to say one way or the other without knowing more about some of Saotome-san's training. Given how quickly the rest of him heals I really don't want to guess. I suppose to really know, we'd have to get him to agree to some tests. I know of a few things that could affect him like that."



Ranma shoved open the door and stomped into the room. "There ain't nothing wrong with me and I ain't a little boy!"



"I am not saying you are not an excellent martial artist Ranma, and you are a fine specimen of manhood. I am simply saying that you are not able to think like a fully mature man."



"Huh? What's all that mean?" He asked, his anger vanishing in his confusion. Confusion was a state with which Ranma was very familiar.



"It means that when Shampoo would hug you and rub against you, or Kodachi ould expose herself to you you would not react physically the way a mature man would." Ranma still looked like he had no clue what she was saying, but Kasumi could see that Akane was catching on. She nodded at the questioning look that appeared on Akane's face. 'That's right, sister. Ranma does not react like any man or teen boy does.' She hid a grin by taking a sip of tea. Akane was just know getting what she had been trying to say for the last few minutes.



"It means that instead of being aroused when Shampoo or the others jump all over you, you freeze, not knowing what you're supposed to do but knowing that there is something you should be doing."



"What's aroused? Is it like angry? 'Cause I hate it when they grope me and grab me." Ranma was trully confused. He had heard the word before by some of the guys at school, but he had been too nervous to ask what they were talking about or what they were saying meant.



Kasumi couldn't help a small grin. "Well, sometime arousal can be related to anger but it's not the healthiest way to express either. Arousal is . . .well its a feeling and a physical state people get when you look at someone you really like and want to spend time with."



"So what you're saying is that even when I'm with someone I like, I don't get . . .aroused?" Ranma asked, his face still showing confusion and embarrassement. He had a hard time expressing himself in any way other than agression due to his father's training methods.



Kasumi gave a gentle smile. "That's right. And that's all I meant when I said you were still a boy. You treat people the way young children treat others that they like but don't understand how the feelings are different from the ones they have for parents or siblings."



Ranma frowned. He thought about hte conversation he had overhead, wondering what it all meant. He had a vague understanding of the differences between boys and girls, thanks to his curse. He had a vague notion that it took a man and a woman doing something together to make a baby, but he had never really understood what his friends were talking about when they whispered things in the locker rooms and hidden area's at school. He would play along, not wanting to stick out, and deny anything when they mentioned him and Akane or one of his other fiancee's even though he didn't understand what he was denying. He knew that it had something to do with being a pervert, but he couldn't understand what made something perverted.



"Could. . .could Akane be right? About me being hit in the head making me like this?" he asked. He knew that sometimes when he tried to think about things, his head hurt more than usual and his mind was pretty foggy. He had trouble concentrating on anything and that's why his mouth spouted off things he knew would end up with him getting smashed by Akane. The only time he really had a clear mind was when he was a girl. He gulped and continued. "I . .. have trouble thinkin'. It's like my mind is foggy. I can't stop myself sayin' things I don't wanna say. It's a little clearer and easier when I. . .. when I'm a girl." he finished in a whisper.



Akane felt her heart swell with conflicting emotions. She knew, more than anyone else, how much such an admission would cost her fiance. She reached out and hugged Ranma, who stiffened at her touch. She held him until he relaxed, slowly and fearfully placing his own arms around her.



"I'm sorry Ranma. I'm sorry I was so mean to you." she stated, holding her fiance tightly.



"Uh. .. you weren't ever mean to me, Akane." Ranma replied, looking over to Kasumi for help. She simply smiled at him through her watery eyes. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."



"No you're not, Ranma! You father did stupid things to you in the name of training, things that did something to your head. And since the day you've got here, I've been adding to the problem by hitting you everytime you said or did something I was scared of."



"Nothin' wrong with that, Akane. Pops always hitting me when I do something bad."



"That's not right, Ranma! It's not right to hit people because you're angry!" Akane stated, unconciously repeating what Kasumi had said to her sometime ago. "I've been mean to you. I had promised Kasumi that I would stop hitting people. .. that I would stop hitting you when I got angry. But I . .. couldn't stop either. I was just so scared of loosing you to one of those bimbos. They were always throwing themselves at you, touching like I wanted to but couldn't." Akane moved a bit away from Ranma, one hand reaching up to carress his handsome face. "I love you Ranma. I have for a long time. I just couldn't bring myself to tell you."



Ranma was in shock. He had known that Akane had cared for him, but he didn't know how. He wasn't sure what to say, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from Akane's eyes. "I ...I think I love you too, Akane, but I don't know nothin' about love. I . .. think maybe I should go and see the Doc. Maybe he can help?"



Kasumi smiled and finished her cup of tea. She had waited for some time for a moment like this. "I think that is an excellent idea, Ranma. He'll be able to get you tested in both forms without too much trouble."



"Huh? Why would I need to be tested in both forms?" he asked.



Kasumi lowered her smile a notch or two. "You did say that things were clearer when you are female, Ranma. By testing both forms, they might find out more quickly what is wrong, if anything. We don't know if something is really wrong, or if its just the way your father raised you, after all." She leaned back on her heels a little, nervous about his reaction to her next question.



"When you're a girl, aside from thinking more clearly, have you noticed anything else different between your reactions?"



Ranma frowned and subconciously squeezed Akane tighter. He wasn't sure exactly what Kasumi was asking, but he thought it might have to do with the feeling he got when he was around Akane and sometimes when the others would grope him. "Ah, I don't really know what you mean." he confessed. He looked at Akane to see if she had a clue about if Kasumi meant what he thought.



Akane was a little quicker at getting what Kasumi was asking and eased out of Ranma's arms, her cheeks blushing. "She means does your female body do anything you don't really understand."



Ranma's blushed soon matched hers. "I guess. Sometimes, when I look at you and you're smillin' and happy, I get this fluttery feeling in my stomach and I get this weird, wet feeling down there. And when you touch me, my boobs feel weird and the tips get hard and start poking into my shirt." He looked around guiltily before finishing in a whisper. "It feels kinda good."



Kasumi nodded as though she had expected him to say that. "That is arousal, Ranma. That feeling that you want to touch and be touched by someone, especially someone you care for. Your nipples getting hard are usually a sign of excitement, but it also happens when you get cold. The erm, the wet feeling is how a woman's body reacts to excitement. The more excited you get, the wetter you feel there." 'God, how did I get myself into this? Having to explain all this to Akane was bad enough, but now explaining it to Ranma with Akane right here?' she wondered to herself.



Ranma's scowled. "So I get aroused as a girl, but not a guy? How would I tell when I'm a guy?"



Kasumi giggled and Akane had to face away. "Believe me Ranma, you would notice if you were aroused as a man."



"uh, if you say so, I guess."



Akane had a question for him. "You said that when I touch you, your nipples get hard. Is it only me that you makes you feel that way?"



Ranma gulped. His danger sense had just spiked through the roof. Even he was able to see that this was a trap of some kind. "Yeah, mostly. Sometimes when the others do it, I'm thinking about you before they grab me."



"Even when the others are gropping you and rubbing against you and kissing you? You only react when you think of me?" Akane asked in disbelief.



Ranma reached up with his left hand to fiddle with his pigtail. "Uh, yeah. I hate it when they do that. It makes me feel like a toy or a piece of meat. I like it more when you hit me than when they grab me."



Akane started. "You like it when I hit you?" she asked.



Ranma shrugged. "Sure, a little I guess. I'd much rather have you hitting me with your mallet then have them grabbing me. You think Shampoo's bad when you're there, you should see what she does when she catches me alone."



Akane's anger started to reach critical. "What does that hussy do?"



"She's always grabbing my crotch and squeezing hard. It hurts a lot, but she just says that she'll make me be a man. She shoves her hands into my pants to grab me sometimes. I don't really understand why she grabs me there." He looked at them, a strange look crossing his face. "Is it because that's what changes when a guy gets aroused? Hiroshi and Daisuke are always shoving hentai pictures in my face and asking if I'd done whatever was in the pictures."



Kasumi reached out and placed a hand on her sister arm, restraining her from leaving to attack Shampoo for touching Ranma. "Yes Ranma. When a man is aroused, his asoko will get stiff and grow longer and wider." Seeing the questioning look on his face, Kasumi continued. "It gets like that so that it can be pushed into a woman's mizaki."



Ranma's face took on a green sheen. "Is that what all those perverts want to do to me? To Akane? They want to shove it inside us?"



Kasumi was blushing almost as furiously as Akane now. "Yes Ranma. That wet feeling you mentioned? That's how a woman's body gets ready to have an asoko pushed in. Otherwise, it's very painful for the woman."



Ranma looked disgusted. "But I don't get like that for anyone but Akane! And she doesn't have a ...a penis! So why do I get like that?"



Kasumi sighed. "It's a reaction to your feelings for someone, Ranma, not a statement that you want to have a man inside you. Just because your body reacts that way, doesn't mean that you neccessarily want a penis inside you, just that you want the person you love to touch you and bring you pleasure."



"Pleasure? But you just said that it hurts!"



Kasumi rubbed her eyes and looked at Akane to see if she would be of no help. Catching the look on her sister's face Kasumi realized that she was on her own.



"Ranma, it hurts if the woman isn't ready. She isn't ready if she isn't excited enough. Being excited means her body will produce a fluid, a lubricant, to make it easier for an asoko to slid in her. But it doesn't mean that a woman can't receive pleasure from something other than an asoko. In fact, most woman have a difficult time getting pleasure from penetrative sex." She held up a hand to forestall his questions. "That means that they while they might; I stress that they might, receive some pleasure from an asoko inside them, most woman can't orgasm from that alone. And before I explain what an orgasm is, I think we should stop this discussion until after you talk to Dr. Tofu. I think he'd be able to explain all this better than I have."



Ranma was confused but more than ready to end the weird conversation. He had come into the house to find Akane and explain that he didn't even like the other's who were always chasing him, and that while he thought he loved her, he didn't really know what love was. He was going to ask her if she could wait a little until he understood what love was before they tried any more weddings. Somehow, this had turned into a discussion regarding him being a child and then an explaination about sex, which he still had a hard time understanding despite Kasumi's explaination. "I guess that's a good idea. I need to think about all this." He realized that he was still holding Akane and that she hadn't bashed him and he let go, praying that she wouldn't hammer him.



Akane giggled at Ranma's reaction. "Don't worry, Ranma. I promise I'll try to control myself from bashing you. I was just so scared that you didn't care about me at all." She looked at him with her big smile and watery eyes, a combination that never failed to make him feel better.



Ranma fiddled with his pigtail. "Ah, do you want to go train some? I promise I'll try to hit you, but I won't hit you hard. You ain't Ryoga or Mousse. I don't want to hurt you by accident."



Akane's smile grew even bigger and Ranma felt a strange feeling in his chest. "Sure! I'll go get in a gi and meet you there." She stood and started out of the room, coming back a moment later and throwing her arms around his neck. She kissed him soundly. After a few breathless moments, she let go and ran up to her room, giggling all the way.



Ranma stared at the place she had just vacated, his hand coming up to his lips. 'Wow.' he thought to himself. 'I don't know what that was but I hope it happens again.'



Kasumi smiled happily at her soon to be brother. "Ranma, why don't you go to the dojo? I'll call Tofu-san and set up an appointment for you. Is tomorrow alright?"



Ranma's head snapped to face her. "Um, sure. Tomorrow's fine. After school or should we skip it?" He had a feeling that the tests would be long and boring and he wasn't really looking forward to them.



"I guess I'll try for after lunch. That way you and Akane can go to school in the morning at least." she answered as she stood and glidded over to the phone.



"Okay then. When Akane comes down, tell her I'm in the dojo." Ranma walked out of the room, his mind still puzzling together the odd discussion. Most of it was still beyond him, though he was clearer on some things then he had ever been before. Unfortunately, his new clarity simply served to make him more confused then ever.





*Chapter 2*: State Ch2


********************************************************************* As Akane hurried out the door to join her fiance in the dojo, Kasumi allowed her face to settle in a frown. She had always known that Genma had hidden the extent of his training from them, but from what Ranma was saying and from what he wasn't saying, they could have good cause to have Genma charged with a wide variety of crimes. The catfist training alone could land him in jail for child abuse. And she had noticed before how Ranma seemed a little slow to catch on to certain things and had problems understanding things that were not shown to him. She had simply thought that he was a visual learner, not someone who learned from having something explained to him.



Brief thoughts of taking her anger out on him herself passed through her mind but were swept away. She calmed herself and returned to her room. As she passed the living room, she heard the sounds of anger and violence eminating from the television and realized that her father and Genma were watching the new Jackie Chan movie. That would keep them amused for a while, she thought. She looked into the room and noticed a large bowl of popcorn on the table. Seeing that they would not need her for anything, she walked to her room and entered. She sat gently on the bed, leaning her back against the headboard. She grabbed one of her new textbooks from her night table, only noting as she opened it that it was a psycology book dealing with unusual sexual behaviour in bisexual teens. She giggled to herself at the appropriateness of the subject in regards to her sister and Ranma.



She read the index and skipped to the chapter dealing with repressed sexuality caused by injury or birth defect. While she doubted that Ranma had suffered any defects as he was an almost too healthy young man, Akane had made a point about all of the repetitive damage done to his head over the years. It wasn't that long ago that a blow to his head had convinced Ranma that he was really a girl who was cursed to turn into a boy. It had been a rough few days for them all, especially for Akane as she had to watch her fiance flirt with the various boys of their aquaintance. It was complicated even further in her sister's mind as she had to fight her hidden desire for Ranma's female form.



She read through the chapter, making mental notes of some of the passages. She heard the sounds of activity from the dojo and smiled. It was much too quiet for it to be an arguement between the two and definitely too quiet for it to be a visit from one of their so called friends. She frowned to herself again as she thought about Ranma. Sometimes he was too forgiving. He forgave everyone almost everything they did to him. She understood that he had had a lonely childhood and so clung to those few people who showed an interest in him, but there came a time when you had to draw a line and stand up for yourself. In her mind, the wedding disaster was that line, and she had started guiding Ranma in the direction she thought was best. She felt some guilt at her manipulation of events since his arrival, but she had felt the spark as Ranma and Akane's eyes met in the engawa. It had been an almost palpable connection that had only grown, despite both their efforts to run from it.



Instead of being a barrier that needed to be overcome she had seen immediately that Ranma's curse was a blessing for her little sister. Akane had always been a pretty child and as she grew, so did her beauty. This had resulted in the boys noticing her at a young age, and they had started to flirt with her. Friends she had trained with all her life were suddenly acting weird and refusing to spar with her. They started claiming that she shouldn't be fighting and telling her that instead of fighting with them, she should start going to movies and hanging out with them. This had angered her and she had demanded that they treat her as a martial artist. One of the older boys had then offered to spar with her, gaining glares from the other boys which he seemed to ignore. Akane had happily got into a stance, but the boy had other things on his mind.



As soon as the started, Akane found herself on the defensive. The older boy had several years of advanced training over her and took advantage of all the tricks. He soon had her pressed against the wall pinning her there. Akane struggled then called out the she conceded the match. Instead of releasing her, the boy had started to rub against her, his hands starting to fondle her body as the other boys started catcalling. If their father had not returned to the dojo when he did to find them, something very bad would have happened to Akane.



She retreated into herself for a while. Soun had injured the boys badly, and the boys parents had sought out a lawsuit of assault against him. The boys had claimed that Akane had led them on, telling them that she wanted to be treated that way. Luckily, Nabiki had already started recording the sessions in the dojo and despite the lawyers attempts to bar the film, it was brought into evidence. The older boy had been sentenced to 10 years for assault, attempted rape, and incitement to commit rape. A few months later, Kasumi had heard that the boy had been murdered in prison. Child molesters were the most hated people in the prison system as many of the repeat offenders were often the victims of such abuse as children. But even that was of no comfort for the damage to the Tendo-dojo's reputation had been done and within weeks, all the students had cancelled and otousan's fragile emotional structure shattered even further.



Eventually, Akane had returned to the world, but she was a different person. She was still as outgoing as ever but had become obsessed with becoming a better martial artist. While she was as friendly as always with the girls she knew, she was suspicious and resentfull of any boy who approached her. She soon earned a reputation as a boyhater and the spitefull boys she turned down started spreading rumors that she was a lesbian.



Once those started, even the girls had begun to tease her. Only her two closest friends had remained loyal to her through that time. And then that fateful day when the delusional Kuno made that idiotic and dangerous statement that only one who could defeat Akane in battle could date her. This incited the other boys into beginning the morning attacks. Akane had continued to get angrier and angrier and lost all trust and respect for boys. The only ones she didn't attack on general principal were their father and Dr. Tofu.



That had changed once Ranma had arrived. Though initially distrustful of him, Kasumi had quickly seen how gentle the young man was. She had noted that even Akane had soon started to trust him, even though she tried not too. While she couldn't point out a specific moment when either had realized that they loved the other, she had noted the slight change of behaviour each showed to the other.



Ranma's behaviour became more childlike, teasing and taunting Akane into attacking him. Akane on the other hand, started to be much more cautious, becoming nearly as agressive as she had been during the worst of the school attacks. She would jump at the chance to attack Ranma for the silliest of reasons. Neither was willing to admit how they felt to themselves, let alone to each other. An injury to his brain would be a valid explaination for Ranma's behaviour. That and the manner in which Genma trained him during the trip would result in Ranma being much less emotionally mature than others in his age group. And with his spotty attendance to school, it was truly astounding that he was able to keep pace with his peers.



He didn't get the best marks, but considering all the school he missed due to various trips to either rescue Akane or search for a cure it was shocking that he wasn't failing every course. He didn't like to brag, but she knew that he occassionaly flubbed tests in certain subjects because his father had taught him that it wasn't manly to get high marks. He was especially gifted at languages and he had actually helped her with her English pronunciation as well as her Spanish. She suspected that he also knew several Chinese dialects.



He might not be able to read too well, but his mind was like a steel trap. It was the reason he was so quick to pick up various martial arts moves. He only needed to see a move a few times before he was able to copy it. It took him doing it a bit but he would master it and often improve on it. No one who knew him could deny that he was an exceptional martial artist. He could take a move like the Hyrou Shoten Ha or the Shishi Hokodan and learn it as if it were a basic kata. Ryoga went through all kinds of pain to learn both the Bakusai Tenketsu and the Shishi Hokodan, yet Ranma learned the Moko Takabishu simply from observing Ryoga hitting him with the Roaring lion bullet. The same went with the Katsu Tenchan Amaguriken.



Once he found a medium his body could tolerate, he was able to learn the move in mere hours. She had later learned from Cologne, who would sometimes stop by for tea while the others were at school, that it usually took the best Amazon warriors several weeks to master the technique and few were able to gain the speed Ranma did or to be able to utilize the move in the many different ways Ranma could. She had even mentioned that no Amazon in centuries had been able to use the move to enhance the speed of their entire body the way Ranma did. He could use it to increase his running speed as well as his dodging.



This was part of the reason he was able to keep up as well as he did in school. He was almost preternaturally quick, even without the Amaguriken. This helped him to speed read and write, allowing him to spend less time on school work and more on training. Kasumi smiled and shook her head. She marked her place in the text and placed it carefully on the nightable. She glanced at the clock above her bed, noting that it was nearing 11:00 pm. Judging from the silence from the direction of the dojo, she guessed that Ranma and Akane had finished training for the day.



As she passed the living room, she noted that Ranma and Akane were sitting on the couch, watching the movie their fathers had been watching earlier. She was pleased to see that they were sitting closer than usual, Ranma's face glowing brightly red against the light coming from the screen. She decided to let them finish since it was rare that they had a chance to sit through one without interruption. She made her way to the kitchen, locking the door and making sure the window was latched.



From there she began her nightly round of locking up, making sure that all the entrances were locked and the windows on the lower floor closed. The locked doors and windows wouldn't stop any of Ranma's friends from paying a night time visit, but they would likely deter a real thief. And any thief who did enter the house with hostile intent would find themselves having bit off more than they could chew.



Ranma might allow his friends and rivals to enter as they wished, but since he had arrived in Nerima, the crime rates for theft, rape, and muggings had dropped to almost nothing. The Nerima Wrecking Crew, as they were often called, might cause more overt damage than a dozen thiefs or muggers, but they all, even Kodachi and Tatewaki, would put aside whatever schemes they were doing to educate criminals. It was one of the main reasons people put up with minor inconvieneces such as downed powerlines and cracked pavements from their battles. Nabiki and Kuno had set up a fund that would pay for most of the damages their battles caused.



Their presence, as well as Nabiki's manipulations also worked to keep the more serious dangers, such as the Yakuza and the Triads, from taking up business in Nerima. The Yakuza feared the public nature of the Wrecking crews battles and the Triads could not keep pace with their skill so they avoided Nerima and limited their activies in the surrounding districts. They had even gone so far as to make reparations to various families they had previously pressured using Nabiki as the go between. It was a task for which Nabiki was uniquely suited.



They all respected her and had indeed offered to hire her, but she had refused and though they were unaccustomed to being refused, they accepted hers without retalliation. Not even they were stupid enough to anger someone who could call to their aid martial artists powerful enough to lift and throw vans, uproot trees, and destroy foot thick cement walls with a light punch. Word was filtering through from reliable witnesses of the damage done at Jhusendo and how Ranma had destroyed the mountain. None of the underworld figures would risk the dangers involved in exposing themselves to that type of attack.



Nabiki had had the foresight to videotape many of Ranma and Ryouga's battles and they sold very well. They had even won some awards for the special effects. Even the videos of miscalleaneous battles, mostly Kuno and Mousse, with the occasional fiancee free for all sold well. Sometimes they were even more profitable than the images of Ranmachan in varying states of dress. She was receiving calls from American film producers and special effects companies who wanted her to put them in touch with those responsible. She was hedging her replies, stating that the people in question refused but that she was wearing them down.



It wasn't like she could just tell them the truth, they wouldn't believe her. In fact, she had told one famous director the truth and he had laughed in her face. Soon after, he released what he had hoped would be a defining moment in his career, only to have it barely break even at the box office, and rentals were near record lows for any of his previous films. He could not understand why it did so poorly and he simply could not believe that a highschool girl had the power to blackball his film in this manner.



In point of fact, Nabiki didn't have that much direct power- yet. She did, however know those who did have that power and she was able to manipulate them to do her bidding without too much trouble. It cost her a large sum of her savings, but she paid eagerly in order to avenge herself on the fool. She had first contacted those students at other schools with positions similar to her own, though none had as extensive and widespread an operation as she, and had them spread the word to boycott the movie.



As a result, nearly all the high school and college students avoided the film. This was a major blow as the movie had been primarily targetting for this demographic. Their negative comments affected their parents, who spoke poorly of the movie to friends, who then spread the word to other friends. After two weeks in theaters, the film had only made the equivilant of a million dollars. They had expected to make more than 50 million in the first weekend alone. By the time it was taken out of theaters after only 3 weeks, the film had lost over 90 million dollars. This was a severe blow to the one who laughed for he had financed a large percentage of the film with his own money. And that was simply in the Japanese market. It was nearly as big a failure in other Asian countries and all the way into America and Europe.



Finishing her nightly rounds, she silently moved through the darkness to her room. She took great pride in knowing the layout of the entire house well enough that she could move through it during the darkest night blindfolded and not bump into anything. She tested herself like this each night, stretching her senses and memory. She reached her room without incident in time to see a shadow pass by the window. She wished Ranma a silent good night and slid beneath the covers, secure in her safety and in the harmony of her family.





*Chapter 3*: State Ch3


********************************************************************* Ranma lay awake on his bedroll. It was a hot night and the guest room had seemed too stuffy with his idiot father sleeping in there. The fathers had gone out drinking that night, trying to hatch yet more plans to marry their recalciant children. Unable to sleep in the stifling heat, Ranma had grabbed his bedroll and hopped up to the roof. Not coincidentaly, he was now resting directly over Akane's room.



Not only was he over Akane's room, he was laying just to her left. Below him, Akane's sleeping mind sensed his presence at her side, and she had her arm and leg thrown over to her left. She cuddled a pillow and dreamed of a peaceful night with her pigtailed husband. Ranma often came up to the roof in order to sort his thoughts. He felt at ease up here. Almost peaceful. It was a place of refuge, like his spot under the bridge in the park, or in the bell tower at the school. They were places he could go to when his thoughts were more troubled than usual. And after last night's discussion he was having a great deal of trouble within his own mind.



'Are Kasumi and Akane right? Am I still just a little kid in my head? Did something happen to me that messed up my brain? I don't feel like anything is wrong. It's not my fault that I don't understand what people talk about when they don't say what they really mean. Pops didn't teach me nothing about any of that. He only showed me how to fight.'



His mind wandered to the subject that had him constantly baffled: Akane. When he had first met her she had seemed so kind and gentle. She had wanted to be his friend and they had a fun little match in the dojo. She had impressed him with her strength. At the time he hadn't known too many people who could punch through walls like she did. Then that incident later in the bath. She had walked in on him while he was stepping out and for the first time in his life, he was treated to a view of a naked girl.



He didn't include his own female body, since he was really a guy. But Akane . .. Akane was a GIRL! He hadn't and still didn't understand what he had felt and what he always felt when she was around. He only knew that he only felt it when she was near or when he thought about her. It was a very intense feeling that he had no words to describe. Maybe that was love? The need to know that she was okay, the insane desire to make her happy, the certainty that she was the most important person in his life? That she was his? Could that be love?



'I gotta stop thinkin' about this. Man, where's pigboy when you need him.' He cracked his knuckles and shifted slightly. He felt the ghost of a touch on his side and across his chest and legs. The feeling seemed to be without a source, yet it had a calming effect on him. He smiled gently and close his eyes, linking his hands behind his head. As he slowly drifted off into a peacefull slumber he could almost hear someone breathing softly next to him.



On the other side of the world, one Ryouga Hibiki was trudging through thick undergrowth of plantlife, none of which were familiar. He thought this strange since there was few redwoods in the Hokkaido area of Japan. Most of them were along the southern coast near Okanawa. Little did he know that every step he took brought him further from his homeland yet closer to his goal.





*Chapter 4*: State Ch4


********************************************************************* Akane woke feeling better than she had in weeks. Though little had been resolved, she knew she was a step closer to her goal. Ranma had admitted that he had some problems thinking and reacting like other boys his age should. This meant that he wasn't a pervert. It wasn't his fault that all those bimbos and sluts were throwing themselves at him. He couldn't help being so strong and handsome that a smile from him could make a girl leak from 50 feet away even when he was smiling in the other direction.



As she stretched her self, she noted a damp, sticky sensation and blushed in the faint light of her room. She rolled out of bed and quickly felt her sheets. She was ashamed at the pleasure she felt that she had not wet all the way through to the mattress. She still blushed when she remembered waking up the morning after a series of dreams caused her to drench her mattress so much that she had to wring it out like a pair of socks. She was glad no one knew about that. Her reactions to her dreams had gotten so bad for a while that she had started wearing two and even three pads to bed. They weren't all that comfortable, but she had not had to sleep on the floor because her bed was too soaked to sleep in.



She quickly removed her soiled pj's and undergarments. She discarded the pads into the trash bin near her desk. She savoured the feeling of air moving on her damp skin for a moment before wiping herself with a towel and patting her netherregions dry as best she could. She opened her drawer and noted she was low on clean panties. A feeling of mischief struck her and she grabbed the oldest pair. She had been wearing these that first morning at school and they were the first pair of hers that Ranma had seen. She finished dressing in her uniform, but as always stuffed a couple of extra pairs of panties and a bra into the bottom of her satchel. She checked her box of pads and the date and noted that she would need to pick up some more in the next few days. Her cycle was due to start soon and unlike her sisters, she absolutely would not use tampons. There were few things she ever considered placing in there and none of them were disposable by any stretch of the imagination.



She made her way to the table and sat to wait for the others. She could hear Kasumi humming as she brought out a few of the dishes for breakfast. She felt a twinge of envy at the casual display of mastery inherent in Kasumi's simplest dishes. She so wanted to be able to cook. She wanted to be able to do such a basic tenant of femininety and self reliance. She could not understand how her meals turned into such disasters. She decided to try and see if Ranma would be willing to help her with that when he started training her. She felt his presence behind her and smiled as he took his place next to her. Her smile fell as Nabiki wandered in, still in her nightwear, her tooth brush hanging out of one corner of her mouth and rubbing her eyes sleepily.



"Okay Kasumi, why'd you make me get up?" she asked as she took her seat across from Akane. She placed her toothbrush down next to her chopsticks, wondering what her sister wanted.



"If I hadn't you'd be late for school." Kasumi stated as she too sat at the table. She started serving the others, loading Ranma's plate higher than usual.



"We ain't gonna' wait for Pops and Tendo?" Ranma asked.



Kasumi brow quirked downward for a moment. "Not today. They are too exhausted from their excursions last night."



"Whmat exclkjeursion?" Ranma asked as he started shoveling food into his mouth.



Kasumi debated whether to tell them or not and decided that they needed to know. "They saw the two of you on the couch watching the movie last night." she admitted, finally serving a portion of the meal to her own plate. "They went to the bar after and returned late."



Ranma swallowed his mouthful. "So that's why the panda smelled like smoke. They went drinkin' and he must have been dunked in the beer, the smell is so bad."



Nabiki was not a morning person so it was with relief that Akane realized her sister had missed part of the dialogue going on around her. Otherwise, she would be pestering them about what the parents had seen that could possible encourage them that much.



"Have you had a chance to call for the appointment?" Ranma asked, stuffing another riceballs into his mouth.



"Oh, yes. I called right away. Dr. Tofu will be waiting at you at his clinic at noon and he will drive you into town to visit the specialist." Kasumi smiled, her own chopsticks lifting several grains of rice daintily into her mouth.



Nabiki did not miss this however. "Specialist? Why you going to a specialist Saotome? Having problems corraling the stallion?"



Akane glared at her sister while Ranma looked blank. Before Akane could retort, Kasumi spoke to forestall her outburst.



"It's not that kind of a specialist, Nabiki. Ranma's going to have a catscan and some xrays done. Since he doesn't know his way around Tokyo too well, Akane and Dr. Tofu are going with him."



"Why's he getting those done? Something wrong in the head?" Nabiki asked, the sleepyness fading as she sensed a chance to earn some yen.



"He's helping Dr. Tofu's colleague with a theory regarding martial artists and the way their brain waves and muscle density differ from those who are less active." Kasumi stated as she calmly took a sip of tea.



"You getting paid for this, Ranma?" Nabiki asked, a different set of yen going through her head.



"Naw, the doc asked and I said okay. Then the tomboy heard and asked if she could do it too. The doc said okay, and I thought it was a good idea. They need someone who isn't a true martial artist to test the stuff on before they test the real ones like me." Ranma stated, stuffing some rice into his mouth.



Akane was shocked to find that she felt no anger at her fiancee's casual cruelty. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him wink before stuffing his face. Then she remembered that she should be angry or Nabiki might get suspicious. She gathered the little anger she felt and reacted.



"RRRAAANMA! NNOOO! BAAKAAA!" she yelled as she pulled out a mallet and bashed her fiancee into the ground. She then took a stance over him and checked the directions. "FORE!" she cried out as she swung. She watched as he flew through the air out the doors of the engawa and into the distance. If she judged it right, he'd land near his favorite bridge. She posed for a moment as she watched him. She could just make out that he had managed to hold onto his plate and was calmly eating the rest of his breakfast as he flew towards what would be a lethal landing for anyone of lesser talents.



Nabiki clapped sardonically. "Way to go sis. You should think about trying out of the LPGA. That must have been a 600yd drive. Just imagine what you'd do with a ball that only weighed as much as Ranma's brain."



Akane sighed and put away her mallet. At least the bridge was in the same direction as the school, though not the same way they usually took to get there. "I don't think so, Nabiki. I can't putt very well, and I tend to slice a little to the right. I might hit the greens in 1 stroke on the long holes, but I'd do horribly on Par 3's or any of the shorter courses." She finished the last of her rice and grinned sunnily. "Besides, I prefer baseball."





*Chapter 5*: State Ch5


*********************************************************************



Ranma was waiting for them when they reached the corner to the path up to the school. His clothes had dried a little, but his red hair was still damp. He had untied it to wring it out while waiting and absently tied it into a loose ponytail, instead of his usual tight pigtail. Akane was only mildly surprised to see that Ranma had remained in his female form, instead of stopping by the clinic for one of the several kettles Dr. Tofu kept on the small stove of his kitchen. Though he lived above the clinic in a full apartment larger than what many could afford, he prefered cooking in the small kitchen of the clinic. It allowed him to be more readily available in case of emergencies since the kitchen in the clinic was a sealed room with a separate sprinkler system in case of fire while the apartment above had no such system as of yet.



Akane discretely studied her currently female fiancee. She was again surprised by the intensity of her reactions towards the other girl. Before Ranma, she had only had a very mild curiosity about other girls, but with Ranma's arrival, she was as attractive to Akane as Ranma's very masculine male form. The soft curves and musculature of Ranma's form were endlessly fascinating to her and she hoped to one day be able to explore both of Ranma's forms freely. But until that day, she had to control herself, and remember that there was a chance of some type of problem with Ranma, though she didn't see what could have hurt him so badly as to cause a permanent injury in the fast healing youth. She had seen Ranma heal from broken bones and cuts that would cripple anyone else in the time it would take a normal person to heal from a papercut.



As they passed through the gates of the school, Akane absentmindedly jabbed to her left, sending the charging Tatewaki Kuno flying to slam once again into the brick wall. It had become so ingrained in them all, that conciously, she noted nothing of the incident, from Kuno's charge, to her own punch or the racket Kuno made when he impacted into the wall. The only one to notice at all, was the groundskeeper, who once again took out his frustration on the inept kendoist with a few swift kicks and slams of a rake to the youth's kidneys. This too was so common, no one noticed anything about it.



Once inside the grounds the three split up, Nabiki sauntering to her cohorts who waited impatiently for her. Akane joined her friends by the doors, joining the conversation about the new clothing store with a last glance at her fiancee. Ranma joined a group of boys who were tossing a ball around. No one gave any indication of noticing Ranma's current female state. Occassionaly, a boy would glance down to stare at Ranma's impressive chest, but for the most part, they treated the red head as one of their own. Many had had to learn the hard way that Ranma had no interest in them simply because he was physically a girl.



The morning passed quickly, Ranma sleeping through the courses while Akane struggled to keep from bashing him for doing so. The only sore spot was Ukyo, who kept trying to monopolize Ranma during the short breaks between classes. Ranma slept through the chefs repeated attempts to waken him, even when she poured some heated water over him, changing him back to his male form. Seeing that it wasn't working, she stared angrily at Akane muttering threats under her breath. Akane ignored her, more interested in finishing the morning classes and the appointments for the afternoon.



Finally the final morning class ended and she packed up her books. Ukyo had again gone to try and wake Ranma, with no success. That was mildly surprising to Akane, for she was sure that Ranma's stomach would wake him for lunch at least. But Ranma slept on and Ukyo, with a final hate filled glare at Akane, stormed out of the room, fingering a sharpened throwing spatula. Akane waited until the class was empty before going over to her sleeping fiance. She picked up his book bag and started to the door.



"Everyone's gone, Ranma, you can stop faking now." she said over her shoulder.



Ranma's head raised sleepily from the desk to glance around the room. Seeing no one, his expression went from one of drowsiness to one of alertness. He silently stood and moved to stand behind Akane, grabbing the bag she held out for him. "How'd ya' know?" he asked as they started walking through the deserted halls.



Akane giggled, causing Ranma's heart to give a little flip like it always did when she was happy. "I know you better than anyone else, Ranma. I saw how your eyes were slightly open while you were snoring away. You have a completely different snore when you're really sleeping. It's softer and not as gross sounding. When you're faking, it sounds like you're about to hack something up any second."



Ranma frowned a little. 'When did Akane ever spend enough time studying me to notice that?' he thought to himself. Aloud, he changed the subject. "So do we eat first or go to the clinic?"



Akane giggled again, noting Ranma's attempt to change the subject. "We go to the clinic. You might not have noticed this morning, but we don't have bento's. After your appointments, we're going to eat in the city. Depending on how long it takes, we might even have time to see a movie before Dr. Tofu brings us home."



"That's fine by me, as long as it isn't one of those silly American romantic comedy's you like so much. I'd rather see a bad chinese martial arts movie than one of those." Ranma comlained halfheartidly.



Akane grinned. "I'm sure we'll find something, Ranma." she was much more woried about what the tests might show than she was letting on. She didn't want there to be something wrong with Ranma. She loved him too much to hope that he was injured in any way. She just prayed that if the doctor's did find something, that it wasn't too serious and that it wouldn't take a major operation. She still vaguely recalled seeing her mother in a recovery room after her surgery. Her mother had never returned home, even after two more surgeries. She had hated hospitals ever since.



They walked in silence, Akane carrying both sets of bags. Ranma's eyes were constantly scanning the area around them, on guard against any attack. He had not allowed Shampoo to grope him since the bombed wedding and he didn't want to risk her sneaking up on him. Mousse had also been absent since the wedding. In fact, now that he thought of it, he hadn't really seen much of any of the suitors, save the Kunos. He was ignoring Ukyo at school, reasoning that that would be a more effective punishment for her part in the whole mess than a tongue lashing or fight.



They reached the clinic with no incidents, though they did pass a few of Akane's friend who were playing hookey from school. They had spoken for a few minutes, while Ranma leapt to the top of a fence and panned the horizon. He had heard several bike bells, but none had been from Shampoo's delivery bike. The only sighting of her he'd had was seeing her riding along the rooftops several blocks away in the direction of the school. Judging from the direction she was coming from, he guessed that she must have had a delivery on the far side of town. He was thankfull for that for today was not a day he wished to have anything to do with any of the fools chasing him. He wanted to be in good shape for the tests, since Akane had told him that they'd be taking pictures of his bones and insides.



They entered the clinic to find the waiting room empty. A sign hung on the door stating that the afternoon and evening appointments were moved to the next day due to family obligations. Ranma chuckled at that, seeing that in a very real way, Tofu was indeed a member of the Tendo family. If he could ever get the courage to ask Kasumi out, anyway.



"Hey doc? You here?" he called out as Akane nervously took a seat in a chair. He watched as she grabbed a pamphlet from the little rack, blushing at the subject. 'So you're having your first period: Myth's and Facts about puberty in the teenage girl.' God, who writes these things? he thought to himself, turning to face the door leading to the back.



Dr. Tofu walked out of the back, a smile on his face as he calmly wiped his hands on a towel. "Sorry for the little delay, you two, but I have a patient who broke a leg this morning. I had to set the bone before putting on the cast, and then I had to clean up after they left. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be ready to go." So saying, the mild-mannered doctor returned to the back to finish changing out of his gown and into a somewhat casual suit of dress pants and a loose, silk shirt. He returned about five minutes later, and silently studied his two favorite patients as they fiddled about his waiting room.



He had known Akane Tendo for nearly 12 years. Her family had been among the first he was introduced by the doctor who used to run this clinic when he first finished his medical training. He had known that they had been chosen as his first patients for a reason, though it wasn't until later that he had heard tales of Soun Tendo's position in the community. The Tendo's had lived in Nerima for many generations. They served the unofficial role of councillors for the community, solving disputes among their neighbors that might otherwise had led to physical conflict and government interference in their lives.



Soun's wife, Kimiko, had been a beautiful and kind woman. She had also been a shrewd businesswoman and an excellent martial artist. Whenever someone in the community had financial problems or needed legal advice, they went first to Kimiko Tendo. She was a softspoken woman, who could hold her own in discussions with even the most pigheaded Japanese man. In a time when woman were still looked at as second class citizens, she had graduated college with degrees in both law and business. She came from a moderatly wealthy family, who had selected Soun as her husband due to his martial prowess and a rather substantial income of his own as a member of a covert government squad, along with his lifelong friend and training partner, Genma Saotome. The Tendo's had been proud to accept Soun into their clan, though it meant associating themselves with Genma.



Tofu could easily see Kimiko reflected in each of her daughters. Kasumi had the same gentle exterior and iron core of her mother. She had rapidly filled the void left in the community by Kimiko's death. She was more interested in the medical arts than the study of law, something which Tofu attributed to his own influence on a young girl thrust into adulthood before her time. She was the one people sought to settle their disputes or to receive advise on a variety of matters. While a decent haggler and good with bargains, she knew her limits- When people needed advice on financial matters, she quickly directed them to Nabiki.



Nabiki was what could only be described as a financial phenom. She dealt with money and the making of money as easily as a musical prodigy could play the piano or a star athlete could play their position. She had a mind like a steel trap. She could remember practically everything she heard or read and recite it verbatim to anyone she encountered. She had taken over the financial aspects of the Tendo household, increasing them to a substanctial amount. She hid the Tendo wealth, not wishing to be like the other wealthy youths she knew.



She saw the dangers in allowing yourself to give in to greed. Though she often seemed greedy to her colleagues, she kept very little of the profits her various enterprises made. She took most of the money and reinvested in various projects, including real estate and construction companies. This only served to further increase the Tendo clan's wealth. She had set up accounts that would allow her and her sisters to live in perpetuity for the remainder of their lives and the lives of any children they might have. Only Kasumi knew of the true extent of the Tendo's wealth, a wealth made only greater by their love and genuine affection for each other. It was often said, in some circle's, that the family would have vanished with Kimiko's deaths if it wasn't for the strengths of the elder two Tendo girls.



In Akane, he saw the side he had least seen in Kimiko. He had never known her to be angry himself, though he had treated several injuries people proudly acreditted to her in his first few months in Nerima. She was a diplomat, someone who solved problems. If people didn't like her solutions, they sometimes tried to bully her into their side, but they soon learned that it was folly to try and intimidate a daughter of a samurai clan. Her family had been martial artists and samurai for as far back as they could trace, and they had chosen her a husband who could match her skill. She had a temper, unlike her eldest daughter, and unlike her middle daughter, she often allowed her emotions to control her actions, keeping favorite stocks or investments past their peak values.



This trait of loyalty and emotionality was passed to her youngest daughter. Akane had inherited her mothers quick temper and easygoing nature. These two traits seemed at odds, but they served to control each other quick well. Akane might get angry quickly and lash out at those who angered her, as she did with Ranma so often, yet she almost never held any real grudges. There were a few obvious exceptions, such as Kodachi and Shampoo, but given that those two had several times sought to kill her or maim her in some way, that was understandable.



Together, her daughters had continued to live as Kimiko had wished them too. At their own pace and to live the life they chose, not one forced on them by society.



"So let's get going." he stated, causing Ranma to spin in place, fists clenched and Akane to drop the pamphlet she was reading and stand up.





*Chapter 6*: State Ch6


*********************************************************************



The ride to the medical center was silent. Ranma had a few appointments to attend, including his first gynecological exam. When Dr. Tofu explained what that would entail, Ranma had flatly refused to have anything to do with it. Akane had splashed him with some cold water from a bottle she was carrying, and asked him in her sweetest tones to do this for her, if not for his own concerns. Ranma melted and agreed, but only on the condition that the doctor who would be examining his female form was a woman.



He stated with intent for bodily harm that no man would ever see or touch him in those ways. Akane giggled at that and gave her heartfelt agreement, stating that she was angry enough about having to let the doctor examine her fiancee before she had a chance to. This caused Tofu to chuckle and Akane to blush as red as Ranma's hair. She had forgotten that the older man could hear everything she and Ranma were discussing from their seats in the back of the car. Ranma's face had also matched hers, though Ranma was only dimly aware of the sensitivety of the subject matter.



Ranma stared pensively out the window as they drove along the streets that lead from Nerima to the downtown section of Tokyo. Traffic was relatively light, as most people were either still at work or already done their business in town and headed for the saftey of the suburbs. Akane was discreetly studying Ranma's profile, trying to figure out what the sometimes girl was thinking. She suspected it had a great deal to do with the upcoming exams. She knew how private a person Ranma was, and this exam was likely one of his most frequent nightmares. He would be laid bare for someone to study, at his most vulnerable in a form he often hated and didn't understand. The doctor would be probing his most private of places, verifying that Ranma was, despite his frequent protests, all girl while under the curse.



His mind might not change, he might not be a girl in the ways people thought of girls as being, he was totally female, with all the resultant physical reactions, concerns, and potential problems that men didn't need to worry over. It would be the ultimate blow to his male selfimage for there would be no way, after the exam, that he could deny being female, if not exactly a girl, he was no longer just a man. He was somewhere between the two and Ranma's education by his father didn't really allow for what he now was. In his view, you were one or the either, and only being a man mattered. Woman were there to have children and didn't matter beyond that.



She would do her best to ensure that his father's idiocy would no longer endanger the man she loved. She could admit it know, even without the tests proving her theory. She remembered Ranma's words concerning the more emotionally advanced nature of his female form and while she didn't understand the full science behind it, looking back, she could see how Ranma had treated her differently in each of his forms. Like Kasumi had pointed out to her, his male form reacted much like a young boy did to a girl he liked. He didn't know how to react to the feelings, so he acted against the cause.



His female form acted like a girl in the throes of her first crush, alternating between aggressive affection with loud denials of those same affections and awkward shyness. She was extremely jealous regarding Akane's attention, attacking any man, and a number of girls, who showed interest in the young woman. Ranma had been raised in an emotional void, having been denied anything resembling affection or praise. Genma had belittled Ranma throughout his childhood, only the occassional grunt and scant words of 'Good job' or 'About time' to acknowledge his son's mastery of new skills and techniques. He ignored the immense level of dedication and skill in his son as being due solely to his own talents.



Akane had already decided that what ever else happened because of these tests, she would do everything in her power to make sure Ranma was aware of the pride she felt at being his fiancee. Of how glad she was to have had him enter her life. And she would under no circumstance hide her true feelings for him, no matter what his form. Steeling herself against a possible rejection, she reached over and pulled Ranma against her side, holding the startled girl lightly within her arms. She let out a pleased sigh as Ranma's slim, powerful arms wrapped around her waist. She glared into the rearview mirror at Tofu, daring him to say anything. The older man smiled at them as he maneuvered the compact car through the lanes of traffic with a skill of a true artist.



"Everything will be fine, Ranma. I don't know what- if anything- the doctors will find but I want you to know that I will always be here for you. No matter what, I will love you. Because I do love you Ranma. I may not have shown you before, but I want you to know that I don't care what others think. Guy, girl, whatever. It doesn't matter to me. I love you. I know you don't really understand how you feel, but I hope that someday, you'll feel for me what I feel for you. I'm ready to wait until you can Ranma. Until you're truly ready, I'm willing to be whatever you want and need me to be. Friend, Fiancee, wife, sparring partner. I'll always be here for you." She stroked Ranma's hair, enjoying the way Ranma felt in her arms.



Ranma sniffed a little, touched deeply by Akane's words. She had always cared for Akane's opinion of her, though her male side wasn't as clear as her female side. She could feel the way her thoughts and emotions cleared and strengthened during the change and had feared what it had meant. Now, Akane had offered her a chance to prove that it was an outside condition that resulted in his immature behaviour. She felt content to relax in Akane's arms, no longer fearing that Akane would bash her for the contact.



She'd wanted to hold and be held by Akane for a long time, but had feared Akane's rejection too much to risk the attempt. Now, she was free for the first time in her life to allow herself to show what she felt, to try and understand the strange feelings being near Akane produced in her. Both the onslaught of long repressed emotions and the physical desire to hold her fiancee. Whatever else happened in the coming days as a result of these tests, she knew that her relationship with Akane had been improved.



"Akane, wou. . .would you come in with me with the gynecology tests? I'd rather not have to be alone for them." Ranma asked quietly, her head resting gently on Akane's shoulder. The seatbelts Tofu had insisted they wear were the only thing keeping Ranma from being in Akane's lap. Ranma felt safer than she could ever remember feeling.



Akane smiled gently as a small smile spread on her face. "Are you sure you want me there, Ranma? Some of the tests can be a little embarrassing."



Ranma moved slightly away so that she could look into Akane's eyes. "I think I'd feel much better with you there to explain what the doctor's doing in words I'll understand than I would alone with her."



"If you're sure, and if the doctor lets me, I'll stay with you, Ranma." Akane gave her fiancee a hug as best she could with the seatbelts restraining them.



"We're almost there." Tofu said from the front seat, as he pulled ahead of the car beside him, sliding neatly into the space before it.



They drove in silence the remaining few moments, Akane and Ranma parting from the hug, but still holding hands, their faces as red as the street lights.



A few minutes later, they exited the car in a parking garage connected to the hospital and medical complex. Tofu made sure it was locked and they walked over to the elevator for the medical complex. Their first stop was the gynecologist for Ranma's checkup and then the hospital for the blood tests and other testing procedures. Ranma stayed close to Akane, quivering in a mix of fear and embarrassement. Though the boy turned girl often played down his female side, he was a private person and the gynecological exam was a huge invasion of that privacy.



They entered the office finding it empty save for a woman seating behind a counter wearing a medical receptionists uniform. It was similar to the scrubs worn at a hospital, except for the color. Instead of the green or blue one would usually expect at the hospital, it was white set, and included a jacket and cap instead of a mask and hair cover cap. The receptionist looked up and smiled as they walked over.



"Konnichiwa, Tofu-san. It's a pleasure to see you again. How's your mother? I haven't heard from her since her last appointment." The receptionist greeted them.



Tofu smiled. His mother had been coming to see the doctors of this office for as long as he could remember. First Dr. Ike and since his retirement several years ago, Dr. Yasamoto. "She is well, Takeyo-baasan. I spoke to her a few days ago. She is still encouraging me to find a woman and marry. She keeps mentioning that she has had her children and now that they are grown, she's looking forward to spoiling her grandchildren. Is Dr. Yasamoto in? I had made an appointment with her for my young friend here."



Takeyo-san smiled gently at the two young girls. "So this is the first time you see a gynecologist, is it, dearie?"



Ranma gulped and looked up to Akane for guidance. Seeing her fiancee's gentle smile, Ranma turned back to face the old woman. "Hai, obaasan. It's the first time for a lot of things lately."



The old woman cackled. "Well, I won't tell you not to be embarrased, since I still blush when I go to my doctor, but it's a much better system now than when I went for my first time. There have been many improvements in the instruments and methods used for the tests. And you're lucky that Dr. Yasamoto had room on her patient lists for you. She doesn't take too many new clients. There's a waiting list for joining her patient list. She's one of the gentlest and most easygoing doctors I've worked for."



"Have you worked in this office for long, obaasan?" Akane asked, her hand still holding Ranma's. This had caused the older woman to give a slight, nearly unoticeable start. It was obviously not a friendly, or sisterly gesture. The two girls entire posture spoke of a far different relationship.



"Why yes, I have. I've been here for nearly 40 years. I'm going to hate retirement in a few months. I'll probably still wake up in the morning and get ready to come in. I've worked for around 10 different doctors in that time. This is usually a pretty short posting for most doctors. Only Dr. Ike, who had been here for nearly ten years when I was first hired and lasted six more before moving to another clinic, and Dr. Yasamoto who has been here for 6 years now, have stayed longer than 4 years. It doesn't pay as much as private practice, being a government run clinic, but Dr. Yasamoto has told me on many occassions that she'd rather have the security and close access to the hospital than work in a private office or clinic that seems to value making money more than curing patients. You see, this is more than a gynecologists office. Dr. Yasamoto is also a general practitioner like young Tofu-san here."



Tofu chuckled at that. "Most of us are, except for the hospital residents and doctors. They tend to stick to more . . . exciting brands of medicine. Is she with a patient, obaasan? We have a few more appointments for young Ranma here."



"She's just finishing up lunch. There was a bit of exctement this morning. One of her young patients broke a leg and his mother rushed him here. Luckily, we are attached to the hospital and were able to fix the boy up with a cast and some crutches. She had to clean the examnation room and change her uniform. Shouldn't be too much longer." The woman again studied Ranma's slumped form. "It's nice to meet you, young ladies."



"The same happened to me this morning." Tofu stated ironically. He slapped his head as a thought occured to him. "Where are my manners today? Obaasan, I would like you to meet Tendo Akane, and her fiance Saotome Ranma. Akane, Ranma, I'd like you to meet Takyeo Rei."



"It's a pleasure to meet you, Takeyo-san." the two parroted each other, giving the old woman a deep bow of respect.



"Enough of that now, dears. Only my doctors call me that. You just keep calling me obaasan, alright? All my patients do. Now," she turned to Tofu with a frown. "You said these girls are engaged to each other?"



Tofu grinned and shook his head. "It's a long story, obaasan. I'll tell you what I know of it while Ranma is examined." That reminded him of something. "Do you think Yasamoto-san will mind if Akane is there with Ranma while she examines him?"



Takeyosan shook her head. "Don't see why she'd mind. So long as Tendosan doesn't get in the way and Saotomesan doesn't mind."



Ranma gave a weak smile. "I'd be much more comfortable with Akane there. I ain't done none of this before and she has. She can explain it to me in words I understand."



"I'm looking forward to hearing that story from you, Tofusan. I know things have changed much in the last fifty odd years, but still, two girls who are engaged is not something I had expected to see."



Tofu smiled again. "Ranma's not exactly a normal girl, obaasan. That's part of why we are here to have him examined. And why we're going to have some X- rays and such done later."



"I'm right here now, Tofu-san." called out a voice from the smal hallway to the right of the counter.



They all turned to watch as a short, dark haired woman came strolling out of a door at the end of the halls. She was wearing a white labcoat, green scrubs and a pair of glasses set in wire frames. Her face was set in a smile and it was easy to tell that it was a natural expression for the woman. Her eyes panned the three quickly, settling briefly on Ranma before her gaze turned to meet Tofu's.



"It's good to see you again, Ono-san. It's been what, 7-8 months? At the last conference held in Hokkaido." the doctor's voice was as young as the rest of her, yet it held a confidence of someone secure in their own position and competance. It set Ranma somewhat at ease with it's lilting tones that matched her gentle movements.



"That's right, Yasamotosan. This is Tendo Akane and her fiance, Saotome Ranma. I told you about him on the phone last night."



"Ah yes, the young man who somehow ended up with a girl's body." she turned to address Ranma. Up close she looked even younger, maybe just a bit older than Kasumi. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ranma." she held out her hand to the two, who shook it reluctantly. "This is likely going to be very embarrassing for you, but I don't want you to feel scared. Nothing I do will hurt you in any way. I'm simply going to take a quick peek and do some reflex tests. I hear you're a martial artist. I practice a little akido myself, but I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you've learned."



Ranma grinned, glad to be on a subject he had some familiarity with. "Yup. My pop and I've been traveling around Japan and most of Asia for ten years. He's been teaching me to be the best martial artist of my generation." Ranma's grin grew cocky at his words.



Yasamoto Makato raised a thin eyebrow. "I take it from your tone you think you are close to that goal?"



Ranma's grin grew even widder, transforming his normaly kawai girl's face into a stunningly beautiful yong woman's. "I'm the best." he stated simply.



From the way the boy turned girl said the phrase, Makato guessed that he had reason to believe it so strongly. "I take it you've had some success at defending that title then?"



"Oh yeah. I'll tell you about it sometime. Some of the stuff we've seen and done makes this Jhusenkyo crap seem normal." Ranma stated, a bitter tone entering her voice at the mention of the cursed pools.



"Jhusenkyo? That's a Chinese word isn't it? Something about damned pools?"



Ranma snorted and Akane chuckled. "Damned pools? Close enough. Hell, they might as well be. Actually it translates to Cursed Springs, or Pools of Sorrow. It's this valley between some mountain ranges in China. There's about a hundred or so different little pools of water, like at hot springs. If someone or something falls into the pool, they turn into whatever drowned in that pool. If nothing has drowned in a pool, and something falls in, the next person or thing to fall into it will turn into that first thing. It's a training ground. You fight on these bamboo poles sticking out of each pool. Oyaji no bakayaru took me there about a year and a half ago. After falling into a spring himself, the Shaominnichuan*, he threw me into the pool of drowned girl."



"Are they permanent?" she asked, curious. If anyone other than Ono Tofu had told her about this, she would have called them in for psychiatric evaluation. She had known Tofu too long to dismiss this without proof, having seen first hand some of the strange things that happened in his district.



"Nah, well. We ain't found no reliable cure yet, but we aren't stuck in these forms. See, its a water curse. Cold water puts us in our cursed forms and hot water turns you back to your normal form. I'm usually a guy, but part of the curse is that the more you fight it, the more it seems that water seeks you out. I can barely go a day without getting splashed. I've sorta accepted that this is part of me now, because of some of the crap that's happened. So I can go a little longer than most. My dad, well, he turns into a panda, which suits his lazy nature and water leaves him alone. Some of the others though, they can't go more than two or three hours without getting splashed. I know one guy, who can go days without it, because of how much he likes his cursed form. He uses it during fights when he can't win without it."



That sounded like it was something of a regular occurance when the other boy was around Ranma. she thought to herself. "Can you demonstrate this for me?"



Ranma blushed. "If you want. But not here, okay? Just don't ask why. It's embarrassing."



Her eyebrow rose again. "More embarrassing than me examing you? I think between us, Ranma, we can throw embarrassment and formality out the door. If I'm going to continue to be your doctor, at least for this matter, I think we should be honest and open with each other."



Ranma studied the doctor, her face nearly matching the shade of her hair. "Okay, I'll show you, but can I change into one of them gown things? Akane said that for the exam I had to wear one, and it'd be better if I put it on before changing back."



"Why's that?"



Ranma glanced at Tofu before leaning towards the doctor and whispering her answer. " 'Cause I'm wearing panties right now and they ain't exactly made to fit my guy side, if you catch my drift?"



Now it was her turn to blush. She found the image of a young man wearing scanty panties with an expression of pain on his face popping into her mind. She smothered a giggle with a cough and motioned to the back room she had exited. "You can change in there, Ranma. Does the water need to be boiling?"



"Nah, tap's fine. And make sure you have some cold water. We're here to examine my girl side, and I don't think Akane would like it if you were to examine my guy side too closely. She's jealous enough that you're going to be checking me out as a girl, I don't want to end up in the hospital becasue I accidentally flash you." Behind the redhead, the bluehaired girl blushed and elbowed her smaller companion, but she also gave a brief glance of warning to the doctor. "Oh, Akane's gonna' stay with me during the exam. I ain't comfortable with being a girl and having someone poke down there - well let's just say I don't like to think about it. She'll be there to keep me from freaking out."



She grinned. "You think you'll freak out?"



"Don't know. Akane was telling me about some of the tests and I ain't looking forward to having to do this. But she and Kasumi-that's her sister- they think that there's something wrong with my head and they want me to get totally checked as both a guy and girl. Something to do with how I don't get aroused as a guy, but I do as a girl, at least a little."



"So that's why the rush for an appointment? And why Tofu said you'd be in a hurry today?"



"Yeah. I've got to go to the hospital for tests there too. Something called and MRI and a c.c.ccCat scan." Ranma shivered at the word and Akane hugged him.



Something else to ask Tofu about. Why would anyone have so much fear for a word like cat? she thought to herself. "Fine. Let's get this show on the road. There are some gowns hanging on a hook in the exam room. Why don't you get changed? Just open the door when you're ready and Akane and I will join you."



While Ranma went into the room to change, she turned to the other two. "What's this about Ranma not getting aroused?"



Akane blushed and looked down to her shoes. She explained some of what had happened over the last year that had lead her to the conclusion that something was wrong with Ranma. She told of how she had initially fought the engagement, but that she had really been fighting her strange attraction to the girl/boy. She told of how she had gone into the furoba to join Ranma, with the intention of subtly questioning the girl regarding a possible relationship, only to find a rather well formed young man stepping out of her furo. She told of her embarrassment and excitement at her first glimpse of a nude member of the opposite sex.



She mentioned that Ranma was chased after by several girls who were very aggressive in their actions towards him and how, from his own mouth, they had learned that his male body didn't physically react to their various -and numerous- attempts to seduce him. Blushingly, she even told how Ranma had himself told them how foggy his mind was in his male form compared to his female form and how he could feel his female body react to her presence, despite his not understanding what his body was doing.



Yasamoto Makato had never heard a story so unbelievable. Yet despite what she had been taught by many respected doctors and scientists, she could not help but believe the girl. There were too many consistancies it what she was saying. Too few of the laws of nature were broken for her to disbelieve. Someone lying or trying to play a trick on her would have made it either less detailed or more detailed. She could tell that the girl was holding back, and her curiousity was further peeked. If the girl considered what she was telling her to be the believable parts of the story, than what must have happened that they felt she would not believe them?



Just as she opened her mouth to ask a question, the door behind them opened. She shrugged and shook her head, deciding to concentrate on the matters at hand. She accepted the glasses of hot and cold water from Rei and together with Akane, they walked the short hall to the examination room while Tofu settled into a chair and pulled out a paperback from his coat pocket. ***************************************************



*not sure of spelling, but its the pool of drowned panda so there.





*Chapter 7*: State Ch7


*********************************************************************



Ranma stood in the center of the room, one hand held behind her back, presumably to hold closed the drafty gown she had pulled on. Her clothing was piled neatly on a corner of the desk. She was staring at the ground, her face red. She just prayed that no one commented on the panties that were sitting atop the pile or the bra folded beneath them. Her mother had bought them for her, having decided that Ranma was both her son and her daughter and that it was time her daughter started dressing appropriately. Of course, her mother's idea of what was appropriate were as skewed for her female side as they were for her male side.



She wanted her son to be a stud, running around with any girl who'd have him. She also wanted her daughter to have an active social life before selecting a life partner. She was prepared to accept that her daughter Ranma would likely would never have children of her own, as she felt that the girl might never come to appreciate the strength and grace of the male form. But she was dead certain that her son Ranma would and she was anxious for him to start bedding any of the willing girls who constantly threw themselves at him. It didn't matter to her that one of those girl's was his cousin and another his 'sister'. She just wanted him to start bedding any willing female. She wanted grandkids, damn it, but she didn't want them when she was too old to appreciate them.



In order to help her daughter with this goal, she started purchasing what she felt were proper female garments. And in her mind, that meant skimpy black lace and soft silky undergarments and sleepwear. She did the same for his male side, buying tight jockey shorts, wildly patterned briefs, thongs and g strings for him.



The results were that Ranma now had a closet full of feminine frills. Not even Akane had ever seen any of them, something Ranma was grateful for. But her secret was about to come out as she noticed her fiancee glance at the pile and look at her blankly before a lightbulb went off in her head. She hung her head further, refusing to look at the other girl.



Akane raised an eyebrow at the frilly panties, but refrained from saying anything. She quickly gathered that they had been a gift from Ranma's mother and briefly wondered what else the Saotome Matriarch had bought him if he was forced to wear such frilly and feminine undergarments. She shuddered at the thought, knowing how much Ranma hating wearing such girly things and if he had worn those, she did not want to know what else her future mother-in-law had purchased for him. A small voice wondered if Ranma could be persuaded to model them for her, but she ruthlessly crushed the voice. It was the wrong time to be thinking like the pervert she could now privately admit she was, even if she could only admit it to herself.



"Here's the water you wanted, Ranma." Dr. Yasamoto said, handing Ranma the two plastic cups.



Ranma took the cups and tested the temperature. He raised his head and dumped the hot water over it. His form grew quickly, loosing the soft feminine curves in favor of his hard masculine planes. His hair had darkened to black and his chest shrank. Muscles bulged on his limbs. The change took less than a second, but Yasamoto could tell that it wasn't a trick of some kind. She had really just seen a short redhaired girl transform into this handsome black haired boy. The gown was considerably shorter on his larger body, barely covering enough of him to remain modest. There was no doubt in her mind that the person she was looking at was male, even if the main evidence was still hidden.



"Wow. I've never seen anything like that. So this is your real form?" she asked.



Ranma grinned, causing her heart to give a flutter. She could certainly see why Ranma would attract so much attention from the female of the species. There was an almost palpable aura of confidence and strength radiating out from the young man, something most teens and many adults were lacking. If this was what he was like at 17, she'd look forward to seeing him at 25.



"Yup, it's the body I was born and raised in. At least until that idiot brought us to Jhusenkyo." Ranma dumped the cold water over his head, changing back to his female form. "This is what I got after taking a dip in the pool."



She shook her head. She'd known Tofu attracted the unusual, but this was odd even for him. "Let's finish this test than, I hear you have other's to get to." She motioned to the table behind the red head. "Hop up on there and will do the easy stuff first."



She spent the next little while running Ranma through the tests of a regular checkup. She checked his eyes and ears, took readings on his hearts rate, almost screaming as it slowed to a crawl. She threw the girl glare at that and Ranma cocked a grin before allowing her body to resume it's 'normal' functions. She had Ranma breath into the lung testing, surprised again when Ranma was able to keep the little ball float for three times the longest she had ever seen. She had to stop the breath retention test after five minutes, knowing that the girl had a lot to go through the rest of the day. She finished the easy tests by taking three blood samples for testing.



She put her instruments away and pulled out a pack of different equipment. Each piece was sealed in its own bag. "Now comes the embarrassing part. I'll need to ask some very annoying and humiliating questions while doing very odd and uncomfortable things to your most private places. I need you to place your knees in the saddle and your feet in the stirrups. I think it'd be best if you didn't try to see what I'm doing, given your background. You can look at Akane and answer my questions while I do what I need to. The good news is, I'm almost certain that I won't find any problems, but the bad news is, you'll have to set a regular appointment with Takeyosan. I'll send Tofu the results of all the tests and he can pass them on to you. You needn't worry about your privacy- they'll be sealed and he will never need to see them without your permission."



Ranma tried desperately to keep from screaming as the doctor began to poke and prod at his nether regions. Only Akane holding his hand kept him from running away. He kept his eyes on her face, his ears rushing with the blood pooling in his head due to his embarassment. The exam was every bit as humiliating and intrusive as he had heard. Akane was murmerring wordless little sounds to try and comfort him while the doctor peeked at the area between her legs. Ranma knew that after this, he'd never be able to deny being a girl again. To do so would be to lessen what was happening and as much as he'd rather forget the whole thing, it was being burned into his mind. He'd never again be able to think of a girl as weak, knowing as he now did the pains they had to go through in order to stay healthy.



Finally, he heard a snapping sound and risked a peek at the doctor to see her removing her gloves and tossing them into the trash bin behind her. It was filled with the tools and wrappings of what had been used during the exam and Ranma immediately looked away, gulping. "All done Doc?" he asked quietly.



The doctor smiled kindly at him. "For today, we are. I'll need to see you again, so you'll need to set up a meeting with Takyeo for about two months from now. After that, we'll arrange a regular appointment for you. Now, Akane and I will leave you alone to get dressed, and then Tofu can bring you next door for the rest of the tests. I will send the results of the tests I ran today to Tofu's office, but rest assured, they are confidential and he will not read them. Unless of course, you wish him to be made aware of the results?"



Ranma looked up at Akane who nodded gently, still holding her hand. "It might be best if he is told, since I probably wont understand and he'll be able to explain them to me."



Makoto laughed. "I'll make them as easy to understand as I can when I send them over, Ranma. But it's probably a good idea to have Tofu aware of the results. He'll be your normal doctor, and he needs to know about any problems that might come up."



Ranma's head twisted to look at her. "Problems? What kind of problems?"



"I'll give you some pamphlets about a few of the more serious problems." She raised an eyebrow as she took the two of them in. "I doubt you'll have to worry about getting pregnant, unless there's more to Akane than meets the eyes?"



The two teens stared at her, their eyes wide in shock. Strangely, she managed to catch a flick of longing on Akane's face mirrored on Ranma's. Perhaps, she thought to herself, Ranma's fear about becoming a girl are more than just his imagination. He almost seemed . . . intrigued when I mentioned the possibility of Akane also being cursed. "Anyway, we'll leave you to get dressed. When you're done at the hospital, you'll probably be hungry. There's some good restaurants around here. You should try Johnny's. The best burgers and western food in town."



"We'll think about it, Doc." Ranma stated, still feeling weird from the doctor's exam. "Can I get dressed now?"



Makato grinned. "Sure, Akane and I will just wait out in the reception with Tofu. You can put the gown in the hamper behind the door."



Ranma eagerly rolled out of the strange contraption and to her feet, grabbing the back of the gown to hold it closed until the pair left. She dressed as quickly as she could, trying her best to ignore the feel of the bra and panties. She kept her head down as she exitted the room, her face as red as her hair. The knowledge that Tofu knew what had just been done was nearly as embarrassing as the exam itself. She spared a quick glance at Akane, who smiled warmly and took her hand again. Ranma had to admit, while she would usually scoff at showing any weakness, especially in front of Akane, right now, she needed the comfort the more experienced girl was offering.



"Can we get out of here now?" Ranma asked, impatient to finish with these tests.



Tofu chuckled. "Excuse my young friend here, minna-san. He's new to all this." Tofu checked his watch and bowed. "However, we are on a tight schedule and we do need to leave if we wish to finish these tests today and not have to come again tomorrow."



Ranma and Akane bowed to the doctor and receptionist as Tofu slipped into his street shoes. They made their way over and slid into their own before a thought struck Ranma, who turned back to the desk.



"Didn't we need to make another appointment and stuff?" she asked.



The two older woman smiled and chuckled. Takeyo looked down at her book and asnwered. "Your fiancee set it up already, Ranmachan. She also has the pamphlets and information Yasamoto-sensei told you about."



Ranma turned to see and noticed that in her left hand, Akane was clutching several pamphlets and leaflets. "So when do I have to come back?"



Yasamoto replied. "Most woman usually come in two or three times a year, but in your case, I'd suggest at least four times a year. Maybe more. For now, we setup an appointment in two months, barring any changes in your situation."



Ranma shuddered as the thought of what some of those changes could mean. "So we'll see you in 2 months then? Thanks doc, obaasan. I know I ain't shown it, but I really appreciate your seeing me. Most doctors would of locked me up as a freak or something."



The group exchanged farewells and the three left the office. They exitted the building and walked around to a side entrance to the hospital. They could have gone through the connecting walkways, but that would put them in the maternity ward and Tofu didn't think Ranma was stable enough at the moment to handle that. So they walked around and entered near the long term care facility, taking the elevator to the Radiology labs were the full body xray machines, MRI's and CAT scans were handled.



As they rode the elevator, Ranma had stationed herself in front of Akane, ostensably to provide some protection from the mass of people getting in and out of the car, but in reality to provide an excuse for allowing Akane to place her arms around the smaller girl's waist. Akane also allowed her chin to rest on Ranma's head. They rode in silence, huddled together in the back with Tofu standing to their right.



They reached their floor and walked out, making their way to the reception desk to sign in.



Tofu smiled as he recognized the person behind the counter. "Konnichiwa, Oneilsan. How are you today?"



The man behind the counter looked up from his paperwork and smiled as he took them in. "Konnichiwa, Tofusan. I'm doing well. I'm surprised to see you, you're not on any of my lists for visitors or patients."



Tofu chuckled and motioned to Akane and Ranma who were looking around the brightly lit reception. It was surprisingly empty of people. "I'm only here to provide my support. Ranma here is going to be seeing Yosami-sensei for some tests."



Oneil looked down at the papers in front of him, rifling them to find the file he needed. he pulled it out of the stack and flipped through them. Confused he looked up at his former dormmate. "Tofu, it says here that Saotome Ranma is a male, age 17, here for a brainscan and full xrays. It also says that Saotome Ranma is a female, age 17, here for brainscans and full xrays." He nodded to Ranma and Akane who were still holding hands but had moved a little further away from each other. "Which one's the guy?"



Tofu nodded. "Actually, Saotome Ranma is one person, who is both male and female. The redhead is Ranma. The other girl is Tendo Akane, Ranma's fiancee."



Oneil studied the pair, who were blushing faintly. "Hermaphrodite?" he asked, knowing Tofu's reputation for unusual clients.



Tofu shook his head. "Nope, Aquatransexual."



Oneil looked startled. "What?"



"Ranma here was cursed whil on a training trip with his father. When he's splashed with cold water, he turns into the girl you see. When splashed with hot, he turns back to his normal self."



Oneil frowned. "That must be hard on the guy."



Ranma spoke up, having tired of just standing there. "It is. My pop's an idiot and he did a lot of stupid things in the name of training. Jhusenkyo, that's were we got cursed, is actually on of the milder screwups he's managed to do to my life."



"Actually, that's why were here. Akane and Ranma have noticed some behaviour differences when Ranma's in his cursed form and we're here to test a theory we have. We think there's a clot or bone chips pressing on part of Ranma's brain and that's what's causing his behavioural changes."



Oneil nodded. "That could make sense. We had a young man here last month who had a clot removed. Before the surgery, he was a paranoid delusional and selfabsorbed idiot. Since the surgery, I hear his IQ's gone up nearly 40 points and that he's almost rational. He's sent letters of apology to the people he harrassed and has even pledged to make public apologies to them as soon as he's out of here."



"Kuno was here?" Akane asked with a grin.



"Who?" Oneil asked, looking through his charts.



Ranma waved him off. "Nevermind, Oneilsan. Akane was making a joke. We know an idiot who's a lot like that. Name's Kuno Tatewaki. If it wasn't for all their money, the whole family would be in a nut farm."



Oneil shrugged. He wasn't going to argue with the girl. He'd heard things about Nerima that sounded like they came out of a bad Western telling of Asian stories. He'd never believed them, but if Tofu was here claiming the cute girl was really a guy, who was he to argue. He'd seen a lot of strange things since moving to Japan with his wife to be closer to her family. It had been a difficult transition since his wife was as Irish as leprechauns and her family were professors of mythology who had studied and worked in various European universities before deciding to adopt her and return to their home in Japan. Being the only white girl, with red hair and green eyes to boot, had been hard on her as she grew up. Despite the efforts of her family, she was always seen as something of an outsider. Especially since she somehow grew up with an Irish accent to her Japanese, which was very strange since she had never been back to Ireland since she was adopted only a few months after her birth.



"Yosami should be here in a minute or two. He was just finishing lunch and went down to drop some xrays off at processing for them to be sent out." Oneil stated. He again studied the chart detailing the tests that were scheduled. He looked at the red head with a grin. "Going through the gauntlet, I see. Two sets of full xrays, MRI's and Cat scans, and specialized testing for the skull and brain pan. That's going to take a while. The MRI's alone can take 45 minutes for a single pass."



Ranma groaned. She had known that the tests would take time, but this was too much. It would be hours before she'd get a chance to eat. Sighing, she put aside her hunger for the time being, resolving to simply eat more the next chance she had in order to make it up to her stomach.





*Chapter 8*: State Ch8


AN: In answer to the person who asked if I meant 'State of Mind', no I did not. I meant what the title says: 'State of Mine'. This story is an exploration of the way in which some of the characters see themselves and others. The title refers to this self examination.



Thank you for your reviews.



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The testing went smoother than Ranma would have thought. There were nearly no comments about her change after going through the tests in her female form. Her male form did elicit a few comments from the female nursing staff, though those quieted down thanks to Akane's growls and her glowing mallet. Ranma wished he had grabbed a longer gown since the nurses had gotten an eyeful of a part of him he generally didn't parade in the open. It didn't help that Akane had also gotten a peek and she had dropped the mallet onto the head of an innocent desk, causing the desk to shatter and the contents to spill across the floor while she blushed and stared. Ranma had yanked the gown down to cover himself, so thoroughly embarassed by the mistake he failed to notice the shakiness in Akane's steps as she walked over and collapsed into a chair near the door, or the wide eyed stares the nurses kept giving him afterwards.



While the results of some of the tests would take time to be known, there were some that were ready by the time they prepared to leave, Ranma having once again returned to her female form.



The doctor guided them through the closeup xrays of Ranma's skull in both forms in comparison to a normal xray of both a male and female brain (Images taken at the same time with Akane and Tofu volunteering for their genders). Though neither Ranma nor Akane knew much about anatomy and medical problems, they could see that there was indeed something different about Ranma's xrays. Near the back of the skull, where the head starts to slope downwards, there was a thin spike of something pressing directly against part of Ranma's brain.



The image showed that, in his male form, the spike was pressing against more of the skull due to a lack of space. The inside back of his skull showed the faint lines of healed fractures and there were other, smaller, pieces of bone floating in the fluid cushoning of the brain pan, occassionaly pressing against the tissue of the brain. In his female form, the spike shifted, making much less contact with the brain, and the floating pieces of bone shifting closer to the skull than the brain.



Yosami-sensei pointed out to them the pieces and mentioned that, as Akane had theorized, they were pressing against the part of the brain that regulated sexuality and emotional control. The specialist explained in a way they understood, that Ranma really wasn't able to control his emotions in the way most people could and that this affected how he responded to certain situations. He also explained that the other xrays showed many signs of broken or fractured bones, there was nothing indicating that there was anything physically wrong with Ranma's . . .equipment. The problem was that the bone spurs were pressing against the area where sexual excitement was control by his hormones.



It was stopping the hormones from being released so that Ranma was incapable of becoming aroused. Somehow, during the shifting done by the curse, the spurs were moved and Ranma's female brain was able to release those hormones and that was why his female body could become aroused while his male could not. Admittedly, there was a limit to the amount it was releasing. Ranma's inexperience with being female and the lack of reciprocal hormones were the main causes of his confusion over the feelings he had in his female form.



Akane felt both saddened and pleased by the news. Here was actual physical proof that Ranma wasn't the pervert she had so often accused him of being. The confirmation of her theory pleased her to no end. The sad part was that she had been so mean to her fiancee, and there had never been any reason for it. The fact that Ranm was so forgiving strengthened the guilt she felt over the months of bashing and insults she had thrown at him. The knowledge that Ranma had not been able to keep from insulting her due to the injury also saddened her.



The best news was that the condition was easy to fix. All they had to do was drill a small hole in the top of Ranma's skull and carefully remove the spurs closest to the brain. Once that was done, the doctor was certain that Ranma's brain would begin to produce the hormones needed. It might take him some time to gain control of himself since he would begin to experience emotions and thoughts he had never felt before. And it would also take time to heal. Judging from Ranma's xrays, and his medical records which had been provided by Tofu, the doctor was certain that it wouldn't take long for the hole to heal completely. He even theorized that removing the spurs would stimulate the weakened part of Ranma's skull to heal further. Of course, they'd have to wait for the results of the MRI's and CAT scans before they could do anything. Those images would detail exactly where they'd have to cut and which spurs they could remove safely.



They arranged to return the next week, after the Saturday morning school session. By that time, all the results would be in and they'd be able to arrainge for the operation. Ranma muttered a little to himself about the wait, but calmed with a gentle hug from Akane. The doctor than told them that even with Ranma's increased rate of healing, it would be at least a month before his head was fully healed, though he would notice changes in his emotions and physical reactions almost immediately. The doctor advised that during that recovery time, Ranma would need to avoid fights of any kind and would also need to remain in one form.



The pair groaned at that and gave a quick explanaition of their life, beginning with their parents and running thtough all the suitors and rivals the pair had. The doctor thought for a moment and decided that he would bring the results to the Tendo dojo himself and explain to all about the dangerous nature of the surgery and about the limitations that Ranma would be under while in his care. They then explained the way water always seemed to find Ranma. The doctor suggested staying in female form for the month, but realized that that would be counter productive since the surgery would mainly effect his male form. He asked if there was a way to block the transformation and they hesitantly told him about the waterproof soaps the Amazons had. He thought for a moment and told them that by Saturday, he'd have the means to convince the Amazons that lending them a month long supply of the soap would be in their interests, without compromising the engagement between Ranma and Akane.



They said their farewells and made their way back to the elevators, emotionally drained by the experiences of the day. Once in the elevator car, Ranma's stomach growled loudly and was echoed faintly by Akane's, much to her shagrin. In preparations for the test, Ranma had not eaten since lunctime the day before and they had already missed dinner at home so the three decided to stop at a small eatery near the hospital for a quick bite before returning to Nerima. Yosamisensei had provided Ranma with several invitations made out to their socalled friends for the following Saturday and advised them that Ranma was under his care and any attacks of any kind, be they romantic in nature or revengeful, would result in the person being charged with assault and would mean that Ranma would be hidden away from them until he was fully recovered.



Ranma was looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces as he handed his friends the doctor's orders. He doubted any of them would really obey the orders and wondered if they would really be arrested. He hadn't seen much evidence that there even were police in Nerima, and doubted that any of them would be able to contain even the weakest of his friends and enemies. Of course, they could always call in the JSDF, but that might be too much effort for too little reward.





*Chapter 9*: State Ch9


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"We're home!" Akane called out as she and Ranma entered the house. They changed into their indoor shoes and made their way to the family room.



Soun and pandaGenma were playing shogi while Kasumi and Nodoka were watching a soap. Nabiki was nowhere to be seen, but from the music coming from the stairs let them know that she was in her room. From the pace of the music, they could tell she was likely exercising. Nabiki was quite picky when it came to music. She had certain songs and types of music that she played for all of her activities. Fast, heavy drums and electric guitars were for exercise while soft happy jpop was for when she was doing her accounts. Classical music with lots of flutes and woodwinds usualy meant she was going over which pictures she had and who would want to purchase them.



They greeted their family and went up to Akane's room. Ranma stopped by his and changed out of the panties into boxers, while Akane changed out of her uniform into a casual skirt and sweater. Ranma went down to the flamily room while Akane stoped at Nabiki's and asked her to come down as she and Ranma had something to say to everyone.



Sensing an opportunity, Nabiki eagerly agreed, pulling on a pair of shorts and a sweater. She grabbed a minirecorder from the dozen that sat on a shelf near her door and a small camera from the shelf above them. She made sure the tape was fresh and the batteries new in both. She changed her film after every use so she knew that the camera had a new roll. She lazily made her way down, taking in the scene of everyone sitting around the table waiting for her.



"So what's the news, Akane?" she asked with a slow drawl, teasing her sister. "Ranma's brain is wired so he can only do martial arts?" She felt a faint rush of wind and looked over her shoulder staring at the mallet imbedded into the wall inches from her head. Her face paled as she looked back at her sister's angry face.



"Don't you ever say anything like that again, Nabiki!" she snarled.



Swallowing to hide her discomfort, Nabiki put a hasty grin on her face. "Whatever you say, imouto. I didn't know you cared so much about him though."



Akane glared at her sister, feeling for the first time the disgust she saw on Ranma's face when he spoke of her sister. "That's part of what we have to say." she reached out a hand to Ranma, who handed her a small packet of papers. Akane handed them out to everyone. "When we were at the hospital for the tests, the doctors found a problem. It seems that at some time in his life, Ranma's skull was fractured pretty badly. Badly enough, it seems, to leave several bone chips and spurs pressing against his brain."



Genma frowned as he looked down at the paper in his hands. It was filled with medical terms he didn't recognize. Next to him, Soun started as he studied the form. He was more familiar with medical terminology due to the horrible experience of his wife's illness and death. On the other side of Genma, Nodaka's face creased as she studied the form. She had a firmer grasp of the language than either of the male adults, but some of the terms were beyond her. On her right, Kasumi frowned deeply, understanding perfectly what the letter was saying. It seemed that Akane's theory was correct, and that Ranma's behaviour had been affected by this injury.



Nabiki studied the form, getting the general idea of what it was saying, but not getting what this had to do with anything important. Like selling the information to interested parties. "So what's that mean, exactly?"



Akane stared at Genma as she replied. "Something hit Ranma in the head hard enough to crush or split his skull. It splintered and there are pieces of bone pressing into his brain. This has affected his behaviour and personality. Most notably, it has made it impossible for Ranma to react as a man would to certain situations."



Nodaka's frown deepened. She didn't like where this seemed to be going. "What kind of situations?"



"The spur is pressing against the part of the brain that controls the hormones in charge of sexual arousal. It's blocking the gland from producing and sending out those hormones." She passed around the xrays, blown up around the area and circled with both forms. "That means that Ranma is not physically able to become sexually excited. The pressure is less on his female form, and some of the hormones are produced."



Nabiki was startled. All those girls chasing after Ranma to bed him, and the boy wouldn't be able to do anything about it even if he had wanted to. She held back a chuckle, not wanting to have another mallet tossed at her. "So Ranma can't get excited? Shampoo's going to love hearing that. Can you image Cologne's face when she hears that her son-in-law has no interest in sex?"



"It's not funny, Nabiki!" Akane growled, glaring at her sister. "Like I was saying, Ranma's male form is not able to produce the proper hormones that trigger arousal or lust. The injury is also keeping him from growing into a mature person. It's at least partially responsible for his mouthing off and immature actions. Mentally, he's kind of frozen right before puberty. His female form is a little further along, but still affected by the chips."



"How could this have happened?" Nodaka asked, a dangerous lilt to her voice.



Genma started and began to frantically look for a way to escape. "I have no idea! There were so many injuries during training, it's hard to pinpoint one silly little thing."



"Our son is incapable of being intimate with his wife because of your fool training! He is not a man, he's a boy! You were set on raising a martial artist with no distractions and you've done so. Congratulations. You've managed to raise a son who will never think of anything but martial arts. He'll be unable to even father a child, nevermind raising one. He'll be totally incapable of training any students and what other point is there for martial arts then to train others."



Ranma winced at each word out of his mother's mouth. He looked down at the ground, unable to keep his face from showing the pain.



Nodaka would have continued her tirade, but for the mallet that slammed the space between her and Genma. She turned a startled look at Akane, who was still holding the long handle.



"That's enough! Can't you see what your idiotic words are doing to Ranma? Can't you see how much it hurts him to hear you say those horrible things about him? And who the hell ever said anything about him not being able to father or raise a child?"



"Now listen here, young lady, I won't have you talking to me that way." Nodaka stated angrily. She opened her mouth to continue, but Kasumi interupted her.



"What was it you were saying, imoutochan? I thought you said Ranma wasn't physically able to make love." Kasumi calmly drank her tea and looked around the room.



Akane sneered at the woman who was to someday be her mother-in-law. "Those letters I gave you are orders from a doctor telling you that Ranma is under his care. The doctor took a few tests today, and next Saturday, he is going to be coming to the dojo to tell us the results. That means everyone. Cologne, Shampoo, Ryoga, everyone. Until that time, no one is allowed to harm Ranma in anyway. Any physical attacks on him, attempts to extort or otherwise make money off him without his and my permission, or any attempts to goad him into attacking will result in the doctor filling charges against the person responsible and in his taking Ranma away for his own safety. The papers are already filled, they simply need to be signed. This means, " she glared at Genma. "No stupid sneak attacks, no talks about wedding plans, no insults about his manliness," she turned to glare at Nabiki, "no selling photos or information regarding Ranma's condition. Nothing for the next week. If Ranma wishes to spar with you," another glare at Genma, "he will ask you to spar, and if you wish to spar against him, you will ask him. Should Happosai show up, he'll be told the same things."



"So why are you telling us, Akane? Why not call everyone else here now and tell everyone at the same time." Nabiki asked, trying to think of a way around the doctor's threat. She wasn't overly concerned with the possibility of arrest, since most of the local force new her and she was so helpful to them.



"Because letters have already been sent to the others. They should be reading them about now, actually and I don't doubt that some of them will be coming here to bother us about it anyway. I thought I'd get the preliminaries out of the way now, since quite frankly Nabiki, you and the Saotomes are probably the biggest problems Ranma faces at the moment."



Nabiki frowned. She didn't like being compared to the rest of the loonies that followed Ranma around. "How can you say that, imoutochan. Why, I've never harmed a hair on Ranma's head."



Akane snorted, her area flaring around her. "No, you've just sold Ranma out every chance you get. You take perverted pictures of him when he's sleeping or bathing and sell them to idiots like Kuno, which just eggs him on. You blackmail Ranma with little things since you know how naive he is about certain things. You sell him out to his rivals and fiancee's like he's a piece of meat. Anytime we seem to get closer, you find someone and sell them the information and they come barging in, interupting us. Ranma can't even take a bath without you calling someone and selling that information to them so that they will come here and sneak into the bath with him. That's one of the main problems I had with trusting Ranma. How could any one person be in so many situations unless they were a pervert. And all the time you were telling Shampoo and Kodachi whenever Ranma tried to sleep or take a bath. That's worse than anything Kuno or Mousse has ever done to him."



Nabiki cleared her face, taking on her stonelike business expression. "I was trying to help you out, imoutochan. I didn't want you to have to be engaged to some one like him."



"And what's wrong with him."



"He's a perverted freak of nature! He's always insulting you, he has no respect for anyone or anytrhing. He's an immature bastard who draws all these other freaks to him. Look at how many times you've been kidnapped because of him. One of these days, he's going to get you killed. He doesn't even care enough about you to train you properly or show you the proper respect as his fiancee. He's always chasing girls and cures without a thought of the pain it causes you. He even hits on guys while in his girl form."



Akane snorted and shook her head. "Didn't you hear a single word I just said, Nabiki? Ranma's brain is being poked by a part of his skull. There's a 2 inch long piece of bone stabbing his brain. For some reason, when he shifts into his female form, the spike is shifted and the pressure on his hormone gland is reduced. So in his female form, he's a little more mature than in his male form. The spike is keeping Ranma's mind the same as when the injury happened, probably around 9 or 10 years old. His female form is a little older and that's why he's able to fool so many people. He understands what attracts a guys attention, even is he doesn't understand why they are so attracted to his cutesy act." Akane looked around, studying the faces of her family. "Ranma's not able to understand his own emotions let alone control them. That's the reason he seems so immature and why he acts like he does."



Kasumi spoke, again forestalling Nodaka's attempts to chastise Akane. "Can anything be done to help him, Akane?"



Akane smiled at her sister, glad someone had asked the question. "Yes, oneechan. The doctor said that he can remove the spur and that Ranma's brain would start to produce the hormones he needs to grow. He said that there would be some changes with Ranma, since he'd start to feel and understand things he didn't before. He even mentioned that there might be some physical changes since that area also produces the hormones that let us grow and go through puberty."



Ranma spoke for the first time. "He thinks that my girl side will change more physically, since I kind of skipped that puberty stuff for it, but that my guys side might grow a bit taller and will be more affected mentally."



Akane continued. "They'll have to drill a small hole in Ranma's skull to pull out the spurs. That's why the doctor is coming over next Saturday. The tests they did will show in more detail which of the spurs they can take out and the best way for them to do so. That's why he's given this letter. He doesn't want to risk having the spurs knocked around in his head if Ranma's hit before the surgery. After the surgery, it will take about a month for Ranma to heal properly. And these orders will continue for that month."



As if on cue, a faint ringing could be heard, increasing in volume as it neared. Akane and Ranma turned to the wall, waiting expectantly for Shampoo to come crashing through it as she always did. They were surprised instead to hear the screen door to the yard open and two sets of slow footsteps and a clicking they recognized as Cologne's pogo trick on her staff. They turned to the entrance and waited for the Amazons to enter.



Cologne entered first, studying the people in the room. She paused just inside the room, causing Mousse and Shampoo to halt in their tracks behind her. She bowed to the Tendo patriach and to the eldest Tendo daughter. "May we come in? We've just received a rather disturbing letter and wish to confer with you regarding the validity of its content."



Kasumi nodded and gestured for the three to enter. She frowned slightly as Shampoo glared at Akane and started towards Ranma but resumed her gentle expression as the eager young girl was restrained with a glare from her elder.



Cologne hopped off the staff and took position at one end of the table, across from Soun. She gestured to the spot next to Nabiki and Shampoo reluctanly sat down, still throwing harsh looks at the youngest Tendo, who was holding Ranma in her arms. Mousse sat next to Akane, and slightly behind her, as was proper for a Amazon male. Cologne placed her copy of the letter and legal documents on the table before her.



"Is this true, Ranma?" she asked directly, seeing no sense in wasting their time on frivolties.



Ranma licked his lips and looked down at Akane. "Yup. The doc wants me to avoid fights for the week. Something about the tests showing the places he'll need to cut and which spurs to take out without them bouncing around, maybe causing more damage."



Cologne nodded. She could sense the truth in Ranma's words. "And these threats made by this doctor. He will see them through?"



Ranma nodded. "He's really annoyed about some of the stuff we told him. Even my gynocologist is pissed no one thought to have me go see one sooner."



"What is gyno-col-egist, Airen?" Shampoo asked.



"A doctor who specializes in female problems, granddaughter. I am surprised that you agreed to this, however, Ranma."



Ranma snorted. "I didn't say I liked it. Akane was the one who thought there might be something wrong and suggested we get both forms fully tested to make sure there were no problems. That included the gynocologist and full xrays and stuff for both forms. That's why there's this week without fighting thing. The xrays showed that there's a piece of bone pressing into my brain. The MRI and CAT scans take a few days to go over. He'll find the best way to remove the spurs and which ones to remove."



Cologne nodded. She had heard of similar injuries and surgeries. "So this will require surgery to repair?"



"Yes. At the very least, they'll need to either dig a hole in Ranma's skull or even remove a part of the skull to get at the spurs. Either way, it will take at least a month for his skull to heal. And that means no fighting or anything for that month." Akane took a breath. "The doctor also feels it would be best to have him stay in his male form, since that is the form that will be most affected by the surgery."



"I do not understand. Why is this so?" Mousse asked.



"The part of the brain that the is being poked is the part that controls the release of hormones and the control of emotions. Right now, Ranma's brain isn't releasing the proper hormones needed for Ranma to react as a normal guy would to certain situations." Akane paused letting that soak in.



Shampoo frown deepened. "Violent girl say Airen no feel when Shampoo try show love for Airen?" She might have trouble speaking the language, but Shampoo could understand quite a bit more than she spoke.



Akane returned the Amazon's frown with a glare. "That's right, Shampoo. Ranma's body doesn't physically react the way, say, Kuno's does. Or any other guy really. The spur shifts a little when he's a girl, and his girl form does react, at least a little." She went on to explain what she could about the differences in Ranma's behaviour and the effects the spur had on his emotional states.



Cologne frowned. If what she was hearing was correct, than Ranma was damaged in such a way that he would never be able to father children. This would mean he would be useless to the tribe. She could cancel Shampoo's claims on the young man. She would wait a few days before doing so, since she wanted to hear what the doctor would tell them. She had known since arriving in Japan that Shampoo would never possess Ranma no matter how much she tried. Ranma was already too much in love with Akane, and even if it was a child's love, it was still a love Shampoo could never hope to defeat. She had been trying, since the events at Jusendo and the Wedding Incident to subtly guide Shampoo onto another path, but she'd had little luck.



She knew since encountering Ranma in the nekoken that the child would not be forced into anything and that to try to do so could lead to his destroying the tribe. Ranma was too powerful to be dragged off to China against his will and his will was too powerful to be controlled by any of the drugs and magic she had carefully allowed Shampoo to try. No. Ranma would not live long in the village. He was too much a man and too little a woman to accept being a subject of scorn by the elders and other woman of the tribe who had little to no respect for any male. No more delaying the inevitable. She could not let Shampoo continue to dishonor herself any longer. There was also the fact that Ranma was her cousin, even if it was a somewhat distant relation.



She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small box. She placed it on the table on top of the documents. She waited until everyone was looking at her before speaking. "In this box is a supply of extra strength waterproof soap. Each bar will last 5 days or 5 uses, wich ever comes first. There are 10 bars left. That should protect you Ranma for nearly two months. You said it would take a month to heal, but this gives you some extra time incase the damage is worse that the doctors think at the moment."



Ranma grinned. "Thanks, old ghoul. That's almost decent of ya' "



Cologne chuckled. She would miss the youth when she returned home. "As a result of your condition, Ranma, it is my sad duty to renounce all claims on you by the Amazon nation. At the moment, you are useless to us. Though, I hope you won't mind if we stick around for a while. I'd like to see what happens when you're able to react like your friends to all the girls throwing themselves at you." She tapped a small hand on the papers. "We will honor these requests made by the doctors. We shall leave now, and return Saturday." She bowed to Soun and Kasumi again, leaping onto her staff, which had remained standing in the middle of the doorway. "Shampoo, Mousse, come. There is nothing more for us here today."



"But grandmother-"Shampoo started, as she began to recover from the shock of hearing her grandmother crush her hopes of marrying her Airen.



"I said there was nothing for us here, Xian Pu! Ranma is no longer your Airen. He is free to choose you if he wishes, but the Kiss of Marriage and the Kiss of Death hold no power over him any more. Now let us go. It will soon be time for the evening rush." She hopped out of the room, followed by a strangely silent Mousse and a sobbing Shampoo.



"Well, looks like that's one less worry for you now, Ranma." Nabiki stated, watching the Amazon's leave. She didn't think Shampoo was ready to give up just yet, and was already formulating plans to make more yen from her.



Ranma was staring into space. He'd gone into shock and had missed most of what Cologne had said. his mind kept repeating that he was free. No more glomping, no more drugged food, no more running off in the night after Shampoo smashed her way into his room. Free to bath without worry of finding the purple headed Amazon waiting to scrub his back. "heh. That was easy." he stated as his mind returned to the present. He reached out and grabbed the box, standing and making his way out of the room.



"Where do you think you're going, son?" Nodaka demanded. "We must still discuss the horrible way in which Akane has spoken to me today."



Ranma's eyes were glazed over, not really paying attention to what his mother was saying. His mind filled with images of what the next month would be like. "Huh? What was that kaasan?"



Nodaka glared at her son's fiancee, who returned her glare. "Nevermind, son. We can discuss it later."



"Okay. I'm gonna take a bath, make sure this soap works."



"Be careful, Ranma. You have ten bars and we need at least seven for after the surgery."



Ranma grinned. "The docs gonna be here Saturday. That's 6 days. I'll use the one bar. Then after he tells us what's going on, I'll use the second and we can do this surgery stuff."



Nabiki sighed. "Ranma, even if the doctor puts a priority on your case, it could be awhile before you actually have the surgery. Hospitals have to deal with the most life threatening cases first."



Ranma blinked. "So what? It could be a couple of weeks before I have the surgery?"



"What Nabiki was trying to say is that with all the things that happen in a city the size of Tokyo, it might be as much as 6 months before you are able to have the surgery." Kasumi replied as calmly as she could.



Ranma deflated. He'd been hoping that it wouldn't take too long to have the surgery. If he was going to go ahead with this, he wanted it done quickly. He seriously doubted that the chaos in his life would be able to go on a 6 months hiatus waiting for the operation and the 1month needed to heal after it. It would be hard enough just going the next week without anything happening to him. "Oh well. I'd better test the soap anyway. I'll be out in a bit." He turned again to go upstairs, but paused, looking at his fiancee. "Akane, why don't you get changed and I'll meet you in the dojo. We can do some more training like the other day."



Akane smiled brilliantly, lighting up the whole room with her inner glow. "Sure. I'll start loosening up while you bath!" She stood and followed her fiance up the stairs, leaving him at the furoba while she continued to her room to change into her favorite gi.





*Chapter 10*: State Ch10


The week passed quietly, for Nerima. Ryoga showed up later that evening and Kasumi and Akane explained to him what was going on. He didn't believe it, but agreed to go along with it until he saw proof that Ranma was lying. Kuno was not at school Monday, but was waiting for them Tuesday. He goaded Ranma, making fun of him and insulting his manhood. He tried to attack the pigtailed boy, but before he could finish drawing his bokken from his hakama, he was tackled by two large gentlemen and slapped in handcuffs. They read him his rights and dragged him away, stopping only to gag him for his own good as just listening to him, they added a number of other charges to the attempted assault. Kodachi had not been seen, though there were enough black rose petals floating around the Furinkan schoolyard that people knew she was monitoring the situation.



True to their word, the Amazons avoided the dojo and all contact with the residents thereof. Ranma wasn't so stupid as to visit them, and when he wasn't at the Tendo home, spent most of his free time in the park, watching some of the local children play and reflecting on his life. Quite often, Akane would sit with him on a park bench, a wistful smile on her face as she watched the chidlren. When they weren't at the park, they were training. Ranma was taking Akane's training seriously, and had high hopes for his fiancee.



Nabiki spent the week going over medical texts, and researching the possible costs involved in a surgery of this type. Compared to other surgeries, it was reletively inexpensive, though still a rather large chunk of change. She briefly pondered getting into the medical profession, but decided to stick to high finance and information mongering. Besides, she wasn't very good with the whole helping others before taking care of yourself lifestyle doctors were supposed to follow.



Akane, much to the shock of everyone around her, was extremely solicitous towards Ranma. Not once did she insult, mallet, or otherwise show any of the angry tendecies that had earned her the hated nickname of 'tomboy'. Her attitude towards Ranma had down a nearly complete reversal. She took his insults with grace, now understanding their true origins. She even managed to cook a decent meal of shishimi and teriyaki beef with his guidance, not rising to his baits and insults towards her previous failures at cooking. She made surprisingly few errors during the preperation of the meal and was very careful to read and follow all the instructions in the recipe book, ignoring the urges inside her to replace some ingredients and to add others.



During their training sessions, Ranma had began to fight back, if still restraining the vast majority of his strength. He would tap her lightly, leaving slight bruises that faded in minutes. Still not enough to hurt Akane in anyway, it was far more than he had been willing to do in the past and she understood his reasons better than she had before. With none of the envy and jealousy that had marked her past thoughts, she admitted to herself that Ranma was a far superior martial artist and that if he were to trully hit her with even a quarter of his full strength, she would likely have serious injuries. There were few people that Ranma could safely release his full power on and most of them she did not wish to see anytime soon as they had often either endangered her life or attempted to steal her away from Ranma in one way or another. She was listening to him now, and he was responding by opening up to her in a way he had never done to anyone before, telling her his thoughts and feelings concerning the chaos in his life.



The only dark cloud in this peaceful week was his mothers outright refusal to have anything to do with Akane. At the meal she had cooked, Nodoka had turned her nose up and dragged Genma out to eat, but only after he had managed to eat a normal persons portion of the food. When Akane walked into a room that Nodoka was in, the Saotome matriarch would turn and leave, not even bother finishing what had brought her into the room in the first place. And if Nodoka walked into a room and noticed Akane, she would glare at the girl, before turning and leaving without word being exchanged. The only exceptions were if Ranma was in the room. With her son there, Nodoka would take over the conversation and make a point of ignoring Akane's attempts to speak to her son.



The weekend finally came and Ranma and Akane raced home from school, Ranma carrying Akane easily in his arms as he hopped from roof to roof, arriving at the Tendo home less than five minutes later. It was usually a 20 minute walk from the school, and Ranma could have travelled the distance within a minute, but Akane was not yet at the level needed to withstand the windforce such speeds generated. She was slowly improving, thanks to his instruction, but she had a long way to go. At the rate they were going, he thought she might be ready for the Amaguriken technique in another month or so. Once she had that, it would be a more rapid increase and much easier for her to learn the intricacies of kiblasts.



Even with the speed they had travelled they were far from the first to arrive. Ryoga had arrived sometime that morning, while they were at school. The Amazons had closed the Nekohanten for the day and had spend it quietly meditating in the dojo. Ukyo had skipped school that morning and had also come straight to the dojo upon awakening, followed as always by Konatsu. The pair were sitting near the koi pond, quietly discussing something. The parents and Kasumi were seated around the little table near the sliding doors, glasses of iced tea and small pastries piled before them. Neither of the Kuno's were there, and that was a fact noted and appreciated by many. Tatewaki was still in custody, undergoing a psychiatric review while only Sasuke knew where Kodachi was hiding herself.



Ranma and Akane went up to change, dropping off their school stuff and chaning into more comfortable clothing. Not by coincidence this meant they both changed into gis. Once he had begun to actually train Akane, Ranma had taken to wearing a gi during all the offical sessions. He still took every opportunity he could to make everyday activities into training. As with the Amaguriken and kiblasts, he felt that Akane would shortly be roof hopping. She needed only to gain more confidence in her skills and to start relying on her instincts instead of her concious thoughts during a fight.



That had always been one of her problems. If she had too much time to think about what she was doing, she would start worrying about messing up and would end up doing something that made her look foolish. It was the opposite of her problems with cooking. With cooking she just grabbed whatever was at hand that sounded good and threw it together. With martial arts, she spent too much time thinking about what she was doing instead of just doing it.



Now, at least, Akane would have to spend more time on controlling her emotions instead of her body, allowing her natural grace and talent to do the work while her mind was focussed on ignoring the taunts and baiting that flowed from Ranma's mouth. She had taken her sister's advice to heart and could now see that most of Ranma's insults were a childish attempt to motivate her to improve herself. She had been too prone to anger to see what Ranma was trying to do, focussing more on the source of the statements than on what the statements were attempting to tell her.



Ranma had found the week rather boring. At times he wondered if the benefits of the surgery would outway the negatives. Especially since he wouldn't be allowed to spar or fight for the month after the surgery. By the time Friday had rolled around he found himself missing Kuno, but even Kuno bashing had been forbidden. He had seen Ryoga twice and no matter what he had said, the lost boy had ignored him, teasing him back in a way he had never done before. He would have bet money with Nabiki on her own terms that Ryoga would have attacked him or Shampoo would have glomped him. She might be his cousin, but it was a distant relation that made no difference in her pursuit of him, she simply was not able to use the Kiss of Death or Kiss of Marriage. She was more subtle now, instant of the ribcracking glomps, giving him hugs of unusual lengths and still slightly rubbing her solid soft frame against Ranma's. The ties of blood had actually strengthened her previous claim on him, since he already had Amazon blood in his veins and marrying Shampoo would have made those bonds stronger. It didn't seem to matter to her that Cologne had renounced all claims on him.



He just wanted to get the waiting over and find out what could be done to help him become what Akane needed him to be.





*Chapter 11*: State Ch11


Dr. Tofu arrived about twenty minutes after Ranma and Akane returned home. He brought with him both Dr. Yosami and Dr. Yasamoto, who had results of her own to share with them. Ranma had been showing Akane some kata he had learned at a temple. The other martial artists of the group had also gathered to watch, some feeling anger at the effort Ranma was making in helping Akane, other's feeling happy for those same reasons. The three doctor's waited while Ranma and Akane made a final run through of the complex kata they were working on. Once the pair where finished, Akane having learned the basic moves of the kata and the tempo of the perfected form, they bowed to each other and towelled off, Ranma using a pail of water to return to his female form in order to better comprehend the news the doctors would have for them.



Everyone gathered together in the dojo, since the engawa and family rooms would be too small for all of them. The doctor's sat together, with the others forming a half circle around them. Akane and Ranma sat near Tofu, while Kasumi was next to Dr. Yasamoto on the other end of the crescent. In the middle of the group, sat Cologne, with Shampoo and Mousse to either side. Next to Shampoo sat Ukyo and Konatasu, with Nabiki next to Konatsu. Nodaka sat between the elder Tendo girls and near her adopted daughter. Soun sat next to Akane with Genma to his other side. Ryoga sat next to Genma, having started looking for the dojo a week before, knowing of the trouble it would take him to find it after receiving his letter.



Out of respect for the Tendo family ancestors, they sat near the shrine, with the large ornate and well kept display to the backs of the doctors. Since the news could affect the future of possible Tendo generations, they all felt it was right to include the Tendo's past generations in the discussion. No one said a word about it, but they all felt it, even the Chinese guests who had different ways of honoring their past.



Dr. Tofu was the first to speak.



"Since we all know why we are here, we'll skip the pleasantries and get to the results. This is Dr. Sam Yosami, a neurosurgeon and a specialist in the field of head trauma. Last weekend, he took some Xrays and scans of Ranma's skull. He found a few interesting things. I'll let him explain." He nodded to the elder gentleman.



"Thank you Tofusan. It was rather interesting to take some of those tests. I had not believed in magic, but I find I must revise my opinions on the matter since I saw the evidence with my own eyes of it's existance. Now, as Ono mentioned, I took a number of images of Ranmasan's brain, in both of his forms." He opened a folder and removed a packet of images. He handed them out so that everyone could see clearly. "What I have just handed you are copies of the Xray's and MRI's that were done. I have circled a few areas of note. Also included are images of an average brain in it's normal uninjured state as comparison points for those unfamiliar with such things."



He held up the first image, a sideview of Ranma's male side and the image of the normal brain. Circled was a spot near the upper back portion of the image, there was a very clear mark of something pressing into the tissue of the brain. The next image was of the same section, but enlarged. At this new magnification it was easy to see that Ranma's skull had several chips in it and that one of the longer fracture corresponded to the large spike pressing into the tissues.



"What this is showing is the part of Ranma's brain currently being affected. It is the part of the brain that is in charge of regulating the hormones produced in order to provide sexual arousal. It is also prodding an area we have long believed to control emotional growth. With these spikes in their current positions, it would be physically impossible for Ranma to react either in a physical or emotional manner appropriate for someone of his age. What I mean is that emotionally, Ranma is stuck at the age he was when he suffered the injury. We are guessing, from what he's told us of his past, that this would be around 10 or 11 years old."



"So he's stuck before puberty starts to affect people?" Nabiki asked, a little quicker on the uptake than most of the other's present. "That's why he treats every one like a child does instead of like a horny little teenager?"



The doctor frowned. "I wouldn't put it quite like that, but that is essentially what is happening. Ranma's brain doesn't procccess the information sent by his nervous system the way another person does due to his injury. The hormones that are being called for by the body aren't being produced in enough quantity to cause his body to react in the proper fashion. Thanks to the scans done of both of his forms, we have identified which of the spurs are responsible for blocking the hormones. This means that we have the ability to remove those spurs, which should allow Ranma's natural healing to take over and return his hormone production to a more normal level."



Dr. Yasamoto continued when Dr. Yosami paused. "Because we are dealing with the brain, there is a slight chance of danger to Ranma during the operation and the recovery period. We estimate, from what he and Tofu have been able to tell us, that he would need at least a full month to physically recover from the surgery. This means that he will be restricted from fighting for that time. Any one who attempts to provoke him will be seen as pressing an assault against him and will face the full penalties of the law and justice system. For that month, as it's been for this week, any one who in any way harms Ranma, either physically or emotionally, will be arrested and tried for crimes ranging from assault to attempted murder. There are no exceptions."



Nodaka leaned forward. "You said he would need a month to physcically recover. Will there be any mental changes?"



Dr. Yosami replied. "Since we are talking about a part of Ranma's life that has been effectively blocked from him, than their is a strong possibility that there will be some changes in Ranma's behaviour. For instance, he will start actually noticing the differences between boys and girls. He might have a bout of aggressiveness but I understand that he's a somewhat aggressive person to begin with."



"So after this surgery, Ranma would be able to react when he sees a pretty girl like Shampoo?" Cologne asked, flicking her long hair behind her as she hopped down from the staff.



"Ah, yes. I suppose you can say that. Once the blockage is removed, Ranma's body will react like any other boys his age. It will be a difficult transition for him, since he will experience the change almost overnight while most peoiple go through it over years. As I had mentioned at one point, there might be some physical growth, especially on his female body. For this reason, and in order to more quickly help Ranma adapt to the changes in his reactions and the new impulses, we think it's best for Ranma to remain male from the time of the surgery and for at least a month, possibly two afterwards."



Cologne nodded. "Yes, that is mentioned in that letter you had delivered to us. I have provided Ranma with a 2 month supply of waterproof soap that will allow him to avoid changing when splashed with cold water. Unfortunately, part of the curse is to attract said water at every remote possibility and I know of no way to guard against that. So though he will not change forms, he will still draw cold water to himself on a regular schedule."



Ranma groaned then smiled. At least he'd be aguy for a whole month. Maybe they'd be able to go to the beach and he'd get a chance to swim as a guy. "That's better than nothing, I guess."



Cologne cackled. "Don't worry, Ranma. We'll put off your Amazon training during that time, as well. You won't have to wear traditional warrior dress in your male form."



Ranma faked a sigh of relief, having forgotten about the dress requirements Cologne clung to while training him in the Amazon secrets that were now his by birthright, thanks to his grandmother being her daughter. "Weew. Don't take this the wrong way, Sensei, but I wasn't looking forward to wearing that halter top and war skirt. I just don't have the legs for them in this form."



Everyone had a chuckle at the imagery that this stirred in their minds.



Nodaka spoke up first once the chuckling slowed to a trickle. "When would this operation need to take place, Sensei? How long before my son is able to be a true man?"



Before the doctor had a chance to reply, Ranma snorted. "Nevermind that. I want to know since it's going to affect my training. I mean, you're barely letting me do anything right now. I doubt you'd let me go bcak to the way things were before all this stuff came up. Not to mention that Ryoga and the other idiots aren't able to control themselves very well now. Look, he's already getting ready to jump me."



Akane gently tapped his shoulder. "Maybe if you wouldn't tease the poor guy so much, he wouldn't always be fighting you Ranma. I mean, sure, Ryoga's not really the calmest of guys, but he can't help it that he's so sensitive. He's spent most of his life more alone than you, remember?"



Ranma sighed. "You're right, Akane. Look, sorry Ryoga. I didn't mean to try and provoke you or nothing. I'm just saying that with my mouth, and your temper, neither of us would be able to keep acting all calm and peacelike to each other for much longer, right?"



Ryoga grunted. He hated when the other boy was right. "I can hold out from beating on you longer than you can hold out from insulting me, Ranma."



Ranma rolled his eyes. Just like the stupid pig to make this a contest. "All right, Pchan. You want to go, let's go. I will not insult, provoke, or tease you until a month and a day after my surgery."



Ryoga grinned, his one fang glinting in the lights. "Fine with me. I will not attack you in any way, shape or form, nor deliberately put myself in position for you to insult or tease me."



"So now that that is settled, we can get on to more important matters." Dr. Yosami stated. "To answer what you all seem to be asking, there is an opening in 2 weeks. We need to do a few blood tests and what not before then, but if all goes well, we'll be able to perform the surgery in two weeks."



Ranma brightened. "Two weeks? That's great! We were worried it would be a few months before it could be done."



Yosami chuckled softly. "Usually it would, but I'm rather interested in seeing the results of the surgery and what effect it will have on your personality. Of course, that could change if an emergency comes up and the operating room is needed for a critical case, but I am optimistic that any delay could be dealt with quickly and the surgery completed no later than 3 weeks from today. Provided of course that you want to take the risk. It is after all, brain surgery. Though the risk is minimal, there is always the possibility of something going wrong."



Ranma looked at his mother, who was staring at him with a look of great eagerness on her face. He could almost feel her pressuring him to go for the surgery. He studied the faces and noticed that they had all a variety of similar looks, varying in intensity and desperation. Only Akane's face was calm. Ignoring the others, he took a breath.



"Akane, what do you think I should do?"



Akane gave a small smile, while she ignored Nodaka's angry hiss. "I think you should do what you feel is best, Ranma. It is your brain, after all, and you will have to live with any changes that happen to you after the surgery."



Ranma sighed and fiddled with his pigtail. "How do I know what's best? And do I do what's best for me, or for mom or for someone else."



Akane's face settled into a calm expression. "You must do what you feel is best for you, Ranma. Ask yourself this: Are you better off the way you are? Or would you be happier if you were able to better understand your feelings?"



Ranma frowned and fiddled with his pigtail, ignoring the others in the room. Akane was telling him to decide if he'd be happier in his current state, which was usually confused and frustrated that he couldn't understand what other's were trying to tell him, or would he rather have the surgery and be able to feel and know what other's were talking about when they mentioned those things he didn't understaand. The real question here was: Was he ready to grow up? Or did he want to stay a child for the rest of his life?



AN: OH NO



A cliffhanging plot bunny! The worst thing a writer can do to his readers.



Don't worry my friends, the questions will be answered soon enough. I hope you're enjoying this.





*Chapter 12*: State Ch12


From last chapter:



Akane gave a small smile, while she ignored Nodaka's angry hiss. "I think you should do what you feel is best, Ranma. It is your brain, after all, and you will have to live with any changes that happen to you after the surgery."



Ranma sighed and fiddled with his pigtail. "How do I know what's best? And do I do what's best for me, or for mom or for someone else."



Akane's face settled into a calm expression. "You must do what you feel is best for you, Ranma. Ask yourself this: Are you better off the way you are? Or would you be happier if you were able to better understand your feelings?"



Ranma frowned and fiddled with his pigtail, ignoring the others in the room. Akane was telling him to decide if he'd be happier in his current state, which was usually confused and frustrated that he couldn't understand what other's were trying to tell him, or would he rather have the surgery and be able to feel and know what other's were talking about when they mentioned those things he didn't understaand. The real question here was: Was he ready to grow up? Or did he want to stay a child for the rest of his life?



Ranma was nervous. He tried to fidget, but he was tied securely in the hospital bed. He stared at the ceiling, trying to remain calm at the thought of what was about to happen. He nearly regretted agreeing to this surgery just on the basis that they'd had to cut his hair. It was the one part of himself that he'd held any true vanity over. Much like Akane, it had helped him mark his age and independance from his father. It had become a symbol of who he was, most people recognizing him from his hair style alone. His long pigtail had been a tie in both his form, marking him as different from the others around him.



He watched out of a corner of his eye, as the anethesiologist approched with the mask. He held his breath as the mask was put in place, struck by a minor fit of annoyance. The man approaching was not someone he knew. He was a specialist brought in for this one purpose, to put Ranma to sleep for the beginning of his surgery.



The surgery was rather short, and part of it meant it was needed for Ranma to be awake. So the specialist had to be careful to give Ranma the proper amount of the gas so that they could easily wake him at the proper time.



While he followed the doctor's instructions to breath deeply and count backwards, Ranma took a moment before the blackness swallowed him to once again question how he had come to agree to undergo the operation. Would it be worth it?



In the end, an image of Akane's smiling face peeking shyly at him from under her blue bangs was the answer. Nothing in his life mattered more to him than having Akane happy with him. The surgery would allow him to express and feel and understand the feelings her mere presence evoked in him. He gave a feint ghost of a smile as sleep claimed him.



Akane paced the waiting room worriedly. She was twisting a magazine in her hand. If a physicist had seen her earlier, as she sat folding the papers, they would have been forced to revise their theory that no piece of paper could be folded in half more than 7 times, for somehow, Akane had managed to fold several pages of a pamphlet 9 times before it had become too small for her to hold.



Throwing the magazine down on the table, she slammed into a chair beside her eldest sister, who was calmly leafing through a magazine on mental health.



"What's taking so long?" she demanded of no one in particular. "They said it wouldn't take long, and it's already been two hours!"



Nabiki put down her financial news magazine and took her sucker out of her mouth. "Try and relax, Akane. You don't want the staff to ask you to leave too, do you?"



Akane looked stubborn for a moment, before she slowly collapsed bonelessly into the oddly comfortable chair. She did not wish to be evicted like the others.



Ryoga, Shampoo, Mousse, Genma, her father, and Nodaka had all been thrown out of the hospital for causing a disturbance. Luckily, the hospital had skilled security staff that had stopped the growing unrest before it could grow into a potentially disasterous conflict. Akane was well aware of the damage that the chaos in Ranma's life could cause, having witnessed such damage at the school and her own home on numerous occassions. The Kuno's would have been thrown out if they'd been there but Tatewaki was still in police custody, and Kodachi was in an institution under constant surveillance.



The pair had been there for several months, ever since they had tried to attack/seduce Ranma/Akane not long after the night the doctors had visited the Tendo-ke. Ukyo was avoiding Ranma and Akane, and Konatsu was sticking to her to make sure she didn't attempt anything stupid like what had occured at the failed wedding. That left the three Tendo sisters, Dr. Tofu and Cologne waiting for news on Ranma's condition.



Kasumi finished her magazine and replaced it in order in the rack next to her seat. She turned to study her youngest sister. She had changed greatly since what they'd come to refer to as the 'Kitchen Talk'. She had come to terms with her feelings for Ranma, both versions of him. It had been nearly a month since she'd reached for a mallet to smack Ranma with when something happened. She'd grown more in those few short months than in the years since their mother's death. Ranma's injury was a blessing in disguise for her family, since it had forced Akane to admit to herself and to others how she felt for her fiance, and had forced Ranma to decide to put away his childhood for good and to take on the mantle he so often fought to project: Manhood.



Even today, the day of Ranma's surgery, Akane had shown a previously impossible level of patience as Shampoo had groped Ranma while he awaited the doctor and hinted to the poor boy about how she would greet him when he was healed. Not even Nodaka's stubborn refusal to address Akane or the snide comments the woman had made to Ranma regarding his fiancee had stirred the now rare displays of rage. She had sat patiently next to Ranma, one of his large hands craddled in both of hers as the nursing staff preped him for his surgery.



She had managed to salvage his pigtail from the pile of loose hairs left behind by the doctors clippers, and had tied it with one of her ribbons. It was nestled safely in the pocket of her dress, one she had known to be among Ranma's favorites. It was the same dress she had worn the first time she'd met Ranma, and it held a history for them. It, and the hair, were symbols of all they'd gone through to reach this point, and of the things they were putting behind themselves. Kasumi knew that after today, Akane would likely hang the dress in the closet, never to be worn again.



She reached over and patted her sister's shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine, imoutochan. The surgery will be a success, and Ranma will soon be up and moving. I'd say he'd be back to normal, but this will change him, Akane. I hope you are able to continue to love him, even with the changes."



Akane turned her watery eyes on her sister. For most of her life, Kasumi had filled the role of mother and confidant. Since the horrific time right after their mother's death that she could only dimly remember, Kasumi had been the one Akane had turned to for everything. Kasumi had bee nthe one to explain what had happened to their beloved mother and that no matter how much any of them wished it, she would never be able to to return to them. It was Kasumi who would bandage Akane's scrapes and bruises. Kasumi who had shown Akane how to read and write. Kasumi who taught her about the family history and told her stories before bed. It had been Kasumi who had told Akane about the changes her body would go through, and about the situations she would face now that she was becoming a woman.



"No matter what happens, what he becomes or what changes he goes through, he will always be Ranma, and I will love him, Kasumi." she stated, with a surety and confidence that would have startled anyone who had known her her whole life. Akane was a shy girl, slow to make friends, but for those few she blessed by taking into her heart, she held on forever, never wishing to feel the pain she'd felt when her mother died. And no one had ever reached as deeply into Akane's heart and soul as Saotome Ranma.



Kasumi smiled and hugged her sister. "I am so proud of you, Akane. You've grown so much. Mother would be so happy for you." The two gave each other loving smiles, before discretely turning away and wiping their eyes dry. No one noticed the other sister doing the same under the guise of turning a page of her magazine.



Conciousness came slowly, and Ranma could feel his eyes struggling to open against the weight of induced exhaustion. He finally managed to open them, only to snap them closed as the bright lightshone down on his face. His hearing kicked in and he heard someone speaking to him but coulnd't quite make out the words.



"nn n n .n. .. Nani?" he finally managed to eke out.



"Mr. Saotome? Good, you're awake. It's time for you to help yourself." the voice stated, much clearer. Ranma could now identify the speaking as Dr. Yosami.



"How?" he asked, his mind clearing slightly. "What do I do?" Even to Ranma's ears, his voice sounded oddly detached and toneless.



Dr. Yosami moved from behind his were he'd been doing his work into Ranma's line of sight. Ranma had tried to move his head, but he was totally restrained. "Well, we've drilled through the bone and are inserting a small camera to search for the bone splinters. If you'd like, we can but the image up on the screeen where you can see them."



Swallowing what little saliva was in his mouth, Ranma answered in the affirmative. His eyes turned to look at the screen angled down towards him from it's position several feet above his legs. The image on the screen was both startling and frightening. Since he'd learned about the surgery, Ranma had watched several other surgerys being performed. He had become familiar with the sight of the human brain in it's natural habitat. But here, now, he was looking at his own brain. It was something people were not meant to see, yet there it was. He could even recogninze the sharp bits of bone stabbing into his brain. It was funny, he thought, that your brain is the center of your nervous system, the place were all the sensations of your body were processed, yet it had no feeling itself.



He could not feel the pieces of bone, yet as the camera moved, occassionaly bumping his brain, he could see the pieces move, some of them digging into his brain. He watched wide eyed, as the camera slowly withdrew from the hole and he was given a close up of the they'd drilled into the back of his skull. A shiver of revulsion ran through him, and another quiver of hysterical laughter threatened to erupt at the realization that he was feeling a physical reaction to a part of himself that had not sensation. The camera stopped moving and the image centered on the hole. A long, thin set of forcepts came into the image, and pushed into the hole.



Ranma wanted to look away or at least close his eyes, but he was glued to the image. He watched as the camera zoomed in and showed the forcepts open and then close over a small piece of bone. A voice from beside him distracted him and he looked away, again catching Dr. Yosami as the doctor looked down at him.



"How can I help? I can't move!" he stated, his mind snapping back to the question the doctor had posed.



Dr. Yosami chuckled. "While I am certain that your hand-eye coordination and spatial memory would make it possible for you to perform the surgery on yourself, as long as we were here to guide you, we need your help with something else." He nodded to the screen, were the forcepts were now approaching his brain, the piece of bone no longer grasped in its claws. "After we remove a piece of bone, we will test to see if there is any reaction by pressing on the portion of the brain it was pressing against.



While you won't feel us pushing on your brain, you may experience other sensations on various parts of you body, perhaps even a few you are only dimly aware of possessing. What we need you to do is to describe what you feel when the forcepts push on your brain. I want you to watch the screen so you know when it happens, and describe what you feel. It might take a moment or two for the sensations to kick in, but I don't want you to worry. Nurse Oneil here will be recording you with a digital microphone as well as writting everything down. Dr. Kanai will be removing the larger pieces, and I will remove the smaller ones and the ones furthest from the opening."



Ranma gulped again and blinked rapidly. "yeah, sure. Whatever you need, Doc. Er. .. How long will this take?"



Dr. Yosami smiled at Ranma, his eyes dancing above the face mask he wore to protect against infection. "Oh, no more than an hour or two. With your help, possibly sooner."



"Then let's get the show on the road, Docs." Ranma's eyes turned to watch the screen as the forcepts pressed agains his brain. It stayed there for a moment, before lifting and pressing again. Ranma and the doctors waited as patiently as they could for the brain to send the signals along Ranma's neural paths.



Ranma frowned as best he could. At first, he could feel nothing when that part of his brain was touched. Now, he could definitely feels something happening. Something deep in his body, in his stomach, but not quite. He described the sensation to Oneil, who had become something of an unofficial member of the close-nit trio of Doctor's treating Ranma.



He and his wife had shown up at the dojo one day, asking to joing a class. Soun had been dumbfounded that anyone wanted to learn from him, but after Oneil mentioned that he'd discussed with his wife how active and how much energy the Tendo and Saotome famiy members exuded, that had turned to pride. He'd eagerly agreed to take on the Oneil clan's training, and Oneil had in turn provided more willing students as both he and his wife convinced their coworkers of the benefits of the Tendo style of martial arts.



Oneil grinned, though he knew the younger man couldn't see it through the hygenic mask he was wearing. "Ah. Near the stomach but not quite. Is it causing anything else?"



Ranma blushed as he recognized the feeling. "Er...yeah? I ...um... I feel like I need to ... to go, you know?"



Oneil nodded and marked it down on the forms he was holding. "That's perfectly normal at the moment. If it get's out of control, just relax and let it happen. We've already taken precautions against your total embarrassment."



Still blushing, Ranma watched as the tool now neared a second piece of bone. He waited as the forcept withdrew and got his glimpse of the bone being dropped into a small water filled bowl before the bowl was lowered out of camera range. He watched, now enthralled, as the forcept was again moved carefully through the unnatural opening in his skull to press against his brain.



Over and over the doctors took out a piece of the damaging bone and pressed into the soft tissue of his most important body part. Time and again he listed the effect those soft touches had on his body. Frequently the effects were less then pleasant, but occassionaly, there would be a pleasant tingling along various body parts at the touches. He endured it all with the same calm he showed during a battle, having decided that this was a battle. Not against a foe intent on harming him, but on his past and on the barriers preventing his mind from growing to match the man his body was becoming.



He'd learned much in the time leading up to the surgery, about himself and about what it meant to trully be a man. And he'd learned that he was more than the body he was in at the time. That being a man had nothing to do with the form of his body, but more to do with the tenents of his beliefs and the truth of his statements and actions. And until he could feel the same pressure and desires of other men, he could prove to himself and others that he was being true to those beliefs.



It was time for him to put away childish things and to become the man he was meant to be. No matter the gender of his body.





*Chapter 13*: State Ch 13


Hey yall. sorry for taking so long, but been a busy summer. Had to move, work things, lost my muse, found her but she was busy musing someone else, then misplaced the address for her, than she showed up again, but only wanted to help me work on other things instead of these stories.

Anyway, we talked, and good news is, i'm writting again. I'm hoping to have more of each of my stories out soon. Some of you may have noticed the added chapter for "2 Tiger's Tale". Aside from ch14 of this one, I have been hard at work in the last few days with ch22 for that, ch11 for Neko's Mate as well as the Neko's Mate Lemon ch2 featuring Ranmachan and Akane. I'm framing out the next section for R1/2 vs HP, and have also been working on the next chapters in by nonRanma fics.

ANYWAY

NOTICE OF INTENT: The following chapter of State of Mine contains scenes and scenarios not suited to minors. So anyone who works for a mine, please dont read.(ah, what the hell. Go ahead, read. It's not too bad, I hope.)

R-Restricted

Ranma frowned in frustration as his body again failed to obey his simplest commands. It had been three days since the surgery and even though the doctors kept insisting that he remain at the hospital for another 2 days, he had annoyed the staff enough that they had relented and allowed him to sign out and return home, but only on receiving his word of honor that he would obey their instructions regarding his training regiment and practice only light kata for at least a week.

They had tried to make him immobile for a week before performing any kata, but Ranma had completely refused and his parents and friends backed him. Afterall, the rules were in place for the help of normal people, and Ranma was hardly a normal person. He was a martial artist, born and raised, and the doctors had no idea how quickly his body healed in comparison to others. Injuries that would cripple or maim a normal person, healed in hours, while those that would sidetrack star athletes, were little more than a moments annoyance.

Ranma was quite simply, at the peak of human abilities. Few people on the planet were in the same league as Ranma when it came to his martial skills, and fewer still were those who were anywhere near the physical perfection he had attained. Sure, a handful of people might surpass his skill, or his strength, or even his prized speed.

But no one could match the conditioning of his body, the absolute balance between speed, strength, and skill. He was at the absolute ideal of the human male form and his female form was the ideal of female perfection. Though all agreed that Genma was a slimey, scumsucking bastard with the integrety of the Titanic's hull, no one ever discounted his ability to produce one of the greatest fighters on the planet. His methods may have been insane, and deadly to both his student and himself, but Genma had honed Ranma into the perfect human weapon.

This was at the core of many of Ranma's problems, for everyone could tell simply by being in his presence that Ranma was unique. He exuded power and skill without trying, and the ego he portrayed was matched only by the reality that he could almost always back up his boasts. Ranma feared no one, and grudgingly gave his respect to few when it came to the martial arts which was the basis for his whole life.

Ranma was, while not neccessarily a supermodelly handsome boy, a moderately attractive youth, and his female form was a knockout. Add his classic good looks to the sculpted of perfection body, his extremely athletic and healthy nature, and his friendly and outgoing manner and he amounted to quite a catch in the eyes of the females of all ages and of many species. This combination even overrode the downsides of his nature, mainly his ego and his inability to speak to a female without putting his foot in his mouth about anything not related to fighting.

His complete and total lack of social skills was forgotten the moment he flashed his cocky grin, transforming a mildly attractive young man into most peoples idea of perfection. His female form had the same effect on males, though where girls would sigh and giggle while daydreaming about him, the boys would drool and make rude comments or gestures, which forced Ranma to correct their behaviour. Adding to the unique quirks that resulted in one Saotome Ranma, instead of dissuading most girls from their near hopeless quest for Ranma's heart, his female side was seen as an added benefit. When questioned by a clueless boy why the girls weren't put off by his female side in the way many of them were put off by his male half, the girls would smirk and mention that all girls wanted a mate who understood their pain and needs, and who better to understand those needs than someone who lived them and felt them, even if to a lesser degree?

Ranma shook his head, trying to regain control of his trembling body. He'd been doing a light workout and was far more tired than he should havve been. Of course, a light workout for Ranma would comprise a weeks worth of hard exercise for most people. He could feel that his balance was off.

Sighing, he wondered how long it would be before he was even close to his normal level. His entire timing was off, he had no sense of the way his body should react to his motions, and he was seriously lacking in coordination. Of course, this meant that he was only about 10x more agile and gracefull than the highest level Olympic athletes instead of his usual 30 or 40. He was looking forward to being a male for the next month, though he was slightly embarrassed by the incident that had greeted him upon awaking that morning.

FLASHBACK

He was just finishing a training session when Akane walked into the dojo. She gave him a bright smile, the one she gave only to him and that made his insides quiver in a strange way. She was wearing her normal trainging gi, but it wasn't until she moved from the basic kata's to more acrobatic leaps and twisting manouvers that Ranma notice that this time, she was not weaing anything beneath the gi jacket.

He was frozen in place, unable to remove his eeyes from her as her movements gavie him short, tantalizing glimpses of the soft flesh of her breasts. He'd felt a stirring deep inside that was vaguely similar to the feeling he got in these situations when he was in female form, only it was somewhat more intense. The feeling in his female form was spread throughout his entire frame, while this feeeling seemed to be concentrated in a spot a little lower then his stomach.

He watched suddenly awestruck as Akane seemed to dance around the dojo, lashing out with her limbs in a wild, aggressive dance that set fire to his blood. He tried to study her style, but could focus only on her body, noting for the first time just how beautiful and powerfully built his fiancee was. She was a study in contrast, all feminine curves that stirred his newly awakened body and solid muscle that drew the martial artist in him like no other person he'd met.

He had met stronger and more skilled woman, chief among them the lucious Shampoo, but all paled in his mind to the perfection he saw when he looked at his fiancee. She had the strength and power inherent in her warrior lineage, and the beauty and grace that was trained subtly into most Japanese woman from birth. The soft curves granted by nature as gifts for the female of their species cover the steel like musculature that he knew from personal and painful experience allowed this mere slip of girl, barely over 5 feet tall and as shapely as many of the models and actresses his peers fawned over to perform feets of strength that he was not even sure he could match without the extensive use of his finely honed ki. In truth, he though while studying her, with the proper training, he was more than aware that she would easily be a match for him in all ways.

And that was part of what drew him to her, even through the haze that had been his mind before the operation. While he'd met many more beautiful or more talented girls and women, none had the same . . .drive and determination that Akane possesed. It was more than her body that drew him, and more than her mind though he was well aware the she was more intelligent than he. No, her most attractive quality was her pure spirit. Akane was pure in spirit in a way that he had never seen in anyone else.

She was uncomplicated in her view of life. A friend was a friend, and if you were honoured enough to be her friend, than she would move heaven and earth to aid you if you had need. She, like him, wished to be friends with everyone, but unlike him, she didn't forgive those who constantly sought to harm her. Even then, her anger was pure. If you offended her in some way, she would let you know-usually in a painful meeting with a blunt object- but once the anger passed she would again seek to try and be friends. Each offense was, while not forgotten, easily forgiven, though he knew that there were some who would never be allowed forgiveness for their transgressions.

He felt immensely honoured that she always forgave him for the errors he had made previously and constantly sought ways to demonstrate his appreciation for that fact. He had always known that she had held him in a different light than others and he had been blind to the reason for that view until the cloud in his mind was lifted and allowed him to realize what exactly the connection he'd always felt to her was: Love. She, against what many would say was common sense, loved him and he loved her. He was only now beginning to know what love entailed, and was looking forward to getting to know her in this new light that he possesed.

As he'd thought over recent events, Akane had finished her more aggressive kata's and was now performing a slow, peacefull form that he could not quite recognize. He blinked as she turned and felt his face flush. During her movements, her gi had become loose and parted even more. Her flowing, easy motions drew his attention to the heaving of her chest and to the two mounds of flesh that moved beneath her top. The part of the gi top was enough that as she twisted and turns, he caught several long glimpses of the dark ring of flesh and the pointed peaks that adorned her breasts. Those points appeared to be rather rigid and he felt the unfamiliar twitching of his manhood against his pants.

Gulping quietly, he watched as Akane continued his exercise, barely noticing the effect she was having on his body. By the time she finished, her face was flush and her breathing had returned to normal, but Ranma was trembling with the intensity of the emotions coursing through him. His face was drenched in sweat and he was breathing in short sharp bursts. That worsened when she placed her hands behind her head and leaned back until his ears caught a faint 'pop'. His eyes however were glued to her chest, which was pushed out even more than usual by the motion. One of her breasts had slipped out of her top and he could now make out the traces of sweat working their way down the soft upper curve, slidding over the erect flesh of the nipple and then down to the bottom curve before dripping off to the floor.

Closing his eyes briefly, he took a deep shuddering breath, trying to control the raging desire to go over to his fiancee and lick the rest of the sweat from the breast. He opened his eyes again to find to his surprise that Akane had moved and was now within easy reach of him, staring at him intently, her gaze travelling his form, pausing here and there, most notably on his groin, which as he took a look down, he was surprised to see the bulge that now existed there. That brief glance also allowed him to note, with more than a trace of pleasure that Akane had not covered herself from his gaze when she had moved over and that in fact, now both breasts were bared to him.

Trembling with the force of his unfamiliar desires to grope those fleshy mounds and suckle at their pointed tips, he brought his gaze to meet hers and was surprised to find a fire burning in them that matched the heat travelling his own body. Without a word, Akane took a step forward and pressed her bared skin against his own, her arms traversing up to his neck and pulling him towards her. Their lips met with some force and Ranma dimly noted that Akane was rubbing her entire body against his own as her lips caressed his.

He returned the kiss, trying to copy what she was doing to his lips. His arms encircled her waist pulling her tighter against the bulge of his groin. She started to grind herself against him and he replied by thrusting against her, the feelings growing more intense and desperate. He wanted . .. he wanted. . . . He didn't know what he wanted but he knew that what ever it was it had to do with what their hips were doing and with the caress of their lips. He was feeling hot, like his skin was on fire. He started to press against Akane more urgently, striving for something he didn't understand, but knew would be good.

Their kiss broke and Ranma groaned, pressing his face into her shoulder adn he thrust desperately towards the source of heat between Akane's thighs. What ever it was, it was hot enough and wet enough for him to feel even through his cotton pants, and Akane's wool gi. He felt his manhood beginning to spasm and his abdomen clenching and thrust at her furiously now, idly noting that one of her thighs had wrapped around his waist and her grinding motions were as furious as his thrusts. Within seconds of the realization that Akane was as hot and excited as he was, a strange, wet feeling erupted from his manhood, which was pulsing in his pants,and he let out a long, low growl of pleasure. Akane was jerking softly against him, little whimpers of pleasure that, while he didn't understand what they were, he knew that he was the cause and was happy for bringing her some of the pleasure their shared actions had brought him.

They had kissed again, tenderly this time. He pulled back and stared into her soft eyes. He opened his mouth to tell her how he felt and it happened.

He woke up.

END FLASHBACK.

Ranma grinned and blushed softly as he remembered what had happened when he woke. He had noticed almost immediately that his pants were soaked, and had been panicked to think that he might have wet the bed, something he hadn't done since he was very young. It had taken him a moment to recognize that Akane was in the room, staring at the wall, her face nearly as red as his favorite shirt.

Feeling awkward after the dream, he had explained about the dream, and tried to ignore the stirring in his groin as he told her about everything in it. As he told her, her face had grown redder, but he'd also noted that she seemed . . . pleased.

He'd been even more embarassed when Akane had stammeringly explained that he had not peed the bed, but that what had happend was that he'd had a wet dream. She had then had to explain that to him, and by the end, they had both been blushing like ripe tomatos. Ranma had haltingly asked if Akane had ever had a dream like that, and she had admitted that she had them more often then she had liked, especially since she had been trying so hard to deny that she loved him.

They had talked a bit more, and Akane had told him that the doctor's had thought something like this might happen and that there was no reason for him to be embarrassed by it. All it meant was that the operation had been successful. As for the source of the dreams, that was because he was beginning to feel the same for her that she felt for him and that he would, for the first few weeks be subject to such situations as his body and mind struggled to catch up with each other. There was nothing they could do but accept it and move on.

He felt much better after the talk, but by then he was feeling rather gunky, and had went off to bath and change, while Akane went to her room to get dressed for the day. Ranma didn't have to go to school for a few days, but she did.

Before parting ways at the door, Akane had turned to him and placed a passionate kiss on his lips, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pressed herself against his body, which had reacted with immediate interest in the soft curves pressed against it.

He had asked why she had kissed him, and she had grinned saucily at him and told him that she wanted to give him something to dream about, before turning and sashaying away from him, her hips swaying gently and drawing his gaze to her firm behind.

As the door to her room closed, he had shaken his head and gone off to clean up, completely forgetting to ask why she had been in his room in the first place at that time.

Ranma paused and held his pose for a moment before returning to the starting position. He bowed to the Tendo shrine in it's little alcove before moving over to the nearby bench and grabbing his towel. He wiped the excess sweat off his face and arms, then ran the towel over his head. The sweat had started to make the stitches on his scalp itch, and he'd been warned not to scratch under any circumstances.

So instead, he looked out the open doors of the dojo and noted the position of the sun. He realized that it was later than he had thought and that Akane would soon be home.

The mere thought of his fiancee brought a smile to his face and a tightening of his groin. He groaned and tried desparately to separate his thoughts so as to avoid the embarrassing condition he had experienced a half dozen times today. He still didn't know if he'd ever be able to look Kasumi in the eyes after the incident in the kitchen.

Shrugging, he decided to clean up the dojo and go see if there was anything on TV. Maybe there was a martial arts show of some kind, though he wasn't really sure since he didn't watch much TV or movies. In fact, aside from martial arts, he didn't do much of anything. No TV, no books, no sports. The only thing he did was training, he didn't really have any other hobbies, though he would occassionally watch a sporting event that wasn't related to martial arts, if not often. He ignored the twinge of lonelyness that rose inside himself at his thoughts and consoled himself with the thought that Akane had enough interests for both of them.





*Chapter 14*: State Ch 14


Akane sighed as she again glanced up at the clock above the door. It had been a rough day for her and she was hoping to get through it without snapping or dying of embarrassment. She had been highly embarrassed this morning to wake and hear Ranma moaning her name while twisting under the sheets. She taken them off, only to get a surprise as she realised what was happening to her fiance. She had listened as he moaned his name, her eyes drawn to his covered groin, which was twitching under the silk boxers. Her hand had been drawn of it's own volition and reached out and caressed the ample evidence of the successful operation performed just days ago.

She had let out a startled yelp as she felt the large mass of flesh pulse and felt something jetting against her palm as it rested on his body. The realisation of what was happening struck her like a thosand volts, adn she had experienced the familliar sensation of reaching the clouds and rain herself as she remained still, allowing the pulsing flow to ebb of its own accord against her palm. After the last forceful pulse, she withdrew her hand and scooted away from her fiance, unconciously bringing her now wet palm to her face.

The odor of the unfamilliar coating on her hand drew her attention and she splayed her fingers, watching as the thin coating spread to connect her digits.The smell was strong, yet oddly pleasant, though she doubted she'd wear it as a perfume. She licked her dry lips and tried to shake her mind from what the sticky substance was just in time to face her fiance as he awoke.

Both blushing in shame, he had asked what had happened and she had explained. They had spoken for a few minutes, and Akane was still sufficiently off guard for Ranma to get an honest answer when he asked if she had ever experienced similar dreams as the one he had describbed. She had shyly told him of her own experiences and how they had affected her in a similar manner to how his dream had affected him. She explained that the doctors thought such incidents might occur for the first few weeks as his mind tried to process sensations and feelings with which he'd had no prior experience. She had also explained that it was a normal process for all boys and girls as well as they went through puberty, but that the doctors thought Ranma's might be more frequent until he adjusted mentally and physically to the changes in his hormones. But he would eventually return to a level field and have more control over his reactions. Until then, he just had to be prepared to accept a small amount of embarassment.

The real problem was that ever since then, Akane had been able to think of nothing but her own dreams and fantasies. She was totally unable to pay attention to the droning on of the teacher's and barely able to remain focussed on her friends for more than a few seconds when they tried to pry information about Ranma's condition out of her. She'd spent most of the day fending off embarrassing questions while trying to control her own reactions to the thoughts coursing through her mind.

The only saving grace for the day was that she was glad she wasnot a boy since it would be impossible for a boy to hide the reactions she was having to her thoughts. Frequent breaks to the lavoratory had been needed to try and repair what she could of her reactions. It seemed slightly silly to her to think of the intense sensations she'd been experiencing all morning, but she was desperate to not think of the real name for what was happening to her so frequently. She was desparate to get home and workout in the dojo. Maybe, she thought quietly, she could make part of Ranma's dream contrue. While she was ready to admit that she loved Ranma and was strongly attracted to him, she didn't think she was really ready to act on her feelings yet. Ranma still needed to get used to the changes in his new body and in his mind, and so did she. She might have accussed Ranma of being a pervert in the past, but she had never really thought he was one. Now, thanks to the operation, for the next little while, he would be reacting like one, even if he might not act on or understand his feelings, he was now going to have thoughts that he'd never experienced before and they were going to cause some problems.

Thankfully, the clock showed that there was only a few minutes left in class. She ignored the teacher and started to gather her books and squirm in her seat while waiting for the bell to ring. She ignored the looks her friends and classmates were giving her as she counted down the last minute of the frustrating day.

She jumped when the bell went off and was out the door before the teacher could assign any homework. She was eager to get home and find her fiance. She wondered if he had thought at all about her during the day, or if he had spent the day lounging around the house eating and annoying Kasumi.

She raced through the street, not noticing that she knocked over several people on her way home. She didn't even notice when Kuno tried to glomp her and was sent flying through the air, nor did she notice the similar departation of Kodachi, Shampoo, Ryoga, and Mousse, the last two who just happened to be walking through the streets when she passed.

She reached home, kicking of her outer shoes, and absently greeting her sister while tossing her book bag into the closet near the door. She ran out the back door to the dojo, and threw open the door, only to find it empty. Puzzled, she moved back into the house to look for her sister, finding her in the kitchen.

"Kasumichan, have you seen Ranma?" she asked the older girl.

Kasumi turned from the kitchen table where she had been browsing through a medical text. "I believe he went into the living room to watch television after he finished his workout this morning. I haven't seen him since then."

Akane gave her sister a smile. "Thanks Kasumi." she stated as she moved out towards the living room.

Akane grinned impishly as she entered the living room and found Ranma sleeping on the sofa, the television playing softly on some silly gameshow. She leaned against the doorframe and watched Ranma whiel he slept, amazed once again by how carefree and young he looked while he slept. Usually, his face was set in either a cocky grin, annoyed frown, or puzzled glare. In his sleep, he was usually troubled by nightmares of the training his father had put him through. It was not often that he slept peacefully, as Akane well knew. Not long after he moved in, she had been awoken by cries and whimpers coming from the guest room, she'd gone to see what the pervert was doing, only to see him curled up in a ball and whimpering in terror. She had been tempted to cuddle up to him and whisper soothing words into his ears, and had managed to withstand the urge for several minutes before giving in. Since then, at least once a week, she'd had to repeat her performance. She had developped a great hatred for Genma Saotome, and had thanked the gods that Nabiki had never learned of her little displays of tenderness towards her fiance.

Seeing him sleeping peacefully sprawled awkwardly on the couch, she moved over and tucked herself in behind him, rearranging him so that he'd be more comfortable while he slept. She was pleasantly surprised when he hugged her and mumbled her name into her ear while nuzzling against her hair. She returned the hug and allowed the tension that had been coiled inside her all day to disipate, and the sense of warmth and security of being in Ranma's arms to lull her into sleep.

An hour later, Kasumi came into the living room to the sight of Ranma and Akane cuddled up together on the sofa and smiled lovingly at the sight. Looking at the clock, she decided to let them sleep. She went into the cubby beneath the TV stand and removed a quilt which she covered the young couple with. Smiling down at them, she bid them to sleep well and silently closed the door to the living room, hanging a sign out that the room was not to be entered.

Humming to herself, she glided to the kitchen and started preparing supper, making sure to have enough to set some aside for her youngest sister and the man she loved.





*Chapter 15*: State Ch 15


STANDARD DISCLAIMERS:

I OWN NOTHING. tHANKS.

Mature themes and situations ahead. Please read at own risk.

Ranma grinned as he and Akane walked down the street towards the open air market. Kasumi had asked them to pick up some fresh ingredients for that nights supper, and Ranma was finally feeling stable enough to leave Tendo-ke. He'd spent the first two weeks after the surgery too embarrassed by his bodies new reactions that he'd refused to go beyond the walls of the compound. He'd stuck near the house and dojo, quietly training and trying to deal with the thoughts, feelings, and sensations he was now experiencing.

The first few days had been disorienting, and he'd felt unnarturally week and unbalanced. It hadn't helped that his body reacted in new, and slightly startling ways whenever Akane or one of her sisters got too close to him. He'd even had the reaction when his mother approached him, and even he knew that there was asomething off about that. So he'd tried to avoid any contact with the women of the household. Except Akane sought him out to get his help with training or with cooking, and Nabiki seemed to delight in teasing him by causing him to react to her presence even from across the room. She'd always been rather . . . openly seductive but now she'd taken it a step further, taking pains to deliberately flash him with a variety of peeks at her body. She'd also taken to walking in on him while he tried to bath, and when he was preparing for bed in his room.

She was careful not to be seen by Akane or Kasumi, and especialy not by their fathers, though Ranma suspected she had his mother's aid in tracking his daily movements. His mother and Akane were still having a private war over him, and he felt unsure what to do about it. He'd mentioned it to the psychiatrist who'd been stopping by daily to speak to him. He'd been embarrassed the first few sessions, talking about what was happening to him, but hte doctor really seemed to understand. He was glad though, that they had chosen a male doctor, as he knew he'd never have been able to speak to a woman about his current state of life. He was just barely able to talk to Akane or Kasumi about any of this, he'd never have been able to talk to a stranger about any of it.

Akane had been very understanding, ignoring the obvious nature of his body's condition, instead taking pains to treat Ranma as normallly ,well not for them ,but a normal couple, as she could. She'd held his hand, and been embarrassed for him the many occassions he'd lost control, though she never made him feel bad about it, just gently reminding him that this was expected and that they had to work through it together. She had even related several stories to him about times she had experienced similar reactions, including the real reason she'd been so scared the first time she'd seen him in the tub and why she'd always accused him of being a pervert since she was constantly assailed by intense and sometimes perverse images of him in both his forms.

The psychiatrist had timidly explained to Ranma that there were several means to . . . control those reactions. Ranma hadn't understood what the doctor was hinting at until he'd said the magic wrod: masturbate. Ranma had been hugely embarrassed at first, but by the end of the first week, he'd already woken a dozen times to the odd sensations and was getting desperate. So he'd taken the doctor's advice and tried to . . .handle the problem. He'd woken only twice since then, and his body was not as out of control as before but it was still not something he was comfortable with. He doubted he would ever be comfortable with that solution, so he decided to try a variety of meditation techniques.

He'd finally felt balanced enough that morning to go for a short jog around the neighborhood while waiting for Akane to return. During his jog, he'd thought of Akane and felt the now familiar, and still unwelcome stirring. He'd managed to control himself though, and had been very proud of himself when he'd returned to the house, but a little more tired then he'd expected so he'd taken a nap.

Akane had returned home to find him, and the two had worked for a while on some new stances for Akane. She was getting much better a lot faster then he would have expected and he suspected that it was because she had stopped trying to think about what she was doing and was just doing what her body was capable of. Her problem had always been that she thought too much and reacted too slowly. She tried to constantly think not only about possible moves to perform on opponents, but also about how she needed to do those moves and what the possible counters were and what she might need to do to counter those counters.

Now, with Ranma's help, she was letting her training think for itself and instead of focussing on the individual movements she was thinking of strategies and trying to get her opponent to do what she wanted instead of trying to predict what they were planning to do. It was helping her pick up the moves faster then she ever had before and she knew it, appologizing again for not understanding what he had tried telling her so many times before.

Ranma grinned as he recalled the hug he'd received after she'd managed to perform a kata he'd shown her perfectly after only a few hours. He smiled down at his fiancee as she walked beside him, close but not quite touching. Hesitantly, he reached out and grasped her hand, feeling his face darken in a blush at the startled look she threw him. The blush only deepened when she squeezed his hand and moved closer so that their shoulders would touch as they walked.

They ignored the odd looks people gave them, as they basked in the peaceful presence of the quiet day and each others company. They had not seen any of their rivals in days, and Ranma was grateful for that. He'd been unusually aggressive towards his father and Mr. Tendo the last couple of weeks, alternating between ignoring them completely and snarling at their very presence. He'd even snapped a couple of times at his mother and Kasumi.

He hadn't understood just how much his personality would change when he'd had to forcebly restrain himself from snapping at Akane when she mentioned wondering wher eRyoga was. The very thought of the lost boy was enough to set his nerves on edge and have him grinding his teeth. He could feel the anger start to grow and struggled to put it aside. He did promise himself the next time Ryoga tried to cuddled up to Akane as Pchan, he'd get a huge surprised. Akane was his fiancee and Ryoga was dishonoring her by making her a part of their feud in the way he did.

"What's wrong, Ranma" Akane asked, breaking the silence.

"Huh? Nothing, really, just thinking about a few things I need to settle once I'm back off those restrictions the doctors gave me."

"Anything I can help with" she asked gently, knowing how much Ranma hated to admit to needing help.

Ranma started to deny her help, but a thought came to him. "Ah, well. It would help if, the next time you see Pchan, would you bring him to me? There's something I need to tell you, and I'll need his . . . help."

Akane smiled brightly, causing Ranma's heartrate to increase. "Sure, Ranma. Just don't go hurting the little guy."

"I can't promise I won't do something to hurt him, but I promise I won't physically hurt him unless he attacks me first."

"Okay then. Now, Kasumi said she wanted us to pick up some tofu, wasabi, shark fin, and teriyaki sauce. She also wanted us to get some flour and eggs for a cake she wants to make."

The two wandered the market, stopping at several stalls to make their purchases. They were able to get good deals, especially since the stall owners recognized Akane as Kasumie's sister, and also seemed to recognize, and be wary of Ranma. Ranma felt a surge of pride and annoyance that his reputation had spread as far as the noncombattants of Nerima, but he just wished they wouldn't look at him like he was a thug or a threat to them. He would never attack someone who couldn't defend themselves or who had not attacked him first. He received several foul looks behind Akane's backs, and he felt the anger he had controlled earlier rise again in him.

He was able to control himself though, and didn't snap at any one. Instead, he would give a smile, not quite a smirk, as he enjoyed the day. By the time they'd gotten all they'd been sent for though, he was gald that the day was almost done. His head was throbbing, and he felt a faint quiver in his legs. This was the longest he'd been on his feet since the surgery and he was starting to feel the ache of the enforced inactivity.

"When's your next appointment with Dr. Yosami, Ranma" Akane asked as they started back towards home.

Ranma frowned as he thought of his next visit to the hospital and the machines that would scan his brain. "Next Thursday afternoon. He'll tell me Saturday whever I can stop using the soap or if I need to wait another month. Not that I want to go back to turning into a girl whenever I'm splashed with water, but I do kind of miss it, you know"

Akane grinned. "So there are good things to being a girl, Ranma? No plans to get cured anymore"

Ranma grinned and shook his head. "Nope, not since Saffron, Akane. Like I told you then, it's a part of me, and I couldn't give it up anymore than I could stop practicing martial arts. It's helped me learn a lot about myself, even though I couldn't understand some of the lessons until now." He looked around and seeing no one nearby, elaned closer to her. "Besides" he whispered into her ear"It will help me hide some of my reactions." Catching her eyes, he glanced down at his body, which had once again gotten out of control.

Akane's eyes followed his and she blushed as she realized that she was now staring at Ranma's groin. She glanced away, a blush spreading across her face.

They stopped talking, content to just relax around one another without having resorted to insults. They'd spent much of the last two weeks alone together, either in the dojo practicing, or in Akane's room working on schoolwork that she brought for him. At first, Ranma had been mistrustful of the way Akane had taken to treating him, since she had not once insulted, belittled or malleted him no matter what stupid thigns had come out of his mouth. Instead, she had been relaxed, calm, and listened to what he was trying to say without taking offence.

They were almost to tt he gates, when a loud squealing came from behind them. They turned to see the little black piglet running towards them. Akane beamed happily while Ranma scowled furiously as the pig leapt from the ground and into Akane's arms, snuggling against her as she hugged him to her chest.

Ranma felt his anger turn to rage and he snarled under his breath. With an intense effort, he manged to ground out a complete sentence. "Akane, remember what I asked earlier"

Akane paused, sensing the barely controlled anger in her fiance's voice. She was worried that Ranma might hurt her pet, but she had promised him. And she had promised herself that she would trust her fiance. So with a little reluctance, she held her little friend away from her and looked it in the eye. "Go with Ranma, Pchan." she cooed to the little thing before handing him over, wincing as Ranma roughly held the piglet by the bandana it always wore.

"Thank you Akane." Ranma said gently to the worried girl, knowing how much trust she was putting in him. "Can you bring the bags in to Kasumi please and get the kettle"

Confused, Akane nodded. "Okay Ranma. I'll be right back." Seeing no one else around, and wanting to give Ranma a further proof of her feelings. She leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek, starling him and causing Pchan to squirm angrily in Ranma's grasp. She turned and hurried inside, her eyes travelling her fiance's form without concious though, bringing a small smile to her face as she noted the reaction that was a result of her kiss.

Ranma watched Akane hurry into the house, his eyes drawn to her gently swaying hips. He almost forgot about Ryoga until the stupid pig's teeth grazed his hand.

"Stop that, Ryoga. You remember our deal? Will now it's time to renegotiate. I'm sick of you, Ryoga. I'm tiredo f you constantly trying to force yourself on MY fiancee. Akane is MY fiancee, Ryoga. And you are going to stop lying to her and using her in your sick games. I'm not lying for you anymore, pervert. I'm going to show Akane exactly what she's been cuddling up to at night. And if you try to deny what you've been doing, using her to try and get at me, then I will break every damn bone in you body, do you understand"

Ryoga snarled as much as he could and tried to squirm free, but Ranma's grip was to strong. Every few words Ranma would shake Ryoga, which only caused the pig to be even more confused and angry. "BWEEWWE"

"No more, Ryoga" Ranma hissed angrily, his eyes flashing a dark red. His aura burst into existence around him and Ryoga stilled as his body was filled with the need to run from the source of danger holding him. He couldn't ever remember seeing Ranma so angry, not at Haabu, not at Happosai and not even at Saffron, and that scared him into silence. "You will do nothing. When Akane gets back I am going to dump the kettle on you and then you are going to explain everything, EVERYTHING to her. How you lied to her and used her. How you tricked me into lying for you. How you used this form to try and keep us from being together. You will keep your misguided opinions to yourself and tell her only the truth, or I . . Will .. .Hurt . .. you! You getting cursed was an accident, Ryoga, and I'm sorry it happened. But it was not my fault. It was not my fault that you felt the need to follow me to China, and it was not my fault you fell in the spring. You will take whatever punishment she gives and then you will leave. If she tells you she doesn't wish to see you again, then you will not return. You will do whatever she feels you need to to appologize to her for your heinous actions. Got it"

Ryoga nodded wildly, just wanting the world to stop shaking. Ranma was right though, as much as it pained him to admit it. He needed to tell Akane the truth, not the perverted version Ranma was stating, but the real truth. About how he had loved her since he first met her, and how he had tried to protect her from being forced to marry a man she hated. How he had tried to show her how evil and sick Ranma was, and how she was too good to be forced to endure his presence in her life. Why, just look at all the times she had nearly been killed by people looking to hurt Ranma. Surely, she would see that he had only wanted what was best for her. And what that meant was that she needed to get rid of Ranma.

Staring at each other, they waited for Akane as the sun slowly lowered in the sky, both knowing that their futures rested in the hands of a girl they both loved and a kettle of simple, everyday hot water.





*Chapter 16*: State Ch 16


Disclaim This!

This is my story and If I want to say I own it, then I do! I just borrowed the characters from other people.

START

Ranma held Ryoga as the pig tried to escape it's fate. He snorted to himself how even though Ryoga had agreed to tell Akane everything, he was still trying to avoid doing so. The pig was nearly as honorless as his old man, no matter what he thought of himself. Why else would he have done everything he'd done to separate Ranma and Akane? He'd outright lied at every opportunity to drive a wedge between them. He'd helped Ranma's other fiancee's try and seduce Ranma into betraying Akane's trust more times then Ranma could count. He'd tried to use the Breaking Point on Ranma, knowing full well that if it had worked, Ranma would have died. Luckily, Cologne had not told the bastard that the technique didn't work on people.

Ranma wasn't, or more accurately hadn't been, a perso nwho held onto grudges for long. He forgave everyone nearly everything they did to him, so long as he was able to find a positive aspect to their actions. No matter how idiotic the training methods of his father were, he didn't hate him. Most people would wish his father dead, but Ranma didn't. He just wanted the old fool to stay out of his life unless they were training and not make descicions based on his fat stomach or greed.

Now though, he understood how people could hold onto the pain caused by others. He knew what it was to hate. And he knew that he hated Ryoga, nearly as much as he hated Kuno or the old freak. There was little about any of them that had any redeeming worth in his eyes. The old freak might be one of the premier martial artists of the world, but look at what he wasted his talents on. Using his skills to spy on, humiliate, and molest innocent (and some not so innocent) girls. Kuno was nearly as bad. Only his wealth, and the weirdness of Nerima kept him and his sister from being commited to an institute for every one's safety.

Without their money, the siblings, and their twisted freak father, would have been locked away years ago. Ryoga was one of the strongest people Ranma knew, and though most owuldn't believe it, one of the smartest. With that odd family furse of getting lost, Ryoga should not have made it this far in life, or become as strong and skilled as he was. He had travelled most of the world, and could speak more languages than Ranma could count, but he seemed unaware of his own gifts. All Ryoga ever saw was the pain of the family curse, and that he was constantly being beaten in battles against Ranma.

Ranma shook himself of his thoughts and a smile lit his face as he caught sight of Akane coming out the door with a kettle. His grin widdened when she gave him that smile she'd only ever given him and his heart started to beat faster. He couldn't take his eyes away as she approached and nearly lost his grip on Pchan when the pig managed to get a bite of one of his fingers. He shook the pig lightly, having forgotten just for a moment what he was doing as memories of some of his recent dreams washed over him.

"Thank you, Akane-chan." he said as his fiancee reached them and held out the kettle. Taking it with one hand, he placed Pchan on the ground, and stepped on him to hold the scrambling pig in place. "Akane, there is something I have been hiding for you since not long after we met. I was convinced that something that was not trully my fault was my responsibility and that to keep my honor, I had to keep a secret from you. A secret that was then used against me as the person forcing my hand used it to interfere in our relationship. Many of the incidents that have happened since we met were a result of my having to go out of my way to keep this secret, often to my own deficit. I wish now to appologize for keeping this from you and for holding my own honor as more valuable then your own. I have no excuse except to offer that my entire life has been defined by honor and lack of honor. I have commited my entire being to being as honorauble as I possibly can, in direct opposition to the example of my father. I wished to be the opposite of everything he was."

Akane listened quietly as Ranma spoke. She felt angry that he had been hiding something from her, but could understand how important his honor was to him considering the horrible example his father had given. "I understand, Ranma. No one could possibly want to be like your father. He's a thief, a liar, and a scoundrel and the only good thing about him is also a bad thing in that he's an excellent martial artist. He tortured you while you were growing up with those insane training methods and the horrible things he forced you to do. Please, continue, anata. Who is this person who has forced you to lie all this time?"

Ranma looked at the sun as he pondered the question. "He is someone I always thought of as one of my friends. Someone who, though he has come to our rescue a time or two, has caused more problems then nearly everyone we have ever encountered. He is a vile, hateful man, who has used you in order to try and get at me. He has deliberately and frequently used the . . . secret as a means to deliberately provoke me into assaults on him. Assaults which you disliked and took his side on."

Akane was starting to get a bad feeling about this conversation and it's coming conclusion. She looked down at her beloved pet pig, and noticed it trying to scramble out from Ranma's foot even as Ranma positioned the kettle above. She noticed the pig's eyes widden in fear and his efforst to escape increase and a dull, heavy feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. "It's Pchan, isn't it, Ranma? Pchan is the person you're talking about. He's cursed." she whispered, tears filling her eyes as she recalled all the times she had cuddled or stroked the pig while berating Ranma for attacking a helpless animal. "Who is it, Ranma? Who's done this to us?" She said, a flash of anger coursing in her veins as various memories of changing or bathing in front of her pet passed through her mind.

Ranma said nothing, simply looked into his fiancee's eyes. Slowly, he turned the kettle, allowed the hot water to pour out and over the prone form of the black piglet.

END

So what do you think? Cliffhanger ending, got to love it, don't you?

Just Kidding, I wouldn't do this to you.

RESTART

Akane stared down as a naked boy replaced the form of her former pet. The boy had turned under Ranmas foot and curled into a ball, trying desperately to hide his face. But it didn't matter. Tied to his head, holding his unruly dark hair from his face was a bandana. A familiar bandana that had adorned her pig's neck, and which she had always assumed was a gift from her friend. A friend who wore them constantly and was able to do amazing things with those pieces of cloth.

Rage filled her as her aura flared into existence around her as she came to realize the truth. All the lies, all the pain, the anger she had previousy felt towards her fiancee were reflected back tenfold towards the figure cowaring beneath her fiancee's foot. The lies the bastard had told her to try and make her hate Ranma, the way he was constantly making Ranma look like he was picking on her pet. The times he'd watched her change and bath and snuggled against her while she slept. The way he would make it look like Ranma was beating him up for no reason. The many many times she had whispered secrets to Pchan which had then been used against Ranma by his friends/fiancee's/enemies. She'd often wondered how they had learned of the secrets she'd only told her pet, and she had placed the blame on her mercenarial sister.

Her aura was so intense that even Ranma was flinching and this drew her attention. She stared at the evidence of her fiancee's betrayal before reason took hold again. Guilt flooded her as she studied the forelorn expression on her beloved fiancee's face. All those times, all the pain and anger. All because of that bastards lies.

Her aura winked out and tears streamed from her eyes. She flung her arms around her fiancee, not even noticing that she stomped the betrayer into the ground while clinging to him. "I'm so sorry, Ranma!" she cried out, as her feet unconciously continued to stomp on the naked idiot's head, crushing him into the pavement. "I'm so sorry I never believed you and that I stood up for that bastard!" she contineud to cry and hug her fiancee as her feet moved from Ryoga's head to stomp on his back. The sounds of pain and cracking ribs continued for some time as Ranma held Akane and let her work through her guilt and anger.

Eventually, the tears stopped, and they started walking back into the yard, only to be stopped by the anquished moans and muttering of the battered youth.

"It's a lie!" he shouted at them as he dug himself out from the crater Akane had stomped him in. Somehow, he'd managed to pull clothes out of nowhere and was fully dressed. "It's all Ranma's fault! He pushed me into that pool and forced me to lie to you. I tried to explain but he would always stop me. I tried everytime to tell you about myself and to tell you that I love you, but that honorless bastard kept interrupting me and starting a fight!"

Akane looked at Ryoga as he continued to beg and plead with her to listen to him and ignore Ranma's lies. Her face was a solid mask of stone, not showing any expression.

"Please! Akane, please. Believe me, I love you. Ranma doesn't. He's an insensitive, womanizing pervert who's constantly cheating on you with his other fiancees and even with other boys. He's nothing but a thief and a liar and a pervert worse than Happosai ever could dream of being. I bet he even let his father knock him into Nannichuan so that he could peep on girls and seduce the guys he couldn't get as a guy!" Ryoga was on his knees, bowing to her while shooting glares at Ranma.

Akane stared down blankly at the boy who had betrayed her in the worst possible way. "Leave." she stated coldly, a chill forming in the air between her and Ryoga.

Ryoga's babbling appology/accusations paused as he stared up at her stupidly. "Huh?"

"Leave, Hibiki, and never return to my sight." she stated, the temparature around them dropping 5 degrees in seconds.

Ryoga was starting to sweat in fear and shiver as the temperature continued to drop. "But Akane, I love you! It's all Ranma's fault! He's made my life a living hell! You don't know the pain he's cause me!"

Akane's eyes flashed angerously at Ryoga's words. A mist was starting to form around them, but she didn't notice. "Leave, Hibiki. I want nothing to do with you ever again. If I ever see you, in any form, I will show you what pain is. I reject your so-called love, for if you had loved me, no one would have stopped you from telling me the truth about your curse within days of our meeting. Yet you have continued to use your curse to cause pain to my fiancee, using the secrets I confided to my pet against him and causing me to attack him for defending himself against your abuse. You are the worste kind of scum in the world, for you are too stupid to admit what you are, even to yourself. Ranma does have flaws, but he knows they are there, even though he pretends they don't exist to others, he works to overcome them. Even his father and Happosai are more honorable then yourself. Happosai might be the worlds biggest pervert, but he admits it. Damn, he's PROUD of it. Ranma's father might be a greedy, foolish, pathetic liar, thief and all round scoundrel, but he never pretends to be anything else. He takes pride in what he is, no matter how generally unacceptable that is to most people."

"You, however, can not even admit that it was your fault that you missed the duel with Ranma. He waited at the assigned place for 3 days, Hibiki. And the grounds were right accross the street from your home. Then you CHOSE to follow him to China, he did not force you too. If you were so foolish as to stand on the edge of a cliff while watching a nearly naked girl chasing a panda, and then too immature to control yourself when she leapt over your head and you saw something private that you lost your balance and fell from the cliff, then it is your own responsibility. You wonder how I know this, and I will tell you. I have heard your discussing this with Ranma on several occassions, though I missed the part about your landing in a pool and being cursed."

She glared at him and snorted, turning her back on him as he lay prostrate on the ground before her. "Ranma is worth a million of you, Hibiki. You are worthless and pathetic and I want you gone from my life. Leave now, and I will allow you to retain your pathetic life, but if you chose to remain much longer, then I will be forced to end your miserable existence." She turned and stalked into the yard, pausing as she noted Ranma was not following her. "Come Ranma-sama. Leave that pathetic moron as he is. He isn't worth your pity or friendship."

Shrugging, Ranma grinned sadly at the Lost Boy and followed his fiancee into the yard, closing the gate behind him with finality.





*Chapter 17*: State Ch 17


Disclaim This!

This is my story and If I want to say I own it, then I do! I just borrowed the characters from other people

I'm glad most of you enjoyed the last chapter, even if it wasn't as bloody as others of you wanted.

Anything between ? xxx? is chinese. anything between !yyy! is english, anything else is japanese.

Anything between ((aaa)) is personal thoughts such as ((Sorry pal, but better you then me)) just little personal conversation.

START CHAPTER

Ranma was confused again. First, he'd told Akane that he'd been lying to her and expected her to thrash him. But instead, she had calmly acccepted what he was saying. Then he'd shown her that het little pet, the source of many fights between them, was nothing but a lying coward who had betrayed her in so many ways it was impossible to keep track. The person she'd trusted most, was the one who'd betrayed her the worst.

Further confusing him was that instead of allowing her rage to well out and slaughter the bastard, she'd turned cool and with words more deadly then any blade, crushed any hope in the idiot's mind of any future forgiveness. It was aside of Akane he'd never seen before, as she had never shown any inclination towards holding grudges. Usually, she'd just bash the offendor with her mallet and, if not forget the incident that incurred her anger, at least forgive.

Sure, she'd stomped him into the ground, but it was almost gentle for her usual reactions. And once she finished the mild attack, she'd turned cold and stonefaced as she'd verbally lashed out at the prone boy. Her words had struck with the same expertise as her punches and kicks, and Ranma was glad that he had never been on the receiving end of that tone.

He had no doubt now, however, that his fiancee had meant every word about what she'd said to Ryoga. He would never again be welcome at the Tendo home, and would never again be allowed to interact with Akane on any level. He pitied Ryoga for a moment, but then recalled all the times he'd come between himself and Akane and felt a selfish moment of satisfaction that his self appointed rival was no longer an issue.

Once they'd entered the house and closed the door, Akane had seemed to collapse into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck and crying so strongly her whole body was shuddering. Not knowing what to do, he'd picked her up and carried her to her room. He'd tried to set her down on her bed, but she'd refused to let go, so he had slid in next to her, only to have her crawl into his lap and continue to wail out her grief and rage. He'd felt awkward as he was unused to such emotional displays, nad pated her on the back while whispering to her that everything would be fine. The situation was further enhanced when he'd realized that his body, if not his mind, was appreciating having his attractive fiancee in his lap, and he'd tried desparately to ignore the feeling of her as she shifted to get more confortable in his embrace.

Eventually, she had settled and her loud wailing had calmed to a gentle sobbing. Kasumi had come up to check on them, and Ranma had briefly explained what had happened. He'd been surprised again to see a battle aura explode around the gentle girl. She had started muttering under breath about possible recipies including various porc ingredients, and had stated loudly that she was going to track down all of Ryoga's clothing in the house and burn it. She had noticed that her sister was clinging rather forcefully to Ranma and when she noticed the father's approaching, she'd threatened them with a month's lack of her cooking if they so much as went upstairs that evening, and the two had hurried down to the engawa and the ever present Shogi board.

She had then tracked down Nabiki and explained that Ryoga was no longer welcomed anywhere near the Tendo-ke, and that she should also make sure that the Lost Boy be no longer welcome anywhere that Ranma and Akane might go. Nabiki, pissed that she had never caught on to Ryoga's trick, agreed and also started plans that would force Ryoga to abandon all hope of ever again being welcome anywhere within the bounds of Nerima or any of Tokyo's outlying subsets. She did this all without asking for any fees and also promised that she would try and make life easier for Akane as she realized that her sister's temper would be even more dangerous over the next couple of days.

Back in Akane's room, Ranma had slid from a seated to an angled position on Akane's bed, propped up byAkane's pillows against the headboard while his fiancee was snuggling agaisnt his side, one leg thrown over his legs and her head craddled against his shoulder. One of her arms was thrown around his back, while the other was now resting over his waist. With outmost care, and a phenominal display of flexibiliy and body control, Ranma had drawn up the covers over them.

Akane was sleeping and Ranma was dozing lightly, feeling more comfortable and at peace then he could ever remember feeling, even with the rather tense situation of certain body parts. He realized today exactly what it meant to love someone. He had to put Akane's needs and wishes ahead of his own ambitions. He needed to dedicate himself fully to making Akane as happy and content with their future as he could. He might not have much, but somehow he'd won her heart, and he would do everything he could to make sure he was worthy of her. It was about helping them when they were sad or hurt, as much as being there when they were healthy and happy.

((Even if,)) he thought with a shudder, ((it means actually paying attention in class. Maybe, now that my brain's been fixed, I'll even understand the stuff and find some of it more interesting.)) He thought about it for a moment then chuckled, causing Akane to stir in his arms. ((Nah, not even a little brain surgery can make me find math and english interestin'. ))

POV BREAK

Shampoo was starting to get frantic. It had been so long since she had seen her husband, she wondered if he could remember her clrealry. He'd spent almost two weeks trapped in the home of the horrible kitchen destroying and her famliy. Too-nice girl was okay, but Money-grubber was dangerous, and so was Airen's father and Sneaky-Man. She was filled with anticipation at seeing her Airen and holding him again, expecially now that he'd be able to really appreciate her embrace.

Her body shivered in excitement at the thought of her Airen finally returning her embrace and she went off into a pleasant day dream of all the things she was hoping to explore with him. The things she wanted to do to him. Her mouth was watering as she turned her mind to mentally exploring his powerful form. Arms strong enough to lift cars and legs powerful enough to shatter steel girders with the force of his kicks. His incredibly muscled chest and incredible abs. His. . . .mmmm Yummy! she thought to herself while absently caressing her stomach in response to the feeling of pooling warmth behind her navel.

Breaking her train of though came a crash and a shouted exclaimation from the other side of the room. Angry at the interuption of her contemplating her Airen's more . . . masculin traits, she turned angrily to the cause of the interuption.

?Mu Tsu! How dare you interupt my daydream of my beloved? she screamed at the blind youth, drawing her bonbori from the hidden space and smashing them over her erstwhile suitor's skull. Unfortunately, since his head was mainly composed of mental images of her, all this accomplished was allowing him to compress those images and create more space to fill with his fantasies about their future together.

?Xian Pu, my beloved! There you are! I've been looking for you all day! The old ghoul said you were off on deliveries, but I didn't believe her! She's always interfering in our love, trying to force you to marry that bastard scumbag Saotome?

Seeing that her usual method of making Mouse make sense was failing, she changed from smashing the top of his head to slapping him side to side a couple dozen times at speeds nearly approaching Amuriken. After smacking him for the 72nd time in under a minute(seh could have done more, but did't want him to know that she could DO the Amuriken), she kicked him under the chin sending him flying back to crash into her wall next to the open door to her room. ?Damn, I missed? she swore to herself as the annoyance peeled itself from the impression in the wood of her wall.

Sighing to himself, Mouse adjusted the various weapons he had hidden on himself, as well as replacing his glasses. ?Xian Pu, when are you going to realize that Saotome is not worthy of you. He is the scum of the earth, not fit scrape the bottom of your shoes. He is not even a man! His father turned him into a boy. Even with this so-called surgery, he will never be a real man.He is too callous and brash and arrogant to ever be a REAL man.?

Xian Pu could fill herself filling with rage, the anger replacing the warmer feelings she'd felt just moments before. ?How dare you! YOU of all people, saying my beloved is not a real man! You, who has withheld his true skill and refused to treat me as a warrior! You who has consistently refused to honor me as a man should! You who continues to treat me like a fragile outsider woman. I am a warrior of the Amazon Tribe! The best of my generation! The best and most skilled in several generations! I have learned more and become stronger then all the members of the tribe save the elders. And you refuse to show me your true skill and continue to disparage my beloved. The only man who has ever shown me even the remotest respect as a warrior. I am sick of your constant lies and insults Mu Tsu! Either you accept the challenge I am issuing now and face me at your full skill, or I will speak to the elders and have you banished from the tribe. For no Amazon man would ever treat a woman the way you have treated me these last few years.?

Mouse stiffened at her words, having forgotten in his time in Japan that Xian Pu was far more intelligent and eloquant than she seemed when speaking Japanese. He had thought his ruse and his refusal to strike her, so different from all the other's who'd tried to win her would let her see that he wanted more then just to have her for the rank in the tribe. he'd wanted to be her partner, not jsut her slave. He'd wanted her to see that he wanted more then the village had to offer, but if she refused to see it, he'd have to resort to the old ways, as much as he'd wanted to avoid them.

Sighing again, he removed his glasses and held them before his face, contemplating what he was about to do. With a shrug he tossed them aside to shatter on the floor. Looking where he could hear Xian Pu breathing, he reached again towards his face, this time for the corner of his eyes. He surprised his beloved by removing a set of contacts from his eyes, revealing a pair of blue eyes he'd had as a child instead of the brown she'd grown accustomed to during their adolescence. His gaze focused on Xian Pu, and the Amazon warrior was startled to see that her suitor was indeed seeing her clearly.

?How?she stated, shocked that the supposed blind boy could see. Testing this, she tossed a small knife at him, not directly, but just to the left. Instead of his usual not noticing the weapon she had thrown at him. This time however, he reached up and pulled the knife out of the wall, balancing it's tip on his finger before throwing it back at her. She was forced to use her bonbori to block it as it had headed straight at her heart. ?What magic is this, Mu Tsu? How can you see, when you have been blind most your life?

Mu Tsu sighed again and drew his arms over his chest. ?Do you remember several months agao, when I left stating I was going to Korea to search for an object in which to trap Ranma's power for myself? Well, I never went to Korea. I went to a medical facility in Russia that has developed a new eye surgery. They were able to repair the damage to my eyes, even replacing some of the damaged area with parts from an organ donor who matched my profile. It took weeks with bandages around my head and three separate surgeries to repair the degeneration that was caused by a bad potion that was thrown in my face by a cousin. The muscles and nerves had to be replaced, as well as my cornea, but luckily they kept the rest. They were worried for a while that they'd have to replace the entire eye. I see better now then I ever have.?

He moved from the wall, advancing on her, stepping over and around the scattered debris common to a teenage girls room. He stood before her, peering down at her with clear eyes. ?You are indeed as beautiful as I have thought, my love.? he muttered quietly before meeting her eyes. He could see the surprise in them, as well as a hint a fear as she realized just how much larger then her he really was. ?I have never seen you as a prize that needed to be defeated in order to be won, my love. I wanted you to see that I was devoted to you, no matter what you did to dissuade me. But if you wish me to obey the old, outdated ways of our backwards village, then so be it. A week from now, my love, on the field at Furinkan. I accept your challenge, and will meet you there. I promise you, no tricks or other foolery I have done in the past. I will defeat you as one warrior to another, using nothing but my skill in the arts. I will even banish my hidden weapons tricks.?

?Why, Mu Tsu? Why if you could see, have you worn those things and hidden as a fool for all this time? she asked quietly, as a thrill ran up her form. She'd never realized just how masculine Mu Tsu was as he towered over her. She gulped as his clear blue eyes, darker then her Airen's but with much more emotion in them, studied her form and for the first time, she felt naked in her skimpy outfit. And to her shame, her excitement built again at the realization of Mu Tsu looking at her the way she wanted her Ranma to look at her.

?Because the old ghoul would never let me win you fairly, Xian Pu. Until now, when she has seen for herself what I have known all along. Ranma Saotome's heart and soul belong to the Tendo girl, and always have. He was never, and could never be your's, Xian. Even as blind as I was, and as limited as Saotome's emotions were by the injuries his brain had suffered, he belonged to Akane. Nothing you or the ghoul did could change that, no matter that you had 3000years of Amazon knowledge behind you. I needed to let you see that for yourself, and I'm sorry if this hurts, but you know it's true. I wanted you to realize for yourself that there is more to life then what you've seen and experienced in the village. I think even the ghoul wanted you to know. That's why she's allowed you to humiliate yourself by chasing the Saotome boy so long. She wanted you to realize that not all of the laws of the tribe were still practical and that there usefullness was past. ?

Xian Pu's eyes widdened as she sensed the truth of her associates words. Could the formerly blind boy be right? Did her grandmother trully want her to see that some of the laws of the tribe could be . . . wrong? That the laws she'd lived her entire life by were . . . outdated and old fashioned?

?I don't believe you! Grandmother would never believe that the tribe's laws were wrong! The laws have protected us for thousands of years and kept us strong when others have perished and vanished.?

Mu Tsu sighed and moved to the door pausing with his back to her just inside the room.

?Wake up , Xian Pu. The tribe is dying. We are weak. Perhaps our martial arts are strong, but take a good look around this world we live in, my love. We are behind in all that matters in the world. The PRA could wipe the tribe off the face of the earth without breaking a sweat, no matter how strong our warriors are. They have weapons that could kill us all in our sleep and leave the land unharmed so that they could move in once we were all dead. They have weapons that few in the tribe have ever heard of. You've seen it here, Xian. You must have seen the news at least once. The wars that are going on around the world. Our arts are ancient and powerful, but in a direct conflict against even the weakest armies of the world, we stand no chance. For our arts to be effective, we must get close to our enemies.

And with the weapons and technology the world now possesses, we would get no where near close enough. They could be miles away and pick us off one by one with their rifles or missles. Even techniques that render us invisible are useless with their equipment. They have the means to see the heat our bodies give off, to detect changes in the air from our breathing, to sense the slightest vibrations of our footsteps. Even the movement of air as we pass. They have body armor so strong that it would blunt the impact of most of the tribes special accupuncture strikes and stop any of our crudely made blades. If any of our warriors ever even got close enough to strike them.?

?Their soldiers are trained to control their emotions so techniques like the Hiryuo Shoten Ha would be useless. There equipment is so heavy that no one in the tribe could life it, even Ryoga could not and you know how strong he is. They are taught to shoot first and never question and if they saw something they didn't understand, they'd shoot first and never ask questions. Hell, some of them would kill us just because we look a little different. You know how different we are from most people. Normal people don't have purple hair, Xian Pu. They don't have the strength to lift cars or to ride a normal bicycle as fast as a racing motorcycle. They don't crush stone in their bare hands, or pull weapons out of thin air.

We are different then normal people, and that puts us at risk. If they ever learn of what we are really capable of, they will seek to slaughter us because they would see us as a risk to their rule. They outnumber us by hundred of millions to one. The tribe numbers at less then 2100, and there are roughly 6.5 billion 'normal' people. Some might wish to learn from us, but most would be afraid and want us wiped out so that they could live in the illusion of peace. Think of that, my love, while you ready yourself for our fight. I leave now, and will see you in a week at Furinken. Goodbye.?

With those final thoughts, Mu Tsu left, deftly avoiding Kulon's strikes and walked off to seek a place to prepare for the coming battle. The universe itself seemed to begin preparing, as more then Ranma Saotome underwent a forced growth towards adulthood.

END CHAPTER

SO, what do you think? Was it any good? Bad? I hope you're enjoying it. Next Chapter:

Akane and Ranma wake up, and Akane has a surprise for her fiancee.





*Chapter 18*: State Ch 18 the end vote by review


Disclaim This!

This is my story and If I want to say I own it, then I do! I just borrowed the characters from other people

Anything between ? xxx? is chinese. anything between !yyy! is english, anything else is japanese.

Anything between ((aaa)) is personal thoughts such as ((Sorry pal, but better you then me)) just little personal conversation.

STRONG R RATED CHAPTER AHEAD, DON'T READ IF OFFENDED BY SEXUAL SITUATIONS. LIMISH EXPLORATION SCENE, MILDLY GRAPHIC, BUT NOT OVERLY SO.

START CHAPTER

Kasumi was humming gently to herself as she prepared breakfast early the next morning. the night before, she had gathered all of the bastard's belonging left in the house and grounds and burned them in the yard. Uncle Soatome had aske her what she was doing and she had explained the whole thing to him and ther father. She had been shocked to notice that her father had been aware of Ryoga's deception all along but had done nothing to protect her sister from the little pervert. She had wanted to punish him, but had decided that the best way to do so would be to allow Akane to cook for the fathers for a week or two.

As she glided from one task to another without concious thought, she glanced up in the direction of her sister's bedroom with a smile. Akane and her fiance had been sleeping ever since the previous evening after the confrontation with Ryoga. Kasumi frowned, an expression most would believe impossible to form on her face.

((No. I must not think of him in such familial ways any longer. He has proved to be nothing more then a dishonorable pervert and liar. Hibiki-san is no longer welcome in Tendo-ke and I must readjust my thinking about his association with my family. He has lost all honor and standing in our house so I can no longer grant him the honourific titles. He is Hibiki now, and there is no chance of reconciliation. He has made himself an enemy of my family, and I must treat him as such.)) Kasumi's face morphed to another strange expression-determination. She would no longer allow Hibiki to hurt her sister and brother. If he came near her family again, she would show him that he was a fool for angering a master of the naginatado of Tendo-ryu.

POV BREAK

Mouse wandered the streets, wondering what he was going to do. How could he have challenged Shampoo to such a match. He was a fool to tell her of his true skill. He had gone his whole life without so much as landing a weak strike against her and now he would have to totally humiliate her in battle in front of witnesses. He only hoped that he wouldn't have to permanently harm her for her to admit defeat.

He wandered into the park near the Tendo-ke and sat on a bench overlooking the small communal pond. He pulled out a wetstone and a couple of ugly daggers and set to work on their dull edges. It was a habit he had formed not long after mastering the hidden arts and begun carrying so many bladed weapons on his person. With the wild attack style he had had to adopt in order to fool everyone about his eyes, his weapons dulled often and required much time and care to keep them in decent form.

He had wasted most of his life in his hopeless pursuit for Xian Pu's affections. She was without a doubt the most physically beautiful woman in the village, as well as being the best warrior in several generations. It had been a shock to him, when during a training bout against her greatest rival, he had managed to defeat the other woman with ease. The last time he had seen his opponent battle his beloved Xian, Xian had taken nearly two hours to beat her and had struggled through the fight. Ever since, he had started paying more attention to Xian's fights and noted that she was not as skilled as he himself. He watched as she struggled to defeat various male suitors seeking to win the Prize of the Amazons.

He had secretly followed her during her quest to track the redhaired stranger that so humiliated her, wanting to be there to protect her from the obviously more talented girl. He had learned much sooner the secret the girl was hidding, and how easily Xian Pu was fooled by the boy and his father. It still amazed him that his former beloved still did not realize that the boy and his father that she had often found in the wilds of China was the same boy she claimed to love.

He had watched as she finally realized the truth and felt angered when she gave the boy the Kiss of Marriage. He had not been angry with the boy, but with his childhood friend. She had disobeyed the laws of the village, and though he had little liking for those laws, he had never thought she would break them in the manner she had done. While the laws were archaic, they were clear. Though there were several ways to honorably bring to resolution a Kiss of Death, Xian Pu had done something that went against all those laws. It was clearly written that should a female warrior who defeated an Amazon was proved to be a male under a Jhusenkyo curse, the Kiss of Death was disolved, and the male was exempt from ALL marriage laws, and invited to join the tribe as a Peer.

The role of a Peer in the tribe was nonsexual. They were teachers and allies who, while subject to the laws when within the village, were outside of the bounds of law when not in the village. All Peers were exempt from all variations of any of the various marriage laws regarding both male and female, and a Peer could be either male of female. Any one, man or woman, who defeated an Amazon and later proved to have a gender switching curse, was asked to join as a Peer. They had full rights as an Amazon warrior, but could not become Elders, though they often became Advisors. They could marry, but not under the traditional laws, only through arrangment and courtship and not battle.

When Xian Pu returned to the village, he was there waiting. He had told no one of his journey, and such was his standing in the village, that no one had noticed he'd been gone. He watched as Xian Pu lied through her teeth about everything that had happened on her journey. How she explained that she had lost to a boy in a mighty battle lasting many hours, only to learn later that the boy was also the girl who had defeated her earlier. It had been his first glimmer of a darkness within her, though others had noted her conniving, vain selfish core long before he had.

Xian had convinced her grandmother and the other Elders that the boy was a prize worth taking into the village, and that she was the person to convince him to join. So he had volunteered to accompany them, citing their need to have a male servant with them to demonstrate the values of the tribe. And they had returned to Japan.

He had watched as his beloved warrior slowly turned herself into nothing more then a silly, ditzy bimbo. She behaved in a manner totally opposite from what an Amazon warrior should be and if her friends in the village or the Elders could see her, she would have been severely punished. Her tricks and schemes to win the boy had failed time after time. He watched as the boy, despite his verbal protests, showed in all the ways that matter that he loved the Tendo girl his Xian saw as her main rival. He marveled at the boys skill and persistence as one adventure followed another and was amazed as he witnessed the boy's skill growing beyond anything he had ever seen.

He was pleased to find his own skill rising, and noted as well that all of the assorted group that formed around Ranma increased their skills. All save his Xian Pu. She practically gave up training in favor of chasing after the boy, and it showed in the trouble she experienced in the battles she encountered during their adventures. It amused him no end that most of those adventures revolved around Ranma's continuing efforts to protect Akane and keep her for himself, even though each conitinued to deny their affection for each other. Even though said affection was appearant even to the admittedly rather dimwitted Ryoga and Xian Pu.

He had been pleased to note that while Cologne never outright aided Ranma and his strange courtship of the Tendo girl, neither did she put any real effort into aiding Xian Pu. He had come to the slow realization that the Elder had known all along that her granddaughter had lied to the Council, and wondered for a while what reason she could have to allow her to continue this foolish quest. And then as he saw Ranma begin to use and adapt Amazon techniques into his incredible fighting style, he came to the truth.

Ku lon wanted the boy and his chosen wife as Peers. The boy alone was a prize worth fighting for, as his skill was a near match for those of any of the Elders and he was but 15, now 17. Imagine how powerful he would be in another 10 years? 20? 100? With his strength by their side, the tribe was assured of its safety for several generatiosn to come, and it was further enhanced when he defeated not only Haabu of the Musk, but also destroyed Lord Saffron of the Pheonix. And the girl had a great well of potential, often showing as flashes of great strength and skill when Saotome needed aid.

And then came the final insult. An action he felt so dishonorable that he wished more then anything else he had never been involved. Xian Pu had convinced him and Ranma's other fiancee, Kunji Ukyou, to take part in an attack on the Tendo dojo the day Ranma was suppossed to wed Akane. He had obivously missed some planning sessions, since while he and the males concentrated on attacking Ranma, the two jilted girls had launched potentialy lethal explosives towards Akane. If not for Ranma's strong constitution, both might have been killed, though he had tried to discreetly limit what reached the pair with his standard 'blind' act, allowing his overabundance of weaponry to intercept several of the larger explosives before they reached the pair.

And to top even that, came the news that Ranma had been suffering from an injury to his brain that limited his reactions to those of a child. That news had been exceptionally frightening to him, for if Ranma was as powerful as he was with only the abilities of a child, how much more powerful would he become once his mind and spirit caught up to his physical maturity? How much longer would he tolerate Xian Pu's unwanted attentions and the continued lies being told to him and his fiancee? What would he do to someone who tried to come between them when he had the full mental capabilities of someone his actual age and not a 10 year old?

This had lead him to realize that he too must change. It was time to end the act he had been playing for recent years. It was time for him too to grow up and take responsibility for his actions. So he had shown Xian Pu his true self and put away his childish infatuation. He would fight her with his full skill, with no tricks or traps. His skill against Xian Pu's. He would need to hurt her, he knew, as she was too studorn to admit that he was her superiour. Her time away from the village had closed her mind to the outside world, instead of opening it. He only hoped that his words to her the previous day made some impact and that she started to take a good long look at the forces of the world around them. The only reason the Amazons had been left alone while others were hunted, was because they were so few in number, and too isolated in their valley to trouble the PRA too much. Those in control were well aware of what their weapons could do to the isolated populations of thier country should those areas start to prove troublesome.

If Xian Pu was to lead the village, she needed to learn that there was more to combat then facing your enemies honorably, face to face, with sword and bow in hand. In todays world, you had to learn about such things as automatic rifles, fighter planes, nuclear and biological weapons, and even laser technology. Otherwise, you were ridiculed and considered backwards and stupid. People gave you no credit for being an intelligent person, but thought of as an uneducated fool. And that was what most of the village was. None of them saw the danger of the PRA and their modern weapons, so lost in their history and glories long past.

He stood from the bench as the sounds of approaching voices reached his ears. He didn't feel like being around others just yet. He still had a lot to think about.

POV BREAK

Surprisingly, Akane was the first to awaken. She was warm and felt more secure then she had at any point in the previous ten years. Her eyes shot open for a moment in panic as she realized that she was snuggled up to someone, until she rememberd what had happened the previous day. Sighing happily, she squeezed her fiance tightly and buried her face into the material of his shirt where it was resting on his shoulder.

Her body felt hot and she realized she was still wearing the dress she'd worn the day before. Slowly, so as not to wake Ranma, and with great daring, she slid out of bed and stepped out of her dress, tossing it to the side. Contemplating her peacefully sleeping fiance, she allowed her curiosity to get the better of her and lifted the blanket which was still covering him. She giggled to herself at seeing his current state, and with a look of happiness, removed her bra, which had been digging painfully into her skin. Not feeling quite brave enough just yet to display herself to her fiance in her current undressed state, she rooted in her dresser for a long nightshirt which she put on. It barely covered her to her knees, and was cut much lower in front then most she wore.

Moving very carefully, she unbottoned Ranma's shirt, and with careful manipulation, removed it, leaving him in his wifebeater. She took a moment to inhale the scent of him that seeped into the silk before lovingly placing it on the chair near her desk. She returned to the bed and studied the amazing body her fiance possesed, feeling almost giddy at the luck she must have to have won the love of such a strong, handsome man. Moving even more carefully then before, she undid the tie of his cotton pants, both at his waist and his ankles, and slowly drew them down his legs, pausing for a long moment to stare at the revealed boxers and the treasure they hid. Shaking her head, she scolded herself for her perverted thoughts, and tossed the pants onto the chair with the shirt.

Still feeling very warm, but for a much different reason, she slid back into bed next to her fiance, drawing down to a more comfortable position on the matress. She drew the blankets over them, not carring that her shirt had ridden up, and exposed her legs and panties should anyone be there to see them. But there was only her and her fiance, and she no longer had any fear regarding what he thought of her. the evidence of his enjoyment of her appearance was only two thin strips of material away, and she was enjoying causing that reaction in her future husband, even when he was asleep.

She held his head against her shoulder, taking a similar position to the one he'd held her in over night, but with his being more sideways then the sprawled position she'd slept in. As she held him, one hand caressing his hair, and the other splayed over the firm muscles of his stomach, she hummed gently to herself. She allowed some of the more pleasant dreams of the previous night to rise into her mind, and didn't notice when her splayed hand started to softly rub and squeeze his abs.

She did notice when his hands began to massage her hips and buttocks and his face nuzzled down from her shoulder to her breast, using the soft mound as a pillow. Every now and then he would whisper her name in a moan, causing a thrill of excitement to flare in her already enflammed body.

They remained like that for some time, until Ranma awoke.

POV CHANGE

Ranma woke slowly, a rather unusual state for him. He was warm and comfortable under a thick blanket and snuggling an even warmer and softer form to his own hard planes. Still under the pleasant haze of his last dream, he moaned Akane's name, and rubbed his face more firmly against the gently moving pillow bellow his head. It was the softest and most pleasant thing he'd ever felt and he hated having to pull his head from the softness. And there was a gentle pressure on the back of his head holding it in place, so he decided to accept the goading of the pressure and rubbed his face against the pillow again.

It was then that he felt the second hand rubbing against his stomach and getting slowly lower and his own hands fondling some rather pleasant mounds of their own. They felt very familiar to him, and his mind flashed back to his most recent dream, of dancing closely with Akane, his hands slowly moving to caress her bottom, while she pressed her soft chest against Ranma's. Eyes widdening in surprise and fear, he slowly lifted his head and stilled his hands.

"Er, Akane?" he asked groggily. "Sorry about this."

Akane giggled at the expression on her sleepy fiance's face and moved her hand to caress his cheek. "Good morning, Ranma-kun." she purred in what she hoped was a sexy manner. Judging from the quick clearing of his eyes and the gulping, she'd succeeded.

Ranma was starting to sweat as he realized that somehow, he and Akane had gotten undressed during the night he was wearing onl his thin boxers and cotton wife beater. It didn't help that he also noticed what Akane was, or rather wasn't, wearing. His body was beginning to tremble with the intensity of the feelings that were slamming through his frame. And through all this, Akane's hand had continued to slide slowly lower, and was now playing with the waistband of his boxers.

"Akane? What's happening? Why am I still here and why are we dressed like this?" he asked with some difficulty as he was beginning to have trouble catching his breath. ((This was much better then the dreams.)) he thought to himself before smacking his mental self in the head.

Akane just grinned and slid her hand into his boxer, reaching for his straining manhood and grasping it firmly, causing them both to gasp in pleasure. "Why I'm just being a dutiful fiance, anata. You looked like you needed some help here, so I decided to lend a hand." Her hand was rubbing gently at the sensitive organ, and Ranma was forced to close his eyes and seek out his center to retain control of his urges. His eyes shot open again as Akane's other hand grabbed one of his and slid it into her panties. She moaned when the calloused digits came into contact with her most sensitive places. Using her hand, she guided his into a rythm of motion that he subconciously continued when she withdrew her hand. Using that same hand, she took Ranma's second hand and placed it inside her shirt, caressing her breasts. Again, she demonstrated what she wanted him to do, and once certain that he could handle the task, replaced her hand on Ranma's chest, feeling his heart beat climbing under his skin. "As for what we're wearing, well I was too warm with my dress on, and you looked uncomfortable with your heavy shirt and pants, so I took them off."

Ranma's mouth was dry and his mind was spinning. He couldn't believe what was happening. It all felt a thousand times better then it had in his recent dreams and he whimpered as Akane started speeding her hand on his organ. His fingers also increased their tempo on her body and soon both were panting.

Ranma's control evaporated when Akane's lips met his and her tongue forced it's way into his mouth. He gave a startled cry and felt himself release into his boxers, Akane's hand continuing to stroke his length. His body had tensed during the initial outburst, and his thumb had pressed hard on the little nub of flesh he vaguely remembered seeing on his own female form. Akane's body froze and she let out a shriek of pleasure that he was certain would wake the whole house, if his own cry hadn't awoken them. He felt a thick fluid gushing over the fingers inside her sex and wondered idly if they were the female equivalent of what his male form had just ejected.

Akane's lips continued to caress his, and her tongue furthered it's exploration of his mouth. Feeling more secure now that they'd already shared so much, he returned the kiss and allowed his tongue to battle Akane's. The battle shifted from his mouth to hers and back several times, all the time their hands continued to caress each other, even as Ranma's organ returned to it's normal state and Akane's convulsions slowed.

Akane gave one last squeeze of Ranma's now limp organ before removing her fluid covered hand. She studied the thick fluid as it cooled and slid around on her skin. Ranma also removedh is hand from Akane's panties, and took a moment to study the milky, mostly clear fluid it was coated with.

Akane looked away from her hand to smile brightly at Ranma, before slidding out of the bed and sashaying over to her desk to grab a box of tissues. She brought them back to the bed and wiped her hand clean while Ranma wiped his own.

"Did you enjoy that, anata?" she asked in the purring town of utter contentment as she took her place on her bed next to her fiance. Both were laying mostly on their backs, though turned slightly to each other. "I know I did."

"It was the most amazing thing I've ever felt, Akane-chan. Much better then any of my dreams or when I did it myself." he admitted.

"I'm glad. I liked bringing you pleasure." she stated, her head now craddled on his right shoulder and her clasped around his waist while his one arm was around her shoulder. "I've wanted to for a long time, but I was so scared before. I didn't know if you felt for me what I felt for you, and I guess, I thought it was perverted. But after meeting Happossai, and learning about Ryoga, I realize that it's not the acts that are perverted, it's the intent. You are my fiance and I love you, and I want to make you happy in any way I can. Even in this. So therefore, as long as we talk about it, and agree to it, there's very little that I can ever think of as being perverted if it means bringing you the pleasure you've brought me."

Ranma felt his heart squeeze at the sheer love and honesty in his fiancee's words. "I didn't even know that anything like this was eve npossible, until after the surgery." he stated before continuing. "And afterwards, my body started to do all those weird things and I started to think and feel differently then I had before. And the worste thing was that I could still think like how I was before, and I could see what exactly was going through my mind differently then before. It scared me. For a few days, I wanted the doc to put them back." Ranma nodded in gesture to the small vial containing the chips of his skull that had caused him so many problems.

"But after I calmed down, I realized that I couldn't go back. I had all ready changed too much. I could FEEL too much. And then the doc explained what my body was doing, and instead of being scared, I was embarrassed. The docs had to explain almost EVERY THING to me, I didn't know nothing about IT. They had to tell me about masterbating and sex and all that stuff. They even gave me some pretty freaky things to read to try and get me to a 'normal' level for someone my age."

He paused and lifted his left hand to caress her cheek as she gaze up encouraginly up into his eyes. "The first few times I tried to . .. . I was so scared that someone would walk in and laugh at me. Or that someone would learn what the docs were making me learn to do. It was humiliating to think that I was and still am so . . . naive about that stuff. Yet, I could help myself. You, you were so nice to me, even when I lost control and. .. . well, you know. You never made fun, just offered to excuse yourself or distract everyone so that I could change." He leaned over and kissed the cheek he'd been caressing.

"And then came the dreams, and it was suddenly worse. I almost couldn't stop, for a bit. I had no control over myself and I was more scared then ever. Now though, over the last couple of days, I've gotten better at control, though the docs tell me that no one has total control over 'it', so that helped me to relax a bit. I felt I was finaly ready to tell you what I was feeling, all of it, when this thing came up with Ryoga. Last night, I was expecting a beating for lying to you, and I would have deserved. It wasn't right to lie about something like that, especially not to you."

Akane shook her head and placed a finger on his lips. "It's not your fault, Ranma. None of it. Not Ryoga's getting lost, tracking you to China, falling in a pool or pretending to be Pchan. It was his family's fault that he gets lost so easily, and it was his own fault for following you because HE was LATE to a duel. It was his and your father's fault that he fell in a pool. And it was my fault he played Pchan. If I had only trusted you that first night, or if I hadn't been so blind as to not see what was right in front of me. He might have tricked me and spied on me and used my own thoughts and feelings to drive us apart, but he could only do that because I couldn't see what you and everyone else could. I should have known that the hentai was my pig. There were so many clues, and not just the insults you threw at him."

The mood in the room was dropping ,and after everything they'd shared this morning, there was no way Akane was aoing to let that happen. "Now, enough about the pig. You and I, anata, shared something very special, but also quite messy. I thinks it's time we get cleaned up and head down for breakfast. I bet they're all waiting for us, ready to jump to the wrong conclusion again."

Ranma looked puzzled. "Wrong conclusion? Oh. You mean they'll think we .. . That we did IT." He still had the naivety to blush at the thought, though other parts of him expressed their interest in the possibility.

Akane giggled, and again allowed her hand to fondle her lover's manhood as it swelled. "Hai. And while me might not have done IT, we are a lot closer then before. I know that I think about IT alot, lately, and after this morning, I can hardly wait."

Ranma gulped as Akane again slid her hand into his boxer to grip his organ. "Er, Akane, about that? I was... er,...wondering...ah...maybe we could ...you know... Ah. Take things slow? I mean, I like what we did- a LOT-, but maybe we should't try anything more... advanced just yet? I mean, I'm still getting used to all this, and with going back to school and getting used to being around others without loosing control, I don't want to go too fast... Ya know what I mean?"

Akane stopped what her hand was doing and thought about her lover's stuttered words. She could see that Ranma was indeed worried that they were starting to move more quickly then he was comfortable with, and thought it would be frustrating as hell, she could understand why he wanted to go slowly. He was, after all, just coming into puberty in a very real way, and would still need time to adjust to his body's reactions and his new mental reactions. Reluctantly, she gave a final squeeze of her little friend, and withdrew her hand, much to Ranma's relief. She smiled brightly to show that she wasn't offended by what he'd said and asnwered his questions.

"Ranma, I won't lie and tell you that it will be easy. After what we just did, it's going to be very hard to keep my hands to myself. I really, really liked doing that to you, and what you did to me, and I want to do it again. I also want to do IT with you, very badly. I have for a long time, though I was scared that you didn't want me that way. If you feel that it's best that we go slowly, then we will go slowly. But, I want you to know. You are my fiance, and now my lover, and I will expect certain things from you."

"er, like what?" he asked nervously.

To ease some of the tension, Akane sat up on the bed, not caring that the shirt she'd worn was unbuttoned and gaped open, given Ranma a wonderful view of his fiancee's body. "First, I want you to know that anytime you get the urge to kiss me, or hold me, you can do so. Unless we're in class or something like that. Agreed?" Ranma nodded. That wasn't too bad, and really, he didn't want to stop kissing her or holding her.

"Second, though I do agree to go slower, that doesn't mean we have to stop doing what we've been doing, right? I want you to be comfortable coming to me anytime you get a little. . . overheated, for a little help. And I'll do the same for you if I get . . too hot. Agreed?" Ranma nodded, trying not to appear too eager. That would be much better, for him and his ego, then having to resolve the little situations on his own. Not to mention that his mother would find it manly if he and Akane kept sneaking off together and came back all mussed up.

"Third, I want you to move your stuff into my room. Last night was the best night's sleep I've had since my mother passed, and I don't ever want to go to sleep without you beside me again." She held up a hand to stall his protest. "Now, I'm not going to force you into anything you aren't ready for, but I want you to know that whenever you are ready, I'll be right there with you. We won't neccessarily be doing anything, but I liked holding you and having you hold me while I slept. I don't want to give that up. Plus, I think it will help you get used to what's happening to you if you are exposed to some more . . .stimulating experiences without loosing control."

Ranma frowned, but gave his assent. Their parents would no doubt start harping on about a wedding-and truth be told, he wasn't opposed to marrying his lover- but Akane would be able to explain in such a way as to not over excite them too much. And no doubt, Kasumi would help them. When Ranma had fallen asleep, he'd only dozed lightly, until he'd felt the safe pressence of Akane's sister come in and cover them both with the blanket. He could vaguely recall hearing her speak.

FLASH

Kasumi covered the sleeping pair with the blanket and placed a gentle kiss on each of hteir cheeks. "Sleep well you two. You both deserve it. And don't worry, no matter what happens, I'll be here to support you."

His subconcious worries eased, he had fallen into a deeper sleep, until he'd woken to find Akane caressing him.

END FLASH

Akane, seeing that Ranma had agreed to her points, smiled and hugged him, only then noticing her naked form. She paused for a moment, but shrugged. Part of getting Ranma acclimated to the changes in his body would be to get him used to seeing her in various states of dress. There was on better time to start then now.

"One last thing, Ranma." she whispered into his ear, enjoying the sensation of her sensitive nipples dragging across the material of his undershirt.

Ranma licked his lips and managed to croak out a meager "What?"

"We are going to bathe together as well. Starting right now." She stood up and pulled Ranma to his feet, trying to ignore his eyes roaming her form as she tossed the night shirt aside and strode to her dresser. She bent over and ruffled in the bottom drawer, pulling out her gi. She was acutely aware of Ranma's eyes tracking her every movement and their sudden focus on her bent form and felt herself beginning to warm in that special place again before she rose to a standing position. She placed her outfit on the desk, and grabbed Ranma's pants, throwing them to him. She took his shirt, but instead of passing it to him, she slid it over her nearly naked form before grabbing the gi again. She also took a moment to grab a sports bra and a fresh pair of undies, as her current pair were badly in need of a wash. She watched with rapt interest as Ranma drew the pants up his legs and tied them off.

She went back to him and grabbed his hand, leading him out what was soon to become their room and down to the furoba. Once in the room, she locked the door and lead Ranma over to the wash stall. They took their time washing up, spending a bit of time exploring each others bodies. They brought each other release again, and finished with a quick soak in the furo, cuddling together in the heated water. They stayed that way until there was a gentle knock on the door and a soft voice announced that breakfast was ready. Then they dressed, and sharing a final intense kiss, left the furoba to face the new day as they would all coming days:

Hand in hand.

END STORY

AUTHOR NOTES

So, what do you all think? was this a good chapter? anything you didn't like or wanted to see but wasn't here?

This chap would make a good end to the story, as it leaves a lot open for future stories, but still resolves the main sit between Ranma and Akane. And the end, with them sharing a kiss and walking into the future hand in hand ties it to the end of the manga.

I'm seriously thinking of ending this here, and picking it up in a sequel a few weeks later, dealing with the changes in Ranma's female form and skipping a few minor events.

Let me know what you think about that, or if I should just continue this with endless chapters.

Oh, if anyone wants to do a spinoff, showing the reactions of the various characters to the events here, just write me and let me know. It might be interesting to see all of this from a mix of other POV. Both main characters and support characters would be welcome. Could be a continuation from this point, or prequel/present events.

Because really, you have to wonder what is going through everyone else's minds while Ranma experiences all this. I gave a few glimpses, but they are short peeks into various minds, nothing too indepth.