Iris Series part 1: Angel

Review

This is the first in a series of stories in the Iris series and is a very powerful story. It's in the line of the stories dealing with Ranma becoming permanently female, but this story takes a much darker turn than many others.

In many stories, Ranma is initially opposed to becoming female permanently, (or at least for a limited time), but overcomes that and adapts very well to being a woman. In this story, though, Ranma fights the process every step of the way, and that fight costs her her friends, her family, and in the end nearly costs her her life.

The story is done well and the characters are true to the series. Nabiki, Soun and Genma have very minor roles in the story, with the main emphasis on Ranma and Akane, with Kasumi and then Nodoka having the rest of the attention.

This is a very well done story, on of the very few "darkfic" stories that I have found that are actually well done and that make sense.

Synopsis

Ranma finds that he is transforming into Ranma-chan, but without any water. The transformation itself is also very painful for him. He goes to Dr. Tofu's where Akane joins him.

They think that Cologne is behind it, so Shampoo, Dr. Tofu, Akane and Ranma all go to the Amazon village where they meet the council of elders. It turns out that what is happening to Ranma is an extreme form of punishment by Amazons, and one they did not authorize.

Ranma goes to Jusenkyo, but is not cured. He then goes to the Musk tribe to try and be cured by them.

Later Ryoga is talking to Akane at the Tendo home. Akane finds out he is P-chan.

Happosai is involved in this also and Dr. Tofu finds a scroll in Happosai's collection, but it is too late to use it on Ranma. Ranma eventually gets back to the Dojo but she's not changed and she's been very sick.

Akane is not attracted at all to Ranma-chan's body. Nodoka decides to teach her "daughter" how to be a girl. Ranma is having increasing difficulty adjusting to being stuck permanently as a girl.

Ryouga talks to Akane about Ranma and suggests trying to get everyone to stop trying to force Ranma to act like a woman. Ranma's mental state is deteriorating quickly as she is becoming nastier and nastier to everyone.

Akane decides to end the engagement, at least for a while. Somehow Akane talks Ranma into attending a slumber party with other girls.

Everything suddenly falls apart. Ranma is in the kitchen talking to Kasumi and overhears Akane and Ryouga planning to go out on a date. Later, Akane finds Ranma in the bath. Ranma had slit her wrists and was close to death.

Ranma is taken to the hospital, barely alive. Nodoka arrives and is still too hung up on her concept of honor to fully appreciate what has happened. Her primary concern is that the family honor be upheld if Ranma dies, and she gives Akane a tanto, a traditional knife to commit seppeku with.

It turns out that Ranma survives, but is in a mental hospital and ends up finding out that Kuno is there too.


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