Alternate Landings

Episode 1


"Leave me alone!" I shout, as I run from my father. *He

doesn't care that I've gotten this curse, just wants to keep his "precious"

honor intact. As if he had any honor to begin with!* I run down the

street, shouting back at him, "It's your fault that I got this damn curse

to begin with, and now I CAN'T EVEN GET RID OF IT!!!" I slow down as I try

to keep from crying. It isn't manly. *Not that "manly" can even apply to

me anymore.* "I hate you!" I scream, as I start getting back up to speed,

"I hate you for taking me to China without being able to speak Chinese! I

hate what you did to me! I hate you!" I can't help it. The tears are

coming, whether I want them or not. *Damn this rain* I think, as I stop

and look at myself, *Damn it for changing my father into his cursed

form...* That's as far as I get before something hits me in back of my

head, and the world goes black.


*****


A man is holding a postcard emblazoned with a picture of a

panda eating bamboo on the front. The man looks up and we notice that it

is Soun. "At last! Ranma is coming, finally!" Soun mumbles to himself.

Then he gathers his breath and starts calling, "Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane!"

(As you've probably read this seventeen zillion times before, I will be

skipping details unto the meeting of the Tendo's and the Saotome's.)


A panda comes around the corner, holding a teenage boy that is

kicking and shouting "Put me down, Pops! You're scaring them!" The panda

then decides to put the boy down.

Soun points at the boy and asks, "You...wouldn't...be?"

The boy looks up at Soun, and then drops his gaze back down to

the floor, "I'm...Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."

Soun grabs Ranma, "Ranma! I have waited for this for so long!"

Ranma just pushes Soun away.

"I'm sorry, but we should talk, first...Oyaji probably failed to

tell you the specific problems of the marriage. If you could get some hot

water, I can explain everything." Soun looks on happily while ignoring

everything Ranma says.


*****


I'm sitting in the Tendo's living room. I was hoping to stall

this, but to take this properly, I have to tell them. Right out. *Damn, I

hate doing what's right* I sigh as the oldest daughter walks in with a

kettle of hot water. *I hope it isn't too hot.* I stand and retrieve the

kettle from her. She just smiles at me, and then takes her place at the

table. "You're probably wondering about the panda that brought me here.

Here's the simple truth. That panda is my father." Everyone looks

shocked, but I continue, "My father took us to a training ground in China,

called Jusenkyou. My father and I were about to start training when the

guide said that the place was cursed. As my father rarely listens to

anyone, we started training, regardless." I take this time to glare at my

father, but continue, "At first, we traded a few blows, but I got the first

real hit in. I kicked him into one of the pools, which the guide later

told us was the spring of drowned panda. Anyone who falls in turns into a

panda with cold water."

Soun looks at me confused, "They change into a panda with cold

water, how do they change back?"

I just pick up the kettle, and pour it on Father. All the

Tendo's look surprised, then Soun just shrugs and asks, "Well, do _you_

change into anything with cold water?" I just shake my head, then Soun

nods, and then introduces his daughters. Kasumi just smiles. Nabiki looks

at me as if I was a bank vault, or something. Akane just glares at me.

Father claps me on the back, "Well, son? Which do you choose?

Who will you marry?"

Father forgot one point. "I'm not finished the story, so SIT

BACK DOWN" I growl. Everyone looks startled, but settle back to listen.

Father is trying to shush me, so I throw him into the pond. "After Oyaji

jumped back onto the poles, I was startled, but I kept up. Father tried a

sneak attack on me, but I managed to dodge, for the first while. Then it

happened. Father got a good hit on me. The pool he landed me into was one

of the hot-springs that also littered the area. The guide told me that it

was the hot-spring of drowned young girl."

Soun speaks up, "But you said you don't change into anything

with cold water!"

I snarl, "I don't" I then pick up the kettle and pour the rest

of it on myself. Soun faints. Kasumi looks surprised. Nabiki looks

shocked. Akane just stares. I feel the tears welling up again, but I

don't have the control to stop them with this body. I can't help myself. I

start crying.


*****


Akane looks at the girl sitting and crying in front of her.

While she doesn't know if she has any feelings for this boy-turned- girl,

she knows that this girl is in a lot of pain right now.

Ranma seems to try to collect herself, and manages to do so,

after about five minutes. She speaks clearly, but with a small tremor in

her voice. "I asked the guide later about cures for our curses, and what

he told me was this: Your father can be cured, if we can just find the

Nannichuan. But you, I'm afraid, are stuck to be like that forever. The

hot-springs can cure some of the cold- spring's curses, the cold-springs

can cure cold-springs, but only hot-springs can cure hot-spring curses.

Before you ask, no. There is not a hot-spring of drowned boy. I'm sorry."

Ranma seems to be holding more tears in, but she can't hold them in for

long.

Akane stands, walks over to Ranma, and then sits beside her.

When Ranma doesn't notice, Akane puts her arm over Ranma's shoulder. Ranma

seems to unconsciously grab onto any support she could find, as she turns

and hugs Akane fiercely. Akane was surprised, but she doesn't hit Ranma.

*After all, She's only a little girl now, right?* Akane just ignores her

instinct to punch Ranma and just holds onto her. Akane then has a mean idea.

"Ranma, you need a bath, right? Would you like to take a bath

with me?" Kasumi looks very startled, but then smiles. *I hope that she

understands.* Thinks Akane as she waits for a response from the crying

Ranma.

Ranma stops crying long enough to whisper a tentative "Yes."

Akane just smiles at the little girl and then scoops her up into her arms.

"Kasumi? Could you bring up some clothes and a couple of

towels for us, please?" Akane has a mischievous grin on her face, and

Nabiki looks like she understands what was going on. *I hope that he

doesn't take advantage of me while we're in the bath... unless I use warm

water to rinse her off, in which case, she won't be able to... That's what

I'll do.*

Kasumi just smiles and nods.


*****


I take Ranma into the bathroom, and she seems to calm down a

little, then she starts panicking for some reason. "Ranma calm down! Stop

acting like a spoiled brat!"

Ranma calms down a little and then asks, "What about me being

a boy?" She seems to be very concerned about that.

"Well, Ranma, you will turn back into a boy with cold water,

right?" Ranma nods, "Well then. If I don't let you touch cold water for

the duration of the bath, it's no problem right?"

Ranma nods, and then looks at me peculiarly. "Bu....You're

pretty..." I'm shocked, that Ranma should say that, even in girl form.

Unless...

"Ranma, would you say that as a boy?" Ranma looks startled for

a bit, and then sits down and thinks.

While she thinks, I undress her and start washing her. She

is really cute as a girl, now that I notice. I start thinking about how

life would be with her, and then I blush. Ranma doesn't notice as she is

still thinking. When I bring the bucket up to her, Ranma starts looking

panicked. I shush her, saying that it is warm water, not cold. That seems

to calm her, as I pour the water over her. Then something weird happens.

Ranma seems to start wavering in front of me, as if she is going to change

or something. For a second, it seems as if Ranma is both a girl and a boy

at the same time, then the wavering settles down and Ranma remains, still

as a girl.

Ranma then looked up. "Yes." She states clearly.

I am startled, "Yes what?"

Ranma flushes a bit, "Yes I would say that, even if I were a

boy." Ranma fidgets a bit, and then asks, "Do you like me?" She seems

very self-conscious.

I think about it, *Do I like him, her, whatever? I don't

know...She's nice as a girl, but that just might be because anyone can hurt

her that way. As a boy, he seems pretty nice, and he stopped anyone from

getting engaged by his actions. Would I _want_ to spend the rest of my

life with him? I don't know... Waitaminuite! That's not what she asked!

She wants to know if I like her. Actually, she's very nice, so I would say

yes.* I look Ranma straight in the eye, and say, "Yes, I think I like you.

Why do you ask?"

Ranma flushes a bit, "I don't have very many friends. When I

started finding friends, Father always dragged me away, saying it was time

to continue with my training." Ranma looks sad, "But those days are gone,

now. And it's been a long time since I saw any of my

friends. " Ranma takes a deep breath, as if she is going to ask something

really big, "Wouldyoubemyfriend?" She lets the remainder of her breath

out explosively.

I'm shocked. *A long time without friends, and being dragged

away from ones he was just making...Can I be a good friend to him, her? I

can't do any less than try.* I look Ranma straight in the eyes. She is

scared for some reason. I plod on, "Ranma, I would be honored to be your

friend. But I think it would be time to get into the tub, don't you?

Aren't you cold?"

Ranma looks like she just noticed the cold, herself. She

nods, and we both slide into the tub. Ranma seems to be happier now, and

also seems to enjoy playing games in the tub. It is as if, when she

changes into a girl, that she is a girl, in more ways than just the body.

Something to think about later.


*****


For once in my life, I am happy. I have a friend, she likes

me...I am happy. I play in the tub, reveling in the childhood games that

my father never let me play before. But then, he isn't here and I am. I

play in the tub for what seems like hours.

Then Akane gets out of the tub, and I dodn't want to be left

behind, so I climb out, and start looking for the clothes that Kasumi said

she'd get out for me. Then I notice her.

Nabiki is watching from the side of the door, and Akane is

staring at her as if she is a viper or something.

"Did you have fun?" Nabiki asks. She has a mean smile on and

had a camera in her hands. For some reason this scares me.

I grab onto Akane's waist, hoping for some protection.

*Protection? I can take care of myself!* one part of me thinks, but I know

better. *I'm helpless in this form, and no, at this point, I CAN'T take

care of myself.* I mentally scream at myself. I'm trembling with fear at

what Nabiki can do to me, while still only claiming to be doing her duty.

Akane is surprised at my actions, but then she lookes at Nabiki

angrily. "Nabiki," she growles, "Ranma and I were just having a bath, so

leave us alone!" Nabiki just smirks.

"Just having a bath?" She seems much worse than a viper

now...I can barely keep from screaming. "What I heard sounded a lot more

deep that 'just a bath,' Akane."

Akane looks scared now. I dodn't blame her. "Nabiki, what do

you mean?" Akane's voice, even though she is scared herself, bears just

the faintest trace of steel. I look at Akane, not understanding what is

going on. Akane looks down at me, "It's all right, Ranma. I'll take care

of this." For some reason I believe her. Nabiki just smirks.

"Well, Akane," Nabiki drawls out Akane's name like it is

candy or something, "What do you think daddy-dearest would say if he saw

this happy picture. Hmm? He already knows that you fight all the boys at

the school. He just might take _this_ as another point of proof that you

aren't like most other girls." Nabiki just smirks, "In fact, I'd say he

would be disappointed in you. And yet, at the same time, he just might

arrange both of your marriages in spite of what Ranma revealed. " I am

starting to get what she is saying...and it scares me, more than anything

that has ever happened to me before.

"But we can't!" I almost scream, "We can't be married! Do you

think she'd want to take care of me in this form for the rest of her life?"

Akane looks at me carefully, and I start to feel doubt, "Would you?" I ask

Akane, afraid of her answer.

Akane looks at me for a minute. Nabiki gets this huge grin on

her face. Nabiki laughs then, "Well, Ranma. It looks like you might have

a prospective fiancee already! I just hope that daddy-dearest doesn't try

forcing you...he might ruin something beautiful." I'm still watching

Akane, hoping beyond hope.

Then Akane reaches down and picks me up. She brushes my

hair aside, and kisses me on the cheek.


*****


I pick Ranma up, brush her hair aside, and kiss her on the

cheek. *What am I doing?* I mentally scream at myself. *Ranma needs me.

When he turns into a girl, he needs to have someone protect him. I _want_

to be that someone.* Then it hits me. I want to be with him. Forever, if

need be. For some reason, that both scares me, and excites me. I look at

why I am scared. *It's because she turns into a boy, that's why, right?*

I look at Ranma. *That's part of it, I just don't know how he will be when

male.* I start hugging Ranma.

Ranma looks at me, and quietly asks, "Would you like me if we

were engaged?" Ranma's voice quiveres, as if she's afraid of the answer.

*Would I? Well, I would rather know him better, but...*

"Akane? Are you going to answer him?" I whirl around. I

forgot completely about Nabiki. She is standing at the door, looking

interested at my answer. Not the way she usually looks at me, just genuine

interest.

I turn back to Ranma, and she looks afraid still. I smile,

trying to put Ranma at ease. "Ranma," I say, "I would like to get to know

you better. At this point I'm not sure if I would or not, but later I will

know. Is that good enough for you?"

Ranma just looks at me hopefully, and then hugs me. "I

want a friend more than a fiancee right now. Can we still be friends,

please?" Ranma seems so insecure, seems to need comfort more than anything

else. I pull her up again and hug her back. Then I do something that I

will remember for a long time. I think Ranma will too.

I lift Ranma's face up to mine, and say, clearly, "I hope

that, in time, we will be more than that." I then kiss Ranma. Not those

light pecks on the cheeks, or a small kiss. A Kiss. On the lips. I don't

know who was more surprised. Me, for doing that, Ranma for not resisting,

or Nabiki, who watched it all. I then sit back, trying to get my bearings.

*That never happened to me, before...* I think surprisedly to myself, *What

came over me? Maybe I _do_ love this person. Oh, no! It's almost

suppertime!* "Ranma, It's almost supper time, I think we should get ready,

don't you?" Ranma nods, still confused, as we walked into the laundry

room. On the bench there are two towels, and two sets of clothes. You can

tell which one is mine, instantly, for it is the larger of the two. What

surprises me is Ranma's clothes pile. It is a small dress, with all the

accouterments of a little girl. What is even more surprising was that she

is putting the clothes on, _without complaining_. "Ranma? Are those

yours?"

Ranma flushes. "Yes, they are." She looks guilty, "I won't be

able to change back into a male permanently, so I _have_ to get used to my

new body. It doesn't mean that I have to like it, I just have to get used

to it." Ranma looks down at the floor. Now that I can get a good look at

her, she really _is_ cute. She has her red hair tied up in a long

pony-tail, has big, blue eyes, and that little blue dress doesn't take

anything from the effect. In fact, if she was a bit older, I'd have to say

that she would be _beautiful_.

Then something occurres to me. "Ranma? How long do you

usually stay a girl?" I am curious. Then I notice something else. I'm

standing here, watching Ranma get dressed, and failing to do so myself. I

flush and quickly start getting dressed. Nabiki, it seems, had walked out

while I watching Ranma.

Ranma looks at me, strangely. "I don't know," she admits,

"Usually I try to get back to being male as soon as possible. But for some

reason, I don't want to be male for a while." Her face goes comical, "Why,

do you _want_ to see me here, " she waves her hand around, "as a male, in

_this_?" and points at her dress. I try to think of what Ranma would look

like, like that. I can't suppress the giggle that I have at the thought.

"See? I don't know how long I'll stay like this, this time. Maybe a day,

or so." She looks down at herself, and then grins. "What do you think

father will think?" She twirls around, "Think he will throw me in the pond

as soon as he sees me?"

I think about her father. While he seems to be a good

father from what I saw, so far, after consideration I have to truthfully

admit, "Actually, I think he might." I grin, then, "But do you think he

would go through me to do so?"

Ranma looks at me, and gets this little impish grin. She grabs

my hand, starts walking out the laundry room door, and giggles, "Would you?

I haven't been a girl this long before, and I would like to see what it is

like for the next while. Could you, please?" She looks at me, and I

swear, the cuteness level in the room must be tripling in a few short

seconds.

I pull Ranma back, so that she won't trip and hurt herself,

"Sure Ranma, anything for my friend." I smile at her when she abruptly

swings around and hugs me again. Maybe this is a good thing, after all.

At the very least, she isn't complaining about her curse all the time. She

truly wants to get to know this side of herself better. I hug her back,

and then I see father.


*****


"Oh, Akane!" Soun cries, "How good of you to take care of guests

like this. You make your father so proud of you!" Soun, apparently,

thinks nothing of his daughter bathing with his guest. Ranma looks

surprised, and turns around quickly, a flush on her face. Soun ignores it,

"Akane, while I know Ranma's curse may be difficult to deal with, could you

take care of him while he stays here?" Akane's eyes go wide. She numbly

nods while holding onto Ranma, to keep her from running away.

"Yes, father, I will." Akane looks at Ranma, grinning. "I

wouldn't want my new friend to hurt herself, no?"

"Friend? He's your friend, now? Well, that's your choice. See

you at supper!" For some reason Soun seems to be acting strangely, as if

he is still in shock or something. Something occurs to Akane then, he

isn't crying, as he usually is. Maybe he should be taken to Dr. Tofu's.

After supper, of course.

Ranma is looking wide-eyed at where Soun was just standing, "Is

your father normally like that, Akane? It seems to be pretty strange

compared to the way he was crying all the time before." Ranma seems to be

in a bit of shock herself. She then shakes it off, "Akane? Are we going

to go for supper? I'm hungry." As if to agree with that statement, her

stomach growls loudly. Ranma blushes in embarrassment.

Akane giggles a bit, and then pulls Ranma toward the stairs,

carefully. "Yes, Ranma, we'll go for supper, now."


*****


Ranma surprises me at supper. While her father seems to try to

eat everything in sight, she seems to actually _try_ to eat like a proper

human. She actually seems to be trying to act like me, as if to try to

make herself better, or something. Surprisingly enough, Genma didn't try

to throw Ranma into the pond as soon as he saw her. While he does steal

glances at Ranma and I while we were eating, he doesn't say anything about

the bath. Good enough, for I dodn't want to deal with that at this point.

Kasumi has really out-done herself this time. The food is

excellent. Maybe she did it to try to impress our guests. From what I see

of Genma, impressing him isn't hard. Ranma, however, seems to be harder to

impress, and yet, she enjoys the meal as much, if not more than, her

father. Maybe it was because of the company, maybe the food, maybe both.

I'll ask her later.

Ranma is staying as close to me as possible, without seeming to.

That's interesting. Maybe she loves me, too? Can't think about that right

now. Kasumi might notice.

Nabiki is ignoring the rest of the family while she works on

her ledgers. *I hope Ranma doesn't get the wrong idea about her. She's

really the only one that's keeping the dojo in the black, and what she has

to do to do so isn't really nice.*

Ranma mumbles something while she's looking at her father. I

lean closer to her to ask what she said, and she notices. I blush, and see

a responding blush work it's way onto her face.

"What did you say, Ranma?" I ask, trying to keep my voice down,

so as not to alert to many people.

"Father had the chance to get rid of his curse after two days at

the springs. He passed it up, saying that he didn't deserve to be without

a curse if I had one. I sort of feel sorry for him, being able to get rid

of his curse, and yet not, for honor reasons. And yet I envy him being

able to get rid of it in the first place." She looks me in the eyes, and

whispers, "Did you know that I even jumped into the cold-spring with the

same curse that I have now? It didn't work...because the hot-springs are

more magical then the cold-ones. They have to be, it seems, for it's nearly

impossible for hot-springs to exist in the same area as cold-springs

without magic. I just wish that I had fallen into something that would be

easier for me to deal with..." Ranma looks like she is about to start

crying again. I slowly draw her close and hug her. She is valiantly

trying to stop crying, but is unable to. I hope that she doesn't consider

this "unmanly", for I've seen some men cry over less.

Ranma's father is looking at us, strangely, but decides to keep

his peace. Good thing, too, for if he had says anything that would have...

*There I go again, rushing to protect Ranma. But she needs it now. For

this once, I'll listen.* If he upsets Ranma any more, then I won't hesitate

to mash him to a pulp.

That reminds me, "Ranma, do you practice kempo while in

your cursed form?" Ranma looks startled. That's what she needs, something

to keep her mind off Jusenkyou.

Genma looks at me, and nods. "That's right, son. You need to

find out this form's weaknesses and strengths. Go and practice, It'll do

you some good." I look suspiciously at Genma, but he's just watching Ranma.

Ranma lookes at Genma, then at me. "Would you train with me?"

She asks, "I don't want to train with father right now...he's used to me

being male, and might...might hurt me too much." Ranma looks scared at

that prospect, so I quickly agree. "After supper, though," Ranma is quick

to put in, "I don't think that was enough to hold me over for a full

training session." It was true, Ranma hasn't even finished half of her

food. Then I notice her face.

"Ranma, " I state, "you don't have to eat it all. Kasumi will

understand." Ranma looks sick, for some reason.

Ranma turns to me, and says in a quivering voice, "I...I

normally eat as much as pops...for some reason, I can't even think of

eating that much, anymore..." Ranma looks green.

I hug her closer, "It's all right, you wouldn't be able to eat

that much, anyway. You are quite a bit smaller than him, so it's all right

now." I then stand up, "Come on, it'll be dark soon, and we want to do as

much as possible before bedtime, right?" Ranma nods, so I lead her quietly

to the dojo.


*****


I impact with the mat again. *I haven't been beaten this badly

since I first started out* I think to myself morosely. *It's a good thing

that I can defend myself better in my other form.* I look over at Akane.

She isn't even breaking a sweat. I don't blame her. My new body is

weaker, slower, and all-around worse than my male body. But one thing that

people say about me is that I never give up, even against hopeless odds. I

stand up again, and go through one of the advanced katas for clearing the

mind. I also notice that I was clumsier in this form...something else that

I had to work on. I looked at myself, small bruises everywhere.

My mind clearing at last, I look at Akane, and she says, quietly, "One

last time, and then that's it for tonight." I nods, and then fall into

the ready position. Akane motions for me to start the attack this time.

As I know that she can take quite a lot from me in this form, I go all out.

I leap at her and prepare for a jump-kick, and then notice one important

thing. I don't go as high as I should. She sees me prepping for the

jump-kick, so I quickly change tactics, as the kick wouldn't have landed

anyway. Instead of kicking out, I drop to the floor and try a sweep-kick.

It would have worked, if I was only ten times stronger than I was.

I then notice something important. I had kicked with all my

strength, and when the kick landed, it felt like kicking steel. In my

normal body, I can handle it. But this body can't. I hear a crack as I

finish the sweep. Pain rushes through my body.

I scream loudly, as I feel my leg breaking. Akane rushes up to

me, as I whimper from the pain.

"What's wrong?" She asks. As I can't talk right now, I point

down to my leg, which is lying there, bent at an awkward angle. "Oh,

damn!" Akane mutters. She then calls out, "Kasumi! I'm taking Ranma to

doctor Tofu's!" She then gently picks me up and starts walking

quickly to the gate.

Kasumi rushes out and asks, "What happened?"

Akane answers for me, "Ranma and I were training in the dojo, and

she tried a tactic that she wasn't strong enough for. She broke her leg

trying to knock me off my feet."

Kasumi looks at me, and then says something that scared me,

"Ranma, I don't want you fighting. I know it's what you are used to, all

the time, but you need to settle down. This could have easily been a

dislocated leg, and then there would have been a big mess to clean up." I

look at her, like she's crazy, and she explains as we move quickly down the

street, "Ranma, when you dislocate your leg, it's worse than dislocating

your arm. Your leg muscles are strong enough to send a dislocated bone

right through the skin. You could have died, and there would be nothing we

could have done about it." I get scared. Very scared. I start crying.

Akane looks at Kasumi, and says, "Kasumi, I think you should go

back to the house, I don't think our fathers can be trusted to be by

themselves in the house by themselves." Kasumi nods, and leaves. Akane

turns back to me, "It's all right, Ranma. You didn't dislocate your leg,

you aren't in any danger. Just take it easy for now. We're almost there.

Calm down." She continues her soothing talking, and soon enough I am calm

again. Then we are at the clinic.


*****


Doctor Tofu is looking at my leg. "What did you do, try

to kick a stone?" Tofu asks, concerned. He is poking and prodding at my

leg, most of which makes me whimper in pain. "Well, you are one lucky girl.

You almost dislocated your leg, and that would have been bad." Tears start

to form in my eyes from the constant pain. "You were also lucky in that I

had to stay here tonight to do some paperwork. Now, this is going to

hurt..." He proceeds to pull on my leg, trying to straighten the bone. As

I know what to do, I pull my body in the opposite direction. The pain is

enormous, but I've survived through it before.

"There," Tofu said, as the bone finally slides into its proper

position. He then proceeds to poke a few spots on my leg and back.

Probably shiatsu pressure points. "There, now. You should stay off this

leg for about two months, can you do that?" I think about staying as a

girl for two months straight. That is scary, but accidentally wrecking the

setting of the bone by changing would probably be worse. I nod. "Are you

okay? Is there something wrong?"

Akane starts to say something, but I hold up my hand, stopping

her. "Yes, I think that it will be...hard...for me to stay as a girl for

two months straight." Tofu stares at me like I am crazy. "Ever hear of

Jusenkyou?" At his nod, I continue, "I fell into one of the springs. What

you see now, " I point to myself, "is my cursed form. Normally, I'm a

sixteen-year-old teenage boy."

Tofu looks at me, and then asks, "Why didn't you reverse the

curse while you were there?"

I look down at my hands, "I couldn't. There isn't a hot-spring

that _can_ cure this curse." Tofu blanches, "Yes, I know that's scary, but

I have to live with it now. I can try..." I hold back the tears, barely,

"I can try to live life as well as I can, considering my curse, but it will

be hard. What will be harder is meeting my mother again, after what I've

been through. I don't know how she will react."

Akane walks up to me and holds me close. Tofu then says

something that surprises me, "Ranma, I've seen a study done on people with

Jusenkyou curses, and there is a way for you to change forms while your leg

is broken. From what I read, only what happens to the hot-water form is

permanent."

I start giggling. "Doctor, this _is_ my hot-water form."

Tofu appears surprised, and then takes on a thoughtful pose,

"Ranma, I would like to try something, but I want to keep it in here, is

that fine with you?" I nod, "Fine then. Akane? Could you please get some

cold and some hot water? We'll be waiting for you." I watch quietly as

Akane leaves to get some water. She comes back a couple minutes later with

two buckets of water.

Tofu picks up one of the buckets, I guess that it is the bucket

with the cold water. I wait nervously as Doctor Tofu gets ready to pour

the water on me, then he asks, "Akane? Could you please get ready with the

hot water? If something goes wrong, I want to undo the damage as soon as

possible." Akane nods, and then hefts the other bucket.

Tofu then notices something else. "Ranma, I don't think you

want to ruin your clothes, right?" I'm surprised. I completely forgot

that I grew _drastically_ when I change back into a boy. I quickly strip

out of my clothes, letting Akane help me with my gi and panties. Then I

climb back on the table (not without wincing) and get ready for the

experiment.

Tofu comes up with the water. For some reason this scares me.

I try to examine my fear. I then start thinking of Akane, but that's

wrong. *Why would I be afraid of Akane?* I think of any reason, and the

bath pops into my mind. *But that was okay, she invited me and made sure

that I was a girl the entire time! She wouldn't be mad at me for that,

would she?* I dismiss the thought as useless. Tofu then throws the water

at me, and the pain starts again, and doesn't stop. I scream, and then a

sheet of hot water flies over me. I'm back into my girl form, and the pain

lessens considerably.

When I can see properly again, I notice Tofu standing beside me

looking concerned. "Ranma," He asks, "what was the pain like? I'd like to

know what the problem was so that I can fix it."

"It sort of felt like my bone was breaking, again." I mumble,

"And again, and again..." I stifle a hysterical giggle.

Tofu looks surprised for some reason. "Ranma?" I look at him,

"I will need to take some tissue samples, is that all right?" I nod,

"Good, I want to check some things...maybe this will be able to tell me."

Tofu goes about the tissue-gathering process quickly, taking a small amount

of blood and a bit of skin to go along with it.

"Okay, Ranma. Now I need to check something, can you hold on

for a few minutes?" I nod, seeing no harm in it. Tofu leaves, and then

walks back in the examination room about ten minutes later.

"Ranma, from what I can tell, so far, you will need to stay in

your cursed form to heal the bone properly. I found a reference in one of

my texts that gives an idea on how to prevent the curse form activating.

Or, in your case, keeping the curse active. I'll need your permission to

continue with this, though."

I look at him, and he appears to be nervous about something.

"What is the process?" Akane asks. She appears to be nervous, as well. I

wonder why?

Tofu looks me straight in the eye, "I would need to insert a

non-organic object into an area of your body that your other form can't

handle."

"What do you mean?" I ask, being very confused by his meaning.

"Ranma, he means that he has to put something here," Akane

points between my legs. I finally get what she means and start blushing.

"Will it hurt?" I ask. *What am I asking that for? Of course

it won't! What's wrong with me?* My mind flies around in circles, and I

miss what Tofu's reply was. I nod, without really thinking about it.

"Akane, can you hold her down, please?"

That startles me out of my thoughts. *Hold me down? It _is_

going to hurt? Oh, nonononononononono...* I don't have enough time to

move, as Akane is close enough to just reach over and grab me. I start

panicking as Tofu comes over with this smooth metal rod-like thing. "No,"

I moan, but it's too late. Tofu quickly slides the rod inside me. I scream.

*nonononOnONONONO!!! Get this thing out of me!!!* I try

kicking and squirming, but Akane holds me steady, and my kicks don't hurt

Tofu. He grabs my broken leg, to keep it from further harm, with one hand,

while pushing the rod further into me with the other. While it doesn't

hurt, the fact that something is _inside_ me is very frightening. My

screaming turns to crying, and Akane holds me tighter, moving around so

that she's holding me with a hug, instead of just holding my arms.

"It's okay, Ranma," Akane whispers, "it's okay. This is

_normal_. Kinda. Girls have to put foreign objects inside themselves all

the time."

I slowly stop crying. "Yeah? When?" I asked, feeling slightly

strange.

"When you get older, Ranma," she replies. "When you start

having your...period." Akane blushes at that. For some reason, I can't

keep the blush from my cheeks, either.

Tofu is watching my face. "Ranma? Is it bothering you still?"

I shake my head, "No, it just startled me, that's all."

Tofu nods, "I expected as much. Now, Ranma. I will need to

put a brace on your leg, to keep the bone from moving around too much."

I'm curious, "Why not a cast?" I inquire, as I start putting

my clothes back on.

Tofu shrugs, "A cast would break your bone even more, should

you change forms. Although that rod will reduce the possibility, what if

the rod falls out?" He gets out this plastic brace that looks like it has

really big cloth bands holding it together. "Okay, this is what we are

going to use on you. This is my last one, so don't break it, okay?" I nod,

"Good. This one is self-adjusting, so if you change forms, it will stay

around your leg without breaking. It's also waterproof, so you can still

wear it in the water." Tofu then pulls my leg straight, and attaches the

brace. "The only problem is when you change back to girl form...it doesn't

change sizes down on it's own. You will have to re tighten it every time

you change. But that isn't much of a problem, right?" I nod, "Good. I

will be checking out those samples of yours, to see what changes, besides

your age and sex, there were to you. Okay, you two, it's time for me to

close up, off you go."

"Thank-you doctor!" Akane and I chorus, as we leave back to the

house.

"You're welcome. Bye now." Tofu waves to us. I wave back.

Akane is surprised at that for some reason. I just shrug and try walking

with the brace on, noting that it supports my weight nicely. Akane takes

my hand and leads me home again.

What an interesting day.


*****


Although I expected Ranma to act a bit differently when in

female form, I didn't expect it to be this much. I walk towards the house

without really noticing the things we were passing. Ranma says something

that startles me, though.

"Akane? Doesn't that look like mother?" I whirl and look

where Ranma is pointing, but I don't see anyone.

"Where, Ranma?" I'm getting nervous. *Is Ranma seeing

things?* I hope not.

Ranma points again, "There! In that house over there!" I look

closer, and sure enough, through an open window I can see that there was

someone who looks startlingly like Ranma, albeit about thirty years older

than her current form.

"Yes, Ranma, she looks a lot like your mother. Now we have to

get home, now. It's getting late."

The woman looks up, "Did you say Ranma? Do you know where he

is?" The woman heard us, it seems.

I nod, "Yes, I said Ranma. This is...her. Ranma, say hello to

the nice lady."

Ranma dutifully says, "Hello. Are you my mother? I haven't

seen her for ten years." Ranma looks sad.

The woman looked startled, "Ten years? I haven't seen my son

for that long, too! Pardon, young miss, but you could not be more than

five years old. How could you not have seen your mother for ten?"

I start getting nervous again, but Ranma replies before I can

answer her, "I'm not really five, I'm actually sixteen. My father was

taking me on a training trip..."

The woman interrupts, "A training trip? Tell me, is your

father's name Genma?" Ranma nods, and the woman looks at me for

confirmation. I nod. She then asks Ranma to continue.

"As I was saying, my father took me on a training trip, and

about a month ago, we came to this training ground. It was a place with a

lot of cursed springs that changes people into whatever drowned in there

last. While we were training, father fell in the spring of drowned panda,

and he knocked me in the hot-spring of drowned young girl." Ranma finished

her explanation.

"Well, that's an interesting story. Can you change back right

now?" Ranma starts to look scared.

"Sorry, she can't, right now. For a couple of reasons,

really," The woman gestures for me to explain, "Well, Ranma needs cold

water to change back to her normal form, and I don't think that it will be

a good idea for her to change again." At her puzzled expression, I clarify,

"Ranma broke her leg today when we were training at my families dojo. The

doctor says that if she changes back to her male form, that she will

re-break her leg, and that would slow the healing process a lot."

The woman nods, "That's a good explanation. Is there any

reason for Genma to not be able to change?" I shake my head, "Fine then.

I'd like to see my husband, again. It's been too long. One other thing,

how does Genma reverse his curse?"

I say, "He needs hot water to change back into human form. Why

do you ask?"

The woman looks at me, "It's because he's a coward at heart. He

will probably try to hide behind his curse when he finally notices me."

She grins, "I'm glad you told me, Ranma. I'm also glad that I vetoed your

father's suggestion for seppuku if he didn't make you a manly man. Not

that I would have taken the curse into consideration, though. By the way,

is there a way to remove the curses permanently?"

Ranma starts to get tears in her eyes, "There isn't a way, for

me. But there is one for father. He can reverse it using the spring of

drowned man."

"Why can't you remove your curse?" She asks.

Knowing that this will make Ranma cry even more, I kneel down

and hold her close, as she answers, "Only a hot-spring can reverse

hot-spring curses. But...but there isn't a hot...hot-spring of drowned

man." Ranma starts crying and I hold her tightly, trying to calm her down.

"What's wrong with my son?" Demands Ranma's mother, "Why would

he be crying about something like that?"

I start getting angry, "It _means_ that Ranma won't be able to

control what form she's in, for the rest of her life!" I try to calm down,

but only marginally succeed, "How many people do you think will _want_ to

marry a person with Ranma's problem? Offhand, I only know of one!

Oops..." I blush, noting that I went too far.

Ranma immediately stops crying, "You would?" She asks

incredulously. Ranma's mother looks very surprised at both my outburst,

and Ranma's reply to it.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking about what my son was going through."

She looks at me, "I'm also sorry that I heard your testament of love, " She

smirks at that, "but that's your business. Oh! I forgot the

introductions. My name is Nodoka Saotome."

I flush, for I forgot to introduce myself as well, "My name is

Akane Tendo. Pleased to meet you." My breath suddenly leaves my body, as

Ranma gets over her startlement and tackles me with a hug. "Ranma," I

gasp, "could you please tone it down? I'm not used to be a landing mat."

Although I'm gasping for breath, I can't help but giggle at that. Nodoka

is laughing as well.

"Well, Akane," Nodoka giggles, "it seems that Ranma mirrors

your own sentiments. Can you tell me where your place is, so that I can

visit tomorrow? I'd like to surprise my wayward husband." I giggle at the

thought, and tell her. "Well, you ought to get home, soon. Your fathers

are probably worried sick." She smiles as we bid each other farewell.

What an interesting day.


*****


Ranma and Akane had only a five minute walk to make it back to

the house, which went by without incident. They step into the house at

about nine-thirty. Kasumi greets them.

"Did everything go okay at the doctor's, Akane?" Kasumi looks

concerned.

"Everything went fine, Kasumi. One thing though, Ranma won't

be changing back to male for two months. Doctor's orders." Akane grins.

"Oh, my. We will have to find someplace for her to sleep,

then." Kasumi looks at Akane, who blushes.

"She can sleep with me, if it won't be too much trouble," Akane

replies, still blushing.

"That's a good girl," approves Soun, who just walked downstairs,

"Kasumi? could you make some tea please? I'm finding it hard to sleep."

Kasumi nods and walks into the kitchen. Akane and Ranma look

at each other, shrug, and hurry upstairs.

In Akane's room, Akane is helping Ranma get ready for bed.

"But I don't wanna wear pink!" Ranma complains, "Especially

pink with kitties!"

"Quit your griping. It's the only one we have for anyone your

size. If you want, we can buy you some new ones tomorrow. Is that all

right?" Ranma stops complaining at than point and just nods. "All right,

then. I'll just go and get another futon for you. Just wait here and I'll

be right back." Akane leaves the room and comes back a couple minutes

later with a futon and some blankets. She then proceeds to set up the

futon on the floor.

"There. You can sleep here tonight. Good night, Ranma,"

states Akane, as she lays on her bed.

"G'night, Akane." Replies Ranma, as she climbes into her

makeshift bed. Ranma tosses and turns for almost half an hour before she

gives up. She stands up and walks over to the bed. "Akane?" Ranma calls

out softly.

"Nnngh?" Akane asks.

"Can I sleep with you, please?" Ranma asks quietly, "It's too

cold on the floor."

"Sure..." Akane mumbles. Ranma then climbs into the bed

beside Akane.

Snuggled up against Akane, Ranma soon falls asleep.




13