p a r t t h i r t y - e i g h t |
r e f l e c t i o n s
w h a t s e x c h a n g e s ?
Part Thirty-Eight: What Sex Changes?
Shortly after Ranko arrived downstairs, Cologne, Shampoo and Mousse arrived with enough food to feed an army. While the Cat Café traded on the local fame of its ramen, the menu also included a wide range of Chinese entrees to appeal to all tastes. Sadly, despite the volume and variety of this repast, Ranma and Genma were not present to enjoy it and Ranko was forced to eat slowly by her condition. In addition to this handicap, Ranko was further distracted by the hungry look she was receiving from Shampoo from the moment she arrived. With hairs rising on her neck, Ranko knew the girl was up to something, and she hid it poorly with enthusiastic chatter. Thankfully, Nabiki fielded the amazon's questions about the whereabouts of Ranma, Ryouga, Akane and Ukyo. She also explained that Fa Shen was recovering from exposure to drugs Kodachi had used during her recent visit. It was at this point that people noticed that Ranko had ceased eating in favor of staring at the pretty patterns dancing in the wood grain of the table."Ranko? Hey, are you okay?" Nabiki prodded.
"Huh? Oh, sure, I'm just fine," Ranko looked up, a silly grin plastered on her face. Nabiki stared at her with narrowing eyes, resisting the urge to weave drunkenly in imitation of the younger girl.
"By any chance did you touch Fa Shen when she went upstairs?"
"Oooohhh yeeeaaaaah!" Ranko giggled, unconsciously rubbing her lips and squirming. Oddly, she could almost feel the kissing and caressing she had endured when Fa Shen pinned her to the futon. After her earlier lack of response, she was savoring the mild arousal that had crept up on her. "You could definitely say that!"
Nabiki sighed. "Great. Looks like some of the drugs rubbed off on you. In your condition, it probably didn't take much for them to effect you," Nabiki suggested, rising from the table with exaggerated sufferance. "Excuse me, folks, while I put Miss Trippy here to bed," she excused them, coming around to pull Ranko to her feet. Ignoring the smug look from Shampoo, Nabiki shouldered most of Ranko's weight and escorted her out of the room. Nabiki was quick to note that her passenger was moving even more stiffly and lazily than before. She quickly probed to find out what the effects of the drugs were, and when Ranko explained what Fa Shen had said-and done-she quickly agreed that it was best to stick the girl in a different room. Nabiki dragged Ranko past the guest bedroom and into the middle daughter's own room. After tucking her into the bed, Nabiki made silent prayer that the drug would not transfer again now that the fluid carrying it had dried and evaporated. Just to be safe, she made a mental note to have the bed clothes changed before she went to sleep that night. As an extra precaution, she locked the door to her room before returning down stairs. She and Kasumi had a key, and Ranko would be able to unlock it from inside if she needed to.
Shortly after Nabiki rejoined the others at the table, Soun and Genma arrived home and settled down to eat. As if she possessed a special sense to detect when her father approached food, Ranma came running into the house from the yard, hugging a familiar black piglet to her chest. It was almost eerie how she managed to whisk the large dish Genma heaped with food right out of his hands before he could take a bite.
"Thanks, Pop!" she grinned, shoveling food into her mouth as the last word came out. The plate was half empty by the time Akane stumbled in from the front door, chest heaving mightily as she gasped for air.
"Ran... ma...!" she tried to growl while panting.
Ranma slapped her chopsticks on the table and glared at the girl. "I said we'll talk about it later!" She leveled a steely eye on the other girl; a meaningful look that made Nabiki ache to know what words had passed between them during their search for Ryouga.
"I see you found him," Nabiki commented.
"Can you believe the idiot tried to jump off a bridge and drown himself in the canal!?" Akane snapped, glaring at the pig.
Ranma snorted, "Says what you know, klutz! He was just standin' there thinkin' when you stomped up! If somebody yelled at me like that all of a sudden, I'da jumped too!" The pig snorted faintly in agreement.
"I take it none of you thought to bring back the yukata?" Nabiki coughed. As they turned to her, she pulled out her notebook and made a note to bill Ryouga for the lost article of clothing. "You'd think you'd all realize by now that these things cost money..." she clucked, shaking her head.
P-Chan hung his head in dismay. It was bad enough that he'd gotten lost so quickly and ended up doubling back towards the dojo, setting himself up to be caught. Then, while he was distracted, staring at the sky and moaning at the unfairness of it all, Akane spooked him into the water; his transformation making it impossible for him to speak or escape. Ranma had snatched him out of the water, and proceeded to crush the life out of him. For a moment, he thought she was trying to kill him. Then she stopped hugging him to turn him around to face her while she yelled at him for running away from her like that. When Akane tried to snag him out of Ranma's grip, Ranma darted away and started running back to the dojo, with Akane shouting at both of them as she took chase. Ryouga could not help but wonder what Ranma had said to her to get Akane to go on about how much she wanted Ranma, and even make her promise to listen to her and Ryouga if they wanted to explain themselves. That had been two kinds of agony, since the old familiar jealousy over Akane was crossed with a new jealousy over Ranma.
It was ridiculous! Ryouga had given up on Akane ever caring for him, but it seemed he still cared for her. How pathetic was that? But, he had felt a stab to his heart every time she repeated her desire for Ranma, and the blade twisted deeper as the same words roused fears of losing Ranma to her. In a bitter gloom, he wondered if this was just how she had decided to take revenge on him. Spurning him while at the same time coming between him and the one who had returned his love. It did not help that Ranma refused to talk to her, refused to talk about the "rape" until "later". Ryouga had hardly had time to think about the consequences of his actions, what they meant for Ranma, but it was sheer torture to be in his cursed form unable to do anything BUT think. He did not look forward to the confrontations ahead, especially the ones he could expect from Akane, and now Nabiki.
Before Ranma and Akane could resume arguing, Shampoo cleared her throat for attention. "Shampoo have good good news!" she beamed at Ranma, from across the table. When everyone shut up and looked at her, she reached inside her blouse and smiled, "When Shampoo go home, get special present for Ranma and Fa Shen!" She then pulled out a handful of Instant Nanniichaun packets and presented them to Ranma. "Now, Ranma and Fa Shen can use, have sex and cure Ranko!" she cheered. When Ranma snatched the packets greedily from her hand, the amazon bounced up and announced over her shoulder, as she ran for the stairs, "Shampoo go tell Fa Shen good good news! You wait here!"
Everyone sat there with their mouths hanging open in shock.
Ranma stared at the packets in her hand almost reverently. It was a far cry from a permanent solution, and it made her burn to the roots of her hair that Shampoo had been so blunt in phrasing what it allowed, but it was a welcome twist. A glorious taste of manhood waited just a splash away, and Ranko could be healed now, instead of after a long, arduous journey to Jusenkyo. Mousse also stared intently at the packets, trying to decide if it was worse to try and snatch them away, and get slaughtered by the angry mob that would provoke, or accept the fact that Ranko would be ready to face his challenge in a matter of days, instead of weeks. Before anyone could speak, Shampoo walked back into the room frowning.
"Aiyaa. Shampoo check all upstairs. Look like Fa Shen take off. Is only Ranko upstairs," she declared. She strained to contain her glee at this good luck. The hardest part of her plan had been finding a way to arrange for privacy, and the perfect excuse had dropped into her lap!
Nabiki turned a surprised look at the purple haired girl, noticing the wheels turning in her not-so-lighter-than-air head. She carefully composed her features, deliberately not asking the question that was obvious to her, waiting to see what came next.
"Maybe best everyone go look for her, yes?"
"Didn't you say that Fa Shen was drugged by Kodachi?" Cologne turned to ask Nabiki. The middle Tendo daughter nodded. "Well, I would say Shampoo is right. She is probably in no condition to be wandering the streets. Quickly, everyone!" Cologne hopped up onto her staff and organized everyone into search parties. Ranma rushed into the furo with P-Chan and returned with a slightly damp and quickly dressed Ryouga. It took a little arm twisting to motivate the two adult males to rouse themselves and join the search, which had the unexpected effect of encouraging even Kasumi to help out, explaining that she was the most familiar with the markets in the area. In short order, the house was emptied as people took off to scour the ward. Nabiki was the last to "leave" remembering at the last minute something she "needed" from the house. She raced quickly upstairs and confirmed that both Ranko and Fa Shen were still sleeping in separate rooms. Since Shampoo had been one of the first to leave, she was in no position to notice the canny mercenary had slipped into the house. Not intending to confront her, Nabiki found a place to hide and waited.
It did not take long for Shampoo to return to the house and sneak upstairs with a towel and a bucket of water. Once the girl had slipped into the guest room where Fa Shen was sleeping, and closed the screen, Nabiki crept out of hiding and spied on the pair through a tiny hole in the shoji. She watched as Shampoo opened a paper packet and poured the contents into the bucket of water, and smirked to herself. She was not at all surprised when Shampoo rolled Fa Shen off the futon and undressed her before carefully poured the water over her naked flesh, and toweled the resulting male form dry. Nabiki knew exactly what the purple haired girl was up to, and could hardly keep from laughing over the fact that Shampoo had no idea how her plan had gone awry. Considering what Ranko had told her about the drug's effects, she doubted Fa Shen would be in the mood to kill Shampoo for this little stunt-at least not immediately. Nabiki retreated to her room and activated the surveillance cameras she had rigged in the guest room to capture the occasional indiscretions the former cursed boy indulged in on occasion. The theft of the bathing tape she made shortly after Ranma arrived had taught her to keep future blackmail material much better hidden, and this would make a fabulous addition. She hesitated only a moment to wonder if this was fair to Fa Shen, but considering that Ranma had already bedded Ryouga, and they planned to work together to heal Ranko, she decided the experience would be good for her.
As the picture came up on her monitor, Shampoo was putting an empty bottle away and finishing the process of toweling the boy off. Nabiki made a note to find out later what exotic love potion the girl had just used, and settled down to watch the show. Ranko, laid out in the bed nearby, snored gently in oblivion, unlikely to wake if the house blew up around her. Depending on what happened next, there was a chance that theory might be tested. Quickly calculating the odds, Nabiki got up to make a few calls to her factors. Satisfied that the search parties would now be on a long, wild goose chase, Nabiki returned silently to her room with the remainder of her meal and focused on the screen.
The most logical place to begin a search for Fa Shen was Dr. Tofu's clinic. It was the only place in Nerima Fa Shen was familiar with and a reasonable place to go if one happened to be concerned about her health. Unfortunately, Kasumi had suggested it first, offering to stop at the clinic on her way out to the market. Akane and Ranma had instantly jumped up an insisted on checking it out themselves, claiming they also needed to speak to the doctor. Naturally, Genma and Soun, casting brief glares at Ryouga, agreed that the two had to go together. They also insisted that Ryouga accompany Kasumi for protection, in case Fa Shen was dangerous in her present condition. With the slim hope of uniting the families offered by Nodoka's declaration, the fathers had instantly united in a conspiracy to undermine Ryouga and support Akane in the battle for Ranma's heart. Ranma saw through this instantly, but before she could say anything, Ryouga surprised her by cheerfully agreeing to accompany Kasumi. He knew he could not search on his own and hope to return to the dojo any time the same week. More importantly, he was still choked with shame over his "betrayals" of Ranma and Akane, and simply dreaded confronting either of them at the moment. It was enough to make him suppress his fear of what could happen if the two were alone together. Besides, if it was possible for Akane to steal Ranma from him with one conversation, it was best to find that out now, rather than a month down the road.So, Akane and Ranma found themselves walking the familiar route to the clinic together. As they walked, they glanced occasionally in each other's direction, each being careful about not letting the other notice her interest. Nagging questions about the other's behavior occupied their minds, as the silence stretched between them. It was no mystery for either of them how the engagement continued to entangle them, but it went without saying that they both knew their present feelings about it ought to be attributed to Ranko. There was a question in that, and Ranma could not ignore it.
"Why me? Why not her?" Ranma finally broke the silence.
Akane stopped and turned to look at her. Her confusion was obvious.
Ranma frowned and stopped as well. Without looking at Akane, she elaborated. "I didn't think it really meant anything when you challenged Ryouga. I mean, we've both... damn, the memories... I keep thinkin' that was me." Ranma took a deep breath while she decided how to deal with Ranko's memories. "It's sort of a matter of honor, defending the engagement. Even if we don't want it. So, I suppose it was just habit to say that 'I belong to you' when you were angry. But," she waved Akane off, as she tried to interrupt. "It's not the same thing, though, when you asked me if I wanted you."
Akane looked down and kicked a rock, holding her breath.
"Do you know, if it wasn't for Ryouga, I woulda automatically said no? Do you know how much it scares me that I wasn't, like, all 'Who'd want a stupid tomboy like you!?'?" Ranma flicked her eyes over to Akane. Turning her back, she walked over to the chain link fence and stared down into the canal before she continued. "Do you wanna know how much it hurt to tell Ryouga that I wasn't the girl he loved? To tell her she died when I woke up?"
Akane jerked in surprise, "What? What are you talking about!?"
Ranma scowled, as the question distracted her. She shot a narrow look at Akane, who sheepishly resumed studying the ground. In an effort to clarify her thoughts, she observed, "I'm really good at usin' words to mess with people's heads in a fight, to make 'em angry and distract 'em. My Pop's been doin' it to me all my life. It's easier than breathin', but somewhere along the way, I forgot why it makes 'em angry. I mean, I learned not to let on when I've been hurt. I'd just focus my anger into determination, fight harder, win. That was supposed to be all that mattered." She paused for several breaths. Raising her hands, she clawed at the open mesh of the fence and continued on her original track, "As soon as I said it, I knew I'd hurt him. I'd hurt him worse than anything I'd ever done to him, including causing his curse."
Akane's head snapped up at that.
Without turning, Ranma explained, "The curse was an accident, but, it was still my fault. I was outta control and didn't even notice I'd knocked him off the cliff. I ruined his life, and I almost did it again last night, and for the same stupid reason." With this, she turned around and looked at Akane. "I was scared, Akane. The first time, I was scared because I thought I would spend the rest of my life as a girl. The second time, I was scared because I thought I HAD to be a guy again. I was afraid that I couldn't be a guy and feel the things I did, so I tried to break it all off."
Akane was wide eyed at this point. "You..." she frowned, not sure what to say. What to ask. She wanted to ask what those unmanly feeling were, but she did not really want to know.
Ranma already knew what she was going to ask. "...Love him," she finished for Akane. She crossed her arms and maintained a level gaze. "And it scares the hell out of me," she admitted. "I just don't understand it. I can't believe how bad it hurt him when I did that; how much I hated myself for doin' it. I don't ever wanna do that again. I like to win, Akane, but I don't like hurting people. Not like that." Ranma looked down, a look of agony and self condemnation hidden behind her bangs.
Akane was still reeling from the shock of hearing her calmly declare her love for Ryouga. She felt so light, so hollow, as if someone had slit her open and scooped out her insides, and she struggled to breathe, waiting for the pain to consume her.
"What my Mom did was bad enough," Ranma went on, trying not to see the look of devastation on Akane's face. "The whole stupid engagement thing is a problem that just won't die. I wouldn't blame you if you said that stuff just to hurt Ryouga, after findin' out his secret like that, and it sucks that Mom would use that to keep the engagement going, but..." She bit her lip. Taking a deep breath she reached out and grabbed Akane's hand. "It was kinda obvious that you cared about me, when you've been fighting to tell people I need to have a say in who and what I am. That was enough to know you were special, a good person inside. I just didn't think it was me. I didn't think it was for me. I mean, you always speak up for the underdog, you know? You always fight because it's the right thing to do." With her other hand, she gently cupped Akane's chin and tilted her head up to look into her eyes.
Akane's heart had resumed beating, and sped up as Ranma's words about her spilled out. Now she looked into her eyes with guarded hope and apprehension.
"I didn't know you really liked me," Ranma confessed openly. "I didn't know you had any special feelings for me. So, I really meant it when I said I should be asking if YOU wanted ME. I wasn't tryin' to force you to admit your feelings," she emphasized. "I've only just realized how much I hurt people with the stuff I say. I wasn't askin' to feel better about myself. I just... I don't understand why you would care about me, LOVE me, when it's really Ranko you've been through all of this engagement crap with."
Akane stared into Ranma's eyes for a long moment. She looked hurt and troubled. She looked afraid. Not, she suspected, because she thought Akane was lying about her feelings, but because they might be real. "Why do you need to know?" Akane challenged, unable to begin explaining her feelings. She was too unsure of them herself.
"Come on, Akane!" Ranma hardened her features, just shy of angry. "One thing I do know is that you were never like the other girls, chasin' after 'Ranma' like some trophy! It's bad enough that I have'ta choose you if I want my Mom to see me as a guy! It's bad enough I could ruin both our lives, and destroy Ryouga, just because I'd do almost anything to be a guy again! Now I have to worry that, no matter what I do, it's gonna hurt someone I care about really really bad."
Akane blinked. By now, her heart was pounding from the effect of Ranma's words. She carefully collected her thoughts and timidly asked, "Are... are you saying you care about me?"
"Don't be stupid, Akane! Of course I care about you! You're my friend!"
"Is... is that it? Is that all I am? A friend?"
Ranma let go of the girl's chin and stomped away from her. "Don't do this! Don't ask me to give you a reason to love me! I'm not askin' for that. Not from you, not from Ryouga, and sure as hell not from any of the others!" she shouted, beginning to lose her composure. After storming around in a wide circle around a very nervous Akane, she returned to face her. "Ryouga dropped everything and chased me all the way to China because he didn't get to say good bye to me when Pops and I moved on. Because he became afraid I never even cared for him as a friend, he worked himself up to tryin' to kill me! Do you think I don't know what it'll do to him if I dumped him!? You think you're stubborn! I'm the best thing that ever happened to him! He'll tear down the world to keep me! He would not stop while there was the slightest hope of having me, and the only way to stop him is to destroy that hope, and pray you're not in the same country what that destroys him!"
Akane gulped. She only recently discovered how little she had really known Ryouga, but she knew him well enough to know Ranma was right. However, her own stubbornness was ready to assert itself. "What does that have to do with what I feel?"
Ranma stared at her with bulging eyes. Coughing and clearing her throat, she grinned lopsidedly, "No offense, Akane, but the only person I know with a worse temper than Ryouga is you."
"What!?" Akane roared in instant indignation.
"Case in point," Ranma hastily backpedaled as Akane's aura flared up and filled the street. She discretely pointed out the manifestation of the other girl's anger. "If you could control and channel that, it'd rival Ryouga's Perfect Shishihokodan."
Akane finally noticed her aura, not quite aware that the storm of emotions seething inside her since the beginning of the week had fed into it, filling it out and awaiting release through her one emotional outlet. Violence. As she twitched and choked in disbelief, the miasma dissipated.
Seeing her calm, Ranma returned to the point. "Why me, Akane? I mean, it almost makes sense that you'd have feelings for Ranko after all you've been through. I ask the same thing about Ryouga. At least with him, we were friends before Jusenkyo, and I took over the part of Ranko he finally opened up to. I was there in his arms when I woke up. It's confusing as hell, but I can see why he'd be hung up on me. I can't see that with you," she confessed.
Akane bit her lip and looked away.
"Do you love Ranko?" Ranma pressed.
Akane nodded, hesitantly.
"Do you... do you think it won't work because she's a girl?"
"No," Akane heaved a heavy sigh and looked back, pain open on her face. "It's not Ranko. I mean, yeah, she says she's both male and female, but I think she's fine just the way she is. I don't mind that she's a girl in her own mind, and I wouldn't expect her to be a man just for me. The problem is... I don't think I could be a man for her. I don't think I can be what she needs," Akane cried, fighting sudden tears.
Ranma blinked and sagged a little in understanding. "So, you want me because I'm really a guy inside. You don't think I would need that," she concluded sadly. Akane nodded. Ranma stood looking at her for a moment. "Akane... I don't know how to say this, but... you're wrong. I mean, come on... I've been with Ryouga and I'm not exactly running in terror from him."
Akane glanced over, caught the look on her face and erupted into laughter. When she calmed down from the nervous outburst, she shook her head, "I can't believe I didn't think of that." Becoming more serious, she crossed her arms and thought. Swallowing, she reviewed her thoughts and feelings, remembering her comment to the other girls about taking a curse to be worthy of chasing Ranma or Ranko. "I guess I didn't make myself very clear," she resumed, hesitantly. "I did not mean, I would not take a curse for her. I'd do that for either of you. I just don't think I can be the man in a relationship. Do you understand what I mean?"
Ranma gaped, and shook her head, "Oh, no. Not you too!"
"What?"
"Ryouga said the same exact thing!" Ranma growled, then started waving her hands, "I mean, about getting cursed, not about being the man in the relationship. Sheesh, once you start talking about bein' cursed, it's hard to say there is a man in the relationship. Once you start flippin' back and forth, it's just two people, and it's just love. Nothin' else can work."
Akane pondered that. "Ryouga offered to get a girl curse?"
"Yes."
"Is that why... is that why you want him... instead of me?"
"You're doin' it again!"
"What!?"
"You're makin' assumptions about what I feel about you!"
"Well, you're not telling me what you feel!"
"I can't!"
"Why not!?"
"Because you don't know what your feelings about me are! I'm not going to make the same mistake with you I did with Ukyo!" Ranma almost shouted.
Akane stiffened. "You don't want me to fall in love with you?"
"Why? So I can agonize over whose heart I'm gonna have to rip out!?"
That finally stopped Akane.
Ranma looked at her with the look of a tortured soul.
Akane's eyes narrowed. "If I don't love you, you're going to remain a girl," she suddenly declared. Ranma winced and looked around wildly, trying to find something to focus on too late to avoid meeting Akane's eyes. Akane advanced slowly on the smaller girl. "I'm right, aren't I? You're not choosing between the ones you love. You're trying to make sure you don't hurt one of them. You love both of us!" she smiled in triumph and joy.
Ranma dropped to the ground as if she had been hammered right over the head, and just as abruptly. Fighting to avoid an emotional collapse as well, she raged, "But you don't love me, Akane! You love Ranko! It doesn't matter what I feel! Don't you understand! You CAN'T love me!"
"Why are you saying that!?" Akane fumed, dropping to her knees in front of Ranma, instant agony lacing her voice. "How can you say that?" she added, in a smaller voice. "Are you the only person in the world that can love two people!?"
"Do you think that's a good thing!" Ranma snapped.
"How can loving someone be a bad thing!" Akane retorted.
"When you can't be with them!!!" Ranma roared, grabbing the other girl roughly by the arms and shaking her. "Don't you remember in the bath? Don't you remember the way I went off on you!?" Ranma demanded, bringing up the moment when, as 'Ranko', she had accepted she would never be with Akane. A look of realization blossomed on Akane's face. "It's the same thing I did to Ryouga, but that was just cutting out my own heart. I can't do that to you! I can't do that to me again!"
"But... don't you understand...?" Akane whimpered, gazing back into Ranma's eyes. "That's what I'm trying to prevent. Do you have any idea what it was like for me, watching 'Ranma' be destroyed by the mirror? Ranko was never really you, but I never knew that. I had to watch 'Ranma' die before I could meet Ranko... and yes, I did fall in love with her, but that's because I was already in love with you!"
Ranma gasped in pain. "No!" she breathed. "Stop it, Akane! Please, stop it!" Shaking her head, she shoved the other girl away and tried to lurch to her feet.
Akane reeled back, but since she was kneeling, she easily absorbed the force and launched herself back at Ranma, tackling her to the ground. The two scuffled on the sidewalk for a moment, until Akane managed to pin her. That would not have even been possible if the other girl had not been emotionally devastated. "Ranma! What the hell is wrong with you!"
Ranma was muttering to herself, ignoring the other girl entirely. "There's no way to win. There isn't even a way to win by losing. I can't protect anyone!"
Akane slapped her across the face. The sharp, stinging pain brought Ranma back into focus. "Are you a complete idiot!?" Akane shouted from centimeters away. Ranma twitched, and reddened as emotional agony bled into contained rage. "This isn't some martial arts competition! It's not about winning! It's about living! Life is mean and nasty and ugly, and there's nothing you can do to keep other's from getting hurt!" Akane roared on. "Do you think it's your fault that Ryouga or I can get hurt!? Is it your fault we love you!?"
Ranma battled her rage, fighting the old urge to retort, to fling the pain another's words caused back at them. One small part of her mind was in awe of the fact that Akane was openly declaring her love. Challenging her with it, in fact. "How can you say that?" she asked in a small voice. "How can you suddenly say you love me, like you've never doubted it a minute?"
Akane reared back. Unwanted though it was, that was a good question. One what was screaming at her from the back of her own mind. Over the past few months, nothing had frightened her more than allowing herself to even hint that she had feelings for the jerk, even to herself. Instantly, she corrected herself. Until this morning, nothing had frightened her more. Since this morning, she had been more afraid that it was already to late to admit it. That fear had sent her racing after her, shouting that she wanted her. That fear had made her throw all her arguments and self justifications at Ranma, trying to answer her challenge that she did not love her. Now, looking down into those big, blue eyes, she understood her fear. "I can't say I didn't deny it. I was afraid to admit it to myself. I was afraid of what would happen if I did. Now, I am more afraid of what will happen if I don't," she sighed.
Ranma watched the emotions play across Akane's face, testifying to the truth of her words. It was easy to read, because she was familiar with all of those feelings. Fear, shame, guilt, uncertainty, inadequacy, loneliness, desire, hope, but above all, love.
Akane noticed something had spilled out of Ranma's shirt, and picked it up. Recognizing the packet for what it was, she held it up in front of Ranma's eyes and declared, "If you really want me to prove it, well, one of us is going to need this."
Ranma focused on the packet of Instant Nanniichaun and gulped.
Fa Shen had not been entirely asleep when Shampoo snuck into the room with her. She had not been entirely awake either. The combined effect of the drugs Kodachi had doused her with had left her extremely detached from her body, the partial paralysis and arousal producing a delightful lethargy akin to sleep. The hallucinations brought on by the psychotropic added to the illusion by giving her consciousness a very dream like quality. Put simply, she was wide awake and thought she was dreaming. She had turned, slowly and weakly, and stared at Shampoo when she entered, then relaxed into her comfortable imitation of sleep. She had been too preoccupied trying to make sense of the images that formed behind her eyelids, blending fantasy and memory into a mysterious and alluring tapestry. Not too surprisingly, her mind had wandered eagerly through the intimate moments Copy-kun had experienced with Copy-chan and Ranma-chan and then elaborated on them. When Shampoo laid hands on her to roll her off the futon and undress her, Fa Shen pictured those hands as belonging to Ranko, and smiled in eager anticipation. When the girl poured cool water over her, and a distantly familiar tingle passed through her body, Fa Shen opened her eyes. With only mild surprise, she noticed she had become male, and decided she really was dreaming.Blinking, she... he looked up into the eager eyes of Shampoo. Fa Shen's mind again tried to superimpose Ranko's image, but gave up after a moment. He was used to his dreaming mind confronting him with bizarre substitutions for the things he wanted to see. He decided his inherited brain was having some difficulty confronting him with his female image, and replaced it with Shampoo. She was certainly the one person who had made the greatest erotic impact on the masculine aspect Fa Shen inherited from Ranko. Fa Shen smirked as he noticed his reaction to being toweled off by Shampoo. The aphrodisiac that had aroused him as a girl was now reinforced by the powerful male libido that had shocked him upon awakening the night before. This was going to be a wonderful dream.
Shampoo found herself relaxing and smiling. When she arrived in the room, she had a faint dread of mistaking Fa Shen for Ranko, but seeing the languid way this girl had moved, she had been confident it was Ranko. By the time she was undressed, Shampoo felt no need to hesitate before turning her into a boy. He had remained surprisingly calm and composed through the transformation. Apparently the drugs that had rubbed off on Ranko had put her into a mild trance state. As she pulled the cork on the bottle of chisuiiton water, she felt a moment of regret. She knew Ranko considered herself more of a girl, but that would leave her vulnerable to Mousse's challenge. As a boy, she had a much better chance of defeating him. If she locked the instant curse, it would be necessary to visit the Musk before she could go to Jusenkyo for the real curse, but Ranko had been prepared for that necessity last night anyway. When she realized that Shampoo had only done it to protect her, she would surely forgive her. With that justification, Shampoo poured the contents of the bottle over the temporary male form, making it permanent.
Fa Shen laughed as he was splashed again. "What's with the sponge bath, Shampoo?"
Shampoo paused, nibbling on her lower lip. She knew that what she was doing could not go the way she wanted things to, ideally, and it was likely that Ranko would object to her intentions if he realized they were consummating the marriage. On the other hand, he seemed to be in a highly suggestible state. Somewhere inside, the girl-turned-boy was waking up to memories of being Fa Shen. How hard would it be to draw out that side of him? "Shampoo thought it be fun if Fa Shen pretend to be Airen with Shampoo. See what it like to be man with woman. Since Fa Shen reborn as man, is okay to turn into man for fun time with Shampoo," Shampoo smirked, again drying the boy off very carefully with the towel. She did not want to come into contact with any of the magical water she had just used.
Fa Shen gave her a confused look, remaining silent until the girl was done rubbing him down. Was it possible this was more than a dream? He blinked and rubbed his hands over his stomach and chest. It certainly felt real enough, and Shampoo seemed to be aware of who she really was. He knew that, in his former life, it was not uncommon for amazon girls to joke about using the nanniichaun as a way to experiment with sex without the complication of getting involved with boys. Under normal circumstances, that would never be allowed, but on the off chance that a girl did get such a curse, it took time before she could replace that curse with one that was not condemned and in that time things could happen. There was one problem, however. "But, I don't have a curse. How can I be a boy again!?"
Shampoo picked up the packet from next to the bucket. "Is Instant Nanniichaun," she explained, letting the confused boy read the information on the packet.
"So, I'm not dreaming?" Fa Shen asked.
"No is dreaming. Is just drugs," Shampoo pointed out. As she began to undress, she looked at him earnestly, "Is okay with you we do this?"
Fa Shen looked up from the packet, realizing that Shampoo had given him a way to heal Ranko, and an opportunity to experiment before trying anything with Ranma. Fa Shen smiled, "Sure. I mean, it's not like I'll be married to you if we do. That would only happen if I was Ranko."
Shampoo smiled in satisfaction. It had worked, she had tricked him into thinking he was Fa Shen. "Shampoo know. If Shampoo sleep with Ranko even one time, marriage is sealed. So, must go to amazon sister for just good time," Shampoo pointed out daringly. "But, you Fa Shen, so you no worry, yes?"
Fa Shen laughed nervously, while nodding. Now that he was more familiar with the situation, through the memories he had inherited, it was easy to see how much the girl was in love with the person who had become Ranko. She had probably been ready to take the final step in her marriage from the moment she was defeated, and the long months since had worked her into a frenzy. While the marriage hung in limbo, she was free to indulge in purely physical affairs, but the only amazon male around was the last one she could risk that kind of intimacy with. Casual sex did not work with someone who was hopelessly obsessed. Of course, that was a fair description of any amazon male an amazon girl happened to take notice of, so it was more common for the girls to turn to each other to relieve their tensions.
Shampoo finished undressing and they faced each other, naked. It occurred to Fa Shen that he was hardly in his right mind. He knew that his one night as a boy had aroused a strong curiosity in him, and that the lustier part of Copy-kun/Ranma's memories, combined with Ranma's proposal that morning, had been an overwhelming temptation. How Shampoo knew she could take advantage of that was a mystery, but not as great as the mystery of why he was not freaked out and disgusted by being in a male body. After all, Fa Shen had ignored the chance to discover his full potential when he learned he would have to be cursed with a male body to attain it. His mind was still having difficulty coping with the strongly male perspective of the memories he gained from Copy-Ranma. He felt a bit lost and out of control, driven by male hormones and instincts he did not understand. His body was eager and excited, flooding his mind with impulses to act, seducing him with the promise of pleasure. It was overwhelming and left him completely uncertain if this was what he wanted, or if he simply lacked the will to resist.
"I can't believe I'm considering this," Fa Shen breathed.
"Shampoo know. Is scary! But, Shampoo need this!" she responded, slinking forward with feline grace.
With some difficulty, Fa Shen crawled back onto the futon, and Shampoo followed him. Fa Shen felt his body responding to her proximity, and reminded himself that this was an experiment. How could he know if he wanted this until he had some idea what it was? He had ached to know if sex would make a difference, if it would affect him the way Ranma had been affected. He had regretted not having the chance to find out before his womanhood was restored. "I guess I kinda need it too," Fa Shen sighed, laying back and watching Shampoo crawl up the length of his body, her hands gently caressing the hard muscles as she advanced. Fa Shen allowed himself to become absorbed in her exploration, learning as much as she did from her probing touch. He knew where this was going, but it was going to take a little while to get there. They both had too much curiosity about this body they wanted to satisfy.
Conversation ceased in favor of this wordless communication.
Already highly aroused, the patient touching, teasing, tickling torture of her fingers, lips and tongue sent Fa Shen into the throes of passion. He began to respond in kind, learning her body through gentle probing caresses, diving toward the one universal intimacy that was the kiss. This was something he did have some experience with, through Copy-kun, and he delighted in it. With that welcoming kiss, Shampoo melted, losing all thought of what she was doing, or why, and rejoicing in the long awaited response to all her advances. The first time they parted for breath, they were both more than ready for intercourse, but they continued kissing with a mindless passion.
While his tongue probed the soft, silken warmth of her mouth, his hands slithered over her body with an unerring certainty. With Shampoo straddling his waist, hunched close over his torso to drink in his kiss, he was able to reach almost every part of her, from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. His fingers combed through her glorious mane, danced down her spine, over her buttocks and along the outside of her thigh. He slid them back up the top of her thigh, thumb trailing along the sensitive inner side, gripping her hips, then cupping her waist before brushing over her ribs to caress her breasts. Wherever his hands roamed, he knew where to find the little spots that made her moan and squeak with pleasure. Shampoo was forced to stretch out over his head and grip the top edge of the futon as he kneaded and massaged the pliant flesh, but this just brought those breasts within reach of his mouth. Kissing and licking one nipple, before sucking it into his mouth, he freed a hand to wander down her belly. With delicate, feather light strokes, he caressed her abdomen, quickly finding spots so sensitive she shuddered and twitched in ecstasy, while everything inside her churned into a hot, molten mass of aching desire.
Fa Shen grinned in delight at her response, amazed at how deeply her reactions affected him. Every gasp and moan he evoked from her sent a pleasant ache through his body. He felt the twitch of every muscle in her body under his hands, causing part of his mind to delve into the mystery of her anatomy, as if by touching her he somehow brought her into himself. It was not unlike the way the beauty of nature could pierce the soul. By touching her on the surface, she touched him somewhere deep within. So, what then if he sought out her depths? His hand strayed down, over a tiny field of purple curls, following the curve to the mouth of a spring that flowed hot and wet over delicate folds of flesh.
Shampoo gasped and cried out as his fingers slid over and through petals of pink, pulling them gently, causing them to slide over a nugget of mind jarring pleasure. Gentle fingertips slipped and pressed through the outer layers of her sex, a ceaseless circular flow of feeling that stabbed into the depths of her brain and body, waking up a desperate hunger. Just when it seemed impossible to endure, those slender digits probed deeper, finding the throat of her womanhood and feeding themselves into it.
Fa Shen freed his other hand and slid it down to Shampoo's waist, reaching around to press at the small of her back, while the first hand covered her vulva. His two middle fingers had slipped inside her, brushing against the hot velvet walls. The heel of that hand pressed down on her clitoris mercilessly as he strained to plunge those fingers inside her in long, slow strokes.
As much as this consumed her attention, Shampoo felt a deeper need and pushed herself back. One hand snaked down his front seeking out the part of him she truly wanted to invade her. Finding the hardened shaft, she straddled his hips and guided it to her center as she descended. Lost in the intense pleasure of his manipulations, the sharp pain that ripped through her as she impaled herself was quickly lost to a flood of ecstasy. She straightened and arched her back, savoring the moan Fa Shen released as she engulfed him down to the root. This whole adventure had started with him at a high level of arousal, and Shampoo had goaded him even higher with her kisses and caresses, but nothing compared to the sensation of that first thrust. Through the sensitive organ he had a keen awareness of being inside of her. His hands automatically converged on her hips and abdomen, exploring the wonder of a part of him becoming hers.
Shampoo recovered from that first thrust after a few breaths, and then began to roll her hips, savoring the feel of him shifting slightly within her, before tensing her thighs and raising herself up slowly. Fa Shen tensed and gasped at the sensation of her tight vagina sliding up around the hard column of his penis. Reaching the end of his shaft, she slowly descended, engulfing him again. It took several long strokes, gradually increasing the pace, for both of them to steel themselves to the faster rhythm their bodies cried out for. Naturally, the perfect tempo was set by the beat of their hearts, strong and steady from years of physical conditioning, but gradually speeding as they exerted themselves. As they hit their stride, panting and moaning, they were consumed by pleasure intense enough to seem like pain. It eclipsed all thoughts, and drove all feelings to passion, luring them on to a promise of something wonderful and almost unattainable.
As girls, both had long known how to stimulate themselves to orgasm, but Fa Shen, suddenly a stranger in his body, had only masturbated once as a boy. He endured the agonizing pleasure with no idea how to surrender to it, unwittingly prolonging the engagement. Shampoo, also a virgin, blindly sought release around the profound and unfamiliar experience of penetration. Thus, they suffered what many would deem the most pleasant part of intercourse far longer than a first, fumbling, foray into sexuality typically permitted. They had time to pause, when Shampoo limply lay forward, drawn hungrily to a lingering kiss, Fa Shen's member fully sheathed inside her. But the kissing would urge them on to renewed efforts. So it went, time passing unheeded as they tried new ways to please each other with their hands and mouths or their interlocked genitals. Shampoo was the first to find release, crying out in ecstasy. Only as she was coming down did Fa Shen unlock the mystery of his adopted sex, climaxing in a hot surge and a peak of sensitivity that made the slightest movement a shuddering, agonizing pleasure.
Sore, sweating and mildly disgusted at the mess, they wrinkled their noses and clung to each other in a tired embrace. Stunned at the sheer physical intensity, and their complete loss of control over themselves, they shared weary laughter but could not think of any words to speak. Neither had realized that sex was such an ordeal, a thing that could so drastically impact their hearts and minds, a bonding experience. The intimacy made them conscious of how little they knew each other, intimidating them. So, they did not speak. They just held on.
In another room, Nabiki decided they were through for the moment and leaned back from her computer and stretched. As she arched back, she noticed Ranko was standing behind her, her eyes wide and glued to the images on the screen. Nabiki realized she had been so absorbed in the action she had not noticed when Ranko dragged herself out of bed and staggered over to see what she was watching.
"Uh, Ranko?"
Ranko blinked and came out of her shock. With an angry look, she pointed at the screen where multiple windows had shown the action from several different angles. "What is this!?" she demanded.
"Modern technology," Nabiki quipped, straightening and turning the chair to face the girl.
"You have cameras in my room!" Ranko shouted.
"Shhh! Do you want them to hear you?"
"Why do you have cameras in my room!?" Ranko dropped her voice.
Nabiki sighed, and waved a hand at the computer. "In case something like this happened," she stated very calmly.
Ranko began to shake with fury. "What. Else. Have. You. Watched?" she clipped off each word, a faint aura rolling over the surface of her exposed skin. Nabiki held her breath. Considering how little ki the girl had, that was an impressive display of rage.
"No point hiding it now. Let's just say, the answer to the question you didn't ask is, 'Yes'," Nabiki cut to the chase. Ranko slowly raised her arm, hand held flat and vertical. Nabiki stared at her levelly, refusing to take the gesture as a threat. To her surprise, the hand snapped across her face, leaving a stinging red hand print on Nabiki's cheek, before the red-head seized up and toppled over at the end of the motion.
Nabiki raised a stunned hand to her cheek and looked down at Ranko. She lay on her side, awkwardly, having obviously expended her energy with that one blow. From the look in her eyes, as they gazed up, she was painfully aware that she had left herself open to any retaliation Nabiki pleased.
"So, I guess you had some feminine modesty after all," Nabiki smirked, deciding she deserved the slap. She got up and collected Ranko off the floor and moved her to the bed, where she began to recover. Glancing at the computer to see the couple were still wrapped up on Ranko's futon, she commented, "When you've got yourself back together, do you want to come with me? I believe we should catch them now to make sure Shampoo realizes that isn't you in there."
Ranko blinked, suddenly understanding what would happen if Shampoo were allowed to claim she had sex with her. "Let's not wait," she declared, struggling with slow, trembling limbs to sit up. Nabiki sighed and took her hands, pulling her up and dragging one of the girl's arms over her shoulder to support her.
The two of them shuffled out the door to Nabiki's room and down the hall to the guest room. Checking to make sure she had a good grip on Ranko, Nabiki used her other hand to sweep the shoji open. As the naked, exhausted couple jerked around to look at them, Ranko stared at Fa Shen, "First Ranma, now you. What were you thinking, Fa Shen?"
The boy blushed to his roots, his hands scrabbling around in desperate search of a blanket or something to cover Shampoo and himself up with.
Nabiki looked down in appreciation and smirked. "Well, at least you're still a natural red head, Fa Shen. I guess Cologne was right about the Togenkyo taint." Ranko blinked and took a second glance. Sure enough, the girl turned boy had the same shade of crimson hair she did. Apart from that, he looked like the boy she had been-at least part of the time.
"Why you call Ranko Fa Shen?" Shampoo demanded, stretching unselfconsciously. It was pretty evident that peculiar lavender purple was her natural hair color too.
"No one's callin' me Fa Shen," Ranko scowled.
Shampoo stiffened. She slowly turned to the boy beside her. She whipped her head back to Ranko and wailed, "YOU'RE Ranko!!?" When the red-headed girl nodded, Shampoo collapsed into tears, mumbling to herself.
At this, Fa Shen got really nervous. "I thought you knew who I was. Didn't you say..."
"Shampoo so SO sorry!" she bawled grabbing the boy around the neck and weeping onto his broad chest. When everyone stared at her in confusion, Shampoo let go of Fa Shen and scrabbled around until she found the empty bottle. She handed it to Fa Shen and proceeded to wail like it was the end of the world. Fa Shen turned the bottle over and read the label, which was hand written in Chinese. He paled and raced out of the room and down the stairs. Before anyone could catch up with him, his scream shook the house.