(REMEMBER, ALL GLORY TO RUMIKO TAKAHASHI... THIS IS AN ALTERNATE RANMAVERSE....AND IT DOES HAVE LEMON RINDS IN IT, SO THE SQUEAMISH AMONG YE SHOULD NOT READ FURTHER.) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-Part Three-=-=-==-=-=-=-===-=-=-==-= (Morning breaks the hold of night on the world, and the first heralds of the dawn awaken and start to sing their birdsong, the melodies drifting on the morning air. The sun rises high into the pale blue Saturday sky, casting its molten rays into the air and warming the day. Breakfast is served in the Tendo household and both families are about to eat. Nodoka is sitting next to Genma on one end of the table, while Soun sits at the other end. Nabiki and Kasumi sit together while Akane sits by herself, leaving a space for Ranma. Ranma seats himself next to Akane and grabs a pair of chopsticks. The table is now fully occupied by all seven people. Ranma-chan is the only one left out and she stands silently behind Ranma.) Akane (noticing this): Here, Ranko! You can sit next to me! (she indicates a spot between her and Ranma) Ranma-chan: Thanks! (she seats herself promptly, a little cramped but grateful nonetheless) (Breakfast is quickly devoured and everybody spends a little of their time helping Kasumi and Nodoka with the dishes. Genma and Soun sit down for their usual game of shogi, while Nodoka and Kasumi compare notes. Nabiki, ever the extortionist, is using the phone to blackmail her potential victims.) Akane: (nudges Ranma-chan) Hey, Ranma. Ranma-chan : Yeah? Akane: Are you... are you all right? Ranma-chan: (shoulders slump at that) No. Not at all. Akane: Ukyo didn't get you that okonomiyaki that she promised you, right? Ranma-chan: No. (takes a breath) Come on. Let's forget about it, okay? Akane: Why? I mean, you practically ran out of her restaurant... Ranma-chan: Akane, please don't make me any more unhappy than I already am. Akane: (sees the seriousness on her face) Alright. But if you need to talk to somebody, Ranma, come to me, okay? Ranma-chan: Mmm. (Ranma comes downstairs dressed in a sleeveless shirt and his usual black pants and shoes. Ranma-chan and Akane break off their conversation and look up at him.) Ranma: Well, I'm gonna go hang out with the guys, so seeya all later! (Ranma-chan sighed. She spent the most part of every Saturday with her friends... the male ones, that is, when she was one person. Ranma looks at her glum face, her dejected posture, and knows the reason why. He cast a guilty look at Akane, who raises her eyebrows in a "Why're you looking at me for?" way.) Ranma-chan: I'd come along, Ranma, but... you know. Ranma: I know. Sorry. Well, I'm gonna be going. See you later. (Ranma leaps onto a fence, waves back once, and zips out of sight) Akane: Well, I'm going to go shopping! Ranma-chan: Shopping? Akane: Wanna come along? I might need some help in carrying some bags or parcels. Ranma-chan: Sure. Why not? I've got nothing else better to do. (The two of them get ready and leave the residence for the mall, Akane in jeans and a shirt while Ranma-chan is dressed in her usual red shirt and black pants.) Akane: Ranma, don't you ever get tired of those clothes? Ranma-chan: Nope. I love these duds because they fit me so well. Akane: If you keep on wearing them, your mom will begin to suspect something is up. Ranma-chan: What do you mean? Akane: She'll put one and one together, and she'll start to wonder whether or not you and Ranma are the same... Ranma-chan: (thinks for a while) You could be right. Okay, then. Just a few feminine clothes, but only for the time being! Akane: Umm... I also think you should let your hair down. Ranma-chan: Let my hair down? (remembers last night) You really think my mom would pick up on something like that? Akane: Now that she's probably here to stay for a long time, you'd better undo your pigtail. (Ranma-chan looks at Akane for a long second, then she reaches back and pulls her pigtail free. A cascade of shoulder length, red hair unfurls behind her. She really did look more like a true girl now, rather than a female version of Ranma.) Ranma-chan: Err... how's this? Akane: Wow, Ranma. You are really cute like this. Ranma-chan: (jokingly) Akane, you pervert! Akane: (wills a mallet into her hand, smiles unnervingly at Ranma-chan) What was that, Ranma? Ranma-chan: (panicked) Nothing, nothing! Just joking, that's all! Akane: (the mallet disappears) Oh, really? (The two round a corner and head to the huge mall just down the street. There are many other shoppers heading to and from the mall, an indication of its popularity. The sides of the streets are packed with parked cars and the noise from the vehicles and crowd are almost deafening. Akane and Ranma-chan push their way through the crowd and run into the mall, where they stand, panting in exhaustion.) Akane: Must... be... a... big sale! Ranma-chan: No... kidding...! (Female voices): Hey, Akane! Over here! Akane: Hey, you guys! (She waves to two girls making their way towards her and Ranma-chan) Ranma-chan: Your friends are here, too!? Akane: What? Something wrong? (Akane's friends reach her at that moment) Anemi: Akane! You've brought Ranko-chan! Sayuri: Ranko, you have your hair down! You look so much better that way, you know. Ranma-chan: I...I do? (feels her hair) Thanks. Sayuri: This shopping trip is gonna be fun! (She starts to look around excitedly) Anemi: Let's go, you guys! First stop, lingerie! Ranma-chan: L...lingerie!? Akane: ...I suppose it won't matter whether or not you come along. You have a girl's body now. Ranma-chan: I...I'll come along. (She gulps) Akane: Okay, if you want to. (All four girls bustle off to a store selling lingerie. Akane, Sayuri and Anemi are talking animatedly among themselves while Ranma-chan trails behind them. A group of boys from Furinkan come from the opposite direction, none of them from Ranma-chan's class. They gawk at the four girls, making wolf whistles, especially at Ranma-chan. One boy stops and confronts Ranma-chan. Akane motions for Anemi and Sayuri to stop, and watch) Ranma-chan: (Hands on her hips) Yeah, buddy? Shin: My name's Shin. I've never seen you around here before... are you new? (his friends are nudging each other, in anticipation of their friend's `conquest') Ranma-chan: Uh... you might say so. Shin: Good!! Can I, uh, show you around the mall? I mean, you must be eager to find out more about this place! (as his friends snicker, Anemi and Sayuri whisper among themselves. Akane waits expectantly for Ranma- chan to plant a fist in the brazen lout's face) Ranma-chan: Gee... I appreciate the offer but I musn't keep my friends waiting! (She tries to push past Shin but he refuses to move.) Shin (desperately): W...why don't we go to the movies tonight? I'll pay! It'll be fun! Ranma-chan: No thanks. Sorry, gotta go! (She slips past Shin but she accidentally brushes her chest against Shin's body) Shin: Wow......! Ranma-chan: C'mon Akane, you guys. Let's get outta here. (the four girls make their exit) Friend: You lucky guy! Another friend: Did you see that? She rubbed her bod against yours, Shin! Shin: Am I lucky or what!? (he feels the spot where Ranma-chan accidentally touched him) (The four girls finally reach a lingerie shop and immerse themselves in the silky, frilly sea of panties and bras. Akane manages to lose Sayuri and Anemi and gets Ranma-chan alone. Ranma-chan was holding one hand to her chest and the other on her forehead.) Akane: Are you all right, Ranma? Ranma-chan: Is it like this all the time for you girls?! Jeez, makes me glad I'm really a guy! Akane: Well, not all the time. Don't worry about that. I mean, you can always beat them up if they get too forward, right? Ranma-chan: I was thinking of that, but I didn't want to make a bad impression so `early' in Ranko's school career. It's something else, though, that bothers me. Akane: What is, then? Ranma-chan: I hate to admit it... but the sensation of my... chest... rubbing against that jerk's body... was... I dunno. I guess I felt what a guy would feel when he sees a naked girl, to put it that way. Akane: What? You...you (trembling finger pointed at Ranma-chan) liked that? Ranma-chan: LIKE IT?! Like hell! Well... my body liked it but _I_ didn't like it. When I was half-and-half... Akane: Half-and-half? Oh, you mean when you were half-girl, half-guy? Ranma-chan: Yeah. Anyway, when I was half-and-half I would...... (she blushes) I don't know if I should tell you this... Akane: Tell me, Ranma. Maybe it can help you know what's going on with you. Ranma-chan: Well, okay. But don't tell anybody AT ALL. In the bath, before I got into the hot water, whenever I rubbed myself with soap I'd never feel... um... stimulated. Akane: Come on, out with it, Ranma. Don't beat around the bush. Ranma-chan: Well... it's like this (blushes a deeper red) When I rub the soap across my girl body's breasts, back when I was half-and-half, I would never get any sensation whatsoever. But now... Akane: I see. So you're saying that your body has changed, right? Ranma-chan: That's what I'm afraid of. Now that my other is separated from me, there is no balance. No Yin-Yang, if you will. Now the balance is tipping in favor of the Yin...and this is the result. Akane: ...If that is what's happening to you, then what about Ranma? The other one, I mean. Ranma-chan: Ummm... I'd guess that it would happen to him too. Akane (thinking about Ukyo, Shampoo, and even Kodachi): ARRRGH!! If he even tries to make a move towards THEM, I'll kill him! Sayuri: Hey, there they are! Ranko, come and try this bra! I'm sure it'll look good on you! Ranma-chan: (her heart seemed to stop for a second) ......Akane? Help? Akane (whisper-like): Just do it or they'll think you're strange! Ranma-chan: O...okay. (she is led off by Sayuri to the dressing room) Akane: Oh Ranma, Ranma. Why must all these things happen to you? (Akane strolls about the aisles and looks at various negligee, lingerie and anything that sounded French. There is a little commotion in the change booth and Sayuri pops out of the change room, waving to Akane and Anemi.) Sayuri: Oh, Akane! Anemi! Come look! (tries to push Ranma-chan out) Ranma-chan: No! Don't look! (holds herself in the change room) Anemi: Where, where? Akane: ................! (Ranma-chan is finally pushed out of the dressing room by Sayuri. She is topless except for a frilly bra that barely covers her bosom. She tries desperately to get back in the dressing room but Sayuri blocks the way. Anemi examines the bra on Ranma-chan's chest while Akane tries not to laugh.) Sayuri: Why didn't you have a bra underneath? I mean, all girls are supposed to wear bras, right? Ranma-chan: Uh... yeah. Sure. I...must have forgot mine! Sayuri: Buy it, Ranko. All girls need at least a backup pair. Guys have eyes for that sort of thing, you know. Ranma-chan: Huh? Buy it? (she shrinks back inside the change room, hands over chest) Sayuri: Surely you don't expect it to be free of charge! Ranma-chan: But I don't have any money! Sayuri: I'll lend you some! It's my payday today and I can afford to be generous! Here! Ranma-chan: Uhh...well, okay. Thanks, Sayuri. Sayuri: Anytime, Ranko. Akane: Wouldn't Happosai give anything to see YOU in a bra! Ranma-chan: Shaddup. (pulls off the bra and puts her shirt back on, then goes and pays for the bra). (The four girls finish up and head from store to store, where Ranma-chan is pressured by Sayuri to buy a pair of panties, pink and frilled no less. After an hour, they decide to visit the food court for a bite to eat. Ranma-chan is carrying an armload of Akane's things, as well as her purchases, and she sets everything on the floor under the table they were sitting at.) Ranma-chan: Akane, I'm gonna go and order something to eat now, okay? Akane: Sure, Ranko. Ranma-chan: Be right back. (Ranma-chan wanders from store to store, looking for a special food item that would catch her fancy. Her stomach growls angrily at her, berating her for taking so long to decide what to eat. Surprised at this, Ranma-chan stops for a second. She had been starting to feel more and more hungry each night, as if her body had been burning the calories like crazy every time she went to sleep. And she felt a little bit more changed each morning she wakes. , she thought. Her stomach snarled and she clenched her stomach muscles tightly, to stop the sound. She felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around. Ukyo stood there, dressed in a miniskirt, a white sweater and tights , with a little white ribbon in her long, brown hair. She looked stunningly cute, an improvement over her usual appearance in her normal attire. Ranma-chan felt a twinge of... jealousy? Impossible! Why would she feel jealous of Ucchan? She tried to dismiss it as a figment of her imagination, but it wouldn't go away no matter how much she tried. She found herself looking at Ukyo's breasts and comparing them with her own. Unconsciously, she started checking her figure against Ukyo's.) Ukyo: Ranma, what are you looking at? Ranma-chan: Huh? Oh! Nothing! Nothing! Ukyo: O-okay. What are you doing here? Ranma-chan: I'm here shopping with Akane. And now I'm looking for something good to eat. Ukyo: To... eat? Hey, why not drop over my restaurant at noon? I'll treat you to a free okonomiyaki, to make up for the one you missed last night. Ranma-chan: Well... (looks at the yen in her hand) ...I don't want to sound rude, but you sure you can manage to prepare my okonomiyaki? I mean, Saturday is such a busy day for you. Ukyo: Sure I can. You just watch, Ranchan. Ranma-chan: Well... alright. So what brings you here? Ukyo: Well, it's eleven now and I open shop at noon. I'm just here to shop and have fun. My work schedule is so busy that I try to relax whenever I can, you know. Ranma-chan: Yes. I can see that. Ukyo: Well, I'll be seeing you at noon then, Ranchan! (she smiles at Ranma-chan) Seeya! (Ranma-chan waves goodbye to Ukyo and she heads back to the table. Akane looks up from tapping the table impatiently with her fingers. Sayuri and Anemi are still out ordering their food.) Akane: What took you so long, Ranko? And where's your food? Ranma-chan: I was talking to Ukyo. Akane: Ukyo? What did you and her talk about? Ranma-chan: She wanted me to drop by and have some food on her. I said yes. Besides, I don't have alot of money left from what Sayuri lent me. Akane: Alright. If you say so. I'm gonna go and get some food, so you stay and watch the shopping bags, alright? Ranma-chan: Okay. (Akane wanders off) (Ranma-chan sits at the table for a while, then she starts to twirl a chopstick on her fingertip. She started thinking of how she had thought of Ukyo when she came up to her not five minutes ago. What's wrong with her? Why was she feeling a certain type of jealousy at that time? She had never felt that way before, and it nagged at the corner of her mind. Why in the world did she check to see if Ukyo had a better figure than her? Her stomach growled a third time and she stifled it. A visit to Ucchan's will fix _that_ problem in no time! Sayuri and Anemi returned with their food at that moment.) Sayuri: What did you get, Ranko? (she was holding a plate of fried rice) Ranma-chan: I'm going to go to a restaurant later. Anemi: Which one? (she digs into her fried chicken with gusto) Ranma-chan: Ucchan's Okonomiyaki. Sayuri: You're going to Ukyo's restaurant? She can cook, that's for sure. Ranma-chan: I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. (her stomach rumbles loudly) Anemi : If you're hungry, just take a fry or two. (she offers a couple french fries to Ranma-chan, who thanked her and made them disappear in seconds.) Akane: Hey, you guys! You don't mind if I bring a friend to sit with us, do you? Sayuri: Don't mind at all. Who is it? Anemi: It's that Ryoga guy. Ranma-chan: Ryoga? (she whips her head around and sees a red-faced Ryoga being led by Akane to the table.) Ryoga: R-ran... (Akane puts a hand on his, earning him a stare of hostility from Ranma-chan.) ...ko? What are you doing here? What happened to your hair? Sayuri: (to Anemi) Oooh, they _do_ know each other! Anemi: (to Sayuri) Wonder how far they have gone? Ranma-chan: (overhearing them) Not very far. (remembers all the times Ryoga tried to beat the crap out of him/her.) Not at all. Sayuri: Then you'll just have to try harder, Ranko. Anemi: (to Ranma-chan) You see, some guys are just naturally hard to get through to...... Ranma-chan: Stop! Time out! It's not like that at all! (her outburst startles Akane and Ryoga) Sayuri: (to Ranma-chan) Then why is he blushing like that? (Ranma-chan sighs. She knows that Ryoga would _kill_ her if she so as much uttered a peep about his crush on Akane. She looks at Ryoga, who is staring at the ceiling in an effort not to look at Akane directly.