Author's notes:

Well… What to say…

I am not a writer. But I love Ranma Fanfiction so much that I just had to try writing my own.

The chapters will be relatively short and I plan to release a new one each week. There will be soundtrack suggestions at the beginning or end of each chapter since I'm a romantic weirdo. I hope that you enjoy, Nerds. :P

Ranma x Ryoga

Sorry About This

Written by: GingerSnapNaps

« « ʚ ɞ » »

I am falling.

I brace myself as my body meets the furious friction of the wind. I feel gravity tugging at my face and limbs, pulling me into the embrace of the perilous earth below. I see the crevasse yawning around me, narrow and steep. I see a boy in a yellow bandanna straining to keep the tremoring walls from collapse. Beneath him, a familiar object smashes into the rough and jagged rock, shattering into countless pieces upon impact and scattering into the open air. The shards catch the sunlight like glitter as they spread. And although I cannot quite grasp the significance of what is happening, I know that I am falling. I am falling with nothing to catch me.

"Ranma! Ranma, please wake up! Please!" The dark-haired girl shouted as she vigorously shook the limp girl in the bed across from her. She shifted her weight in her chair, leaning back and sobbing quietly. "I-it's no use." She muttered, turning to the boy in the yellow bandanna who sat beside her.

"Just give it time, Akane." The boy said softly, "H-he… I mean she… is alive, I promise. She just hit her head is all. Ranma's taken much worse."

Akane nodded and closed her eyes firmly. She had heard of this kind of thing happening before. Sleeping for long periods of time after trauma. What did they call it again?

"Ryoga is correct," A steady voice came from behind Akane. She turned and opened her brown eyes, looking up at the tall man standing there. "Ranma has a good pulse. She might be comatose, although it is too early to tell. She sustained severe head trauma and her body needs to rest and recover. It could take a little while… But Ranma *will* wake up." He said, smiling comfortingly from behind his round glasses.

"O-okay, Dr. Tofu." Akane conceded. Oh, Ranma. I never should have let you go. She turned to meet Ryoga's gaze. "What exactly happened on that mountain?"

Ryoga began to study the floor nervously. "I… did Ranma tell you where he was going?"

Akane shook her head. "All I know is that the prince of the Musk Dynasty locked him in his cursed form. He left to find a cure..."

Ryoga sighed. "Well, yeah… Ranma went to find the Open-Water Kettle." Akane cocked an eyebrow. "An artifact that could unlock his curse." Ryoga explained, "We followed Herb and his bodyguards to Mount Horai. Me and Mousse found the Locking Ladle and decided to see if it could seal us into our human forms… but we were wrong. The Ladle locked us into our cursed forms, just like it did to Ranma. We all needed the Kettle to change back. Thankfully Herb had already found it. We tried to go after him, but his bodyguards attacked us. We were no match for them in our animal forms… We probably would have died if Ranma hadn't stepped in. He fought them off while we used the kettle to change back into men. Everything after that is all a blur. So much Ki filled the air that the ground shook, and the mountain split open. The kettle fell into the earth and Ranma hit his head on a rock. I caught him... h-her just in time." Ryoga spoke nervously, twirling his thumbs, "Akane… You should know... the kettle is gone for good. The ground closed over it during the earthquake. It was the only way to reverse the locking effect of the Ladle. I d-don't think Ranma can… I think she is stuck like this." He nodded towards the sleeping redhead. "For good."

A sinking sensation coursed through Akane's chest as she realized what Ryoga was implying. Her eyes grew wide in terror at the thought of her fiancé being trapped for the rest of his life in a body that wasn't his. No. It's not true. It can't be. There's a cure. There's always a cure. In her deepest heart Akane really did love Ranma. She had always imagined the two of them growing old together and raising a family. But she was only attracted to him as a guy. She didn't think she could marry another girl. Ranma was a boy. Ranma had to be a boy.

Just then, a quiet cough left Ranma's lips, startling the three onlookers.

"Forgive me, Akane." Ryoga stammered. "It's my fault that Ranma can't change back. She fought for me. I can't stay here for this…" He turned and left the room as quickly as possible.

"A-akane? Dr. Tofu?" Ranma murmured, struggling to sit up. "I had the weirdest dream..." She hesitated as her congenial demeanor faded into a concerned and anxious frown. "Watcha lookin' at me like that for, tomboy?" She inquired of Akane. Suddenly, her face paled like she had seen a ghost. "I-it w-wasn't a dream… Was it?"

Akane shook her head slowly and showed the redhead her bravest face. "Ranma… I'm so sorry."

« « ʚ ɞ » »

Ranma sat in her place at the Tendo table in the dining room. A bandage was wrapped around her forehead below her fiery red hair. Every member of the Tendo-Saotome family sat around her. Soun, Nabiki, Kasumi, Akane. Well, everyone except a certain panda who ran out of the house vowing to find a cure as soon as he heard the news about Ranma's curse.

A thick, gloomy silence had fallen around the table. Ranma slowly picked at her food. She seemed to have lost her appetite, a fact which concerned Akane greatly. This wasn't like Ranma. The teenager always seemed to be shoveling food into his mouth whenever possible. But not today.

"Ranma, my boy..." Soun spoke, pausing to clear his throat, "Is there any way that you know of to… Um… Is there a…"

"A cure?" Ranma cut in, "Another Open-Water Kettle? I dunno. Me and akane were planning on seein' Cologne after lunch. I-I haven't given up yet." She looked up from her food. "I never lose. I ain't gonna start now."

Akane met Ranma's eyes with a look of compassion. "Cologne will have something. She always does."

Although Akane would never admit it, doubt had begun to creep into her mind. Ryoga's words echoed in her memory. I think she is stuck like this… for good. Akane looked across the table at her small, frightened fiance. She hoped with everything she had that Ryoga was wrong.

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"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Akane asked the petite ginger as they approached the Cat Cafe.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Ranma replied, swinging the glass door open and holding it for Akane. Behind the bar in the far corner of the room, an elderly woman sat atop a tall, wooden staff.

"Well son-in-law…" the old woman began, taking a hop forward. "What is it this time? Don't tell me... you're here to propose to Xian Pu?" She added sarcastically, following with a raspy chuckle.

"Nope." Ranma said simply.

The old woman noticed that Ranma made no use of name-calling. No 'old ghoul' or 'hag' or any of the usual titles. This wasn't like son-in-law at all. Something grave has happened. She thought.

"I'm here cause I need your help, Cologne," Ranma continued, "My curse was locked by a Musk Ladle. The Open-Water Kettle is the only way I know of to reverse it."

"And?" Ki Lun queried.

"And I lost it." Ranma stammered out. "It fell down a bottomless pit while I was fighting Musk warriors."

Silence settled on the cat cafe. Fear, grief, and despair played across the Amazon's face in quick succession. Memories flooded into her mind. Facts about the Musk dynasty that she had memorized in school at a young age. It was common knowledge that the Musk used Jusenkyo water to change animals into their brides. The Ladle, a Musk invention, was an important part of this process as it allowed them to lock the curse. The Open-Water Kettle, on the other hand, was an artifact as old as Jusenkyo itself. It relied on a very ancient, very powerful magic. One that could not be replicated or tampered with. It was capable of negating Jusenkyo curses altogether under the right conditions. Ki Lun had kept it's existence a secret because of the leverage that Ranma's curse provided. Her primary objective had always been to engage Ranma to Xian Pu by whatever means necessary. It was the very reason that she had moved to Japan in the first place. But all of that was over now. A female Ranma couldn't become Xian Pu's husband. In truth, Ki Lun didn't know of another way to counter the Ladle. Ranma, for all intents and purposes, was a woman now. And she would have to accept this fact.

"Hello? Was it somethin' I said?" Ranma asked, waving her hand in front of Ki Lun's face to snap the Amazon matriarch out of her thoughts.

Ki Lun let out a long and weary sigh. "Son-in-law… I mean… Child…" She began slowly, struggling to keep eye contact with the trembling redhead. "There is one thing that I can do for you. But you won't like it." Ranma nodded cautiously, signaling for Ki Lun to continue. "The Amazon tribe had a cruel form of punishment in the old days… One that was reserved for the most appalling crimes. First we would use Jusenkyo water to change the accused into an animal... Then we would apply the Locking Ladle to make their form permanent. Afterwards, we would force the criminal to drink a Merging Potion that would help them to psychologically adjust to the animal that they had become." Cologne paused, seeing the color drain from Ranma's face. It was clear that she did not appreciate where this was going. "Now, hear me out, child. The Open-Water Kettle is the only artifact capable of reversing the effects of the Ladle… And that is because it was created by the same Kami who saw fit to curse the pools of Jusenkyo. I don't have another Kettle. No one does. However, I do possess the recipe to manufacture the Merging Potion. If you were to drink it, you would slowly become one with your cursed form. And… Well… It wouldn't be much of a curse anymore. All of your fear and pain would be gone and you wouldn't feel a thing, I promise. You would be free."

"So let me get this straight… you want me to drink your Amazon death potion and start acting like some stupid girl? Ya call that a cure!? No… you listen to me... I'm a man, damnit. A *man*! There's a real cure out there and I'm going to find it."

"Don't be a fool, Ranma." Cologne admonished, " You would still be human. The potion wouldn't be a punishment at all in your case. It would make minor changes to your personality until you are comfortable in your new gender. That's the closest thing to a cure that you are *ever* going to find. I need you to promise me that you will at least consider it before I leave."

Akane gasped. "You're leaving? Wait… You can't be serious…"

"I am. Ranma isn't capable of marrying my great-granddaughter or giving me great-grandchildren. I have no reason to stay in Japan. Xian Pu and I will be returning to China as soon as I am able to sell this establishment." She motioned to the empty restaurant around them.

"Come on, Akane" Ranma called out as she stormed towards the exit. "The Old Ghoul never cared 'bout anyone but herself. We're wasting time here."

A purple-haired girl nearly stumbled into Ranma as she left the restaurant. "Airen!" She called out, setting down her delivery bag and executing the perfect amazon glomp on the unsuspecting redhead.

"I ain't your airen, Shampoo." Ranma muttered sullenly, pushing her way out of the hug. "Just ask the old ghoul."

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"Tadaima!" Ranma called out as she crossed the threshold of the Tendo household with Akane following quickly behind her. She forced a smirk as Nabiki approached, desperately attempting to keep a positive attitude about her current situation. Depression meant defeat, and Ranma saotome would not be beaten. Not today at least.

"Ranko!" The ice queen greeted Ranma loudly, walking straight towards her. Ranma made a puzzled expression as Nabiki leaned into her ear. "Nodoka is here." Nabiki whispered.

It had been a few months since Ranma's mother, Nodoka, had first arrived in Nerima. It was then that Ranma's father had informed her of an old promise that he had made. Before setting out on their years-long training trip, he had sworn to his wife that he would make Ranma into a 'man amongst men'. This promise came with the caveat that Nodoka would perform ritual seppuku on them if he failed. Since Ranma had become cursed to change into a woman, Genma believed that they were in mortal danger. He tried to convince Ranma to run away with him. Even so, Ranma had resolved to meet her mother. She decided to take on the guise of Akane's cousin, Ranko, whenever Nodoka was around, taking advantage of her less-suspicious girl-form. Ranma's smile flattened out momentarily as she mentally prepared to play the part.

A tall, auburn haired woman entered the foyer behind Nabiki. A lump formed in Ranma's throat. "Moth-...I mean… Auntie Nodoka!" She called out as cheerfully as possible.

"Ranko, dear!" Nodoka replied, "You're looking as beautiful as ever! I hope Akane-chan has been a good influence." She eyed the dark haired girl, giving a good-natured chuckle.

Being a traditional woman, Nodoka very much wanted to see her boyish daughter-in-law become more feminine. Although Akane was far from a paragon of Japanese femininity, Nodoka supposed that it would be an improvement if Ranko were to act a bit more like her. Of course, she had no idea that Ranko was actually her son.

"I came to see if my son and husband have returned from their training trip yet... Have either of you seen them?"

"No, auntie. I haven't." Ranma said in a disheartened tone.

Akane shook her head slowly in solidarity. "They came back for a little bit, but they left again."

It wasn't exactly a lie. Genma had set out to find a cure for Jusenkyo, and Ranma was currently in Ranko mode. Still, she hated keeping information from Nodoka. She felt horrible about it.

"Oh, that's a shame." Nodoka voiced, "Tell me Akane, when you saw Ranma… Was he manly?"

"He… Um…" Akane trailed off as she glanced over at her fiance.

Ranko's face looked like that of a wounded doe. Akane had never seen her so defeated before. Not during the full-body cat tongue, not during Hopposai's Weakness Moxibustion Technique, not even during the Koi-Rod incident when Ryoga claimed that he didn't love her. It reminded her of the depression she suffered after her own mother died. The hopeless, incurable sadness of losing a loved one.

A strange emotion welled up inside of her, a sort of righteous anger. Ranma and Nodoka deserved to be reunited. It wasn't fair that things were like this. It wasn't right. Nodoka needed to know the full truth, and Ranma needed her mother more than ever.

"Akane?" Nodoka interjected, snapping the dark-haired girl out of her daze. "Is everything okay?"

"E-everything's fine, Auntie. I was just… Err... daydreaming."

"Oh, so you really do love my son, don't you?" Nodoka asked humorously.

Akane smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to answer.

"Dinner Time!" Kasumi called from the kitchen.

"Well, come along." Nodoka cooed, "We mustn't keep them waiting."

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The unlikely family sat together around the table in the dining room while Kasumi brought out a steaming casserole dish. At the head of the table, Soun took up a spatula and began to serve himself. Nodoka followed, passing the dish clockwise.

"This smells wonderful Kasumi!" Nodoka complemented politely, setting her Katana to rest on the wall behind her. "So… Akane tells me that Genma and Ranma are still training. Any Idea when they'll return?"

Poor lady. Akane thought. She never stops talking about Ranma.

"Actually…" Soun laughed nervously, "Maybe you should stay awhile! They always seem to come back right after you leave."

Ranko almost choked on her food. Nabiki stifled a laugh.

"If it's alright with you, I think I'd like that." Nodoka said, completely oblivious. "I'd be able to spend some more time with my future daughter-in-law and her cousin!" She looked across the table at the two girls, who were both struggling to hide their concern.

Akane started to scowl despite her best effort to refrain. She bit her lip. I don't know what Ranma's so afraid of… Nodoka really seems to like Ranko and she can't be serious about the seppuku pledge. At least, I don't think she would be if she knew the whole story. Someone has to tell her that her son… Daughter… Whatever... Is right here in front of her. She had to do something to break the barrier between Ranma and her mother. She had to reveal Ranko's true identity. A steady rage boiled up inside of her until she shot up out of her chair, causing it to fall to the floor with a bang.

"Nodoka, Ranko is Ranma!" She burst out. "Your son went to china, fell into a cursed spring, and changed into a girl. She can't help it! It's not her fault! And you can't hold her to the seppuku contract!"

Nodoka gaped at Akane for several moments before she began to giggle. "I admire your creativity, Akane. But you can't expect me to believe…" She trailed off as she began to take a long, hard look at Ranko.

The redhead looked this way and that, blushing furiously. "I… I'm sorry about this…" She mumbled.

Nodoka gasped as a trembling hand rose to cover her mouth. "Ranma?" She asked quietly.

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And that's chapter one!

The songs that inspired this chapter are:

Radiohead - "Motion Picture Soundtrack"