I own nothing but the following Idea.

By popular demand, here is a sequel/continuation of 'State of Mind'.

This starts the day Ranma goes in for the final verdict on whether he can stop using the soap to stay in his male form.

SECTION WITH DOCTORS STARTS

"So what's the verdict, docs?" Ranma asked while Akane and he waited in the neurologist's office. They'd redone all the scans and x-rays that morning to double-check the healing from the surgery.

The three doctors- Tofu, Yasamoto, and Yosami- were now conferring over the results of the scans and the previous ones taken both before and immediately after the surgery. Tofu, as Ranma's regular doctor had the most on hands experience with his incredible healing and had the strongest vote. Yasamoto as his gynecologist had the weakest as it had been mainly her area to make sure of the changes and health of Ranma's female form. Once he was able to transform into his female form again. Yosami, as the neurosurgeon who'd performed the operation, had a strong say, as he was the one with the most familiarity on the inner workings of the brain and it's secrets. Tofu's vote for or against could void the votes of the other two doctors should he disagree with them. He had final say, though it would take a concensus to assure his freedom.

If they didn't think he was physically and emotionally ready to go through the transformation, then he would have to wait another two weeks before being allowed to stop using the curse blocking soap.

It was Dr. Yosami who replied. "Well, from what I can tell, it almost looks like there was never any injury at all. There's almost no scarring. That is extremely unusual, as the brain's surface usually does not heal well. See here, " he pointed at on image of Ranma's inner skull. "Even the missing chips of skull from the original injury have been replaced with new bone growth. Only some of the larger gaps remain to be filled in. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. From a purely physical standpoint, I see no problem with your no longer using the soap."

Ranma and Akane had triumphant looks on their faces as they beamed at the doctors.

Tofu smiled along with his favorite patients. "I know you've had a difficult time adjusting to the changes that have been awakened inside you after your surgery, Ranma. But you've shown an amazing amount of self-control and patience. I know that Shampoo hasn't always obeyed the restrictions we had placed on her, and neither has Ukyo. The only real break you've had was that Tatewaki and Kodaichi were still in the institute until yesterday. Ryoga of course is no longer among your sphere of acquaintances, though I have no doubt he will show up sooner or later to seek some type of misplaced revenge against you. And Mu Tsu has nearly vanished, though there are rumors of a fight between him and Xian at the Furinkan field next week."

Ranma nodded, and squeezed Akane's hand to help her at the mention of her former rival and their former friends. "Sure, that's all true. Seems Shampoo was being eve more of a pain then usual, so Mouse decided he'd had enough of pretending and that it was time to show her how strong he really is."

Akane agreed. "It's true, he stopped by the dojo and spoke with Ranma and I for a bit. He's been staying in the dojo. He's been helping Ranma teach me some advanced forms, now that I've calmed down some, I noticed how sloppy my kata and fighting had become. If I had to fight the old Horde now, I probably wouldn't have beaten them. At least, not as easily as I used to. I had stopped training, because I allowed my anger and jealousy at Ranma's skill, and the skill of those who were chasing him/me/us was so much beyond my own. Sure, I could hold my own against the weakest of the new challengers, but that isn't good enough. It isn't good enough for me personally, for me as Ranma's fiancée and future wife or for me as the heir to my school. I needed to refocus on the art, and after the little bastard was outted, Ranma felt it was time for me to learn. And Mouse showing up was only help, since unlike the Saotome school, the Tendo ryu doesn't ignore weapons as useful tools. And around here, Mouse is without a doubt a true weapons master. He's also not so enamored of a single weapon style that it's easy to fit his style into that of the Anything Goes school."

Tofu nodded. "I always suspected that there was more to Mu Tsu then he let on. He was a little too aggressively blind to be real."

Ranma chuckled. "Yeah, that's true. It's even more then that. Seems he's got pretty good eyes. He'd had an operation that fixed the damage done to him by Xian Pu and Ku Lon when he was a kid. He's been wearing special contacts to simmil... simular... simulate? That's it. Simulate. He's been wearing them to simulate being blind."

"That same goes with the stupid tricks and stuff he was always pulling." Akane added. "He's got a pretty good mind for battle. He's nearly as sneaky as Mr. Saotome."

Tofu laughed. "That's saying a lot, really. Saotome-san is one of the sneakiest people I've ever met."

Ranma chuckled and gave the older man a sly look. "Yup, that's Pop alright. And coming from you, that's a saying a lot. You're pretty sneaky yourself doc, the way you and Kasumi been sneaking out to meet each other late at night."

Tofu blushed and froze. "Er, ah. I, ah, don't know what you're talking about?" he finished weakly.

"No need to be shy, Doc. None of us mind." Ranma stated. "We all just want Kasumi to be happy, and you make her happy."

"Yeah doc." Akane stated with a calm smile. "Even Daddy doesn't mind Kasumi sneaking in in the morning all rumpled and with a huge smile on her face. He's been pretty annoying lately, breaking out in tears whenever she sneaks out or in. Going on about how proud mother is of her little girls and how they've all grown up into such strong loving women."

Tofu just continued to babble, no longer really present, but lost in a world of confused denials and acceptance of his love.

Grinning, Dr. Yasamoto took her turn. "Well, while I haven't had much to do with you on a physical level, I have spent a lot of time conferring with the doctor's who've been doing your psychiatric sessions. They agree that you've adapted to your new situation better then expected. We were all worried that you would change totally. That the new pressures and sensations would overwhelm you and you would loose control. You might not believe it, but even gradual or slow changes to a person's mind have caused even greater personality changes. You've hardly changed at all. A little more mature, and you've had a few . . . ah, shall we say surprises and embarrassing moments." The specialist winked saucily at the young man, who blushed furiously, while his fiancée just smiled wickedly. "But from what I hear, your fiancée has been helping you with that?"

Ranma's blush deepened and his mouth dropped open. Akane just grinned and leaned over to whisper in her fiancé's ear. What ever she said caused him to turn white and start trembling. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and a trickle of blood started to roll out of his nose. He started to tilt to one side and fell with a crash, twitching every few seconds as his poor mind struggled to deal with what Akane had whispered to him.

The doctors all moved to stand even the now reawakened Tofu, but Akane waved them off. "Don't worry about it, Drs. He's just still not used to my talking about certain things so . . .openly. You should have seen the way he reacted the first time I . . . er. .. Well. Let's just say, that he's still not used to the changes that I've gone through as well as the changes he's undergone. He'll come out of it in a few seconds."

The doctors exchanged looks and shrugged. "Anyway, like we were discussing. I agree with Dr. Yosami. Ranma is cleared to stop using that soap. And I want to schedule a full gynecological exam once his system is cleared of the blocking properties."

Ranma groaned from the floor and returned to his seat. "Ah, Doc! A full exam? Can't you just do a partial? You know, just a peek to make sure it's all there?"

Yasamoto chuckled. "Sorry, Ranma. But I want to take a full exam, as well as do the same MRI/Cat scans again. I want to see how much difference the surgery will make on your female self. We now that you weren't as repressed in the female form as in your male form, but now that the blockage has been removed, you're going to go through a less extreme shift of sensations and emotions. But there will be changes. In fact, I would recommend at least 2 weeks of staying in female form as much as possible to adapt. Maybe 3 or 4 days at home, but you won't have to use the soap. Just try to remain female for as much of the day as you can and only go male when you have to."

Ranma and Akane looked at each other and their eyes held a silent conversation. Ranma turned to the doctor, his hand seeking out Akane's. "Ok. So I don't have to use the soap any more?"

The three doctors smiled at the young couple and nodded. "No. Not unless you want to use it. But like Dr. Yasamoto mentioned. It would be best to not use it. To get used to the sensations of your female form and to the change in sensation and thoughts when you switch genders." Dr. Yosami added. "Any way, that's all for now. Why don't you two get out of here and head home? It's a beautiful day out, and I'm sure you're families are waiting for you at home."

The pair nodded and left, still holding hands. The three doctors remained behind to set up appointments for Ranma's next visit with the various doctors. Tofu would take the schedule to them that evening, but for now, the two were going to spend their afternoon window shopping in downtown Tokyo, a place they rarely visited, despite living only a half hour from it. There were supposed to be some interesting little stores, as well as the larger head stores for the chains.

All in all, it was a great start to their day, as the sun was shinning, there were few clouds in the sky, and there was little chance of their being tracked by their normal annoyances since they would never think to look in downtown Tokyo for the embattled pair.

DOCTORS ENDS

KASUMI STARTS

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Kasumi was humming as she glided around the familiar confines of her family home. She moved from room to room, cleaning, straightening and tidying to her hearts content. She, like all children, was a product of her parents, and she viewed dust, dirt, and disarray as her personal enemies. It was her duty, as eldest of the family, to make sure that those enemies did not overcome the family home. She adapted the early teachings of her father and what little she remembered of her mother's arts to set a routine that allowed her to continue her martial studies and her family duty. Akane was the one who would further the heritage of the school. And Nabiki would make the Tendo name known throughout the world. It was up to her to continue the long traditional role of the Tendo women, and she did so by taking online classes and correspondent courses in the hopes of getting a medical degree.

She paused in the entrance to the engawa, and studied her father as he faced off against his oldest friend in a battle of wills over the Shoji board. Her good humor grew as the two men used every means possible to distract each other and cheat. The games were never about who won, but mostly about who could be the most underhanded and not get caught. Though she didn't personally like Genma Saotome, she had to admit that ever since his arrival, her father had become much more animatedly and lively. He was slowly starting to return to the father she remember from before her mother's death, and though she doubted he would ever heal completely from his loss, she knew he was getting much better then he had been in the years up to the Saotome's arrival. The one wish she had regarding her father's recovery was that it was not so focused on her little sister and Ranma's marriage. She had known within days of Ranma's arrival that he was exactly what her sister needed, and had done her best to subtly guide their relationship into a healthier medium, despite the interference of all the outsiders, their parents, and even Nabiki.

Deciding to leave them to their game, Kasumi went on her way, finishing with the 1st floor and heading upstairs. She started with the guestroom, as with both Ranma and Genma in there, it was usually the worst. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad and there was mostly Genma's few belonging's lying around the room. Frowning, something struck her as odd. There was something missing from the room. She closed her eyes and opened her mind, seeking the disturbance within the small room. Her eyes opened wide with shock and she stared around the room with an expression very different from what anyone would expect on her. She noticed what was wrong, or more accurately what was missing.

She blushed at the implications of the missing gear, and almost hoping she was wrong, she made her way to her sister's room. She pushed open the door with the little wooden duck, and strode into the room. Nothing seemed any more out of place then usual for Akane's room. Dumbbells, weights, and schoolbooks were scattered in near equal number on every flat surface in the room. The bed was unmade and there were dirty clothes piled against the side of the hamper next to the closet. A dark piece of fabric was hanging out of a dresser drawer, and the closet door was stuck from closing against a thick piece of leather.

Going further into the room, she went to the closet and pulled it open. Not surprisingly, a leather and burlap sack fell over against her feet. The piece holding the door open was one of the shoulder straps to Ranma's favorite backpack. Fearing/praying for the worst, she went to the dresser and opened the not quite closed door. Inside was the contents of which were usually contained inside the pack. The hanging fabric she had noted was one of the legs on a set of Ranma's usual kung fu pants. The dresser was filled with his pants, and undershirts. She opened the one under it, and found his shirts, and various wrist and ankle bracers. Blushing, she opened the top drawer, and found Ranma's boxers, and a few feminine style outfits. Glancing over her shoulder into the open closet, she idly noted that the few dresses and a kimono for Ranma's girl form were hanging in the closet next to Akane's few feminine outfits. The more traditional female wear, and the new, more revealing dresses that Akane rarely wore. Her normal skirt/blouse combos were still in the dresser, though obviously, she had made room for Ranma's things.

Not knowing, or at least not willing to admit what she hoped not to find, she strode over to the nightstand next to the bed. She opened the drawer, and rifled through it, fear and something else guiding her to perform the act of petty espionage. She didn't know whether to be upset that she didn't find anything, or that there wasn't anything to find. Though it had been embarrassing for all of them, she had made sure that her sister's had known the more . . .primal aspects of life and that they knew of the ways to protect themselves against certain ... consequences of some actions. She knew that Nabiki had made use of her advice, but had never thought to wonder if Akane ever remembered that conversation. It was not long after they'd held that frank and open discussion, that the Kuno boy had started bothering her imouto-chan at school, and Akane had turned away from the few boys who might have mildly held her interested. Until Ranma's arrival, the only person Akane had ever shown even slight interest in was Tofu-sensei, and Kasumi had no doubt that nothing would ever happen between he and her sister.

With the recent changes in Ranma's mental state, and the progression of their relationship, she couldn't help but worry that Akane and Ranma might be getting closer then they should. She sincerely hoped that her finding that Akane had moved Ranma's belonging into her room wasn't a sign that their relationship had advanced to the final step just yet. Though she was well aware of their not-quite-innocent explorations of their burgeoning sexuality, having walked in on them on several embarrassing incidents. Luckily for her, they had been too tied up in each other and what they were doing to notice her, and luckily for them, they hadn't yet progressed fully into their desires.

Debating with her self for a moment, Kasumi sighed and realized that she couldn't really blame her sister for wanting to . . . explore that aspect of the relationship with her fiancée. Ranma was, after all, a very attractive specimen of the male gender, and if circumstances had been different she might have gone after him herself. But, not long before Ranma's arrival, something vast and amazing had happened. Smiling gently, she reached for the chain that she wore and pulled it from beneath her blouse. As she always did, she kissed the intricate, if small, cross that had been her mothers. Next to the cross was a ring. Not just any ring, but a three-diamond, 10-carat white gold engagement ring. The two small stones were pink diamonds, and the larger central piece was a bright yellow. Engraved inside were the words 'To my beloved, Ono'.

Coming to a decision, she went over to her own room, and opened her own nightstand drawer. She removed two boxes and a couple of pamphlet's and returned to Akane's room. She put the boxes and the pamphlet on the nightstand with a sigh. She didn't especially want to do this, but it was time. Akane was no longer a child, and if she wished to express herself as an adult in her relationship with Ranma, she would have to take on certain responsibilities of an adult, and that included the use of prophylactics and other means to prevent pregnancy or disease. Though she seriously doubted either had any illnesses, it was better safe then sorry. Who knew what he could have contracted without knowing. The sheer amount of time he had spent in hospitals was not the usual thing for someone his age. Especially in smaller, less 'advanced', communities where they weren't always as sterile as they should be. Such communities were not known for the cleanliness of their medical practices.

While she was there, she did the bed, and gathered the clothes to place them with the wash for that day. She left the dumbbells and books, since the first were too much for her to shift easily, and the later were placed in some pattern that Akane must be using to study and she didn't want to disrupt her sister's path.

She bypassed Nabiki's room for now, and went down to the laundry room. She placed the hamper of clothes next to the one with the assorted linens and towels. She would take care of them later. Still humming she decided to go sweep out the dojo, though that was a task she usually left to those who used it most often. Still, it was a beautiful day out, and she wished to spend some time outdoors. Maybe she'd practice a few forms while it was quiet. It had been a while since she and Tofu had practiced together, and she didn't want to lose her 'edge'.

KASUMI ENDS

NODAKA STARTS

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Nodaka sat calmly in the booth of the restaurant, waiting for her meal and her allies. The smell of broth and noodles perforated the small confines of the dim restaurant. She had been meeting here every day for the last few weeks, ever since her son had returned to school after undergoing the surgery. She had watched him closely, and was pleased to see that he was beginning to behave and react like a normal man to the inhabitants of the Tendo home, though she found his embarrassment of his reactions frustrating. He lived in a home with two attractive girls and a harpy, and he chose to fixate on the harpy, instead of the much more pleasant Kasumi, or the more intelligent and worldly Nabiki.

She might have approved of her son's engagement to the youngest Tendo, but those days were past. The girl was too rude and self-centered to make a man like her son a good wife. He needed a wife who wouldn't abuse him or restrict his manliness the way that Akane seemed inclined to do. Nor did he need a wife who seemed as attracted to his female form as his male. She wouldn't begrudge her son some exploration into the pleasures granted by his female form, for that was a very manly and responsible thing to explore, but that the Tendo girl kept encouraging him to accept and behave as a female. That wouldn't do.

Ranma was too much a man for any one woman to satisfy, and it was clear to Nodaka, that Akane wasn't willing to accept that Ranma would need a mistress or three. The girl was too modern in her thinking and ignorant of the old ways. Nodaka wondered at her son's attitude and prudish nature, not for the first time wondering how such a repressed man could have spent so much time with the much more open and free Genma. Had he not taught his son anything, of the manly arts? Did he not do as he promised and hired the women to teach their son? How could he have emasculated their son in so many ways? Not the least of which was the injury to his brain.

A cheery voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see a purple haired goddess bearing a tray with her meal. She smiled warmly at the girl, and gestured for her to sit. They still had two more to await, so Nodaka filled the silence with details she'd noted of her son's newly awakened manliness, including a detailed description of the changes his body had undergone. The amazon warrior was drooling, and shifting in her seat, her breath coming quicker and her eyes glazing over as she listened to Nodaka's words.

Nodaka smiled as she noted the effects her words were having on the amazon. This was a girl any mother would be proud to have as her son's mistress. It was a shame she was gaijin, for she would have made a good wife for her son. But her son could not marry a foreigner- he had to marry a pureblooded Japanese woman. Someone with a strong bloodline and a proud heritage. Someone, like the two girls who had just entered the restaurant and started making their way over to them.

Each of the pair had good and bad points in their favor. The Kuonji girl was an excellent chef, and her restaurant was a steady income that would finance Ranma's many training trips and feed their children. But the girl was a little too masculine and modern to make her son a good wife, much like the shrew. She would want Ranma to remain loyal to her, and to remain at home to help her with the restaurant, cutting greatly into the time her son could spend training. She hadn't given her son up for ten years just to have him become an okonomiyaki chef in a small family restaurant.

The Kuno girl, however, came from an immensely wealthy family. Ranma would never have to work a day in his life and could concentrate on his training and the arts. The Kuno fortune would be a big aid to raising a large family, and the girl was quite comely. Their children would be the envy of all. The main point against Kodaichi was that there seemed to be some instability in the family bloodline. Hopefully though, the strong Saotome bloodline could keep the hereditary illness that infected the Kuno clan at bay.

As an additional bonus, Tatewaki Kuno was growing into a fine example of manhood. Her son could learn a lot by being such a manly man's brother. And, with Tatewaki's infatuation with her son's female form, there was the extra chance that her daughter would produce a child. She would just have to work on convincing her son that it was manly and right tat he allow Tatewaki to father a child on his female form.

She just had to convince him first to leave that shrewish harpy he was fixated on and allow his natural manliness to take over when he was alone with his other fiancées. Even if she weren't sure which would be a good wife, any or all would make excellent concubines for her manly son.

'Oooohhhh. Think of all the grandchildren!' she thought giddily to herself before starting their little meeting.

NODAKA ENDS