Shopping

Akane was pulling out his shoes as he prepared to head home when Yuka and Sayuri approached him. They both looked nervous, and he wasn't sure why. Sure, they hadn't talked much over the summer break, but he'd been busy with other things. Mainly the whole realising that he was a boy thing. It hadn't seemed like something he should really involve them in.

"Hey guys," he said in as friendly a tone as he could manage. "How are things?"

"Good, good," Yuka replied. "We were just curious if-uh, I'm not sure how to say this..."

"Akane," Sayuri said, "You're going to the boys' gym class. You've been hanging out with Ranma and his friends. You... well, you just are a boy now. So we've just gotten a little curious as to whether you still want to be friends with us or not?"

"Sayuri, that's a little too forward, don't you think?" Yuka hissed to her.

"Well, you weren't having any luck trying to find a polite version."

Akane felt a strange melancholy grow in his chest. His two childhood friends clearly saw him as an outsider now. He should have seen it coming, and to be honest in a way it was a good thing, showing that they were accepting who he was becoming. He wasn't 'one of the girls' anymore. Yet it hurt a bit too.

"We've been friends since elementary school," he finally said. "We always said we'd be friends whatever happened. I'm sorry I didn't call you two more during the summer. I just... I had to see what guys are supposed to do. So I thought I'd try going 100% for the length of the break. Or at least as close as I could."

Both girls paused to think it over. It took only a moment for smiles to grow on both their faces.

"So you would still like to hang out?" Yuka asked happily. "We were thinking of going to Shinjuku this Sunday."

"Sure. I'd love to," Akane replied with a smile. "But... should I come as I am, or would you prefer I blend in better?"

"However you feel comfortable," Sayuri said.

"What are you three up to now?" Ranma asked, appearing around the corner of the lockers.

"We were just planning a hang out for Sunday," Akane explained.

"If you want to come clothes shopping with us I guess you could come too, Ranma," Sayuri replied, her tone clearly a bit sarcastic.

"Really?" Ranma asked, having missed the sarcasm. "Sure. Whenever I'm with Dai and Hiroshi it's just video game stores mostly. And jokes about lingerie shopping. A proper shopping trip would be fun."

Yuka and Sayuri both blinked in shock, staring at Ranma like he had crayfish crawling from his ears. Akane stepped forward, put an arm over Ranma's shoulder, and smiled at them.

"The process of me accepting my newfound masculinity has led to Ranma trying his best to accept his feminine side," Akane explained. "We're doing our best to support each other."

"So... you're both planning to switch teams?" Sayuri asked.

"Let's just say I've got low team loyalty," Ranma said a bit nervously. "Actually, let's not say it that way. I'm a loyal person. I just... I don't see the sides as opponents. I want to be on both. Does that make sense?"

"I suppose," Yuka replied. "And if we have to lose Akane it would be nice to have you on our side sometimes."

"I'm still happy to help out if the girls need me," Akane responded quickly. "I'm not abandoning you guys for the guys. Er... I could have worded that better. Is that a boy problem?"

"I think you're just flustered," Ranma told him.

Yuka and Sayuri sat at the train station waiting for Ranma and Akane. Without Nabiki around to give odds there were no official bets placed, but both girls had been debating whether Akane would show up in boy form or girl form. Ranma they felt sure would show up a girl from how he'd been talking, but Akane remained a mystery.

As her watched indicated the pair were almost five minutes late Sayuri was about to mutter that maybe Akane had been just as unable to figure it out as them when she caught sight of the engaged couple in the crowd. Ranma was in girl form and wearing a quite cute pink dress and broad brimmed straw hat. Akane was also in girl mode, but wearing boy clothes clearly too big for his current form.

"Sorry we're late," Akane explained as the pair reached the waiting girls. "Someone dropped a kettle of warm water out their window. It hit both of us. Ranma hid in an alley while I ran to get some cold water. Only had time to grab enough for him."

With the two boys in girl form now close enough it was clear Ranma was blushing furiously. "I wish you hadn't had to run alone, but people always call me a pervert when I'm dressed cute in boy form..."

Yuka and Sayuri both felt their hearts drop into their gut at how sadly the redhead said that, knowing they'd called him exactly that in the past.

"Well, not always. That bowtie outfit you wear sometimes is pretty cute. Boy or girl," Sayuri offered, not sure if she was helping.

Ranma offered her a weak smile that didn't quite clarify if she'd really helped. "I suppose that's true. Either way, first thing we've gotta do is grab Akane some cold water. Is that okay? We just didn't want to be any later without you two knowing what was up."

Both girls nodded. Akane smile and ran off into the nearest men's room. A few moments later he'd emerged male again, at least a head taller than the rest of the group.

"Thanks," he said with a slight bow. "Maybe I should invest in some of that waterproof soap stuff Shampoo said she bought one time."

"That stuff's a dud," Ranma explained while the four of them headed to the train platform. "Washes off eventually."

"Well yeah, but it would be good for a shopping trip like this or if I ever got invited to a wedding or whatever," Akane replied.

Ranma's eyes went wide as he realised how true that was. He could have met up with his mother so much more easily if he'd just had some of that soap. He suddenly felt like a bit of a fool.

Sitting down on the train the conversation shifted to what they had all done over the summer. Both girls blushed and giggled when Akane relayed the story of how Ranma had first kissed him on the train. Yuka found herself having a slight 'does-not-compute' moment when she remembered that the cool bad boy Akane had just described Ranma as was the same person as the petite and adorable redhead in a sundress sitting with her now. She'd had those moments with Ranma before, but he'd never gone quite as thoroughly 'girl' around her before. Or maybe she'd just never been accepting him being so 'girl' before.

As the other three dug merrily through the racks of clothing Akane felt a little out of place. While he generally prefered this form, being male in the women's clothing section still felt weird. He wasn't sure if it was the feeling of being out of place or the memories of having been told to stay there when he was younger and had had a tendency to wander.

"Oh, Akane, do you think these colours go well together?" Yuka asked, holding up a burgundy dress and pale blue cardigan.

Akane looked it over for a moment and nodded. "It's not bad, but if you could find a plum version of that dress it would go better with that blue. Or a darker blue if you want to keep the burgundy."

"Thanks. You always had a good eye for these things," Yuka replied.

"I think I understand now. Excellent fashion sense, but wanting to wear clothes from the men's section... we should have realised you were a gay guy sooner," Sayuri laughed.

"Very funny, Sayuri," Akane replied, though a mixture of a giggle and chuckle did escape him.

Yuka glanced over at the redhead who was a little out of earshot. "You know, I'm not sure that's quite right. I remember there were more than a few times you came to us worried you were a lesbian because of how much you liked Ranma's girl form."

Akane blushed a little and found his own eyes drawn to Ranma. "I suppose lesbian is the one option I can rule out now... I think what I really love is Ranma's personality. Boy or girl. And I'm glad Ranma was the same with me."

Akane suddenly realised both his friends were staring at him, eyes wide and starry.

"It's so romantic," Sayuri said wistfully.

Akane blushed. He supposed it was. A bit funny, all the ups and downs they'd had to get here.

"Hey, are you guys alright if I go pick out a new swimsuit?" Ranma asked as the curvy redhead hurried over.

"You need another one?" Akane asked. He swore Ranma had at least three already.

"Well yeah. I picked out my others based on what I like. But now I've got a boyfriend to impress," Ranma replied, batting his eyelashes demurely at Akane.

Sayuri and Yuka both descended into giggles as smoke escaped Akane's ears.

"You know, Ranma, we really should have hung out with you earlier. You're loads of fun," Yuka said.

Kuno

Kuno Tatewaki had a mission. Nabiki had provided him (at significant expense) with a lead on his missing Akane. He had to find that strange new rogue who had been seen with the vile Saotome on many occasions recently. If memory served the noble samurai in training correctly the pair were likely in gym class at the moment.

Ignoring the protests of one of the new teachers over his strolling the halls, bokuto in hand and during class periods, Kuno marched proudly out to the athletic field. There he felt quite smug to see Ranma and the stranger were indeed practicing passing a baseball back and forth.

"Thou! Raven haired stranger. Tendo Nabiki hath informed I, Kuno Tatewaki, Black Lightning of Furinkan, that thou hath information on the whereabouts of the missing fair damsel Tendo Akane."

"Black Lightning? He's got a new nickname again?" Akane muttered under his breath. Increasing his volume he replied to Kuno, "Listen, Kuno. I'm going to state this in the simplest possible terms: that romance. Will. Never. Happen."

Kuno gasped theatrically before pointing his wooden sword towards Akane. "I hath attempted diplomacy raven haired knave. If I must beat the information from thine vile personage then so be it. I strike!"

Akane dodged the first swing easily due to it's over telegraphed nature, but the later swings proved harder to predict. Akane cursed under his breath that Kuno had gotten better than he realised. Akane thanked his lucky stars that Ranma had pushed him through so much speed training. He began to look for an opening in Kuno's swings when a high pitched and girly squeal distracted both fighters. The two boys turned to locate the source.

"Oh no! Kuno-kun!" a damp and adorable Ranma lamented. "Please I beg you, don't hurt my boyfriend!"

"Y-your... this knave hath stolen your heart dear pigtailed goddess?"

"No, not stolen it," Ranma replied adorably as he hurried over and took Akane's arm. "He's freed it. I had thought no boy could draw my heart out from Saotome's spell, yet this brave hero succeeded."

"I... but the knave was engaged in friendly chatter with that foul rogue?" Kuno asked.

"He hasn't just helped me, but Ranma too. His heart is so large and his kindness so endless he wants to help even those who have fallen the most astray."

Kuno paused to think it over. If this boy had truly won the heart of Kuno's pigtailed goddess out from Saotome's imprisonment then... the Kuno Tatewaki would have to see him as a friend. Even if he was envious the boy held the heart of one of Tatewaki's beloved.

"Very well. I shall do your love no harm oh beauteous pigtailed goddess. But tell me raven haired traveller, where doth the lovely Akane reside?"

Akane mulled his options over for a moment. He could lie and say his female persona was far away recovering. Or he could try telling a truth that Kuno had never believed for Ranma, by wrapping it in a flowery tale of honour and suffering that Kuno might just buy... That option also gave him a better option to practice his acting skills.

"Kuno... The explanation may rather hurt, but it shall also help you understand why Akane never accepted your advances," he began.

Kuno nodded intently. So it had taken more than just whatever dark charms Saotome had used to keep Akane from him?

"Ranma's father is an even more devious man than his son and had heard tell that the son of the Tendo family would bring about his demise. So, calling upon the aid of a dark and ancient magician whose name is too terrible to even mutter... the patriarch of the Saotome clan had the lone son of the Tendo's transmuted into a girl," Akane declared. (This was honestly too fun. Especially watching Ranma's confused face.) "The unfortunate boy was raised as a girl due to pressure placed upon his father by Saotome-san."

Kuno grew pale with a realisation. "Alas poor Nabiki. I knew it to be unnatural for a girl to be so cold."

Ranma and Akane were both knocked off their feet by the response. As were several classmates who'd come to watch. Akane was the first to get back up.

"No. No... It was Akane," he explained.

Kuno's face turned an interesting series of colours before he managed to speak. "Th-the fair and beauteous Akane was in reality..."

"Yep. And despite external appearances and upbringing his heart was always that of a boy's. Which is why Akane was unable to fall for you."

"Of course. The fiery attitude, boldness, and the resistance to my own charm. Only that could explain it," Kuno replied posing thoughtfully. "But hold... such magic must exist in balance of yin and yang... Ah! But of course. Ranma's father must have stolen that masculinity... to imbue to his own daughter, adding in other dark machinations to cover her pure maidenly heart and create the devious enemy of women that the cad became. All in fowl desperation to hide that he didst lack an heir."

"Wait, what?" Ranma asked.

"It is so obvious now fair pigtailed goddess! I hath not understood until this moment how Ranma could imprison you so. But now I see, his entire existence is the result of unnatural scheming. A foul tragedy akin to that of the tortured Dilandau and Celena."

"Uhhh... who?" Ranma asked, looking to Akane for support but seeing only confusion.

Kuno apparently had no interest of helping either, moving on to yet another conversation topic. "Tell me, pigtailed goddess... for mine sister's sake I must ask, doth the false being known as Ranma have the capability of being swayed by cupid's arrows? Or should I tell mine sister that he is but a simulacrum of a human spirit?"

After spending a full minute trying to understand the meaning of Kuno's statement Ranma finally worked out a response. "The... the heart was always mine. That is why he used magic to prevent me from loving anyone."

"So... his heart doth be under your control? Doth he feel the tug of affection to the noble spirit once imprisoned as Akane as well?" Kuno asked.

"I...ur, Ranma is as in love with him as his nature can possibly allow," Ranma replied nervously.

Akane and Ranma were both surprised when Kuno burst into joyful tears. "Oh happy day, to learn that love hath triumphed over foulest magicks. Whilst it comes at loss of mine own romantic hopes I must but bow to this love woven by the fates themselves. You, noble Tendo-kun, know that from this day forth you may count Kuno Tatewaki amongst your allies."

"Uh, thanks?" Akane replied.

"Pfft... Dilandau? Seriously?" Nabiki asked as they recounted the story to her after school.

"You've heard of that story?" Ranma replied.

"Yeah, I've heard of it. He's a character in an anime," Nabiki told them. "I never realised Kuno actually bothered to watch TV. I'd just assumed he was too stuffy and old fashioned... Decent taste though. I know I found Dilandau an engaging villain."

Lunch

Akane sat down with Sayuri, Yuka, and Ukyo for lunch. He'd been eating most lunches with them again these days, but did eat with the boys a couple times a week (though Ukyo switched groups the same days as him most of the time too). Still, childhood friends were who he wanted to chat with, and the dynamic had actually improved now that they knew he was a boy. He was better able to escape the topics he didn't care for as much and they accepted his excited ramblings about martial arts and other 'boy' topics more readily.

Listening to the chit chat he casually reached into his bag to find that his bento was missing. Zipping open the second section of the bag he was confused to find it wasn't there either.

"Ahem. A-Akane."

Akane looked up to see Ranma blushing and holding Akane's bento box.

"Sorry. I ain't as fast as Kasumi at makin' these. So it wasn't ready when ya left... but I hope ya still like it," the black haired boy nervously said as he placed the box down in front of Akane.

A bit uncertain Akane opened the container and saw an adorably prepared lunch. It wasn't quite as perfect as Kasumi's, but it still looked delicious.

"You made this for me?" Akane asked.

"Yeah. I... well, I wanted to try making ya lunch for a while, but was worried it might upset ya back before. Since it's supposed to be what the girl does and all that," Ranma replied, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

Akane felt his heart quicken. Smiling he stood up and planted a kiss on Ranma's cheek. "Thanks for putting up with everything, Ranma."

Sitting back down Akane saw Yuka and Sayuri beaming. Ukyo though... the chef was smiling, but with tears glistening in her eyes. Akane suddenly felt guilt sweep over him. Why did being in love with Ranma have to hurt one of his best friends so much?

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Ranma wander back over to sit with Daisuke and Hiroshi who... were high fiving him? Only Ranma could have such a masculine celebration over succeeding at such a feminine gesture of romance.

Clothing

Akane was met with an interesting tableau as he walked into his room. His bed was covered in clothing while Ranma and Nabiki were picking their way through everything. Ranma was female, wearing nothing but underwear and a bra, but was in the process of pulling a watermelon print t-shirt on as Akane stepped in.

"Mhmph... too bad, it's too tight for me," Ranma muttered after he'd slid it on. "I liked the print."

"What are you two doing?" Akane asked, stepping forward into his room. A quick glance revealed his closet looked severely empty, with only his new male clothes still in it.

"We're divvying up your old clothes. Isn't that clear, little bro?" Nabiki replied.

"Why though?" Akane said.

"You weren't planning to wear most of this anymore... were you?" Ranma explained as he pulled the shirt off and tossed it to Nabiki. "We tried to leave the more masculine stuff."

Akane paused as he looked the piles over again. Skirts and dresses. Shirts with deeply feminine cuts or patterns. All things that wouldn't make sense for him to wear anymore (and more than a few that he'd never liked wearing, but had bought to keep up appearances). Letting out a sigh he realised it made sense. He'd just gotten so used to keeping Nabiki out of his closet due to her love of permanent 'borrowing' it had just been instinctual to want to keep it all.

"Okay. I guess that makes sense, but I want final say on everything," Akane told them. He reached over and pulled a sweater out of Nabiki's pile. "Like this. I'm keeping it. It's the nicest sweater I've ever found."

"There's no way you'd fit in it now," Nabiki replied, clear longing in her eyes as she looked at the shirt.

"I can fit in any outfit here after a warm bath, sis," Akane replied. "Plus I still want to try to keep up appearances with Nodoka. I'm not sure she likes how much time I'm spending in guy mode."

"I do think she's handlin' it better than pops," Ranma muttered. "He's always so torn between the fact that 'schools will be united' and the fact that I'm in love with a guy. Never seen him look so sad about bein' so happy."

Camping

The cool air of a late September morning in the mountains caused Akane to shiver slightly as he nursed the fire back to life. It was good to get out of the city for a bit, with summer's sticky heat still firmly clinging to existence there. Especially as it ended up just Ranma and himself. Nodoka had insisted that a young engaged couple needed time alone (which only worsened Akane's confusion about what Nodoka thought of him; she seemed to be judging him constantly, yet would light up with smiles and pleasantries whenever he talked with her).

The last three days without having to worry about what his future mother-in-law thought of him was nice. The addition of getting to put in serious training with Ranma and push himself to his limits meant he was more than a bit sad today was the last day they had out. He did miss having a real bed to sleep in, so it wasn't all tears.

"Mornin'," Ranma mumbled as he crawled out of the tent, his black hair a tousled mess.

"Ah, look who finally woke up," Akane replied, chuckling a bit.

"Clearly you're just grumpy because you haven't eaten yet," Ranma countered as he plopped himself beside the small fire and started rifling through their cooking supplies. He turned back to Akane to offer some more teasing when he paused, staring at Akane's face.

"What is it, Ranma?" the taller boy asked. "Did I get soot on my face?"

Ranma leaned forward and rubbed Akane's cheek. Both of them instantly felt the coarseness.

"You've got stubble," Ranma said.

Akane felt his own face. There obviously wasn't that much of it, but that made sense. He was only 17, after all. It was still enough to bring a smile to his face despite how sparse it might be.

"I didn't know if it could ever grow in or not," Akane said quietly. "It hadn't grown in all this time, so I had my doubts."

"It just has to restart when you switch," Ranma replied absently while whisking up some eggs for an omelette. "Honestly, it's convenient. I was never all that good at shaving. I kept nicking myself and having to walk about with little bits of tissue paper stuck to my face, which pops laughed about."

"You shave your legs though," Akane pointed out.

"Yeah, but if I nick myself with that then I can just decide it's a pants day and no one knows any better," Ranma said, laughing a bit.

A silence descended over the pair as Ranma added the ingredients to Akane's omelette and the other teen found himself lost in thought. Ranma handed Akane his breakfast and started work on his own when Akane finally spoke again.

"I could grow a mustache like my dad's," he said quietly.

Ranma froze and stared as his fiancé. "Please don't."

Akane burst out laughing. "I knew your face would be priceless. Don't worry... I'm not planning it. I like hot baths too much to avoid them long enough to grow any real facial hair."

"That's good... though I will say, th-the stubble looks good. Maybe ya can learn ta take cold showers from time ta time?" Ranma replied.

P-Chan

Ryouga looked up and around the room feeling a strange sense of confusion. It felt familiar, yet wrong. Maybe he'd been in here before, but the room had changed occupants? It was hard to say. If he stopped to think about it he'd done a lot of trespassing in his life.

"P-chan?" a male voice called out.

Turning to the source the small piglet saw a handsome boy around his age looking down at him with a smile. The boy felt very familiar, but he couldn't quite place the face. P-chan backed up nervously, trying to find an escape route.

"Oh no. Don't be scared, it's me... I'll show you," the boy said as he swiftly lunged and grabbed hold of Ryoga's squirming form. "You never did like boys did you? Poor little P-chan."

The piglet froze. That tone. He knew that tone. But that didn't make sense. Akane would have found a cure by now, surely? Ryoga had managed to stay away for almost seven months. At the very least there'd be no reason to relax in cursed form even if Akane hadn't found a cure...

Ryoga was being set down before he realised they'd made it to the Tendo laundry room.

"Now watch carefully," the boy who surely couldn't be Akane explained.

At least that was what Ryoga tried to tell himself as the boy turned the hot water of the sink on and splashed his face. Ryoga watched the handsome boy shrink down into Akane's form in shock and the piglet's denial collapsed.

"See little P-chan? It's still me," Akane told him. "I'm just... I'm a boy now. You know, like how Ranma is a girl sometimes?"

Akane must have seen the confusion in P-chan's eyes and chuckled a bit. "You don't understand me... why do I always think you're going to? You're just a little piglet. You don't speak Japanese. Maybe this will help."

Akane lifted P-chan up to a gentle cradling against Akane's chest and for a moment Ryoga lost sight of what was happening as he enjoyed the softness. At least until Akane poured cold water onto himself and returned to male form. Things were suddenly rather less soft.

"See? Still me," Akane said softly.

There was a soft confused 'bwee' Ryoga decided to give up for tonight. He'd find hot water in the morning and see what had happened. Right now he was tired and cold and the idea of sleeping in a bed appealed. (Even if Akane would probably beat him up a bit while sleeping like usually happened.)

Ranma was munching on breakfast while wearing a smug smile. The redhead had thoroughly crushed his father in their morning sparring, which led to Genma sulking and Ranma getting to steal most of his breakfast.

The smugness drained from the redhead's cute face when he saw Akira sit down with a very familiar and very confused little piglet in his lap. P-chan stared up at Ranma with utter confusion in his oversized eyes. Ranma felt nothing but a wave of guilt.

"Aka-Akira," Ranma said, still getting used to the new name. "Can you get a good grip on P-chan?"

"Sure, but why?" Akira replied.

"I think we should take him to the B-A-T-H."

Akira gave him a look almost as confused as the one P-chan was wearing. "Why are you spelling words out in English?"

"P-chan's English is worse than his Japanese, and we both know he really doesn't like the B-A-T-H. This is important though," Ranma replied.

Akira shrugged before putting P-chan into the tightest grip he could manage. "It's okay P-chan. We've just got something to do before breakfast."

Ranma and Akira walked to the furo quietly. It wasn't until they reached the changing room that P-chan began to suspect what was happening. He tried his best to squirm but Akira maintained an iron grip as they walked to the bath.

"Plunk him in," the redhead said.

"He's scared, Ranma. The little guy doesn't like water much, you know that," Akira replied.

"Hot water. He doesn't like hot water. You need to know why," Ranma replied, the guilt dripping from his voice now.

Akira felt a bit of fear well up in his stomach as he glanced down at his beloved pet. What was P-chan's secret? Hot water meant something obvious that Akira couldn't ignore.

"Bweeeee!" was the eloquent protest P-chan managed as Akira swiftly plunked him into the water.

Within a moment Ryoga's (nude) form splashed into existence in the Tendo bathtub. Akira stumbled back in shock for a moment.

"Hi?" Ryoga offered with a shrug.

Akira's eye was twitching as he marched over an took a hold of Ryoga's earlobe. Angrily he pulled the naked teen out of the tub, ignored the pained yelps.

"You little pervert! You were sneaking into my bed letting me hug you! And here I was thinking you were a gentleman!" Akira fumed.

Ryoga lifted his hands apologetically, but received only Akira's fist to his face for those efforts. To Ryoga's surprise the force was far greater than any previous blow by the youngest Tendo sibling. Training with Ranma was indeed paying off, as evidenced by Ryoga flying backwards into the tiled wall with an unpleasant crack. (It was of course tile breaking. Ryoga's bones were far more durable.)

Still seething Akira locked his eyes on the small redhead trying to look cute and innocent. "Ranma. Get in the tub."

"Huh? Why?" Ranma asked, genuinely confused.

Akira rolled his eyes and scooped up Ranma's petite figure. While Ranma gave confused protests he soon found himself dropped unceremoniously into the warm bathwater.

Spluttering a black haired and male Ranma didn't have time to speak before a fist hit him in the gut.

"I'm going to leave now before I hurt either of you worse. But this punishment isn't over," Akira shouted as he turned to storm out of the room. It had been a long time since he'd been this angry, and he didn't like the feeling.

Ryoga and Ranma sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

"Okay," Ryoga moaned. "I'm confused. Why is Akane hanging out in cursed form?"

"Akira," Ranma corrected. "He's going by Akira now. And he's staying that way because he's happier as a guy."

Ryoga stared at Ranma in confused disbelief. "Tendo Akane, boy hater is now living as a guy? Seriously?"

Ranma nodded. "A lot of his hate was due to confusion. With my curse and natural ability to pick up feminine skills I was just unsettling him more. But he didn't understand what it was then. I mean... none of us coulda guessed."

Ryoga stared at the floor in thought for a few seconds. "I guess that makes sense. You basically did what his subconscious must have been wishing he could do multiple times a day."

The two boys sat in silence again. Ranma heard the shattering of stone outside and realised Akira was working off some steam. Ryoga still wasn't sure if he could believe all this.

"So," Ryoga began, "are you engaged to Nabiki or Kasumi now? I'd guess... Nabiki?"

Ranma turned to stare at Ryoga. When the other boy just stared back Ranma shook his head and wandered towards the furo door.

Pausing as he reached the threshold Ranma turned back to Ryoga. "I'm still engaged to Akira. His being a guy now hasn't changed the fact I love him. Well, other than helping me understand why he was so angry at me all the time. I'm glad to know it was envy rather than hatred. Also glad it's not as big of an issue anymore."

Ryoga nodded as his eyes drifted towards the window. He could hear the sound of masonry being destroyed accompanied by masculine shouting. He barely noticed that Ranma had left as he became lost in thought. Most specifically: how did he feel about Akira?

He'd been in love with his idea of Akane for so long, but if Akane had proven to really be a guy how accurate was his idea? The evening before, the youngest Tendo hadn't seemed that changed, still a doting pet owner full of kindness and love. Ryoga decided to follow the sounds of shattering concrete to try to find answers. It turned out Ranma had headed in the same direction as Ryoga overheard an argument around the corner.

"What was that with the tub?" he heard Ranma's voice angrily ask.

"What do you mean? You definitely deserved that," Akira countered defensively.

"I'm not denying that I deserved a sucker punch. The whole P-chan thing was a mess I'm not proud of, but... why did you have to dunk me in the tub first? I'm me either way. I don't want double standards. And I never expected 'em from you of all people."

This was getting interesting to Ryoga. He might learn something about how things were changing if he listened, so he stayed put.

"I... it's different when I'm a guy and you're a girl. You're just so... so small compared to me. And baby faced. It feels wrong..."

Ryoga wondered what was happening as a silence lingered between them. Then Ranma burst out laughing.

"Well, at least know ya understand why I had trouble with the idea of trainin' you," Ranma said, still giggling a bit.

"Hey! You had your curse the whole time. I was taller than you half the time then," Akira replied. "So the excuse doesn't work for you."

Ryoga smiled a bit. 'So Akane-er, Akira, really is sounding like a guy. At least that makes dealing with his hating me a bit easier. A guy I can negotiate with.'

The fang toothed boy walked around the corner to where Ranma and Akira were standing. Both boys were pouting and glaring at the other. Akira had a lifetime of socialisation leading a still somewhat feminine expression of anger while Ranma... was just Ranma and had taken to a mix of feminine and masculine expression very easily. (In fact Ryoga swore looking back that Ranma had some feminine tendencies in middle school.)

"So, Akira. You're a guy now. And you're angry with me," Ryoga said. "That leaves an obvious solution: we settle our differences like men."

"You want me to fight you?" the tall Tendo boy asked. "What good would that do? One, you'd beat me, so I'd just get angrier. And two, even if I did win by some miracle it doesn't solve the problem."

Ryoga hit a mental wall. That wasn't how things were done. "Aren't you trying to be manly? It's how guys do things. You yell at each other. You fight each other. And then while you're both tired and panting you agree things are resolved."

"Has that ever worked for you, Ryoga?" Akira asked.

Ryoga noticed Ranma had raised an eyebrow as well, though was remaining quiet.

"Well... Okay fine, maybe it hasn't," Ryoga admitted reluctantly. "But it's still how guys are supposed to do things."

"I'm trying to be my definition of a guy Ryoga," Akira told him. "I'm not trying to be a walking stereotype. I've spent enough of my life struggling to be a 'proper' girl, I can't be bothered with that nonsense this time."

"S-sorry," Ryoga muttered, now staring at his feet. It had seemed like such a simple solution, but now he found himself lost.

"Besides, I'm angry at you for doing something while we both thought I was a girl. You violated my trust. And my privacy. And... and... I feel dirty just looking at you," Akira shot back. "I'd tell you to leave and go back to Akari but... you don't deserve her. Not if you think you can treat a girl like you treated me."

Ryoga shivered involuntarily at Akari's name which caused Ranma some curiosity, but he wasn't about to side with Ryoga while Akira was still mad at both of them. Instead he'd try to offer a solution to the issue. "We could hit Ryoga with some instant Nyannichuan so he knows what it feels like to suffer feminine embarrassment."

Akira shot Ranma a glare. "Do you really think that would work? Mr. 'no feminine modesty'?"

"I just ain't one for pointless modesty in either form," Ranma replied. "But I've have to deal with the weird feelin' that comes with guys creeping on me plenty of times. And Ryoga's naturally way more modest than me. Maybe hit him with some waterproof soap too so he stays that way a while."

"We'll have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't enjoy himself," Akira said as he thought it over. "But it could work."

"W-wait a minute. Don't I get to offer an alternative?" Ryoga asked nervously.

"You already did," Akira replied flatly.

Nabiki was munching on some chips as she looked over at a very embarrassed female Ryoga flanked by Akira and Ranma. Ryoga had turned out cute, especially with those fangs. The short messy hair and muscular build gave little Ryoga's female form a distinct look. Specifically a very cute butch look. Musing the scenario over one thing popped into her head.

"So you think it'll last a week, huh?" Nabiki asked. The two boys flanking Ryoga nodded.

"And we're keeping watch to make sure he doesn't do anything inappropriate with having a girl body," Akira replied.

"Ahh... you two do know all about what boys get up to when given female bodies, so I suppose there's no better guards," Nabiki said, smirking a little.

"I ain't done nothin' perverse like that," Ranma muttered. He softly whispered, "Even if mum says I should."

The pigtailed boy turned bright red.

"And I've barely touched my female form since figuring out-I mean..." Akira began blushing worse than Ranma.

"Oh my," Nabiki said, giving her best impression of Kasumi. "Seriously though, little brother, I'm only teasing. I'm the one who told you you were allowed to do that sort of stuff in the first place. Even if circumstances were a little different back then. And Ranma... you're so innocent."

"I am sorry my little brother and Ranma are putting you through this," Kasumi said softly. She'd been left in charge of watching Ryoga while her brother and Ranma were at school.

They'd given her one simple instruction: take Ryoga out in public. With Nodoka around so often to help clean the dojo Kasumi had found herself with quite a bit more spare time than she used to have, so the request was not just doable but enjoyable. Her trips to explore Kuramae and other curious shopping districts around Tokyo had become nearly weekly, and bringing Ryoga along gave her pleasant company. She just wished the train wasn't so crowded so that they'd be able to sit.

"I more than deserve this," Ryoga muttered, still self conscious about how soft his voice sounded under the influence of Nyannichuan powder.

Kasumi looked down at his innocent and sad face and wanted to assure him. Yet she knew Ryoga was right. What he'd done was wrong. Still she wondered if it had been as perverted as everyone was treating it. Ryoga seemed more lonely than anything to her.

Suddenly Ryoga gave a squeak and leapt forward into Kasumi's arms.

"Someone pinched me!" the currently cute and feminine Ryoga yelped.

Kasumi scanned the crowded train car for a likely culprit, but couldn't identify anyone more suspicious than the others. It was only after the train slowed into the next station that Kasumi realised she was holding the small boy-turned-girl in her arms quite tightly to reassure him. Realising how intimate the pose would seem if Ryoga were in his natural form Kasumi released him and stepped back a bit.

Looking down at his soft face Ryoga seemed to have barely noticed how close they had been and was still embarrassed about the pinch.

As they sat in the small Kuramae cafe Kasumi decided to try to broach a conversation. Ryoga had just been so quiet as they'd browsed the shops earlier... she knew he was supposed to be being punished, but was never the best at playing the 'bad cop'.

"So," she began as she watched Ryoga pick at his sweet potato fries, "you have been very quiet today. With all your travelling I am left wondering if you were lonely or if you might be one of those people who enjoys the solitude."

Onna-Ryoga looked up sheepishly at Kasumi. "It's lonely. I mean... I don't like the city too much. It's so noisy and crowded. And full of creeps who pinch girls apparently... but I don't like being alone either. I've seen so many beautiful sights, but I never have anyone to share them with. No one to talk to about the things I find."

"What sort of things?" Kasumi asked. She had spent so many years all but locked away in her home, the only escape she ever found was travel shows. Any actual vacation would have been irresponsible. And now she barely knew her own city.

Ryoga's eyes grew distant, but not cold. The way his mouth scrunched up in concentration told her he was trying to concentrate on memories.

"There's this one clearing I found. It was the perfect size, with this massive glacial erratic... er, boulder sitting in the middle, with a shallow depression near the top that's perfect for sitting in. There's sakura trees all around. It's the most beautiful place to visit in spring, but... I have no idea where it is. I've found it a few times over the years, but I thought I was on Kyushu one of those times and Honshu the other three times."

Kasumi tried her best to picture it, though she knew her imagination wasn't doing it justice.

"Then there's this one mountain. On one side there's a cliff where it feels like you can see the whole world. I think it's fairly far north because the leaves seem to turn to their fall colours early in the year and they turn the view into a sea of orange and red rolling across all the hills," Ryoga continued, a smile growing on his face.

Kasumi's heart felt a wanderlust long buried awaken as he continued to describe the sights and places he'd seen. Mostly locations out in the wilderness, but sometimes a quaint fishing town or a village in the mountains. He simply had seen so much, she was filled with both envy and fascination. She'd always said she found younger men boring, but as she listened to his fascinating adventures Kasumi forgot his form was currently altered by ancient Chinese magic and began to feel a sensation she'd not felt in almost three years. A crush.

Ryoga was finally himself again, the week's punishment now over. Akira was still shooting him dirty looks, but he found some peace in the dojo while trying to plan out his next move. Obviously he had to leave, but maybe he could ask for help to get back home?

"Hey, porkchop," Ranma said as he slid into the dojo. "There's somethin' I've been meanin' to ask. Every time someone mentions Akari you get all jumpy. What happened?"

Ryoga tensed a bit and stared over into a corner of the room. "Her family breed pigs. When you're a breeder you don't keep all the animals, only the best. They made a good chunk of their money selling the extra pigs."

"Huh, I guess that makes sense. How was it a problem?" Ranma asked.

"What do people tend to buy pigs for?" Ryoga asked. He saw the realisation hit Ranma. "Mhm, pork. And it meant the butchers would usually prepare one of the pigs for them to take back home for their own use. They had ham at least once a day."

"Huh... but Akari seemed like she loved pigs so much," Ranma mumbled to himself.

"Oh, she does love them. She just grew up with it being a fact of life that they didn't keep them all. She is a sweet girl, trying to pamper the ones she knows they won't keep so they at least enjoy their time on earth... but the smell of frying bacon isn't something I can stomach anymore. Not after enough times where it was me about to head to the frying pan."

"Listen, Ryoga... I'm really sorry for helping ta get you into that situation," Ranma said softly.

Ryoga turned to him and shook his head. "Don't be. I'm still glad I met her, and we're still friends. We just agreed that there were a few problems between us both that made romance unlikely."

Ranma nodded in understanding. As the moment of silence grew awkward between them Ranma stood to leave.

"Before you go," Ryoga said tentatively, "I want to say that I understand things better now, having watched you two this past week. You were in love with Akira the whole time while I was chasing a lie."

"I don't think I quite follow?" Ranma replied.

"You fell in love with his determination. His love of martial arts. And just... all the traits that make him him," Ryoga explained. "Meanwhile I... I fell in love with the girl he was pretending to be. The nervous attempts at cooking and sewing. The constant fretting that outfits looked feminine enough. The attempts to show maternal instinct with a pet."

Ranma found himself nodding thoughtfully again. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Heh, I can just picture how bad I'd deny it back then... Oh, and apparently Kasumi wants ta meet Shirokuro, so she was wonderin' if she could walk ya home."

"She knows the way?" Ryoga asked.

"I showed her on a map. Unlike you, that works for some people," Ranma replied with a playful laugh.

Birthday

Konatsu was simply overwhelmed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done anything for her birthday. She'd only mentioned it in passing to Ukyo because she'd realised nearly forgotten the date. And now here she was with all the people she knew coming to wish her well and give her presents. Actual honest to goodness presents.

She felt guilty as she selfishly wondered where Akira and Ranma were. She considered them her best friends (apart from Ukyo of course) and yet... neither had arrived yet.

To her surprise the front door to Ucchan's opened almost on cue, with a male Ranma stepping in carrying a large crate. However rather than Akira accompanying him it was Kasumi and Nabiki, the latter girl pointing a camcorder intently at Konatsu.

"What is the camera for, Nabiki?" Konatsu asked as the sharp haired girl approached with a smile on her face. "And where is Akira? Is he sick?"

"Nah, little brother's fine. Camera is actually for his benefit. He wants to see your face when you get your present, but can't actually be here until you've used it," Nabiki explained.

"Pardon? Why can't he be here? W-what sort of present is it?" the waitress/ninja asked nervously as Ranma sat the crate down on the table in front over her.

"Open'er up and see," Ranma said with a flourish as he backed off a bit.

Konatsu stared at the mysterious crate for a moment nervously. She swallowed her nerves and cracked the side open with a spatula Ukyo slid her. As the side fell away and light hit the contents she nearly fainted.

She recognised those Kanji.

Nervously pulling the jar inside out of the padded crate she could barely speak, tears of happiness running down her face.

"Ny-nyannichuan w-water!?" she practically squeaked.

"Yep," Ranma replied simply. "It'll feel weird the first couple times, but you get used to it."

Trembling with excitement, Konatsu eventually managed to pry the jar open. For a few moments she just stared at the water sloshing about inside. On some level she was convinced it couldn't be happening. That with her luck they'd prove to have sent the wrong water and she'd end up a toad or something for her arrogance to think she deserved this.

Taking a deep breath she swallowed that uncertainty. She walked over to behind the grill where the tile floor was sufficiently waterproof and there was no one in range to get cursed. After a moment's hesitation she dumped the water over her head and felt the tingling as her body shifted and shrank.

Turning to look at the rest of them she beamed the most genuine smile anyone had ever seen on her face. Hurrying over she wrapped Ranma and Kasumi in a bearhug, barely noticing that she'd dropped down to eye level with them both.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she said on repeat once she finally released the pair from her bear grip.

"One second, Konatsu, the gift was really Akira's idea," Ranma replied. "Let me go get him now that it's safe."

Ranma was gone before Konatsu realised she still hadn't quite understood why Akira was staying away. Apparently her confusion was sitting quite clear on her face as Kasumi gave her a smile and an explanation.

"Little brother had to stay away since we're not sure what would happened if even a little bit had spilled on him. And since Jusenkyo curses seem to lead to bad luck, especially with water, we felt it was best for him to keep his distance."

Konatsu nodded in understanding. That certainly made sense. She knew she'd never take any chances of losing the form she'd just gained.

"Ko-chan, you're shorter than I expected," Akira said with a smile as he and Ranma entered the restaurant.

"Aki-kun!" Konatsu squeaked as she bounded across the room to hug the mastermind behind the best gift she could ever ask for. She was about to pull him into a hug when she realised she was still a bit damp and ended up freezing awkwardly. "I'm so thankful! I didn't dare dream this day would come."

"Hey, Ko-chan, there's no way I couldn't do this for you. We were in the same boat... except you realised it," Akira replied with a smile. "I'm just glad Ranma and I could get it arranged in time for your birthday."

"I am going to go find a towel and some dry clothes... then I will give you the hug you deserve!" she announced, hurrying off to the back staircase.

Daughter

In the bustling department store you could scarcely blame the casual observer for missing the diminutive redhead slipping along gracefully through the crowd despite carrying multiple bags of clothing. The woman following said redhead whose face bore the same innocent childlike cuteness was a bit easier to spot due to her greater height and need to apologise to anyone she felt she strayed too closely to as she chased after her travel companion. Still, as cute as they may have been they rarely warranted more than a second glance in a crowd of people with places to be.

Ranma smiled as he finally broke from the crowds and found a quiet corner with a bench. Surprisingly for how quiet it was, the tucked away hallway near what were obviously poorly used elevators had a window overlooking the bustling streets of Shibuya below. The small cursed boy plopped himself down on the bench and was quickly joined by his mother.

"I must say, that was quite a productive shopping trip," Nodoka said softly.

"I know what I like when it comes to clothes," Ranma replied happily, the redhead rifling through his bags a bit to peak at the items he'd just bought once more..

"That is certainly true. A rather... masculine trait," Nodoka said, seeming to grow lost in thought for a few moments before shaking her head. "Which is good for my manly son to have of course."

Ranma had managed to notice his mother's sudden distance and struggled with a brief moment of internal debate on whether or not to probe. The tactful silence route was never his strong point, which made the internal debate quite short.

"What's wrong, ma?"

Nodoka's eyes fell before flashing Ranma a guilty look. "It's just, I was remembering when we were first reunited when you were playing the part of Ranko. And when Akira was playing the part of Akane as well. There I was, thinking I had two young girls to guide to womanhood... Even though I am proud of both you young men, I sometimes feel a bit sad to have lost what I thought I had."

"W-well, I still need ya to train me on these things... I think I can play the part of a daughter pretty well," Ranma replied, switching to a feminine speech pattern and trying his best to appear cute.

Nodoka gave him a soft hug. "I appreciate the effort Ranma, but I still know you're my son at the end of the day. I am much happier having you than I would be if Ranko had been a real girl to teach, even if some selfish part of me wishes I could have had both."

Ranma nodded solemnly, deflating slightly. "Sorry..."

Wedding

Akira stumbled nervously through the final rehearsal of the wedding ceremony. He was finally getting to see Ranma fully done up in the shiromuku, and the sight was making him weak in the knees. Silently he thanked Nodoka for choosing a Shinto ceremony so that the final rehearsal was done with Ranma in full dress. The small hints of Ranma's red hair added a nice splash of colour which complimented both the bright red lipstick and minimal red trims on the wedding kimono.

As they walked quietly across the shrine grounds to the location of the true ceremony Akira found himself on edge. The wedding was going so well, he felt convinced something would snatch it away. Yet Ukyo had helped Akira and Nodoka with the planning more than Ranma had (not to say Ranma was uninvolved, but most of his input came down to supporting Akira if there was a difference of opinion with Nodoka) and the other likely candidates for chaos had either been pacified in the past year and a half or given an excessive quantity of saké at the start of the day.

It began to rain a bit as they approached the official heart of the shrine and Akira smiled up at the heavens for a moment. With his curse he'd come to quite like the rain, so he took it as a good sign. It had been raining when he met Ranma, after all.

The ceremony itself went much smoothly. Nodoka and Soun had both cried at points, and Nabiki had gotten dirty looks from both the happy couple and the Shrine maiden running the ceremony with how close she brought her video camera in a few times, but there were no interruptions. Only peace and perfect photo opportunities.

After the thoroughly traditional Shinto ceremony both Ranma and Akira had begged Nodoka for far more casual receptions. Neither were employed after all, Akira still in the first semester of his first year of university and Ranma choosing to take a ronin year, so there was no need to separate out the formal reception from the nijikai after party for the sake of employers or coworkers. Which would let them eat and enjoy themselves sooner.

Of course, before any of that everyone wanted to see the couple dressed up.

"Ranma! You look so pretty!" Yuka said as the couple walked into the reception hall.

Ranma shot her a smile. Other compliments came gushing out about how pretty Ranma looked and how handsome Akira looked. After the crowd had seen their fill Akira left with Ryoga to go change into a more casual western style suit, while Ranma left with Ukyo, Nodoka, and Konatsu to face the ordeal that was changing out of the ornate bridal kimono.

Having a chance to actually chat to someone while they were alone in the men's changing area Akira wasted no opportunity, starting to talk as Ryoga helped him out of the still quite ornate groom's kimono.

"So, how long until you and Kasumi tie the knot?" Akira asked, ironically while both of them were untying knots on the outfit.

Ryoga blushed slightly. "Soon. Definitely. She had said we would wait until she finished culinary school, but the way she's been gushing about how beautiful everything with your wedding planning was I think it might get bumped up a bit."

Akira was buttoning up the dress shirt of his tuxedo as he thought up a response. "Well, if you need any help with planning on short notice, let me know. Though I'm sure between big sister and Nodoka you'll be able to get all the help you need."

"I'm sure Kasumi's had everything planned since she was 10," Ryoga replied with a smirk.

"7 actually. She ran her plans by Nabiki and me when we were little. Nabiki eventually talked her out of wanting a June wedding for pricing reasons," Akira said, laughing a bit.

"Well, hopefully our plans are compatible," Ryoga replied.

"You've got plans too?" Akira asked.

"Yeah. You spend as much time alone as I do and you think up scenarios. I spent so many nights trying to picture the perfect wedding back in first year of high school," Ryoga explained before blushing. "Except back then... well, I was picturing y-you as the bride."

Akira froze halfway through pulling his suit jacket on and watched Ryoga awkwardly try to avoid eye contact. Akira couldn't help but laugh. "Ryoga, I'm not exactly shocked or anything. Plus... when I was younger I expected to be the bride, I mean, it's barely been two years since I became a guy... Nabiki still has pictures of me in a wedding dress somewhere... I swear she has blackmail plans of some sort for those."

Ryoga let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding and smiled. He was worried about having ruined the mood. "Well, let's go try to stay awake through an hour of speeches, eh Akira?"

Akira laughed as well and the pair walked out to the reception hall. It was no surprise that Ranma wasn't ready yet, but his outfit was so much more complicated to change out of. Akira passed the time waiting for Ranma by making small talk with friends and family. He still found it amusing how flustered his aunt Ikuko was about the whole him being a guy thing.

His conversation of lightly teasing his aunt came to an abrupt end when a commotion revealed the bride's return. Hurrying over Akira almost stumbled when he saw Ranma back male and dressed in a tux that matched his own.

"I thought you had your eyes on a dress?" Akira asked as he walked up beside his spouse.

Ranma gave a simple shrug. "Between the price tag and how much more comfortable a tux is I changed my mind. Just kept it a secret to surprise you," Ranma added, poking his husband's shoulder.

Akira's response was a quick kiss on Ranma's lips, which caused most of the reception party to erupt in cheers.

"It's good to see both of you," Akira whispered.

Akira was definitely a little drunk as he watched the lights of cars zip along on the roads far below their hotel room. A smile grew on his face for quite possibly the hundredth time as he realised once more he and Ranma were properly married at last.

The light from the bathroom door opening drew Akira's attention. Looking over he saw a gorgeous redhead in racy lingerie laying some serious bedroom eyes onto him.

"R-Ranma, you're... you're..." Akira stammered.

"Gorgeous? Sexy? Beautiful beyond words?" Ranma filled in while crossing the space between them with seductive hip swaying.

"All those things too, but I was going to say female."

"Oh... well, yeah. We're married now," Ranma replied.

Akira looked at his adorable husband with confusion. "What does marriage have to do with that? This isn't exactly our first time together... but you've always been male before. I don't want you doing anything you're uncomfortable with just because you think it's expected."

"No, no... it's not that," Ranma explained. "Just, well... okay, a little bit of it is feeling guilty about the idea of doin' things in this form, but the bigger thing is just that I didn't want ta worry about getting pregnant before we got married. Mom went on this big lecture about it and how girls who have kids before they're married get kicked out of their family registries an' everythin'. And it got me all panicked about the idea so I didn't want to take any risks."

Akira took Ranma's small form into a protective hug and kissed Ranma's forehead. "If you'd gotten pregnant I would have married you early in a heartbeat. I suppose this will help make our wedding night even more memorable at least."

"Fair warning, when it does happen I'll probably be a bit of a disaster. Pregnancy I mean. The hormones make ya act all weird anyway and the idea feels so alien... But I'm sure I can handle it. I can handle anything," the redhead said, giving Akira a confident smirk.

"You're good at that," Ranma said, blushing happily as the redhead lay staring at the hotel room ceiling. "Really know how to show a girl a very nice time."

"Of course I do. I've got a decent amount of experience with the female form," Akira replied, whispering in Ranma's ear.

"Wait, how?" the redhead asked, bolting to a seated position and staring at his husband.

Akira just laughed for a few moments as Ranma grew ever more flustered. "Myself, Ranma."

"Oh... oh right," Ranma muttered in embarrassment as the red haired cutie lay back down and accepted Akira's gentle embrace. "I'm too sleepy and happy to think."

The small redhead passed out in Akira's arms almost immediately. Absentmindedly, Akira fussed with Ranma's hair as he too drifted off to sleep.

Parents

It was Saturday night. That had become the unofficial 'guy's night' for Akira, Ranma, and the rest of their friends. As usually happened they'd congregated to their favourite bar and were mostly complaining about university. Akira and Ryoga were hard at work taking turns at trying to wear Ranma down in air hockey.

"You know, for some reason I expected there to be a bigger shift in the group dynamic now that you and Akira are officially married, Ranma," Daisuke said as he wandered over to watch the current Ryoga vs Ranma air hockey match.

"We've basically been married for years," Ranma replied, casually deflecting Ryoga's shot.

"Mhm, the bigger change is probably going to be when our course loads pick up," Akira said, taking a sip from his beer.

"Of course another big change will be that I'll have to stop drinking once I get pregnant," Ranma replied as he scored a shot on Ryoga's goal.

The shot was made especially easy thanks to Akira and Daisuke both spitting out their beer and spraying Ryoga. The grumpy looking piglet now sitting in a pile of his clothing glared up at both of them.

"Heh, sorry P-chan," Akira said before turning to his currently very male husband. "Well, you're not in a hurry to do that are you?"

Ranma scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I'd kind of like to try sooner than later. I want to be young enough to still properly spar with our kids when they've grown up. And mum keeps talking about how wonderful and life changing giving birth is."

"Oh... Okay," Akira replied.

"And the Jusenkyo salesman was having a really good sale on waterproof soap, so... I kind of bought a year's supply already," Ranma added with a nervous laugh.

"Oohh. You mean right away... Well, if your parents and dad are willing to help out," Akira said, taking some time to think things over. "Dad did swear to me he'd help out back in first year of highschool when he seemed half convinced the quickest way to get a marriage was a pregnancy."

Akira shivered a bit at the memory of how the idea of getting pregnant himself had so disturbed him when he was younger. He had become so focused on the discussion with Ranma he'd half forgotten where he was an jumped slightly when another voice chimed into the conversation.

"Let's have a toast to Akira and Ranma's future kids," Ukyo announced, slapping Ranma on the back.

"Toast!" Daisuke and Hiroshi cheered.

"Bwee!" Ryoga added for good measure.

Ranma received another good natured slap on the back from Ukyo once they had all drank their toasts. "Your old man is going to make sooo many weird faces once the baby bump becomes visible. I can't wait."

The pigtailed young man paled a bit himself as he pictured it. "I'm so tiny... I'll look like I'm trying to smuggle a watermelon or something."

The trio sat in a coffee shop resting their feet after a long day of shopping. Sayuri and Konatsu were both chatting merrily, but Ranma's heart wasn't really in it. A long sigh out of the redhead drew the attention of the two girls.

"What's wrong?" Konatsu asked, noticing Ranma had barely touched his drink.

"I want to change... like, don't get me wrong, I'm happy hangin' out with you two, but it's been almost three months since I was a guy. It just feels weird," the small redhead said, fussing with his straw a bit. "I'm used to swapping a couple times a day."

"Well, you knew for sure you'd be in girl mode for 9 months when you started this," Sayuri said with a diplomatic tone.

"Yeah, but I'm not even at that yet. I didn't know it took this long just trying to get pregnant," Ranma muttered, starting to stab the mocha with his straw.

"Shampoo did offer you that Joketsuzoku potion," Konatsu offered.

"Yeah, for the low low cost of having to get her pregnant first... I'm not comfortable with having a child as a business transaction."

They paused a bit as Konatsu seemed to get lost in thoughts of her own.

"Well, no one would blame you if you took a day off to go male?" Sayuri said.

"Except I might already be pregnant. If I go male... I'm not entirely sure what would happen, but it wouldn't be good, I'm certain," Ranma replied, shivering and going a bit distant.

"Maybe talk to a fertility specialist?" Sayuri offered.

"Nah, nah... Mum says 3-6 months is totally normal. I set myself a challenge to do this and I'm not going to back out. The kid had better be really cute to make up for it though," Ranma announced with a laugh before slurping down the mocha in one go.

Sayuri watched with a mixture of awe and disgust at how quickly Ranma had downed the drink.

Akira was pacing frantically in Yuka's apartment. Yuka and Mousse were nodding passively as he vented about his various fears regarding Ranma's current pregnancy.

"He gets sick all the time. And he's going to be in so much pain. And the doctor said the birth might be stressful on his small frame. And-And... Am I just being selfish?"

"Woah, woah, slow down there," Yuka said. "How are you being selfish?"

"I'm powerless. I can't help him at all," Akira replied, still pacing. "And I did this to him..."

Yuka put a hand on his arm to stop the pacing. "He wanted this at least as much as you. You're always running around trying to get him whatever he might need... or crave. You're being an excellent husband. So, how are you being selfish?"

Akira looked down at her, then over at Mousse, before staring out the window and muttering something under his breath.

"Pardon?" Mousse asked.

"I could have done it," Akira repeated, barely audible. "Then he wouldn't be going through all this."

"Akira, I say this as one of your oldest friends: you couldn't. Like, physically it would be possible, but emotionally?" Yuka asked. "No way."

"Mmh, you'd handle it about as well as I could," Mousse added. "We're both guys. Taking on female form for nine months straight, even without the pregnancy, would be unsettling."

"But what about Ranma then? He's a guy too," Akira countered.

Mousse and Yuka looked at each other and shrugged before Yuka turned back to Akira. "He's... different. Like, I'm not sure he could handle losing the curse."

"Mhm, when I offered to bring him some Nannichuan back from my trip last summer he seemed honestly frightened by the idea. Plus, he did agree to have himself legally considered female so that you two could get married properly," Mousse added. "I wouldn't call Ranma a girl per say, but... are there options in the middle?"

"I-I don't know," Akira mumbled. "But it makes sense... at the very least he flips back and forth, and I'm not just talking about physically."

Grandmother

Nodoka stood impatiently outside the hospital as she waited for Genma to pay the taxi driver. They'd already missed the birth. Ranma was unfortunately two weeks early, which had left the new grandparents in Kyushu visiting family when the news their child had gone in labour reached them. Nodoka chided herself for thinking she could get a vacation in before the birth.

"Which room was the boy in again?" Genma asked as he came to his wife's side.

"207. Kasumi already gave me the directions," Nodoka said, her answer coming a little sharper than planned due to her lack of sleep and general panic.

Nodoka hurried off down the near endless halls of the hospital, following various colour marked pathways. Genma rushed after her, worried that if he lost sight of her it might be hours before he found the proper room (all the hallways here looked so alike). Both their faces lit up when they saw Soun fast asleep in a waiting room on the edge of the maternity ward. A bleary eyed Nabiki was staring into her coffee as she sat across from him.

Noticing movement, Nabiki looked up to see the Saotomes. "Mornin'... or is it afternoon? I've been sitting here so long I'm not sure."

"It's morning, dear," Nodoka replied. "Do get some sleep if you need it."

"Thnks," Nabiki mumbled as she went back to meditating upon her coffee.

Room 207 proved only a few doors away. As they entered Nodoka was thrilled to see that not only was Ranma awake, but the new baby was present too, swaddled up and resting in her father's arms.

"You're mine. You're really mine... I'm a father... I still can barely believe it," Akira was whispering, clearly at least as tired as Nabiki and with a few days stubble on his face.

"We had good timing, I see," Nodoka said happily as she and her husband slipped quietly into the room.

"Mom. Dad. You made it," Ranma said, beaming despite heavy bags under the redhead's eyes.

"Of course my boy," Genma told his son assuredly. "You've certainly lost some muscle mass, I see. We'll have to start training back up in what... 3 days?"

"It might be a little longer than that, pops... I feel exhausted. What was it... twelve hours of labour? Ugh..." Ranma replied. "I feel totally out of it."

Nodoka walked quietly over to Akira to look at the tiny baby he was holding in his arms. She was quite adorable, and reminded Nodoka so much of what Ranma had looked like as a newborn, with the same impressive head of dark hair.

"She's beautiful," Nodoka said. "What name did you choose?"

Ranma smiled weakly (whether it was due to nerves or exhaustion Nodoka couldn't be sure). "Ranko. Tendo Ranko."

"Really?" Nodoka replied, looking down at the newborn girl.

"I remember you saying how you wished Ranko had been real, so that you'd have had a girl to help guide to womanhood. Well, now she sort of is. With two guys as her parents she's going to need your guidance," Ranma replied, a bit of sadness and longing in the redhead's voice.

Nodoka looked into Ranma's eyes and suddenly understood. With a weak smile of her own she walked over to her a child, sitting down on the edge of the hospital bed, and took Ranma's small delicate hand.

"Ranma... you've been a bride. Now you're a mother. Along with everything else you've done... I would say you know plenty about womanhood. And I've given you all the guidance I would have given a daughter. All while you've held onto your manliness at the same time. You're the most remarkable child I could have ever had," she explained, rubbing her thumb along the back of Ranma's hand. "Of course... I am thrilled to have a granddaughter. Even if it does makes me feel like I should be a good ten years older than I am."

The Kids

Akira was enjoying a refreshing cool shower when he heard giggling from the changing area. Ranko was up to something, and Akane was clearly happy as an accomplice. He was about to go out and check what the girls were up to when he heard the flushing of the toilet. A moment later his shower switched to scalding.

With a yelp of pain he stumbled out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. By the time he'd charged into the laundry room both girls were long gone, though he heard the patter of their feet and the sound of their giggles in the hall. Charging out to give them a thorough tickle attack of vengeance he ended up losing the trail. How did those girls get so fast?

"Pfft," Ranma laughed from the living room as he spotted Akira. "You know, honey... I like the view, but you really should remember your feminine modesty."

"Wha-?" Akira asked before glancing down at himself. He'd been so focused on chasing the girls he'd not realised he'd switched back to his birth form... and only had the towel around his lower half.

Letting his eyes drift back to Ranma he saw how his black haired husband was trying not to look, and doing rather a bad job of it. Smirking Akira sauntered over and bent down to bring his face only a few centimetres from his husband's.

"I've got no need for feminine modesty. I'm a boy after all, and we both know boys are perverts," Akira said in the most seductive voice he could manage.

Ranma was blushing furiously which caused Akira to smirk briefly before leaning in for a kiss. Akira felt very smug with how enticed Ranma was. It was a rare enough thing for Akira to let Ranma spend time with his girl form when they were both female. But with Ranma male and him female? He honestly wasn't sure he remembered ever having a proper kiss that way. Ranma was spellbound. (It wasn't that Ranma prefered Akira's girl form of course. If anything Ranma's preference seemed to be the roles reversed, but the rareness of the opportunity appealed to Ranma.)

"Eeewww! Mom and dad are being weird!" Ranko proclaimed, much to little Akane's apparently amusement judging by the giggles.

"You two!" Akira shouted after pulling away from a still longing Ranma. "You girls are in sssoooo much trouble!"

Both girls squealed happily as their father chased them into the hall. With less of a head start Akira caught the pair quickly and gave both of them thorough tickle attacks.