Ranma-chan : Jeez, that dirty old man! Why does HE want to know.
(She leaps up to the second floor, forsaking the stairs, and opens the
door to her room. She steps inside and slams the door shut, and locks
it Noticing that sweat had stained her shirt <God knows she had
sweated alot while watching that show!>, Ranma-chan quickly strips off
the garment and absently undoes her bra. She absently casts about the
room for a new shirt and a new bra, her gaze going from each corner,
to Ranma sitting in a desk gaping at her, to the dressing table, to the
pegs on the wall, to.....she does a double-take.)
Ranma-chan : What are you doing here, Ranma?! You pervert! (quickly
pulls on her shirt.)
Ranma : Ummm...didn't I tell you before that I was going to do my
homework in here?
Ranma-chan : Oh....uh...right. I forgot. (she looks sheepish)
Ranma : That's okay. (grins a little) At least I was treated to a show.
Ranma-chan : You pig! Is that all you ever think about?
Ranma : Why don't you ask yourself the same question? After all, you
are me, right?
Ranma-chan : Now it's different! I'm a girl and you're a guy!
Ranma : What's the big deal? I've already seen your body
THOUSANDS of times, back then. Remember, how we would enjoy
looking at ourselves?
Ranma-chan : Pig.
Ranma : Whatever.
(Ranma goes back to scribbling in his notebook, albeit with much less
enthusiasm, if that was possible. Ranma-chan quickly takes her shirt
off, pulls on her bra, and pulls her shirt back on - all in record time.
She looks over at the hunched form of Ranma at the desk.)
Ranma-chan : Well, I don't know whether I should apologize or whether
I should wait for you to thank me..if you know what I mean.
Ranma : Thank you.
Ranma-chan : Chauvinist pig.
Ranma : (turning around) Table dancer.
Ranma-chan : (sticks her tongue out at him) Macho jerk.
Ranma : (turning back) Whatever you say.
(Ranma-chan rebuttons her shirt front and smooths her hair. The
scribbling of Ranma's pencil on the paper is the only sound that
permeates the room. Ranma-chan starts to pace about the room,
wondering whether she should go to bed without a bath first. She stops
pacing the room and walks over to Ranma at his desk. She peeks over
his shoulder, letting her pigtail fall in front of his face. Ranma swats
at her pigtail. Ranma-chan looks at the incomprehensible lettering
in his notebook.)
Ranma-chan : Doing your English assignment?
Ranma : Yup. Boring as hell.
(Ranma-chan lets an evil smile creep on her face and leans closer.
Ranma flicks at her pigtail again. The atmosphere in this room was
so...so...sexy. She felt herself start to think of little `assignments'
that she and Ranma could help each other with. She allows her face to
lightly caress his neck and Ranma suddenly goes stock still.)
Ranma-chan : (in a seductive whisper) Let me treat you to a real show.
Ranma : Huh? (he looks confused)
Ranma-chan : Oh, it'll pass the time. Get your mind off that boring
crap. Be right back!
(she opens the door and runs out of the room. Ranma is left in utter
confusion, at least until Ranma-chan rushes back in with a bundle of
clothes. She locks the door, and the windows, then shuts the curtains.
The only light in the room is coming from the desk lamp. Ranma chan
sets up a screen and sorts out her hastily grabbed bundle of clothes.
Ranma, curious now, looks on with some interest. Ranma-chan ducks
behind the screen with her clothes and the rustle of cloth on skin can be
heard. Then Ranma-chan waltzes out in a mini-skirt and a tank-top.)
Ranma-chan : Tadaa! (twirls about) What do you think of it?
Ranma : Uh. (his eyes turn vacant and his mouth slips open)
Ranma-chan : Great, isn't it?
(She bends her knees and arches her back, placing one hand on her head
and the other on her hips. Then she sa-shays behind the screen and
changes clothes again. Ranma seems to snap out of his reverie and he
slumps back in his chair, but not for long before Ranma-chan steps out
again.)
Ranma-chan : (wearing tight jean shorts and a loose T-shirt) How 'bout
this one?
Ranma : Uh.
Ranma-chan : What's wrong, Ranma? Say something! (she walks over
to Ranma and bends to look at his face. In doing so, her bosom is
unwittingly exposed to Ranma.)
Ranma : Your...your....
Ranma-chan : My...my....what? (Ranma points at her chest and
Ranma-chan quickly straightens up with a look of indignation.)
Ranma : Where in the world did you get all these...girls' clothing?
Ranma-chan : From the mall. Some are also from Akane. Wait, you
haven't seen anything yet, until you've seen this!
(She dashes behind the screen and changes once again. Ranma's jaw
dropped even more as she came back.)
Ranma-chan : How do you like this swimsuit? (she puts both hands
behind her back) See, it even says `Body Glove' on the front!
Ranma : Is this your swimsuit? I mean, we always used to borrow one
from Akane or Nabiki whenever we went for a swim.
Ranma-chan : Of course it is! Would Akane pick something like this?
(she shows off the body-hugging swimsuit and its open spaces on the
sides and on the back.)
Ranma : How come when we went for a swim, back in the good old
days, we never had guys climbing over themselves in order to ask us
out? Not that I WANTED the attention, you understand, I'm only
curious.
Ranma-chan : Why ask me?
Ranma : Well...you're a girl, now, and maybe you've had some
experience in recognizing if any guy was secretly watching you....
Ranma-chan : (thinking) Now that I think about it, yeah. There were
an awful lot of guys who kept clustering around the place where we
would sit, or suntan.
Ranma : Is that true?!
Ranma-chan : Sure it is! With a bod like this (she twirls around) and
a suit like this, how can any guy not resist looking?
Ranma : (teasing) With a bod and a suit like that, you could catch ANY
guy on the beach!
Ranma-chan : Is that so? ANY guy, you say?
(She saunters over to Ranma and stops short of him. She runs a hand
from her butt, along her flanks, up her sides, circling her breasts, and
finally stopping at the zipper. She slowly pulls the zipper down and
allowed her breasts to pop out of the tight swimsuit. She wasn't
wearing a bra, a fact made very clear to Ranma, who was sitting in a
strangely pleasurable state of shock. She leans close and starts to draw
Ranma's head to hers with his face cupped in her soft and delicate
hands, opening her lips and beginning to kiss him...)
Ranma : No. (Ranma-chan stops short of kissing him and looks at her
male half.)
Ranma-chan : What do you mean, `no'?
Ranma : Is this even right? I mean, we're the same person, right? So
is it right to kiss...?
Ranma-chan : Don't think. Just do.....okay?
Ranma : But...
Ranma-chan : Shhh. Don't say another word.
(She puts her hands on Ranma's shoulders and pulled the both of them
down on the futon. Ranma feels himself kissing Ranma-chan with
passion, yet the passion is not really born of his lust for Ranma-chan.
His kisses, so long held in check, were not meant for Ranma-chan. He
might try to deny it but Ranma-chan was but a conduit through which
his emotions may be channelled through. That thought was momentarily
perished as the curvaceous female beneath him pulled her swimsuit all
the way down to her waist.
Her luscious, peach-soft skin glowed in the light of the lamp on
Ranma's desk. Her body rippled with pleasure, and undulated in a
fascinating manner, rubbing her taut breasts on Ranma's chest. She
started to unbuttton Ranma's shirt with one hand, while the other pulled
Ranma closer to her. The lust of the moment almost overwhelmed
Ranma as he unconsciously began to help pull Ranma-chan's swimsuit
further down, but a female face leapt to the forefront of his mind's eye.
She had short hair...was it black?..and her name..it is so hard to
remember! Ranma-chan began exploring the inside of his mouth with
her tongue. Oh the sheer pleasure!! His shirt was already completely
unbuttoned and her hands traced their way on paths of rumpled clothing
to his pants. Ranma's hands continued to slowly pull Ranma-chan's
swimsuit further below her hips. She wriggled in ecstacy and the
temperature in the room seemed to suddenly shoot up. Ranma-chan
rolled over and straddled Ranma, her legs spread apart and she was on
her knees. Ranma's legs were stretched out and in between her legs.
Their loins were touching and only a few centimetres of clothing
separated their naked skin. As Ranma-chan flipped her pig-tail back
over her shoulder, put her legs into the air and began to pull the rest of
her swimsuit off her tense and eager body, the face from before
appeared again in Ranma's mind. His feverish brain registered the short
haired female's face and he began to surge back to a recollection. Her
name....was....it was....)
Ranma : Akane!!
Ranma-chan : What?! Where?! (She looks about in fear, her swimsuit
not quite off yet, and she doesn't see Akane. She glances about in
confusion, then looks to Ranma for an explanation.)
Ranma : Akane...
(Ranma-chan got off Ranma and knelt a short distance away. Her eyes
shone with the promise of tears. Ranma didn't know what to say, but
Ranma-chan already knew what Ranma had said, and what he had meant
by saying Akane's name. She stands up and pulls the swimsuit off her
body, leaving her completely naked. Tossing her swimsuit over her
shoulder, she walked over to the screen and changed into her normal
clothes. She gathered up the bundle and walked back to Ranma, still
holding her clothes.)
Ranma : Umm...Ranma..? (Ranma is awkward about using
Ranma-chan's real name, with it being his name as well. He had almost
slept with her, for crying out loud!)
Ranma-chan : Better call me `Ranko'.
Ranma : Ranko...I'm..uh...sorry. I cannot go through with it...Ranko.
I hope that you
understand.
Ranma-chan : What I understand is that you love Akane. What we were
doing wasn't even love, just fun, you know?
Ranma : Well..
Ranma-chan : Don't. Just don't. Who is left to love me now, Ranma?
Who? You have Akane and despite what the two of you say, I know
you love her and she loves you.
Ranma : Hey...
Ranma-chan : Listen me out! I change my statement from before.
Having fun was not all that I wanted. I wanted to feel loved by
somebody, no matter how fleeting or false, even if it would not be real
love. You won't even let me have that opportunity!! Who loves me
now? This is what I think. Nobody. Not a single soul in the world
even loves me, as a cherished person. Not even my own Mom loves
this...this body! She thinks I'm Ranko, for crying out loud. Dad, as
you know, can hardly be counted upon. Ukyo...well, I dunno about
her. It comes down to whether she can love me as a girl, or not. I'm
very sure she has asked herself that many times since she saw the both
of us. Shampoo...you remember what she said back in that ice-cream
shop, and what she was doing with you. That finally leaves Akane. Do
you honestly think Akane can love me? When I'm stuck in this body?!
Ranma : Ummm.....
Ranma-chan : I...love Akane too. But I cannot love her as a girl. I
cannot. I'm all alone because of this stupid curse and because of that
stupid Nullifer. This really, really sucks. Well, goodnight and good
luck with your homework. (her voice cracks) Hope that everything
works out fine with you and Akane.
Ranma : Hey...umm..
Ranma-chan : Shut up!!!!
(She spins on one heel, pigtail flying, and begins to stomp towards the
door. Ranma grabs her shoulder and pulls her back)
Ranma : You still have friends here....me, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, the
Tendo family....
Ranma-chan : I still don't know if anybody is my friend! After all,
they've done nothing to show me otherwise! Shampoo practically
ignored me, Akane is giving all her attention to you and those who do
know that I'm really Ranma just got on with their lives. It's just
another weird thing that happened ever since we first laid foot in this
house. And you! You're the reason why I decided to give an
on-the-spot fashion show! And you rejected me after you had used
me....!
Ranma : Used you....(Ranma-chan knocks his hand away and starts to
leave) Hey, wait!! You know it wasn't right!
Ranma-chan : It's not right for a guy to kiss a girl?!
Ranma : Guy to kiss a.....what!? I mean, you're not a girl! You're....
Ranma-chan : A guy!? Take a good look at me, lamebrain, does this
look like a guy's body to you?
(Ranma-chan starts to pull her shirt down but Ranma grabs her hands.
Ranma-chan jerked her hands away from Ranma.)
Ranma : No, but I wasn't talking about your body! You are a guy but
your body is not.
Ranma-chan : Who are YOU to talk? You were PAWING all over me!
And you were pulling my swimsuit off while you were at it!! (her voice
is rising in volume)
Ranma : Shhhh!! Keep it down!
Ranma-chan : Why should I! I don't care! I'd let the whole world
know if I could!
Ranma : If you don't keep it down then Akane, or Mom, would hear!
Then we would really be in the fire. Now, keep it down!
Ranma-chan : (sullenly) I don't understand why you had to stop. Sure,
you love Akane and all that but don't you think I deserve some too?
Ranma : (ignoring her) You see, my point is that if we give in to
temptation, and we start to... you know..umm..KISS...and go further
than that....
Ranma-chan : So what? It was fun...and it could have gotten even
better but you....
Ranma : That's the point! Well, not really. You see, if you and
me....do it....then YOU give up your right to be called a guy. I mean,
you wouldn't want to think of yourself as a guy anymore if we...you
know...
Ranma-chan : But I'm not a guy!
Ranma : Yes you are!! (sighs)
Ranma-chan : How can I be?! Look at me! Take a good, long look at
me! Tell me I'm a guy!
Ranma : You musn't give in, you must fight back, Ranma! I know that
your body may be going weird on you, but stop trying to help it! Then
you would really become `Ranko', because you were too chicken to
fight against your changes. And when you become `Ranko', you would
have no family for the rest of your life because `Ranko' has none - and
that could become you, `Ranko'!!!!!!
Ranma-chan : WHY YOU....!!
(Ranma-chan's eyes light up with fury. All the pain and grief she had
deep within her because she was cheated out of a mother, with the added
fact that what her male half said was entirely true, wells up in a volcanic
outburst of anger. She rears up and slaps Ranma across the face, the
force of her blow almost toppling Ranma to his knees. He stands still
for a moment, then he slowly turns back to Ranma-chan. His left cheek
has the outline of Ranma-chan's hand on it. Ranma-chan lowers her
hand to her side.)
Ranma : (painfully) You can hit me again if that makes you feel better.
Ranma-chan : Oh, my God.....! I hurt you...!
(eyes wide with genuine shock, hands pressed to her face, body
trembling from adrenaline and fear of retaliation. She cringed when
Ranma shifted his feet, waiting for his revenge.)
Ranma : Don't worry, I've gotten QUITE used to being slapped around.
You know, Akane and all that. (tries to smile but his cheek prevents it)
Ranma-chan : Here, let me see it...(she stands on her toes and gently
reaches for Ranma's cheek.)
Ranma : Oww...
Ranma-chan : Looks bad, but it'll go away by tomorrow. (after a
moment's hesitation, she quickly kisses his cheek, a feather-light brush
of her lips. Ranma does not object.) There, a kiss to make it all better.
Okay now?
Ranma : Thanks. I'm gonna finish up my homework now, okay? We'll
talk more later. (he claps a hand on Ranma-chan's shoulder and sits
back down to study.)
Ranma-chan : Sorry. I don't know what made me lose control.
Ranma : No, I'M sorry. I said a few things that made you very angry.
I deserved that slap.
(Ranma-chan stands silently for a minute that seemed to drag on for
hours, looking at the broad form of her male half. She thinks to herself
that that body used to be hers, and everything was so much simpler
then. She thinks about what her male half had said about `fighting her
desires' and `standing up to her own problems' and something about not
helping her own body drag the last remnants of her male personality
down to oblivion. If she was to have a mom, and a chance to be at
peace with herself should she ever return to her normal sex, then she
would have to take her male half's advice. After all, what guy could live
with himself if he, while in a female body, knowingly and willingly slept
with another male?! Never.)
Ranma-chan : If you say so. (feeling awkward) Well, g'night.
Ranma : Yeah, g'night.
(Ranma-chan pads to the door, unlocks it, steps outside and quickly
closes the door. She is still holding her bundle of clothing. The
program had just ended and Akane is nearly on the top of the stairs
when Ranma-chan steps out into her path. Akane bumps into
Ranma-chan and makes her lose her grip on the bundle of clothing. It
spills out in the hallway in a myriad assortment of feminine clothing.)
Akane : Oh...um..Ranko! Sorry about that, let me help you pick them
up.
Ranma-chan : S'okay, Akane.
Akane : No, I insist.
(Akane picks up the closest piece of clothing. It is a mini-skirt.)
Akane : A mini-skirt, Ranko? Quite unusual, don't you think? (grins)
Ranma-chan : Uhh..ummm...
Akane : Don't worry, I'm just teasing you. (laughs lightly)
(Akane picks up another piece of attire. It is the `Body Glove'
swimsuit, turned inside out.)
Akane : (thinking to herself) Hmm? That's strange. Why would Ranma
be carrying THIS around? And why does it feel like it is soaked with
sweat? (She looks at the room where Ranma-chan came out of.) Hey,
Ranko. Isn't that Ranma's room you came out of?
Ranma-chan : Uh..yeah. Silly me! (grins sheepishly and puts a hand on
her head.)
Akane : What were you doing in there?
Ranma-chan : NOTHING! I mean...nothing. I was just getting my
clothes for the wash, that's all.
Akane : Okay. And one more thing, why is your swimsuit wet when
you haven't even used it yet?
Ranma-chan : Oh, um....you know these new-fangled materials. It
probably feels wet, but it isn't. You know, it's just surface texture and
all that.
Akane : Okay. Then it's not sweat then. It sure smells like it....
Ranma-chan : Why in the world would it be sweat, Akane? I wasn't
doing any aerobics in that thing! Or nothin' strenous, or
some...stuff...like that!
Akane : (snorts) Like you know a thing about aerobics, Ranko!
(She goes back to picking up clothing. As soon as Ranma-chan is
bending over to pick up a pair of panties, and she cannot see what
Akane is doing, Akane quickly brings the swimsuit up and sniffs it. It
definitely smells like sweat...and something else too. She couldn't quite
pin that smell down but it made her tingly all over. She decides not to
press the issue. In a moment, the two girls finish picking up all the
dropped clothing and Ranma-chan thanks Akane. She heads off to
Kasumi's room while Akane stands just outside Ranma's door,
wondering whether or not to go inside to see her fiancee.
A thousand different scenarios flitted through her mind in a
second and she almost lost her nerve. After all, this would be the
perfect time to try and make up with Ranma for all the times she had
hit him, because all the adults, including Kasumi, were on the porch.
She could use some peace and quiet from the two patriarchs'
repeated, not to mention blatant attempts to `get' Ranma and her
`together'. Besides, she was feeling confident tonight. After all,
she had to know what Ranma thought of her. <Call it going through
one sleepless night too many>, she wryly thought to herself. After a
moment's hesitation, she lifts her hand to knock. Then, steeling
herself, she simply opened the door and stepped inside, taking care to
lock the door after her.)
Ranma : A..Akane? What are you doing here? (he's concerned
about her presence, especially after what he and Ranma-chan were
doing in here not too long ago.)
Akane : I..just came to see what you were doing, that's all. (That
was one of the biggest lies that she had ever told.)
Ranma : Oh..sure! Go ahead! Look to your heart's content! (That
was one of the biggest lies that he had ever told.)
(Ranma goes back to studying and Akane moves to stand next to
Ranma. Ranma holds himself stock-still, a fact not lost on Akane,
and his writing slows down.)
Akane : I see, English assignment, is it?
Ranma : Yup. Boring as hell. (in spite of his nervousness, his entire
being trembles with pleasure with Akane standing so close to him.
The soft light in the room created a far more romantic atmosphere
than one might have thought possible amidst the bare furnishings and
undecorated walls.)
Akane : I know. (her body tingles whenever she finds herself close
to Ranma, except when they are fighting. She thinks, who would
have thought that this room would seem so....inviting and romantic!)
So, umm, how far did you get?
Ranma : (sweating furiously) How far did I get with....?
Akane : The homework, stupid.
Ranma : Not very far. I'm stuck on this question here. It says,
`What is another word for `atmosphere'?
Akane : Let's see...let's start with phrases. A phrase like `romantic
atmosphere' can also be said in a different way, like `romantic
mood', or `romantic feeling'. So you can substitute `mood' or
`feeling' in place of atmosphere. I think `romantic feeling' sounds
much better than `romantic atmosphere', don't you think?
Ranma : Gee, thanks Akane! (furiously scribbles down the right
answer.)
Akane : (thinking to herself) He's such a lunkhead! How thick can
he be?! (she keeps silent for a while, just to kill time, then she tries
again.) Funny how...um..nice this room looks when there's only one
light instead of three or four. It seems so...inviting.
Ranma : Inviting? Whaddaya mean by that?
Akane : (taking a deep breath) I mean...it feels so comfortable...and
umm...romantic.
(Ranma completely freezes up at the mention of the word `romantic'.
He wonders if Akane had grilled Ranma-chan about what happened in
here....)
(Akane lets slip a grin of triumph. At last! He finally gets the hint!!
<Now what?>, she thought)
(The two don't say a word for a while. Each thinks that the other
knows what the whole thing's about.)
Akane : (whisper) Ranma....
Ranma : Umm..Akane? (he remembers Akane locking the door and
he is thankful for that)
Akane : (voice full of anticipation) Yes, Ranma?
Ranma : You saw the other Ranma on the way out right?
Akane : (a little thrown off by that) Y...yeah? She said that she was
just picking up her clothes for the wash.
Ranma : Yup. That's right. How absolutely right.
(The mood fractured, but not broken, Ranma turns back to furiously
scribbling in his notebook. Akane heaves a small sigh and lies down
on Ranma's futon. She soaks in the warmth of the futon, no doubt it
was Ranma's body heat, and she turns over. She tentatively sniffs the
futon and she is a little surprised to find that it smelled faintly of
sweat. She thinks mischeviously about all the things that Ranma
might have done on the futon.....)
(Ranma heard Akane heave a small sigh and flop down on his futon.
He sneaks a glance over his shoulder and sees Akane lying on her
back, eyes closed and spread-eagled. He stares at his fiance, his
mouth wide open and heart beating rapidly at the view that that
position provided. Then he noticed Akane turning over to the
person-shaped sweat spot on the futon, and taking a tiny sniff of the
mattress in that area. His eyes go wide with fear and as Akane
begins to open her eyes, he quickly turns back to his notebook.)
Akane : (noticing Ranma's quick head-turn) Eh, Ranma?
Ranma : What?
Akane : Sneaking a peek, again?
Ranma : What!? At a tom...uh, I mean, at you?! What for?
Akane : WHAT was it that you were going to call me?! Was it
`tomboy'?! (she puts in as much false anger into her voice as
possible, which was considerable.)
Ranma : No! Just forget about it!
(Akane silently gets up from the futon, pads over to Ranma and puts
both hands on his shoulders. Ranma stiffens and fully expects to be
dislocated limb from limb. He braced himself for the pain but all his
preparation was in vain. Instead, Akane leaned down and rested her
chin on his shoulder, placing her face next to Ranma's. Ranma
gulps.)
Ranma : A..Akane? What are you doing?
Akane : (soft voice) What do you think, stupid?
(she slides her hands over his shoulders and lets them rest on his
chest. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she nuzzles his right cheek
with her own. When Ranma didn't respond, she started stroking his
chest with her fingers. Ranma turned his head to the right, and
looked into Akane's beautiful face. Their eyes were separated by a
handspan and they stared wonderingly into each other's face, their
blood rushing to their temples and their breathing quickening
ever-so-slightly.)
Ranma : Akane...I....
Akane : Shh..Ranma. Just..let me.
(Akane turns Ranma's head towards her with both her hands. Ranma
finally understands that Akane didn't even suspect a thing about
Ranma-chan's little caper on the futon with him. All that mattered
now was her....lips. He slowly encircled her waist with his hands
and drew her close. Her hands brought his face closer to hers, in a
dream, a half-hazy atmosphere of warmth and love. In a gesture
repeated by every human couple in love down through the milennia,
Akane parted her lips and tilted her head sideways. Ranma mirrored
her action. Then their lips met, and all was lost in the kiss. The
room, homework, lighting, and even Ranma-chan, everything faded
away.
Then there was nothing, but themselves. There was a joining of
spirits, a bonding long in the coming but fulfilled at last, and the two
of them were framed in the mind's eye of the sleeping world, a scene
to be remembered by the earth itself. The air shall carry their
memories on ethereal winds, so that they might give hope to other
couples, and all the firesides in Tokyo would cry their name
everytime a dry log crackled and burned in the flames. Yet, this
moment of real and unreal, possible and impossible, finally ended -
and the world flickered back into existence.)
Ranma : I didn't know you had it in you, Akane.
Akane : Idiot. About time you realized it.
Ranma : And you, too.
Akane : What?
Ranma : About time you finally get around to it. You don't know
how many nights I spend, awake on my futon, thinking about you...
Akane : You too?!
Ranma : YOU TOO?!
Akane : I guess we're both perverts, then? (she laughs)
Ranma : Y-yeah. (he joins in the laughter)
(The barriers between the both of them were broken but their
deeply-grained instincts took over, and reconstructed the barriers.
However the barriers are weaker now, more easily circumvented, and
so it shall remain - until the next time.)
Ranma : Don't tell your Dad, or anybody. (he remembered the time
his father videotaped him almost kissing Akane.)
Akane : Yeah, you can say that again. (she is thinking about the
exact same incident that Ranma was thinking about.) What about
Ranma-chan?
Ranma : Huh? R-Ranma-chan? Why does sh..he have to know?
Akane : Well, if the two of you are the same person...then don't you
think she ought to know, too?
Ranma : But if she knows, then she might not be very happy to find
out that she had missed out on her first kiss with a girl.
Akane : The way you say it, it sounds like you consider Ranma-chan
a girl!
Ranma : No kidding? Anyways, I don't think you should tell her.
Probably never. You see, can you kiss another girl even though you
know that she is really a guy in a different body?
Akane : ...............
Ranma : See? Goodnight, Akane. (he turns back to his work)
Akane : (stands silently for a moment, deep in thought) Goodnight,
Ranma. Sleep well.
(With that, Akane leaves the room, and she catches a glimpse of
Ranma-chan turning the corner at the end of the hallway. Akane
wonders if Ranma-chan had been eavesdropping, then she dismisses
the thought from her head. Ranma-chan is simply not the type to
eavesdrop. She yawns and heads off to her room to get her towel,
unconsciously licking her lips, and reliving the kiss all over again.)
(The bathroom door shuts and Ranma-chan quickly strips down and
begins to fill the tub up with hot water. She pulls out a stool, sits on
it, and prepares herself for the bath with some cold water. She
shivers under the icy assault of the shower hose, but that is far
preferable than to recall the words the Ranma and Akane exchanged,
not to mention the kiss. Ranma kissed Akane!! And she didn't even
get a chance to show Akane how she felt about her, even though she
has a girl's body. Ranma-chan felt quite sure that her mind had been
brought back from the edge of the proverbial cliff by what Ranma
had said. The slap she gave Ranma seemed to snap her out of the
delusion that she was really a girl. She takes a look at her soft and
smooth body, and at her pert breasts, and between her legs. God, it
was HARD to convince herself that she had once been a guy.
Already her body was given over to her girl-side completely, but her
mind has yet to go. The tub fills with hot water and Ranma-chan
turns it off. She stands up and is about to enter the tub when the
sliding behind her opens and Akane steps in, her body covered by a
towel. Ranma-chan yelps and quickly jumps into the tub.)
Akane : Don't worry about it, Ranma. We're both girls after all!
Ranma-chan : I'm not! (she covers her breasts with one hand while
the other goes in between her legs to cover her crotch.)
Akane : Honestly! Take your hands off yourself, Ranma! It's not
like I don't know what a girl looks like! (in a deliberate motion
Akane pulls her towel away and throws it over her shoulder, standing
naked before Ranma-chan's widened eyes.)
Ranma-chan : Akane, put your towel back on!
Akane : Why should I, Ranko? (she gets into the tub with
Ranma-chan and sits next to her. Ranma-chan's eyes bug out but she
reluctantly removes her hands from her body.)
Ranma-chan : This feels weird. I mean, I would never have dreamed
of sitting next to you in a bath..
Akane : Don't worry, Ranma. At least, when you're a girl, you
don't react as obviously as a guy does when he's horny.
Ranma-chan : (blushing) H-horny?
Akane : Sure, you know, getting all excited over a member of the
opposite sex. Like, you really want to touch him, or her, and kiss.
(she licks her lips, recalling her kiss with Ranma all over again.)
Ranma-chan : (mood darkening over the mention of the word `kiss'.)
Yeah, okay. (she picks up a bar of soap and begins to scrub herself.)
Akane : Want a hand with washing your back?
Ranma-chan : Sure. Why not. After all, we're both GIRLS, right?!
(Akane does not miss the extra emphasis on the word `girls'. She
begins to fear that Ranma-chan had indeed eavesdropped on her
conversation with Ranma.)
Akane : What's wrong, Ranma? Tell me.
Ranma-chan : (exploding) I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG!!
YOU..AND..RANMA!!
Akane : Oh, Ranma!
Ranma-chan : (turning accusingly on Akane) So I'm supposed to miss
out, is that it?! What am I, chopped liver, Akane? I'm Ranma too,
you know!! Ranma reminded me of that. I l..love you no less than
Ranma does, Akane! Yet...!
Akane : But..
Ranma-chan : No buts! You can't, you won't kiss me - just because
I'm in a girl's body. Can you understand how much it means to me to
be kissed by somebody I love? Why must you deny me just because
I'm Ranma in a girl's body!?? You've cheated me, Akane!!
You've..cheated...me.....(her voice trails off.)
(the answer is obvious and the two know it, but Akane knew that
Ranma-chan must let out some of her anger before she can see the
absurdity of her question.)
Akane : (retorts) Same thing as two boys kissing! (Ranma-chan
recoils at the idea, looking as if she might throw up) But...this is
certainly different, I can give you that.
Ranma-chan : (calmed down considerably, too calm) I can see your
point, Akane. Good night.
(she has lost all interest in bathing and she gets up to leave but Akane
pulls her back down in the water with a loud splash)
Ranma-chan : (spluttering) H-Hey!! What are you doing?!
(Akane slips an arm behind Ranma-chan's back and draws her close.
Ranma-chan looks on fearfully, fully expecting to be torn limb from
limb, but Akane places her other arm across Ranma-chan's lap.
Akane looks deep and long at Ranma-chan's face, seeing, yet not
seeing the man she loves deep in the sky blue eyes. She knows that
the Ranma she loves is somewhere in there but `he' is fading from
Ranma-chan - receding into the background under the tremendous
influences of her female body.)
Akane : This is for you, my Ranma. My one, true love.
(With a quick motion, she dips her head in and kisses Ranma-chan on
the lips. Ranma-chan does not respond for a long moment, shocked,
but her shock is gradually replaced by pure joy. She kisses back and
the two enjoy the sensation of the kiss. Akane weeps as she draws in
as much of Ranma as she can, the disappearing personality that is
fighting a losing battle against overwhelming odds. She knows that
this might be the last time such a visible glimpse of the male
personality would be revealed to her. She hadn't the heart, nor the
courage, to tell Ranma-chan that she could never love Ranma-chan -
for the simple fact that Ranma-chan was female. This kiss was for
the Ranma inside Ranma-chan, the male Ranma. The two break
their kiss and look into each other's eyes with a certain intensity for a
final time. Then they finish their respective baths and silently leave
the bathroom - together.)
Ranma-chan : You have no idea how many nights I've stayed up
thinking...
Akane : I do. Somehow, I knew you were going to say that. Good
night, Ranma.
Ranma-chan : Good night, Akane. Sleep well.
Akane : (smiles, not at all surprised that Ranma-chan said the same
things as Ranma did) I will.
(Ranma-chan walks into her room and she finds Ranma preparing to
go to bed. Ranma looks up at Ranma-chan. Ranma-chan, with no
hint of modesty, strips off her shirt and her bra in front of Ranma.
Ranma simply turns his head and looks away. Ranma-chan says
nothing as she relives the kiss over and over again. She pulls her
pair of shorts off and she dons her PJ's. Ranma summons up enough
courage to look at his female counterpart, now outfitted in light pink
PJ's decorated with blue swirls and stripes.)
Ranma : Ranma. There is something that I've been thinking that I
shouldn't share with you, but now that I have spent some thought on
it....I think that it's not right to keep it a secret from you.
Ranma-chan : Well you don't have to tell me what it was. I did the
same thing, too.
Ranma : So I see. Well, how was it?
Ranma-chan : I'd imagine that it was the same as your own.
Ranma : Didn't she...I mean, did she...?
Ranma-chan : No. She seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.
Ranma : Considering how much she says she hates boys it's not so
surprising, I guess.
Ranma-chan : You can say that again (she licks her lips). Say,
where's Pop?
Ranma : He dropped by to say he was going to an all-night bar with
Mr.Tendo and Mom.
Ranma-chan : Did Mom bring her sword along with her?
Ranma : Yup. You know Mom.
Ranma-chan : Imagine how people would react to her!
Ranma : Well, there's school tomorrow and we've gotta hit the sack.
(The two place their futons next to each other, hit the lights and fall
asleep. Their rhythmic snores seem to complement each other,
blending into a mixture of deep snores and delicate snores -
punctuated by a snort now and then. It is truly the sleep of the
contented. Outside a storm begins to brew in the skies. Dark clouds,
darker than the night, cover the starry skies and gather over the
entirety of Nerima Ward. A distant rumble of thunder growls in the
distance as lightning bolts flash from the heavens and light up the
world for a brief second. Then rain starts to fall, first in tiny
droplets, then a light drizzle, followed by a deluge of rain hammering
on the Tendo residence and stirring up the carp pond. Kasumi sits
and muses over a cup of hot tea as she waits for the other members
of the two families to return home.)
--=-=-=-=-=-=-=End - Part Three-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-
Author's note : FINALLY!
You - are - getting - verrryy - sleepy....tell - me - what - you - think
- of - this - part........