Nullifier part 3, section b.

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(Feeling a little hungry for something sweet, he goes to  
his favorite ice cream shop and spots Ranma-chan eating  
a banana split by the window. Somehow unsurprised at this, 
considering how alike he and she think, Ranma goes into 
the shop.   He notices a bunch of boys sitting in the booth  
just behind Ranma-chan, looking longingly at Ranma-chan,  
who pointedly ignores them.  The boys simply think that  
Ranma-chan is playing `hard-to-get'.  Ranma enters the air- 
conditioned shop and makes his way to Ranma-chan.) 
 
Ranma-chan : Mmff....(chomp...guzzle...chomp...) 

Ranma : What a surprise, finding you here.  (looks at the banana split) 
Delicious? 

Ranma-chan : Not much of a surprise if you ask me.  And yes, I had a
craving for icecream so of course it's delicious. 

Ranma : Waitress, give me a strawberry sundae, okay? 

Waitress : Coming right at you! 
 
(A shrill ringing of a bicycle bell and a screech of tires on concrete 
were the only warning sounds.  Without even bothering to lock her
bicycle <indeed, who would be stupid enough to steal from her?!>, a
certain cutie with lavender hair ducked under the canvas awning.
Counting a wad of bills in her hands, Shampoo walked into the shop. 
She can be heard humming a popular Chinese song as she ducked under
the awning.) 
 
Shampoo : (thinks to herself) Oh, Shampoo just love payday!  Now,
Shampoo can enjoy treat after hard work. 
 
(She scans the restaurant for a booth all to herself - and catches 
sight of Ranma-chan guzzling a banana-split.  Ranma was hidden 
from view by the booth's high-backed seats.  With an extra bounce 
in her step, she walked over to Ranma-chan's table.) 
 
Shampoo : Ni Hao!!  Ranma, you want to date with Shampoo!  (she
made it sound like a fact, not a request.  She waves to Ranma-chan as
she skipped to the booth.) 

Ranma-chan : (looks up, face covered with ice cream)  Oh no. 

Ranma : Is it...is it...?! 

Shampoo : Ranma, date Shampoo, yes?   
 
(Shampoo reaches the booth, and sees the two Ranmas. 
The wad of bills drop and scatter all over the floor.) 
 
Shampoo : Err...what...is this? 

Ranma : Uh, hi, Shampoo. 

Ranma-chan : Shampoo!  Your money! 

Shampoo : Oh!  (she bends down and quickly gathers all her fallen
money.  She gets up.) Girl-type and boy-type Ranma, what going on
here?   
 
(Both Ranmas fill her in on the situation.) 
 
Shampoo : Well...Shampoo don't mind, as long as Shampoo get
Ranma!!  

(Ranma-chan heaves a sigh of relief and Ranma is trying not to react too
overtly to Shampoo's cuddling. However, Ranma-chan can't help but
feel the stirrings of a heartbreak as she sees the usually devoted
Shampoo ignore her and concentrate on the other Ranma.) 

Ranma-chan : Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds together... 


Ranma : Wait!! 

Shampoo : Wo ai ni!!!!  (She tightens her grip on Ranma and she
disappears in a tangle of limbs and tablecloth.) 

Waitress : Your dish, sir.  (She places the dish on the window ledge and
walks away, unruffled by the sight of Shampoo clinging onto Ranma) 

Ranma-chan : Well, at least that's one thing I don't hafta worry about. 
But then....oh well.  Maybe I sort of liked it when Ukyo and Shampoo
were chasing after me, when I was a guy....I didn't really mind them
considering me their one and only true loves.... 

(voice from outside the restaurant) : Shampoo!  Shampoo!  Where are
you?! 

Ranma-chan : (to herself) Is that Mousse?  She stands up and peers
around the seats, oblivious to Ranma's predicament. 

Mousse : (glasses on)  Her bike's here, so she must be inside! 
Shampoo?! 

Ranma-chan : (unworried that Mousse would see her and Ranma) Hi ya,
Mousse!  Shampoo's down there (points at Shampoo plastered all over
a blushing Ranma) 

Mousse : (points at Ranma-chan) Saotome!!  What are you doing with
my Shampoo? 

Ranma-chan : Me?  What am I doing?  You fool, _I'm_ doing nothing
to her! 

Shampoo : Is true, stupid Mousse.  Ranma taking Shampoo on date. 
We just having fun _before_ date.  (gasps of surprise from all nearby
customers, who try to lean and peer inside the booth.) 


Ranma : It's not that way!!! 

Mousse : (looks long and hard at Ranma-chan and Ranma) So you
aren't....(points at Ranma) Then what are YOU doing to Shampoo? 
(does a double-take)  Huh?  (looks at Ranma-chan, then back to Ranma) 
There's two of you? 

Ranma-chan : No.  Time to get new glasses, Mousse.  You're seeing
double! 

Mousse : (removes his glasses)  Maybe you're right.  But you're still
taking advantage of my Shampoo!  Prepare to die, Saotome!!  (six long
blades shoot out from his left sleeve and a wicked-looking sword
appeared in his right hand. He starts to mangle a nearby plant.) 

Ranma-chan : Idiot. 
 
(She makes her exit, glad to leave the chaotic scene behind her as
waiters, waitresses and diners all look at the booth where Shampoo is
trying to persuade Ranma to go out with her.  Ranma tries to squirm 
free from her hold, but Shampoo only tightens her grip and brings her
body in closer contact with Ranma.  Mousse is now stabbing the table
with his blades, shouting a battle cry as he did.  Still looking back, she
leaps up and over a corner... and lands on somebody on the other side.) 
 
Ranma-chan : Oompff!  Sorry 'bout that (looks up) K..Kuno....?! 

Male voice : What cretinious fiend dares attack the person of Tatewaki
Kuno?! 

Ranma-chan : Uh oh!  Gotta get outta here, fast!!  (She disentangles
herself from Kuno and tries to make a run for it.  But Kuno recovers
and throws both arms around her.) 

Kuno : Oh, pig-tailed goddess!  What strange turn of fate draws us
together, like the heavenly spheres in symphonic harmony! 

Ranma-chan (from within Kuno's embrace) : Let go of me, ya pervert!! 
(She struggles ineffectively) 

Kuno (rubbing his chin on Ranma-chan's head) : How can I let you go
now, my love!! 

(Akane's voice) : Like this!!!   
 
(Crack!!  The business end of a huge wooden mallet is introduced   
to Kuno's head.  Kuno releases Ranma-chan and slumps to the ground.) 
 
Akane : Honestly!  Are you all right, Ranma? 

Ranma-chan : Hahh..huhh...hahh...I guess so.  He's one jerk I can live
without. 

Akane : Isn't....isn't Ranma around here? (thinking of Ranma's promise
to look out for Ranma-chan.) 

Ranma-chan : Oh, he's back in the ice cream shop, being pawed over
by Shamp....ooops!! 

Akane : He is, isn't he.  

(She hefts her mallet and stomps off towards the ice cream shop.
Ranma-chan tries to hold her back but Akane hardly notices
Ranma-chan's feeble attempts to prevent bloodshed.  Through the
window of the ice cream shop, Akane and Ranma-chan can see Shampoo
still clinging onto Ranma, who is valiantly trying to finish his banana
split.  Mousse is berating the two, waving his weapons threateningly
over the couple in the next booth over. Ranma sees Akane and
Ranma-chan, and more importantly, the infamous mallet.  His eyes go
wide with fear and he tries to pry Shampoo off him.) 

Akane : RANMAAAA!!!!  (She stomps into the ice cream parlor and
looms over Shampoo and Ranma, left eye twitching dangerously.) 

Shampoo : Who disturb...Akane!  What you do here? 

Akane : DIEEEE!!!  (She brings her mallet down on them but Shampoo
parries with her concealed bonbori.) 

Mousse : Akane?  Are you an enemy of Shampoo?  An enemy of 
Shampoo is an enemy of mine! 

Ranma-chan : This is not the place for a fight, you guys!!   

Ranma : Yeah!  Yeah!  Quit it already!!! (Sees both girls doing their
blue aura thing and he cringes) 

Akane : I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!! 

Shampoo : AKANE DIE!!! 

Mousse : (shouts at the table) DIE, RANMA!!! 
 
(There is general bedlam for a few minutes as Akane trades swipes from
her mallet with Shampoo's bonbori.  Ranma-chan pulls Ranma out from
the fight and the two make a VERY quick exit.  Mousse is still stabbing
the table with a spear while Akane and Shampoo, noticing that the
person they were fighting over has run away, turn as one and burn out
the door in a madcap chase after both Ranmas.) 
 
Ranma : (running pell-mell down the street) Why me?!  Why does it
always have to be me?! 

Ranma-chan : (running alongside) I know the feeling! 

Ranma : Well you don't have to rub it in just because you don't have to
worry about stuff like this, now! 

Ranma-chan : (frowning) What do you mean by that? 

Ranma : I mean, you're a girl.....oh, leap up here. (the two leap
simultaneously up ontop of a roof and hide themselves) 

Ranma-chan : (chest heaving) Say what? 

Ranma : (catching his breath) Nothing. 

Ranma-chan : No, tell me! 

Ranma : .......You sure? (looks at his female half closely, involuntarily
noticing the light play of the wind on her hair, the highlights and
features so much like his own...yet so very different, as a girl.) 

Ranma-chan : Very. (she is lost in the azure gaze of her male half,
instinctively reacting to his manly features, and absently noting how
broad his shoulders were in comparison to hers.  Strange that the same
body, juxtaposed into a female one, can be so different...) 
 
(Ranma fidgets a bit, knowing full well the impact his statement could
have on Ranma-chan.) 
 
Ranma : ....Now that you're a girl, you don't have girls like those
(thumbs towards the general direction of Akane and Shampoo) chasing
after you anymore. 

Ranma-chan : (turns slightly so that she is facing away from Ranma)
Yeah, that's true. 

Ranma : Did I say something wrong? 

Ranma-chan : You know that we were either handsome or beautiful, if
you know what I mean. 

Ranma : Yeah, I do.  Go on. 

Ranma-chan : Now that we are, in effect, normal people....oh, I don't
know! 

Ranma : Hmmm...you're trying to say that because I'm handsome (puffs
up his chest a little) those girls chase after me.  And now that
you're...uh..beau..beautiful..... 

Ranma-chan : Uh huh.  

Ranma : (puts an arm about Ranma-chan, who twitches involuntarily)
I'm sorry for you.  I really am.  Now we've got to really find a cure for
you or your social life will be hell.  Imagine boys chasing after you!  I
mean, you are me!   

Ranma-chan : (turning back to Ranma) Umm...Ranma? 

Ranma : Yeah? 

Ranma-chan : (clutches her hands together) I really don't know. 
Remember, my body is causing havoc with my...impulses.  I'm afraid
that my...way of thinking is next to go. 

Ranma : What are you talking about?  Come on..stop lingering on the... 

Ranma-chan : (screws up her face and yells at Ranma) WHAT I'M
TRYING TO SAY IS THAT I MIGHT BE TURNING INTO A TRUE
FEMALE!!!!!  

Ranma : (perplexed) But...you told me that already! 

Ranma-chan : No, no!  I said my body is overpowering my male
instincts!  This is far more than that!  Remember that lust spell Cologne
was talking about two days ago?  (Ranma looks blank)   IDIOT!  Here,
let me show you exactly what I mean!!   
 

(Ranma-chan quickly presses herself against Ranma, and clutching his
face in her hands, brings it down to her face...and kisses him.  The two
remain kissing for a long moment, their bodies entwining and in close 
contact with each other.  Ranma-chan's bust presses on Ranma's chest
as she arches her back and kisses Ranma with all the intensity she could
muster.  Then Ranma-chan breaks the kiss and sits back, breathless.) 
 
Ranma-chan : Now do you see, Ranma? (her eyes are wet with tears,
her shirt front disheveled.) 

Ranma : I....enjoyed that.  I really...liked...kissing you.  How strange. 
 
(his eyes roll up and he faints against the chimney.  Ranma-chan slaps
him back to consciousness.) 
 
Ranma : What was all that about? (hauls himself up)
 
Ranma-chan : Even when you were a girl, back when we were a single
person, you TOTALLY hated the very thought of kissing another boy
on the lips.  I mean, you would rather die than do that!  Remember
Mikado?  And Kuno, in that school play? 

Ranma : (shivering) AW, MAN!!  Don't remind me! (he spits to one
side.) 

Ranma-chan : Well, I didn't throw up.  I didn't feel sick, right? 

Ranma : Me neither.  I don't know what's going on here. 
 
(While the two sit there in silent contemplation over the act of kissing
each other....themselves....or whatever, a small shape in ninja clothing
packs up his camera and leaps over the wall, whereupon he runs away
in the direction of the Kuno mansion.)
 
(The hours pass and it is a couple hours before dark. Akane goes to the 
dojo and calms herself down by breaking whole cinder blocks with her 
punches. <Ranma, you casanova.>, she thought.  Her hand crashes  
through the fifteenth cinderblock. <I know it's not your fault that girls 
jump all over you.  But....>  Her other hand shatters the sixteenth
block.  <But....>  She takes a step back and sits down on the dojo
floor, drawing her legs up close to herself and resting her head on her
knees.  A slight breeze blows a fallen leaf into the dojo, through the
open door and it settles next to her.  With a sigh she picked the leaf up
and starts to look at it in disinterest.   
 
For one of the few times in her life, she dropped her own inner barriers,
the self-imposed safeguards that prevent her from fully giving of herself
to Ranma.  Unlike Ukyo, Kodachi and especially Shampoo [her eyes
narrow whenever she thought of _her_], she never chased after Ranma
or proclaimed her...liking for him.  Sometimes she wondered if he still
liked her.  After all, she hits him all the time, and for unfair reasons
too.  Sometimes she  stayed up late at night, unable to sleep, wondering
if Ranma had fallen for one of his `fiancees'.  And sometimes she
looked at her nude figure in the mirror in the bathroom, behind locked
doors, and wondered if she was....desirable.  She would examine her
body from many vantages and angles, posing a bit here and there to
check herself out.  She could never bring herself to admit it publicly but
inside she knew that she enjoyed living under the same roof as Ranma. 
Hell, she even treaded close to masturbation, every once in a while. 
She'd rub her breasts in the bath, in private, and try to imagine Ranma's
hands in place of hers.  

And she couldn't stop thinking of him even if she didn't want to.  Even
while in the house, she'd feel his presence just about everywhere.  An
unfinished bag of chips here, a bookmarked tankobon there, his shirt 
hung on the bannister of the stairway, an abandoned tea kettle on the
deck.  She tried to imagine how it was like back when she didn't know
him.  Her life has been alot more interesting since he moved into her
life, and into that little space in her heart.  She wondered how much
more duller and boring her waking (and sleeping) hours would have
been without Ranma, but she couldn't.  Ranma was, in a way, a part of
her.  But she didn't know if she was a part of him..... and that made her
worry alot more over her appearances than she normally would.  And
now that Ranma-chan is into the mix......she paused.  <Why am I
worrying over her?  She _is_ Ranma, after all.  But she _is_ a girl.> 
A particularly perverted thought suddenly entered her head, something 
concerning herself, Ranma-chan and Ranma...but she took a mental hold
of it, before it could progress any further than it already has, and she
stuffed it back into the recesses of her mind.  But the damage has
already been done.  She could feel her nipples standing straight and
hard, and she was starting to heat up below.  
 
Another leaf blew into the dojo and Akane picked it up too, still absently
twirling the first leaf.  Then she stopped and looked at the dojo door. 
She remembered closing it before she started working out.  She knew
she did!  But who was looking in on her?  Nobody was there now and
there was only the cheep-cheep of birds getting ready to sleep.  She
stands, looking at the open dojo door for a long while, then she tosses
both leaves on the floor and prepared the seventeenth cinder block for
destruction.) 
 
(Ranma hung upside down from a treebranch, his pigtail pointing
downwards, hands crossed over his chest.  Ranma-chan was doing
pushups on the ground around the tree, huffing and grunting as she did. 
<She looks really sexy this way.>, he thought as he eyed her.  Then
his thoughts turned back to Akane. He had seen her sitting down on the
dojo floor, like she always did after putting her fist through fifteen or
sixteen cinder blocks, musing quietly over something and reaching up
now and then to, he was sure she did it unconsciously, to touch her hair,
or her face.  Today, however....) 
 
Ranma-chan : ....and twenty!  Whew!  (she dropped to the ground and
rolled onto her back) 

Ranma : Only twenty? (he snorts)  I can do two hundred. 

Ranma-chan : That's 'cuz I have a heavier chest than you.  (Ranma
almost falls out of his tree and she grins.  Exactly as she expected him
to do.) 

Ranma : Hnnnn..ggh.  Y-yeah. 

Ranma-chan : So what's gotten into you? 

Ranma : Huh? 

Ranma-chan : What's with the far-away look? 

Ranma : I saw Akane in the dojo. 

Ranma-chan : So how many did she do before sitting down? 

Ranma : Sixteen. 

Ranma-chan : She must be really unhappy. 

Ranma : And...ahh.....could you do me a favor? 

Ranma-chan : What? 

Ranma : Put your hand on your, uh, chest and rub your nipples. 

Ranma-chan : WHAT?!  Why?! 

Ranma : Just do it.  I saw Akane doing it in the dojo, but she didn't
seem to even think about doing it. 

Ranma-chan : You mean she wasn't touching her hair or her face?   

Ranma : Nope. 

Ranma-chan : Alright.  But only to see how it (she rubs 
herself)...FEELS!   

Ranma : I suppose it was...um..nice? 

Ranma-chan : Gave me the tinglies. 

Ranma : Tinglies? 

Ranma-chan : As in `tingles'.  Tinglies?  Get it?  (she rubs her breasts
again and her face turned a deep red when she saw Ranma looking at
her.)  What are _you_ looking at, pervert? 

Ranma : Pervert?  You're the one who is.... 

Ranma-chan : No, you are.  (points at the spot between his legs) 

Ranma : Now who's the pervert, looking at a place like that? 

Ranma-chan : We're both perverts!  (starts to giggle) 

Ranma : Hmmph.  (flips rightside up and sits on the branch) 

Ranma-chan : What do you suppose Akane was thinking about when she
did that? 

Ranma : I dunno.  Probably thinking about some guy she likes, or
something. 

Ranma-chan : Who?  Which guy would she like? 
 
(Ranma sighs inwardly.  Sometimes he wondered if Akane had not
already fallen for Ryoga, or some other guy he didn't know about. 
Insomnia due to lack of understanding or knowledge of your fiancee's
current likes or dislikes in the game of love is a terrible thing indeed.) 
 
Ranma-chan : Maybe she has one of those ecchi magazines, or
something, and she was just thinking about it. 

Ranma : Ecchi mags?  For girls?! 

Ranma-chan : Sure, haven't you heard of them?  Sayuri and....oops. 
(glares at Ranma) I promised not to say a word to anyone else, and to
keep it to myself. 

Ranma : Then you can tell me.  You didn't say a word, you said two
words, and I am you. 

Ranma-chan : (she laughs at his `reasoning')  Well.....okay.  Sayuri and
Sayaka have one copy of these ecchi mags...and they're for girls only. 
I saw it in Sayaka's bag, but she said it was her older sister's.  So, to
shut me up, she showed me some pics and told me to keep quiet. 
Ranma looks disgusted and Ranma-chan just grins from ear to ear. 
She knows what he is thinking, but she decided to ask anyways.) 
 
Ranma-chan : Why _that_ look? 

Ranma : I always thought that...that ecchi mags were for guys only. 
That is sick. 

Ranma-chan : What about what girls think?  To them, it must be sick
for other women to pose naked in ecchi mags..... 

Ranma : Did...did you like looking at those pics?  Of Sayaka's ecchi
mag? 

Ranma-chan : Of course I did!  (Ranma falls off his branch and hits the
ground with an unceremonious thump)  Wa ha ha ha ha ha! 

Ranma : You...you're.... 

Ranma-chan : (walks over to him and kneels by him)  Idiot!  _That_
was easy... 

Ranma : You mean you don't? 

Ranma-chan : Nope. 

Ranma : Good.  I thought you were serious there for a sec. 
 
(Ranma-chan turns away so Ranma couldn't see her face.  She really 
did like that ecchi mag...but she couldn't bring herself to admit it, even
to herself or himself.  It was lucky that Ranma couldn't see her burning
face now, or see how her hand is surreptiously adjusting her shirt to
accomodate her hardening nipples.) 
 
(It is fast approaching dark in Nerima Ward and both the Tendo and 
 Saotome families are about to have their supper.  A night breeze
brushes the wind chimes and the tinkling noise resembles that of a bird's
song.  A carp leaps out of the water and catches an insect. The night is
quiet and there are no automobile sounds to ruin the sacredness of the
evening.) 
 
Kasumi : Supper is ready, everybody! 

Nodoka : Yes, come and eat!  (She is wearing her sword-shaped bundle
on her back.) 

(Chorus of voices) : Okay!   
 
(Ranma pounds downstairs, dressed in his usual red shirt and black
pants, followed closely by Ranma-chan and Akane.  Ranma-chan is
wearing the same clothes as Ranma is, while Akane is dressed in a
knee-length sweater emblazoned with a huge picture of a clock.  Nabiki,
Mr. Tendo, Mr. Saotome, and Happosai are already seating themselves
at the table.) 
 
Nodoka : Ranko, could you please help me hand out the rice?   

Ranma-chan : Oh..uh..sure!  I would..umm...love to! 

Nodoka : You are such a sweet girl, Ranko!  (Ranma-chan blanches a
bit and Ranma tries not to show any reaction to his mom's statement.) 
 
(Ranma-chan flips the rice bowls to everybody in a flourishing move.  
Nodoka seems not to notice her great skill as she calmly puts the food 
on the table, even as spinning bowls land all about her in precision
order. The two families settle and begin gorging themselves on the
excellent food. Ranma-chan, noticing that she was just as hungry as
Ranma, who was wolfing down his food, begins to do the same.) 
 
Nodoka : (In a motherly but admonishing tone) Ranko!  It is unseemly
for a girl to eat like that! 

Ranma-chan : Mmmff?  (she stuffs more sukiyaki beef into her mouth,
swallowed it after a few chews, and swills a glass of pop.) 

Nodoka : (Maintaining the same tone) Ranko, please be more ladylike. 

Ranma-chan : (slightly miffed and sullen) Okay. 

Ranma : This food is great!  More please!  (holds out his rice bowl to
his mom, who happened to be close to the rice cooker.) 

Nodoka : Ranko, will you please fill up Ranma's bowl for him? 
 
(Ranma-chan's chopsticks, reaching for a carrot, suddenly impales the 
vegetable in a swift move.) 
 
Ranma-chan : What?! 

Nodoka : Please, Ranko?  It is only proper for the man to sit while the
woman gives him more rice.  After all, they eat more than we do. 

Soun : (to Genma in a hush-hush voice) She is ever the traditionalist, eh
Saotome? 

Genma : (back to Soun in whisper) Sometimes I still think she is living
in the past. 

Ranma-chan : (Simmering) Sure.  (She takes the rice bowl and fills it up
with rice.  She saunters over to Ranma and hands it to him.) 

Ranma : Thanks, err...Ranko.  (He looks up at Ranma-chan with an
apologetic look on his face.) 

Ranma-chan : Anytime. (She plops down on her cushion and
recommences eating to her fill.) 

Nodoka : Does anybody know where Mr. Panda is?  I have a whole
bagful of peelings and trash that I'm sure Mr. Panda would eat. (Genma
shudders)   After all, it must be very hard to feed a giant panda at his
size, wouldn't you all agree? 

Kasumi : I'm afraid Mr. Panda doesn't live here anymore.  He went
somewhere and we've never seen him again. 
 
(Soun looks in surprise at his eldest daughter.  She had never lied before
in her life, until now.  Kasumi looks over at her dad, and gives him a
smile.  Kasumi will always be Kasumi, Soun thinks.  Thoughts of his
dear, departed wife sprang to the forefront of his mind, and he tried to
keep the dam on those memories from breaking.  The only times he
allowed himself to weep for his wife were in front of the altar, before 
the portrait of his love.  He could remember every line, every feature
on that face.  He could remember everything about her, how he met her,
what they did as they courted each other.  He thought of the day he
proposed to her, in a restaurant that is now out of business.  He had
held her hand, looked her in the eye and stuttered out the words of
proposal.  While she was still in shock, he pulled out his trump card. 
The wedding ring fit her finger perfectly, much to his relief, for he had
paid *alot* for it.  She smiled then and then she....NO!  He musn't 
cry during dinner.  He cannot.) 
 
(Kasumi turns back to her food.  The others think that she'd always
been this way.  Not so.  Once, a long time ago, she was like any other
girl.  She lived her life to the fullest, and competed for boys in the arena
of school.  She loved cute cuddly things and went to every slumber
party she could go to. In many respects, she was like Akane back then,
except for a few details here and there.  She looks over at Akane and 
sighs a little.  Then, her mother died.  She cried for a long time in her
room, the empty space in her heart tearing at her soul, all her thoughts
about the funeral.  She had come away changed.  Her tears ran dry that
day, and she had promised to try her hardest to fill the void left by her
mother's death.  She assumed the mantle of `mother', and she cooked
her first meal in the kitchen by herself.  Somehow, it seemed as if the
spiritual essence of her mother was guiding her around the kitchen,
telling her which utensils to use and which ingredients not to mix
together. 

     She lovingly crafted each spring roll to perfection, and patiently 
peeled each and every beansprout.  When the family ate her first 
meal, and her father burst out in tears, and the characteristically 
cold and calculating Nabiki wiped a tear away from her eye, she 
knew that all her efforts were not wasted.  She remembered looking 
at her mother's portrait at that moment and feeling a warm sensation 
stirring in her heart.  Kasumi wiped a tear from her eye. Just 
remembering was enough to bring back all the memories.  To this day,
she had never once forgotten her mother's face.  She didn't  even need
to look at the portrait to see the love in her face, the patience and
understanding reflected on her face.) 
 
Nodoka : Oh, is that right?  I'm so sorry, you all must miss him. 
(Ranma and Ranma-chan glare at Genma, who hides his face behind his
bowl)  Ranma, why don't you tell me about your trip to Jusenkyo?  Did
you train very hard there? 
 
(Genma freezes up and tries to draw as little attention to himself as
possible.) 
 
Ranma : Uhh...okay.  Me and Dad had a very intense swim over to
China and we met this guide, who showed us to the Training Grounds. 

Nodoka : Go on, please. 

Ranma : Sure..we trained some and I...almost hit Dad into the Spring
of Drowned Panda. 

Nodoka : Spring of Drowned.....Panda? 
 
(<Oh no!>, Ranma thought, <I'm gonna give away Pop's secret if I
talk about it longer.  Gotta wrap it up real fast!>.) 

Ranma : Sure, you know...like there is a curse that changes those who
fall into the springs into whatever had drowned there a long time ago. 

Nodoka : So, there must be alot of springs there? 

Ranma : Yes, uhh...lots of springs.  Yeah. 

Nodoka : All kinds of drowned animals?  Even people? 

Ranma : Yeah...I..uh..think so.  And then we left that place and.... 

Nodoka : Imagine if you had fallen into a spring, my son!  Oh, the
horror of my only, manly, son being cursed with an alternate body.  It
would be my duty as a mother to help such an inflicted son in the only
way that I can.  (She unshoulders her bundle and places it by her side. 
Ranma, Ranma-chan and Genma pale simultaneously.) 

Genma : It.....would be a very terrible tragedy indeed, dear. 

Nodoka : Yes, dear.  Very, very terrible indeed.  Imagine if my son had
fallen into a spring, dear, because of you.  Bad enough that he would be
some sort of animal half the time.  Imagine if he had fallen into a spring
where some poor girl had drowned a long time ago!  The humiliation of
having a son, who is not a son!!  The Saotome line would have to end
there, to save our family honor.  (She pats the bundle.) 

Ranma : (eating very quickly) Well, I've gotta go.  (he puts the empty
rice bowl back on the table and gets up.)  Seeya!  (he exits to the garden
and leaps ontop of the roof.) 

Ranma-chan : (setting aside her half-full rice bowl and relinquishing her
sukiyaki) I'm not hungry anymore.  I've also gotta go!  Seeya!  (she
follows Ranma) 

Nodoka : Sometimes I think Ranko picks up too many bad habits from
Ranma.  To think Akane's cousin would spend more time with my boy
than with Akane.  She is unlady-like some of the times, but she's a good
girl. 

Akane : Yes, Auntie Saotome.  She may be strange sometimes, but then
she was brought up in the country, you know. (she is hoping that her 
fast-talk was enough to fool Mrs.Saotome.) 

Nodoka : Ah, yes!  Thank you, Akane.  I forgot that little detail.  I
suppose a country upbringing can influence the way a lady should act. 
Tell me, Akane, does Ranko have a boyfriend?

Akane : Ummm....no.

Nodoka : She is pretty enough to get one easily enough, don't you
think?

Genma : (nodding his head) Um-hmm.   

(The two families continue eating in silence for about ten minutes,
then....)

Nodoka : A thought just crossed my mind.  Isn't it strange, though, how
Ranko looks so much like Ranma?  (Genma splutters) 


Soun : Strange, isn't it? (wipes a sweat drop off his forehead.) 

Nodoka : The both of them have the same haircut, the same pigtail, and
they even dress the same, sometimes.  A girl shouldn't dress like a boy,
it detracts from her feminine nature.  She should be dressing more like
she was earlier today, it brings out the full bloom of her beauty!  And
she should let her hair down, but she still looks beautiful even with her
pigtail.

Genma : (looking very flustered, as if a secret was on the verge of being
discovered) Dear, let me talk to Ran..ko later, okay?  She knows me
longer than she has known you and I'll ask her to act more like a lady. 
Okay, dear?  Let me handle it! 

Nodoka : Thank you, dear.  Well, if everyone has finished eating, then
let me and Kasumi help wash the dishes and put them away.   
 
(She and Kasumi get up at the same time and begin putting away the
dirty dishes.  Akane runs up to her bedroom and opens her window. 
She can hear Ranma and Ranma-chan talking quietly on the roof right
above her window) 
 
Ranma : I've never been so scared in my life!  I thought, for sure, she
was gonna find out that I had really fallen into that damned spring! 

Ranma-chan : I left before she could draw any conclusions from the way
that we look alike, dress alike, talk alike, and everything. 

Ranma : Everything? 

Ranma-chan : (slightly embarassed) Except for...you know. 

Ranma : Oh, right.  (a long pause.  Akane narrows her eyes slightly and
tries to crane her head out of the window - to see what the two are
doing.)  Still, anyways, let's be more careful around her, okay?  I'm
gonna go and catch up on my homework. 

Ranma-chan : Well, seeya.  

(sound of rustling clothes as Ranma-chan leaps off the roof.  Ranma
leaves similarly after a short while.  Akane closes her window and falls
on her bed, deep in thought.  She gets up, checks the TV guide, and
goes to get Nabiki.) 
 
(Ranma-chan falls onto the couch and turns the TV on.  She surfs the  
channels, looking for something exciting.  A football game comes on  
and she watches it for some time, before changing to an action movie. 
Bored of the action movie, she randomly picks a channel and changes 
to it.) 
 
TV : And now, our annual Body-Builders Unlimited Spectacle!  See the
men who develop their muscles to the point of perfection!  Up first, Mr.
Universe! 

Ranma-chan : Wow.  Look at the muscles on that guy!   
 
(her eyes are glued onto the TV screen and she feels a not unfamiliar 
sensation, the same thing she felt when she was looking at those ecchi 
mags just yesterday.  Her body tingles slightly and her heart starts  
to beat faster.  She also remembers a similar feeling while watching the 
female swimsuit channels, when she was a guy.) 
 
Ranma-chan : This is freaky.  I'm getting outta here.   
 
(She quickly shuts off the TV and leaves the room.  After a while,
Akane and Nabiki walk into the room and flick on the TV) 
 
Nabiki : I sure hope I haven't missed that Body-Builders program!  (The
TV finally focuses) 

Akane : Hey, it's already on that channel.  Oh well, all the better for
us. 
 
(The two sit and watch, entranced by the allure of the program.  
Ranma-chan walks by the living room and catches sight of the program
again.  She sees Akane and Nabiki intently watching the TV.  Nabiki,
ever resourceful, had stuck in a tape in the VCR and she was recording
it even as they watched in rapt fascination.) 
 
Ranma-chan : (aloud) And you guys call me a pervert! 

Nabiki : Do be quiet, Ranko, and let me concentrate on it. 

Akane : Ranko, were you watching this channel?  It was already on this
channel when we turned it on. 

Ranma-chan : N..no!  No way!  Why would I ever want to watch a
program featuring bare g-guy bodies?!  I'd rather watch the Annual
Swimsuit Show, if you ask me! 

Akane : Okay, if you say so.   

Ranma-chan : Change the channel, willya? 

Akane : No way!  This is a once a year event and it's very popular! 
Besides, we have first dibs on the TV. 

(She turns back to watching the show, yet Ranma-chan doesn't leave. 
She stands in the doorway, enjoying the pleasurable sensations  
coursing up and down her body.  She starts to drool a little as more,  
and more, tightly muscled men in teeny trunks ascend the stage to show 
off their bodies.  Suddenly a hand drops on her shoulder and she jumps, 
badly startled.) 
 
Genma : Hello there, Ranko.  Your...I mean my wife asked me to speak
to you about something. 

Ranma-chan : (in an angry whisper) Dad!!  Don't shock me like that! 

Genma : Hmmm, you shouldn't have been so easily caught off guard....I
wonder what made you so careless.....(he looks around the corner,
where the TV is situated.)
 
Ranma-chan : Umm..err..well, uh..it is not REALLY what it seems to
be! 

Genma : (watching the show) Whatever you say, Ranko.  (turns back to
Ranma-chan.)  Since when did you ever watch shows like those? 

Ranma-chan : C'mon, let's go someplace private.  Tell me what
Mo..Mrs Saotome wants of me. 
 
(The two run silently to the backyard of the Tendo residence.  They  
give the kitchen a wide berth and they stand far out of earshot of the  
house.) 
 
Ranma-chan : Well? 

Genma : Your mom's getting closer to the truth, Ranma.  When you
two had left so hurriedly after supper, she remarked about how similar
the two of you seem. 

Ranma-chan : You mean, like the way we dress, talk, behave, and all
that stuff? 

Genma : Right.  For starters, to divert attention from yourself, why
don't you dress more.... uhh...you know. 

Ranma-chan : So you want me to dress more like a girl, more often? 

Genma : Yes. 

Ranma-chan : Not to worry, Dad.  I've already got myself some
feminine attire.  A bra and a pair of panties for one thing.  Then I've
got this really cool looking swimsuit that really shows off a lotta skin,
considering it is a one-piece swimsuit and all.... and then... 

Genma : Bra?!  Panties?!!  What's gotten into you, boy?  (grabs
Ranma-chan by the shirt front) 

Ranma-chan : (annoyed, through clenched teeth) GET WITH IT, DAD. 
I'm a GIRL now, remember? (she looks down at her father's hands, still
clutching the front of her shirt.) 

Genma : Oh, sor..sorry!! (lets go of Ranma-chan's shirt front.) 
 
(He looks long and hard at Ranma-chan, his..daughter, and he wonders
just what is happening to her...) 
 
Ranma-chan : Why the strange look? 

Genma : Just remember who you really are, okay boy? 

Ranma-chan : That's the hard part, Dad.  Sometimes, I do things that
I would have never considered doing when me and Ranma were one
person.   

Genma : Tell me, boy.  Did you....like watching that...that show? 

Ranma-chan : ......Don't ask me things like those, Dad.  Not now. 

Genma : Tell me!  I need to know what is happening to you! 
 
(With an adamant shake of her head, Ranma-chan spins on one heel and
walks quietly away.  She doesn't look back and her hands are in her
pocket.  Genma stares after the retreating form of his son/daughter.  A
cricket chirps.)