Ranma New Half - Part 5

The early morning sun fell upon the Tendo Dojo as it often did, showing no consideration for the recent turbulences and trials that beset its family. 

Or so Nabiki would have said were she both a Kuno and not currently power-bombing her second coffee of that morning in a bid to stay awake. 

Watching her breath billow out like steam, Nabiki glanced at Kasumi as their target arrived at the Tendo Dojo gates. 

Ukyo clearly hadn't been expecting them, but fortunately that hadn't been enough to send him leaping over walls as he crept quietly from the Dojo where Ranma likely still slept. 

Expression stern he looked to Nabiki, and then to the gate on the otherside of which Kasumi was hiding and said. 

"Tendo-Sans, can I help you?" 

Swirling her sip lazily, Nabiki chuckled as Kasumi slipped back in from the otherside of the gate and placed down her broom. 

"Can't hide anything from you fighter types," Nabiki stretched and hid a smirk as Kuonji glanced away from the sight of her bare belly and added. "If it were up to me, I'd just give you directions to Genma and maybe my number, unfortunately for us, my sister has a point. 

Ukyo's expression soured subtly as he turned his full attention to Kasumi, "Miss Tendo.

Kasumi offered one of her polite little bows, "I understand warriors have their pride and their honor and its not my place to question your goals. However," She said more sternly, like when she was trying to make Nabiki 'think on what she'd done.' "I do wonder if you've thought your timing through." 

"My timing?" Ukyo asked, brows arched, "Isn't that bastard injured? Seems like a good time to me." 

"Perhaps," Kasumi conceded, "But Ranma-Chan is still being pursued by two other fighters who want her dead. Worse still, Dr Tofu called me last night and said he saw this, Xian Pu and a boy named Ryoga together." 

Nabiki leaned against the wooden pillar, "And unfortunately some brutish boy roughed Ranma-Chan up real good yesterday, she might not be at her best." 

Ukyo's mouth shot open and then snapped shut just as quick, a snarl was bit back as he clearly debated leaping over the fence before... His shoulders slacked, "I'll hover around for the morning and school, I owe her that much." 

Kasumi strode up and rested her hands on Ukyo's shoulders, "Thank you, Kuonji-Kun, you're a good friend." 

"Uh... Um... Thank you... Ma;am, I mean miss, I mean Kasumi Nee-Chan?" 

Kasumi giggled, "Please feel free to use the Furo its ready and waiting." 

"Ah, right... Thank you," Ukyo shot back into the Dojo. 

"My he's quite skittish isn't he?" Kasumi joked. 

"Its the energy you put out sis, boys can't stand against it," Nabiki said as they began shuffling back inside. 

"Oh I only wish that were true," Kasumi sighed, before her gaze drifted to Nabiki, "But enough of that, you were suggesting something about a new bank account?" 

Nabiki smirked, "We need an adult to handle that side of things and you're the only one I trust." 

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Akane was sleepy, even ignoring her injuries, her hectic week so far and the fact she was up early. There were the compounding factors that she'd stayed up late reading Dr Tofu's recommended books and scrolls, all while trying to listen out for that Kuonji creep. 

She just didn't trust him not to be skulking around or trying to get into some perversity or violence with Ranma. As strong as her friend was, the redhead was too naïve to not be taken advantage of. 

This confluence of factors and having heard Nabiki lurching around in one of her early morning dazes meant that Akane paid little heed to the signals the Furo was occupied. All to easy to assume it was Nabiki, or Ranma that when she walked in and saw long brown hair on a well muscled frame she was caught flat footed. 

The scream bubbling in her throat became a garbed shout, "What the hell, you're a GIRL!?" 

Anything else she might have said was muffled by a smoke bomb flooding the room. 

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'No, no NO!' Ranma skidded on the polished floors and arrived just in time to see Ukyo forcing his way passed Akane. His clothes were hastily bundled over bare skin and he was pressing bandages against his chest. 

Akane was trailing after, frantically crying, "If you'd just told me you were a girl-" 

"I'm not-"

"Then maybe I wouldn't have thought you were some sexist thug!" 

"Leave me alone," Ukyo snapped, all hard edges and rough baritones. 

"Stop talking like that," Akane groused, "Why are you pretending to be a boy-" 

Ukyo's Chi flared, violently, burning reds tinged the air and his hair looked more like a lions mane as he snarled, "I am not pretending!" 

Ranma threw herself between the pair, careful not to lay a hand on Ukyo's chest, "Ukyo-Kun! Akane-Chan" She cried, and Ukyo's blood red aura dropped, while Akane just looked confused. 

Grasping both by the shoulder, she pressed on, looking to Ukyo, "How about you finish getting dressed, I'll, uh, explain?" 

Ukyo sent Akane a withering look and blurred out of Akane's sight and into the guest room, the door slamming shut. 

"Ranma-Chan," Akane said slowly, "Why didn' you tell us your friend is a girl." 

Ranma sighed, something heavy twisting in her heart. 

"I think we should discuss this over tea," Kasumi chimed in from the steps. 

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Soon enough Akane found herself at the table with her sisters and Ranma; tea mercifully un-drunk because she was convinced something must be in the water. 

"Akane-Chan, nothing has really changed from yesterday," Kasumi said, "Kuonji-Kun is the same boy he was before." 

"Except 'he'," Akane exaggerated the word as much as possible, "Isn't a boy at all." 

Ranma's hea drooped, "He is what he says he is, that's his... His soul, Akane-Chan." 

"No its not," Akane said growing tense, "Her soul is that of a girls cos she is a girl, I've been reading about Chi-"

"For not even a night," Nabiki cut in. 

"And," Akane pressed, "It says there's feminine Chi, and masculine Chi!" There had been some other stuff about neutral Chi's and Yin & Yang but her point stood. 

"Pretty sure Uchan's Chi is masculine as it comes, sure feels it to me," Ranma said quickly. 

Akane waved her off, "I know what I saw Ranma-Chan, Ukyo-Chan can dress up all she wants but it won't change the fact she has breasts and no-" She cut herself off. 

Ranma's head was hanging low, her shoulders shrunk in on herself and Kasumi was patting her back, while Nabiki massaged her own forehead. 

Sighing, Akane said, "I don't get why you're so upset, Ranma-Chan, did you have a crush on Ukyo as a boy or something?" 

"He. Is. A Boy." Ranma said, something like a sharp twang slipping from her lips, as her eyes shot up. "What if... What if someone dumped you in the Spring of Drowned Boy, Akane-Chan, would you be a guy?" 

"Of course not," She cried, "But that's cos I was born a girl, so I will always be a girl!" 

Ranma reared back like she'd been slapped, and suddenly turned, "I'm going to check on breakfast," and left the room, Kasumi trailing after her, but the look she sent Akane made her stomach drop. 

'What did I do!?' 

Nabiki lobbed a cushion at her head and Akane bristled, but Nabiki spoke over her, all sharp and proffesional, cold even. 

"All right hot shot, pop quiz. What if you were dumped in the Spring as a baby?" 

"What-" 

Nabiki's palms slapped the table, "What if you lost you memory and spent sixteen years as a boy in the eyes of everyone?" 

"That's-" 

She pushed herself up, "What if you woke up one day and realized you felt wrong and trapped in skin that didn't fit but you were the only one who felt like that?" 

"Nabiki-" 

Her older sister loomed, "What if you could see who or what you wanted to be and no one let you?" 

"But-" 

Nabiki's hands clapped down on her shoulders, "For the love of- Stop arguing and actually think for a second, Akane!" 

"But that's not how it is!" She argued.

"And who are you to make that declaration?" Nabiki asked sharply, that word striking a chord in her mind as Kuno's booming voice rang out in the back of her mind.

"Its not me, its-"

Nabiki placed a hand over her lips, "Stop and think. I'm going to have a bath." 

And like that Akane was left alone, her gaze slowly drifting towards the kitchen as the pieces slowly but surely fell into place and her fists began to shake. 

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Akane was fuming, Akane was furious, Akane's mind was frantically going over every memory from the last few days with a fine toothed comb! 

Sharp, heavy foot falls went in random patterns through the dojo as she did, fists swinging with unspent angry energy. 

'Lies, all of it, a whole relationship built on a bed of lies, how could she!?' 

She should have known, should have been able to tell, to figure it out but somehow she hadn't until it was staring her in the fact. 

'And how could my sisters go along with her lies, this is all crazy!' 

The world was how it was, people couldn't change what they were, couldn't change what they were born to be, it was just reality. 

'People said the same thing about women and work,' A voice whispered in her head, all to like her sisters. 

Akane spun again, teeth gnashing, it wasn't the same, it wasn't and they should know that. 

'My sisters are smart, they figured it out before me, or maybe she told them-' 

Akane ground to a halt and muttered, "She?" She stomped her foot and sucked in a breath, mind flickering across the deceptions again to remind herself of the reality. 

'She's-' 

There it was again! This time the wood cracked and Akane's muscles ached as she thought about Ranma who-

Ranma who looked at her reflection in gold bangles like it was something precious. 

Ranma who's smile bloomed like the morning sun when people called her a girl. 

Ranma who cried for joy when she got to wear a dress and make up. 

Ranma who...  Who...

Who she couldn't think of as not a girl no matter how she tried. 

Akane turned to face the wall and pictured Uko Kuonji. 

The instinctive gut reaction of dislike and worry flooded her gut; the same feeling she got when boys got too close, or seemed like they wanted to flirt or fight. The same feeling she got in alarm bell form when Ukyo was angry at her that morning even though she tried to hide it because Ukyo was a...

Akane let her head fall into her hands as the image of Ranma practically fleeing her presence flooded her mind. 

'I really messed this up.'  Akane shot towards the door, 'I have to fix this!' 

The door rattled and banged as she flung herself into the hallway, heart thumping in her chest as she blurred passed the dining room and up the stairs. 

She found Ranma talking quietly with Ukyo in the hall, barely catching a snippet about 'with me' and then both were staring at her, worried and wary alike. 

Part of Akane really wished she'd taken a minute to think about what to say but instead the words just started to spill out. 

"I'm sorry.... I... I didn't know what I was saying. No I did, but I didn't understand what it meant and I..." She shook her head, "Ranma-Chan, I know my sisters are probably better for this but if... If you have any questions or want to do something, I'm here for you. Us girls have to stick together." 

Ranma's eyes glistened and she wiped her face, "Ah, yeah, thanks, Akane-Chan." 

Akane rounded on Ukyo and her weak smile turned to a frown, "And you," She pointed roughly at his chest. "I don't like boys, I don't trust boys and that means I don't like or trust you. Ya got that?" She motioned between them with two fingers, "I got my eye on you." 

Ukyo nodded slowly, brow raised, incredulously.  

Rolling back on the balls of her feet Akane nodded, "Good, we have an understanding, Ranma-Chan, want to join me in the furo?" 

"Um... Sure, just a second?" The redhead said slowly. 

"Sure, I'll be waiting!" Akane called, striding passed the pair. 

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Ranma's eyes followed Akane and she felt an immense weight off her shoulders and a clawing sickness escaping her chest. 

It wasn't all gone of course, not that quickly, but it would be soon, she was sur of it. 

"Huh, well that's the second most threatening affirmation I've ever received," Ukyo hummed. 

Ranma hummed in agreement before blinking, "Wait second?!" 

Ukyo waved her off, I'll tell you later." 

"But I wanna know now!" Ranma whined, even as she strode backwards towards the furo.

"Later, I'll be outside chopping wood," Ukyo said. 

Ranma didn't ask if he was going to help with breakfast, Ukyo would probably be turned off cooking for a while if guessed right but still... 

Ranma placed her hand on the door to the furo, 'Still, this worked out.' 

Now she just had to make it through school with two people after her head and be ready for whatever her old man was inevitably working on. 

Easy, right?  

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School, as it happened, was equal parts easy and harrowing. 

(Continue later.)