I Enjoy Being a Girl!

Part One

A darkened figure trudged slowly down the deserted street, evening wrapped around him like a heavy shroud. Tired, dreary, and weighted down by the large over-stuffed pack on his back, the young man shuffled to a stop and looked up, squinting at his surroundings.

"I wonder where I am now?" he asked no one in particular. Indeed, he had to wonder why he bothered to ask at all, but uttering that phrase and similar ones seemed to be a habit that he just couldn’t break. He eyed the street before him with the same sort of suspicion one might give something nasty found in a biology lab petri-dish, a severe frown forming on his face. Was it his imagination, or did this area look vaguely familiar?

But that couldn’t be right, could it? Wasn’t he in Yokohama? With a tired sigh, the bandanna’d boy hung his head again, thick black bangs falling over his eyes limply. It was late, he was exhausted and probably not thinking straight. What he really needed to do was find someplace to camp for the night, get some sleep, and face things fresh in the morning.

A shrill whistle sounded over his head, a unique and select noise that was only really recognizable by martial artists such as himself - the sound of a human body flying through the air. He looked up quickly, his entire body tensed and conditioned to fear such an event, as it often meant hostile entities such as young girls with mallets were in the vicinity. Against the darkness of the evening sky, he saw a small form sailing in a gentle arch, stubby legs kicking and minuscule arms flapping.

Recognition lit slowly in the young man’s weary mind. "H - happosai . . . ?" he muttered, then looked in the direction from which the little pervert had come. "Then that means . . . " Things clicked around in his brain until all the proper connections were made and a slight humorless smile twitched around his lips. That meant that he’d been right about the surroundings seeming familiar! The Tendo Dojo was nearby! Warmth against the increasingly chilly night! A soft bed to sleep in! The comforting presence of his true love beside him beneath the blankets!

Renewed by the thought, the young man staggered forward, doing his best to keep the direction firmly fixed in his sight, bitter happiness bubbling fitfully in his heart as he sighed out the name of his most ardent longing, his most beloved dream.

"Akane-san . . . "

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Ranma stared, startled by the ferocity Akane showed as she belted Happosai out the window in a shattering of glass and noise. She almost took a step back, a little frightened by the show of power, but held herself in check. Akane was her friend, after all, right? Akane wouldn’t hurt her, surely . . .

The dark haired girl fumed by the window for a few seconds then whirled around and fixed an angry glare on Ranma, causing her to momentarily reassess the wisdom of staying put. Large dark sapphirine eyes shimmered in the low light, reflecting an uneasy fear that seemed so foreign, so wrong. Akane lost it then . . . lost the fragile hold she’d been maintaining ever since this ridiculous situation had begun. Tears formed in her eyes and she stepped forward, grasping Ranma by the small slender shoulders.

"Change back!" she pleaded softly, ashamed of her own words and the moisture standing in her eyes, ashamed to let Ranma of all people see her like this. But Ranma wasn’t the same now, was he? He wasn’t even a he! There would be no teasing prompted by her emotional display. There would be no barbs or taunts. When Akane stared into those large trembling blue eyes, she saw nothing of the young man she had come to . . . come to . . .

She couldn’t even admit it to herself now, could she? Her grip on Ranma’s shoulders tightened. "Ranma," she whined gently, hating the twisting feeling in her stomach. "I don’t care if you are rude and insensitive and inconsiderate! I know I complain all the time, but sweet and innocent just isn’t you!" It was, in fact, profoundly disturbing, but Akane couldn’t quite say that. Even though, privately, she had always sort of preferred Ranma’s girl-form . . . this just seemed wrong. The young woman in front of her now wasn’t Ranma anymore, and whether she had liked the girl better or not . . . Akane realized that the spark of what made Ranma who he was . . . that was what she really wanted . . .

Overwhelmed by this realization and confusion, Akane slid to her knees, her hands drifting down to wrap around the small of Ranma’s back. The tears were threatening to spill now, and Akane was shocked by their heated intensity. Before this, she would have never thought . . . never admitted . . . "If you stay a girl, then who will I . . . " she moaned brokenly. "W - what will I . . . ?"

Ranma crouched down and held Akane gently, an expression of compassion and caring on her small rounded face that simply should not have been there. When she spoke, it was in that softened voice that Akane had grown to hate, the one that grated on her nerves. "I understand what you’re saying, Akane," Ranma assured softly. "But, I’m a woman. Your male Ranma no longer exists as you know him."

Akane could only stare at the red-haired beauty for a moment, despair and emptiness rattling around in her chest. Ranma no longer existed? That stupid baka who was always making her so mad, that arrogant and callous jerk, was gone for good? That cretin whom she . . . whom she . . . oh Kami! Could she really only admit it now? Now that he was gone?

Akane’s face twisted into a growl. Ranma was gone and had been replaced by this simpering little girly-girl! This doll-like creature who wanted to learn tea ceremony and flower arranging, who abhorred violence and was polite and charming to everyone around her! It wasn’t fair! It just wasn’t fair! The growl became a snarl, fueled by grief over the loss of the true Ranma. Akane’s hand once again found the sturdy reassuring feel of her practice bokkan, and she lifted it high, some frenzied part of her mind looking to smash this feminine imposter out of existence.

"Ooooh! You idiot!" she shrieked, slashing with the weapon, frustrated to see Ranma duck instinctively out of the way. Whether she claimed to hate violence or not, all those years of martial arts training were still there, and for some reason it infuriated Akane even more to see that. "You’re not Ranma at all, are you?!"

Ranma squealed in fright, fleeing, but never actually turning her back on the pursuing Akane. She leapt and dodged the swinging bamboo blade, heart pounding hard and fast in her chest. She didn’t understand what Akane was so angry about. Of course she was Ranma, she just wasn’t the Ranma that she used to be. As far as she was concerned now, she was the real Ranma.

As she ran, darting away from Akane’s strikes, the pig tailed girl analyzed that conclusion in a separate part of her mind that she had recently reserved for such contemplations. Though the events of her previous life were a bit hazy at times, she did remember that Ranma had been attracted to other men, but had hidden that preference carefully away least he be branded a worse pervert than some people already thought he was. He hadn’t needed that sort of complication on top of everything else in his life. So, didn’t it make sense that, now that she was a girl, she could fully embrace that side of herself, the side that liked boys, the side she could never show before?

Well, it made sense to Ranma, but apparently Akane thought differently. As Ranma backed up to the koi pond in the backyard, having been chased out of the house by the threat of the stinging bokkan, she gazed at Akane and knew real fear. The dark haired girl was a terrible sight as she bore down on her prey, face twisted in hatred, vicious words erupting from her mouth.

"If that’s the way you’re gonna be - stay a girl for the rest of your life for all I care!!"

Ranma opened her mouth to reply that was exactly what she wanted, but wasn’t given the chance. The bokkan swung toward her and she was obliged to avoid it, throwing herself backwards and off-balance. The world flashed crazily and water rose up in a liquid bloom around her as her small body hit, and there was a brilliant white flashing crack as the back of her head slammed against one of the rocks rimming the pond.

Akane froze at the edge, dark eyes flying wide. Oh no! What had she done?!

Ranma sat up, water spilling from her body, hand going immediately to the back of her head, grimacing in pain. She glanced warily up the girl standing over her and anger sprang immediately into its proper place. "What’dya do that for, you jerk?!" she snarled.

Akane blinked, stunned. This was not the polite girl she’d been subjected to since the first time Ranma’d hit her head. Could it be . . . "Huh?" she muttered intelligently.

Ranma continued to complain about her general state of being, "What’re ya trying to do, give me a cold?!"

Hardly daring to hope, Akane leaned forward and delivered one of her strongest punches to the side of Ranma’s face. It was for her own good, after all. Much to her relief, instead of cowering the pig tailed girl sputtered furiously, an annoyed and defensive gleam coming up in her snapping eyes.

"Oi! What’dya do -that- for?!"

Indescribable joy filled Akane, and though she was a bit surprised by its intensity, she couldn’t help the wave of relief that washed through her. Ranma! Ranma was back! "Ranma! You’re back, aren’t you?!" she exclaimed happily. Not bothering to wait for an answer, she turned and dashed toward the house, shouting jubilantly at the top of her lungs. "Otosan! Oneesan! Saotome-san!"

Still sitting in the water, Ranma blinked, also rather surprised by Akane’s show of joyfulness. While the dark haired girl was gathering the family, however, Ranma had the opportunity to look down at herself and heave a heavy sigh. Apparently, everything was back to normal. Unfortunately, Ranma had long since come to equate the word ‘normal’ with the word ‘painful’.

She glanced up as the group came rushing from the house to see what Akane was going on about, but Ranma’s gaze went immediately past them to the dark figure that was just coming around the side of the building, as usual staggering into the middle of a situation that he had no clue about. The dark yellow of the young man’s shirt and perpetual bandanna seemed to almost glow under the lights of the backyard lanterns, and his deep abyssal eyes shone with a weary glaze.

Ryoga. Ranma’s own eyes widened. Then her view of the Lost Boy was blocked as Akane, Oyaji, Tendo-san and Kasumi gathered around her eagerly, all shooting out happy exclamations concerning her return, bewildering her momentarily with their exuberance. For Kami’s sake, Oyaji even had tears in his eyes.

Within a split second’s time, Ranma made her decision. She scrambled up and latched onto Akane, making a small "Ooo!" noise as she did. She could practically feel the confusion coming off the gathered group like a wave, and Akane immediately heated up considerably, habitual annoyance rising within her as she reacted to being touched by her iinazuke. Quickly, Ranma looked to defuse a potentially bad situation, tucking in close to the dark haired girl so that she could stage-whisper conspiratorially into her ear.

"Akane-chan!" she breathed, pitching her voice in the very tone that Akane so hated. "Who on earth is that handsome boy?!"

A question mark seemed to almost physically form around Akane as she gazed in horror at the girl beside her, pushing her off abruptly. What was this now? Why the girl-act? Ranma -was- back, wasn’t he? "Nani? Ranma! What are you talking about?!"

Kasumi turned to see who Ranma was looking at, and a friendly smile formed on her lips, lighting up her entire face. "Oh, hello Ryoga-kun!"

The rest of the group turned as one to stare at the young man. Ryoga paused abruptly, confused over becoming the center of attention so suddenly. While Kasumi’s smile was welcoming, he had to wonder about the expressions of sick shock on the faces of the two family patriarchs, as well as Akane-san’s open-mouthed gape. It wasn’t a very attractive look for her. Silently, the Lost Boy cursed himself, hating it when he walked blindly into situations like this, but knowing that he was probably already into it too deeply to just back out and run away now. Besides, he was really tired. Hopefully, they would be able to straighten things out quickly so that he could find some cold water and cuddle up in Akane’s bed for the night.

"Uh, hi . . . " he smiled weakly, looking to the youngest Tendo girl for an explanation of what was going on.

Ranma-chan moved out from behind Akane, however, and edged forward shyly in a manner that was very unusual. She had her arms tucked tightly around her body, almost as if she was hoping to hide the fact that she was wearing only a white undershirt that somehow managed to be very revealing despite being a couple sizes too large for her. There was a bit of a blush forming over the bridge of her delicate little nose and she gazed at Ryoga with absolute and unabashed desire in her large dark blue eyes.

All of Ryoga’s danger senses began to tingle. He faltered and took a stumbling step backwards, the shock that the others were projecting now finding appropriate home on his own face.

"Well, Akane-chan?" Ranma coyly twirled her pigtail around her slender fingers. "Aren’t you going to introduce us?"

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