Life at the Tendo household managed to fall into a routine, for better or worse. Akane had closed herself up at school somewhat, preferring to spend her lunch breaks by herself - anything was better than to confront a school full of idiots who thought she was attracted to women. After their heated argument, Ranma and Akane mostly avoided one another at home as well.

A week later was when the first wrench in that routine came along.

“Ranma, come back here right now!” Nabiki shouted, running after the slippery redhead.

“NO WAY! I SAID NAH AND THAT’S FINAL!” Ranma screamed back, accidentally backing himself into a corner when he discovered his promised escape route was a locked door.

“All three of your shirts are in the wash right now! It’s that or going shopping!” Ranma froze up. Nabiki still held the same ruffly pink dress she had been chasing after him with.

“I ain’t wearing no girl clothes!” Ranma stated once more. He was a man amongst men, dammit! And not only was Nabiki trying to force him into a dress… it was like she had specifically chosen the most overtly feminine thing in her entire wardrobe!

Kasumi tried to temper her sister’s meddling a bit. “Now Nabiki, you should probably ease off on our guest a bit… We wouldn’t want to make Ranko-chan uncomfortable...”

Nabiki had apparently only listened to the first half of that. “You know, as a guest, your many hot baths are starting to pile up… It gets pretty costly pretty fast, don’t you know?”

Ranma grimaced. He didn’t like the expression on Nabiki’s face. It was something… malevolent and cunning. Something that brute force and martial arts skills could never in a million years defeat.

“Now... will you wear girl clothes or not?” Nabiki loomed over Ranma, a grin rivaling her sharp gaze.

“...Okay,” he finally conceded, spotting a worried look on Kasumi’s face.

And that was what led to Ranma fidgeting uncomfortably on Akane’s bed, while the girl in question eyed with restrained annoyance her two sisters looking through her closet.

“How about this one, Kasumi?” Nabiki lifted up a pale yellow dress with puffy sleeves.

Kasumi looked at it thoughtfully. “It is very cute, but I’m not sure it’s a good choice for Ranko-chan’s first dress? We should try to ease her into them a bit…”

“Why is it my clothes that are getting borrowed?” Akane growled.

“Well, you’re the one Ranko-chan has the closest build to. I’m much too tall, and Nabiki is too lithe,” Kasumi replied.

Ranma approached the girls timidly and blushed at the sight of the dress they were arguing over. “Oh, oh my…”

Kasumi turned her head towards Ranma. “Oh? Do you like it, Ranko-chan?”

“It’s cute…” Ranma absentedly replied. Akane crossed her arms. She counted down in her head from three, two, one… Ranma’s puppy eyed expression twitched and was replaced by a much grumpier face. “H-Hey! I ain’t wearin’ no dresses nor skirts! Find me pants, dangit!”

It took them about twenty more minutes of arguing before they managed to settle on baby pink overalls with ‘China’ written in red on the front, set over a sleeveless orange shirt.

Ranma looked down at himself. He felt… stunned? Was that the right word? Something was eating away at the darkness at the back of his brain, like a purifying ray of light.

The chest was a bit tight, if he was honest, and he felt like his hips floated in the pants, but…

He headed for the full length mirror in Akane’s room.

“Seems like it fits perfectly, if you ask me,” Nabiki said.

Akane stayed silent, hands on her hips. Kasumi looked at Ranma with an air of being overwhelmed by emotions, joyous tears pearling at the corner of her eyes. “Do you like it, Ranko-chan?”

“I…” Ranko tried to say. “Is this me?”

“Oh my goodness… Is this happening?” Kasumi muttered aloud.

He traced the contour of his curves under the clothes. He turned and looked at his back. There was… something. Something there, that he couldn’t put his finger on, that just felt different… Ah! That’s it! “S’way too girly for me, that’s for sure,” Ranma stated.

Kasumi face faulted, her arms up in the air, with her pinky and index fingers sticking out.

Well, that hadn’t been fully accurate. There was something here, even despite the fact it didn’t match his tastes, but he’d be hard pressed to understand what. “Ah well, s’just ‘til laundry’s done, right? I can survive that.” He headed out, hands behind his head.

Akane helped her sister back on her feet. “Are you alright, Kasumi?”

Kasumi blinked a few times. “Yes, I just… tripped. Goodness, when will Ranko-chan stop repressing…”

“Repressing?” Akane asked.

”I should go prepare supper,” Kasumi replied, dodging the question and leaving Akane’s room.

Nabiki approached Akane from the side and whispered, “So Kasumi’s noticed it too, huh?”

“Noticed what?” Akane asked. “You mean the two modes?”

“Not what I had in mind, but now you’ve gotten me intrigued.” Nabiki pulled out a pencil and a pocket notebook.

“Ah, so you’re trying to figure Ranma out too?” Akane said.

“He’s a fun study subject.” Nabiki smiled darkly.

“Knowing you, you’ll have him down and categorized by the end of the month.” And you’ll keep it aaaaall to yourself too, Akane thought. She knew how her sister worked. “Anyway, one thing I’ve noticed with Ranma is that he tends to switch around between being his usual jerk self and acting all soft and cutesy. I don’t think he does it consciously.”

Nabiki jotted it all down in a couple seconds. “If that’s true, then that interacts pretty hilariously with his other condition...”

“There’s another thing?” Akane looked up at her sister, one eyebrow raised.

“20,000 yen if you wanna know more~” Nabiki stuck out her tongue and walked back to her own room, flipping the placard on the door to ‘NO ENTRY’.

No way she was gonna pay. Not yet at least. She wanted to try figuring it out alone first. Nabiki probably just meant the Jusenkyo curse anyway, right?

Akane noticed a higher frequency of appearances from soft Ranma than usual after observing him throughout the rest of the day.

The second complication in the routine came the next day, right as the bell school rang the end of their afternoon classes.

Ranma was heading out of school, walking through the courtyard with Akane next to him, when he spotted a young boy in yellow at the gate, holding another student by his shirt. Intrigued by the commotion, he weaved through the crowd and tried to approach, but the moment the boy spotted him, he jumped in the air and headed to strike Ranma with a bamboo umbrella. “RANMAAAA!! PREPARE TO DIE!!”

Ranma backflipped to dodge the umbrella, which lodged itself into the ground. Energy poured out and the hard cement crumbled into mere pebbles and dust, leaving the umbrella boy kneeling in a crater of his own creation.

The boy glanced up at Ranma with anger on his face. Dark hair, brown eyes, he was wearing a yellow bandana with black spots and wore on his back a heavy-looking survival backpack. Ranma observed him curiously. His face felt familiar, but he just couldn’t quite place him, like it was stuck somewhere deep in his memories… The boy grinned. “I’ve been looking for you, Ranma!” He stood back up and took a fighting stance, pointing his umbrella towards Ranma. “Still as good at running away as ever, huh?”

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“Do you know who this is, Ranma?” Akane whispered to her fiancée.

“Hmm, I’m sure I do, but I can’t recall from where… Lemme think…” Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose. Childhood? Teenhood? Worldwide travel? During which era of his life did he ever meet a guy as strong as this one? Not that he remembered much of anything of his childhood beyond one friend, so if they had met then, it was probably a lost cause. Early teenhood then? Somewhere around middle school -- “Ah ha! Ryoga!” he said with a smile, clacking his fingers. “Matsuribi Buta Junior High School for boys! That’s where ya from!! Ryoga… somethin’...”

“Ryoga Hibiki!” Ryoga stated, sliding next to Ranma with a menacing look on his face.

Right! The memories flooded back in, now. While their friendship had started over a few snatched lunch meals — damn junior high school never had enough lunches for everyone, causing brawls to happen over melon bread — they had become fast friends over two traits they shared: they were both martial artists, and they hated Matsurubi Buta Junior High. The place was miserable not only in the lax administration, but further yet, there was something unsettling they both agreed on about being forced into a boys-only school—

...Wait a minute.

How did Ranma ever forget that? Had he repressed this memory for some reason? Why?

Ah, right, because it was unbecoming of a man amongst men to be uncomfortable in a boys school. But what was Ryoga’s reason, then?

“Stop daydreaming and FIGHT ME!” Ryoga stepped backwards and sent his umbrella spinning straight towards Ranma, forcing the crowd of students behind him into a frantic run. “REVENGE!”

Ranma leaned to the side to avoid the weapon. “Revenge? What for? I thought we were buddies!” He leaned in the opposite direction to avoid the umbrella again as it flew back towards Ryoga like a boomerang.

Ryoga caught the umbrella in mid-air, holding it up above his head. “I’m going to ruin your happiness like you ruined mine, Ranma!”

“My… happiness?” A stupid joke came to Ranma’s mind. He turned to Akane. “Wait, do I even have any a’ that?”

“...Idiot,” she replied. He stuck his tongue out playfully. “What did you do to get him this mad anyways?”

Ranma crossed his arms. “I mean, b’sides the bread stuff? No clue.”

“Bread stuff?” Akane asked.

“Long friendship-forgin’ story,” he answered, before turning his head to Ryoga again. “Hey, it’s not about the bread, izit?”

“What!? Of course it’s not! Stop stalling and fight me, Ranma!” Ryoga shouted before charging straight for him, brandishing his umbrella. He swiped once at Ranma’s chest, then aimed for his feet repeatedly, which Ranma avoided through a series of elaborate backflips.

Ranma bounced up in the air. Ryoga followed him quickly. “What’s it about, then?”

“Because of you… Because of you, my life has become hell!!!” Ryoga tried to hit him with his umbrella again, and Ranma let himself be carried by the displaced air from the strike to reposition himself to Ryoga’s side.

The two boys dropped back to the ground. “Oi, can’t ya drop the mystery and gimme a straightforward answer already!?”

“You wouldn’t be able to even conceive of the depth of my suffering!!” Ryoga deployed his umbrella again and threw out another boomerang attack.

“Answer’s no, then,” Ranma sighed, jumping above the umbrella. What else could have made Ryoga suffer, then? His legendarily awful sense of direction? Well, for sure, but he had that even before Ranma met him. How’d he even find his way to Furinkan, actually?

“Waaait!” a nasal voice rang out from the school, prompting Ranma and Ryoga to a stop. Nabiki ran towards the crowd of students gathered around the two fighters, and paused for a moment to catch her breath. “Everyone, I’m taking all bets! Three to two on Ranma!”

The students swarmed around her while holding up their pocket money, screaming numbers and Ranma and Ryoga’s names over one another.

Akane pinched the bridge of her nose and focused herself back on the fight.

Ryoga was swiping away at Ranma with his umbrella again, who seemed ever on the defensive. Well, he had been dodging for the entire fight so far, so it shouldn’t have been odd, but… There was something. The dodges started to morph from a trained reading of his opponent’s moves to something more akin to reflexes. Ranma’s face was slowly going numb with each attempted strike. Was he starting to get bored with the fight? Or…

“Ryoga, I…” Ranma muttered in a meek voice. Akane’s instinct was right, Ranma’s other mode had switched in! “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Huh?” Ryoga paused for a second, confusion apparent on his face.

And then Ranma hugged him tight.

The crowd went wild with conspiratory whispering and murmuring.

Ranma let go of him and started swinging his hands behind his back. “I’m sorry for whatever harm I caused you, Ryoga. Please, I wish to help, if only you would tell me what I did...”

Ryoga grinded his teeth for a moment, clutching his umbrella tight… before sighing deeply, losing all his combative attitude. He discarded his umbrella and crossed his arms. “Dammit Ranma, you haven’t changed at all.”

Ranma giggled and tilted his head to the side with a smile. “You neither, Ryoga.”

Ryoga replied with a smile of his own before quickly replacing it with a serious expression. “When I was told you went on a training tour around the world, I tried to follow you, Ranma. I didn’t want to lose my only buddy.” He clutched his hand. “But then… But then…! On my way to finding you…! Aaah, I cannot even say it! I became so fixated! And it ruined my life! You ruined my life, by being such a friend that I couldn’t imagine my life without you! And all I received for my troubles is pain and sorrow!”

Akane looked over at Ranma and winced as he clutched his head, stumbling backwards. The tearful reunion was about to be interrupted. “Oi, if ya went lookin’ for me that’s your own dang fault what ya stumbled upon while traveling! I ain’t caused your garbage sense of direction!”

Ryoga grimaced and picked his umbrella back up. “Now, fight me for real, Ranma! No more dodging!”

“I ain’t gonna be accused of somethin’ I didn’t cause, ya earthbound astronaut!” Ranma stomped on Ryoga’s head and ran away from the school grounds.

“Ah, god dammit you slippery— COME BACK HERE!” Ryoga screamed, giving chase.

Akane sighed. So did Nabiki. “Well, looks like we’re not gonna be here to witness the end of this fight. Keep your money, everyone.”

The dejected crowd pronounced a collective “Awww…” and continued on their way home.

Nabiki approached her little sister. “I see what you meant by the switch thing.”

“I’m going after them,” Akane said.

“Sure, knock yourself out. I’ll tell Kasumi not to wait for you for dinner.” And on that note, Nabiki walked away.

Akane ran in the direction she last saw the two boys head in.

“WAIT UP, RANMA!!” the lost boy shouted, doing his best to follow him through the tight alleyways of Furinkan.

“Ah, will ya give it a rest!? I don’t wanna have to knock ya out just because ya think I caused all the problems in your life!” Had Ryoga ever been that persistent!? Oh, wait, he totally had been. There was no way this fight was ending before one of them two was knocked out, was there? Ranma jumped onto the nearest roof and headed for a park he saw not too far from there. If they were going to continue fighting, they needed an open field, and that’s the closest they were gonna get in the middle of the city, bar returning to school. “We’ll fight in there!” he said, pointing out the park to his friend.

The two boys settled in the middle of a grassy area with a few trees around them, as well as a pond behind Ranma he eyed uneasily.

“DIE!!” Ryoga used his umbrella as a pole and propelled himself towards Ranma, aiming a kick. Ranma dodged, but the moment Ryoga’s feet hit the ground he twisted around and swiped his umbrella, which grazed Ranma and tore a cut through his shirt.

“God dangit! I already only had three!” Ranma complained. He punched Ryoga right in the jaw and sent him flying backwards.

Ryoga managed to recover himself and land on his feet, only to see Ranma jump into a tree. “Get down from there!”

Ranma stuck out his tongue.

Ryoga growled with rage and ran towards the tree. He gripped the trunk with his bare hands and started pulling. The tree shook.

“Woah, Ryoga, wait!” a shaken Ranma said as Ryoga pulled the tree out of the ground and jumped high into the air, aiming to dunk it into the pond.

“DIEEE!!” Ryoga threw the tree with all his force, sending it splashing into the pond with an unlucky Ranma on it. Ryoga barely had the time to grab his umbrella to protect himself from a dousing.

Akane saw a column of water rise high above the treeline from the nearest park. Well, she knew where they were now.

Ranma jumped out of the pool and delivered a high kick right into Ryoga’s cheek. “God dammit, dammit, dammit! Why d’ya have to choose to do that of all things!!?”

Ryoga stepped back and choked on his words, half-confusedly gesturing at Ranma’s exposed chest. “R...Ranma!?”

“Who else, ya idiot!?” Ranma replied.

Akane ran onto the scene. “Oh my god, Ranma, your shirt!”

He looked down and, realising the problem, self-consciously hid his breasts behind his arm. He felt his combativity run out, and be replaced by his desire to avoid fighting.

Ryoga stayed silent.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Ryoga. We shouldn’t have fought like this,” Ranma said. “I don’t know what happened to you, only that it was bad enough to make you want to kill me… I shouldn’t have responded with punches and kicks. I hate fighting. And I hate that… you had to see me like this.”

“Is… Is this some kind of twisted joke!?” Ryoga choke back tears. “You’re standing there in that… cute, huggable body!“ He clenched his fists so tightly his umbrella’s handle broke. He started pulling out layered bandanas off of his head, whipping them clockwise in his hands until centrifugal force made them as sharp as razors. “And you claim you hate it!? That’s absurd!” He threw them straight at the two girls.

“Kyaaa!” Ranma screamed, dodging them by pure instinct.

Akane wasn’t so lucky as her hair was suddenly cut right above her ribbon.

The razor bandana continued its course straight until it lodged itself into a tree.

Akane completely stopped.

Her hair.

She had been growing it out for years in an attempt to be more feminine. Less of a tomboy.

And in just one strike, of just one fight, of just two idiots, that shouldn’t have anything to do with her, that should never have had anything to do with her, all that effort was thrown away.

Ranma and Ryoga had all but stopped too, gazing at her intensely.

She touched at the back of her head to assess how much she had lost. It barely reached the midway point of her neck anymore. She looked behind her on the ground and saw the cleanly snipped part sitting there, lifeless.