On Her Own
By Kevin D. Hammel

A Story Inspired by Jeff Hosmer's Amazons.

Episode 05: That's Ranma?

Ranma 1/2 is property of Rumiko Takahashi. Publishing rights are held 
by Viz in The US and Shogakukan in Japan. My purpose is to honor the 
creator and her works. No infringement intended.

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Two trains from Narita and a couple of blocks walking brought the 
party of five to the Tendou home. Akane knocked on the door.

"I'll get it." A woman with long brown hair, quite a bit taller than 
Akane opened the door.

"Welcome back, Akane! So nice to see you again, Mrs. Saotome!" She 
looked past her sister and Nodoka and saw two women with long free-
flowing hair, a diminutive redhead and a taller, thinner girl with 
purple hair. Both wore beautiful Chinese-style silk dresses. A little 
girl with pink hair in a ponytail wore a white blouse and a gray skirt 
and stockings.

Kasumi bowed curtly then looked up with a smile. "I am Tendou Kasumi 
and you three are?" Kasumi wondered where Ranma was, she had heard 
from Mr. Saotome that they had found him, but he would say no more.

The teenaged redhead spoke first, after a slight bow. "I am Saotome 
Ranma, and this is my adoptive daughter."

"Saotome Sakura. Glad to meet you! You're a nice lady." Sakura said 
with a big grin on her face.

Finally, the teen with purple hair spoke. "Hello, I Shampoo. I Ranma's 
Sister."

"Oh my! Come in please." There was something strange going on. It was 
obvious Ranma was a woman. Why had their fathers pursued the 
engagement after Ranma's birth?

Three people inside rose to greet Akane and her guests.

Ranma recognized only one. "Well pop, now that you ain't in fear of 
your life, you didn't run this time."

"Son, I see only shame when I look at you. I raised you to be a man, 
and now all that is left is a weak girl, unfit..."

Battle-auras flared around Akane, Ranma, and Shampoo at Genma's 
pronouncement.

Ranma sought control, but couldn't find it; as any love she had ever 
had for the man sought to flee her soul. "You jerk! You MADE me a 
girl! How can you say a thing like that? If you hadn't gone to that 
stupid training ground NONE of this woulda happened." Finally, she was 
able to grab hold of her emotions. She continued after a swallow. 
"Wanna prove your manhood in the yard?"

"I'll teach you some respect for your father, girl!"

"You'll have to EARN my respect old man!" Ranma spat.

The two adjourned to the backyard of the Tendou home. Ranma hoped her 
dress would survive...

While Genma was totally on the offensive, aiming powerful strikes at 
his daughter, she was flying and dancing around him with a big grin on 
her face. It was obvious that none of his attacks would hit her.

Sakura smiled at her mother with pride.

"FIGHT ME RANMA!" Genma shouted. Then he used a technique Ranma had 
never seen. A great ball of energy hit Ranma in the chest and flung 
her across the lawn like a rag doll. She came to a rest with the front 
of her dress shredded and smoking.

Sakura ran to her mother's side in tears.

Ranma did not see the child, or anything except that MAN. She got up 
and ran to her father, who had relaxed for a second, savoring his 
victory.

The fight lasted scant additional seconds, as Ranma connected with a 
flurry of fists and kicks, sending her father into the nearby koi 
pond. Mr. Panda emerged.

Her revenge complete, Ranma slumped to the ground.

Sakura ran to her mother, then knelt, shaking her. "Mom! Are you all 
right?" She collapsed on the unconscious girl in tears.

Kasumi soon appeared with a kettle of water, then almost dropped it on 
the ground in shock at the scene. She hurried over to the panda and 
doused the animal with it, revealing a grim-faced Genma.

What had he done? He took the kettle from Kasumi's hands and went to 
his child, emptying it on the unconscious girl, who sputtered and 
regained consciousness... still female. Genma sank to his knees. 
"Ranma, I... I..."

Nodoka stood over her husband. "Saotome Genma! NEVER lay your filthy 
hands on my daughter again, unless she asks you to. Do not train 
her... do not touch her. Get out of her life!" She finished, almost 
shaking in rage. She then knelt by her daughter's side and gently 
lifted her into an embrace, offering her all the love she could.

Ranma regained her senses. She was in her mother's arms... her mother. 
She painfully sat up, then gave her mother a quick kiss then struggled 
to her feet.

She looked down at her father. "Pop, maybe there's something I can 
learn from ya after all. Maybe you can learn something from me, too... 
I hope you'll learn to give women a little respect. And NEVER forget 
why I'm a woman!" She turned on her heels and went into the house.

Kasumi, Akane, Sakura, Nodoka, and Shampoo followed close behind.

Genma contemplated the fate of his son. He had only sought to make him 
a man among men, now his dreams... and Tendou's lay in the gutter. 
What had happened to Ranma? But he had to admit she was right, his 
last training exercise had dashed any hopes of uniting the two 
families. She was a woman by his hand.

=======

Kasumi had invited Ranma and her family to her room. The girl had 
suffered some minor burns, but would soon recover. Her beautiful 
dress, however, was a total loss.

Ranma lay on the bed as Kasumi and her mother carefully peeled the 
fused silk away from her skin. Ranma turned her head slightly so she 
could catch Shampoo's eye. "Sorry, 'bout the dress, sis..."

Shampoo offered her sister a game smile, and replied in Mandarin. "The 
dress is only cloth, Ranma. I'm glad you got a chance to wear it. 
Actually, I'm just happy you're all right, little sister."

Ranma smiled a little and replied in her sister's tongue. "I never 
really thought the old man had it in him, Shampoo. I never thought 
he'd ever beat me."

Shampoo just laughed. "Maybe he'll teach us his techniques, then we 
can make him pay for what he did to you. He's only a man..." Shampoo 
almost bit her tongue as she realized her mistake.

"Don't worry, sis. I don't think I'll ever be 'only' a man again."

The two girls giggled.

Nodoka turned to her daughter and responded in Mandarin. "I'm glad, 
Ranma. I want to see my son again, but I think I'd miss my daughter."

All three laughed.

"There, Ranma. All done. You don't seem to be burned too badly, I 
think you'll be fine in a few days." Kasumi said with a warm smile.

A sound of running announced the smallest member of the Saotome 
family. Sakura scurried in carrying a stack of clothing followed by 
Akane. "Here, mom. Akane helped me get clean clothes out of your 
pack!"

Ranma sat up, grimacing slightly. "Thanks, little one."

Sakura just smiled as her mom took the clothes.

In a few minutes, with mother and daughter were identically dressed 
again, the group migrated downstairs.

======

Everyone met in the dojo. Ranma was finally introduced to Nabiki, the 
middle Tendou and Soun, the Tendou patriarch. In the dojo, Nodoka sat 
with Kasumi, Nabiki, Soun, and Genma. Shampoo, in a borrowed gi, and 
Sakura sat along the far wall, watching Akane and Ranma.

Akane looked at her new friend with a bit of concern. "Are you sure 
you want to do this Ranma?"

Ranma returned a cocky grin. "If I thought you'd be able to hit me I'd 
be worried."

Akane responded in mock anger. "Oh, you!"

Ranma and Akane squared off. Akane was dressed in a yellow gi, while 
Ranma was wearing her traditional outfit, her hair again in the 
ponytail she favored.

Ranma began the battle on the defensive, trying to gauge Akane's 
abilities. As was the case when she fought her father, this served 
only to enrage her opponent. Ranma began to throw some counters to 
Akane's attacks, at about her power level. As Akane was able to block 
these, Ranma increased the power level until a few got through. The 
battle continued for several minutes, until Ranma jumped back, saying 
"Thank you, Akane." Now that the battle was over, she allowed herself 
a grimace of pain.

Akane looked at Ranma, breathing heavily. "Thanks for the workout. 
Your control allowed you to provide me with just enough challenge to 
force me to improve my skills. I would like to train with you."

Ranma went over to the wall and sat down. "Maybe you'd like to test 
Shampoo, Akane."

"Yeah, after I catch my breath." Akane replied with a smile.

After a few minutes, Shampoo went over to the youngest Tendou. "Akane, 
you ready? You not wait all day, please!"

While Akane and Shampoo sparred, Ranma and Sakura engaged in a 
practice session. Nodoka was struck by the differences in her daughter 
and husband as teachers. Ranma never raised her voice, with both girls 
treating the workout as a game, though it was obvious that Sakura had 
become quite skilled. Genma had used shouting and intimidation of 
Ranma when she last saw him. She was proud of her daughter.

Soun and Genma were impressed with Ranma's abilities. It seemed that 
she would be a perfect choice to take over the dojo. Perhaps they 
could still realize that part of their dream.

=======

The workout concluded, the four combatants went upstairs to bathe. 
Ranma and Sakura waited outside for Shampoo and Akane, then went in 
after the other two were finished. Ranma put on one of her blue silk 
shirt & black silk pants combos from the village, while Sakura wore a 
clean white shirt and gray skirt. After glancing in the mirror to 
adjust her ponytail and outfit, Ranma headed downstairs with her 
daughter.

=======

Finally, guests and Tendous gathered downstairs. Once everyone had 
found a seat, Nabiki asked the question that was on the mind of most 
Tendous. "So Ranma, why are we engaged to a girl?"

Ranma told the whole story, from his abduction at Jusenkyo and the 
curse becoming permanent to the flight to Japan. She held the 
audience's rapt attention for the better part of an hour.

Tendou Soun was in tears long before the end of Ranma's story.

Genma had not fully realized what his son had gone through. He was 
proud of his child, but could not escape the fact that his mistakes 
had cost him his son, possibly forever.

Nabiki was intrigued. Here was a man who, even if the curse was 
unlocked, would be very much a traditional woman. He could run the 
dojo, AND take care of the kids, house, cooking, etc. Nabiki had 
already seen how much Ranma's adopted daughter loved her mom, and how 
much Ranma loved her. So she could work in the business world, knowing 
the kids and house would in the care of a loving parent/spouse. She 
sized up the redhead with an almost predatory gaze. Perhaps Ranma WAS 
what she had been looking for. Nabiki gave Ranma the nicest smile she 
could manage. Ranma flushed and smiled back.

Akane was confused. Ranma was obviously very brave and honorable, just 
like the man she had dreamed of when she read the article. 
Unfortunately, he had clearly become a woman, and an unlocked curse 
would never change that, would it? She saw the love Ranma had for her 
daughter, and was touched. That brought up the problem, as Akane saw 
it. Could she marry a woman? Only if the two of them loved each other. 
Could she love a woman? She wasn't really sure about it. She already 
knew Ranma was unlike anyone she had ever met, she was special. The 
problem was in the SHE. Akane smiled at Ranma, and Ranma smiled back. 
They were already friends, after all.

Kasumi looked at the small woman in front of her. She was beautiful, 
her clothing showed off her figure well, and Ranma knew it. It was 
obvious that Genma's son was probably gone forever, but the key to 
unlocking the curse was in Japan, so Ranma's male form might be 
available at some point. She knew the doctor down the street was 
attracted to her, but Ranma would be much closer to her in age. She 
saw Ranma's love for her daughter and knew it would be wonderful to 
share it with him/her. Ranma obviously enjoyed the simple pleasures of 
housework and motherhood, as well as the martial arts. Kasumi was tall 
and had a sturdy frame, perhaps if she learned the martial arts from 
Ranma or Shampoo; Kasumi could share a love for all aspects of Ranma's 
life, unlike her sisters. She would pursue this further. Kasumi smiled 
at Ranma, and Ranma smiled back. It was hard to put her hopes for the 
two of them into a smile, but Kasumi tried.

Uh oh, Now the oldest Tendou girl was smiling at her. It seemed that 
all three of the daughters were interested in her. Ranma didn't expect 
THIS turn of events; she was a WOMAN after all! This would be 
interesting. She had not considered unlocking the curse before now, at 
least since Sakura had come into her life, but she DID NOT want to 
marry a man, at least a full-time, born masculine man. But each time 
she looked at Sakura, she remembered her promise, though she knew the 
promise didn't matter. SHE wanted to have a child. Would any of these 
women love her enough to make the sacrifice she would have to make? 
Ranma hoped so; she had to marry one of three beautiful women... if 
she could ever become a man again. She would have to get to know each 
of them.

Shampoo was proud of her sister; she had gazed at Ranma and nodded 
affirmatively at several points in the narrative. She then noticed 
each of the three Tendou daughters had smiled at Ranma in turn. She 
already knew that one of the daughters had been promised to Ranma. She 
would help find the Kaisuifuu to unlock Ranma's curse so her 
sister/brother could marry one of these women!

Tears of joy replaced Soun's tears of sorrow when he saw each of his 
daughters smile at Ranma. He would do everything in his power to help 
unlock the curse.

Genma noticed the Tendou girls' reactions, but could not help but be 
puzzled. Couldn't these girls see that Ranma had become a woman in 
form and mind? Of course, each of them was probably considering the 
fact that the curse might be unlocked someday, though the 'male' Ranma 
would be a male in form only, but what did a woman really want in a 
man? Perhaps Ranma would be a perfect husband. Women. He would never 
figure them out. When he had first seen Ranma in China, he thought his 
dreams of unifying the families were destroyed. He had obviously been 
wrong. He looked at Soun, who returned his smile.

Nodoka had seen everything, from Shampoo's encouraging nods, to the 
fathers' happy smiles. First off, she was glad to see that Shampoo was 
truly a sister, and not any kind of a rival to the Tendou girls. It 
seemed that each of them was interested in Ranma. Nodoka would have to 
get to know each of them, as well as Ranma. She could still not 
believe it, but it looked like, perhaps, their families could be 
united. She would help find the Kaisuifuu, but she was certain that 
Ranma would be male in form only, at least initially. She hoped each 
of the girls AND fathers understood THAT.

Shampoo spoke to Ranma in Mandarin, "Ranma, each of those sisters 
likes you..."

Ranma responded in her sister's tongue. "I know Shampoo, I'm not sure 
what to do."

Shampoo shook her head knowingly. "Maybe you could train the other two 
girls. I don't think they are martial artists, though the smaller one 
obviously works out, and the taller one has the BODY of a warrior, at 
least."

"Good idea, thanks!" Ranma switched to Japanese. "Sorry 'bout that! My 
sister Shampoo suggested that I offer to train you, Kasumi and Nabiki. 
I have already offered to train Akane. Would you two be willing?"

"Yes, I would like that, thank you." Kasumi replied.

"Well, are you going to train Akane one on one? Don't the rest of us 
deserve equal time?" Nabiki asked, not willing to concede any edge to 
her younger sister.

Akane glared at Nabiki.

"If each of you wants individual sessions, I guess I could do that." 
Ranma smiled.

The meeting broke up. Nodoka approached her daughter. "When Will OUR 
training begin, Ranma?"

"And what about ours?" Genma asked.

"Father, you do have skills I want to learn, but not now. Don't worry, 
when I'm ready I'll let you know."

Genma looked disappointed. "I understand. I stand ready to train you 
should you request it." He did understand. Genma was happy she didn't 
hate him, at least. 

"Thank you, father."

Nodoka spoke to Ranma "Ranma, would you and Shampoo like to get some 
clothes more appropriate to Japan?"

"OK, mom. Can the Tendous come with us?"

"Of course. Why don't you invite them?"

Ranma invited the sisters, who were eager to join them. Seven people 
headed to the shopping districts. Ranma wondered if she would ever 
again have time to herself without three Tendous following her. But 
then, she did invite them, this time.

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