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Inverse Property	By : Mike256bit Category: +M to R > Ranma ½ Views: 13916 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
--

Chapter Three

"Interludes"

The sparking sea scintillated under the
sun, the shores of Japan a mere line on the horizon. The blue of the water was of rich and deep
quality, the capacious depths darkening to dark, navy hues. A cloud passed by slowly, sending a thin
shadow over the waves. The tides rolled
and swayed, undulating as the winds poured across the surfaces. As Helios himself broke free of his fluffy
bounds, he poured over the sublunary seas his white and pure light. A carp hopped up from the dark below,
twirling in the air against the sparkle of the spraying waters. It came back down into another shadow, the
fish flopping about at the surface.
Suddenly, it was lifted from the waves, bouncing around in its net.

"Got 'em!"
the boat hand cried as he hoisted his device up to the deck. Ranma watched from nearby, her hands in her
pockets as she looked piteously at the fish.
"Moron," she muttered, walking away from the
fishermen as they sent their net back down to the water. She mumbled darkly to herself, looking out
over the curvature to see her home sink further away. It was still a few more hours until they
docked in Nanking, her sea voyage playing tricks on
her stomach.

"Blech." Ranma stretched in the sunlight,
looking dreamily to the clear skies. She
touched a red mark on her cheek, groaning a bit at the soft pain it delivered
to her. Naturally, all her thoughts
switched to what was presently her bane.
Scratching at her backside a moment, she blanched at a rather grim discovery
that had been made just a few hours before their departure.

--

It was still night when that wrinkled bag
Shampoo called a grandmother stopped by, beckoning them out for the
voyage. It had taken Ranma only a few
moments to get herself under control while Akane busied herself with getting
ready with last-minute packups. They hadn't spoken; hell, even with Ukyou
waiting with Shampoo downstairs, Akane couldn't find the fight within her. It didn't matter much – even if she had,
neither Shampoo nor Ucchan were ready to put up much of a response. Whatever Cologne had said to them had some serious impact -
things were tense in the Tendo house as the Saotomes, Akane, the okonomiyaki
chef and the Amazons set out for a trip that would ultimately decide the fate
of at least one person.

What bothered Ranma, for much of the time
that they were still in Nerima, was the walking. A hike wasn't beyond her grasp, that was for
sure, and better yet, they were all of a quiet nature. If, however, Ranma weren't conducting a rave
in her abdomen, it probably wouldn't have been such a strain. By the time they reached the shopping
district, Ranma began to speculate that Cologne was no ordinary old-freakin'
lady.

"You know, they have taxi services in
Tokyo."

Akane rolled up a sleeve, taking in a deep
breath of the damp summer air.
"Enjoy it while you can, would you?
You'll have a whole boat ride to relax and whine."

"Did I ask you?" Ranma shot
back, hiking up one of her shoulder straps.
"You have a pig at home that I'm sure would love your attention if
you don't wanna be here."

Akane promptly stomped on her foot,
leading towards the front of the line.
Ukyou and the other (you know the one) were quick to sink back,
surrounding her on both sides. She
grumbled, not acknowledging either, knowing full well that this was no time to
be jealous of a swine. And a pig, too.

"Where is that back-stabber,
anyhow? I didn't see him anywhere around
the house. . ." She looked up to a prod into her shoulder, seeing Ukyou
eye him oddly. ". . . Please don't
splash me."

"Ran-chan, you
serious? You can't become a boy
anymore?"

"Ranma really
serious! She no
change, even when water boiling!"

The redhead paled. "She's tried it."

"That sucks!" Kuonji exclaimed, punching her in the
shoulder. "Don'cha
miss it?"

Ranma scratched where she'd been hit,
sneering a bit. "That, uh. . . that's part of the problem. I don't remember much of what it was
like. When I was a normal guy, it was
hard to comprehend being a girl at all.
This is the same thing, pretty much."

"Wacky."

Shampoo suddenly shrieked, causing the
entire troupe and much of the surrounding shoppers to look their way. The plaza was busy for a Friday night. "Ranma still likes girls, right?!"

Feeling the burn of an entire city's worth
of scrutiny, Ranma shrunk and began to walk faster. "Yes, I still like girls."

Ukyou, too, was visibly relieved. "It's okay,
they have places for artificial insemination. . ." It was at this time
that Akane had taken the time to sink back to the three of them. Ukyou turned away, not honoring the Tendo's
presence.

"Your dad and Cologne are having an odd conversation," she
said silently, pushing her way into the group.
Shampoo growled silently, making it a point to bump her a bit. "Watch it," Akane snapped. Ukyou picked up the pace a tad, snagging
Ranma's arm. Making a questioning noise,
she allowed herself to be pulled along.

"C'mon, honey, let's let them
fight. You know, you being a girl can't
be that bad. . . I think I could learn to adapt—"

"Hey, quit talkin'
like I like it like this! I'm goin' back
to Jusenkyou to change this!" Ranma's face tightened for a moment,
slowing her legs. She threatened a stop,
grabbing at her stomach. "This. . . is not how I intend to stay – b'lieve
me."

"Say," she continued, dragging
Ranma along without a moment's compassion as she looked back to check on the
feuding girls, "why did I have to come along?"

"Cookin',
I'll bet."

"Thanks a lot, Ranma." The
shortest of the girls looked back to Akane, sighing a bit and she rubbed her
throbbing head. She didn't know from where
Akane got that frying pan and she didn't really care. "Maybe I will go home -- looks like it
would make all four of us happy."

"Look," Ranma snarled, "I
didn't want any of you to come, got it?
This is for me." She yanked her arm from Ukyou's grasp and
turned to face the three, stopping in the middle of the plaza. Ahead, Cologne and Genma arrested their conversation
somewhere in the middle of talking about shark meat to look back and observe
what was slowing down their party.

"Ranma, you know you need
Shampoo! She live
in China, know area!" Ranma turned her lip up,
crossing her arms.

"That's not the point. I'm sick enough as it is, I don't need you
hanging all over me, too."

"Shampoo no hang
on you yet! Stupid pancake girl do
that!"

"HEY!
I'm not stupid!"

"You shut up!" Shampoo fired
back, stomping her foot. Akane gave a
frustrated sigh, pushing past the two of them, shoving Ranma from her path as
well.

"All of you be
quiet!" she barked, grabbing Ranma's collar to help move her along. Ranma struggled from her grasp, complaining
of breath. "We're all here for a
reason, and whatever our reasons are, they're probably all meant to help
Ranma. Even if she is being a
selfish brat about it, she's right, this is for her,
not you guys."

"Akane, no one asked you!" Ukyou
suddenly said, crossing her arms.
"You're the most useless one here!
I mean, I can at least cook! Go
home!" she ordered.

"I won't!" She dropped Ranma,
who, suffering a brain palsy, collapsed to the
floor. "I'll stay if I damn well
please!" The redhead gasped, crawling slowly to her feet as the spark
between the girls rose and ignited into a fla--

"SHUT UP!" Ranma screamed, stumbling as her knees knocked together. "Erg. . . If. .
. you. . . " she gasped, panting for breath. "If you all keep.
. . nng!!" Before anyone could question, Ranma
dropped her backpack and bolted away, jumping over a few people en route to a
set of doors. She ricocheted off a
cement tree pot and through the port, firing into the nearby building. Akane looked from the pack to the complex
Ranma had just entered, swallowing as she looked up to the towering mall's
facade.

"Look at what Tendo-girl do--"

"Be quiet," Akane said softly,
abandoning the few to chase after Ranma.
That moron. . .

Ukyou and Shampoo
exchanged brief glances before they raced after, clamoring back and forth as
they squeezed through the door. Genma
stood by all their gear, looking to Cologne as he sighed.

"I've raised a disgrace of a son. . .
"

"Get some ice cream?" Cologne's raspy voice questioned.

"Sure."

The sink-full of water rippled as a small
droplet dripped off Ranma's chin, her heavy breathing filling the bathroom. The
mirror was dotted with moisture, wayward sprays distorting Ranma's appearance
for a short while. She reached down,
splashing her face once more with the tepid tap water. Letting out a slight groan, she looked up to
the glass, wiping away to the best of her ability the water had made its way to
the glossy surface. She brought her
fingers back up to her face, poking at the cool skin. She couldn't help but stare, rubbing her
cheek slightly.

"If I weren't so pissed, I'd have to
say that I am adorable. . ."

"Ranma?"
Saotome jumped, diving into one of the nearby stalls. That was Akane! How was she discovered so damn fast?! "Ranma, c'mon. You in there?"
She pressed her back to the stall door, her feet propped up on the seat.

Please don't let her find me. She
cringed as footsteps sounded, the tapping of the linoleum entering the restroom
from next door. Next
door? Ranma got to the
floor, leaning up to the wall, listening as Akane's voice sounded from the
other side.

"Ranma, let's go! What are you hiding for? What did I do?"

Do?

Akane murmured to herself as she left the
girls' room, sighing as she looked around.
She'd checked every other restroom in the mall, where else could she
be? It's unlikely that she'd have run
off to one of the stores - she was definitely going through on of her crampy problems. But there were no other places around! She glanced up as she made her way down the corridor that
connected the bathrooms to the rest of the mall's interior. The sounds of
fountains splashing rippled at her through the busy air, the festive feelings
of shopping pulling her from the irritation of, one, having to find Ranma and,
two, having to go to China at Cologne's beck and call. Despite even that, she
took time to consider just whom she was helping – that little whiny girl was
her friend, after all, she couldn't deny her now, right? He was—

"Waaaaiit a
minute. . . he. . . "

She glanced up to the restroom sign that
hung from the ceiling, staring at the forward slash that divided a little girl
from a little boy, the humor of the stick figures lost on her as she ran back
down the hall, bursting without caution into the boys' lavatory.

It was a good thing she had decided to
burst, as she caught Ranma right in the face as she was about to exit the room.
I mean, had Akane called out, we'd be stuck with the repetitive details of her
trying further to locate the ol' gal. Groaning, the person in question sank
back against the wall hidden by the door and dropped to the ground.

Puling like a four year old, she grabbed
her mouth, mumbling to herself. "Oww. . ."

"Ranma!"
Akane cried, bringing her own hands up to her face as she watched the dazed
girl try to stumble to her feet. She leaned down quickly, helping her up as she
sighed. "Jeez, Ranma, will you watch out next time?"

Growling, Ranma allowed herself to be
removed from the bathroom. "And who was it that hit who?"

"Whom."

"Look, whatever. . . " She hissed as Akane shoved her into the girl's room
door, following shortly after. She guided Ranma to the first stall, the rest of
the lavatory abandoned, thankfully. "Alright, I'll go back with you,"
she resigned, sitting on the toilet seat as Akane shut and latched the door
behind her. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Look, whether you go back or not is up to you – and I know you will anyway because at the
moment, I can't imagine that you're very happy. More to the point, since it's
going so fast, I'm wondering when you might pop."

Ranma almost drained of her color. "'Pop?'"

Akane shrugged, digging into her pocket.
"Yeah, you know, bleed. Girls bleed, you dingbat."

"I know they bleed!" she shouted
back, stamping her foot. Panting in slight agitation, she huffed
a quick breath through her nose. "So are you here to make fun of me,
then?"

"'Course not," Akane said
quietly, extracting a short, cigar-shaped tube, long since wrapped in plastic,
from her search in her pants. "I'm here to help you with this—"

"No way," came the menacing return, Ranma sliding back slightly.

"Oh, yes way, Ranma. If you
don't, you'll stain up your clothes and everyone will know. So choose –
you and I keep this a secret, or you let your dad find you with your
pants filled with blood." Making a face, she quickly gave in, her
shoulders slumped.

"The first sounds a hell of a lot
more appealing." She jumped as the tampon landed in her hands, Akane
exiting the stall. "Hey! What's going on?" Akane buckled and laughed
right then, peeking back in at her with a wide grin. She covered her mouth a bit and giggled some
more.

"Ranma, if you think that I'm going
to help you, you better think twice."

"But, Akane, I don't know how these things
work! Give me a break!"

"You'll figure it out."

"Being a girl sucks!" she shot
out, sighing as she looked to her hand. She shrugged and pulled down her pants.

Akane, leaning against the door, snickered a bit more to herself. She could stall a mite
longer, knowing well enough that Ranma would never get it right. She had
accepted that she'd have to look at Ranma's. . . place
of all places, but that wouldn't stop her from exploiting her friend's
ignorance – she would have to beg. It had been five minutes.

"Akane. . ."

Bingo, she thought almost evilly.
"What is, Ranma?"

There was a pause – a long, labored pause,
extended by a faint whisper of wind – before Ranma's voice kicked back up.
"L-look, you know I'm completely lost about all this. I have no idea what
I'm doing, I'm forgetting what I used to do – I. . . I'm nowhere! Wh. . . why
can't you j. . . just help me. . ." Furrowing her brow, Akane looked back
to the door. Her original plan nearly having left her, she said almost sternly:

"What's the magic word?"

Was that a sniffle? "Pl. . . ple. . . pl. . ."

"Ranma, are you crying?"

"No!" Ranma unsuccessfully
countered, unable to guise what sounds she made and unable to put an end what
tears were falling – however little there were. She covered her eyes as she
heard the latch rip, wincing as light was shed upon her hunkered form.

Akane let the door swing open, amazed to
see Ranma, half naked, her knees locked and her head in her hands, mewling,
actually mewling away! "Wha. . . what. . . " Akane
stumbled as she hazarded a step forward, seeing Saotome visibly shudder.

"Why can't I stop.
. . ?" She flinched away as she sensed the other girl near her. She
quickly gave up, however, as Akane lifted her shoulders up and wrapped her arms
around her waist, giving her a warm hug. Relying on a support a good deal,
Ranma tentatively placed her arms on Akane's shoulders, holding back the sniffs
and sobs that were somehow now much easier to contain.

"It's alright,
I was just having a little fun. Girls are weird like this, Ranma, we'll cry
sometimes, and when we do, it's damn hard to stop. We’re just of a more
emotional variety." She grinned a bit, feeling Ranma absently nod, her
head resting now against her neck. Her breaths tickled her a bit, but she knew
exactly why they were so ragged in the first place.

"Even snotty girls like you will feel
compelled to release like that when things get too overwhelming or
frustration."

"Thanks for the comfort," Ranma
responded plainly, wiping her eyes with her hand, now.

"Look, don't get defensive. I'm
still your friend and I was just kiddin', all right?
Relax." She leaned back, sitting on her haunches as probably the most
pitiful sight of the redhead that she'd ever seen tried to pull itself
together. "Feel better?"

"A little," she said quietly,
looking a bit to the side. She brought her gaze back down to Akane when she
tapped on her knee, motioning for her to spread.

"C'mon, open. I'll show you what to
do." Resisting just a bit before she stubbornly let Akane take the steed,
Ranma sat back, letting her legs swing open. The second pause of the
five-minute stretch came as Akane stared forward, eying, unbelievingly, her
crotch.

"E'heh, yes?" Ranma knowingly said, darting to the side of the point in question as Akane's
eyes fell on her own uneasy visage. She gulped, shrinking back against the
wall.

"You're wearing girls'
underwear?"

"Ah. . .
l-let me explain. . ." Ranma pulled her hands down protectively over her
black-laced crotch, chuckling nervously. "Considering my per'pet'ial state as a girl, I figured that I couldn't deal
with boxers always creeping up in—" Akane help up a hand.

"That's quite enough."
Ranma nodded obediently as Akane reached forward to inspect the silk garment.
"Couldn't you have at least been more tasteful? I can see clear through
these. . ." She chuckled almost,
watching Ranma jump a bit at her touch. "Calm down, now. Slip 'em off; I can't do everything for you. Although, you'd
think that you could find someone other than Nabiki to loan you panties."

"She charged me 2000 yen," Ranma
darkly growled, pulling them down so that they pooled to the floor with her
pants and slippers. She saw Akane's similar and almost disturbing reaction to
the revelation and snapped her fingers. Scratching her head, she waved her hand
before Akane's wide eyes and whistled. "Right, the trimming, I can explain
that, too. . ."

"You're such an unbelievable pervert.
. ."

"Hey, look, I was bored and secondly,
if other girls do it, how does that make her a pervert?" She reeled back
as Akane was at her feet, shoving her face clear into Ranma's. The redhead
winced slightly as Akane's fingertips dug clear into the flesh of her thighs.
"Ah, Akane, a little tight—"

"You're not a girl. Don't forget
that."

Blinking, Ranma heaved a heavy and huge
sigh, nodding. "Right, I'm slipping. Got it.
Total pervert okoto-Ranma." She made a muscle,
flexing like a moron as Akane sank back against the stall's partition.

"Idiot."

Ranma grinned back. "That sounded
believable."

"Look, I'm not getting buddy-buddy
with you, so drop the smile. If you don't fall into line and yell at me like
you should be doing—" She stopped short, raising her head to look around
wildly. Curious as to where she was going with her tirade, Saotome piped up.

"What's up- eek!!"
She was yanked from her seat on the toilet cover, Akane taking her place. Not
given the time to question, Akane pulled her back, forcing her to straddle her
lap.

"Shut up and don't get the
wrong idea." Ranma nodded quickly as she placed her hands tentatively on
Akane's shoulders and as the Tendo-girl pulled up Ranma's slippers. She reached
back down to grab the pants, stuffing them between them, giving Ranma a final
warning to not talk as the door to the bathroom exploded inward, banging off
the tiled wall.

"Ranma!"
Ukyou shouted. "You in here, Ran-chan?"

Damnit! Ranma thought,
unconsciously pulling herself closer to Akane.

"What did I just tell you,"
Akane whispered jaggedly. "Not so hard, alright?"

"Look," Ranma hushed back,
quietly but quite powerfully. "Take off your shoes."

"What?" Akane asked, slightly
too loud. "What—" Ranma clasped her hand over her mouth, giving her a
menacing look.

"Sshh. Put my slippers on and you shut up. I have an idea.
Hike up your skirt." Hesitating for just a moment, Akane did just as she
was told, not putting further question to Ranma's unusually determined glare --
at least, unusual for the current circumstance.

Not lost yet, eh, Ranma? Akane thought
as she put her own shoes behind them. "They're a little tight. . ."

"Shh! I'll
buy you ice cream or something, just be quiet."

From outside, Ukyou glanced back to
Shampoo and nodded. Akane had a lot of nerve to run off with Ranma when she clearly
needed better emotional support. After all, he didn't even like Akane and he
was her darling Ranma-honey! Why wasn't he getting the message?

"Oh, right, she. I don't think that
I'm gonna remember that. . ."

"Wha?" Shampoo looked up, bopping Ukyou with one
of her bonbori. "What pancake girl
talk about?"

"Ouch!" she shouted, rubbing her
skull. "Watch it!" She leaned against a sink, wincing as she held her
hand to her head. As she puled, small whimpers escaping her person, Shampoo
raised one of her weapons and aimed at the stalls. "Wait!" Ukyou
cried, grabbing it from her hand. "Let's hold onto a few of our remaining
ethics, okay?" That is, they did so by not dematerializing
all the stalls or by knocking down all the doors. Instead, they decided to
simply leave everything up to Shampoo.

"What? Why Shampoo?"

"I dunno. .
. just, alright, I've got it. We'll slide you along the floor, looking under
each st—"

"Ew, no way!" She recoiled, sticking out her
tongue as Ukyou sighed. "We do this Shampoo-way." She backed
slightly, taking hold of her bonbori in both hands.
With a bit of a running start, she flipped forward, balancing on the weapon as
she slid across the floor. After the Sixth stall, she wobbled, flipping up and
back onto her feet. She nodded to Ukyou, pointing to the first door.

Looking in the first stall after her,
Ukyou shook her head. "Nah, those are her shoes, but those legs are too
fat." Shampoo nodded slowly, however, she was a
little dubious. The rest of the stalls having been confirmed as empty, they
shrugged and were quickly out the door. "Let's try Victoria's Secret!" Shampoo's voice floated
back.

"Hey yeah, he's still a perv!"

Inside that first stall, Ranma slowly
climbed down, feeling the heat of anger burn her skin a bit. "Ah. . . Now,
look, I didn't do that so that you'd be made fun of—"

"Ranma. . ."

Swallowing slightly, she backed up to the
stall door, hands pressed to either partition on the sides. "Calm down,
would you? It was all I could think of – I knew they wouldn't confuse your
figure with mine." Akane was at her feet. "Hey, c'mon, Akane—"
Holding the tampon like a steak knife, she clamped a hand down on Ranma's
shoulder.

"Hold still, I still have to show you
how to use this thing."

The pair stepped from the corridor's mouth
and into the main body of Nerima's biggest mall, Akane taking a smiling,
triumphant lead. Lagging slightly behind, Ranma boldly clutched her crotch, a
wince seared into her features. Akane looked back, sticking her tongue out as
Saotome did her best to catch up.

"That wasn't cool."

Akane gave her a pat on the back.
"Don't you owe me ice cream?"

Not hearing her, Ranma simply whined,
trying to stall her movements. "It's a little scratchy. . . "

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
Just try to part with erratic movements. If you're lucky, it'll end on the boat
ride. Then you'll be good to go in China."

"You'd better hope so," Ranma
mumbled. "I mean, you've had an attitude with me ever since the bathroom.
It's not helping things, okay? And another thing," Ranma said, counting on
her fingers. "If you're just on this trip to sling insults and stuff at
me, I don't want you to come." Taking a moment to review she gave a short
laugh and sucked her teeth matter-o-factly. "You're
being so crude. I'm more of a girl than you are!!-" Akane whipped around,
slapping Ranma clear across the face. The two halted before a fountain as the
colors on the water shifted from blue to green. A few people stopped to watch,
the rest walking along and minding their own business as Akane gripped Ranma by
the shoulders.

"Look, what did I
tell you?! You're not a girl!"

Slightly stunned, Ranma nodded slowly,
rubbing her cheek. "I. . . I know. . . it's just
that it's getting harder to remember. I feel compelled t'do
other stuff and I can't help it." She shook off Akane's hands, heaving a
sigh. "But I'm still a guy, got it? I just need to get out of this dumb
body."

"I'm just worried," Akane said
quietly. "The underwear, the shaving—"

"Trimming."

"I meant your legs."

"Oh, a'heh. . . I've been doing
that for a while, actually. . ."

Akane silenced her. "The point
is that I'm scared! I don't want to lose the real Ranma, okay? This. . . other you isn't so bad, it's just unfamiliar. Try
not to forget, please?"

"That's why I'm going," Ranma
responded softly, reaching out to grab one of Akane's hands. She quickly let it
go, putting her own behind her back. "And I guess I am glad you came. . . you're being much more of a help than Shampoo and
Ukyou." She forced a smile, softening as it took an actual hold.
"Thanks."

Grinning, Akane turned around, beginning
to walk away. "That's all I needed to hear." She looked back at her
slightly confused partner and uttered a small laugh. "You coming? Ice cream?"

"Oh, right, right. . ." She
started after, rubbing herself slightly before catching up. "Hey,
how about yogurt, instead?"

Akane found it very difficult to get up
off the floor.

"Found you!" Ukyou shouted
victoriously as she approached the two sitting in the food court. Shampoo, too,
eventually followed, panting and billowing her dress collar a bit as she
stooped, resting her hands on her knees.

"Crazy. . .
pancake girl. . . take Shampoo all over mall. . ."

Swallowing the last of her treat, Ranma
uncrossed her legs and stood, coughing slightly. Sighing, Akane gave her a few
pats on the back until she pulled herself together. "Alright, here's the
deal. Akane had a pretty decent idea and I think it's worth a try."
Shampoo would have scoffed but found it still difficult to regain her
composure. While distracted, Ukyou sat down in Ranma's seat and tried to
salvage some of the uneaten yogurt.

"Go on?" she said.

"You three are going to make a
pact."

"Hey!" Ukyou protested loudly,
"I don't know how to sew!"

"That's pack, dummy." Akane
stuck out her tongue, idling with her spoon.

"This isn't a carefree adventure, you
guys," Ranma continued as Ukyou and Akane exchanged insulting features.
"So you gotta lay off. There's no time for anyone
to be complainin' about who's whose fiancée."

"Nu uh." Ukyou insisted, shaking her head.
"This is all Akane's idea to get you for herself."

"Fat chance!" she declined,
hopping up from her seat. Akane hardened her glare, glancing to Ranma.
"There's no way I'd want to be along with this loser under any
circumstance!"

Shampoo was suddenly up, pointing.
"Then you no mind if Shampoo take him!"

"He's not yours!" Ukyou shouted.

"He's not a he," Akane dully
said as the redhead in question ground her teeth together. "And yeah, I do
mind – Ukyou's right, she doesn't belong to anyone."

Ranma sighed, scratching her head.
"This is exactly what I don't want!" The few others that were
still in the court turned in their seats to watch, but were quickly distracted
by a pounding in the distance. "No more fighting! I don't wanna belong to any
of you, so cut it out or I'm leaving you all here!" He grabbed Ukyou's
hand, shoving it out before her. He did the same with Shampoo and moved to Akane,
but she spared her the trouble.

"Now do it."

"I accept," Akane said quickly,
followed by the more labored responses of the others.

"Good!" Ranma said winsomely as
a panda strolled by. Cologne called from its shoulders, beckoning the
group to follow. Ranma lead the way, leaving the three girls to toss around
some unsavory glances before they too took to stride. Quietly, as Akane neared
her side, Ranma leaned over and gave her a nudge. "Thanks again."

"Trust me,
it's the last of my favors."

As they made their way to one of the
exits, Ukyou sighed as she looked to all the stores that they were now passing
by. "If she's such a girl, why doesn't she wanna go shopping?" Before
they could make it out, Ukyou sauntered up to Ranma's other side and giving Akane
a wink, pushed the two of them into the doors of a small boutique. Shampoo,
slightly confused, looked up to the store's name and almost yipped, running in
after the two.

Genma and Cologne continued their discussion on shark meat.

--

Looking up to the now orange sky, Ranma
was pulled from her reverie by the splash of an unusually large fish. The spray
of this part of the sea was unusually warm, and had more hit her,
she wagered that she would have changed, if able. Wiping a bit of the mist from
her cheek she was startled by the yelling the fishermen made and looked over to
figure out the commotion. The rather large fish she'd thought she'd seen was
now fighting in their net, it's black hair and
umbrella tangled here and there. Ranma covered her face, moaning as Ryouga
ripped the net open, storming up to her.

"Oh, why him. . ."

"Ranma! What
are you doing here?"

She glanced up to him with a bored stare
and shrugged, putting her hands behind her head. "I should be askin' you
that, P-Chan. I'd say thank the waters that it was nice and warm – I don't
think pigs can swim."

"You!"
Growling, Ryouga wrung the water from his clothes into a nearby bucket and
quickly dumped the still-warm water over her head. "Don't hide behind that
guise, unless I gotta destroy both sides of you!" She sighed,
ringing the water out of her own clothing before she reeled around and nailed
him in the stomach. He flinched, but didn't let it show beyond that. "Uh.
. ."

"C'mon, let me tell you a story. .
." She turned again and began to walk back down the deck.

"Are you wearing girls'
underwear?" Quickly, Ranma pulled the tail of her shirt farther down to
cover her buttocks.

"Shaddup."

Dinner didn't last long, Ranma unable to
put up with Ukyou's cooking as the swaying of the ferry rocked her insides to
Jell-O. Much of the dinner was Ryouga just staring at her, anyway, and frankly, that would make just about anyone uncomfortable.
What surprised the band even more was that Akane's dear little pig had shown
up. She was happy, at least. Ranma. . . well, she
could care less.

Walking below deck, she shuffled to her
room with slightly more than a headache. She figured that it would probably be
best if she just took to sleep, the voyage becoming entirely too taxing. The
addition of Ryouga was throwing her off, his reaction to her tale not as
offsetting as she wanted. He seemed excessively. . .
jovial for her taste. And perhaps he had the right to be – Akane wouldn't go
for a girl, now would she?

"Not. . .
that I want her to, that is."

Sure.

"No, really, I don't care. Let her
have her pig. Ryouga can do what he wants, I'm only
going so that I can be a man, again. It doesn't matter that Akane's actually
tried to help me. . . sorta. . ." She suddenly
howled, punched the wall near her door. "Shit! Who am I kidding?" She
relaxed, leaning against the wall entirely, her face pressed to the grainy
wood. "I can't stop thinking about her. . . I don't think that I
feel any different about her, but I can't get her outta my mind. . ." She
sighed, running her hands along the wood, taking long breaths. "Man. .
."

"Thinkin' about whom, Ranma?"

"Ah!!" She jumped, turning
herself around and was quickly trapped by two hands planted on her shoulders.
She was about to bring her leg up but as an arm slipped under her throat, an
umbrella pointed to her crotch.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have told me
everything about what happened to you, period girl."

"Ryouga," she hissed, trying to
pull in a breath, "what the hell are you doing?" He grinned, winking
at her.

"Not much, you're just a lot easier
to detain this way. Who were you talking about, hmm?"

She growled,
bring her hands up with uncanny speed. Ryouga, however, pressed his umbrella to
her side just as fast, rendering her absolutely useless as she buckled under
the pain. "Ah. . . dickhead. . ."

"Thinking about Akane?"

"What's it.
. . to you?"

"Like I said: not
much, Ranma. Just doing you a favor!" He
kicked her door in and shoved her after, pushing it closed behind him. Ranma
was quick to turn around, rocketing a kick to his
head. Ryouga held his hand up to block it and used her foot to shove her to the
floor. She sucked in a sharp breath, holding back a cry and her cramps
exploded.

"Nng. . . damnit.
. ."

"You know what occurs to me?" he
said with a note of glee in his voice. He stood over her, patting her stomach
with his foot. "That if you don't become a guy, you've got no
chance with Akane."

"You loser, don't you have any
honor?" she spat, crawling to her knees. He shoved her back down, watching
her slide to where her futon sat.

"This isn't about honor, Ran-chan. At
least you turn into a human when splashed! Girls don't love pigs!"

"You're still harping about
that?!"

"It's not fair!" Ryouga bellowed
as the creak of wood sounded in the hallway. "Akane's mine and you know
it. You're better off staying a girl. Ukyou doesn't seem to mind."

"I don't want Ukyou!" she
roared. "And I don't want you to have Akane, got it?!"

Ryouga chuckled as he twirled his umbrella
like it weighed an ounce. "I got it, but you're not gonna get it. What are
you gonna do to stop me?" Looking about frightfully, Ranma spied a glass
of water sitting nearby the bed. She shot her hand out, grabbed it, and rotated
her whole body, kicking his umbrella from his hands as she brought her hand
around, splashing him. He yelped, shrinking back as
Ranma fell onto her bottom, crying out as she grabbed her foot. She watched
P-Chan shake himself, crawling from Ryouga's clothes. Sticking her tongue out,
she hopped as the door opened, the light clicking on as Akane stood there and
crossed her arms.

"What are you doing to P-Chan? And
what was that about not letting him get me?" Dumbfounded, Ranma sat with
her shoulders slumped, watching as Akane picked the little black pig up from
the floor. She smiled slightly but quickly diverted a less warm gaze to Ranma.
"Well?"

"Ah. . . Akane, he.
. . aghh!" She lurched forward, rubbing her ankle, hissing at the pain.
"Akane, you. . ." She climbed to her feet, limping to her bed. She
sat down and hugged herself, getting eerily quiet.

"Ranma. . .
?"

"Just go away.
. . you don't understand. . ."

Oh no. . . not again. PLEASE not again. . . Akane's mouth dropped open as she watched
Ranma shudder, bringing the back of her hand up to wipe at her eyes. She
covered her mouth, silencing the few sobs that tried to escape. Quickly, Akane
turned to the door and set P-Chan down, giving him a pat on the rump. He looked
back, unsure as she flashed a smile and closed the door.

"Ranma?"

"N-no!" she cried, burying her
face into her hands. "Just g-go away. . ." Akane, almost dazed,
walked over, sat down next to her, and tentatively set her hand on the
redhead's shoulder. She edged away, freely crying this time.

"Hey. . . if
this is about what I did in the bathroom, I didn't mean to be so rough—"

"No," Ranma uttered, stumbling
through her choking sobs as he raised her hands to conduct her words. "Because. . . and I. . . he came. . . I said. . . 'cause he wanted. . . and I just tried. . . to protect. . . but you. .
. taking his side. . . and all I. . . thinking about you. . ."

Akane blinked a few time as her hand
slowly slid off the shoulder on which it rested. ". . . Period
acting up?" Ranma shrieked and hopped up.

"Rrrmphh! Don't you get anything?!"

"Look," Akane said calmly,
curling her fingers into fists. "All I understand is that you're jealous
of a pig. I can't sympathize with you if you're going to be that
pathetic."

"B-but. . ."

"No!" Akane shouted, holding her
hand up. "I've been a girl longer than you have, so I refuse to
believe that you can get that emotional over a pig. What's the problem? Why are
you trying to protect me so much from him?" Slumping, Ranma's knees
knocked as she buckled to the floor, tipping her head down. "C'mon, get up
here." She leaned down and drew her back up to her feet, watching as Ranma
tried to clear her eyes. Her eyebrows quirked as she saw Akane lie down,
patting the bed. "If I sleep with you, will that make you feel
better?"

"Wh-what?!" Ranma,
cleared of all melancholy was now suddenly backing up to a nearby bureau, wincing a bit as she hit her ankle. "That. . . I mean,
people will say stuff if they catch us, and—"

"Will you calm down?" Akane
sighed, as she sat up. "Ranma, please, what's bothering you?"

Lying through her teeth, Ranma shrugged.
"I'm just edgy. . ." She cautiously walked back over, taking her seat
next to Akane. "I just need to relax." She sighed as Akane wrapped
her arm about her hugged her again.

"I understand. Sometimes I forget
about what you're going through. I'm sorry for having done anything that was
outta line." Before she could protest, Akane pushed Ranma down to the bed,
pinning her on her side.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Pushing down a bit
harder, Akane spoke. "And I want you to promise me that you won't
cry anymore. It's disturbing."

"Look," she growled back,
"I told you that I couldn't help it."

"I'm just teasing you. I know you
can't – remember, it's what girls do." She relaxed a bit and settled down
next to her. "And you're right, you do seem really edgy. You oughta nap." Yawning, Akane put her head down and let
her arm drape along Ranma's side in a relaxed hug.

"Ah, what're you doing now?"
Ranma asked, looking back.

"What do you think, stupid? I'm
comforting you out of the goodness of my heart. It'd do you best to not get
all perverted about it, so don't get—"

"The wrong idea,
got it. . ." Silently, Ranma relaxed back, freeing her trapped arm as she
brought it up to cover a yawn. A few minutes ticked by, Ranma unable to close
her eyes as she shuddered at Akane's breath on her
neck. "Hey. . . um. . ."

"What is it?" she asked
sleepily.

"Thanks."

Outside, P-Chan was white with terror. Half from what he'd heard and half from the fishermen approaching
him on both sides. If he were lucky, they'd try to boil him.

--

End of part three.
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Inverse Property