Chapter 5: Tendo School

Falling seemed a common theme with these inter-universe arrivals. Luckily, instead of falling into a puddle or anything this time, the exiled lad found himself tumbling into someone's arms. Determining more took a moment as he tried to process the kiss he'd just received... had Konatsu lace her lipstick, or was he really that bad with handling kisses?

Getting his bearings again, RanmaA realised he'd landed into the arms of a rather confused looking Ryoga. Beside them was the local Ranma, looking deeply confused. It took RanmaA a moment to realise that his local counterpart was wearing a Furinkan gakuran. Ryoga was similarly clad.

"Hi?" RanmaA offered.

"Uh... Who are you? And where did you just come from?" the local Ranma asked, looking up at the sky in confusion.

"It'll sound crazy, but, I'm... sorta you?" RanmaA offered. "I'm from another universe."

The exiled lad lifted his arm up to show the bracelet and gave the brief summary of how it got there and how it had him tumbling between worlds.

"Yeesh, that's annoying sounding," RanmaE said.

"It does sound annoying, but, uh... could I put you down now?" Ryoga asked, making RanmaA aware of the way he'd simply sat in Ryoga's arms as he'd explained.

"S-sorry!" he said, hopping down. "I just got so into the routine of explainin' and forgot that you were holding me up."

As he landed, he realised there was an odd looking fox at RanmaE's side. It seemed strangely serene, and a bit muted in colour compared to a red fox. There was also an intelligent sparkle to it's eyes that caught RanmaA's attention.

"Who's this, then?" RanmaA asked, leaning down to look at it.

There was something strangely familiar about the creature. The fox was calm for pops, and lacking in Shampoo's intensity. The lack of glasses seemed to rule out Mousse...

"Who—does Kasumi have a different curse in your world?" RanmaE asked.

RanmaA had to take a double take, looking back and forth between the fox and his local counterpart in confusion, both of them looking back with a similar level of confusion in their eyes. "K-Kasumi? How... how did you get a curse in-well, I guess I should ask you two how she got a curse since she can't talk right now?"

There was an accepting shrug from Kasumi.

"The normal way?" Ryoga replied. "Fell into a pond at Jusenkyo while her family was there."

"Her... why were the Tendos at Jusenkyo?" RanmaA asked.

"It was part of the training trip Soun dragged them all off on?" RanmaE explained.

The fox that was Kasumi nodded.

The local pair could clearly read the confusion on RanmaA's face, and offered to explain more on the walk back to the dojo. He was left quite startled to hear that, in this universe, Soun had been unable to stay in the home where his wife died and had left on a training journey with the girls to work through his grief. The Saotome family had been left to watch the dojo in the meantime, Genma taking up teaching (the idea of his father maintaining a steady job like running a dojo made RanmaA laugh a bit, and led to him explaining the usual schemes his own father had).

With extra bedrooms available, when Ryoga had accidentally wandered onto the property one day, Nodoka had eventually decided to all but adopt him, working something out with his (rather absent) parents. Genma had complained about the extra mouth to feed, but Nodoka had insisted they couldn't leave the poor lad on his own, and... apparently the local Ranma didn't have the most friends, so she felt having another boy around would be good for him. RanmaA couldn't help but feel for his counterpart on the struggles of making friends.

Then, about a year ago, the Tendos had run into Jusenkyo, and Soun had taken it as a sign to return home, and then engagement hijinks had started. It was clear from the yips she gave that Kasumi wanted to tell him about her own youth, and the adventures the Tendo family had managed to get up to, but her current form prevented that.

The locals were, obviously, quite interested in the exiled Ranma's story, from the few hints he gave here and there. He'd promised to give the full runthrough once they'd made it to the dojo and gathered everyone up, as well as telling them he had pictures of the other universes he'd visited.

"So," RanmaA said, as they neared the dojo, "I see Kasumi's turned into a fox, but what about the rest of the Tendos?"

He got a yip from Kasumi for that, which confused him a little.

"Ah, well, Kasumi's not just a fox, she's a Tibetan Fox more specifically," RanmaE explained, bending a little to give the cursed girl a scratch behind the ear.

"Mhm. Nabiki turns into a more run of the mill red fox," Ryoga added. "Everyone's pretty sure Nabiki's a kitsune, and I'm half convinced by them. She's certainly just as slippery."

That got a reprimanding yip out of Kasumi (apparently not thrilled to have her sister talked about like that), which led to an apology from Ryoga. RanmaA tried not to laugh at the idea of a fox able to hold such respect and dignity, even if she was Kasumi. Things were quite a bit different in different universes, but some elements didn't change.

"Saotome!" a voice called out in a way that left a shiver running down RanmaA's spine.

Turning, he was greeted by a grinning Kuno running their way. He heard his local counterpart sigh, and couldn't help sharing the feeling.

"My charming prince, what a joyful encounter this..." Kuno said, trailing off as he noticed the exiled lad. "Praytell, who doth be this 2nd land with your moon-blessed good looks, with braided hair and foreign garb?"

"Wait... are you flirting with him?" RanmaA asked, as his local counterpart just buried his face in his palm.

"Yes? I hope to win his heart from this peasant, Hibiki," Kuno 'explained'.

"I'm very lost," RanmaA muttered.

The locals had mentioned engagement hijinks with the Tendos? Ryoga hadn't seemed jealous about the idea (and Ryoga was never subtle about jealousy). So... he wasn't sure what Kuno was talking about.

Turning, he swore both RanmaE and Ryoga looked about as tired by the nonsense, an expression RanmaA recognised from his own Akane back home when dealing with Kuno.

"For the millionth time, Kuno, Ranma and I aren't a thing," Ryoga said, he tone tired.

"Nonsense, if the dashing Ranma were single he'd have no reason to reject my flirtations," Kuno replied confidently. "Not that thou art a very good reason. I am, simply put, far more handsome."

"I've told you before, Kuno, I don't swing that way," RanmaE sighed.

"Nonsense, the entire school knows of your romance with Hibiki," Kuno countered dismissively. "Either way, this is ignoring my question of who this twin of yours is."

"None of your business," RanmaA said, kicking the annoying kendoist into the air to save himself a bit of a headache. Wiping his hands together, he then turned to the two locals. "I am a little curious about the rumour, though."

"That's just because this idiot can get lost if I'm not actually holding his hand some days, and rumours started," RanmaE said, pointing at Ryoga before pouting a bit.

"And then Ranma... uh, is it confusing to call him that?" Ryoga began, before getting confused.

"I understand what ya mean," RanmaA said.

"Right, yeah. So, Ranma beat him up a bunch because they're both competitive. Somehow Kuno got convinced that the rumours meant being gay made you a better fighter, and now he wants to date Ranma. And won't accept that we're not a thing, even though most of the school's figured out Ranma's got a fiancee now," Ryoga explained.

"I... I don't know if I want to know Kuno's logic in all that," RanmaA sighed.

"He's certain girls are weaker than guys, so thinks liking guys somehow makes you stronger," RanmaE said. "If he just wanted an excuse, I'd probably try to help him find a boyfriend to get him off my back, but... it's very obvious from how girls distract him that he's just being a sexist idiot."

RanmaA didn't know what to say. It fit the sort of deranged logic the Kuno he knew was capable of, but was still impressively nonsensical. He barely noticed that they reached the Tendo home as he tried to wonder what this Kuno would make of his curse. Or... was it the Saotome home here, if the Tendos had been away so long? The question distracted RanmaA for a moment, only to be pulled from the pointless wondering by a familiar, but slightly off, voice. Turning, he was greeted by a sight he still felt odd about: a male Akane, wearing androgynous Chinese silks not too different from his own.

"Why are there two of you?" the blue haired Tendo asked.

"He's from another universe. Apparently he has pictures and stuff," RanmaE explained.

The exiled lad only half paid attention, though. Was this lad Akane with a boy curse? Or a boy with another curse? Racking his mind, he swore RanmaE had said Soun had taken his 'daughters' training, so...

"So, you got a boy curse?" RanmaA asked, hoping desperately he was right.

That got a confused stare from the tall teen. "Uh, yeah? I... do I not where you... but then how did you recognise me?"

"Uh, well, one of the universes I was in had a bunch of people born the other sex from most of the ones I visited, so I knew what you'd look like," RamaA replied.

Akane nodded. "Huh. I... what curse do I have where you're from?"

"Uh, none?" RanmaA said. "None of your family do. It was pops and I who went travellin' in my universe."

"Really?" the girl-turned-boy asked, leaning in to give RanmaA a quick once over. "I wonder if that means you're any better than our Ranma at martial arts then."

"I don't know how good he is, but I know I'm pretty dang amazin'," the exiled lad snapped, a weird stew of feelings bubbling in his gut at the way this Akane was looking at him.

The biggest issue was probably the smile. That was Akane's mischief smile, something that had always made his heart flutter so. Yet, there was something that indicated this Akane didn't respect his skills at all. His competitive streak wanted to show her just how much respect he deserved.

"Ahem, well, let's go gather everyone up," Ryoga said, seeming a little nervous as he did so.

"Right, yeah. I'll get my pictures ready," RanmaA added, heading into the living room.

He set off, finding the living room empty, and began pulling the album out of his backpack to prepare the explanation. It only took a couple minutes for everyone to be gathered, including Kasumi returning to her human form. RanmaA felt it was a safe bet that the mustachioed monkey on the local Genma's shoulder had to be Soun (what type of monkey he was, Ranma couldn't guess, only knowing that it wasn't a macaque, like the monkeys of Japan). He also couldn't help wondering a little about this Akane staying in cursed form, but did understand that going through the whole process of a bath could get annoying.

"Wow, he really does look just like you," Nodoka said to the local Ranma as she sat down beside him.

"I still think the loose ponytail looks better though," RanmaE muttered.

"Looks like he goes to the same clothing section as little bro," Nabiki said, leaning on her elbow.

That got a smack to her head from Akane, and a mess of bickering between the two.

Not wanting to get into that, RanmaA cleared his throat. "So, I've gathered everyone up to save me on explanation rounds. As you can probably tell, I'm also Saotome Ranma. I'm here from another universe due to a cursed bracelet. The biggest difference between my universe and this one seems to be that where I'm from the Tendo family stayed home, while my dad dragged me off on a training trip and off to Jusenkyo instead."

"You're cursed? I've gotta see that," Nabiki said, interest sparking in her eyes before she produced a glass of water and tossed it in his face.

Damp, shorter, and redheaded, Ranma brushed some hair out of his face. "You're a bit more impulsive than the Nabikis I've met so far, you know that?"

A few of the assembled audience muttered about his having a girl curse, when someone's comment of 'cute' shook everyone from their confusion. And put all their eyes on who'd said it: Ryoga.

Blushing, the fanged boy did his best effort to shrink into a ball. "I mean, objectively, the curse makes him cute... it's not weird to say?"

"Not weird at all, I'm a babe," RanmaA replied with a casual shrug and a confident smile.

He noticed an eye twitch from his local counterpart, and wondered about what that might mean... he had his suspicions, going off recent experience, but wasn't sure just yet.

"You're rather casual about that curse of yours," the local Akane said, her eyes narrowing as she stared down at him.

"Hey there's advantages to this form, just like there's advantages to your current form. Ranko explained plenty of that to me," RanmaA replied.

"Ranko?" several people asked.

The exiled boy used that as a chance to move into discussing the universes he'd visited, explaining the various adventures. The pictures had definitely proven popular, and made RanmaA wish he'd had any of the first world he'd visited. It surprised him when this Akane turned bright red at the picture of her counterpart posing with Shampoo.

"Don't tell me, Shampoo's chasing after you in this world?" Ranma asked, looking up at the cursed girl.

"Well, yeah... but, she seems to want me to be a guy. If she was fine with me being a girl I wouldn't..." the male formed Akane began, before realising what she was saying and turning more red than before.

A little while ago, that confession would have gotten a lot more of a response out of the exiled lad, but he was coming to suspect that Akanes liked other girls far more than he'd ever realised before.

"I keep saying, just marry her, and then see how it goes," Nabiki said with a grin.

"You're just saying that to make sure you get forgiven for what you tried to steal from her village," Akane shot back.

"Just because the advice benefits me too doesn't mean it's bad," Nabiki replied, still grinning.

Suddenly, Akane lunged across the table at Nabiki, who dodged at the last moment. The boy-formed Akane chased after her, and the pair were quickly out of sight, though not out of earshot as everyone heard the crashing and banging of the pair yelling at each other.

"Are... are they always like that?" RanmaA asked.

The small monkey that he'd assumed was Soun produced a small signpost that read: #Indeed. They were always a handful.#

"I usually stop them, but Nabiki has been being a bit extra troublesome lately, so I'll stay out of this this time," Kasumi said softly, a glint of mischief in her eyes.

RanmaA wasn't sure how to respond to this very different Tendo family dynamic. Well, not that Akane and Nabiki arguing was too strange, but them actually fighting was certainly new. Before he knew it, there was a 'sploosh' noise, followed by Akane (still in male form) carrying a rather damp looking and grumpy red fox by the scruff of its neck. The cold anger in the eyes was so unquestionably Nabiki.

"She won't be giving much sass for a while," the handsome teen said, sitting down with the vulpine Nabiki firmly pinned.

"She doesn't bite, does she?" RanmaA asked, eyeing fox-Nabiki wearily.

"Nah. She's too gourmet for that," the handsome Akane replied, speech even less feminine sounding that the Akane the exiled boy knew from home.

The fox formed Nabiki seemed to sink into pouting while getting handed over to Kasumi. It was then that Akane turned back to the exiled boy with a sparkle in those brown eyes.

"Anyway, you trained all over the country like we did, right?" Akane asked, getting a nod from RanmaA. "So, let's see if you've managed to be any good with your more intense training. I'm all warmed up and ready for some sparring."

The exiled lad saw his local counterpart muttering at this Akane's dismissal of his abilities and decided both their prides were on the line.

"You're on," RanmaA said, hopping to his feet.

The pair were halfway to the dojo when RanmaA realised something a bit unfair about the current match up.

"We need to get one of us a kettle first," RanmaA muttered.

The cursed girl looked down at him, confused for a moment before she clued in to just how far she was looking down. "Oh, yeah. That's a major reach gap. I'll be a second."

RanmaA nodded and continued on to the dojo, glad this house was familiar. As he stretched a little, he wasn't overly surprised to see the rest of the household shuffle in, finding a place to sit while they waited for Akane to arrive. A moment later, she appeared, female and with a kettle in hand.

"I figure it's fairest for us to both be in birth form," she said, walking over.

"Uh, well... maybe it's more fair if we're both girls?" RanmaA replied.

The idea of sparring with a girl as a girl had never bothered him too much, but as a guy... that he'd never liked.

"Well, if you're confident you can take me without the boosted testosterone then I'm fine with it," Akane said with a shrug.

The exiled lad couldn't deny that he was getting feelings of bravado off this Akane. Combined with a confident fighting spirit, he couldn't help smiling to himself as the pair bowed. This certainly seemed like it would be a good spar.

He saw Akane was waiting for him to open, a smart move with the defensive skills of the Tendo style. He decided to launch a light probing effort, and Akane deflected it easily. The grin on her face... she wasn't like the other Akanes he knew, hunting for reassurance on her skills. She was good and she knew it. He felt encouraged to try a few more jabs, wanting to see just how good she was.

Things quickly escalated, until RanmaA was finding himself fighting with all the intensity he usually needed for when Ryoga got serious back home. He had mobility on her, which meant he was getting to choose when they clashed, but it was beginning to get rather tiring. He decided his best hope was to go for a surprise tactic, charging in low, and going in for one of the grapple's he'd learned off of Kaneda. The surprise element seemed to balance out his inexperience with the move, and, with the last of his energy, he managed to get Akane down in an arm pin. Akane struggled for a moment before tapping out.

Genma and Nodoka both burst into applause, apparently thinking the exiled lad's abilities somehow reflected positively on them. The local Ranma's reaction was much harder to read

"Phew, you're pretty good," Akane said as RanmaA backed off, both panting. "Did... did another me teach you that pin? It's... one of my favourites."

"Yeah... still getting a hang of it myself," the exiled boy explained while catching his breath.

"It's neat to see the Saotome style so cleaned up, I've got to say," Akane replied, now having, more or less, caught her breath. "How long are you going to be here for again? We should probably get you teaching our Ranma a bit."

"Probably two weeks?" RanmaA said. "Are you not trainin' him much?"

"Why would I be?" Akane asked as she hopped up on her feet.

"Well, if you're going to end up running the dojo together, I figured you'd want him ta be on your level?" the exiled Ranma replied.

That resulted in him getting confused stares from pretty well everyone.

"Uh, it would actually be Ranma and myself who will be taking over," Kasumi said, a slightly strained smile on her face. "We would love for Akane to stay and help, though."

"Wait, you and," RanmaA muttered, before blushing a bit. "I need to stop assumin' things'll be like back home."

Akane and the local Ranma both twitched a little at that before turning to glare at one another.

"What do you say we order in some food as a welcoming party?" Nodoka suddenly offered in a rather loud voice.

"Ooh, what a good idea!" Genma replied, seeming oblivious to why Nodoka was bringing it up. "I'm in a fried chicken mood myself."

After dinner, RanmaA ended up spending most of the evening going over school notes with Ryoga (who had surprisingly thorough notes, even if they were a mess of arrows and circles to try to guide your eyes). The lessons seemed a bit different from what the exiled lad remembered, but he was able to follow most of it.

"Um, I just want to check what this kanji's supposed for my notes," RanmaA said, looking up at Ryoga.

"Oh, uh... I'll... I'll write it out cleaner," Ryoga muttered, his cheeks bright red.

The exiled lad blinked, a little confused, before looking down at his quite generous chest. "Riiight. That's why you're being so thorough with helping me. Always a sucker for the cute girls."

"I, er... it's the right thing to do either way," Ryoga protested, though he was unable to meet RanmaA's eyes as he said it.

"You're kind of making me wish my Ryoga went to Furinkan too. I'd have been able to con him into doing my homework so easy," the exiled boy said, batting his eyelashes a little.

Seeing Ryoga's blush worsen, RanmaA couldn't help laughing. Messing with Ryoga was too fun.

"Ah, Ra—Ranma? I... it's so strange calling you that," Kasumi's voice said in a soft tone.

"Yeah, I still don't have a good solution for that just yet," the exiled boy said, turning towards Kasumi. "Anyway, what up?"

"Well, it's getting late, and auntie Nodoka wanted me to show you where you were going to be sleeping," Kasumi replied.

RanmaA hopped to his feet to follow Kasumi to the stairs. "I figured I'd be crashing in the local me's room?"

"Ah, well... no. Uncle Genma felt it was for the best if you didn't," she said, before her voice dropped to a whisper. "He admits that your fighting skills are impressive, but isn't sure he wants you around Ra-our Ranma with your... condition."

"Condition? Like... the curse? I can change back to guy mode?" he replied, keeping to the quiet tone Kasumi had chosen, even if he wasn't sure why.

"I'm not sure that would be enough for him," Kasumi said, shaking her head a little. "He's a touch... no, it's not my place to say. But, it was decided you'll be staying in Akane's room instead. As long as you're a girl or she's a boy."

"Uh... is she okay with that?" RanmaA asked, cheeks going hot.

"If you follow the rules set out, she's agreed to it," Kasumi explained, leading him along.

RanmaA had to do a double take as he realised the room they'd walked to was not the one he was used to Akane having. In fact, it was Kasumi's room from most universes he'd seen. He supposed it made sense, though. If he'd had his choice of any room, he'd have gone for Akane's normal room, so, presumably, his local counterpart had done the same. Who could resist the option with the balcony?

As he'd thought it over, Kasumi had knocked on the door, and Akane had answered a moment later. A sheepish smile later and she'd led him into the room, two futons set up on opposite ends of the floor.

"So, um... do you have girl pjs, or should I be sleeping in guy mode?" Akane asked.

RanmaA had set down his backpack and was starting the dig through it to grab something to sleep and decided to offer a shrug. "I can sleep in the same stuff in either mode. I'm honestly pretty new to the whole 'pijamas' concept. Usually had a minimum of clothes. Kind of back to that with this whole exile thing now."

"Ah, yeah. My sisters and I were pretty much in the same camp. Your m-uh, our Nodoka decided that wasn't proper for young girls though," Akane replied. "Of course I have to buy everything baggy because of the curse."

"I approve of the Chinese silks look though," RanmaA offered, trying to lighten the mood.

Akane gave a dry and sarcastic laugh.

The next morning, the exiled lad found himself up early, Akane wanting to do a bit more training together. Acknowledging that RanmaA was still a bit awkward about co-ed sparring, this time the pair sparring in male form. Akane won this round, though both were feeling a bit less competitive.

Breakfast was rather less chaotic than the exiled Ranma had expected. Sure, dinner the night before hadn't been too bad, but that had been delivery, which had always led to good behaviour back home. However, it turned out that the Tendo family had apparently maintained manners in their travels. At least, apart from Nabiki, who made some attempts to be sneaky and steal food. The glare she got when caught by Nodoka or Kasumi told RanmaA not to join in.

After breakfast, and a quick bath, RanmaA was being dragged off to school, a bit sad he wouldn't get a day off to adapt.

School had been weird again. So many faces he knew, and people that knew his face, but no one really knew him. After school there had been a bit of a surprise as Ukyo had dragged Nabiki off to help with the restaurant, it being explained that the Tendos had met her roughly the same age RanmaA had in his own timeline, but, when they parted, it had been Nabiki who'd stolen from the Kuonji family, grabbing several recipes and a decent amount of cash which the rest of the Tendo family hadn't learned about until it was too late to return it. Soun had also decided it was safest to take a nice detour to Hokkaido to be on the safe side, to the horror of Kasumi. (RanmaA supposed he had studied under the same master as Genma, so one could only expect so much from him.)

Returning 'home', the exiled boy was surprised to find himself and his local counterpart dragged off to the dojo by Genma. Both were confused as Genma directed them to the middle of the sparring area.

"This domestic city life turned me too soft, just like I told Nodoka it would. It shows in the way my son has ended up so weak, unable to defeat any of Tendo-kun's daughters in sparring," Genma began, having flipped some light switched to ensure more dramatic lighting. "It pains me to admit it, but... I need you to train my son. Despite your condition, there's no arguing with your abilities."

RanmaA's eye twitched. "My condition..."

Genma nodded. "Your comfort with your curse is a bit unbecoming of a young man, and I would definitely have words for your parents if I could, but I can't. So I will simply take advantage of your skills while you're available."

RanmaA glanced at his local counterpart, curious what his response to all this was, and saw RanmaE was busy glaring at the ground and... almost looked like he was trying to hold back tears.

"Well, if he wants ta train with me, I'll do it. If he doesn't, then—" RanmaA began.

"I want to train!" RanmaE blurted. "I'm tired of being considered weak and a liability for the future of the dojo."

The impression that he was holding back tears seemed stronger to RanmaA now, though there was definitely a rage mixed in.

Genma smiled and gave a cheerful laugh. "Haha, that's my boy. Show him you have the fire needed."

RanmaA hopped to his feet and walked over to the centre of the sparring area. "Alright, then. Let's see what you've got."

RanmaE scrambled to his feet to meet his exiled counterpart and slipped into a fighting stance. There was a sloppiness that reminded RanmaA of something, but he couldn't quite place it. A few probing strikes later, and RanmaE tried to take the offensive. The style wasn't bad, and RanmaA could see how he'd managed to defeat Kuno with effective dodging skills, but he just wasn't on the level the exiled boy was on.

As RanmaA landed an easy strike to his counterpart's solar plexus, he realised just what RanmaE's style was reminding him of: Akane. Well, specifically his Akane back home, both being marked trying too hard to seem capable of fighting on a level above their own. Overdoing strikes and leaving themselves open for counter attacks constantly... was living a domestic life really so terrible for martial arts abilities? Or, maybe it was the issue of parents running a dojo, compared to the more direct approach of one teacher for a small handful of dedicated students. RanmaA wasn't sure, but there was one thing that struck him as a positive in all this.

"You've got quite a bit to learn, but you'll be a good guinea pig for me learnin' how to teach," RanmaA said with a grin as his local counterpart panted.

"Guinea pig? Why am I a good guinea pig?" RanmaE asked.

"The way my pops taught me drove me nuts, and I've been worried if I do anything too close to what he did, whoever I teach will hate me. But that's not really a risk for you, since I am you, sorta... and I'm gone in two weeks anyhow," RanmaA explained.

RanmaE grimaced as Genma laughed.

"Be as ruthless as you need. The boy deserves a crash course," Genma declared. "Well, I have some paperwork to deal with, running a dojo can be a headache. You two have fun training."

RanmaA gave a two finger salute until Genma was out of earshot. He let out a sigh, and turned to his local counterpart.

"So, pops really hates my curse," the exiled boy said in an innocent tone as he flopped down to sit beside RanmaE. "Any specific reason for that?"

RanmaE's cheeks went red. "I-it's because of the rumours about me an' Ryoga."

RanmaA nodded slowly. "And... just that? No old habits of playin' dress up or anythin'?"

"What? I—how did you... right. Of course you'd know about those... but, ma says it's nothin' too weird for a kid?" RanmaE muttered, studying the floor.

The exiled boy shrugged. "What's it matter if it's weird or not? The last universe I was in the us there was an onnagata. It's... well maybe not in our 'blood', but seems at least in our nature or... somethin' like that? And, well, Ranko was a major tomboy. More than my Akane, and maybe able to rival yours."

"I ain't girly like that," RanmaE snapped. "I... I kind of tried, back in early middle school with Ryoga. Sneaking off to see movies and whatnot with him. Seeing if I liked guys like that, and I didn't. Probably didn't help the rumours though..."

RanmaA could only blink for a moment. "W-what's that got to do with anything?"

"Pardon?"

"Likin' guys and likin' girly stuff are two totally different things, ya doofus," RanmaA said, poking his local counterpart in the temple. "I showed ya pictures of Kaneda and Ryoga in that other universe, right? They were both about as guyish as could be, apart for Kaneda havin' a soft spot for cute animals. Plus, most of the Konatsus I've met seem to prefer girls, or... well, or us..."

RanmaA couldn't continue, memories of the kiss he'd received filling his mind. Memories that made him feel like his love life would, somehow, be more complicated when he got home.

"W-well, we'll see what Kasumi says, maybe?" RanmaE offered quietly.

"Yeah, alright. Well, let's get back to running through some drills. I've got some tips I want to give ya," RanmaA said, hopping to his feet.

Martial arts were so much easier than all this emotion stuff he kept confronting in every universe.

It wasn't until the next evening that RanmaA got a chance to speak to Kasumi in private. Apparently Nabiki had to work extra hours at Ucchan's on Friday evenings, which meant he had a chance to find the eldest Tendo girl alone in her room, apparently reading some cooking magazines when she'd told him he could come in.

"Ah, Ranma-kun. How can I help you?" Kasumi asked, having decided earlier in the day that sliding in an honorific helped distinguish him from her Ranma.

RanmaA slid the door shut behind him and moved quietly to sit on the floor not far from Kasumi's futon. He kept to a quiet tone to ensure they wouldn't be overheard.

"Wh-er, have you heard of instant Jusenkyo powder?" RanmaA whispered.

Kasumi nodded. "Oh yes. There was girl spring powder that Shampoo used to blackmail Akane one time, saying she'd give enough for either Nabiki or myself if Akane went on a date with her. It was only good for one dose though?"

"Y-yeah. It's kind of useless if a girl with a curse uses girl powder or a guy with a curse uses guy powder, but, say somebody used powder for a different curse? Or wasn't cursed at all and used it? Then it's got some uses," RanmaA said, still a bit nervous about explaining the plan.

"Oh my, yes. That sounds like it could be interesting. I'm not sure what it has to do with myself though? Are you thinking it would comfort Akane if I used male powder?" Kasumi asked. "I-I'm sorry to say, but I', not quite sure how I feel about that."

"No, no... that wasn't the idea. Though, not that ya mention it, it might not be half bad as a plan... ah, but anyway, the idea was actually for your Ranma to maybe try a little girl powder?" RanmaA said, feeling like he was at risk of losing confidence in admitting the plan to anyone else.

To his utter bewilderment, Kasumi lit up with a smile. "Has he accepted the idea? I'd thought it might be good for him for a while, but wasn't sure how to bring it up."

The exiled boy could only stare. She wasn't surprised? And already supportive?

"Ah, yes. I suppose I should mention that, when we moved in he and Akane butted heads worse than they do now. I had asked auntie Nodoka if she had any ideas what might be driving things. After a few months she remembered some old photo albums of young Ranma playing dress up. We both discussed it and wondered if he might be having issues of jealousy," Kasumi explained. "I had slowly begun to wonder if getting him a curse would help, but it was such a permanent option to test..."

"Uh... yeah. That's... that's pretty well my logic too," RanmaA said.

"I do worry how uncle Genma would respond, but I much prefer the idea of a husband who's happier with himself, and don't mind one a bit in touch with his feminine side," Kasumi said, a soft smile on her face.

"Well, this version of pops seems like he's managed to be more of a grumpy jerk than mine back home, somehow," RanmaA muttered, "so, I kind of like the idea of ticking him off."

A mischievous grin spread across Kasumi's face. "I might agree, just a little bit."

RanmaA was waiting patiently in the school yard at the end of the short Saturday school day, a bit excited about getting his local counterpart instant Jusenkyo powder, when it started to rain. He felt like laughing a little, getting the feeling he'd had at Jusenkyo once again: that calm acceptance of the curse as part of him.

"I forgot my umbrella," Akane said, stepping up beside him and shifting to male form as she did so.

"I should probably get my hands on one. Or a poncho," RanmaA said, looking up at her, just a smidge self conscious about the height gap.

What he couldn't deny, though, was liking her face still. Something about her expression was still so definitely Akane, he couldn't deny to himself that she was still cute.

"Tendo! My gorgeous and fierce prince!" Kuno's voice shouted out, causing both cursed teens to jump a little.

"Not now Kuno, please," Akane muttered, shoulders slumping.

"Surely any time is a good one to confess my love to you, oh handsome rogue," Kuno declared as he dropped on one knee at Akane's foot. "Let me place but one kiss upon your hand and I could die a happy man."

Akane was squirming visibly, and he couldn't blame her. Being flirted with by Kuno while having one's actual identity ignored was infuriating. Surely it was even worse for her, with the way he'd seen the other girls avoid her the last couple days.

"Dear, who is this guy?" Ranma asked, slipping in next to Akane with the cutest body language he could manage. "And why does he want to kiss your hand?"

Akane looked confused, but that was no surprise. It was also something Ranma had always found so very cute, even now with her masculine face.

Kuno's face, meanwhile, was a mix of confusion and revulsion.

"Who art thou, vixen?"

"I'm Tendo's girlfriend," RanmaA said, his cheeks getting a little hot as he did so.

Even if this Akane wasn't technically his fiancee, and girlfriend didn't feel like the right term for him, it was still close enough to the truth to get to him.

"Lies! I know well that Tendo has no interest in the weaker sex. I have seen his rejection of that foreign temptress, as well as mine own foolish sister," Kuno hissed back, standing up to glare down at the redhead's diminutive form.

"Sh-she's telling the truth," Akane stuttered, grabbing RanmaA's hand a little too tightly to confirm things. "I've rejected those other girls because I promised myself to her years ago. She just... uh..."

"I live in Kagoshima, so I haven't been able to visit much," RanmaA filled in, glaring up at Kuno.

"Hah, a simple deception. Thou have no proof of thine claim!" Kuno snapped, meeting the redhead's glare.

Turning, RanmaA looked to Akane, trying to think of something he could do to seem like a proper girlfriend... a kiss on the cheek! That could do it!

Leaning upwards, he puckered his lips, closed his eyes, and tried not to think about it. In Europe people did this sort of stuff with friends after all. It was no big—those were lips. He hadn't contacted with a cheek, like he'd planned.

Opening his eyes, he saw Akane's eyes looking just as confused. She must have turned while his eyes were closed...

The pair broke the kiss about as soon as they'd processed what was happening (which, to be honest, took a while), and were left staring at each other for a few moments before a pained gasp from Kuno drew their attention. Turning, they saw a look of horror on his face.

"T-temptress! Thou... though hath defiled him!" Kuno shouted, before turning and running off, shouting vaguely poetic nonsense about 'sorrowful days'.

"W-well... it worked," RanmaA muttered, trying desperately to calm his heart.

He'd just kissed Akane. Not his Akane, but still... an Akane. Something he'd dreamt of for months... maybe a full year? Sure, it had gone a little sideways, but Akane was Akane. The slightly sad and lonely eyes were the same.

"I... I was only going to go for a kiss on the cheek," Akane whispered.

"I was aiming for the same," RanmaA replied, still feeling lost in Akane's eyes.

"Are you okay?" Akane asked.

"Uhh..." was all RanmaA could manage at first. "I..."

"Oh gosh, don't tell me that was your first kiss," Akane gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry."

"What? No-no! It was just my first time kissing you... well, a you," RanmaA said. "And, well..."

Akane paled, standing up to full masculine height. "Oh no, and I made it so awkward with my curse."

"Curse? What... How did I forgot about that?" the exiled boy muttered, his cheeks going hot. "I... you just still kissed like a girl."

"I did?" Akane asked, before a realisation spread on her face, mixed with what seemed like a bit of anger. "Wait, if you haven't kissed your fiancee, what are you doing knowing so much about kisses?"

"Uh, well... there was that Mikado guy. And then Ranko's Ryoga surprised me with one. For girls, I think it's just Konatsu from the last world I was in," RanmaA replied. "You were definitely closer to her style."

Akane gave a soft smile that made the exiled lad's heart flutter.

"So, uh, are you two done?" Ryoga's voice asked, closer than RanmaA had been ready for.

"Oh! Sorry, sorry," Akane said. "We got a little distracted. Is Kasumi here so we can go over to the Neko Hanten?"

"They left, like... 5 minutes ago while you two were being blushy messes," Ryoga said. "They left me here to keep an eye on you two, just in case you didn't snap out of it."

Akane went bright red, the reason why eluding RanmaA. At least until she muttered 'Kasumi saw?' and it hit him how things were weird from her side. He was basically her future brother-in-law here, and yet was unable to keep from looking at her. And, more importantly, Akane and this world's Ranma really didn't get along that well. Should... should her apologise?

"Wait. They left? I wanted to be there to help him with it," RanmaA asked, as other information processed in his brain.

"Yeah. Ranma said he kind of liked going with just Kasumi the first time before leaving," Ryoga said. "Also, did you two want to go get a kettle to do that kiss the right way around?"

The pair blushed furiously, stammering unclear defenses.

Late in the evening, RanmaA was out in the Tendo yard with Ryoga. The latter had been giving the exiled boy some more tutoring, while both were enjoying a bit of fresh air. They'd gotten a bit distracted, however, by Ryoga's curiosity of himself in other worlds. RanmaA was busy explaining Akari's sumo pigs when the back gate opened up.

Turning, they saw Kasumi and RanmaE, the latter a blushing mess, though in male form.

"Hey, how was it?" RanmaA asked.

"It was... different," RanmaE said, eyes looking guilty. "I... I think I liked it, though."

Kasumi gave a soft smile of her own. "He was very cute, I must say. It was nice to see him looking so free from his father's expectations."

"I don't know the next time I'll do that, but it was a nice escape from trying to live up to dad's expectations," RanmaE said. "Makes me feel freer to, just, do what I want."

"Yeah, that makes sense," RanmaA said. "Actual physical changes take a while ta get used to."

"I also definitely prefer not to have the confusion of you wandering around looking as cute as he does," Ryoga added, point a thumb at RanmaA.

"You two seem to almost be brothers. Just think of him as a little sister instead," the exiled boy said, following it up with laughter.

The others just stared at him in confusion.

The night had been awkward. RanmaA and Akane both unsure how to talk about the earlier kiss while having to share a room. At least their futons were on opposite ends of the small bedroom, so they could ignore each other fairly well.

The exiled Ranma had slept in a bit, enjoying the break of Sunday morning, before heading down to spar a bit with Ryoga and the local Ranma. Seeing this Ryoga using Saotome style Anything Goes was certainly interesting, though he seemed much less into the whole martial arts thing than the Ryoga RanmaA remembered. Running them through some drills, RanmaE did a respectable effort, though kept pushing himself a little too much, while Ryoga followed instructions and little more. The exiled lad wasn't completely in the headspace of teaching either, his mind still thinking about this kiss the day before.

After a quick wash up, he wandered off to hunt for a snack, trying to distract himself. Then he turned around, an onigiri in his mouth, to find himself face to face with Akane, some gentle makeup on her face and a cute hair clip in her very short hair. RanmaA wasn't sure what it did in hair that short, but it was definitely a nice look.

"H-hi," Akane said, big eyes looking up at him.

"Hi?" RanmaA replied, swallowing the onigiri.

"Um... would you want to go out for burgers or something?"

"Burgers? I... uh, sure? Should I get a nicer outfit, or... something?" RanmaA asked, feeling like Akane was definitely better dressed than him right now.

"If-if you have anything? I wasn't sure how many outfits you had," Akane said.

"The last world actually gave me a couple really nice outfits. Movie star connections and all that," RanmaA said, before looking around nervously. "Um... is there a special occasion for all this? It's just... not the easiest to keep track of dates right now."

"N-no occasion. I just wanted to talk with you a bit," Akane replied, a blush growing on her cheeks.

"Oh. Y-yeah, sure. Just give me a second to get changed," RanmaA said, his cheeks hot as he scurried off.

Walking down the busy commercial street beside Akane, the exiled boy had no idea what to say. She'd said she wanted to talk, but they were just walking along beside one another. Not that he didn't like her company, but he had to admit to feeling on edge about when the conversation would start.

"That's the burger place, just there," Akane said, finally breaking the silence. "I found it a couple months after moving her, and the prices are really good."

The exiled boy nodded, smiling a little at how it was the burger store Akane back home had always loved. She'd always talked about the memories she had with it. So, it was nice to see this Akane had found happiness from the same place.

The line at the burger joint was short, and RanmaA followed Akane over to the park where the pair ate quietly for a few moments. The exiled boy was glad he was in guy mode, the jumbo burgers were always messy to eat and he got so many weird looks in girl mode as he tore into them.

"What's she like?" Akane said out of the blue, while RanmaA's mouth was full.

"Hrm?" was all he could manage as he tried to quickly chew so he could swallow.

"Your Akane. Since she stayed at home, and didn't grow up as feral as I've ended up."

"Feral? You're not... well, at least you're not any more feral than I am," the exiled boy said with a weak smile. "But... you're still a lot like her. Only, I think you've got a bit more confidence."

"Really?" Akane asked, her eyes lighting up.

"I think the difference between you and her is a lot like the difference I've seen between me and the me here," the exiled boy explained. "Not quite exactly, but, might give you a basic idea?"

"Is her tempter really that bad?" Akane asked.

"What? I... is the me here really that grumpy?" RanmaA asked.

"Generally. Though he's been on better behaviour the last few days," Akane explained. "I guess you've given him a role model."

The exiled boy couldn't help grinning at that. "I'm a pretty good one of those... honestly, I think my Akane back home would like you too. Though, she'd probably be confused about your curse. She's... well, a little defensive about her femininity."

"I can understand that," Akane said. "Though, I'm not sure why she'd be so defensive?"

"She got a crush on Dr. Tofu in middle school, but he liked Kasumi," RanmaA explained. "She tried to copy Kasumi's femininity, and abandon her tomboyishness. Didn't quite manage it, and claims to have given up, but she still keeps trying to be super girly sometimes."

It was only as he finished that he realised this Akane was staring at him. He was rather confused as to the why and, apparently, that confusion was quite visible on his face as she burst out into laughter. It felt like a good minute before she was able to get the fit of laughing under control, a minute the exiled boy spent feeling furiously embarrassed.

"S-sorry, it's just... just... I guess some things are destiny or something," Akane finally explained. "Part of the reason I've been so flustered about your attention is how the Ranma here likes my Kasumi, and the feeling that, if you like me, then maybe my girlhood isn't a lost cause."

RanmaA's cheeks went hot as he found himself unable to respond. Something just that honest out of her had overpowered his thoughts.

"It's kind of silly, I guess. Trying to live up to Kasumi's perfect model," Akane said, a slightly broken smile mixing with saddened eyes.

"It ain't silly," RanmaA blurted, not sure what to say to follow that up. "I, mean... I kept tryin' to meet pops' ideals as a kid, until I realised he was two faced and lyin' through his teeth. Then, uh, Ranko was trying to live up to the ideal she was told her mom was. We look up ta people and we want to match 'em."

Akane turned to him, a soft happiness in her eyes. "Thank you... that was nice to hear."

"Phew, I was worried I was just ramblin'," the exiled boy said, letting out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.

"Maybe a little, but it was honest," Akane said, cracking out the trademark Tendo smile.

RanmaA couldn't help blushing and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. She was just too cute for him to process.

Then, to his surprise, Akane's face was mere centimetres from his own, a blush on her cheeks.

"C-can we try that kiss again? Just... the right way around this time?" she asked.

"Kiss? A-again? I... that's," RanmaA stammered, wanting to say yes right now, but his tongue thoroughly twisted.

"I... I'd normally take things slower, but... you're only here for another week or so. I can't wait," Akane said. "You're one of only two people, other than Kasumi and dad, who's seemed able to treat me as a girl since I got this curse, and I don't want to let the chance slip past."

"U-uh, th-that... I wanna, but it feels like... like cheatin' on my Akane back home," RanmaA protested.

Akane's eyes dropped for a moment, her mouth scrunching up in thought. "I... would you be jealous if she spent a little time with another you?"

The exiled boy blinked, unsure how he'd feel. It'd be his own charms still winning out, right? So, as long as it didn't turn out to be an evil version of himself, then how could he really be angry?

"I guess I wouldn't mine too much, but... I'm less jealous than she is," he replied, after thinking it over.

"Well then, I... um... I was hoping I'd have a smooth reply, but now that I'm here I don't really know the smooth way to ask for a kiss now," Akane said, grimacing just a little.

"You're really just as much of a dork as she is," RanmaA replied, unable to keep from messing her hair up a little as she looked so frazzled.

"So, is that yes?" Akane asked, pouting a little.

"I... I guess, yeah?" he stuttered. How could he say no to Akane when she was being that cute? Even if she was a different Akane...

Lighting up, Akane turned back to him, leaning in once again. With her lips mere centimetres from his, she froze. She looked like she was trying to move forward, but was too nervous. The exiled boy tried to move ahead himself, only to freeze himself, until he closed his eyes and moved forward on hope.

Strangely, the kiss felt surprisingly similar to the previous one. The height ratio was different, and it lasted longer, but it still felt like nervousness dominated anything else. Still, it was nice enough, and the exiled Ranma didn't want it to end as Akane slowly broke away.

"That was nice," Akane said.

"Yeah," RanmaA muttered, unable to handle any thought more complex.

The walk home had been a little surreal, the lost boy still processing that he'd finally, properly, kissed Akane.

It was only as home came into view that something struck him.

"Who was the other person that could see you as a girl?" RanmaA asked, turning to Akane.

She froze a moment, blinking. "Oh, um... it was Herb. Did you meet him?"

"Oh, yeah... I met him. Was quite the jerk," he said, probably coming across a little angrier than he'd planned.

"Yeah, he was definitely in need of some manners. Still, it was a little tempting to have a prince propose to me," Akane admitted. "Though, I'm still not sure he actually understood what a girl is."

"I guess I could see that," the exiled boy said with a shrug.

It was weird, feeling a bit of jealousy bubbling in his gut over something that happened while he wasn't even in this universe.

Sharing a room with Akane now was even stranger, but he rather liked it. He still had to sleep on the other side of the room, however, after waking up with several bruises the night they'd tried a bit of cuddling.

School, on the other hand, was just school. Though Hiroshi and Daisuke were still a little more annoying than usual, seemingly not convinced he was really a guy. They did however fear Akane's defensiveness of him, knowing what she was capable of. Being defended from guys by her was still weird, even if it wasn't the first time it had ever happened.

Outside of school, things were much more fun. Sparring with basically everyone was something of a dream come true, even if Nabiki did everything she could to cheat. The local Ranma was making decent progress, while Kasumi and Akane were picking things up a bit faster and Akane seemed to be picking up the core philosophy difference enough that she could probably figure out how to match the style on her own. He also felt like he was picking up a better understanding of the Tendo style (Soun had never been the best as explaining it back home), and felt excited to get to teach that to Akane back home.

There'd also been an interesting sparring match to watch when Genma had protested at the local Ranma's request to help with cooking, only to get teamed up on by his son and Kasumi. RanmaA and Akane had watched ready to help out the whole time.

It was all very strange, though. He had definitely fallen for this Akane, yet still missed his own. It made him wonder more and more if the time he was spending with her was technically cheating or not. He was already so bad at romantic norms, interdimensional ethics wasn't something he was ready to handle. Taking pictures of everyone was a good distraction. He liked the idea of showing Kasumi and Nabiki as foxes to everyone.

A weird sensation struck the exiled Ranma as he slept. Jolting awake, he saw the green pulse of his bracelet.

"Seriously? It's the middle of the night."

Another brief flash left him groaning while he scrambled to shove anything he'd taken out back into his backpack.

"Huh? Whus goin' on?" Akane asked, clearly still more asleep than awake.

"Apparently I'm leaving," the redhead replied, only able to grimace and hope Akane couldn't see too well.

Her form shot up in an instant. "I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"You can take anything you carry with you, right? So, carry me," Akane said.

"I can't do that! Your family would miss you!" he hissed.

"I'll leave a note. I'm just an extra here," she replied.

"Even if I believed they wouldn't miss you... what if we get separated? You'll get stranded in a strange world," RanmaA countered.

"Well... then we don't get separated!" Akane shouted.

"I can't promise you that," RanmaA said. "I'm sorry. I don't even know where we're going. The worlds could be dangerous too. You can still find happiness here. Don't force yourself into what I'm dealing with. It's this pain every time. I can't put you through that."

Akane opened her mouth to protest again, only for another flash to cut her off. The redhead grabbed his backpack, trying to hide the tears running down his face.

"I'm sorry. Goodbye," he said, before a final blinding flash took him away.

He could tell she'd shouted something as he'd vanished, but couldn't make it out.