Dear Meg,

I hope your birthday has been a great one. Since I plan to give you this right before I leave, though, I guess it's a bit of a moot point. I hope you like the ring; being optimistic, I tried to pick something you could still use if and when you become a guy again. To tell the truth, though, that ring isn't my real present to you.

"What do you get someone who already has everything?" That's the question I had to keep asking myself when I was looking for a present. Finally, I did think of something that you could use, and don't have much of: encouragement. I know you're thinking "How corny is this?", but please hear me out.

The night after I got my curse had to be the most lonely, hopeless, miserable night of my entire life. I fell into the "spring of drowned girl" earlier that afternoon; as you know from experience, it's quite a switch. My center of gravity had shifted, throwing me off-balance, my voice had risen an octave, I had shrunk a foot, I had gained some new organs, and I lost a few others. Despite these major changes, I still had enough fight left in me to do my darndest to murder my Pop. He reminds me a lot of your dad; when he isn't planning something devious, he's not planning at all. He hauled me to China without a moment's forethought, and at the time I placed 100 percent of the blame for my curse on him. I chased Pop all over Jusenkyo, but that old panda was quicker than he looked. Around twilight, he finally managed to escape me. While I was hunting for him, a really nasty storm came up, and I had to hide in a cave for the night.

I had never been so miserable in my whole life. Pop had raised me to be a tough guy, the strong young man who would one day take over the school for him. Most of the time I act like I don't care much about that, but the truth is that the martial arts have been my entire life for the past ten years. I never could have endured what I did if carrying on the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts hadn't been so important to me. Now how was I supposed to be "the one to carry on"? How was a weak little girl, shivering in a cave and trying not to cry, supposed to carry on an entire tradition in the martial arts? Finally, I gave in to my despair and lost hope entirely. I sat there, my knees drawn up to my face, and cried my eyes out; it was the first time I had cried since I left my mother ten years ago. Then, the cave suddenly seemed to get a little brighter. At first I thought it was my imagination, but when I turned around, I saw a panda standing in the mouth of the cave, holding a lantern, a kettle, and an armload of firewood.

As you probably guessed, it was Pop. Although he can be a real jerk, the old man ain't completely heartless. Once that storm came up, he decided that he'd better come find me. Together, we fixed a fire and warmed up a kettle of water. Neither one of us spoke; him because it was physically impossible for him to, and me because I didn't know what to say. Once the kettle started steaming, he used sign language to tell me to pour some on myself. That kind of puzzled me, but I did like he said. Hahaha... I was so happy with the results that I almost squeezed him to death! I poured some on him, too, and listened as he explained how hot and cold water were going to affect us from now on. Although I was ecstatic that I wasn't stuck as a girl, I became really depressed again when I realized that I wasn't permanently a guy, either. The two of us just sat staring at the fire for a while, until finally Pop spoke up. Genma Saotome hasn't always been a model father to me; in fact, the exact opposite is probably true, but he made up for every bit of it in those few minutes. I'll never forget what he told me; they were words I'll be grateful for 'till the day I die.

He said, "I know things are hard on you right now, my son. Over the past decade, you've gone through a lot for the sake of the Art. You did it willingly, because you had the conviction to dedicate your life to becoming a great martial artist, a true man among men. Now, with a half-girl body, it all seems like a big waste, doesn't it?"

I hung my head in shame; the old man had really hit the nail on the head. Pop wasn't about to let me sulk, though; he put both hands on my shoulders and forced me to look him in the eye.

"Listen to me, boy, because this might be the most important thing I ever teach you," he said. "A little dunk in cursed water doesn't make you any less of a man. In fact, the exact opposite could wind up being true. You see, Ranma, sometimes the true 'man among men' isn't the biggest, strongest, toughest, or even necessarily a man at all. The true man among men is he who does what a real man is supposed to do: protect the weak, be chivalrous toward women and polite toward men, and (above all) endure, no matter what the hardship."

I looked at my Pop in shock, scarcely able to believe my ears. "Hold on, Pop! Are you trying to tell me that this curse doesn't make me any less manly?"

He nodded solemnly. "That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you, my son. The true measure of a man is how he deals with bad situations: the weak man runs, hides, and gives up, but the man among men holds his head high and endures his suffering with dignity. I know what kind of man I raised you to be; what kind you become will depend on what you intend to do from here. So, what will it be, Ranma? Are you going to let this curse dictate who you are, or will you choose to overcome it?"

I've known my father my entire life, and I had never heard him be that kind before. If he had simply wanted to not lose his heir, he could have simply made fun of me. Eventually, I would have gotten mad enough that I would train like a lunatic, just to prove him wrong. He didn't do that. He spoke to me not as master to student, but as father to son, and (like I said) I'll never forget it. To state the ridiculously obvious, I told him that I would overcome my curse, and I've been doing my best to live up to that vow since then.

I thought that you might need to hear that conversation; being stuck as a girl 24-7, I know it must be even harder for you to hold onto your identity than it is for me. Meg, I don't know what the future holds. We might get cured tomorrow, or we might carry these curses around for the rest of our lives; it looks like whether or not we'll find a cure is all going to be up to chance. I guess we'll just have to keep hoping and praying for a lucky break. In the meantime, though, keep doing what you have been doing: stand up for the oppressed, kick some bad-guy butt, and never give up; in other words, keep being a man among men, Megumi Amatsuka. I'll do my best to be one, too, and remember that if things ever seem hopeless, just remember that there's at least one person out there who can sympathize, who knows what you're going through. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask.

-Your friend, Ranma Saotome

-

Meg quietly folded the letter back up and placed it in its envelope. She held the letter close to her heart, thinking about its contents.

"Hey, Meg! How much do you think this-" Miki stopped in mid-sentence and stared at her friend in surprise. "Meg, you're crying!"

"What?" Meg gasped, surprised. She quickly turned around and wiped the tears away. "Nah; just had something in my eye, that's all."

Miki knew a lie when she heard it, but decided not to press the matter. "What did he have to say, anyway?" she asked softly.

Meg turned back around, a warm smile on her face. "Not much," she answered. "Just kind words... from a friend."

THE END

Well, there it is in giant, underlined print: the end. I hope you guys and gals have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it! I want to sincerely thank all my readers and reviewers for making this story such a huge success. For a guy used to single-digit reviews, this was truly a mind-blowing experience. Before leaving you, I'm going to throw in just a pinch of shameless self-promotion: if you liked this story, give my other fics a shot. In particular, I'd like to recommend my "Ranma-Excel Saga" fic to those of you with a bizarre sense of humor.

Lastly, let me ask you a question: would any of you be interested in a sequel? If you are interested, I have a few ideas rolling around in my head (they make an annoying rattling sound). It might be a month or so before I get started on it, however, as I'm determined to finish my other Ranma fic first. Anyway, tell me what you think. Gracias, merci, arigato gozaimasu, and thanks a million to all of you!