Chapter 7
Truth

	"Hey, isn't the school back in the other direction?" 
Ryouga asked as they walked away from the grove where he and Ukyou
had "lunch" with Ranma.
	Ukyou stopped and looked at Ryouga in surprise, noting, 
"Uh, yeah! Actually it is! Wow I am impressed that you got that
right!"
	Ryouga blushed. Ukyou grabbed Ryouga's hand and started
to walk forward again. After a couple of seconds Ryouga asked, 
"Uh, Ukyou?"
	"What, Ryouga-kun?" Ukyou said, distractedly.
	"Uh, if the school is in the other direction, don't we 
want to GO that way?"
	"We aren't going back to school, Ryouga-kun. I have to
leave school every day after lunch in order to get back in time
to handle the lunch crowd at Ucchan's. I was going to leave you at
school and let Ranma bring you to the restaurant... but..."
	Both sighed.
	"Sorry." Ryouga said, and let Ukyou guide him forward.
	They walked silently for a few minutes before Ukyou 
stopped in front of a large department store. Ryouga shaded his 
eyes from the afternoon sun and looked up to read the store name.
The sign read, "Naki-chan's School Supply Store."
	"What are we doing here?" Ryouga asked.
	Ukyou turned and gave a small smile to Ryouga and said,
"Well, the girls in class today all noticed that your suit was a 
little...um... TIGHT... across your...um..." Ukyou blushed.
	"Um? My what?" Ryouga asked, surprised.
	Ukyou turned a darker shade of red and mumbled, "Your
um... butt."
	Ryouga flamed up this time and looked as if he would like
to hide in the deepest hole possible.
	Ukyou reached out, to Ryouga's shock, and patted him on 
the back, saying, "Hey. It's OK. Most girls like to look at guys'
butts. However, I thought you might be more comfortable in a 
larger uniform."
	Ryouga giggled inanely, still embarrassed, and said,
"Uh... that would be really nice, Ukyou... I, um, am not used to 
being noticed like that..."
	Ukyou giggled.
	Ryouga, surprised at the somewhat happy sound coming from
the recently VERY depressed Ukyou, gave a small fangy smile back 
to his new friend and added, "Thanks, Ukyou."
	"No problem, Ryouga-kun. Now shall we go inside?"
	Ryouga looked at Ukyou with that smile on her face and 
realized that she was actually really cute when she was happy, 
and looked more like a woman instead of a tomboy when she
relaxed...
	"Ryouga!!!" Ukyou shouted.
	"What?!" Ryouga gasped, all thoughts flying from his mind
as he looked around for the danger and prepared to fight. He 
couldn't have been less prepared to hear Ukyou say:
	"You're bleeding all over my UNIFORM!!!"
	Ryouga reached up and felt his damp nose and looked over 
at the angry Ukyou. "Uh, sorry," he mumbled, taking the 
handkerchief Ukyou was thrusting at him.
	Ukyou was all of a sudden back to her stiff demeanor and 
was definitely no longer "cute." She "humphed" at Ryouga and 
strode forward into the store, leaving Ryouga running to catch up
with her ram-rod straight figure, and shouting, "WAIT UP, UKYOU!"
	Yet Ryouga, for some strange reason, couldn't seem to 
forget that smile.

*****

	Ryouga held up the school uniform to his chest as he 
looked into the tall department store mirrors. He looked into
the mirror at Ukyou who was standing behind him; she was 
critically examining Ryouga's image in the mirror. Ryouga finally
asked, "Well?"
	Ukyou looked him up and down, and finally said, "Well. I 
suppose it will have to do." She pushed him into a small changing
room and shut the door after him.
	Ryouga said, peering over the top of the shut door, "Uh, 
what do I do now?"
	"Try the damn thing on, you idiot!" Ukyou said, 
exasperated. Ryouga’s head disappeared and the sounds of clothing
being removed began.
	Ukyou sat down for a few minutes, staring blankly at the 
rows of uniforms and trying not to think about Ranma. Finally she
looked at her watch, remembering that she had to be back to get 
ready for the lunch crowd, and realized just how long Ryouga was 
taking and directed towards the changing room, "Hey lame-brain.
What’s taking so long?"
	Ryouga muttered from inside the room, "I just have a bit 
of trouble undoing all these stupid uniform buttons."
	Ukyou sighed and thought, "How totally hopeless..." Then
stood up and knocked on the dressing room door. "Ryouga, if you 
are still decent, open the door and let me in. I will do the 
buttons for you."
	The door opened hesitantly and a somewhat flustered Ryouga
poked his head out and said, "Uh... sorry. I am just not used to 
these kinds of clothes."
	Ukyou pushed him into the dressing room and shut the door
behind the two of them.
	Ryouga became visibly redder, which seemed to be a minor 
miracle. Ukyou bapped him on the forehead with the heel of her 
hand and asked, "What’s your problem, dummy?"
	Ryouga stuttered, "Uh...I...I um...am not used to being in
small enclosed spaces with girls."
	Ukyou bapped him again and said sharply, "YOU are the one
who says I don’t act like a girl half the time. So cool it. Just 
pretend I am a guy."
	A bead of sweat formed on the back of Ryouga’s head as he
gulped and allowed Ukyou to unbutton his shirt. It took her all of
two minutes. During those two minutes Ryouga was positively 
uncomfortable. After how friendly she had been and that sweet, 
feminine smile before they had entered the store... it had changed
the way he thought about Ukyou.
	She had such pretty hair... It looked so soft... And as 
she leaned over to unbutton the bottom buttons, Ryouga couldn’t 
help but think that he would like to have someone like her to help
him with this sort of stuff all the time.
	But UKYOU? He had know Ukyou for a long time, and she had
always been after Ranma, so he had never even considered it. She 
and he usually fought... and she was always telling him that he 
was stupid... He remembered clearly that whole fiasco at the Cave
of Lost Love. But... they had worked together well against the 
ghosts. And everyone had thought they made a good couple... 
	Ryouga laughed mentally. Sure. She thought he was an 
idiot... and the only guy she would take seriously was Ranma. And
half the time she was rude and bossy and masculine... What was he
thinking?
	But... She was no longer just a fellow martial artist or 
even just another of Ranma’s fiancees. She was single and (he was
starting to notice) actually quite pretty and (big gulp here) he
was LIVING with her.
	Ryouga got a little worried when he felt his nose starting
to get hot and sighed in relief as she finally backed away from
him, having finished.
	"What?" she asked, noticing the far-away look on his face.
	"Heheh..." Ryouga was shocked back to earth from his daydreams and
laughed nervously.
	He looked at her and she was, once again, just plain, 
practical, Ukyou. Ryouga reached up with one of his fists to bonk
himself for his ridiculous musings. But Ukyou caught the hand 
before it reached his head. She looked at it for a second, 
examining the fingers, and then noted, "Ah. I see why you couldn’t
unbutton the uniform yourself. Your hands are pretty big."
	Ryouga grunted and quickly pulled his hand back, saying
rapidly, "Um... yeah. Well, that is a good thing for martial arts
and the ‘Breaking Point’ but not for unbuttoning shirts."
	Both laughed uncomfortably. Then there was silence.
	They looked at each other and felt generally disconcerted.
	Ukyou finally backed towards the door and said, nervously,
"I will wait outside. I think you can handle it from here."
	And then she was gone.
	Ryouga sighed and took of the rest of the uniform. He
looked at the hand she had just touched, still tingling with the
warmth of her palms. He sighed again, and started to undo and pull
off his pants. He removed and put on the various layers, but his
mind was far, far, away, imagining Ukyou... and him. Together?
	Ryouga finally bonked his head as he was going to do
earlier. "I really AM an idiot. She would never go for me anyway."

*****

	Ukyou leaned up against the wall next to the changing
room, breathing deeply, trying to calm herself. What was this 
strange... almost... ATTRACTION she had felt in the changing room?
	No. It had to just be her nerves! She was upset from 
everything that had happened with Ranma.
	Ukyou started as she realized that she had wandered over
into the women’s section... an area she had only infrequently
been. She picked up one of the school dresses and ran her hands
over the soft blue and white cotton. She imagined Akane wearing 
this dress, Ranma at her side, walking to school.
	Why was it so EASY for Akane? Akane was just as much of a
tomboy as herself. But SOMEHOW she managed to maintain the balance
between feminine and masculine.
	Something Ukyou herself had never quite been able to 
master.
	Ukyou walked over to the full-length mirror and held the 
dress up. She could only think that it was...so...so... SIMPERING.
She made a face and wondered what boys could possibly SEE in this
sort of get-up?
	Ukyou made her way to a dressing room and closed the door
behind her. She slowly reached up and began to undo the buttons 
of her school uniform. She looked down at her small hands, 
marveling at the difference of her's to Ryouga’s. ONE of his hands
was the same size as both of her own.
	She peeled off the jacket, and the undershirt followed.
	Ukyou stared in the mirror at her bound breasts. They were
actually large breasts, and if she didn’t keep them tightly bound
they easily revealed her true sex. However, if she was going to 
try on a girl’s uniform... She might as well go all the way. 
	She sighed an slowly began to unwrap the cloth, sighing in
relief, feeling much lighter and more comfortable with the stiff 
binding removed.
	She stared at herself in the mirror, almost surprised to 
see that she was still a woman after all these years of pretending
to be otherwise. She slipped off her pants and kicked them into a 
corner, and finally grabbed the dress. She paused to finger it 
once more, remembering Ryouga’s words about Akane, "At least SHE 
dresses like a girl!"
	And then she pulled the dress over her head.
	She zipped it up and, slightly hesitant and afraid, turned
to look in the mirror.
	She felt ridiculous.
	She pulled her hair down from its tie, hoping that would
help improve the image in the mirror and force it to look more 
feminine in her eyes.
	 But all she could see was herself, Ukyou Kuonji, in a 
dress. And for some reason that felt and looked wrong.
	She was starting to understand how Ranma felt.
	She grabbed her pile of clothes off the floor, intent on 
getting the hideous blue dress off as soon as possible... and then
she thought of Ryouga.
	"Heh." She thought, "I might as well test it out on him."
	Ryouga was still in the changing room.
	"Aren’t you done YET?" Ukyou asked, exasperated.
	Ryouga called from inside, "Yeah. But I didn’t want to 
come out and get lost, so I stayed put.
	Ukyou giggled and then said, "Come out and let me see."
	Ryouga walked out of the changing room, looking much the 
same as that morning except now his uniform seemed to fit.
	Ryouga’s eyes bugged out it shock when he saw the woman 
standing in front of him and said, hesitantly, "Uh...U...UKYOU?!"
	Ukyou nodded and did a slight turn. She gave a 
self-mocking laugh and said, "Pretty ridiculous, huh?"
	Ryouga flushed and reached up to tug on his bandanna, a
bead of sweat forming on his head, his eyes never leaving Ukyou,
and said, "Uh, actually... I was going to say you looked... um...
beautiful."
	Ukyou stopped twirling around at that blatant comment, and
walked right up to Ryouga and said, "Are you serious?"
	Ryouga nodded vehemently.
	Ukyou gave Ryouga a wide smile, her eyes lighting up with
stars. She walked up and, much to his shock, hugged him. Ryouga 
blushed harder as he felt her breasts pressed up against his chest
and though, "Yeah, really serious."
	Ukyou backed away at arms length and said, "Better than 
Akane?"
	Ryouga looked down at the ground, unsure what to say, and
Ukyou began to lose heart. She pulled away and started to walk
off. Ryouga’s next words stopped her, however.
	"U..Ukyou?" he said, haltingly, "You...uh... you really DO
look better than Akane... I just feel bad about betraying her."
	Ukyou looked at Ryouga and smiled again and said, "I 
understand. And... Ryouga?"
	Ryouga looked up at her, his eyes somewhat sad, and said,
"What?"
	"Thanks."
	"Uh... no problem." Ryouga gave her a confused look 
combined with a toothy grin.
	Later, the two went to make their purchases, and as Ukyou
laid the items down, Ryouga noticed the dress was missing.
	"Ukyou, you aren’t buying the dress?" Ryouga asked.
	Ukyou smiled at Ryouga and said, "I have to start a bit 
smaller than that, Ryouga-kun. That is a bit to feminine for 
someone who is just starting to let herself change."
	She indicated the pile, where there were several less 
feminine outfits (yet definitely not masculine) and (Ryouga took 
in a sharp breath) even a couple of bras. He managed to let the
breath out and tried to focus on what he was saying. He managed
to smile and get out, "Oh well. Like I said the other night, you 
look just fine in whatever you wear anyway, Ukyou."
	Ukyou grinned back at Ryouga and said, "It already served
its purpose anyway."
	Ryouga asked, "And what was that?"
	Ukyou just kept smiling.
	She smiled all the way back to Ucchan’s and through the 
lunch and dinner crowds. And she had a smile on her face as she 
fell asleep that night.
	She had changed herself once for Ranma. She would never do
that for anyone again. Ukyou was going to become herself! And 
discover who Ukyou Kuonji really was. For once, she wasn’t scared
of that prospect. And, finally, the sky came a little closer, and
the walls started to fall.
	The smile began to settle itself deep inside of Ukyou’s 
heart.

*****

	Ranma and Akane walked slowly back from the park, still 
hesitantly holding hands, and both slightly flushed. What was 
there to say after a revelation like this afternoon? How were they
supposed to treat each other?
	The most comfortable thing was silence. At least they knew
if neither of them said anything, than the egos and criticism and
stupidity would not be let out.
	Akane laughed mentally. "What a pair we are! two people 
who can’t even communicate properly trying to form a
relationship."
	She stole a glance out of her eye at Ranma, who seemed to
be thinking similar thoughts. She stopped, Ranma stopped with 
her, looking at her curiously, and she reached up to trace the 
contours of his face with her hands.
	Ranma closed his eyes and enjoyed her touch. He leaned 
back against the concrete wall which lined the street as she 
touched him. Finally he smiled and opened his eyes. Akane was 
looking at him intently.
	"What?" Akane asked.
	Ranma chucked and said, "It is just YOU. Why are you being
so serious all of a sudden? It isn’t a dream! I know that is what
you are thinking."
	She blushed and looked down at her feet, and then leaned 
her head back to look up at Ranma, smiling.
	"Well," she asked, "Do you blame me? It IS sort of hard to
believe!"
	"Is it?" Ranma asked, seriously.
	Akane laughed and said, "Well... I was never sure... You
were always so indecisive..."
	Ranma smiled, reaching out to cup her face and said, "Not
indecisive. I think I decided the first time I met you. Just too
chicken. I was afraid you would reject me because I was half 
girl."
	Akane became very serious and said, "Ranma. That bothered
me at first... But you know I got over that a long time ago."
	Ranma nodded and said, "I know... I realize that now...
But... Akane?"
	She looked up at him questioninly.
	"I... I... I’m not used to it. I HATE it. I want to be a
whole guy again." He looked at Akane to gauge her reaction. She 
hadn’t moved away from him yet.
	"And?" She asked, knowing there was more to this story.
	"About the okonomiyaki last night... Yes, I ate it at
Ucchan’s, but that was not because I went to go see Ukyou instead
of you... it is because I got a job there, you know... like
Ryouga. Don't you remember him mentioning that before lunch
today?"
	"A JOB?!" Akane exclaimed.
	Ranma nodded and added, "You see... Ryouga and I... we 
want to go back to China... and find a cure..."
	Akane finally pulled back from him and said, "What? What
are you talking about?"
	"Well... You see... first of all... Ryouga is cursed too."
Ranma hung his head in shame, partially because he was revealing
Ryouga's secret, and partially ashamed that he had kept it from
Akane for so long.
	"He...he.. IS?" Akane asked, and then said, "But... When?
When did this happen? What does he turn into?"
	"When?" Ranma said, surprised, and then managed to say, 
"Well, actually, at the same time as I got cursed... In fact..."
He paused.
	"In fact, WHAT?" Akane said, her face pale and her eyes
wide.
	"Um..." Ranma finished, "In fact it was my fault he got
cursed... Pop and I accidentally knocked him into one of the 
pools... That is why he hated me so much."
	"So what does he turn into?" Akane asked quietly.
	"A...." Ranma closed his eyes and clenched his fists.
	"Ranma..." Akane said softly and touched his face.
	Ranma opened his eyes and looked at her.
	"Ryouga is P-chan, isn't he?" Akane asked, her face
pale.
	Ranma nodded and pushed himself off the wall to walk away
from her. He stood about three feet away gathering his composure
before turning back to her and saying, "I didn't tell you because
I owed it to him because it was my fault he got cursed. His own
reasons... I don't know that. But he should have told you. -I-
should have told you."
	He finally noticed that some color was coming back into 
her cheeks and then she began to giggle.
	Ranma was shocked. He had expected her to beat the living
shit out of him for this one.
	But she just stood there giggling.
	"Is she in shock or something?" he wondered and walked 
over to her. He tenatively wrapped his arms around her, and, to
his surprise she leaned back against him.
	"Ranma," she finally managed to say.
	"Hmmm..?" he looked at her, wondering what she was going 
to say.
	She turned to face him and said, "It's O.K. Really. I am
actually glad that your honor was kept. Ryouga... It is actually
pretty hilarious. It explains why P-chan always hated you and all
the little snide comments. It actually proves to me that you 
always DID care... I mean, now that I know that you were jealous
of RYOUGA and not just a pet."
	She started giggling again.
	Ranma sighed in relief and then said, "So what are you
going to do about him?"
	"About Ryouga? I am going to talk to him. I am a little
mad, but... he has always been so kind to me... in both forms.
And... I don't think he ever did it to be perverted. I think...
I think he thought he loved me, didn't he?"
	Ranma nodded.
	Akane sighed and said, "Well... You and I finally getting
our act together isn't going to make his life easy... I don't 
I want to hurt him more than he is already going to be... I will
talk to him."
	Ranma just looked at her and said, seriously, "I have 
already talked to him too.. he knows that I care about you... and
he says he is going to back off."
	Akane rested her head against his chest and nodded.
	"About China..." Ranma began again.
	Akane looked up into his pale eyes and stood on her 
tiptoes to give him a small kiss before saying, "I uderstand 
that you have to go back... and if you have to work at Ukyou's
to get enough money to go, it is ok. BUT.."
	Ranma looked at her with wide eyes, wondering what the 
condition was going to be.
	"BUT," she continued, "Don't go away for too long... 
there will be someone at home waiting for you to return..."
	Then she turned and started to run home, shouting over
her shoulder, "First person to get home gets the extra rice-cake
tonight!!"
	"No fair!" Ranma yelled, taking off after her, "You got
a head start!!!"
	"Baka!!!" she yelled over her shoulder, and added, "Just
RUN!!"
	Ranma smiled and yelled, "Tomboy!!!"
	Behind them the sun set, watering the sky with a sea of
gold and blue, ending the day. And, one by one, the stars awoke
from their slumber.
Marisa Price
marisa@gladstone.uoregon.edu
Anime Page!!! includes my Ranma and MI picture pages!!
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~marisa/
Mermaid Saga Web Page!!
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~marisa/mermaid.html
Member of COR and UDIC.
Anime otaku forever! Medieval Studies and English major.