Work Text:
Nabiki Tendou smirked as she look over the cityscape of Tokyo from her executive chair. Today had been a very very good day for the young woman. As an investment banker she had made the correct prediction when she invested for her clients a week ago and with the announcement of a merger today, she just made her clients much richer, which also meant that her own commissions would be a deliciously high number.
It wasn’t really like she needed the money. After finishing college with a business degree, she had joined the banking world. Quickly Shark-Chan became her nickname, as she had an almost sharklike ability to sniff out all of the most profitable deals. At the age of 23 she had assets for more than 100 million yen and started her own company. At 25 she had started her own company. At 28 the first branch was opened outside Japan. And today at 34 Nabiki was considered one of the wealthiest and most beautiful bachelorettes in all of Japan.
She looked down at her computer, noticing the time. Only 11am and she had made more in a few hours of work than most would make in a lifetime. She stretched, feeling the tension in her shoulders. While it was a very rewarding job, it could also be very stressful. A wrong investment and she could lose massive amounts of money, but even worse, lots of reputation.
She wondered if she shouldn’t pamper herself a bit. While she could easily afford it, she rarely did so, but today she should celebrate. She considered her options. Maybe a visit to a spa? Or the hot springs? Or go dine in a fancy restaurant. Alone of course, just like she preferred if she had to say so herself.
Family had been the one thing she had to sacrifice to reach the top. Oh, she visited her sisters and father at the Tendou dojo a few times each year, but her career meant she could not go as often as the rest of the family wanted. Every time Soun complained about her being alone and having no children. And as she watched Kasumi’s small horde of kids, she sometimes did feel just a bit of sadness, something which she quickly would squash. She did not have time for children or family or relationships. Meanwhile Akane only had the twins, though considering their tempers matching their mothers, Nabiki had no doubt that Akane probably had it worst of her two sisters.
She wondered how the family would have been in Ranma had been around. But instead he had run off without a word at age 18, 15 years ago. Everyone had searched for the pigtailed martial artist, but none found him. After 3 years Nabiki gave up, but the Amazons kept searching for another 5 years before they too gave up. Akane kept hope up a bit longer than Nabiki, but 10 years ago she met a guy in college. They ended up marrying, Akane got pregnant and half-way through the pregnancy her husband had run off, leaving only a letter in which he stated that he was not ready to be a father and how he could not deal with Akane’s temper, which had been 10 times worse during her pregnancy than when Ranma was still living in Nerima.
Her mind drifted back to the present. Oh yeah, she needed to pamper herself. Her eyes drifted to a business card left by the financial manager of one of her clients. Reiko Himura was just about the fanciest beauty salon in Japan, with clientele that were all either disgustingly rich or disgustingly famous. It was a Friday and maybe, just maybe Nabiki should get a full treatment and then maybe go on the prowl tonight.
She called the number, dropped a few names and got herself a booking with none other than THE Reiko Himura, a camera-shy celebrity working with all the hottest names. Sometimes it did pay off to be both quite famous and disgustingly rich at the same time.
--
Nabiki arrived to the salon a bit after noon, having grabbed a bite on the way. Her scheduled time was 12.30, so she still had 15 minutes to go. She looked around the lobby. Definitely showed taste and great care to details. She sat down and crossed her legs. She looked at the two other customers and held back a snort. Definitely trophy wives, whereas Nabiki stood out in her business suit in a feminine cut and with rather short black hair. Professional, easy to maintain, but definitely not the most feminine appearance.
Nabiki was checking emails on her phone when at 12.30 precisely the recetionist called out for Shark-Chan, the name she had used for her booking. Amongst the wealthy Shark-Chan was far more famous of a celebrity name than boring old Nabiki Tendou. She put her phone into her purse and followed the attendant into the private booth. She was told that she could take a seat, then the attendant left the booth. Nabiki followed orders and sat down, looking into the mirror. She did not look that bad, even if she wasn’t 18 or 19 anymore.
--
A minute later another figure entered the room and Nabiki took the chance to look at the camera-shy celebrity. Nabiki could definitely appreciate the expensively dressed woman that entered. Already before leaving Nerima Nabiki figured that she liked girls and boys. Though her affairs the last decade had almost all been exclusively with women. Of course only a single one of them had visited the Tendou Dojo, when her longest last relationship lasted a bit less than 3 months.
As she did a quick examination of the woman she noticed the long and extremely wellkept black hair, the makeup that at the same time made this woman look natural, but also subtly accentuated her beauty to higher levels. Not that this beauty even needed it in the first place, because she was almost otherworldly beautiful, with those piercing blue... wait, piercing blue eyes?
Nabiki’s mind froze for a few seconds and the woman also had frozen in place, now looking ready to turn around and flee. A beauty salon? How exactly did Ranma, the Man Amongst Men find himself working in a beauty salon? Sure the hair had been dyed black and the style changed, but those expressive eyes she’d recognize everywhere.
--
Ranma stared at her newest client, frozen in fear. This was Nabiki Tendou. The mercenary and apparently also called Shark-Chan. If only she had known it was Nabiki she could have hidden away, but now it was too late. She slumped her shoulders and let out a sigh.
“How much for your silence, Nabiki,” she then said resignedly, only with certainty confirming her identity. Her voice was soft and lacking the roughness that it had carried in both forms in Nerima. She noticed Nabiki narrow her eyes then give that trademark smirk. She was doomed.
“You couldn’t afford me anyway, Saotome,” she heard Nabiki say. “But you know what, I’ve had a good day at work, maybe if you give me a damned good story, I might consider it. I mean what would your mother say?”
Ranma flinched at that last statement. She had not seen her mother for 15 years and had not planned on seeing her ever again. She slumped into the corner, pulling her legs up and started to let out sobs.
--
Nabiki stared a the formerly pigtailed martial artist. What exactly was going on here? Was she in some alternate surreal world where everything was upside down? Or was that actually Ranma crying in a corner? What the *beep* was happening.
“Hey, come on, Saotome. Ranma. It’s not that bad. I just want to know what’s going on? Disappearing for 15 years and then here you are. Like... this.” The last is said with a gesture towards the other woman.
Ranma kept sobbing, but after 30 or so awkward seconds, it started quieting down. She just had so many dots and none of them made any sense in her head. How had hypermasculine Ranma Saotome ended up like this crying woman? Some sort of artifact? Or some Amazon powder? Nahh, the Amazons kept looking for many years before they gave up. Or maybe another of those pond trips like had happened once before. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Considering the mannerisms so far, that knock on the head was actually not unlikely.
Finally Ranma started speaking. “I had to get away. Nerima was Hell and I was in the centre of it. And had no escape. I had to disappear otherwise I wouldn’t have survived to 20.” Nabiki did consider that. Sure, Nerima was a hot boiler, with Ranma in the middle, 3 primary fiancees and too many weird rivals, though Ryoga and Mousse were the most consistent. So for now Nabiki gives a nod.
“So I used the Saotome secret technique and ran away. Not much honor in that. I can just imagine the panda keeping complaining about his worthless daughter, son I mean. Oh boy, this is hard.” Ranma continued the explanation.
“Your mother was handling it, even if I know she found your behaviour to be not manly,” Nabiki explained, hearing Ranma snort and snicker. “I mean when you left Ukyo was no longer a fiancee. She can be surprisingly intimidating and convincing. Heck, I even heard she had made some deal with the Amazons. And then instead of marrying Akane like we all expected, you were gone.”
“And I’d marry Akane, we’d have 3 kids, run the dojo, domestic bliss, all that stuff, right? I mean mother wouldn’t accept anything else. And I just couldn’t be that.” Ranma explains.
--
Was a domestic life running a dojo really that bad? Sure, Nabiki was into business and money, but Akane seemed quite happy running the dojo with their father, Soun Tendou.
“Were we really that bad, Saotome? Maybe I could have been a bit nicer, Akane have a bit less temper, but overall I didn’t feel that my family was so horrible to you.” Nabiki narrowed her eyes slightly making that statement.
“No, Nabiki. It wasn’t you. It was the whole stupid situation. But mother and the panda were the worst. Just...” She takes a few breaths. “They were bad. My therapist has worked hard to help me deal with them, but I’m still a work in progress.” She said the last with a smile, but it didn’t really reach her eyes.
“Well, maybe if you start from the beginning then?” Nabiki encouraged. Ranma’s reactions were so different from what she remembered from Nerima.
--
Ranma nodded, her hands still around her legs. She let out a sigh, wondering how to explain best. “I guess.” She thought for a second, then nodded. She put her hand behind her back, as if scratching, looking very much like the Ranma that had arrived in a distant past. “Hi, I’m Ranma Saotome. And I’m a girl.”
“I can see that Saotome. I haven’t forgot Jusenkyo. I sometimes still see your father around and knows he turns into a panda.” Nabiki smirked, only be be countered. “No, I said I’m a girl. Oh man, this is hard.”
Ranma let out a bigger sigh. “Do you know why the contract was for a Man amongst Men? Because the Saotome family had a child that didn’t fit their world view. I mean there’s nothing manly about a small boy looking at a wedding dress and say that he’ll wear that one day when he’s a big girl like mommy. Dammit.” Tears stream down Ranma’s face. “That was the day before I was sent on a training journey.”
“The insults about girls being weak and calling me boy consistently happened from the beginning of the journey. At some point I even started believing those lies. Besides being a strong boy would always be better than being a weak girl.” She shrugged.
“Jusenkyo really messed me up. And I am so glad it did. One moment you are a sad and depressed boy who no longer really care. And then splash, instant girl. Instantly every single thing in me that felt wrong suddenly felt right. At least until I was splashed with hot water.” Ranma continued.
“When I came to Nerima I was really so confused. And so I ended up engaged to Akane, well, I guess you know the rest of the major highlights from Nerima. Almost a new fight every day, never really time to be me, to really think about who I was.”
--
Nabiki was speechless at those revelations. Ranma the Man amongst Men was a trans woman? Her mind was having a hard time connecting those dots. Ranma always was so masculine and... Her mind freezes as she remembered a lot of episodes where Ranma definitely did not act masculine. Maybe it was not that difficult to imagine this woman in front of her faking masculinity.
“So you ran off? Didn’t think we could handle it? Who do you take us for?” Nabiki felt her temper rise. “We’d have supported you if that’s what you wanted.”
Ranma sighed, shaking her head. “Maybe, but what about the rest of the lunatics? And there was always mother’s threat. Be manly or die. Be yourself and die. Do you know how terrible that is? To always hide away, crying yourself to sleep because you live in Hell and can see no way out? So yes, I got out when I had the chance. I fled like a weak little girl according to the panda. I am sad that I had to lose my family, but compared to my happiness it was a small price to pay.”
Nabiki interrupted. “You could have written or called. Let us know you were alive. We all spent years looking for you. Akane had no relationship for 5 years because she waited for you, you idiot.”
“And if I had sent that message, what then, Nabiki? You’d step up efforts to track me down. The Amazons would step up efforts too. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could track down the sender of a letter somehow. It was better this way.” Ranma tried to explain, raising her voice in annoyance. And Nabiki had to concede. She really had been bad back in her youth. Oh, she was still ruthless, but no longer hurt people like she did back then.
“Dammit, Saotome. I’ll concede on that one. I probably could have tracked you down if there was any sign of life. I’m honestly surprised you were able to avoid capture. You did tend to have an ability to draw attention with your martial arts.”
--
Nabiki saw the other woman shrug. “Well, I gave up the Art,” which almost made Nabiki faceplant if she was not already sitting down. “What? You?” And all Nabiki received was a shrug by Ranma.
“Being this legendary martial artist was always my parents dream. I wanted them to be proud of me, so I dedicated everything into it. I had to be the best, there was no second best. After I had disappeared I did plan on continuing with it, after all it was everything this stupid ignorant girl knew. Well, I got a job, then started classes in evening school to finish high school. That last one really took a lot of time. Many hours per day became 1 hour per day. Then some days I had to skip and suddenly it was a few hours per week.” Ranma smiled fondly.
“Of course this was also around the time I really realized that martial arts wasn’t really my own dream. It had been a chore. So I stopped completely for a few years, which I almost came to regret later. You know the dangers of being a young beautiful woman in the night life. Fortunately did remember just enough. But I did start practice again. Even impressed Yoshi-sensei, so these days I teach a few women’s classes at a local dojo. But I wouldn’t last 5 seconds against Cologne, Ryouga or the panda. Heck, if Akane has kept up her training I have no doubt she’d win.”
Nabiki nodded, then gestured to Ranma and the surroundings. “And this? Why work in this place? I have such a hard time imagining it. Was it to throw off the trail? Don’t worry, the Amazons have gone back to China.”
--
“Of course not. When I could really live as myself I realized I loved cosmetics. I could spend hours in front of the mirror experimenting with various forms, various shapes. It was amazing how much could be done with very little. So after finishing high school I considered my options. I didn’t really know what I really wanted. I had considered a doctor, but my grades were rather poor. So when I noticed beauty school I thought, why not?”
Nabiki let out a snort at that comment. “I guess you were always quite vain and prideful. Or was that also an act? Dammit, Saotome, I’m not fond of surprises. In my mind I want you to be one thing, but then I look at you and hear you speak and it’s something completely different.”
“I guess you could call me vain and prideful if you want. Most of my new friends call me driven. Some call me a recluse. I don’t really care too much about that. I love what I’m doing, I love who I am.”
Nabiki nods and gives a smirk. “Me too, Saotome. I guess we have that in common. I make money, lots and lots of money. And I really love what I’m doing.” Then she looks at the time, frowning a bit. “I guess Reiko-san will soon be here, so maybe we should catch up later. Maybe tonight? I have many more questions.” Only to hear a snort.
“Shark-Chan, I’d love to take you up on your offer if you promise me that you’ll not tell others of my existence. But don’t worry about Reiko-chan. She’s already here.” With that Ranma winks, gets up and walks close. “I was always the best at what I put my effort into.”
“Reiko? You are Reiko?!?” Nabiki almost falls over. Maybe Ranma, no Reiko, could actually afford paying for her silence. I mean she just made several hundred million to this woman earlier in the day, though she had never met the woman in person, only her financial advisor.
--
Epilogue
Had it only been one year? One single year since Reiko came into her life? Nabiki smiled fondly as she looked at the picture of the now again redhead that she had on her desk. Nabiki had been the one Reiko had feared the most would find out, so after that there was really no more reason to dye her hair any longer.
She got up from her seat and walked towards the elevator. That dinner had turned into another dinner. Then another. Then Nabiki had invited Reiko to a home made dinner, which had turned into a bit of disaster, but still a very fond memory, because that had also been the first time the two had kissed.
Of all the people in Nerima, she had never imagined ending up with Ranma Saotome. And yet she had. Within a month the tabloids brought stories about the whirlwind romance of the beauty queen and the shark of Tokyo.
She smirked. Tonight was the night that she’d introduce her girlfriend to her family. Her hand moved to her pocket, feeling the small box. If everything went according to plan, then her fiancee and one day wife. She had a good feeling about this, she could see the love in Reiko’s eyes.
--
Had it only been one year? Reiko sat in front of her mirror, applying and removing makeup. Tonight needed to be perfect, no mistakes allowed. And she found her hand being shaking. How would Soun, Akane and Kasumi react? They would be here in a few hours. Dammit, why had she even agreed to this. Couldn’t she just have kept this secret life with Nabiki just that a secret.
Slowly her hand drifted to her stomach. She’d really need to tell Nabiki. Maybe tonight. The fun with instant powder had become a bit more than fun. Nabiki-kun had been hot, even he had looked quite silly with a feminine hairstyle and Nabiki’s makeup. It hadn’t stopped them acting like crazy teenagers in love though. And now in 7 months she’d be a mother.
In honesty she had dreamt about being a mother since she was a young child. Had given up that dream at some point during the training journey when she had realized that she was a boy, not a girl. Then after giving up her male side she had just been so busy with school and work that she didn’t have time for romance. And she still wasn’t really into men. But Nabiki was Nabiki no matter the form.
Her eyes returned to the mirror. She studied herself with critical eyes. Still a few details before her makeup would be perfect.
--
Nabiki looked at Soun, Akane and Kasumi. Both Akane and Kasumi had brought their children, and Nabiki was quite certain that the sounds the twin terrors made from the kitchen probably meant that she, no they, needed a new kitchen. Oh well, they could afford it. Meanwhile Kasumi’s children were all politely sitting and waiting, a few of the younger ones chatting amongst themselves.
“So...” Nabiki began, drawing attention to herself. The noise from the kitchen ended as two younger clones of Akane peeked their heads out. ”I have an announcement.” She paused for just a second. Why was she so nervous. It was just... Well, the love of her life and she was not going to mess this up.
“A year ago a day I met someone from my past, our past. Our chats grew into more and I’ve invited you here to introduce you all to my girlfriend.” She waited for reactions. Kasumi and Akane are both smiling, Soun looked like he was ready to cry, probably because he would not have any grandchildren from her.
“Anyway, let me introduce my girlfriend...” she said, gesturing towards the door to her bedroom. “Her name now is Reiko, but in a distant past we all knew her under another name.” With that the door opened and Reiko entered, which caused Soun and Akane to faceplant, while Kasumi simply smiled that secretive smile.
“But being my girlfriend is not enough. So...” With that she kneeled down in front of Reiko who had started blushing as she was starting to realize what was about to happen. “Will you accept my ring, will you be my wife, Reiko?” The reaction was quite expected as she held out her hand, allowing Nabiki to slide the ring onto her finger, then staring with wonder at the small ring now signified their future union.
--
Reiko was all smiles as she was congratulated. Though she can see Akane was hurt. She needed to speak with her, but later. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you.” Then she focused on Nabiki, taking a step closer to her, grabbing a hand. “I guess I have an announcement to make too. Congratulations, dad,” she said with a wink, hand hand moving up to her stomach. There was silence for a few seconds, then a thud was heard from Soun, then a second later from Nabiki, as they both faint. The only comment Reiko heard was the “Oh my,” from Kasumi.
15 minutes later Nabiki and Soun had both been revived. Nabiki twice. Now they were chatting, Soun congratulating Nabiki on marriage and fatherhood, leaving the normally calm and reserved Nabiki flustered and unsure how to react.
“I’m sorry, Akane,” Reiko said as she sat down next to Akane who had drifted towards the balcony. She could see the unshed tears in her former fiancees eyes. “Why, you baka? If you wanted to be a girl, you could have been one. Wouldn’t have mattered to me. I’m bi, you know.”
“I had to get away from it all. Had to find myself. And do you really think my parents would have accepted me? That Shampoo would want a girl as her Airen?” Reiko said in her soft voice.
Akane let out a sigh. ”You’re right. It just hurts. But I guess Kasumi was right. She told me that even if we found you, I should probably not expect a husband. Gave me some long explanation, but I honestly didn’t pay too much attention at the time. But I think it was something about transphoria or some such.”
“Gender Dysphoria. And I was transgender. Still am in a way, even if this body is biological female. She’s scary smart. Even I didn’t really realize what it all meant back then, just that I felt much better when I was a girl, even though I was supposed to be this man amongst men that my parents expected me to be,” Ranma explains.
Akane sighs, then gives her new sister in law a hug. “I guess it’s in the past now anyway. So, congratulations, welcome to the family, sister.”