Chapter Text
Akane had always been fortunate in her ability to see ki in ways others couldn’t. It was why she loved the arts so much, it wasn’t just the physical, but the spiritual. She would watch her father and mother spar, their ki radiating with attention as the two watched each other with the focus that allowed the word to drift away. According to her father, you cannot see ki, but Akane’s mother said she was just special. To Akane she saw how people's ki manifested. Her fathers ki manifesting ethereal bull horns on him as his ki flowed in straight red lines, that crossed and cut through with his every strike, her mother the large wings of a crane, that allowed her to dance like the wind, deflecting, redirecting, her iridescent green ki swirling with her every move, bending those straight lines before releasing them on their set paths. It was like a fire work show, as the ki dispersed away, her fathers strikes coming to an abrupt end, a vanishing red streak before he struck again, and her mothers ki swirling back into itself, an endless spiral that mesmerized Akane, with wisps spinning off to redirect external ki and spinning like little whirlwind till the ki finally dispersed. To anyone else, this was a slow paced spar between husband and wife, but to Akane, it was a painting of Ki, of emotions that rippled through the hues of the ki, forming colors and shapes and intention. It also made it very hard for Akane to be understood, with a world no one else could see, even other martial artist, she never knew how to feel. She only really wanted to do martial arts (she didn’t slack in any of her classes, but the passion wasn’t the same). No one could see the beautiful tapestry that was contained in the arts. It also made it impossible for her to escape the claims that she was a “tomboy”! Akane had heard that word for the first time when she was 6 and it was the same year her mother passed.
-
Akane was breaking practice dummies she had set up to look like Kuno. She drove her fist in a perfect straight line, sending a red spiral tunneling, a basic strike, forward through the chest of the dummy as her ki left a slight screw pattern in the nearly perfect circular hole left. She exhaled, shooting ki through her nostrils to create spirals of red that she watched spin into nothing in front of her.
“Hey Tomboy, Kuno do something today?” Nabiki walked past the courtyard, stopping to comment.
Akane shot her a glare, “You were there! Him and his stupid horde attack me everyday!”
“I still don’t get what’s your problem with him,” Nabiki shrugged her shoulders as she lent against the frame of the house, “he’s a little crazy, but don’t you see things?” She then made a spinning gesture to indicate she was crazy!
“I AM NOT CRAZY,” Akane shouted at Nabiki, “Dr. Tofu had called it a form of synesthesia, but I don’t just see things, I see Ki.”
“Tomato, Tamato, the guy is loaded and didn’t have you expelled. Not to mention doesn’t he also have ki? Isn’t that one of your ‘deal breakers’, or is it something else, Tomboy?” Nabiki let out a slight chuckle as she emphasized the tomboy comment.
“I- just cause I have standards doesn’t mean anything!” Akane barked back, “Besides, Kuno, his ki is…” Akane was brought back to her first day of school, just bumping into Kuno, she noticed the way his ki radiated off of him. His ki sparked to life, jumping across her skin, jumping across girls skin being the thought that kuno transmitted. It was grotesque the way his Ki seemed to want to explore and the disgusting feeling it left in its wake as all his vile thoughts dripped into his ki. Akane couldn’t help, but instantly punch him through a wall. She realized too late that he hadn’t technically done anything yet. He forgave her, but declared that she had clearly challenged him, so he had the right to earn her affection by beating her in combat. His ki betrayed his faux samurai act as all Akane saw was a how Kuno’s ki created a truer mask than a samuri, a demon mask, whose eyes were filled with hearts, whose smile freakishly spread from ear to ear, with a grotesque snake like tongue flicking from it. “It’s vile Nabiki…”
Nabiki just stared at Akane pensively before sighing, “Well, dad called a family meeting to tell us something, apparently it’s important.”
As Akane turned to start cleaning up, she felt her sister's hand approaching her shoulder. Even though Nabiki hadn’t practiced the art in years, her ki was still slightly radiating off her, that cool breeze from her childhood memories was now like ice as Nabiki’s hand finally touched Akane’s shoulder, the cold sensation became warmer (still cold, but far warmer than the normally icy ki), “Sorry no one gets it Nene, I’m sure someone will” Nabiki then patted Akane slightly before leaving back inside.
“Someone will.” Akane half whispered to reassure herself and half wished for that to actually be true.
-
“A FIANCE?” Akane shouted loud enough that everyone at the table winced slightly.
“Father, surely you’re not being serious? I understand this is your sworn brother, but we have never met this man or his son.” Akane knew that Kasumi’s ever present polite smile had to be holding back some rage as her sister's words actually questioned their father for once, but Akane could never be sure. It had been so long since Kasumi practiced and her ki was nothing more than a gentle glow that seemed to make her look even more like the perfect daughter.
“Do you know anything about this guy?” Nabiki’s voice would never betray her and show her emotions but Akane felt the icy nature of her ki leak out, with Nabiki drumming her fingers with one hand, each tap leaving frosty ki on the table as she stared at their father. “Also, this post card doesn’t explain much?” Nabiki flipped the post card between two of her fingers, holding it up for her father to remind him that his ‘sworn brother’ only sent one line.
“Well, Genma was never a man of many words, but I am sure that his son is a great martial artist like his father!” Soun said with a smile on his face and cheery voice, but his ki was unreadable, it had lost the beautiful crimson of her childhood and had become a murky purple haze. He then turned to Akane, “Akane, I made this promise to my friend before you were born, that our children would get married, together inheriting the dojo, and unite the anything goes style!”
“HE’S NOT TAKING MY DOJO!” Akane felt her eyes sting as her father practically declared that he never intended to just give her the dojo she loved so much. The dojo where she could still picture her mothers beautiful swirling ki filling the air as she taught Akane. She- she couldn’t lose the dojo.
“Well, is he at least cute? Nabiki’s drumming fingers now created a small layer of frost in front of her as her ki still showed her sisters true thoughts weren’t as positive as her words sounded.
“I’m not interested in younger men.” Kasumi added firmly, but still maintaining her smile and her ki’s glow never fading.
“Well, I’m not sure! I’ve never met the boy!”
Akane’s grip started to crack the table as she watched even Kasumi’s ki turn off color yellow and Nabiki’s ki making the room several degrees colder.
-
Akane was prepared for anything. She was going to beat up this boy trying to steal her dojo. What she wasn’t prepared for was a panda carrying a small figure to be there. The panda’s ki was perfectly maintained, a barrier of solid ki manifesting like Kasumi’s aura, but as a grey with a ridged outline rather than the slowly dispersing radiances of Kasumi’s. Akane couldn’t read the emotions on such a grey ki, but maybe the animal was just not feeling anything? Maybe that was the ki of a creature following orders it didn’t fully understand. It then moved to put down the figure on its shoulder and Akane felt her world freeze.
The girl the panda put down had beautiful red hair in a pigtail over shoulder that she was nervously playing with, staring at the floor. Her Ki was beautiful. There was no other word to describe it as Akane felt her mouth dry a little. Akane had never seen anyone’s ki be more than just one color, much less every color. As she stood there, her ki had begun filling the room, with a gentle aura of pink radiating until it had covered the entire room, red ki was coiled around her limbs like it was holding tension ready to launch at any moment, green ki wrapped and pooled like silk bandages at the bottom of her feet and hands as every step she took would be on a thin layer of pure ki rather than the ground, yellow ki seemed to be dancing like dozens of tiny fireflies around her before also spreading into the room and beginning to hover and circle everyone in the room, Akane couldn’t help but reach out and touch the yellow ki, whispering to herself, “beautiful.” As she touched it, she felt the anxious emotions of the girl in front of her who was using her ki to inspect them all. As Akane touched the ki the girl seemed surprised as she looked up and met Akane’s eyes and in return Akane saw these shimmering pools of blue. Her eyes filled with a beautiful blue ki, that reminded Akane of an ocean, carrying a torrent of emotions that Akane wanted nothing more than to understand. She was a head shorter than Akane, but Akane could see the muscles on her small frame, covered by soft looking skin. Her legs were hidden by the baggy pants, but the way it pulled at her waist showed the girl's figure was perfect. The baggy tangzhuag draping over her upper body also highlighted her rather large- assets. Akane once more looked at the girls eyes and saw through the ki, to just see those bright blue eyes, and couldn’t help but think again, “just beautiful.”
Akane then noticed the girl's face get a little pink as she blushed and broke eye contact with Akane. Akane also felt some heat rise in her face as she realized what she had just said to the other girl. Akane missed the grin appearing on Nabiki’s face, “Real smooth little sis, I didn’t know you had it in you” Nabiki began patting Akane on the back.
“N-no, I- I meant her Ki! She had so much ki just active, and different colors, she- she also sent ki at all of us in these beautiful lights- I- she just has” Akane started defending herself before realizing that she might sound crazy to this new girl. She wasn’t crazy, just, different.
“O- oh sorry, it wasn’t ‘n attack, I uh was just checking if you all had ki.” The girl spoke rather quietly, but loud enough for them all to hear. “I- if you don’t mind me- I was just wonderin’, how did ya notice that?” The girl was once again staring at Akane, this time with a slight head tilt that made Akane feel a strange twinge in her stomach that she chose to ignore. “I didn’t sense you sending out ki or using any techniques?” The girl's voice was less quiet, filled more with intrigue and the smallest amount of excitement.
“Oh, I uh, I have a form of synesthesia that allows me to see ki, but in colors and shapes, sometimes characteristics.” Akane was waiting for the girl to call her a liar, everyone she had met who had used ki didn’t understand. She was just waiting for this incredible martial artist to doubt her as well.
“WOAH!” The girl's shout knocked Akane out of her thoughts as this girl looked at Akane with pure wonder, “I have to release a small field of ki to actually feel it, but you're able to see it? What does it look like?” Akane blinked as for the first time she had met a martial artist who took what she said at face value, “I am able to kinda sense it with this technique I learned using a field of ki,” the girl the seemed the shift the pink hue that had filled to room, to now be denser around Akane as she watched the way in which the ki responded to her movements creating ripples that were sent back to the ki’s owner.
Akane cut her off, “You create enough ki to fill the area and then you just feel the ripples in your ki?” It was a brilliant technique, but would require constant focus for Akane or any martial artist to use and this girl was casually keeping it active among the other techniques she clearly had ready.
“Exactly!” Akane watched as the coiled red ki, released, launching forward with the girl as a streak of red, as she was now directly in front of Akane. “I tried explaining it to pop’s, but he kept saying it was too difficult to maintain, personally I think he’s just too lazy. I learned how to do it from a blind monk we met in Tibet, who had used ki to see instead of his eyes as he had lost sight when he was still young!” The girl was practically bouncing up and down as she was explaining, Akane couldn’t help but let her excitement wash over her as well.
“You studied martial arts in Tibet?” Akane felt her heart start to beat wildly as she thought about what this girl would look like in a spar. How many techniques could she show Akane, she had never met anyone more skilled at ki than her, this girl could train with her, teach her all the things her father refused. Akane felt her ears start to get a little red as she kept staring in wonder at the adorable girl in front of her that was the greatest martial artist she had ever seen.
The giggle the girl let out made Akane’s mouth go even drier and she saw the pink hue that filled the room, burst with bright pink sparks, little bursts of joy and excitement, from just talking to Akane. “Not just Tibet! All over China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, honestly we’ve traveled most of Asia!”
She had traveled all over the world to learn martial arts. Akane felt a tinge of jealousy as she wished she had that chance, to learn techniques from all over the world, Akane would have given anything to devote her life just to martial arts. “That’s- you’re incredible.” The words just slipped out of Akane’s mouth as she stared wide eyed at the girl still bouncing excitedly in front of her. Akane noticed the blush return to the girl's face as she stared up at Akane, but instead of looking away this time, she smiled the brightest smile Akane had ever seen in her life, “Don’t I know it! I’m the greatest martial artist alive!”
As much as Akane wanted to get lost in this girl’s eyes- to get lost in talking about martial arts, she heard her father politely cough.
“Are you?” Soun asked, drawing out the ‘you' as he waited for the girl to introduce herself.
“O-oh, yeah” the girl finally noticed how close she had been to Akane as she stepped back next to the panda(?), “I’m Ranma Saotome, sorry ‘bout this.”
As Akane’s father fainted, Nabiki started laughing as she threw her arm over Akane’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry tomboy, this one is all yours. Not really my or Kasumi’s type, but this fiancée really does seem perfect for you.”
“She is perfect.” Akane caught herself too late as her and Ranma’s face became flushed as Nabiki left cackling and the Panda seemed to follow Soun and Kasumi.
Akane coughed a little to try and break the air before asking a question she had been waiting to ask, “Do you wanna spar?”
-
Akane couldn’t believe her luck as she replayed her and Ranma’s spar over and over again, while she stood in the dojo holding a broom and staring at the mats with a serene focus she hadn’t had in a long time. The girl was like a breeze, untouchable and ever moving, leaping and dodging like her bones were made of cartilage. The coiled springs of ki launching her and leaping, as she even used small bursts of sea foam like green spiraling ki to redirect herself in air. Every attack was like a different form, an entirely different philosophy of fighting captured all in one person. Akane had prided herself on her strength and discipline, the foundation of the Tendou school of Anything goes, but what use was that against the ever gracefulness and versatility of the Saotome school? If the Tendou school was mastering a single strike, the Saotome school was knowing a thousand and one strikes. She started to understand what her father had meant by the need to unite the school. If she could learn half of what Ranma was using with her heavy strikes, any number of boys could challenge her and they’d be obliterated! Not to mention with Ranma by her side, the two girls could take on the world together! Still replaying the spar in her head, the beautiful way in which Ranma smiled as she glided between Akane’s punches. The cute taunting smirk she wore the entire time refusing to let Akane grab her. The winning tap before she burst into that adorable giggle of hers. Ranma was lucky she didn’t get pinned by Akane cause she wouldn’t have let her go…
Since she'd have won! She would have won and been on top of a pinned adorable, incredible, and beautiful girl, who would try and try to wriggle out, but Akane wouldn’t let her. Instead of Ranma taunting her with the tap to the back of her head, she would lean down and declare, “You’re mine now-
“Kas said dinners gonna be ready soon, so you can stop drooling little sis,” Nabiki’s appearance causing Akane to jolt back to reality as she started to wipe her mouth only to realize her sister had been teasing her, “wow, you sure worked up quite a sweat for fighting such a tiny girl.” Nabiki whistled as she started circling Akane, her usual intimidation tactic was like an emulation of a shark, Nabiki could always smell the metaphorical blood in the water and Akane knew the best solution was to try to stay cool, “Unless you too were doing more than just fighting in here.” Nabiki stopped in front of Akane with a wide grin she knew too well. So much for staying cool as she knew her face betrayed her at that moment. Akane was back on the defensive.
“We- we WERE just fighting and that ‘tiny girl’ wiped the floor with me, she was incredible, you should have seen the way she fights,” Akane felt a warmth and pride rise in her as she couldn’t help but start replaying their spar again, “it was beautiful and-“
“Sure it wasn’t that ‘she’s beautiful’, “ Nabiki let out a chuckle as Akane felt heat rise into her face, but she knew her sister well enough to know that she couldn’t break now, “well, regardless, you stink, so go clean up before dinner.” Nabiki mimicked pinching her nose and wafting Akane’s smell away to which she just rolled her eyes and headed towards the furo. Akane couldn’t help but replay the spar just one more time as she entered the outer bath and started to take off her Gi. The first thing she noticed was how Ranma’s ki manifested mainly as a beautiful pink, alongside cat ears and a tail that Akane didn’t want to mention since she didn’t know if Ranma could feel the characteristics of ki or if this was just her own synesthesia, but if made the girl look even cuter than she already was. The second was just how many techniques Ranma had constantly ready and practiced for combat. Akane spent nearly all her free time practicing, working on using ki for more devastating blows, but Ranma had so many applications of her ki that it felt overwhelming.
Akane realized Ranma never properly landed a strike on her, just like Akane never properly landed a hit on her. Maybe that was the weakness of the Saotome school and Ranma’s thousand techniques, Akane couldn’t land a strike on such an agile and versatile opponent and Ranma couldn’t deal heavy strikes like Akane could. She obviously couldn’t deal as much damage as Akane since Ranma was so small, a full head shorter than her, but Akane could teach her the little bit of the Tendou school she knew and they could practice together. They’d become unstoppable! They would be rivals, best friends, and spend all their time together. They could complete each other! Complete each other's martial arts of course! Not that Akane needed someone to complete her, especially a girl since she already had girlfriends- girls who were friends, which Ranma now was one of!
Akane finally slid open the door to the inner bath, where she saw Ranma sitting in the furo, go pale from shock at her entrance before she quickly turned away to not stare. Akane couldn’t help but drink in Ranma’s slender frame draped by her red hair and couldn’t help but notice the very obvious change.
“D-do you stuff your bra?” Akane’s words slipped out before she had a chance to stop herself, as she watched her new friend go through an array of emotions before simply turning bright red and covering their chest, while struggling to explain themselves. Her ki became a duller pink as the aura she clearly withdrew while relaxing in the bath, started to spread before it seemed to stop and pull back in. Akane recognized the gesture as polite, as Ranma didn’t use her ki like Kuno did to explore and touch, but also Akane didn’t mind the presence of Ranma’s ki, it was gentle and sweet. It almost felt like the shorter girl was hugging her, n- not that Akane wanted to hug her, she just was small and incredible and her eyes carried so much emotion that Akane wanted to hold her and- focus. She just found out her new friend stuffs her bra and is embarrassed.
She must be ashamed of her flat chest! Akane came to the astute realization that her poor new FRIEND felt the need to overly stuff her bra. It made sense, she was so small that she probably didn’t grow much and felt embarrassed. It makes sense, if her and her father had been traveling martial artists, it’s hardly the environment for a growing young girl, especially if she was hoping for breasts the size she had stuffed her bra for. Akane quickly realized she needed to comfort her friend, who was still trying to explain herself.
“Hey don’t worry about it!” Akane gave her best Dr. Tofu smile as she began washing herself off in the shower, “You still have more time to grow and even without big boobs, you’re incredibly pretty!” Unfortunately Akane was washing up and missed the look of indignation on Ranma’s face. Even more unfortunate was that Akane was still taking crack shots at why Ranma would stuff her bra, “If you’re worried about people mistaking you for a guy, you really shouldn’t, you're clearly a girl!” She turned to her new friend to join her in the furo, as she kept her best Dr. Tofu smile going.
“I- wait you don’t understand, I- my body is a boy, I’m-“ Ranma began frantically babbling as she covered her eyes with both her hands.
Akane couldn’t help but see a shy girl whose big secret of a stuffed bra finally came to light, and feel a little bit of pride. She may not be the better fighter, but she was at least better built. However, Akane wasn’t going to let some poor girl call her body a boy's body just cause she was flat chested. Sighing with a newfound pride, Akane lowered herself in the furo and moved towards the shy girl, gently grabbing one of her wrists to stop her from covering her face as she towered over the other girl. She really was tiny, just like Nabiki said, but she couldn’t help being mesmerized by other things. Akane knew exactly how to cheer up her new friend! Akane took her free hand and held Ranma’s chin as she began inspecting her “You have a gorgeous face, long eyelashes, and really pretty eyes,” Ranma’s face went flush as she tried to look away but her chin was still being firmly held by Akane. Akane began appraising lower, her slim shoulders covered by lean muscle that somehow still managed to look soft. Her chest was truly flat as a board, but it added a bit of a charm to her. “Honestly, you’re kinda cuter with a flat chest,” Akane’s words slipped out of her mind without a second thought, but unfortunately Akane’s hand followed suit as she stopped inspecting Ranma’s face and moved her hand lower to her chest giving it a full squeeze as Ranma simply froze in shock, her face now matching her bright red hair. Akane also realized what she had just done, her face now matching Ranma’s as she stared at the smaller girl she was holding by the wrist and groping with her other hand.
Akane was the first person to react as she quickly let go of the poor girl and coughed into her hand. “I’m so sorry, I- I don’t know why I did that, I just was- I’m still- I’m going to leave you alone now, bye!” Akane stumbled through an apology before quickly launching out of the furo and leaving Ranma still bright red and stunned.
Akane quickly made her way to the dojo, still damp as she fled the bath, but she was safe, she was in her dojo, the dojo where she let all her emotions out and the dojo that her dad had wanted her to marry Ranma to run…
NOT THAT TWO GIRLS COULD GET MARRIED.
Akane quickly began stacking cinder blocks to smash through without ki as she started with 4 stacked high. I don’t like girls just cause I hate boys! Akane smashed through the 4 with ease as the familiar motivator washed over her. It’s not my fault that the boys at school are total perverts. Akane stacked 6 this time as she got back into position. It was just the spar, I got a little too excited from having an actual fight rather than the stupid horde. Akane broke through as 6 with less ease than the 4, panting slightly. That’s what it is, this is the bizarre effects of adrenaline from fighting an equal. Akane paused before stacking 8, a number normally only reserved for bad Kuno days. Yeah, this is what it’s like having someone who is equal to you, well better, she is just an amazing martial artist! It isn’t attraction, it’s admiration! She just manages to be the best martial artist I’ve ever met, who believed me instantly despite my own father still doubting me and is very pretty and small and her smile is really beautiful and- and. Akane felt emotions well up again and struck through all 8 bricks with as much ease as the first 4, panting and red in the face. I can’t like girls, I don’t like girls, and Ranma and I are just going to be best friends. I just need to apologize to her for being so- uh forward when trying to cheer her up! I was just worried because I discovered that she stuffed her bra! I couldn’t imagine how that must feel! I was being empathetic! Akane let out one final deep breath as she realized dinner was probably ready.
-
Akane entered the dining room to see Ranma sat with a miserable look next to a man she could only presume to be her father as he had a hand on her shoulder. Ranma’s father and hers seemed to be laughing together, and Akane didn’t fail to notice the glare that Ranma kept shooting her father.
Akane took the open seat next to Ranma, and shot a quick smile down at her. Akane also noticed that she had not padded her bra after the incident in the bathroom, which made Akane feel a little guilty. It must have been awkward reappearing in front of everyone and suddenly having a flat chest. Akane realized her quick smile was becoming a full stare as she saw the slight worry that Ranma seemed to stare at her with that melted into embarrassment as she covered her flat chest with her arms before her cheeks turned rosy and she turned away bashfully. Akane wanted to try and clear the air with the girl over the huge misunderstanding when she was cut off by her fathers booming laughter.
“Well Genma, that’s a rather incredible story and misunderstanding, my apologies Ranma!” Soun grinning ear to ear.
“What misunderstanding?” Akane chimed in.
“Oh Akane, you just missed Mr. Saotome’s explanation of his and Ranma’s curses! They picked them up in China, after Mister Saotome accidentally brought them to a cursed training ground!” Kasumi added cheerily with her ever present smile. Ranma was cursed? No wonder the poor girl was mad at her father, but that statement alone doesn’t really explain much?
“What is her curse?” Akane wondered if it was that she turned into a monster on a full moon or needed to avoid sunlight like so many of the romance stories that Akane loved. Even if Ranma needed to drink her blood or if she needed someone to keep her held down until the full moon passes, she would happily offer to help her new friend! Yep, friends!
“It’s easier to show you, water activates the curse!” Soun declared as he threw his glass of water into Ranma’s face, leaving the poor girl soaking wet, allowing her red shirt to drape over her large br-
Akane blinked as she once more looked at the girl next to her, trying to understand what the curse was. When she gets hit with water something happens… something that makes her grow huge… Akane really tried to see any other changes, but the girl looked almost entirely the same, her pretty eyes, long lashes, red hair pulled into a braid, those sculpted thighs visible through her baggy pants and… Yep, nothing had really changed except she had now a rather large set of boobs.
Akane now understood the girl’s indignation and why she was so shy in the bath… her idiot father cursed her to get big boobs! What sort of sick pervert would do that to his daughter? Did this bastard really think that that was okay!
“You- you cursed your daughter to have bigger boobs!” Akane screamed at Genma causing the entire table to freeze. “What kind of a misogynist are you that you think she needs big boobs or whatever sick fantasy you have in your head! Your daughter is already really attractive and cute with a flat chest!” Akane’s declaration slowly made her realize how she sounded as she felt her cheeks heat up from the yelling and declaring that Ranma was attractive and cute, but, she didn’t mean it like that! Akane was straight, she just needed to meet a cute guy that was incredible at martial arts and not a huge jerk like every other guy she’s ever met! Akane’s train of thought was interrupted by the loud sputtering coming from her side as she turned to see Ranma, her face painted with anger and embarrassment, as she seemed to start saying something-
“I- I’m not flat ches-“ Ranma seemed to get quieter as she spoke, which Akane couldn’t help but find endearing. The girl was so incredible at martial arts, but so shy and embarrassed, Akane really needed to help her with her confidence! She could-
“Ranma is my SON, and HIS curse turns HIS body into a girl, but he is still a man among men, right boy?” Gemma’s voice was cold and steely, as he shot glares at both Akane and Soun, “Don’t go splashing my boy without permission brother, he’s dealt with enough crap about looking girly and you could have demonstrated with my curse instead.” Genma finished by pouring a glass of water on his head as he transformed now into the towering panda that had initially brought Ranma to the house.
Akane stared blankly at both Ranma and he- his father as she saw what the curses really do. Ranma was a- a boy? But then why did she- he let everyone call them a girl? Why would any boy do that… He was trying to blend in? To sneak in, to be a- to see Akane nake- Akane’s face began burning with rage and embarrassment as she realized the boy had seen her naked. His clever trick had really worked and he got what he wanted, now he was gonna force her to marry him and steal her dojo. HER DOJO, HER ONE PLACE, THE DOJO WITH THE MEMORIES OF HER MOTHER.
In the middle of Akane’s mental spiral, Kasumi brought the kettle and turned Genma and Ranma back, the drastic difference of Genma going from a towering Panda to a stocky man, highlighting the absolute minimal difference as Ranma changed only in about half an inch in height and became flat chested. Somehow it filled Akane with even more rage seeing that this supposed man was barely a man, yet still was a pervert like all the rest.
“You little pervert.” Akane spat the words towards Ranma, who flinched back a little bit and remained seated. Akane completely missed Genma’s slight growl at the comment. “You saw me naked in the furo.” Akane’s voice was icy with rage, she just needed to explain to the witnesses what was about to happen before she murdered this pervert. She saw Ranma’s pink ki start to lose its color as it became a gray like pink, the ki pulled full in like a shield around him, mimicking his fathers barrier.
“I- I was trying to tell you!” Ranma’s high pitched voice hit Akane’s ears and she couldn’t help, but hear a girl’s voice, which made her laugh to herself. “Also, I- I tried to cover my eyes and leave, but you-“ Ranma’s face turned red as he stopped talking. Akane however only heard Ranma try to blame HER for him being a pervert.
“I- I’m not a pervert.” Ranma’s voice was quiet as he said his final piece. Akane couldn’t help but start laughing maniacally. The girl she was ready to spend the rest of her life- being friends with, wasn’t real.
“Yeah, then why didn’t you correct any of us, pervert?” Akane stood up so she could prepare for the beat down she was going to lay into this perv. Akane once again missed the way in which Genma seemed to be glaring at her, as Soun placed his hand on his friend's shoulder to try and calm him. What she didn’t miss is the rage that crept on to Ranma’s face as she kept calling him what he was or the way his ki got grayer and grayer. He must hate the truth.
“Hey, Nene, let’s calm down.” Akane felt Nabiki’s cool ki touch her shoulder, as she felt Nabiki’s grip and heard her voice, but Akane couldn’t break her focus or feel anything other than rage. “You’re going too far, I want answers too, but you’re too angry.” Nabiki’s even voice tended to calm Akane, but this hurt too much for Akane to calm down. She finally had a friend to do martial arts with, who she could have finally gotten training from, who could help her get better at dealing with the horde, who was cute- and in a split second the anger she felt was back in full force.
“Not until this pervert answers.” Akane growled.
“I- I was tryna get outta this stupid engagement nonsense! I don’t wanna be engaged to some aggressive violent tomboy like you!” Ranma shouted, his voice shrill and feminine despite being in his alleged “boy” form. “Besides, you were the one in the bath who got all up in my face and tried pawing at my manly chest.” Ranma gestured, hitting his chest and puffing it with pride, which one more made Akane start laughing. Her laughter seemed to make Ranma deflate a little, making her even more satisfied.
“Sure you’re not a girl?” Akane grabbed Ranma by the collar and dragged him up to his feet with her, emphasizing the head difference between the two, with Ranma on his tippy toes and still barely at her nose. She scoffed to emphasize how much she hated him, “A crossdresser like you was probably thrilled to be seen as a little girl huh?”
“I’m not a crossdresser, I’m- I’m!” Ranma shouted filled with rage, but still a rage that sounded feminine and completely unconvincing of the statement that it came with.
Akane knew she was going too far. Akane had already gone too far. He was trying to get out of the engagement the same as her, he didn’t want her dojo, she was already planning to apologize for the furo incident. Yet a venom that had been building for months from the first Kuno incident, from the horde fights every day, from her father refusing to train her or do anything after her mother died, from the cute girl she met this morning being secretly a girly boy. The venom in Akane’s heart won as she cut him off, “You’ll never be a man.”
Akane felt warm water hit her fists still balled at Ranma’s collar. She saw he was crying, a full choked sob as warm tears kept falling. His beautiful blue eyes, the ki that seemed to hold an ocean of emotions began to become a murky dark blue, shaking and frantic as he just sobbed. Akane froze. She was the one who mistook him as a girl, who had entered the furo as he tried to clear up the misunderstanding, who even went as far as to grope him without asking. Then refused to let him explain as she insulted him. She was just being a bully, acting unreasonable, acting like Kuno. Harassing someone without listening. Akane felt something hit the back of her head as the world went to black all she could hear was the sobbing of the person she had meant to apologize to.