Kasumi woke up as she’d done a thousand times before: to the sound of an alarm clock, long before dawn. She let herself have a few seconds to compose herself after turning it off, then rose from the bed.
This time was her own. Within this hour, she could work on the house without the crisis management that came once the rest of the household had woken up. Fixing the miso, rice, and fish had a symbolic meaning to her, a meditation that greeted the day, that brought her into balance. She stripped out of her nightclothes, dressed quickly, and padded down to the first floor.
Her eyes widened as she realized she wasn’t the only one up. To make matters worse, whoever it was had set up shop in the kitchen - her domain. She hoped that Akane wasn’t trying to compensate for his recent changes... Akane was unsure of her womanhood at the best of times, and after turning into a dogboy... she blushed at the thought of her ‘brother’ in that tight karate gi, then forced it down. Such thoughts weren’t proper; she forced those images from her mind, and made her way to the kitchen.
The sight that greeted her... well... that was something she hadn’t expected. She recognized the blue skirt and white blouse as her own clothing. Black hair had been brushed out and tied back with a blue ribbon; the makeup was flawless, subtle enough to accentuate beauty. The hose did its job in more ways than one, especially on a chilly morning such as this; it accentuated shapely, well-toned legs, giving a uniform hue while protecting from the cold.
She had to admit; even with the strangeness of his life, she never expected to see Ranma, as a boy, in this sort of outfit. “Ranma?” she called out, not sure if she wanted to intrude.
The person in question turned from his miso preparation. “Good morning, Kasumi! I hope you don’t mind me starting breakfast...” he looked down at his outfit, “... or borrowing some of your clothes.” His speech was completely feminine, as were his mannerisms. “I can get some tea on, if you like...”
Kasumi nodded. “Ranma... I don’t mean to be rude, but is there a reason why you’re acting like this?”
Something twinged in Ranma’s face, a hidden pain quickly masked. “Could you wait until the miso’s cooking and the tea is ready? It’ll only take another minute.”
Kasumi nodded, and walked back out to the table. She had a feeling about this; part of it had to do with what happened with Akane. But why? The situation was too difficult for her to piece together, even with the strangeness of their lives.
Rannma entered, carrying the pot and two mugs on a tray. Kasumi studied his every movement as he served the tea; he functioned perfectly in the skirt, protecting clothing and modesty and humility with every gesture.
“I... I apologize for borrowing your clothes, Kasumi. I tried dressing in my old clothes this morning, but found I couldn’t do so.” He held up the necklace. “This... this won’t let me. I can’t bear to take it off, even after it’s taken away my manhood.”
Kasumi frowned. “Why don’t you splash yourself with cold water, then?”
Ranma shook his head. Kasumi hid a smile; he did look cute like that... “When I... felt the changes happening, I washed myself with the curse-locking soap. It should last another day or two.” He shuddered. “I... I want to become a woman, Kasumi, but I don’t. If the curse activates... I may never come back.”
Kasumi took a deep breath. “What happened, Ranma?”
Ranma sighed. “I... I had to try to stop Akane from changing. She was already transforming, but the lady who’d done the changes said that they still needed a day or two to work and that she needed to stay away from magic. I’d gotten these pendants that were supposed to help with Akane’s femininity; he said they were a matched set. I... I hoped they'd stop the changes.”
After a sip of his tea, Ranma continued. “From the moment I touched this... I had to wear it. It commanded me to... and I did. I took the other one, and put it on Akane. Now he’s the man of the house, and I’m...”
Kasumi frowned. “What’s it doing to you, Ranma?”
Tears started welling in Ranma’s eyes. “I... I can’t help myself, Kasumi... I need to be his wife, his woman... I have to be. I can't help wearing this or preparing breakfast or cleaning the house... I can’t help but dream of what it’s like in bed with him, what our children will be like... I can’t help it!” He started crying into Kasumi’s shoulder. “I can’t help it...”
“There, there, Ranma-chan...” Kasumi felt the clasp of Ranma’s necklace as she comforted him.
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(Posted Mon, 28 Oct 2002 10:34)
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