Love Springs Eternal - Part 6 - A Ranma 1/2 Commission For JW

“So…” Akane began, “you’re just a girl, now?”

“I don’t know…” Ranko admitted. “I guess? I mean, I can’t transform into a guy anymore…”

“Transform back.”

“Huh?” Ranko asked, crossing her arms. “I just said I couldn’t, didn’t I?”

“No, you said transform into a guy. Like it’s not really your default anymore…”

“What do you want from me, Akane?” Ranko sighed. “It’s not my default! I can’t even take that form anymore! And… I’m not sure I want it, either.”

“Ranma…” Akane reached out a hand, as if to take her spouse’s - only for the redhead to back away a little.

“It’s Ranko, now…” she said. “I’m… I’m not sure I’m the man you married, anymore, Akane. I’m not sure I’m a man at all. I was just… I don’t even know. Tired of always getting dragged back and forth? Being told off, and called a pervert, just for things I didn’t even have a choice in… And then when Kodachi showed up, raving about what a bad wife you were, and how great we’d be together - acting again like I didn’t have a choice in the matter… I just had it. Being a boy has brought me nothing but trouble. Getting engaged to girls I never even met… Even if one of ‘em turned out okay enough. Being a girl, meanwhile? I get free stuff. I get kinder looks. I feel… happy. As long as I’m not actively fighting it, anyways… So, when Kodachi made it permanent for the upteenth time, I decided… why keep fighting it?”

Akane had to bite her tongue to keep from interrupting - especially during the bit about her only turning out ‘okay enough.’ She waited, though, allowing Ranma - or Ranko, she guessed - to let it all out. Once Ranko had finished, though, she let out a long sigh.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were feeling this way? We could have worked through it together.”

“Tell you what?” Ranko demanded. “That I’m tired of being the guy you married? That I don’t want a… a thing between my legs anymore, if it means I’ve gotta deal with all the craziness that comes with it? That some part of me actually likes being a girl, and wonders what it would be like to… to just be that way?”

“Yes!” Akane said, firmly. “Because that’s what spouses do! They talk! And they work through things, together.”

“Well what does that make us?” Ranko demanded. “Because news flash - we’re not exactly great at communication shit.”

“Well, maybe if you were willing to put in some work alongside me, we could change that!”

“Like you talk to me about every little thing?” Ranko scoffed

“Wanting to be a girl for the rest of your life isn’t a little thing, Ranko! How long have you been thinking about this?”

“I dunno,” Ranko muttered, looking away. “A while, I guess? Not like I was actively seeking a way to make the curse permanent or anything, but… Sometimes, my mind just went there, you know?”

“I don’t know,” Akane said. “But…” She took a deep breath. “I can try and understand, if you want to talk it through?”

“...Yeah. Let’s… Talk.” It was new, and it sounded weirdly hard, but who knew? Maybe it would help…

***

“Have a good day!” Konatsu called out, as the last customers of the day made their way out of the door. Or at least one of her clones did. Her main body was occupied with cleaning up their leftovers - or rather eating their literal table scraps.

“Is something wrong, Mistress?” Konatsu asked, noticing Ukyo’s troubled look.

“It’s nothing,” Ukyo replied. “More importantly, what’s gotten into you lately? You’ve been acting a little odd since the picnic.”

“Nothing’s the matter, Mistress,” Konatsu promised, with a bright smile.

Ukyo let out an noncommittal grunt, before ultimately shrugging her shoulders and deciding it didn’t really matter. 

“You want to take a bath first?” she asked. “I can finish cleaning the place.”

“No, Mistress, you should go first!” Konatsu protested. “I can clean.”

“...If you’re sure.” 

There was definitely something off about Konatsu, even if Ukyo couldn’t quite put her finger on what. Her employee seemed happy, though, so maybe that was enough?

For now, she decided to take her time in the bath, first washing herself up and then stepping into the warm bath to relax.

Except she couldn’t relax. Not with thoughts of Konatsu plaguing her mind. There was something going on with her - something different about her - and for the life of her, Ukyo couldn’t put her finger on what.

Eventually, she decided that the only way forward was to ask. Wrapping a bath towel around her hair, and another around her torso, she opened the door - and almost stumbled straight into Konatsu.

“Ah! Sorry, Mistress,” Konatsu said, immediately. “I was just coming to ask if you needed anything.”

“Yeah, actually, about that,” Ukyo replied. “What I need is for you to be honest with me. What’s going on?”

The way Konatsu flinched when Ukyo asked for honesty said it all. She was definitely hiding something.

“Come on,” Ukyo insisted. “Can’t you trust me with whatever’s going on? We’re closer than that, right?”

“Mistress…” Ukyo hesitated a moment, before shyly beginning to take off her top. Ukyo almost cried out to stop her, confused and offput by what she was doing, but the moment the clothes came off all protests died on her lips. She was far too busy staring at what laid beneath - at the pair of perky breasts that most definitely hadn’t graced her employee’s chest before.

“I got splashed with water from the spring of drowned girl,” Konatsu explained. “Now, as long as I avoid hot water, I’m like this… though I’m thinking of trying to find a way to make it permanent, actually? It’s quite convenient, not having to stuff my bras anymore.”

“Convenient…” Ukyo mumbled, dumbly, before shaking her head. “No, this… I mean, you’re free to do what you want, but… Convenient? Is that really the word you’re going with?”

“Well, I guess I could go with nice?” Konatsu suggested. “Like how it’s nice to see that expression on your face…”

“What expression?” Ukyo demanded, her cheeks bright red. “I was just surprised to see you’d changed, alright! It’s not like seeing your chest actually did anything for me. I’m a girl, too, you know…”

“Sure,” Konatsu replied, giggling. “Whatever you say.” Whatever thoughts she had about it, she kept them to herself. 

Somehow, that only made it worse.

***

Ranko kicked a can down the street, sending it up into the air to perfectly land in a trash can. Which was something of a shame since it left her with nothing to kick. Another short sighted action. Same as always.

What had she thought was going to happen, when she decided to keep things secret from Akane? Did she think her wife wouldn’t ever figure it out? That it wouldn’t lead to an even bigger fight than if she’d just told her what she was feeling? No. She’d known it was going to blow up in her face… but she couldn’t help herself. Whenever she thought about talking about her feelings, she’d get the image of her father in her mind telling her to be more manly. Not to mention her mother, who wanted her to be a man’s man  or else.

How was she supposed to talk to anyone about maybe not wanting to be who her parents expected her to be? About maybe not being who she’d always thought herself to be. It was hard enough just to make herself think on it, privately. Asking her to spit it all out in front of Akane just so that they could have a decent conversation… it was too much.

What was the alternative, though? More arguments? Was she just supposed to keep shoving these emotional bombs into a corner and hope they never went off? That they would never be found, discussed, or dragged into the light? How was she supposed to have a happy marriage like that?

How was she supposed to have a marriage at all, though, when she wasn’t sure she was still the same man who’d gotten married? That she was ever a man at all… Akane deserved better than that, didn’t she? Ranko wasn’t even sure she liked girls - though she hadn’t minded the bedroom antics, which was a point in favor of her at least not minding them…. 

It didn’t matter. Akane deserved better than an emotionally stunted girl who couldn’t even be honest about her own damn body in front of her spouse… and yet, if Ranko tried to say that to her face, she’d probably just get slugged for the trouble. Told that she wasn’t allowed to make decisions for Akane…

Maybe it would be better if she just wandered off into the night, instead of letting that happen. Make the choice, and make it stick. Sure, Akane would probably come looking for her. So would everyone else. But she could hide! She could… she could…

She didn’t know. She didn’t know where she’d go, or what she’d do if she followed that route. But what else was she supposed to do? Go talk to Akane? Ramble about everything that had been going through her head? Babble out her feelings about gender until she ran dry on things to say?

…Probably that, yeah. But she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to go back. She didn’t want to say sorry. She didn’t want to see the gentle look in Akane’s eyes as she said that it would all be okay, as if Akane herself wasn’t the one losing out here… She didn’t want to go home.

She considered maybe crashing at Ryoga’s place. He was out of town, still, and it would probably be a while before he was back. Nobody would think to look for him there, either - at least not right away.

“Ranma?” called a familiar voice. “I mean… Ranko? Ranko, are you out here?”

Shit. How had Akane found her? She wasn’t anywhere near their house. Hell, the only landmark anywhere near her was… the ice cream shop she liked to go to when she was depressed. Apparently her feet had carried her without her even realizing, and now she was in such familiar territory that it was no wonder Akane had known exactly where to look.

“Ranko?” she called out, again, this time from closer. A lot closer.

So what was Ranko going to do? Run away? Or face the music? Face her wife, who’d never leave her, even if she should… who didn’t know well enough to distance herself from the mess that was Ranko.

She didn’t know.

She needed more time.

Maybe if she escaped down the alley, and climbed the buildings, then-

“Ranko!” came Akane’s voice. Not questioning this time, but excited. “There you are!”

Shit. Now if she ran, Akane would know and be doubly pissed. She could still escape, though! She was fast as a girl! Nimble! She was-

Akane’s hand grabbed hold of her arm, tightening like a vice around her wrist. There was a wide smile on the girl’s face, but  not a glimmer of joy in her eyes as she looked into Ranko’s eyes.

“Why don’t we go home and have a nice, long, family chat?”

In that instant, she knew exactly what she was.

She was screwed.

~~~~

Author's Notes

Another chapter of the fanfic commission I owe JW. I'm hoping to get this released on a weekly basis, going forward, until I can catch up... (I don't really take commissions anymore, since they're draining and I'm not very confident in my ability to keep up with them on top of my own projects, but JW has been both patient and generous so I intend to finish his one way or the other.)