Chapter 10. Monday, July 11

Ranma drifted back into consciousness slowly. She really wanted to sleep more, as she definitely hadn’t had a restful night. Her mind had been busy grinding away on everything she’d learned from yesterday’s training, and running her dreamself through simulation after simulation where body and situational awareness was essential was apparently a key part of the process. She felt like she’d been running a marathon in her sleep. But it was a school day and she needed to get up. Defiantly, she snuggled Mr. Bunny closer to her chest and kept her eyes closed for a few more minutes.

Her restless mind saw an opportunity for more training—she found herself visualizing her exact position on the bed, first as seen from above and then from other angles. She could move her perspective anywhere she wanted. She could even sense the distance between objects she focused on. It gave her an idea, but she still didn’t want to get up yet.

She suddenly realized that only a single week had gone by since she’d attended Furinkan High School for the first time as herself. She’d been nervous, unsure of how to fit in, and confused on so many levels. But now she seemed to have finally found her balance. She’d made a home for herself in this crazy world and it felt wonderful. She knew it was all temporary, but she hoped, she really, really hoped, that the other Ranma would look back on this experience fondly and not just bury it so he could pretend it had never happened.

Keeping her eyes closed, she got up and went through her morning routine. Her martial-arts training guided her intense focus as she moved through each step with uncanny precision, intensely aware of her body position in the unseen world around her. Having performed her morning ablutions, dressed, and even arranged her hair without the aid of her sight, she finally stood in front of the mirror. She didn’t need to see the reflection to know who this young woman was; she felt it in every fiber of her being. “I am Ranma Saotome,” she said firmly. “And I will prevail.”

In fact, her hyperawareness of her body revealed something she hadn’t really paid attention to until now. Akane’s borrowed school uniform fit her reasonably well, but she could now sense where it was just a little too tight in some places and a little baggy in others. It had been made for a younger Akane with fewer curves. Given the slightly rumpled look she’d been rocking, it was totally fine, but she should probably get her own properly fitted uniform at some point. Of course, whether that was worthwhile depended on just how much time she had left. The term would be over soon enough, and it hardly seemed likely that she’d still be around when school resumed after the summer. She sighed, then shook her head to push away the sadness that had welled up, opened her eyes, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

At the breakfast table, Akane had been deep in her own thoughts about the previous week’s Monday. Ranma had asked to borrow her old school uniform, and she remembered her mistrust of Ranma’s intentions and the promise to treat it carefully she’d insisted on. And now, just a week later, they sat together at the breakfast table in their school uniforms as if this was how it had always been.

Of course, not everyone was quite so happy with the new normal. Genma was still grumbling about how “the boy’s gone soft” and, while Father was making out that he was more interested in his newspaper than anything else, it was clear enough from his body language that the current circumstances weren’t to his liking. But with four (even if they only acknowledged three) women ready to jump on them for a wrong word, both men appeared to be doing their best to maintain the fragile peace.

Akane and Ranma looked at each other and smiled. They didn’t need to say anything to know that today was a one-week anniversary in a time that was doomed to be short but special. They were making the most of it, and they both knew it.

That same quiet emotional weight continued as they walked to school together. They chatted about mundane things, like what classes they had that day, what homework was due, and how they might fare on the upcoming exams, but beneath their everyday conversation, both girls felt a sense that whatever they’d had for the last week was about to change.

Ranma’s gut was telling her that today might be her last day as herself. She felt ready. She was feeling confident about using her Sincerity Silken Cinch-Up technique on Cologne; more practice might increase her chance of success somewhat, but her body-map work last night—and all the work her brain had done with it while she slept—told her she was ready now.

If she was successful, then today would be the day when she claimed the Phoenix Pill and returned to being him. She’d achieved a sense of calm acceptance about it. It wasn’t what she wanted, but she knew that the Ranma she’d been just over a week ago would be only too happy to get everything back to normal. She blinked a few times, just to get rid of some dust that had blown into her eyes as they walked. So be it.

She squeezed Akane’s hand gently. “Thanks for being here for me, Akane-chan,” she said softly. “No matter what happens today, I really appreciate it.”

* * *

As if the world itself understood the significance of the day, the morning sky was a clear, bright blue, with just a few fluffy clouds drifting lazily by. By the time they reached the school, almost all the evidence of last night’s rain had gone, and a gentle morning light hit the school gates just as they arrived. It was warm, but she was glad they were still being spared the heat that was more typical of mid-July. Other students went through the gates with them, each lost in their own world, but no one waited to ambush Ranma or Akane or otherwise cause trouble. It was like the universe itself was giving them a break.

This school week would have a different flavor than others, as their end-of-term exams were scheduled for the end of the week. Today’s schedule was the same as most other school days, but instead of new lessons her teachers were all doing reviews of the whole term’s lessons, with their students paying close attention as they tried to cram the material into their heads as best they could. Other than the occasional squeak of chalk on a blackboard, the only sounds were the teachers speaking, the occasional student asking a question, and a sort of background scritching as the students filled their notebooks.

Even the lunch period was quieter than she remembered it ever being. People still sat with their friends, but everyone had their notebooks or textbooks open, snatching bites of food or sips of tea between paragraphs. No one talked, except to ask for something to be passed or a quick whisper to check a fact with someone else.

The day’s hushed atmosphere just seemed to add to her feeling that today was a turning point of some kind, and as much as she tried to concentrate on her studying, the sense of a chapter quickly coming to a close hung over her.

As the day progressed, she did her best to say something nice to every person she interacted with, and she felt a sense of quiet satisfaction as she did so; like she was leaving a legacy behind so that when she was gone, she’d be remembered fondly. She was chosen to be a captain again in PE, and although her team didn’t win, she felt like she’d left everyone feeling good about their efforts. At odd moments, sadness welled up, closing her throat and making her eyes shine damply, but each time she forced it back down, determined that today would be a good day.

* * *

“I’m going to get the Phoenix Pill tonight,” she told Akane at the end of the day, as she prepared to head to the the Nekohanten. “I think my new technique is ready, and it’s time.”

Akane turned to Ranma, studying her face. She’d spoken those words with an enigmatic expression and an oddly flat, fatalistic tone. She struggled to maintain a curious and supportive expression, as inside she felt a profound wave of disappointment and sadness well up.

Ranma is doing what she needs to do, she reminded herself, She needs this to be over. “I understand, Ranma-chan,” she said softly. “Do you want me to be there with you?”

Ranma’s expression was hard to read. “I’ll do it at the end of my shift. It seems odd, I know, but I have to be tired to do what I need to do. So show up maybe ten minutes before, but don’t come in. Just watch through the window from a distance, okay?”

“Okay, but—”

“I mean it, Akane-chan,” Ranma said firmly. “Please don’t come in. I can’t do it if you’re there. Just watch from outside, okay?”

“Okay…”

“Promise me,” Ranma said, placing her hands on Akane’s shoulders and locking their eyes. “Promise me you won’t come in.”

“Yeah, okay, I promise,” Akane grumbled. Jeez. She was pretty sure that Ranma just wanted to protect her from whatever dangerous consequences there might be from what she was going to do, but in the back of her head, a tiny voice wondered if there might be more to it.

Whatever the reason, it was clearly very important to Ranma that she wouldn’t be in the way. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her be so serious about anything before. She took a breath, and carefully said, “I promise, Ranma-chan. I’ll stand outside, and I’ll be out of earshot. I won’t hear what you say to Cologne, and I won’t ever ask what you said.”

Ranma nodded. “Thank you, Akane-chan,” she said softly. “That means a lot to me.”

* * *

Ranma’s shift seemed to take forever. Mondays were often slow, but it wasn’t just the lack of customers. It was the building pressure of anticipation; the grueling wait until she could finally apply her new technique and get the Phoenix Pill.

She could perform the technique in her waitress uniform, but she thought her school uniform would work better. So at the end of her shift she changed clothes, adjusted her makeup to something that felt a little more natural, gave herself a hard look in the mirror, and headed out to confront Cologne.

“Heading home for more family time, are you, daughter-in-law?” sneered Cologne, “You know if you just married Shampoo, you’d be home already and could be waiting on her like a good little housewife.”

Ranma drew a deep breath. She had deliberately not practiced exactly what she was going to say. It needed to flow naturally, direct from her heart. She needed to be utterly sincere with every word. And to say what she had to say to really capture Cologne’s attention, she needed to be as weary as she felt right now.

“You know, Cologne-san,” Ranma began, her voice tired and heavy. “You did this to me thinking it would be good leverage. A way to force me to marry Shampoo. That I would do anything to get the Phoenix Pill, even that. But you actually gave me a wonderful gift instead. I’d been in this body hundreds of times before, but I’d never lived in it. You gave me a chance to not just see the world from a new perspective, but to see myself in a new way. And you know what? I like who I am now. I like being Ranma-chan. I don’t want your stupid Phoenix Pill. I don’t care if I never go back to being Ranma-kun. This is who I really am. It’s as obvious as the sun rising in the east. And you gave me that gift. So thank you, Cologne-san. Thank you for helping me find myself.”

As she spoke, she had edged closer to Cologne, maintaining eye contact and lowering her voice to make Cologne crane in towards her. And, as she hoped, Cologne was riveted by the sincerity of Ranma’s words. Her eyes searched Ranma’s face for signs of deception, but there were none to be found. Ranma’s expression was open and honest. Her words were true. Yet her hands had been moving with lightning speed, looping the silk around Cologne’s arms and legs. Before Cologne could react, Ranma stepped back, tugging the silk tight, cinching her up completely. It worked!

“But there is something else I understand, Cologne-san,” Ranma continued, “I understand duty. I may not want the Phoenix Pill, but I must have it anyway. Everyone from my family, especially Akane-chan, needs me to be Ranma-kun again. And, if I’m honest, the Ranma who came to your restaurant a week ago wanted that, too. So for all of them, I will do what must be done.”

She reached across and took the locket from around Cologne’s neck, her victory complete.

It felt light in her hand. She felt a moment of uncertainty and opened it. It was empty!

“Ha-ha-HA, you stupid girl!” Cologne laughed. “Did you really think I was wearing the pill around my neck for you to take? You child! I have it safe where you will never find it!”

Ranma stood rigid, frozen in place. She felt like her entire world was collapsing around her. Her vision narrowed to a tunnel. Her legs shook. She thought she might faint. She’d had everything planned out, she’d been brave, she’d kept herself calm, and she’d made her dignified farewells as Ranma-chan, and now it was all for nothing. Tears dripped from her eyes.

Cologne was still laughing at her, still talking, apparently, but Ranma’s ears rang so loudly she couldn’t understand the words. Ranma felt like she was going to throw up.

From outside, Akane saw Ranma succeed in taking the locket from Cologne, but was confused by what happened next. She’d thought she’d seen Ranma win, but she looked like she‘d lost everything. What happened? What could be that bad?

She saw Ranma’s body sway slightly, like she was going to collapse, but instead her arm shot up and a mallet appeared in her hand. She swung, and Akane dodged as Cologne crashed backwards through the window, hitting the wall of the building across the street with a loud thud.

Ranma’s empty hand fell back to her side. Sobbing uncontrollably, she stood alone for what felt like forever, until Akane’s voice broke through her daze.

“It’s okay, Ranma-chan,” Akane said softly. “Let’s get you home.”

* * *

She walked like an automaton, not really registering her surroundings; stumbling from time to time. Akane guided her gently back to the dojo. It had taken them a long time to get home, and it looked like everyone was already asleep. Once inside, Akane helped Ranma up to her room and sat with her for a long time, holding her hand, wiping away her tears, and watching her face for any sense of awareness. From what she saw, or rather, didn’t see, she was pretty sure that Ranma had no idea she was there. She probably didn’t even know she was home.

Akane didn’t know what else she could do. She thought about waking Kasumi-oneechan, but she was sure that there was nothing she’d be able to do either. Ranma was safe for now, at least physically. If she wasn’t better in the morning, they’d have to get Dr. Tofu to come over and see if he could do anything for her.

Her anxiety about their upcoming exams wasn’t helping. She wanted to stay with Ranma, but eventually, since her presence didn’t seem to make any difference, her anxiety won. She decided she had to try to do a little more studying, but tried to make herself feel better about it by leaving their doors open in case Ranma needed her.

An hour or so later, Akane heard quiet sobbing coming from Ranma’s room. Before she made it to Ranma’s door, the sounds had already stopped. When she peeked in, Ranma appeared to have collapsed onto her futon and fallen asleep, still in her uniform. Akane moved her into a better sleeping position and did her best to straighten out her dress. She thought about trying to take her uniform off, but now that Ranma had fallen asleep, she didn’t want to risk waking her again. Since Ranma was on top of her covers, Akane found a spare blanket in the hall closet and carefully covered her. She sat by the futon again for a few minutes, just looking at Ranma’s face. Finally, she went out into the hallway, closing the door as quietly as she could, and leaned back against it while she thought more about what she’d seen that evening.

She was pretty sure that she understood what had happened. Ranma had been ready to turn the page on this chapter of her—his—life, to get back to being the boy he really wanted to be, and somehow that plan had come crashing down spectacularly. She hoped that Ranma would be able to tell her the story from her perspective tomorrow. But right now, all she could do was wait. Anyone with any sense could see that she would need time and support to heal, but there was nothing more she could do for her tonight.

Back in her room, Akane laid in her bed, thinking about the future. Ranma had put on a good show while pretending to be Ranma-chan, sure, amazingly good, and it had been a lot of fun, but she’d known all along that that girl could never be his true self. She would just have to keep reminding herself of that fact while she tried to help him recover in any way she could.