Akane paced up and down the rows of books, not bothering at the moment to even look through the titles. She found that she had much more on her mind to even think about new literature to indulge in. Well, perhaps she could indulge a little and see if the second Sailor Moon tankōbon was out yet. With all of the recent events going on, she wasn’t able to keep up with the latest Nakayoshi issues, but she was pretty sure this next volume would include Sailor V’s first appearance. Now that was something Akane was very much looking forward to.

Her friends would sometimes compare her with Mercury, but she just had to roll her eyes at that. No, it was Minako whom she aspired towards. The goddess of beauty and love. Yeah, she once again imagined herself as Sailor V fighting right alongside Sailor Moon, who this time instead of her normal blond twin tails was sporting red hair tied in a single braid.

Akane blinked a few times, and then let out a small chuckle. With what happened at the end of the first volume, that did kind of work out. Yeah, the red headed Sailor Moon, isolated and in deep trouble facing off against whichever of the Heavenly Kings was still alive. And then the beautiful Sailor V would show up to rescue her. Teaming up and fighting together, they would combine their attacks into a brilliant beam of light that would vanquish their foe. The hard fought battle completed, they would collapse on the ground right next to each other on their sides, exhausted. Breathing heavy but smiling broadly, V would turn her head up to see Moon looking back smiling as well. They'd stare into each other’s eyes, savoring the victory. Then V would slowly start leaning forward, until…

“Yo, ‘Kane. Why are you headbutting the bookshelf?”

Akane jumped back and looked over to Sayuri. “Oh! I was…um…just annoyed that the…uh…new Sailor Moon isn’t in yet, that’s it! So, you’re back, huh?”

“Yeah, sorry it took so long. That girl just had to take the whole half hour before I finally got her to make a decision.”

“Wait, really? Wow, I must have lost track of time while…browsing. So what did Ranma get for me?”

“Hey, no way, sister. I’m not spoiling this surprise. You’ll just have to wait for her to show you herself.”

“I…alright fine. Where is Ranma anyway?”

“Oh, I left her in the romance section.”

“Sayuri!”

“What? I just did what you want.”

“What I want is for Ranma to like being a girl, not run away screaming.” 

“Come on. I’m just giving her a little primer before the good stuff. Ooooo, maybe I can introduce her to Sukeban Deka next.”

“Uh, maybe we should try something like Handsome na Kanojo first.”

“Hey, trust me, girl. I totally know what I’m doing.”

The two headed to romance, finding the redhead off in a corner that contained some older titles with a somewhat slim manga in her hands. She had the book opened to near the beginning and was staring intently at the page, as if reading the same panel over and over.

“Ranma?”

The girl in question managed to just avoid hitting the ceiling and looked over to the two. “Oh, hey! Just checking out some manga ‘bout girly stuff. Yeah, just check out how girly this looks.” She showed the front cover of the book.

Sayuri had a somewhat bemused yet resigned expression on her face. “Oh girl, you just had to stumble on that one, didn’t ya?”

Akane stared at the person on the cover, who looked to be a beautiful woman, although with that type of art style it was sometimes hard to tell. The name of the manga seemed to give a clue though. “Claudine, huh? What’s that one about?”

Ranma suddenly looked nervous. “Oh, um…you see…it’s-”

“It’s about someone in France like a hundred years ago getting into a bunch of romance stuff,” Sayuri quickly interjected.

“Yeah, that.” Ranma looked at the back cover of the book. “So, with this one and that Rose one you were talking about, do all the stories like, um, this happen in France? I really hope not.”

“Nah, girl. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Oh, good!” Ranma studied the book again, then looked back up at Sayuri. “Does this one have a happy ending at least?”

Sayuri froze, staring straight ahead for several seconds before responding. “The ending is…very well done, but…” She quickly regained her chipper demeanor and grabbed the book from Ranma and put it back on its display. “Honestly girl, there’s a lot of French stuff in there and I bet you really don’t want to read about that, right?”

“I…yeah, that’s true.”

“Exactly!” Sayuri put an arm around the smaller girl and began to lead her away. “Come on, there’s a whole bunch more girly stuff we can find!”

Akane started to follow, but then paused and looked back at the book on the shelf.

---

“Wait, she really uses a yoyo to fight?” Ranma asked, looking over her new purchases as the three left the bookstore. “That’s something Mousse would do.”

“Oh the way Saki does it is so much cooler. Trust me, girl. Oh, and once Remi shows up, you are going to be totally hooked.” Sayuri gave a quick wink to Akane, who just looked back confused.

“Okay, if you say so,” Ranma said, somewhat lost in thought. “I guess it’ll be nice to read the next time I’m waiting on one of Ryoga’s challenges.”

Now it was Sayuri looking over to Ranma with confusion. “Hold up, girl. Don’t tell me you’re waiting for him the whole time.”

Ranma shook her head, but still had a bit of a contrite expression. “Nah, I pretty much managed to figure out how many days he’d be late by now, but I still don’t know the time of day. The past few times after we fight, he’s been borrowing me some magazines he picks up on his trips so I have something to read before the next fight. I really want to see how Maison Ikkoku ends so I’m hoping he challenges me again soon.”

“Oh that’s nice of him. So ‘Kane, you find anything good?”

“Huh? Oh! Not too much. Just, uh, catching up on some series, you know?”

“K. I’ll be borrowing them at some point. So!” Sayuri stopped next to a bench and dug into her purse, pulling out a notebook and pen. “Not a whole lot of time left, which means our dress up marathon has turned into a sprint. So to make this perfect, we’ll need a game plan.” She started to quickly flip through the notebook to find a blank section. “First thing is-ah!” She quickly pulled her hand back.

“Are you okay, Sayuri?” Akane looked over and saw a tiny trickle of blood coming from the tip of Sayuri’s index finger.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Won’t even need a-”

A small moan from the direction of the bench caused the two to look over where they found Ranma slumped over with her head down. 

“Ranma?” Akane asked with slight trepidation in her voice.

“Huh?” The redhead pulled her head up and looked at the two with half lidded eyes. “Oh, Sayuri. Here.” She reached into her jacket and pulled out a bandage. Holding it out in front of her, Akane could see it had a cute picture of a cartoon pig on it.

Sayuri took the bandage and looked over with concern. “Uh, thanks girl. Hey, if you’re not up to the fashion show tonight, we can totally reschedule.”

“What? Oh!” Ranma quickly stood up and slapped her cheeks with both hands. “No, I’m ready. Trying on a bunch of girly clothes that girls will wear. Let’s do it!”

“Alright, that’s the spirit! Now, first thing is to get the Need To Get part out of the way so we can focus on the Try Everything On Whether We Buy It Or Not part. So, is there anything you know you need?”

“Um, I guess…everything? I, uh, sort of need to start over with my girl clothes.”

“Yeah, and whose fault is that now, hmm?” Akane retorted with a slight smirk.

Ranma looked away, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. “I don’t really wanna talk ‘bout it right now.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal, girl,” Sayuri said with a reassuring grin. “That just means you have more room for some new cute outfits. I suppose we’ll have to do two or three more shopping trips to really fill out your wardrobe though.”

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

Sayuri grinned and grabbed both of Ranma’s hands. “You kidding? It’ll be a blast.”

Ranma had a big grin of her own. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Hey!”

The two turned towards Akane, who had an annoyed look on her face. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

Ranma looked to Sayuri, then back to Akane. “Making plans with a friend?”

Akane’s response died in her throat. “Oh.”

“Hey, I wasn’t gonna leave you out. You can join us. Right, Sayuri?”

Sayuri gave another big grin. “Yeah! Absolutely, girl. I can probably get Yuka in on it, too.”

“See? There’s no reason to be so upset ‘bout it, girl friend.”

Akane looked away, her face still red, but this time with embarrassment. “I’m not mad about that. You…uh…forgot to ask me what I need to get.”

“Ah, sorry about that, ‘Kane.” Sayuri flipped through her notebook again. “We gotcha covered, no problem. So, what important stuff do you need to get first?”

“Oh right. The important stuff I need to get. It’s…”

---

“So, how exactly did you lose all your jogging outfits anyway?” Sayuri asked while eyeing Akane sorting through several pairs of running shorts.

“Oh, you know,” Akane said while trying to sound as nonchalant as she could. “It’s Nerima. These things happen.” She looked through the selection, wondering exactly how she’d be able to get rid of her current drawer full of outfits without Kasumi noticing. 

“I guess. Oh hey, you should get one of those multicolored track suits. I bet it’d look great on you!”

“Eh, I don’t know. I mean, they look nice, but-”

“Hey,” Ranma called out, “what’s with this shirt? It’s like it’s been cut in half or something.”

Akane looked over and blanched slightly as she saw the redhead displaying the item she was referring to right in front of her chest. 

“Yeah, check it out,” Ranma continued, “I mean, it’s kind of cute, but if it weren’t for the stretchy part, my boobs would just pop out of it right away.”

“Ranma!” Akane called out while angrily stomping over. “What are you doing?!”

“Huh? Whaddya mean?”

“You can’t just prance around the store with a bra like-” Akane quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Dammit, I need to ease Ranma into girl things, not scare her off.

Instead of throwing down the item in shock or disgust, Ranma looked down at the garment in her hands in confusion, then looked back up. “Akane, this isn’t a bra.”

Any potential response Akane had planned was now scattered in pieces across the tracks. “W-what? Yes it is.”

Ranma just shook her head. “No, this thing doesn’t have all the frilly stuff. Or those annoying hooks in the back. Or that hard bit at the bottom that digs into your ribs. Plus it’s all stretchy. What is this anyway?” 

Sayuri chose that moment to walk up and offer her help. “Well, girl. That is what you could call an ‘athletic supporter’.”

Ranma blinked a few times at the term. “Athletic…what now?”

Sayuri leaned in a little bit and lowered her voice. “Well, you know how you wear a jockstrap in gym class?”

“Actually I still wear my boxers.”

“Oh. Um, well you do know what jockstraps are, right?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Okay, it’s basically like that, except this one is to provide support for girls’...well…girls.”

Ranma looked down at the item that in no way could be called ‘frilly’. “So, this is something a girl would wear?”

“Oh yes. Especially a girl who's totally into martial arts. Right, ‘Kane?” Sayuri looked over, only to find the other girl red faced with her eyes closed and her hands over her ears. She went over and lightly touched the girl on the shoulder. “I said right, ‘Kane?”

“Huh?” Akane asked, opening her eyes and putting her hands down.

“I was saying that athletic supporter would be a great thing for a girl like Ranma to get. Right, ‘Kane?”

“Oh. Yes. Definitely a girl thing.”

“Exactly!” Sayuri turned to Ranma. “Okay, girl. Let’s see if we can find the perfect one for you!”

A couple of minutes later, Sayuri and Akane were waiting outside of a dressing room. “Okay, pretty sure I got the thing on right,” came the voice from inside.

“So, what do ya think, girl?” Sayuri called back.

“Um, I mean it’s nice I guess, but I don’t really get the whole support part.”

“Hop.”

“What?”

“Hop up and down a little bit.”

There was silence in the dressing room for a moment. Then the sound of someone jumping a couple times. Then more silence. Then more jumping, except faster this time. Then the door burst open.

“Holy crap, this thing is amazing!” Ranma exclaimed, gesturing to the red and black garment on her torso, which was quite noticeable as she wasn’t wearing anything over it at the moment. She then did a forward flip, landing right in front of Akane. “Check it out! Isn’t this great?”

Quickly recovering from her shock, Akane shoved the redhead back into the dressing room, Sayuri following behind. “Idiot! What are you thinking, being in public in just a bra like that?”

“Akane, this is an athletic supporter.”

“Yeah, also known as a sports bra , dummy! I…oh…I mean…”

Ranma looked down for a moment, then over to Sayuri. “That true?”

Sayuri sighed and shook her head. “Yeah, girl. It’s another name for what you’re wearing.”

“Oh.” Ranma started to develop an angry look on her face. “I don’t believe it.”

“Hey, Ranma. It’s okay. It’s-”

“Akane, why didn’t ya tell me about this thing sooner?”

“Huh?”

“Everyone always talks about the whole back pain thing, but no one ever mentioned the front pain part. I figured it was just part of having boobs so no one talked about it.” Ranma jumped up and down a couple more times. “Man, if I had this earlier all those fights would have been so much easier without everything flopping around and stuff. Plus it’s so stretchy. I bet I could get away with accidental hot water splashes and it wouldn’t crush me or anything. This is so much better than those frilly little bras. Oh, uh, not that those are bad or anything. I should probably get a couple of the frilly ones too, since, you know, those are things girls have, right?”

Akane hesitated for a moment. “Um, I guess maybe…”

“Actually,” Sayuri interrupted, “I think we should just stick with a couple of sports bras for now. Besides, we don’t want to waste any more time before the main event.”

“Oh right, we do need to get to that. Hey, can I wear this out of the store?”

“Sure, girl. Just make sure to put your shirt back on first.”

“Heh, right.”

---

Akane sighed as she slumped further into the couch outside of the dressing rooms. This was the third clothing store they’ve visited now and her patience was wearing thin. Not that she didn’t enjoy this kind of shopping normally. It was just that the types of clothes Ranma kept picking out…

“Alright, buddy, what do you think of this one?” Ranma asked as she stepped out in another overly done gaudy outfit that would probably even give Azusa second thoughts. 

Akane managed a weak smile and a small thumbs up. “Yeah, it looks nice.”

“Hey, I think it’s really cute. Definitely a girl thing. Right, Sayuri?”

Sitting next to Akane on the couch, Sayuri didn’t look as worn out as the other girl. “Yes, it is very…cute. Don’t think it’s quite your style though, girl. Hey, maybe we should try another store. What do you think ‘Kane?”

“What? Oh, yeah sure.”

Ranma looked between the two of them, then gave a quick shrug. “Alright, if you say so.”

She quickly got changed and the three headed to their next location, Ranma feeling a bit uncertain, Akane trying to temper her growing frustration, and Sayuri lost in thought.

“So,” Ranma started, “what did you think of all the outfits so far?”

“They were fine,” Akane muttered.

“Definitely girly though, right? I mean they’re absolutely things that someone who’s a girl would wear.”

Akane stopped and spun on her heel causing the other two to quickly halt. “Okay, what are you doing?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Are you making fun of me now? Do you really think that’s what girls are supposed to be like?”

Ranma looked down and her voice started to grow soft as she stammered out, “Akane, I…I just…I want you to…”

“To what, Ranma? Dammit, you’re sounding just like…like…”

“Like what?”

Fear started to creep into Akane’s voice. “I…I…”

“Hey ‘Kane,” Sayuri interjected. “Can you do me a major favor and wait outside this time? I need to borrow your girlfriend for a little bit again.”

“What? But…”

Sayuri leaned over and whispered in Akane’s ear. “Hey, don’t worry. I’ll get this all sorted out. Just have a seat and chill for a little bit.” She then went over and gently guided Ranma into the next store. “Alright, girl. We need to have ourselves a little chat.”

Akane blinked a couple of times, then went and sat on one of the benches outside the store. She sat quietly for a few moments before reaching into one of her bags, pulling out the manga she purchased earlier. She gave a quick glance at the cover before she opened the book and began reading.

---

Ranma remained silent as she was pulled across the store and into an empty dressing room. Sayuri closed the door behind them and gave a deep breath. “Okay, girl. The fashion show was super killer and all, but let’s focus on what you’re actually trying to do.”

“Hey, I’m trying to get Akane to realize I’m an actual girl. Not my fault if she doesn’t get it.”

“Ranma, what am I wearing right now?”

“W-what?”

“My outfit. What do you think of it?”

Ranma took a quick glance at the capri pants and floral button up shirt Sayuri had on. “Oh, well, they’re…uh…”

“Would you say they’re girl’s clothes?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah of course.”

Sayuri grabbed Ranma’s shoulders and turned her to the mirror on the wall. “And how ‘bout these clothes?”

Ranma looked over the outfit the girl in the mirror was wearing. The dark jeans. The simple t-shirt. The red jacket that was once worn by Kasumi. 

“Do you think this is something an actual girl would wear?” Sayuri asked.

“Well sure, but-”

“Hold that thought, girl. I’ll be back in a minute.” Sayuri then rushed out of the dressing room.

Ranma looked back in the mirror, studying the girl staring back at her. The girl who, more than ever, she knew was really herself. How could she get Akane to recognize that though?

“Alright, I’m back.” Sayuri rushed back in and thrust some clothes out to Ranma. “Here, girl. Try these on and let me know once you’re ready. She then quickly left again after the items were taken.

Ranma looked at the clothes in her hands. A simple knee-length skirt and a plain blouse. With a quick shrug, she got changed into them, then looked at herself in the mirror again. It was still the same girl. Still herself. There was something though. What was it?

She thought back to when she was trying on those other outfits and looking at the girl in the mirror. The girl that didn't look quite right then. The girl that wasn't quite herself.

She took one more look in the mirror, then left the dressing room, finding a waiting Sayuri with a knowing grin on her face. "See what I mean?" the pony tailed girl asked.

Ranma had a slight smile as she responded. "Yeah, I guess I don't need to try so hard, huh?"

"Exactly, girl! Like I said, the fashion show was fun and those outfits were super cute, but it was really obvious you were playing dress up. Now you're being yourself and I can totally see the girl you are."

"Really? Do you think Akane would see it too?"

"Absolutely! See, it's all about finding what you're comfortable in. Even a dress like that is so much more your style than what you were trying before."

The response Ranma was about to give died in her throat as she saw what Sayuri was gesturing towards. Wordlessly, she walked over to the display. She wasn't sure why, but something about the white dress prickled at her mind. As she continued to look at it, a memory suddenly came to her.

She was younger. Much younger apparently based on how high up the dresses were in the window display. Still, everything was so vivid to her. She could see her own tiny hand pointing up to a specific white dress. She could hear herself talking excitedly in a voice that sounded very much like a young boy's. She could see looking up towards a young woman with dark red hair. Her…mother? How? She didn't remember anything of her before the training trip. But she could see it. Her mother. See her mother looking down at her. See her mother listening to her talking about the dress. See the expression on her mother's face…

“Hey girl, you in there?”

Ranma blinked, seeing the white dress in front of her, then turned to see her friend. “Sorry, what?”

Sayuri had a big grin on her face. “Ah, you really like that one, huh? Yeah, I totally think you should try it on. I bet Akane would love it, too.”

“Akane…” Ranma thought about the girl that this whole day was meant to be for. Then her mind wandered to the small box that was currently in her jacket pocket.

She looked back to the dress, then over again to Sayuri, determination etched across her face. “Yes, you’re right. I’m going to try on this dress. And then…I’m going to tell her.”