Jaqui_K

And here is the final chapter of my little story. I hope you will enjoy it.
One last time, I would like to thank the wonderful Beedok for the amazing artwork for this story. If you have enjoyed them, please consider going here and commissioning her to make something for you.

Akane paced back and forth outside of the store Ranma and Sayuri were currently in. 

It’s okay. It will be okay.

She tried to calm the tempest of emotions swirling through her mind. 

It’s all good. She said she would take care of it.

She took a quick glance at her shopping bags and the book that was inside one of them. She hoped reading it would perhaps give some insight into what she should do about her feelings. It did not.

No,no, it’s fine. I just need to accept reality for what it is. I…

She tried to focus on other things, like going back to school and what she missed in her classes. Anything to distract her from thinking about the girl she wanted to be with but couldn’t. To not think about the other girl she hoped to never have to see again.

Akane stopped in her tracks as a realization came to her. Wait, I never did tell Sayuri about That Girl. Oh no, what if she accidentally makes her show up. What if this time Ranma doesn’t come back…

“Yo, ‘Kane. Sorry for making you wait again.” Sayuri’s smile faltered as she saw the look on Akane’s face. “Hey, it’s alright, girl. I got everything sorted out just like I said.”

Akane wasn’t really listening to Sayuri’s words, instead noticing that the girl was currently by herself. “Where’s Ranma?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“That’s why I came to get you. She’s trying on one more outfit and wants your opinion of it.”

Akane put her hand to her forehead and let out a long groan. “Really? Another one?”

“Hey, hey, this one’s not like those others. Trust me, ‘Kane, you’re gonna flip when you see this!”

“Sayuri, no offense but it’s been a really long day and I’m not in the mood for flipping right now.”

Sayuri gave a light smile and put one hand on Akane’s shoulder. “Look,” she said in a gentle voice, “I know you’re going through a lot. So is Ranma, and this is really important for her right now. I’ll watch your stuff for you. Go in and see what she has to show you.”

Akane blinked a couple of times at the other girl’s sudden earnestness, then looked down for a moment and back up. Without a word, she turned and went into the store.

The ponytailed brunette continued her smile as she sat down on the bench and made note of the collective bags of the trio, in particular a pair of ears sticking out of one of them.

“So, how do you think she’ll react to Ranma’s little surprise?”

Her smile morphed into a tiny smirk at the silent response.

“Yeah, you’re right. She won’t know what hit her.”

Ranma took a deep breath and studied herself in the mirror again. The white dress still fit wonderfully on her, and everything still looked perfect, just like the last time she checked 15 seconds ago. 

You got this. No backing down. If you’re going to tell her, it needs to be now.

For some reason, she had a deep desire to tell Akane while wearing this dress. It was most likely because of that memory, now the earliest one Ranma had. There was something else though. Something that felt important, but she couldn’t quite understand why. Just a feeling, tingling in the back of her mind. Either way, she knew what she was going to do needed to be done with this dress. A dress whose price tag meant she could in no way walk out of the store with it. So here and now, in this dressing room, it would have to be done.

She took another long breath and checked the girl in the mirror again. 

The dress still fit her wonderfully.

She still looked perfect.

She was still completely terrified.

It was a bit funny when she thought about it. Here she was, Ranma Saotome, the greatest martial artist of her generation (and let no one tell her differently) who had dealt with ghosts and demons, who battled without fear against foes capable of turning mountains to rubble. And now, in this tiny dressing room in a clothing store in Shibuya, she was feeling more scared than she’d ever been in her whole-

No. That wasn’t true. There was one other time. In China. She had defeated Saffron and freed the water that would save Akane. But, even though the water restored her from her dehydrated state, her eyes wouldn’t open. She waited, holding her gently in her arms, but Akane’s eyes wouldn’t open. While the fear and despair gripped her, she was finally able to admit what she denied to everyone, including herself. But even then, she wasn’t able to say the words out loud. Even after Akane opened her eyes and was able to move again, she wasn’t able to say the words to her.

She wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Ranma looked down at the small box in her hand and smiled, thinking about the last time she gave Akane a gift. That one was provided by her mother. A small medicine box disguised as a ring box complete with a fake ring hiding the hidden compartment at the bottom. Of course her mother didn’t bother to tell her that part and as far as she knew it was a real engagement ring. That made it just a bit difficult giving the gift to Akane, not helped by the fact that they hadn’t spoken to each other since Ranma moved out of the Tendo’s back into her mother’s house.

Also not helping were the three other girls interested in Ranma finding out about the ‘ring’ and getting into a massive fight over it, as though obtaining it would also mean automatically winning Ranma herself. She managed to get away, but the brawl between those three ended up being the reason her mother’s house needed to be rebuilt.

Eventually Akane seemed to actually accept the gift, trying to take the ring out and popping off the false bottom, revealing the secret medicine compartment underneath, much to their chagrin. Before that though, getting her to take the box ended up being a whole ordeal by itself. She even resorted to disguising herself as her own mother, but some errant hot water ruined that plan. Her mom certainly wasn’t happy seeing her in one of her kimonos while she was in her guy-

Oh.

She paused and blinked a few times, then leaned forward, resting her forehead against the wall. So that’s how it was then. After everything she’d been through, she knew she couldn’t bring herself to hate her boy form, but she also knew, at this moment, she no longer thought of herself as a boy at all.

Her mind went back to the box in her hand. This one didn’t have an engagement ring in it, but it wasn’t a disguised medicine container either. Once again she felt that sensation surge through her mind.

Right, you have a promise to give. Even if you’re no longer her fiancé. Even though there’s no way you could be her fiancée. You can still-

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Akane’s voice came through from the other side. “Ranma, are you in there?”

She faltered slightly, but still responded. “Y-yeah. Just give me a sec, okay?”

She did her best to steady herself, to regain composure. Okay, you got this. Let her know you’re still her Ranma, and her Ranma isn’t going away. Definitely don't say anything foolish about the old Ranma being dead now or whatever. Her Ranma’s just a girl now. Say everything nice and calm and you’ll avoid any landmines. Do it like Big Sister Kasumi. No one could get mad at her.

She smiled a bit at this. It almost felt like Kasumi was right here, supporting her. The thought helped to calm her down immensely. Taking one more deep breath, but not yet turning around, she spoke up. “Okay, Akane. You can come in now.”

“Alright, Ranma. What do you have to show me this…time…”

She kept facing the wall, knowing seeing Akane at this moment would sap any courage she managed to build up, and she absolutely had to get this out first.

“Akane…I’m a girl.”

“Um, yeah. I can see that.”

She sighed and turned around, but had her gaze focused on the ground in front of her. Bangs covering her eyes, she continued in a calm low voice. “No, look at me. I’m really a girl. Not a half girl. Not a partial girl. Not pretending. I’m a full girl. And I like being one.”

“Oh, that’s great! See, you can be a girl and still be yourself. Right? …Ranma?”

She smiled slightly. See? That wasn’t hard. Now you just need to say the rest.

“There’s more, Akane. You see…”

It’s okay. Keep calm. Uh, try talking about how you started to realize everything.

She took a breath to regain her composure. “I’ve been thinking a lot these past couple of days. And I’ve been remembering things, too. And…well…my boy side…”

“W-what about your boy side?” Akane’s voice had more than a hint of concern in it.

Oh dear, um, try talking about how much fun today was.

“Akane, when I…when I look back. Everything. It all…It’s like a dream. I-”

“No.”

She looked up to see Akane’s face drained of color, her eyes wide, terrified.

Oh no, please-What did I say wrong? What did I- “miss…Akane?”

Color returned to Akane’s face, her wide eyes narrowed, and the terror was replaced by rage. “You! How dare you!”

“What? What do you-eek!” Ranma managed to just barely avoid the punch from Akane.

“Don’t you do this to me. Not now,” Akane cried out as she continued to try to strike the dodging redhead.

No please. This can’t be-What’s going on? What did I say again?

“Give her back!”

Ranma froze in shock. What? “What?”

“I SAID GIVE HER BACK!” Akane cried out as her punch connected right between Ranma’s eyes, knocking her back into the wall and causing her to slump to the ground.

“Ow! Dammit tomboy, what the heck are you-” Ranma covered her mouth and looked up, expecting Akane to be even more pissed off. Well, at least I’ll know why this time. Stupid…landmines? Instead she saw the short haired girl frozen with a shocked look on her face.

“Ranma?” she said with a tone of hesitancy. “Is that you? Are you back?”

Back? Ranma could no longer feel that calming presence from before in the front of her mind, and she was starting to panic a bit. “What are you talking about? I’ve been here the whole time. I just wanted you to know about me being a girl. Was I trying too hard again? Is it the dress? I saw it and thought it looked nice. Sayuri thought so too. I was hoping that you…Akane?”

Ranma noticed that Akane wasn’t looking at her anymore. Instead, her gaze was focused on the ground next to her feet. She looked down and saw the small black box, which she must have dropped in the scuffle, now popped open revealing the item inside.

Akane knelt down and picked up the box, holding it gently in her hands and looking at the contents. A simple band with intertwining blue and silver colors. “Ranma, is this?”

Any remaining bits of courage Ranma had before was pretty much gone at this point. “Oh! It’s, uh, not exactly. I mean, it’s real. Definitely real. But…well…Sayuri said it’s something called a promise ring. And…um…I sorta have a promise to-”

Anything else she was going to say was interrupted by Akane lunging forward and wrapping her arms around Ranma’s torso, burying her face in the girl’s sternum. Her face starting to turn crimson, Ranma was about to say something, but was stopped by the sound of Akane’s gentle weeping. Instead, she leaned back, stared at the ceiling, ignored the sounds of someone who was probably the manager of the store coming in asking about the noise, and just focused on how she had no idea what to do about the girl currently crying into her chest.

Akane slumped down in her bench seat on the train that was currently taking her back home. She hadn’t said a single word since leaving the mall and right now, she wanted to just ignore what happened there entirely. She also knew that wasn’t going to happen though. Well, at least it being this late at night meant the train car was completely empty except for her and-

“So. ‘Kane. You wanna tell me what that was all about now?”

She did her best to not notice the questioning gaze of Sayuri coming from her left. “Not really.”

“Hey, come on now. After convincing the store owner not to call security, I think I totally deserve a bit of an answer.”

Akane glanced over with half lidded eyes. “All I saw you do was go and buy a new outfit.”

“I’ll have you know that was the most important step in the placating process. Plus I think it looks really cute on me. Adorable fashion aside though, you gonna let me know why I needed to do that in the first place?”

Akane tried to continue ignoring the question, but eventually sighed and gave in. “I got scared, Sayuri. I was scared and I lashed out. I thought…I thought it wasn’t Ranma.”

“Why would you...oh right, that whole thing before with the mirror clone stuff. I shoulda thought of that. Wow, that was a wild one, wasn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah, that. But today, it really has been Ranma this whole time, hasn’t it?”

“Oh, for sure. She was totes pushing the whole ‘I’m super a girl’ thing a bit too strong for a while, but I managed to calm her down on that one. This is what you wanted though, right? Ranma liking being a girl?”

“Yes, I wanted that. It’s just…it’s complicated, okay?”

Sayuri gave a knowing smile. “It’s about your feelings for Ranma, isn’t it?”

“Sayuri!” Akane called out in a harsh whisper.

The ponytail girl grinned and looked slightly past Akane. “Hey relax, girl. I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be passed out for the whole trip back.”

Akane looked to her right, at the redhead currently leaned against her, sleepy peacefully. She couldn’t help but smile at how beautiful the white dress looked on her. Once again, she ended up buying that outfit. This time she didn’t ask for a receipt. Her smile became slightly wistful as she looked down at the girl’s fingers, currently intertwined with Akane’s own.

She also hadn’t let go of Ranma’s hand since leaving the mall.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said in a soft voice.

Sayuri spoke in a reassuring tone. “Hey, I understand. You’ve only thought of Ranma as a boy, so this is probably a little strange for you.”

“Yeah, I-” Suddenly, Akane’s thoughts went back to that day. When a panda arrived at her home carrying a red-haired girl over its shoulder. She remembered the loneliness in the girl’s eyes. The way Akane’s heart leapt in her chest when the girl smiled at her offer of friendship. The connection and hope forged. The betrayal felt when she thought the girl wasn’t actually real.

Except…

“I love her. Sayuri, I love her.”

“There. Now you just need to say that again when she’s awake.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Hey, come on, girl. You got this far, you just need to-”

“No, I can’t!” Akane quickly checked to make sure Ranma was still asleep before continuing. “I can’t do that to her. I’m not going to hurt her like that.”

“‘Kane, I have a bit of a feeling that you being in love with Ranma is not gonna hurt her.”

“Yes it will, Sayuri. Two girls in love? That can only end with hurt.”

“Akane…”

“Remember that book Ranma was looking at. About that French girl, or…well, guy I guess.”

“Oh, ‘Kane. You didn’t.”

“Yes, I bought it and I read it. And you know how it ends, right?”

“Yeah, I know. Still, it’s not exactly the same.

“But it never ends well, does it. Every time. In books, in movies, on TV. Those stories always end in hurt and suffering.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I could think of a few you told me that ended differently.”

“What? When did I?"

“Come on, girl. You tell me all the time about those conflicts and challenges Ranma ends up in.”

“Yeah, but that’s different.”

“Is it? You talked about how sometimes the situation looked hopeless and insurmountable, but Ranma was able to break through and succeed. She didn’t let the people opposing her decide her fate. There’s no reason this should be any different. And you know what? It’s the same for you too.”

“Me?”

“Did you give in to the people trying to use you as a bargaining chip? Did you give in to the samurai wannabe that thought beating you in a fight meant you’d be his? Heck, how many times were you right there at Ranma's side? I still remember how you helped her defeat that stuck up cheerleader!"

“Well, yeah, I did. But…”

“Look, it’s true that there’s not a whole lot of stories with happy endings for people like us. That’s why it’s important for us to make our own stories. For us to make our own happy endings. No matter what anyone else might say. That is how we win.”

Akane was about to argue more, but something Sayuri said suddenly clicked. “Wait, you said ‘people like us’. What did you mean by-”

She was interrupted by an announcement of the next stop over the speakers and the train slowing down.

“Well, this is where I get off.” Sayuri quickly got up and gathered her bags. “Let Ranma know I had a blast and would totally want to do it again. Hey, maybe next time I can pry Yuka away from her Famicom and we can make it a double date.” She headed to the door, but before she left, she stopped and turned back, a warm smile on her face.

“Akane,” she said in a gentle voice, “being in love with a girl might seem scary, and I'm not gonna lie, there are times where it can be, especially out there. However.” She looked down at Akane and Ranma’s hands still held together. “Even more often, you will look into her eyes and know just how wonderful that love is.” Before Akane could respond, she slipped out the door and was gone.

Akane stopped as she reached her house. She didn’t move any further, just staring at the gate, hoping just a little that some magic event would occur where she couldn’t get any closer no matter how much she moved towards it.

“Akane? What’s wrong?”

She looked over to the redhead she was still holding hands with. The girl she loved more than anything in the world. The girl who might have nothing to do with her after what she had to confess.

“It’s nothing, Ranma.”

“Oh. Do you want to talk now?”

Akane shook her head. “Not yet. ‘Not until we’re home’, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Ranma looked down at the ground, bangs once again covering her eyes. “I guess, if we want, we can just stay out here a little longer. It’s a nice night after all.” Another cold breeze blowing through caused her to shiver a bit.

Akane watched the trembling girl for a moment before squeezing her hand. “Come on, let’s get inside. I bet Kasumi is worried about us by now.”

Ranma gave a slight nod and they headed towards the entrance. As they walked, Akane noticed the other girl’s mechanical steps and her gaze focused on the ground. She instantly recognized what it was, because she was feeling the exact same thing herself. Like she was currently marching towards her own execution.

At the entranceway, Akane called out their return, and received a response from Kasumi in the family room. They quickly slipped off their shoes and headed there to find the eldest Tendo girl sitting at the dining table sipping on tea.

Kasumi looked up at the two of them and nearly dropped her cup. “Oh my!”

Ranma gave a tiny smile. “Heya.”

“You two look like you’re freezing.” Kasumi quickly got up and directed them both to the table, having them set their bags down next to it and pausing only briefly to notice their hands still clenched together, then rushed off to get a blanket. 

“Kasumi, where’s Dad?” Akane asked.

“Oh, I called him up to let him know about your trip together and he and Mr. Saotome went out to celebrate. I doubt he’ll be in any condition to come home tonight, so it will just be the three of us. Here you go.” Kasumi draped the blanket over the two of them. “Now, I’m going to make some more hot tea to help warm you both up.” She got up to leave, but then paused and looked back. “Oh, by the way. That outfit looks absolutely lovely on you, little sister. And I love what you did with your hair.”

Akane was about to ask what she was talking about, when Ranma responded back. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it. big sister.” Kasumi gave a smile in return, then went into the kitchen.

Akane looked at the spot where Kasumi just was, and then over to Ranma, who was looking down at the table, apparently lost in thought. “Hey,” she said, trying to keep her voice in a gentle tone, “I’m going to see if Kasumi needs help with anything. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back, okay?” She gave Ranma’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

Ranma smiled and gave a quick squeeze back, before letting go of Akane. “Okay.”

Akane smiled in return, then got up while making sure the blanket was still covering the redhead. Then she headed to the kitchen.

Her smile dropped as soon as she entered and saw her eldest sister preparing another batch of tea. “Oh, Akane. Is there something you need?”

Akane had a thousand things she wanted to say at that moment. However, all she was able to get out was a single question. “You knew?”

Kasumi hesitated for a moment, then gave a gentle smile. “Yes, little sister. She told me last night.”

“You…you called her ‘little sister’ too. And she called you ‘big sister’.”

“Well, to be honest I have been thinking of her as my third sibling for a while now, even though I’m not actually her big sister. At least, I’m pretty sure I’m not.” Kasumi stared off into space for a bit, before her eyes started to glaze over and a hint of pink started to fill her cheeks.

“Kasumi?”

“What? Oh, I’m sorry, Akane. I was wondering what Nodoka would look like with a Spring of Drowned Man curse. What were we talking about again?”

“We…we were talking about you knowing about Ranma being a girl this morning and not telling me. If I knew, maybe I wouldn’t have…”

“It wasn’t my place to tell. However, if you recall, I did make sure to let you know-”

“Kasumi!,” Akane said in a harsh whisper. “Did you see the dress she has on? I thought it was her!”

Kasumi paused for a second, before her eyes went wide. “Oh my! Akane, you didn’t.”

Akane looked down at her feet. “I panicked. I thought I’d lost her, maybe for good. It scared me. And I…I have to tell her now. But if I do, I might lose her again, and I can’t…I can’t…”

She felt a pair of warm arms embrace her, and she leaned into the hug offered by Kasumi.

“It will be okay, little sister.”

“Kasumi, I…I love her. I’ve loved her for so long, and I don’t know what to do. What should I-”

The sound of the kettle whistling interrupted her. Kasumi smiled down at Akane. “Don’t worry, we’ll get through this. Now, let’s get the tea ready and head back. I’ll be right there to support you the whole way.”

Akane nodded and they released their hug, then got to work preparing the tea. Kasumi entered the family room with the tea tray first, with Akane following slightly behind. Ranma was still in the same spot, wrapped in the blanket and starting down at the table. Akane quickly retook her place right next to the redhead. After setting the tea down, Kasumi repositioned herself right next to the short haired girl.

The three didn’t say anything at first as Kasumi poured tea for everyone and they all silently sipped their drinks. Then, Ranma glanced over at the other two briefly before wordlessly taking the ring box out of her bag, opening it up and placing it on the table. 

Kasumi looked at it in shock. “Oh, Ranma. Is that?”

Ranma quickly shook her head. “No, it’s called a promise ring. Sayuri helped me pick it out.” She turned to fully face Akane. “Like I said before, there’s something I want to promise you. I-”

Akane held up her hand to interrupt. “Wait. Before you say anything, there’s something I need to tell you first.”

Ranma stared ahead for a moment, before giving a resigned smile and tilting her head downwards. “Okay.”

Akane glanced over to Kasumi, then quickly steeled herself. “Ranma…do…”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember that time a few months ago when you were practicing staff fighting with your father?”

Ranma looked up in confusion and blinked a couple of times. “What?”

“It was early in the morning, and you got…I knocked you into the pond and you hit your head.”

“Oh? Oh, right! Yeah, I was out for a whole day. Hey, it’s okay, Akane. I’m sure you didn’t mean to-”

“You weren’t out for a day.”

“Huh?”

“You actually woke up a few minutes later. Except, it wasn’t really you.”

Akane then went on to explain what happened that day. About the girl waking up in Ranma’s body and insisting the boy Ranma wasn’t real. The girl who was meek and timid and hated martial arts. The girl that Akane was so cruel towards.

“When she insisted the old Ranma was dead, I attacked her. I knocked her into the pond again and then you were you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

Akane watched Ranma looking deep in thought and braced herself, preparing for the worst. Finally, Ranma spoke up.

“Is that what that was?”

“What do you mean?” Kasumi asked.

“Today, I started to feel something. Like a presence comforting me and encouraging me. I thought maybe it was just your words from last night helping, but now I’m not sure.”

Kasumi gave a gentle smile. “Maybe it’s like the cat, then.”

Both Ranma and Akane looked over in surprise. “What?” they asked in unison.

“Well, after the first incident with the Neko-ken, I did some research with the texts I was borrowing from Doctor Tofu before he left. I came across information about what most people call Multiple Personality Disorder. I don’t really like that name, so I prefer to think of it as having a group mind.”

“Multiple…do you mean like that Jekyll and Hyde story?” Akane asked.

Kasumi shook her head. “No, there is no magic potion for this. From what I understand, it’s usually caused by some traumatic event, often during childhood. My guess is the ‘training’ your father put you through caused your mind to create a separate cat, well person, that could protect you. When you become overwhelmed by your fear of cats and start acting like one, that might be the cat in your mind taking over for you. It could explain why you never remember it.”

Ranma looked over at the older girl in awe. “Are you sure about this?”

“Well, it’s mostly a hypothesis, really. I’m not a medical doctor yet. I won’t even be starting college until you two are out of high school.”

“Kasumi, you don’t have to-”

“It’s alright, little sister. I’m still young. I have plenty of time.” She gave a slight smirk to the other two. “Perhaps we’ll all be able to attend the same university together.”

“Hold on. Back up a bit,” Akane said. “Maybe this can explain the whole cat thing, but what about the girl? I mean, it’s not like Ranma’s dad tied her up and dropped her in a pit of starving women.” She paused and looked over to the redhead. “Wait, did he?” Ranma just shook her head.

“Well, he may not have literally, but I suspect Mr. Saotome played a part in this as well. Ranma, I asked you something last night and I am going to ask it again. How long have you been a girl?”

Ranma looked at Kasumi and Akane for a moment, before turning her head down. “My whole life,” she said in a soft voice.

Akane looked back, stunned. “Ranma?”

Ranma gestured to her current outfit. “You said she picked out this dress on that day, right?”

“Yes she did.”

“I think I know why. I remember seeing it before. Before the training trip. I know because my mother was there. I asked her when I’d be old enough to wear it.”

“And your father wouldn’t have been happy finding out about that,” Kasumi said.

“No. The training trip must’ve started soon after that. Pops was really big on me not acting girly in any way.” She took her new stuffed animal-adjacent companion out of her bag and hugged it.

“Right, so perhaps after the whole cat incident, your mind then created another person. One that would consider herself a girl, no matter what your father said. Perhaps she was there in the back of your mind until the bump to your head knocked her to the front.”

“But Kasumi,” Akane protested, “she was so different to how Ranma normally acted.”

“Exactly, Akane. She was the complete opposite of Ranma Saotome, Man Among Men.”

Ranma stared ahead, wide eyed. “Oh no. Pops is an idiot, but he was all I really had for a teacher for so long. If she still has his stupid ideas of what girls are like…Kasumi, we got to help her.”

“Wait, hold on,” Akane interrupted. “We don’t even know if any of this is right. We don’t know if she’s…if she’s still really there.”

“I think it might be a distinct possibility. Ranma, you said you could feel a presence in your mind today?”

Ranma smiled. “Yes. I think I could start to feel it when I really began to realize I could be a girl and still be me. I could be a girl and still be a kickass martial artist. I could be a girl and still be just as strong and in charge. I could be a girl no matter what outfit I decide to wear.”

Akane said something under her breath that Ranma could quite make out, but Kasumi seemed to smile at.

What was that, Akane?” Ranma asked.

“Nothing,” Akane said. “Uh, so how do you know that’s the girl? Maybe that was just you being happy about figuring all this out?”

“I think she spoke to me.”

“What?”

“In the dressing room before you came in. I felt that comforting presence in my mind, and I just assumed it was my own thoughts, but maybe it was her encouraging me to let you know…how I feel.” 

“Can you still feel her there?” Kasumi asked.

“No, I haven’t felt her since Akane…” Ranma closed her eyes.

Akane’s face became ashen. “I drove her away. Again. Maybe forever this time. She was just a poor, innocent, misguided girl and I-”

“She’s still here,” Ranma said.

“She is?”

Ranma opened her eyes and smiled at Akane. “I can feel her. Just barely, in the back of my mind. I don’t think she wants to come back up right now though.”

“Can you at least let her know I’m sorry for what I did?”

“I think she already does. If you want though, you can tell her the next time she comes up.”

“Really?”

“Of course. No way I’m letting my little sister be stuck in the back of my brain forever.”

“Little sister?”

“Well, sure. She is her own separate person. Right, Kasumi?”

“Oh yes. After my time spent with her, I would certainly say so.”

“Yeah, see? Besides, having a sister I share a brain with is no way the strangest thing that’s happened to me.”

“I guess that’s true,” Akane admitted. “So, you’re not mad at me for not telling you earlier?”

“Nah. If you told me right away, I probably would have been a jerk about it. Thanks for letting me know though.” Ranma gave a smile to Akane, and then looked over to the ring still on the table.

Kasumi, seeing Ranma’s expression, quickly got up. “Right, there’s some things I need to take care of upstairs before bedtime. Please be sure to clean up the dishes when you are done.” She put a hand on each girl’s shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t stay up too late now. It is a school night after all.” She then gave a smile and headed upstairs.

The two sat in silence at the table for what felt like hours to them but was in actuality barely a minute. “You know,” Akane finally said, still looking at the ring sitting on the table, “it’s been a real long day, so we can’t wait until later if-”

“I love you.”

She looked over in shock. “What?”

Ranma turned and gave a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I love you, Akane. I have for a long time. But I was so stubborn. I couldn’t give in to our dads and that stupid engagement they forced on us. It messed things up for so long. Even…even in China, when I thought I might have lost you, I couldn’t say it. And now, only now, when it doesn’t matter anymore. I love you. I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? Wait, what do you mean it doesn’t matter?”

“Akane, look at me. It’s not just that I’m a girl. It’s…” Ranma turned her head and looked away. “You know, at first I thought since we were both girls we wouldn’t have to worry about that engagement junk and maybe we could get a chance to be together as friends, and then when he comes back…but that’s not gonna happen. Cause I’m not sure he exists anymore. Maybe he never really existed.”

“Wait, Ranma, who’s he?”

“Right, I have another girl sharing my mind, so I guess I should say it another way. I mean my boy side. When I first realized I was a girl, I thought I was also just as much a boy, too. It sorta made sense to me with the whole curse and all. But today, I’ve been remembering things more and more and…I’m not so sure anymore.”

Ranma tried to fight back the tears forming in her eyes. “When I saw that ring and Sayuri explained what it was, I knew that I had to give it to you, because I had a promise to make. I…I still want you to have it, Akane, but I don’t think I can make that promise anymore. I’m sorry.”

She kept her head turned away and waited for the inevitable. For it to finally end. After what felt like an eternity, Akane finally responded.

“You’re right.”

Ranma could feel her heart start to turn to ash in her chest at those words. Apparently, it wasn’t enough as Akane continued.

“That engagement our parents set up was a stupid thing and we never should have let it control our lives. In fact, I’m going to do what I should have done from the start. That engagement is now over. We should just forget it ever happened.”

Ranma continued to try holding back her tears. She was about to respond and acknowledge the end when she noticed what looked like a hand at the edge of her vision. She looked over and confirmed it was indeed a hand reaching out. A hand with a blue and silver ring on one of the fingers. She looked up to see Akane smiling down at her.

“Hi, my name is Akane. Would you like to be girlfriends?”

Ranma stared up in wonder for a moment before she took the other girl’s hand and was pulled to her feet. She felt a tiny spark of hope in her chest. But…

“Um, when you say that, you mean girl friends, right?”

Akane just looked back, then gave a sigh of exasperation. “Ranma, you idiot.” She then grabbed the back of the redhead’s neck and pulled the girl’s lips towards her own.

The momentary shock quickly turned into a full storm for Ranma as she felt the energy surge throughout her body. Before she could fully process what was happening, Akane broke the kiss and looked back at her with a warm smile.

“I love you too, Ranma.”

“You…you do? But I’m a girl. You’re a girl.”

“Oh, I’m glad you finally noticed.”

“I mean, we’re both girls. Girls can’t be…you know…together and stuff.”

“Really? And who says that?”

“You know, people.”

“Oh? So you’re going to let people decide this for you? Is Ranma Saotome going to give up and lose this fight?”

“Hey! I never lose! I-” Ranma paused before breaking out in a big grin. She then leaned forward, initiating her own kiss. Admittedly, it was probably a bit sloppy, but she didn’t care. She could feel the electricity course through her body, her heart leap in her chest as she pulled Akane into an embrace. As much as she wanted to freeze this moment so it would last forever, she eventually broke off the kiss, although she still held on to the other girl. “Hey,” she said, smiling, “if you’re going to be with me, you should know it’s not gonna be easy.”

Akane gave a grin back. “Oh, I know. We’ll have a whole new bunch of challenges on top of the regular ones. And you know what? We’ll face them all together. You and I. As a team.” She held up her hand, showing the ring. “And we will win. I promise.”

“Right. We’ll win. As a team. So, what do we do first?”

“Well, first…we need to clean up the dishes so Kasumi doesn’t get mad at us.”

Ranma let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want her to tap me on the nose again.”

The two separated and quickly went to work. As they were cleaning up, Ranma couldn’t help but smile as she thought about everything that happened. Just a day ago, he was sitting on the roof, unsure of his place in life and looking for excuses.

Now, here she was. Friend to Sayuri. Little sister to Kasumi. Big sister to a girl she hoped to get to know more of soon. And, most important of all, Akane Tendo’s girlfriend.

All in all, she could say that was a pretty good place to find oneself.