“Boy, put that hair up before I make you cut it.” Genma blustered at Ranko when she came into the living room. Her hair hung loose and free for the first time in ages, and of course the miserable old man wanted her to cage it back up.

  “What? It was fine keeping it this long on the road, suddenly we’re in the city and it’s not?” Ranko would put it back up before letting it get cut, but she intended to fight for it first.

  “It’s unprofessional, and girly . I won’t ask again.” He looked serious, so Ranko rolled her eyes and started to pull it up when an unfamiliar hand pressed against her lower back.

  Nabiki slunk around her, gazing up at Ranko’s wavy black locks, and even ran her hand through it. “I dunno, Mr. Saotome, I think it’s sexy .” Ranko immediately started blushing, Nabiki’s new forwardness and physical closeness overriding her ability to react logically.

  Even her dad sputtered. “Well…I suppose styles change…” He mumbled and gave Ranko an approving nod before sitting back at the kotatsu.

  Ranko was further confused when Nabiki gave her a conspiratorial wink and let go. The black-haired girl-turned-boy was too rattled to think clearly, especially with that damn thing in her pants making her feel incredibly self-conscious.

  “I-I-I’m gonna go g-g-g-get a gl-gla-...water.” She managed to croak, spinning and heading to the kitchen. Clearly she’d underestimated Nabiki’s skills, though if Ranko had been that direct on the road things probably would have gone much worse for her.

  She was still furiously blushing as she passed through the noren. “Hi Kasumi, sorry, just need some more water. Your furo gets very warm.”

  The older girl smiled and gestured to a full carafe next to several glasses. “Of course, help yourself Ranma-chan.”

  Ranko was mid-swig as Kasumi dropped the casual feminine “-chan” and almost did a spit take. Oh shit, they know, they know, they knowtheyknowtheyknow—

  “Oh I’m so sorry, I should say Ranma-kun, shouldn’t I? I’m so used to having little sisters I didn’t consider that.” She was rinsing greens for a salad so Ranko couldn’t read her face, but she supposed that made sense. But…no, surely if the Tendo girls knew they wouldn’t be playing along with this stupid farce, right?

  “Y-yep! D-d-don’t worry about it!” Was she stammering? Yes. Was there a good explanation for it? No. She quickly beat an exit back to the living room, intending on walking outside in the garden. In view of the living room so she’d know when dinner was ready, hopefully with a nice breeze, and no hot water to worry about.

  Akane didn’t bother knocking on her father’s door. He never did anything that required privacy, and she needed to talk to him. He’d been with his old friend all day so it was the first chance she’d gotten to confront him.

  He was talking to someone on the phone as she slipped in and closed the door behind her, loud enough to get his attention but hopefully too quiet for anyone else to hear. His shocked look at her impropriety wasn’t surprising and he covered the receiver with his hand. “Akane, I’m on the phone, and you should have knocked. Is it important?”

  Her long hair bounced as she furiously nodded. “It’s about your friend…and Ranma.”

  With a sigh, he took his hand off the phone. “I’m sorry Shimizu-san, I’ll call you back later, something’s come up.”

  Once the phone was back on the hook, her father patted the bed next to him for her to sit down. “Go ahead, Akane, what do you need?”

  Akane really hoped her dad wouldn’t let loyalty to an old friend blind him to what she had to say, especially without any proof to back up Kasumi’s claim. But they were going to try and engineer some sort of hot water-related accident during dinner and blow the whole thing wide open.

  “Okay, I know this might sound hard to believe, but we think Mr. Saotome wasn’t completely honest with us about what happened in China.” She paused and tried to get a read on her father’s face, but Soun Tendo’s ability to emote meant he was good at maintaining his composure.

  “And we think Ranma is cursed too…we think she’s actually a girl. Kasumi saw her in the bathroom, but even though she didn’t get a good look she sounded certain.” Soun’s sudden frown and alarmed eyes made her panic. Was he angry? What was he going to do?

  Gripping her shoulders, he calmly but firmly asked, “Have you confronted either Genma or Ranko about this?”

  She shook her head once before realizing what her dad said. “Ranko?” Did her dad already know? Was that Ranma’s real name?

  “Look, I’ll explain later, but your mother and I attended Genma’s wedding , of course we knew they had a daughter.” He spoke in hushed, quiet tones with urgent emphasis. “But we need to keep Genma and Ranko here for a little while. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you girls anything, I just wanted to keep you safe. Can you keep playing along?”

  In a way, the meeting had gone much better than Akane anticipated, but she was expecting a confrontation, a reckoning. She was not as good at subterfuge as Nabiki, and Kasumi could do her housekeeping act in the middle of an earthquake so she’d be fine. But Akane? The only time she’d ever acted was in school plays, and nobody ever told her she was good at it.

  “I…I’ll try.”

  Soun nodded and hugged her close. “I know you will. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you and we’ll do what we can for Ranko, okay?”

  Ranko hung upside-down from the thickest tree branch over the koi pond. She wished cold water fixed the curse, it was so much easier to find than hot. Out here she could keep an eye on the house in case one of the sisters approached her, which felt sensible.

  It was a night like this, she reminisced. During her last spring break. She was wrapped up in Ryoga’s arms, protecting her from the chill, while Yoiko cuddled Shirokuro nearby in the Hibiki’s courtyard. That night played in her head a lot, it was the first time she knew she wanted a real family, that there was such a thing as a real family.

  A sudden breeze made her shiver, and the pleasant memory of a warm home during a chilly spring evening was replaced by a vastly less pleasant memory of a baleful winter nine months later in Hebei. Genma had her out in the windy cold drilling with him, despite the fact that they hadn’t eaten a full meal in days.

  When she inevitably couldn’t withstand the cold any longer he dismissed her back to their tent. She tried to start a fire but was shivering so bad she couldn’t even work their few matches and ended up breaking one. Rather than risk Genma’s ire by breaking a second she sat in the cold, huddled in her sleeping bag and blanket, until he got back. He complained and called her lazy, of course, before getting the fire started so she could cook their dinner.

  Any time she complained or couldn’t keep up with him he demeaned her, called her worthless, or lamented not having a son. The only times he seemed proud of her were when she successfully scammed someone, but his approval always left her feeling slimy.

  Kasumi’s voice freed her from her cold spiral, and she realized she could smell dinner wafting through the yard. Her stomach growled and her mouth watered as she vaulted off the branch, somersaulting through the air, and landing on her feet next to the engawa.

  “Thanks Ms. Kasumi, I’m starving!” she exclaimed, looking at a bounty of food the likes of which she hadn’t seen since the last time she was in Japan.

  She sat between her father and Akane while Soun, Nabiki, and Kasumi sat on the opposite side of the table. The Tendos, sans Akane, once again started asking Genma about their trip, but this time they asked more about what happened before China. Ranko could have told them her favorite parts, but this kept Genma’s attention off of her so she could focus on the food.

  If there was an upside to being a boy, it was that she could enjoy the food as much as she wanted, and she piled her plate high with fish, shrimp, pork, rice, pickles, and vegetables. Living on the road for so long didn’t mean she’d forgotten her manners though — mostly taught to her by Ryoga’s mom — so she made sure not to take too much. Hopefully there'd be enough for seconds!

  Once everyone had grabbed what they wanted and said thanks, Ranko dove in and grabbed a plump shrimp, brought it to her lips and—

  Genma’s chopsticks shot out and snatched it before it went in her mouth. Her stomach clenched as she stared at her father, who gave her a twisted grin. “Don't get complacent, boy. A true martial artist—”

  Too late he noticed his own bowl being snatched away and he reflexively gripped at nothing. Kasumi had, in a single fluid motion, grabbed his entire serving and held it well beyond his reach.

  A rattling sound in front of Ranko alerted them both to Akane, who had grabbed Ranko’s plate and scooted it all the way to her corner of the table. The wavy haired girl-turned-boy blinked and looked around, realizing all of their hosts were staring daggers at Genma.

  Most frightening of all wasn't the cold rage emanating from Nabiki and Soun, nor the hot tempered frustration coming from Akane, but the ineffable weight coming from Kasumi. It pressed in from the walls themselves, and Ranko would have felt claustrophobic if it wasn't clear that its target was her father.

  Ranko had to be excellent at reading faces, and she saw Soun’s, Genma’s “old friend”, briefly fill with disgust .

  Before her father noticed, he recomposed his affably dim persona and chuckled, breaking the tension. “Oh ho ho ho! You still remember our bastard of a master’s teachings, eh Saotome?”

  Cold beads of sweat ran down Genma’s jaw as he chuckled nervously. “Ah-ha, ahhh, that's right. The boy and I compete for food every meal, I…hadn't planned on stopping now…”

  Kasumi smiled, though now Ranko knew what hid behind the smile it was terrifying. “I can appreciate that Mr. Saotome. However, when I was still practicing the Art I stuck to a very particular diet. If Ranma doesn't get enough to eat, how will he ever put on enough muscle to perfect the Tendo side of the school?”

  It was like something clicked on Genma's brain and he looked at Ranko, sweeping his eyes up and down. “What a fool I've been. You're right! You're scrawny as a stray cat, my boy! Starting today there will be no more competing for food: you're a growing boy and you need the energy!”

  Again he clapped Ranko in the back, again he let out that booming guffaw, and again he made Ranko think he was actually doing this for her benefit. “Plus, you won't make a good father if you're all skin and bones. Isn't that right, Tendo?” He laughed and slapped his stomach for emphasis.

  The idea of being a father, realizing that would be expected of her…Ranko was going to be sick. She quickly hopped to her feet and came up with a quick, easy lie. “Woo, I've had a lot of water today, so may I be excused to use the restroom, please?” Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry… she repeated over and over in her head.

  Before Genma could protest, Soun chuckled again. “That's how you know you're properly hydrated! Good on you, and thank you for asking.”

  Ranko nodded and did her best impression of holding it in as she quickly walked away. As she dashed past the kitchen she reached in and grabbed the kettle, just in case the furo had cooled down too much.

  She didn't even check as she slammed the door closed behind her and splashed herself with hot water. Hyperventilating, she sunk down to the floor and wracked herself trying to quiet her sobbing.

  This wasn't some one-and-done scam to get a meal or a room for the night, this was forever. Genma wanted a dojo , and he didn't care who he'd screw over to get it. Probably just sell it to pay for an international trip. Apparently some fighting style called “capoeira” in South America had caught his eye, after all.

  And he wanted grandkids, why wouldn't he? Even if Ranko pulled it off and… fathered children, would he just kidnap the first boy and take him away like he had with Ranko? Of course he would.

  Someone knocked very lightly on the bathroom door. “Ranko? Are you okay sweetie?” It was Kasumi, of course, making sure Ranko was comfortable.

  “I'll b-b-be ok-k-k-ay, Ms. Kasumi, I just needed—AH!” She gasped when she realized what Kasumi just said. They know! They know they know they…wait how do they know?

  “H-h-how?” They knew and they were still helping her. Or were they just helping Genma? What was their angle? Did Mr. Tendo not care, and he just saw Ranko as a way to produce an heir from both schools?

  “I can't talk long. Father knew when you arrived, he knew both your parents a long time ago. I just want to let you know that we want to help you and you're safe. If you can play along a little longer, he's got something planned. Please trust us.” And then she was gone.

  The bathroom was quiet, save for the occasional drip. Ranko wasn't sure what to do. She didn't know the Tendos, but they'd already helped her out. And the way they stopped her dad from stealing her food…

  Whatever their motives, Ranko did feel some relief, if for no other reason than that she hadn't messed up. If things didn't work out, Genma couldn't blame her for it.

  Not that he needed a reason to blame her. Maybe he'd just be angry that she wasn't good enough to fool someone who'd clocked them when they first arrived. Maybe he'd be angry that she didn't deny Kasumi, that she slipped when she heard her name.

  Even if she couldn't trust the Tendos, she could trust Genma to make her life worse somehow, to make her suffering about him, to punish her for anything that went wrong, and to run away as soon as he wasn't in control anymore. That was reason enough to play along for now.

  She wiped away her tears and gave her true form a nice, long look in the mirror.

  Before Genma had time to be suspicious about Ranma… Ranko's absence, Akane’s father poured him a cup of saké. “I'm glad our children seem to be getting along, Saotome. An auspicious beginning for our schools’ unification, don't you think?”

  Akane was so focused on Ranko that she forgot to keep her mouth shut and blurted out feelings she hadn't had a chance to voice earlier. “I still can't believe you arranged a marriage for us, it's the 20th century!”

  Soun’s eyes twitched, but Genma responded first. “It was an oath sworn between warriors, brothers in arms, long before you were even born, Ms. Tendo.” He seemed surprisingly somber, reserved even, as he justified himself. The way he slurped down his saké grated Akane’s nerves.

  Whatever irritation Soun felt about Akane’s outburst was replaced with a grin and a gleam in his eyes. With an approving wink to his daughter, he capitalized on Genma’s words. “That does bring up a good question, though, if I may Genma: is there a specific reason you showed up here today of all days?” He asked as he politely topped off Genma’s saké.

  The older Saotome leaned back and took another hearty slurp. “Not an occasion, a revelation. After falling into that damnable spring I thought my life was over. Can't even speak when I'm cursed.” He either wasn't paying attention or didn't care as Tendo kept topping off his cup.

  “It took hours before we caught up to the so-called guide at the springs. He told us how to fix the curses, and it was like I’d been given a second chance at life. A man starts to think about his legacy in those moments, Tendo.” With a surprisingly sympathetic expression, he looked around at the Tendo family, and bowed. (Nabiki made sure to top off his drink when his head was down.)

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t around when Hana passed. I regret many of my choices from that part of my life, and I hope I can make it up to you.” As he straightened back up, he noticed Ranko coming back into the room and smiled . Ranko grimaced and stopped in her tracks for a moment.

  “So despite being ‘cursed’ I suppose the springs gave me quite a blessing indeed, Tendo. The blessing of clarity .” A giggle escaped his lips as he picked up the still somehow full cup of saké. Then his eyes narrowed as neurons sluggishly pieced together that something was off.

  Before he could act on that though, a bell rang out from the direction of the dojo. All the girls, Ranko included, looked surprised, but Soun grinned. “Oh my, a challenger, at this hour? What a blessing indeed that we can meet them with the combined strength of both schools, eh Saotome?”

  Akane didn’t know what to think. Was this part of her dad’s plan? Or were they seriously going to drop everything to deal with some wandering martial artist type right now?

  Whatever was going on, Genma leapt to his feet, seemingly unaffected by the alcohol he’d been slurping down. “Excellent timing indeed, Tendo! We’ll crush whoever’s at your door with the power of friendship!”

  Akane, Nabiki, and Ranko rolled their eyes. Boys , each of them thought.

  Soun led Genma, Ranko, and Akane to the back gate, where challengers were instructed to enter. The old-fashioned electric lamps lit up with an eerie static noise as he pulled the doors open. Standing there was a young man, a little taller than Ranko in her boy form. He wore a black tank top, white headband that pushed his raven hair out of his eyes, gloves, camouflage trousers, and combat boots.

  With a surprisingly friendly smile, he slid off the duffel bag he’d been using as a backpack and bowed. “Soun Tendo, I presume?” His grin turned predatory, and Ranko saw a flash of recognition as he spotted Genma among the four of them.

  “I am Ryu Kumon and I come to challenge your dojo. Apologies for the late hour.”

  Soun shook his head and waved his hands to dismiss the apology. “None needed, we are always proud to receive visitors, especially when it’s the pride of our family.” Looking back at Genma, the two old friends shared a conspiratorial grin.

  “This is actually a portentous occasion. You see, we recently began the process of unifying the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts with her sister school, the Saotome School.” Ranko’s father was staring at Ryu, something niggling at the corner of his mind. Akane wasn’t sure if that was a good sign. “Your challenge will act as the seal for our reunion, Mr. Kumon!” With a flourish, he directed everyone back to the dojo.

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  While Ryu mostly kept his eyes on Genma, every now and then he glanced at Ranko. The way he looked her up and down with his smoldering dark eyes made her blush and she realized he was pretty cute. She had to avert her gaze, knowing that he probably wasn’t looking at her like that.

  Soun and Ryu squared off in the dojo as the rest took their seats. Akane heard Genma lean in to Ranko and softly speak, “Watch a true master of Anything-Goes at work, boy. You’ll be the head of both schools soon.”

  Based on how she gripped her gi pants, Akane didn't think Ranko was excited about that. While Genma was distracted watching the fighters prepare and stretch, she took the opportunity to put a hand on the girl-turned-boy’s shoulder. Ranko flinched but when she saw Akane’s soft expression and reassuring half-smile, she relaxed and smiled back.

  Seeing who she knew was actually a (probably very cute) girl behind those blue eyes feel safe for a single moment set off fireworks all over Akane’s body. She resolved, in that moment, that there wasn't a single person she wouldn't piledrive into the concrete if it would keep Ranko safe.

  Hopefully not this Kumon guy, though. He seemed…intense. His stance was similar to a Western boxer's: feet close together, spine straight, fists up on either side of his face. Soun’s stance was wide, relaxed, hands lightly closed, one in front of his stomach and the other out in front.

  Neither fighter waited for a signal to begin and rushed one another. Kumon was fast, though not as fast as Ranko, and as his stance suggested relied heavily on punches. Tendo kept his distance with arrhythmic high and low kicks and the occasional chop, taking advantage of his superior reach.

  Kumon’s aggressive shoulder rolls brought him close enough to deflect a low sweep with his knee. Once he was inside Soun’s defense he dove forward, arms out for a grapple.

  Then he wheezed as Soun stepped in with a straight cross into Kumon’s stomach. Genma, enraptured by the match, whooped. “Point Tendo!” Whatever kind of person he was, he was proud of his friend.

  Ryu panted and coughed while Soun patted him on the back, and Akane realized her dad’s behavior was very casual and familiar for a supposed stranger.

  “Don't worry my boy, you have an excellent grasp of the fundamentals. A little heavy on the punches, but you've got great mobility.” He returned to his side of the mat and knelt, catching his breath. “0-1, defender. Whenever you're ready, my boy.”

  Kumon wiped the spittle away from his mouth and went back to position. “You said something about your schools reuniting. Is the master of the other school here today as well?” It was a casual ask, practically small talk. Akane heard the hunger in his voice, a stress at the edge of his words.

  “Actually yes! Genma Saotome, perhaps after the match you two can become acquainted.” Soun didn't gesture to or indicate Genma at all, but gave Ranko a little smirk.

  Their second round was over faster than the first. Kumon overcorrected and spent too much time on defense, and Soun was able to tag him on the side of his torso with a kick after a feint.

  “Point, Tendo! 0-2 defender!” Genma was practically drooling with excitement as he took on the role of announcer.

  Akane wasn't sure what the plan was. Was this Kumon person just a random challenger? Other than getting Mr. Saotome fired up, she didn't understand what it was accomplishing, and Ranko was just passively observing as well. She couldn't even imagine what was going through the other girl's mind.

  For the third round, her father took a more aggressive stance: weight forward, one fist clenched over his knee, the other down by his stomach, ready to swing.

  Kumon, meanwhile, returned to a more aggressive stance, some variant of isshin-ryu karate where he faced forward with both hands relaxed in front of his face. If he was struck one more time he would lose the challenge.

  Once more they began without a signal, wordlessly rushing to the center of the mat. A ballet-like procession of dodges and blocks followed. Kumon found the center he needed to evade without letting fear of reprisal prevent aggression when necessary, while Soun employed knee and elbow strikes, often intercepting Kumon’s attacks with his own.

  Akane realized that she could follow what her father was doing. Was this the plan? To give her a crash course on the Tendo style? Why? Was she just overthinking things?

  But it ended almost as quickly as the second round. Kumon leapt and attempted an overhead axe kick which Soun grabbed, then deflected the attempt at a knee to the face. He drove Kumon to the ground for a victory by submission.

  Ranko and Akane clapped and Genma bellowed a victorious laugh. “Tendo, my friend! You haven't lost your touch at all, have you? I was worried dojo life made you soft but that was incredible.”

  Soun helped Ryu back to his feet and the two bowed and shook hands before he turned his attention to Genma. “I'm glad you think so, Saotome.” He accepted his friend’s praise with a polite smile and nod.

  Then Ryu stepped forward. “Mr. Saotome, I take it you're the master of the other school of Anything Goes? If so, I challenge you , with Tendo-sama as witness.” Okay, Akane knew something was going on now. When Kumon challenged her father he seemed calm, polite, interested but not excited. And their movements during the fights were…textbook. Like they were improvising katas at each other rather than fighting.

  But for Genma? There was a spark in Kumon’s eyes that belied passion . Though for what Akane could only guess.

  Ranko’s father stared at the boy for a moment, gears slowly turning thanks to the residual effects of the alcohol. “Kumon…have we met before?”

  “No sir, I don't believe we have. But I promised my mother I'd come home with at least one victory, and I intend to keep that promise.”

  Ranko's thoughts drifted to her own mother, the one she'd never known. Genma, of course, never talked about her and never answered Ranko’s questions, so she was left to speculate and fantasize. At 16 she wasn't sure she'd ever have a chance to meet her, but she hoped she'd be nice. And she hoped the curse wouldn't weird her out too much.

  Nothing would be worse than if she also wanted a manly man son, but Ranko hoped that a mother would want a daughter just as much.

  Soun interrupted Ryu and Genma before their conversation could continue. “Ah, I'm sorry Kumon-san, but we were having dinner. Perhaps you could come back another time?”

  Genma turned red and glared. “Oh no Tendo, I accept the boy’s challenge. My son could stand to watch how I fight someone else for a change.”

  Ranko felt Akane’s grip tighten in response to Genma’s words, but she gave the Tendo girl a reassuring smile. Still helped her feel better, knowing Akane was here for her.

  Once again Kumon took his position on the mat, and Genma stood where Soun had earlier. Genma’s stance was low and wide, ready to leap into the air instead of remaining grounded.

  Ryu’s face at this point was something demonic. A grin split it ear to ear, and his pupils were like tiny sparks of hellfire. The stance he took was strange as well: fists clenched and at his sides, feet parallel and shoulder width apart, fully facing his opponent.

  This time Soun raised his hand and proclaimed “Begin!” Genma dashed forward as Kumon threw both arms forward and spread them apart, kicking at the same moment.

  “Fierce Tiger Gate-Open Blast!” The air buckled in front of him as an invisible force slammed into Genma and threw him through the wall into the garden.

  Ranko and Akane sprang to their feet, unsure if they should attack Kumon, but Soun raised a hand and said, calmly, “Point Kumon by way of ring out. Saotome, are you all right to keep fighting?”

  At first there was no response, and Ranko feared the worst. Monster though he was, she had no desire to see her father killed!

  But a low growl came from darkness as Genma stood. “Now I remember…Kumon. That pathetic excuse for a martial artist has a son, huh?”

  Ryu scowled. “ Had a son. The idiot tried using your techniques and then collapsed our dojo on himself. He managed to tell me who sold him the scroll of Yama-Sen Ken.”

  For some reason, he looked back at Ranko sadly. “Honestly he was a pathetic excuse for a father, too. Fortunately I found succor in the arms of a mother. One who has a particular vendetta against you , Genma Saotome.”

  Ranko’s father shook his head. “No, I never met your mother, just your father. You've got me confused for someone else.”

  A new voice rang across the courtyard from the house. “He's talking about me, Genma.” It belonged to a woman wearing a black kimono with a wave pattern on the hem. She was tall, with piercing blue eyes and lustrous black hair that only had a few strands of silver so far.

  In her hands she held a beautiful, deadly-looking katana, unsheathed.

  Genma took one look at her before he tried to escape, leaping directly at Ranko. He was intercepted by Ryu, who somehow wrapped his arms all the way around Genma's core and arms.

  “Crushing Embrace of the Killer Grip!” Ranko swore she heard the sound of cracking bone under Genma’s pained cries.

  But that voice…Ranko ran around the side of the dojo, and she and the woman in the kimono met each others' gaze and the world stopped. Flashes of memories buried deep in Ranko’s mind clawed their way to the surface and she remembered the woman's face so vividly, even after 13 years of neglect and dreams.

  She heard a clattering sound as the katana dropped to the ground and the woman sprinted to her, wrapping her up in the tightest hug she'd ever experienced. Wet hands cupped her face and she realized it wasn’t the woman’s hands that were wet, but her cheeks: she’d begun crying without even realizing it.

  “Ranko? My Ranko? Is it really you?” Ranko couldn’t speak, could barely breathe, felt intense heat in her face, and she realized that the two of them had sunk to the ground. “Do you remember me? After all this time? My little song?”

  Little song…the nickname dredged the yearsworth muck of repression and time obfuscating the last of her memories. Weeping, Ranko croaked out the beginning of a lullaby, the only one she remembered, a simple tune beckoning a small child to sleep. “Mother?” She begged, praying that this wasn’t a dream, that she hadn’t passed out or fallen asleep in the Tendo’s furo.

  “It’s me, it’s your mama, oh gods I can’t believe it’s really you, my sweet daughter, my little song, I finally found you.” Even in her cursed form, her mother recognized her, missed her, wanted her. She never wanted the moment to end.

  None of the Tendo sisters could begrudge Ranko her happiness. They’d lost their mother forever, but Ranko never got a chance to know hers. Akane wiped away a few tears before shifting her attention to Soun and Genma, the latter of whom was still being restrained by Ryu.

  Finally her father’s charming fa?ade was gone, leaving only a stern look of disapproval, shame, and disgust. Genma simply looked furious, though his gaze was trained on his (presumably ex) wife and daughter.

  “You learned our master’s lessons too well I think, Saotome.” Soun growled softly. “Nodoka reached out to me the day you kidnapped your daughter. Did you really not consider that? Or that I would forget you had a daughter?”

  The atmosphere was calm, but Akane didn’t trust Mr. Saotome. She stood behind her father in case his old friend tried something. It felt wrong to watch Ranko’s reunion with her mother anyway, and despite being happy for the girl it was impossible to ignore her envy.

  “I have a son now though. We can finally fulfill our dream. He’ll come around, it’s only been two weeks.” His words betrayed his intention. He didn’t realize it was over, that his scheme was finished. Worse, that even after seeing Ranko collapse into tears with her mother, that he believed he could “fix” her. Or that any of the Tendos would go along with such a thing.

  Shaking his head, Soun tried to reason with him. “Your daughter, Ranko , has been afflicted with a curse. My own daughters, who knew nothing, suspected something was bothering her and managed to figure it out in a matter of hours .” He stepped back to put a hand on Akane’s shoulder, and beamed down at her with pride.

  “I wouldn’t trade any of my daughters for a son. Of course I wanted one, and after Ranko was born Hana and I considered trying for a fourth…but our girls made us so happy, and we were — and still are — so proud of them.”

  Despite the intensity of the moment, and the danger Mr. Saotome presented, Akane felt more tears building up in her eyes.

  “And after seeing what you’ve done to your daughter, Saotome?” Soun failed to find the words and threw up his hands in frustrated anger. “What made you think I would ever want to unite our schools? Would want you anywhere near my family ever again? The moment you refused your child was the moment you broke our vow.”

  Soun’s rebuke and rejection of their friendship stung Genma. His face went slack in shock and disbelief. “Tendo, please…he’s a prodigy. He’s the greatest martial artist I’ve ever seen. He could be so much more under our tutelage.” Now he was pleading, grasping at air.

  “I’m a girl , you piece of shit!” Everybody was surprised when Ranko shouted from the embrace with her mother. She quickly muttered an apology to Nodoka and stood, approaching her father.

  “Let him go.” She asked Ryu.

  “Uh, sorry sis, can’t trust him to—”

  “I said let him go! ” She demanded, and after Nodoka nodded for him to comply he scoffed and opened his arms.

  Genma looked at Ranko with hope in his eyes. “Oh Ranma, I knew you’d get it, tell them, tell them you—”

  “I give up.” She interrupted.

  Everyone looked at her, puzzled, including Genma. “Give up…resisting me? That’s great news!”

  “No. I give up fighting. I never wanted it, or if I did you never gave me the choice. You never gave me any choice. So I’m done.” Her gaze wasn’t reinforced by steely determination or defiance, but by a chilling pit of apathy .

  “You can’t give up, you’ve come so far!” Genma was incensed beyond measure. He leaned in and Ryu, Akane, and Soun moved to grab him but were waved away by Ranko. Despite her father’s rage her hollow gaze reflected nothing back at him. His confidence began to waver. “Please…you get to be a man now. Everything I’ve taught you since you were little…You’ve overcome so much adversity.”

  Akane realized she was holding her breath. Every second felt like an eternity.

  “I don’t want it. I don’t want any of it. I’m not proud that I survived you, I’m tired. Starving. Not just for sleep, and food. I never got friends, I never got to stay in one place for more than a couple of years, I never had a family. Just you. I’d rather die than go back to that.” Her voice was even and calm, not a hint of deception.

  “It doesn’t matter what you do. Throw me in a pit of cats, steal my food and water, make me stay out in the cold or heat, it doesn’t matter. If you take me away again I’m just gonna give up and let it happen. I’m not gonna fight you any more, even to save my life. Those are your choices: let me go or let me die.” She looked around at everyone who’d come together to help her.

  “No matter what he does, don’t interfere.” Was her only request.

  Akane wanted to protest, wanted to interrupt, but Soun squeezed her shoulder and whispered, “It’s going to be all right.”

  “One thing first!” Kasumi said as she approached with a steaming, but no longer boiling, kettle. “Here you go, Ranko. I wanted this to be ready before you met your mother, but…”

  “Good call Kasumi, I appreciate it.” As the elder Tendo sister poured it out on Ranko’s head she felt herself shrink, and Nodoka gasped, clapping her hands to her mouth to stifle a new batch of sobs.

  Akane stopped breathing again, though this time it was because of how pretty the black-haired girl in front of her was. Smaller than Akane by a few inches with those same beautiful blue eyes, muscles, and lithe form as the boy she’d met earlier that day.

  Genma glared at his daughter for a moment. “No, no, no, no , no , no , no , NO! ” His own eyes were wet and he screamed at her, but she didn’t flinch, blink, or move. Just the same impassive look as she met his gaze.

  He started throwing punches and kicks at her. None of them connected, not because Ranko dodged or blocked them, nor because anyone else came to her aid (though after the first punch everyone else flinched), but because he was just trying to get her to respond. Even when a fist made contact with her cheek, he stopped before he connected with the bone underneath. And even then she remained unmoved.

  Panting and growling, he used the last option he had left, reached into his gi, and pulled out a polaroid picture of…a cat? Just a normal gray tabby. For some reason, Ranko did flinch when she saw the picture, but she just stared at it for a moment.

  Then she started giggling. At first it was a cute noise but swiftly became unhinged as it transitioned into a mirthless cackle. She doubled over as she coughed and hacked around heaves, and Genma took a horrified step back.

  “Oh! Oh wow! Good job, pops, you finally fixed one of the ways you screwed me up. No more cat phobia, hahahahahahaha!” She wiped away tears and snatched the photo from her dad’s startled hand. “Ohhhh, what was this one’s name? Mrs. Oyama up in Hokkaido, right? That was her owner...Peaches! That’s right, wow. You haven’t pulled this out in months, I thought you lost it.”

  Casually she handed it back and Genma took it automatically. Her smile disintegrated again, “Guess you’re the only thing I’m still afraid of, huh dad?”

  Finally, he realized that his dream, the martial arts prodigy child he wanted to raise, to train, was gone. The woman she’d become would be an unflappable, indomitable force, tempered to near-invulnerability by the training, but no longer on his terms. Even if he laid himself on the floor to apologize, and somehow became the father he should have been, in the end all he succeeded in doing was forever driving her away from the future he wanted for her.

  The revelation came too late for him to do anything about it. The fleeting moment of hope he felt after Jusenkyo was completely dashed.

  She might not have been proud but he allowed himself some small comfort that she did survive the long years with him. Though he realized it was in spite of him, not because of him. He remembered being happy once, when he saw her coddled in her mother’s arms when they came home from the hospital. He’d wanted a son so deliriously that in that moment of happiness he feared that his heart would soften under his daughter’s touch, and that fear festered until he stole her away from her mother three years later, justifying that it was for both of their own good.

  But the way she looked at him now, devoid of hope, of pride, of happiness…whatever strength she had wasn’t worth what he did to her.

  Unable to face the greatest evidence of his failure and shame any longer, he managed to utter “I’m…I’m sorry, Ranko. Goodbye,” before leaping away. He had sworn to seal the power of the Umi-Sen Ken away, but he employed it one last time as he made his getaway to ensure no one could ever follow.

  Except for Ryu, who immediately gave chase, nobody moved. Everyone just watched Ranko as she stared where her father was standing. An interminable amount of time passed as the reality that she’d never have to see his face again finally caught up to her, and she pitched backward.

  Strong, soft arms caught her, and she looked up to see the big, brown, beautiful eyes of Akane, who cradled her in her lap. She was joined by Nodoka, Soun, and even Kasumi and Nabiki, once they knew the coast was clear.

  “H-he…is he…?” She didn’t need to ask before Soun shook his head.

  “I won’t claim to know the man he’s become, but I doubt you’ll ever see him again, Ranko.”

  Nodoka nodded and took her daughter’s hand. “You’re safe now, I promise.”

  Nodoka and Ranko stayed in the guest room for the next few days. Ranko spent most of her time asleep, and while Nodoka was with her for a lot of it she took a few breaks to talk with Akane and the other girls.

  They learned that Nodoka Shimizu, née Saotome after the divorce, searched for her ex-husband and daughter for years. She explained that she never gave up hope but eventually had to settle for the reality that it would take a long time. She contacted Soun almost immediately, remembering Genma’s best friend at the wedding, and he and his wife helped her out during the first few years.

  Kasumi at one point exclaimed, “Wait…Auntie Nodoka?” as they told the story, and the woman nodded. “I’m so happy you remember! After your mother passed I didn’t want to feel like a burden when I was still grieving, but I’m sorry I didn’t stay with you girls and help.”

  Ryu, who eventually returned after failing to find Genma and reintroduced himself properly as Ryu Shimizu, grinned. “Plus if you were taking care of these three you never would’ve adopted me, Ma.”

  Nabiki, who was basically infatuated with the boy since the first time she laid eyes on him, batted her eyelashes and chimed in, “And wouldn’t that be a shame…”

  Akane rolled her eyes.

  After the postcard from Genma arrived the same morning the pair arrived, Soun immediately called Nodoka. He brought out pictures from their wedding, and the ones they’d been sent of Ranko’s first three years of life. Akane couldn’t help but notice the passage of time in Genma’s face in the few photos he was in.

  “I still don’t understand how he forgot he told us about Ranko.” He mused.

  Nodoka shook her head. “Obsession can do strange things to a person. I hope if he finds peace he apologizes again to Ranko. I’m worried she’ll be seeing his ghost for years.”

  Indeed, Ranko’s sleep was plagued by nightmares. She needed someone with her at all times or she’d wake up screaming. Usually it was Ryu, who settled into the role of her big brother very naturally.

  One evening he brought a few bowls of congee to eat while she recovered from a particularly bad nightmare. The two sat in silence before she asked, “Umm…so you called me sis back then. I’m sorry if I yelled at you.”

  He shook his head and gently put a hand on her knee. “Don’t worry about it. Your mom adopted me after my dad died. Don’t worry about him either — he wasn’t as bad as your dad, but he was an idiot who listened to your dad and literally brought our home down around us. Ma found me crying in the wreckage of our old dojo when I was…I dunno, five or six?”

  She didn’t respond while she ate the comforting, carb-heavy food.

  “Do you wanna know more about her?” He offered.

  She stared at him and nodded and listened as he recounted his childhood and how blessed he was to have Nodoka in his life. Ranko mourned what she could have had but was so glad she had a chance to experience it second-hand.

  Two months later, Ranko Shimizu and Akane Tendo walked hand-in-hand out of Furinkan High School.

  Once Ranko was well enough, she tried moving in with her mother and brother but the house was just too quiet, too empty. Within two weeks she and Nodoka moved back in with the Tendos, leaving Ryu at the old house so he could keep attending his high school without transferring. He was close enough that he visited most days anyway, especially once Nabiki finally wore him down and the two started dating.

  Both Nodoka and Soun insisted that Nabiki wasn’t allowed to stay at “his” house unsupervised, of course. Ryu swore on his honor that he’d never let that happen, while Nabiki giggled mischievously.

  Ranko’s closeness gave Akane a chance to…get closer with the girl. Ranko was determined to never fight again, but Akane still learned a lot about the Art just listening to the other girl, and Ranko was happy to demonstrate kata for her.

  Akane also finally worked up the courage to tell Ranko how she felt about her, and was pleasantly surprised when Ranko reciprocated. “I mean I think I also like boys, but…well my first kiss was with another girl too…my first real kiss, anyway, I think I might have had one when I was, like, six with this boy whose dad owned an okonomiyaki—”

  Before she could start rambling Akane tackled her onto her bed. The two were caught minutes later by Kasumi, and they received the same prohibition from Soun and Nodoka about staying at Nodoka’s home alone. The girls nodded and blushed.

  Once Ranko started going to school with Akane, the Tendo girl noticed that she thrived there. She was always so friendly and outgoing, but had an unflappable breeziness that captivated everybody who met her. Plus, any boys who gave her trouble met with the same fate as her father. Kuno, who’d been giving Akane a hard time for months, challenged her to a duel. She accepted, of course, and then just stood there with that steely, cold gaze in her eyes and Kuno forfeit.

  Today though, as the girls started heading home, a commotion in front of the school blocked their way. Murmurs and whispers of some strange boy and girl in yellow were going around until Ranko heard an unmistakable voice cry out, “I’m looking for Ranko Saotome!”

  Without even having to see, Ranko practically squealed “Ryoga!?” and vaulted over the assembled students. Sure enough her middle school crush and his little sister, Yoiko, stood in front of the school’s gate. They were covered in dust, bruises, and scratches, and were carrying oversized traveling bags, but it was them!

  Ranko even felt a pang of guilt when she realized that Ryoga had gotten very attractive in the two years since she’d last seen him, muscle filling out some of his lankier appendages. He barely noticed Ranko flying toward him until the last second and he caught her in a panic. Giggling, she landed in a bridal carry and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Ranko-nee-chan!” Yoiko exclaimed and joined the hug. Ryoga blushed and his knees wobbled as he carried the combined weight of Ranko, Yoiko, and both of their traveling bags.

  “I missed you so much! I thought I’d never see you again! Did you get lost? How did you know I was here?” Ranko had so many questions that Ryoga failed to keep up with them at all, though an assertive “Ahem,” from a girl he didn’t know with long, blue-black hair in a bow arrested his attention.

  “Ranko, who’re your friends ?” She asked acidly. Ryoga decided he didn’t care much for her tone.

  “Oh! Akane! I’m so excited for you to meet my best friends in the world! ” Akane would have been more worried about that if Ranko didn’t say it about basically everybody she met, but they clearly had some kind of history.

  “This is Yoiko and Ryoga Hibiki! Ryoga went to my middle school’s all-boy’s sister school.” She wiggled out of the hug and waved her arms at the crowd. “Bye everybody, I need to catch up! Sorry it wasn’t more interesting!”

  Disappointed groans emanated from the student body as Ranko led Akane and the Hibikis (Akane couldn’t help but notice she’d taken Ryoga by the hand ) to a nearby park to chat. Yoiko spent the entire time practically hanging on Akane’s girlfriend. That was fine, it was a sisterly affection.

  Ranko told them all about how she waited three days for Ryoga to show up before her father took her away, and Ryoga explained that he set out almost immediately to find her. Yoiko chimed in to point out that she was the one who convinced him to go, and insisted on going with him so he wouldn’t get lost. (Ranko gave Akane a look that told her it didn’t work)

  During the discussion, Akane slowly pulled Ranko closer to her until Ranko was curled up under one of Akane’s arms, blushing and gesticulating while she talked. Akane and Ryoga met each others’ gazes and lightning practically sparked between them.

  Akane could never do anything to hurt Ranko so she couldn’t just ask Ryoga to back off, plus Yoiko seemed like a nice girl and she and Ranko had a very strong rapport. When Ranko asked about their family dog Akane knew she had no way to keep her apart from the boy she clearly felt something for.

  “Ryoga Hibiki!” Akane shouted mid-story and stood up. Everyone stopped and stared. “I challenge you, tomorrow, after school at Furinkan High.”

  Nobody knew exactly what to say, though Ryoga asked, “And what are you challenging me for, exactly?”

  Akane grinned and winked at Ranko, who blushed so hard she had to turn her face away and giggle with Yoiko.

  “I challenge anyone who claims to be a friend of Ranko Shimizu. If I’m satisfied you may be my rival.”

  Ryoga almost said something about how he could always be Ranko’s rival, but she exclaimed first. “Ooooh! That’s a good idea! I promise he’s a great fighter, he’ll need a sparring partner now that he’s back home.”

  Both Hibikis looked at her confused. “Wait, why wouldn’t you be his sparring partner, nee-chan?” Yoiko asked.

  Proudly, Ranko answered, “Oh I’m done with all that. Fighting I mean. It was my dad’s plan for me and I decided I wouldn’t do it any more. But Akane’s even better than me, Ryoga!”

  At that moment, both Akane and Ryoga realized Ranko wasn’t going to let either of them go. Whether they wanted to be rivals or not, they were gonna be.

  In early October, Ranko dragged her girlfriend and sort-of boyfriend to the skating rink, along with some of her friends from school, her big brother, Nabiki, and her little sister. Akane didn’t know she liked to skate, but the girl didn’t seem to dislike any hobby. After some initial issues settling back into school, she excelled in her classes and managed to move up to second year with Akane.

  Once she had a chance to start fresh with everybody else, she quickly climbed her way up to the top of her classes and threw herself into every extracurricular activity she could manage. She especially liked singing, and insisted on doing karaoke whenever she got a chance.

  Akane needn’t have worried about her on the ice, either. The two of them practically danced on their skates, though she steamed when she stopped to help Ryoga after his fifth collapse. The three skated mostly together for a while, Ryoga eventually getting used to the fact that a cute girl was holding him up.

  A piercing, high-pitched, shrill, eardrum-shattering squeal almost deafened Akane and Ryoga, but Ranko got a look on her face that Akane hadn’t seen since…well since Ryoga first showed up.

  “CHARLOTTE!” Screamed a bushy-haired brunette with enormous green eyes who was hurtling directly at them.

  “JEANETTE!” Ranko screamed back and dashed at the girl, leaving Akane to prop Ryoga up.

  “Who’s that?” She asked her rival, who seemed just as lost as her.

  “Beats me, she never told me about a ‘Jeanette’.”

  Ranko and “Jeanette” caught each others’ arms and spiraled together, holding each other close and speaking so quickly but so softly they couldn’t be heard. Akane and Ryoga both turned red as the brunette went in for a kiss but were relieved that Ranko leaned away from it.

  “Whoa! I’m sorry Azusa, I’m actually here with my girlfriend, Akane.” She sheepishly gestured over at the two who were simmering with quiet rage. “Guys, this is Azusa Shiratori! She was my…can I say girlfriend?” She quickly asked Azusa, who nodded. “Yay! Girlfriend before I met Ryoga.”

  Azusa, apparently her actual name, glanced at the two of them before smiling a knowing smirk. “Of course Charlotte has a cute girlfriend and pet, Azusa isn’t angry.” She hugged Ranko tight and gave Akane and Ryoga a murderous look over her shoulder.

  The two could no longer contain their fury and at the same time shouted “Azusa Shiratori! We challenge you to a duel!”

  Azusa sauntered over to the two of them, her arm still around Ranko’s waist, and sized them up. She was shorter than both of them but carried herself with a poise and confidence that explained how she got Ranko back in the day.

  “Azusa accepts your challenge. Doubles martial arts figure skating, Kolhotz High School skating rink, one week from today. What are your terms?” She snapped back with a grin.

  They were distracted as Ranko started blushing and giggling too loud to ignore. She was glancing between the three with her fingers in front of her mouth as she tried and failed to stifle her ebullient laughter.

  Akane smiled as her girlfriend slipped and fell from all the laughing. She never had reason to question her loyalty, but the way she kept collecting suitors was eventually gonna be a problem.