Chapter 4 - Man Amongst Men

AN: Only one sex scene in this chapter with the rest being plot.  This was originally meant to have a different endpoint, but then I realized how much I had already written and knew I had to cut it off from being too gigantic.  Ranma's journey to being feminized is a long one, but progress is being made, as can be seen in this chapter.  There'll be another AN at the end with a bit more detail that's too spoilery to put up here.

Anyway, I'm glad to see so many people are liking this story! (100+ Faves and 34 Rating? What the 'eff.).  As always, I hope you enjoy reading! 


Chapter 4 - Man Amongst Men


'Three figures, two girls and one unknown, are walking down an unfamiliar, yet recognizable road.  Their surroundings are hazy and vaguely undefined, but the destination is clear based on what one girl cheerfully exclaims.

 “We're almost at Yuka's house, Sayuri-chan! *****!” said Akane with a smile that seemed too wide for her face.  

 “You seem even more excited, than I am, Akane-chan~” teased Sayuri.

 Akane gave a comical blush and sputtered, “W-Wha-What are y-you talking about?!” She turned to the unknown figure who started snickering and yelled, “*****! Stop laughing!”

 Akane pulled out a comically oversized wooden mallet seemingly out of nowhere and swung it at the laughing person.  They smoothly ducked the blow and batted the weapon out of Akane's hands in a connected series of flowing motions with peerless agility and skill.  

 Akane pouted, “Mouuu...! Why does that NEVER work?!”

 The other person preened, “Because I'm the best!”

 Akane and Sayuri agreed that this was indeed the case, though the former did so with far more reluctance than the latter.  The world's greatest martial-artist flipped through the air and began to walk alongside the two girls while casually balancing themselves along a fence that seemed to stretch without end.  Akane stared enviously and a little lustfully at them, blushing whenever they met her wandering eyes.  Sayuri giggled at the byplay between the two of them and pointed forwards.

 “Look! We're almost there!”

 Indeed, the single house at the end of the empty road could only be Yuka's house.  Considering the cute girl in question was waving energetically at them, the three friends knew they were at the right place.  ***** caught the flutter of wings, though when they looked up, the only traces of something ever being there were several large black feathers drifting down onto the roof and the acrid stench of sulfur.  

 Yuka's eyes twinkled merrily as they came up to her and the martial artist gracefully jumped down from her perch to greet the girl.

 “Hey there! I'm so happy you three could make it!” Yuka gave each of them a warm embrace as she greeted them, lingering a bit longer on the martial-artist before pulling back with a smile.  “Come on in! Daddy's waiting!”

 “Waiting for what?” asked the martial-artist curiously.

 “For a strong girl like yourself to help me out, of course!” answered a husky voice.

 Standing in the middle of the hallway was a very hairy and rotund man, whose flabby stomach protruded slightly from the bottom of the shirt he was wearing.  A 12 o'clock shadow adorned the man's face and slightly crooked teeth could be seen in his wide mouth.  Bushy eyebrows, a balding head of light brown hair starting to go grey in some places and a wide double chin completed the look of a man who had weathered quite a few years of life.  Large arms that were not entirely devoid of muscle widened in a welcoming gesture for them to come inside his home.  ***** couldn't help but squirm and blush when his attention came to rest on her and a heated gaze appear on the man's somewhat ugly face.  

 This was Yuka's father – Kenta.

 “Do you mean me, sir?” she asked shyly.

 Kenta-ojisan laughed, “Of course! Who else would I be talking to?”

 ***** was pleased that he chose her for her strength and she couldn't say she hated the way he seemed to drink in her groomed appearance either.  

 “S̷i̸s̶s̵y̷.̸.̷.̷” ***** looked around as someone said something, but she couldn't see anyone besides Kenta-ojisan.

 The man smiled warmly at her, which greatly helped to offset his less than stellar appearance and walked towards her.  Kenta-ojisan's large, calloused hand took *****'s much daintier hand in his own, who felt a delightful tingle running down her spine from the touch.

 “Come along, *****.  I'll show you where I need your help...” he explained kindly while pulling her along.  

 They were in the kitchen now, which seemed to have a powerful musk overlaying it.  

 “But first, would you like a drink?” he held out a glass of warm milk for her with a smile.

 “Thank you, ojisan!” she chirped, gladly taking the glass and downing the slightly salty and pungent milk.  The warmth that settled in her belly spread outwards and seemed to intensify whenever she looked at him and the hand that was still holding her own.

 He smiled kindly at her and squeezed her hand gently, sending another electric thrill through her body.  “Anytime, *****-chan.”

 They were in a large storage room of some kind now, which connected to the outside.  Lots of heavy-looking furniture and crates were stacked haphazardly around the room and Kenta-ojisan pointed out several items that he needed help with.

 ***** puffed up proudly; it was a simple task for one of her capabilities.  

 Kenta-ojisan gasped in amazement as she quickly shuffled the various items into their proper places, not even pausing to balk at the heaviest of the objects.  Before long, all of the items were sorted and **n** hadn't even broken a sweat during the moving process.  Kenta-ojisan clapped and it was echoed by an invisible, cheering audience that **n*a happily took a theatrical bow for.

 “You're such a good girl, R*n*a-chan...” commended Kenta-ojisan.

 “Thank you, ojisan! Happy to help!” She locked her fingers behind her head and grinned at him.

 He chuckled and casually slipped his arm around her waist, pressing her close to his bulk.  Being held like this as he led them back to the foyer really put into perspective just how much larger he was compared to her.  It was odd as the thought made Ran*a both a little scared and a little happy at the same time.

 They were back in the foyer and the other girls were putting on their shoes, getting ready to leave.  Kenta-ojisan released his hold on her and stood at the door as each of the girls left, kissing their cheeks before each one left.  Sayuri, Yuka and Akane all happily received his marks of affection and disappeared through the door until it was just her and him.

 With a timid smile she stepped up towards him as he leaned down towards her face.  His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her in close with a startled squeak as his large, cracked lips pressed against her soft cheek.  

 “The kiss is only for the girls, Ranma-chan.”'

 “GAH-!” Ranma shot out of his futon with a strangled gasp, his chest heaving with exertion.  The morning light filtering in through the window screen fell partially down upon him and only brought into stark relief just how much his hand was shaking.

 Carefully, Ranma raised a hand to his cheek and was somewhat relieved that he couldn't feel any traces of saliva or anything like that.  Still, his heart refused to settle down as he recalled what few details he could remember of the embarrassing dream.

 “Why...Why the hell was I dreamin' about...?!” Ranma collapsed back onto his futon with a groan, pressing his hands into his face.   

 The shift in his position caused Ranma to become aware of another issue as his underwear was feeling a little less roomy.  Gingerly sitting up, Ranma pulled back the waistband of his shorts and underwear and grimaced at the erection he was sporting.  

 'Just morning wood, that's all...That's all it is...' he reassured to himself.

 Mrgl...

 Ranma put a hand to his stomach as it growled, reminding him of far more important things to be concerned about than any stupid dream that didn't mean anything at all.

 The stupid dream, that is.  That was stupid.

 Not the idea of getting breakfast.   

 Mrgl...!

 “Right, let's get some grub first.” decided Ranma resolutely.

 He did a quick series of stretches to wake himself up more and threw a single test punch as he usually did hoping that today would be the day that the Moxibustion cured itself.

 It still had not.

 Scowling, Ranma rolled up his futon and shoved it in the closet with a frustrated huff before exiting the room.  It became quickly apparent as he walked through the quiet house and downstairs that either everyone was asleep or they had all gone out somewhere.  His suspicions were confirmed when he found a set of covered dishes on the table in the tatami room and shattered in the next instant when Kasumi came out of the kitchen with her usual faint smile.

 “Oh?” Kasumi's eyes widened a bit when she noticed his presence, before she gave him a warm smile.  “Good morning, Ranma-kun.  Would you like some breakfast?”

 “Morning, Kasumi!” greeted back Ranma happily, who was glad to see a face that didn't cause conflicting feelings to rise up within him.  “And yeah I'm-”

 MRRRGGGLLLLL!

 “...starving...hehe...” Ranma ducked his head sheepishly as his stomach practically wailed for food to fill it.

 Kasumi giggled and waved her hands towards the food on the table, “Feel free to eat up.  There's more in the kitchen if you want seconds.”

 “You're the best, Kasumi!” The girl tittered and walked back into the kitchen as Ranma started to uncover the food.  He clapped his hands once and said thanks, before tearing into the meal with all the grace of a ravenous, deadbeat panda.

 Due to the fact that Ranma was lacking any of his abilities with chi, including supernatural speed, there was still some food left on his plate when Kasumi came back with a pot of steaming green tea.  Seeing the imperceptible frown on the older girl's face, Ranma slowed down his consumption quite a bit in order to maintain at least the veneer of table manners.  It seemed to work considering Kasumi's lips quirked up and gave Ranma a knowing look that had him blushing slightly.

 Th~unk.

 A ceramic mug of green tea was delicately placed down in front of him as Kasumi sat down herself across the table with her own cup.  

 “Thanks, Kasumi.” said Ranma gratefully, sipping at the hot drink once, before lowering it thoughtfully.

 “Is something wrong, Ranma-kun?” asked Kasumi.

 Ranma shook his head slowly, “No...everything is great as usual, it's just...” he looked at the tea, “It feels like something is missing from the tea?” He took another few sips of the drink and shrugged when he couldn't think of what 'it' exactly was.

 “It's nothing, Kasumi.  Guess, I'm just feelin' kinda...off.”

 Kasumi nodded understandingly, “I thought Akane was acting a tad strange as well.  Did something happen yesterday?”

 Ranma lowered his bowl of rice, flicking the last grains of rice into his mouth with his chopsticks as he thought back to the day before.  “Not...that I can think of.  Though she was kind of actin' a little weird when we left her friend's place.” 

 “Such as?” prompted Kasumi.

 “Well...It ain't like she was nervous, more like she was...” Ranma searched for the right word for a few moments before snapping his fingers as he got it, “Restless! Yeah, that's it.  Like she wanted to do something else while we were all having a good time.”

 Kasumi tapped her index finger on her lip as she looked up towards the ceiling with a thoughtful expression, “Yes, that's how I felt as well when I saw her last night and again this morning before she left with Nabiki after finishing breakfast.” 

 Ranma raised his eyebrows curiously, “'Kane and Nabs? Where'd those two head off to?”

 “I believe she wanted Nabiki's help with getting some kind of deal for...home repairs...?” said Kasumi carefully, before nodding to herself with more conviction, “Yes.  She said she was going to talk to her friend's father.”

~Unfit~

 Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

 “AaAaAahH...DaHhddy...Ahhnn...” Yuka moaned into Kenta's neck, her arms and legs were wrapped around Kenta's torso as he roughly bounced her up and down on his cock while walking through their bedroom to give Sayuri a chance to rest.

 “Hah...Hah...Hah...” Working on catching her breath, a spread-eagled Sayuri was lying on her back on the bed with a dazed look of satisfaction and trails of slightly dried semen flowing from her vagina and asshole and onto the sheets.

 Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

 His daughter's cunt was as tight as it ever was, even as his cock slid easily through it's slick and hot innards.  Yuka was quickly picking up the trick of clenching her pussy muscles when it had fully sheathed his cock and was getting better with the timing with every bounce.  

 'I'm so lucky that my daughter is such a talented little whore...!' revelled Kenta. 

 “Ohhh...You ready for Daddy to – Ah! – dump his first load of the day into your pussy, baby?” Kenta squeezed the asscheeks that he was supporting hard and grinned when he got an approving moan from his beautiful daughter. 

 Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

 “Mmmm...Always, Daddy!” purred Yuka, leaning back slightly so she could kiss him.

 While normally he was the aggressive one whenever they were interacting intimately, it seemed that getting Akane and Sayuri to join in on their fun had sparked something truly wonderful within his daughter.  Yuka's tongue fiercely wrestled with his own, surely claiming him as hers, just as Kenta had made her his. 

 Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! 

 “Mmh...Yukah! Hah...Yuka...!” Kenta happily submitted to Yuka's kisses, which grew steadily in their intensity.
 
 “Daddy...Ahmmm...! Daddy! Hahn~ Daddy! G-Gonna-!” Yuka tightened her hold on him suddenly.

 Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Sla~~~p! Schlurk!

 His daughter's pussy spasmed around his cock as she started cumming and Kenta had to take a moment and pull his cock out to resist cumming himself.  Kenta wanted to treat his little girl right and have her orgasm at least a few more times before he filled her womb up.  

 “Thaattt's it!” crooned Kenta into Yuka's ear, and nibbling on the lobe a bit, “Let Daddy make you feel good...!”

 Breathing out slowly, Kenta proceeded to impale Yuka's trembling pussy back onto his cock in one long, sensuous motion.  

 Sch~~~liii~~ccckk!

 “Oooooh~! Mmmmmmmh...!” 

 Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

 “Ah! Ah! Ah! – hahh...! Daddy...your cock...! – Ah! Hahhh...! ” panted Yuka, “It feels so good! More...Fuck me more!”

 Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!

 Acceding to his Princess' demands, Kenta gleefully started to add in his own thrusts as he fucked Yuka harder and faster than before.  “Like – Ah! – this, baby?”

 “Ah! Ah! Mmm! J-Just liike thAHHt...Ohhhhh...! Daaaddy!” 
 
 Kenta alternated between shorts bursts of fast thrusts and slow pumps of his cock, which Yuka happily took advantage of to resume making out with him.  Sayuri had recovered in that period and had started to idly rub her clit while watching the two passionately make love to each other.  Kenta was proud to eke out two more orgasms from Yuka before filling her cunt up.

 Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!

 “Here...it...! Comes...!” grunted Kenta.

 “Do...it...Daddy...! Fill me...fill me up! Breed my pussy!” 

 That bit of begging from his own flesh-and-blood was enough to send Kenta over the edge and unleash the cum that had rapidly accumulated within his balls.

 “U...UoooHHHHHHHHHHH!” 

 The muscles in Kenta's lower body contracted and he felt the familiar euphoria of orgasming into his daughter.  Yuka squealed as he tried to shove her cunt even deeper onto his cock, grinding and twisting her body in place as he ejected his enormous, impossibly large load into her.  Even as Yuka's pussy squeezed and milked his cock, it never seemed to run dry and already Kenta felt like he should keep going for the entire day, alternating between Yuka, Sayuri and eventually Akane and her sister.  

 But he managed to curb that desire and brought his daughter back to bed, where Sayuri courteously made room for them.  Kenta smiled at the girl and leaned over to give her a quick peck on the cheek, who giggled and returned the same to him and a weary Yuka.   
 
 “Long day ahead of us, sweetheart.” murmured Kenta, stroking Yuka's hair a few times before gently lifting her off of his dick and onto his lap.

 Sch~~~liii~~ccckk!

 “Ahh...Daddy...you came so much...” breathed out Yuka, giggling slightly as semen immediately started to gush from the unplugged hole.  Yuka scooped a globule of cum and popped it into her mouth, “Mmmm...So good...”

 Sayuri was giving Yuka a plaintive look and his daughter chuckled and pointed down towards her pussy, “Fiiine.  Go ahead and clean me up, Sayuri.”

 “Yes!” cheered Sayuri, before licking and slurping up all the cum she could get from Yuka's pussy, sneaking in a few licks to Kenta's cock and balls every now and then.

 Kenta laughed at their antics, before gently kissing Yuka on her lips.  “Once Sayuri's done, we can all have breakfast before Akane arrives.”

 Yuka sighed happily and rested her head against Kenta's bare chest, occasionally gasping in pleasure as Sayuri teased her clit with her tongue.  “No shower first?”

 “I think we all know we'll be taking another one when we're done with Akane and her sister.”

~Unfit~

 “Yuka did mention her old man worked in construction...” mused Ranma as he finished the last of his breakfast.  “Dealing with Nabiki, though? Kinda feel sorry for the guy.”

 Kasumi tittered and gave a small shake of her head as she started to collect the dishes before Ranma stopped her.

 “Ah, let me, Kasumi.  'Least I can do.” said Ranma hastily, wanting to feel at least a little useful.  

 Perhaps understanding that, Kasumi gave Ranma a small appreciative smile before she let him collect the dishes in peace.  “Thank you, Ranma-kun.  What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

 “I was gonna go see Tofu and see if he found...y'know...” Ranma trailed off awkwardly.

 Ranma respected the hell out of Tofu, both as a skilled martial artist and as a medical practitioner.  He could be kind of a goofball around Kasumi, but that was a minor quirk at best in the face of all the other characters in Ranma's messed up life.  The man had come through for Ranma on several occasions, including the previous Moxibustion and he was hopeful that Tofu could pull off something similar again.

 Hope was really the only thing Ranma had left, after all.

 “That sounds like a wonderful idea.  And after that?”

 “I'm...not really sure.  Maybe hang out here?”

 “Well if you don't have any plans beyond that, would you like to help me out around the house after you come back? I believe your mother also wanted to spend some time and talk to you about something – Ah.  She's in the bath, right now.”

 '...Not sure if I want to know what Mom has planned.'

 “Sure.  I'll help ya' out when I get back.” Ranma paused and then asked, “Want me to get anything while I'm out?”

 Kasumi's face brightened and she pulled a small list of grocery items from her skirt pocket along with some money, “There's a store a few blocks from Ono-sensei's clinic that has a few good deals.  If you could get what's on the list, that would be wonderful, Ranma-kun.”

 Ranma smiled and placed the dishes in the sink before accepting the items, “You got it.”
 
 It was a simple errand and one that Ranma could accomplish without the Moxibustion getting in the way of.  Of course, he still had to worry about potentially running into any rivals, but the only one he might have a chance of running into was Ryoga.  

 'And while I might not be able to take the moron in a fight right now, all I have to do is turn a corner to get rid of him.' Ranma chuckled at the other boy's 'stellar' sense of direction as he left the Tendo home.

 It was a cheap tactic and one that kind of left a sour taste in Ranma's mouth for not being able to fight one of his strongest rivals.  But, it was a necessary one nonetheless if he wanted to keep his Moxibustion a secret still.  Sure, Ryoga probably wouldn't spread it around and even when Ranma had been first afflicted with it, he retained enough honour to not take advantage of his weakened state.  

 However, Ranma did not want Ryoga or anyone else to think he was weak, though.  

 Men were supposed to be strong and Ranma was supposed to be-

 SPLOOSH!

 “Oh my, are you all right, dearie?” asked the old washer woman who had been cleaning the outside of her home.  Apparently, this was one of the rare times when the forgetful woman would acknowledge that she had splashed someone.

 Ranma exhaled slowly, trying to tamp down on the frustration she was feeling for getting caught off guard yet again.  

 “I'm...fine, ma'am.” 

 “I'm so sorry about that, dear.  Would you like to come inside and dry off?” apologized the old lady and gestured towards her home.

 Ranma sighed and felt her anger drift away as a resigned acceptance took its place upon seeing the other woman's countenance.

 “N'aw, it's alright, ma'am.  I should've paid more attention to where I was walkin'.”  

 The old woman gave a self-depreciating chuckle, “Bless you for forgiving this old woman, then.” She dug into one of her sleeves and pulled out a handkerchief and a small bag and pressed them both into Ranma's hands.  “Something to dry that pretty face and some sweets for a sweet girl.”

 Ranma blinked at the unexpected offer and bowed thankfully towards the old lady with a grin, before proceeding to dry herself off with the handkerchief and return it.  “Thank you, ma'am.”

 She chuckled in reply as she took back her handkerchief, “It was the least I could do, dear.  Run along now; I'm sure a youngster like you has things to do on such a nice day.”

 Ranma waved farewell at the pleasantly smiling woman who returned back to her cleaning.  A bemused smile graced Ranma's face from the odd interaction which changed into a delighted one when she opened the small bag she had been given.  A sizable amount of konpeitō lay within the bag that sparkled from the sunlight in all the   colors of the rainbow.  Licking her lips, Ranma happily popped several of the hard sugar candies into her mouth and savoured the sweet flavour that danced along her tongue.

 Thus, Ranma came into sight of Tofu's clinic in a better mood than she had expected thanks to the surprise snack.  Still, even with the sugary treats, it did not help the slight feeling of trepidation within her heart as she opened the door and stepped into the empty waiting room.  Before she could think of looking for a bell or perhaps even call out for Tofu, the good doctor made a timely appearance.

 Ker-chak!

 A door at the back of the room opened and from it stepped Tofu balancing two stacked boxes of files in his arms that he gingerly deposited on the front desk.  A smile was on his face as he turned around, no doubt sensing the presence of someone within the room.

 “Welcome! What can I...” Tofu's eyes widened when he saw Ranma and his smile became a bit strained.

 Ranma's heart sank, but she still had to ask: “Hey, Doc'.  Any luck?”

 Tofu sighed, “Ranma...I...I'm sorry, I still haven't found anything that could be a cure.”

 Ranma's gaze sank to the floor and she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, “...You'll keep working on it, though?”

 She heard him walk closer and felt a pair of strong hands gently clasp her shoulders.  “Ranma, I swear that I will keep looking.  No matter how long it takes.”

 Ranma let out a short laugh, “How long though?” Ranma scowled at how whiny she sounded before shaking her head and cutting off Tofu's reply, “...Sorry.  I know you're doin' your best, Doc'.  Thanks.”

 “...You're very welcome, Ranma.” Ranma simply nodded, only managing to look up when Tofu squeezed her shoulders briefly, let go and stepped back.  “I did have one idea, mind you.  Towards possibly finding a clue, but I would need your permission.”

 “An...idea? Permission for what?” Ranma felt the stirrings of an ember of hope flicker within, before stamping it down with practised caution.

 “There is a medical conference coming up later in the month, just before Golden Week starts.” began Tofu, going back to the desk and fishing out something within the boxes before handing it to Ranma for her perusal.  


'
HAKONE LAKE GOLDEN CONFERENCE

Discussions on the Traditional and Holistic Approaches to Modern Medicine and their Applicability and Synergy.



Dear Dr. Tofu Ono,

You are invited to participate in a five-day conference at the lovely town of Hakone where...'


 “Five days? That's a long conference.” muttered Ranma as she read through the invitation.

 Tofu's chuckle got her to look up from the document, “It's mostly an excuse for a semi-paid vacation in a nice town.  The presentations from the various attendees won't be taking up the entire day.  Probably only a few hours at most.” He gently took the invite out of Ranma's hands before continuing, “Anyway, the reason I bring it up is that there will be several other doctors there that specialize in similar fields to what I do.”

 “Doctors...that might know about this new Moxibustion?” asked Ranma with a growing smile.

 “I won't mention any names, but I'll try and ask some other traditionally-minded doctors for ideas, if that's all right with you.”

 “Ya' need my permission for something like that?”

 Tofu gave her a wry smile, “It's called 'Doctor-Patient Confidentiality', Ranma.  As the patient, you have the power to decide how much is okay for me to share to help with your treatment.”

 “Do it.  Whatever it takes, Tofu.” agreed Ranma instantly.  She held up her palms to her face and clenched them into fists.  “I just want to be me, again.”  

 “...I'll do my very best, Ranma.” promised Tofu.  

 It wasn't a guarantee of a cure, but Ranma didn't think she would have believed that kind of declaration anyway.  

 “I know ya' will, Doc'.”

 “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ranma.” laughed Tofu, before he clapped his hands once.  “Now, since you are here, is there anything else I can do for you?”

 “N'aw, I think I'll be...” Ranma's refusal slowly died off as she considered Tofu would be gone for nearly a week this month which would coincide with a certain...issue. 

 Another thing that Ranma had to find out the hard way about her female form was that it had a certain clock that ticked along whether she was in guy form or not.

 “Actually...could I get...” Ranma's face heated up with a brilliant blush as she weakly gestured towards her entire person while dropping her voice to a bare whisper, “...some more...y'know...s-supplies...?”

 Ranma was thankful that Tofu didn't say anything else as he understood what she was getting at before promising to discreetly package some sanitary napkins for her before he left.  That was all Ranma could take before practically fleeing the clinic and putting all thoughts of...that...out of her mind.  

 'Just focus on the groceries...and NOTHING else!'

 It said something about Ranma's life that she was rather surprised to reach the supermarket without being accosted by something on the way.  The automatic doors hissed open to let out a puff of the air-conditioned interior and Ranma became just another face amongst the crowd of Sunday shoppers.  She shivered a bit as she acclimated to the cooler temperature of the store, before grabbing a basket and fishing out the list Kasumi had given her.  

 Ranma couldn't help but shy away from the other customers when she noticed some of their glances.  The men giving her a few 'subtle' looks, particularly on one specific part of her anatomy, wasn't surprising in the slightest.  Rather, it was the women giving her somewhat judging looks that had Ranma feeling rather self-conscious.  If she were her normal self, she wouldn't have given two craps about what other people thought when they looked at her. 

 “What?” snapped out Ranma irritably towards a woman next to her who was shooting her a disdainful glance.

 “They sell these things called combs over in the next aisle.” sneered the lady imperiously before turning away without another word.

 “'~They sell these things called cooombbss~'” mockingly mimicked Ranma in a ditzy falsetto before cursing in an undertone, “...Bitch.”

 Ranma snatched the paprika and coriander off the shelf and tossed it into her basket irritably.  In reaching for her items, she couldn't help but get a glance of her reflection on one of the spice bottles lining the shelves.  Ranma frowned when she saw her hair and had to admit that the red locks were maybe just a little, tiny, teensy bit...unkempt.  

 “It's not that bad...” grumbled Ranma, smoothing out the places where her hair was sticking out at odd angles and frowning when a few sprung back up as soon as her hand was no longer pressing them down.  She growled as she made a few more fruitless attempts before giving it up as a lost cause.  “Screw it.  Who cares.”

 Even if she didn't look great, it was better than fussing with her hair-

 '“I like how this me looks and that's...that's not wrong...!”'

 Ranma stopped as her own words from just yesterday sprang to the forefront of her mind along with...

 '“...Either way, you look beautiful...Ranko-chan.”'

 ...something way more embarrassing by Yuka's old man.  The memory was making her blush and so she shook her head rapidly while slapping her cheeks a bit to clear her head.  

 “Just finish the shopping, Ranma.” she reminded to herself in a low whisper.  “You can forget about all of this back home...”

 Nodding to herself, Ranma set about finding the rest of the items on the grocery list and doing her best to ignore any looks she got.  Annoyingly enough, she couldn't quite stop herself from patting down her hair self-consciously every now and then while wandering through the store.  The fact that there were so many reflective surfaces in the large supermarket didn't exactly help matters either.  What did help was that Kasumi's grocery list wasn't too big and wouldn't strain the Moxibustion-limit either as she finally tracked down the last item.

 Unfortunately that item happened to be a bottle of shampoo which resided in the aisle that Ranma was so 'helpfully' directed towards earlier.

 She was next to a row of personal care and beauty items, including hair brushes and small tubes of what Ranma thought was the lip balm Yuka had used on her.

 ...An aisle that was currently empty of people save for Ranma who had some of her own money saved from various odd-jobs squirrelled away in another pocket.

 'Mom ain't roomin' with me anymore either...'

 Because of all the changes that had occurred over the past few days, Nodoka had decided to give Ranma some space and moved to take the large room that Happosai normally commandeered.  The lecher's possessions had been thoroughly searched and examined before being summarily tossed into the trash by all the remaining residents of the Tendo household with much vindictive satisfaction.  

 And with her idiot father gone to who knows where, Ranma was free to decide how she used the room.

 Ranma was free to act how she liked inside of it.

 '“I like how this me looks and that's...”'

 “...not wrong...” she whispered softly to herself.

~Unfit~

 “Welcome back!” said Kasumi warmly as Ranma stepped back into the home holding several shopping bags.  “How was the visit to Ono-sensei?”

 Ranma simply frowned and Kasumi did the same in sympathy, “Oh dear.  I'm so sorry to hear that, Ranma-kun.”

 Ranma shrugged with feigned nonchalance, “Doc' said he was working on a lead and said he might have something at the end of Golden Week.” She wanted to change the subject and so she held up the grocery bags, “Got your stuff, by the way.”

 “...So I see.  Thank you for doing this for me, Ranma.” she said sweetly.  “Would you like me to fetch some hot water for you?”

 Ranma followed the girl into the kitchen, where she set the bags down before answering Kasumi's question.  “'Naw.  I think I'll just go into the furo instead if it's free.”

 “It should be.  Your mother and I already had our baths and while I'm not sure about Akane and Nabiki, they haven't come back yet.”

 “Still?” Ranma raised an eyebrow in surprise before shrugging, “Eh.  Whatever.  You still need some help around the house, Kasumi?”  

 Before she could respond, a new voice cut into their conversation and Ranma had to fight off a wince as her mother entered the kitchen.

 “While such things should be left for women, I approve of you wanting to help out your future sister-in-law!” she said, praising and reprimanding him at the same time.  

 'Could be worse.' thought Ranma, tempting fate like a fool.

 Her mom nodded to herself sagely, “Yes, a true man should help out his family whenever possible.  But, a true man must not forget to train his body and his mind...”

 Mom's eyes turned chilly and her [Battle Aura] started to subtly manifest itself. 

 “Now...What's this about failing a quiz?”

~Unfit~

 Ker~chaak!

 “I'm not sleeping!” yelped Ranma, jolting his head up from where it had been resting in his textbook when he heard the door slide open.

 A familiar laugh had him relaxing and caused him to send an aggrieved look at a smirking Akane.  “...Did ya' have to tell my mom about that quiz?”

 Akane slid the door closed before sitting down and plopping a dark blue bento next to his textbook.  “School's important, Ranma.  If you're still planning on opening a dojo in the future, you're going to need at least a basic education.” she lectured.

 “...If you say so.” said Ranma doubtfully, unsure as to how much he'd really need to know about all of these equations.  Still, he'd rather not get labelled as a moron (or get scolded by his mom again) and thought it was better to just buckle down and study.

 “So, what's in here?” he asked, prodding the bento warily with a finger.

 'If Akane made this, I'm gonna have to distract her so I can throw it out the window.  Fifty-fifty chance on whatever's inside clawing its' way out of the box to try and kill me, but that's a risk I'm gunna have to take.' Ranma quickly formulated a plan of survival in his mind before Akane's next words broke him out of his strategy session.

 “Little present from Yuka.  Something about you agreeing to a taste-test for her?”

 “Oh yeah!” Ranma's eyes sparkled at the reminder of free food before he remembered that the food wasn't exactly the tastiest.  “Oh...yeah.”

 He eyed the bento speculatively before shrugging and sliding his textbook away and replacing it with the hopefully better-tasting food.  “So did you and Nabiki just get back? What took you guys so long?”

 “Da – Kenta-ojisan,” began Akane, putting a strange emphasis on the man's name before continuing, “was a better negotiator than Nabiki expected and he really took his time working her over.”

 A dreamy expression overtook Akane's face and Ranma had verbally prod his fiancee when the silence stretched on for a bit too long, “Uh...Earth to Akane?”

 “What?” Akane broke out of whatever daze she was in and blushed slightly, “Oh, a-anyway, we were all there for a while.  Trying on coll-clothes and stuff like that.”

 “Sounds fun.” deadpanned Ranma which caused Akane to snap an incredulous gaze towards him.

 “You certainly didn't seem to mind dressing up yesterday, Ranko-chan~”
 
 “T-T-That's o-only b-because o-of Y-Yuka!” stammered Ranma with bright red cheeks.  

 “Sure, sure.” placated Akane with a teasing laugh, “So what did the big, strong man do today, hmm?”

 “...Just some errands for Kasumi.” He didn't really see a point in mentioning Tofu as he didn't want to drag the mood down.  Though, Ranma couldn't help but sneak a glance at a corner of the room where he had hidden the hair brush, small compact and lip balm that he had impulsively bought at the market.

 Akane followed his glance curiously, but luckily didn't seem to find anything out of place when she turned back to him.  “O...kay? Anyway...are you going to eat that? Yuka worked really hard on that for you.” she said, pointing to the bento for emphasis, “And she's gonna want a response tomorrow at school.”

 The 'Or else.' was heavily implied in the way that Akane dangerously narrowed her eyes at Ranma who gulped and slowly lifted off the lid.

 “Yakitori? Nice! That's – eugh...” Several skewers of nicely roasted chicken drizzled in a familiar white sauce lay within the box, but it also had the consequence of releasing the rather stale stench that lay within.

 “Yeah, the smell isn't great, but the taste...” said Akane sympathetically as she reached in the box with a finger and scooped up some of the white sauce that had pooled on the side.  She eyed the thick globule on her index finger hungrily, before popping it in her mouth, “...is just amazing...”

 ...Ranma was rather glad Akane wasn't looking down at his pants (not that it would have mattered), as the...sounds...she was making were rather indecent.

 “Apparently...” remarked Ranma, noting once again, the very different reaction that Yuka and Akane had towards the food.

 'Maybe it's cuz' they're girls or somethin'?' After all, some stuff did taste better as a girl (such as ice-cream, that wonderful, wonderful frozen delight) than it did as a boy for Ranma.  

 'Plus this does follow the Modified Saotome Code: Eat whenever you get the chance – unless the crime against nature mistakenly labelled as food was made by Akane Tend-'

 Fwoo~sh!

 “Gah!” Ranma reeled back from the wooden mallet that had suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, having been barely halted just before it hit Ranma's fragile face.

 “...Eh?” Akane looked just as confused at her own actions and her face scrunched up slightly, “For some reason, I really felt the need to hit you...”

 ...Ranma could feel the sweat collecting along his brow as he nervously chuckled, “Hahaha...I w-wonder why?...Oh, look! Delicious chicken! Better eat that all up!”

 Without waiting for a response from his mallet-happy fiancee, Ranma quickly stuffed his mouth full with food.  

 That proved to be a mistake.

 “Ugh!” Ranma gagged as a thick mass of the sauce hit his tongue all at once and as he went to spit it out, a slender hand clamped onto his mouth and sealed it shut.

 “You will not be wasting that food, Ranma.” hissed Akane threateningly, tacking on a single-word command: “Chew.”

 With great reluctance, Ranma laboriously mashed the chicken together and was forced to slowly swallow the revolting mass unless he wanted to choke.  After the first few swallows, luck seemed to be returning to his side and the taste started to ever so slightly improve.  The bitter and salty dressing did not mix well with the chicken, but it was starting to lose some of that harsh taste it had in the beginning.  When the last morsel of meat had been consumed, Akane released the vice-like clamp she had over his mouth.

 “Hah...Eugh...Was...that...really necessary, 'Kane?” The sticky dressing was partially coating his tongue and perpetuating it's unique flavour, even as he tried to dislodge it with saliva.  

 “Considering you were about to spit Yuka's food out?” asked Akane rhetorically before nodding, “Yes.  Yes it was.” 

 “That food tasted horri-mmph!” Ranma's critique was unjustly cut off as Akane shoved some more chicken into his mouth.  His glare was met with an unimpressed face and he started to begrudgingly eat.

 One thing he did note is that while the meat was slowly starting to be more tolerable, Ranma was also beginning to feel warmer.  Not only that, but his erection had refused to subside, even though Akane was no longer making such lewd moans and was instead rock-hard within his underwear.  As he continued to eat the food, his breaths were becoming slightly laboured and he pulled at the hem of his shirt to fan his hot body.

 Akane smiled curiously at him, “Are you feeling okay, Ranma?”

 Her voice and smile sent a thrill of excitement through his lower body and he felt his penis strain against its' cotton prison.  

 “N...Never...hah....better.” he assured Akane.

 Not losing her smile, Akane took the empty box and tilted it, so that the extra white sauce in the box pooled together in one corner.  “Do you want to finish this?”

 Ranma wrinkled her nose distastefully, “Ah...All yours, 'Kane.  I'm good.”

 “Even if I share it with you...?” she asked coyly, raising the box to her mouth and pouring in its' contents.

 “Sharing? What are you-?!” His question was cut off as Akane leaned forward suddenly and pressed her lips against his.

 'So soft...' thought Ranma dazedly.  Akane was so close to him, staring into his eyes intently and searching for something...while kissing him.

 'She's kissing me...' 

 What was he supposed to do in this situation? 

 Should he kiss her back? How was he supposed to do that? 

 Were his eyes supposed to be open?

 'Akane is KISSING ME!'

 It felt...really nice.  When he felt something prodding against his own lips, Ranma instinctively opened his mouth. 

 “Hahhn...~” Akane moaned into his mouth as the salty and bitter sauce poured into Ranma's own along with her hot tongue and saliva.

 “Mmm...Mmm...*Gulp*” It felt natural to swallow down the contents and he could feel Akane's lips quirk upwards in approval as she deepened the kiss.

 Ranma felt his eyelids droop down as he lost himself in the intoxicating sensation, feeling like his heart might explode out of his chest with how hard it was beating.  Akane pushed against him, her tongue fighting for dominance within his mouth and winning handily.  Ranma braced his arms against the ground, trying not to fall over from Akane's aggressive advances and being utterly unprepared when he felt her hand brush against his hard dick.

 His pelvic muscles tensed and his breath hitched as the contact from the girl he liked caused Ranma's penis to start squirting out cum.  Ranma shuddered from the pleasurable sensation of releasing his load, only for that feeling to be replaced with a deep sense of shame when Akane reeled back from his mouth with a look of disgust on her face.

 “Did you just cum? Seriously?” scoffed Akane, looking at the stain on his pants incredulously, before shaking her head and getting up.  “Pathetic.” 

 Feeling absolutely mortified, Ranma reached out a hand to try and stop her, “W-Wait, Akane! I'm sorry!”

 She stopped at the door and looked back at him with both pity and scorn in her eyes, “...Me too.”

 Ker~chaak!

 Akane slid the door quietly behind her, leaving a stricken Ranma behind.

~Unfit~

 “...Pretty nice weather, we're having, huh?” commented Asami nervously.

 “Very nice.” agreed Akane, calmly eating her lunch.

 “...Yeah...” said Ranma lackadaisically.

 A day without any of the Kunos or another of his insane rivals should have been cause for celebration.  Ranma even had the benefit of not getting splashed on the way to school and was in his male form.  The weather was nice and he had been invited by Yuka to sit with the girls outside for lunch and only received some mild jealous looks and friendly ribbing from the guys in his class.

 But the kiss from last night and it's disastrous aftermath was still fresh on Ranma's mind and Akane's too, if the way she had been ignoring him was any indication.  Suffice it to say, the tension the two were exuding was palpable enough for the rest of the girls to easily pick up on it.

 “Soooo...” began Hiroko, her eyes flicking back and forth between everyone before it settled on Yuka.  Ranma could almost see the lightbulb going off in her head before she opened her mouth, “Yuka! Have you been using a new conditioner or something? Your hair is looking great!” 

 “Y-Yeah! Same with you, Sayuri-chan!” added in Asami not insincerely.

 The two girls in question blushed and demurred the praises, even when Akane offered her own compliments on their appearances.  Ranma could easily admit that both Yuka and Sayuri were looking rather good today.  It wasn't anything overt, but more subtle things like clearer skin or brighter-looking eyes that all served to emphasize and enhance their better features.  

 “Don't stare too hard, Ranma.  Or you might make a mess.” interjected Akane snidely.

 “Uh...What?” expressed Hiroko, with the other girls having similar looks of confusion.

 “S-SO! What's everyone doin' for Golden Week?!” blurted out Ranma, trying to hastily change the subject.

 “Well...assuming my father's work-hours don't change, I believe we'll be taking a camping trip to Kanotoen.” offered Sayuri, gracefully accepting the change in subject.

 “Oh, that sounds nice!” exclaimed Yuka, putting a finger to her lips thoughtfully and saying, “I'm not sure if Daddy has anything like that planned.” 

 Akane snorted, “Please.  The way he treats you? He'll have something planned for sure.”

 She, Sayuri and Yuka all started giggling and even Ranma had to crack a smile at that.  While he wasn't too sure if the older man spoiled his daughter or not, it was very clear that he loved Yuka a great deal.

 “Uuuuu~” whined Hiroko.  She pointed a finger accusingly at Yuka, “Such secretive laughs! Something fun happened on the weekend and we-” she grabbed Asami in a side-hug who rolled her eyes, “-weren't invited! Betrayal!”

 “Of the highest order.” added in Asami with a deadpan voice.

 “You were invited, but you both failed Friday's math quiz and your parents found out about it.” pointed out Sayuri.

 Both Asami and Hiroko flinched, before the latter gesticulated at Ranma desperately, “W-What about him! He failed too!”

 “Why ya' bringin' me into this?!” demanded Ranma with red cheeks.

 “His mom only found out afterwards.” said Akane at the same time.

 Ranma glared at the girl, who smiled back innocently.  “Only cuz' you ratted me out!”

 Yuka gasped theatrically, “Betrayed by your own fiancee?!  How terrible!”

 “School is important.” stated Akane as an explanation, with Sayuri nodding emphatically in agreement.

 “Back to Golden Week plans, then!” shouted Hiroko, evidently regretting her actions in bringing up the subject of schoolwork.

 As the conversation devolved into more bombastic comments and lighter topics, things started to flow easier from there.  Eventually, the last bite was eaten just in time for the first afternoon bell to ring and everyone started to pack up their empty lunches and make their way back inside.  Akane was the first to leave, quickly making her way back to class with Sayuri, Asami and Hiroko following close behind.  Ranma would've followed suit, but was stopped by Yuka who placed a hand on his arm.

 “Do you mind meeting up after school? I wanted a quick chat with you.” 

~Unfit~

 If any of his rivals were still around, Ranma wouldn't have dared to meet with Yuka alone after classes in a nearby park.  Akane was still maintaining her rather distant attitude and had left before they could have a chance to walk home together.  Ranma barely caught sight of her leaving with Nabiki, the two discussing something that had smiles on both their faces. 

 'Huh.  I thought Nabs was feelin' sick today.' Ranma thought about how the older girl hadn't come to school with him and Akane in the morning before shrugging, 'Guess she got better.' 

 Thus, Ranma was more or less free to go where he pleased and not draw any attention to himself.

 SPLOOSH!

 ...Herself.

 “Of course...” Ranma shook her hands free of the water clinging to them and glared at the ball that had been kicked into a nearby puddle before bouncing away, being chased by a number of small, shrieking children.

 “Sorry, Nee-chan!” yelled out a boy as he ran by her.

 Ranma sighed and made her way deeper into the park, looking for the spot Yuka said she'd meet her at.  Yuka, knowing of Ranma's rivals and wanting absolutely nothing to do with that kind of attention, had done the smart thing and opted for taking a circuitous route to the meeting spot by herself.  

 “Heyyy! Over here!”

 '...And yet she somehow still managed to get here before me...' thought a thoroughly mystified Ranma.

 Yuka was lightly hopping in place and waving her hands to get Ranma's attention from where she was standing.  The meeting spot was a fairly empty area overgrown with trees that had only a heavily-graffitied and old looking public restroom.

 “Hey Ranma! Glad you could make it!” greeted Yuka cheerfully.

 “Didn't think I would show up?”

 “Nope! Thought you might get lost, though.” she eyed her with a grin and added slyly, “Or run into some water trouble.”

 Ranma rolled her eyes as Yuka giggled and went to lean against a tree next to the girl.  “So?” began Ranma, looking over at Yuka who followed suit and placed her back on the tree, “What'dya wanna talk about?”

 In reply, Yuka dug through her bookbag and pulled out a lime-green bento with a flourish, “Ta-dah! Another 'Daddy Special' for your consumption!”

 Ranma gave her a weak smile and reluctantly accepted the gift.  
 
 “Thanks...”

 “Akane gave me the old box already, in case you were wondering.  How did you like it?!”

 “It was...um...interesting?” hedged Ranma, wincing when she saw Yuka's face become downcast.

 “You...didn't like it at all...did you?” 

 “T-That's n-not it!” hastily denied Ranma, frantically searching for a solution through his mind, “It's just that it was...” She was looking for the right words, the right context, the right anything to say, “It was...I was in my guy form and you and Akane liked it, so maybe that's why it was...”

 “...Bad?” contributed Yuka forlornly.

 Ranma wanted to lie and say it wasn't, but she wanted to be honest with Yuka.

 “At first...yeah.” Ranma started to say, smiling a little when Yuka perked up.

 'Nothing says I can't soften the blow, though.'

 Ranma continued, “That sauce didn't really mix well with the meat, but...I guess it got a little bit better the more I ate?” She sighed and apologized, “Sorry.”

 Yuka smiled appreciatively and shook her head, “No, don't be.  I wanted your opinion, after all.” She looked at the box in his hands and gestured with her chin, “Do you still want that, then? It's fresh fruits, this time.”

 Ranma remembered thinking the combination of sauce and fruit to be decent last time and shook her head slowly.  “No...I didn't mind it last time and you went through the effort to make it for me too.”

 Yuka's smile widened, “Thank you, Ranma-kun! I'll keep trying to improve it!”

 Ranma chuckled, “Anytime.” 

 Ranma slipped a finger underneath the lid and popped it open.  Inside lay several slices of juicy looking slices of strawberries, kiwis and mangoes slathered liberally with a familiar white sauce.  Whatever aroma that was contained within the box was dissipated quickly by the fresh breeze blowing gently through the park.  Wanting to show Yuka that she really did appreciate the food, Ranma plucked out a coated strawberry slice and popped it in her mouth.

 The tartness of the sauce diminished the sweet strawberry flavour and it still retained the same thick consistency as it always did.  However...

 “...How is it?” asked Yuka nervously after Ranma had chewed the fruit for a few seconds before swallowing it.

 “It's better.” said Ranma honestly, taking another piece of fruit ('Let's try the mango this time...') and eating that as well.

 Yuka's eyes sparkled, “Really?!”

 “Not by a lot, though.  Just a little.” amended Ranma, causing Yuka to lose some of her excitement and pout.

 “What if...I put it in a liquid instead?” considered Yuka, “Like some tea or maybe a sports drink?”

 Ranma held out the box towards Yuka who happily took some fruit for herself and munched on it with clear delight.  She considered the suggestion and thought it sound enough as she remembered the tea she drank at Yuka's house being a bit more palatable.

 “Maybe.  That tea I had at your place was okay – that had this same sauce, right?” 

 “That's right! It's a pretty versatile cream!” said Yuka proudly.

 “And you made it from scratch?” 

 Yuka scratched her cheek sheepishly, “We~lll...Daddy came up with the recipe, but I was the one who really helped it all come together!”

 Ranma chuckled and took some more fruit into her mouth, still only taking one piece at a time, but finding it a bit easier to stomach with every bite.  At some point, the two of them had slid down the tree until they were sitting at the base of it with the bento in between them.  They chatted about various topics such as school and their hobbies, of which apparently Yuka was an avid reader of all kinds of fiction.  Ranma didn't really see the appeal of trashy romance novels, but she wouldn't judge a girl for liking that kind of thing.

 As the conversation died down, Yuka grew a bit pensive and asked in a quiet tone, “So...you and Akane-”

 “I really don't want to talk about it, Yuka.” interrupted Ranma.

 “Okay.” she said understandingly and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing Ranma's attention.  “But I'll always be here if you want a sympathetic ear.”

 “...Might take you up on that one day.” thanked Ranma, feeling kind of touched by the sincere offer and glad that Yuka didn't press her on it.  

 Yuka smiled warmly, “What are friends for?”

 Wanting to dispel some of the mushy atmosphere, Ranma smirked at her, “Free food?”

 Yuka playfully scowled at her, “Booo! Minus ten-thousand points!” Yuka wagged a disapproving finger towards her, “You're supposed to maintain the atmosphere, not destroy it!”

 “I study martial arts, not environmental protection.” quipped Ranma with an unrepentant grin.

 “You definitely don't study math, I know that much.” shot back Yuka with a giggle.

 “Low blow, Yuka.” chastised Ranma who was feeling a familiar heat as she talked with Yuka, but one that was mitigated by the refreshing wind blowing through the park.

 'It's nice to just chat about nothing like this.' thought Ranma idly as Yuka laughed and asked something else.

 “You never did say what your plans were for Golden Week, Ranma-chan.” Yuka's eyes widened a bit, “Do you mind if I call you that?”

 Ranma waved it off easily as it was a small enough concession, “S'fine.  I am a girl right now, after all.” 

 “A cute girl.” corrected Yuka impishly.

 Ranma blushed and barrelled on through the compliment, “A-Anyway, I don't really have plans for Golden Week.”

 “That's a shame.  Anything you might want to do?”

 Ranma shook her head, “Nothin' I can really think of.” She paused and then admitted, “Well...I'll mainly be waitin' for a guy I know to come back from this conference at the end of Golden Week.  Might be able to help with the whole Moxibustion.”

 Yuka's breath hitched slightly and her eyes widened, “O-Oh? That's...That's wonderful, Ranma-chan!”

 She seemed s̶̟̽̀ḱ̷͎̟̖̈́e̷̫͆̈́p̵̭̫̯̀t̵̫̭̬̑̐͘i̷͓̭͂c̵̝̅a̷̹̔͠l̷̢̯̝̋͝ of Ranma's claim and honestly, Ranma couldn't exactly blame...

 Her...?

 “Ranma?” Yuka's voice held a note of concern in it and Ranma snapped out of her temporary fugue.

 'I really need to stop spacing out.' mentally chided Ranma to herself.

 “Sorry,” she said to Yuka with a smile, “Guess I'm just feelin' kinda tired.”

 Yuka sighed with a small amount of relief and briefly looked up towards the sun, “We have been talking for a while.” 

 Yuka stood up, taking the empty bento box with her and brushing the grass off her skirt.  Ranma followed suit, stretching a bit before cleaning off what dirt was on her pants as best she could. Yuka twisted in place, inadvertently presenting her shapely butt towards Ranma who blushed and looked away as she completed her inspection.  Evidently satisfied with what she saw, Yuka gave one last pat down to herself and directed a sunny smile towards Ranma.

 “Thanks for the company, Ranma-chan!”

 Ranma's lips quirked up, “Thanks for the invite.  Lookin' forward to what you cook up.”

 “Hehe~ I'm sure I'll have you addicted to it, soon enough!” promised Yuka.

 Ranma locked her hands behind her head as she started to walk away, “Gonna have to beat Kasumi's cooking – so you've got a long way to go!”

 “See you tomorrow! Take care!”   

 “You too!” called back Ranma, waving and smiling at the girl who started to move in the opposite direction towards her home.

 Buoyed by the pleasant interaction, Ranma found herself humming a wordless tune under her breath as she meandered back home.  The thought of interacting with Akane was a rather oppressive one and not something that she particularly looked forward to.  

 Hopefully they could work things out.

 It was on the final stretch towards the Tendo home that she saw a familiar rotund figure sitting on an empty bus-stop bench and perusing through a small notebook.

 “Kenta-ojisan...?” whispered Ranma.

 '“The kiss is only for the girls, Ranma-chan.”'

 Ranma's pace slowed and she started to breathe a bit faster, pulling at her collar a bit to let in some cooler air.  The stupid dream from this morning made a sudden appearance and was the only reason why she felt her mouth start to dry up and heart start to beat faster.  Ranma took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, managing to calm her sudden bout of nervousness slightly.

 That was when Kenta-ojisan looked up from his notebook and met her gaze. 

 The expression on the old man's face made Ranma feel like she was being undressed.  It wasn't an unfamiliar type of gaze, but for once it didn't feel nearly as vile as it had before.

 'W̷h̷y̷.̸.̶.̷?̸'

 Kenta warmly smiled at her and shimmied down the bench, patting the empty spot beside him with obvious intentions.  Ranma found herself hesitantly smiling and waving back, pulling her hand over her hair and attempting to smooth out it's appearance.

 'W̷h̷y̷.̸.̶.̷didn't I bring my compact...?' 

 Hadn't she bought the damn thing for these kinds of situations, after all?

 Ranma moistened her lips nervously as she tentatively made her way over to Kenta-ojisan.  A problem soon arose when Ranma noticed that the bench wasn't as big as she thought and it would be a rather tight squeeze with someone of Kenta-ojisan's bulk.  

 Before she could voice her dissent to the man's silent request, he took a gentle hold of her hand and said, “Ranma-kun! Please, sit down! There's enough room for two.”

 Not wanting to make a scene, Ranma took the offer and slowly squeezed her petite frame in between Kenta-ojisan and the armrest.  Kenta-ojisan extended his arm over the back of the bench and casually draped it over one of Ranma's dainty shoulders.

 “Sorry for the tight fit,” ruefully chuckled Kenta-ojisan, patting his large belly as he did so, “Didn't seem right to let a beautiful girl have to stand while an old man like me was sitting down.”

 “I-It's f-fine, ojisan...” reassured Ranma nervously, glancing at him in the periphery of her eyes before shyly adding, “Not a girl though...remember?”

 “You look like a beautiful girl, though.” Ranma blushed at the repetition of the word 'beautiful', somehow meaning so much more when Kenta-ojisan was the one saying it.  “I know the truth, Ranma-kun, but other people who might look at us probably won't.”

 “I-I guess...” conceded Ranma, slightly wrestling with the fact that being called 'Ranma-kun' wasn't making her as happy as it should have.

 Kenta laughed again, the sound resonating throughout his whole body and sending a rather pleasant rumble through to Ranma who was in close proximity.  Enveloped in both his musk and body heat, Ranma found the position she was in to be more comfortable than she would have thought.  She might have continued to process the oddity of that thought before Kenta's next words shocked her out of her contemplation.  

 “Although looking at you closer now, maybe it might have been better if you were standing up with your cute little nipples poking out like that.”

 Ranma could feel her eyes bugging out and stared down in horror at her chest which was very clearly sporting two erect nipples.  

 “Wha-?!” she swallowed a shriek and hurriedly covered her breasts with her arms.

 “Might want to consider investing in a bra if you're gonna be going out as a girl, Ranma-chan.” sarcastically advised a chortling Kenta-ojisan. 

 Ranma couldn't believe this was happening to her again.

 She also couldn't believe that she was actually considering Kenta-ojisan's words and not immediately dismissing them.

 'It's not like I even know when I'm gonna get splashed, so where the hell would I even store it?!'

 “Perhaps you could get a jacket?” offered Kenta-ojisan, causing Ranma to belatedly realize that she had spoken her thoughts out loud.

 With blazingly hot cheeks, she glanced at Kenta-ojisan before returning her gaze back to the ground and saying: “That...could work.”

 “Better than having to carry around a bra like some tiny-dicked sissy, right?” he guffawed.

 Ranma gulped nervously as she recalled what she had been forced to wear two days ago.  

 “R-Right.”

 “Not that I'm suggesting that you're a sissy,” reassured Kenta-ojisan with a smile, “Can't imagine you landing a beauty like Akane-chan for a fiancee if you were.” He chuckled and gave her a conspiratorial wink even as her heart sank. 

 '“Did you just cum? Seriously?”' 

 “Not that there's anything wrong with not being the manliest, no matter what some people may think.” finished Kenta-ojisan with a hint of genuine anger in his voice.

 '“Pathetic.”'

 A part of her mind was surprised at the emotion, while the rest of Ranma's mind was still reeling in shame of what had happened with Akane. Not trusting herself to speak, Ranma simply nodded, doing her best to conceal her inner turmoil.

 '“Y̷o̶u̸'̴r̸e̸ ̵a̸ ̵s̴i̷s̸s̷y̷”'

 “-isn't that right?” Kenta-ojisan finished saying something with a laugh that Ranma had missed and so opted to nod once again.

 That seemed to be the correct answer as he nodded approvingly and lightly squeezed her shoulder.    
 
 “Well, I can see my bus coming, so I think we'll have to end our chat here.” Ranma blinked a few times at Kenta-ojisan's words and looked down the street to see the bus in question slowly rolling down the asphalt.  “You also might want to hurry home if you don't want anyone seeing just how perky those tits of yours are.”

 Reminded of her predicament, Ranma was cajoled into action and quickly stood up as Kenta walked to the curb.  

 “Take care, ojisan.” said Ranma in farewell, about to continue to make her way home before she found her legs pausing.  She looked at Kenta-ojisan with an unknown expectation in her heart that she did not know the words for, but which caused the man to look back at her curiously.

 “Is...everything okay, Ranma-chan?”

 She nodded absently, trying to figure out what exactly she was waiting for even as Kenta turned fully towards her with more concern.

 “Are you sure?” She nodded again, her body on autopilot as her mind stumbled around in confusion, barely paying attention to the teasing question that Kenta-ojisan plied on her.

 “D̶i̵d̴ ̸y̸o̶u̷ ̴m̸a̷y̶b̵e̴ ̸w̵a̴n̸t̵ ̶a̵ ̵g̶o̸o̵d̵b̴y̸e̶ ̷k̶i̶s̴s̸?̸”

 Ranma nodded without thinking, the words sparking a connection to another memory, but the ramifications not really settling in until Kenta-ojisan's next action.

 Ojisan's eyes widened before a wolfish grin appeared on his face and he stepped forward to plant a quick, damp kiss on her left cheek with his rough, cracked lips. 

 “Ah...!” Ranma let out a small, cute gasp as Kenta stepped back with a satisfied smirk.  Her hand flew up to her cheek ('Where his lips had been...!') and remained there as the man walked onto the bus and the doors closed with her remaining frozen in front of it with bright red cheeks. 

~Unfit~


 “I'm home!”

 Yuka perked up at the sound of her beloved father's voice and leapt off the couch to go and greet him properly.  She came around the corner just as her father removed his last shoe and stepped into the foyer proper.

 “Welcome back, Daddy!” she squealed joyfully, wrapping him in a tight hug.  She sighed happily as his large arms closed around her and giggled when he kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose.

 “Hey, Princess.  How was your day?” They separated slightly, opting to hold each other's hands as they went to the kitchen to brew some tea.

 “Good! Mishima-sensei was in a pretty good mood today, so we didn't get any homework.” Yuka gently waved off Daddy from getting started with the kettle and had him sit down instead.

 “Oh, thank you sweetheart.” he said with a small chuckle that turned into a relieved groan as he sat down.  “That is your...history teacher, right?”

 “Mmh.” Yuka nodded as she started to filling up the kettle with water, “He's nice, but he usually assigns really long essays.”

 Daddy laughed, “That's certainly something I don't miss about school.”

 Yuka giggled as she finished putting the kettle onto boil and setting out two cups before taking a seat next to him.  “So? How did everything go with Kasumi-nee and Saotome-san?”

 Daddy grinned maliciously and Yuka grinned back in kind, feeling herself start to get aroused at what must have happened.

 “Nabiki was very helpful in getting the two to become my newest sluts.” began Daddy, his hand settling onto her thigh and starting to slowly massage it as his expression twisted slightly, “Though Nodoka needed some thorough re-education in terms of childhood obligations.”

 Daddy's hand trailed upwards and Yuka spread her legs to give him better access to her pussy, “Mmm...S-Sounds – Ah...–  like it was interesting...Wish I could have been there...” she said dreamily.

 “Me too, honey.” agreed Daddy, softly rubbing the outside of her cunt through her shorts.  “Just remember to tell me if you're feeling too left out and I'll drop everything.”

 Yuka smiled lovingly at him and the sincere promise in his words.  He would keep his oath, because she was and would always be the most important person to him.

 “I will.” she promised, sealing the vow with a tender kiss to his lips.  They smiled softly at each other as she pulled back, moaning a bit as his fingers probed deeper into her crotch.

 “A-Ah...! Daddy...before I forget, I think we might need to speed things up with Ranma-chan...”

 Daddy chuckled, “Funny that you should mention her...”

~Unfit~

 Ranma was still processing the kiss (with her hand remaining on her cheek) for the rest of the journey home.  It should have been a rather quick one, considering the distance remaining, but the kiss was replaying over and over in her head and causing Ranma to walk much slower.

 'Why did he even ask that? Why did I just nod like that? And why...WHY doesn't it feel BAD?!'

 That might have been the worst part, in Ranma's opinion.  

 Akane was a cute girl and Ranma liked her and she really liked kissing her.

 Mikado and Kuno were both guys and she absolutely loathed getting kissed by the former and had had nightmares of the latter doing the same to her.

 'But Kenta-ojisan is a man...and I had...well THAT was a nightmare...right?'

 “So shouldn't this feel just...gross?” murmured Ranma, softly rubbing the now dry part of her cheek where she was kissed.  Instead, the memory of his lips compounded with the dream she had only served to make her feel all warm and kind of tingly.

 'It's not like he thinks that I'm an actual girl though and...and he was just kidding right?'

 “Right...” Ranma nodded to herself slowly and understanding flashing through her mind, “It was just a joke.  That's...That's all it was...”

 Ranma rapidly shook her head and slapped her cheeks hard, several times, “Come on, Ranma! Man up! Just forget about it!”

 '“The kiss is only for the-”'

 “Nope!” Ranma crossed her arms, waving at the air to try and disperse those words as best she could.  The large, walled-compound of the Tendo home finally came into sight, as did the tall building of the accompanying dojo.

 A lightbulb went off in her head.

 “I'll just do some katas and get a workout in!” proclaimed Ranma, ever eager for anything to do with the Art and in this case, much more eager to find something to lose herself in.  

 As she entered through the gate, Ranma beelined for the dojo, rather than the house, slipping off her shoes at the entrance and digging out her gi.  The training hall was empty of people, though Ranma found it a bit odd that the windows were open.  Of course, that might have had to do with the somewhat familiar odour that was just barely lingering in the air. 

 A little strange, but not something she paid much attention to.

 '“The kiss is only for the girl-”'

 'OR THAT!!!'

 Seeing as clearing her mind wasn't exactly working, Ranma quickly went through stretching her limber body before moving into a basic series of forms to warm her body up.  Ranma's body moved through the simple patterns that had been ingrained into her before she could properly walk and that were perfected over a life of training.  She had grown up with a love for the Art and that same feeling had only grown stronger throughout the years as her understanding of it grew deeper.  

 It was a way of life, to be sure, but for Ranma...

 Right now...it was a very old and very dear friend.

 It soothed her worries even as the more physically demanding of the katas she was performing extracted their toll on her body.  Ranma keenly felt the loss of her Ki, which would normally be almost singing within her as she expressed her soul through the Art.  Still, such feelings seemed to fade as she lost herself within her own body, rejoicing in the familiar aches of her muscles and the blood rushing through her ears.

 It wasn't true serenity.

 “Hyah!” Ranma shouted as she punched out one final time, holding the form while her chest heaved, before slowly pulling back and setting her body back into it's initial position.

 It didn't need to be.

 Ranma sighed as she went through some cooldown stretches before taking her clothes and shoes and walking back through the side-entrance of the house.  

 “I'm home...” she called out with some fatigue in her voice.

 “Welcome home, Ranma.” her mother's uncharacteristically dishevelled head poked out from the entrance to the kitchen.  “I'm glad you're finally here...I think we should talk.”

 “Mom...?” She looked...tired and a bit sad as she said this.  “Yeah...of course.”

 Her mother gave a tremulous smile and lightly beckoned Ranma to follow her to her new room.  Now that she was deeper into the household, Ranma noticed a powerful aroma overlaying the air and which made her head feel a little fuzzy.  Mom's new room was a bit fresher thankfully and soon enough they were both seated around the centrally-located table.  

 There was an ominous-looking scroll case right next to the table too, for some reason.

 “How...was your day, Ranma?” asked Mom after a few moments of silence had stretched between them.

 “It was-” 

 'A comforting musk settled over her and she feels a pair of warm wet lips against her skin.  He leans back and smirks confidently at her, whose blush refuses to settle down long after he's gone.'

 “-okay.  Nothing much happened.” lied Ranma.  

 “Good, good...” repeats her mother, seemingly lost in her own thoughts and luckily not calling out Ranma for lying.  But her eyes did scrutinize Ranma's body, paying particular attention to her face and breasts, before she sighed.

 “I suppose it was a foolish notion in the end...” murmured Mom cryptically, before reaching for the scroll case, unscrewing the cap and pulling out a very familiar seppuku contract.

 Just as her fight-or-flight instincts were kicking in, Ranma was completely shocked to a standstill by what her mother did next.

 Kriiish! Krsh! Krsh! Krsh!

 By her own hands, Ranma's mother willing tore the contract in half and then into smaller and smaller pieces.

 Mom smiled tenderly at her, “You don't have to worry about that awful contract anymore.” she then added with a chuckle, “Or try to do something as silly as be a 'Man amongst Men'.” 

 She had stood up at some point and was alternating looking down at her mother and the shredded contract with wide, disbelieving eyes.

 “I – Bwuh...What?!” sputtered Ranma as her Mom gingerly got up and wrapped her in a loving hug.

 “I'll love you no matter what you look like and I'm so sorry that I was forcing you to be a manly man.” Mom pulled back with a regretful smile on her face, “And since you're already looking like that, I want to make up for the time we lost and have some proper mother-daughter bonding!”

 The chaotic mix of elation from (potentially) no longer having to worry about that stupid contract and sheer bewilderment resulted in only one thought ringing throughout Ranma's mind:

 'Seriously! What the hell is going on with today?!?!'


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AN #2: So, obviously Nabiki, Nodoka (and while it isn't shown, [REDACTED]) got turned.  Combined with the fact that it's only been two days since Ranma got dosed, I needed to take some time with this chapter while moving the plot forward.  Originally, I wanted this to end (EDIT: the chapter, NOT the story! Still a bunch more to go of 'Unfit To Be A Man') with a link to the 'Prologue', which I promise will happen next chapter.

Yes...it is a little sad that it's taken 50k+ words just to get to the Prologue, but it'll be (probably) worth it! 

In terms of other characters like Happosai, who I've seen in the comments, I do have plans for them.  Though I will say that Happy won't be making a return.

I'm planning on getting Asami and Hiroko getting turned, but I was thinking of them being offhanded mentions.  If you prefer seeing them being mentioned sometime in the main story or in one of the planned side-stories, let me know in the comments!