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Blessed Curse

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

Author note: Thanks to Blissfull Wulf for betaing this fic.

So I'm starting a new fic where Ranma is born a boy but is really a girl inside. There are plenty of stories like this out there but I have always wanted to try my hand at it. So to give everyone some warnings, firstly this is going to be a Ranma-chan/Ryoga story, I am a fan of the Ryoga/any gender Ranma pairing but as Ranma is picking her gender to be female in this story Ryoga will be with a girl Ranma.

This is also a pro-Amazon fic and for fans of Akane Tendo you will be happy to know that I am going to be nice to her this time around. A lot of the ideas for this story were thought up by me and my beta Blissful Wulf and if anyone else has an idea that they’d like to share feel free to leave a comment as well.

Hopefully everyone will like my new fic as I explore a Transgender Ranma.

Chapter 1

When Ranma came up gasping for air it was almost right away that he felt like something was different. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was though, he was still reeling from seeing a large panda bear surge from the pool of water he had knocked his father Genma Saotome into instead of the balding overweight man that had raised him. But whatever it was Ranma could swear for the first time ever he felt... right. He couldn't dwell on the feeling very long as the guide of the training grounds they were visit was speaking, catching Ranma's attention.

"Oh, very bad luck Mister Customer fall into Nyannichuan," the guide said as he took out a sign that said Nyannichuan from behind his back. "Tragic story of girl that fall in spring 1,500 year ago. Now who ever fall into spring take on body of a young girl."

Ranma blinked as he processed what the guide said then looked down at himself. Or should that be /herself/. Ranma pulled open her gi wide and stared down at her new chest in shock. She had breasts! Two full formed large breasts! She gave a high pitched scream in surprise, she was a girl! Genma, seeing his son turned into a girl, decided to hightail it before his son-turned-daughter decided to try and beat him to a pulp.

Ranma meanwhile swam to the edge of the pool and pulled herself out. Once she was out of the water, Ranma pulled the top of her pants away so she could see how complete the transformation was. It was very complete she quickly noted as she let go of her gi bottoms. She didn't know what to think or what to feel... no that was a lie she knew just what she felt but she was afraid to address it. She had had a feeling her whole life while growing up, a feeling of not being right. Of not being in the right body but if she ever tried to bring up these feelings around her father, Genma would tell her to be a man and stop acting like a girl. After a while Ranma kept those feelings bottled up.

Speaking of Genma, a scowl crossed Ranma's face; did that fat bastard know this was going to happen? That the training grounds were cursed? She wouldn't put it passed him and she growled under her breath in anger.

"GET BACK HERE POPS!" Ranma yelled as she took off after the man.

**

Ryoga Hibiki frowned as he walked along a cliff path above what looked like a bunch of pools of water, wondering where the hell he was now. He was sure he was close to finding his rival Ranma Saotome, a boy he had known from school over a year ago who frustrated Ryoga like no other. Almost every time he had made it to school Ranma had stolen his bread during lunch. Ryoga had challenged Ranma to a martial arts match over it many times and sometime during it they had become... well not friends he didn't think, but Ranma helped him get to school and back home as Ryoga had no sense of direction.

One day Ryoga challenged Ranma to a man-to-man fight to settle their feud once and for all, they both agreed to have the fight in the lot behind his house. It had taken Ryoga four days to reach the lot and when he arrived Ranma hadn't been there. Afterward he found out that Ranma had been withdrawn from school by his father and had left the area. Ryoga was convinced that Ranma had run out on their fight and was determined to find the other teen to finally have that fight!

Ryoga had followed clues and retraced as well as he could Ranma's route until he heard a rumor that Ranma and his father had traveled to China. Right away Ryoga had set out to China as well and had found himself at the valley with all the pools.

'I'm so close, where could Saotome be?' Ryoga wondered to himself as he just knew deep in his gut that Ranma was here.

"Grrwwlll," Ryoga turned startled at the sound of growling and the sound of running feet. Coming straight at him was a very large panda that didn't look like it was going to stop. With a yell Ryoga jumped straight up into the air in time to avoid being flattened by the panda.

'That thing is huge!' Ryoga thought as the animal ran under him and jumped off outcroppings of rocks. He blinked in surprise, he had never seen any animal move like that before. Landing lightly on his feet Ryoga wondered what was up with the panda, maybe it was a circus animal? Musing on the idea he started to walk again along the cliff path.

"I'm going to kill you old man!" A girl's voice yelled behind him. Ryoga spun around again, seeing a girl run past him along the same path as the panda bear. She didn't seem to notice Ryoga as she passed him, accidentally pushing Ryoga off to the side. He stumbled and swung his arms to re-catch his balance. Ryoga breathed in relief as he caught himself, pressing his hand against his chest.

"Crazy girl," he muttered to himself. His green eyes widened as the edge of the cliff under his feet suddenly gave away, not giving him any time to grab the ridge to stop his fall. He yelled loudly as he fell toward one of the pools below him, landing with a large splash. Another yell escaped from the teen, sending up a cloud of bubbles as he tried to swim to the surface of the pool but he couldn't seem to get his body to move right, like something was happening to him. Finally after what seemed like ages Ryoga was able to swim to the surface, yipping in a panic.

"Ohh, unlucky customer fall into spring of drowned fox," the guide said as he reached over to pluck Ryoga, who was now a black fox with a yellow tipped tail, belly, toes and ear tips, he also had a black bandanna tied around his neck, out of the pool of water. "Is tragic story of fox that drown 900 year ago, now who ever fall into spring turn into a fox."

Ryoga looked down at his small from where he dangled in the guide's grip, making a surprise yipping-bark as he saw he was covered in black and yellow fur and had a bushy tail swinging under him.

"Is too bad Mister Customer," The guide said as he turned to Genma-panda. "Is not pig like thought, no stir fry pig. Fox not good eat,"

Ryoga gave a scream like bark when the guide said that, suddenly glad he didn't fall into something that turned him into a pig! In fact that would have been a horrible thing to turn into, he would have been helpless as a pig! He wasn't too happy with being a fox either but at least he could protect himself as a fox!

"Come, let see what Mister Fox really is," the guide said as he walked back to his hut he shared with his daughter Plum. "Maybe Mister Fox is really human?"

Ryoga nodded in agreement, he was very much human! Inside the hut the guide warmed up a large bowl of water over a cooking fire. Once it was warm enough Ryoga was tossed into the water.

"YOWCH!" Ryoga yelled in pain as the water was a little bit too hot, jumping out of the bowl, his hand in front of his crotch and his skin red from the heat of the water.

"Ahh, Mister Fox is a Mister Customer," the guide said. "Hot water change back original form but cold water change into curse form."

"Growf?" The panda asked.

"Is there any way I can get my things out of the pool I fell in?" Ryoga asked, blushing heavily but looking at Genma curiously as he realized that the panda was the same one that almost ran him over on the cliff.

"Can take stick to fish things out, but Mister Customer take care not fall into second spring," the guide said as he handed Ryoga a long stick with a hook on the end and a large shirt for Ryoga to cover himself in. Ryoga took both the shirt and stick then left the hut, very quickly getting lost as he was unable to find his way back to the spring he had fallen into.

***

Meanwhile Ranma huffed in frustration as she lost sight of her father. The currently red headed girl was still pissed off at her old man for getting them into this mess but now that she was alone her temper was slowly coming back under control and she was able to think clearly again. She sighed and leaned back against a large tree trunk, sliding to sit on the ground.

Her mind was whirling with thoughts mostly about this new form she found herself in. She slowly reached up and cupped her breasts through her gi, almost not believing that these large things were hers. It brought up feelings that she had learned over the years to keep hidden and had repressed unless her father found out what she was thinking. Genma had pounded into her for years that Ranma was to be a 'man-among-men'. She had never really understood what he meant by that, it wasn't as if Genma was the best example of what a man should be like.

Once again the memories of not feeling right about herself growing up sprung to mind. Ranma had never been comfortable in her own body as she grew. And as she got older, the feeling had gotten more and more pronounced. She remembered as a child innocently bringing the feelings up in front of Genma, which had not ended well for Ranma. It was right after one of these times that she had gone through the Neko-ken training, a horrible experience where her father threw a young boy Ranma into a pit of starving cats. Ranma had cried and cried for his father to let him out, bleeding from the cuts the almost feral cats had left on him. Genma only told Ranma to stop acting like a girl and not to cry, men didn't cry.

Ranma shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself tightly. Every time Ranma made the mistake of bringing up how wrong she felt, Genma would put her through some horrible training. After a while Ranma learned to keep her/his mouth shut and buried those feelings deep down.

But now... now those feelings were coming back in waves! Without the anger toward her father to distract her, Ranma couldn't help but feel right and comfortable for the first time in her life! She felt so confused and she didn't know what to do about it. With her emotions so out of control and new to the female hormones her new body had, tears started to well up in Ranma's blue eyes. Though she tried to stop them, they started to stream down her cheeks and a small sob escaped. And once it started, even more escaped as the confused boy-turned girl cried from a combination of confusion and years of repressed feelings.

"Are you ok?" Ranma blinked at the sudden voice and looked up into a pair of concerned dark green eyes.

***

Ryoga grumbled to himself as he walked through the thick underbrush of the forest. What should have been an easy walk back to the pond he fell in had turned into a mess. At least the guide had given him something to wear so he wouldn't be naked!

"Where the hell is that pond?" He muttered to himself, he hated getting lost like this! Ryoga stopped for a second when he heard what sounded like a girl crying. Pushing a nearby branch out of the way, Ryoga saw a girl around his age sitting at the base of a tree.

"Are you ok?" Ryoga asked. The red headed girl quickly looked up and Ryoga found himself looking into a pair of pretty blue eyes.

"I-I'm fine," Ranma said as she quickly started to wipe her tears away as she jumped up off the ground. She stumbled slightly as she stood, her whole center of gravity thrown off. "Just... something in my eye." Ryoga blushed slightly as he noticed how pretty Ranma was and quickly adverted his eyes as he saw her gi top was slightly open, fighting off a nose bleed. Ranma glanced up at Ryoga and wondered why he was blushing and not looking at her. She quickly got her answer when the wind blew and reminded her that her gi was sitting open a bit. "Eep!" Ranma quickly closed her top, suddenly embarrassed. She shouldn't be since she was really a boy... but she was.

"Sorry," Ranma said as she looked down at her feet.

"Err... it's ok," Ryoga quickly assured her, looking back now that Ranma's bust was covered up. He shifted uncomfortably, he was a boy after all and he had gotten a very good look at a pretty girl's bust. That he hadn’t had a nosebleed was a miracle in itself. "Are you sure you are ok? I... well I heard you crying and..."

"I-it's nothing," Ranma said in an almost bashful tone. "My Pops did something to me today and now everything is weird."

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Ryoga asked with a slight growl, angry for the girl in front whose dad hurt her.

"Well... it's really nothing," Ranma said, feeling flattered that Ryoga was willing to stand up for her and leaving her confused. "Just a lot of weird stuff and afterward my Pops ran off. I tried chasing him so I could beat the stuffin' out of him but..." She shrugged. Ryoga frowned for a second as he remembered something.

"Wait... you're that girl that nearly pushed me off the cliff!" He realized.

"Huh?" Ranma asked.

"Back there, you were running along the cliff and screaming. You almost pushed me off," Ryoga said as he pointed.

"I don't even remember that, I was so angry at my Pops... I just kinda lost sight of everything around me," Ranma said. "I didn't mean ta push you off, I really didn't."

"Well... just be careful ne?" Ryoga said, he couldn't stay mad at a pretty girl, it just wasn't in him.

"Why are you carrying a stick with a hook?" Ranma asked as she noticed that all Ryoga was wearing was a large, long shirt and carrying said stick-hook.

"Err... I sort of dropped my pack in some water and it ended up at the bottom. I just need it to fish my stuff out," Ryoga said, not wanting to admit that he now turned into a little black and yellow fox with cold water.

"Well you gotta be careful around here," Ranma warned him.

"Yeah... I know," Ryoga said. A strong gust of wind blew through the trees and lifted the edges of the large loose shirt up, making Ryoga blush hotly as he had to drop the stick and push down the shirt. Ranma blushed just as hotly as she got a peek of Ryoga's package, gaping slightly in shock. "Err... ummmm... maybe I should go get my stuff now," Ryoga said with a squeak, completely embarrassed by what just happened. Picking a random direction, Ryoga quickly ran off so he wouldn't embarrass himself further.

Ranma watched him walk off, still in shock since she’d gotten a bit of a clue about how she affected the other teen. She was also trying to put her finger on who he reminded her of. He was cute with those green eyes and those cute little fangs.... her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered.

"Crap, that was Ryoga," Ranma said with a groan as she slapped her forehead. Ryoga had been a boy she had knew in the last school she went too and had been friends with him. She also remembered the boy had a large problem with finding his way around. "Hey Ryoga! Stop!" She yelled as she tried to catch up with the other teen but it was too late, he was already lost once again, never hearing Ranma call his name.

***

"Growf," Genma held up a sign that said 'stop grumbling boy' as he watched his son-turned-daughter. He didn't like the way his son was acting, it was too much like the way he acted as a little boy when Ranma claimed that he didn't feel right as a boy and even sometimes acted like a weak little girl.

"I'm not grumbling you overgrown panda," Ranma said. "I just don't understand why we need to visit this village. The guide already said that there isn't a cure."

'He also said the village might,' one side of the sign said before it was flipped over, 'know of a cure. So we have to visit or do you want to stay a weak girl'

Ranma rolled her eyes; Genma had been obsessed with changing Ranma back to normal for good since they met up again. He kept pouring hot water over him but cold water kept finding Ranma and turning him into a her. She on the other hand was adjusting to her new center of gravity and the shift of gravity each time she changed shape. She was also trying to get use to the new breasts on her chest, her back was starting to hurt just a little bit too.

"Not too far now Mister Customers. Village of the Joketsuzoku is right around bend," The Jusenkyo guide said from ahead of them. "Is village that is run by women warriors."

Genma snorted, as if a woman could be a good warrior. Still, hopefully some would be nice to look at... maybe he could even bed a few.

Ranma saw the look on the panda's face and rolled her eyes again, the man would never learn. She didn't quite share his opinion of women, she had seen a few girls kick monster's butts. True, the girls she had seen weren't really marital artists and were more along the lines of 'magical' girls, but the point was they weren’t the weak mewling creatures that Genma seemed to paint them as.

"Ah here we are Mister Customers," The guide said, bringing Ranma out of her own thoughts. She looked up at the large, wooden wall and the gate in front of them. On either side of the gate stood two tall, built but pretty women. Both looked pretty strong to Ranma and she had a feeling both knew how to use the weapons they held, one a sword and the other a glaive. The guide started to speak with the guards in Chinese and after a few minutes the woman with the sword yelled something to the other side of the gate. With a groan the gate started to rise so they could enter. "We very lucky, today is village tournament. Joketsuzoku have every year to pick out strongest best warrior in tribe."

The Jusenkyo guide lead the cursed pair past several hut houses to the center of the village were a large crowd of women and even a few men were standing around a large circle, in the middle was a large log suspended in the air between poles. On top of the log stood two women, one of which was very tall and large. When Ranma saw the woman's face, she couldn't help but flinch back with a soft 'ugh'. The woman had a face that looked like she fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. The rest of the woman didn't look that good either, she was made of nothing but bulging muscles. Ranma knew the woman's looks couldn't have come from her height, she could see at least two other women in the crowd that were just as tall from what Ranma could see of them, and they were at least somewhat pretty.

"Growf!" Genma said when he saw the large woman as well.

"Not very pretty no?" The guide said with a chuckle. "Like small fighter? She very pretty yes?" Ranma looked at the smaller girl on the log, well smaller compared to the large woman, Ranma thought the purple hair girl might be a little taller than her own female form was. And she agreed that the purple hair girl was a lot prettier.

Ranma watched with curiosity as the smaller purple haired girl, armed with only a pair of large round maces, attacked the giant woman. She watched amazed as the smaller girl knocked the giant woman clear off the log and into a stone wall behind the log. A hush fell over the crowd as they watched the defeated woman who groaned loudly as she passed out and fell to the ground, leaving behind an imprint of her body. Most of the crowd started to cheer loudly while some booed at the girl who had won.

Ranma was impressed and couldn't help but wonder if the girl on the log might be interested in a spar as Ranma didn't buy into her father's attitude about female fighters, and other than Ryoga, Ranma hadn't had anyone to have a decent spar with in a long time. Genma was too busy trying to cheat during their spars and Ranma wanted a real challenge.

Meanwhile Genma had lost interest in the battle on the log and had looked around. His eyes lit up as he saw the large table off the side that was loaded with a feast. Starving, Genma walked over to the table and sat down, stuffing his face as soon as he did. He ignored the sign on the table that proclaimed the table as the first prize of the tournament.

"Wow, she's pretty good isn't she Pops?" Ranma as she turned to speak to Genma. "Pops?"

"Aiyah! What Mister Customer doing!?" The guide yelled. Ranma ran over and groaned.

"Pops! What are you doing?" Ranma asked as she saw the panda stuffing as much food into his mouth as he could.

'Shut up and eat,' Genma signed before thrusting a chicken leg into Ranma's hands. Ranma opened her mouth to yell at her father again but her sixth sense picked up on a movement behind her and jumped to the side as the purple haired girl crushed her mace into the table, breaking it in half as she tried to hit Ranma and Genma.

~How dare you eat my prize!~ The girl yelled in Chinese as she pointed her mace at Ranma and Genma. ~Who are you?~

"Huh?" Ranma asked then turned to the guide. "What did she say?"

"She ask who you is and why you eat her prize for winning tournament," The guide translated. Ranma groaned and looked back at Genma.

"You just had to stuff your face," Ranma groused then turned back to the other girl, thinking quickly. "This is the first place prize right? So all I have to do is defeat you and I'll be the winner right?"

The guide translated what Ranma said to the girl who nodded.

"Ok, so let's do this then," Ranma said as she tossed the chicken down on top of the broken table and started toward the log. The purple haired girl growled as she followed Ranma onto the log, Ranma standing in a loose relaxed stance as she crossed her arms behind her head.

~I'll make you pay for stealing my prize and insulting my honor!~ The girl said as she pointed at Ranma then moved in to attack the smaller red head. Ranma jumped over the other girl's head as she rushed Ranma, the smaller girl landing a kick between the taller girl's shoulder blades as she passed under Ranma. The purple haired girl stumbled then fell off the log to the dirt below. Ranma landed back on the log and looked down at the other. All the women and men watching stopped cheering and watched on in shock.

"So... does this mean I won?" Ranma asked as she hopped down to the ground. "That means the food is mine and everything is good now right?"

The girl got up off the ground and reached up to brush the dirt off her top. She stepped up to Ranma and reached up to turn the red head's face to the side, leaning in close.

"Xian Pu stop!"

***

Cologne, elder and matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, had watched the pair of outsiders since they had entered the village. Right away she could tell they were not what they appeared to be. The panda was walking on his hind legs and he was eating the food that was the first prize for the tournament. This was a red flag since pandas didn't walk on two legs and they only ate bamboo. Not only that but panda bears didn't write on signs in what looked to be Japanese.

The girl too gave out signals that she wasn't as she seemed. As she walked and moved, it was easy to tell she wasn't use to her body and her whole center of gravity was thrown off. She seemed to be adjusting to it fairly well and she moved in a way that spoke of a life of training in martial arts.

Of course the biggest clue was the man with them, the guide from the nearby cursed training grounds Jusenkyo. The guide wouldn't be with the pair if they hadn't been cursed at Jusenkyo. She watched the red headed girl challenge her granddaughter Xian Pu, or Shampoo as it would be pronounced in Japanese, who was the winner of the tournament for the first prize. Cologne was quite proud of her great granddaughter for winning; she after all had trained the girl herself. And the challenge was innocent enough, after all the cursed outsider wouldn't know any of their laws and that fool of a man from Jusenkyo didn't look like he was going to bother telling the girl either.

'Idiot,' Cologne thought with a snort and a shake of her head. They had more misunderstandings with outsiders because of that man. Shaking her head again, Cologne turned to the combat log to watch Shampoo and the outsider fight. She was amazed as everyone else that the red headed girl had won, but then again Shampoo had been too over confident in herself and had over extended her reach when she moved to strike the other girl. On the other hand, Cologne was amazed that the red headed girl had been able to move as fluently as she had, the girl was clearly still not use to her body but still had been able to defeat her granddaughter.

Cologne's eyes widened as she watched Shampoo move to give the outsider girl the Kiss of Death.

"Xian Pu stop!" She called as she pogoed into the ring on her staff, halting Shampoo's actions.

~Why did you stop me Great Grandmother? This outsider defeated me in combat, I must give her the Kiss of Death,~ Shampoo said, pointing at Ranma who just looked confused.

~Not everything is as it seems Great Granddaughter,~ Cologne responded. ~We must gather all the facts before taking action. Head home and tell your father that we shall have guests.~ Shampoo sighed, she had been humiliated by the outsider girl and her pet panda and she wanted to repair her bruised pride. But when Cologne gave an order, you had to follow it. The purple haired teen turned on her heel and walked quickly out of the ring, pushing her way through the crowd.

"Forgive my Great Granddaughter," Cologne said as she turned to Ranma. "She acted before thinking, she was angry that you and your panda had eaten the prize she earned by winning the tournament."

"Well I didn't eat anything," Ranma said. "It was all my Pops."

"You and the panda came from Jusenkyo correct?" Cologne asked.

"Yeah, how didja know?" Ranma asked.

"You are with the guide and you both give off signs that you are not as you appear," Cologne said. "I am Kon Lon of the Joketsuzoku. Welcome to our village."

"Oh. Well I'm Saotome Ranma of the Anything Goes school of Martial Arts," Ranma said. Cologne's eyes flashed for a second, she recognized that school's name. "And sorry about all this," She added, waving her hand as the destroyed table and ruined feast that Genma was still snacking from.

"Come, you and your panda are welcome to my home," Cologne said as she waved for Ranma to follow her. "We shall speak about your curses and what happened tonight."

"Okay I guess. Hey Pops! Come on!" Ranma called over her shoulder as she followed the small old woman.

"Growf," Genma said as he stuffed one last piece of food in his mouth as he shuffled off after his cursed son. The guide also followed behind them, wringing his hands worriedly.

**

The home that Cologne led Ranma and her father to was one of the bigger huts in the village. Ranma gave a curious look when she noticed what looked like a satellite dish on the roof, that wasn't something she expected in an old world village like this. Inside the home it was sparsely furnished with a kitchen area to the side and a small living area with a short table in the middle. There was also a small TV with a couple of gaming systems tucked under the TV stand. The walls were decorated with scrolls that depicted battles or were of mythical animals such as dragons and phoenixes. Weapons also hung on one wall across from the door.

~Poe, prepare some hot water for our guests,~ Cologne said to a middle aged bald man with a long thin mustache. The man gave a short bow and moved over to the kitchen area. Also in the room stood Shampoo who had her arms crossed over her chest as she watched Ranma's group. She was curious about why her grandmother needed hot water.

'The only reason any one would need hot water outside of a bath is because....' Shampoo blushed as she realized what sort of people the outsider girl and her panda were and how close she had come to making a mistake in giving the redhead the Kiss of Death. Ranma and Genma sat at the table when Cologne motioned to it, watching as the old woman turned on the guide and started to speak to him in Chinese.

~What are you doing you fool? You have been warned before that you need to explain the rules of our village before you bring outsiders here!~ Cologne berated the large man.

~I'm sorry, it slipped my mind. I didn't know that young Mister Customer was going to challenge your granddaughter,~ the guide said defending himself.

~Xian Pu nearly gave that girl the Kiss of Death if I hadn't stopped her,~ Cologne said. ~You are in charge of the outsiders when they are here, you should have stopped the Panda from eating the first prize! At this rate Plum will take over your duties.~

~My daughter is too young to be a Jusenkyo guide!~ The guide wailed.

~That may be but she has a better head on her shoulders than you do foolish man,~ Cologne hissed. ~I will be taking charge of the outsiders, you shall return to the training grounds.~

~Yes Elder,~ The guide said with a sigh then turned to the Saotomes. "Elder Cologne take care of Mister Customers, she tell you about curses and if cure." He told them before living.

Poe at the same time carried over a kettle of hot water, pouring part of it over Ranma and the rest over Genma.

"Is there a cure?" Genma asked as soon as he was back to normal. He wanted Ranma turned back into a boy for good before the whelp started going off about feeling like a girl again like he did as a small child before the training trip. Genma blamed that on his wife Nodoka, making his son into a weak little girl and had to take Ranma far away from the woman. He had worked too hard to make Ranma into a man he could marry off to one of Tendo's daughter and so close to the time to return to Japan and make good on that promise the last thing he needed was a curse to muck everything up!

"There is not a known one," Cologne said as she sat down at the table. Behind her, Shampoo was looking at Ranma with interest. Now that she wasn't as angry as before, Shampoo could admit Ranma had been a pretty cute girl and as a boy he was just as good looking. Her thought process reasoned if the outsider was really a boy, then the Kiss of Marriage is what she should give the other teen. She wasn't really into finding a spouse just yet but she supposed that the boy in front of her wouldn't be too bad of a life partner. After all he was an excellent fighter and they could have many strong children one day. "It is possible that jumping into the spring with your base form could override the curse for good."

"So all we have to do is return to Jusenkyo and jump into the spring of drowned man!" Genma proclaimed as he jumped up. "Quick boy! Let's return to the training grounds so we can get rid of these curses!"

"I did not say that it was a for sure cure," Cologne said calmly while taking out a pipe. She lit the sweet smelling tobacco inside and began to slowly puff on it. "The magic of Jusenkyo reacts in unpredictable ways. I have seen many causes where an animal or person fell into two different springs. Every time the curses blended and mixed."

"So if I jump into that guy spring, I'll change into some sorta girl-boy?" Ranma guessed.

"It's possible but as I said the cursed springs react differently to everyone," Cologne said. "I would not suggest chancing it."

"There has to be some sort of cure," Genma said as he slammed his fist down on the table. Cologne gave him a cold annoyed look making Genma sheepishly draw back.

"If there is one, I do not know of it," She said dryly. Genma growled in anger and stomped outside, he couldn't let this curse ruin his plans of retirement! Ranma watched his father but made no move to follow the man. Instead he turned to Cologne and saw Shampoo standing against the wall.

"So... what was she going to do before you stopped her?" Ranma asked, nodding toward the purple hair girl.

"My Great Granddaughter had decided to give you the Kiss of Death for defeating her," Cologne explained.

"Nani!?" Ranma said, looking between the two Amazons.

"It is an old village law, when an outsider female bests a village female then she shall be given the Kiss of Death and hunted down until the outsider is dead," Cologne said.

"Are... are you going to kill me?" Ranma said, eyes darting around the room.

"No child," Cologne said. "Calm yourself, we do not use the law very often any more. Shampoo's pride was bruised after winning the yearly tournament only to be swiftly defeated by an outsider. If she had been able to give you the kiss then she would have been bound by our laws to carry out the sentence. But now that we know you are a male, it brings a new light to all this."

Ranma fidgeted slightly at the words, he had relaxed slightly when Cologne said he wouldn't be killed but something about her calling him a 'male' just didn't sit well with him. Cologne's sharp eyes hadn't missed it either, she had watched Ranma since he and his father entered the village after all. She had read his/her body language and had observed quite a few things, something that she recognized. While not use to his female form, Ranma's body had been relaxed and had even looked almost comfortable.

But as soon as Ranma had changed back to his birth form... just barely under the surface he was now tense. And the way he reacted to being called a boy...

"Tell me young one, how are you feeling about all this," Cologne said after a few minutes.

"Huh?" Ranma said, blinking at the elderly woman.

"Your curse, how do you feel about it," Cologne repeated.

"Ahh... well..." Ranma tapped his fingers against the table.

"You can tell me child," Cologne assured him. "Your father will not find out anything you say here."

"It-it's a bit weird," Ranma finally said. "Being in a new body and having all new parts. But... I'm not sure how to put it," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Try," Cologne requested softly.

"I... I don't know. It's weird but... I kinda like it..." Ranma said. "I know it's wrong and Pops will kill me if he finds out."

~Poe, bring over some cold water will you?~ Cologne said.

~Great Grandmother, what is going on?~ Shampoo said, she hadn't understood anything they said. ~He's a boy, don't I need to give him the Kiss of Marriage?~

~Let's see how this plays out Granddaughter,~ Cologne said as she took the water from Poe. Then without warning Cologne poured the water over Ranma's head.

"Hey!" Ranma yelled as she shifted back into her girl form. She sputtered as she wiped water out of her eyes. "What the hell was that for?" Ranma asked as she squeezed the water out of her pony tail. Cologne didn't answer her right away, watching Ranma instead. The red headed girl was annoyed but Cologne could see the tension bleeding out of Ranma's shoulders.

"It's not wrong what you are feeling," Cologne said finally.

"Yeah right," Ranma said with a sulky pout. "I'm a boy, I'm not suppose to feel like... feel like..."

"A girl?" Cologne said. "It happens sometimes, sometimes a person is born into the wrong body and you know you should be something else. Tell me, do you feel comfortable with yourself now?"

Ranma shifted a bit under Cologne's gaze not sure if she should answer. "Well... yeah I guess but... if Pops finds out I'm still feeling this way he's gonna freak."

"It is nothing to be ashamed of child," Cologne said. "I believe you are a transsexual, you identify with the opposite sex than when you were born with though you hide it."

"Pops always told me not to act like a girl," Ranma said softly. "He'll really be pissed if he knows that I feel like a girl." There, she finally admitted to herself once and for all that she felt more right as a girl than a boy.

"You're father is a horrible-" Cologne started to say only to be cut off as the door to the hut slammed open.

~Elder! The outsider is causing trouble in the village square! ~ A pink haired young woman said. Cologne jumped up and ran outside with Shampoo on her heels. Ranma hesitated for a moment then ran out after them. In the square they found Genma on the ground with a sword to his neck.

~What is going on here?~ Cologne asked loudly.

~This outsider man attempted to put his hands on me,~ The woman holding the sword to Genma's neck said. ~He thought I was a weakling he could have his way with.~

Cologne glared at Genma who gulped and tried to shrink back.

"You have made a very stupid mistake," Cologne said coldly. "Throw him into the cages!"

"You can't do this!" Genma yelled as he was hauled to his feet.

"You’ll find that we can, you just attempted to force a Joketsuzoku warrior into having sex with you," Cologne said. "If you had raped her, you would be dead by now. I think time in the cages will give you time to think." Genma cursed and tried to fight the two women dragging him away. One of the guards struck the man across the head with the butt of her sword knocking the balding man out cold making it easier to drag Genma to be locked up.

Ranma watched in shock as Genma was taken away then turned to Cologne.

"Are you... are you going to do that to me too?" She asked.

"No child, you have done nothing wrong," Cologne assured her. "You're Father will just cool his heels for a few days. In the meantime you are welcome to stay in my home."

***

Ranma yawned as he entered the main room of the hut, he’d had a surprisingly restful night after the day he had yesterday. He couldn't believe he broke down and admitted to a perfect stranger that he felt more comfortable and right as a girl! He must have lost his mind and blamed the weird feelings on his cursed form... yeah that was it...

"Good morning child," Ranma looked up at Cologne who was standing at the stove making breakfast. "Did you sleep well?"

"Errr, yeah. First time I slept in a bed in a while," Ranma said as he sat down at the table. "Look about yesterday..."

"You are still confused," Cologne said as she sat out a bowl of miso soup in front of Ranma.

"I don't know 'bout confused... I mean I guess I'm not," Ranma said with a frown. "It's because of the curse I feel this way."

"Are you sure?" Cologne asked, looking Ranma in the eye. Ranma kept her gaze for a moment before looking down. "I see. May I make a suggestion?"

"Yeah I guess," Ranma said.

"Walk around in your female form for a day or two. Do not think about how you were born a male, just focus on how you feel in that form," Cologne suggested. When Ranma opened his mouth she held up a hand. "Just try it, your Father is still locked away and will be for a while. Take this time to find yourself, stay in your female form for a day or two, then your male and compare how you feel."

"Why?" Ranma asked after a few seconds.

"I know and have known plenty of persons like yourself," Cologne said. "Just give it a chance and keep an open mind. Once you decide how you feel come and speak to me."

"Ok, I guess I can try," Ranma said.

~Great Grandmother, I found him,~ Shampoo said as she entered the hut, dragging a much taller teenage boy around her age with her. He had long inky black hair and wore a white robe with a purple and red diamond pattern on the chest and black rimmed wide sleeves and was also wearing dark blue pants. Also on top of his head was a pair of very thick glasses.

"Mu-Tsu, thank you for coming," Cologne said as she turned to the two teens.

"Xian Pu said you wanted to see me elder?" Mu-Tsu, or Mousse as most outsiders knew him, said to a table next to the wall. Cologne sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

~Put your glasses on idiot!~ Shampoo said, slapping the back of Mousse's head. Mousse blinked then pulled his think glasses down, covering his eyes completely and saw that he was not talking to the elder Amazon.

"Mu-Tsu, you and Xian Pu are to escort our guest around the village and act as a translator as Xian Pu does not speak Japanese," Cologne told him.

~I told you that you should have learned Japanese,~ Mousse said to Shampoo in Chinese.

~I didn't think I would ever have a reason to,~ Shampoo said, crossing her arms over her chest. Mousse sighed, he loved Shampoo, he really did, but sometimes her stubbornness could wear on him.

"Of course Elder, whatever you and Xian Pu need," Mousse said instead as he turned back to Cologne. Cologne nodded then turned to Ranma.

"This is Mu-Tsu, he and Xian Pu will be your guides," Cologne said.

"Hey," Ranma said with a small wave. Cologne hopped over to the sink on her staff and filled up a glass with cold water. Hopping back, she handed the glass to Ranma who sighed then poured it over his head. His skin seemed to tingle as he became a smaller she, rolling her shoulders as she adjusted to the new weight on her chest. Mousse had to fight to keep his mouth from dropping open, despite living close to Jusenkyo all his life this was the first time he had seen a curse in action.

"Ah-hmm," Mousse cleared his throat as he quickly got his wits back. "Shall we?"

**

"So... Mu-too?" Ranma said as they walked along the edge of the village where Ranma could see several women and girls training. Mousse sighed as he tucked his hands into the sleeves of his robe.

"Just call me Mousse," He said.

"Mousse, so women are the ones in charge? Kinda like Amazons?" Ranma asked.

~What is she saying?~ Shampoo asked.

~She is asking if we are like the Amazons,~ Mousse told her.

~What is an Amazon?~ Shampoo asked with a frown.

~A female warrior from the west, their tribes are like ours but there are no men,~ Mousse explained then turned to Ranma. "Yes, a bit like the Amazons, we've been called that. But our village and our sister villages are different, for one there are men here in the village."

"And you guys take the role of a woman?" Ranma asked.

"We take care of the home and any children," Mousse agreed. "But we're trained as warriors too; I am a master of the art of Hidden Weapons for example."

"Hidden Weapons?" Ranma repeated curious.

"Yes, I am able to store and use a large amount of weapons on my person and within my clothing," Mousse said. "Or any items I wish."

"Is it easy to learn?" Ranma asked, she wasn't big on using weapons though she did know how to handle a few, but the ability to store other items on her person would cut down having to use a pack and maybe she would be able to hide stuff from her Pops. "How does it work?"

"I am not allowed to teach outsiders any Joketsuzoku's techniques or styles without an Elder's permission," Mousse admitted with a frown. Shampoo looked down the other two teens, getting frustrated at not knowing what either of them was saying.

~AAHHGG! I'm tired of not knowing what you two are saying!~ Shampoo yelled, making Ranma jump back while eyeing Shampoo startled. Shampoo turned and grabbed the front of Mousse's robes and pulled him down. ~You have to teach me whatever language this is!~

~Calm down Shampoo!~ Mousse said. ~Look, I can try but you can't learn another language in a day, it could take awhile for you to learn.~

"Errr... what’s going on?" Ranma asked. Mousse sighed and straightened back up as Shampoo let go of him.

"Shampoo doesn't know any Japanese and wishes for me to teach her," Mousse explained. "She's tired to not knowing what we're saying."

"I guess I can understand that, I don't know any Chinese," Ranma said. "Believe me, it's hard trying to get through here without knowing what people are saying."

"Just how did you get around without knowing the language?" Mousse asked.

"Pops did all the leading. He doesn't know any Chinese either so he either guessed or found someone who could speak Japanese," Ranma said with a shrug. Mousse sighed and pushed his glasses up so he could rub the bridge of his nose.

"Is that why your father ate Shampoo's tournament prize?" He asked.

"Honestly, he would have ate that feast even if he did know what the sign said," Ranma admitted. Shampoo hit Mousse's arm, wanting him to translate. The taller Amazon youth told Shampoo what Ranma said, the purple haired girl huffed under her breath and glared in the direction where the village prison was.

~Stupid panda, should have made a rug out of him,~ Shampoo muttered. ~If he had left my prize alone, I wouldn't have lost my pride in that fight.~ Ranma backed away again as Shampoo clenched her fists in anger. Needing to vent her frustrations, she turned to Mousse and attacked him while Ranma watched in shock. Mousse, who was use to Shampoo using him as a punching bag, quickly recovered and began to fight her back, tossing out his sleeves and sending a wave of chains at the smaller teen. Maybe this would be the time he would defeat her in combat and get the Kiss of Marriage.

Ranma looked around and noticed that several other villagers looked in Shampoo and Mousse's direction, shrugged their shoulders then went back to what they were doing.

"Huh... Guess this is normal," Ranma said as she walked away a few feet and sat down, watching the fight between the other two teens. Like the day before, Shampoo showed that she was a very good fighter, she dodged and struck back at Mousse as the boy tried to trip her up with... was that a duck shaped potty trainer? Mousse was clearly no slouch when it came to fighting but Ranma could tell that he was trying his best not to hurt Shampoo. But even if he hadn't been holding back Ranma was sure Shampoo would still be winning like she was now, she was just that much better. Ranma was sure that between the two of them she was better than Shampoo but like Ryoga would give Ranma a very good workout. Mousse too could also be a good sparring partner as long as he didn't hold back on her.

Finally Shampoo decided that she had vented enough and planted her foot in the middle of Mousse's face, sending the taller teen flying back several feet. Mousse lay on the ground groaning loudly with a large red foot shaped mark on his face. Shampoo landed lightly on her feet and placed her hands on her hips, watching Mousse for a moment. Nodding to herself, and feeling a lot better now that she had worked out her anger on someone, Shampoo flipped a lock of purple hair over her shoulder and walked over to sit down next to Ranma. As neither of them understood the other, both girls were quite as Mousse recovered from his beating.

"Ow," Mousse said as he sat up, rubbing his head to ease away the ache.

"Wow, she beat you up pretty good," Ranma said, impressed that the boy recovered so quickly. "Everyone acted like that happens a lot."

"It does," Mousse said as he stood up and brushed the dirt off his robes then smoothed down his long hair. "I am often Shampoo's favorite punching bag but I love her anyway."

Ranma raised a red eyebrow, somehow she didn't think Shampoo returned the other Amazon's feelings.

"So... how do we go about teaching Shampoo Japanese?" She asked instead.

***

The rest of the day passed quickly after that. Mousse and Ranma spent time teaching Shampoo the basics of Japanese. While she was a long ways away from being understandable it had been fun teaching the other girl. Not once during the day did Ranma go see Genma who was still locked away in the village's prison.

Ranma stepped into the public bath house in the village, pools of hot water steaming pleasantly. She eyed the water then sighed as she stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the pool. Another tingle ran up her form as her muscles became more defined and his shoulders widened while he lost his curves. After spending a whole day as a girl, it was a little odd now to be back in his boy body. It should have felt natural, but instead it was almost like putting on a suit that didn't quite fit. The idea was strange but it was how Ranma felt now. As he trailed his fingers through the water he wondered if Cologne was right, without his Pops constantly telling him to be a man it was giving him time to think about it. Really think about it for once.

Ranma finished washing up and poured cold water over his head once he was out, turning back into a girl and dressed in fresh clothing she had brought in with her. Night had fallen in the village as she walked back to Cologne and her family's hut, everyone else was already asleep as she entered and went straight to the room they had lent her. Flopping onto the bed, she yawned widely and fell asleep, her dreams filled with cute little fangs, green eyes and strong arms.

***

Author Note: Ok, Ranma is a bit OOC but a lot of it is shock and trying to adjust to feelings that she thought she kept buried. Some of the regular Ranma will show up as the story goes on don't worry.

Mousse isn't hating or fighting Ranma because Ranma isn't Shampoo's 'husband' now. Since Ranma isn't trying to take away his 'love', Mousse has no reason to hate Ranma.

Edit 8-30-14: Just a little spelling and grammar that needed to be fixed.