Chapter Text
Genma kept one address written down on a postcard in his pack. The Tendou dojo, with the description of being somewhere safe and hospitable.
And damn, if Ranma didn't need somewhere kind to him after that Kiss of Death, he didn't need anything at all.
Being a girl suddenly seemed so much better, but some people were just… Awful. Extremely awful. Just from trying to hide from Shan Pu in a busy marketplace alone, he had gotten far too many uncomfortable comments he was barely able to understand, far too many he could, and… He'd rather not think about it.
Screw curing the curse, screw sticking with his dad, screw the whole Chinese countryside for all Ranma cared. Ranma wanted a place to stay, far away from all of this. And maybe, just maybe, this dojo back in Japan could at least help him get back on his feet.
Taking what he could from his own travel pack and from Genma's while the old man was sleeping, Ranma had a few thousand yen, his clothes, his sleeping bag, and only two days worth of food. Well, the currently pink haired boy in a girl's body had worked with less. Genma insisted he could work with less.
“Sorry, Pops,” Ranma said to the sleeping bastard, “But I'm getting outta here.”
He could work out what to eat on the way. Even if grifting with his girl form somehow wasn't an option, he at least knew how to tell a poisonous mushroom from a safe one. He'd be fine.
☆☆☆☆
Wednesday was always a quiet day for Soun Tendou, and this one started no differently. He had swept outside his house, waved at the postman as he passed without receiving a letter at all, and went inside to do some of his various little bits of council busywork.
Kasumi had finished her morning housework and was reading over her borrowed medical textbooks in her room. Nabiki and Akane were both still at school. The house was quiet, a moment of peace that made it perfect for thinking about things. Like just how long Genma and Ranma were taking to get here.
12 years ago. It was 12 years since Genma and his son disappeared from Nerima, and 12 years since Genma said he'd mail a card to the dojo on the day the Saotomes would return. Twelve long years of no son-in-law in sight. But a martial artist’s life is indeed filled with peril, so there wasn't much Soun could do except lose sleep over how he'd have to break the news to his daughters one day. All over a boy he had never met.
The rapid knock on the front door broke Soun out of his Saotome-centric thought spiral. “On my way!” He yelled out as he got up from his seat, making his way to the door.
“I wasn't aware we were expecting anyone…” Kasumi said, reaching the entryway just as Soun had.
“Not without notice, no, we weren't.” Soun responded as he opened up the door.
It took a moment for the father and daughter to both look down at the unexpected guest, having initially thought they could just look straight forward. But no, there was a short, young girl, no older than 5 and even that was pushing it, standing there in a far too large Chinese silk shirt that draped over her like a dress. Her face was scratched up, and she had probably seen better days regarding hygiene. Her pink hair was tied up in a pigtail, a hair colour that reminded Soun of Genma's wife a little too much…
“Um…” The little girl started shyly, “I-is the sign right? Is this the Tendou dojo?”
Soun sighed, the second time the disuse of the dojo would make a little girl cry probably upon him. “Yes, but-”
“Good!” The girl interrupted, “Um, I'm Yoiko Saotome, sorry ‘bout this, mister…”
Soun froze up for a moment, unsure if he should cry or faint. “Did… did you just say Saotome?”
Suddenly, the pinkette seemed a lot more worried. “I-is that bad?”
… Genma must have been in the area in the last five years for a girl bearing his name with the hair of Nodoka to be right here. He must have.
“M-mister!?” Yoiko yelled as Soun passed out.
☆☆☆☆
“So, Yoiko-chan,” Kasumi smiled as the small girl drank the water she was given with shaky hands, “What brings you to us today?”
“Um… Um, um… I was told you were safe…”
That was… odd. This poor girl had obviously seen a lot for someone her age. The grime all over her face was beyond that of even Akane at her most violent and boyish. It could sooner be believed that Yoiko was a wild creature masking as a human child than the other way around, at least by appearance.
“... Are you not safe with your parents?” Kasumi had to ask, just to be sure, “Neither of them?”
“Surely, your father must be strong!” Said Soun, sitting upright from his former lying position, “He'd keep you safe!”
And Kasumi saw the whole world shatter for this little girl. No matter what the circumstances were, parents didn't seem like an option as Yoiko shrunk in on herself. “Pops is… Is too busy with trainin’ R-Ranma… And he's mean…” The pink haired girl was devastated, “A-a-and I dunno Ma…”
While Kasumi may have not known everything, it was clear that her father was piecing together a few things. “Young lady… Did your father drag you to China with him and your brother?”
The scared look and quiet nod said far too much.
“Oh my…” gasped Kasumi. What kind of monster takes a small girl on a massive training trip to China? That makes that girl run away, clearly wearing a borrowed shirt she could never fit? That stops a girl from knowing her own mother?
“Hmmm… And how old are you?” Soun asked once again.
“F-five, mister… I think…”
And the poor girl couldn't even remember her own birthday.
“Father,” Kasumi spoke, anger bubbling beneath the surface, “I think I have some choice words for that friend of yours.”
Tears were running down the man's face. “Me too, Kasumi. Me too.”
Kasumi refused to let the rage get to her. Anger wasn't going to keep Yoiko feeling safe, it'd only scare the girl. The girl who somehow, against all odds, came running here all the way from China. If the Tendous lost Yoiko, it'd probably be impossible to get her back. That much was obvious. The pinkette was a little fighter, no doubt.
“Yoiko-chan, I promise,” Kasumi properly kneeled down to get on relatively the same level as Yoiko, “We will keep you safe, okay?”
Those large, piercing blue eyes were filled with so much hurt, yet so much hope. “... ‘kay.”
“Kasumi, could you keep an eye on her for a bit first?” Soun asked before mumbling, “I have some serious thinking to do about my arrangements with Genma…”
“Of course,” Reaching out her hand to guide Yoiko, Kasumi smiled as warmly as she could, “Let's get you settled in, okay?”
☆☆☆☆
Ranma should've realised it would come to this. He just hoped he could've avoided getting into literal and metaphorical hot water a little longer.
Really, he was trying his best with what he had. The curse was always going to be difficult, but he was planning on being Yoiko before he ate the mushroom, anyway. His dad wasn't going to look for someone literally calling themself ‘Good Girl’ everywhere they go. He could go completely undetected until he decided to show himself again to that meanie panda.
And then the mushroom happened. It made travel that much more inconvenient, being a five year old. Ranma was short enough in girl mode anyway, he didn't need even shorter legs! Not to mention how embarrassing it was, and how little people actually seemed to respect him like this. He was a big kid, dammit!
But looking like a 5 year old girl was a good enough cover, he guessed, so he built a character on the fly. Yoiko Saotome was also Genma's kid, just long gone from home. He could tell all his stories and either people would show more sympathy, or they'd think it's the imagination of a hyperactive little girl. Either Ranma would get the special treatment, or he'd be peacefully ignored. Better than getting hurt, at least.
“Yoiko-chan, what's wrong?” Kasumi asked, unaware of the pigtailed child's inner turmoil.
… Might as well get this over with. He already lied a bit, this one wouldn't be too bad. “‘m… ‘m cursed…”
“Pardon?”
“P-Pops c-c-cursed me…” Wasn't too far from the truth, “And… And and and… I turn into a b-b-boy in hot water…”
It was a small lie. Of course, the curse was real, but the lie implied that ‘Yoiko’ was a girl first and foremost. That was a necessary fact if Ranma was going to keep this up, who knows how long the mushroom would last.
Kasumi, understandably, looked doubtful. And so, already knowing the filled up furo next to them would spell doom anyway, Ranma shakily sighed and used his (nerfed by childhood) martial arts prowess to jump in, despite how he would have needed help if he just climbed.
Pink hair turned black, and while the changes weren't as notable before he ate the mushroom, a discomfort filled his heart.
“Oh my…” said Kasumi, shocked at either the curse or the acrobatic ability, “You poor, poor girl.”
“Hm… Cold water fixes it…” Ranma put on his best ‘shy child’ expression, but there wasn't much of a change from his expression before.
Surprisingly, Kasumi was taking the news that people could get cursed very well. “You did a very good job telling me, Yoiko-chan. You're a very brave girl.”
The praise made Ranma feel oddly warm and fuzzy inside. Sure, the circumstances weren't ideal, but… Genma never told Ranma he did a good job.
“We'll show my father your curse after we get you clean and dressed, okay?” Kasumi spoke calmly and sweetly, “It'll be important that he knows, just in case. Then we can get you back to your body right after.”
The girl form was more comfy, but it was a smart idea to wait and show Soun the transformation when it happened… “‘kay, Miss ‘Sumi.”
☆☆☆☆
“We're home!” Akane called out as Nabiki pushed past her in the entrance. Oddly enough, there was a pair of well worn shoes she couldn't recognise alongside the others. There was probably a guest over, and given the shoe size and style, it was a boy. Great, just fine and dandy.
Nabiki must've noticed the shoes, too. “Hey, dad? Who's the guest? Is he cute?”
“Ah, yes,” Soun responded from the main family room, “You should probably see the girl soon, she's just getting settled in.”
“Settled in?” Akane asked as her and her sister actually walked into the living space.
“It's a girl?” Nabiki complained, “Aren't those men's shoes?”
Soun nodded, a concerned look on his face. “She only had hand-me-downs, it seems.”
So a girl was in the house. As long as she wasn't an awful person, Akane could handle a girl around, especially given that the guest was sticking around. It seemed like the boys at school were only getting worse, so any guest would've probably had to tread lightly not to piss her off.
“Come on, it will be okay, they won't bite,” Kasumi could be heard at the top of the stairs, speaking like one would to a spooked horse, “... Except maybe Akane, but she's really sweet when she isn't brutally violent.”
The little kid that was getting guided down the stairs was wearing an overalls and shirt combo that she swore she saw in a photo of Nabiki when she was younger. They didn't exactly fit right, but it was cute anyway. Their black hair looked freshly washed, left untied and loose, and the kid was staring at a string in their hand like someone who just found out magic wasn't real. This little kid either had to be extremely shy or embarrassed based on their body language and blush.
“Yoiko, what happened to your hair?” Soun asked, “I didn't think we had any hair dye…”
“U-um…” Yoiko stuttered before hiding behind Kasumi, probably not expecting an audience.
“Father,” Kasumi spoke, holding a glass of water, “Yoiko-chan was apparently cursed. She turns into a boy with warm water, I saw.”
Akane felt her stomach drop a little, especially once Kasumi spilt her glass over the kid in question. Hair going from pitch black to vibrant pink, shrinking enough to make the slightly tight clothes seem loose. Softening in ways that wouldn't be that obvious on a child unless you were looking for them or saw them change before your very eyes.
“Nabiki, Akane, this is Yoiko Saotome,” Kasumi tried to get the pinkette back out into view from behind her, “She's a girl who has clearly been through a lot, so can we please be gentle with her?”
While Soun tried to wrap his head around what to do with the curse, and Nabiki wondered how the curse could even happen, Akane could only wonder, “Why were you cursed?”
The little girl took a look at Akane, and was clearly trying to think through her words. “P-Pops was wanting m… My brother to be r-really, really manly, a-and he didn't l-like me, so…”
Oh, so that BASTARD happened to not want a daughter, and potentially ruined her life by making her a boy? Akane didn't need to ask any more, her assumptions were strong enough. She was going to help Yoiko be the best damn girl she could be, and prove that being forced to be a boy wasn't going to stop her from achieving happiness! After all, Akane did the same thing, just with much more puberty blockers.
“Was your brother at least nice?” Nabiki asked, “It sounds like you both would've had it pretty sh- I mean, pretty rough.”
“He, um… He was nice?” There was an unsure tone that answer, “I, um… N-never got to talk to h-him much.”
Soun tried speaking to himself quietly, but everyone heard. “I guess the arranged marriage might not be happening, then…”
“The what!?” The three Tendou sisters said in unison.
“W-well, one of you and Ranma Saotome were going to be arranged to be married to unite the schools of Anything Goes,” Soun held his hands up as a plea for mercy, “But if Genma is like we've heard, then I'm calling it off! Don't worry!”
The idea that she was so close to getting married against her will to some boy made Akane feel sick, but it was Yoiko who was looking strangely queasy.
☆☆☆☆
Ranma, the black haired teenage boy, was getting dragged through the rain by a panda. His normal, comfortable, manly clothing, replaced by a kimono fit for a groom, if it wasn't also far too baggy for him. Even if his body wasn't oddly frozen, he wouldn't have been able to move freely from the inconvenient excess fabric.
The rain felt like superheated bullets, pelting him from all angles. It was just hot water, it shouldn't have hurt him. It shouldn't have hurt.
The outdoor aisle he was being walked down had faceless mannequins surrounding from all sides. All posed in different martial art stances. All in bridal attire, Japanese and western both. All seeming to follow Ranma.
He felt vulnerable, under attack, unsafe. His skin crawled at being anywhere near the position of groom. He hardly felt like he could be a man, not yet. Hell, boy felt like it wasn't even right. He was a helpless bride getting walked down the aisle by a bastard father who wanted to hand over a groom.
At the very end of the road was the real lady of the hour, a bride in delicate, pure white that made Ranma… Envious. She felt envy. Envy, until the veil was lifted, a hungry feline face smiling from underneath. Ravenous, terrifying, devastating. Looking Ranma up and down like premium sushi. Like she was someone or something to toy with.
Yoiko felt violated as she met what might be her end.
☆☆☆☆
“No… D-don't… Nyoooo…”
The cries from the guest bedroom echoed through the Tendou household. The five year old had stubbornly insisted she could sleep on her own just an hour before.
“Nooooo… Nyo touch… Mrrrrrrroooowww…”
Kasumi regretted believing that.
All three Tendou sisters practically collided in the hallway. “Sleep by herself, my ass,” Nabiki whispered, “I swear, her dad better be able to pay for earmuffs.”
“He'll be paying for more than that when I see him…” Akane cracked her knuckles as if her opponent was already there, “Poor Yoiko…”
“I'm going to go in there and try to calm her down,” Kasumi stated calmly and clearly, “Nabiki, could you please get me the spare bed roll?”
“Top of the closet, right?” Nabiki started to go looking in the dark.
“Yes, thank you. Akane?” Kasumi turned to her youngest sister, “Would you be willing to lend a plushie tonight?”
“Of course!” Akane already ran back into her room for that purpose.
Kasumi opened the guest bedroom to get a head start. There, right in the middle of the floor, was the pink haired girl, curled up like a cat and crying in her sleep. Her breathing was certainly not peaceful, either.
“Just like my sisters after…” Kasumi whispered to herself, choosing not to invoke her mother's passing out loud. Regardless, Kasumi was support then, she would be support now.