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Grounders10's Forgotten Files and Drabbles (Worm, Ranma, etc.)

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Grounders10 said:
<.<
>.>
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Inari: "I'm helping." :D
Floofy Ranma: "Stop. Helping."
Inari: "As my sole Miko on this plane I'm kind of obliged to."
Floof-bristly-wth-anger Ranma: "You never did anything back in Japan!"
Inari: "You never needed my help then. Now you do."
Grabbing-fluffy-appendages Ranma: "HOW ARE THESE HELP!?!"
Inari: "Spoilers. No seriously; if I told you things would really go sideways when the moment arrives."
 
Wait... she couldn't turn back into a he?
Huh... is this some kind of.... huuuh....

ok, theorizing time:

This is an aspect of the miscivous nature of a Fox spirit, paired with the "the universe laughs at you" nature of the curce. Ranma is now stuck as a girl for as long as it takes for her to learn to control her Kitsune powers.
Due to the foxes being natural shapeshifters, it took a inverse reaction with the transforming for ranma and that-which-was-random-before will now ONLY be conscious-or-not-happen-at-all.
 
Okay, you get a rating just for the Kistune. The fact it was a Funny however is because I was legitimately chuckling lightly through most of it and actually laughing at a couple of parts.
 
I am groaning. Sorry, But I've been reading Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction for Twenty-two years now, and I've gotten SICK of Ranma stuck as a Girl fics. They are done to death.
 
Dacl73 said:
I am groaning. Sorry, But I've been reading Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction for Twenty-two years now, and I've gotten SICK of Ranma stuck as a Girl fics. They are done to death.
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As are locked as a boy stories, but something tells me you wouldn't care overmuch about that overdone cliche being used, also? Do you not know the basic powers of a Japanese kitsune?
Baby Kitsune, brand new powers, you expect mastery of a new racial power set, before even a day has passed?
Edit: Sorry, that came out far more harsh than intended, i'm on something like my fortieth hour awake.
 
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Gekkou_Yoko said:
As are locked as a boy stories, but something tells me you wouldn't care overmuch about that overdone cliche being used, also? Do you not know the basic powers of a Japanese kitsune?
Baby Kitsune, brand new powers, you expect mastery of a new racial power set, before even a day has passed?
Edit: Sorry, that came out far more harsh than intended, i'm on something like my fortieth hour awake.
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Not a Fan of Ranma getting cured either. Ranma as a Girl does not feel like Ranma. Ranma struggling with his curse, and yes he is male even when physically female, is interesting. Locking him as a girl, or curing him is not really interesting. When I see Ranma locked as I girl, I tend to think "Oh, it's Ranma stuck as a girl fic #4097!" When I see Ranma cured or having the curse removed I tend to think "Oh, it is Not-Ranma fic #9238!"

The only really fic that does Ranma as a Girl that I still enjoy, is Girl Days. There, it is played for laughs and absurdity.
 
Dacl73 said:
Not a Fan of Ranma getting cured either. Ranma as a Girl does not feel like Ranma. Ranma struggling with his curse, and yes he is male even when physically female, is interesting. Locking him as a girl, or curing him is not really interesting. When I see Ranma locked as I girl, I tend to think "Oh, it's Ranma stuck as a girl fic #4097!" When I see Ranma cured or having the curse removed I tend to think "Oh, it is Not-Ranma fic #9238!"

The only really fic that does Ranma as a Girl that I still enjoy, is Girl Days. There, it is played for laughs and absurdity.
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*side-eyes the other Ranma fics by Grounders that I know of*

…This may not be a great thread for you, then. Just sayin'. Not that I think you should leave, or anything, but girl-Ranma has been a staple of every single Ranma fic I've read from Grounders so far.
 
Grounders10 said:
Horrifying I'm sure.
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Ah, you missed the reference (to a movie I haven't seen either, but Casablanca is a classic.)
"I am shocked, shocked to find gambling in this establishment!"
"Your cut, sir." ::hands him a bundle of cash ::

In this case, what do think the adaptation of the second line is?
 
What I was hoping to see:
ltmauve said:
I am shocked, shocked to find blatant floof fanservice on this site. Also, watched.
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Your floof fanservice, miss.


*Yes, this was partly an exercise to get a foxgirl picture posted.
**Yes, I know she isn't Ranma. I couldn't find a picture of her that met my criteria.
 
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Oooh, that looks like Helpful Foxgirl Senko-san!

On the subject of the floof-fic:

I am not a fan of Ranma 1/2 in any way shape or form. I got tired of the re-hashed stories very quickly, and gave up on the series soon after the stories fell into one of the three main groups Takahasi Rumiko abused into the ground (I think there are 4 years of issues in my collection, so I gave it a fair chance).

However, I'm willing to give individual stories a chance, and this one has some promise.
 
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In The Blood Chapter 1: Drama Meet Family
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    A Ranma ½ Fanfic

    In The Blood

    By: Grounders10

    -0-0-0-0-0-

    Chapter One
    Drama, Meet Family

    -0-0-0-0-0-​

    Shizune cleared her throat. "Now that I've let you have a moment," she said loudly and firmly enough that Ranma's mother stilled in her fussing, her ears tipping outward as her excited babble stopped, "Does your mother know where you are and what you've been doing, young lady?"

    Ranma was treated to the unusual sight of her mother turning towards the older black-haired kitsune with what appeared to be apprehension. "... She knows I've been out and about," Nodoka said with a tone that was remarkably like a child being caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

    Despite the urge to ask why no one had told her she had a grandmother, Ranma kept her mouth shut as Shizune stared disapprovingly down at Nodoka. Her mother was looking far less composed than she had a few moments ago.

    "Mhmm. But I take it she doesn't know exactly what you've been doing while 'out and about', does she? Don't lie, I know Shiori well," Shizune said.

    "... I don't recognize you," Nodoka said defensively.

    "She normally comes here alone, though it has been a while since the last time we had tea. I'm sure she'll be less than pleased that I'm reaching out to her because her daughter and granddaughter are on my doorstep," Shizune said before reaching out and grabbing the tip of Nodoka's ear.

    "Owowow-" Her mother complained.

    "And take that silly illusion off, young lady," Shizune continued before doing… something with ki that made Ranma's eyes water. Despite the tears, Ranma's eyes widened a moment later as her mother lost a good foot of height and her hair brightened considerably to be only just darker than Ranma's.

    "Not in front of my son!" her mother protested, her voice sounding much more like a teenage girl than it had before. Ranma closed her eyes and placed a hand to her forehead. Did she really just…? Yes, yes she did.

    "Son?" Shizune asked, her eyes darting to Ranma.

    "Does Jusenkyo mean anything to you? And why is my mother… my age?!" Ranma demanded.

    Shizune pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, it does; and it's because she technically is your age, or just older by Kitsune standards," she said.

    Nodoka turned to Ranma with a very nervous look. "Um… I can explain?" she said with a questioning tone.

    Ranma stared at her mother. "Please tell me this doesn't mean Pops is a pedophile," she said, staring at the girl who was her mother.

    "Thankfully, no. Kitsune can make their own minds up about those sorts of relationships once they turn one hundred and fifty," Shizune said, "However, they aren't supposed to have custody of any children they have unless they have three tails or three hundred years of age. The same goes for, say, getting married." She gave Nodoka a particularly unimpressed look. "And I know for a fact, young lady, that you are barely two hundred years old."

    "That rule is stupid and counterproductive," Nodoka snapped, huffing and crossing her arms in a manner that with her reduced stature simply made her look petulant rather than authoritative as it normally did.

    Ranma buried her face in her hands with a groan. "I don't need this. I really don't need this," she muttered. She felt her mother reach up and pat her on the arm.

    "It's alright dear. I'm just glad you've finally gotten your tails. I was wondering when you were going to get them. Mother never did mention that-" her mother said.

    "Because you're too young to need to know! Stubborn child, you don't wait for them to come in, you awaken them!" Shizune said, frustration pouring off of her, "If I hadn't caught it your- Son. Son… that's another issue we need to talk about. Your son was on the edge of being too old to be awakened. If Ranma had been even a year older that would have been it and you'd have had to bury him like any other mortal man."

    The stricken look on her mother's face was like a knife to Ranma's heart. She slid off her chair and pulled the girl who was her mother into a hug. "I'm here. I'm right here," she said, "I'm not going anywhere. Right?" She shot a look over her mother's shoulder at Shizune. "Right?"

    "Technically, no," Shizune said before letting out a sigh, "The couch is over there. Why don't you two have a chat while I call Shiori, hmm?"

    "I'm going to be in so much trouble," Ranma's mother whimpered, clutching to her even tighter and Ranma had to restrain an urge to roll her eyes.

    "Thanks. C'mon. This way," Ranma said, guiding her mother over to the couch -- a feat that was barely possible with her terrible sense of balance -- that had a view of the muted TV. No sooner did they sit down than her mother started crying, grabbing Ranma in an even tighter hug. With an awkward grimace, she patted the barely taller girl on the back. What the hell was she supposed to say or do for that matter?

    Her mother was literally the equivalent of her own age. For all she knew she was mentally more mature than the woman- the girl who gave birth to her. Kami this was messed up.

    As she comforted her mother she finally took note of the two red tails swinging behind her that were emerging from a tailored hole in her kimono. Two tails. Two centuries.

    "Please don't go," her mother whispered. Ranma's left ear twitched towards the sound.

    "I'm right here," Ranma repeated. As she said that her tails came about seemingly in response to words and wrapped about her mother, practically burying the older kitsune.

    Nodoka lifted her head from Ranma's shoulder and stared at the tails. She lifted herself to peer over Ranma's shoulder, pressing down on her. Ranma caught the moment her breath stopped. "Ranma, dear, do you… Do you have nine tails?" she asked, her voice faint.

    "I think so," Ranma replied. Her mother stared at her, her eyes glazing over slowly.

    "I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming. It's the only explanation," Nodoka said, letting herself slide bonelessly down to the couch. Ranma reached out and pinched her on the cheek. "Ow, ow- Oh, not a dream- Ranma! You don't go pinching your mother's cheek!" Her mother gave her an outraged look.

    Ranma gave her a flat look and poked her in the nose, getting a wrinkle and a dissatisfied look. "You look like my sister, Mum," she said irritably.

    Her mother had the grace to look embarrassed. "Erm… yes, well, dear, um… Oh, this was not how I had this planned," she muttered, pulling at her hair with both hands. Her bun promptly fell apart as its care knots slipped. "Oh- Hells." Her mother flopped backwards on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. She landed on Ranma's tails which felt… weird. Very weird.

    Ranma leaned forward to stare down at her. "So do I still call you Mum?" she asked.

    "Yes! I'm still two hundred years your senior and the woman who gave birth to you," the girl said, staring back intensely.

    "... That sounds so wrong coming from someone who looks like my older sister," Ranma replied. She winced as her mother slapped her face with both hands.

    "I know that!" she said, her voice muffled, "Why do you think I was wearing illusions?! No one takes me seriously if I don't."

    "Because you're still a child," Shizune said, re-entering the room.

    "Am not."

    "That argument alone proves my point."

    "Nyeh!" Ranma stared as her mother, who was normally so prim and proper, stuck her tongue out at the older kitsune.

    Ranma reached up and pinched her own cheeks, wincing at the pain. No, definitely not a dream. "So, how'd it go?" she asked.

    "Your Grandmother is on her way. She says she'll be here in an hour or two. So both of you are staying here until then," Shizune said firmly. Ranma nodded while her mother fumed.

    "Behave," she told her mother who shot her a betrayed look before wilting at Ranma's firm stare.

    "... Fine…"

    Shizune brought over Ranma's dinner and then got back to work cooking. "So while I cook, mind answering a few questions Ranma? Specifically about Jusenkyo," she said.

    "Sure," Ranma replied, biting into the rice bowl after adding a little seasoning.

    "Hmm, did you fall into the Spring of Drowned Girl?"

    "That's the one."

    "Hmm. have you-"

    "Tried to turn back?" She fixed her eyes on her mother, "It isn't working." Her mother's eyes went wide.

    "No!" the other redhead blurted out, sitting up rapidly, "Ranma that means-" she was interrupted by Ranma stuffing a cookie in her mouth.

    "So, three hundred or three tails?" Ranma asked, staring pointedly at her mother who chewed the cookie discontentedly as she eyed how Ranma was holding another at the ready.

    "That's right," Shizune said, glancing over her shoulder at them.

    "So since I have nine tails…?" Ranma glanced her way.

    "You are technically considered an adult, yes. The biggest concern isn't physical development, but mental. It takes centuries for Kitsune to properly develop the wisdom required to raise children properly," the Miko said, "as it is, I would guess you're more mature than your mother."

    Nodoka crossed her arms as she finished her cookie. "Ranma the-"

    "Oh drop it. You said it was done with anyways and how much trouble do you think you're going to be in if Grandma hears what about that?" Ranma asked her mother, who seemed to freeze, pale, and go nearly catatonic with fear. "Uhuh. Right now I'm really annoyed with you. So sit there and don't cause a fuss for a moment. The adults are talking." She couldn't believe she'd just said that.

    Nodoka sat up. "Now see here! That is not how you-" Ranma stuffed another cookie in her mother's mouth. The glare she received was nothing compared to the ones she'd been able to send in her disguise.

    "I'm afraid it is. You are a child. Your daughter is legally an adult. Deal with it," Shizune said airily, waving a spatula over her shoulder before flipping the fish she was cooking.

    Ranma sniffed. "That smells delicious," she sighed, her ears pivoting toward the sound of cooking.

    "I'll prep some extra if you're still hungry," Shizune said with a chuckle.

    "That sounds great."

    Shizune flipped the fish again. "So, you can't change?" she asked.

    "Hot water does nothing. I tested it when you went to let Mum in," Ranma said.

    Shizune rested her head against the cupboard. "I'm sorry to say that even if I'd known about your curse, I'd have taken the same actions," she said, "There just wasn't time for anything else."

    "It's fine. We're kitsune, right? Should be easy to change back, right?" Ranma asked with an uncertain smile that faded as Shizune shook her head.

    "Kitsune take poorly to attempts to permanently alter their shape though… exotic means. Magic spells, ki techniques, it's all the same as far as we're concerned. A Kitsune can't get a Jusenkyo curse from what I understand. If you're a girl, then it's because you are a girl now and changing back to a guy with an illusion or a shapeshift, won't change that. I'm sorry, but… this is you. In time you can master your powers to eventually transform into a boy, but it'll just be an illusion or a temporary act," Shizune replied. Her voice was quiet, but Ranma's new ears were more than up to the task of listening.

    "So… I'm… I'm stuck?" Ranma asked, swallowing.

    "As a girl, yes. This has some implications for your status in your family, but I'll leave that for your Grandmother to explain. Shiori will be unhappy if I start saying things that aren't true anymore," Shizune said. Ranma glanced to her mother whose eyes lit up brightly.

    "You mean other than the obvious." Ranma yelped, a sound her mother echoed as Genma was suddenly there kneeling beside them.

    "H-hey, Pops," Ranma said wide-eyed before frowning, "Umisenken, really?"

    "When your mother started spinning illusions to lose me I figured I'd try something she wasn't familiar with," the balding man said as he reached over and stole a cookie. She let him take it. She glanced towards her mother. The young woman seemed to be hyperventilating as she stared at her… dubiously legal husband.

    "How long did you know?" Ranma asked, frowning at him.

    "That your mother was a kitsune? Three months before I took you on the training trip. It's why I did so in the first place," Genma said, standing up, "Shizune, was it?"

    "Genma Saotome, I presume? I thought I felt something for a moment," the seven-tailed kitsune mused as she tapped her spatula to her lips.

    "G-Genma-" Nodoka seemed to regain some of her regal pride for a moment as she sat straight, "I mean- Husband-"

    "Not legally," Shizune said, shutting the two-tailed kitsune down again.

    Ranma sighed.

    "There is a reason I took Ranma with me," Genma said, reaching over to pet Nodoka's head with one hand. To Ranma's amusement, her eyes seemed to drift shut as Genma ran his hand over her hair.

    Her own eyes went wide as her father's other hand found her head and moments later her own eyes were closed as she leaned into the sensation of having her hair and ears rubbed. A strange rumble seemed to start in her chest and the world became just her and the hand on her head. Then the hand was gone and she blinked as the world slowly came back into focus. She turned to glare at her Pops.

    "Pops!" She protested, her cheeks heating up in a blush. Her father chuckled and wiggled a hand in her direction at head level. She stared at it, unsure if she wanted to lean toward it or away from it. "I hate you so much," she said without any venom.

    A glance proved that her mother was giving him a putout look, her cheeks puffed out.

    "Sure you do," he chuckled and walked over to the counter. Behind it, Shizune seemed to be having a giggling fit.

    Under inconvenient embarrassing facts, Ranma filed her apparent ability to purr of all things. Right there next to her fear of cats in big bold letters.

    "Genma, you ass," Nodoka muttered, blushing at his back and fiddling with a tail.

    Ranma sighed and returned to her- She blinked. "HEY! You ate everything!" she scowled at her father's back.

    "Have to watch those weak points," he said simply.

    "No stealing from the young ones in my shrine, Mr… Tell me, was your name always Saotome?" Shizune asked.
    "Strangely
    , yes, it was," Genma said as he settled at the counter, "Something I hadn't realised Nodoka and I shared until I followed her one day thinking she was having an affair. Imagine my surprise when she led me straight to a high-end apartment building in Shinjuku full of Kitsune. Imagine my surprise to discover she was basically sixteen as far as they were concerned."

    "Genma…" Nodoka shrank in on herself with a grimace. Ranma set her plate aside and scooted over to her mother, pulling her into a hug.

    She shot her father a glance and was surprised to see him looking back with some concern. "I found out a bit of their laws and then I decided it was time to leave before someone caught on and I lost my son. I left a note, spun a story about training and took off," he said, "That and I'll be honest. Nodoka is a bit too young for me."

    Nodoka flushed and clenched her fists. She punched her thigh and leaned into Ranma's hug, a small sob on her lips. Ranma rested her head atop her mother's and held her.

    "Well if she wasn't I'd be concerned a bit," Shizune said, shaking her head, "You aren't the first person to have a young love-struck kitsune seduce them into marriage. You certainly won't be the last."

    Nodoka's crying increased, though she seemed to be trying to be quieter. Ranma sighed and ran a hand through her hair, petting her a bit like a dog or cat. It didn't work anywhere near as well as when her Pops did it, but it seemed to help.

    "Your plans now?" Shizune asked.

    "In ruins. Ranma can't marry Soun's daughters, and unless I miss my guess, I don't technically have custody, do I?" he asked.

    "Since the marriage was never legal, to begin with, no, you don't," Shizune said with an apologetic tone, "Still, I'm sure Ranma will need her father, even if she counts as an Adult under the law."

    "Hmm. Well her training isn't finished yet," her Pops said.

    "You haven't had anything to teach me in months," Ranma drawled.

    "I've been waiting for you to get married. Lot of wasted damned time that was," Genma muttered.

    "I'm surprised you're just giving up. Not going to try and make me marry Soun this time?" Ranma asked, sarcastically referring to his threat the time Prince Herb of the Musk had locked her as a girl.

    "That was never a serious threat. You'd have killed us both," Genma said, snorting, "No, Soun and I agreed it would make good motivation for you."

    Ranma glared at his back before huffing. He didn't seem to be lying, but she wasn't quite sure.

    "Here you go, Ranma, Nodoka," Shizune said, walking over with two plates. Her tail swatted Genma's hand as he tried to take some, "No. You'll get something soon, but these are for the girls. They're both still growing."

    "Gee, make me sound like a five-year-old," Ranma muttered at the same time her mother said, "I'm not fifty anymore, you know." They exchanged looks and Ranma watched her mother turn bright pink before focusing on her fish.

    Genma chuckled over at the bar as Shizune returned to the kitchen.

    Ranma shook her head at both of her parents and started eating. This was all a bit too much. Her mother was basically her age; her father hadn't run off with her purely for training; and she was now a nine-tailed kitsune.

    And she'd thought the day would be slow once they dealt with Ryouga.

    -0-0-0-0-0-​

    Shiori Saotome stared at the phone in her hands for a long moment before setting it down on its cradle gently. The six-hundred and forty-five-year-old, six-tailed, red-haired kitsune ran a hand across her face and paused to tap her chin. Her responsible, always rule-abiding, two-centuries-old second daughter had had a child. She'd had a child and gotten married illegally. Nearly twenty years ago.

    If it had come from nearly anyone else Shiori would have called them a liar, but she'd been friends with the quiet Miko of Furinkan Hill Shrine for nearly two centuries, almost as long as Nodoka had been alive. How had she failed to notice something this big? She was a Grandmother?

    She pursed her lips and turned away from the phone to take in the penthouse kitchen as she thought. She'd expected Minori, her eldest and still wild at three centuries daughter, to be the one to make her a grandmother. Sure Nodoka had a childish streak, but there was a difference between a childish streak and, well, this.

    She walked slowly out of the kitchen as she processed what she would need to do now that she was going to be responsible for another young girl. Shizune hadn't explained everything, she'd said some of it was impossible to believe without seeing it and, frankly, if Nodoka having a kid was the easy bit to swallow Shiori was nervous as to what else she was leaving out.

    Her ears twitched atop her head as she paused by the window in the living room. The city glittered beneath and around their home. Tens of thousands of lights sparkled in the night. She let the sight calm her before turning away and heading up the stairs to the second level where the bedrooms were. Her three other children were all asleep. The twins, Kazuto and Kiori were both in their beds when she poked her nose into their rooms. Her eldest daughter Minori was awake as she pushed open the door.

    The three-tailed kitsune looked up from her cell phone as she lounged back in her computer chair in a tank top and short shorts. She popped the big bubble of gum she had and grinned. "Hey, Mum. What was the call about?" she asked, folding her legs under her as her tails wagged with curiosity. Her ears were perked and pointed Shiori's way.

    "Your sister is in trouble," Shiori said flatly.

    Minori paused, her mind visibly processing that statement. "We're talking Nodoka, right? Ms. Stick-in-the-Mud?" she asked, wiggling two fingers like tails.

    "I don't think that term applies to her anymore," Shiori said with a snort, "She's at Shizune Hasegawa's Shrine. With her daughter."

    Minori's jaw dropped. "Her what?" she hissed, flabbergasted.

    "Her daughter, who is apparently seventeen and was just awakened by Shizune tonight. Which means I am going to head out and get them and bring them back here before I decide how grounded your sister is," Shiori said.

    "... Doesn't that mean she's, like, older than sister up here?" Minori tapped her head, a concerned look in her eyes.

    "... Potentially, yes. Which is why I'm going and you are going to stay in case your siblings need anything while I'm gone."

    "I have a test tomorrow," Minori protested automatically before grimacing, "I'll let them know a family emergency came up."

    "Mhmm. Tell me again, do you plan on staying at this college for more than a year?" Shiori asked, her ears laying flat as she stared at her eldest.

    "Well if you'd let me stay at the dorms so I could, you know, enjoy campus life for more than just classes and parties, then maybe I would," Minori said, giving her big soulful eyes that were undoubtedly being enhanced with illusions.

    "That didn't work the last twenty times, it's not working now," she told daughter, easily dismissing the illusions with a gesture that sent a breeze ruffling her daughter's hair.

    Minori grumbled and sighed. "Fine. I'll keep watch over the little ones. Again," she said, "But I want sushi tomorrow!"

    "Tomorrow is whatever Ranma wants."

    "Who?"

    "Your Niece. Her name is Ranma," Shiori replied.

    Minori's ears tilted either way in confusion. "Isn't that, like, a boy's name?" she asked.

    "Usually, but given your sister's actions I'm less surprised about her taste in names at the moment. I'll give you a call once we're on our way home," she told her daughter before stepping away from the door and closing it.

    "I still want sushi at some point this week, Mum!" was audible through the door as Shiori went hunting for her car keys and phone.

    This was going to be such a mess. There was no way she wasn't going to have to inform the regency council about this.

    -0-0-0-0-0-​

    The next hour and a half were awkward in the extreme for Ranma. It was, quite probably, the most awkward experience of her entire life. Sitting there waiting for her Grandmother to arrive while her childish mother alternatively made doe eyes at her father or started crying over… something. So far the list included being ignored by Genma, being terrified of being in trouble with her mother, getting ignored by Ranma, and running out of cookies.

    It was proving incredibly difficult for Ranma to rationalise this girl as her ever-composed mother.

    Finally, once Pops and Shizune were out of the room talking about something, Ranma asked, "How did you manage to keep your composure so long if you can't even manage it now?"

    Nodoka fidgetted at the other end of the couch. Her cheeks were going bright red.

    "Well?"

    Nodoka sighed. "Illusions. I used illusions to hide my reactions," she admitted. Very briefly Ranma felt ki wrap about her mother and for an instant, she appeared as she had been, the tall and regal and most certainly not pouting and terrified wife of Genma Saotome. Then it was gone and her mother was her age again. "It's like putting on makeup, at least when dealing with humans. Even trained martial artists have issues noticing personal illusions."

    "Which is how Pops didn't notice."

    "... Except he did," a whimsical smile appeared on her mother's lips and she let out a heady sigh, "He's far better than I realised. I just wish…" she sighed.

    "That you hadn't scared him off by being sixteen?" Ranma replied sarcastically. She leaned her elbow on the armrest and planted her cheek against the palm of her hand.

    "I'm not sixteen, Ranma! I'm over two hundred," her mother replied.

    "Which is basically sixteen."

    "Shush. I swear, you're acting as much of a brat as your uncle," Nodoka muttered.

    Ranma rolled her eyes at her mother and ignored her admonition. Her ears perked up, a weird sensation really, and twisted to follow the sound of the doorbell. "And that's either someone coming for me, or it's Grandma," she deadpanned. Her mother stiffed, then shrunk in her seat clutching her pillow.

    "... so much trouble…" the older kitsune whimpered.

    She couldn't quite make out the words being said as the door was opened, but a few moments later Shizune returned. "Genma is speaking with your Mother, Nodoka," Shizune said.

    Ranma's mother was up and out of the couch before Ranma could stop her, only to get intercepted by Shizune's tails and lifted off her feet. "Let me go! I need to be there!"

    "Your mother wants to speak with him by herself," Shizune said, chidingly, "You are to stay here." Ranma scooted over as the black-haired kitsune dumped Nodoka back onto the couch. The other redhead let out a growl and would have made another attempt at escape if Ranma didn't throw an arm over her shoulders.

    "Ranma! Let me go!" Her mother protested.

    "The last two hours have been immensely embarrassing," Ranma said, "Could you please just try to behave for five minutes?"

    "But-"

    "Mum, behave."

    The two red haired kitsune stared at each other for several long moments before Nodoka bowed her head and sagged against Ranma. She pulled Ranma into a hug and just sat there, twitching with nervous energy as they waited. Shizune had returned to the kitchen, cleaning the dishes she'd made while feeding them.

    Eventually, Ranma heard a door open and close and the sound of feet approaching. Her mother squeezed her harder.

    The woman who entered was beautiful, appearing no more than her late twenties at most, though she was a bit on the short side like both Ranma and Nodoka. She was taller than them by a few inches. Unlike Nodoka, she was dressed like a modern businesswoman. Most notably, however, were the six elegantly styled and groomed red tails. Her hair, fox ears, and tails were nearly the same shade as Ranma's, that rich vibrant red that stood out in Japan.

    Her eyes immediately fell upon the couch and she let out a sigh. "Grounded," was the first word out of her mouth and Nodoka let out a moan of sorrow. Ranma rolled her eyes.

    "Well, that's one way to handle this," Shizune said with a smile.

    "It's the only way to handle this," the woman, most likely Ranma's Grandmother, said before striding over to the couch. "Nodoka, we'll talk about the specifics later, but you are grounded. Understand?"

    "... Yes, Mum."

    Ranma's Grandmother turned to Ranma with a smile. "Hello dear. You're Ranma I take it?" She asked.

    Ranma nodded. "That's me. You're my Grandmother then?" She definitely didn't squeak as the older woman pulled her into a hug.

    "I'm Shiori Saotome, your Grandmother. You can call me Grandmother or Grandma," Grandma Shiori said, kissing her on the forehead, "I'm sorry we didn't find out sooner."

    Ranma froze in her Grandmother's embrace, eyes wide. What was she supposed to do here? She peered across at her mother who, despite looking worried, mimed hugging. Right. Hugging. She'd been doing that all evening with her mother, so why was it so hard now?

    She reached out and wrapped her Grandmother in a hug. She felt warm as the older woman held her. Warm, safe, and oddly comfortable. She blinked as Grandma Shiori pulled back and shuffled her along the couch before sitting down between Ranma and Nodoka.

    Ranma let herself be pulled back into the hug. A trio of tails wrapped about her waist holding her as Grandma Shiori ran a hand through her hair. Ranma's eyes flickered closed, only to flicker open as she fought the urge to relax too much into the action. Her ears twitched as a purr emerged from the other side of her Grandmother. Nodoka was revelling in the affection of her mother. She glanced up to see Grandma Shiori smiling down at her.

    "You can relax, Granddaughter," Grandma Shiori said softly. Ranma's ear twitched as her Grandma whispered into it.

    "About that-" A finger found its way to her lips.

    "Your father told me a great deal. I know you were my Grandson, but you are now my Granddaughter," she said softly, her fingers tracing a pattern on the backs of Ranma's ears that caused her eyes to flicker shut despite her resistance. "You are my Grandchild. Boy or girl, I do not care, you are family and I am here for you and will be for centuries yet."

    Centuries.

    Centuries…

    She was going to live for centuries now. Her friends, her father, and everyone she knew up until now would be gone before even her mother ever finished growing up. Things were going to be different now. There was no going back to how things had been since she was just… different, now.

    Tears gathered in her eyes and Ranma leaned into her Grandmother as they started falling. She didn't sob, just buried her face into the side of her Grandmother and cried, her body shivering as Grandma Shiori ran her fingers through her hair and whispered soothing sounds into her new ears.

    If asked how long they sat there, simply getting and giving comfort, Ranma wouldn't be able to say. All she knew was that at some point the emotional toll and the soft comfort from her Grandmother became too much and she drifted off to sleep, wrapped up in her Grandmother's tails.

    -0-0-0-0-0-​

    Shiori ran her fingers through her granddaughter's hair, gently untying the braid it was in and combing out the knots as the girl slept against her side. When was the last time this girl had received actual maternal love? She glanced down at her daughter who had likewise passed out on her other side and shook her head. This was why Kitsune were prohibited from having children so young.

    "Foolish girl," she whispered fondly as she stroked her daughter's hair. She would have a lot of emotional damage to fix with her granddaughter over the next few decades. Speaking of… Her eyes moved from her daughter to her granddaughter. "One, two… three… Six…" she frowned.

    "Shizune," she called in a stage whisper to avoid waking the two exhausted girls. Her friend looked up from where she was gently putting away the last of her plates. She mimed a one and afterwards she closed the cupboard and walked over to her.

    The seven-tailed kitsune smiled at her. "You look cozy right now," she said, chuckling sadly. Her friend had never had a chance for children and after the Hasegawa incident, no one was interested in an old spinster of a dead clan.

    "My granddaughter has nine-tails," she said softly, raising an eyebrow.

    "... We noticed," Shizune said softly, bending over to whisper it to her, "She's a thoroughly trained martial artist with something of a reputation around Nerima. While I hadn't met her, I have heard rumours of someone like her over the last year and a bit. Recently there was something about a fight with a Chinese dragon prince."

    Shiori glanced down at Ranma. Her beautiful, fragile-looking granddaughter had fought a dragon prince? She would have to ask about that, but that was for later once they were more comfortable. "You know what this means for her? For us?"

    Shizune nodded. "I didn't tell her. I felt it would be too much at once and would be better coming from you. She might ask since I did imply there was more."

    "Hmm. I'll inform the Regency Council after I have her settled then. It shouldn't be more than a few weeks," Shiori said.

    "Are you sure that's wise?"

    "If they come knocking I'll tell them honestly, but I won't put that weight upon my granddaughter before she's had a chance to be herself for a little while," Shiori said, shooting her a look. Shizune raised her hands in surrender while stifling a giggle and both girls mumbled something and burrowed further into her side before falling still again. They watched the two younger kitsune sleep for a minute with smiles.

    "Do you want a bed for the night?" Shizune asked.

    Shiori shook her head. It took a moment's thought to weave an illusion over the two girls. "That should keep them asleep for now. I could use a hand getting them down to the car, however," she said.

    "Taking them home?" Shizune asked as Shiori disentangled herself carefully from the two girls.

    "Nodoka is going to be grounded for decades because of this stunt and I think Ranma needs space if even half of what her father said is true," she said as she bent down and scooped her granddaughter up in her arms. She brushed the point of one of her granddaughter's ears between her fingers and smiled as the girl seemed to giggle in her sleep before settling down once again.

    This was all a lot to handle, but they would be fine given some time. They always were.

    -0-0-0-0-0-​

    Ranma stirred and yawned. She stretched, her arms smacking her pillow- Pillow?

    Ranma blinked as her fuzzy mind pieced together that things were wrong. Her eyes stared up at a brown ceiling that had a single lantern-like chandelier hanging just above the foot of her bed. Bed?

    Sitting up, Ranma pushed aside the black sheets of the bed she had found herself in. It was a rather large bed, actually. While she wasn't really familiar with western bed sizes, it looked large enough for two or even three people at least. The bed was set in the corner of a larger room. A vanity sat in another corner next to a wall of closets with sliding doors that mounted mirrors. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had two bright red fox ears poking out of the wild mess that was her hair and once she started thinking about it she registered the tails tucked away beneath the covers.

    "Last night was real…" she murmured before starting. Didn't she fall asleep against her Grandma? Oh Kami, she'd been crying as well. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. But, where was she now? Rolling over in bed she continued looking about.

    One wall seemed to have a sliding glass door that led out onto a balcony overlooking the city. The curtains had been left open and she could see Tokyo tower in the distance so she was still in Tokyo, just a lot closer to the center of it. Two other doors led out of the room. One was probably a bathroom or something.

    Sliding out of bed, in the process discovering that she was in the same pyjamas as the day before, she took a step towards the first closest to the balcony. Her walk was unsteady, but she felt more stable than the night before. She didn't have to lean on anything to walk for a start. Her tails felt more real as well as they responded to her attempts to balance. This felt like it was going to take a few days to sort itself out.

    The door led to a rather modern western-style bathroom with a very large bathtub and a shower that looked like it was meant for an entire family…

    Or just one person with a lot of tails.

    Laughter caused her ears to swivel towards the other door. Curious, Ranma walked over and peered out into a hallway. To the left were a pair of doors before the hall turned. To the right the hallway turned into a walkway overlooking another room. The voices were coming from there.

    "No-do-ka's in trouble~ No-do-ka's in trouble~" a pair of voices, male and female, sang.

    "Shut up you brats!" That was her… mother's voice.

    "You're in trouble~ You're in trouble~"

    "Would the three of you quiet down already? Kiori, Kazuto, leave your sister alone unless you want to join her in being grounded?" Her Grandmother's voice suddenly cut into the taunting. The lack of singing indicated that neither of them wanted to be grounded.

    Ranma walked down the hall and paused at the railing to peer down at the lower level. A large warm sitting room filled the floor below. Couches and chairs surrounded a large coffee table that was set up before a massive TV. The opposite wall from Ranma was a giant window with a couple of doors leading out to a lush rooftop garden.

    Sitting on the couch wearing pyjamas with little clouds on them was her mother. Her hair was loose and she was eating a bowl of something. Her two tails were curled over her lap and flicked irritably in discontent. A redheaded boy and girl, who looked around fourteen each, were absorbed in a pair of cell phones. They both had only a single red tail.

    "Hello?" Ranma called down. Her mother looked up along with the other two.

    "Ranma, you're up!" Nodoka said, setting her bowl, which appeared to be rice and something else, on the coffee table.

    "Hey, she's up. Kiori, look," the boy, Kazuto, said while pointing. The girl looked up from her phone with a dazed expression.

    "Huh- oh. Hi, niece. Welcome," she said, waving with a mischievous grin.

    "Heya. Welcome, home I guess," Kazuto said, gesturing to the penthouse around them before returning to his phone.

    "Really? That's the best you can do?" Nodoka said before huffing, "Come on down, Ranma." She waved to the steps against the wall.

    Steps were… tricky, with her current balance and to her embarrassment, Kiori ran over to help her down the second half.

    "Thanks," she mumbled to the older kitsune.

    Kiori giggled. "No problem. Always wanted to be an Aunt, though I figured it would be big sis Minori who would give us a Niece," she said, tapping her lips with a hum, "Never thought it would be Ms. Rules-Must-Be-Obeyed herself."

    "Stop calling me that!" Nodoka snapped as she came over to Ranma, hesitating before giving her a hug.

    "What did I just say about teasing your sister, Kiori?" Granda Shiori said as she emerged from one of the side rooms. She gave Ranma a smile. "I hope you slept well."

    Kiori blushed. "Sorry, Mum," she mumbled.

    "I slept well I guess? Where are we?" Ranma asked after returning her mother's hug awkwardly. She really wasn't sure what to think about this girl who was her mother.

    "Shinjuku. Saotome Garden's Plaza, top floor penthouse," Grandma Shiori said. She started fussing over Ranma. "Hrm, food then bath I think. Nodoka, dear, go find something for your daughter to wear. Try to pick something current. It won't do to have her teased because she's out of style."

    "Yes, Mum," Nodoka said before dashing up the steps.

    "NO RUNNING! I swear, twenty years and she turned completely unmanageable," Shiori sighed, "Kiori, please go make sure your sister's sense of fashion doesn't strike again."

    Kiori laughed, her eyes twinkling. "Yes, Mum," she said, taking the steps at a much slower pace than her sister.

    "... Do I need to worry about being pranked?" Ranma asked, recalling the mischievous grin her aunt had sent her away. They were Kitsune after all.

    "Eventually, yes. But I've told everyone to leave you be until I give the okay," Her Grandma said. She leaned down to Ranma's left ear and whispered, "Which means you probably have about a month or two before someone tries anyway. Maybe half a month if someone gets irritated with you."

    "Right…" She was going to have to set up security measures on all her things, wasn't she? "What did you mean by ' sense of fashion?"

    "Your mother grew up utterly fascinated by the late Meiji Era's styles. I'm afraid that outside things I buy her she's never really moved on," Grandma Shiori said with a sigh, "Not that your Aunt Minori was much better for years. Then she discovered nightclubs and fast cars and well, mid-two hundreds change of taste is a thing for a reason."

    "... sure?" Ranma said, feeling lost. Mid-two hundreds? Her head felt like it was spinning. She glanced over at Kazuto. He was her Uncle apparently? That felt… Weird. He looked maybe fourteen at most and yet he had to be, what, eighty? Ninety? Over a hundred?

    She followed her Grandma into the large kitchen, and promptly stumbled as her tails moved unexpectedly as a delicious scent hit her nose. She winced as her tails knocked a vase off a side table. Her Grandmother sighed.

    "Don't worry about that one. I only put cheap things up around the house. Kiori and Kazuto knock something over every few days," she said, guiding Ranma into the room.

    "Sorry, it's just… My tails do things and-"

    "I know. I've heard it all before, dear. Awakened kitsunes can take months to regain their sense of balance and none of the ones I've met before had anywhere near as many tails as you," her grandma said, rubbing her between the ears. Ranma's eyes fluttered close for a moment before her grandmother removed her hand. Shaking off the sudden feeling of relaxation Ranma took a seat at the kitchen table. The chairs had a notch in their backs that let Ranma sit normally despite her new tails.

    Despite her irritation at her Grandma's actions, Ranma was feeling less tense as her Grandma set to work cooking with a hum. Ranma leaned on her elbow as she watched her work. She definitely had years of experience on Kasumi, but the Tendo girl remarkably seemed to have a smoothness to her technique with knives that her Grandma lacked.

    Ranma's ears twitched. In one smooth move Ranma flipped over the back of her chair and over the head of whoever had just tried to sneak up on her. She landed behind the one sneaking up on her, stumbling several steps as her tails threw her off. She turned to find an older three-tailed kitsune in a short skirt and crop top watching her with a grin.

    "Nice reflexes, kid," she said, laughing.

    "Minori, what did I say?" her Grandma said exasperatedly.

    "No pranking my niece," Minori said with a laugh, "All I did was walk quietly, Mum."

    "Uhuh. I felt the illusion you were using, Minori," Grandma said, "Do I need to say-"

    "Fine. I'll stop. Just wanted to give her a surprise hug is all," Minori huffed, crossing her arms.

    "Aunt Minori?" Ranma asked, hazarding a guess. This was the one everyone expected to have a kid first? She looked like a college student, but the three tails attested to either her age or her maturity. She was also the tallest of the four siblings, even taller than their mother. Tall, and yet she had the same proportions as Ranma, Nodoka and Grandma Shiori. It seemed that none of the women in the family were average in the beauty department.

    "That's right. C'mere you," The older kitsune pulled her into a hug.

    "Erm…" Ranma blinked as her Aunt put a big kiss on her forehead.

    "You are adorable, you know that?" Her aunt said, pinching her cheek. Ranma went red in a combination of indignation and embarrassment. Minori laughed at Ranma's expression and patted her on the head. "Oh don't be like that. Your mother still refuses to accept that she's adorable and you look like her twin."

    "That doesn't mean you pinch me," Ranma complained, rubbing her cheek. Her Aunt giggled and pulled her back over to the kitchen table.

    "Behave girls," Grandma Shiori said. Minori waved her off with a smirk while Ranma grimaced.

    She was stuck as a girl again.

    Ranma dropped into a chair and rubbed her face. That old familiar feeling of being hemmed in again in her own skin hit her, though it wasn't as strong as it used to be. Being a girl wasn't the problem anymore. After Saffron, she'd come to peace with that bit of her life. There was no cure to Jusenkyo, just acceptance, and honestly being a girl had its perks and times of fun. She just… wasn't sure she wanted to be one all the time.

    Was it weird that one of the things that was bugging her the most was essentially losing access to all of her guy clothes for use as anything other than night clothes and emergency use?

    "You okay, Ranma?" Aunt Minori asked, scooting her chair over.

    "... No? I feel like I'm stuck in a weird dream," Ranma said, "My mother turned into a teenager. I turned into a nine-tailed kitsune. You are a kitsune. Grandma is a Kitsune. I have a Grandma. I- I don't know what to think. It's just a bit…" She let out a sigh and rubbed her face. She wanted to scream and punch something. Was this what Akane felt like?

    Arms wrapped around her shoulders and she looked up to find her Aunt Minori had pulled her chair up beside Ranma while she was ranting. "Why is everyone in this family so huggy?" Ranma asked, getting a snort from Aunt Minori.

    "Because we care? What sort of silly question is that? Hugs are amazing," her Aunt said, adding her tails to the mix. Unconsciously Ranma's own wrapped about her Aunt as she leaned into the hug.

    "You aren't in a dream, Ranma," Minori said softly, "You're here, in our kitchen surrounded by your family." A hand was tracing circles on Ranma's back. "I'm not the most responsible person, but if you ever need someone to vent to, Niece? You can come and knock on my door. I promise I'll listen. Even if it's one in the morning." They were leaning close enough that Ranma could feel their ears touching.

    Ranma giggled at the tickling feeling, turning red as her hair. "I… I need time, Aunt Minori," she said finally. Things just didn't feel real at the moment and she felt like all it would take would be one more revelation and she'd go mad. Maybe forever. At least her family was nice, even if she hadn't a clue how to handle her mother. The rattle of a plate being set before her pulled Ranma out of her introspection.

    "Yakitori. Your father said it was your favourite," her Grandma said with a smile as she pushed the plate of chicken skewers towards Ranma. She wasted no time in demolishing the entire plate and asking for seconds.

    There was a lot more than just seconds.

    -0-0-0-0-0-​

    "She needs time, Mum. Like she said," Minori said softly as she helped her clean dishes.

    Shiori nodded, sighing sadly. "She's had too many shocks in too short a time," she agreed. Her granddaughter had the feeling of someone teetering precariously on a ledge. It was normal when someone had basically their entire life uprooted without warning. "Between her curse and finding out she's a kitsune and- Your sister." She clenched the dish towel in her hand as she took a steadying breath. It was bad form to trap your daughter in illusions as punishment but the temptation was there.

    "Nodoka failed, Mum, but I don't believe she ever had a real chance to even try," Her eldest said as she wiped down the wooden bowl they'd used to marinate the chicken.

    "Yes, she did. She had a chance when they finally reunited. There's something we aren't being told that happened between them, Minori. It's more than just being visibly the same age. That is throwing Ranma off, but she's angry at Nodoka about something else."

    "You mean other than nearly condemning her to an early death? As it is, she might have lost centuries of life-"

    "She's a nine-tails. Any time she might have lost due to Nodoka's delays will be regained and then some just by existing," Shiori said, correcting her daughter, "Still, you might be right, but I felt like there was something Genma was leaving out when I spoke with him…"

    "Ask him again?"

    "Not likely to work. He's powerful and I frankly don't trust his disposition. There were things he implied he'd done while raising Ranma I highly disapprove of. We will undoubtedly have to fend off at least a few attempts by those who believe Ranma must settle his debts.

    "I could beat it out of him. I'm a fairly good martial artist myself."

    "Not as good as he is. Few are." Shiori shook her head. "No, our plan for the moment is to give Ranma a few days to recover and do everything we can to reduce her stress. I'll see about booking a spa visit downstairs for tomorrow."

    "Why not today?"

    "Because she's going to spend today adjusting to being her. Then the day after tomorrow you are going to take her out shopping."

    "Me?" Her Eldest turned to her, "Me? You think I'm the best choice? After what you said about my fashion choices last year?"

    "Better your choices than your sister. We need to hold an intervention with that girl. The Meiji Era is dead and should stay gone," She muttered.

    "Mother, there are times when her choices remind me of the Shogunate's styles before the start of the nineteenth," Minori replied, wincing at her own memories of that time. It hadn't been a pleasant period under the Tokugawa.

    "... How do you think she would feel if I gave you control of her wardrobe?" Shiori asked.

    Minori opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "She'll flip her lid, Mum," she said after a moment.

    "Too bad. Furthermore, I think she's overdue for another round of immersion with human society. I was thinking High School. A public one rather than a private school like she attended last time," Shiori said.

    "... You're really angry with her, aren't you, Mum?" Minori asked softly.

    "Absolutely furious. If she wasn't my own daughter- I'll admit I considered sending her away to one of our relatives for a decade or so," she said. She picked up the bowl Minori had finished washing and dried it before putting it away and repeating the process with another piece of dishware. "I thought her so responsible and mature, Minori."

    "She's always been childish, Mum. Full of fantasies and wild desires that she buried under the rules and authority. I guess they just… Got too much," Minori said, "I know what that's like."

    "Minori-"

    "Don't sugarcoat it. I went on a three-decade bender, Mum. I bar hopped across half of civilization before coming home to find Nodoka had run off to do her own 'seeing the world' bit. Maybe if you hadn't been helping me sort my brain out you'd have caught her indulging in playing house… Maybe we'd still have Grandmother as-" Minori found one of her mother's tails in her face.

    "Enough. That was not your fault. Don't even start thinking it was," Shiori said hotly, "That- That was something else entirely… You still haven't calmed down completely, either." She eyed the short cut top that was only a few square feet of rather thin fabric away from being no more than a lacy bra.

    Her daughter wrapped a tail about her waist. "Because I like feeling free, Mum. I can't go back to being like that. It's not who I am anymore," she said gently before grinning, "Besides, do you have any idea how hard it is to pick up a hot guy while wearing frumpy clothes these days?"

    Shiori sighed as her daughter cackled like a loon. "Just-"

    "I know the rules, Mum… You sure you want me to take her shopping?" she asked again.

    "I'm going to be going to Nerima to retrieve a few things for her, so yes. I need her distracted and she needs something new to focus on," Shiori said.

    "You mean as opposed to being used as a dress-up doll by Kiori and Nodoka?"

    "Exactly- Excuse me?" Shiori turned to her daughter. She was wearing a bemused expression, one ear pointed up the other to the side.

    "I heard Kiori and Nodoka plotting while on my way down to lunch," Minori said.

    This was the opposite of reducing her stress. "... Oh those girls. Excuse me. I'm going to go make sure my granddaughter hasn't snapped and murdered your sisters."

    "I doubt she'd do that."

    "Are you sure?" She arched an eyebrow at her daughter who paused in her washing and grimaced.

    "Not as much as I'd like to be," she admitted.

    "Finish the dishes. I'll make sure no one is getting hurt," Shiori said, leaving the kitchen. Her ears twisted left and right seeking any odd noises or arguments.

    Her son was lounging on the couch, the battle music of some game came from his phone. Occasionally he'd let out a small giggle. She was going to have to check what games he was playing again, wasn't she?

    She managed to find her two remaining daughters and her granddaughter in what had previously been the first guest room. It would now be Ranma's room to do with as she wanted. She peered in the door to find a very awkward-looking Ranma spinning in place to show off what seemed to be one of Nodoka's old Yukatas.

    "You know," she said, causing the older two to jump. Ranma merely smiled at their surprise. "I do believe this is the opposite of what I meant when I said to keep your sister's fashion sense from striking again, Kiori." Her youngest daughter went as red as her hair.

    "Sorry, Mum," she said.

    "My fashion sense isn't bad," Nodoka protested.

    "Hmm, you say that, but my granddaughter is wearing evidence otherwise," Shiori said, entering the room. She examined Ranma as she walked over. No, the girl was definitely not happy at the moment.

    "It's not bad," Ranma said, spinning on a heel, "Not the first time I've worn one of these, though… I normally wear them to festivals only."

    "You- you what? Why?" Nodoka asked, furrowing her brow with disapproval that made Ranma frown back at her.

    "Nodoka, enough," Shiori interrupted before things could escalate. She stepped up behind Ranma and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. To her surprise, her granddaughter automatically leaned towards her as she took a steadying breath.

    "But-"

    "Enough. I have a feeling we need to have a talk about boundaries and what exactly you've been doing these last twenty years," Shiori said, "Kiori. Help Ranma find something to wear then help her with her bath. Those tails will be a nightmare by herself until she's used to them."

    "Yes, mum."

    "Nodoka, I think we'll be having that chat now," she said, eyeing her daughter who stared back defiantly for all of five seconds before looking away. Shiori bent down and gave Ranma a hug from behind. "Let me know if Nodoka tries to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with," she whispered. She felt the girl nod and smile before petting her behind the ears. She felt the tension bleed out of her granddaughter far slower than it ever had with her daughters.

    Shiori stared pointedly at her middle daughter, then gestured with her head towards the door. Nodoka shot her a look before marching towards the door with her head held high. Stubborn girl.

    She stopped rubbing her granddaughter's ears. The girl still felt far too tense, but she had to avoid overdoing that sort of thing if she didn't want to create other issues. She'd been pushing it a bit too much as it was. She kissed her granddaughter's cheek. "Enjoy your bath, dear."

    "I will and… thanks," Ranma said, sending her a weak smile, "I'm… I dunno. I don't know what I'm doing and I have no idea how to handle Mother. Last night I- I spent so much time alternating between comforting her and being angry with her and now- I don't know what to do. She doesn't feel like my mother anymore."

    Shiori blinked. Didn't feel like her mother anymore? Oh dear. She knelt down beside her granddaughter. "Can you explain that?" she asked.

    "... When we met again mother was… dignified, kind, a bit strict and, well, tall," Ranma said.

    "Tall…? Oh. Shizune did mention an illusion," she said. Ranma nodded and sat down on her bed. She started undoing the yukata slowly.

    "It's just- She had things she'd do and say and-"

    "And they aren't there most of the time with Nodoka now," Shiori finished as she put together the problem. "You look at her and intellectually you know she's your mother, but at the same time all you see is a girl who looks like she could be your twin."

    "... Yeah. That," Ranma said, flopping back on the bed with a half-undone yukata, "Last night I was so angry I could just push her away when it got too much." Her tails spread out around her like a fan.

    "And now you've calmed down."

    "Yeah."

    "And all that remains is frustration as she tries to act like your mother, but keeps acting like a kid at the same time."

    "Yeah."

    Shiori sat down on the bed and took her granddaughter's hand. More tension bled out of the girl as she stared up at the ceiling.

    "No, that's a terrible-"

    "Mum told me to pick something. I picked this."

    Shiori groaned as her daughters started shouting just outside the room and she felt her granddaughter tense up again. She went to stand up when the voice of her eldest cut in.

    "What are you two arguing about now? I'll take this to her. You get downstairs and bug Kazu or something. You go to your room."

    "You aren't mum!"

    "No, but if you don't I'll drag you there myself!" There was a snarl of frustration followed by stamping feet.

    A moment later Minori poked her head into the room. "Everything good?" she asked.

    "Well enough I think. Why don't you help Ranma while I have that chat with Nodoka?" Shiori asked.

    "I can wash myself, you know," Ranma said with a sarcastic tone.

    Shiori smiled. So there was some fire beneath the exhaustion and shock. Good. "I know, but I think you'll like having a pair of extra hands to help," she said soothingly. Ranma frowned, then sighed.

    "Fine. Not like I'll turn back in the hot water anyways," she grumbled. Shiori stroked the back of her hand soothingly one last time before letting go.

    "I'll leave the two of you to it then," she said, smiling at both of them before walking out of the room and down the hall to her second daughter's room. The doorframe was damaged with cracked wood all about the frame. It seemed that Nodoka was rather upset.

    Well, it would probably get worse before it got better.

    "Nodoka, dear, I'm coming in," She said, pushing the door open. The sight inside was not quite what she expected. Rather than her angry but adorable child, she was faced with a fully grown woman in a kimono, her hair pulled back in a dark red bun. "Really mature, dear."

    The other woman sniffed disdainfully- right until the illusion unravelled to its caster's surprise leaving her sitting on the bed looking adorably furious. "MUM!"

    Shiori lowered her hand. "Nodoka, we need to discuss, properly, what you've been doing the last twenty years and why exactly your presence stresses out your daughter so much," she said firmly. The worried and terrified look on her daughter's face made her heart sink. What had her stubborn girl gone and done?

    -0-0-0-0-0-​

    Finally clean, Ranma flopped onto the bed, her hair, both on her head and on her tails, was damp. Having tails made washing up an unbelievable chore. Each tail had twice as much hair by volume as she had on her head. Sure it was a lot shorter, but there was a lot of it. Having someone to help wash them was very helpful. Though, it had also been rather embarrassing. At moments. Certain points were apparently rather… sensitive.

    She was wearing a white t-shirt that had a faded logo for 'Sailor Moon S' across the front and a pair of comfortable jeans that seemed little used. Jeans wouldn't have been her first choice. They were cut wrong for some of the high kicks she'd do, but for now they were fine.

    Lying on her side she stared out the balcony door at the distant Tokyo Tower. Her tails twitched slowly, sending foreign sensations tingling through her. When she'd first turned into a girl there had been some weirdness acclimating to having breasts and a completely different stature, but it wasn't too different from being a man. Humans, however, didn't have tails that quivered and shifted in response to mood. They didn't have ears on top of their heads that moved and twitched at every little sound. They were making her feel paranoid.

    She felt the bed shift as her Aunt sat down by her feet. "Yen for your thoughts?" Aunt Minori asked, patting her on the leg.

    "Going to need more than that," she replied, pulling her legs inward. She felt her tails curl around her legs. She reached down and buried a hand in the hair of one of her tails.

    "Well money isn't really an object, so talk," her Aunt snorted, scooting over to be closer.

    Talk? "What's there to say?" She asked.

    "A lot I imagine-" Aunt Minori was interrupted by a knock on the door. Kiori poked her head in a moment later.

    "Hey, Ranma," she said.

    Ranma rolled over to face the door. "Yeah?" she asked, eyeing her younger aunt.

    "A Shizune called. She said to tell you that your friend Ryouga is going to be fine," she said.

    Ranma blinked, then smiled. "Thanks," she said, half pushing herself up. He'd survived the drug. That was good. It was a weight off her shoulders. Not that there wasn't tons more up there, but at least she hadn't completely failed. She frowned. If she ever saw Mousse again she was going to kill him.

    "Well that's good, right Ranma?" Aunt Minori said, smiling at her.

    Ranma nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't worried too much, mind you. He's always been a stubborn blockhead," she said, chuckling, "A little bit of poison wasn't going to kill him." She flopped back down.

    Ryouga was fine.

    Ryouga was fine.

    Now, if only she felt fine.

    The bed shifted and she started as a pair of hands snaked about her waist and pulled her back.

    "Who-"

    "Shush. You need a hug," Aunt Minori said as she pulled Ranma back against her. For a moment Ranma tensed up. Her eyes went wide and her ears started swivelling about listening for any sign that Akane was coming.

    "It's okay. Take a deep breath. It's okay," her Aunt whispered into her ear as their tails became entangled.

    "... can you not?" Ranma whispered, feeling embarrassed.

    "Not hug my adorable Niece when she needs a hug? Hmmm, no?" her Aunt said, sounding confused. In fact she pulled Ranma deeper into her arms and rested her head between Ranma's ears.

    She was light. Ranma could easily push her off, throw her across the room, and yet… Ranma listened to the soft breathing between her ears. Had her Aunt fallen asleep? She stifled the urge to yawn. Despite having only woken up a couple of hours before she already felt exhausted. Her eyes drooped.

    Opening them again she let out a stifled yawn and blinked. There was another person in bed with them. She stared down at the pair of red fox ears that were just long enough to tickle her nose sticking out of the equally red hair of the younger looking girl cuddled up against her. One of Ranma's arms had been holding her as she slept. The girl's hands were firmly holding one of Ranma's tails like a teddy bear.

    Ranma's ear twitched. Why had Kiori climbed into the bed? When had she done so? She could feel Minori behind her. Her arm was still around Ranma's waist. A shiver of worry rolled down her spine, then the arm tightened and pulled her closer as Minori adjusted how her head was resting before falling still again.

    Ranma stared at her younger yet older Aunt for a long moment. She felt… warm. Warm and safe. Her eyes flickered closed again. How strange. How long had it been… since she felt… both of those? Her arms unconsciously pulled Kiori closer as she fell asleep once again.

    -0-0-0-0-0-​

    Heyo~ Something new, but old. Sorta. A few months old at least. I've been a bit distracted the last few months. Not dead at least.

    Gekkou_Yoko: Only mostly dead.

    Grounders10: Oi! I'm perfectly alive, just… typo afflicted.

    Gekkou_Yoko: Out of shape, out of practice.

    Grounders10: Cheapshot! *huffs*

    Gekkou_Yoko: I am a third your size, cheap shots are the only way I do damage.

    Grounders10: *Keels over foaming at the mouth* Blargh

    Gekkou_Yoko: Nuuu! Dun die for real on me!

    Grounders10: *sits up and wipes root beer foam from mouth* Just being dramatic. :p

    Gekkou_Yoko: Like every time you have a minor ache or pain?

    Grounders10: Ow my spleen?

    Gekkou_Yoko: *deadpan snarker* If we went by sounds made, your most minor pain is equal to my 15 year old daughters when they have migraines, when you stubbed a toe.

    Grounders10: It's when I'm quiet you should be worried. *adorable floof*

    Gekkou_Yoko: Except even when you have a dehydration headache, or a stress migraine, you make the same sounds, at the same frequencies, at the same volume. *peers into future* Seems I won this debate.

    Grounders10: Aaaaaaand topic change! *quickly closes the curtains* Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter~ Make sure to drop by the discord server if you want to chat~ Cheers~ *dramatic bow that accidentally topples the kitsune off the stage taking the mic with them*

    *the lights go out as the feedback cuts off*
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Well I'm invested in this and really want more, it's a nice change of pace for Ranma too. She really needs the comfort and love.
     
    It is very well written, but I sorta have mixed feelings about a couple of things.
    I always approve of Nodoka not being portrayed as some sort of superparent. But, making her a teenager just feels weird and awkward. Though granted Ranma feels the same way.
    At the same time, I'm sorta thrown off by Ranma's almost non-reaction to finding out he's now a girl permanently. I'm not necessarily looking for a bunch of rage or depression, but it comes across as a complete non-event for Ranma.
     
    Grounders10 said:
    He didn't seem to be lying, but she wasn't quite sure.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Well, Genma is awake...

    Grounders10 said:
    Was it weird that one of the things that was bugging her the most was essentially losing access to all of her guy clothes for use as anything other than night clothes and emergency use?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Let's face it, if you count his normal clothes as unisex, then he always uses his 'guy clothes' as night clothes and emergency costumes.
     
    I think Ranma's partially still in shock at having her life being flipped 1080 degrees and part of Ranma has been unconsciously preparing for the day they may be stuck as a girl forever.
     
    Well there's a bunch of information that's rather overwhelming to find out for Ranma.

    A question would be if the 'transformation is temporary' is just a 'feels more comfortable to go back to the base form', kind of deal. Or if it's 'can be dispelled' or 'can not be held indefinitely'.

    Ranma managing to figure out a more permanent transformation would probably have interesting reactions among her family, even if she ultimately decides to consider herself as female (as is likely to be the case, given pronoun choice, and well, all of Grounders other fics).
     
    There's not exactly anything stopping Ranma from wearing their normal clothing or even presenting fully masculine without illusions if that's what they want. Well other than family being dumb anyway. Since you mentioned smartphones this knowledge should be out there though I not sure how things are in Japan though.
     
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