Chapter Text
Akane had confessed her discovery about her feelings and sexuality to Ranma that night. Ranma was too emotionally drained to fight, and so quietly agreed to Akane's idea to hide it from their parents and everyone else. Ranma didn't want to deal with their father trying to shove them into a relationship with Nabiki or Kasumi. Kasumi was like a sibling to Ranma at this stage, and the thought of marrying her felt deeply wrong.
As for Nabiki, well, that hadn't turned out very well last time. Ranma didn't want a repeat of that mess.
Things had also been awkward with Ukyo, too. She'd been easier for them to avoid, though, since they didn't live together. It also hadn't hurt as much, as Ranma hadn't had the same feelings for the chef. If anything, Ranma was more upset about her having gotten Akane instead of them.
Faking smiles around Akane had been the most draining part of the week. At least school and homework had meant they could both sneak off to their rooms most of the time they were both home.
That wasn't going to work as well now, though. Saturday meant going home early. More time with Akane.
Ranma made it to the front gate of the Tendo home before they realised they couldn't do it. They couldn't fake normalcy for a whole afternoon. Ranma turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. It didn't take long for that to lead them towards a building, which they hopped onto. They began to bounce across the city, aimlessly drifting. The endless cityscape of Tokyo turned into a blur as Ranma went. They had no destination in mind, and grey skies helped hide the amount of time they'd been running for.
The exertion was starting to make the emotional pain feel blunter, at least. They were also starting to feel hungry, and so they hopped down into a laneway. They walked a long, heading towards a cluster of vending machine's they had seen from the roof.
Ranma was looking over their options when a streak of terror ran out from between two of the vending machines. Ranma let out a shout of fear as they scrambled back. The cat, apparently unphased by Ranma's terror, strolled over to them, meowing away.
"Back! P-please, get back," Ranma said, staring at the offending feline.
The cat meowed again, walking closer, before a hand slipped under and scooped it up. Following the upwards motion with their eyes, Ranma was surprised by who the hand belonged to.
"Madoka?" they muttered, as the girl in question put the cat on a nearby fence. "What are—did you cut your hair?"
"Yes?" she asked, staring at them for a moment as the cat ran off. "You've seen my new haircut already, Kyou—wait. You're not Kyousuke?"
Ranma hopped to their feet, blushing a bit at the mix up. "The name's Saotome Ranma. I'm Kyousuke's cousin."
Madoka gave them a quick once over. "Strong genes in your family, between you, Kyousuke, and Kazuya."
"Heh, yeah. I was pretty surprised when I met Kyousuke again," Ranma replied, scratching the back of their neck and trying to seem casual. "Oh, and, it's nice ta meet ya, Madoka?"
The dark haired girl raised an eyebrow. "How did you know I'd had a haircut?"
"Uhh… 'cause couz talks about ya a lot, and has shown me pictures? It looks good, though?" Ranma offered.
"I suppose that makes sense," Madoka replied. "Well, it's nice to meet you too, Ranma."
Her tone emphasized the lack of honorifics attached to their name. A reminder that they'd done the same to her twice just moments early.
"Ayukawa-san. Right," Ranma replied with a grimace. "S-sorry. Kyousuke just calls ya 'Madoka' whenever he talks about ya, so it was the name that popped inta my head."
"Does he now?" she replied, a dangerous smirk sliding into her face.
Ranma shrugged, realising their attempts to cover up the truth with words weren't going great.
"Did you just move to the neighbourhood, then?" Madoka asked, softening her expression.
"Ah, no. I live up in Nerima. I just… I went for a jog," Ranma offered.
"Quite the jog. A bit of a questionable time to take one too, with a typhoon blowing in," Madoka replied.
"There's a typhoon?" Ranma asked, glancing up at darkening skies.
They had noticed it getting windier, but hadn't thought it was that serious.
"Ok, you're definitely related to the Kasugas… Anyway, I was just on my way to grab some supplies. Chips and such in case the power goes out, mostly," Madoka said. "It's supposed to hit pretty soon. You'd probably get caught in the middle of it if you tried to make it back to Nerima now."
"Huh… I guess I can try seein' if uncle Takashi'd let me stay over, though I don't think Kyousuke much wants ta see me after… uh, stuff happened," Ranma replied, following Madoka as she started to walk down the lane.
"My place gets pretty lonely during storms like this. With my parents being in the States and my sister moved out," Madoka replied. "I wouldn't mind you staying over, Saotome-kun."
Ranma blinked, pausing for a moment in shock. They had to hurry to catch back up to Madoka. "We only just met?"
"Well, I've he—eep!" Madoka began when it began to rain. She scrambled to pull an umbrella out of her purse when she froze, staring at Ranma.
The suddenly redheaded and female Saotome stared back up at her, massaging their neck. "Uh… right. This is a thing."
Madoka nodded. "S-strong genes with the girls in your family too. I mean—dang. You look just like a mix of Akane-kun and the twins."
Ranma grimaced a little at the complicated emotions circling the name 'Akane' for them right now, regardless of which Akane was referred to.
"It also explains some of the things the twins said," Madoka added, which resulted in a confused face from Ranma. "I'm friends with them too, and Kurumi is a hopeless gossip. I had heard about a new cousin named 'Ranma' already. I was unsure about some details that had seemed contradictory, but make sense now."
Ranma opened their mouth to try to explain things when Madoka stepped close enough to bring them under her umbrella. The redhead couldn't help blushing at the proximity.
"Let's go get some snacks before it's too windy for my umbrella," Madoka replied.
Ranma nodded.
Shampoo had decided to follow Ranma when she'd spotted them bouncing across Furinkan. Her great grandmother would have probably looked the other way if it had been the short pursuit Shampoo had expected, but it soon became apparent Ranma was headed somewhere quite distant. Curiosity piqued, Shampoo had lost track of time and distance as she'd followed Ranma, sliding back to try to avoid detection.
When she'd spotted Ranma talking with that strange dark haired girl, she'd gotten concerned. She supposed there was still a chance the girl was one of Ranma's new cousins that Nabiki had mentioned, but still felt her jealousy flaring up. Unfortunately, it had then started to rain.
Shampoo wasn't merely turned into a cat, but also buried in her clothing. By the time she managed to sort that out, Ranma was nowhere to be seen, and the rain had washed away any scent of them that her feline nose could pick up.
Plus, this body's aversion to water made Shampoo have to struggle against instinct as she tried to hunt for clues out in the elements.
"So," Madoka began, putting some of the food they'd bought away in the cupboards while Ranma sat perched on a stool next to the counter. "You're sometimes a boy and sometimes a girl?"
Ranma nodded. "Not just physically either. 've been told sometimes I act like I'm totally a girl when I'm like this, and other times people'll just think I'm a short boy until they notice the boobs. An'… well, sometimes people think I'm a girl when my body ain't. Usually I just slide inta what fits my body, though. Maybe it's hormones. Maybe it's height."
"Huh," Madoka said, putting a bag of chips away. "Do you… do you prefer one form to the other?"
"Not usually. Well, 'cept bein' short is annoyin' more often than bein' tall is. But that ain't 'bout being a boy or a girl," Ranma said, swinging their feet back and forth under the stool.
Madoka shoved the now empty plastic bags under the sink, before turning to them with a smile. "Do you mind if I ask you to stay in that form for the night? I just think my parents would feel better when they phone later and hear another girl's voice instead of a boy's voice."
"Sure," Ranma replied, as their eyes drifted around the kitchen. "J-just curious, but where's yer cat?"
"Oh, I already locked him up in the upstairs bathroom before heading out. It's the quietest room for the wind and rain, so he tends to be calmer in there during storms. And, if there is an evacuation alert, he's easier to grab."
"Ah. Good. Good," Ranma said, letting out a soft sigh to release the tension they'd been holding.
Madoka had then showed them around the house, so they knew which door not to open, where the ground level washroom was, where the guest bedroom was, and the general layout of the home. Ranma had been impressed by the size of it the first time they'd visited, as 'Kyousuke', but now they understood what Madoka meant about it being lonely. It was probably bigger than the Tendo home, and yet Madoka was alone in it.
"Nice gym," Ranma said, as Madoka showed them one last room.
"Well, it's a gym and a music room both. My parents mostly use it as the latter, but I use it for either," Madoka replied.
"D'you mind if I run through a kata or two? I ain't really had time to do more than my jog today," Ranma asked.
"Sure, sure. I'm going to go cook something before the storm really hits," Madoka said, glancing at the window. "Before there's any real risk of a power outage."
Ranma nodded, looking out the window themself. The rain was really coming down now, though the wind didn't look too bad just yet.
The redhead walked into the middle of the room and gave a quick bow at one wall, even if it wasn't a proper dojo. Then they started on their first kata. Nothing complicated. The roof hopping over had been a pretty good workout. They were halfway through their second kata, and so nearly done their planned practice, when they realised they were being watched. Glancing over their shoulder, they saw Madoka was back, a couple of small boxes in her hand. Instant curry flavours, Ranma was pretty sure. Kasumi used a similar brand sometimes.
Ranma stopped their kata and turned to Madoka properly, expecting a question. Instead, Madoka's eye twitched, before she threw the boxes at them. Ranma caught them, not wanting food to go to waste. Madoka was running forward, and so Ranma ducked low to put the curry packets on the ground and dodge Madoka's punch.
"Woah, what's—?" Ranma managed, before having to dodge a kick.
Spinning around the strike and getting back to their feet, Ranma realised that Madoka's eyes were wet with tears, though they were also burning with anger. Ranma dodged another few punches from the taller girl, before grabbing her by the wrist and tugging. That pulled Madoka off her balance and let them grab her other wrist, holding as she struggled a moment.
"The heck was that about?" Ranma asked, dumbfounded.
Madoka's eyes avoided theirs for a few moments, before they slowly lifted from studying the ground to meet Ranma's own gaze. Tears were really running down her face now.
"It was you. It was definitely you," Madoka replied. "The way you move. The fear of cats. How you talk…"
Oh no.
"What was me?" Ranma asked, trying to feign ignorance.
"During summer break. When Kasuga finally broke up with Hikaru. When he finally called me 'Madoka'. Finally asked me why I liked him… finally lived up to the expectations I'd had from that confusing day when I was eleven…" Madoka muttered.
"Hey, now, how could it—wait, what happened when you were eleven?" Ranma asked, having honestly not heard that part.
"I don't know what happened then either, but I know it was Kasuga. He was sixteen or seventeen, somehow. He seemed so cool and collected, and I fell in love with him," Madoka said, her voice growing soft. "Or, at least, the idea of him, through the eyes of a child admiring a teenager."
Ranma lowered Madoka's hands, but wasn't sure about letting go of her wrists just yet. "But?"
"But he isn't like that. He's indecisive and—and he couldn't ever actually choose me. He always kept stringing Hikaru along as an option. We had to do everything in secret," Madoka said, her eyes falling again. "I thought he'd finally changed, but… but it was you. Somehow. Another somehow. And this somehow rekindled my feelings, that had started fading… but it wasn't 're'-kindling, if it was you."
Her eyes locked with Ranma's. The redhead didn't know what to say. What they could do to get her to dismiss the revelation. And—well, they didn't want to. It had only been a couple weeks, but Madoka had found her way into their heart better than Ukyo or Shampoo had in a year of trying. She was kind. She was lonely. She had a temper, but tried to make up for it. She was so totally Ranma's type.
The redhead didn't resist when Madoka leaned down to kiss her.
It was a delightful kiss. Until an ear piercing yowl, like the sound of a dying cat, caused Ranma to jump out of their skin.
Kyousuke had decided he'd go visit Madoka during the storm. She'd appreciate the effort, and they'd be alone. If he played his cards right the night could go very well for him indeed. Just the thought of spending time alone with Madoka had left a dumb grin on his face.
The reality of walking over to her place, as the rain and wind of the typhoon picked up, had wiped the grin off his face. Despite his raincoat, he was feeling soaked to the bone as he walked, sometimes making zero forward progress when a blast of wind hit.
It was during one of those moments of struggling against the wind that he spotted a small pinkish cat sliding along the wet concrete of the laneway. The small creature had its claws out, but was losing to the wind. Kyousuke rushed over, scooping the cat, which was really more of a kitten, into his arms.
"Hey there, little thing. Don't you have anywhere to go?" he asked.
The kitten looked up at him, and seemed to perk up a moment, before letting out a sad meow and going back to seeming dejected.
"It's ok. I'll get you somewhere safe and warm," Kyousuke said, turning away from the wind and unbuttoning his jacket just enough to slip the kitten in before buttoning the jacket back up. "If you do have a home, we can get you back there tomorrow, when the storm's over. Right now, it's not safe for you out here."
The kitten poked its head out from his jacket, looking up at him with sad eyes. He gave it a little scratch behind the ear.
"Don't worry. Ayukawa likes cats. She has one of her own. So I'm sure she'll have food for you. And some towels we can dry you off with," Kyousuke said, walking along again, glad the wind had died down for the moment. "Sometimes I wish I could have kept being that cat. There's worse things in the world than being a cute girl's pet."
The cat gave him a meow and a look he could have sworn seemed concerned.
"I mean, I like opposable thumbs and everything else, don't get me wrong," Kyousuke continued, "but it feels so warm and nice to be a cat and have someone hug you. The human world is too big for you little things, but someone protecting you really helps, right?"
He scratched the kitten's ear again as he walked. Ayukawa's place wasn't too far away, so they'd be out of the rain soon. Pushing through another wind gust, Kyousuke decided to pop in the back gate, rather than go all the way around Ayukawa's home, and slipped into the back yard. He was walking past the windows to the gym/music room when he noticed the lights were on and couldn't help being curious as to what Ayukawa was up to. Part of him hoped she was working out in something a little nicer to look at than a gi, but he wasn't picky when it came to her.
What he actually saw made him freeze. Madoka was kissing someone. A redhead. Akane? No, the hair was too bright.
Ranma.
Confused, Kyousuke felt like his heart had fallen into his stomach and then he'd been punched in the gut. How could she? She was his girlfri—
"WREEAAAAAOOWWWRRR!?" the kitten in his jacket suddenly yowled, sounding as if a car had just driven over her tail.
Kyousuke's eyes went wide with dread, and he panicked. Unable to find a hiding place fast enough, he opted to teleport.
Ranma peeled themself off Madoka, their face flush with embarrassment.
"S-sorry, the sound s-scared me. I didn't mean ta grab ya like that," Ranma muttered.
"It's ok," Madoka said, smiling softly. "Just let me go check what made it."
Ranma nodded as Madoka walked over to the window. Looking around, it was clear she couldn't find anything. They both agreed it had definitely come from outside, though. Madoka ran upstairs to check that her cat hadn't somehow gotten out (of a windowless room), while Ranma sat on the floor processing what had just happened.
They kissed. With Ranma a girl.
It had been nice. They couldn't deny it, Madoka had stolen their heart.
But Ranma had to try the other way, just to make sure. They couldn't handle losing like that again.
They ran off to the ground floor bathroom, splashing themself in the face with hot water. Ranma then followed the sound of Madoka's footsteps, finding her at the base of the stairs. She jumped a little, obviously surprised to see them in their other form.
"I… I know ya asked me ta stay a girl tonight, but… I just… one kiss?'' they managed, losing confidence as they spoke.
It was too much to ask a girl, wasn't it? They were alone, no parents around. It wasn't appropriate to be a boy around a girl in this situation…
"Sure. I can do one kiss," Madoka said, stepping over to them.
She pulled their collar down, to her lip level, and kissed them with confidence. Flushed by new confidence, Ranma wrapped their arms around her, holding Madoka close. With the kiss done, they lit up with a smile. Madoka smiled back up at them.
"You like both parts a' me?" Ranma asked, giddiness making their whole body feel bubbly.
"Of course. I might have had a boyfriend for a few years, but it's not like you're the first girl I've ever kissed… though that feels very weird to say when you're a boy right now," Madoka said, blushing a little herself.
"R-really?" Ranma asked, cheeks burning.
"When you're a rebellious girl who's an outcast, like I was in middle school, you get a lot of girls confessing to you. I tried dating one or two. We didn't get along, because there was someone else in my heart then, but we had some fun," Madoka replied, a smile growing on her face, before she realised what she said and blushed again.
"Oh," Ranma said, taking a moment to process the meaning. "Well, you'll know what we're doin' better than I do, then. I don't think me and Akane ever properly got ta bein' girlfriends w—er, Tendo Akane! My friend. Not my cousin, Kasuga Akane."
Madoka nodded. "That's a bit confusing, to have an ex with the same name as your cousin."
"What's more confusin' is that they're datin' now," Ranma replied.
"Really? What's she like? Your ex, I mean," Madoka asked.
"Er, well… wait, what's that smell?" Ranma said, sniffing the air.
Madoka's eyes went wide. "The RICE!"
Kyousuke fell into his rear in the stairwell of his apartment building. He'd not quite gotten the height right when he'd teleported. The kitten let out a meow of surprise as he sat up, using one hand to hold the kitten close.
"She kissed Ranma," Kyousuke muttered, unbuttoning his jacket and letting it fall around him.
He sat there, petting the kitten as it rolled against him. The kitten let out sad meows each time he asked himself questions about what just happened. Slowly, the comforting aspect of stroking the kitten and having it purr while pressed against him, helped him get out of his state of shock.
He scooped up his jacket with one hand, keeping the wet coat away from the kitten as he walked the short distance to his apartment. He walked in, shouting 'I'm back'. His father gave a 'welcome home' while Manami yelled at Kurumi about the fact she needed to actually slice onions before adding them to a soup.
Kyousuke ignored them and looked down at the kitten in his arms. The poor thing was rather muddy from being out in the pouring rain. Tossing off his shoes, Kyousuke headed off to the bathroom. He put the kitten on the floor of the furo area, before tossing off his own clothes. He knew most cats hated water, and he'd normally keep dressed before trying to bathe one, but this kitten was so soaked he was sure she'd not mind. Plus, his pants were sopping and muddy enough themselves that he wanted them off immediately, and, if he was already taking those off, why not everything?
So, he stepped into the furo, closed the door in case the kitten didtry running, and grabbed the showerhead. He turned it on to a low setting, but one hotter than he'd go for (he remembered everything seeming very cold when he'd been a cat the one time), and then pulled the kitten over to begin washing her down.
Only to find himself being hugged by a very naked Shampoo. A very naked and perfectly proportioned Shampoo. Who had a grip strong enough he could barely breathe.
"Wwwhyyy!?" she asked, sobbing into his shoulder. "Why did Ranma go to her? Shampoo was there. Shampoo brought him lunch every day after hearing violent girl and spatula girl had dumped him. But, nooo…"
Shampoo looked up at him, tears running down her face. "What is wrong? Shampoo is strong. Shampoo is loving. Will even help clean around the house, unlike most Nujiezu warriors. Is… is Shampoo ugly by Japanese standards?"
Kyousuke found himself struggling to form a sentence, blood suddenly in short supply between his flushed cheeks and… another demand. "I… y-you… perfect."
Shampoo blinked, her grip on him softening to something less bone crushing. "Pardon?"
"I… I don't know you super well, and you're so strong it kind of terrifies me, but you're…" he shrugged. "I don't—words. Just. Perfect. Cute."
Shampoo lit up. "You think so?"
Kyousuke nodded, rapidly. He was feeling many feelings right now. Mostly ones he'd have expected from being alone with a naked beautiful girl, but the fight or flight area of his brain going off was added confusion he didn't need.
Shampoo stepped back, giving him a once over that left him worrying about his own inadequacies.
"You are just as cute as Ranma. With a little bootcamp from great grandmother, you could have good muscles… yes. Yes," Shampoo said, grabbing his bicep to test it. "You know 'rock, paper, scissors'?"
"Yeah?" Kyousuke asked, confused by the non sequitur.
"Shampoo's favourite is scissors. Shampoo challenges you to a match," she said, sliding into position for a round.
Completely flabbergasted, Kyousuke gave an ok, and slid into position himself. He was nervous enough he forgot which point he was supposed to actually make a move, which resulted in him throwing 'rock' and defeating Shampoo's 'scissors'.
"You defeated Shampoo in an official challenge. Shampoo must marry you now!" she declared, tackling him with another hug.
"You're making a lot of noise in there, do you need help with—" Kurumi asked, opening the door to the furo as she talked.
She looked down at him, naked and being snuggled by Shampoo's human form. He stared back up at his sister, feeling terrified.
"Oh," Kurumi said, closing the door again. Though the closed glass she called out, "I'm not ready to be an aunt yet! You'd better be using contraception!"
"We're not—her thigh is… it's not what it looks like!" Kyousuke yelled.
"Mhm. New Airen is not strong enough yet. Shampoo would break him!" Shampoo added, sending a new wave of confusing and contradictory neurochemicals surging through Kyousuke's brain.
Ranma and Madoka were eating lunch in the Neko Hanten a week later, while Ranma explained to Shampoo the issues they'd had with her courtship plans, after she'd asked. She took the cat issue well enough, admitting she'd understood that was a problem. They were flabbergasted that the 'spent two months trying to murder them' angle had, however, not occurred to Shampoo as a possible issue. The use of love magic being a problem also seemed to confuse her.
"But, with love magic, you are guaranteed to be happy in the relationship?" she asked.
"It's unnatural, though," Ranma replied.
"So are antidepressants?" Shampoo countered.
"Uh… help?" they said, turning to Madoka.
She padded her lips clean before turning to Shampoo. "Antidepressants and similar medications let your brain behave how it's supposed to. Love magic is more like hypnosis, eating away at your free will. Would you like to be hypnotized into living like a Japanese housewife and being happy like that?"
"Shampoo doesn't think anyone can be happy like that," Shampoo replied. "But, point taken."
Kyousuke came stumbling in at that point, in his gym uniform. Cologne tutted him from the counter. "45 minutes to run 10 kilometres is too slow, son-in-law."
"It's hard… plus the… dodging… can Mousse… use fake knives… maybe?" Kyousuke asked between breaths, before Shampoo tackled him and they ended up in a heap on the floor.
"What do you—One moment, granddaughter, let him breathe," Cologne said, pogoing over. "What do you mean about Mousse and knives?"
"The dodging… part?" Kyousuke asked.
"There isn't supposed to be a dodging part… part timer, get in here!"
The long haired lad walked in from outside, arms crossed in a huff. "He's not worthy of Shampoo. He didn't even defeat her properly."
"He is cute and likes cats, that is good enough for Shampoo, stupid duck," Shampoo replied, before returning to kissing Kyousuke.
Ranma wasn't sure if their cousin had died from happiness or exhaustion, but he looked pretty limp in Shampoo's arms.
"I have half a mind to mail you back home with a recipe for Peking Duck," Cologne said, glaring up at Mousse. "You need to respect Shampoo's wishes."
"When she kee—" Mousse began, only to be interrupted by the jingle of customers entering and shifting to customer service mode. "Welcome to the Neko Hanten, how can I help you?"
The customers in question proved to be two faces Ranma had learned. Hikaru, the bubbly blonde, and Yuusaku, the boy who followed her around like a puppy. Hikaru's eyes were currently sparkling as she took in Mousse's face, his glasses up on his forehead and allowing him to seem honestly dashing.
"You could start by telling me what time you get off, handsome!" Hikaru said, before bursting into giggles.
"H-Hikaru-sama! We were supposed to be finding out what Kasuga and Ayukawa are up… to…" Yuusaku said, before he noticed Ranma and Madoka eating at a table.
Ranma pointed towards the corner, where Hikaru and Yuusaku both spotted Kyousuke in the corner with Shampoo snuggled against him.
"They…" Yuusaku began.
"Both found girlfriends here in Nerima, yes," Madoka said, smiling over at Hikaru.
"That explains all the trips," Hikaru said.
Ranma was walking home from school when they spotted a familiar blonde again, hiding behind a telephone pole. Leaning a little, they realised Mousse was at a house two doors down, delivering some food.
"How did you get from Setagaya to here after school, Hiyama-chan?" Ranma asked, causing the girl to all but jump out of her skin.
"AH! SHH!" she replied (loudly) and waved her arms about. "I'm trying to be stealthy."
"What's going on?" Mousse asked, walking over.
"Hiyama-chan here is a very bad ninja," Ranma said with a smile.
"Were you following me?" Mousse asked, lifting up his glasses. "Are you spying on me to see when I'm vulnerable?"
"N-no!" Hikaru blurted, before reaching a hand into her book bag. She whipped out a pink envelope and shoved it into Mousse's hands. "I was waiting for a moment to give you this!"
Mousse slipped his glasses down and opened the envelope. reading the letter over. "Is this… a love letter?"
Hikaru nodded rapidly while giggling to herself.
"Uh… did you want me to proofread it or something? Honestly, I keep writing hanzi instead of kanji, so you might want someone actually Japanese to help you," Mousse replied.
Ranma and Hikaru both stared at him, dumbfounded.
"It's for you?" Hikaru replied.
"Why would it be for me?" Mousse asked.
"Tall, dark, and handsome is pretty popular with lots of girls. I guess she likes it enough to overcome your dorkiness," Ranma said.
"Me?" Mousse asked.
Ranma nodded. Mousse then turned slowly to Hikaru, who also nodded. He then turned back to Ranma.
"What do I do?" he asked, in the quietest voice Ranma had ever heard from him. "I've never had a girl be interested in me."
"Do you think she's cute?" Ranma asked.
Mousse turned back to Hikaru, who was staring at him with large and hopeful eyes. He then turned to Ranma again.
"Yes. She's pretty adorable."
"Then accept," Ranma replied.
Mousse nodded. "Do I have to reply in writing?"
"No," Ranma said.
Mousse nodded again. "…what, precisely, do I say?"
Ranma opened their mouth to offer a sentence, when Hikaru launched herself at the tall boy. She wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his still open mouth.
"W-w-wuh!?" Mousse yelped, scrambling back with Hikaru still clung to him.
"You were taking too long, darling," Hikaru replied, nuzzling her head against his chest.
"She seems like just yer type," Ranma said with a grin.
Ranma smiled as they listened to Madoka play her saxophone. Things were going nicely, after well over a year of utter chaos in their life. Ranma had an actually proper family, with cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles. They'd also escaped their romantic chaos. Ukyo and Akane had found themselves a cute and sporty redhead, like they'd wanted, with none of the boy-ness to complicate matters. Ranma was happy for them, and their cousin Akane. The two red haired cousins got along delightfully, even if (Kasuga) Akane complained about all the ice cream parlours in Furinkan having a 'no redheads' rule after Ranma had nearly bankrupted a couple of them. Shampoo and Kyousuke also seemed happy together, though Kyousuke obviously still feared his soon-to-be wife a little. Or admired. Possibly both.
The point was, everyone seemed happy. Ranma was able to relax, fights with Mousse or Ryoga being friendly now. There was also still the occasional wandering martial artist rolling into town looking for a fight to spice things up. Or delinquent girls looking to settle scores with Madoka, which Ranma (in girl mode) often helped out with. Not that Madoka needed the help, but they both liked fighting as a team. It was an enjoyable bonding exercise.
Today's fight had been a bit of an anticlimax, though. The gang of ruffians skidaddled as soon Ranma let off one measly chi attack.
Oh well, it left more time for listening to Madoka's music.
"So," Madoka asked, having ended her song, "what do you think of that? Was the motive reused too much, or does it work?"
Ranma stared. "The whatty-what-now?"
"The motive. It's—you don't have much musical experience, do you?"
Ranma shook their head. "Pretty well nothin'."
"Mhm. I'm going to have to teach you at least some basics. My dad is a world famous violinist who plays for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He'll be disappointed if you don't know anything," Madoka said, letting her saxophone hang from the support strap.
"Ah, well… I guess I should start with a question 'bout violins then. Are, uh… are they the same thing as fiddles or somethin' different?" the redhead asked.
Madoka let out a giggle.