Archive of Our Own ^beta

Mourning the anniversary of a loved one's death, tending to the cenotaph of the most truly lost, was a way to allow the long gone to cast a deep shadow over a full day once again, a way to remind those alive that they carry the burden of a legacy on their backs with no way to confirm if they were carrying it correctly…

Or something like that. Ranma kinda got the feel of the angsty vibes, but not really the words or the reason to share them. Mrs Tendou was dead due to something which left no body, and that made everyone sad thinking about it ten years later. Getting poetic just meant thinking about it harder, and that ruined the chances of feeling better faster. And Ranma, man amongst men, shining beacon that he was, preferred feeling better ASAP.

He was as respectful as possible, that wasn't the problem. His dad just taught him to hold in those feelings. Anger was manly, happiness was inspiring. There wasn't enough room in life to truly mope unless pushed to the absolute limit. It was something that girls, goths, eccentrics like Kuno, and actually good poets did. And as far as Ranma was concerned, no poetry was good poetry, because he didn't really get the point.

The visit to the cemetery had been over for at least an hour, everyone heading back to the Tendou household in silence and scarily remaining that way. Quiet and sombre… Ranma had to do something, channel his energy anywhere else. Let the Tendous mourn as they wished, as they were allowed to do, and just lock himself away in the dojo to train like he always did.

Standing in the centre of the dojo, Ranma breathed in. And out.

Emotions drove each punch and kick, guiding him to shadowbox instead of the katas he should have been doing. It was an outlet, at least. Sadness into rage into power into enthusiasm into happiness into more power. Light emotion into the kind of power that let the Moko Takabisha fly freely, that could course through Ranma's veins as easily as blood.

Theatrics were for scams and showing off good moves, Ranma didn't have to do the over-the-top kick he tore through the air with. His flashy bright style wasn't compatible with the dark shadows that loomed over him. He was funny, cheerful, he was… He was happy, he had to be. Otherwise what else was Ryoga trying to destroy? Otherwise how was Ranma a man amongst men at all? How was…

The kicks slowed as Ranma landed. His fists lowered. He shouldn't have been thinking like this. He shouldn't have been so weighed down. It wasn't as if he was mourning his own mother. He didn't even know his own mother! He could feel bad for Akane, that was it, but this was not right. It was detrimental to Ranma's image. It felt cold and dark and uncomfortable to the point where he needed a distraction, and distraction at a-

Getting tackled by his father, being dragged out of the dojo, and being shoved into the koi pond with him was a pretty big distraction.

"What gives, Pops!?" The now girl with shiny black hair yelled after gasping for air, only to be silenced via being shoved in the water again by a panda paw.

A sign was submerged underwater to try and clarify, reading 'Stay, boy, or we'll both lose our heads!'

Due to the nature of bear anatomy, Ranma trying to kick his dad in the crotch wasn't the total knockout it could have been. However, it still hurt the panda enough for Ranma to gain a window of time to launch himself out of the water in one big motion, water spraying off of him everywhere as he landed perfectly on top of one of the stone lantern statues that stood nearby.

"Outstanding entrance!" Clapped a woman Ranma didn't recognise the voice of.

This lady was… eccentric, to say the least. Like if a middle school phase got transplanted directly onto a woman in her late thirties with adult money. An eyepatch was slightly obscured by the fringe of her hair that was otherwise done up in a bun held in place by two sharp needles. Her outfit was definitely A Choice, a long black cloak with gold trim and a hood, matched with what might have been a normal white blouse if it hadn't been held around the waist by too many belts. Even her flowy pants tucked into her high boots were reminiscent of a western pirate, although that very real sword was a katana.

"Uhhhhhhh… Thanks, I guess," Ranma put his hand to the back of his head nervously, not sure how to accept a compliment from an eccentric like this, "Who exactly are you?"

Did the lady have to strike a pose? Yes, apparently she did. "They call me Nodoka, and I'm a demoness, a mother of monsters, searching for my son in hopes that he has grown into a dark lord worthy of remaining alive, lest I slaughter him, his father, and myself."

"Oh shit, that's… Kinda badass," It was likely not true, but Ranma had seen some weird stuff in his time, so he couldn't rule it out entirely, "So… Why are you here, then?"

"I've been led to believe he's been living here, of course," Nodoka explained, "And what this man here said when we met at the doorway confirmed it."

Soun seemed very shocked to be pointed out suddenly, and put an odd emphasis on how he said certain things. "Um, yes. Mrs Saotome here is looking for her son, Ranma."

… Oh. The death pact sword lady was…

Ranma didn't have time to think about greeting his mother when he was pulled backwards into the koi pond again, a panda paw muffling his mouth. The bastard responsible held up a sign saying 'The Saotomes are hiking! I'm just a cuddly panda!'

"Oh, that's a shame," Nodoka spoke as Ranma yet again gasped for air, "Thank you, Mr Panda. Very well, I shall await their return. Tendou, may I stay for tea with you your family?"

"Oh, you probably shouldn't-"

"Excellent, thank you for your hospitality," Patting the hilt of her katana, Nodoka Saotome pushed her way through to the interior of the house with the intention to stay, "I can share tales of my plight as entertainment in exchange for hospitality."

Picking himself up out of the koi pond, too many things were swimming through Ranma's mind. He was part of some kind of seppuku contract, he had a mother, his mother was some kind of cosplayer… And there was still the looming gloom from the rest of the day beforehand. It was a stressful situation that Ranma couldn't make heads or tails of, at least not without an interrogation first.

"Okay, Pops, ya better explain what the hell is going on." Ranma said while cornering his father into the property walls as much as possible.

The panda scribbled on a sign nervously. 'Well, I promised your mother a man amongst men, so-'

"She said she was looking for a dark lord of some kind," The sign split to pieces from Ranma's punch, "I don't even know what that means, but I sure ain't it!"

'I interpreted the best I could! And so now you're a manly man, right? Minus… The complications.'

"Pops, I'm screwed regardless of what you 'interpreted' dark lord as!" The black haired girl huffed, "If I'm supposed to be manly, then look at me! And all that over the top second-grader-syndrome stuff ain't something I know how to do…"

… It wasn't something Ranma knew how to do. He couldn't get close to his mother if he wanted to, not without betraying the image of the bright, shining, humble paragon he was. But if Ranma could do anything other than be incredibly good at anything with 'martial arts' in the name, it was act and make up characters. Ryoga could confirm it, if he wasn't currently lost somewhere. And Nodoka was already impressed by the girl who jumped out of the pond…

"Alright, let's see what I can scrounge up…" Ranma practically brooded. It wasn't something he'd normally do, but he had to get into character.

■■■■

"So, you're my son's fiancee?" Nodoka looked the girl up and down.

"Y-yes, Mrs Saotome…" Akane laughed kind of nervously.

Hmmm… Akane was a little too plain for Nodoka's personal taste, a little too normal. There was definitely a sharp edge there, potential, just not realised yet. She was certainly more fitting for the dark lord her son should be than her sisters, at least. Perhaps Nodoka should have perceived this as a forbidden union to a degree, bridging the line between light and dark… Though that wasn't quite doing it, either.

"Have you considered following his lead and falling into the dark?" Nodoka held her future daughter-in-law's hand in her own, "I assure you it's more comfortable than it seems."

"Uhhhhhhh…" The poor lost soul was incapable of making eye contact, seemingly embarrassed with her eyes darting everywhere. The middle sister, Nabiki, snickered a little.

As if to catch everyone off guard, the door slammed open with extreme force. Nodoka turned around to see the black haired girl with a pigtail, the one who jumped out of the pond with such skill earlier. Over her red silk shirt, there was a far too oversized gakuran jacket sitting over her shoulders, like some kind of impromptu cape. Truly, a respected look for any beginning member of the forces of darkness.

Nabiki switched from snickering to a full on cackle. Maybe she would be a good witch, that was a very respectable path to take.

"Oh my…" Kasumi looked to be on the brink of giggling too.

The pigtailed girl blushed a little as she sat down, right between Nodoka and Akane. Was this precious little blossom of wickedness new to bloom? That'd certainly explain the laughter, and her lack of confidence in how she carried herself. However, there was certainly a spark in her, something that showed the flame of a bold girl in the darkness of the night.

Akane leaned to whisper something to the new girl. "Are you sure it's smart to be here when you…"

"I got this, don't worry." Oh, so there was a little more confidence there than on the surface.

"Excuse me, but I introduced myself earlier," Nodoka spoke directly to the pigtailed girl, "What title shall I refer to you by?"

"Well…" The girl breathed in, then out, then jumped back up onto her feet swiftly with her fingers curled like claws, "I am The Night's Fiercest Tigress, Ranko!"

… This girl…

… WAS ADORABLE! The howling laughter from Nabiki didn't sour how Ranko, this brilliant young flash of shadow, was already so enthusiastic! This was the kind of thing to nurture, to let grow into something brutal and beautiful. Instead, the poor thing sat down embarrassed again. Someone had to step in before this tiger cub had her claws filed down into normalcy!

"Ranko, it's a pleasure," Nodoka bowed, "Are you also a relative of the Tendous?"

"No, though they let me stay here," Almost stopping there, Ranko must've noticed Nodoka's encouraging look, "I… I'm the last of my family, and they are kind enough to provide shelter. Previously, I wandered, where I picked up a curse."

"A curse!?" True magic would excite any demoness, though it clearly wasn't news to the Tendous, "Of what kind?"

Ranko smirked, clearly proud in her ability to hold attention. "If I touch hot water, my body distorts into something so cruel, and only water as cold as my soul can return me to my true form."

The panda from earlier barged in holding a sign saying 'I can't touch the stuff, too!', but it hardly was noticeable over Kasumi having to take Nabiki to a different room from how hard she was laughing for some reason.

"That's incredible! I can hardly imagine what kind of form you may take," Except Nodoka was picturing several different kinds of monsters, "Can you demonstrate sometime?"

"I'd… I'd rather not, for it hurts too much and makes me sick to my stomach." It was reasonable enough, although Akane looked at Ranko oddly when the pigtaiked girl spoke.

A girl with magic in her veins, discomfort and peril in her life, and a passion at risk of being pushed into mediocrity. If Nodoka had found her son here, perhaps this young girl would be left with no one to guide her and let her grow into a force to be reckoned with. But, as an elder creature of the night with no current duties holding her back, the sword-wielding demoness was free to assist in helping Ranko reach her truest potential!

■■■■

"Ranma, what the actual hell was that?"

Akane had pushed her fiancee up against the door of her room the moment she got the chance to drag him in there. The fact that he dug through her closet to get that gakuran was obvious by the mess of clothes left on the floor, but now was not the time to get angry about that. It was instead time to knock some sense into him

"I wanna be close to my Ma, 'Kane," Ranma said plainly enough, ""And if I ain't up to snuff as me, then… Y'know. Disguises."

"Yes, but…Ugh," This was going to be a pain, "You told her you're cursed!"

"Cos it sounded cool in a way she'd like, and it gets me out of situations with hot water," The pigtailed boy said all too confidently, "I thought it through, tomboy, don't worry."

"Okay, so, what happens when she sees your real body and keeps treating you like a girl?"

Ranma opened his mouth to say something, closed it, paused for a moment to think, opened and closed it again, thought some more, and continued to think for a little bit longer. "… Shit."

"Yeah, you didn't think it through." Akane reaffirmed.

"If anyone sees that, then my reputation as a man is gonna be ruined," The pigtailed boy muttered, "And I'm supposed to be a man. Well, not really, Pops apparently made that up, but… I'm a guy! It'd be humiliating for any guy to actually become a girl without magic, it-"

Completely and totally on absolute accident with no intent at all, no siree, Akane shoved a spare pillow over Ranma's mouth. "I get that being treated like a girl may feel bad for you, but it isn't humiliating to become one, got it?"

"Mppnmf mpf mppfmfffnf bbffmffmpfff?"

"Because… Because I'm a girl who used to be a boy," So much for taking that secret to the grave, "You can dislike being called a girl, fine. But if it's an insult to be one? Then I don't want to see you ever again."

Eyes wide, Ranma lowered the pillow that had been shoved in his mouth before whispering. "Oh. Um. I didn't. Whoops, sorry, I… Uh. Okay, well it'd be humiliating for me. It'd be like the curse infected me…"

"Half the school already thinks it has, dummy," Akane sighed, suffering for being one of the popular girls, "You spend enough time in that form that I can't imagine you without it. All you did today was just make yourself feel physically uncomfortable in the future."

"… I… Don't really think I'd be uncomfortable?" Ranma sounded more like he was asking himself that, "It ain't like I have trouble with it normally. Acting like a dweeb is scaring me more the the girl part."

"You already act like a dweeb, so you'll be fine," It probably was a little early to make any judgement over if Ranma not minding girlhood meant anything, a year after these shenanigans started, "Just… Ugh, okay, just come clean to her when you know you're safe."

"Of course, since when did I lie to someone about who I am for more than a day?" Before Akane could answer, Ranma put a finger to her mouth, "WITHOUT it being a matter of stopping something worse from happening, like with the Chardin incident."

"… Fine, Ranko the night tiger," Akane gave up, "Go, spend time with your mum, you deserve it."

Readjusting the gakuran he stole, Ranma moved off the door to get out through it. "It's 'The Night's Fiercest Tigress', actually. And… Thanks. She asked if I wanna go do something with her tomorrow, actually. Wanna come?"

"I'll see how I feel. But… Probably." Akane smiled as she answered, and she swore she saw Ranma blush a little as he left. Dork.

■■■■

"Welcome, dear tiger cub, to home!" Nodoka said while throwing her hands up dramatically.

It was some kind of clothing store, but not the kind Ranma had ever dared step foot in. Hell, it hardly looked like even Akane would've stepped in their before, even with her wardrobe being as expansive as it was. There was a lot of black, plenty of unique patterns, corsets, belts, lots of jackets, and more. The store tucked away at the back of the mall was no place for the preppy and popular, that was for sure.

"M- Uh, Auntie Saotome, you don't have to take me shopping…" Ranma tried to slink away, "I dunno when I'd even wear anything like this…"

"Whenever you want, Ranko!" The woman insisted on pushing her disguised son into the store, "A creature of the night makes her own time, her own rules! Show your stripes without fear and without regrets!"

'Ranko' was having some regrets, though. He almost lost his head last night because he shared the guest room with a woman that was prone to sleep-swordfighting. He was sweating like mad because the damn gakuran/psuedo-cape was too hot. And being specifically pushed towards the female clothing section was just another thing that made Ranma feel far too scared.

"Here, if you start looking at accessories, I can go find some things that might suit you," Nodoka left both Ranma and Akane in an aisle as she ran deeper into the mess of clothes, "Akane, feel free to experiment, too! You could use the sharp edge!"

Akane shyly picked up a choker that almost looked closer to a dog collar, looking at it like she had just picked up something radioactive instead. "If I wore anything like this, I'd be treated like a freak…"

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Sighed Ranma, the one practically forced to wear this stuff, "I mean, not all of it is that weird."

"No, I meant… I don't want to risk not being seen as a normal girl." Ah, so it was some repressed gender thing. Right.

Some of the accessories on display were certainly not for Ranma, disguised or otherwise. Novelty sunglasses that looked like pink hearts were definitely too much. However, there was something that caught his attention, something that might even be a little practical. Black fingerless gloves, soft but study. The kind of thing that'd be perfect for preventing unnecessary damage to his knuckles when throwing a punch, and even…

[Claws? Claws for kitby? Meow meow?]

Ranma could wear them without the risk of ki claws shredding through them if the Nekoken triggered. Internally, the cat certainly approved, but Ranma was managing to think even bigger picture. After all, to a lady who calls herself a demoness and mother of monsters, what would be cooler than a girl capable of summoning ethereal claws? What better bonding method did Ranma have than that?

[Okay, monster, hear me out,] Ranma thought to herself, [If you let me borrow the claws whenever, I'll get 'Kane to give ya extra scritches and stuff. Deal?]

[YES YES YES YES! Claws for scritches!!! Mrrp!]

Testing if that bargain was even possible, Ranma posed his left hand like a cat claw, finding ghostly red claws shooting up from his fingertips. "Badass…"

"Ranm- Uh, I mean, Ranko, what the fuck?" Akane looked at her fiancee slipping on the fingerless gloves over clawed hands.

"RANKO, OH MY GOODNESS!" Coming through like a gothic hurricane, Nodoka fussed over the clawed martial artist, just as planned, "You have some kind of spirit within you!? Or perhaps genuine magic!? How did you do that!?"

It was impossible for Ranma to not preen under the praise. "It's just a gift I have, one of many from my dark past."

[Scritches from her? Pwease? :3]

Ranma would at least think about it.

■■■■

When invited out shopping with Nodoka and 'Ranko', Akane thought she'd be getting a few things. She thought she'd get a few of her favourite trendy styles, like those printed tees with English on them, or a new patterned cardigan, or even a nice, cute dress. She though, at the strangest, she'd get something a little out of her fashion comfort zone. Something with a bit more black, or a few too many straps on it.

She had, in fact, gotten something. Akane had a nosebleed and a pile of tissues.

"'Kane, do we need to get ya to a hospital or something?" Ranma had gotten Akane sat down on the floor quickly and was leaning over her.

"No, no, I'm fine," Akane quickly regretted trying to make eye contact again, "I… I just can't look up."

It wasn't fair! Akane had seen Ranma nude in girl form too many times to count, but this was when it was too much? A black mesh crop top, tiger print sport bra underneath, and black cargo pants shouldn't have been enough to drive Akane mad, especially on a girl! Akane wasn't supposed to like girls, it was part of trying to counterbalance being a girl in the first place! Although, Ranma was a boy, really, so did it count as looking at a girl?

… Looking up again to see if that was right, Akane decided to make it not count, no matter what her nosebleed said, if only to move on with the day.

For someone who never wore anything like what he was, Ranma seemed to be handling it super well. He had kept his pigtail intact, so he was absolutely still recognisable, but the swagger behind how he walked was different. Somewhere in this imitation darkness was confidence, a light and playful feeling that would've been out of place on Ranma's usual look. Something that remind Akane of…

… Nope, Ranma was a boy. Akane wouldn't be attracted to a girl because she didn't like girls, she couldn't like girls. No, Ranma was just cursed and comfortable with it in a way most people probably wouldn't be. Although, Ranko was really pretty, and it was so easy for Akane to imagine the tigress getting over those conversational issues she had and deciding to make a move, using a claw to tear off Akane's-

"'KANE!" Called out Ranma right as the Tendou dojo heiress walked right into a decorative pillar, not looking where she was going.

The pigtailed girl swooped in to catch Akane as she fell over again, but something was off. That's right, Nodoka had dragged her student in darkness into costume shop for 'additional supplies', hadn't she? That's why Akane was in the arms of Ranko, as punk as she had been earlier, but now radiating a whole other kind of cuteness with a tiger ear headband and tiger tail that clipped to the waist of her pants.

Akane was trying so hard not to self destruct.

■■■■

Going to school the next day felt like such a pain.

The problem was, Ranma had fun. Actual, genuine fun! It was dorky and weird and definitely not his style, but he almost wanted to be. He got to dress up, which was always a favourite activity anyway, but then his mother took him and Akane out for lunch! Free food was always great, and getting it with an actually nice parent was an experience Ranko never thought she'd get…

He had to focus on walking, or else he'd trip. Normally, Ranma was always ready to pounce, but something about returning to his red silk shirt and the simple nature of being a man amongst men felt deflating. His light emotions couldn't have reached a new high point, right? He was Ranma Saotome, a paragon, he was already as fine and happy and normal as he could be.

"Oh no…" Akane sighed, "Kuno, up ahead. I don't think I've seen that many flowers before."

Out of all the times for Kuno to make some grand gesture, it had to be while Ranma was out of it. "Fair maiden Akane Tendou! In the light of the morning sun, your beauty outshines it! Please, accept my request to take you on a date."

"I'll pass, Kuno." The short haired girl planted a foot firmly in Kuno's face.

"Good form, but do ya think you could aim about a whole torso lower next time?" Ranma offered his unasked for opinion, "Anything Goes, and all."

"Tch… Foul Sorcerer Saotome, your criticism is cruel and unnecessary," Wow, wannabe samurai recovered from kicks to the face far too quickly these days, "How dare you attempt corrupt someone so pure as Akane Tendou?"

One man can only go so long getting needlessly insulted and framed as an antagonist without finally snapping a little. Ranma was sick and tired of being called a foul sorcerer for so long without any cause for it. Although, that was the kind of title his mother would be proud of, a title fitting of a creature from darkness…

But Ranko was far from just from darkness. She was from the night itself.

"Alright, Kuno, y'know what?" Ranma made sure to get up into Kuno's personal space a little too much, "Fine, you're right! I am a foul sorcerer just like you say! But it ain't 'Kane I've been corrupting with my evil magic and stuff!"

A look of horror flashed across Kuno's face, picture perfect. "You couldn't mean… No!"

"Oh, but yes!" Cackling like a supervillain was far too satisfying, "Listen here, and listen good! Your dear pigtailed girl will never be the same, a corruption of what you see in her! And it will be All! Your! Fault!"

Making a mad dash to the school's outer walls and jumping over it, Ranma was extremely grateful for four things. The first was how slow Kuno was to register things in his mind, giving ample getaway time. The second was how easily cold water was to find, such as in far too convenient puddles. The third was that he had plans to meet with his mother after school. The fourth was for the skills in Martial Arts Quick-Changing he had to pick up over time.

Ranko hit the front of Furinkan High like a force of nature. Black shorts exposed her fishnet stockings, matched with far more sturdy and industrial boots than Ranma's usual slip-on shoes. The black shirt she picked was fashionably big on her, advertising some American band called 'Survivor'. The ears and tail, as dorky as they were, were necessary. With her fingerless gloves comfortably on, Ranko was ready to tear an idiot's heart to shreds with her claws and teeth.

"FEAR ME, IF YOU DARE!" Ranko roared, causing Kuno's head to turn and Akane's face to hit her palm.

"My pigtailed girl! What… What did Saotome do to y-ACK!" Kuno was cut off by a kick to the groin, a kick that Akane could've been the one to give.

"I am The Night's Fiercest Tigress, Ranko," She introduced herself properly for the first time, "And only I get to decide who's worthy for me. Sorry, Blue Thunder, but this storm ain't ever gonna be yours."

The upperclassman tried to reach for her, but backed down upon seeing ki claws reveal themselves. "… I won't ever forgive Saotome for what he did to you, my beautiful orchid."

"Sure, buddy," Ranko held out a hand for Akane to follow her into the school, placing her other gloved hand against her own face, "C'mon, let's leave this peasant here. Feel like joining the dark side with me?"

The Tendou dojo's heiress looked conflicted. She had every reason to, of course. The life of a creature born in darkness and sin was not an easy one to take, but it was very easy to get lost in as Ranko was finding. Ranko was simply trying to give her fiancee an out, not necessarily a full ticket to go as hammy as she… As he, Ranma, had. An excuse to scare the shit out of Kuno.

Eventually, though, Akane looked back at her long time tormentor with a wicked smile. "See how she leans her cheek upon her hand. O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!”

Oh, Akane had theatre kid in her still.

Kuno looked absolutely mortified at the display as he assumed his 'corrupted love' was taking away his other crush. Good, let him suffer. Let him taste the sour feeling left in his mouth afterwards that had long been present in Ranko's after talking to him. Let him experience a descent into the unwelcoming darkness that enveloped and consumed those not born to thrive in it.

… Ranma was… Maybe a little teensy bit too into this after yesterday.

■■■■

"Do you ever feel like your life could've gone drastically differently?" Asked Sayuri as she seemed unable to take her eyes off of 'Ranko', "Or that you're missing something?"

"Can't say I do, sorry cutie." Yuka gently petted dolls normie girlfriend on the back in an attempt to comfort her.

Half the class had huddled in the corner of the classroom to just watch and stare at whatever happened to Ranma. It was so strange, not how he was in girl form but how he was presenting himself as this weird goth/grunge/punk hybrid tiger warrior chick. Many assumed this was a side effect of not being able to get it out of his system in middle school, given that he barely went to one according to rumours.

For some, though? Watching Akane was more interesting. She was halfway between trying to keep her distance and get closer, unsure what to make of Ranma's behaviour herself. She had played into this weird little game earlier in order to get away from Kuno, sure, but she still seemed hesitant. Whether or not her classmates were rooting for her to fall to the dark side properly was a matter of furious debate.

"That fool Saotome could be leading Akane right into my arms!" Gosunkugi muttered excitedly, "All he needs to do is return to his normal self right when I have the chance to grab-"

A spatula flew at his head, Ukyo's attack barely missing him but certainly remaining a warning. "We gotta un-goth them, for their own safety. Although, Ranchan is pretty cute like this…"

"Or, and hear me out, we don't interfere at all?" Yuka suggested, "And we just let it run its course, however that goes. Sayuri, you agree, right?"

Sayuri wasn't focusing on that at all. "I could probably pull off an eyepatch…"

■■■■

Eyes. The windows to the soul. Every one, a glassy reflection of their owner, taking in an individualised distorted view of the world around them the cost of seeing the truth as pure as it is dark sometimes involved taking risks, risks that result in an eye becoming evil beyond control, making it necessary to seal it away behind an eyepatch lest the world be at stake.

Nodoka was used to being stared at. Her aura commanded attention for quite a long time, and if not that, then her cursed blade did. Being stared at by high schoolers wasn't a problem in the slightest, she just had to keep an eye out for one specific little demon, a tiger cub she had plans with today. While Nodoka could have been waiting at the Tendou dojo for her demon lord son, she was getting far more joy in nurturing Ranko's dark spirit.

And what a fierce wildcat Ranko was! Even with her short stature, she was clearly jumping several feet into the air to try and see Nodoka. She wasn't wearing school uniform, either, so she was obviously comfortable standing out from the crowd! So much progress so quickly, as if embracing darkness was in Ranko's blood. The lost souls of her parents must be proud.

"Incoming!" Ranko pounced right into Nodoka's arms, surprisingly, and something about looking down at the girl hugging her tugged at the woman's heartstrings.

"Hello, young demoness!" Nodoka couldn't help but smile, "I take it you survived the cruelty of the education system?"

Ranko giggled a little. "For today, I am victorious still. 'Kane helps me a lot with some of the harder stuff."

"That's wonderful, then," The hug did have to sadly break up in order to walk onwards, "It's good to hear you have such a devout underling to assist you."

"Oh, uh…" Ranko seemed to start dragging her feet a little at that statement, "She's… Um… She's more of an equal to me. A very close equal. I'm still better, of course, but it doesn't really feel like it sometimes…"

So the two girls had to be close, then. Both of them living under the same roof, and with how eager Ranko had been to ask if Akane could come on the shopping trip, and how nervous Akane was to say she was Ranma's fiancee… And the nosebleeds. Something was clearly there between the two girls, at least, although Nodoka wasn't quite willing to confirm it just yet.

"Very well. How was your day otherwise?" Nodoka inquired, "Did you do any of the exercises I recommended?"

"Yeah, actually, I got a chance to do some of that poem stuff!" Excitedly, the girl started digging through her bag, "I woulda gotten 'Kane to read through them, but I was a bit embarrassed. Pretty sure it's still good, though!"

Nodoka took a glimpse at the page she was handed, and there were only actually two poems on there, separated by a string of hearts drawn and coloured in pure black lead pencil.

I hope this is right,

I dunno how to write poems

The fuck's a haiku?

… Well, her first poem certainly showed a certain… Creativity. Hopefully it was ironic, although there was no way the syllables lending themselves to proper haiku form was a coincidence, right? The second poem, though…

As though to shock and pierce my very heart,

Her smile provides a light that's far too clear

And though I can't stand when we are apart,

I don't think I could say things you should hear.

For my words fail, doomed to always shatter,

I am left dreaming of lovely madder.

Okay, that… It was clearly a shred of something Shakespearean, a fragment of a sonnet that didn't quite fit iambic pentameter. And it was far too clearly romantic. So, Ranko clearly was struck by Cupid's bow, and fairly hard, in the direction of a girl who was taken, a girl she couldn't talk to clearly. Ranko loved Akane, a girl engaged to Nodoka's son.

"… I approve."

"Of the poems?" Ranko looked at Nodoka like she had hung up the stars and moon.

"Well, they could use some improvement, but I was referring to your crush," Nodoka smiled as she handed back the page, "I support you and your endeavours to pursue Akane Tendou."

The aspiring warrior of darkness leaped back a little, hands posed in a very silly way. "I- I don't- What!?"

"You clearly like each other, and forbidden love is far more fitting than some arrangement for a pair like you," And it'd be a shame for both of their dark developments, "I'm sure my son would perfectly understand. Any good dark lord should."

"No, but… I…" Ranko didn't quite know where to start, "… What if it just doesn't work like that? She's too grounded for me, I ain't exactly as down to earth as she is. I can't get serious enough for her, I've accidentally hurt her cos of it, she's just a whole world away from me, I don't… It's just-"

It was sudden, loud, and terrifying, but fate never truly favoured the dark and wicked. A pipe in a nearby house's wall burst with such force it tore through the wall. Perhaps it was simply the nature of the curse Ranko had mentioned upon her introduction that hot water always found the teen whether wanted or not, because if it was hitting Nodoka, it was absolutely hitting Ranko.

… Ranko, who went from shorter than Nodoka to taller. Who grew broader, helping her looser shirt fit her new frame. Who looked, overall, far less feminine. Still androgynous, sure, but compared to the girl she knew, Nodoka saw a far too masculine imitation of her. A girl who became a boy when in contact with hot water. She was truly cursed, and by both the look of it now, and how she had described her curse, Ranko was greatly uncomfortable.

"Is this truly the curse?" Nodoka said in simultaneous awe and concern, getting a scared nod in response, "Alright, then. Gothic literature recommendations can wait. My home is close enough, let's heal this if possible."

■■■■

Ranma was going in too deep, had embraced darkness a little too fast, and was paying the price. He overcompensated, got too much enjoyment out of playing a part, and was suffering for his hubris. Today had been nice! He had gotten to just be happy and close to Akane in a way he never could be, and now it was all crashing down into an emotion Ranma shouldn't have known. A gross, horrible, itching emotion. Sadness.

He wasn't quite aware of himself until he'd been seated in his mother's kitchen, a singular stool dragged in for him to sit down in. It would have been easy to just turn on the tap and go back to being Ranko as she should have been. It would have been easy to say he was Ranma, and use his time in the disguise as proof of his dark lord status. But Nodoka told him to stay put, as is, right there, with a piece of dark chocolate as a distraction/treat.

"Alright, young tigress, come up here," Nodoka called from one of the rooms upstairs, "I know how to fix this."

There were three bedrooms in the house, all upstairs. Ranma passed what was likely a guest room, oddly bright and childish on the interior. He passed the door labelled as his, as Ranma's, completely shut and still unused. And finally, the master bedroom, with Nodoka inside. The room was fittingly dark, with posters of dragons and paintings of thunderstorms on the walls. Funnily enough, no sign of Genma, not even an old photo.

"Behold, a bounty!" Nodoka gestured to the massive pile of clothes on her bed, "I can't say I know curses from personal experience, but whenever my girlfriend is unable to be in the form most suited to her, it helps to surround her with things that do fit!"

"You… You have a girlfriend?" Ranma asked, confused.

"My husband has been missing for over a decade, and never was too kind to me," Sighed the jaded woman as she smiled at a photo Ranma was at the wrong angle to see, "She simply helps my heart feel young again."

"Huh…" Was it bad that Ranma didn't feel bad for his dad in that moment? "So… So you want me to… Dress up like a girl?"

"You are a girl, no matter what this dark curse tells you," Nodoka reassured, "I don't know if anything here would fit you, but… I wanted to try and help you feel at home in your wrong form. Mold your curse, bend it to your will."

It wasn't right to pretend that Ranma was born a girl. It couldn't have been right, not when he couldn't be one. Akane was different, she wasn't supposed to be the manly man type like Ranma was, she was allowed to be less than positive sometimes. Ranma was raised to be a man amongst men… Even though he wasn't supposed to be raised that way.

"… I'll wear anything but corsets." Ranko prepared to experience a little more of the life she should have had.

"I can work with that, dear little tiger cub," Smiled Nodoka, already digging at the pile she dragged out, "And how do you feel about other cosmetics?"

■■■■

"I hope Ranma makes it home before dinner," Kasumi said to the void, "Otherwise there'd likely be too many leftovers."

"Whaddya bet he's gonna arrive in the dark?" Nabiki snickered, "Probably saying something about an evil eye, too."

Akane wasn't listening to the conversation behind her. She could trust Ranko to come back alone, even though it was a little later than expected. Wait, no, Ranma would come back. Ranma, the boy Akane was engaged to, the slightly annoying but charming boy she totally didn't have a crush on. Not the fake identity he'd been putting on, the dramatic, whimsical, emotional girl with looks that could kill.

Why was the very idea of Ranko so appealing? Why did Akane have to find it so hard to look away, to think even slightly clearly about the sheer power and charisma behind the fierce tigress? Ranko felt real, attainable, desirable. There were emotions there that Ranma would never show, and in such short a time, too. There was enthusiasm and joy in taking the dramatic and making it reality, and… Well, Akane was weak to it.

It went against everything she thought she had to do. Being a normal enough girl was necessary, basically. She was weird enough, choosing to become a girl in the first place, then all the martial arts stuff, and then ever since a girl with a braid walked into her her life, Akane had to fight harder to be careful and normal. And yet here she was, rereading old Shakespeare scripts she had from school plays, trying to memorise bits and pieces just to impress a girl who probably didn't exist…

A knock at the door caught Kasumi's attention immediately, and she quickly went to open it. Although, instead of a greeting, there was a simple "Oh my…"

It took the sound of footsteps reaching the living room for Akane to look up and see a goddess of some kind. A fallen angel, perhaps, who grew stronger in her fall from grace. She was tall for a girl, but it led to a kind of regal beauty in the way that her long, shimmering black witch-like dress flowed off of her. Her make-up made her features sharp and just the right kind of menacing, her lips only a few shades darker than the streak of red dyed in her untied wavy hair held back by a tiger ear headband…

"Hey, 'Kane," The voice was definitely Ranma's, just somewhere between the two forms, "Um… How do I look?"

"Hot damn, Saotome, I'm almost jealous," Nabiki took over during Akane's stunned silence, "Almost. I'm not that girly."

"Oh, Ma had some more masculine options as well. She gave me a lot…" The tiger girl held up a bag only someone with martial artist strength could have."

"That's fascinating," Kasumi examined the look all over, "I wonder if I could pull that kind of thing off."

"Feel free to try. I was planning to stick more to grunge, but this feels kinda pretty…" There was still an expectation of an answer, "'Kane? Hey, 'Kane, do you like it?"

There was nothing much for Akane to do aside from getting up, gently taking Ranko's hand and kissing it, turning back to grab her Shakespeare books, calmly and silently head to her room, and screaming into her pillow.

■■■■

Genma had a lot of tolerance for a lot of things, he felt. He handled his arranged marriage as a teen with more grace than his son was, that was for sure. He withstood travelling for so long to train his son to be a manly man, he coped through being cursed. Not much could get through to Genma Saotome, not nonsense, not scams, not even common sense sometimes.

Seeing his wife for the first time in so long had shaken him the tiniest bit, but only because he was afraid for his life. And his son's, of course. Yep. Genma didn't want his child to go through the same lifelong phase his wife had. It was cringey and weird, the kind of thing Genma would have bullied someone in middle school for. In fact, he *had* bullied Nodoka in middle school for it, until he found out they were engaged and she had access to very real swords. That's why he raised a manly paragon instead.

Hopefully, though, with Nodoka out of the Tendou house until her next visit, things would continue to be normal. Ranma would stop pretending to be one of those weirdo dark and edgy people, only putting on the disguise of Ranko to avoid decapitation, and it would buy Genma time to talk Nodoka out of the life or death contract he had put them all in.

… Did. Did The middle Tendou girl (he always forgot her name) always dress like that? Dressed like some kind of vampire, with a ruffled shirt and pants that flared out around the cuffs? She was practically an afterthought to Genma usually, not mattering as much to his own life, but this was only slightly confusing and scaring him. And that meant it was a big deal.

Whatever, he'd just move on to breakfast and- Oh. Kasumi, the responsible girl, was wearing something that might as well have been some goth girl's dream prom dress. The pure ornamentation on it was far and beyond anything the eldest Tendou sister would normally wear, and… Were those decorative costume wings themed off of a western dragon!?

At least Akane was normal. Ranma's fiancee was doing well at proving this wasn't some kind of contagion. She was staring off into another room, probably working on homework given just how much writing was in that textbook. Although, and he had to genuinely ask himself if he was hallucinating it or not, he was certain the choker that peaked up beneath her school uniform looked a little too much like a pet collar…

Genma shouldn't have looked where Akane was staring.

It would have been hard for anyone who didn't know Ranma to tell that he was in his birth form. His hair was actually flying free, a red stripe through it like some kind of sign of rebellion. The black denim vest he wore looked graffitied over with orange claw marks, the extremely dark red shirt underneath being baggy even on this body. The denim skirt had both silver chains and a costume tiger tail latched to it. Ranma was just adjusting some fingerless gloves when he was caught, Genma hardly able to recognise the features of his son's face under sharp make-up.

"Boy, what's all this about!?" Genma roared as he approached the source of this corruption, "You look ridiculous!"

"'Kane likes it, so maybe you just have bad taste," Ranma spat back, "And I'm… I ain't a boy right now, so get it right."

There always was an attitude on Ranma, so it wasn't too surprising, but Genma wasn't used to this exact tone. "Your mother isn't here, you don't have to be all weird!"

"Yeah. I wanna be, though," Smirked the menace in progress, "Don't you know, Pops? I'm The Night's Fiercest Tigress, Ranko, and that's a way better thing than just 'manly man'."

Genma backed away in horror. Something was wrong with this house, ever since Nodoka first arrived, and it was spreading like a plague. Icky black contagion that was corrupting the younger members of the household. Next thing Genma knew, they'd be blasting music with strange lyrics and heavy, depressing guitars, trading tips on how to make their eye-liner even darker.

Something bumped into Genma, causing him to jump. "Old friend, what's wrong?"

… Soun was wearing one of his black robes. Genma was fucking losing it, and ran away. He had to go tie-dye his panda fur multicolour so he could try and keep immunity from the edgy plague.

■■■■

"Well, if you're offering, make it as savoury as you can, Ucchan, to match my dark and bitter soul."

Akane approached the conversation between her crush and classmate quietly. "Hey, Ranko."

"'Kane! Hi!" The tiger girl's eyes might as well have gone heart shaped, and she soon clung to Akane's arm proudly and protectively, which Akane was incredibly normal about, "Can she get lunch with us, Ucchan?"

"Ranchan, I only offered lunch cos I wanna talk about whatever this is," Ukyo explained, gesturing to the whole of her childhood friend, "Are you doing okay? You didn't hit your head on a rock or anything?"

"What? No!?" Ranko responded, Akane knowing very well how her fiancee acted when that happened, "I'm embracing my dark heritage, something that actually feels kinda right!"

"She met her mother recently," Akane added, "She's nice, if a bit eccentric."

That explanation didn't cut it for Ukyo, though. "So, his dad wants him to be a boy but his mum wants a girl, or something? Cos this is a weird way to be a girl, Ranchan. It's cute, but like… You're supposed to be my husband, y'know?"

That made Akane's skin itch, and it clearly caused Ranko to shiver too, which almost made Akane feel like her fiancee might actually… Never mind, it didn't matter regardless. Ranko was taking measures to make herself feel comfortable, and to have it dismissed at all for the sake of normalcy and expectations was cruel and unfair. The collar Akane had worn stealthily itched too.

"… I ain't supposed to be anything my Pops promised, actually," Ranko seemed to dig her feet into the ground a little, "It's up to me to choose, and you're just a friend. I mold my curse how I want it, and I betcha you can't even tell which I am right now?"

Ukyo looked a little shocked to see Ranma taking any kind of initiative in decision-making like this. "Well, you're taller than Akane, so you're in guy form. Why does it even matter?"

"Because it means you know I'm a girl very willingly right now." There was a confidence that Ranko couldn't have even had before any of this, "And that this decision is also mine."

Akane felt her collar, the accessory she hadn't even told Ranko about, get tugged a little, guiding her towards the girl standing over her. Gently, Ranko tilted Akane's head up, and so many thoughts flooded Akane's mind that there might as well have been none at all from how they clogged up. Ranko's lips tasted like dark chocolate and cherries.

"That's for the kiss on the hand," The tigress whispered as they separated after what felt like forever, "I choose you, if you'll come into the darkness with me."

Looking up at apparently her girlfriend, Akane couldn't form any words beyond "Uh huh…". Reading through Shakespeare sonnets hadn't helped her in the slightest.

"Good girl," Ranko smiled, "See, Ucchan? My mind's made up. I'll go hunt for lunch myself, but nice chat."

"I SENSED A TERRIBLE FORCE OF CORRUPTION!" Upperclassman Kuno dared to burst into the classroom.

Ranko, in a very dramatic sweep of her arms, pointed her hands straight forward, amd the lights in the room seemed to actually dim to highlight the flash coming from the cursed girl's palms. "MOKO TAKABISHA!"

Akane was a little too distracted to pay attention to Ukyo's reaction to all of this. She was watching the beautiful fierce tigress walk out of the classroom, shirt baggy enough that it might as well have been a dress, because it completely covered her skirt. The large boots that let Ranko be as tall as she was while in cursed form like this were very carefully manoeuvred to not step on the slightly charred Kuno, and Akane hoped slightly that was because Ranko wanted to save those steps for her.

■■■■

Ranko walked over Kuno, went a little bit down the hall, and then leaned hard with her back on the wall of the stairwell.

Akane's lips were just so soft! And the way Ranko's lipstick left a wine red stain on those soft lips was driving the cursed girl mad. What kind of confidence was that!? Because Ranko sure hadn't known it before! Not the kind that exposed Akane was willingly wearing a dog collar to school by tugging on it! Oh fuck, was that a mistake? It was causing Ranko to have all sorts of emotions, but that still could have been a mistake.

Fuck, and being a girl, so willingly letting someone close to her know that this was a very passionate choice… And kissing Akane, who was probably straight… And admitting she liked being like this genuinely… And the size of that Moko Takabisha not hiding just how happy Ranko was… It really was for the best that Ranko was curling up in a ball on the floor, she had just overwhelmed herself.

"What are you doing out of class, Ranko?" A childish voice asked, and it confused Ranko as to how her English teacher had heard her name, "Not being a delinquent, are you?"

Ranko couldn't help but sigh. "It's still lunch, Miss Hinako, I'm-" The school bell rang, "… Never mind. I just need space to think."

"Hmmm…" Hinako casually absorbed the energy of a student running back to class, then sat down on the step next to Ranko in adult form, "Talk to me about it, so you can focus on class after."

"… I think I might really be a girl, if I can choose that," Ranko left out the being a lesbian part intentionally, "I kinda found out a chunk of my life was a lie that could get me killed, and then it turns out I like being all… Dark, and wicked…"

"Does being a girl make you feel good inside?" It was a simple question, but…

"Yes, but it makes me feel bad cos there's all this extra baggage that comes with it…" How people treat her, her dad, what to do about Akane, not knowing if Ranko would be good enough at being a girl-

"Then you're a girl until it doesn't. There, fixed," Hinako smiled at herself proudly, "It's like me. When I'm an adult and feel like one, then I get treated like one, no matter what I look like," And in a flash, she was in her younger body, "I feel just as mature now as I did before. And if I feel childish in either body, then I'm a child. Anyone who says otherwise can eat dirt."

The idea of being a girl, of being The Night's Fiercest Tigress, made Ranko feel amazing. Hinako was talking in a much more fluid sense, about how flexible she was between ages from her magical affliction, but if it was good enough for something that changed, then it was perfect for something that might be more rigid. At the current moment, Ranko Saotome was certainly not a phase.

"Okay. Okay!" A clawed fist to the sky, Ranko cheered, "I am a girl, and a dark force of nature! And if anyone has a problem with me, then they'll be hunted down!"

"That's the spirit!" Getting up to cheer herself, Hinako also offered a small hand to help Ranko up, "Your mother is going to be so proud."

"Ha, yeah…" Ranko stood up before pausing in place, "Wait. You. You know my Ma?"

"She's my girlfriend!" Hinako giggled as she walked away, "She's only been talking about you the past few days, too. She almost tried to adopt you before I told her you were already her child this morning."

… It was safe to say Ranko couldn't focus in class for the rest of the day.

■■■■

"I'M DEAD!" Ranko kicked open Akane's door, hands dramatically up in the air, "I'M DECEASED! A GHOST!"

There was an awkward pause, where Ranko refused to put her hands down, and Akane could feel a chill down her spine. She was just as frozen in place, having been caught partway through trying on mismatched knee high socks, as well as wearing a very baggy black sweater that she found incredibly warm and fuzzy. It wasn't exactly good at hiding she hadn't taken her collar-like choker off yet, too.

"… Um…" Akane had trouble grappling with the suddenness of it all, especially when she could still imagine the tingle of their lips touching, "… You don't seem dead."

Rather than say anything immediately, Ranko dragged Akane onto her bed to sit, just so the cursed girl could lay down dramatically with a lap to use as a pillow. "I'M DYING! I'M GOING TO DIE! A GHOST IN PROGRESS!"

"Is that contract coming into play?" It was slightly paralysing, being a sudden lap pillow, "Or is this you being overdramatic?"

"Hinako and my Ma are dating."

"… Awright, I can understand why that might kill you on the inside," Akane admitted, resting her hands beside her on the bed, "But it can't be that b-"

"And Hinako told Ma about me being her son."

"… Okay." What else Akane was supposed to say!? The contract was likely now in effect, although Ranko was a lot more like a dark lord now then ever before, so maybe it'd be fine, but Akane still didn't want to risk her crush that kissed her dying! Not when she was slightly coming to terms with liking girls and not caring that it'd be seen as weird!

Ranko simply sighed heavily. And then sighed again, a little bit louder. And then sighed a third, louder time, before giving up on giving hints and just forcibly placing Akane's hand in the perfect place to pat, right behind Ranko's human ears. "My dark charms compell you to scritch me behind the ears."

"What!?" Akane lifted her hand away, only for it to be dragged back down by a gloved hand, "Ranko, you're not… You're not the Nekoken, are you?"

"I'm a tigress who wants the girl she likes to give her headpats for comfort," Whined the impatient cursed girl, "Whether that makes me a woman or a beast, that's for the illusion of night to decide, my love."

There were simply too many things to unpack in that sentence alone, not accounting for the rest of the day on top of it, but Akane was simply stunned from indecisiveness on where to start. So, she simply started petting like she would pet the Nekoken. It seemed to work, although Ranko was seemingly a much bigger cat than her counterpart, stretched out and lounging rather than curled up into a ball.

"Did you just chuff?" Akane asked once her likely girlfriend made a weird noise, "Are you… Is my girlfriend a happy tigress?"

"Actually, my heart is a bundle of dark little things clumped together," Ranko claimed while snuggling in for more affection, "… But yes. Yes I am."

■■■■

"That's an awful look on you, Genma," Nodoka remarked to the panda in the Tendou home's living room, "You and I will be discussing a lot later."

The rainbow tie-dye panda looked suitably terrified of the demoness, and she was extremely satisfied with that power. It was almost always those who didn't deserve curses or dark pasts who got them, like her arranged husband. Nodoka had plenty of time to get over the fact that a spell being cast on her was unlikely, at least, and Genma being awful at showing confidence in his was a sign it truly was a curse to him, something bad.

… Unlike Ranko. It had been three days since Nodoka's girlfriend, Hinako, told her the nature of Ranko Saotome. The boy who should have been raised from birth into a life of darkness, a true demon lord, being a girl who was new to the ways of wickedness yet embracing it wholeheartedly. Nodoka's child, right under her nose, only now learning what was her birthright, and thus failing to live up to the standards of the contract…

Nodoka could have arrived any day, but she needed time to think. Three days, all spent wondering what to do with this knowledge. Hinako had mentioned how Ranko had been one of the most loud, brash, and (relatively) normal (for a martial artist) students she had. How this shift to being The Night's Fiercest Tigress was oh so recent, it had to be because of Nodoka. How Ranko had been thriving ever since the change.

It was the instant Nodoka walked out to the yard that she got tackled by her tiger cub. "SNEAK ATTACK FROM THE SHADOWS!"

"Ranko, hello!" The enthusiasm was infectious, "What happened to your hair, young lady?"

The girl with blood red hair ran her hand through it, chuckling awkwardly. "I tried dyeing more stripes into it to be a little more tiger like, and… There were a few too many accidents. But I like it!"

"It looks incredible," It was time for the moment of truth, "… I'm glad you're happy, my daughter."

"… O-oh, right," It was awful how such a confident girl flinched slightly, "Um… Hi, Ma. I know I ain't exactly R… Ranma, a dark lord, but I…"

"My dearest Ranko, The Night's Fiercest Tigress, born in a body built to restrain her until she could be strong enough to break free," Nodoka held her daughter close, protectively, "Cursed to have the world think of her as someone else. Truly, a creature of the night I am proud to call my daughter. The contract is nullified."

It was probably for the best that Ranko chose not to wear an eyepatch like her mother, given how easily she teared up from that affirmation. That was good. Ranko deserved to be able to cry, to feel whatever she felt without bottling it up. A life of wickedness was a life of honesty to oneself, of course, and with a lifetime of lies about stock standard masculinity being forced on her, Ranko deserved honesty.