The Journey is the Destination Chapter 3 By poetheather The plot begins to get even more convoluted as Akane and Ranma decide they need help to make this whole thing work.

“Ranma, I think you need some help in doing this.” commented Akane. The two of them were still under the bridge hugging. “I don’t think that just you and I are enough to make this happen. We’re going to need some help to get you plan to completely work.”

Ranma blanched at that. It had been hard enough sharing this with Akane and now she wanted to drag other people in on it? He stuttered out, “B… b… but who can we trust?”

Akane looked at Ranma and she could see the worry in his eyes. She replied calmly, “Well one of the ones I had in mind is Kasumi, and the other… well… do you trust me?”

Ranma nodded. It had been hard to admit to himself but he did utterly trust Akane.

After a deep breath, getting herself ready to say this, Akane said, “Your Mother.”

Blood drained even more from Ranma’s face at the mention of his mother. Just the idea would bring about his certain doom that he was certain of. “Akane, she’ll kill me or make me commit seppuku.”

“No she won’t. Remember that she knows all about this ever since that time at the Saotome family gravesite. She told me that despite your girl body that you are clearly a man. I think that means you’ll be safe, especially if you explain to her the why behind this.” Akane smiled gently, trying to calm Ranma down. It was somewhat working.

Ranma took some deep breaths, like he learned in his training with his father, the deep centering breathing he would do before breaking bricks or something. He exhaled slowly, willing his body to calm down, and it complied. “Okay, you obviously have an idea in mind. What is it?”

“If Kasumi and your mother were to act like this whole thing were normal, than nobody will really question what is going on. I mean, who would ever doubt either of those two? It will cover us better and maybe make this easier. I think we should also go to the shrine as well. It can’t hurt to offer up prayers to Kami-sama for help in this, right?” explained Akane, wanting Ranma to understand why she was thinking this way.

“That sounds like a good idea and will probably work.” Ranma hugged Akane again. “You know, I would be so lost without you Akane.”

Akane blushed some at hearing that. Ever since she had gone up to that roof last night, things had been getting better and better between them. Maybe this would turn out to be a good thing in the long run. “Thanks Ranma, I kind of… well… feel the same way about you. We should head home now. We might be able to get Kasumi alone for a while and get her help in this.”

The two girls headed off hand in hand back to the Tendo Dojo, the emotional strain Ranma had been under vanished for now. When they got there, the building felt fairly empty to both of them, with the exception of the softly singing Kasumi in the kitchen. They both called out, “Tadaima!”

“Okaeri.” Kasumi came out from the kitchen and looked a bit surprised to see the two girls. “Why are you two home so early? Did something happen at school?”

“Kasumi, where is Dad and Mr. Saotome?” asked Akane, wanting to make sure things were clear before she started talking. If either of those idiots found out about this, they would ruin everything.

“They went out for lunch and sake with the town council. They won’t be back until dinner time.” replied Kasumi, a bit confused about why that mattered.

Both girls sighed in visible relief and Ranma looked plaintively at Akane. She nodded and looked at her older sister, clearly serious about what she was about to say. “Onee-sama, Ranma and I need your help.”

Kasumi looked at the two girls and smiled. It was nice to see them acting like a couple. “How can I help my imouto and her iinazuke?”

“Uhm… could we go talk about this in the kitchen. I feel nervous talking about this in the hall.” added Ranma, looking around the hall nervously, as if someone was going to show up out of the blue.

When Kasumi agreed to that, the three of them went into the kitchen and Ranma seemed to relax some. Akane took charge again, since it was her sister they were talking to. “Ranma and I have a plan to try and calm his life down and make it less crazy. That’s why we need your help.”

“Oh my! Is that why…?” Kasumi brought her hand up to cover her mouth.

Ranma nodded, looking down and blushing so herd even the tips of his ears were red. This was embarrassing, asking for help like this. Pops would be totally against that, which of course made it something Ranma felt like he had to do. Figuring that he needed to be the one to ask her, Ranma bowed and said, “If you could act like this is normal and the way it has always been, that would help greatly.”

Kasumi thought about it, running what they had said through her head a few times and then asked, “How is this supposed to help?”

“My thinking was that if I can convince everyone that I am just a normal girl, to do my best to avoid fights, be polite and considerate and all the things I’m normally not thanks to my idiot father that my life would calm down some and be less crazy. I figured since Pops is down on women, that being one would help me get that thinking out of my head. I am trying to do the same with other things and it is a bit overwhelming. Kasumi-san I… we really need your help to make this work.” Ranma bowed again, sure that he needed to bow pretty often to emphasize the importance of this.

“Of course I’ll help you both. I was wondering what was going on and I am glad you both felt like you could trust me with this. So what are you going to wear? You don’t have a lot of girl’s clothes that are appropriate and if you wear Akane’s stuff it won’t really look right and will be easily figured out.” asked Kasumi, already thinking ahead like she always did. She took great care of her family and Ranma certainly qualified as family to her at this point. Helping him would help Akane and that was more than reason enough to assist them.

Akane and Ranma looked at each other as if that thought hadn’t occurred to them, which it hadn’t. “Uhm… I have no idea. We didn’t think that far ahead I guess.”

Kasumi nodded. She had figured that. Both of them were more impulsive than anything else and this needed to be much more well thought out. “Well, we need to fix that. Do you have a bra on?”

Ranma nodded, going red again. Wearing girl’s clothes was still embarrassing for him, especially when it was pointed out. “It’s tight though.”

“Let me measure you and I can pick you up some. Panties?”

Again a nod. “Akane’s fit pretty well, but they are just a bit loose at my waist.”

Ranma turned in surprise when a battle aura erupted next to him. Akane seemed really irritated and was glaring at him, ki dancing around her. Her hand was grasping and letting go what would soon be a Ki Mallet. “Ranma…”

Ranma ducked behind Kasumi quickly, wanting to avoid the hammer if at all possible. He didn’t need that right now and was only a prelude to even more violence and craziness. “Akane, I swear to you that I wasn’t saying anything about you.”

Kasumi said quickly but firmly, “If you want my help Akane, you will calm down right now.”

Akane started at the tone of Kasumi’s voice. Her battle aura vanished as if someone flipped a switch and Akane was a bit shame faced. She bowed her head and said contritely, “Sorry onee-chan.”

“Okay. Let’s go to my room and measure Ranma.” The three of them quickly headed upstairs. Ranma blushed when Kasmui took out her tape measure and measured his breasts. Akane was looking away blushing as well. Once that was finished, Kasumi paused. “I was just thinking. We wouldn’t have put Ranma with her father since she was a girl, so what should we do about that?”

Neither Ranma nor Akane had a clue. An idea tickled Ranma and he said it aloud, hoping that it wouldn’t get him the mallet. “Since Akane and I became friends pretty quickly, would you have put me in with her?”

Akane looked surprised by Ranma’s plan and a little stunned. Was he saying he wanted to sleep with her? Her heart started racing and her voice failed her so she just opened her mouth and closed it. She wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing or warranted a mallet strike.

Kasumi was a bit more together and looked at Ranma carefully, as if weighing something. “That might have been what we had done, but for long term? I don’t know. It might work.”

Still opening and closing her mouth slowly, Akane was unable to think of anything to say. Her voice clicked in and what came out of her mouth surprised even her. “Of course I would have my best friend stay with me in my room.”

The other two were surprised by this response and Kasumi even let out a soft ‘Oh my’ over things. Kasumi rested a hand on her sister’s arm lovingly. “Than that is what we would have done. I need to shop for dinner and pick up some things for Ranma, you guys get changed and move Ranma into your room. Oh, and Ranma?”

“Yes Kasumi?”

“You need to try to remember that you are a girl now and not a guy. If you think about yourself that way than other people will believe it.” She smiled at her soon to be brother or rather sister in law and she could see that realization in Ranma’s eyes. He had gotten what she was talking about.

The two of them watched Kasumi head downstairs to start her shopping. Ranma looked up at Akane, emotions playing clearly on her face. “Akane… I… I… have no idea what to say.”

“You won’t do anything, will you?” Akane asked a bit shyly. She honestly wasn’t sure what she wanted the answer to be and that worried her.

With a shake of her head, Ranma replied, “No, I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”

Akane nodded and the two of them quickly went about moving Ranma into her room and making sure that it looked like the room had been set up for the two girls. Akane was in a t-shirt and shorts and Ranma was wearing the very familiar black pants and red top for this. Akane directed Ranma, as she had an idea how that would have come together and they got everything done quickly. The room looked like it was lived in by two girls and not just Akane alone. They had done a great job on what was now clearly their room.

Ranma looked at everything and smiled, quite pleased with the way everything was turning out. She hugged Akane and said excitedly, “This is getting better and better.”

With a nod, Akane agreed with the excited redhead. “We need to think of some reason why we are all hot and sweaty right now.”

Ranma grinned at her and said something that she was sure Akane never expected to hear from her. “Wanna spar?”

* * * * *

Nabiki hurried home from school to try to find out what was going on. When she came into the house and called out, it seemed like no one else was home, however she could hear the familiar sounds of fighting from the backyard. She went into the house and saw something she hadn’t been expecting going on in the backyard.

Ranma and Akane were sparring, mostly staying on the ground, since the Tendo form of Anything Goes focused much more on ground combat than the other form. They both looked happy but focused. Akane wasn’t holding back and Ranma wasn’t overwhelming her but rather encouraging her, trying to draw her skill out more. “Come on ‘kane, faster.”

Nabiki could actually see her younger sister dig deeper and get a touch faster in her attacks. Ranma grinned and the sparring kept going. Finally, Ranma held up a hand and the two of them stopped. They slumped to the ground, back to back, holding each other upright. Nabiki could see Ranma say something but she couldn’t make it out. Akane laughed, smiled broadly, and then hugged Ranma. Nabiki’s conception of how reality worked was blown as the hug between the two girls turned into a tickle fight. With a shake of her head, Nabiki headed back upstairs, trying to figure out what the real issue was. She had to be missing something, but what?

Once she was gone, Ranma and Akane stopped, and looked towards where Nabiki had gone. Ranma asked softly, “Think she bought it?”

Akane nodded very slightly. “I think so.”

At that point, she became very aware of how the two of them had become entangled and entwined with each other, various body parts rubbing against each other in a certain, somewhat stimulating way. As her blush began, one came over Ranma as well as if she had come to the same realization. They both moved back from each other, groping around for something to say in their nervousness, when Akane broke the stalemate and spoke first, “So… uhm… thank you for actually sparring with me.”

“You’re welcome. I guess I should have done that sooner but you know how my Dad is about girls and martial arts.” grumbled Ranma. “I had a lot of fun as well. But I was serious Akane, you are pretty good.”

“Thank you Ranma. You don’t know what that means to me.” Akane’s heart was beating wildly with joy that the person she loved had praised her fighting. It helped to make up for everything that had ever happened between them. Her eyes glistened with tears and Ranma was just struck by how cute Akane actually was.

As they got to their feet, they noticed Kasumi was there and she winked at them. Ranma smiled. Her own clothes. This might work and she would finally have peace in her life. “Why don’t the two of you get cleaned up and I will set out some clean clothes for you.”

The two girls chorused, “Thank you Oneesan!”

Kasumi shook her head and went to collect the clothes. Nabiki met her at the landing, catching her this time rather than her trip upstairs earlier. “Sis, what is up? I know something is going on with those two.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Kasumi blinked at her sister, as if unsure what was going on.

“Whose plan is it?” insisted Nabiki. “This has the earmarks of one of their plans.”

“Nabiki, there is no plan.” Kasumi cocked her head and looked at her sister, as if concerned.

“Ranma is in a dress and acting like a girl and he and Akane are acting like friends. Something has to be up.”

“Ranma is a girl Nabiki, you know that. She and her father have been staying here for a while now. She has been staying in Akane’s room this whole time. Did you bump your head or something?” Kasumi looked very concerned, worried about her sister.

The Ice Queen of Furinken, the Information Broker par excellence, was now getting worried. Kasumi wouldn’t lie, she was sure of that but this wasn’t right. It couldn’t be right.

The middle sister followed Kasumi into Akane’s room, only to find it set up for two girls rather than one. It looked lived in and homey. Had Ranma always been a girl? Was this thing contagious? Was she going to get it now? What the hell was going on?