Chapter Text
Akane groaned as her eyes opened, the roof of her room greeting her as if everything was normal. But it wasn’t normal, her dream had her waking up in tears. She dreamt that she'd seen her mother again alive and well. She wished so badly that it could have been real but she knew miracles like that just don't happen to people like her.
She looked over at the clock to the side of her bed, 9:42pm. It was late, she'd slept for 3 hours, likely missed dinner. Akane sat up in her bed, she wondered if Ranma was okay, it was hard seeing her like that, the poor girl constantly having to deal with unwanted curses and situations, hopefully they'd be able to go to Ke Lun in the morning to get it fixed. That is if it was even possible in the first place.
Her musings were interrupted by a knock at her door. Groaning, Akane slid herself off her bed, plodding to the door. She opened it to see Ranma still in her female form standing there.
"Hi Akane…" She looked down at her feet with a sheepish look on her face, clearly she hadn't recovered from what happened earlier in the day. She pushed the door open further, inviting the pinkette inside.
"How are you feeling Ranma?" Akane asked, watching as the shorter girl slumped herself over to her bed before promptly falling face first onto it.
Muffled sounds soon emanated from the lump on her bed, they didn't sound like good sounds. "That bad huh?"
Ranma rolled over onto her side before curling up hugging her legs to her chest. Akane, taking the hint, sat down beside her.
"You don't get it Akane, everyone's… different… Weird" well that wasn't ominous…
"Weird how?"
"Well everyone's convinced that Ranma Saotome doesn't exist, never existed and that… well that I'm just… Yoiko Hibiki."
"You think shampoo got into the 411 again or something?"
"No… no this is different… Pops' gone and… your… your mum isn't."
"Then… then my dream… oh Kami" Akane started to lilt to the side.
"HEY don't go passing out on me again" Ranma jolted up to hold Akane steady.
"Sorry… sorry it's just hard to believe" Once she was sure that everything was okay, Ranma let her go, letting out a sigh before collapsing into the taller girl's lap.
"Yeah, I can imagine…" Akane looked down at the pinkette in her lap and sighed as Ranma continued. "It's just… maybe I should start right after you passed out"
"Oh my, what happened to her?"
"Uh… Sorry Kasumi nee-chan she… she had a long day, she had to carry me home…"
"Oh dear, It's a good thing she didn't hit her head then. I'll carry her upstairs, you go sit down, I assume you'll be joining us for dinner, yes?"
"Er… yeah if that's okay?"
"Of course it is Yoiko-chan. Mother always makes extra, you know how she is" Kasumi walked over deftly picking up Akane into princess carry as if she weighed nothing.
"Right, Is… Is… Uncle Genma here?"
"No, sorry dear. He left to go back to see Aunty Nodoka just before you got here. I'm sure he'll be happy to see the twins after being gone for so long."
"Who?" Ranma followed after the taller girl as she made her way to the stairs
"Kiyoko and Ayaka?" Kasumi gave her a concerned look as she paused at the top. "I thought the Saotome girls were your friends?"
"Oh, right, yeah they are… sorry it's been a long day, I thought you said something else, I… I'll go sit down." She hoped that situations like that wouldn't become the norm, especially with things that she had no way of knowing.
"Don't worry Yoiko-chan, Akane will be fine. She takes after her father after all."
"Wait, Kiyoko and Ayaka?" Akane interrupted, causing the small pinkette to squeak in surprise.
"Akane, please don't interrupt me." Ranma pouted, the girl looked adorable, she was still wearing her disguise from earlier making her look even more precious.
"I mean I figure Nodoka is probably your mom but I thought you were an only child…"
"Akane…" Ranma whined, Akane had to hold back a laugh. She was staring at her now, with an annoyed frown on her face.
Akane Sighed. "This just keeps getting stranger, first my mum is alive and now this?" At least Ranma seemed to be somewhat normal, it was probably the only thing holding her together.
"Can I continue?" She gave off a quick nod as the pinkette started from where she left off.
A bit stunlocked at what Kasumi said, Ranma sat herself down at her usual spot trying to process everything that was going on. First there was Kasumi not knowing who she was and then there was the lady that looked like an older Nabiki with Kasumi's hair, then the mention of the twins and her pops not being there? It was a little too much for the small pinkette. At least Uncle Soun was okay, he was already seated reading the newspaper, and it wasn't long after that Nabiki joined.
"Sup squirt. Figured you'd be back to get your stuff, where's Akane?" The middle Tendo sister walked by, ruffling her hair as she did. "And where's your bandana? never seen you without it."
"Ah! Hey!" She reached up trying to fix her hair "Akane's upstairs, she collapsed when we got here, guess carrying me was too much," she let off an awkward laugh. "Sumi-nee is taking care of her, and my bandana… Heh I guess I forgot it… Things were a bit of a mess when we left." She hated having to lie but it seemed like her only option. Getting to the bottom of why everyone was convinced she was Yoiko could wait. Nabiki gave a concerned look before shrugging and taking her spot on the other side of the table.
Soun upon realising he was no longer the only person at the table dropped his newspaper.
"Ah hello Yoiko-chan, Good to see you again. I must apologise for what I did, I promise it won't happen again… Now, were you okay on your own?" He looked at her with hardened concern. Ranma had to hide her confusion as she wondered what he was talking about. She could worry about that later, no doubt it'll come up later anyway. She just shrugged it off, It was probably safest to just play along for now.
"Of course I was. I'm a Hibiki after all, I'm used to it" She puffed up her chest thumping it with pride. Soun’s expression softened slightly and he sighed with relief.
"Hah… Glad you're okay then. Hana gave me an earful afterwards." He rubbed the back of his head before reaching to his side pulling a stack of clothes with a red cloth bundle on top. "Don't worry, there's no hard feelings. Here Yoiko-chan, you left these behind and I believe you'd probably like them back, right?
She took the clothes, setting them down on her lap before taking the bundle and unwrapping them. Inside was a pendant, some hair bows, a pair of round glasses and a small plastic card. The red fabric itself was easy to recognise, it was another of the red Hibiki bandana’s she'd used for her disguise.
The bundle gave her more questions than answers, each item more puzzling than the last… but the most confusing thing of all was the card. It was an ID card for Meigetsu Junior High, with the name 'Yoiko Hibiki' front and centre. On top of that, there she was: A slightly faded photo sat in the corner, pink hair in braids, the red bandana, and glasses adorning a smiling face staring right back at her.
That wasn't even the most confusing part, no, that award was granted to the birthdate listed…
"Wait, you're fourteen now?" Akane shouted in a hushed alarm.
"Yeah… and my birthday changed too, from early February to mid August."
"But, how? You don't even look any younger… a little shorter maybe?"
"Bet Pops just forgot how old I was…" Ranma pouted, grumbling under her breath.
"There's a bit more, and well…” she continued with a sigh. Things are going to get pretty messy from here so please don't interrupt, okay? I promise I'll talk about everything when I'm done."
Akane looked at the pinkette sitting on her lap, things were clearly a lot more complicated than she expected, so she gave a sincere nod and mimed zipping her lips.
"Thanks Akane…"
Ranma stared at the card in her hands, dumbfounded. That couldn't be true…, she shook her head, this wasn't the time for this! She could worry about this later. She quickly put the card in her overall's pocket alongside the pendant before moving on to the glasses.
Ranma stared at them intently, there was no way, her vision wasn't that bad, right? It would make a lot of sense though. Could this really be the reason why she always had trouble at school?
She hesitated, looking at the pair of glass lenses in her hands before carefully slipping them on. It shouldn't have been a surprise to Ranma but they of course fit perfectly. The most annoying part was how dramatic the change was, she hadn't even realised how much detail she was missing out on, the wood grain of the table, the individual hairs on Nabiki's head. Dammit Pops! How many other things had he neglected about her.
Ranma sat there for a moment, trying her best not to tear up. The frustration was really getting to her. Why was she about to cry? This didn't make any sense, why were her emotions on such a hair trigger…
"Yoiko dear, are you okay?" Kasumi had returned from upstairs. Ranma looked up, blinking away tears, she didn't even notice. "Hey, why don't I help you with your hair? Would that be okay?" The small pinkette nodded, taking the hair ties and the bandanna and setting them on the table.
"Eeep" Kasumi had picked her up, before getting back to her seat, setting the small pinkette down on her lap. Ranma felt her face heat up, she was not used to being so casually handled like this. Kami, Ranma knew that Kasumi was tall, but she really felt like a little kid being treated like this.
Slowly Kasumi worked on brushing out the tangles that had worked their way through her hair, her body relaxing at the motions. She couldn't help it, she could even feel a small rumble start to form in her chest. Traitorous cat, her body felt like it was melting as all the tension in her body dissipated. Well… that at least confirmed that not everything had changed.
Kasumi finished the second braid, tying it off with the small bow hair tie she'd left on the table before holding out the bandana in front of Ranma. Getting no response she lightly tapped the small pinkette, snapping her out of her trance.
"There you go Yoiko, just how you like it. Want me to put your bandanna back on?" Ranma sat for a moment still a little dazed before shaking her head no, quickly tying the braid in the same bow she'd done this morning.
"So Yoiko, how was your journey?" Ranma perked up, She'd gotten so comfortable having her hair brushed and braided that she didn't notice Mrs Tendo had already finished setting up the table for dinner. She turned to the Tendo Matriarch, as Kasumi started picking out food.
"Oh, you know, just your usual stuff. I did manage to make it home though." She wasn't sure how much she should say, after all she'd been here this morning like normal, right? No… She probably wasn't… especially if they'd been this worried about her.
"Ah that's good, did you get to see Shirokuro's puppies?" How did she know about that? No wait, the TV message… guess that must have still happened. This was so confusing, so many things that were new but so much that was still the same.
"Yeah they were so so so cute, oh, I ran into big bro Ryoga, Akane was with him." Ryoga again, She hoped she was right about them being family. It felt so weird calling him that… just yesterday they were rivals, and now he was her older brother? maddening.
"Ah she did say she was meeting with someone today. That must have been him then."
"Wish it could have gone better, something… something happened and well… Akane had to carry me home, guess Ryo-nii must have stayed behind. I hope he's okay." She really hoped that they would just take her word for it and not press for more. Sure acting was easy and all, but something like that? How would she explain that? She barely knew anything about how she was supposed to act. She really didn't want them to get suspicious… what if they put her out on the street for lying to them?
Kasumi gently tapped her shoulder causing her to jump. She was about to turn around to see what was up before realising she was still on her lap, and that Kasumi had prepared two plates in front of them, one covered in a nice mix of the food in front of them and one covered in meat.
"That enough for you Yoiko-chan?" Kasumi picked up a pair of chopsticks, handing it to her.
Ranma paused, taking the chopsticks. She didn't have to do that, she could handle herself. Why was everyone being so nice to her? She shook her head, composing herself.
"Thank you for the food!"
Dinner had finished a bit ago. She'd eventually managed to pull herself out of Kasumi's lap letting her go help clean up. She was resting now, sitting on the enegawa and staring out at the koi pond watching the fish swim happily around, not caring about the world around her.
Ranma felt someone sit down beside her
"Yoiko dear, glad to see you're doing better. I really am sorry about what happened with Soun last time you were here." Okay, so it seemed like she was getting some answers, even if she didn't know how to respond.
"You know he means well. It's just, well he was surprised is all" She sighed, pulling the younger girl closer into a side hug.
"I just wish Shiori was here, she'd know what to say." Hana let her go, Ranma looked to the side to face her. "I don't suppose you ran into her at home?" Ranma simply shook her head.
"No, that would be too easy wouldn't it? I wish I knew how to help you Yoiko, this… werewolf stuff, it's all still so alien to me. I should have come, maybe then you wouldn't have gotten hurt… and you wouldn't have needed to run." Hana turned, staring off into the garden.
Ranma sat in silence, her head pounding. What did she say? She was expecting some answers, but… werewolf? What? The pounding grew louder, she could feel something building up just behind her eyes, she grabbed her head before a wave of relief washed over her and with it came… memories?
Yoiko sat on the enagawa. It was late, well beyond her bedtime, The moon was bright and imposing, staring down at her. She could feel its pull but she couldn't, not here. Her spine prickled as she felt someone pat her hair.
"Yoiko dear, you're shaking. Are you okay?"
"I'm… I'm fine, Auntie Hana. It's nothing."
"Yoiko…" She sighed. Yoiko flinched as she felt Hana sit down beside her. "I think I should tell you about your mother."
Yoiko straightened, her ears perking up.
"You knew my mum?"
"Of course, she and I were best friends once, inseparable. Auntie Nodoka and your dad too.”
Hanna smiled to herself.
“I was the one who helped her get to school, what with her curse and all."
"Ah you should have seen the stuff we got up to, ah but that's a story for another time."
Yoiko watched as Auntie Hanna’s eyes looked up into the moon, looking in the distance.
"I wish I knew where she was… I miss her dearly, you know? I wish I could have apologised, but I fear she’s gone a little too far away this time."
Yoiko felt a big lump in her throat. She swallowed hard before leaning a little more into her Aunt’s hug.
"What happened between you? She… She never mentioned you before."
Hanna sighed.
"You see Yoiko, back when you were just a small little thing I got sick, really sick. I didn't know it at the time, but things were really bad and if not for your mother I might… I might not be here right now."
Yoiko looked at her Aunt, eyes wide.
"How? Why? She saved you?"
"Well hun… I guess I should show you."
“Yoiko dear, you feel it too don't you, the moon's call?"
That got her attention. Yoiko blinked a few times, and by her third blink Auntie Hana was no longer sitting there, instead a large brown wolf sat in her place. Yoiko recoiled back, almost falling off the deck. She paused for a moment, staring at the imposing form only to realise it was just sitting there, unmoving. Moments passed in silence, before Yoiko slid closer, sniffing the air around her.
"Auntie Hana? You… you're like me?"
The wolf in front of her shrunk down, her fur receding in an instant, leaving only the Tendo matriarch in its place. Hanna quickly picked up the kimono that was sitting beneath her, slipping it on herself before sitting back down.
"Yes dear, I… I should not have hidden this from you for so long. I can tell how much the full moon has been getting to you, not having shifted for so long…"
Yoiko looked stunned, she could tell? Staying with the Tendos had been nice, she had someone to take her to school, she didn't have to work to get her food, she didn't get lost… sure she missed home… but how could she go home… to that place, especially after what she did…
She hated having to hide herself. Holding herself back was the price she paid for staying here, and now… now she found out she didn't need to hide? That it was okay? Tears filled her eyes, she looked up at Auntie Hana, who simply gave her a nod.
Yoiko had never transformed so fast before, her clothes split to shreds under her growth. She usually hated destroying her clothes but she didn't care, she jumped into her Aunt's arms nuzzling right into her shoulder whimpering, tears falling from her face as Hana held her tight.
A noise creaked from behind the pair before Yoiko yelped out in pain, flying across the garden into the fence. She couldn't breathe, It hurt so much, the wind was taken from her lungs in an instant. Yoiko stumbled trying to get up, her legs straining to stand, her ears were ringing, she could hear yelling in the background. What happened, her eyes wouldn't focus, her heart pounded, she could see two figures on the enegawa. She didn't know what happened, she didn't do anything wrong, why was she hurting, it didn't make sense, her instincts screamed at her to RUN, and so she did… off into the night.
"Yoiko, it's okay, breathe sweetheart breathe." She gasped, what just happened? Had… had all of that happened? It was like she was dreaming, unable to control herself. Was… was that Yoiko, the real Yoiko?
She was being held, she could feel a hand rubbing circles on her back. Her breathing started to quiet down as her vision returned. She was still at the Tendo dojo, Hana was holding her close.
"I'm so sorry Yoiko, are you okay?" She pushed back, slipping out of the hug, Hana’s face filled with worry and concern.. Ranma gave a small nod.
"It won't happen again sweetie, Soun knows what happened now. He'll understand if you're still apprehensive around him."
"NO! No it's okay Auntie, I… I just wish I knew what I did wrong."
"You didn't do anything wrong sweetheart, It's just, well when your mother turned me, it wasn't the prettiest of sights."
"When you see a wolf staring down your bleeding wife you act fast to protect them." Soun interrupted. Yoiko jumped back, her heart immediately jumping up in tempo.
"I must apologise Yoiko, When I saw you hugging Hana like that, I remembered that horrible night and could only see red." She turned to his voice, only to see him in seiza bowing down, this was not at all what she'd expected to be happening. It was all so overwhelming, her glasses started to mist up as her eyes let their feelings be known.
"I… It's okay Uncle Soun" Ranma crept forward. When he started to rise, she rushed forward, wrapping him in a tight hug. "I forgive you." The words just came out. Even though it wasn't Ranma who actually got hurt, she could feel the sincerity in the apology and it struck a chord deep in her chest.
"My second biggest regret was not telling Soun what had truly happened that night, what she had done for me, for us. She tried to apologize, you know? And I yelled at her, that she betrayed me. I told her to get lost, that I never wanted to see her again. I got my wish." She joined the hug wrapping her arms around her and Soun.
"That Yoiko dear, was my biggest regret. Never again."
Akane was crying. She'd managed to stay quiet the entire time, letting the smaller Hibiki continue her tale. It got more and more absurd with each moment. Her mother was alive? Ranma was fourteen? Werewolves? It was just too much. She wouldn't have believed it if not for the fact that once she'd finished, the pinkette stripped down and shifted into her were-form right in front of her.
Ranma had turned into an animal right in front of her. It would have been absurd if she hadn't already experienced weirder things, especially with the many Jusenkyo curses she'd encountered. The new form of her friend was not at all what she'd expected though.
She couldn't help but chuckle. "You know Ranma, when you said you were a werewolf I was expecting you to be bigger, and well… less foxlike."
The pink furred creature rolled its eyes as she jumped onto the bed, circling around behind Akane before settling herself, laying half on the bluehaired girl's lap.
"It's just… your tail, it's so fluffy, and it… well I don't think wolf tails have white tips like that." The decidedly foxlike wolf let out a while, flatting herself across Akane's lap.
"Okay okay, you're a wolf, I get it… This… this is just really big Ranma, what are we going to do?" Her tears returned. The weight from the wolf on her lap was helping but it was just so overwhelming.
"I think… something made us… I dunno, hop worlds, and you and I… are the only ones who know…" She ran her hands down Ranma's back as the 'wolf' nuzzled in closer.
"No, I think Ryoga may know as well… It had to have happened when we were at the Hibiki house right?" Akane looked at the pink fluffball on her lap and sighed. She lifted the lump of her lap before sliding off the bed.
"You think it happened when we were at the Hibiki house?" Akane got up picking up Ranma's clothes along with her glasses and bandana off the floor before putting them on the bedside table.
"It's gotta be. well if anyone would know for certain it's gotta be Cologne right?" Ranma who was now sitting up on the bed nodded as Akane climbed back into bed.
"Well, even if she does, it's too late to see her now…" 'Assuming she's even here' Akane patted the bed beside her as she slid under the covers.
"For now, we should sleep. Ranma I know you've been through a lot, you should stay here with me tonight." Ranma hesitated but decided to just go with it. She moved up the bed, turning around a couple times before slipping under the covers to join Akane. The older girl wasted no time wrapping her arms around the pink foxwolf, shoving her face into her neckfluff.
"Goodnight Ranma. We'll sort this out, okay?" With that the girls shut their eyes quickly falling into a deep and hopefully restful sleep.