Chapter Text
A red blur with silent steps raced through the streets of Nerima, a giant panda with a large backpack following close behind.
Ranma liked playing chase! Sure, she preferred the other side of the chase, but weaving in and out of the artificial forest made of buildings and business was still a thrill. She'd like the actual forest more, too, but she could adapt to the concrete, despite it hurting her bare feet.
The panda growled behind her, and she chirped back. She still couldn't speak panda after… What did Pops call it? Two weeks? Wow, she'd been awake for two weeks! Two weeks, and she still couldn't understand pandas and other animals. At least she could understand the humans in Japan!
“Hey!” One human yelled, “Do you need help!?”
“Nah!” Ranma shouted back, not noticing the massive shop sign she was a second away from running face first into.
Score: Panda, 1. Ranma, 0.
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Soun Tendou looked at the postcard and sighed. Of all the days for Genma to come back, it had to be the day after his daughter finally came back home. “As inconvenient as ever, eh, Saotome?”
“What was that, father?” Kasumi asked as she continued to bring breakfast out to the table.
“I'm afraid we'll be having some guests today,” Soun sat down, “I have no way to reach them, so I'd only be able to turn them away at the door. Sadly, they may be too important to even do that…”
“Oh my, that is unfortunate timing,” The eldest Tendou sister gasped, “I suppose it might be best to…”
“Yes, please,” Soun wasn't happy with the decision, but it had to be made, “And please get Nabiki while you're up there.”
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Akane had woken up that morning confused, until she remembered this was her new shelter. A place the humans called Home. Home, the place with the small but still big outside area. The comfy sleeping spot made from a bed. Akane couldn't remember any other shelter like Home.
After she had gotten up from her nest, Akane let her eyes wander a bit. If she was in the wild, she would have gone running or hunting or something. But she wasn't allowed to do that at the hospital, and probably wasn't supposed to here. Humans had so many rules…
The was a tapping at the door, and Akane growled at the sudden noise, only to stop once Kasumi revealed herself. “Good morning, Akane, it's just me.”
“Kasumi!” Akane's favourite human walked in as Akane felt her tail wag again. The creature scampered over to get up close for hugs or headpats or whatever may be coming.
Kasumi was carrying a box, along with what smelled like food. “I've brought you breakfast, as well as some very special things. Can I show you?”
Breakfast was what the humans called morning food, so that was definitely good. “Yes!”
After settling Akane down to sit on the nest (Kasumi wasn't happy it was messy and took up lots of floor space, Akane didn't care), Akane was handed food, and started to tear through the ‘rice bowl’ with her sadly clawless hands while Kasumi got out some things.
“Look, Akane, a picture of you!” Kasumi held up a flat little thing that showed a younger version of Dad with three smaller humans and one other big human. The big human looked a lot like Kasumi…
“... M… Mu…” The sound scratched at Akane's brain again, but couldn't come clear. Kasumi held back a tear as Akane struggled for that moment, “... No Akane.”
“Yes, right there,” Kasumi pointed at the smallest human in the picture, one with blue hair like Akane had, “Before we lost you. And there's more pictures in this box. I thought you might like to look while you were in here today.”
“... Hm…” The hair was the same colour, yes, but that wasn't Akane. The human didn't have slightly longer arms like Akane did, or a tail, or the darkness under Akane's eyes. And she… She looked like she fit with humans. Akane didn't.
“Now, I'm afraid I have to go,” Kasumi got up to leave, leaving behind the box of other photos, “I'll check in on you soon, okay?”
“O-okay?” Akane was used to being alone, but she was still a social animal. She had, somehow, even felt better at the hospital having humans around. As the door clicked shut with a funny extra click, Akane felt lonely again.
No other picture in the box that Akane pawed through showed Akane either, no matter how long she forced herself to try and see her species in the pictures of humans.
… There was a lot of noise being made in the lower part of Home. Animalistic sounds and screams. Excitement. Maybe an intruder? A predator? Something that would make her shelter unsafe?
Akane had been told how to work doors, and she tried. She couldn't just tap at it, she had to pull and try to twist a thing. But the door wasn't budging, keeping Akane in her room. She whined, she yelled at it, she did everything she could do while being good.
… But Akane could be really strong if not good. And if something was threatening to hurt the humans, then…
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“Mrrraaaaoooowwwww!” Ranma yelled as she was carried through the weird building by Pops, “Down! I want down!”
The panda refused to listen, and the hustle of people elsewhere in the house made Ranma even more antsy. She didn't want to be pushed towards some humans! Pops made her act human around humans, and that was hard and wrong and boring!
Hissing and clawing at the panda, Ranma was surprised when he suddenly placed her on the floor forcefully, turning her around to face three humans. One had a fuzzy thing on his face, the other two were hidden behind him.
“Are you…” The human with the fuzzy face thing started asking, stopped, and asked again with caution, “... Ranma?”
Other than mentally filing away this human as ‘not dominant’ in her instinctual headspace, Ranma was delighted to have herself be acknowledged.
“Yes! I am a Ranma!” She trilled, before the panda smacked her over the head to correct her, scaring her, “I-I… I'm Ranma, sorry sorry sorry.”
“What a rude panda…” The taller brown haired human gasped, watching as the Pops pushed his way further into the house.
“Yeah,” The shortest, but still tall, human of the three said, approaching Ranma, “Especially for such a cute- Actually, no, an adorable boy!”
Ranma knew how to play that game! “Girl!”
The fuzzy face human looked shocked. “W-what do you mean by ‘girl’?”
Ranma was surprised to know this human didn't know that girls and boys were… Well, Ranma didn't know either, but all humans seemed to know the difference! Maybe this wasn't a human, and that's why there was the fuzz-
“ACK!” Ranma felt a poking pain on her chest.
“Huh, late bloomer, maybe, but still there,” The human that approached had been the source of said pain, “Dammit, dad. It's a girl.”
“... She doesn't happen to remind you of-” The tall brown haired human was cut off by a large crash from upstairs, like wood being smashed apart, “Akane!?”
The sound of rapid running and scurrying came charging through the house, along with a low growl. It all stopped when a… Not human, humans didn't have tails. But a thing with blue hair and a tail had pushed its way in front of the humans defensively, staring deeply at Ranma. Ranma, in turn, had quickly adopted a defensive stance.
… It held itself like Ranma did. Its body, where not covered by clothes, was covered by scars and scratches. It was small and fragile beneath the visible muscle, like Ranma. Its tail, while different, moved like Ranma's did. And it was looking at Ranma the same way she was looking at it, both sniffing the air around each other.
“... Grass smell,” Ranma mumbled, “Good. It is good.”
“... Rain, dirt,” The other creature responded, “Not like humans.”
“Ranma. I am a Ranma,” She repeated, “Not human.”
The other creature gasped, and her tail started wagging. “Am Akane! Not human!”
Akane… Another animal that looked human, but wasn't. Ranma was like her. Ranma didn't know there were others like her… Her own short and fluffy tail started to happily wave underneath her baggy, ragged silk shirt.
“... Akane, how would you like to show Ranma around outside?” When the tall brown haired human mentioned it, Akane's eyes lit up, “You two might be good friends.”
“Out?” The blue haired creature echoed, asking for permission that she very quickly got, being shooed towards the open door out. Akane squealed happily before running out on all fours, stopping momentarily to make sure Ranma was following.
Of course, Ranma happily played into the chase, dashing outside on all fours after the Akane.
“I'm sorry about the boy,” A bald man with glasses said from behind the Tendou family, “Please, old friend, let me explain.”
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Akane was really happy to know that Ranmas existed now. Specifically the Ranma she was playing with. She was like Akane! Except really fast, and a bit better at human sounds and words, despite being quieter.
Quiet enough, actually, that their game of chase became a hunting game accidentally! Akane was an incredible seeker, but Ranma was hiding in places with such skill and speed that her long red hair wasn't even a problem.
Akane tried looking around the entire open area, even climbing to look over fences, but she hadn't tried the big building attached to Home called the ‘dojo’. There was an opening, so she made her way in, and-
“Mrow!” Ranma fully pounced on Akane from above, causing both creatures to tumble as a ball of chaos for a moment before stopping. They both started laughing at the tangled mess they had become, finding the whole game incredibly amusing.
“Akane liked that!” She gave a toothy grin while getting herself unstuck, ready for the next game, “Good! Good Ranma!”
The red haired creature looked very incredibly proud of herself. “Yes! I am! Mrrp!”
… And then she looked a bit like a wet cat, as hot water got poured directly over her. Softening Ranma's features to something human, making red hair black. Her smell even changed slightly, although that familiar rain and dirt remained.
“What on earth do you think you're doing, boy!?” The grumpy human who tipped water on Ranma yelled.
“Girl!” Ranma shouted back in a different voice. It didn't sound comfortable. Her scream as she got pulled backwards by the hair wasn't any better.
“... Ranma?” Akane asked with a head-tilt, “Okay?”
“He'll be fine, once he learns not to be such an animal!” The grumpy human shouted that last part directly into Ranma's probably really sensitive ears, “Honestly, what were you thinking!?”
“We were playing!” Ranma whined, writhing in the grasp of the human.
“Oh my…” Kasumi said, watching the ongoing interaction alongside Nabiki and Dad at the door, “Ranma really does become a boy…”
“Girl!” That response earned Ranma an attack to the stomach from the increasingly unlikable human, “SORRY SORRY SORRY!”
Akane was starting to see red, and there was a concern in Kasumi and Nabiki’s faces that said this wasn't even good for humans. Something transformed and hurt the Ranma. Something like that was probably going to hurt Akane, and even if it didn't, Akane wasn't going to let the closest thing she had to another member of her species get hurt. Akane was a territorial social animal.
With a harsh snarl, she lunged at the human hurting her new and only pack member. If she still had her claws, the human would've been ripped to shreds, but she'd settle for simply torn apart limb from limb. He was hardly a threat compared to the giant animals of the cursed forest. He fell like a giant tree, heavy and still.
“Akane, stop!” Kasumi called out before any blood could be properly spilled, “Please!”
… Akane was good for Kasumi, the nice human. She backed off, tail between her legs, ashamed. The bad human was still breathing. Hopefully he'd get away from Home when he woke up.
Ranma had been let go as soon as the first blow landed, and simply stood amazed at what she had seen. It was weird seeing her as a little taller instead of a little smaller, though. Akane had to think about what was wrong about that, and what words to use…
“... Ah! Ranma. Girl,” Akane gestured at her fellow creature, looking at the humans, “Fix.”
“Akane, he's supposed to be like this,” Dad tried to explain, “My friend there had a son, and he's supposed to-”
“He's also supposed to act like a person, dad,” Nabiki said, bringing in a bucket of cold water and splashing Ranma, “Like Akane. If you and that panda guy going to try your hardest to turn those things human, then they're perfect for each other.”
True enough, Ranma was as she had been. Long red hair, feline eyes, Japanese bobtail tail, shorter, smaller, as cute and feral as any wild cat should be. And when she realised that her body was right again, Ranma ran right on up to Akane and started nuzzling in. Akane liked this touch better than Dad's forceful hugs.
“They do seem far too compatible,” Kasumi hummed, “And I do only prefer older women…”
“But Ranma's a boy?” Dad tried to say.
“Girl!” Ranma said with a giggle, still affectionately rubbing her face against Akane's.
“Yeah, let the animals have each other,” Nabiki dropped the bucket and left, “I'm gonna go take a bath.”
“... I suppose you two are getting engaged!” Dad proclaimed.
That was a weird word, Akane didn't even think it sounded familiar. “Engaged?”
“It's when-” Stopping for a second, Dad tried to think of something, “... This might take a while to explain, actually.”
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“And there you go!” The human named Kasumi cheered, admiring her handiwork, “All ready for sleep.”
Ranma's long hair had been ‘braided’ so that it wouldn't get extra tangled as she slept. And, sleeping in a new place, that might be good! She could undo the braid at any time, so it was really safe, and still just as long!
“Thanks!” Ranma purred, giving Kasumi a happy long blink.
Kasumi made Akane happy and calm, so that meant she was a safe human. The rank of authority had been set at this place before Ranma got there, and she wasn't going to disrupt it like Pops probably would.
“Juliet!” Akane called out, having really liked that one word from the really confusing by even human standards talk about what engagement meant, “Juuuuuuliet! Juliet! Ahahaha!”
The blue haired creature pounced on her red haired pack member, almost vengeance for the earlier one in the dojo, and just as affectionate. They were two wild creatures that were brought together to bond, and while it would've been nicer in the wild, this was still really good.
Ranma could understand Akane emotionally, better than she could humans. Sure, Akane liked to make her favourite noises a lot more often than Ranma, but it made her so alive! Another feral thing, hoping to stay that way, because humans were kinda silly.
“Ranma! Akane's Juliet!” Akane leaned up against her fellow creature and tried pushing her towards upstairs, “Room! Bed!”
“I am going!” Ranma let herself be guided upwards to the room, Akane too stubborn to not listen too.
The room had a big nest of pillows and blankets on a mattress, along with several scattered photographs Ranma didn't recognise anyone in all over the floor. Once she was past the doorway, Akane immediately leaped onto the nest, sitting down with her tail wagging and looking expectantly.
Ranma had never laid down on something so comfy in her life. Immediately purring, she actually almost worried about scaring away her pack member with the rumbling. However, she instead found Akane had lied down right next to her, backs touching.
… Pops could sleep alone. He was a bad pack member, and he wasn't even a real panda. Akane was an animal like Ranma. They'd be their own pack. They didn't need to be human. Ranma didn't even know where to start to be human, not since two weeks ago. Not since two years ago. Maybe never.