-- Nicholas Leifker -- Washuu and Urd sat in a booth at Akie's one fine afternoon, enjoying the fine coffee the establishment served and watching their surroundings. Soaps and other distractions were done an hour ago, leaving the two to their most favorite pastime. Meddling. In this case, the target of their misguided affections was working three tables over, dutifully writing a young couple's order down. The hoydenish redhead seemed so pretty in her pink-and-white waitress uniform, a far cry from the Mandarin outfits she usually preferred. Urd pondered this problem as she sipped her coffee, plots of playing matchmaker flying through her mind. "So, Urd. What'cha thinking about?" The goddess sighed. Washuu could be somewhat grating at times; she may be one of the most brilliant mortals in existence, but a goddess she wasn't. "Oh, just thinking about Ranko..." "You mean how she always dresses like a boy when she's off-duty, and seems to emulate Ranma just a bit too much?" Washuu smiled. Urd nodded in mild frustration. "Look at her. She's beautiful. Most girls would kill to look like that. And what does she do? Tries to hide it behind this tomboy act." She shook her head. "I've done everything I could think of, even so far as to throw her clothes out while she's on-duty, but nothing's worked." Washuu nodded, a mad glint coming to her eyes. "So... you want to encourage Ranko to act more like a girl, huh? I think I could come up with something... You wanna come down to my lab? I'm going to need an extra hand with this." ******* "So... what do you think we should do? Total personality switch, subliminal messages, dream influence... what?" Washuu looked hard at the goddess, wondering her opinion. Urd shrugged. "Well, we don't want to wipe her mind entirely. We want this to be the same Ranko... just one who likes to act like a girl." The mad scientist frowned. "The dream influence would be best, I think. It would induce her to dream longer, more often... and about whatever we would program for her to dream. "What... you mean she'd dream the same thing every night?" "Of course not!" Washuu seemed almost indignant. "All it would do is give her the pieces - say, dressing up, going on a date with the most handsome guy she knows, and enjoying every minute of it. The rest would be up to her. Within a week, she'll want to live that dream so badly that it'd be difficult for her to act any other way. Sound good?" Urd nodded. The two sat down next to the computer, and went to work. ******* The next day, the diabolical duo met again, at the same table, though their demeanor was far different. Urd was looking at Ranko like a tiger would an unsuspecting gazelle, while Washuu positively glowed with delight. "Now, time to implement 'Operation: Petticoat'." Washuu placed a small box on the table, and raised her hand. "Oh, Ranko!" "Hai!" The redhead finished her order, and walked over to their table. "What would you like?" Urd looked distracted for a moment. "Oh, I'll take the Caesar salad... and a coffee. How about you, Washuu?" Washuu smiled, and opened the box. "I'll take just a coffee, thanks." She smiled as the fly inside flew around for a moment, trying to catch its bearings. Ranko wrote the orders down quickly, said her goodbyes, and ran to the back before the fly could catch her. "Damn. Didn't get her." Urd was seriously disappointed. Washuu just smiled, and waved her finger in the air. "Don't worry, Urd. It'll find her; it's triggered to look for her specific body aura. Even if she smashes it, the nanotech will go into her system. It's all a matter of time." "And if someone else smashes it?" Urd raised an artfully-curved eyebrow. "Then they have a big problem." ******* Ranma sat in a back corner of the restaurant, taking a moment to nurse her hurting feet. For the life of her, she wondered why in the world women would wear shoes that were so clumsy and uncomfortable that it was almost impossible to even walk. She rubbed the tired soles, reveling in the pleasure-pain feel of it, grateful for the fact that she had only another hour before she was off. Then she could get out of this stupid outfit, go home, and forget about the day. She heard the intruder before she saw it, a small buzzing in the back of her ear that sent her nerves on edge. She looked around, ready to smash the bug into little pieces. Fortunately for her, her adversary decided to make a move first. "Ranko-chaaaaannnnnnn......" Ataru jumped out of his hiding place, ready to give his brand of affection to the young waitress. He never made it; Ranma's right hook sent him flying through the wall. She looked at the hole the young lecher made, then at the fist she used to send him through. "(sigh) I have _got_ to introduce him to Happousai sometime." She shook her head, wincing at the thought of a team-up between the two, then went to put her heels back on. She had to be back at work before the manager saw her. ******* That night, Ranma slept peacefully, smiling as he went through his dreams. For some strange reason, Ataru did the same. ******* Washuu frowned as she worked at her computer. Two weeks had gone by, and nothing had happened in Ranko's life. She was still wearing those _ugly_ outfits, talking and acting like a guy, and thoroughly avoiding any feminine behavior. It was enough to make her wonder... The door chimed, announcing a visitor. Washuu's hair stood on end when she noticed who it was. She smiled, and turned to face him. "Hello, Ranma. What brings you into my domain?" The martial artist looked positively sheepish. "Um... Washuu-sama... I have a favor to ask of you." Washuu frowned. She hated being referred to as though she was an old lady. "What is it you wish to ask of me?" Ranma shuffled his feet. "I... heard from Urd that you're one of the finest scientists out there. I dunno if you can help me, but if anyone can..." "Out with it, Ranma," Washuu spat. "If you don't tell me what's wrong, how can I help you?" "I... I have this... curse." "A curse?" Outwardly, all the scientist did was raise an eyebrow. Inwardly, she was singing. "Yeah." Ranma scratched the back of his head. "You see, about a year or two ago, my father took me to China to train. We came across this training ground... and I fell in one of the springs there. Now, whenever I get splashed with cold water, I... change." Washuu smirked. This was getting better and better! "What do you change into?" "A... agrl." "Huh? I didn't quite catch that." "A girl, alright? I turn into a flippin' girl! Ever wonder why 'Ranko' always dresses like me?" "Oh my..." For once, Washuu was speechless. "You mean to say that _you're_ Ranko?" "Yeah. Humiliating, isn't it?" Ranma glared at her for a moment. "Ever since, my life's been so crazy... the fiancees wanting to marry me, the guys wanting to kill me or date with me or both, my mom wanting her son to be a "manly man" while wanting 'Ranko' to be more feminine... I can't take it any more. Please... help me." Ranma thought about running when he saw the malicious glint in Washuu's eye. "I'll help you, Ranma. But first, we're going to have to perform a full physical, to see what this 'curse' really does. There will also be one other condition for this." "Yes, Washuu-sama?" Washuu almost growled. "From now on, call me Washuu-CHAN." She flashed a cute-girl smile at the martial artist. "Okay?" Ranma facefaulted. ***** Ranma ran along the fences, reveling in life, perhaps tasting a feel of womanhood for the last time. After tests which seemed out of some mad scientists' lab (which, in a strange way, made sense), Washuu had promised her a cure once she got home from work that night. She was still a female today for a reason: Ranko had to say goodbye before disappearing forever. She instantly noticed something wrong when she walked in the door. They'd apparently hired on a new waitress, a long-haired brunette with curves to die for. If she didn't already have enough problems with women... she put that thought out of her mind. She walked back into the office, and shut the door. "Hello, Ranko. What can I do for you?" For once, Ranma looked sheepish. She didn't really want to give up this job; however, the curse had caused far more problems than blessings, and she was ready to be rid of it. "Sir... I'm sorry, but I have to quit... effective at the end of the day." The hawk-nosed manager raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason why?" She was, for a mischievous moment, tempted to tell the truth, then thought better. "Sir... I'm not well right now. I'm seeking treatment for a rare disease, and the treatment would force me away from work." "I see. Well, it's a good thing I hired a new waitress. I'd like you to train her and show her the ropes today, if you could." He opened the door, and walked out into the restaurant. "Akari, could you come here for a moment?" He motioned to the new waitress, who turned around at his call. Ranma, quite literally, couldn't believe her eyes. The woman before her was a few inches shorter than Ataru, and had curves too real to fake... but there was no mistaking "him". The girl gave a polite bow, and flashed a cute smile at her. "Hi. I'm Akari Moroboshi, Ataru's sister. Nice to meet you." Ranma fainted. And somewhere, in a quiet coffee place staffed by a beautiful brunette, Urd smiled. For once, all was right with the world. Now if she could only fix up Kyosuke with the waitress there... ***