http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/ranmanexus/ranmaweb/splits.html The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the creation of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi, who could track me down and sue the pants off me if she felt like it. Yada yada yada. Seriously, I always give credit where credit is due and I for one am glad she created Ranma 1/2. Otherwise, I'd have to write fanfiction on . :) *********************************************** THE SPLITTING: A RANMA 1/2 FANFICTION CHAPTER IV: CHANGES By Vincent Nguyen *********************************************** -Chapter 4- Those were the first words that popped into her head when she opened her eyes and stared into the blackness around her. She felt a brief surge of panic, one where her heart tried to leap out of her chest, before she realized that it was simply night time and she had been dreaming. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked over her body. Her undershirt was drenched in sweat and her breaths were coming out short and shallow. She forced herself to calm down and concentrate. She obviously had a nightmare and that in itself was nothing to be too concerned about. But what did worry her was the fact that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what she had been dreaming about. Every nightmare she had ever had she could always vividly recall it once she awoke but not this one. The solution to her problem seemed to be hanging around just at the edge of her consciousness but when she tried to directly focus on it, it would just immediately fade away. One thing she did grasp was the notion that what had happened to her wasn't a nightmare, not really. Then what was it? Her inner voice was silent. She focused within herself for answer that wasn't forthcoming. Not being one to give up, she redoubled her efforts until finally, she inadvertently fell into a meditative trance. Into the state where one wasn't quite awake but not quite asleep either. The state where things that never made sense in the light of full consciousness suddenly were illuminated. As she lied there trying to determine what was going on, she noticed a feeling growing within her. It was one of... sadness. So much that she instinctively shied away from it at first but then as she cautiously prodded it, she realized something. Much of this emotion came from within her but she could feel most of it coming from outside her as well. Getting up and ignoring the fact that it was the middle of the night, she silently drifted by the rooms in the house and briefly stuck her head in. Standing there, various emotions began to permeate into her mind. Happiness, satisfaction, fear, and anger were all running around through the people sleeping around her. Feelings of grief and heartaches emanated from everyone, even Kasumi, the girl who always seemed so happy and at peace. There were no images or sound, just the simple *feeling* at the level of empathy she had never known before. It came as no small surprise to her that the faces she saw everyday had a deeper complexity to them than she had ever suspected. She really shouldn't have been so shocked but it never really occurred to her that other people felt as bad as she did sometimes. This realization was almost enough to snap her out of the daze she was in but not quite. Walking out to the dojo to get away from the mental noise, she sat down and assumed the lotus position. She stared out at the koi pond for a while, not really understanding why she was out here. She might have been imagining it but as she sat there she felt like she could feel the emotions of the entire neighborhood around her. There was sadness and anger but there was happiness too, centered around the little things that so many people took for granted. Wishing to come to terms with these new sensations she focused within herself even deeper and noticed that some changes had taken place. She couldn't quite put a finger on it but she felt different somehow. Her head felt clearer than it had ever been, and not just before the splitting either but as far back as she could remember. Many things that had never made quite sense to her clicked into place. It was time for a change. There were plenty of other people out there who definitely had lives worse than hers. Sure, hers was probably the most chaotic but at least she was well fed, had a roof over her head, and could honestly never say she was bored. How many people in the world have it so bad that they would switch lives with me in a second? Ranma(C) thought as she pondered with her chin on one hand. Are there worse things to transform into than a girl? Images of Ryouga's sorrowful face superimposed over a small, black piglet, a cat and a duck making sounds of sadness after being dunked in water, a multi-tentacled monster consumed with anger and hatred. A voice seemed to speak from within her. Yes, you're a girl but you're also human and that means that you have choices. How many of your problems will you solve feeling sorry for yourself? Forget your titles for a minute, that of Master of Anything Goes Martial Arts, man among men, vile sorcerer, pig-tailed girl, son of Genma and Nodoka Saotome, Akane Tendo's fiancee, Airen, son-in-law, womanizer. This is how others see you or expect you to be and that's not important. What's important is how you see yourself. Are you or are you not Ranma Saotome, a good human being? At that moment, the voice disappeared along with whatever else had been with her. She was suddenly quite lucid and alone with her thoughts as she continued staring out at what was currently the peaceful town of Nerima. After an indefinite amount of time, she came to a decision. Quite a number of them, actually. She wanted to formulate some more details but weariness quickly overwhelmed her and she shuffled back to her room. Ranma(C) went back to her bed feeling at peace for the first time in a long time. Her last thought before drifting off completely was, Maybe not now but someday... "Are you trying to kill me, ya crazy tomboy!" CLANG! Ranma(C) sighed as Akane smashed Ranma over the head with a frying pan. Another typical night at the Tendo household. One of the things she noticed in her new life was that Ranma and Akane fought. A lot. Over the stupidest things. *Every* single day. It made her wonder how she had never really noticed this before when she had been the actual participant in the daily chaos around her. Today, it was over Akane's concoctions, which was one of the few topics that she really couldn't blame him for making a fuss about. While Akane's regular cooking had become palatable, (another word for edible) she was going Italian for dinner and anything new or exotic was quite toxic to the human digestive system. The rest of the family had already fled in horror but Ranma was resigned to his fate. He was dead whether he ran or stayed so he had decided that if he was going to leave this world, he would do it with some dignity. His decision was somewhat forced by the fact that nobody had bothered to warn him that Akane was cooking that evening and so had no chance to escape. Ranma(C) had stayed just for the heck of it. Besides, she simply had nowhere else to go. She had been through this scene so many times herself that she couldn't help but get a sort of morbid fascination from watching it from another perspective. But it was also very frustrating to be able to predict with great accuracy what would happen next but be helpless to stop it. Not that she would have traded places with Ranma for anything at that moment. Well, almost anything. Truth be told, Ranma(C) herself wasn't exactly there in the moment. While part of her mind was marveling on the scene before her, another part was busy trying to work out what happened a few nights ago. Many of the details that came to her were blurry and incomprehensible and she dismissed those as either belonging to a strange dream or to not enough sleep. What she couldn't banish so easily were her clearest memories of what she had been thinking that night. Did she still want to go through with it? She looked around at everyone then nodded to herself. Yep, it was definitely time for a change. This rapid attitude adjustment didn't really bother her. Ranma(C) had always considered herself a good person deep down. As long as she was stuck this way she might as well try to improve what had been her former life. It might even help take her mind off the more unappealing aspects of her current existence and besides, she had to get back into the gist of things before she faded too completely. No one ignored Ranma Saotome, no matter what shape or form! Happy with her rationalization, she set about to at least try what Akane claimed was food when she noticed that the table was gone. "Ranma no baka!" With that cry, Akane smashed Ranma through the roof with said wooden table. Hmm, she hadn't done that in a while, Ranma(C) noted with interest. Well, down to business. It had taken her a while to decide what to do but it became obvious that before anything else, the rift between Akane and Ranma must be fixed. They were the focal point that everything else revolved around. There was also some more personal motivations behind her decision but time to think about that later. It had taken her a couple days but she had a plan and she was sure that this one would actually work. Okay, reasonably sure. Her track record in creating successful schemes was kind of lame after all, though she had some pretty good ones that had actually succeeded in the past. Out of incredible luck and coincidence, perhaps, but wasn't it the results that counted? She casually stretched out arms then proceeded to put her plan into action. She turned to Akane and asked, "Didn't you overreact just a little bit?" Akane whirled around, her eyes blazing with an almost reddish hue, and Ranma(C) held out her hands defensively. "Listen to me for a minute! Ranma had a good point though he could have been more tactful about it. Your cooking could use some improvement." Akane had a death grip on her weapon of mass destruction (and it was quite a number that had fallen under its ministrations. Okay, mostly Ranma but that number by itself is staggering), but it was a testament to what little restraint she had that she didn't make any forward movements. "Why," she gasped through gritted teeth, "Am I listening to this?" Ranma(C) paused in thought. She had to be extremely careful about this. Dealing with this Tendo girl when she was so agitated was like dealing with a minefield. Unfortunately, there was no way for her to avoid it and still make her point. All right, tit for tat. She figured if she criticized herself a bit, Akane would see that she was really being serious and listen to her for once. She said, "You never learned how to control your temper, did you? Sorta like how I never learned not to shoot off my mouth with whatever jumps into my head. Pops was never any good at teaching good social skills. Probably because he didn't have any himself. Anyway, what he did teach me to do was to accept criticism. Do you think I got this good by denying it whenever I did something wrong?" A flickering blue aura suddenly surrounded Akane as she growled, "Are you saying that there's something wrong with my cooking?" She raised her mallet and having lost all reasoning, rushed Ranma(C), who in turn easily blocked the strike and disarmed her in one swift move before setting the weapon down on the floor. Ranma(C) looked down at it and sighed. So much for Akane listening to reason. "What? How did you do that?" Akane asked in shock. She knew the how of course but the question of why was too much for her confused mind to think about. Ranma(C) chuckled lightly. "Honestly, Akane. I've taken down things that'd kill any normal person and you think I can't avoid a simple mallet strike?" "Well... I *know*. You've just never done it before, that's all," Akane said testily, not fooling Ranma(C) for a second. "You can be so blind sometimes, Akane," Ranma(C) said smiling at her. "But I like you anyway." While Akane stood flabbergasted by this statement, pondering whether or not she should feel mad or flattered, Ranma(C) suddenly grabbed her hand and dragged her out to the koi pond. "You wanted me to take you seriously? Time for your first training lesson. You already know everything you need to for this. You just need to know how to apply it." As soon as she finished, she immediately jumped to the roof of the dojo in one graceful leap. Then she looked down at Akane and tapped her foot impatiently. Akane jumped a few times trying to reach for the edge of the roof then she gave a frustrated sigh. "Ranma, you know I can't do this." The pig-tailed girl raised an eyebrow. "Really? I must be thinking of some other overweight, clumsy tomboy who is always chasing me across rooftops." "RANMA!" In the blink of an eye, Akane appeared next to Ranma with her hands locked in her hammering position. They stayed there until she realized that she didn't have her mallet. Ranma(C) grinned at her expression and knew it had been a good idea to deprive Akane of her weapon first. "I really shouldn't have to explain this to you. A good martial artist can use any powerful emotion to fuel their ki and do some amazing things." "I know this," Akane said. "I've seen it done the entire time that you were here. But sometimes I still can't quite believe it. I've been taught that it's impossible to jump this high. I didn't know things like ki blasts or magic were possible until you came along and sometimes I can't help but think this is just some elaborate dream." "And you wonder why I don't like school," Ranma(C) said as she laid down and put her hands behind her head. "They're too close-minded. Maybe in some other universe you'd have to follow the rules, but in this one, if you can put your mind to it you can do anything. There are no limits if you have sufficient will. "Akane, I have seen you do this a dozen times at least. Heck, during that Phoenix egg incident you were able to keep up right with me. But the day after I saw you trying to reach the top of the back wall. You can do it in times of passion but you need to be able to control your ability for when you simply want to instead of having to need to." Ranma(C) shifted her position to look at Akane more directly. "What were you feeling just a moment ago?" "I... don't really know," Akane stammered. "I mean, one minute I was on the ground then a moment later, I was just so... angry and I wasn't thinking-" Ranma(C) interrupted excitely, "And that's exactly what you want! You're not supposed to be thinking! Oh sure, you have to decide to jump up on the roof and what you're going to do once you're up there but the actual act of doing it should be nothing more than a simple directive to your body to do something and have it carried out. "You have to be in the moment and not be weighed down by irrelevant concerns about how you shouldn't even be able to do this or you don't know if you really have the ability to do so. You either do it or you don't. If you don't, you get right back up and do it again until you got it right." "Use the Force," Akane intoned before breaking down into giggles. Ranma(C) gave her an annoyed but amused glance. "Well, sort of. You got to use the power of your mind, body, and spirit all working as one. With all the chaos that's happened around here you've improved tremendously. With my help, of course. All you need is more practice and I'll try my best to help you with that. On one condition." Akane was beyong estatic. Finally, someone was actually taking her dreams of being a great martial artist seriously! Ranma, no less! She almost drifted off into one of her daydreams of being in Ranma's league and being able to do the fantastic things that people there took so much for granted. But then Ranma(C)'s words hit her. "What condition?" Akane asked, fearing the pig-tailed girl would ask for something ridiculous that would either embarrass or anger her. Possibly both. Now came the hard part. Ranma(C) took a deep breath then plunged on. "Because I really believe that anything is possible, I'm going to ask you to do something that's probably going to be real difficult for you. Here goes. Akane, I want you to control your temper." "What!" Ranma(C) sat up and glared at her. "A martial artist has to have control! Without it, they're a danger to themselves and others. I know what you're thinking, no one else around here appears to do that. What you may not have noticed is that every single one of my fiancees and rivals always has a tightly controlled aura of discipline around that isn't always readily apparent. Has a bystander ever been hurt? No. Accidents may happen sometimes, but they occur less often than they could be if they didn't have some degree of control over their emotions and actions. You don't have that. "Before I train you, you have to make me a promise on your family's honor. I know you won't break that. Promise me that you won't hit or strike Ranma in any way out of anger." Akane was silent for a long time as she thought about this then her stricken eyes rose up to her. "You know what you're asking me to do?" Ranma(C) rolled her eyes. Akane was always so melodramatic. It must be all those acting classes. She said, "I'm asking you to listen to Ranma for once before jumping to any conclusions. I'm asking you to talk to him instead of batting him away." Her voice softened. "I know this will be hard. You're going to have to lower your shields and do something different, but I'll be happy to help you. Your problems won't go away if you hit him. I want you to carefully consider that the next time you get the urge to pound him. I know that I-he can be a jerk but you also know why he acts that way. Give him a chance." Akane was silent for a moment. Who was this person in front of her that spoke and looked like Ranma but was somehow so different? The look in her eyes matched those of the Ranma who was always saving her and wasn't afraid of what others thought. This was the Ranma that never stayed around very long. Maybe because of her. For the first time in a long time, Akane felt ashamed. She was about to agree to Ranma(C)'s condition but there was something she needed to know first. She asked timidly, "Why do you let me hit you? You don't have to. There's no reason for you to." She looked down trying to keep down the tears that were welling up. "Yes, there is," Ranma(C) said tenderly, lifting up Akane's chin. "If it even makes you feel the slightest bit better, I would do anything for you." Ranma(C) didn't know where this newfound feeling of responsibility had come from but she wasn't going to ignore it. That in itself had caused most of her problems. She was becoming quickly embarrassed though and she averted her eyes. Where had the mush she just said come from? Her defenses must be coming down if she had allowed that to slip out. She thought briefly about taking it back but that seemed cowardly and besides, she found she didn't want to. Akane was slowly shaking her head. "Oh, Ranma. That's sweet. Idiotic, yeah, but sweet." Ranma(C) replied, "Hey! A guy tries to do something nice for his fiancee... Uh, I mean, there are a lot of times when I do deserve it. I kinda of think of it as negative reinforcement, though it apparently isn't working too well. Besides, I don't really mind, it doesn't hurt that much and I'm all the stronger for it. You're also a lot calmer once the stress is released. Believe me, I would have raised a storm a long time ago if I hadn't thought your fetish did more good than bad. You're like my version of the bakusai tenketsu technique!" Akane looked amused. "The things you do for training. Your father's influence, no doubt." She smiled at her comment and the redhead froze at the sight of it. The former boy struggled for a moment then continued, "But remember this: familiarity breeds contempt. At some point, Ranma will get tired of this treatment and things will go downhill from there. Both of you have made mistakes but I'm hoping you can take the first step in fixing them." Ranma(C) grinned at Akane and said in a joking manner, "Right now he's only tolerating your actions because he's afraid you'll turn into some crazed maniac!" Akane giggled and Ranma(C)'s mind blew. Akane regarded the currently brain-dead girl before her and sighed. "Okay, Ranma. I promise on my family's honor that I will not strike either of you out of anger. I hope you appreciate this!" "It has never mattered what I thought, only what you did," Ranma(C) said softly. Then she said more loudly, "Wow! Anything is possible! What's next? Your cooking will actually be edible?" "Ranma!" Akane punched her in the arm but there was no force or anger behind it. What followed was one of those rare mushy moments where two people could be completely comfortable with each other in silence. It wouldn't last. "RANMA SAOTOME! PREPARE TO DIE!" Today was a new day and hopefully things would also be different. Ranma(C) vowed to keep an eye on Akane throughout that day and avert any close calls that would no doubt arise. She wondered if it was a good idea to have made Akane quit cold turkey like that. Maybe she should have instituted a three strikes a day limit policy or something like that. No use worrying about it now. She calmed her mind in preparation in what would be equally as hard for her as restraining her temper around Ranma would be for Akane. Sparring with said tomboy. It was with trepidation that she entered the dojo where her new student was waiting. It didn't turn out to be too bad. She had been afraid that Akane would make a fuss over the fact that she was pulling her punches and kicks, but Akane still seemed to be overjoyed to be fought with at all. Using her trained eyes in the capacity of a sensei, Ranma(C) could see that Akane really had improved since she had met her more than a year ago. She was definitely faster, though not as fast as her. All those times Akane had chased her around or tried to hit her during sparring practice seemed to have really paid off. She was also stronger which was probably from all the brick breaking, dummy smashing, and let's not forget Ranma bashing she did whenever she got angry. If one judged by that alone, one would think she was stronger than Ryouga! Seriously though, she once saw Akane put a dent in a wall but hurt her hand. Now, she could probably put her fist more than halfway through without hurting herself. Also, Akane didn't quite telegraph her moves so obviously anymore. She had more grace now though she still tried too hard to apply her brute strength. She had tried really hard to try to catch Ranma(C) off-guard over the last couple months. She had almost succeeded a couple times too and only Ranma(C)'s superior speed had saved her. Most of the time, she knew Akane well enough that she could predict her next five moves. She would have to work with her on that. That was no way for a student of Anything Goes to be. Akane really did have more potential than most people thought. Ranma(C) remembered the fight with Natsume and Kurumi and how after just training with Ryouga for about a week she had gotten drastically better. Why, if Akane had been training with her she could have beaten those two hands down! In her ego driven analysis she conveniently forgot why they hadn't been training together at the time. Akane was a bit upset about Ranma(C)'s insistence on starting with the basics but her new sensei had countered that she simply wanted to evaluate what she had been taught and if she was so highly skilled she should be able to adjust her techniques when necessary without too much trouble. Techniques and abilities that she took for granted were struggled with by Akane and it forced Ranma(C) to think, to pause, and to slowly take things apart and explain them. But as if to balance it out, Akane was also able to quickly pick up things that Ranma hadn't been able to when she was at that stage. Of course she hadn't had the benefit of experiencing what Akane had been through the past year. She discovered that she was having fun. The Art was what she lived for and she enjoyed being able to pass it on. It was then that she discovered that she enjoyed teaching. She knew that it was the destiny that her father and Mister Tendo wanted but she never really thought about it happening before or that she would like it. Would ironies never cease? Then she sobered up as she realized that she would never be able to take over the dojo now. Well, she supposed she could still teach there but somehow that didn't seem like enough to her. Because that raised up too many other unsettling thoughts. She dodged a spinning reverse crescent kick and swept Akane's feet out from under her. Akane tried to knock down her sensei from her position on the ground with her legs but Ranma(C) had anticipated this. Mere moments later, Akane was locked in a full body hold that she had no hope of escaping from. "I didn't know you knew jujitsu," Akane gasped. "Akane, the style *is* Indiscriminate Grappling. I really think you should branch out more. I can see that you have a good background in shotokan but there are just some situations that require something other than straight karate. You got to expect the unexpected. I've had a first hand experience with that and I learned how to deal with it long before I came to Nerima." "With your father, I would certainly hope so!" They had a good laugh over that. After a few more minutes, Akane asked the one question that Ranma(C) had been afraid she'd ask. "Ranma? Will I ever be as good as you?" Ranma(C) uncomfortably replied, "It's highly unlikely. At least not as fast I did." A frown appeared on Akane's face. "Don't be like that. I know how your ego is but you don't have to be so obvious about it." "No, it's not that. It's just..." Ranma(C) hesitated for a moment as warring emotions flashed over her face before it settled down. Evidently a sore spot had been touched with this subject for Ranma(C)'s face suddenly shifted into that of lecture mode. It was rare to see it but it did exist. "It's hard to explain. Let me put it this way, almost everyone has the power within them to become just as good as me, Ryouga, the old ghoul, or any other martial artist you know but not everyone is. Why? Because most people never reach their full potential. "They simply don't have the motivation that is needed to keep punishing themselves day after day. To be really exceptional at martial arts requires a determination that most people don't have in them naturally. It is usually instilled by some sort of force that gives them their focus." Ranma(C) began pacing back and forth across the dojo. "Look at all the people who has come into our lives and the kinds of problems they had. Maybe it's just a coincidence that most of them wanted to kill me or somebody close to us but my point is that these people got power from some intense burning desire. Theirs just happened to be revenge." "Surely not everyone got to their level like that," Akane said skeptically. "Of course not. That's just one type of focus and there are many ways but unfortunately, the calmer, more patient kinds are the ones that take the longest to learn. Unfortunate for me because Pops found those ways weak and inefficient for his uses. His philosophy was one of 'what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.' "That way of thinking has much of my childhood miserable but there is a certain logic to learning from hardship. I doubt I'd be as good as I am now if I hadn't lived the life I had or constantly had to deal with people trying to kill me. Though my life would probably would a lot more peaceful. But believe me when I say that unlike him, I believe there is a line between unorthodox training and just plain torture. "Don't get me wrong, I love the Art but Pops has made me give countless sacrifices in order to get where I am now. I had to live and breathe the art of fighting almost every day of my life and while I enjoy it for the most part I look around and I wonder sometimes." "So you're saying that if I want to be extraordinary, I have to be as miserable and crazy as everyone else around here?" Akane asked half-seriously. Ranma(C) shook her head. "I'm not saying you have to be miserable but you do have to be dedicated. Face it, Akane. You may be a good fighter and you can become even better but martial arts have just been something you did on a whim most of the time to keep in shape or to prove you're better than somebody or to show that you can carry on the Tendo school. "You may want to rethink that approach. I'm not condemning you as I am, in some ways, a bit envious of you. You have a life and you have spare time to spend with your friends and schoolwork and such. I never had such luxuries." "Why are you telling me all this?" The redheaded girl stepped up to Akane and seemed to tower over her despite her diminutive height. She said, "Because I don't want you to squander your life in the pursuit to become the best. Martial arts is my life and I'm little more than a fighting machine. I think you deserve more." Akane opened her mouth to say something but Ranma(C) raised her hand. "I didn't want to get you down with this since I really do think that you are making great progress. I'm just warning you not to try to jump too high before you're ready. It's good to try to reach for the stars but practice jumping for the clouds first then go from there. "Just because it took me only a little more than a decade to get to the level I'm at doesn't mean you can expect to do so too in that amount or less. It may take longer or not but that shouldn't be your whole focus." "You will be a great martial artist, Akane, but you should take as much time as you need so that you still have the chance to be a great person as well." Akane watched silently as Ranma(C) peered off to the side as if she was seeing something she couldn't see. "Far back as I can remember, I was forced to learn everything he taught me quickly but also perfectly or else. That's not the way to learn martial arts. The only reason that Pops didn't fail with me is because I'm eidetic. I doubt his crazy methods would work for anybody else. And I don't intend to try." Ranma(C) turned back to Akane and looked her in the eyes with a fiery expression. "If you are to be my student, I want to make perfectly clear that I am only going to teach you Musubetsu Kakuto Ryu the way I believe it should taught and for the reasons I think are important. Sacrifices will have to be made over the long haul but I promise you that you will never seriously be hurt by my training if I can help it." "I understand," Akane said but she knew that she never would completely. There was so much more that she wanted to say but for some reason, she couldn't. It was all too much for her. She looked into Ranma(C)'s eyes and realized for the first time that the cheerful exterior that Ranma had always put on, the casual facade he or she had held some inner demons under it. "That's why you were so upset about not being able to be happy and be a competent martial artist too," Akane whispered in revelation. "It doesn't matter," Ranma(C) said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes, it does," Akane replied, her face set. "And I'll prove you wrong." There was an awkward moment of silence before a mock serious expression appeared on Ranma(C) face and her eyes twinkled with mischief. Ranma(C) could never stay depressed for long. She barked, "Well, enough jabbering! We've already lost five minutes we could have spent sparring. Get down and give me fifty!" Akane groaned but did as she was told. A few minutes later a dripping Ranma walked by wearing a smug smile on his face. He suddenly heard a crash and he turned toward the dojo to see what it was. His eyes widened with shock as he saw the unbelievable. He asked out loud, "What are you two doing?" Ranma(C) somersaulted over to him and said, "I thought it was kind of obvious. I was sparring with Akane here." Ranma was so startled by this statement that he just replied without thinking, "I guess fighting with a weak, uncute tomboy is better than nothing." The air around Akane's hands began to warp into a familiar outline as the gateway to hammerspace formed. Ranma(C) was about to try to prevent the inevitable when suddenly the gateway collapsed and vanished. Akane stared at Ranma for what seemed like a very long time before she said quietly as if speaking to herself, "What's the point? It's just not worth it right now." She turned and walked out of the dojo. The remaining duo just stared after her then Ranma(C) turned to Ranma and said snidely, "She hasn't hit you or run off crying. What are you going to do now?" Ranma was clearly uncomfortable as he avoided looking into his counterpart's eyes. "I didn't mean to say that. It just popped out. I just can't control my mouth sometimes." Ranma(C) grinned despite her uneasiness in talking to the boy. Though it was nothing official, both of them had avoided each other for the most part for quite a while now. It was the unspoken feeling that they were too similar to get along, aside from what had happened to them. She said, "Hey, I know that and she probably knows better than either of us. She'll get over it but you might want to stay on her good side for a while." The male pig-tailed martial artist gave her an inscrutable look before he nodded at her in response and walked off. Ranma(C) smiled. Maybe this would be easier than she had thought. She walked outside the dojo and she noticed the punch holes in the walls, the training equipment thrown everywhere, and the general devastation of the walkway. She sweatdropped. Maybe not. Ranma(C) had a strange day that day and in her life, that wasn't a statement to be taken lightly. Akane was perfectly nice and civil to Ranma, which was freaking him out to no end and causing him to keep insulting her, trying to evoke a response as they walked to school with Ranma(C) trailing behind. Apparently, he hadn't taken her advice but she really should have known better. She was him after all, wasn't she? Despite the insults, Akane would just reply with a rather forced smile and not say anything. Periodically, she would excuse herself to go around a corner. Screams of rage and the sounds of things being smashed would soon be heard. She would come back smiling and the cycle would repeat itself over a few minutes later. Ranma(C) silently did some calculations in her head and paled. Enormous amounts of property damage would be done before Akane would be able to control her temper. Oh well. At least she had managed to shift its focus. Ranma, Akane and Ranma(C) met Kuno in front of the school, which was a surprise. He had been avoiding them since the day he saw Ranma(C) for some reason. The rumors around school had it that he might have finally figured out the curse though not many put stock in that theory. He struck a dramatic pose and got down on his knees and said, "My fair goddesses whom I love dearly, I must deeply beg your forgiveness in depriving you of my magnificent presence these past few days. I have been in intense meditation over a serious matter that pertains to the vile sorcerer Saotome." Kuno paused to throw a glare out at Ranma who ignored it, bored. "But that is of little importance now. All I can do is grovel beneath your most holy of feet and await your decision pending my person." The trio standing in front of him looked at each other. Finally, Akane knelt down to Kuno and said trying not to laugh, "Um... Kuno, it's all right. I mean, it's only been a weeks or two." Ranma(C) piped in, "It's not like we moped around crying for you." Kuno shot straight up and his eyes blazed with excitement. He cried, "Oh, my lionesses! Surely within your bountiful bosoms beat hearts of gold. Trying to cover your fragile emotional states with masks of bravery in order to protect me. You, Akane Tendo and the pigtailed girl, are certainly the kindest, bravest, and fairest specimens of blighted humanity that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing." Akane stood there as her mind tried to absorb these words and to her horror actually blushed. She said, "Kuno, I don't know what to say." "I don't know either," Ranma said suddenly. "Are we talking about the same Akane? The uncute, violent one? The mallet-happy psychopath?" Ranma(C) stared at him in horror. Even she didn't understand the suicidal tendency that had just sprang up in her counterpart! Shaking her head in disbelief, she turned her gaze to Akane and had to shield her eyes from the battle aura she was generating. Akane seemed to be convulsing and her eyes were twitching. Definitely not good signs. Kuno hadn't noticed anything, as usual. He was glaring at Ranma with all the power he could muster and it would have been scary too if he hadn't been standing next to the female equivalent of Godzilla. He cried, "Saotome! How dare you insult fair Akane with your foul words? You, who are lower than the scum that resides under the boots of my ninja servant Sasuke! I will smite thee!" With a battle cry, he rushed toward the pigtailed boy with all the intention of causing him bodily harm. Though he had failed numerous times before (by the use of sorcery no doubt!) he would not fail this day! His love for the fair Akane Tendo and the pig-tailed girl would give him the strength to punish the knave before him. He raised his mighty sword and swung at his opponent's head... ...Only to be hit by the force of a moving train when an uppercut from off to the side smashed him in the gut and knocked him to the ground. To his credit, the self-proclaimed samurai was still semi-conscious. He had enough motor control left over his lips to gasp out, "Why?" Akane wasn't really paying attention as she was examining her hand as if she had never seen it before. She looked up with an apologetic look on her face but just as she opened her mouth Ranma whistled. "Whoa, that was cruel. Even considering the fact that it's Kuno. I guess I can understand, it being you and all. Misdirected anger is such a terrible thing and I would know from personal experience. But hey, some people are naturally calm individuals while others are abusive tomboys who are constantly stuck in that time of the mon-" Ranma leaped out of the way as a mallet smashed into the ground where he was just standing. Akane with gritted teeth growled, "Ranma, I'm giving you to the count of ten to run. 1... 2... DIE!!!" Ranma ran, of course, with Akane right on his heels as he screamed, "WHAT'D I SAY?!" The lone redhead sweatdropped then shrugged. Ranma certainly had that coming. That had been mean, even for him. She wondered what had brought on this new development. Apparently, the separation was changing them more than she thought as this time, she had no idea what he had been thinking. It was almost as if he had been trying to get hit but that was ridiculous. Wasn't it? Now, what to do about Akane. She was reasonably sure that Akane wouldn't break her promise but in the unlikely chance that she did, Ranma(C) would simply be back at square one and would have to do something else. Should she start coming up with a backup plan or did that imply a lack of faith in her new pupil? An aching groan caught her attention and she looked down at the twitching body of Tatewaki Kuno. She knelt down and poked him a couple times with her finger to make sure he was alive. "Could you please stop that?" the kendoist wheezed. "As much as I enjoy being under your maidenly ministrations, I must regretfully inform you that pain has moved somewhat higher on my list of priorities." Ranma(C) grinned. It appeared that Kuno had some sense after all. Too bad that it didn't surface more often. It was kind of strange. The idiot could usually take more punishment than that since he was beaten up pretty much on a daily basis. Though Akane had certainly been in rare form today. She got up and was about to go into the school but hesitated. She couldn't just leave him there! Normally, she wouldn't care but she had been indirectly responsible for his getting hurt when he didn't deserve it for once. She carefully weighed the pros and cons of helping Kuno and decided that no matter what, he was going to keep bugging her. "Stupid conscience," she muttered as she helped him to his feet. To his credit, he didn't start sprouting his lame poetry about her being an angel from heaven or some such stuff. She was curious about one thing though. "Hey, how come Nabiki ain't here? Doesn't she usually come take you to see the nurse?" "Bah! I don't know and I don't care. Being in your comforting arms is pure nirvana but I must inform you that the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High needs no assistance for anything!" "Really?" Ranma(C) drawled amused. "Let's test that theory." She let go of Kuno and he dropped to the ground like a sack of rice. Kuno clutched his stomach, smiled weakly and said, "I may have spoken too hastily." "It's amazing what a few weeks of not fighting can do to a person. What have you been doing anyway?" The smile on Kuno's face vanished and beads of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead. "I have merely been thinking..." "About?" Ranma(C) prompted now really curious. Nabiki Tendo picked this moment to show up and she seemed to be in a good mood. "Sorry I'm late, Kuno-chan but I just closed a major deal that I've been working on for weeks. To make up to you, I'll give you the photos I developed for you at 10% off." Kuno stared at her and said, "It appears that I am living out Lewis Carroll's words of believing in six impossible things before breakfast. But I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. I gladly accept your offer, Nabiki Tendo." Ranma(C)'s reaction was drastically different. Her blood was boiling as she realized what kind of pictures Nabiki was offering to Kuno. After what had happened and in front of her no less! She tore the envelope from Nabiki's hands and glared at her. "I can't believe you! I guess you really are heartless aren't you? It's just business as usual for you, huh? It doesn't matter to you in the least what I've been through as long as you make a profit out of it." Ranma(C) was shaking with barely contained anger. "I've overlooked you taking pictures of me before because I knew it was for a good cause but now it's just cruel! I certainly hope that these pictures were worth selling me out for!" The redhead ripped the envelope open to reveal the horrifying pictures of... Kuno. They were all pictures of Tatewaki Kuno swinging his bokken around as he fought various people wearing kendo uniforms or of him bearing poses of victory. "As you can see," Nabiki said frostily, "I was taking pictures of Kuno at one of his annual kendo tournaments to sell to him later. Though I could see how some people could find them to be rather scandalous." Ranma(C) started babbling, "Um... uh... Okay, I know this looks bad and I am really sorry. I didn't mean it! Well, I did but that was only because I thought that..." Nabiki interrupted, "That I was a heartless mercenary who had no problem selling out their family when they're going through a hard time for a few measly yen?" A brief flicker of hurt appeared in her eyes but disappeared so quickly that Ranma(C) couldn't have been certain it was there. Nabiki continued, "I can hardly blame you as I can see where you are coming from. But I suggest that in the future you get your facts straight before getting into any confrontations. I know this from experience." Nabiki turned to go but paused in mid-step. She said in a perfectly cool and level voice, "One more thing, Saotome. You don't have to worry about any wrathful retributions from me. Like I said, I'm in a good mood and besides, it was an honest mistake. Anyone would have done the same." With that, she dragged a confused Kuno off with her as Ranma(C) stared after her, a feeling of guilt weighing her down. It had been an honest mistake but Nabiki was right that she should have gotten her facts straight first. She didn't exactly handle the situation with tactfulness and subtlety. What had caused her to blow up like that? The answer came to her like a bolt of lightning. She had never cared before because the pictures had never really been of her, no *his* body. It was just the curse and like she claimed so many times, she had no feminine modesty. Seeing how the pictures were never truly indecent, how the money helped keep the dojo afloat, and the fact that only Kuno was stupid enough to risk buying those photos (Ranma made darn sure of that!), Ranma never really tried his best to get Nabiki to stop. But now it was different. It didn't excuse what she did to Nabiki though. That thought sent her crashing back to reality as she was forced to deal with that statement. Ranma(C) ran over what just happened a few minutes ago in her mind. Wait a minute! Family? Nabiki actually considered her family? The most surprising thing about that was it indicated that Nabiki actually cared about her feelings. After all the times she had been exploited, it was understandable that this would come as a shock. But now that she thought about it, Nabiki didn't treat him all that differently from the rest of the family, Kasumi excepted, of course. If Nabiki had really disliked her, she would have made it quite plain long ago. In fact, now that she thought about it, she even got the family discount! The lone martial artist just stared for a moment as she tried to comprehend the fact that Nabiki liked her by exploiting her instead of just treating her with complete indifference. Then she came back to earth and smacked herself on the forehead. "Why in the world did I do that?!" She had done the one thing that made her no better than all the rivals, fiancees, and acquaintances she had: She had jumped to a *conclusion* without all the facts. The fact that she had done it so easily made her all the more depressed. Sure Nabiki had the whole Ice Queen image going around but that was no excuse. Ranma(C) knew better than anyone that a person was more than what their supposed reputation made them out to be. She should have remembered that. Nabiki wasn't that bad most of the time. She was actually an interesting person to hang around until money entered the picture and then all bets were off. But her cool demeanor sometimes got Ranma(C) to forget that she had feelings too. Sure, Nabiki singled him out a lot and almost never considered his feelings but that was just who she was. To her, it was strictly business. That didn't make the things she did right but it did put things in perspective. "So much for my new start," Ranma(C) muttered to herself. And here she thought that she was becoming a better person. Suddenly, before her eyes, an eruption of orange flame came out of the Home Ec room on the third floor. "AKANE!"