<funvince@hotmail.com>
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/ranmanexus/ranmaweb/splits.html

This series take place after the events depicted in volume 38 
of the Ranma manga but also draws ideas from the anime.
Or was it the other way around?  I keep contradicting 
myself on this issue for some reason!

The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the creation of
the talented Rumiko Takahashi and are owned by her and
Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz Communications.

I am using them for *sob* NON-PROFIT!  So please don't 
punish this poor excuse for a writer. :)

The characters that are not a part of Ranma 1/2 canon were
created or adapted by the twisted mind of Vincent Nguyen.  

***********************************************

THE SPLITTING:  A RANMA 1/2 FANFICTION

CHAPTER VII:  INNER REFLECTIONS  

By Vincent Nguyen

***********************************************

-Chapter 7-

     Solidifying out of the air were the shapes of a man and a 
woman.  Normally, this would have been an extremely curious 
sight for anyone watching but since time had been halted no 
one took any notice.

     The woman appeared first, clad in a simple white cotton 
dress.  She was tall, taller than most women Japanese or 
otherwise, extremely beautiful, and her posture was straight 
showing an immense inner strength.  There was a proud look in 
her almost black eyes that softened when she saw the body 
and took on the light of extraordinary kindness.  She turned to 
her companion with a thoughtful expression on her face. 

     The man who had appeared was exceptionally handsome 
with dark eyes and brown hair.  His face was marked with smile 
lines but his current expression showed that laughter was the 
farthest thing from his mind.  His brooding eyes were downcast 
and his posture was slumped as if a huge weight was pulling 
him down toward the earth.

     The pair took the opportunity to take in the frozen scene 
before them.  The crowd of men, women, and children who had 
been talking, crying, or just plain moving were now statues, 
locked in the position they had been in a few minutes ago.  The 
movement of the wind, the clouds, and everything else within a 
ten-mile radius had been put on hold at the whim of beings that 
were outside the normal sphere of nature.

     The woman who reluctantly went by the name of Cindy 
noticed that the taller man wore a stiff black suit such as one 
might have worn to a funeral.  She said gently, "Why are you 
dressed like that, Ned?  He's not dead yet."

     Ned replied solemnly, "At the moment, he is clinically dead. 
The next few moments will determine whether he stays that way."

     "Why don't you just save him Ned?  Discreetly of course.  
It's within our power to reverse death as long as the soul still 
resides in the body."

     Ned smiled sadly.  "It may be within our power but we no 
longer have the authority to do so.  It wouldn't be right."

     "What are you talking about?  We have the authorization to 
do anything *necessary* to help Saotome.  We *need* him.  
If you won't help him I will!" Cindy took a step toward the boy.

     "No!  We can not interfere!" Ned's eyes held an intense gaze.
"In my way, I am helping him.  By leaving his fate in his own 
hands for once.  If he has the strength of will and desire to live 
then he will.  Only he has the right to make that decision.  If I 
saved him you would still insist on using him wouldn't you?"

     The woman hesitated as conflicting emotions ran through 
her.  Finally, she replied, "I'm sorry but you know that there is 
no other option.  And not to sound cruel, but if he dies here, we 
would simply use the other Ranma.  Why not just save this one?" 

     Ned said forcefully, "But we are talking about *this* Ranma 
right now.  We are not talking about future what ifs, we are 
talking about the present.  For once in his life he deserves a 
choice.  He may choose to accept an honorable warrior's death.  
This is a relatively more peaceful and less painful death than 
what may happen to him if he goes on with what we have in 
mind, especially if we force him.

     "He was forced to kill again for the second time at such a 
young age.  If he can't handle it now he won't be able to do 
what's necessary in the future.  Personally, I would hate to see 
someone with such potential be reduced to a killing machine."

     "I don't understand why he showed such remorse over 
killing a demon.  Despicable creatures," Cindy said disgusted.

     Ned looked sharply at her.  "Demons, gods, and humans 
have more in common than one might think."

     "Stop treating me like I'm the enemy," Cindy snapped.  "I 
love these kids just as much as you maybe even more but that 
doesn't change the fact that they are needed."

     "Thus you prove my point," Ned said shaking his head sadly. 
He pointed down at the ground.  "You say the demon is evil.  
Because it's from Hell and demons are obviously evil?"

     "It just tried to kill that boy there!" Cindy protested.

     "But you know very well why it did it.  Not everything is 
black and white, Cynthia.  This agent has taken only those who 
deserved to die for their actions.  That was its function and the 
function of Hell is to take those who are too weak to rise from 
their depravity.  Hell gives out swords for people like Hitler and 
Genghis Khan to use but those swords are always double-edged.
Hell only supplies the rope that its users would use to kill but 
at the same time hang themselves with."

     "Without Hell, there would be no temptation and thus no 
evil committed," Cindy replied, giving him an even look and 
not allowing any trace of emotion to show on her face.  

     Ned gave her an exasperated look at her baiting him.  "Don't 
insult my intelligence.  You know as well as I that what would 
happen is that the evil that is generated by the human soul 
would go unchecked and vast amounts of unqualified souls
would make it to Heaven.  I agree with you that the methods 
used are distasteful but there must be balance!  If you must 
blame someone, blame humanity for causing this whole mess 
in the first place."

     "I didn't say that they weren't necessary.  I merely wondered 
why anyone would mourn getting rid of such a menace."

     "Killing is killing no matter who is at the receiving end.  
But this is not the time for a debate for the ramifications on the 
nature of good and evil!"

     Cindy looked like she wanted to explode but then abruptly, 
she went calm as something occurred to her.  "This is really 
affecting you, isn't it?  If they mean so much to you then why 
did you insist they be the ones?  Especially Ranma?  Why him? 
He's a wild card.  His lifestyle is too wild and chaotic."

     Ned sighed heavily looking down at the dying teen.  He said, 
"Do you really have to ask?  It's because of who and what he
is, a Nexus.  That's why his life is so out of the ordinary.  That's 
part of the reason why it has to be him. Out of all the humans 
who have ever lived throughout history only a select few can 
be what you call extraordinary.  

     "He has the most potential.  There may be others more powerful 
and skilled but they are too rigid in their thinking and too sure 
of themselves.  They do not possess the experience that Ranma 
has dealing with what is beyond the norm.  Also, Ranma is not 
as arrogant as many believe.  He knows his limitations and 
strives to overcome them.  There are other reasons, but why it 
needs to be Saotome is immaterial at the moment.  But it 
*needs* to be him and that's why I sold him out."

     A worried expression flashed across Cindy's face then 
quickly vanished.  "Don't put so much pressure on yourself 
Ned.  No one is truly irreplaceable.  That's why we have other 
groups searching the rest of the planet.  It may not be 
necessary to use him after all.  Besides, I'm not sure that Ranma 
really has the right mindset for this.  He thinks he defeated a 
god or at least a demi-god.  The last thing we need is for the 
boy to get a swelled head and get himself killed."

     Ned jabbed a finger at the field and said, "Does that look like 
the actions of an arrogant, overconfident mortal?  No!  He 
knows that Saffron wasn't even at his full power as the Phoenix.
Believe me, Ranma knows how close to death he came.  That 
knowledge has helped make him a better fighter.  His most 
recent fight not only proved that but cemented what he already 
knows.  That he is not invincible."

     He turned to face Cindy more directly.  "Our job is never 
done, is it?  Why must we keep involving the very people we're 
trying to protect?"

     "You know why," Cindy said.  "We are powerful but we 
were created with too many limits and no real room for growth.  
Our weaknesses are too well documented and we are unsuited 
for these types of battles.  Only extraordinary human beings 
can do this task.  There's always going to be a need for heroes."

     "I agree," a voice behind them said.

     Ned and Cindy turned around and then looked down to see 
a diminutive old woman balancing herself on a staff.  An 
instantaneous transmission past between the two entities at 
this point.  Cindy demanded to know how and why this old 
woman was talking to them and Ned reassuring her it was all 
right.  A second later, Cindy stepped back allowing Ned control 
of the conversation.

     A delighted expression flashed over Ned's face.  "Is that you 
Khu Lon?  I haven't seen you in a good 150 years!"

     "As youthful as always I see," Cologne said chuckling.  
"How are you Prometheus?"

     Several emotions flickered across his face.  Then Ned 
grimaced and said in a warning tone, "I go by Ned now."

     Cologne looked puzzled for a moment than comprehension 
lit up her face.  "My apologies... Ned.  I don't like to judge but 
that name is rather plain compared to some of your earlier 
pseudonyms.  Too gaijin for one thing."

     "It's actually an acronym.  Wait until you find out what it 
stands for," Ned said then promptly told her.  "It's N.E.D. as in 
Norse, Egyptian, and Greek Deities.  It's the name of the council 
I was placed in charge of."

     Cologne frowned in thought.  "My English is a little rusty 
but I thought there wasn't a 'G' in Ned."

     "There isn't but there doesn't need to be," Ned explained. 
"G stands for Greek and I'm Greek.  That should cover that part."

     Cindy rolled her eyes.  "That was stupid the first time you 
explained it to me and it's stupid now." In an aside to Cologne, 
she stage whispered, "Personally, I think he severely 
overestimated his knowledge of the English language."

     Cologne chuckled.  "It figures that he would do something 
like that."  Then she grew serious.  "I suspected the influence 
of your kind.  There have been so many odd occurrences, 
odder than usual anyway.  This separation can't be attributed 
to any person I know of who hasn't shown up in all this time.  
Happosai was obviously a pawn in some bigger schemer's plan. 
How much are you responsible for?"

     "Not as much as you think," Ned replied.  "I provided a 
catalyst but didn't directly interfere.  I've learned my lessons."

     "Yes, you just work from the shadows now," Cologne said 
drolly.

     "It's safer and the point is not to be controlling.  Picture a 
dam, Khu Lon, that has been steadily filling up with water over 
a long period of time.  The pressure is constantly building up 
and no matter how strong a barrier is, it will burst and spill forth.
The dam was already set to burst; I just added a nudge."

     "In other words, you added the straw that broke the camel's 
back.  Do you mean to say that other than that you had nothing 
to do with Ranma's recent behavior?  Either of them?"

     Ned paused just a little longer than necessary.  "That 
depends on what you mean.  I set events in motion and I do 
expect certain results but all I do I is speed up the natural 
process and cut out the excess violence.  It gets tiresome after
a while, don't you agree?

     "Incidentally, Khu Lon, how would you know that either 
Ranma is deviating from their normal states unless you were 
somehow keeping track of them?" Ned asked.  "Come on, you 
can tell me.  From one master manipulator to another."

     Cologne stared at his innocent expression and shook her 
head.  "Out of all the gods I had to meet in my youth it had to 
be you." 

     Ned said to Cindy, "Don't mind her.  Khu Lon has rather lofty 
images for our kind and she was disappointed when I shattered 
her expectations.  I explained that we were gods, not Gods..."

     "Meaning that you're just as petty and selfish as us mortals 
but you have the power to destroy the world if you so desired,"
Cologne said cutting in.

     "More or less," Ned replied shrugging.  "It depends on your 
rank."

     Cindy said, "If its helps, I know how you feel.  I've been 
stuck with him longer than you can imagine."

     "Seriously, Ranma defeated a *god*, Cologne.  Even if 
Saffron wasn't particularly strong as gods go, this sort of thing 
hasn't been done by anyone in an extremely long time.  Don't 
you think that a council of entities like us wouldn't have 
noticed?"  Ned asked.

     "But why hasn't all this been organized by the Japanese or 
even the Chinese deities?" Cologne asked.

     Ned squirmed uncomfortably.  "I'm afraid that many of them 
are rather busy at the moment.  But they are involved.  This is 
more of a global effort than ever before and many differences 
have been cast aside.  Divisions have broken down.  My group 
has been granted full access into Japanese territory in order to
help with the threat."

     "Then it's true a menace is coming," Cologne said diving 
into the heart of the matter.

     "You have no idea how bad it is," Ned said.

     "Give me an example of how bad things really are so I can 
judge for myself," Cologne said staring at him skeptically.  
"Your kind tends to overreact to situations that turn out to be 
not that threatening after all."
   
     Ned's face began to turn red.  His relaxed demeanor began to 
crumble.  He said tightly, "You want to know how bad things 
are?  Try this on for a size.  Hell has been take over.  Satan, 
Lucifer, Old Scotch, whatever you call him has been dethroned. 
The only thing keeping the Gates of Hell from unleashing 
unimaginable horrors onto this plane of existence are all the 
major gods straining to keep the dimensional barriers from 
falling.  And you want to know the worst part?"  

     Ned lowered his face so he could look directly into the 
diminutive woman's eyes.  "You're going to love this!  Hell's 
attempt to breach the barriers is only a diversionary tactic to 
draw off the main forces!  The true menace has yet to manifest 
and when it does all that will stand before it is our band of 
inferior, misfit gods and whatever humans we managed to 
swing to our side.  Is that enough of a threat for you, Khu Lon?"

     There was silence from the ancient matriarch.  Her 
expression hadn't changed an iota and it seemed like she 
wasn't going to reply at all.  Finally, out in a choked whisper, 
she murmured quietly, "Oh my."

     That seemed the best way to sum up the situation. 


     Ranma(C) gritted her teeth and put her glowing hands to 
Ranma's chest.  Saying a brief prayer she released the energy 
into him.  Ranma went into convulsions but Ranma(C) grimly 
continued as she had no other choice.  Akane tried to hold 
back her sobbing as nothing happened.  Ranma now had a 
glow around him but it was dim and fading.

     More energy was poured into him as Ranma(C) said angrily,
"Don't give up on me now!  Wake up!  I can't believe you!  You 
didn't get this far and survived this long only to die from this!  
Come on!" 

     There was still no response.

     Ranma(C), her hands still glowing with ki, grabbed the lapels 
of Ranma's Chinese shirt and shook him around.  She pulled 
him in and said in a strained voice, "Come on, man.  You're 
stronger than this.  I wouldn't give up.  Why should you?"  

     A hand wrapped around Ranma(C)'s arm.  Akane gently 
pulled Ranma's body out of Ranma(C)'s grip and lowered him 
to the ground.  She knelt down by his side and grabbed his 
hand.  Gazing at his face, she tried to quell the turmoil that was 
rumbling around inside her when she fully saw the damages 
Ranma had taken.  She searched for even a spark of life to 
animate those lifeless eyes staring back at her.

     "Please, Ranma."

     An increasing number of people were leaving.  Those unable 
to watch this scene were silently drifting away with their heads 
bowed and their shoulders slumped.  But then Akane's plead hit 
them, carried out by the wind.  They paused and they decided 
to wait.  It was the least that could be done.

     Sweat was dripping off Ranma(C)'s forehead as she tried to 
summon her ki to her aid.  She was still weak and her body's 
stores were still not as replenished as she would have liked.  
But it would have to be enough.  She placed her hands on her 
counterpart's chest and muttered, "This is for all the marbles."

     Ranma(C) shot a look to Akane and Ukyou, a look that 
clearly said to back off.  Ukyou stopped with her ministrations 
and sat back on her haunches with a worried look in her brown 
eyes.  Akane wordlessly released Ranma's hand.

     Tensing her body then instantly relaxing it, she released the 
almost crackling blue energy.  Ranma's body once more shook.  
Ranma(C) sent another wave into him then another, each one 
stronger than the last.  Her eyes were now glowing as arcs of 
current traveled up and down Ranma's body.  Then quite 
suddenly, she stopped.  The aura around her faded and she fell 
back onto the grass.  

     "That's all I can do," Ranma(C) muttered closing her eyes.  
"It's up to him now." 

     As if in response, a wheezing sound erupted from Ranma's 
mouth.  Ukyou instantly checked for a heartbeat. A faint stutter 
had started inside and slowly but surely, it was growing 
stronger.  Ukyou cried, "We have a pulse!" 

     Ignoring the cheering that was now occurring from the 
students of Furinkan High, Ranma(C) forced herself into a 
sitting position to see this with her own eyes.  Ranma was now 
glowing the same shade of blue as his counterpart and his 
natural color had returned to his face.  

     Ranma(C) gave a great sigh of relief and was about to take a 
nap when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  It was Akane.  The 
girl was staring at her, her eyes filled with some unidentifiable 
emotion.  She whispered, "Thank you, Ranma."

     "It was nothing," Ranma(C) tried to say but Akane shushed 
her before she could get the words out fully.

     "No, it was everything," Akane said.  She looked like she 
wanted to say more but then her eyes fluttered and she swayed 
a little on her feet.  "I feel tired."

     Ranma(C) smiled then said, "I know the feeling.  Big events 
can do that to you."

     Akane didn't seem like she heard her anymore.  She slowly 
reached down and took hold of Ranma's hand.  Ranma(C) didn't 
comment; she couldn't have even if she wanted to.  Ranma(C) 
watched in fascination as Akane leaned down over Ranma's 
body and promptly fell over on her side into the grass.

     Waves of emotion bombarded the remaining girl's mind.  
There was one feeling that she refused to recognize as jealousy 
and another of... disappointment?  But overriding all of them 
was concern.  Ranma(C) quickly determined Akane's state of 
being and sighed in relief.  Apparently, the Tendo girl had 
finally succumbed to her injuries at that... moment.  Once again 
Ranma(C) knew without a doubt that someone up there had it in 
for him, uh, her.

     The sound of sirens cut through her introspection and the 
clamor of the swelling celebration.  The noise cut out 
immediately.  At least a couple dozen students ran out to meet 
the arriving ambulances while others ran out to the gym where 
those injured by the destruction done to the school were 
currently housed.

     "It's about time they got here," Ranma(C) said angrily as she 
tried to stand up.  Nabiki who was watching her rolled her eyes. 
"Haven't we already been through this?  Either you stay down 
this time or I'll get Cologne to *treat* you again."

     "Where is Cologne anyway?" Ranma(C) asked turning her 
head left and right.  "I could have sworn she was just right
here a few minutes ago."

      Nabiki was nonplussed at this observation and she too 
quickly glanced around.  Before she could attempt to offer an 
explanation, a nondescript boy with shady brown hair 
interrupted her.  It was Hiroshi.  He was looking a bit paler than 
usual and was breathing heavily.  He tried to speak through his 
hyperventilating but called up a coughing fit instead.  Nabiki 
signaled him to try to catch his breath then turned to Ranma(C).

     "One of my informants," Nabiki informed Ranma(C).  

     "Hiroshi's one of your informants!" Ranma(C) yelled, 
disbelief and astonishment warring for control of her face.

     "Well, he's not qualified enough to be part of my regular 
staff but he's useful enough for me to erase part of his 
constantly accumulating debt whenever we get together,"
Nabiki explained.  "Besides, where did you think I got so much 
of my info on you from?"

     Leaving a sputtering redhead behind them, a smirking future 
CEO and her extremely nervous subordinate walked a little bit 
away from the crowd.  Hiroshi gave a fearful glance back at
Ranma(C) then said, "Nabiki, did you really have tell him like 
that?  I don't want him to get the wrong impression of me.  I 
mean, I never told you anything you wouldn't have eventually 
found out anyway."

     Nabiki patted him gently on the arm.  "But you should see 
the look on her face!  I couldn't pass an opportunity like that by.
Don't worry about it, 'Roshi.  I'll explain everything to her later.  
Didn't you have something you needed to tell me?"

     "That's right!" Hiroshi said excitedly.  "The paramedics can't 
get through!  There's some strange guy walking around 
keeping them from entering through the gate!"

     There was a look of interest and apprehension on Nabiki's 
face as she asked, "Did he have a weapon?  Was he holding 
someone hostage?"

     "No, he didn't have anything.  It's really weird.  Whenever 
one of the medics try to get past him, this guy just stares at 
them and they back off.  I don't understand it."

     Nabiki gave him a skeptical look and asked, "Are you telling 
me that one unarmed man is keeping a team of trained 
professionals at bay by looking at them funny?"

     Hiroshi floundered for an answer.  "I know it sounds stupid 
but that's what's happening!"

     "I have to see this for myself," Nabiki muttered as she 
started running toward the gates of the school.  Turning her 
head back, she yelled, "Good job, Hiroshi.  Oh, since you're up 
get the rest of the gang together.  I'm going to need a 
preliminary report by tomorrow morning on how bad this 
monster attack is going to affect business."

     Nabiki watched as the boy nodded then quickly ran off in 
the other direction and smiled.  It was good to feel like she was
in control again.  

     In front of the gates stood a tall, extremely pale gentleman.  
Gentleman was the appropriate word for though he was dressed 
in a simple black shirt and pants, he still carried himself with a 
strong air of dignity.  He looked foreign and Nabiki couldn't 
place his exact origins but his strong cheekbones and 
prominent nose suggested Western European.

     She couldn't make out what he was saying to all the people 
who had arrived in ambulances, police cars, and the like but 
whatever it was it seemed to be very compelling because not a 
single uniformed man or woman was moving.  They seemed to 
be in some kind of trance as their eyes were glazed over and 
they weren't reacting to any of the cries the students behind 
the fence were yelling.

     Nabiki grew angry.  She didn't need this crap!  This guy 
obviously had some sort of hypnotic power and he could even 
be dangerous but she didn't really care.  There was an 
overwhelming need within her to take charge of a situation, any 
situation, like she always did and show that she was in control.

     The girl marched up to the older man and yelled, "Hey
buster!  I don't know who you think you are but there are 
injured people in there!  I'm not in a particularly good mood 
right now and I don't need this aggravation.  If you don't step 
aside right now, I'm sure I can convince some of the resident 
martial artists to... to..."

     The man turned his head and stared directly into Nabiki's 
eyes.  A primitive instinct immediately sent a red flag through
Nabiki's mind and she involuntarily retreated back a few steps.  
She was barely able to suppress the urge to shiver as she 
forced herself to meet him eye-to-eye.

     The eyes staring back at her were as empty as a void.  They 
were dead, no more alive than the lifeless eyes Ranma had 
possessed just scant moments before.  The stranger regarded 
her and he smiled pleasantly; but his eyes were still cold, still 
empty, giving a ring of falsity to the expression.  There was 
nothing pleasant about the smile.  It was a smile that a predator 
gave to its prey.  Nabiki tore her eyes away.

     If the man noticed, he didn't give a sign.  He said, "A 
pleasure to meet you, Nabiki Tendo.  I've been expecting you.  
It is rather an honor for me to meet someone of your abilities." 
He smiled again.

     The brunette sought to restore her bearings and compose 
herself.  Even so, she avoided looking him in the eye though 
that went against all the principles she held.  She said levelly, 
"You have the advantage of me, sir.  You evidently know my 
name but I'm afraid I can't reciprocate in kind, Mister..."

     "You may call me Virgil," the man's smile widened further 
revealing the presence of some extremely sharp looking canines.

     Nabiki's eyes widened but she struggled to stay calm.  She 
said casually, "Nice fangs you got there, Virgil.  You wouldn't 
happen to be related to a Ryouga Hibiki would you?"

     The man gave a deep sounding laugh that sent chills down 
her spine.  "I see that your reputation has not been exaggerated, 
Miss Tendo.  Not many would have your courage and wit after 
the horrifying experience you had just gone through."

     "What is it you want?" Nabiki asked resisting the urge to 
clench her teeth.

     "Merely to talk, my dear," Virgil said as he took a few steps 
closer toward Nabiki.  She stared at him defiantly refusing to 
give any more ground.  He stepped past her as if that was his 
intention all long, forcing her to turn around to see him.  He 
clasped his hands behind his back then said, "I am an 
investigator of sorts.  It has come to my attention that a -what's 
the word?- a supernatural agency of some kind had just visited 
these grounds.  Would either of the Ranma Saotomes be 
available for some questioning at this time?"

     Nabiki kept her face controlled as she thought quickly.  Then
she replied, "I'm afraid that neither of them are in any condition to 
face you or anyone else for that matter.  But if you would like to 
make an attempt go ahead." She smiled sweetly.

     Virgil took a glance at the deep scruff line the gates had long 
since sunk into the ground.  He raised his right foot toward the
line as if he was about to cross it but then he put his foot down 
back where it was.  He said, "That's perfectly all right.  A pity 
they're not feeling well.  But I suddenly find myself more 
interested in conversing with you."

     "I'm flattered," Nabiki said anything but so.  The gentleman 
put a chalky hand into his pocket and withdrew a small, 
rectangular piece of cardboard.  "My card."  

     After taking the card from his long, slender hand with her 
fingertips, Nabiki raised an eyebrow as she read the card.  
"Tokyo Paranormal Agency?"

     "It is a strange name, I grant you.  If you ever want to talk, 
my address and phone number is printed on the back." He 
turned and started to walk away but he paused.  "I find it very 
interesting that your principal lives on school grounds.  But 
then you already knew that didn't you?  You're a clever girl, 
Nabiki Tendo.  But all your cleverness can't prevent you from 
being intrigued by me.  Ultimately, you and I both know that we 
will meet again.  Your curiosity will allow nothing else.  This is 
only the beginning."

     He shot her a penetrating look and gave what only could have
been called a leer.  "I look forward to seeing more of you."

     As she watched him walk away into the mist, Nabiki clenched 
her fist crumbling the card in her hand.  Damn that bastard but 
he was right.  This wasn't over.


     "This is an interesting development," Cologne said as she 
watched these events unfold from her position.  It was also 
fascinating that she was in plain sight of everyone yet no one 
was aware she was there.  This wasn't like some invisibility 
technique.  It was more accurate to say that she was like a ghost.

     "I guess he chose to live," Ned said softly as he watched the 
ambulances pulled away.

     Cologne regarded him curiously.  "Was there ever any doubt?"

     "Not really.  It wouldn't be like him to give up," Ned replied.  
His expression was unreadable.

     "I don't want to offend," Cologne said carefully, "but wasn't 
one of the reasons you are on Earth to prevent the outbreak of 
demon attacks on the human population?"

     Ned nodded slowly as Cologne continued, "I was just 
wondering how hard it would be for a god of your current rank 
to banish a minor demon?"

     "Even with my current reduced power not that difficult," Ned
replied uneasily, not meeting Cologne's eyes.

     "Please do not tell me that you allowed that creature to attack 
this school," Cologne said harshly with her eyes narrowed.  "Do
not tell me that you stood by and did nothing when you had the 
power to prevent all of this."

     "Gods and demons," Ned said under his breath to himself.  
He raised his head to face Cologne directly.  He asked gently, 
"What is it you want me to say, Khu Lon?"

     Cologne saw the anguish hidden in his eyes and she faltered 
but then she steeled herself.  She said evenly, "I understand 
how it's necessary to use people sometimes.  I've done it in the 
past when I had no other choice.  Sometimes in this world the 
ends do justify the means.  But then you have to ask yourself 
when the dust has settled was that your only option?"

     She had never felt so tired.  Old memories she thought had 
long since been buried were bubbling to the surface.  She said 
not bothering to hide the weariness in her voice, "So tell me, Ned,
why this was necessary.  I have never approved of gods using 
humans to do their ugly work when they could do it themselves 
with a simple snap of the fingers."

     "This isn't like that, Khu Lon," the god said quietly.

     "Then what is it like?" Cologne challenged.

     Ned sighed.  "It would be better to show you.  Cindy, would 
you mind giving her the tour?"

     "Of course not," Cindy replied with surprising tenderness.  
Ned turned and walked away, becoming more translucent with 
each step he took until he disappeared entirely.

     The two females evaluated each other.  Finally Cologne said,
"I didn't mean to upset him like that.  I didn't think he would take 
it so hard.  I just needed to know."

     "I understand," Cindy replied.  "But you're not seeing the 
whole picture.  It really isn't what you think, you have to believe that.
I would probably react the same way in your position but you have to 
understand that this is killing him.  He's under a lot of stress right now.  
I have never seen Ned so serious.  He's usually such a big joker."

     "I know," Cologne said.  

     There was another awkward silence until Cindy said lightly, 
"So his real name is Prometheus, huh?  Or at least that was the 
name he used to be known as by the mortals.  I didn't know he 
was from that pantheon.  I wonder why he never said anything."

     "It's a sore subject with him as far as I can tell.  I found out 
his real identity quite by accident and he asked me never to 
refer to him by it.  I had momentarily forgotten and I wish I 
hadn't.  He told me that as an immortal, one tended to build up a 
reputation over time and he did not like being prejudged 
beforehand by strangers."

     Cologne paused then continued in an amused tone, "He 
never did tell me the real reason he disliked that identity and I 
knew better than to pry." Her tone changed again.  "I had hoped 
he had gotten over it whatever it was."

     Cindy didn't reply.  What was there to say?  Instead, she silently 
slashed her hand through the air and drew a circle.  The enclosed 
area of space vanished revealing splashes of color, which Cindy 
briefly blocked the view of as she stepped through it.  

     The implication was obvious.  Cologne gazed at this 
spectacle with some trepidation.  It was as though a hole had 
been sliced through the fabric of reality itself.  There was a 
chaotic mess of color mixing and swirling throughout this 
artificial tunnel.  But underneath this seeming randomness was 
an underlying order which was really quite beautiful to behold.

     The patterns were memorizing.  She had never seen anything 
like this despite her many years.  And she experienced the 
sensation of wonder, at seeing something she had never 
encountered.  At her age, surprises were truly something to be 
treasured.  Ranma Saotome had been one of those surprises, one 
of the first she had experienced in a very long time.  Life had 
truly gotten interesting over the past year.

     Cologne found her voice and said to herself, "Well, there are 
worse ways to go.  I've had a good life." She resolutely stepped 
through the gateway to destinations unknown.


     The hospital was quiet at this time of night for the most part.  
The lights had been dimmed, the patients were now sleeping, 
and the remainder of the normally large staff of nurses were 
kicking back and flipping through their magazines.  The various 
clickings and beepings of hospital machinery filtered through 
the empty halls as usual and no one took notice of it.  No one, 
except for the one woman who was not supposed to be there 
after visiting hours in the first place.

     Miss Ninomiya Hinako took comfort in the constant 
humming that pervaded the air around her.  These sounds were 
familiar to her and they were oddly soothing.  She had spent a 
great deal of her childhood in hospitals so she did not feel the 
fear that many others did when they entered one of them.  But 
while she had long since gotten used to the stark, utilitarian 
surroundings that all hospitals seem to hold, the suffering that 
went on daily in establishments like this was something she 
could never ignore.

     It had been some time since she had stepped foot in a 
hospital and it had taken a third of the school's population being 
hospitalized for her to do so.  Most of them had not even been 
injured by stray fireballs or by being crushed by collapsing walls 
but had hurt themselves and others in their panicked attempts to 
escape.  The teacher shook her head sorrowfully.  Even the 
martial artists never damaged themselves to the point that they 
had to seek help from anyplace other than Doctor Tofu's clinic.

     As she finally stopped in the room containing Nerima's most 
infamous pair, she wondered why she was here at all.  She should 
have been at home grading papers but instead she had snuck into 
the hospital, quickly neutralized any guards she couldn't easily 
get past, and room by room methodically made her way to 
Intensive Care where she currently was.  

     She took in the forms of Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo.  
Their families had grouped them together in the same room and 
Hinako wonder briefly what their reaction would be when they 
woke up.  These two were quite possibly her favorite students.  

     Yes, they were delinquents but in her many years as a 
disciplinarian, she found that delinquents were some of the most 
interesting and *real* people she knew.  Most of them were no 
better than barbarians and bullies, but there were a rare few who 
possessed greater qualities and weren't afraid to be different. 

     Ranma Saotome was one of those individuals.  She had never 
met another person who had such a talent for generating chaos.  
He made her seem almost normal by comparison.  Ranma had 
almost no eccentric qualities himself outside of his curse but he 
somehow attracted the strangest oddities.  In a sense he was like 
Akane who somehow despite her best efforts wound up in the 
center of weirdness.  Even before Ranma arrived, she wasn't 
your typical teenage girl, or so Hinako had heard.

     The chaos that happened to them wasn't really their fault most 
of the time but they caused enough of their own problems that 
she did have to punish them from time to time.  It wouldn't be 
fair to the other students if she let them slide after all.  But she 
also helped them in her own way.  Crushing Ranma when he got 
too arrogant for his own good or zapping him awake so that she 
could force an education down his throat were some of those 
things.  She also encouraged Akane to join the Drama and Fashion 
Clubs to build up her self-esteem, which would work fine until 
Ranma, Kuno, Happosai, etc. would randomly insert themselves 
into the mix of things and put Hurricane Akane on the rampage.

     Hinako almost got a headache thinking about all this.  In so 
many ways, these two were like five year olds!  Best friends one 
minute, at each other's throats the next, then ten minutes later 
they'd completely forgotten what they were so angry about!  It 
also slightly worried her that most of the martial artists in the area 
had the emotional maturity of kindergartners.  Could there be a 
connection between their family lives and their exhibited 
behavior?  They were all the products of botched childhoods after 
all so it wasn't too unlikely.

     The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway interrupted 
her reverie.  The doorknob to the room began to turn and Hinako 
readied a coin.  A figure stepped in and the teacher was surprised.  
"Mrs. Saotome?" 

     Nodoka Saotome merely nodded in reply and gave a little 
smile.  "I see that I'm not the only one who couldn't sleep tonight. 
I just got back to town a few hours ago and I got a message on my 
answering machine saying something had happened to Ranma.  
When I stopped by the dojo, Nabiki told me what happened and I 
came here as soon as I could."

     "How did you get past the guards?" Hinako asked curiously.  
She had seen Ranma's mother around the dojo a few times when 
she had visited but she wasn't aware that this tranquil woman had 
any martial skills.

     "It wasn't very hard," Nodoka replied.  "Security is evidently 
very lax around here.  Most of the guards on this floor appeared to 
be sleeping on the job."

     Hinako hoped the darkness hid the flush on her face.  
Apparently her ki drains had lasted longer than she estimated.  She 
had been in a hurry after all.

     The two woman sat in silence for awhile and watched their 
charges sleep.  After some time had past, Nodoka turned to look 
at the woman next to her and was a little surprised that she hadn't 
reverted back to child form yet.  Hinako noticed this and said, 
"When I'm not doing an activity that requires a great deal of 
energy like I'm doing now, I can stretch out the ki I have longer.  
Was there something you wanted to talk about, Mrs. Saotome?"

     Nodoka hesitated a bit.  Then she said, "Miss Hinako, you 
have known my son for a very long time.  How would you 
describe Ranma?"

     "Ranma is... well, Ranma just *is*," Miss Hinako replied 
spreading her hands.  "He exists and things happen.  Oh yes, he is 
also loyal, honorable, and a good person but I don't think that is 
what you were asking."

     "I guess not," Nodoka said quietly and lost herself in her 
thoughts for a few minutes.  Then she roused herself and asked, 
"And academically, how is he doing?  Akane told me a little 
about my son's progress a while back.  It took me quite some 
time to pry the truth out of her!  I know that Ranma isn't exactly a 
model student but I wanted to know your thoughts on the matter."

     Hinako hesitated.  She never liked this aspect of her job.  She 
said carefully, "Ranma's a bright student... when he's awake 
anyway." Nodoka gave a small smile at that comment.  "Ranma 
has such untapped potential and I know if he really tried he could 
go far.  I am a little disappointed that he has been so uninterested 
in learning.  Oh, Mrs. Saotome, I'm so sorry to be telling you this.
It's an old speech used by teachers everywhere and I'm sure 
you've heard it before."

     "I've never heard it before," Nodoka said softly, her eyes 
downcast.  Hinako misunderstood the true nature of these words 
and she quickly said, "I am not saying that Ranma is a lost cause.  
Far from it!  Ranma has learned much in his time at Furinkan.  
It's just that much of his knowledge didn't exactly come from the 
teachers.  Mister Saotome's learning methods tend to be well... 
rather unorthodox."

     "How so?" Nodoka asked.
 
     Hinako thought the question over then replied, "It'd be easier 
to show you.  Have you seen Ranma's last report card?"

     "I'm afraid not," Nodoka replied a little embarrassed.  "Ranma 
told me that it was destroyed the time some bird people invaded 
the Tendo home and he hadn't had the chance to get a replacement."

     "I am so shocked," Hinako deadpanned.  Then she sighed.  
"And the scary part is that I believe him about the bird people.  It 
doesn't matter.  I always carry around records on my problem 
students." She pulled a manila folder out from behind her back.

     Nodoka blinked.  There were just some things that took longer 
to get used to than others.  She took the folder and shuffled 
through it.  Ranma's grades were decent, a little low for her tastes 
but not too bad.  She was more interested in the comments her 
son's teachers had scribbled in.

     "Most of these comments say that Ranma would be a much 
better student if he'd just stay awake," Nodoka said trying to keep 
a straight face.  "I may have to institute a bed time if this keeps up."

     Miss Hinako also smiled.  "I think the problem for Ranma is 
more of boredom than any real weariness.  He seems awake 
enough to me whenever one of his rivals or fiancees interrupt 
class.  Incidentally, afterwards is usually the time that we get to 
see Saotome's eyes actually paying attention."

     Nodoka skimmed down to the more specific comments and 
read aloud, 

LANGUAGE ARTS - 
Knows the English language reasonably well.  

     "The only reason he does is because he's afraid I'll suck him 
dry when he's sleeping," Hinako said.  "But I suppose I'm being a 
little unfair to him.  He does know how to speak Chinese very well."

     "Why?" Nodoka asked.

     Hinako furrowed her forehead in thought.  "It was something 
along the lines of  'to prevent my fool father from dragging me to 
another Jusenkyo.'   And then he started mumbling something 
about old ghouls and stupid Chinese magic."

     Nodoka decided not to comment.  She continued reading.

Knowledge of mythology is top notch.  He appears to be quite 
interested in the supernatural.

     Nodoka raised an eyebrow at the teacher.  "Know your enemy?"

     Hinako nodded.  "Exactly.  Ranma also has a deep knowledge 
of history at least as it pertains to wars, military tactics, et cetera."

     "Yes, his history teacher says here that Ranma would make a 
good Napoleon." Nodoka frowned.  "Wasn't Napoleon that short, 
funny-looking fellow?"

     "I believe he was referring more to Ranma's tactical abilities," 
Hinako said gently.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Ranma Saotome is the best athlete I have ever met.  He easily 
outpaces the other students in stamina, endurance, coordination, 
et cetera, et cetera.

     Nodoka quickly skimmed through the rest as she already knew 
that her son was the best when it came to the physical arena.

SCIENCE
Biology - Has expert knowledge of human anatomy but that is the 
extent of his participation in this subject.

Chemistry - Does very well in laboratory experiments.  Knows 
what constitutes good poisons and knows how to make makeshift 
antidotes.  Mr. Saotome claims that he gained this knowledge 
from spending so much time at Dr. Tofu's clinic after consuming 
Kodachi Kuno's potions or Akane Tendo's cooking.

     Miss Hinako tried to contain her snickering.

Physics - Knows this subject instinctively but is argumentative and 
has strange views on certain concepts.  Unfortunately, since his 
bizarre physical feats can not at this time be explained by 
contemporary physics, it is very hard to grade him when it comes 
to certain theories.

     "Such as the theory of gravity," Hinako said snorting.

     Nodoka read through the rest of the folder then sat back, 
emotionally exhausted.  She finally looked over at the woman next 
to her.  "Anything else you would like to add?"

     Hinako took a deep breath then said, "As far as I can tell, 
Ranma Saotome will learn almost anything as long as he is 
sufficiently motivated and knows that there will be some practical 
use for the knowledge he gains."  

     "He knows the material on everything we study and does well 
on tests but he simply refuses to do the work that goes with the 
curriculum.  I think it would be best if you had a talk with your 
son on this matter.  In all this chaos, he has managed to acquire an 
education of sorts but I don't know how much of a future he can 
have with such a limited one."

     Nodoka smiled sadly.  "I may be his mother but I am not too 
certain that he will listen to me."

     Hinako patted her hand and said, "I think you underestimate 
yourself.  I don't know the whole story between Ranma and you 
but you *are* his mother.  If you show your concern I think that 
would be enough for him."

     "Thank you," Nodoka said simply, too overcome to say 
anything more.  She didn't know why but talking to Hinako about 
Ranma, even if it was about something as trivial as grades, 
somehow made her feel so much better.  Her son would survive 
because that was the kind of person he was.  In the meantime, she 
had the chance to learn more about him.  She composed herself 
then said, "Please, can you tell me about my son?"

     "That, I will be more than happy to do," Hinako said smiling.


     Nodoka walked out of Ranma's room deep in thought.  There 
was really so much that she didn't know about her son.  She very 
much wanted to be a bigger part of his life but he was practically a 
man now and he didn't seem like he needed her help.  She had 
waited for so long for the day when she would meet her son but 
now that it came she had no plan for what was to happen after that.

     She heard a commotion and the sound of voices.

     "Miss, you can't go down there!"

     "Stupid guard man not stop Shampoo go see Airen!"

     "Shampoo, Ranma's in no condition to see you!"

     "Get out of Shampoo's way, spatula girl!"

     "If you girls would just calm down..."

     Nodoka turned the corner and saw the Chinese Amazon and 
the Japanese chef battling in the halls while the security guards 
pleaded in vain for them to stop.

     Kodachi Kuno was off to the side trying to talk her way past 
one of the guards.  "Sir, you must let me through.  I am Kodachi 
Kuno, belov - uh, friend of one of the patients, Ranma Saotome.  
It is urgent that I see him."

     The burly guard was unmoved.  "Sorry, lady but I can't allow 
any visitors in right now.  It's two o'clock in the morning!  Also, 
Mister Saotome is in a critical condition.  He can't take any of 
your... enthusiasm right now."

     Kodachi sniffed.  "Do not think to group me with these 
commoners.  The Kuno line is too dignified and refined for such 
antics."

     There was the sound of struggling further down the hall.  
"Unhand me you oaf!  Be aware that you are manhandling the 
great Tatewaki Kuno, the majestic Blue Thunder and protector of 
the beautiful flower Akane Tendo.  Now let me pass or feel the 
wrath of my trusty blade!"

     "I need to see the wahine that was hurt!  I also want to see 
that naughty Saotome boy too.  He needs a trim!"

     "Hey watch what you're doing with those shears!  My hair!  I 
need backup!  I got a wacko up here!"

     Kodachi put a hand to her face.  "And people say that I am 
crazy."

     A stray spatula flew past her face and Kodachi saw red.  She 
screamed, "You almost scarred the beauty of the radiant Black 
Rose!  You will pay!" Ripping off her dress to reveal the leotard 
underneath, she pulled out a razor-sharp ribbon and jumped into 
the fray. 

     At the same time that the three girls were brawling, Tatewaki 
Kuno was engaging in bokken to blackjack combat while 
Principal Kuno was dragged away, struggling and screaming, by 
half a dozen guards.

     Nodoka spoke up softly, "I don't think you should be doing 
that here."  The fight raged on.  Nodoka repeated her request in a 
louder voice but was still ignored.  She frowned.  Stronger 
measures were obviously needed.  She drew her katana and in one
incredibly quick motion executed a downward strike while yelling,
"ZANGEN SEN!"

     An immense gust of wind erupted from the tip of her sword
and flew down the hall at a harrying speed.  None of the individuals
that were fighting had any idea what hit them until it was too late.
In less than half a minute, the only person standing was Nodoka
Saotome.  The rest were in an unconscious heap down the hall.

     Nodoka patiently waited.  The Nerima Wrecking Crew woke
up quickly as they were made of sturdier stuff than the guards that 
had remained knocked out.  Once everyone was on their feet, they 
simply stared at the unassuming woman who had done this to them.

      Kuno, in particular, was the most shocked of them all.  That
technique was incredible!  He could create a similar effect using
air pressures but that required him to make hundreds of super-fast
strikes.  This woman had done it in only one!  And the power
required to even lift a person, much less a crowd, off their feet had
to be phenomenal.  Kuno lost himself trying to figure out the 
mechanics behind it all.

     Nodoka didn't wait for them to regain their senses.  "Now that 
I have your attention, I must ask you to be quiet.  There are patients 
on this floor that are trying to rest.  I understand your desire to see 
your friends but they're still hurt so I must ask you to come back later."

     The assembled group started to protest but then stopped.  
Nodoka Saotome could look startlingly like Kasumi at times 
making it very hard to refuse her.  The teenagers  began shuffling 
down the hall, carefully stepping over unconscious guards.  

     Suddenly, Nodoka called out, "Could I please speak to Mister 
Kuno and Miss Kuonji?"

     "You can call me Ukyou, Mrs. Saotome," Ukyou said 
flustered as she walked up to the woman.  

     "Nabiki told me everything that happened today," Nodoka said 
to her.  "I am so thankful that Ranma had someone like you 
around making sure that he was okay."

     "Nabiki told you I saved Ranma?" Ukyou asked startled.

     "Well, Nabiki also mentioned that a student she didn't know 
came out of the crowd and helped.  Since I don't know the name 
of that girl, I felt that I should at least acknowledge your help.  Is 
there anything I can do for you?" 

     Ukyou flushed.  This was completely unexpected.  She didn't 
know why Nabiki was hiding Ranma(C)'s existence but she felt it 
was best to play along until she knew better.  She said, "I didn't 
do this to get anything.  Ranma's my friend.  I saw he needed help 
and I knew CPR so I used it."

     "Nevertheless," Nodoka said.  "I will think of something for 
you.  You are one of Ranma's fiancees after all."

     Ukyou looked up really animated for the first time in a long 
time.  "Did Ranma tell you that?"

     "No, Akane did.  I must say that I am disappointed in my 
husband for allowing such a situation to occur."

     "Oh." Ukyou looked a little disappointed.  "Does Ranma ever 
mention me at all?"

     Nodoka tapped her index finger on her cheek in thought then 
she snapped her fingers.  She said, "He does talk about your 
cooking a lot, especially when Akane tries to make a meal."

     When the Saotome matriarch saw that the chef was not going 
to reply, she turned to Kuno and said, "I also must thank you for 
your part in making sure that Nabiki didn't do anything foolish.  I 
would have been most upset if something had happened to any 
one of Soun's daughters.  Nabiki also told me to thank you for her 
since she suspected that you would be here at the hospital at this 
time of night."

     Kuno was flabbergasted at the thought that Nabiki would 
thank him for something, even something as big as saving her life. 
He said weakly, "There is no need for thanks, Mrs. Saotome.  I 
did what any honorable warrior would have done.  But I am 
flattered that Nabiki Tendo would take the time to express 
gratitude for it is, no offense intended, quite unlike her.  In fact-"

     "Nabiki also said to tell you that she was going to raise your 
interest rates by fifty percent."

     Now this was more like her.  "Wha-"

     Nodoka rubbed her chin with an exaggerated motion then said, 
"Oh yes.  She said that she was going to raise your rates because 
of the way you subdued her. But then she changed her mind since 
you did practically save her life with your actions."

     "I am relieved to hear that-" Kuno began.

     "Therefore, she decided to raise them by only forty percent in 
light of your bravery."

     Kuno's eye twitched.  In a strangled voice, he said, "I am 
extremely... underwhelmed by her generosity."

     "Nabiki thought you might be," Nodoka said with a twinkle in 
her eye, "and that's why she decided to simply charge you the full 
fifty percent."

     As Kuno crashed to the floor in shock, Nodoka smiled to 
herself.  Nabiki was right, that was fun!  Yes, it was mean but it 
had been such a long time since she had enjoyed herself like that.  
Turning to leave, she heard the Kuno boy call her name.  She 
turned back and saw the teenager fumbling for words.  Quite 
uncharacteristic of him if the descriptions she heard were true.

     "Mrs. Saotome, when you're not busy would you mind 
teaching me that technique you used earlier?" Kuno asked trying 
to sound like he didn't really care but at the same time trying not 
to sound so indifferent that he would seem disinterested in 
actually learning.

     "Are you asking me to train you?" Nodoka asked amused.

     Kuno was surprised at the question but he considered it.  
Finally, he said, "Yes, if you would have me.  Not that there is 
anything wrong with my method of fighting, it's just that one can 
never learn enough." Also, it would be a perfect opportunity to 
get back at Ranma using techniques he learned from his mother, 
he said to himself.  In addition to learning a few new moves, this 
was a sound way to find out more about his enemy.

     Nodoka drew a pen and a card out of her kimono and 
scribbled something on it.  Handing it to Kuno, she said, "This is 
my address.  If you are still interested tomorrow, please come by.  
I would be honored to tutor a warrior like you.  You seem to be a 
manly boy from all the stories I have heard of you."

     Ukyou woke up out of her daze and snorted at this briefly 
before once again relapsing into her thoughts.  Kuno glared at her.

     After watching Nodoka Saotome leave, Kuno turned to also 
make his exit but then he saw Ukyou still standing in the hallway, 
looking forlorn.  Kuno walked over to her and coughed quietly to 
get her attention.  When she looked up, Kuno said gently, "Weep 
not for that knave Saotome, fair maiden.  He does not deserve 
your tears."

     Ukyou quickly wiped her face and replied, "Yeah, you would 
say that.  Everybody knows how much you hate Ranma."

     Kuno paused for a moment then finally he said, "I do not hate 
Ranma Saotome.  But I do dislike him severely.  He is arrogant, 
egotistical, and does not give respect to martial artists who have 
worked just as hard as him to get where they are or the females 
who would love him.  I can not understand how such a cretin can 
get things so easily without having to work for them."

     "You know the saying about the pot and kettle, Kuno?  You 
don't understand Ranma.  He had a hard life and that's why I 
should be his wife.  I'm the best out of all the fiancees.  Ranma 
deserves someone like me to take care of him and love him."

     Kuno regarded her.  "Perhaps.  But does he deserve to have 
your love?"

     Kuno turned around and walked regally down the hall while 
Ukyou stared at him openmouthed. 

      "Out of the mouths of idiots," Ukyou muttered as she went 
toward an elevator.  She had some thinking to do.


     BAM!  POW!  KABOOM!

     Sensei Ming Jutuo turned away from the mass of bruises lying 
in the bushes and back to her young student and said in an 
exasperated tone, "This is the fifth time this month your father 
has tried to steal you back."

     Chibi-Ranma Saotome looked at his teacher in awe.  "Wow!  
Pops never had this much trouble taking me back from a master 
that he leaves me with."

     "Does that mean I've proven to you that girls aren't necessarily 
weaker than boys?" 

     Ranma didn't know how to reply.  He didn't want to make his 
sensei mad and she had just beaten up his father so easily but still...

     "You don't have to answer, Ranma," Ming said cheerfully.  
"Someday you'll see for yourself that your father isn't always right." 
She took another look at the unconscious man a few feet from her.
"On second thought, you should consider taking that attitude 
now before it's too late."

     "How can you beat Pops like that all the time?" Ranma asked 
curiously.  "I mean, you're old!"

     The eighty something years old woman looked down at 
Ranma in shock before she burst out in laughter.  "You're quite 
the blunt one, aren't you?  In answer to your question, I want you 
to think about something.  Your father is not only many years 
younger than me but he is also much faster and stronger.  So why 
is it that I can consistently defeat him?"

     Knowing his father's attitudes, Ranma thought he had a good 
answer.  "He underestimates you?"

     "Hmm.  That may have been true that the first few times we 
clashed but even your father should have learned better by now.  
Even if he held back, he still should have been able to beat me 
quite easily yet he hasn't.  Try again."

     The boy wrinkled his forehead in intense thought and tried to 
remember exactly what happened every time his dad tried to take 
him back but then he finally admitted he didn't know.  

     "Your father is holding back more than you ever know," Ming 
said seriously.  "There is a fear in him, a fear that has 
contaminated his progress as a martial artist.  He will never go 
beyond his current level if he does not discover a way to quell his 
inner turmoil."

     "Huh?" Ranma asked intelligibly. 

     Ming sighed then said, "Never mind.  What I was trying to say 
was that in spite of being the head of the Saotome School of 
Anything Goes Martial Arts, your father is sadly predictable.  The 
style itself is wonderfully versatile but your father is rigid in his 
tactical thinking and in his methods of attacking.  He depends too 
much on dirty tricks and power to subdue me quickly.  It isn't his 
moves that were stale but rather his way of thinking.  You can 
defeat anyone if you're aware enough to know your opponent's 
moves before he makes them."

     "Yeah!" Ranma piped.  "You've been teaching me to read 
moves."

     "Yes, and you do it astonishingly well but that is only the first 
step toward reaching the plateau where it's not necessary to fight 
at all.  Where you get your opponent to defeat himself.  You have 
barely scratched the surface."

     Chibi-Ranma must have had a dumbfounded look on his face 
for Ming shook off her melancholy air and beckoned the boy over 
to her.  "The time I have left with you is rapidly disappearing and 
soon I have to return you to your father.  I have managed to hone 
your natural phenomenal talents in my own small way but there's 
still so much you have to learn!"

     The elderly woman picked up the boy and placed him on her 
lap.  Stroking his hair affectionately, she asked, "Ranma, do you 
remember how a few months ago I taught you chess?" Before he 
could answer, she chided herself by muttering, "Of course you do.  
How silly of me to forget.  What was it I taught you, Ranma?"

     The boy wrinkled his head in concentration then he said 
excitedly, "You told me that before I make a move I had to 
predict what you would do and then I had to predict what I would 
do after you moved!  That was fun!  I didn't know you could 
make war into a board game!"

     "Amazing, isn't it?" Ming said smiling at her student.  "But 
what I was trying to teach you that day also applies to martial arts.
As long as your mind is active and engaged, you can defeat any 
person if you're aware enough to know what they will do before 
they even do it no matter how fast or strong they are.

     "Like in a chess game, you must predict the logical 
progression of moves far ahead from simply reading the most 
immediate one.  Reading direct moves gives you only a split 
second to react and all you can do is react.  You must see your 
opponent's move, counterattack then immediately counterattack 
the next move you know they must make.  If you know logically 
what moves must follow you have an advantage."

     "People can't be that predictable," Ranma protested.

     "No they aren't.  But in fights there can only be so many 
different moves that can follow from say, a roundhouse kick.  As 
bishops can only move diagonally, the human body can only move 
in so many ways.  Even a queen who can make such versatile 
moves is limited as she can not move the way a knight can.  

     "The easiest way to make someone even more predictable is 
to make them angry.  They may have more power and are less 
vulnerable to pain but their thinking will be short-circuited.  You 
will have the advantage because while you are calm and collected 
your opponent will be more easily lured into doing sloppy attacks."

     "And that's okay?" Ranma asked.

     Ming looked sharply at him.  "Maybe you wouldn't do this in 
sparring but in a real confrontation you should use any weapon 
necessary.  Words are a powerful tool and sometimes they can be
more damaging than any blow.  Also, if your opponent can not 
control his temper then you are doing him a favor by pointing out 
this weakness."

     "But when you were fighting Pops, you didn't say anything!" 
Ranma cried.

     After putting Ranma down, Ming walked over to where 
Genma's unconscious body was.  She said thoughtfully, 
"Sometimes you don't need words to enrage an opponent beyond 
reason.  Ranma, you will notice that your father is covered in 
bruises.  I, on the other hand, have almost none.  Why is that?"

     A light dawned in Ranma's eyes.  "Because he couldn't hit 
you!  You just kept dodging and Pops got really angry."

     "But why would he get angry?" Ming inquired.  "Wouldn't it 
make sense that I would rather not have my pretty face 
rearranged?  Yet your father allowed his irrational anger to get 
the better of him and make it incredibly easy for me to defeat him. 
I want you to think about that after you leave, among other things."

     She squatted down in front of the boy and stared at him 
quizzically.  "We have spent much time together you and I, but 
you have not told me what it is that *you* want.  What do you 
want to do with your life, Ranma?"

     "Be the best martial artist ever!" Ranma replied without 
hesitation.

     "What are you going to do once you have attained this 
admirable goal?"

     Ranma looked confused.  "I don't know.  Look for challenges 
to fight I guess."

     Ming looked at him sadly.  "I hope you find in your life room 
for other things.  Life is too short to be spent so single-mindedly 
or alone.  Remember that there is a world out there."

     She stared at her hands and said softly, "Unimaginable power 
resides in these old hands but what's the point if you have no one 
to share them with?  But this old woman is rambling." Looking at 
the boy who had suddenly crawled back into her lap, she smiled.  

     "I have given you skills that may not make sense to you now 
but will one day.  You are destined for great things young Ranma 
Saotome and things would go far more smoothly for you if you 
have a good head on your shoulders.  I have known you only for 
a few months and already your life verges on the unbelievable.  I 
believe you to be a Nexus."

     "What's a nexus?"

     The elder ignored the question and instead changed the 
subject.  She said, "Ranma, do you trust me?"

     "Of course I do!" Ranma cried, looking shocked at the 
question.

     "Then would you mind answering me a question that I've been 
thinking of asking you for months?  If you don't want to, I 
perfectly understand," Ming said.

     "Go ahead," Ranma said agreeably.

     Ming gave him another one of those sharp looks that showed 
that she was going to be very serious.  She said, "How long have 
you been able to generate the flames?"

     A look of blank confusion came over young Ranma's face.  He 
said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

     The old woman regarded him then rubbed his face gently.  She 
said softly, "What did your father do to you to give you these scars?"

     Ranma turned his head away.  He said quietly, "Once my dad 
set me on fire.  It hurt a lot.  I don't know why he did it."

     Ming Jutuo's face turned scarlet red.  She stood up, ran over 
to Genma Saotome, and started kicking him as hard as she could. 
She yelled, "Fool!  Of course he'd be immune to his *own* fire!  
Idiot!  You've scared him so badly that he doesn't even remember 
the talent he has!"

     When she got too tired to continue, she walked back to the 
wide-eyed boy muttering, "The only being worse than a monster 
is a misguided fool.  It's too dangerous to let that oaf remember 
this about his son.  I'll have to do something about it."

     She took another look at the boy then said, "But I have to 
make sure.  Ranma, would you mind demonstrating that strange 
ability of yours for me?"

     "What ability?" Ranma asked genuinely confused.  He was 
suddenly wrapped in a giant hug and heard Sensei Ming say, "It 
was that bad huh?  Never mind, dear.  It's not too surprising 
considering what else I see in you.  You have so much potential 
boy and you have such a good heart.  I am so sorry that I can't 
keep you longer.  Your destiny is somewhere else but I do wish 
that it wasn't so."

     Ranma watched as Sensei Ming rubbed her eyes then stood up 
straighter.  She said, "It's time to continue your lessons, Ranma.  
We only have a few weeks after all.  Here's a simple exercise I 
want you to try today: using the earth's ki for practical 
applications.  A very useful skill to learn but it's only one of many." 

     "Real power comes from peace of mind and harmony with 
your surroundings.  There is as much a difference between 
fighting against the power of the earth versus working with it as 
there is between hard and soft styles.  Both will take you to the 
same goal but the way there is not the same at all." 

     As Ranma watched in amazement, Ming levitated off the 
ground.  "Oh sure, you could use your ki to simply repel the force 
of the earth but that is very draining and leaves you with little 
power for combat.  Even using the earth's ki is draining for no 
vessel no matter how strong can contain even the smallest 
amount of ki the entire planet produces in a second.  Now, asking 
the earth to lower the force of gravity in your vicinity is vastly 
more efficient.  Why don't you try it?"

     Ranma didn't understand everything she said but he knew that 
this was a fun game.  He tried jumping up and down and while he 
could leap to very high heights, he couldn't stay up there for more 
then a few seconds.  It occurred to him that maybe he needed to 
be higher.  He quickly leaped up from branch to branch soon 
making it to the top of a tall oak tree.  He immediately jumped off 
and tried to fly.  Unfortunately, he still couldn't.

     "AAARGH!!!"


     Ranma(C) bolted up from her bed her mouth still frozen in 
mid-scream.  Seeing that she was in the hospital room, she 
calmed down slightly.  For a brief moment she thought she saw 
the ghostly semblance of Sensei Ming out of the corner of her eye 
but when she turned to look there was nothing there.  Shaking 
the cobwebs out of her head, she settled back down onto the bed 
and breathed deeply.

     It was so weird experiencing a memory she had long since 
ceased to think about.  She didn't like thinking about the past 
often whether or not it was good or bad.  Mostly, thinking about 
the good times just made the bad times seem even worse.  But 
right now, she felt a deep feeling of nostalgia for the old woman 
who had treated him- uh, her so kindly in his youth.

     That dream had been so real that she could have sworn that 
she- he had just been falling to her death.  Of course Ming had 
caught her- him and told her never to try such a stupid stunt 
again.  He- She didn't need to be told that twice!  She was also 
beginning to get a headache trying to refer to himself, herself! in 
past tense, in a time when she was male.  

     Ranma(C) shook her head ruefully.  Simple?  Ha!  She had 
been trying on and off in secret for years to duplicate that skill 
and it was only recently that she even mastered projecting ki from 
within herself outward.

     Was experiencing a memory when she slept considered 
dreaming?  And what strange connection had occurred in her 
brain for it to show up again like this?  The rest of the dream was 
beginning to turn fuzzy as dreams tended to do but there was 
something important here that she felt she needed to know about. 
She thought it over but then brushed the thought aside.  There 
was time enough later to puzzle it out.

     She stretched the kinks out of her body then rose from the cot 
trying to remember why she was here again.  Oh yeah, the 
hospital staff had placed her in a room to stay overnight to make 
sure she was okay.  Ranma(C) could have told them that she was 
fine and that she was disgusted she had survived unscathed when 
so many others were injured.  At least they didn't make her wear 
one of those stupid looking gowns.

     After having breakfast in the cafeteria and deciding she'd had 
worse, Ranma(C) headed for the elevator so she could go check 
up on Akane and Ranma.  When she got to their room, she heard 
voices coming out of it.  It was Nabiki and Doctor Tofu.  
Ranma(C) hid around a corner until they past by.  She didn't feel 
like talking to anyone at the moment.

     Ranma(C) glided into the room as silently as she could.  Once 
she saw that Akane was sleeping normally, she glanced over at 
Ranma.  He was still in a coma but at least he was alive.  The 
doctors didn't know when he would wake up but they all agreed 
that it was a miracle that he managed to survive with all the 
internal bleeding and life-threatening injuries he had taken.

     The hospital specialists had calmly listened to the story of a 
demon attack on Furinkan High, gotten confirmation on its 
validity from other sources, then proceeded to the protocol all 
Tokyo hospitals followed when faced with the inexplicable.  
Namely, to falsify reports.

     Idly, Ranma(C) picked up Akane's clipboard and skimmed 
through the Latin jargon to get to the gist of it.  A lot of nerves 
had been fried which was probably a good thing since she would 
have been in much more pain walking about as she had.  Some 
skin grafts had to be placed on over Akane's burns to help repair 
the damage.  Currently, she was apparently heavily doped up on 
some sort of drug with a tongue-twisting name.

     Akane started tossing and turning on the bed.  Ranma(C) was 
trying to calm her down when the girl's brown eyes opened.  Her 
gaze was confused and unaware.  The oval slits flickered back 
and forth a few times before finally settling on Ranma(C).

     "Ranma?"

     Ranma(C) leaned in closer and said, "Yes, Akane.  I'm here."

     Akane's eyes shifted past the redhead and she asked again, 
"Where's Ranma?"

     The former boy ignored the pang that suddenly erupted inside 
her chest and reminded herself that Akane was still drugged and 
didn't know what she was saying.  She silently pointed to the bed 
next to her.

     Akane looked over at Ranma and her eyes filled with tears.  
"He's hurt." Then after a thought she said simply, "He saved me."

     "Of course he did," Ranma(C) said gently.  

     Akane was silent for such a long time that Ranma(C) thought 
she had fallen asleep.  Then suddenly, Akane turned to Ranma(C) 
and said dreamily, "It's funny, you know.  I never noticed it 
before but I have to nearly die before Ranma treats me nicely."

     "I think that's the medication talking," Ranma(C) replied 
uneasily.  "Ranma's been nice to you lots of times."

     Akane snorted.  "Only when we're alone together and I don't 
have to tell you how often that happens.  I've gotten kidnapped 
more times than that."

     Ranma(C) was hurt by that comment.  Akane saw this and 
said, "I just meant it would have been nice if we had more time 
together away from the craziness."

     She stretched out her arms and gave a big yawn.  "I don't 
know why I care about that baka so much.  There's just 
something about him that makes me want to love him and hate 
him at the same time.  Does that make any sense?"

     Ranma(C) didn't dare say anything.  

     "Why doesn't Ranma like me?" Akane asked in a small voice, 
sounding like a child who had just had her teddy bear taken away.

     "What makes you think he doesn't?" Ranma(C) asked taken 
back.

     "Why should he?  There was a time when I thought I had a 
chance, when we could have created a real relationship.  Then 
Kaori and Shampoo and all those girls began showing up.  They 
were more beautiful, better martial artists, could cook better, 
they were just good at everything!"  

     Akane closed her eyes and sunk deeper into her bed.  Her next 
words were so low that Ranma(C) had to lean in even closer to 
hear them.

     "I tried to compete, I really did, but I failed like I always do.  
Ranma would always do something to make me think he cared 
about me and I would get my hopes up.  Then he would hurt my 
feelings and I'd be back where I started.  I hated not knowing 
where I stood with him!  I tried so hard to push him away so it 
wouldn't hurt much when the day came that he would reject me." 

     Akane's eyes sprang open again but this time they were 
completely lucid, clear of the haze that had been fogging them.  
She said brokenly, "At the same time I couldn't help but hold onto 
him as tightly as I could.  But I realized that no matter what I did, 
I was going to end up losing something extremely important to me.  
You don't know what it's like to lose one of the most important 
people in the world to you.  You would do almost everything to 
avoid it ever happening again."

     Tears ran down her face.  "The worst part was that he never 
got angry at me, he always forgave me.  I never saw that because 
I was so busy being such a bi-"

     "Please don't say that," Ranma(C) pleaded.

     The eyes started to fog over again and Ranma(C) could see 
that consciousness was rapidly fading away.  Akane struggled to 
continue, "Why do I care so damn much?  There's just something 
about him, about both of you, that just flies through all my 
defenses...

     "Ranma's life would be much easier if I wasn't around.  I'm so 
sorry, Ranma," Akane mumbled before she drifted off to sleep.

     Ranma(C) stared at Akane's sleeping form.  She had never 
realized that Akane thought of herself that way.  It disturbed her 
greatly to think that a strong person like Akane could be plagued 
by such doubts.  But she couldn't deny the words that she just 
heard.  Akane seemed to see herself in such a negative way, so 
full of self-loathing weariness.

     "Only you would think that my life would be easier without 
you," Ranma(C) said softly to Akane.  "It's more the other way 
around.  Why didn't you ever talk to me about this?"

     But Ranma(C) knew why.  Akane was too much like her in 
the respect that she kept everything tightly bottled up but 
different in that she didn't know how to release her emotions in a 
positive way.  Akane was wrong though.  She did know what it 
was like to lose someone.

     Ranma(C) was so tired of causing problems!  She was just 
tired, period.  For the first time, she could understand why her 
father was such a coward.  It hurt too much to care, to see the 
suffering caused by one's own actions.  Couldn't she do anything 
right for once?  Her shield of denseness and pretending that 
nothing was wrong had somehow collapsed some time back and 
everything was just getting to be too much.

     Not for the first time, she went into the meditative trance that 
had allowed her to keep her sanity after all the things that had 
happened to her.  She cleared her mind and took a few deep 
breaths, centering herself.  The tension washed out of her and 
after a few minutes she felt calm again.  It was not real peace of 
mind but it was still a feeling she valued highly and it would have 
to be enough.


     After a half-hour of searching, Ranma(C) finally found Doctor 
Tofu in one of the hospital supply rooms.  He was just standing 
in the far corner, apparently lost in thought, an image of abject 
misery.  Ranma(C) coughed silently to get his attention.  Tofu 
whirled around and quickly stuffed the object in his hand into his 
lab coat.  But not fast enough for she saw that it was a picture of 
Kasumi.  Ranma(C) tactfully didn't say anything and waited for 
Tofu to speak.

     The good doctor took a deep breath to compose himself and 
said, "Hello, Ranma.  I've been meaning to talk to you."

     Ranma(C)'s ears perked up.  "Why?  Have you found a cure 
for me?"

     "I'm sorry but my research still comes up with nothing." Tofu 
looked apologetic.

     Ranma(C) deflated slightly but she wasn't too surprised.  Her 
problems had never been solved so easily.  "Okay, how about 
finding me a way to be male at least?  Maybe some Nannichan 
would do the trick."

     Tofu sighed heavily.  "I'm afraid not.  You are the victim of 
botched magic.  I'm not sure what subjecting you to Jusenkyo 
would do but I doubt that it'd be good."

     Ranma(C)'s world crumbled at those words.  She had forced 
down the feelings of revulsion she had at being in a strange body 
somewhat successfully these past few weeks but now they were 
bubbling out to the surface.  With new almost painful awareness, 
she became conscious of her body.  She looked at her creamy, 
flawless skin, her impossibly scarlet hair, her slender and weak 
arms, and her annoyingly short stature.  

     But it was those damn melons that really rose her ire.  They 
always got in her way and they were always being stared at by 
perverts.  Anger rose within in her and it was all she could do not 
to fall into a gibbering, screaming mess.  She forced down the 
rage and plastered a smile on her face.

     "Well, I'm sure you tried your best," Ranma(C) said forcing a 
cheeriness into her voice.  "I really just wanted to ask you about 
Akane and the other Ranma."

     "They will be fine," Tofu said as he took off his glasses and 
cleaned them on his lab coat.  He put them back on and glanced 
sharply at the girl.  His eyes were hidden by the glare of the lights. 
He said, "But I am more concerned about you.  I've been 
meaning to check on how you were adapting to your condition."

     Ranma(C) looked at him in disgust.  "Are you nuts?  Why 
would I want to get used to this?  Besides, I haven't cracked or 
gone all weepy-eyed if that's what you're asking."

     Tofu crossed his arms.  "I do not mean to imply anything of 
the sort.  I simply think that this change has not really filtered in 
just yet.  You have been stuck as a girl several times in the past 
and subconsciously you may still feel that this is just one more of 
those times."

     "So what if I do think that in some way?" Ranma(C) 
countered.  "What's so bad about not thinking about being stuck 
in this body?" She gestured down with a look of disdain.

     Tofu gave her a mild look of disapproval as he replied, 
"Self-hatred is not healthy, Ranma.  Your attitude towards your 
body will make things harder than they have to be.  I'm not asking 
you to make any major lifestyle changes but life would be easier 
for you if you begin to accept that things have changed.  You're 
still trying to act like everything is the same and that is nothing 
different about you.  That is natural but you and I both know that 
you can't keep it up.  You can't continue to avoid the problem."       

     Ranma(C) thought that the doctor was being a bit unfair in his 
judgement but she recognized some truth in his words.  Yet 
something in her still rebelled.  "I'm not a girl."

     "Yes you are." Tofu held up a hand to quench any protest.  
"Physically that is.  Mentally, you're male.  I see no 
incompatibility so why should you?  Ranma, you seem to think 
that you have to be in one world or the other and nowhere else.  
You know better than anybody does that nothing is ever black 
and white.  You have never played by the rules before so why 
limit yourself now?  Why not make the most of your unique 
experience?  Not many will ever go through life with the chance 
to see through the eyes of both sexes."

      "And who would want to?" Ranma(C) muttered.  But 
considering the doctor's words, she looked over herself.  Was he 
right?  Was she ashamed of what she had become?  Was she still 
hiding from a part of herself she refused to admit existed?  Back 
when she was whole, she could admit that she had gotten used to 
the curse and that she didn't really care about it anymore.  But 
tolerance and acceptance were two different things.

     Sure, she still wore her Chinese outfits but that was just part 
of who she was and there was no reason she should change.  But 
why hadn't she at least gotten clothes that fitted?  She reacted 
violently whenever someone called her a girl or implied that she 
wasn't acting manly.  When she was out in public, she would try 
to hide herself from the prying eyes she was sure was staring at 
her and judging her.  Did what she look like matter so much?

     "What's wrong with being a girl?" Tofu asked out of nowhere 
causing Ranma(C) to whip her head up at him.

     "Why did you have to ask that question?  People always ask 
that question!" Ranma(C) complained.

     "And I want to know the answer," the doctor replied calmly.

     "There's nothing wrong with being a girl, I guess," Ranma(C) 
said, "if that's what you are or that's what you want to be.  But I 
don't like it.  People always laugh at me and think I'm a pervert."

     Tofu gave her a look.  "From what I've heard, I don't think it's 
just you turning into a girl that gives people opinions like that."

     Ranma(C) thought back to some of the things she done in the 
past and she had to agree with him.  Ranma had been male when 
he grabbed Hinako's breasts to reach the special pressure points, 
or whenever he ended up in a compromising position with a girl, 
or the time he got caught male in girls' gym clothes trying to 
sneak into their locker rooms.

     It was the situations she ended up in or created herself that 
made her seem like a pervert, not what body she occupied at the 
time.  So she couldn't blame her curse for people's opinion of her; 
she only had herself to blame.

     But this still wasn't enough to completely sway her.  Ranma(C) 
said, "I just don't want people thinking that I really am a girl."

     "Why does that matter?"

     An eternity went by before she replied, "I don't know.  It just 
does."

     "I see," Doctor Tofu said as he absorbed her answer.  He 
leaned against a wall and motioned Ranma(C) to do the same.  
He said, "I think that deep inside, you believe that if you don't 
constantly tell everyone that you are male they won't be able to 
perceive the real Ranma Saotome.  So tell me, Ranma.  Is the 
person you are wrapped up in the way you look?  Does the 
essence of Ranma change in some way when you shift sex?"

     "Of course not!" Ranma(C) said annoyed.  "I'm still me."

     "In that case, instead of making sure people know *what* you 
are why don't you try making sure they know *who* are.  
Anything else is purely inconsequential."

     Another couple of minutes went by as Ranma(C) silently 
considered this advice.  Her thoughts were jumbled and confused 
as she evaluated and dissected each part of their conversation 
trying to fit it in her mind like a jigsaw puzzle.  The conclusion 
she reached was that she was not going to solve all of this in the 
next five minutes.  This was too big for that.  She was going to 
have to take a hard look at herself over the next few days, 
something she wasn't really too good at doing.

     "Why the sudden interest, doc?" Ranma(C) asked at last.

     Doctor Tofu replied, "I would hate to see a person like you 
have their potential wasted over something as trivial as gender.  
That attitude of yours has held you back for too long.  As your 
doctor, I have seen that and I never felt it was my place to 
comment.  Until now.  Please think about this carefully."

     "I'll try but even if I thought you were right who the heck 
would I ask for help?"

     A voice spoke up behind her.  "I'd charge you an arm and a 
leg but I'd be happy to help if you wanted me to."

     Closing the door behind her, Nabiki Tendo entered the closet.  
She smiled sardonically and said, "You must be slipping, Ranma.  
I would have thought that you'd have detected me before now."

     "I've had a lot on my mind.  Were you looking for me?"

     Nabiki replied, "I was and I couldn't help but overhear your 
problem and think that you probably are in need of my services."

     "Why this sudden urge to help me?" Ranma(C) asked 
suspiciously.

     Nabiki gave the girl an enigmatic smile before grabbing her 
and pulling her out the door.  "I have my reasons.  I'll tell you 
about it when we get to the mall."

     The mall?  Ranma(C) thought as she was dragged outside.  
Something inside her told her that no good could come of this...


     "Tell me again exactly how I ended up here," Ranma(C) said 
to Nabiki as they walked down the aisle of the clothing store.  
Nabiki had dragged her down to a mall in Tokyo after Ranma(C) 
had insisted they go somewhere she wouldn't be recognized.

     "Stop griping and carry this," Nabiki replied as she dumped 
more clothes into Ranma(C)'s already full arms.  "You knew that 
you had to do this at some point or another.  And who else would 
you have wanted to ask help you?  Kasumi or Akane?  You'd 
either end up as little Miss Daisy or as a smear on the ground."

     "I still don't understand why I gotta wear this junk," the 
redhead complained.  "I mean, I'm with adjusting and all that and 
I agreed to get some new clothes but not these type of clothes!"

     Nabiki sighed.  "Ranma, a third of your wardrobe is already 
composed of clothing that you've stolen from Kasumi, Akane, 
and me.  What's the fuss all of a sudden?"

     Ranma(C) fidgeted under this line of questioning and the 
realization that she did own more female clothing than the 
average guy did.  Best not to dwell on that too much.  She 
whispered, "I don't want to have to wear... you know."

     Nabiki rolled her eyes.  "Then don't.  It's your chest."

     "Huh?" Ranma(C) was caught off-guard by the response.  She 
had been expecting more of a fight over this.

     "Honestly, lots of girls don't but really, with your 
measurements you should consider wearing an athletic supporter 
at least.  Barely feminine at all and I know how important that is 
to you.  Or you could try talking to Shampoo.  She doesn't wear 
underwear at all and considering how vain she is, she probably 
has some Amazon secret for keeping such a firm chest..."

     Ranma(C) had both hands over her ears (a remarkable feat 
bearing in mind the load she was carrying) and was currently 
chanting, "I'm not hearing this... I'm not hearing this..."

     Nabiki swatted her on the head then said, "Do you want my 
help or not, Ranma?  You always made such a big deal out of 
everything." She grabbed some clothes out of the stack and 
motioned them towards Ramma(C).  "I'm just getting you some 
blouses and slacks!  Well, among other things.  But this is stuff 
that *I* wear.  I know you got some idiotic notions about what it 
is that girls wear but try to get this through your head; just 
because you're a girl doesn't mean you're confined to dresses, 
manicures, or the whole nine yards."  

     Ranma(C) looked about halfway convinced and Nabiki 
couldn't help adding, "It's all about what kind of person you want 
to be.  You can still be a tomboy if you want to."

     "Geez, I've gone from boy to tomboy," Ranma(C) said 
sarcastically but to Nabiki's keen perception, her heart wasn't 
really in it.   

     A quizzical look was thrown out.  Nabiki asked, "It's not just 
being a girl that's bothering you, is it?"

     "Actually, that does bother me a lot and that's part of the 
problem.  It just got to me, you know.  I'm going to have to 
change, aren't I?  Doctor Tofu was right about how I was trying 
to avoid this.  But now, I guess I just got to get used to the fact 
that my whole life, the life I've gotten used to is just... gone."

     Ranma(C) looked so depressed that Nabiki had to resist the 
urge to reach out and give the redhead a hug.  Instead she said, 
"Ranma, don't think like that.  Your life's not gone but like you 
said, it's going to have to change a little.  It's not going to be that 
bad.  Think of it this way, yeah, you're stuck as a girl but at least 
you finally have a chance of having a normal life."

     "I DON'T WANT A NORMAL LIFE!" Ranma(C) roared as 
Nabiki's words appeared to have lit a spark inside her.

     Nabiki blinked as well as everyone within a mile of the store 
they were in.

     Ranma(C) didn't seem to notice as she slouched down and 
said in a small voice, "At least I don't want some crackpot's idea 
of what *normal* means.  When I was Ranma, *fully* Ranma, I 
*was* normal.  Almost.  Compared to everyone else I know 
anyway.  When I was little..."

     She trailed off, pausing, before she continued, "Let's just say 
that Japan can be a pretty harsh place against people who are 
different and kids can be the cruelest people of all.  There weren't 
many people like Ucchan or Ryouga that I could turn to."

     "They both tried to kill you once they tracked you down if 
you recall," Nabiki reminded her.

     "Yeah, I'm never going to forgive Pops for that," Ranma(C) 
said wearily.  "But at one time or another, they were both my 
best friends and those were the times I remembered whenever 
things got too bad for me.  Knowing that there were other people 
out there like me was enough to keep me going."

     She gestured around her and said, "Here, I never had to worry 
about fitting in or hiding my abilities so people wouldn't think 
that I was a freak.  For once, I had found a place that was as 
weird as I was and had no problem with someone like me.  Yeah, 
I wish things were less hectic around here sometimes but I had 
never wished..."

     Once more she trailed off not sure what she was trying to say. 
The two girls continued walking down the aisle in silence.  
Ranma(C) entered one of the dressing rooms and tried on the 
outfits that Nabiki passed to her.  It wasn't as bad as she feared.  
She had worn much more feminine things in the past so she barely 
winced putting on this relatively more conservative clothing.

     The first thing she noticed was how well the clothes fit.  
Nothing she had ever worn as a girl had fit so well before and for 
a moment she was lost in awe over the idea.  It was such a little 
thing to focus on but it suddenly made her realize how foolish she 
had been.  She would still prefer her brand of Chinese clothing 
but now she saw that it had been pride that had prevented her 
from expanding her wardrobe.

     More and more articles of clothing were passed in and soon 
the various bright colors and patterns began to blur together.  A 
mental routine was set up to handle dressing, undressing, then 
dressing all over again.  She was beginning to lose track of all the 
outfits that Nabiki was throwing in at her.  Where were they all 
coming from?  Was she having somebody *making* this things?!

     She didn't know how Nabiki did it.  One minute she was just 
trying on blouses and slacks then suddenly she was wearing a 
yellow sundress with flowers printed on it.

     "What the-?" Ranma(C) exclaimed in surprise.  Somehow, she 
had absent-mindedly put on the dress without noticing.  She 
popped her head out of the dressing room and glared at Nabiki.

     Nabiki smirked back at her and held out an armload of 
dresses out at her.  "You're not the only master around here.  
Here's some more to try on."

     "No way!  Why?"

     "Because buying clothes is only half the experience of 
shopping," Nabiki explained patiently.

     "You still haven't told me why you're helping me," Ranma(C) 
said looking at her suspiciously.

     "I have my reasons," Nabiki said.  "Now, don't make me 
blackmail you, Ranma!"

     Ranma(C) complied.  More and more *interesting* outfits 
were tried on and Ranma(C) was starting to get a sense of why 
women enjoyed doing this so much.  Ranma(C) had always 
known that she was beautiful but she was beginning to see that 
this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

     Nabiki laughed softly as she watched Ranma(C) preen before 
a mirror in a rather stunning, backless, red evening gown.  She 
asked, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

     Ranma(C) got a deer caught in the headlights type of look 
and she blurted out, "Wah?  No, of course not!  I was just..."

     She trailed off as she realized what she was doing.  She was 
suddenly disgusted with herself.  "Aw, screw it!  I'd never 
thought I'd say it but I'm having a good time, Nabiki."

     And it was true.  Once she stopped worrying so much about 
whether she was being manly or not she could allow herself to 
relax and enjoy herself.  She didn't feel any different and as far as 
she could tell no one was staring at her like she was some sort of 
freak.  Now that Nabiki had forced her to face her fears of 
wearing female clothing of her own free will, Ranma(C) could see 
how silly she had been.  Living in a world where demons and 
gods ran around, it was time to reevaluate her priorities.  Maybe 
it was time she stopped being so uptight.  

     "But that doesn't mean that I'm suddenly going to go out and 
act all giggly and girly," Ranma(C) warned Nabiki.  "I'm just here
trying something new."

     "I'm so glad you said that," Nabiki said.  Something in the way 
she said that worried Ranma(C), who turned around in time to 
see her benefactor pull out a camera.  "Nabiki!"

     Nabiki lowered the camera and looked surprised.  "What?  
This little shopping spree is costing me a bundle.  I have to make 
it up somehow."

     "Could you try asking me once in a while?"

     "You'd just say no," Nabiki protested.

     "Of course but at least I'd have a warning before you did it 
anyway!  Seriously, I can't believe that you can't come up with 
better ways to make money."

     Ranma(C) expected an off the cuff answer from the brunette 
but Nabiki actually gave her a thoughtful look before replying, 
"I'll place that suggestion under consideration."

     "Really?" Ranma(C) asked surprised.  Then she gave Nabiki a 
wary look and asked, "Are you sure you're feeling alright?  Did 
Kuno knock you out too hard or something?"

     "Oh shut up," Nabiki replied somehow looking annoyed and 
self-conscious at the same time.  She insisted, "I'm perfectly fine.  
Now, try this on."

     Nabiki held up a wedding dress.  Ranma(C) took one glance 
at it and immediately fainted.  Nabiki gave a sigh of relief then 
said to herself, "I still got it.  I was worried there for a second."


     Ranma(C) looked down at the red tank top and black pants 
she was currently wearing then glanced nervously around the 
food court.  Despite her newfound resolution to not let stuff like 
this bother her, she still couldn't get rid of all the uneasy tinges 
she always felt when going out in public as a girl.  

     It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't such a noticeable girl!  The 
red hair and her other more prominent attributes made it almost 
impossible for her to blend in well.  She had no idea whether this 
was a good thing or not in her opinion.  Pride would always 
ensure that she would never remain content with being invisible 
but she didn't want to be such a spectacle all the time either. 

     "Ranma, will you stop doing that?" Nabiki complained.  "For 
the tenth time, no one is looking at you!  It's all in your head."

     "How can you be so sure?" Ranma(C) asked morosely as she 
continued poking at her food.

     Nabiki steepled her fingers together and gave a level look to 
the girl sitting across from her.  "Ranma, there are two categories 
of people who will see you.  Those who don't know that you're 
really a guy and will only see a beautiful girl surrounded by 
dozens of shopping bags.  Bags, by the way, that I have 
generously paid for..."

    "Yes, yes.  I'm in your debt for the next millennium," Ranma(C) 
interrupted waving her hands in an impatient gesture.  "Back to 
the point, please."

     Nabiki acquiesced and said, "Now, you don't really care about 
what strangers think though you're probably a little disturbed by 
them looking at you." Ranma(C) nodded at that comment then 
Nabiki continued, "So it's the other group that concerns you the 
most, the ones who know who you really are.  Their opinions are 
the ones that would affect you the most."

     "I guess so," Ranma(C) replied.

     "Well, I have only one thing to tell you," Nabiki said.  "Get 
over it."

     "What?" Ranma(C) spluttered in shock.  "That's it?"

     Nabiki shrugged then said, "What else is there to say?  You 
already know that you're not supposed to care what other people 
think but you do it anyway.  There's nothing I can say to that 
except get over it.  You don't see me crying about the idiots that 
think I'm a bitch or worse.  They don't have all the information so 
why should I care what they think?  I take pride in my work and 
while I would also be the first one to admit that I still have quite 
a bit to learn I will defend my decisions right or wrong.

     "But we were talking about you.  Ranma, you have to 
understand that people always thought you were weird and that 
started even before they knew about your curse.  With everything 
that's going on now compounded with everything that has 
happened since you've arrived, I can honestly say that no one will 
ever by surprised by *anything* you do."

     How does one reply to a statement like that?  Ranma(C) 
didn't even try but she noticed her appetite seemed to have 
returned as she quickly gulped down her meal.  Then she stood 
up from her seat and said, "Hey, Nabiki.  Help me with the bags?"

     "Excuse me, miss, but could you tell me if this is Kyoto?" a 
voice behind her asked.  Ranma(C) turned back to see one 
Ryouga Hibiki standing with a sheepish look on his face.

     The lost boy stared at the image of the redhead he had come 
to associate with his longtime rival wearing clothes that showed 
off her- his! rather shapely figure.  Ryouga suddenly crashed 
down to reality with that thought and immediately took that 
image in his head, crumbled it into a ball, and incinerated it with 
a small, mental Shi shi hodokan.

     Then, that business taken care of, Ryouga shrugged mentally 
to himself.  Ranma always did strange things and was no doubt 
up to something perverted as usual.

     "Ranma?  What are you doing in Kyoto?" The fanged boy 
asked in confusion.  Ranma(C) rolled her eyes and replied, 
"We're in Nerima, you fool.  Why are you looking for Kyoto 
anyway?  Don't you usually go around trying to find me so you 
can get your great revenge?"

     Ryouga gathered himself up in an imposing stance and said 
haughtily, "I do have a life outside of you, Ranma."

     Ranma(C) gave him a very skeptical look then said, 
"Whatever.  What were you trying to do anyway?"

     The fanged martial artist scratched the back of his head.  
"Well, I've been thinking about what Cologne said, about maybe 
my lack of direction being some sort of curse.  So I've been 
trying to locate my parents to ask them about it and I heard that 
they were in Kyoto."

     "Oh.  Good luck with that, man.  I'd give you directions but 
knowing you that probably wouldn't help you any," Ranma(C) 
said grinning.

     Ryouga glared at her and said, "Why aren't you more worried 
about this?  Once I get rid of this curse, I'll be able to hunt you 
down night or day whenever I want.  No longer will you elude me 
or keep me from ruining your happiness!"

     "If you hadn't noticed, you're a bit late," Ranma(C) replied 
with a somewhat amused and pained look on her face.  "Now, if 
you're still after the other Ranma, I say more power to you, my 
brother." She thumped her chest for emphasis.  Lightly, of course.

     "Dammit!  Why won't you ever take me seriously?" Ryouga 
yelled angrily.

     "Put yourself in my shoes for a minute, pig boy," Ranma(C) 
said.  "I get death threats every other day of the week. If you 
moved to Nerima, you'd just be another face for me to beat up." 
She smiled cutely at the fuming wanderer.  Then unseen by 
Ryouga, Ranma(C) gave Nabiki a kick beneath the table.

     After suppressing the yelp of pain she would have liked very 
much to give, a thoughtful look appeared on Nabiki's face before 
she suddenly broke in, "I don't know, Ranma.  Ryouga here isn't 
just another Mousse or Kuno.  Having him around all the time 
might be dangerous."

     "I would listen to her, Ranma, if I were you," Ryouga said in 
a low voice as he leaned over the table, casting his shadow on 
Ranma(C).

     Ranma(C) gave a look of astonishment at him before her face 
crumpled.  "You don't really mean that, do you?  I thought we 
were buddies.  Waahhh!!!" 

     Ryouga immediately lost his tough guy act as his mind 
automatically shut down as male brains tend to do when faced 
with the onslaught of a crying woman.  To his credit, he calmly 
turned to Nabiki with the intent of politely asking her to deal with 
the situation.  What actually happened, however, was something 
along the lines of Ryouga flailing his arms wildly and screaming, 
"Nabiki, help!  Ranma's gone crazy!  What should I do?!"

     Repressing a snicker, Nabiki patted Ranma(C) on the arm and 
said soothingly, "There, there.  I'm sure Ryouga was just kidding 
around.  He doesn't hate you at all.  Right, Ryouga?"

     He really didn't like where this was going but the glare Nabiki 
was sending him caused him to paste a big smile on his face and 
say, "Not at all.  You know me, always joking around.  Ha, ha!"

     The Soun-wannabe reduced her wailing down to a sniffle and 
asked plaintively, "I don't know, Nabiki-chan.  I'm beginning to 
think that Ryouga isn't really my friend after all."

     "Now, Ranma, you're just overreacting.  Ryouga has done 
many things to help you when you needed it.  I'm sure he can 
recount a whole bunch just off his head," Nabiki replied.

     She can't possibly be serious, Ryouga thought in disbelief.  
As if reading his thoughts, Ranma(C) released the floodgates 
again.  Feeling the glares of dozens of onlookers, most of them 
female, Ryouga began to babble.  "Uh... um... I've helped you lots 
of times, Ranma!  Remember the time you lost your strength?  I 
coulda pulverized you right then and there but I didn't."

     "That's only because you didn't want to pick on somebody 
weaker on you," Ranma(C) replied with wet eyes.  "If you could 
have, you would have pounded me, meanie."

     "Hey!  I helped you learn the Hiryuu Shoten Ha from the old 
ghoul, didn't I?" Ryouga asked angrily.

     "You were probably just hoping to hurt me then keep your 
honor intact by claiming that it was a training accident.  Face it, 
Ryouga, the only times you ever help me is when you're planning 
to stab me in the back or you're doing it for Akane.  I can't 
believe you've been taking advantage of my trust all these times!" 
Ranma(C) said in a tone of wonder.

     "That's not true!" Ryouga yelled as the rage within him built 
from all these accusations, most of the anger coming from the fact 
that Ranma(C) was partially right.  "You ingrate!  Have you 
already forgotten how I risked my life to get the Kaisufuu when 
Herb locked you in your cursed form?  Or how about just a few 
months ago when I saved you from being incinerated by Saffron?  
Do you know how much you owe me?  After everything I've 
done, this is how you thank me?!"

     Ryouga would have kept on ranting but Ranma(C) stopped 
him with a wave of her hand.  With a strange expression on her 
face, she said, "That's enough.  You've convinced me that you 
don't really hate me."

     "Thank you!" Ryouga said throwing his hands up in 
exasperation.  Then he thought about it.  "Wait a minute..."

     "In fact," Ranma(C) cut in with a large smile forming across 
her face, "You don't hate me at all, do you?  How could I ever 
have thought that?  We're always play-fighting and playing 
practical jokes on each other.  How could I have missed the fact 
that we're really best friends?"

     Ryouga was wildly shaking his head and doing warding 
gestures with his hands.  "You misunderstood me!  That's not 
what I meant at all!"

     "You don't have to keep pretending, silly.  You like me, you 
really like me!" Ranma(C) cried happily.  Then her eyes opened 
real wide.  "Oh, Ryouga!  You don't know how happy that makes 
me!  Why don't we seal this occasion with a hug?"

     What was happening?  The world as he knew was going mad!  
Watch out, Ranma's actually getting up from the table!  Ryouga 
suddenly cried out in horror, "NOOOO!!!!!" He ran screaming 
from the food court and didn't even slow down when he blindly 
plowed through a wall and disappeared into the city.  

     There was dead silence for about a moment, as every shopper 
in the vicinity stared at the trail of destruction that had been 
caused by some kind of human-shaped monster.  Then a 
mysterious sound reached their ears.  It was the sound of a 
certain redhead rolling on the floor laughing her butt off.

     "That... baka!" Ranma(C) wheezed out as another burst of 
hysterics descended on her.  Nabiki didn't reply as she was 
struggling madly to maintain her composure.  Then she simply 
gave up and joined Ranma(C) on the floor.

     "You caught on quickly to what I was trying to do," Ranma(C) 
said to Nabiki after they regained their seats at the table.

     "You weren't exactly being subtle.  Especially with your 
signaling," Nabiki said as she rubbed the newly formed bruise on 
her leg.  "But why did you do it?  I thought that you guys were 
simply going to fight as usual."

     "And ruin my new clothes?" Ranma(C) exclaimed.  "After 
what I did to pay for them?  Besides, I wasn't in the mood for a 
fight today."

     Nabiki gave her a scrutinizing glance then said, "Are you sure 
that you're really Ranma?"

     "What kind of question is that?" Ranma(C) asked offended.

     "You seem to be lacking some of Ranma's more idiotic 
tendencies," Nabiki explained casually.

     "I am not even going to respond to that one," Ranma(C) said 
dryly though inwardly she was wondering what was it about 
Ranma Saotome that made so many people underestimate him.  It 
wasn't his fault that he never had the time to act all sophisticated 
and intelligent, seeing that he usually had to fight for his life! 

     Ranma(C) was starting to get really annoyed by the fact that 
there wasn't an easy way to refer to somebody who was also her 
but not her, especially when trying to talk about said self and 
herself in the past sense without losing self-identity.  

     Aaaahhh!!!

     Nabiki asked curiously, "Why are you banging your head 
against the table like that?" 


     Drip.  Drip.  Ukyou watched as drops of water fell from the 
faucet into the already full sink of soapy water.  She dragged a 
hand through the water in order to clear away some of the 
soapiness.  The water began to clear and Ukyou could start to see 
her reflection peering back at her.

     Reflections.  They were such strange things.  Supposedly, the 
person staring back at you was the same person who was looking 
from the outside in the first place.  But for the first time Ukyou 
was unsure as she stared into the water.  Water was also such a 
funny thing, completely different from mirrors.  Mirrors had no 
mystery to them and one could always be sure what they showed.  
There was no such certainty with water for any image reflected 
back was distorted and warped.

     Ukyou stared at her blurry, watery self and on a whim 
splashed her hand through the water and obliterated the image.  
She stood up suddenly angry for no reason she could name but all 
the same she was unable to walk away from the sink.  She sat 
down again.

     The restaurant had been closed and a worried Konastu had 
been given leave to spend the day as he wished as long as it was 
away from Ucchan's.  Again, she resumed listlessly staring into 
the water.  It was said that mirrors reflected the viewer's soul but 
Ukyou was always skeptical about that claim.  How could a piece 
of glass or a cup of water see something she couldn't?

     Even after a year the face that looked back at her was 
unfamiliar.  She pulled back her hair into a ponytail and grimed up 
her face a bit.  This was what she was used to seeing.  It was the 
perfect kind of mask because it was only slightly different from 
what she really looked like, but she still hated it with all her heart.  
Every day that she was at the all-boy school for that *test run* 
she was terrified that her secret would be discovered, but deep 
down she desperately wanted someone to see through her 
amateurish disguise and say that she was too much of a girl to 
pass as a boy.  That never happened.

     She hated having people think she was a boy but even after 
she came to Nerima and Ranma revealed her true gender, she 
continued with her masquerade.  The kids at Furinkan constantly 
bugged her about that but she could never explain how she simply 
didn't know how to be anything else.  She also couldn't answer 
the questions about why she spent so many years as a boy.  After 
awhile everyone assumed it was because of Ranma abandoning 
her when she was little.

     It was true that she had been devastated by Ranma running 
out on her but that was only part of the real reason she changed 
so drastically.  It wasn't even all the stupid townspeople who 
didn't realize that a little girl could hear all their hurtful comments 
perfectly well.  They weren't the reasons, they were simply the 
last straws.  The real seeds of her suffering started long before 
any of this.

     It wasn't really love that drew her to Ranma when she was 
little for she was too young to know what the word and the 
feeling actually was.  What she was drawn to was what Ranma 
represented, the chance to have a true family.  Okay, she had 
learned better since then but at the time she would have thought 
anybody better than her father.

     It was odd how tears could disappear into the big pond and 
not seem to make any difference that could be detected.  They 
were simply swallowed up into the whole.  Overall, those tears 
meant nothing to the entire sea of teardrops but though they were 
little they still mattered and had importance.  

     Ukyou wiped her eyes and wondered again what she was 
accomplishing with this.  She glanced at her hand and could make 
out the distinguishable shapes of three tears.  Carefully tipping 
her hand, Ukyou watched as a single tear dripped off her palm 
onto the ground.

     There was a time when Ukyou's family was complete.  There 
was a mother, a father, and their single daughter.  The world 
didn't seem like such a strange and unbearable place when they 
were all together, but when three tears became two, things were 
changed forever.

     He began spending long hours away from home and 
sometimes wouldn't come back for days.  When he was home 
even the little girl she had been could tell that he had been 
drinking.  What hurt most of all was the way he ignored her and 
did everything he could to avoid being around her.  During a time 
when she needed her father the most was when he did his best to 
have anything to do with her.  Her father had become so distant 
to her that she began to forget the happier times she spent with 
them.  She longed for any type of attention, even the negative 
kind, but he never even yelled at her.  It was like she didn't exist 
and nothing she did seem to matter to him.  Somehow that was 
worse than if he had mistreated her.

     In one of his more lucid moments he apologized profusely for 
his treatment of her but he explained that she reminded him too 
much of her mother that he couldn't bear to look at her but that 
didn't mean he didn't love her.  She didn't believe him then and 
she didn't believe him now.  Back then, one of her foremost 
thoughts was to run away so that she didn't have to see the man 
that was her father disappear before her eyes.

     When Genma and Ranma had shown up that one faithful day, 
it was almost like her prayers had been answered.  Playing with 
Ranma had allowed her to forget the pain for a little while and in 
those moments everything was right with the world.  She 
practically leaped at the chance when her father told her that 
Mister Saotome would be taking her with them on their journey.

     She truly had been excited to learn she was leaving but she 
was also shamed that she felt so happy to be taken away from her 
home.  But most of all, she felt overwhelming sadness that her 
own father would agreed so readily at giving her away to some 
stranger.  Her world further shattered when Ranma's father 
demonstrated he didn't want her either.

     This was the true reason she cast away her femininity.  She 
didn't do it for Ranma nor did she even do it for her father.  She 
did because she wanted to stop being Ukyou Kuonji, she wanted 
to get as far as possible away from that life and what it 
represented.  Becoming a boy was one of her ways she tried to 
put her old life behind her; running away from home was another.

     For months she threw herself into being the most convincing 
boy she could be.  She learned the mannerisms, the walk, the 
expected actions and reactions a male was supposed to have for 
any given situation.  In this way she would fight off the pull of 
depression's siren cry.  But soon enough her life once again 
became directionless.

     She became a wanderer and went from town to town under 
different names and personas not knowing where she was going 
or why she was bothering, only knowing that she had to keeping 
going or else she might just lie down and die.  This could have 
continued on indefinitely but one day, huddling inside a damp 
cave away from the raging storm outside, a thought pierced 
Ukyou's personal inner turmoil.

     There may have been many things that contributed to the 
awful life she had now but she could not deny to herself that the 
turning point, the one event that sent her down this path, was the 
appearance of Ranma and his father.  They were the final straws 
that finally broke her.  A blast of wind plastered water all over 
Ukyou Kuonji but she barely felt it, consumed as she was with a 
growing hatred for the Saotome family.  That they weren't even 
responsible for her father's downward spiral didn't matter to her.  
The Saotomes became the representation for every wrong 
committed against her and were a symbol for everything she 
would never have again.

     Family.  Friends.  Love.

     For years she trained and she hunted.  Whatever remained of 
Ukyou's hopes of creating a new, blank slate was cast aside in 
her quest for revenge.  She took back her name but only to serve 
as a reminder of why she was doing this.  The name itself no 
longer had any meaning for her.  Over time, as her failures to 
locate the Saotomes mounted, her anger began to dim and she 
began to really consider the hopelessness of her cause.  But she 
continued anyway; there was little else she could do.

     Then she found Ranma.  Ukyou smiled at herself in the water 
at the memory but there was no smile in her eyes.  Her long 
search had finally ended and though as of yet she still didn't have 
Ranma's love, her life seemed like it was turning around.  She 
was beginning to make friends, she had settled down and started 
a successful business, and she was finally starting to have a 
relatively normal life.  So why wasn't she happy?  Why was there 
still a void in her heart that she had never managed to fill?

     And returning full circle it came back to Ranma.  He had 
rejected her once, unknowingly, but rejected her all the same.  
Could she bear for him to do it again if it came to that?  Being 
Ranma's fiancee gave her life meaning.  What was she to do if 
that meaning was taken away?

     Then another unexpected thought struck her.  Even if she did 
ended up marrying Ranma, would she really be happy then?  
Ukyou was awed at the question.  She would be Ranma 
Saotome's wife, the best out of all the fiancees, the only one truly 
worthy of having his love.  Why wouldn't she be happy?

     As she stared hard at her image in the sink, the answer came 
to her.  It would be nice to be Mrs. Saotome, Ukyou thought, but 
her problems would still be there, wouldn't they?  They wouldn't 
go away.  She would simply be donning another fa�ade.  She had 
been Ukyou Kuonji, male, and Ukyou Kuonji, cheerful 
okonomiyaki chef and fiancee.  And following in a long line of 
masks would be Ukyou Kuonji, happy homemaker.

     How long had it been since she had seen her true self in her 
reflection?  And more importantly, did that true self even still 
exist?  She had hid from herself for practically her whole life but 
now the question she had eluded for so long had finally caught 
up with her.  Who was she?

     This was a question that almost every member of humanity 
asked themselves at one point or another in their lives and like 
most of them, Ukyou was no closer to an answer simply because 
she thought to ask.  That made her angry, the thought that after 
all this soul searching she had nothing to show for it.  What was 
the use in wondering about what ifs?

     Ukyou stood up and furiously pulled the stopper out of the 
sink and watched as the water swirled down the drain.  Soon, all 
the water was gone but she could still see her reflection in the 
remaining droplets of liquid.  With a cry of rage, she took out her 
battle spatula and bashed the sink over and over again until it was 
unrecognizable.  Then she threw the spatula away from her as far 
as she could and broke down and cried.

     Time marched by, how much she didn't know, but she finally 
stopped her sobbing long enough to compose herself.  Ukyou felt 
strangely calm as if something that was bottled inside her had 
been released.  She was no better off than when she started, yet 
for some odd reason she didn't feel as bad as when she had 
started.  She was still miserable but somehow things didn't seem 
as terrible as before.  Doing this was almost... therapeutic. 

     Ukyou smiled to herself.  She could just imagine herself going 
to a shrink and scaring him or her to death with the story of her 
life.  Getting up, she surveyed the damage and whistled softly.  It 
looked like she wouldn't be able to eat out for a while.  Again, 
she thought it odd that she wasn't more upset but she didn't care 
enough to question that blessing for the moment.

     It was time for a change.  Nothing as drastic as confronting 
Ranma or anything like that.  What she had in mind was more of 
a vacation.  She needed time to think and she certainly couldn't 
do that in Nerima with school, her business, and chaotic mess of 
rivals and fiancees!  While it was true that wandering had never 
helped her solve any real problems before, she was sure that it 
would be different this time around.

     Still ruminating over the possibilities, she was heading toward 
the storage room when she heard the front door open.  Ukyou 
frowned as she remembered that she had closed the restaurant.  
Cautiously sticking her head out of the kitchen, she spotted a 
dark, huddled outline of a man sitting in the far-most corner.  As 
she watched, the mysterious figure continued mumbling quietly 
and rapidly to himself, stopping briefly at times to laugh 
maniacally and hysterically.

     Launching herself into the air and brandishing her giant 
spatula at the same time, she landed in front of the crouched 
shape and put up a defensive posture.  Then she got a good look 
at her uninvited guest and saw that it was Ryouga, who looked 
awful.  He was disheveled and had a look of sheer panic in his 
eyes and he didn't seem to comprehend where he was.

     "Are you all right, sugar?" Ukyou asked tentatively.

     A dim spark of comprehension lighted in those eyes and 
Ukyou suddenly found her legs wrapped in a deathgrip by 
Ryouga's arms.  His formerly unintelligible gibbering became clear.

     "...the world's gone crazy!  It doesn't make any sense anymore. 
What am I supposed to do now?  I hate Ranma but I really don't 
hate Ranma but I do!  Now he's a she or is there both a he and a 
she?  How is it that I can hate one and like the other?  And which 
Ranma is it I don't hate?  I don't know anymore.  My life's goal is 
gone now and everything is all messed up..."

     "I can deal with Ranma and me not being enemies anymore.  
We were never that bad to begin with anyway, right?  It'll take 
some getting used to but it's okay, right?  But now he's, no she's, 
acting real strange.  She's wearing funny clothes and she tried to 
hug me!  It's crazy, crazy, crazy..."

     Ukyou didn't understand all that Ryouga was saying but she 
caught enough of it to realize that Ryouga was once again making 
a big deal out of nothing.  As the lost boy continued his 
distraught babbling, the chef couldn't help but smile to herself as a 
thought occurred to her.  It wasn't a nice thing to think but that 
didn't make it any less true.  When one is feeling down, it never 
hurts to know there's someone out there that's feeling worse.


=============================================
Author's Notes:

(Vincent looks in shock at the impossibly long piece of writing
before him and gapes openly)

I had all this stuff I had planned to mention but now I just can't
do it.  I apologize for my unprofessionalism but I really can't
comprehend the sheer number of words here. It's just so much and 
this is all new to me so forgive me.

You have to understand that it once took me two years just to write
a 15,000 word story and now I'm averaging almost that much just 
every few months!!! 

I just don't understand it.  And if I'm confused now, I shudder to 
think about how I'll feel when the full implications of writing 
Chapter 8 will hit me! 

And because of my dazed state, I'm just going to allow this chapter 
to stand on its own merits for once.

So all those explanations I were going to give, the witty comments
I would have made, the numerous footnotes I like to write so much...

Never mind.  I'm going to go lie down now.

Fin 10/07/01