The Great Crossover Crisis

Disclaimer: Well? What are you looking at me for?

< >: Thoughts
(* *): Computer responses
[" "]: Chinese language

Kojiro: Cat Fist Fury
T-Ranma: Ranmatech (Prototype, Tekno)
D-Ranma: Dragon Child (Draco)
P-Ranma: Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer, Ash)
B-Ranma: Fighting Blind (Koga)

Ranma: Ranma 1/2
Chapter 9
Part 2
Making an Impression

"Class, I would like to introduce four new students to Furinkan 
High. Here we have..." The teacher looked at the similar Ranmas 
standing at the front of the school and became puzzled. "Uh, this 
must be a mistake! You wouldn't happen to all be Ranma 
Saotome?"

"No." Kojiro said with a bit of irritation. "I'm Kojiro Shinkara. I'm 
only Ranma's cousin."

"I'm Koga Saotome." B-Ranma replied. "I'm also his cousin."

"Call me Draco Saotome, cousin number three."

"And I'm Ashura Saotome, though you can call me Ash."

"I see." The teacher looked down at the paper, then shrugged as he 
put it away. He then gestured to the four. "Well, even though you all 
came in late, it seems that I have a note here from the vice-
principal, saying that you are not to be punished for today. So please 
take those four seats over there." He gestured to four empty desks 
near where Ukyo and Ranma were sitting. A little further back, 
Akane was giving the four an irritated glare.

The four Ranmas smiled as they realized that T-Ranma had come 
through for them in getting them exempt from standing out into the 
hall. They walked over to the empty desks, drawing stares from 
everyone in the classroom. Many of the students were especially 
interested on what was perched on P-Ranma's shoulder.

The teacher pointed to the Pikachu and said, "Ash Saotome. I'm 
afraid that pets are not allowed in this school."

Trainer looked to his shoulder and then said, "No problem." He 
then set Raiden in front of him on the desk and took out his 
Pokeball.

"Pika!" Raiden shook his head. He did not want to be put into a 
Pokeball.

P-Ranma winked at him and then looked down at the pendant. 
Raiden then understood what his master was indicating and nodded. 
Without touching the activation switch of the Pokeball, the 
Pokemon trainer then said, "Raiden, return!"

Raiden tapped the pendant and winked out of sight while briefly 
flaring his aura.

To the others who observed the sight, to them it seemed that the 
Pikachu had been sucked into the Pokeball.

"Cool!"

"Just like in the anime!"

"Pokemon are real!"

P-Ranma smiled as he felt the invisible rodent ascend his arm and 
then perched on his shoulder. He then glanced back at the teacher 
and said, "Is that better?"

The teacher had his mouth wide open for a long time before shaking 
his head to clear it. "Er, yes that will be fine."

Akane then snorted at P-Ranma. <Hmpf! Showoff! >

Lunch time...

It didn't take long for the dimensional Ranmas to become the talk of 
the school as their very presence started stirring up a lot of gossip. 
The native Ranma was besieged with questions about his so-called 
cousins and he found himself becoming very uneasy at how his 
counterparts were drawing attention. Nabiki on the other hand, was 
having a field day with charging eager girls with information about 
the otherworldly Ranmas as well as orders for photos. She had 
already made quite a bundle in the last hour and there would 
certainly be more to come. Having one Ranma was a considerable 
income generator, but having five more was a veritable gold mine!

Many girls were at present crowded around a tree as B-Ranma 
casually lay back on a branch and played his flute. Every girl had a 
dreamy look on her as they listened in on B-Ranma's instrument 
The music that he played was unlike anything they had ever heard 
before as the blind fighter put forth a melody that was both romantic 
and moving. The empathic Unseen Light fighter had drawn a 
sizeable crowd and in the rear, one of Nabiki's flunkies was eagerly 
recording Koga's impromptu concert with a tape recorder. She had 
already gotten dozens of orders for copies of tape and was planning 
to contact a couple of recording studios.

Trainer was entertaining the crowds with his Pokemon as he and 
Draco displayed their skills. The crowds were awestruck at the 
appearance of what they thought were creatures of an anime. The 
dragon warrior's demonstrations of magic were also a treat.

Nearby on a bench, Ukyo was feeding Kojiro some of her 
okonomiyaki while constantly asking him questions about her 
counterpart in his world.

"Mmmm. This is great. Just like Ucchan's back home! I haven't had 
okonomiyaki since I met my other selves." Kojiro was ravenously 
biting into the Japanese pizza.

"So Ran-chan, what's she like? I mean the Ukyo in your world."

The Cat Fist fighter chewed for a moment before swallowing. "First 
off Ukyo, don't ever call me Ran-chan or Ranma. I really HATE 
that name. The name is Kojiro, okay?"

Ukyo was a bit surprised at the slight anger in his tone, but nodded. 
"Uh, sorry Kojiro. Force of habit. You look so much like my Ranma 
that it slipped out."

"That's okay. Anyway, the Ukyo in my world is a lot like you. What 
am I saying? Basically she IS you. The big difference is that she's 
my kohlinshor."

"Kohlinshor? That word means fiance, right?"

Kojiro nodded. "You see, I became the kohlinjar or enforcer of the 
Felinar Clan. That's the people who use the Neko Ken. As a result, I 
was obligated to take two mates."

"Two?"

"Yep. One girl had to be someone that had been born in the clan. 
She supposed to be the kohlinnor or 'inner fiance.' The other girl 
had to be someone from the outside. That was the Ukyo in my 
world. She's my kohlinshor or 'outer fiance.' After a year, if we're 
still together, the two girls become my kohlinnar and kohlinshar, 
respectively."

"And... she doesn't mind? My other self I mean."

"Well... she hasn't had to deal with it, since I haven't chosen my 
kohlinnor yet. I'm still a little nervous about the whole thing, but 
Bast is helping her in getting used to the idea of having a co-wife."

"Bast?"

"She's a cat goddess and the one who helped me overcome the Neko 
Ken madness."

"Excuse me? Did you say goddess?"

"Yep. In fact, Bastet (Bast for short), was the one who had taken 
part in creating the Neko Ken in the first place. She also explained 
about the laws of the Felinar. I was kind of shocked to hear that I 
had to marry two girls, but unlike your Ranma, I got the chance to 
choose. And let me tell you this. Out of all the girls I had to choose 
to be my kohlinshor, you would always be the number one choice 
for me. Your Ranma doesn't know how good he's got it to have you 
for a fiance."

Ukyo blushed when she heard this compliment and wondered how 
she could get her Ranma to think like Kojiro. This Ranma had his 
head screwed on right, but the native one never seemed to treat her 
more than just as an old childhood friend. Perhaps she could get 
some insight from the Cat Fist fighter on how to get Ranma's 
attention.

"So how's your Ukyo like me and how is she different?"

"Well, she looks exactly like you and she cooks okonomiyaki just 
like you do as well. Unfortunately, from what I've seen of Ranma's 
life... you also have the same problems as my Ucchan."

"What do you mean?"

Kojiro paused to think about it, then replied. "Well, mind you... 
Prototype, (that's the guy who's calling himself Tekno), scanned this 
dimension when we came here, including what Ranma had 
experienced so far. Now, he has only given us a brief outline of 
Ranma's life up to this point. Now I know that your Ranma hasn't 
had all the breaks that we have had, but there are some problems he 
really should have settled a long time ago and I'm afraid that you're 
a part of those troubles."

"What do you mean? I'm Ran-chan's 'cute' fiance!"

Kojiro held up a hand. "Hey, I'm not arguing with that. Genma was 
the one who took your family's yattai in which your Dad offered as a 
dowry, so technically speaking, he accepted the engagement 
between you and Ranma. That pretty much canceled out the 
promise he made to Akane's father, doesn't it? But let me ask you 
something. Do you really want to marry Ranma because of that 
promise or because you love him?"

"W-What?! L-Love him?" Ukyo became nervous at being asked 
such a personal question from Ranma. "Well... er, I..." She began to 
twiddle with her index fingers.

Kojiro shrugged as he finished off the okonomiyaki. "MY Ukyo is 
100% sure of what she wants, and she's even willing to share me 
with another girl because she truly does love me. She accepts me for 
what I am, Felinar powers, weird customs and all. She couldn't care 
less about the yattai, and she was willing to start over with me, even 
after she had deduced my real identity. The Akane in my dimension 
calls me a freak and blames me for that ugly facial scar she has 
now."

"Facial scar?"

"It's a long story. But the main thing is that like you, Ukyo used to 
remind me about the engagement constantly, but she later learned to 
back off and give me some space. That's what I think you should do. 
One of the reasons why your Ranma can't make a choice is because 
of all the pressure he's been getting. You haven't been helping 
matters by always saying that he's your fiance and treating him like 
a prize. I can tell that he doesn't like to be treated like an object. 
He's got enough pressure from Genma, Akane's father, Shampoo, 
Cologne and all the other crap he has in life. He doesn't need more. 
What he really needs is someone to understand him. He really needs 
someone who wants to be his friend. He doesn't have that many you 
know."

"I'm his friend! I've known him since we were six!"

"Yes, but now you're one of his fiances and that puts him into a 
bind, doesn't it? He can't think of you of anything else but that old 
buddy that he knew so long ago. With you always reminding him of 
the engagement and trying to make him see you as a potential wife, 
the only thing you are doing is forcing him into a bad situation in 
which he doesn't want to make a choice. If he's anything like me, 
he'd rather not choose because he doesn't want to hurt anyone."

Ukyo silently digested this information for a moment before 
nodding. "So what can I do?"

"Well, I don't have the perfect solution, but the advice that I can 
give you is that Ranma needs people who understand him and are 
willing to give him a chance. Akane sure as heck isn't doing a good 
job, since she'll always jump to conclusions, get angry at the 
slightest hint, always assume that everything that goes wrong is 
Ranma's fault, even when it isn't and even when Ranma isn't calling 
her names and is actually nice to her, she looks at him as if he's sick 
or something. She says that she doesn't want him around, yet she 
gets mad and pounds him every times he's with you, Shampoo or 
someone else."

"You got that right." Ukyo affirmed.

"Yes, well I guess I may be biased as I'm using the experiences I 
had with Akane in my world and from what I've seen of your 
Ranma's life." Kojiro leaned back with his hands behind his head. 
"But then again, Ranma does go out of his way to defend Akane 
whenever she's in trouble and does try to get along with her."

"I can never understand why he stays with her, especially after all 
the abuse he's taken!" Ukyo said with a bit of anger in her tone, 
which she quickly smothered.

"Actually, I think I know why."

"What do you mean?"

Kojiro took a deep breath. "Well, of the five of us, me and Trainer 
are the ones who had lives that were close to what Ranma 
experienced before he came to Nerima. The main difference is that 
we left Genma after Jusenkyo. The thing is, we remember what it 
had been like training for a decade with nobody, but that idiot future 
panda for company. It was really lonely out there. We were always 
on the move, never staying in one place for too long. Always on the 
run from the certain people for whatever Pop stole or promised, 
using his son as collateral. Of course, you know exactly what I 
mean."

Ukyo nodded. She did indeed.

"Well, we saw what had happened when Ranma arrived at the 
Tendo dojo. It was raining at the time and the Tendos didn't know 
that Ranma was cursed to be a girl with cold water. Soun fainted 
when he thought that Ranma was a girl and that the pledge couldn't 
be fulfilled. Nabiki wasn't being supportive and going on about how 
Ranma wasn't at all what she expected. The only person who was 
friendly to her was Akane and Ranma being as lonely as he was, 
latched onto her as a potential friend. Now, in that case, I can 
understand him, since I remember how lonely I was. However, 
when the truth came out, and in a very embarrassing situation, 
Akane turned on him and blamed him for it, never mind that it was 
actually HER fault."

"What happened?"

"I'm surprised that you're asking me. I assumed that Ranma had 
told you. In any case, Ranma went to take a bath after easily beating 
Akane in a match and then she walked in on him to take a bath 
herself."

"Hot water!" Ukyo exclaimed.

"You bet! He had put up the occupied sign, but Akane naturally 
assumed that it was all right, since she thought that Ranma was a 
girl. Things got even worse from that point on, including Kasumi 
and Nabiki foisting Ranma off on Akane as Ranma's fiance and 
more name-calling and stuff like that. From what I gather, your 
Ranma is severely lacking in social skills, especially tact. Probably 
got it from Genma. Yet another reason why he would have been 
better off without him."

Ukyo nodded. "But I still don't understand what any of this has to 
do with the reason why Ranma defends her all the time."

"Well, if I were to hazard a guess, it's because of that one time in 
which she was nice to him when she thought he was a girl. He was 
so desperate for company at that time, so I guess that he even sees 
Akane's abuse as a form of attention. I'm thinking that he feels 
obligated to her, never mind that she hasn't been treating him very 
well since then."

"So what can I do to make him notice me more?"

"Well, like I said before, I don't have the perfect solution, but I can 
tell you this. Ranma needs a friend at the moment, more than he 
needs a fiance. He needs someone to actually believe in him and 
listen to what he has to say, without trying to force something onto 
him. I'd say that you're the best bet to be that person. You were his 
best buddy back when you were both six and now is the time for you 
to renew that friendship."

"But we're engaged and..."

"He knows that and you know that, so why bother reminding him 
every time? It hasn't done you any good in the past, now has it?"

Ukyo slowly shook her head.

"Right. There's no arguing your claim, since it is valid, so what's 
the point of always reminding him of it? It's making him 
uncomfortable. What I'm suggesting to you is to follow MY 
Ucchan's example. Don't pressure him. He's got enough pressure as 
of now. Show him that you are the best choice by listening to him 
and give him the benefit of the doubt. If you can do that, then you'll 
already be higher than Akane, since she never listens to him, nor 
trusts him. He already likes you and there's an old saying. Before 
you can love a person, you have to like her. Be the friend that he 
needs, because being a friend is one of the best platforms to being 
something more. Once you've gotten around that, then you can work 
up from there, right?"

Ukyo nodded again as the bell rang.

"Well, I guess we'd better get back to class. One last thing though, 
Ucchan. If you truly want Ranma, then you'll consider what I told 
you. If you're only after him because of that promise ten years ago, 
then perhaps it would be best if you were to find someone else."

"But... who else could I...?" Ukyo then looked at Kojiro, but the 
Neko Ken fighter held up a hand.

"Don't even THINK about it. I like you, but there's already an 
Ucchan waiting for me back home. The reason why I'm giving you 
this advice is because I think you deserve to be happy after 
everything that you had to endure for ten years."

Ukyo gave Kojiro an embarrassed smile and said, "Well, I can 
always dream."

Kojiro patted her on the shoulder as he went off to his afternoon 
clases. Ukyo remained for a while, wistfully watching the Neko Ken 
martial artist as he left. No doubt about it. Kojiro had left her with 
quite an impression and had her wishing that her Ran-chan could 
be like him. She then began considering his suggestions.

Later on that day...

"Well, that wasn't too bad for the first day." Prototype commented 
as he and his counterparts walked home. 

"Aside from a minor, yet constant nuisance." B-Ranma commented.

Flashback...

"Ranma Saotome! Prepare to taste the wrath of... urk!"

Kuno found himself immobile. In less than an instant, his skeletal 
muscles were paralyzed as B-Ranma used a series of pressure points 
and the Chestnut technique.

<Bad enough that I'm bothered by Kuno in my world. This idiot 
can't even tell the difference between me and the native one. I'm 
taller, more muscular and I wear my hair different. >

"Wrong guy, you dope! I'm Koga, not Ranma!"

"It matters not whom I smite! A copy of the foul sorcerer or the 
genuine article! They shall all fall beneath the noble blade of... 
ack!"

"Oh shut up! Hearing your voice all the time is punishment enough 
for my ears!"

B-Ranma then walked away after paralyzing Kuno's larynx for an 
hour. 

End of flashback...

"You got attacked by Kuno too?" Kojiro asked.

Flashback...

"Prepare to meet your end Ranma Saotome!"

SLASH!

Kuno halted and wondered why it was so drafty. He looked down 
and saw that his robes was now in tatters on the ground and he was 
only clad in his boxers. His sword had been reduced to kindling and 
Kojiro simply walked away from the dumbfounded wannabe 
samurai.

"Don't EVER call me Ranma. The name's Kojiro Shinkara. Call me 
Ranma again and I'll cut out your spleen and shove it down your 
throat!" Kojiro growled.

End of flashback...

"What is WITH that guy?" Draco asked.

"Did he go after you as well?" B-Ranma inquired.

D-Ranma nodded as he began relating his encounter.

Flashback...

"Now prepare to die, you foul copy of the sorcerer!"

"DRAGON FIRE!"

Kuno went off screaming as he tried to find something to douse his 
burning hair.

End of flashback...

'That guy just didn't know when to quit." P-Ranma said.

"You too?" The others asked simultaneously.

"Pika!"

Flashback...

"You sorcery will not work on me THIS time! Feel my steel!"

P-Ranma looked over his shoulder and saw Kuno charging at him. 
He noted that Kuno was wearing actual samurai-style armor with 
METALLIC plates and helmet. He was also waving around a 
STEEL katana. Bad mistake.

"Raiden..."

Pika... CHU!"

ZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPP!!!!!

Anyone like their Kuno extra crispy?

End of flashback...

"How about you Prototype?" Draco asked.

"Well, Kuno doesn't seem to have any respect for his teachers, just 
like back home."

Flashback...

T-Ranma smiled at the class as he began introducing himself. He 
noted that all the female students were showing dreamy expressions 
as they gazed on his well-built form.

"Hello class. I'm Tekno Saotome. I'll be your history teacher and..."

"What ridiculous jest is this?"

T-Ranma glared at Kuno, who was standing up from his desk in 
disbelief.

"Do you have something important to tell the class, Kuno?"

"I shall not acknowledge a mere peasant such as yourself as my 
teacher! I am far above that knave Ranma Saotome and all of his 
so-called 'cousins!' Be gone foul copy of the demon!"

Kuno charged while taking out a bokken, but T-Ranma simply 
disarmed him with a flick of his wrist, then hooked his baby finger 
around Kuno's. Using a Galforian Digit Fighting maneuver, the 
nanotech martial artist nonchalantly tossed the insane kendoist out 
of the classroom. Kuno slammed headfirst into the wall of the 
hallway and was out cold.

"Go stand, (or in your case), LIE in the hall, Kuno!" He called out 
to the sprawled form of Kuno before turning back to the class and 
addressing the students. "I will not tolerate any disruptions in my 
class. Is that CLEAR?"

After seeing Kuno get defeated by T-Ranma's baby finger, the 
students straightened up in their seats and all said in unison, "HAI 
SENSEI!"

End of flashback...

"Man! That guy is totally screwed up! Am I glad that I don't have to 
worry about him in the Pokemon World." P-Ranma commented.

"Pika!" Raiden agreed as he and his master had enough loonies in 
Team Rocket after them, without someone like Tatewaki always 
attacking.

"You know," T-Ranma began. "Once the ship is fully operational, I 
CAN send you back to the world you came from and..."

"NO WAY!" Trainer shook his head. "If THIS is what's waiting for 
me back home, then you can just forget it. I like my life the way it is 
now!"

"Chu!" Raiden agreed wholeheartedly.

"Suit yourself." Prototype said as he shrugged his shoulders, then 
suddenly stopped walking.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked as he and the others also stopped 
walking.

T-Ranma cocked his head to one side, then shrugged again as he 
replied. "Oh, it's nothing. I just received a transmission from my 
ship. Somebody just tried to break into it. Don't worry, he didn't get 
in."

This information alarmed the other Ranmas. B-Ranma then asked 
the obvious question. "So who was it? Genma?"

"Yep." T-Ranma affirmed. "I told him and the Tendos to stay clear 
of it, but I guess that greedy panda was just too stupid to heed my 
warning about the auto-defense systems. The only person I know 
who could get past those security measures is Washu."

Some time ago...

Genma was quietly sneaking toward the empty lot where the ship 
was parked and cloaked. After waiting for the six Ranmas to leave 
for school and making certain that no one was around, Genma 
decided that now was the perfect opportunity to see what was in that 
craft. He reasoned that there must be lots of technological goodies 
and who knows what other treasures inside, just waiting to be sold 
for billions of yen. He knew that the ship was a gold mine and he 
aimed to milk it for all that it was worth. He had been trained by 
Happosai after all, and there were no security measures or locks that 
he couldn't get past. As the creator of both the techniques of the 
Noisy and Silent Thief, the contents of that ship were as good as 
his! With this in mind, he had (ahem) 'borrowed' a few tools from 
the neighbors to help him break into the craft.

He slowly crept up and then felt about the empty space where he 
remembered where the main hatch of the ship was located. When he 
felt the hard metal hull, he then hefted a sledgehammer and then 
took a mighty swing at it.

Unfortunately for the greedy martial artist, the ship didn't react too 
kindly to his pathetic attempts to gain access. Over the years, the 
ship's computer had been forming a rudimentary, artificial 
intelligence from its many interfaces with the nanites in Prototype's 
body. A personality patterned after its master had begun to form and 
along with the AI, it began to develop a sense of humor.

T-Ranma had instructed the computer to use whatever measures 
required to protect itself from unauthorized intruders. Anything was 
permitted, save for lethal measures unless it was absolutely 
necessary. After evaluating the physical and mental capabilities of 
Genma Saotome, the computer decided that a painful demonstration 
of its defense system was in order.

(*Subject Genma Saotome is attempting to breach the outer hull 
with a sledgehammer. You're kidding, right? Activating microwave 
tazer field.*)

ZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPP!

"YEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!"

As soon as the hammer's head hit the hull, Genma lit up like a 
Christmas tree and briefly showed his skeleton before being thrown 
back a dozen feet, as a huge energy field sprang up and gave him a 
massive shock. The father of Ranma Saotome was smoking a bit as 
he found himself flat on his back. He shook his head to clear it and 
got right back up. He then saw that a pile of ash was all that was left 
of the sledgehammer. 

Now a normal, 'sensible' person would have gotten the message and 
left the ship alone. However, the greedy disciple of Happosai was 
anything, but sensible. Undaunted, the stupid Genma decided on a 
different approach as he picked up a drill and approached the ship 
again.

(*Subject is now planning to utilize a drill to breach the hull. He 
has GOT to be kidding! Apparently, the tazer field by itself has 
proven inadequate in persuading Genma to abandon his futile quest 
to break into the ship. Time to use stronger methods.*)

Genma was about a dozen feet away, when a laser bolt shot out 
from a hidden gun port and vaporized the tool in his hand. This 
startled the martial artist and that was when the computer extended 
the range of its tazer field and zapped Genma again. This time, at 
double the voltage!

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!"

By this time, Genma was a little more wary as he picked himself off 
the ground again and looked to where the ship was. At this time, his 
body was giving off small sparks and he had several impressive 
burns. He decided on a different approach and moved to the back of 
the craft, where he believed that there might be a rear entrance for 
him to get through. There was, but there was also the fact that the 
main thrusters were located in the stern.

(*Subject is STILL intent on gaining access. Intelligence quotient 
comparable to that of Dromaxian Primate. Correction, it is lower. 
Time to test fire main thrusters. *)

Genma wondered where that quiet whine was coming from when he 
saw an area of white light suddenly appear. beside him and then...


"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"

Genma was sprawled on his back, red and charred with huge wisps 
of smoke rising up from his body and his face had a glazed look on 
it. It was clear to anyone who had seen that comedy of errors, that 
Genma wasn't getting up any time soon.

The computer had only fired the engines at a very miniscule 
fraction of their full power. It wasn't much, but it had given Genma 
the granddaddy of all sunburns. And eventually, his eyebrows 
WOULD grow back.

(*Threat to ship security, though extremely nil, has been 
neutralized. *)

Present time...

"Don't worry about it guys. Genma didn't even scratch the paint." 
T-Ranma affirmed as he and his counterparts continued to walk 
back to the Tendo home.

When they reached an intersection near the Tendo compound, 
B-Ranma decided to turn and head in another direction.

"Yo, Koga! Where are you going? The Tendo place is this way." 
P-Ranma called out.

B-Ranma called back to his counterparts. "Go on ahead. I'll be 
home in a little while. I just want to visit Shampoo and her great-
grandmother. She told me last night that she and Elder Cologne 
lived in a restaurant near here, and I thought I'd check up on them. 
I'll get back with you guys later."

"You know where this restaurant is?" Tekno asked.

"Yeah. I don't need any help in finding it. Catch you guys later." 
The blind martial artist then leapt up to a nearby rooftop and then 
began bounding away.

The others watched as the Unseen Light fighter depart, then 
shrugged as they continued home.

A few minutes later, on top of a roof that was across the street from 
the Nekohanten...

<So this is it? Hmmm, it's located at the same place where Pepper's 
Place is in my world. Let's see... > The sightless Ranma began 
focusing his extraordinary senses toward the inside of the building 
and noted the familiar ki signatures within. <Hmmm, must be the 
slow part of the day. No one there except two people. Ah, there's 
cousin Shampoo. Whoops! I mean the native Shampoo. I can sense 
some faint impressions of Mousse, but he's not in the building at the 
moment. Probably out on a delivery or something. Ahhh... the 
kitchen. Now there's a familiar ki signature that I haven't sensed in 
a while. >

Inside the Nekohanten's kitchen, the aged matriarch suddenly 
stopped cooking the pickup order as her own senses began to alert 
her that someone was probing in her vicinity. She began using her 
considerable talents and tried to discern who was scanning her. She 
was very impressed with the subtle ki control this person displayed. 
She had more than 300 hundred years of martial arts training under 
her belt and she had almost missed it! The ki was sharpened to a 
state of near-perfection, at a level far beyond her own and the other 
Elders of the village. Whoever this person was, he or she was true 
ki master.

Her eyes opened wide as she finally recognized the ki signature. 
<Son-in-law? Is that him? > It didn't make any sense to Cologne. 
Though Ranma had developed substantial control over his ki, it 
wasn't anywhere near the level she was sensing now. Ranma could 
use his ki to augment his physical abilities and project it by using 
his feelings of confidence. The ki she was sensing at the moment 
was serene and pure. It was so incredibly focused that it would have 
taken a normal person centuries to develop.

It was then that she heard Shampoo cry out in joy as someone 
entered the restaurant.

"AIREN!"

The Elder looked out from the kitchen and saw her great-
granddaughter rush up and glomp Ranma as he walked through the 
door. To her surprise, Ranma did not push her away as he usually 
did, but instead returned the embrace and swung her around a 
couple of times before setting her back down on her feet. It was at 
that moment that Cologne noticed that Ranma was taller and 
sported a far more developed physique than she remembered, the 
last time she had seen him. Then, a new surprise came. He spoke to 
Shampoo in flawless Mandarin, Amazon dialect.

["It's good to see you again cousin, but I'm not your husband. I'm 
Koga, remember?"]

Shampoo released her hold on Ranma as she realized that she had 
glomped the Amazon version of her Airen, and stepped back in 
slight embarrassment, though very reluctantly. She had enjoyed 
pressing up against his well-muscled form. ["Sorry about that. It's 
just that you look so much like him."]

["That's all right. Is Elder Cologne busy? I'd like to speak with 
her."]

["Oh! That's right! You haven't met great-grandmother yet."] 
Shampoo turned to call for her relative. ["Great-grandmother!"]

By this time, Cologne had exited the kitchen and was balancing on 
her cane in front of them. "Welcome back, Son-in-law. So what 
brings you here? And when did you learn to speak our language so 
fluently?"

Koga smiled as he bowed his head to her and knelt down on one 
knee. He placed his right arm across his chest and placed the hand 
over his heart, while held out his left hand toward her with the palm 
up. ["Elder Cologne... you honor me with your presence."]

At that moment, Cologne thought she had died and gone to heaven. 
Ranma had just given her the ancient Amazon greeting that a 
member of the village gave to the Elder that he or she respected the 
most. The last recorded time that a male ever did that before an 
Elder was more than seven hundred years ago. Since then, most 
males were usually too intimidated or broken to show the proper 
respect.

Ranma continued to hold out his hand to her, and Cologne realized 
that he was waiting for her to complete the ritual. She was bit 
puzzled and confused as she looked to her great-granddaughter for 
answers. Shampoo could only smile sheepishly and shrug as she 
nodded to her relative to acknowledge him.

Cologne looked back down at the person kneeling before her and 
sensed nothing but total sincerity from him. She decided to reward 
such a grand display of respect. She hopped down from her staff 
and then placed a hand over his and patted it three times, thereby 
signaling that she accepted his greeting and that he may rise.

Koga smiled as he got his feet and gave her a polite bow. ["I thank 
you, Honored Elder Cologne."]

<Honored Elder Cologne? Not 'Old Ghoul?' Now there's a first! > 
["Er... you're... welcome... Son-in-law. But... why do you call me 
that? Not that I'm complaining, but... you're usually quite rude."]

B-Ranma smirked as he motioned for the two of them to sit down at 
a nearby table. 

Some time later...

"So, Shampoo wasn't pulling an old woman's leg when she told me 
about five other Ranmas last night. So you are from an alternate 
world in which you were raised in our Amazon tribe?"

Koga nodded as he took a sip of the tea that Shampoo had prepared 
for them. "Yes. I was adopted by Jasmine when I was eight. She 
raised me as her own son and took me on as a apprentice village 
healer."

"Jasmine?" Cologne remarked with surprise. "That is a name in 
which I haven't heard of in over twenty years."

"Jasmine was Shampoo's aunt, yes?" The purple haired girl asked.

"Yes child. However, she and her husband died during an attack 
from the Musk four years before you were born. She was 
exceptionally talented in shiatsu and herbal medicine. She had a 
promising future as a village healer. Such a terrible waste."

"Oh." B-Ranma became saddened to learn that the counterpart to 
his adopted mother had not survived in this world. He then took a 
deep breath and continued his discussion with the Amazons. "In 
any case, Jasmine and the Cologne in my world were acquainted 
with a practitioner of the Unseen Light. Master Koga helped me 
overcome the blindness that the Neko Ken training had caused and 
it also serves me well in the healing arts."

"Unseen Light? Now that's a fighting style that I've never heard of 
before."

"I'm not surprised that you've never heard of it. If you've never 
heard of Master Koga or Master Shogo, then I suppose that the 
fighting style doesn't exist in this world. It is a martial arts 
discipline that was created by a group of blind Zen monks 
thousands of years ago, and I'm the last practitioner of that ancient 
discipline."

"So you are truly... blind?" Cologne asked.

"I prefer to be called physically challenged, but yes, I am sightless. 
However, I am far from helpless. I sparred with Ranma this 
morning and I defeated him, though I must admit, you've trained 
him well. Although he could still improve and his techniques are 
somewhat sloppy. He also has a tendency to underestimate his 
opponents and could stand to be less cocky in a fight. He has great 
potential, yet he does suffer from impatience. Probably got that from 
staying with Genma."

"How did you know that I trained him?" Cologne inquired with 
interest.

"I sensed your handiwork in the way he tried to use the Chestnut 
Fist on me during our match. I countered with my own."

"Excuse me? You SENSED it? And you can DO the Chestnuts 
Roasting On An Open Fire technique?"

"Yes. My senses are very extensive and I felt the faint impressions 
of your own training imprinted on him. And as for the technique, 
yes I have mastered it, among other things." Koga decided to 
demonstrate by making a sweeping gesture and his silver flute 
appeared in his hand. Placing it on the table, he then made several 
daggers appear, followed by a dozen shurikens and then a few of his 
medicinal supplies. After placing them all in a small pile on the 
table, he then made another sweeping gesture and made them all 
seemingly vanish. 

"Aiyah! He knows how to do Hidden Weapons like Mousse!" 
Shampoo remarked.

Koga nodded. "Yes, I find his techniques very useful in carrying my 
supplies and some extra weapons. Unlike your Ranma, I do 
understand the value of weapons for their extended reach and added 
protection. However, I am just proficient in unarmed combat. Like 
the old Amazon saying goes, use all weapons, but trust in none."

"Very true. I must say that I AM impressed, Son-in-law." Cologne 
said with a smile and a slight glint in her eye.

B-Ranma nodded, but held up a hand. "Thank you Elder, but I 
would prefer if you were to call me Koga. Though my real name is 
Ranma, I had decided to use my mentor's name of Koga while I am 
here, to avoid confusion with your Ranma. Technically speaking, I 
am not your son-in-law. Truth be told, since I am Jasmine's son, 
though adopted, and since she was one of your granddaughters, I 
suppose that would make you MY great-grandmother as well, 
wouldn't it?"

Cologne gave B-Ranma a smile and sighed as she reluctantly 
nodded. "I suppose it does, if you look at it that way." The aged 
Amazon was very impressed with this version of her future 
son-in-law. He was polite, respectful, and from what her own senses 
were telling her, extremely talented. He was a warrior of vast skills 
and from what she saw of the medicinal supplies he had brought 
out, an accomplished healer as well. He was well-versed in their 
ways, their history and their laws. The boy was practically a 
member of the tribe, and in his world, he was! He was tall, strong, 
and very handsome. And the fact that he was blind made him seem 
even more impressive.

To think that he had become so skilled with such a handicap!

<Now why couldn't Son-in-law be like him? The tribe would greatly 
benefit from having this one. > That got Cologne to thinking. Why 
not add this one to the tribe as well as Ranma? She deiced to table 
those thoughts for later as B-Ranma slowly got up from his seat and 
bowed to her and Shampoo.

"Forgive me Elder. Though I have enjoyed speaking with you, I 
must be going now. Before I leave... would you allow me to... see 
you?" Ranma held up a hand in front of Cologne's face.

Cologne realized that B-Ranma wished to feel her face with his 
fingertips and gave him permission. She closed her eyes as Koga's 
fingertips lightly traced over her wrinkled cheeks, forehead, nose 
and mouth.

B-Ranma smiled as his fingertips told him of her appearance. "Ah. 
You look just like the Cologne in my world. Thank you Elder." 

"Do you have to leave?" Cologne asked with a bit of 
disappointment. She had been thinking of arranging a kind of 
match between Koga and Shampoo. "I had hoped that perhaps you 
would give us more of a demonstration of your skills. Perhaps a 
quick sparring match with Shampoo here? I would like to see how 
you match up against Son-in-law's abilities."

"I'm afraid that I must be going and it's getting late. " B-Ranma 
affirmed as he finished off the tea and then started to walk toward 
the front door. Shampoo and Cologne got up to follow him. When 
they came out of the Nekohanten, the Unseen Light fighter turned 
to bow respectfully to Cologne, then warmly embraced Shampoo. 
["Though you aren't MY Shampoo and Cologne, it was still good to 
meet you again."]

It was at that moment that a certain lost boy came upon the scene 
and saw what he thought was Ranma hugging another girl.

"RANMA! HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ON AKANE?! PREPARE TO DIE!"

Koga had long since sensed Ryoga's approach as he gently pushed 
Shampoo out of the way and then dodged the flying kick that was 
aimed at his head. As Ryoga flew by, the sightless Amazon got into 
a ready stance and smirked at the native version of his rival.

Shampoo went over to her great-grandmother and asked her if they 
should help their fellow tribe member.

Cologne shook her head and replied. "No child, I believe that 
Son-in... I mean, Koga is quite capable of taking care of himself. I 
had wanted to see this Ranma in action, and now it seems that I 
have the opportunity. Just stand back and watch."

B-Ranma smirked as he casually dodged or blocked Ryoga's wild 
punches. With his sixth and seventh senses, it was too easy to 
anticipate each of Hibiki's attacks. 

"Oh, what do you want Ryoga?"

"You cad! How dare you put yourself in another woman's arms?! 
You pig!"

"Hmpf! What I do is none of your business. And don't you call me a 
pig, P-chan." B-Ranma was already aware of the native Ryoga's 
curse from T-Ranma's scan of Ranma's life. He could also sense the 
energies of Jusenkyo within Ryoga.

"Don't call me P-chan!" Ryoga raged as he threw another series of 
punches.

As they fought, the blind Ranma began assessing his opponent's 
fighting style. <Hmmm, he fights pretty much the same as the 
Ryoga in my world. He relies mostly on power blows and brute 
force. Defense is less than stellar. > Koga threw a few practice 
blows into Ryoga's midsection, which the lost boy made no effort in 
dodging or blocking. He was mildly surprised to find that his 
opponent withstood the impacts with ease. <Well, well, well... looks 
like somebody went through the Breaking Point training. Well, I 
know a way around that! >

Ryoga sneered at Ranma as he launched a haymaker at B-Ranma's 
chin. "HAH! You still hit like a baby!" 

Koga decided to let that blow connect. However, to Ryoga's 
surprise, it had felt as if he had slammed his fist into a steel wall! 
He winced as his fist connected with B-Ranma's jaw and then he 
doubled over when the person he thought was Ranma landed a hard 
knee to his stomach. As Ryoga backpedaled from the blow, Koga 
simply launched a triple combination of fast, but hard jabs to 
Ryoga's face, then another blow to his gut.

Ryoga's breath whooshed out as he actually FELT the impacts. 
What was going on? Since when could Ranma hit THAT hard? And 
he shrugged off a blow that usually cracked through concrete.

Unknown to the native Ryoga, this version of Ranma had been 
raised by the Amazons and had gone through more extensive 
endurance training than Hibiki. This included regular bouts with 
the giantess Dowel. Furthermore, he could also hit a LOT harder 
than the native Ranma could. Coupled with his extraordinary speed 
and senses, the native Ryoga was seriously outclassed.

B-Ranma snorted as yet another blow got through Ryoga's woeful 
defense. "You're not the only one who's gone through high-
endurance training Ryoga. The Bakusai Tenketsu may make you 
resistant to hits, but it doesn't make you totally invulnerable. It 
looks like you rely too much on it for protection. Well, let's see how 
well you do without it!" 

The Unseen Light fighter then lashed out with his Chestnut 
technique, striking specific shiatsu points on Ryoga's upper body. 
He then stepped back a few feet and smiled.

Ryoga sneered again at Ranma. "Hah! What a lame attack! I didn't 
feel a thing!"

"Oh really? Well how about this one?" B-Ranma then casually 
landed a glancing bow on Ryoga's jaw. 

Ryoga staggered back as pain suddenly flared where B-Ranma's fist 
had hit. This took him completely by surprise as his opponent then 
began landing relatively light punches on his upper torso and with 
each impact, his body screamed out in agony!

<OW! What's going on?! YOW! That hurt! I thought... OUCH! 
He's not even hitting me hard and... YOW! >

B-Ranma smirked as he landed another series of light punches. 
"What's the matter Ryoga? Not USED to feeling pain again?" 

The lost boy howled out in anger, then tried for the suicidal lunge 
forward. However, B-Ranma easily avoided the attack, then lashed 
out with a semi-hard kick into Ryoga's side. The lost boy was sent 
crashing into a nearby wall and then slumped down into 
unconsciousness.

B-Ranma simply dusted himself off, then made a casual comment 
as Cologne and Shampoo came to up to him "Well, that was easy."

"How you do that?" Shampoo asked. She had seen Ryoga battle her 
Airen before, and it usually took Ranma a considerable amount of 
time to defeat his rival. This Ranma had taken out the impossibly 
strong Ryoga with almost no trouble at all.

B-Ranma shrugged as he replied. "Oh, I just used a reverse 
application of the anesthetic pressure points in my healing 
practices. Instead of deadening the nerve endings toward impacts, I 
temporarily increased Ryoga's sensitivity to pain."

"Ah, I see." Cologne said in understanding as she remembered back 
to when B-Ranma launched his attack against Ryoga's chest. He had 
targeted specific shiatsu points on his upper torso. "So in other 
words, you had eliminated the endurance Ryoga had gained during 
the Breaking Point training."

"Right. Since he relied too much on that endurance to pull him 
through, it was child's play to get past his so-called defense and I 
didn't even have to hit him very hard. Simple really."

"I must say, that I AM truly impressed Koga. Son-in-law would 
have taken much longer and used more fancier moves to defeat him, 
but you had shown both ingenuity and skill."

"Thank you Elder. Well, it has been quite a day and I must be 
going, but first..." The blind Amazon then bent down to where 
Ryoga was still lying on the street and pressed several points on his 
body with a finger. "There we are. I've undone the shiatsu points I 
used to make him more sensitive to impacts. Although he will still 
be aching for days. Serves him right though, attacking me like that! 
When he awakens, please explain things to him, won't you? Also 
tell him that he got off easy. I could have done a lot worse to him if 
I had wanted to."

"Of course. We shall look after him until he awakens." Cologne 
affirmed.

"Thank you Elder. Oh and by the way?"

"Yes?"

Koga gave the Elder and endearing smile as he walked toward her, 
then leaned forward to whisper into her ear. "If you were planning 
to trap me into a marriage with Shampoo when you suggested that I 
spar with her, then it wouldn't have worked. Since I am a part of the 
tribe already, though from another world, law number 46, 
subsection five would not apply to me. Good evening to you."

B-Ranma then strolled away, leaving Cologne with a surprised look 
on her face.

Later...

Cologne and Shampoo were currently sitting at a booth, waiting for 
Mousse to return from his deliveries. Ryoga had been taken upstairs 
and was resting in the myopic martial artist's room. 

"So Shampoo... what do you think of this... Koga?"

"Aiyah! He is very nice and Shampoo like a lot! He strong, 
handsome, smart and very kind!"

"Yes child. He is very impressive. Now let me ask you a question. 
How would you feel about marrying him, instead of Ranma?"

Now ordinarily, Shampoo would have told her great-grandmother 
that she would marry Ranma and no other, but now she wasn't as 
sure as she used to be. Koga was indeed a fine specimen and unlike 
the native Ranma, this one enjoyed her company. Shampoo was 
silent for a long time as she considered what it might be like with 
such a husband.

The Amazon Elder was also deep in thought as she considered 
adding this Ranma to the tribe. He was certainly a better catch than 
the native Ranma. Koga was thoughtful, well-mannered, and very 
sharp-minded, in addition to the fighting skills he had just 
displayed. The way he moved in battle was sheer poetry. His moves 
were more refined and efficient, making the native Ranma seem 
clumsy and wasteful of energy. It was if he knew each of Ryoga's 
attacks before Ryoga did! He had displayed a mastery in shiatsu, a 
telltale sign of an expert village healer. A truly perfect catch! Now 
the real challenge would be how to bring him into the tribe. Koga 
seemed very aware of his surroundings, despite his lack of eyesight 
and he had already stated that the Outsider Law would not work on 
him. Yes, this would require quite a bit of thought and there was 
still those other Ranmas that Shampoo had told her about. If they 
proved to be just as promising as this one, then the Amazons may 
have the golden opportunity to raise themselves to greater glory. 
B-Ranma alone had already left quite an impression.

Later at the Tendo home, in the broom closet...

"Hey Koga! So how'd it go with Shampoo and her great-
grandmother?" Draco asked as Koga entered the main hall area. 
and joined the others.

"It was great meeting up with Elder Cologne again." Koga replied.

"That's nice." T-Ranma commented. "However, keep in mind that 
this Cologne may be different from the one you know of in your 
world."

"I know." B-Ranma said. "I remember the scans you showed us. 
Still, it was great meeting up with someone familiar."

"I felt the same way when I talked to this world's Ukyo." Kojiro 
remarked.

"So what's for dinner?" P-Ranma asked as he let out his Pokemon 
so they could get some air.

"Actually," T-Ranma began. "I was thinking that for our second 
night here, we'd all go out to eat. Maybe check out Tokyo while 
we're here. My treat of course."

"Hey that sounds great!" Kojiro said.

"What about my Pokemon?" Trainer asked.

"Well, why not give them the night off?" T-Ranma suggested. "You 
can bring whichever Pokemon you want with you and the rest can 
stay here to relax. The caretaker robots will tend to their every 
need." The nanotech Ranma gestured to several small, squat 
machines which roamed about the complex. He signaled to one of 
them, which responded by moving toward him.

The caretaker automation was a metallic half-sphere with two 
photoreceptors mounted near the top. It was about the size of a 
small dog. Its appearance resembled that of cartoon ladybug, but 
instead of legs, its bottom half was flat and it jetted about on small, 
anti-gravity field generators. A large number four was etched above 
its photoreceptors. As it stopped before them, the top portion then 
raised itself from its base on a telescoping column, forming a kind 
of head and body. Two slender robotic limbs popped out from the 
column as the machine addressed its master in a cheerful, high-
pitched tone.

"Care-Bot Unit 4 is online. What are your orders, my master?"

T-Ranma nodded to Unit 4 and replied. "My counterparts and I will 
be going out for dinner tonight. Trainer will be leaving some of his 
Pokemon here. You and the other units will tend to their every need 
until we get back. I also leave the security of this complex to you 
and the other Care-Bots."

"Yes sir!" The machine gave them a smart salute, then was about to 
relay the message to its fellow units, when T-Ranma added some 
new instructions.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot, Unit 4. Do you recall those 'other' 
instructions I gave to you and the other Care-Bots, concerning a 
certain Nabiki Tendo?"

"Yes, my master. However, subject Nabiki Tendo has not tried to 
enter this complex as of yet. However, given the scans that you had 
observed of this person, it is very likely that she will attempt to do 
so within the near future. Given her personality, probability 
calculations indicate that she may try to enter tonight after you and 
the others depart."

"Make certain that you extend to her all the proper 'courtesies' when 
she comes here, all right?"

"Yes master. Care-Bot Unit 4 is online." Unit 4 then shrunk back 
into its more compact shape and zipped away to inform its fellow 
units of the new instructions.

Later on...

Nabiki Tendo smirked after watching the five dimensional Ranmas 
leave. After waiting for about a half-hour, and making certain that 
they were not going to come back any time soon, she then made her 
way toward the broom closet.

Contrary to popular belief, money wasn't the only concern in the 
middle Tendo daughter's life. The accumulation of large amounts of 
yen would become the focal point of her life in later years. However, 
she also enjoyed her creature comforts, which was the reason why 
she had her bath things with her.

Nabiki had not attempted to try and infiltrate the dimensional 
Ranma's living quarters earlier, after seeing what had happened to 
Genma when he tried to break into the ship. T-Ranma had not been 
kidding when he said that the auto-defense systems were none too 
pleasant. Her father and her two other sisters had taken Genma to 
Dr. Tofu to tend to the serious burns he received from the ship's 
thrusters. However, her curiosity and thoughts of avarice had gotten 
the better of her as she opened the broom closet. She had only seen 
the main hall of the complex and from what Ranma had told her 
this morning, it was a veritable palace with rooms that catered to 
every possible need or want, and then some. Nabiki took a deep 
breath and stepped into the supposedly small storage space.

To her pleasant surprise, she found herself in the main lobby of the 
complex and was awestruck by its splendor. When she had been 
here the last time, it had still been under construction, but in its 
finished state, it made the Ritz look like a rundown motel. Elaborate 
chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lighting the area in a soft glow 
that wasn't blinding, but allowed for proper illumination. The floors 
were tiled with a white marble and on the walls hung fantastic 
murals that were made of various precious metals. 

Nabiki was awestruck by the sheer opulence of the place that she 
almost tripped over one of the Car-Bots that was busy buffing a 
section of floor with one of the many devices that was built into its 
structure. It retracted the device back into itself, then telescoped its 
head to meet with Nabiki's startled gaze.

"Care-Bot Unit 3 is online. Visitor is identified as Nabiki Tendo. 
Welcome."

"Whoa!" Nabiki backpedaled while dropping her bath things. 

"Do not fear. I am Care-Bot Unit 3. I am one of the many units that 
is programmed to maintain the order of this complex. The one you 
know of as Prototype has instructed me and my fellow Care-Bots to 
extend the proper courtesies to visitors."

Nabiki gathered her wits about her as she looked up and down at 
the machine. "You mean... you're some kind of robo-butler?"

"That is basically my primary function." It then looked down at the 
scattered bath things and shook its robotic head. "Now, now, we 
mustn't leave our bath things all willy nilly." In a flash, the 
Care-Bot extended its robotic arms and picked up all of the bath 
items. It then zipped away and while saying, "Follow me please."

A minute later...

Nabiki's eyes widened as she walked through the door that lead to 
the 'jacuzzi.' The term jacuzzi was in fact an understatement. What 
she saw was something that long exceeded opulence and went for 
sheer decadence. The room was about the size of a deluxe bathhouse 
and had a sunken area complete with its own hot spring. On all four 
corners were statues of various creatures pouring warm, pure 
mineral water which gave off a light, pleasant herbal scent. Off to 
the side were elaborate bath stools, shower stalls and even a sauna. 

The mercenary Tendo sister was awestruck at the sight, that she 
didn't notice that two more of the Care-Bots had entered the bathing 
area with towels and a fluffy robe. It was then that Unit 3 tapped her 
on the shoulder.

"Nabiki Tendo. Please take off your clothes so that we scrub your 
back and get you all nice and clean. Your clothes shall be cleaned in 
the meantime."

Another few minutes later...

Nabiki sighed contentedly as she sat naked in the hot water as Unit 
2 gently massaged her shoulders. 

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh! There's nothing like a good hot soak and a 
massage to ease off the tension of a long day. Ooh, a little lower 
please."

"Compliance."

After a half-hour of warm luxury, Nabiki finally emerged from the 
bath area in a robe behind Units 2 and 3. She smiled warmly at the 
Care-Bots as thoughts of getting a hold of one of those 
technological marvels raced though her mind. She could certainly 
use one those caretaker robots and she knew of many corporations 
that would pay big yen for the schematics. 

"Say, Unit 2 is it?"

"Care-Bot Unit 2 is online. What would you like now?"

"I'd really like a tour of this place, if you don't mind."

"Very well, please follow me."

Nabiki was given the same tour as Ranma had this morning and she 
was very impressed with the recreation and kitchen facilities. She 
saw that P-Ranma's Rapidash, Golduck and Sandslash were well 
taken care of. However, as they approached a section of the complex 
that was labeled restricted, Nabiki knew that she was close to the 
motherlode.

"Er, what's behind that door?"

Unit 2 raised a hand and shook a finger. "No, no, no. That is a 
restricted area. The main computer system and data files are located 
there."

Information! Nabiki's eye glinted. Of all the commodities that were 
considered valuable, there was nothing more coveted than 
knowledge. The link to the secrets of T-Ranma's technology! She 
mentally noted the location of that room as the Care-Bot led her 
back to the main hall. Unit 4 buzzed by and handed Nabiki her 
cleaned clothes.

"Thank you for visiting us Nabiki Tendo." Unit 2 intoned. "The 
robe is yours to keep. I trust that you can find your way out from 
here. My fellow units and I must shut down for a while to 
regenerate our power cores. Once more, I bid you goodbye and 
come again soon."

The Care-Bots waited for Nabiki to leave through the dimensional 
gate before they all went into a state of dormancy. A few minutes 
later, Nabiki poked her head back through the gate and smiled as 
she saw that the Care-Bots were indeed shut down. She saw that 
now was her chance.

She quietly made her way back to the main computer room and 
smiled as she saw that one of the Care-Bots had left the door ajar 
when it had shut down. She stepped over the silent machine and 
entered the room. However, when she went inside, she found herself 
standing in an empty chamber.

She became confused at the seeming nothingness and then began to 
suspect that this might be a...

<TRAP!>

SNAP!

The floor panels opened up and Nabiki found herself inside of a 
cage that was only tall enough for her to stand in. It was then that 
the door behind her opened up and three Care-Bots entered the 
room.

"Care-Bot Unit 1 is online."

"Care-Bot Unit 2 is online."

"Care-Bot Unit 3 is online."

"What the...? What's going on here?" Nabiki demanded.

Unit two moved forward and addressed the imprisoned girl. "Nabiki 
Tendo, when I said for you to come back soon, I did not mean THIS 
soon. I had hoped that your personality would be different from the 
all the others versions of yourself, but I see that you could not resist 
such an opportunity to get a hold of our master's secrets."

"What are you talking about? Let me out of here!"

"My master's ship had been recently upgraded to scan alternate 
versions of your world, and you are following a pattern of behavior 
that has been seen in over one hundred and twenty-three realities, in 
which your main goal of obtaining material wealth ended in a self-
destructive spiral with no friends and total isolation. Our master 
would experience 1.23 seconds of regret at this outcome."

"W-What?!"

"Fortunately, all is not lost. You can still change and we have been 
instructed to show you how. This chamber is not the main computer 
system, but a virtual reality chamber which will allow you to 
experience the lives of the alternate versions of yourself. Mind you, 
many of those realities are not very pleasant. Enjoy!"

"Wait a minute!"

Meanwhile, in a very fancy and expensive restaurant...

T-Ranma smiled as he received a mental transmission from his 
Care-Bots. Right at this moment, Nabiki Tendo was getting quite an 
impression as she experienced the lives of her alternate selves and 
how they ended up when they did not change their mercenary ways. 
He chuckled a bit before returning to his meal.

To be continued...

Author's notes

Well, Nabiki is certainly going to look a things far more differently 
after she gets out of that room and perhaps back off from 
blackmailing the canon Ranma. Our five dimensional Ranmas are 
going to cause more chaos as time goes by, so stay tuned. The idea 
of Nabiki being shown alternate versions of herself was suggested to 
me by Gregg Sharp. Thanks Gregg!


