Finally have the time to get to this:

Ranma suddenly sneezed as he closed the door behind him, the lights
flickering on quickly in the room.  As he absently rubbed his nose, he
mused how much better his life would be if it could be dealt with as
easily as a lab experiment.

Ain't that the truth for all of us.

 >

He had kissed Kodachi, and if Kuno hadn't interfered, he would have
gone a lot further than that.

Like dipping her in  chocolate

But the kiss raised questions in his

mind that he had been trying his best so far to avoid.  Did he want to
be intimate with Kodachi, to do the sorts of things with her that he
had heard other guys talking about doing with their girlfriends?  For
that matter, what about Nabiki, Ukyo, or even Utena?  His adolescent
libido was saying 'yes' pretty loudly.  But

loudly, but

Remembering the aftermath of Utena's visit, Ranma then recalled again
his mother's words, telling him to try out all the girls, in order to
help him make his choice from among them.

Ranma had to thank her for that sometime.

 While his adolescent libido

cheered at the notion, the thought also caused a shiver of fear to run
up his spine, and his pigtail stood out stiffly for a few moments.  He
was pretty certain that extremely unpleasant things would happen to him
if the girls thought he was actively trying to be some kind of a
playboy with them.  Maybe he should take a page from the lives of his
two Jusenkyo-cursed analogs and just ignore the whole situation, hoping
that it somehow resolved itself.  He decided to give that solution some
serious consideration.

Heh.

With a sigh over his predicament, Ranma picked up the headset unit and
settled it on his skull, moving his head slightly to one side and then
the other, hearing a satisfying cracking sound from his neck vertebrae
as they realigned back into their proper places.  Feeling much more
comfortable, he turned to the console and set up the program for an
hour run, and activating

activated

                    ******************************

*** Earth +1.612,+1.509

Ranma's first sensation was a brief ringing sensation

overuse of 'sensation'. 'ringing noise' would probably work, or something
similar.

 in his ears, like

tintinitis.  It faded quickly, and he opened his eyes to see a ceiling
over his head, the ceiling of his other self's room.  He blinked, and
he took a moment to acclimate himself to his surroundings, waiting for
the rush of memories to assail him.

Shouldn't be that bad. He already has most of them.

This timeline's version of Shampoo dominated a good portion of his
other self's memories.  He and the amazon had been spending quite a lot
of their time together since leaving the Tendo's: improving their
martial arts skills through innumerable sparring matches against each
other, studying for school, going skating, and even just goofing off
and having fun.  Neither of them called such activities dates,

Since it would make Ranma bolt. :)

For a moment, he found himself wishing that he had an analog of Shampoo
in his own life

or Mutsumi. No, wait, that would be me who wished that. Nevermind. :)

, to be able to enjoy the same, easy sort of camaraderie

that this Ranma was enjoying with this version of the amazon.  But that
was never going to happen, he realized, feeling a slight emptiness in
his heart at the thought.  Shampoo, if she existed on his world, lived
far away from him in the backwoods of China, and the odds of his ever
meeting her were too small to even contemplate,

Or at least a chapter or three away.

Ranma stood up and stretched, and then he pulled on a shirt and some
pants and very quietly opened the door to his room.  The house was
quiet as he made his way to the master bedroom.  He took a slow breath
to center himself before opening the door.

And saw his parents going hot and heavy at it, which scarred him  for life.

"<Father,>" Ranma whispered in Russian.  "<Wake up.  We need to talk.>"

Genma sat bolt upright and cried out, "AHHH! We're being invaded by the
reds!"

Nodoka stirred next to him when he moved, and she sleepily said, "Take
me again, Dearest.  Last night was so good."  She then fell back asleep
and snuggled up against him.

Ranma's eyes went a little wide as he stood out there in the hall.  He
hadn't just heard what he thought he had, had he?

Genma: To the movies, boy. He told me to takee her to the movies again.

"<She's been a lonely woman for too many years, because of my analog's
idiocy, son.

Genma: As opposed to me, who took you away for years for a good reason.

Genma relaxed a bit.  That was good news, but he had to warn the boy
about what had happened in the meantime since his last visit.  "<That's
wonderful, son.  Unfortunately, it seems that my counterpart has been
busy too.  Come into the den, where we can talk a bit more privately.>"

Genma: I need you to kidnap a director of the Security Directorate.

Ranma blinked as a memory suddenly made itself known to him.  "<I'm
afraid it's even more complicated than you think, Father.  My analog
saw you meeting with Tendo-san yesterday.  He thinks you're both up to
something about re-instating the engagement.>"

Hmm. Forgot about that.

Inside, Ranma had a

brief panic attack at the thought of both idiot fathers from this world
loose on his own, especially when one of them was able to draw on the
resources of the Security Directorate.

I dunno. I think it might be fun. ^_^

"<Yes, Father.>"  Ranma pulled out several sheets of paper and began
sketching circuit diagrams and writing down lists of components that
would be needed.  "<I've discovered a way that should allow me to
physically transport you back home, bypassing the risks of using the
resonator and trying to reverse the accident.  One of my analogs was
using a device that can open up a quantum tunnel between different
realities, like a kind of molehole.

or do you mean 'wormhole'?

 Combining it with my resonator

technology, I've come up with a way to set up a beacon of sorts, both
here and at home, allowing me to safely navigate from our world to this
one and back.>"

I just know this is going to have a bad side effect at some point.

"<I was part of an experiment, Pop!  And you and Mom both knew about it
and didn't ever tell me!>"

Oh? Didn't think Nodoka knew. Perhaps she didn't quite grasp the idea.

  He turned his gaze away from his father's

face, lowering his voice.  "<It makes me wonder what else you haven't
told me about.>"

Genma: You also used to be a girl.

Ranma:  Nevermind. I don't really want to know.

Ranma relaxed his hands, looking away to one side.  "<Father, I really
want to believe you.  But after seeing what some of your counterparts
are like->"

Bah.  He hasn't hung out with Genma Ikari yet. Now there was a real bastard.

"<Son.>"  Genma abruptly took Ranma by the shoulders.  "<I'm not like
them,

Genma; I'm even sleezier. See, I take pride in being the best, even if it's
only being the best at bad things.

Genma paused again and his gaze was serious.  "<As your father, I saw
it as my duty to give you that life before the window of opportunity
closed forever, before you were too old to undergo the treatment, and I
did so.  I'm sorry I kept it a secret from you for so long, and I'm not
proud of having kept it from you.  I should have told you a long time
ago.  And I would have, eventually.  But I could just never seem to
find the right words or an appropriate time.>"

Genma: I was thinking on my deathbed would be a good time.

Enhancing your basic traits, he mused, thinking over his father's last
words.  That would mean, in a sense, that the enzyme the symbiote used
to edit his DNA had left him as more of what he was already inclined to
be.  He had always possessed curiosity in abundance and an insatiable
desire to learn, which his analogs had channeled into their martial
arts skills, whereas he had focussed

extra 's' there, I think

 it on scholastic achievement.

That reminded him of something.  Classes would be starting pretty soon
for the day.  After shutting down the power to the equipment, he very
briefly debated getting a ride to the Academy with Kodachi.  Then he
remembered that a ride would also likely mean sharing the car with
Kuno, an unpleasant prospect at best.

well, not for long. I'd wager either he or Kunou would be hurled outside the
car rather quickly.

"Uh, good morning, Kuno-sama," Ranma replied, relieved that he had kept
enough presence of mind to avoid punching the man.  That would have
been awkward, to say the least.  And it was odd that Lord Kuno didn't
seem startled to see Ranma in his home so early in the morning,

His squad of highly trained ninjas tipped him off.

but he

wasn't going to bring it up.  "I was just on my way to classes."

Lord Kuno put an arm around Ranma's shoulders and guided him away from
the lab.  "Then you're fortunate we ran into each other.  Come with me,
Ranma.  It's time we had a little talk."

Heh. This could be bad.

"A scooter is a child's toy, Ranma," Lord Kuno said disdainfully.

He hasn't seen  FLCL, obviously. :)

Lord Kuno turned back to study the ranks of motorcycles.  "While it is
my sincere hope that you'll marry my precious daughter, any prospective
son-in-law of mine has to possess certain qualities."  He stood a bit
taller when he turned around, suddenly appearing more imposing.  "One
of these I demand is skill with a motorcycle.  Choose any one you see
here.  It is my gift to you, and a charge that you will master the
skills in riding it."

Heh. Great. I assumed Tatewaki can ride them, then. Perhaps Kunou will
challenge Ranma to a joust. ^_^

                    ******************************

Belldandy stepped into the interior of the temple and looked around,
hearing the rain start up again outside.  Rain seemed to be leaking in
through holes in the roof, adding to the melancholy feel.  There was a
sadness born of long neglect to this place, and the spirits within it
carried it within

two 'withins' close together.

Broken pieces of wood rose into the air and settled back into their
former places as Belldandy slowly turned about in place, feeding her
divine power into the building's structure.  Cracks vanished, and the
wood and mortar took on a renewed appearance.  When it was finally
done, a quiet contentment seemed to be felt in the building, and Tenchi
looked about, his eyes filled with wonder.  His gaze finally settled
back on Belldandy, and he felt an unfamiliar feeling suddenly come over
him at the sight of her, standing there and looking so beautiful and
radiant with inner peace and holy power.  He swallowed down a suddenly
dry throat.

Belldandy: Excellent. Now my Temple Of Evil is complete. Let the world
domination begin.

Tenchi: I thought you were a good guy.

Belldandy: Nope. In this world, Mara and I were switched at birth. So I'm
dedicated to evil. By the way, can I have your soul? I'll treat it very
nicely in the pits of hell.

"Thank you, Rei-chan," said Tenchi in a gentle tone, taking a moment to
take the small package from her hands and giving her a smile.  He then
waved at her as he dashed out.

Might want to mention they're engaged. At least I think that was what Achika
said.

Sakura cleared her throat, and Rei jumped a bit.  She turned, wondering
what she could have possibly done wrong to be assigned such a scary
lady as a mentor.  "Y-yes, Sakuranbo-sensei?"

"Find a broom and start sweeping this place out, Hino-san," Sakura said
gruffly, looking around the room and nodding.  There was a good feel to
this place, she noted.  It would make an adequate place

three 'place's close together. Changing the second one would probably work.

 for training

her young protege, passing on to the girl all the mental and spiritual
discipline she would need to become a proper shrine priestess.

"Yes, ma'am!"  Rei hurried to obey, rushing out of the room to start
her search for a broom.

Off to one side, Katsuhito studied Belldandy and Sakura, thinking about
what the days ahead could hold.  Then he shrugged.  It should prove to
be interesting at least.

Hmm. Wonder if Bell can see through his disguise.

                    ******************************

Ranma drove his new motorcycle through the rain-slicked streets, the
wind in his hair making him feel more alive.  He grinned, realizing
that taking Lord Kuno's gift was proof that he was still his own man,
that the new memories he had obtained through the resonator had not
overwritten his personality with those other selves, only enhanced the
person he had always been.

Why? Because he enjoyes riding a motorcycle?

Looking forward to his day, Ranma ran for the main building with a few
minutes left to spare before the first bell rang.  But he stopped short
when a small crowd of girls suddenly emerged from the building, many of
them armed.  They streamed at him, declaring their feelings for him
even as he charged through them, doing his best not to hurt any of
them, even as they ganged up on him and tried to subdue him.  Other
cadets watched his progress through the windows with interest and
amusement.  He still had no idea why they kept doing this, and he made
a mental note to find out in the near future.

It doesn't matter. He won't get them to stop. :)

Ryoga looked over at his green-haired companion, both of them shielded
from the pouring rain by umbrellas they each held.  Ryoko did not look
very happy to his eyes, and he suddenly felt guilty at needing her help
to find his way around such a big city.  Compared to the small village
of his home, Tokyo felt like an alien planet.  It would have taken him
days just to walk a few blocks, or weeks to try and navigate the whole
city, if he even knew where he was supposed to go.  The sooner he dealt
with Ukyo and went back home, the better it would be for him.

No, Ryouga, it's never that easy.

Ryoko sighed as a few passerby eyed them curiously.  "Let's stop for a
minute and wait for the rain to let up a little," she suggested.  It
would have been nice to hole up in a cozy cafe somewhere, she mused,
and then she suddenly recognized where they were.  Yumi-sensei's place
was nearby.  And wasn't her last name Kuonji as well?  Maybe she knew
where this Ukyo guy was staying at.

Heh. Small world.

At lunch, Nabiki was given a note by one of the minor associates in her
organization, who bowed to her and then departed.  She unfolded it.

It read, 'Nabiki, please meet me over by the old dormitory after
classes are over.  Don't mention this to anyone.  Ranma'

Oh? I thought Kinno wanted them separated.

Ranma ate the next one that Ukyo made him just as quickly as he had
consumed the first, his body needing to refuel after the grueling
morning he had undergone with Master Lee.  So far the man had been a
solemn figure, offering very few words, and they had spent the entire
morning doing nothing but sparring, as his new teacher tested his
abilities to see what his limits were.  It had been difficult and yet
exhilarating trying to keep up with the older man, an intense test of
his capabilities, but he had kept at it and persevered to the end.

Lee: And that was just the warm up. The real sparring will begin only when
I'm sure you won't end up permenatle damaged by it.

Kodachi had not joined them for lunch, and Ranma was feeling a bit
guilty over being able to enjoy a peaceful lunch

'meal' (just used lunch)

 with Ukyo without the

girls arguing over him.  He wondered how long Kodachi might stay mad at
him over what had happened, and he had been thinking over what

'about' rather than 'over'. or just change to 'been considering what'

In the back of the room, Gosunkugi ate his meager meal of rice and
vegetables while he absently heard Minami grumbling under her breath
next to him.  His attention was focussed

focused

Next to him, Minami glared at Ranma too, her emotions seething within
her, watching him eat lunch with Ukyo.  She had flaunted herself at the
handsome ninja boy, practically throwing herself at him, only to see
the object of her desires and newfound passions choose to spend time
with her pigtailed nemesis.  It seemed that girls were not enough for
Ranma, she mused grumpily, since he was poaching on the cutest boy in
their class with his wiles as well.  She grimly watched Ukyo and Ranma
as they talked and ate lunch together.  It just wasn't fair.

Heh. Interesting miscommunication.

Lime nodded his agreement.  His fingers began dancing across the keys
of the console, counting himself fortunate that one of the scientists
had been logged in when Herb had staged her escape.  He was grateful
that he knew the language of his analog's captors, since his analog
would not have been able to read the displays.

Oh? Were they sent with Herb before the ship blew up? I wasn't aware of
that.

"<What is it?>" asked Mint, currently riffling through the pockets of
one of the unconscious guards.  The man started to wake up, and Mint
calmly snapped his neck with a quick, brutal twist.  None of the men he
had searched so far appeared to be dead, but that was likely due to
Lord Herb's weaker new form.  Being female, perhaps she was unable to
generate enough power in her blows to kill a man.

Also more ruthless, I see.

Mint could conceive of no other reason why a warrior of Herb's great
skill in battle would fail to take an enemy's life.  For that was the
way of the Musk Dynasty, that the strong lived to breed and improve the
next generation, and the weak perished to make room for their betters.
It was natural selection, a fierce embrace of the natural order that
most timelines had abandoned out of some senseless weakness,

On the other hand, there tended to be a whole lot more of those Musk, who
understood not being the strongest did not necessarily mean being weak. And
that three pretty strong people could do more than one slightly stronger
person. It could be why they tended to get more done.

 "<The name of our people's original jailer: Colonel Hisato Tendo.  Hold

on.  I'm checking family registries.>"  After a few moments, Lime said
with a wolfish grin, "<Well, it appears that there are several direct
descendants of the good Colonel living in Tokyo, and one of those is
even a high-ranking officer in their Empire's Security Directorate.  I
think we should pay the man and his family a brief visit, to express
our displeasure at the captivity his ancestor put our ancestors in.>"

Well, that's one way to get some of the water near Ranma. :)

Ranma tried the hall light switch a couple of times, but there was no
response.  He shrugged and followed after the sound of Nabiki's voice
leading him on, eventually ending up in an auditorium area.  It was
dimly lit by a single bulb holding back the darkness, and he saw Nabiki
standing on the stage with her back towards him.  He paused briefly,
admiring the rather enticing view of her shapely backside and her long,
coltish legs.  He quickly shook his head, dispelling the lecherous
thoughts that had shot through his mind in those moments, certain that
Nabiki would have pounded him into a pulp if she had been aware of
them.

Proving how little he knows about her. :)

Tiger smiled back.  "Yes, now we can finally deal with Nabiki Tendo to
our hearts content, at least until Kinnosuke-sama summons us to his
side for the grand finale to this little spectacle."

Oh. I thought Kinno would beat up Ranma while the catgirls worked Nabby over

Panther stood there like an immovable wall, her sleekly muscular arms
crossed beneath her full breasts.  She smiled evilly at Nabiki, her
catlike ears pricking forward.  Nabiki hastily backed up a step, and
then another, her mind yammering with mounting panic.  When Panther
lowered her arms to her sides and stepped forward, her hands closing
into tight fists, Nabiki hastily backed away again.  But after a few
steps she bumped up against the other two catgirls who had quietly come
up behind her.  All three now hemmed her in as they surrounded her,
smiling like predators.

This is going to be bad, for them.

Ranma shook his head as he rose to his feet, his body's few remaining
aches from his fight with Kodachi and his would-be paramours that
morning having gained some new friends from his uncontrolled tumble
into the darkness.  As he stood there, a sound came whispering across
his awareness that caused an involuntary shiver to wash over him.

It was a cat's meow.  One soon joined by others.  Many others.

Hmm. Didn't remember Kinno realizing Ranma's weakness as well. Actually, I'm
surprised he'd use. I thought he wanted the satisfaction of proving his
superiority in a straight fight.

He paused, standing in front of Ranma, his glaring gaze filled with
brooding menace.  "I'm taking Nabiki away from you, Ranma Saotome, and
there isn't a thing you can do to stop me.  And once I have her, I
intend to bend her to my will, to make her mine, body and soul."  He
laughed chillingly.

"You're nuts!"

Kinno: Well, yes. Not like it's going to help you at all.

A cat meowed behind her, and Nabiki quivered as the fear threatened to
explode past her control, distracting her for a moment.  Lynx was quick
to pounce on the opening and laid into her savagely.  Several punches
drove into her body, and then a solid kick impacted into her ribcage,
blowing the air from her lungs as it lifted her off her feet to fly
back and slam hard into the wall.  She fell to her hands and knees,
stunned, struggling to take in a breath, even as cats scattered away
from her.

It's only a matter of time before she hits neko mode

planted her hands on the floor before launching a double-footed kick
with all the strength she could muster, impacting into Tiger's upper
body and coming close to cracking several ribs.  Lynx was caught upside
the head by one of Tiger's flailing arms as she flew backwards, giving
Nabiki a brief moment of surprise to spring back to her feet and make a
staggering dash for the door, pushing her battered body as hard as she
could.  She charged across the room as she gained speed with every
step, as Lynx staggered after her in hot pursuit.  Meanwhile, Tiger
struggled to free herself from some old chairs that had shattered under
her body when she impacted into them.

Panther should be entering about now.

Nabiki's only response was a moan of pain.  Flashes of memories fired
at random in her brain.  She tried to regather herself together, even
as her battered body screamed at the abuses it was suffering.  She
could not remember ever being beaten this badly before, in either life.

Probably because she hadn't been.

Tiger could not remember what happened.  Why could she not remember?
Why could she not remember what happened next?  The redheaded catgirl
suddenly clutched at her skull as a blinding headache surged to life
within her, forcing her down to her knees as her personality governors
fought to assert their control over her sudden resistance.  Why could
she not remember?

Memory purge. And good timing on her going down. That opening should be
enough to allow Nabiki to win.

                    ******************************

Ranma was beyond fear now as he dueled with Kinnosuke, both of them
moving and striking within the span of an eyeblink.  A savage joy was
within him as he felt an epiphany come over him, fueled by the stew of
endorphins and serums flooding his brain.  This was what he was meant
to be, a warrior, and he embraced that feeling, savoring its seductive
sweetness as he hurled blow after blow into Kinnosuke's defenses.  What
did his studies have to compare to this?  What did books give him that
could replace the fierce pleasure of driving your fist into an enemy's
gut, to breaking down their defenses, to finally gaining the upper hand
in battle and then savagely exploiting it?

Nice look inside his head in the middle of the fight.

Kinnosuke was quickly growing tired of waiting for Ranma's limiter to
kick in, finding it increasingly difficult to restrain his desires to
unleash himself fully in brutal battle.  Why didn't Saotome fall?  Both
of them had wracked up bruises and other injuries, and Ranma had taken
the worst of it by far.  Yet the pigtailed boy was still boosting, and
still fighting him hard at every turn.  He was better than Kinnosuke
had expected, pulling out techniques that came from no combat style he
had ever seen before, and the struggle between them was the most brutal
and intense he had ever faced.

It was glorious.

Well, at least he's enjoying it. :)

Ranma suddenly felt his clarity shatter, as the boost reached the wall
of what his body could withstand, and his subliminal limiter kicked in.
His muscles, pushed to their limits by the sustained adrenaline surge,
suddenly weakened as the accumulated fatigue poisons hit him all at
once.  He missed a block, and Kinnosuke's full power punch caught him
squarely in the stomach, just below his sternum.  He folded over the
blow as his knees buckled, unable to get his body to roll with it and
lessen the damage.

That should do it.

"And so you fall, Ranma Saotome," Kinnosuke whispered, feeling himself
slump to his knees as the accumulated fatigue poisons caught up to him
in a rush.  His belly roiled within him, hunger gnawing at his guts.
But none of his discomforts could erase the joy he felt inside.  He had
beaten his chosen nemesis.  He was victorious.  Now all that remained
was to claim his prize: the infinitely desirable Nabiki Tendo.

Ah well, can't win them all, Kinno. ^_^

"I'm disappointed in you, Tiger," said Kinnosuke coldly.  "I'm most
disappointed in all three of you, that you could not deal with Nabiki
more effectively than this."  He watched, his gaze icy, even as Panther
was brutally batted around by Nabiki-neko's fists.  He turned his gaze
to Tiger once again.  "I'll deal with this."

Heh. Methinks he's in for a rude awakening.

Nabiki-neko was annoyed.  The strange boy was standing between her and
the remaining catgirl, preventing her from finishing her off.

second her is unclear. Might want to mention Tiger by name there.

Kinnosuke slowly began to experience a sensation like he was burning up
inside, and discomfort began to penetrate through the fog of endorphins
masking his body's pains.  Quite suddenly he realized that he was
losing, that the Tendo girl was rapidly gaining the upper hand, and it
galled him.  The fight with Ranma must have taken too much out of him,
and he knew that he would have to retreat for now, that Nabiki had won
the day here due to his overconfidence.

Well, at least he can admit he erred this time.

"Can I get you something else, sir?" Akemi Roppongi said with a saucily
professional smile.  Inside, she held her breath.  She had passed by
the handsome foreigner's table a few more times than was necessary,
hoping he would notice her.

He smiled at her and nodded in the direction of the two father.  "Do
you know those two men?"

"Sure," Akemi replied with a grin.  She sat down at his table.  "Buy me
some sake, and I'll be glad to tell you all about them."

Heh.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well, a milestone has been reached, as this marks the twentieth chapter
of this story.  Thanks to everyone who commented on the first part of
this chapter when it was released, and to all the readers who still
follow Quantum Destinies as I slowly release more material.  I'm sorry
it took so long to get the rest of this chapter done.  The last ten
pages had me blocked when I was expecting to get them done in a few
days.

Excellent. Finally had the confrontation between Kinno the Catgirl, Ranma
and Nabby. Now Ranma's been beaten twice, he'll really be driven to get
better. Looks like the Genma storyline will  be taken care of soon, which is
good, as that subplot has been going on for a while. Ryouga's finally
getting close to Ukyou. Looks like some magic water from Jusnekyou is about
ot make its way to Ranma at last. Got a good bit accomplished with this
chapter. Looking forward to the aftermath of much of this. Thanks for
sharing.

DB Sommer

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