--------------------------------
|Converging Series: The Megafic|
------|A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic|------
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written by: Ross McKenzie
Chris Willmore
Caroline Ann Seawright
Kevin Eav
all characters copyright their owners
Ranma 1/2 characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty, etc.
Prologue:Once Upon A Time....
Once upon a time...
Young Shampoo, eight years old, wandered around her village. She
was restless, as she always was. Though the wind howled and chilled the
bone on this winter's night, she ignored it. There was a feeling in the
air that night... something that made her restless. She crept quietly to
her great grandmother's hut (for it was there that she witnessed much
magicks and other things of wonder) and knocked politely.
<Shampoo? Why aren't you asleep? It's rather late.>
<I know, great-grandmother, but I'm not tired.>
It was at that point that she noticed the stranger in the hut. He
was an old man seated at a table, looking tired, with a bag and some
scrolls placed on the table.
<Who's he?> asked Shampoo.
<Him? Why don't you ask him yourself?>
She shyly approached him, and he regarded her with a smile.
<Well, hello there, small one> greeted the stranger.
<I'm not small!> protested Shampoo.
<Shampoo! Mind your manners!> reminded Cologne.
<Yes great-grandmother.>
<Ah, I am sorry I offended you> offered the old man with an amused
smile. <Who might you be, one who is not small?>
<I'm Shampoo, and I'm almost nine years old!> she said proudly.
<Well, Shampoo, nice to meet you. I'm Lo Fei Shen, a humble old
collector of stories.>
<Mr. Shen is here to check with us about an old legend> added
Cologne.
<An old legend?> asked Shampoo.
<Yes, quite a story,> said Lo Fei Shen, nodding.
<I like stories!>
<Do you? I'm glad to hear that.> He stroked his white
beard. <Perhaps... you would like to hear this one?>
Shampoo nodded enthusiastically, and the old man couldn't help but
smile.
<Well... this story has been passed from generation to generation,
throughout much of mainland China, and even to Japan. However, it is a
total mystery as to how it got started, and how old the story is indeed.
It may merely be a simple tale twisted to grand proportions through the
passage of time and the exaggeration of men's tongues, or it could be a
true detail of something that really happened many years ago. I cannot
tell.>
Shampoo listened on, eager to hear the tale.
<This is the Legend of the Heart of Destiny... or Destinies,
depending on how you view it. It is an artifact that is the cause of much
speculation. It has never been found. According to the legend, at one
point there were _two_ Hearts of Destiny... but as of today, if there is a
Heart of Destiny, it has yet to have been found. But that is later in the
story...>
<Enough explaining! Want story!> piped up Shampoo.
The old man smiled at her eagerness, and said <Well... this is a
story of chases, and fighting, magic, miracles, goddesses, dark forces,
hate as dark as night, a love as bright as the sun, and a love that was
fated not to be.> He checked briefly to see if Shampoo was listening, and
she was, spellbound by the introduction. Seeing that, he resumed his
tale with a smile.
<Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl. They were both
descended from a long line of valiant and brave warriors, although the
girl did not practice the arts herself, but instead turned her attention
to the healing arts, and the boy was more of a thinker than a fighter.
<Obviously not Amazons> said Shampoo smartly. Behind her, Cologne
grinned with amusement.
<These two were in love, deeply in love, and were already arranged
to be married by their parents. All was perfect in their lives, until one
day a strange girl appeared. She had an item on her person, a silver
heart-shaped item, which flared of magical light. It is unknown where she
had gotten it, but this is the first time in any tale where it had
appeared. It was the Heart of Destiny. With it, she attacked the boy and
his two companions. While they were all great warriors, she defeated them
easily, and took the boy with her.>
<The girl was heartbroken when the other two told her of his
defeat and disappearance. They searched far and wide, but met with no
success. The boy was gone, and they had all feared the worst.>
<What happened to the boy?> asked Shampoo nervously.
<Wait for it,> said the man. <Now then... the girl with the Heart
of Destiny... or Destinies... she was quite smitten by the boy the moment
she saw him, and so took him away with her on her. Unfortunately for her,
she was traveling by means of magic, a magic she had not fully mastered,
and so she had accidentally lost him as they traveled across the borders
of unseen worlds.>
<The boy awoke in a strange land, populated by many great warriors
and a few wielders of magic as well. Amongst this lot, he gained allies,
a sword wielding warrioress (no doubt an amazon, for where else are there
mighty female warriors?) and a warrior who was cursed to be half a woman,
half a man, but still formidable in either shape. Together, these three
tracked down the young woman, who was actually a student and agent of an
evil sorceress. The three fought hard and valiantly against the forces of
the sorceress, her assistant, as well as foes both human and from other
worlds, and finally defeated the evil witch.>
<That's it?> wondered Shampoo.
<Shh. There's more. Wait for it.> He smiled, then continued
telling the tale from memory. <The boy thought his travels over, and
foolishly took the Heart of Destiny, feeling that such a device was best
left in his protection. However, he did not realize that the Heart of
Destiny had a mind of it's own, a whimsical, sometimes dangerous sort of
spirit that only obeyed those with a will strong enough and focused on it.
And so, lacking that knowledge and thinking it a mere tool to be used, he
took hold of it and commanded, "Bring me home!">
<And what happened?> anxiously asked Shampoo.
<The Heart of Destiny took hold of him, and flung him into yet
another strange world. Here, he met more allies. A great and mighty
warrior with no memory of his past and hunted by unknown foes. A warrior
who was cursed to wander eternally, a woman who was heir to a long dynasty
of great warriors, and yet another warrior woman, strong in mind as well
as body, but also with a longing heart. The Heart of Destiny had taken
them all somehow and brought them there for an unknown purpose...>
* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *
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Act One:the Beginning
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consider a goldfish.
Most goldfish spend their short lives in a bowl. This bowl is
their world, their universe. Some bowls have pretty rocks at the
bottom, others have artificial plants, a few have both, and lots have
neither.
Sometimes people keep more than one goldfish in a bowl.
Usually the fish just swim around together, but sometimes they eat
each other.
Not many people dump blue food colouring in their goldfish bowl,
cover the top, and shake it around like a fake-snow-filled paperweight.
But if you told this story to Ryo Saotome, he'd know exactly how the
fish would feel.
Ryo, Tachi Kuno, and Ranko Saotome stepped out of thin air and
into the middle of a dimly-lit restaurant. "I think this is where you
want to be," Ryo said as he looked around. "I'm not sure; I've never
been here before. Knowing what you want seems to be the key, but the
Nekohanten doesn't exist in my world."
Tachi nodded. "This is the place. And the century. My mom
made my father take us here two weeks ago. They still haven't changed
the decorations."
"Lucky you," grumbled Ranko. "Pop's idea of eating out is
goin' to Ucchan's." Ryo frowned at his transdimensional half-sister.
"D'oh, sorry," she apologised.
"What do you plan to do now?" Tachi asked, nodding at the
locket Ryo held tight in his fist. "You can go anywhere with that.
Anywhen. The possibilities are endless."
Ryo stared at the battered piece of heart-shaped silver.
"Knowing what you know, having spent a day in the past, what would you
do?"
Tachi made a face. "I'd throw it in the deepest well I could
find."
"That sounds like a good idea to me."
"Three for dinner?" asked an elderly Chinese man. He held out
menus.
"That," said Ryo, "is my signal to go home. Bell-chan is
waiting."
Ranko took a menu from the man and studied it, trying to
puzzle out the Chinese writing. "Well, it's been cool knowing you,
Ryo." She punched the boy in the shoulder with her free hand. "Keep
practising; you've got some good moves hidden in there."
"Don't listen to her," Tachi advised. "When you start
thinking with your muscles, you stop thinking with your head. It was
nice meeting a boy my age with a brain, Ryo. I almost wish you had a
counterpart in my world."
Ryo stared at her in surprise. "I'm teasing," she told him.
"I mean, you're an almost-married man, and Bell-chan is my friend."
"Oh." Ryo shook his head. "You did have me spooked for a bit.
Remember, the Tachi Kuno I know is a boy."
Tachi laughed, and patted Ryo on the cheek. "Go on, get out
of here."
Ryo held up the locket, and vanished in a flash of azure flame.
- - - - - - - - - -
Ratiko Hibiki paced back and forth. Ordinarily, that simple
act could have landed him in Antarctica, but Childra Jansen was
watching him, and he never left the Nekohanten. "Where is she?" he
asked the brown-haired woman. "Or, 'he.' Or, 'them'... you know who
I mean."
"They'll be here," she reassured her friend. "They _do_ have
to avoid the C-Ko's, after all."
I guess you're right." Ratiko continued his pacing, lost in
thought if not in body.
A dark-haired boy with a distinctive pony-tail appeared out
of nowhere. He blinked his eyes in shock. "This can't be right."
Then he stared at his own right hand, which was clenched in a fist.
"Focus, Ryo, focus."
Ryo was facing away from Ratiko.
Ratiko wasn't looking where he was going.
They collided, then vanished in a ring of silver-blue energy.
<This is not good,> thought Childra. She grabbed her bo, then
jumped through the rapidly narrowing gate after her friend.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Miyabi Saotome tugged at the apron she was wearing. <Why did
Mom and Dad insist I get a part time job here?> she asked herself for
the tenth time that afternoon. <It's not like I'm doing anything
important here. All I do is catch the orders when Aunt Shampoo
throws them at me.>
Two boys appeared out of nowhere and fell on the unhappy
waitress; all of them went down in a tangled heap of flailing limbs.
Miyabi tried to push herself free, but the hand pressed against the
back of her skirt demanded attention first. "Leggo, pervert!" She
rolled over and slugged the first face she saw.
Ryo was on the top of the pile; his hands had reflexively
splayed open in a futile attempt to prevent his fall. The pig-tailed
boy, mortified, tried to apologise, but "I'm sor-," was as far as he
got before Miyabi's fist caught him square in the jaw. Then the world
became cerulean fire, and the three teens vanished.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Ishido Takashima knew he was in trouble. A dozen hooded men
had surrounded him; neither they nor the weapons they carried looked
very friendly. "I don't supposed we could talk about this?" he
asked.
One of the men took a menacing step closer, and Ishido felt
his conscious mind slip away.. Reflexes honed by years of training
took control. The first man went down in a hail of punches and kicks.
There were still eleven more, though.
Two more assassins and a slightly wounded Ishido later, the
battle came to a temporary halt. The cute girl and the two boys that
appeared out of thin air might have had something to do with that.
"Uh, where am I?" asked Ratiko.
"Where have you taken me?" demanded Miyabi.
Ryo didn't say anything. His jaw hurt too much.
Ishido blinked, reason returning briefly to his eyes. "Um,
excuse me, but do you think any of you could lend me a hand here?"
Then the nine standing assassins renewed their attack, and his
programming carried him beyond words.
Miyabi jumped into battle; the girl was a caged hurricane,
wreaking devastation on the hooded men who foolishly thought they had
nothing to fear from a beautiful young woman in a short skirt. Ratiko
shoved Ryo away and tried his best not to get killed. Ryo blinked a
lot.
<This is wrong>, his befuddled mind told him. <This is really
wrong. This whole day has been really wrong. I wish I could start
over.>
A glowing gate opened up, swallowing Ryo and Ratiko. "Hey,
come back here," Miyabi shouted. She ducked under an assassin's sword,
then dove through the closing portal.
The part of Ishido's mind that still functioned evaluated his
remaining opponents. Four to one were not bad odds. Then
reinforcements arrived. The gate was still there, so he made a
tactical retreat.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Cold water worked miracles in Nerima, and Ryo returned to full
consciousness. He sat up, spit out a mouthful of the canal, then ran
his fingers through his bangs. In the process he managed to hit
himself in the head with the locket; its chain was wrapped around his
fingers. <That was close,> he though as he slipped the charm in his
pocket. <If I'd lost that, I'd be in _big_ trouble!>
A fruit bat tangled itself in Ryo's hair and tried to beat him
to death with her wings. "Go away," he told it.
Then Childra fell out of the sky. She landed near Ryo,
accidentally hitting him in the head with the bo staff she carried.
"So sorry," she said. "I didn't expect the gate to open over a canal."
"You know about-" Ryo began, but then Miyabi appeared. Like
Childra, she appeared above Ryo. Unlike Childra, she landed in his
lap. The pig-tailed boy tried to catch her, but instead he caught the
front of her apron.
"Pervert!" Miyabi's full-armed slap gave Ryo's dentist a full
afternoon's worth of business.
Just when Ryo thought that nothing else could possibly go
wrong, Ishido appeared. The mind-warped assassin-in-training had
jumped through the gate head-first; consequently he skipped the
intervening steps and hit Ryo in the head with his own skull before
hitting the water.
<Why can't I ever get hit in the stomach?> Ryo asked himself
before passing out.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This had been an... odd... Tuesday, thought Childra. Usually, on
a Tuesday afternoon she could expect to sit down with a nice cafe-au-
lait and leaf through some history texts until evening, when she would
do research of a different sort at the campus bar... Today, she had
ended up fighting leotarded nuns alongside a ghost to save the life of a
Jyusenkyou-cursed were-bat and a resurrected martial artist/gender
bender, only to later leapfrog through space-time and end up landing
in a canal. And now, she had an unconscious boy, a pair of conscious
lunatics and a fruit bat to deal with...
"What IS it with you and men's fragrances, anyways?" she asked one
of them, a long-haired boy with a lupine figure.
"Must... find... COLOGNE! Must... find... COLOGNE!" Childra
sighed. Must have been quite a blow to the head.
"Go to sleep, hon. You need it." The boy nodded and then
collapsed into unconsciousness. Childra pulled his face out of the
water. <No sense letting him drown,> she thought.
"Poor guy," said the girl. Miyabi, she thought her name was.
Rat-bat had taken a liking to her, and was perched on her shoulder.
"Oh, he'll be fine... Looks like a strong-enough fellow... And
handsome, too..."
"Hai." Miyabi suddenly realised what she'd said, and blushed.
"No need to worry 'bout it. We're both girls." Smile.
"Thanks. You're SURE you don't know the way to the Nekohanten?"
"I do, dear, but, like I told you, I've never seen you before..."
"I've worked for Aunt Shampoo for months!"
"Well, your 'Aunt Shampoo' has been in China for a century, unless
I'm much mistaken, and she only came back to the Cat Restaurant a day or
two ago." Miyabi looked puzzled.
"Are we talking about the same person? Purple hair, Chinese
Amazon?"
"Hai, but..." they were interrupted by a voice - or rather, a yell
- familiar to them both.
"RANMA NO BAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Akane was chasing Ranma
alongside the canal with a mallet.
<Ranma and Akane?> Childra thought to herself. <Must have only
been a teleport, and not a time jump...>
"Daddy!" shouted Miyabi, and jumped towards the two. The fruit-
bat, noticing Ranma, flew off her shoulder and flew to meet him. Once
she was near enough, she started to suck on his eyeballs. Not a good
idea. One well-placed punch, and the bat flew against a nearby tree,
then dropped to the ground, stunned.
Akane chose that moment to finally hit Ranma, knocking him into
the canal. A splash later, a very confused Ranma-chan was trying to
fight off a glomp by a black-haired version of herself. Akane stood on
the sidewalk next to the canal, eyes wide and red with anger.
"You have a DAUGHTER?!?!? Why, you two-timing PERVERT!"
"A-Akane... I can explain... I don't know her, she just..."
"Whose is it? Ukyou's? Shampoo's? KODACHI'S?"
"Yours, mother," said Miyabi, tears in her eyes.
"Excuse me," said Childra. <That... DOESN'T look like Kim... But
then...> Her interjection was ignored, as Akane looked the girl over.
"But... You're MY age... You must be mistaken..." said Akane.
Ranma took the opportunity to vindicate herself.
"You see? She's NOT mine!"
"Unless," said Childra with a grin and a wink, "you're more
precocious than I gave you credit for." Ranma-chan stared at her.
"Do I know you?" Ranma asked.
"ANOTHER beautiful woman you don't know? With a memory like
yours, I'm surprised you can find your way any better than Ryouga! If
she's engaged to you..." Childra's eyes widened at the mention of the
elder Hibiki.
"Ryouga? HIBIKI Ryouga? Married to Ukyou, nee Kuonji? He's
alive?!?!?"
Akane, Miyabi and Ranma all turned to stare at Childra, then
blinked.
"Yes..." said Ranma.
"Uncle Ryouga is alive..." added Miyabi.
"But he's not married to Ukyou," concluded Akane. Then, hopefully
to Ranma, "Is he?" Ranma shook her head.
"Not unless she's REALLY been hiding something from me..." She
turned to Miyabi. "And I'm SURE that I haven't had a daughter by that
TOMBOY..."
"Who are you calling a TOMBOY, you PERVERT?!?!?"
Childra cleared her throat.
"I think I can explain."
"EXPLAIN!" said the three other girls, in unison.
"First, what year is this?"
"1996," said Ranma. "November 12th, 1996." Childra smiled, and
Miyabi suddenly looked a lot more confused.
"That explains it, then," said Jansen.
A collective, "Huh?" Childra extended her hand.
"Childra Jansen, 2096. Pleased to meet you. Again."
"I'm getting a headache..." complained Ranma.
"2096? Then..." Miyabi looked at her parents. "They _do_ look a
lot younger! You mean we? You're from the future, and they..."
Childra nodded. "Oh, boy..."
"You expect us to believe that?" asked Akane.
"Look at your daughter, if you don't," answered Childra. She did.
Standing beside Ranma-chan, as she was, the resemblance between father
and daughter was undeniable. They might be sisters, even twins, were it
not for the hair colour. "I assume," continued the historian, "that that
red-haired girl is Ranma, and not some other person sharing her body?"
"H-hai..." now Akane was the confused one.
"Don't worry. I'll explain everything... Or at least, everything I
know... Right now, though, we need to get these guys," she gestured at
the prone males, "to a doctor. Is there one nearby?"
"We always go to Dr. Tofu's..." said Ranma.
"Oh! Aunt Kasumi's!" Miyabi was ecstatic. Apparently, she had
fond memories of her mother's older sister.
"You really _are_ my daughter..." Akane finally realised. "But
that means that Ranma and I.... We... We don't, do we?!?" Miyabi nodded,
and Akane started turning red.
"There's NO WAY I'd EVER do anything like THAT with that
kawaiikune girl!"
"There'll be plenty of time to discuss this later," said Childra.
"Right now; the doctor?"
"Hai."
With that, they picked up the bodies (not forgetting the fruit
bat) and started to walk towards Dr. Tofu's clinic.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ratiko slowly came to consciousness and rubbed his throbbing
head... Saotome. He should have known. Whatever troubles had come into
his life, whatever happened to turn his once idyllic existence into its
present hellish state, whatever rock he stubbed his toe upon... All of
his problems could be traced back to one source: the cross-dressing
hentai jock called Ranma. Curses, vicious nuns, becoming part of a
century-old Chinese Amazon's dinner... He was the cause. Why should he
be surprised that he had also had a part to play in his warping into
battle, and then landing in a cold canal? But... Ratiko looked around...
This didn't look like a canal...
He was in a simple room, with four white walls and an equally
blanched, unblanketed cot in the middle of it. No. It was not a canal.
How had he gotten here? Granted, his sense of direction was lousy, but
he was usually conscious when he...
"I think sleeping beauty's awake," said a voice from without.
"Hello?" asked Ratiko.
A youngish man stepped into the room. He wore a dark purple
kimono, and kept his light brown hair tied back in a small ponytail. He
smiled at Ratiko, eyes twinkling behind his wire-rimmed glasses.
"I'm glad to see you're feeling better. Ranma gave you quite a
beating..."
"What... I... The..."
"Be thankful it wasn't Akane..." The man noticed Ratiko's confused
expression. "Oh, that's right! I haven't introduced myself yet!" He
extended his hand to Rat. "Dr. Tofu Ono. Childra's told me all about
you." Ratiko took Dr. Tofu's hand, and shook it, not knowing what else
to do.
"I'm kind of... Lost..." Childra came in, and leaned against the
wall.
"Not surprising for a Hibiki," she said. Dr. Tofu nodded.
"Especially considering where and when we are..." Ratiko's eyes
widened.
"Where... and WHEN?"
"Congratulations, Rat; seems your navigational abilities also
apply to time travel."
"Time travel? But... Don't you have to get all sorts of clearance
for that, and the time, and energy..."
"You're rambling, Rat."
"Don't worry," the doctor interjected. "Just a side effect of some
of the drugs I had to give him... He should be light-headed for a couple
of hours..." <So _that's_ what it was>, thought Ratiko.
"So, er... Childra?"
"Yes?"
"What happened?"
Childra sighed.
"To tell the truth, darling, I don't exactly know. All I've been
able to figure out is that the focus for the time jump is that pig-
tailed fellow."
"RANMA?!?!? I KNEW IT! I'LL KILL THE..." Dr. Tofu cleared his
throat.
"Not _that_ pig-tailed fellow," he said.
"It's the other one. Remember? The one you bumped into in the
Nekohanten." Ratiko remembered. Slowly... His mind was still a haze, but
details were beginning to come back...
"Oh, yeah.... Where is he?"
"Still unconscious. I'll try to get information out of him when
he wakes up."
"And... Saotome? And Akane?" Childra looked at Dr. Tofu.
"THAT will take some explaining," she said. "I have good news and
bad news. The good news is, we're in Nerima." Ratiko breathed a sigh of
relief. "The bad news is, it's 1996. November, 1996."
"NOVEMBER 1996? But Ranma died in October! Shouldn't he be in
that spring by now?"
"Ranma is not dead. Neither is Akane."
"WHAT?!?"
"I told you it would take some explaining."
"But, if Ranma isn't dead, and Akane hasn't killed herself, then
great-gramps and great-grandma..."
"Ryouga and Ukyou have no intention of marrying," said Dr. Tofu.
"Which means..." said Childra.
"That I WON'T EXIST?"
"But you clearly do. Ergo, dearie, we must not be in our own
time-stream. I don't know HOW the Ministry could have botched their
calculations THAT much, but they must've knocked us into an alternate
reality." True to his ancestors, Ratiko was becoming more lost by the
minute.
"I'm afraid I don't quite catch this..."
"Neither do I, lad," said Childra. "Mr. Pig-tail has a lot of
questions to answer when he wakes up." She grinned. "For example, Is he
married?"
"Only you could think of something like THAT at a time like THIS,
Jansen... You're a historian! Aren't you the LEAST bit worried that
the past is being messed up?"
"It's not OUR past, Rat... And, as far as I'm concerned, it just
means there's more to study. I'm having a field day, actually..."
"That's only because YOU'RE not in danger of not being born..."
Ratiko grumbled. Childra sighed and decided against trying to explain
the situation. Rat looked at the doctor. "YOU seem to be taking this in
stride. Aren't you confused?" Dr. Tofu smiled.
"Believe me, Hibiki-san, by having my practice in Nerima I've seen
a lot stranger things... Ranma and Akane..." Ratiko interrupted.
"Where _IS_ everyone, anyway?"
"Pig-tail's in the other room, recovering. I think he'll be
fine... Lucky for him I pulled his face out of the water... Kasumi -
that's Akane's older sister - is talking to Ishido, who's just as
muddled as you are..."
"Ishido?"
"Think battle. The long-haired boy who's fight we jumped into."
Ratiko shuddered. He remembered THAT.
"Right."
"So, Ishido's with Kasumi, and Ranma and Akane are with Miyabi."
"Miyabi?"
"I think each of the places we warped into was an alternate time-
line; not just this one. Miyabi is Ranma's daughter by Akane."
"So... Ranma's not dead, and Akane's not a ghost?"
"I certainly hope not... Saotome-kun's too kawaii to be a
necrophiliac..."
"CHILDRA! How did you ever get your MA with that one-track mind
of yours?"
Childra winked at him.
"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked.
Dr. Tofu blushed.
"I... I think I'll go.. Um.. I'll go check on that unconscious
boy, and leave you two alone..." He quietly slipped out the door.
Childra continued.
"The pair are quite interested in finding out what their daughter
wioll* be like, of course..."
"Wioll?"
"Time-travel grammar."
"Oh."
"Miyabi also appreciates the chance to see what her parents were
like at her age."
"That's nice, Childra, but HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET BACK? I don't
suppose we could just take a taxi..." Childra frowned.
"Not quite. Truth to tell, I'm not sure how, or if, we can get
back... For now, all I can say is, enjoy yourself!"
"Enjoy myself? ENJOY MYSELF? Ranma's pulled me into another fine
mess, and..." Childra began to speak, but Ratiko quieted her. "I don't
CARE if he's not the Ranma I know! He's STILL Saotome, and he's STILL
to blame for all of this!"
"He only punched you, and you WERE trying to bite.. I mean... You
WERE trying to suck him."
"You're not going to convince me that he's innocent, Childra. I
_know_ he's GOT to be behind this. Who else would be out to make my
life miserable?" Another sigh from the historian.
"Look, Rat. RELAX. If you're going to be stuck here, and we WILL
be stuck here, you might as well have FUN. You always tell me how you
admired your great-grandfather, ne?"
"Hai. But he's not my great-grandfather anymore, now, is he?"
"Never mind that. It's still the same person. He is still Hibiki
Ryouga, and you are still Hibiki Ratiko. AND, he lives in Nerima. Why
don't you see if you can find him? Judging from Akane and Ranma's
response to Miyabi, I'm sure he'd love to meet you."
"Thanks, Childra. I suppose you're right... What are YOU going to
do?" Childra smiled.
"Oh, I don't know WHAT I'll do with myself... Tatewaki Kuno's not
a monk, Shampoo's Mousse is alive, young and single, and your great-
grand-papa won't be marrying anytime soon..."
"CHILDRA!"
"I can't help myself, dearie. Don't worry... I'm also interested
in doing some research... Think of it! No one else, as far as I know,
has had this opportunity... Heck, I didna think the department was
CAPABLE of this type of time-shift. Bothers me, though. Why'd they
choose such a young lad for the test subject? Gotta ask him about that
when he comes to..."
"Could you... Could you leave me alone? I need to rest."
"Sure! I'll go see how the others are getting along...", Childra
said, and left through the door into the main clinic.
Ratiko lay back in the cot and thought. Ranma and Akane were both
alive, but both had to die so that Ryouga and Ukyou would be driven to
marry each other... And, unless they married, Ratiko would not be born.
Saotome must be killed. But how? If Rat tried to go against him...
Even with his new-found ki-blast, he could only handle an unprepared and
peaceful Ranma. If the jock thought his life was threatened... 1996
Nerima, ne? Hm... Ukyou had destroyed half of Tokyo with a spatula, so
she had to be pretty powerful. Maybe he could enlist the aid of grand-
mama. Then, of course, there was Ryouga. The man's... Er... Boy's...
powers were legendary in 2096. If he could get his help, then it should
be a breeze to annihilate Saotome. Once that was done, Akane's suicide
should follow, and history'd be back on track. Ratiko smiled to
himself. Destroy Ranma. Perhaps he _would_ enjoy this trip, after
all...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ranma and Akane sat with Miyabi in Tofu-sensei's waiting room.
Ranma and Akane kept sneaking embarrassed, shy glances at each other
as they talked to the girl.
"I was just working at the Nekohanten when some guys dropped out
of the air on top of me! And, well... I... err... hit one of them and
suddenly I was somewhere else, in the middle of a fight. Not sure what
happened, but then I was here, and that pervert pig-tailed guy grabbed
me out of the air and he hand his hand... and he had his hand... and...
and I just couldn't help hitting him again!" She sighed.
Akane looked a little perplexed. <She's just like me...>
Ranma crossed her arms over her chest, "You sound too much like
that macho chick here to be anyone's daughter but hers. Calling a guy
perverted when it was you who fell on him."
Akane scowled at Ranma, "I only call guys perverts if they deserve
it, you pervert!"
Ranma glared back, "Irokeganee..."
Miyabi sighed, "Otousan, okaasan! Stop it!"
Ranma and Akane blinked at her, suddenly both embarrassed again at
the reminder of them being parents.
Ranma looked for a moment at his female body, "Umm, Miyabi, do I
get, well, cured?"
Miyabi shook her head, "Not yet..."
Ranma sighed a little, and Akane looked at him, "Well, maybe
our...err... the future will be different, and you'll find a cure?"
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. There's no way I'd ever marry you, you
klutz!"
Akane glared at Ranma, starting to get angry.
Miyabi stood up, "Well, if you two want to argue all day, I'm
going to go see the others. Some example you're setting your child!"
Ranma and Akane quickly stood up, too, only half glaring at each
other. "We'll come, too."
Miyabi nodded, "Auntie Kasumi's with that Ishido guy, and the
pig-tailed hentai's with Uncle Tofu, I think. Don't know about the
other guy, but I guess he's with Childra."
The three sixteen year olds wandered through the clinic till they
found Ishido and Kasumi.
Miyabi, on seeing her aunt, flew to her arms and hugged her,
"Auntie!"
Kasumi, looking just a little surprised, hugged the girl back.
"You must be Miyabi." She smiled down at the girl.
Ishido, resting on the bed, blinked, "You're the girl from the
fight, aren't you?"
Miyabi stopped hugging Kasumi, and nodded. "What was happening?"
"Well, these guys were attacking me... I have to find Cologne!"
Ranma scowled, "What do you want to see the old ghoul for?"
Miyabi blinked, "Old? I know she's horrible, but old?"
Akane and Ranma stared at Miyabi for a moment.
Kasumi stood up, "She's about a hundred years old, Miyabi..."
Miyabi looked confused, "She doesn't look it..."
Ranma scratched her hair, "She does to me."
Ishido looked between them, "You know Cologne? The old ghoul in
China told me to find her!"
Everyone started looking more and more confused. Kasumi just
smiled sweetly.
Dr. Tofu poked his head around the door, "I'd just like to say
that Ryo's woken up... Oh! Kasumi-san! How did you get here? Did Betty
let you in without telling me? I'll have to tell her off for that!
Leaving a guest like you waiting! And you four, did you all come to
show Kasumi where to wait for me? Or was it for the appendicitis
operation?" He pulled his skeleton, Betty, from nowhere, and started
to dance into the room with it. "Zun cha cha! Zun cha cha!" he sang,
waltzing with the pile of bones.
Kasumi smiled at the doctor, "Maa, he's such a nice, funny man,
ne?"
Ishido and Miyabi stared. Akane and Ranma sighed, shaking their
heads.
Ranma whispered to Akane, "Glad he's got no more patients for the
day..."
Akane nodded silently.
Miyabi watched the goings on, <What a weird place... Uncle Tofu
*used* to act weird, or so I've heard... and otousan and okaasan are
always fighting! Well, they fight a lot, but not *this* much! Only
Aunt Kasumi seems the same...> She looked over at Ishido for a
moment, <And what's he want with Cologne? Anyone who wants anything
to do with her must be up to no good! I'd better keep my eye on him...>
She sat down on the edge of the bed, watching Dr. Tofu dance.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Childra wandered down the hallway, almost run over by a guy who
seemed to be *dancing* with a skeleton!
She shook her head, <From what Akane told me about her past, it
seems the good doctor just saw Kasumi.>
Entering the nearby room, she waved. The female Ranma, Akane,
Miyabi and Ishido were talking with Kasumi. Childra sighed, wondering
why they were having such an animated discussion about watered down
perfume.
"Hi, girls! Hi, cutie!" She smiled at Ishido.
Ishido looked faintly confused. He sat up, trying to ignore the
pain in his head, "I've got to find Cologne before *they* catch me!"
Kasumi tried to get him to lay back down in the bed, "Who are
they?" she wondered.
Ishido didn't lay back, "I-- I don't know. I need to see
Cologne!"
Childra shrugged, "Well, I've got some perfume here for you, sexy,
but guys like you shouldn't be wearing that!"
Ishido frowned, "Perfume's the old ghoul in China. Something to do
with that girl... that... Hairspray?"
Ranma and Akane exchanged glances. <Sounds like he's visited the
Joketsuzoku...>
Miyabi frowned, "Those names sound a lot like Aunt Shampoo and
Uncle Mousse's names."
Ishido looked around the people in the room, "So you can tell me
where to find this Cologne!"
Ranma nodded, "She's usually in the Nekohanten..."
Miyabi still looked confused, <I guess this was back before
Cologne went insane ... Must be, that happened after mum and dad got
married...>
"I'll show you where it is," continued Ranma. Akane stood up,
nodding.
Kasumi sat back, letting the young man get out of the bed.
"Let's go, then!" Ishido walked to the door, Ranma and Akane
trailing behind.
Miyabi watched her parents and Ishido walk out. She shrugged a
little, then turned to Kasumi, "Can you show me the dojo? I'd love to
see how it looked back when otousan and okaasan were my age!"
Kasumi smiled, standing up, "Of course. And you can meet your
auntie Nabiki, and your grandfathers."
Childra, interested in seeing the dojo, joined them.
Miyabi smiled, "And grandma, too?"
Kasumi gave a half worried frown, "She only comes around on
occasion. She doesn't know about Ranma-kun's curse yet, you see..."
The three girls left the clinic, talking. Miyabi, trying to find
out as much about her family as possible, Childra trying to work out
all she can about the past.
Doctor Tofu danced by, with Betty.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Leaving the girls at the dojo, Kasumi went back to check on Ryo
and Ratiko. Ryo, sitting on a bed, sighed looking around. "This is the
wrong time... How do I get myself into these messes?" He fingered
the locket...
Kasumi smiled, checked his jaw, "Well, you'll be fine. I believe
that the knock to the head won't be a problem, but be careful when
eating. There is a nasty hand-shaped bruise on your jaw..."
<That girl... she slapped me!> though Ryo, "Why did she hit me?"
he wondered out aloud.
Kasumi shook her head, and applied an ointment to the slap mark,
"She's a little high spirited, Miyabi. Very much like her parents."
"Who're her parents?" he asked.
"It seems that she is the daughter of Ranma-kun and Akane..."
Ryo blinked in shock.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kasumi looked in the door, "Excuse me, Ratiko-san? How are you
doing?"
Ratiko's face, holding an evil look, became blank. "Oh, I'm sure
things will be fine..."
Kasumi, smiling sweetly, nodded and left him alone.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ishido woke up, surprised to find himself in a bed. "Wha? Who?
Where..." he muttered groggily as he assessed his situation. His first
thought was that he had been captured. He heard a sweetly lilting voice
behind him exclaim "Oh my, you're awake!" Ishido turned to see Kasumi
smiling calmly at him as she tended to his bruises.
"Who're you? Where am I? Can you help me? I've got to find
Cologne before they find me!" Ishido's questions tumbled out like water
over a precipice. <She looks.. familiar.. this all does... but how??>
Kasumi smiled and said "I'm sure your friends can help you. My name
is Kasumi Tendou, you're at Doctor Tofu's, and yes, I do know
Cologne--but you need medical treatment first. It looks like you've
been through a lot." Kasumi bent to sponge off some of the dried
blood, but Ishido unsteadily pushed her away, go up, and wandered off
to find *someone* that looked familiar. Just as he reached the door,
though, three teenagers walked in, knocking him back far enough so
that he ended up sitting back on the bed.
"Auntie Kasumi!" exclaimed the youngest one as she hugged Ishido's
would-be nurse.
He recognised her, and said to her "Hey, you're the girl from the
fight, aren't you?"
Miyabi nodded. "Why were those guys after you, anyway?"
Ishido sighed. "Long story...actually, short story...about the
only thing I remember about my life is being chased around by people
just like that." Ishido sighed again. "Anyway, that's not important.
I came to Nerima to find Cologne...do any of you know her?" He stared
intently at Ranma, and Akane, even Kasumi. The first two found it
unnerving, the way his intense gaze seemed to burn right through them.
<Do.. do I *know* these two..? They look... familiar... somehow.. >
Kasumi just smiled sweetly.
Ranma scowled. "What do you want with the old ghoul?"
Miyabi blinked. "Old? C'mon, I know she's horrible, but she's not
old!"
Kasumi sighed. "She's about a hundred years old, Miyabi-chan."
Miyabi looked terribly confused. "She sure doesn't look it...."
Ranma scratched his head. "She does to me..."
Ishido tennis-watched the two confusedly. "You know Cologne? The
old ghoul in China told me to find her! Can you take me to her?" <Why
can't I *remember*?!?>
Everyone started looking more and more confused. Kasumi just smiled
sweetly.
Dr. Tofu poked his head around the door, "I'd just like to say that
Ryo's woken up... Oh! Kasumi-san! How did you get here? Did Betty let
you in without telling me? I'll have to tell her off for that!
Leaving a guest like you waiting! And you four, did you all come to
show Kasumi where to wait for me? Or was it for the appendicitis
operation?" He pulled his skeleton, Betty, from nowhere, and started
to dance into the room with it. "Zun cha cha! Zun cha cha!" he sang,
waltzing with the pile of bones.
Kasumi smiled at the doctor, "Maa, he's such a nice, funny man, ne?"
Ishido and Miyabi stared. Akane and Ranma sighed, shaking their heads.
Ishido leaned over to Miyabi. "He wasn't....dancing...with that
skeleton, was he? I'm just suffering from the bump to the head, right?"
Miyabi shook an affirmative to the first question and a no to the second.
Ranma whispered to Akane, "Glad he's got no more patients for the
day..."
Akane nodded silently.
Miyabi watched the goings on, <What a weird place... Uncle Tofu
*used* to act weird, or so I've heard... and otousan and okaasan are
always fighting! Well, they fight a lot, but not *this* much! Only Aunt
Kasumi seems the same...> She looked over at Ishido for a moment, <And
what's he want with Cologne? Anyone who wants anything to do with her
must be up to no good! I'd better keep my eye on him...>
She sat down on the edge of the bed, watching Dr. Tofu dance.
Childra walked in at about this point, narrowly avoiding the
Doctor's Dance of Death(tm), while, not as graceful as Sanzenin's
technique of the same name, was certainly just as effective. She heard
the word Cologne come up several times and she wondered what the hell
they were talking about.
"Hey girls! Hey cutie!" That last was directed at Ishido, who was
very uncomfortable with Childra's directness.
Ishido sighed. He _really_ had to see Cologne. "Hey, I really
need to find Cologne."
Childra grinned. "Well, I've got perfume for you here, sexy, but
it's really something more suited to girls."
Ishido shook his head negatively, "No, Perfume's the old ghoul in
China. She's...um....Hairspray's great-grandmother? Yeah, that's it.
Anyway, Perfume told me to find Cologne."
Ranma and Akane frowned. The both had the same thought.
<Joketsuzoku....*sigh*> Ranma's mind was working in overdrive. <Better
find out whether he's defeated Hairspray or not--and find out what the
ghoul knows, too.>
Miyabi frowned, "Those names seem awfully familiar--like Aunt
Shampoo and Uncle Mousse..."
Ishido sighed a small sigh of relief. "Then you *do* know her!
Please, take me to her as soon as possible."
Ranma nodded. "She's usually at the Nekohanten. I'll take you to
her." Akane nodded, and they got up and, saying their goodbyes, left for
the Nekohanten.
During the short walk to Nekohanten, Ranma couldn't help but notice
that Ishido tensed up as soon as they left Tofu's, and that his eyes
darted around like birds, like he was afraid that someone was going to
attack him. Akane noticed too, and was worried. <What could possibly
have happened to him to make him this afraid of everything?> All
weirdness aside, it was a beautiful day, and even Ishido didn't look as
tense by the time they reached the Nekohanten.
"Hey, old ghoul! We got someone here who needs to see you!" Ranma
shouted as they entered the Cat Cafe.
"Son-in-law. Well, bring them in, I don't have all day."
Cologne looked Ishido over. "So, what brings you here, to see me?
Not many seek me out, but those that do often have grave reasons."
Ishido bowed. "Cologne, I was sent here by Perfume. She says that
I am 'airen' to Hairspray, and I am in need of your help."
Cologne bug-eyed for a second. <This one bested Hairspray, the only
Joketsuzoku to have defeated Shampoo in tournament? He bears
watching--and helping, for I cannot afford to invoke Perfume's wrath.>
"Very well, I shall do what I can."
Ishido nodded. "May we speak in private?" <Her... I.. she *can*
help me.. or.. maybe... chikusho...>
"Certainly. This way, please." Cologne led him into the office,
and they sat and talked.
"I need your help. Perfume has told me that you know something
about my pursuers."
"That will depend. Who are your pursuers?"
Ishido sighed. "I'm afraid I do not know their name, but I do know
that they are lead by one who goes by the name of 'Lone Wolf'."
Cologne shook her head. "I'm afraid that I've never heard of the
one you speak of. I may be able to help you in other ways, however."
Ishido nodded. "So, you know nothing of my pursuers--I cannot say
that I am surprised, as this does not seem to be my universe."
Cologne started at that. "*Not* your universe? What do you mean by
that?"
Ishido said "Only that, during a fight, some people arrived through
a glowing portal. I was hard-pressed, and followed them. Where we
arrived *looks* like the Nerima I have wandered, but it is not."
Cologne nodded. "The Joketsuzoku have many artefacts which
facilitate this type of travel... but that is not the business at hand."
Ishido continued with, "The travel has cleared some of my mind--my
pursuers wiped my mind clean, once, and I have had to try to fill it, and
to find my original memories. They also placed compulsions on me--I was
hoping you could fix them."
Cologne slowly nodded. She got up and went behind Ishido. After
poking a few pressure points, she grimly said "Whoever has done this to
you has used a technique I am not familiar with--they have simply
barriered your mind to your memories, and placed the compulsions. The
barrier is far too complex for me to break--that is something you'll have
to figure out for yourself. The compulsions, however..." She quickly
hit a few pressure points. "There. You should now be free of those
compulsions. Now--keep in mind that this is *not* your Nerima, but what
you do here may have repercussions throughout all the planes of existence."
Cologne thought of something. "Oh yes, where is Hairspray right now?"
Ishido smiled. "She stayed in China; I convinced her that my
life would be no good for her right now."
Ishido made a mental note of what Cologne had said, and thanked
Cologne. Ranma and Akane grilled him on what happened once he
rejoined them, and he said "Well, I'm back where I started--but, at
least, I won't kill anyone now." Ranma and Akane puzzled over that
statement as they walked back to the doctor's office.
Meanwhile...
"It seems that she's the child of Ranma and Akane."
The words echoed in Ryo's mind, as he thought about the implications
inherent in that one simple statement. <She's another
half-sister--or...oh, whatever, but I need to talk to her.>
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
<Another half-sister, another world... it seems like I'm no
closer to home than when I started.> Ryo stared down at the battered
silver locket. <Sometimes I wish we'd never crossed paths; now,
thanks to you, I've got to go through that pain all over again.>
Closing his fist he looked up at Kasumi. She was busy putting away
the jar of ointment she'd used on his bruise.
"Um..." Ryo said.
"Yes?"
"How many of us are there? I mean, how many people don't belong
to this world?"
"There are five of you. Miyabi-chan and Childra are at the
dojo, Akane and Ranma took Ishido to see Cologne, and Ratiko is in
the next room." Kasumi's voice took on a not of concern. "The two
of you were hurt badly; he was bruised all over, and you took a nasty
blow to the head."
"I feel fine now." Ryo tapped the bandage on his jaw. "Except
for this."
Kasumi smiled. "Doctor Tofu is very good at what he does."
<Enough chatting,> Ryo told himself. <If I've learned anything
from this, it's that time travellers don't have time to waste.> "This
Ratiko, is he well enough to leave the clinic?"
"He should be." The eldest Tofu daughter blinked. "Why do you ask?"
"I need to talk to all of us," Ryo told her, "and I'd rather
explain just once. My story is confusing."
Kasumi nodded. "I understand." She peeked her head around the
corner, calling, "Ratiko? Oh, that's odd."
"What do you mean?" Ryo asked. There was an edge to his voice;
he'd had enough odd things in the past day to last a lifetime.
"He's not here. I don't see how he could leave. This is the
only door to his room, and neither of us saw him go by."
Ryo grit his teeth. <This is not good. Now what do I do?>
"You said the girls went to the Tendou dojo?"
"Yes. I took them there myself."
"Then that's where I'm going." Ryo took a deep breath, trying to
calm himself down. It wasn't Kasumi's fault that events were going from
bad to worse. "If Ratiko shows up, or if Ranma and Akane bring Ishido
back here, make sure they go to the dojo."
Kasumi nodded her assent, and Ryo marched out of the room.
Neither of them noticed the small open window.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There was chaos at the Tendou dojo, but then, what else was
new.
Genma and Soun were running around the house. They weren't
drunk, but you would have been hard pressed to tell the difference.
Miyabi's parentage had thrown them for quite a loop.
Miyabi was rather upset; she'd wanted to talk with her
grandfathers, but they were in no shape for a conversation. Nabiki, on
the other hand, was full of questions, but they were all about the future
of the stock market. Miyabi knew next to nothing about the world of high
finance in the early twenty-first century, but her aunt continued to pump
her for information.
Childra was having a ball. <Now I know why Ranma and Akane are
so squirrely. It's genetic.>
Akane, Ranma, and Ishido chose that moment to come home. Soun
and Genma rushed their children, offering crushing hugs, backslaps,
handshakes, and congratulations. Ishido took a wary step back, but his
compulsion to violence was gone, and he felt no need to kill anyone.
"Hey, cut it out," Ranma shouted as he socked Genma in the nose.
"I don't care what she says. There's no way I'd even marry a tomboy like
her."
Genma gave his son a hearty laugh. "Oh, you might say that now,
Ranma my boy, but _we_ know you'll change your mind sooner or later."
The bald martial-artist winked, but his attempt at subtlety failed
miserably.
"Saotome-kun, we must throw a party!" Soun declared.
"Yes, Tendou-kun, I think you're right," Genma answered.
"We should invite the entire neighbourhood."
"Everyone!" Genma agreed.
"And the press!"
"Imagine, our children on the news."
"And your wife!"
Genma paled. "No need to go that far, Tendou-kun."
Miyabi took the return of her parents as an excuse to escape from
Nabiki's interrogation. "Mom, Dad," she cried as she hugged them both in
turn. "I'm glad you're back."
Ranma turned red and looked away. "Um, yeah." Akane just stared
at her feet. The notion of having a daughter still made the two of them
uncomfortable.
Miyabi picked up on this. She clasped her hands together in
front of her and smiled at her parents, turning on all the charm she
had inherited. "I'd really like to see the rest of the house," she said.
Akane looked up. She returned her daughter's smile, a bit shyly,
true, but it was a start. "I'd be glad to show you."
"Dad?" Miyabi asked.
"Yeah, sure, I'll show you around. I've got nothing better to do."
"Baka," Akane hissed. "That's no way to talk to our daughter."
Ranma shrugged. "What else was I supposed to say?"
Miyabi sensed the growing argument. It felt like the build-up of
electricity before a lightning strike. "Mom, Dad?" she asked. "The house?"
The would-be quarrel vanished like it had never been. "Of
course," Akane said. "My room is up the stairs..."
Ishido started wandering through the living room, but Childra
didn't let him get far. "Hey there, handsome. Did you find what you
were looking for?"
"Some of it. I won't be killing anyone by accident now."
Childra blinked. "That's a good thing," she said slowly.
Ishido nodded. "Now all I need is to get my memory back."
"No memory huh?" The scholar gave Ishido a speculative look.
"Then you wouldn't know if you've got a girlfriend, now would you?"
Ishido blushed. "I... I don't think so."
"Good!"
Ishido blushed even more. Frantic to change the subject, he
asked the first question that popped into his head. "Do you know how we
got here?"
"Well," drawled Childra, taking on a professorly tone, "some
people say the birds and the bees have something to do with it, and
others blame storks. Now, I, on the other hand, know a little bit about
biology-"
"That's not what I meant! Ishido cried.
"Well, then, say what you mean."
"What I meant to say was, 'How did we get to this world?'"
Childra frowned. "I'd like to know that, too," she said, all
trace of flirting gone. "I'm pretty sure that pig-tailed boy knows the
answers, and I wish he'd woken up before I left."
"Then you probably should have stayed at the clinic," said Ryo.
The transdimensional veteran had walked through the open front door
when no one was looking. "Take it from me: the last thing we should do is
split up."
Childra pounced. "I have questions," she said, "and I'd be
willing to bet that you have answers. We can start with names. What's
yours?"
"I'm Ryo Saotome, from a world where Ranma lost to the Gambler
King and married Ukyou Kuonji." Ryo stared at Childra and Ishido. "You
don't look like anyone I know. How are you related to Ranma?"
"Never met the guy until today...... I think." Ishido said.
"I know his ghost, and the body he possesses." Childra stared
back at Ryo. "Why do you ask that?"
"I know I have at least one would-be half-sister here.. Everyone
else who's ever... gone on one of these trips has been tied to either the
Saotome or the Tendou families."
Childra shrugged, but her eyes never left Ryo's face. He'd
almost let something slip there, something he didn't want to share.
"Well, I guess this time is different." She smiled at her own pun. "So
you've crossed dimensions before, huh?"
"More than I would have liked." Ryo could tell she was probing
for information. He did his best to give her as little as possible.
"How'd you get picked to be a time-traveller?"
"I didn't get, 'picked.' It was blind luck."
"So you're not an archaeologist or historian?"
"No, I'm a cook and an apprentice healer."
"When the time comes, can you get us home?"
"I think so. I sent... everyone else got where they needed to
go. As for, 'when,' as soon as possible would be best. Time travel only
causes pain."
"I'm not so sure about that," Childra said. "So far it seems like
fun. And the opportunity of a lifetime."
"You haven't seen your father in love with another woman," Ryo
countered hotly.
"Do we have to go home?" Ishido broke in. "I'd rather stay here."
"We're all going back," Ryo said flatly. "As soon as I find out
where to go, we're gone."
"So you _are_ in control of the chronal displacement," said Childra.
<Stupid, stupid, stupid Ryo! If I keep this up, she'll find
out everything.> "Yes, you could say that, but don't get any ideas.
This is no game. Worlds are at stake." The pig-tailed boy tried to
make his face an expressionless mask. He'd managed to hid secrets
from Tachi before, and the heir to the House of Kuno was almost as
inquisitive as his mother.
"I think you're overreacting," Childra countered. "The
Department of Exploratory History never makes such a big deal out of
time-jumps."
"I know what I'm talking about," Ryo shouted, "and if you'd seen
Shutaro Saotome, you'd understand!" Ryo paused, then ran a hand through
his hair. "Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you, but I'm adamant about
this. I'm not going to tell anyone the secrets of time travel, and as
soon as I can, I'm going to destroy it."
"That would be a waste," Childra said softly.
Ryo shoved his hands in his pockets. "That's my decision."
"If you say so." Childra smiled to herself. The boy had been a
tough nut to crack, but in the end, he'd told her everything she needed
to know. He crossed between dimensions by way of an artifact, and he
was carrying it in his front right pocket...
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And, folks, there you have it. The beginning to the crossover-fic that
is Converging Series. The writers on this particular project are
myself, Chris Willmore of "Ranma 2096" fame, and "In the Candle-Flame"
infamy ;), Caroline Ann Seawright of the Ranma Nibunnoichi lemon
series, Ross McKenzie, author of "Descents and Inversions" and
"Symmetric Polynomials".
Ryo Saotome:Protagonist Number One. From Descents and Inversions--the
son of Ranma and Ukyou.
Ratiko Hibiki: One of many feature characters in "Ranma 2096".
Great-great-grandson/clone of Ryouga Hibiki.
Childra Hansen: One of the other feature characters in "Ranma 2096".
Affiliated with the "Department of Exploratory History" and friend of
Ratiko's.
Miyabi Saotome: Ranma and Akane's child, now grown to 16 years of age,
from Caroline's lemon series "Ranma Nibunnoichi".
Ishido Takashima: ***^^*** My own creation. His story is slowly being
told, set in the TMTC/TPOH/OTLTA world. ^_^
Most of us can be found on RanmaMUCK, telnet ranma.muck.com 1212 ^_^
Kevin Eav, aka Takashima Ishido