This is a short story inspired by several fanfics I have read.  I
think that it's time has come.

    Disclaimer.  All characters, settings, and situations are the
copyright of their creators.  I seek no profit, recompense, or credit
for their ideas.  This work is soley for the enjoyment of readers
everywhere, and to honor the countless hours of work the creators put
into their creations.  Any characters I introduce I would like to
claim as my own, but knowing me, I saw them somewhere else and just
forgot about it.  ^_^

Character's thoughts will be surrounded by ''

    Gosunkugi sat quietly in the clearing, watching the fight going on
in front of him.  It was Ranma again, of course, and a old woman on a
cane.  They wove, dodged, feinted, and struck at each other with a
ferocity that rivaled anything he had seen before.  Then the old woman
did something that made him sit bolt upright.

    He had read those words before.  He had even tried the spell, but
it had never worked for him.  Gosunkugi had the most extensive
reference library of spells, chants, and rituals in the entire
district, possibly in all of Tokyo.  None of them could tell him why
his spells failed, and here was an old woman casting one with ease.

    "For the last time, Cologne, quit trying to control me!"  Ranma
shouted at her, and Gosunkugi now knew exactly what he had to do.
Standing up, he slid quietly away from the fight.  That was the only
thing that he could even call slightly mystical about himself, nobody
ever seemed to notice him.

    Digging through his library, Gosunkugi found the scroll with the
spell that Cologne had cast.  Reading over it again, he noticed that
there was a small discrepency between the scroll and what Cologne had
done.  The scroll told of an extra phrase to be said in the middle of
the incantation.  Quickly gathering the components for the spell,
Gosunkugi chanted the ritual, and was rewarded with multiple images of
himself, all of them moving exactly as he did.

Shocked and estatic at the same time, he pulled several scrolls out
at random, and compared them to each other.  For the first time, he
could _see_ the phrase that was inserted into all of the incantations.
It was as if his vision was amplified, finally allowing him to see
past the blocks the authors of the scrolls put in to keep magic a
mystery.

    Back at the clearing, Ranma had overcome Cologne's spell, and was
about to strike, when Cologne suddenly stopped, looked up, and said
"We will finish this later, Son-in-Law.  I sense a matter that I must
attend to."  With that, she hopped away, leaving Ranma standing there,
looking confused.

    Gosunkugi was estatic.  He had just cast four spells, and they all
worked.  He had chosen these four spells a long time ago, vowing that
one day, he would use them.  He could now sense magic, see in the
dark, sense danger, and remember anything he read even once.  "Now, to
the task I started studying magic for, the winning of Akane's favor."
Shuffling through his scrolls, looking for the proper spells to use,
his newly aquired senses warned him of danger and magic.  Spinning
toward his window, he saw Cologne in his room, looking at him
intently.

    "How did you manage this?  How did you see past the blocks in the
scrolls?"  Cologne asked, studying him intently.  "I witnessed you
cast a spell, and when I reread the scroll, I noticed the passage that
should not be there.  After that, it was easy." Gosunkugi replied,
backing away a little at the sheer amount of magic that Cologne
radiated.  "So, it is my fault.  So be it.  Now I am responsible for
you, boy, and I must instruct you on the usage of magic, lest I bring
the elders down on me."  Cologne shook her head at that, muttering
something about being careless in this strange land.

    Two days later, Gosunkugi sat in class, looking bored.  He had
read the textbook last night, and could recall every page.  He had
also been reading all of the scrolls he had again, commiting them to
memory.  He wished that he could cast some of them on Ranma, to get
rid of him, but Cologne had made him promise not to use magic for the
next week, on pain of death.  She had told him that magic had to be
used carefully, lest the world came to believe too strongly in magic,
allowing the mystical creatures of old regain their power and rampage
unchecked.

    One week after that fateful night, Gosunkugi sat in the
Nekohanten, Cologne perched on her staff.  "Now, boy, it is time to
see if you have listened to anything I have said.  What is the first
rule of Magic?"  Gosunkugi look down, and muttered, "Never use magic
to force others to do things."  This fist law had been a point of
contention between the two, but after Cologne showed him that all of
the 'mystical' attempts to get Ranma to love Shampoo had either ben
herb based, or the result of a magical artifact, Gosunkugi reluctantly
conceded the point, shattering his dreams of an Akane that loved him.
"Very good.  Now, what is the second law?"  "Never use magic as a
plaything."  That had shattered his second thought, using his power to
impress others.

    "Good.  Those laws are the most important.  Magic is to be used
for defense, much like martial arts.  Not to impress, not to control."
Cologne hopped over to him, looking him straight in the eyes.  "Now,
let's see your control.  Cast the spell of seeing on the high school.
Let us see what is happening there."  Gosunkugi quickly went through
the ritual, his words a blur.  A picture of the high school formed in
the air, showing a peaceful evening.  "Very good.  Your spoke fast
enough that no one could understand you.  That was my mistake.  You
must never make that mistake."  Cologne hopped back to the kitchen
doors, turning once she reached them.  "Remember, Use your spells only
in defense.  If you ever violate these laws, I will know, and I am
honor bound to kill you.  That would be unfortunate, as you have been
an apt pupil.  Now go, and I will see you tomorrow."  With that,
Cologne hopped through the doors, leaving Gosunkugi alone.

    The next week was one of relaxation for Gosunkugi.  With his
ability to memorize anything he read, he was breezing through his
classes, and his teachers were already commenting on his improvement
in class.  His room had gone through a major change, all the pictures
of Akane replaced with charts, graphs, and notes, detailing the
magical processes he had been learning.  He hefted the small packet in
his hand, thinking of how easy it was to build.  "All the components I
will ever need are in here, and I can carry it easily.  It was so easy
to link this packet to a pocket dimension."

    The next day at school, however, proved to be more interesting.
As he walked through the gates of the school, Gosunkugi saw Ranma
standing there, waiting for someone.  Wondering who the unfortunate
person was, Gosunkugi started to walk past Ranma.  "Hold it right
there, Gosunkugi.  I wanna know what you and Cologne are up to.  That
old ghoul has been too quiet for the last two weeks, and I know you
were at the Nekohanten every night for two weeks!"  Gosunkugi's danger
sense started to perk up at this point, and Ranma moved to intercept
him.

    "Leave me alone, Ranma.  I don't want to be late for class."
stated Gosunkugi, looking a little peeved.  Ranma looked a little
shocked at this, but recovered quickly.  "Just tell me what the old
ghoul is up to, and I will leave you alone."  Gosunkugi had had enough
of this, and tried to get around Ranma.  Ranma, however, was not about
to let him past.  "Tell me, or I will beat it outta you!" Ranma
yelled, grabbing the front of Gosunkugi's shirt.

    That was Ranma's first mistake.  Gosunkugi shot out a string of
words, grabbed Ranma's arm, and pushed Ranma back with the strength of
the spell he had used.  Ranma kept his balance, however, and still
blocked Gosunkugi from getting to class.  "All right, I guess we have
to do this the hard way!"  Ranma charged in at that, leading with a
punch aimed at Gosunkugi's face.  Another string of words shot out of
Gosunkugi's mouth, and Ranma lept back, confronted with three
Gosunkugi's, all of them feinting around him.  Ranma tried to stop
them, but Gosunkugi, relying on his ability to go unnoticed, had
stepped back and blended into the crowd that started to form.

    The images faded fast, and Ranma was left standing alone in the
center of a ring of students, a look of shock on his face.  "Gosunkugi
can actually do magic?  I don't believe it!" was all Ranma could say.
Ranma and the other studends headed to their classrooms, shaking their
heads and trying to figure out what they had just seen.

    All through the school day, Gosunkugi was set upon by his
classmates, all of them wanting to know how he had gotten away from
Ranma.  "I just got lucky, and was able to get out of there.  Nothing
special about it."  His classmates were not convinced, however, and
pestered him every chance they got.

    That night, Gosunkugi went back to the Nekohanten.  He was not
suprised to see Cologne waiting for him just inside the door.  "I need
help, Cologne-sensei.  Ranma is beginning to pester me about the time
I spent here, and I had to use magic in public to avoid him."  Cologne
gestured to a booth, and she hopped over to the table.  "I know of
your trouble with Son-in-Law.  I have been keeping an eye on you.  The
way you dissuaded your classmates made me proud.  It was your first
test, and you have passed."  Cologne let a smile cross her face.  "Do
not think that you are free of me yet, though.  I will continue to
watch over you, until such time as I am sure that you will never
abuse your power."  Cologne then started back toward the kitchen.
"Let me handle Son-in-Law.  I will convince him that you are not
involved in any of my plots."  Gosunkugi stood at that, bowed to
Cologne, and left the Nekohanten.

    True to her word, Cologne confronted Ranma the next day, taunting
him with a cure for his curse in exchange for his marrying Shampoo.
Ranma kept trying to get it from her, and Gosunkugi could see the
magic she used to keep him from hitting her.  She was a master of using
magic in subtle ways, and Gosunkugi knew that he had to learn to be
that subtle, else his secret of magic be revealed to the world.

    That night, Gosunkugi was relaxing in his room.  He had built a
small display, putting his various religous and magical devices in it,
all remnants of the old Gosunkugi.  "Boy, those old mages sure had a
sense of humor, putting some of these silly things into their spells
to make them fail."  Gosunkugi shook his head at that, chuckling under
his breath.  How often had he made a fool of himself, waving all these
things around.

    Gosunkugi laid down on his bed, the latest spells running through
his head.  The most recent scroll he read carried a warning of danger,
something subtle that seemed to strike at whatever you held dear.  'I
must remember to ask Cologne about this tomorrow, although remembering
won't be a problem anymore.' thought Gosunguki.

    "Where did you get this scroll, boy?" Cologne asked, a look of
concern on her face.  "I cannot remember.  I got it a long time ago.
What importance does it have?" Gosunkugi replied, curiousity getting
the better of him.  "It details the return of Crotel, an evil being
from the time of magic.  His return is soon, according to this.  We
must prepare.  Return home, prepare your power, and come when called."
Cologne turned at that, and Gosunkugi left, determined to prove
himself in this.

    Upon reaching his home, Gosunkugi began a frantic leafing through
of his remaining scrolls, looking for anything related to Crotel.  He
found a scroll with a portal spell, and another with a spell of
protection, both stating that they were used by Crotel, but nothing
else.  'Great.  I am about to enter a battle of Power, totally
untried, against a powerful being from times of old.  What am I gonna
do?' thought Gosunkugi, shaking his head slowly.

    The knocking on his window shook him out of his thoughts, and
looking over, saw Ranma on the window sill  Curious as to why Ranma
was on his window sill, he opened his window.  "Akane is missing, and
Cologne told me to come to you for help."  Ranma looked as if he were
about to either break down or break something, and there was a look of
sadness in his eyes.  "Take me to where Akane disappeared." said
Gosunkugi, his face stern.  Akane may be beyond his reach, but he did
still feel for her.

    At the Tendo home, there was a large crowd of people gathered in
the dojo.  They all looked up at Ranma and Gosunkugi's entrance, and
Gosunkugi could see the look of suprise on their faces.  Ranma led him
up to Akane's room, and Gosunkugi could see the residual magic
radiating from Akane's bed.  "Akane has been taken by magic.  I must
study the residual traces to see if I can find where and how."
Gosunkugi knelt next to Akane's bed, with just a flicker of emotion
crossing his face.  'How often did I dream of being this close to
Akane's bed?' Gosunkugi thought, then he shook his head to clear it
for the task at hand.  Running through a string of spells, Gosunkugi
found that the portal spell that he had discovered linked to Crotel
was used to spirit Akane away.

    "I know how she was taken.  I can open the portal, but do not know
how long I can maintain it."  Gosunkugi spoke confidently, knowing
that this time, they were depending on him for help.  It felt good,
but he also knew that he couldn't let it get to him.  Cologne was
probably still watching him, and even more likely, knew what he was
thinking.

    "Open the portal then, we have to get Akane back." said Ranma.
Gosunkugi could see varied emotions on everyone's face, ranging from
gratitude to anger at his conviction.  "I will open the portal, but
you must be made aware of the risks.  If the portal closes before you
return, I cannot guarantee that I can reopen it.  You would be trapped
wherever the portal leads."  Gosunkugi could already see the answer in
Ranma's eyes, but had to warn him anyway.

    "Do it.  I will take that chance."  Ranma stood tall, a look of
confidence spreading over his face, followed by anger.  "Whoever took
Akane is going to pay!"  sighing, Gosunkugi started the ritual to open
the portal.  It opened slowly, Gosunkugi straining to get it large
enough for all the people that wanted to go.  Finally, it was open far
enough.

    "One last thing.  I believe that the being you will be facing is
called Cotel, a force from old.  He is known to have used a protection
spell.  This spell I will use on you will break his protection, but
only for one minute.  Use it wisely."  Gosunkugi ran off another
string of words, the portal flickering a little at the redirection on
his power.

    "Go now, and hurry.  This is more strenious than I thought it
would be.  Speed is of the essence." said Gosunkugi, the strain
evident in his voice.  Ranma and company wasted no time diving
through, leaving Gosunkugi to maintain the portal.

    Three hours later, they had still not come back through, and
Gosunkugi was getting tired.  The strain was unlike anything he had
gone through before, and he could feel his resolve failing.  The
portal was very slowly inching it's way closed, and Gosunkugi could do
nothing to slow or stop it from happening.  He just did not have the
strength left.  Desperately, he flung his thoughts out to Cologne,
begging for the help he needed to keep the portal open.

    "So, the pretender Mage's strength is failing.  Soon his friends
will be trapped, giving me enough power to return on my own.  I will
then come for you, pretender mage, and use your power to solidify my
corporeal form!"  The voice sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard,
raidiating out from the portal.

    "Trust in yourself, boy.  You have all the strength you need, you
just have to find it."  Cologne's thoughts echoed through his mind.
'I have the strength?' thought Gosunkugi.  He looked down, feeling the
portal close a little more.  'I cannot do it.  I will let those
depending on me down.' thought Gosunkugi, and he could feel the portal
slide even further closed at that.  "Of course!  That is what she
meant!"  Gosunkugi yelled out, his head snapping up.  "I will _not_
fail!"  The portal, now shrunk to about half it's size, snapped back
to full size.

    "Nooooo!  You're weak!  You cannot win!" The voice called out, and
then it faded, with a parting chuckle "It matters not, this reserve of
strength.  Your friends cannot win against me."

    One hour later, his new resolve starting to fail him, there was a
disturbance in the portal.  Ranma, Akane, and the rest of them
dropped onto Akane's bed.  When all of them had returned through the
portal, Gosunkugi let the portal snap closed, and nearly fell over
from exhaustion.  Staggering to his feet, Gosunkugi started to walk
out of the room.

    "Wait." said Akane.  "I understand that you kept the portal open
for us.  Thank you."  Akane crossed over to Gosunkugi, and gave him a
small hug.  "It was the least I could do.  With so many people
concerned about you, could I do any less?"  Gosunkugi started to leave
the room at that, but his legs started to give out.  Suprisingly,
Ranma jumped over and caught him before he hit the floor.  "Hey man,
thanks for your help."  Looking at Ranma's face, Gosunkugi could see
relief in his eyes, knowing that Akane was safe.

    'I wonder how long it will take them to admit it.' thought
Gosunkugi, seeing the same emotions in Akane's eyes as she looked at
Ranma.  Kasumi called out then, letting everyone know that the tea was
ready.  Ranma helped Gosunkugi down to the table, where after a couple
cups of tea, Gosunkugi stood on more stable legs, and prepared to
leave.  "Thank you for the tea.  I must go home and rest now.  I will
place a spell over your home that should prevent this from happening
again, if you so desire."

    When Gosunkugi got home, he noticed that there was one major
problem with his room.  Cologne was balancing in the middle of his
room, waiting for him.  "You did well today, boy, and I am glad to see
that you are following my teachings.  I think that your actions today
proclaim your status, and I welcome you into our circle."  Cologne
hopped to the window, and left with the parting words "But do not
think that I won't be watching!"

    The next day at school, Ranma invited Gosunkugi to eat with them.
It was nice, kinda like an extended family, and Gosunkugi knew that
even though this family was going to demand every ounce of his magical
skill to keep them out of trouble, he welcomed every minute of it.

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Author's notes:  I wrote this late at night, so grammar and spelling
errors may be there.  Also, if anyone is interested in writing exactly
what happened when the gang stepped through the vortex, have at it.  I
have absolutly no ideas for that.