The Characters of Ranma 1/2 are Rumiko Takahashi's. Hopefully, she'll
forgive us for what we're doing.

Please submit all comments and flames in triplicate......Just Kidding!

Ranma vs. Ranma! 
The Battle For Akane's Soul!
By She-Hulk and Kahm (brobinso@neocomm.net)
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Part 10

The Clinic.....
	
	Nabiki stretched and stood up, the feeling returning to her legs. The day
was going to be a definite loss on the money side. No one around to
blackmail and several of her main sources had evaporated. <Not only is he
robbing me of a source of income, he's put Akane in danger.> She wished for
once that Ranma wasn't such an overachiever of trouble.

	She headed for the tiny kitchenette to get a soda. The faint sound of
voices speaking in Chinese reached her at she went past Shampoo's room.
That was an odd turn of events, to be sure. Kasumi was washing what few
dishes there were and humming softly. "Do you think they've found Happosai
yet?"

	Kasumi placed the last cup in the dish drain and wiped her hands on a
towel. "They're not trying to find Happosai."
 
	Nabiki let that sink in. "Then where are they?" 

	Kasumi smiled at her as if she weren't very bright. "They're distracting
the demon away from Akane and us."

	The sudden race of chills across her skin, had Nabiki shifting a little.
Kasumi was smiling her normal vacuous smile, but her eyes were direct. And
knowing. 

	"Dr. Tofu needs time. Time to hunt for answers and time to work out a way
to destroy the demon." The rational sane statement left Nabiki reeling.
Kasumi? 

	"Uh, right. That makes sense. But wait a minute. Why tell everybody that
they're looking for Happosai?" 

	Kasumi's smile was wide. "Oh, I thought that was obvious! Akane wouldn't
let Ranma face that thing alone. She would want to go with him."
 
	Nabiki just nodded and turned to leave the room. "Oh, Nabiki." She turned
back and blankly accepted the can of soda Kasumi was handing her. Kasumi
smiled and began to wipe the counter top. Nabiki went back to Tofu's
office, trying to remember if she had ever actually gotten around to asking
for a soda.  


	They had been following the demon for hours. Ranma had finally stopped
flinching whenever he got a good look at its face. The demon knew they were
there of course, but his father and Soun thought they were invisible. The
three of them were moving from roof to roof, keeping the monster in sight.
Dr. Tofu's idea had been a good one he reflected, watching the demon enter
Ukyo's restaurant.

	 His father wanted to get closer, but Ranma made him stop. "There's no
point in getting close to it. It knows we're here." They looked about
wildly in panic, sure they were about to be attacked.  "Will you calm down!
He's known about us from the minute we started tailing him." 

	The demon came out of the restaurant. He was holding something up in their
direction. Ranma cursed and vowed silently to himself that it would pay. 

	"What's he doing?" Soun's voice was low.	

	Ranma stared at the blood-stained weapon he was holding. "Committing
suicide."

	Soun looked at Genma, who just shrugged. "Beats me."

	The demon started down the street, merrily swinging his trophy. They
followed, keeping well back. When they finally reached what appeared to be
his destination, the demon turned to stare at them. The broken wall they
were hiding behind was a mere formality. It knew they were there and they
knew it was just waiting for it's moment to either attack or run. 

	The small field the demon was crossing had once been the site of a small
hotel. The crumbling foundation was overgrown with weeds and several young
trees. The demon was picking something up. 

	The ribbon fluttered slightly. Ranma stared at it then raised his eyes to
the demon's. 

	He was smiling, pleased with himself. When he had first realized that he
was being followed, he couldn't decide what to do. Then inspiration had
struck. He would lead Saotome on a little tour. He waved a hand at the tree
closest to him and waited for his mirror-sire to react. He wasn't
disappointed.

	Ranma saw the dark stains on the trunk and exploded. He was across the
wall and into the lot before his father and Soun could stop him.  The demon
was laughing out loud now. Ranma's kick caught him squarely and the
creature went sailing back. He crashed into the tree and it snapped in two.

	Breathing heavily, Ranma surveyed his fallen opponent with grim
satisfaction. The demon slowly regained it's feet. Ranma frowned. What the...?

	He was laughing. Ranma watched in stunned disbelief as his doppleganger
brushed off his clothes and faced him. "This is going to be so much fun!"
He charged Ranma. 

	Ranma deflected the punch from his face and crouched low, his leg sweeping
the demon's feet out from under him. But the demon merely flipped backward
and stood once again. Ranma attacked again, moving constantly, slipping
from style to style as they fought. Amigurikken. Rhythmic gymnastics. The
Dragon fist. A couple of adapted moves from the Tea ceremony. A quick
strike from the Amazon style. He neatly slid into a modified Dance of a
Thousand Foes. Every move was countered. Every attack repelled. Easily. In
the exact manner that Ranma himself would have chosen.

	<I'm fighting myself!> He realized as he lunged aside, narrowly avoiding a
perfectly executed round-house kick. <Everything I throw at him he gives
back!>

	Genma and Soun were rapidly coming to the same conclusion as the stood
watching the battle. "He's going to need our help." They looked at each
other, then headed into the fray.

	Genma's flying kick caught Ranma in the back and knocked him flat. He
struggled to stand as Soun moved in to strike. "Hey! Wait a minute!" They
froze as Ranma faced them. "You idiots! I'm Ranma! That's the demon!" He
pointed, but the demon was gone.

	A peculiar whistling sound was his only warning. Ranma swung around in
time to see a large block of stone heading straight for him.



	Kasumi was dusting the waiting room furniture when Ranma burst in. Nabiki,
who had been watching, jumped at his sudden entrance. "Ranma!"

	He saw the girls and smiled. "It's over! The demon's been toasted!" Nabiki
let out a cheer and Kasumi began to neatly fold her dusting rag.
 
	She looked at Ranma and spoke quietly, "That's wonderful Ranma. How did
you..er.. 'toast' it?"

	Ranma frowned as she continued to fold the cloth, the series of folds
becoming intricate. "I defeated it in battle, of course! Where's Akane? I
had better tell her myself. She'll be relieved that it's over."

	Nabiki was staring at Kasumi. Something was wrong. She wasn't smiling.
Nabiki looked at Ranma again. Oh no! 

	Kasumi held the folded cloth in one hand and looked at Ranma. "Of course
you didn't. You can't defeat the demon in battle because the demon is your
mirror image; your equal. But then, you're not Ranma."

	The demon snarled, "Bitch!" He lunged at her, but Kasumi side stepped
quickly and he went past. As he did she struck out with the cloth. The
sudden burst of pain at the back of his neck caused him to fall, his body
numb.

	Nabiki gasped at her sister's skill. "Kasumi!"

	Kasumi smiled innocently. "You didn't think that Mother only taught me how
to keep house, did you?"

	But the fight wasn't over. On a normal human that strike would have left
them immobile for hours. The demon was getting up a mere moment later. He
turned to face them and Kasumi struck again. The cloth shot out and a cloud
of dust engulfed the room. 

	Nabiki rubbed her eyes and realized that she was now standing in the
kitchen. How..? Ranma came through the door and the question was forgotten. 

	Kasumi was ready. With a flurry of movement, the demon was bombarded by a
storm of chopsticks. He fell back under the onslaught for only a moment.
The speed with which he began to deflect them made Kasumi regret that Ranma
had ever learned the Amigurikken attack. She was reaching for a broom when
Nabiki moved.

	Nabiki didn't consider herself a fighter. That was Akane's gig. But she
was often intrigued by some of the styles of combat she had been witness
to. Taking an occasional move and adapting it to make it uniquely her own
was a challenge she enjoyed. Besides, in the blackmail business it never
hurts to have an ace up your sleeve.

	A quick twist of the wrist and Ranma found himself bound tightly by what
appeared to be adding machine tape. He struggled to get free.

	"I picked that up from Kodachi." Her comment was addressed to Kasumi.
Ranma finally managed to break free and Kasumi smacked him on top of the
head with the broom. He blinked as pain shot through his whole body.

	Nabiki's hands were empty one second and full the next, as she began to
fire small pieces of cardboard at him. The paper storm sliced the demon's
skin in a hundred tiny cuts. He moved to attack her, but she had vanished.
 
	Kasumi struck him across the knees with the broom handle and he fell back,
crashing into a chair and stumbling into the waiting room.

	The sound brought Mousse and Cologne. Mousse's cry was almost joyous as he
attacked. The assortment of weapons that he flung at the demon was rather
astounding. The couch crashed into the wall as Ranma ducked, but the sink
caught him full in the face. He staggered back and was hit head on by the
refrigerator. 

	Ranma knew he was out numbered and raced for the door. A small chest of
drawers hit him in the back, pushing him out into the street. He sat up in
time to catch a glimpse of the bus that hit him.

	Mousse and the others ran after him, but other than the splintered wood
lying in the road, the demon was nowhere to be seen.