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

We really have WAY to much time on our hands.

Ranma vs. Ranma! 
The Battle For Akane's Soul!
By She-Hulk and Kahm (brobinso@neocomm.net)
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Part 8
	
	Dr. Tofu was still smiling as he came downstairs and found himself face to
face with Kasumi. Now that there was no immediate emergency, he began to
fall under her spell once more. Kasumi was having none of it. To his
delight, she took his hand and pulled him into the kitchen. 

	"I think it's time we had a talk." She removed his glasses and wiped the
fog from them. As she stepped close to replace them, Tofu's breathing
became labored. He knew he was not going to make any sense, but he had to try.

	"K-Kasumi! What a surprise meeting y-," Kasumi placed her fingers against
his mouth, effectively halting his usual ramblings. "Let me do the talking
for once." As she replaced her fingers with her lips, Tofu's heart began to
pound furiously. His last coherent thought was that Kasumi was definitely
better at conversation than he was. 

	Ranma walked into the kitchen and froze. Whoa! He backed out quickly. Tofu
came out a moment later. To say he was "rattled" was an understatement.
Ranma wasn't sure he wanted Dr. Tofu anywhere near him. The last time he
had in this condition, Ranma had spent several painful hours staring at the
world sideways. But to his surprise, the doctor managed compose himself.
"Let's take a look at those wounds."

	Akane showered quickly and joined the rather somber gathering at the
table. Kasumi was pouring tea and had placed a large platter of buns in the
center of the table, but no one was eating. Dr. Tofu had just finished
treating Ranma's wounds when she returned. He waited until she had seated
herself beside Ranma then asked her to tell him about her dream. Haltingly
she did so. Every once in awhile she would falter, but then she would look
at Ranma and he would smile at her encouragingly and she would continue. It
had escaped no one's notice that their hands were kept below table level. 

	Kuno was a bit ruffled at this, but for once he held his peace. Ryoga
wondered why he didn't feel upset by this apparent change in their
relationship. He shrugged it off and focused on Dr. Tofu, who was speaking
now.

	"That confirms it then." He went on to explain about the curse and the
mirror. When he got to the part about the guardians he paused. "Uh, I'm not
sure you're going to like this part." Tofu quickly outlined the history of
the guardians, why the girls were attacked and topped it off with his
conclusion that Akane was carrying Ranma's heart.

	Dead silence.

	Akane stared at the cold cup of tea in front of her and wished she were
invisible. Ranma had given her his heart? He was in love with her? Then he
really didn't love the others after all. Memories surfaced in a wave. Ranma
standing in the courtyard looking down at her, <You're really cute when you
smile>. Standing in the center of an ice rink facing down Mikado,<Akane is
My fiancee! Touch her and I'll kill you!>. Coming to her rescue time after
time. Ranma...loves....me? 

	Ranma shifted slightly and tried to deal with the fact that, not only was
his most carefully hidden secret now out in the open, but that it was
putting put Akane in great danger. He voiced a questioned and knew as the
words left his lips that he should have phrased it better. "Can I take it
back?"

	Akane flinched as if struck and Ranma felt her pull her hand out of his.
"I didn't mean it like that!" But she wasn't listening. Akane got up and
went into the kitchen. 

	Dr. Tofu shook his head and answered his question. "No." He hesitated,
then blurted out the rest. "Once given, it stays given. Can you stop loving
Akane? Because that would be the only way." 

	Mousse snapped his fingers. "The reversal jewel!" He told to Dr. Tofu
about the cursed jewel of the Amazons. Dr. Tofu shook his head, "I'm afraid
not. The jewel just deceives the wearer, besides I don't think bringing
anything else that's cursed into this situation is going to help." Kasumi
poured more tea into his cup and nodded in agreement.

	Kuno spoke up, a rather sly look on his face. "What if Ranma were to die?
Then would Akane still be in danger?" Dr. Tofu was slightly taken aback by
this. He didn't answer at first. 

	"Ranma can't be killed, at least not without great difficulty. Unless
he..." He stopped.

	"What?" Ranma prompted him. "Unless I what?" Dr. Tofu frowned, refusing to
answer.    

	 Ranma guessed it. "Unless I kill myself."
 
	Kasumi gasped and Nabiki looked hard at Ranma. He was considering it.  The
fool was actually considering it. She spoke firmly, "Now let's not do
anything rash, Ranma. Akane is not going to allow you to kill yourself in
order to save her!" Her voice had grown steadily louder.
	
	Ranma stood up, managing not to wince when he put his weight on his
injured leg. "If it will save Akane..." He broke off as the kitchen door
flew open. Akane stood there, her aura was a visible red and everyone moved
away from the target of her rage: Ranma. 

	"Are you crazy!?" She stormed across the room and had Ranma backed against
the wall before he knew it. "If you think for one minute that you're
getting off the hook that easily, you are sadly mistaken Ranma Saotome! I
am the guardian of your heart and that means that you Love Me! And you
kissed Me! Under No circumstances are you getting out of this! This time
it's going to be the way it should! The way I want it ! No more running
away! No more stray fiancee's crawling out from every rock in the country!
No more interfering parents! No more delays!" So saying, she grabbed his
head and pulled him to her. The kiss was part anger and part frustration,
but all love.
 
	Akane felt his arms encircle her and she let her hands fall to his
shoulders. Ranma broke the kiss slowly and rested his forehead against
hers. Looking into her eyes he whispered, "I don't want my heart back. It's
right where it should be."
 
	Kuno's snort brought their attention back to the matter at hand. 

	"Woe is this news to mine heart, for a bright star has fallen from heaven
and into the hands of a peasant." Kuno sighed deeply, then turned to
Nabiki. He smiled. Nabiki frowned and took a step back. Kuno followed.
"What light! It is Nabiki and she is my sun!"

	"Whoa, Kuno-baby! Let's not get carried away in the moment." She held her
hands up as she continued to back away.

	"O speak again my bright angel, for thou art glorious to the eyes of
Kuno!" He followed her retreat.

	Ryoga stuck out a foot as he passed and Kuno landed face first. "Perhaps,
if you've finished, we can return to our discussion?"

	Kuno gracefully regained his feet and winked at Nabiki. To her horror she
felt herself blush. <What in the world?>

	Everyone returned to their seats. " The problem is this: How do you kill a
reflection?" Dr. Tofu tossed the question out.

	"Shampoo said that the shadows in the alley seemed to be drawn to the
demon. Maybe we could use light?" Mousse proposed.

	They considered possible ways to attack the creature with light, but Kuno
reminded them that Kodachi and Ukyo had been attacked during the day. Even
the attack on Shampoo had occurred just before sunset. "If light were truly
the weapon we seek, could we find any stronger than the heavens glorious sun?"

	For once Kuno had made sense, which startled several members of the group,
including Nabiki. "Good point, Kuno." His smile was for her alone and
Nabiki hastily directed her attention elsewhere.

	Dr. Tofu spoke, "We need to bring Cologne in on this and possibly even
Happosai." Everyone groaned at the thought. Akane felt Ranma's hand tighten
around hers at the mention of Cologne.

	She leaned closer and whispered, "What's wrong?"

	"I'm worried about you. If Cologne's still got it in her head that I
should marry Shampoo, then she can't be trusted." His voice was low, but
Mousse heard him anyway.

	"That's no longer a problem, Saotome. Shampoo has consented to become my
bride." Mousse was smiling an inscrutable smile. Kasumi wondered how he
managed to do that. It looked painful. "Cologne has accepted this, she
won't bother you again."

	There was a round of congratulations, interrupted by the return of Soun
and Genma from their morning walk. Chaos ensued briefly while explainations
were given. Soun burst into tears when he heard that Akane was in
possession of Ranma's heart. Kasumi finally managed to get him to stop, but
he started again when Kuno pointed out that this was putting her in mortal
danger. 

	Kuno stood and approached Nabiki. As he knelt in front of her, she once
more felt herself flush. <This has got to stop! Maybe I'm allergic to him?>

	"Fair one I must depart this place and return to my sister's side. Though
it pains me to leave you for a moment, I vow to you I will return." Kuno
rose gracefully and faced the others, "I must see Kodachi. I will be brief
and return post-haste. Then we will rout the demon from our midst."

	Ryoga got up quickly. "I need to check on Ukyo. I don't want her to wake
up in that hospital alone. If you could just give me directions?" 

	Kuno laughed and clapped him on the back. "Come, my confused friend. We
will make the journey together."

	Kasumi looked at them thoughtfully. "Maybe you should stay with them until
we've found a way to defeat this evil. If the demon can't get to Akane, the
others might still be in danger." Tofu nodded in agreement, then added,
"You and Nabiki are also in danger."
 
	So Ryoga and Kuno departed to protect their charges. Dr. Tofu also left to
return to the clinic and consult with Cologne. At Ranma's urging, the girls
went with him. "If they're with you and Mousse, we won't have to worry
about them. We're going to try and find Happosai. Maybe he can actually
help for once."

	It was a strange group that made the journey to the clinic. Akane and her
sisters in the middle, Ranma and Mousse in front. Dr. Tofu, Genma and Soun
brought up the rear. They reached the clinic without incident, but Ranma
knew that they had been watched. 

	Akane watched Ranma leave. Kasumi put an arm around her sister and guided
her into Tofu's office.

	Cologne wasted no time in thrusting a large, dusty book into her hands.
"Let's get started." Soon they were all searching for the answer to the
most important question in their lives: How do you kill a reflection?