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

This is our first shot at a fan-fic, so any comments will be welcomed. If
you want to flame, fire away.

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

Part 1

	It is night. Across the black sea of the city, small pricks of light
struggle in vain to hold back the shadows. Now is the time when reality
blurs at it's edge. Darkness slips through and becomes a solid cloak,
bringing with it ...  

	The house is not unlike the others around it. There is nothing to make it
stand apart in the night. But it is different. The guardian is here. 

 	The slight tread of footsteps goes unnoticed and unheard. The quiet click
of the door. The faint creak of the stairs. All are sleeping, no one hears.
A shadowy form stands before a door. With a faint whisper, the darkness
enters. It watches, studies and waits. Silence becomes sound and the words
drift over the sleeping form. "Ranma. Ranma wake for me."

	Ranma Saotome's eyes opened at the slight sound. As he lay there looking
at the ceiling,  the voice called him again.
 
	"Ranma"

	Ranma sat up and stared at the shadows. "Who's there?" A form flowed from
the dark and took shape. "Akane? What are you...." His voice broke and
halted as she moved closer.

	She stood before him, dressed in an ivory wedding kimono. Akane smiled
softly, her bright face shining clearly in the night. Her happiness and
pleasure washed over him and he stumbled to his feet. 

	"A-Akane?"

	She opened her arms to him and spoke, "Oh Ranma, don't you know how much I
love you? Come to me. Hold me."

	Ranma felt himself stepping toward her, but his eyes were locked on her
face. She was beautiful. As he touched her outstretched hand there was a
brilliant flash and he was thrown backwards across the room.

	He shook his head and looked at Akane. A silent scream came from her pale
lips and she shuddered in pain. "Akane!" He tried to rise and found that he
couldn't. Thick black ropes of darkness encircled him pinning him to the
floor. 

	Ranma struggled wildly as a single crimson stain appeared over her heart.
It spread quickly, blood red devouring gentle ivory.  "AKANE!"
 
	She staggered and looked down at herself, then at him," Why...Why Ranma?
Noooo!" Akane collapsed on the floor. 

	"Please....don't....Ranma....no....stop....please...ple-." Ranma watched
in horror as the last vestige of life drained from her face and her eyes
focused on a point beyond him, beyond time.

	Rage filled his mind and he surged against the shadows that imprisoned
him. Again and again he strained and fought and cursed, but to no avail.
He finally fell back engulfed, tears flowing unnoticed down his face.

	"Tears? The great Ranma Saotome, crying?" The voice was derisive and
incredulous. And felt like knives of black ice slicing through him. "Don't
weep Saotome, she's not gone. All that she is...all that she possesses is
now mine! Her body and her soul! Arise Akane! Arise and dance for your new
master. Dance for me!"

	Before Ranma's eyes , Akane's face began to wither, her eyes sinking into
her skull. The skin began to melt from her face and the smell of burning
flesh filled his nostrils. "AKANE!"

	Akane's skeletal form stood before him. It began to dance around like a
puppet. Suddenly a strange golden light flickered within hollows of the
skeleton. Akane's voice burst into his mind. "Help me! Ranma please!"

	"Come to me Saotome. Come to me and DIE!" As maniacal laughter echoed
through the room Ranma searched for the voice. His gaze was drawn to a
corner that, if  possible, appeared darker than the rest. A slight shift
and the shadow gave birth to the creator of this evil. Ranma stared
incredulous.

	With eyes glowing like green fire, the figure stepped closer. "Why so
surprised Saotome? Can't you feel it inside? Clawing at your very soul?"

	Ranma flinched as the shadow reached out and stroked the side of his head.
"To remember me by, Guardian, until we meet again, in Hell!" With a wave of
his hand Akane's body fell and scattered into dust.

	"NO!" Ranma screamed, throwing the tangled covers away from him as he sat
up. Breathing hard and covered with sweat he leapt to his feet and ran down
the hall to Akane's room. Terrified of what he might find on the other
side, Ranma turned the knob and pushed open the door.

	Akane mumbled in her sleep and pulled the covers tighter around her. He
slumped against the door frame, the frantic pounding in his chest began to
slow. Watching the steady rise and fall of her breath, Ranma tried to shake
an intense feeling of urgency.

	<Man what a nightmare>, he thought as closed the door and headed to the
bathroom. <Must have been those cookies, you'd think I'd learn by now.> But
why was he still on edge? Ranma flipped on the bathroom light and reached
for the faucet, his eyes straying to the mirror above the sink. His hand
froze. There was a white streak in his hair. On the left side of his head.
Where it had touched him. In his dream. In a dream!

	Cold water splashed into the basin as Ranma soaked a cloth and brushed at
the white hair. It didn't wash away. A little frantic now, he plunged the
cloth back into the water. Water soaked the front of his shirt and he
watched his features shift in the mirror.  She stared at the streak, still
there even though she'd changed.  Ranma hurled the cloth away and groaned
in dismay. "But that means....no! I won't let it happen!" Ranma ran out.

	Akane woke suddenly and sat up. For some reason Ranma was on her mind.
Jerk! She smiled slightly, remembering the way he looked sailing through
the air after she had kicked him. The smell of breakfast was in the air and
she wasted no time in getting up. Akane dressed in record time and started
down the hall. As she passed Ranma's door she called out, "Better hurry
Ranma or there won't be anything left!" There was no answering taunt. "Ranma?"

	Akane frowned. Ranma always had to have the last word. Always. "Ranma, you
jerk! You're going to be late for school!' She knocked on the door. It
swung open silently. The room was empty. Completely empty. No Ranma. No
furniture. No walls. No walls? Akane blinked hard and looked again.

	The room had disappeared into a white void. As she stared into the
blankness she became aware of small points of light. Slowly they seemed to
grow closer. No. They weren't moving, she was! Horrified, Akane realized
that the lights were eyes and she was being pulled towards them. Twisted
laughter filled her mind. "Ahhh Guardian, I've been waiting for you. Now
you will be mine!!!" Shadowy tendrils of  mist reached out and embraced
her. As she struggled in vain against them, she was engulfed in a wave of
smothering mist. <I- I can't breathe! Somebody help me! R-Ranma!>
	
	Akane shot out of bed and fell to her knees. Gasping for breath and
covered with sweat, she wildly scanned the room. "Just a dream. It's okay,
it was just a dream.  Deep breath, come on Akane, calm down." She continued
to speak out loud, to reassure herself that it was over. Reality was here
now, the other stuff was just imaginary, not real. Not real. "Everybody has
bad dreams. No big deal. It's over now. Probably ate too much desert or
something." As the terror began to fade from her mind, Akane realized she
was sitting on the floor by her bed. She laughed slightly, but there was
little humor in the sound.

	Still shaken, she got up and looked out the window. Everything seemed all
right. The morning sun was shining. The birds were singing. A soft breeze
was blowing through the summer trees. It had seemed so real though, she
thought hesitantly.< I hate those "dream within a dream" dreams>. She
laughed again at herself and walked to her bedroom door. Akane drew a deep
breath and opened it. Grinning, she went to Ranma's room. The door was
already open. She cautiously peered in. On the floor were two neatly made
pallets. Her laughter now was genuine.

	Akane went to the bathroom, her light tread muffled by the carpet. As she
pushed open the door, she began to hum. Turning on the water in the
bathtub, Akane began to undress. She turned to stick her tongue out at her
reflection, and stopped. Unbelieving, she moved to stand in front of the
mirror, her eyes wide with shock . For there, on the left side of her head
was a streak of pure white. Akane screamed.

The day before.....