Leifker (yes, I am alive, thank you very much) presents...

Journeys

A work of anime fanfiction by Nicholas Leifker

All Ranma ½ characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.  All rights
reserved.  I must ask that you not do anything with any part of this
work without the author's permission.

Amazing what can happen sometimes...

*********************************************************************

     Ranma Saotome brought out his backpack, and began to pack with a
practiced efficiency.  Clothes and other provisions went in with an
urgency normally not found in the martial artist, an urgency
necessitated by circumstance.  The wishing spring was theirs for the
taking, theirs for the _curing_, but only if he and Ryouga made it there
swiftly.  There could be - would be - no mistakes this time, no random
events to bring tragedy to the expedition.  By all he held holy, he
_would_ be cured of his curse.  

     Truth to tell, he feared that he had already waited too long.  If
he'd been searching actively for a cure, rather than waiting here to
sort out his myriad of problems, he'd have been rid of it long ago.  But
no - instead he wasted three years dealing with every crisis imaginable,
rueing his curse all the while.  Now, though... he would be free of it.  

     "So.  You're going, then."

     Ranma looked up.  The woman who stood at the doorway was so changed
from the girl he first met and fell in love with.  Nature's gift had
matured her curves to something more flattering, and gave a sharp look
to the once-babyish face.  She stared back at him with dark eyes, softly
written with disappointment.  Ranma stood up tall and proud to face her
- just the way he wanted to be.  "Akane, I -"

     "I know.  ‘I have to get cured.'  Just like you ‘had' to go on that
date with Shampoo for that instant Nannichuan, or ‘had' to break into
the girls' locker room for the Japanese spring."  

     Ranma winced.  This was not a conversation he wanted to deal with
right now.  His fiancee sighed, letting her exasperation escape.  

     "Fine, Ranma.  I... can deal with that.  Just tell me why."

     The words came to him like a recording.  "I have to be a whole
man."

     "Do you?"  The question shot from Akane's mouth.  "Is it so bad...
being a woman on occasion?"

     For once, Ranma stopped before saying anything.  He stared down at
his feet, unable to look her in the eye.

     "To be honest... no.  It isn't really that bad - heck, it's even
been fun at times.  But... it's not me, not who I want to be."

     He turned away to the window, losing himself in the view. 
"Akane... do you know how hard it is to face my parents in my cursed
form?  To face _you_?  As a girl, I am not who I want to be, not who Mom
or Pop or anyone else expect me to be.  And that knowledge... that I'm
nothing near the man I should be... that kills me sometimes."

     The first thing Ranma noticed was a tingle, a familiar warning of
the intrusion of magic into his life.  Next came the numbness, a defense
mechanism of the body to shield the mind from things too confusing to
translate.  Once the body was settled in its new form, odd sensations
assaulted the mind, letting her know of the change wrought.  Ranma
turned around, angry at yet another personal violation.  

     "Akane, whad'ya do thmmmph!!"

     The dark-haired woman quickly kissed Ranma, holding her now-smooth
face in her hands.  Ranma stood there, shocked beyond belief, then
hesitatingly wrapped her arms around her.  After what seemed an
eternity, the pair let go, breathless from the intimate contact.  

     "Baka."  Akane's words were soft, without anger.  "Ranma... I love
_you_.  Not your body, not your ‘manhood'... but your soul."

     Tears shimmered in Akane's eyes.  "Ranma, do you remember that mess
with the Chisuiton?  When I heard that Hoorai-san had collapsed, I
thought... I feared you were gone.  I... I didn't know how to take it. 
All I felt was this emptiness, this dark feeling that I'd just lost
everything important to me.

     "Ranma, I don't care if you turn into a woman on occasion.  I
wouldn't care if you were a woman all the time.  I _love_ you.  Please,
Ranma... don't leave me alone again."  She hugged Ranma close, afraid to
let go.  

     The martial artist broke the embrace, and locked eyes with her once
more.  "Akane, I... I love you, too.  I... I just... I still have to
go.  If it were just me, I wouldn't.  But Ryouga..."

     Akane flared for an instant, then calmed.  This was not a good time
to bring up old angers.  "Ranma, you have to stop blaming yourself for
everyone's problems.  He followed you to Jusenkyo, didn't he?  He placed
himself in a dangerous position, and fell in."

     The dark-haired woman looked away for a moment.  "Ranma, if you're
going to go no matter what, fine.  But this time, you're not going
alone."

     "Huh?"

     "I'm going with you."  

     "What?  Akane, please, I don't want -" She cut her words off at the
look in Akane's eyes - the hurt and frustration that normally
accompanies rejection.  She knew Akane's wish to be taken seriously as a
martial artist, and how her words cut at that.  Knowing there to be no
other real option, she acquiesced.  

     Akane smiled, and put a hand to Ranma's cheek.  "Thanks, Ranma,"
she whispered, saying whole stories with those two words.  She gave
Ranma a gentle kiss and went to pack, leaving her by herself... but by
no means alone.  

*********************************************************************

Hello.  

This may come as a surprise to some of you (especially Chris, whom I
spoke with only last night).  Truth to tell, my projects were not going
well of late.  I have become accustomed to writing by computer, and the
pen-and-paper method was not working.  So... a few days after A-Kon, I
decided to take a break until I got a computer (hopefully in a couple of
weeks).  

Well... I had a fascinating discussion with Willmore-san last night, and
talked to him about writing, among other things.  Afterwards, I went out
to eat, and in the darkness found this idea.  I wrote it out and
finished it all in one night, and used Stormy's computer to send it in.
I won't send it to RAAC until I get a computer, though.  

One thing I've discovered is that there are a couple of types of
projects that I write.  One type encompasses the long and drawn-out
works, with complex ideas and characters (re.  Sunrise, Kurobara,
Circe).  The other is the kind of idea which begs to be written
immediately.  This is the fourth work of mine in that group, the first
three being "A Man I'll Never Be", "The Home Front", and the original
"Clothes Make The...".  They usually tend to hit closer to home, and
deal with ideas and emotions that I struggle with myself. 

Anyway, thanks...

To Rumiko Takahashi, for creating these characters.

To Doug Reeves, my ex-roommate.  Kyrie eleison.... 

To all those who partied at A-Kon, especally a certain person who had to
put up with my driving ^_- .  BTW, you do realize you're going to pay
for encouraging me to write that parody...

To anyone else within the sound of my electronic voice right now, and to
all those who helped me out over the past couple of months.  

I apologize if I don't reply right away.  I'm guessing it will be a
couple of weeks before I can reply; however, if you reply to this
address, I will get it eventually.  

Good night, all.

Nicholas Leifker
stormwalker@airmail.net (at the moment)
http://http.tamu.edu:8000/~nwl9354
June 8, 1997