Well, part two is finally mostly ready.  Some of it's a little bit
rough (particularly the Nabiki/Akane scene), but I wanted to get this
posted to get some feedback.  Read, and please email me with any
comments and/or suggestions.  Many thanks in advance. ^_^

--

                       The Domino Effect
                     A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction
                by Deuce (deuce@classicgaming.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
All characters are the sole copyright/trademark of Rumiko Takahashi
and Shogakukan.  This story is entirely unofficial, blah blah blah.
You know the spiel by now.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Part Two:  Mirrors of the Heart
----------------------------------------------------------------------

	Night enclosed the town of Nerima, and all was peaceful, at
least in outward appearance.  Ryouga walked silently along the
streets, lost in his thoughts of vengeance upon Ranma for the events
of the day.
	After roaming around Tokyo (literally) for a few hours, he
found himself back in front of Furinkan High School.  He sighed, now
wondering if he would ever find Ranma.  Had he simply fled Japan
entirely?  He doubted it, Ranma wasn't the sort who liked loose ends.
	Suddenly, he heard a voice.  A voice calling out attack
kiais and the sounds of fists and feet impacting wood.  He listened
closer and decided it had to be Ranma.  But coming from inside the
grounds of the school?  Why would Ranma be there?
	The (usually) lost boy walked over to the gate and looked
through it.  Sure enough, there was Ranma, taking out his aggressions
on a poor, defenseless tree.  "Better that than the building,"
thought Ryouga with a smirk.  "That's my job."
	After a moment, Ranma stopped abusing the tree and turned
around, dropping into a combat stance and beginning a very long,
grueling kata.  He didn't notice Ryouga crouched by the gate, from
all appearances, so Ryouga watched him for a little while.
	There was something incredibly strange about him, noted the
famed lost boy.  Even at a distance, he could see two pinpricks of
red coming from Ranma's eyes everytime he could see them.  The eyes.
Ranma's eyes were glowing a very ugly, blood red.  This was
something totally new.
	Ryouga crept up close to the wall and hopped over, landing
on the balls of his feet, careful not to make any noise if at all
possible.  Stealthily, he crept his way over to where his opponent-
to-be stood training.
	Training.  Training for WHAT?  Beating up more women?  Ryouga
felt his blood boil at the thought.  Glowing eyes or no glowing eyes,
Ramna had hell to pay, and there would be no delaying the very
powerful lesson he had coming.
	The impromptu spy crept closer, hiding behind trees to avoid
being seen, and was eventually less than fifteen feet away.  Ranma
was, at the moment, facing away from his stalker.
	"Hello, Ryouga," said Ranma.  Ryouga halted in his tracks,
frowning in consternation.  He had taken pains to keep himself
silent, but Ranma somehow knew he was there.  Saotome had given no
previous indication that he had any clue Ryouga was even there.
What the devil was going on here?
	Ranma turned around and eyed Ryouga coldly.  The eyes looked
normal again.  No red in them, glowing or otherwise.  The glare he
was giving was vicious, but it wasn't quite so chilling to observe.
"I figured you'd end up coming after me eventually," he said, then
made a dismissive gesture.  "Well, save your breath.  You don't have
to worry about me any more, so you can chase after Akane all you
want."
	Ryouga's frown deepened.  "You know, Ranma," he hissed, "I
occasionally thought you weren't such a bad guy.  You could be damned
compassionate when you felt the urge."
	Ranma shrugged, not bothering to acknowledge the backhanded
compliment.  "And now I'm some sort of monster for saying what's on
my mind?"  He waved a hand dismissively.  "Spare me.  I'm not going
to fight over it.  What's done is done, and I'm not going to take
back what I said."
	Ryouga's fist clenched tight enough to crush steel.  "You
don't even realize what you've done, do you?" he asked.  Ranma raised
an eyebrow.  Ryouga took this as an indication to continue, and said,
"Akane-san is at home crying her eyes out because of you, you
miserable son of a bitch!"
	Ranma brushed off his pants and took a deep breath.  "Okay...
so what do you expect me to do about it?" he asked.
	Ryouga pointed off in the opposite direction of the Tendo
Dojo.  "I expect... no, I DEMAND that you go back and apologize to
her right now!"
	Ranma snorted.  "You're not in a position to demand
ANYTHING, you stupid pig."
	"You're DEAD!" screamed Ryouga.  He charged at his opponent,
pulling his fist back and hurling it forward with the force and
subtlety of a freight train.
	With ridiculous ease and grace, Ranma deflected the blow,
spun Ryouga's arm behind his back, and locked an arm around his neck.
"Try something like that again and *you're* dead, Ryouga," hissed
Ranma into the lostboy's ear.
	Ryouga blinked in amazement.  It had happened so fast that he
had almost missed it entirely.  Ranma was faster than he, but no man
could be THAT fast.  The punch should have done severe damage even if
blocked.  But how had Ranma managed to totally reverse the situation
so quickly?
	With a cry of anger, Ryouga struggled, trying to break
Ranma's grip, but he was held fast.  He was astounded at the strength
that Saotome was demonstrating.  He felt the arm encircling his neck
tighten uncomfortably.
	Ryouga allowed himself to relax slightly.  His rival sounded
disturbingly serious when he had made that threat.  Had the pervert's
mind simply snapped?  Maybe getting some information would be
beneficial first.
	Oh, he still had every intention of pounding Ranma into a
substance not unlike mashed potatoes, but an explanation would be
nice beforehand.  "All right, Ranma," he said.  "I give."
	Ranma's eyes narrowed.  "What guarantee do I have that you
won't just try to attack me again if I let you go?"  He tightened
his grip on his opponent's neck slightly.
	Ryouga wheezed out, "I give my word."
	A moment later, he was released.  "Fair enough," said Ranma.
	Clutching at his neck, Ryouga whirled around on his longtime
rival and occasional friend.  After coughing for a moment, he said,
"All right, Ranma.  Why don't you explain to me what's going on?"  He
sat down and looked up at him.  "You're a hothead, but you don't just
lose your temper like this.  What the hell's gotten into you?"
	Ranma sighed, closing his eyes.  When he opened them again,
he almost looked like he did before.  His eyes were no longer dark
and he didn't appear to be brooding.  At the moment, he simply looked
extraordinarily tired.
	"Well, Ryouga," he said after a significant pause, "Life has
gotten into me.  I'm tired of always being hunted.  I don't want to
deal with this anymore.  And I especially don't want to be around
Akane."
	Ryouga scowled.  "So rather than just say things rationally,
you start hitting girls?"
	"I didn't hit Shampoo that hard."
	"You hit her, period," said Ryouga.  "You've always gone on
about how you can't fight girls, and yet you hit one who claims to be
in love with you.  I know you, and you're not yourself."
	Ranma shrugged.  "She wouldn't let me go.  I told her quite a
few times, and she simply wouldn't listen.  So what else was I
supposed to do?"  He sat down across from Ryouga, looking at him.
	"I can't see that as a real justification," said Ryouga.
"Not to mention, Akane-san said that she thought you were going to
hit her as well."
	"WHAT?" sputtered Ranma.  "I never lifted a finger to even
touch her.  I told her to let go of me, and she did.  I told her I
didn't want to see her again, then I came here."
	Ryouga eyed him warily, trying to decide whether or not what
Ranma said was the truth.  He wondered why Akane-san would be holding
onto him like Shampoo usually did.  He tried, but couldn't picture
it.  Dismissing it for the moment, he asked, "So why here?  And what
are you going to do now?"
	"I came here because it was someplace familiar, and it's
abandoned," said Ranma.  "No one usually comes to a school after
hours, you know.
	"I also figured that no one would find me here."  He smirked.
"I should have known that you'd find me by accident."
	Ryouga let out a small laugh, a joyless one.  "So what are
you going to do now?  Leave Nerima?"
	"Probably."
	"And leave your fiancees behind?" asked Ryouga.  "Where would
you go, anyway?"
	"You know as well as I do that I had no say in any of those
relationships, if you can even call them that.  I sure as hell don't
see them as anything particularly beneficial."
	"Not even all the free food you keep mooching from Ukyou and
Shampoo's restaurants?"
	"That's none of your business, P-suke," said Ranma, his voice
dropping again to its earlier, sinister tone.
	Ryouga looked up angrily, prepared to put an end to this
facade of friendship.  But he looked closely at his enemy, and saw
that his eyes had returned to their earlier state, glowing that same
vicious red.  There was something fundamentally wrong.
	"Wh-- what's happened to you, Ranma?" he asked, trying to
hide the sudden tremor in his voice, but failing.
	Ranma's hands curled into loose fists.  "I couldn't tell you,
Ryouga," he said.  "I just know that I feel stronger than I ever
imagined possible.  Anyone who gets in my way is going to regret it."
	Ryouga swallowed hard.  Even just sitting there, barely even
breathing hard, not ready for battle, Ranma's ki was like a blazing
inferno around him.  Was his repressed anger truly that powerful?
	"I hope you're not going to try to interfere, Ryouga," said
Ranma calmly, looking up at him with a slight smile.  "I always liked
you, even if you are an unreasonable son of a bitch.  I'd hate to end
up killing you in the process of leaving Japan."
	"You're mad, Ranma."  A simple look at Ranma's eyes told
Ryouga that he was being perfectly serious.
	"I guess so," said the madman in question.
	"Where are you going to go?"
	Ranma chuckled.  "Where else?  I'm going to back to China, to
try and find a real cure for this curse.  And whether I find one or
not, I'm not coming back to this city."  He stood and looked around.
	Ryouga stood as well, and was about to respond, when suddenly
he was interrupted by a flurry of spikes, kitchen sinks, cinder
blocks, and other assorted hard and/or pointy things attached to
chains flying through the air at them.
	Effortlessly, Ranma dodged aside, almost seeming to vanish
and reappear a few feet away before the objects impacted with the
ground.  Ryouga had dodged also, albeit with considerably more effort
than Ranma had demonstrated.
	The two looked up at the source of the attack; Ryouga with
a sense of trepidation, Ranma with complete nonchalance.
	Mousse stood atop the wall, pointing at Ranma.  "I always
figured you to be a worm, Ranma.  I never realized that I was
overestimating your spirit even then."  Ranma looked strangely
different, he thought.  Darker.  Stronger.  His aura was visible
around him already.
	"Ryouga!" called Mousse.  "You would dare to befriend this
sub-human slime!  I sincerely hope you do not plan on defending him
when I send him to his death."
	Ranma stood silently, his arms and shoulders limp.  "I don't
need Ryouga to defend me," he said simply.  He felt his head begin to
pound again.  The incredible strength he felt seemed to come with a
price.  A minor one, it seemed, but a price nonetheless.
	"Then... PREPARE YOURSELF!" cried Mousse, leaping into the
air gracefully.  A flurry of pepperbombs fell from his sleeves and
exploded onto the ground, making the air unbreathable.  Ranma and
Ryouga both jumped out of the way, unharmed by the attack.
	With a guttural, animal-like growl, Ranma leaped up to meet
Mousse in midair.  Ryouga looked up at him, and called out, "Mousse!
Get out of here!"
	"Shampoo's tears will be washed away with your blood, Ranma!"
called Mousse, launching shurikens and other assorted instruments of
death items at the enraged Saotome, who dodged them easily.  He took
no heed of what Ryouga had said.
	"LISTEN TO ME!" cried Ryouga.  "Ranma's changed!  He'll KILL
you!  Damn it, Mousse, get OUT of here!"  His thoughts exploded in
his brain.  Much as he hated to admit it, the young Hibiki respected
Ranma and occasionally even liked him.  He didn't want the idiot to
have a murder on his conscience when he finally came out of his
blind fury.
	Mousse met Ranma in midair and began his attack anew, but it
was short lived.  He drew a pair of swords from his robes and swung
with all his might, but Ranma seemed to be made of air.  He was never
where he had appeared to be at the start of each swing, and Mousse
swore he could hear low, menacing laughter coming from the blur of
motion in front of him.
	In a split-second, Mousse extracted a weighted chain from his
sleeve and swung at his opponent again, trying to ensnare his neck.
But fighting him was like trying to fight a gale force wind.  Strong
enough to do harm, but too insubstantial to strike back.
	He heard Ranma's voice growl out, "Kachuu Tenshin," and then
pause unexpectedly.  He tried to take advantage of the interruption,
and hurled weapons in every direction he could manage at one time.
Immediately after came the words, "AMAGURI KEN!"  Mousse felt what
seemed like hundreds of blows land in the span of two seconds.  His
consciousness began to slip from his grasp, but he did his best to
hold on as the two fell back to earth.
	Ryouga winced as he saw the two crash into the ground,
raising up a cloud of dust, then looked carefully to see what the
outcome had been.  Ranma had no doubt been victorious... he had
always been Mousse's superior in skill and raw strength.
	What was alarming, however, was when Ryouga saw the glowing
red eyes lance out of the dust obscuring the view.  Mousse's limp
body went flying into the wall of the school's courtyard, hitting
with a sickening crunch.  Ryouga knew Mousse probably had some
broken bones already.  He had to do something.
	Ranma was at the wall in an instant, his two forefingers and
thumb pinching Mousse's windpipe with a cold and brutal efficiency.
Mousse choked and gasped, too weak to put up any form of resistance.
"So, Mousse," hissed Ranma's voice.  "You thought you would 'punish'
me for hurting your beloved Shampoo?"
	Mousse's only answer was a wheezing gasp.
	"I should kill you right now."
	"Ranma, WAIT!" called Ryouga, running over, but making sure
to stay out of Ranma's immediate reach.
	"Stay OUT of this, Ryouga, or you'll get the same," warned
Ranma, turning his gaze on his old rival.
	Ryouga shuddered involuntarily.  The glow was more than just
simple light.  The windows to Ranma's soul betrayed an anger and an
inner fire far more powerful than anything Ryouga had ever seen,
even in himself when he had mastered the Shishi Houkoudan.
	"Ranma, please, just listen to me," said Ryouga.  "If you
kill him, you'll be a criminal.  A murderer.  You're angry, you're
frustrated, I KNOW this."
	Ranma's eyes narrowed.  It was even eerier to the observer
that the rest of his face was shrouded in shadows.
	"I know you, Ranma," said Ryouga.  "You're not a murderer.
Please, just let him go."  He could only hope he was getting through
to him.  Ranma had to listen, for Mousse's sake, if not for his own.
	Ranma shifted his gaze from Ryouga to Mousse and back again.
A small, buried part of his mind was screaming at him to listen to
Ryouga, what he was doing wasn't really him.  He couldn't think, his
head just kept hurting.  What should he do?

--

	Several minutes earlier, Nabiki had summoned Akane into her
bedroom for a long heart-to-heart.  Akane was sitting on her sister's
bed, while Nabiki sat on her desk chair, looking at Akane with an
expression of detached interest.
	"So, um," Akane began lamely, "what did you need, oneechan?"
	Nabiki fixed her eagle eye on her little sister.  "Don't play
innocent with me, Akane," she said sternly.  "I knew something was
bothering you, and I heard what you were saying to P-chan."
	Akane's eyes narrowed.  "What gives you the right to
eavesdrop on me?" she demanded.  "How dare you?"
	Nabiki wasn't impressed.  "Save it, Akane.  I'm trying to
look out for you."
	"By spying on me?"
	Nabiki shrugged.  "People express concern in many ways," she
said.  "In any case, if I'd come up to you and start pressing you for
information on Ranma's whereabouts, you'd have lied through your
teeth, wouldn't you?"
	Akane looked down at the floor, suddenly blushing slightly.
"Well, I guess," she admitted.  She was still irritated with her
sister's actions, but knew that she was right, as usual.
	"So," said Nabiki, idly chewing on the end of a pen, "What
started all this?  Anything in particular?"
	"Just the usual, like I said," said Akane bitterly.  "Once
again Shampoo shows up and starts hanging all over Ranma, and he
didn't do anything to stop her, so I--"
	"Overreacted," interrupted Nabiki.
	"Oneechan!" protested Akane.
	Nabiki waved the pen at her.  "Well, it's true, isn't it?"
Akane looked at the floor again, not really sure what to say.  She
was trying to fight against the tears which were trying to come once
more.  She didn't want to cry anymore.
	The youngest Tendo daughter screwed her eyes shut tight,
determined to fight against the tide of emotions which threatened
to engulf her.  Her eyes opened in surprise, however, when she felt
Nabiki's hand fall gently on her shoulder.  She looked up with some
trepidation.
	"Akane," said Nabiki, "I know you're upset.  I'll do what I
can to help you."
	"Oneechan...," said Akane tiredly.  "Thank you."
	Nabiki tried to smile for her little sister's sake.  "Okay,
so give me the rest of the story," she said.  "The more I know, the
more I can try to help."
	Akane bit back harsh words, almost accusing Nabiki of being
interested only for any money it might net her.  But this wasn't the
time for that, so she held her tongue and began the long explanation.
It took some time, but with prodding, she eventually managed to give
an unbiased, factual recounting of the events of the day.
	The bit that had the most impact on Nabiki, however, was the
way her little sister had described Ranma's eyes.  "Are you sure that
wasn't just an effect of his ki?" she asked.
	Akane shivered.  "I'm positive," she said.  "I've never seen
anything like that coming from anyone."  She bit her lip and sighed,
not wanting to admit the way she felt, but knowing she had to talk
about it or else there would be no coming to terms with it.
	"He... Ranma scared me, oneechan."
	Nabiki's eyes widened.  Akane didn't really say that, did
she?  "You've got to be kidding me, Akane."
	Akane shook her head.  "I'm perfectly serious."
	Nabiki frowned thoughtfully.  Her little sister was not one
to admit weakness, EVER.  She must have truly been scared out of her
mind.  But what would make Ranma change so drastically?
	"Well, sis," said Nabiki, "don't worry too much.  I'm on your
side in this."  This was true.  For one of the very few times in
recent memory, she wasn't out to help someone for money or even for
any kind of semi-malicious enjoyment.  She was genuinely concerned
for her little sister's well-being.
	As for Ranma, something was up, and the Tendo Matron of All
Matters Monetary(tm) fully intended to find out what.  She had quite
a few contacts.  Gathering some intelligence should take less than a
day, and in the meantime, Akane needed some cheering up.
	Nabiki looked over at Akane.  "Okay," she said.  "We're going
to see about taking your mind off your problems."
	Akane looked up at her older sister.  "How do you plan to do
that?" she asked, trying not to sound sarcastic.
	Nabiki smiled brightly.  "I have a few ideas."  She got up
from her chair and began rummaging through her desk for something,
then pulled out a rather large book.  "Aha," she said triumphantly,
now grinning like a cheshire cat.
	Akane blinked.  "What's that?"
	"Let's go down into the living room and I'll show you."

--

	"Ranma, please just calm down," said Ryouga, in as soothing a
voice as he could muster.  "You don't want to do this."
	The seemingly insane kenpo artist did not relinquish his grip
on Mousse's throat, but he turned to look at Ryouga.  "How can YOU
claim to know what I want, Ryouga?" he demanded.  "What the hell
makes you think you're any better than Mousse?"
	"I'm standing here, trying to keep you from making a very big
mistake," said Ryouga.  "Trying to keep you from ending up in jail,
or dead when the police finally shoot you because they can't take you
in alive."  He drew his finger across his neck to illustrate his
point.
	"Isn't that enough?" asked the lost boy, and it seemed to
work.  Ranma blinked as if waking up from being drugged.
	The red glow in Ranma's eyes subsided, and he stared at the
broken young man he had very nearly killed.  He withdrew his hand
from Mousse's throat and looked at it in horror.  "M-Mousse... oh my
god...," he whispered, as the Chinese martial artist sank to the
ground, unconscious.
	Ranma looked at his hands, and couldn't shake the image of
them being covered in blood.  He looked up at his emotional savior.
"Ryouga...," he said brokenly.  "What have I done?"
	"Ranma?" asked Ryouga.  "Are you yourself again?"
	Ranma shook his head, trying to get his jumbled thoughts back
into some semblance of order again.  The attempt was largely
unsuccessful.  Tears streamed down his own face, coming as a shock to
his long-time rival.  "I... I have to get away from here," he said,
and stumbled toward the gate of the school grounds.
	"Ranma, wait," said Ryouga.  "Where are you going to go?"
	As he stumbled toward the gate, Ranma had no ready answer.
"I just need to go... somewhere.  Somewhere other than here."  He
glanced up at Ryouga.  "I... I appreciate what you did, Ryouga," he
said.  "Tnank you."
	Saotome charged off into the night, gripping his head like it
was about to explode.  Ryouga was left staring after him as he
charged off into the night, totally unsure of what to do now.
	After a glance at Mousse, Ryouga decided that the first item
on the agenda was to call an ambulance.  Fortunately, there was a pay
phone in direct sight of the school's gateway.  No chance of getting
lost on the way, he figured, at least not a big one.
	He made the call quickly, answered what questions he could,
then vanished into the night.  He didn't want to be around when the
police began looking for witnesses.  He decided to head back to the
Tendo Dojo... the least he could do was tell Akane-san what had
happened here tonight.

--

	Ranma groaned, bounding across the rooftops.  He tortured
himself with questions, asking himself what he'd been doing.  He
could only vaguely remember the events of the day.  He didn't know
where he was going.  "What's happening to me?!" he called out to the
empty, cold air of the night.
	His consciousness was slipping away from him again, and he
couldn't bear the thought of losing control again.  "Help... have to
get help...."  He tried to focus his thoughts through the pounding of
his head, tried to think of a friend who would help him.
	A friend... it seemed too obvious.  Surely she would be
willing to help.  He had no one else to turn to.  "I can't go back to
the dojo... Soun-Ojisan would kill me," thought Ranma.  "Not to
mention Akane."  He landed atop of the roof of the building he
sought.  He only hoped that his unexpected visit wouldn't cause more
trouble.
	Ranma swung down to the upstairs window, and knocked urgently
on the window.  "Come on, Ucchan," he thought frantically.  A surge
of pain lanced through his head, and he clutched at it once more.
Unable to stop the pain, he could only curl up and try to fight it as
best he could.
	He continued knocking, hoping that Ukyou would wake up.  What
time was it?  Four in the morning?  Five?  What would she think when
she saw him?  Suddenly, a thought tore through his mind, unexpected
and unbidden.
	** NOW!!! ** screamed the voice.  It was his own voice.  But
it was not he.  He staggered forward, and bowled right into the
window, crashing through it with a very loud commotion.  The glass
cut into his forehead and arms.  His consciousness struggled to free
itself from his tenuous grasp, and he looked up, into the scared and
surprised eyes of his oldest friend.
	"Ran-chan!!" cried Ukyou in shock.
	Ukyou stared in horror and fascination as Ranma reached out
to her, looking more afraid than she could possibly imagine.  What on
earth was going on?  She was practically in a daze.
	He looked up her with a pleading gaze.  "U-Ucchan...," he
said, tears still running down his cheeks.  "Help me," he murmured.
"P-please... help me...."  At that moment, the world fled from him,
and he passed out on her bedroom floor.
	"Help?" she asked of his unconscious form.  She ran to the
corner of her room, and put on a pair of slippers to avoid getting
cut.  She knelt down beside him, trying her best to avoid the broken
glass.  Gingerly, she lifted him and set him down on her bed, and
straightened his arms and legs.  She winced at the cuts he had
sustained on his trip through the window, and knew she had to hurry.
	After getting him situated, she ran into the bathroom.  She
returned a moment later with a first aid kit, several towels, and a
small tub of hot water.  She spent the next several minutes cleaning
his wounds, and removing a stray sliver of glass here and there.  She
did her job with all the efficiency and detachment of a professional,
because she knew she couldn't afford to let her confusion make a
difference in this situation.  He needed her.
	When she was done, she looked down at him, finally allowing
her emotions to catch up with her.  He lay unconscious on her bed,
his arms and forehead now securely bandaged.  She wondered if she
should take him to the hospital, but decided against it.  His wounds
were not serious, they just looked bad.  She put a blanket over him
and let him rest.
	His sleep gradually grew more peaceful and even, and she
watched him for a few minutes longer until she was convinced he was
sleeping comfortably.  Ukyou sighed, finally letting herself relax a
little, and went to get a broom to sweep up the pieces of glass on
her bedroom floor.
	After cleaning up, she got a blanket for herself, curled up
next to the bed, and was soon asleep again.  "I always wanted to be
able to take care of you, Ran-chan...," she whispered into the
darkness.  "This wasn't quite what I had in mind."  She drifted off
to sleep, her exhaustion finally claiming her.

	Though Ranma's sleep was outwardly peaceful, his dreams were
painful, disquieting things.  He found himself staring out at a blank
field of white.  There was no horizon, because there was no ground
and no sky.  All was utterly white.  He looked down at himself, and
saw he was naked.  Naked and alone.
	"Frightened?" came a voice.
	He whirled around in a panic, and came face to face with
himself.  He held out a hand, and the copy held out its own.  "What
are you?" demanded Ranma.  The duplicate copied his every movement
perfectly, but oppositely.
	He shook his head and touched the hand of his doppelganger.
He felt smooth, cold glass.  It finally dawned on his addled brain
that he was looking into a mirror.  A very huge mirror that had
nothing to reflect but himself.
	Suddenly, the reflection darkened, but the field of white
was still as bright as ever.  "Pathetic," came the voice again.
	"Who are you?!" demanded Ranma.
	The eyes of the reflection began to glow red, and the mouth
moved.  "You ARE pretty slow, aren't you?" it said.  "Almost makes
me ashamed to be you."
	"What the hell are you talking about?" asked the real Ranma
angrily.  "What am I doing here?  Who are you?"
	The reflection shrugged.  "I just answered that one.  I am
you, Ranma," it said.  "Or rather, I am the extent of all that you
could become if you try."
	"You've been controlling me!" growled Ranma.
	The reflection sneered.  "I *am* you, I just explained that,"
it said, waving a hand dismissively.  "If you'd give me a chance, I
could explain things quite well."	
	Ranma folded his arms.  "All right, then, talk."
	"Much better," smirked the duplicate.  "You see, Ranma, we
went through a few changes today.  I'm what you could call the 'dark
side' of your personality."
	"Dark side?"
	The reflection nodded.  "I am the side of you that is not
inhibited by anything... no emotional restrictions, no moral
obligations, no conscience stopping you from doing whatever is
necessary to come out on top."
	"Sounds like Nabiki," smirked Ranma.
	"We could learn a thing or two from her," the apparition
replied.  "Because of all the moral restrictions you place on us,
you prevent us from achieving our true potential."
	"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Ranma,
irritated.  "I train every day.  I never slack off on my martial
arts."  Here was a subject he felt quite conscious of.  No figure in
some stupid dream was going to tell him how to run his life.
	"Training is not enough," said the reflection.  "You allow
your emotions to hamper you constantly."
	"I do not!" Ranma said, rather petulantly.
	"You do," said the copy, turning its gaze downward (not that
down meant anything in a world without landmarks).  "You tolerate
that... BITCH... constantly abusing us, mistrusting us."
	"Akane?  What's she got to do with this?"
	"Aha," chuckled the duplicate.  "You admit she is a bitch."
	"NO!" screamed Ranma, then quieted down.  "I mean... well..."
Mocking laughter echoed through the air, and he felt his head begin
to throb slightly.
	"Don't bother trying to hide anything from me, Ranma," said
his reflection.  "I am part of your mind, and I've always been here
with you.  I'm not going anywhere."
	"So why are you causing me trouble now?"
	The red eyes narrowed.  "Enough talk, Ranma.  It is time for
you to learn what you are TRULY capable of."  The apparition's hand
reached through the glass, and gripped Ranma's face tightly, covering
his eyes.
	Ranma's vision was filled with blinding white, and a scream
tore its way from his lungs.  "NO!!!!!!!!!"  The mirror shattered,
as did the haunting vision of a different self.

	"NO!!!!!!!!!"  Ukyou jumped at the sudden noise, and dropped
the large piece of the window she'd been holding, causing it to
shatter on the floor.  Great, more mess to clean up, she thought,
and looked at Ranma with concern.  He was trying to cover his eyes.
	Ranma blinked repeatedly, trying to get rid of the blinding
glare in his eyes, and turned away.  He saw a pair of female legs
across the room from him.  Where was he?  He looked slowly upward to
see who was standing across from him.  She was wearing a short robe,
had long, pretty brown hair, and looked at him with an expression of
utmost concern.
	"U-Ucchan?" he said in confusion.  She drew the curtains
closed again, and the morning sun no longer shone in his eyes.  He
vaguely remembered coming here, but didn't remember how he ended up
a bed... or, now that he noticed it, where these bandages had come
from.  He did know that he felt incredibly sore.
	She walked over and knelt by the bed.  "You need to rest,
Ran-chan," she said.  "I don't know what happened last night, but it
must have been something horrible, judging from how you looked when
you burst in here."
	He looked past her, to the broken window.  "I... Ucchan, did
I do that?"  She nodded.  "I'm sorry, I'll get it replaced, I
promise!" he exclaimed in a mildly panicked tone.
	She shook her head.  "I'm not worried about the window, I'm
just concerned about you," she said, smiling warmly at him.  "Are
you feeling okay?"
	He smiled back nervously at her.  "I... I'm okay, I guess.
A little sore, and really drained, but otherwise all right."
	"Well, you sit back and cool your heels for a little bit,
and I'll get you some breakfast, okay?"
	Ranma smiled at her again, this time not so nervously.  He
watched her disappear through the door, and then sat up.  Images of
his dream flashed through his mind.  He remembered confronting a
reflection of himself, with a mind of its own.  He remembered it
lecturing him, telling him how he ought to live his life.
	The thought angered him.  "No one tells me how to live my
life but me," declared Ranma softly.  I am you, the reflection had
said.  That was impossible.  He was not that... uncaring.  He could
admit to himself that he could use some sensitivity lessons
sometimes.
	"But I'm not heartless!" he said aloud, louder than he
had actually intended.  He hadn't realized he was speaking aloud.
	Ukyou's voice came to him.  "I never thought you were
heartless, Ran-chan," she said with a somewhat puzzled expression.
She had a tray full of unusual-looking food and a glass of milk, and
she sat down on the bed next to him, setting the tray atop her lap.
	"Ucchan!" he said.  "I didn't think you would be back so
quickly."  He blushed slightly with embarrassment.  The last thing he
needed was for her to think he'd begun talking to himself.
	He turned his gaze down to the plateful of food in her lap.
It wasn't okonomiyaki, which surprised him.  It certainly smelled
good though.  "What's this?" he asked in as innocent a tone as
possible.  He didn't want to sound suspicious or ungrateful.
	She smiled at him.  "It's an omelet.  Really popular stuff
in America," she said, holding up a piece to his mouth.  "Open up and
try it, okay?"
	He started to do as asked. But then suddenly, impulsively, he
began to look around in a panic, expect Akane or Shampoo to burst in,
ready to smash him into the ground for sleeping at Ukyou's and
letting her FEED him, of all things.
	But then Ranma had a flash of insight.  ** Akane and Shampoo
are no longer issues.  Eat. **  The thought came unbidden, and it
struck him as familiar.  It was disconcerting, however, how
compulsive the mental command was.  It almost seemed like his body
reacted to the notion instinctively.
	He dismissed the idea.  He was exhausted, and hungry.
He'd had no dinner the previous night, and the food did smell very
good.  He opened his mouth, and Ukyou slid the food inside.
	"Wow," said Ranma.  "This is delicious, Ucchan!"
	Ukyou smiled at him.  "It's kind of an experiment.  I tried
it before and *I* liked it... but I wanted to see if you would."  She
held up another piece, which he ate eagerly.  He took the milk and
drank from it, washing the food down.
	"It's great!" he declared, chewing quickly.  She finished
feeding him the rest, and then stood up to take the plate back to the
kitchen.  As she was about to walk out the door, he looked at her and
said, "Thank you, Ucchan."
	Ukyou turned back and smiled at him.  "You're welcome,
Ran-chan."  Then she was gone.  He sighed and leaned back on the bed,
relaxing for what felt like the first time in months.  It occurred to
him that he had not had a bath since two nights previous, and he
suddenly felt very self-conscious.
	"Man, I stink."  Ranma was never one for poetic summaries,
but there was something to be said for directness.  He slowly got out
of bed and stretched.  His mind was still a little fuzzy from the day
before.  Not all the memories had fallen into place yet.
	** REMEMBER!!!! ** came the command in his head, and suddenly
it all flooded his mind again.  Shampoo holding onto him.  Akane
glaring at him with accusing eyes.  His head pounding.  Shampoo on
the ground, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.  Akane's eyes
fixed on him.  Akane begging him not to go.
	Akane... begging him not to go?  What had he said?  Then the
flow of memories began again.  Making his way back to the Furinkan
High School grounds.  Doing katas and training until late at night.
It was dark.  Not even the moon had seemed to light his world.
Ryouga appearing.  Mousse attacking him.
	Ranma looked at his hand in shock and revulsion.  He
remembered holding a man's life in his hands and nearly crushing it
like one would crush a worthless toy.  He remembered seeing Mousse's
limp and broken body lying almost totally still in front of him, and
Ryouga had been trying to keep him from....  Mousse.  Mousse.
	"MOUSSE!!!!!" he suddenly yelled.  His head began to pound
again, and his hands clamped down on his temples.  A gut-wrenching
scream tore its way from his lungs.
	A clatter came from downstairs, followed by the sound of
hurried footsteps.  Ukyou burst into the bedroom, to find Ranma on
the floor, clutching at his head.
	"Ran-chan!!" she cried, rushing over to him.
	He looked up at her, and she saw a hint of red in his eyes
for a split-second.  It was gone as soon as she saw it, and she
dismissed it as imagination.  "Ran-chan, what happened?!" she asked,
incredibly worried.  She knelt down next to him and placed her hand
gently on his shoulder.
	"Help...," he whispered through clenched teeth.  Pain was
evident in his voice, and it pained Ukyou to see him like this.  She
was confused, she wanted to help, but she didn't know what to do.
	"Ucchan," he said, suddenly sounding deadly serious, the pain
suddenly vanishing from his voice, albeit not from his head.
	"Y-yes?" she replied nervously.
	"Please help me," he said, his eyes piercing to her very
soul.  "I need to see Toufuu-sensei... maybe he can help."
	She blinked, confused, but knew she couldn't refuse.  She
never could refuse anything Ranma asked of her.  "All right," she
said after a moment's pause.  "Let's go...."  So much for school
today, she thought.  But if it would help Ranma, she knew she would
go to the ends of the earth.
	Or maybe beyond.

                    *** TO BE CONTINUED ***

----------------------------------------------------------------------

And so ends chapter 2, in a *mostly*-finished form.  C&C/MST is
quite welcome, and encouraged.  I hope everyone's enjoying this.  I'm
putting a lot more effort into this than I originally imagined, when
I began.  It's undergone a few changes as I was writing it, and now
seems to be writing itself.  I'm always pleased when one of my own
stories can surprise me by how it develops.  It doesn't happen very
often. :)

This is kind of an open-ended story so far... I'm still not sure how
I'm going to end up closing things out.  I've a few ideas, but given
that nothing's carved in stone, I think I'm going to let it go where
it wants for now.  If it starts getting out of control, then I'll
pull back on the leash.  Until then, please keep reading, and write
me at deuce@classicgaming.com if you want to send me encouragement or
other nice things. :)

Deuce
Genjuro@RanmaMUCK
Basara@AnimeMUCK

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      Systems of Choice: Neo*Geo, TurboGrafx-16 and PlayStation
The Ninja Gaiden Home Page: http://www.classicgaming.com/ninjagaiden/
       "How beautiful is death.  Death and his brother, sleep."
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