I'm stuck.  There are some scenes I can't quite solve yet, but the
list seems kind of dead, so let's look ahead a little.  Ranma 1/2 is 
the work of R. Takahashi.  No offense intended.  
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For Every Interlude

David Johnston
rgorman@telusplanet.net

She could feel herself changing back to her true form as she
kept her grip on his throat, the steam from his body enveloping
both of them.  Maybe this was the way.  Not to rely on Ranma to
solve her problem, but to deal with Mizu herself.

"Cure me!" she threatened, "I won't let go of you until you do."

"Remember what I said about the conservation of magic?  A cure for
you means a curse for someone else.  I can't just destroy the
power within you, even if I wanted to."  Mizu's face was slightly
contorted as his substance evaporated through through his skin.

"You could give it to an animal!"  Akane felt a strange numbness in her
hands but ignored it.  

Mizu's voice grew stronger as he answered, "Do you know how hard it is 
for a creature of instinct to learn how to cope with this kind of curse? 
That would be an act of pointless cruelty.  My cruelty always has a 
point."  

Akane could feel her battle-aura fading away as the numbness spread
up her arms and into her body.  "W-what are you doing to me?"

Mizu's blue eyes were filled with strange sympathy, "You are doing
it to yourself.  What do you think happens to a bonfire when it tries 
to boil away a lake?  There's just so much more of me, than there is 
of you."  

Akane's hands fell to her sides limply and her knees gave way.  "What 
did I do to you?"  Akane's voice was soft and miserable as
she looked up from her kneeling position, and asked, "Why are you 
doing this to me?"

Mizu sighed, "Oddly enough, it's because I like you.  I'm trying to
help you."

"Help?"  Akane felt blessed anger returning to her, restoring some
of her strength.  She stood up again unsteadily.  "You call this 
'help'?  If you really want to help me, tell me what I have to 
do to be normal again!"

Mizu grinned, displaying unnaturally perfect teeth as he answered, 
"I like you two, but you certainly are dim.  Ohkayfine, I'll give you
a hint."  He pointed a finger at her and said, "_Remember_"  Suddenly
the world seemed to vanish.

An image of Ranma as a girl, looking unbearably cute as she held a
kettle...then turning to face Kuno who somehow looked like a credible
threat to her.

Then Akane found himself sitting up on his futon and reluctantly saying,
"Well, I guess I should go thank her..."

And in front of a door with a duck on it, he was lifting his hand to
knock, but thinking twice as he heard Nabiki's sarcastic tones from
inside...

And then hearing Ranma shouting, "Everyone will think I'm as big a 
pervert as _he_ is!", and feeling the bile rise up from within.

She hadn't been trying to help him.  She'd just been looking out for 
herself.  She wouldn't want anyone to think she was engaged to a 
sex-changing freak after all.  He'd spent all yesterday apologising
for his curse, for even being there, and getting insulted and hit for 
it. That was the last time he was apologising to Ranma for anything.  
Aloud he said, "Hunh!  And pop calls _me_ rude!" and vaulted down the 
stairs, feeling totally alone.

Akane came back to reality, her anger completely gone again.  "Did-did
that really happen?" she asked Mizu.

Mizu shrugged.  "Nobody perceives events entirely accurately or even
perfectly remembers their perceptions.  But that is how Ranma remembers
part of the second day of your engagement, filtered through your 
perceptions, and it's safe to assume his recollection isn't entirely
inaccurate."

"But he didn't apologise-"  Akane started to protest, then had a vivid
image of Ranma's girl form saying "I'm Ranma Saotome.  Sorry about 
this." and Ranma as a boy saying the same thing.  

"For Ranma, that was quite a lot of apologising."

Akane stared down at the concrete, feeling too guilty to say anything.
After a moment, Mizu said, "You can tell Ranma that I'll be back
tomorrow.  We'll skip the fire, the cats and the magic, and settle 
things with a contest of body and fighting spirit.  If I lose, I'll tell 
you directly what you have to do to be free of the curse."  When she 
looked up, he was gone.  She turned to walk home.  
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