Folks--

Sorry this has been so long coming. Truthfully, I wrote it many months ago,
but I just don't *like* it very much. Something about this story just
doesn't feel right. But I've received a few requests for it, so I guess I'll
post it anyway. Be gentle.

--JSH

=====

YANMS PART 2 (working title)

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction in progress by Jonathan S. Haas

=====

WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE:
Ukyou has reassembled the Nanban mirror and used it to go back in time. She
found her younger self the night Genma ran away with Ranma and her father's
okonomiyaki cart, and told her to stow away in the cart. When she returned
to the present, she was greeted by Cologne, who professed not to know her.
Cologne took the mirror from her and warned her about the dangers of
tampering with time.

=====

Sunrise, a day later. Ukyou'd spent the night in the forest� her ten years
spent tracking down Ranma had made camping out natural to her. After
breaking her campsite and packing it tightly in her backpack, she strapped
on her mini-spats and her main spatula and set off in search of her quarry.
If she'd planned things right, she ought to be married to Ranma by now.
After all, once his father had taken her with them, he couldn't very well
stop the marriage, could he?

She caught sight of him on the way to high school. She waited by the gates
for him to come, and spied him off in the distance. He was running early
today. As usual, he was walking on the fence, although quite a bit more
stiffly than normal. What was not usual was his clothing: it was his normal
Chinese outfit, but all in dark gray and black. The familiar shiny golden
dragons embroidered in his shirt were now made of a glossy obsidian thread,
which virtually glowed with darkness.

That was the first of three strange things that caught Ukyou's eye. The
second was his expression. Ranma was usually a cheerful, fairly happy person
(despite the trials he was put through regularly), and his usual facial
expression was a bit of a smile. It was a cocky smile, as befitted a martial
artist of Ranma's ego. His eyes seemed to say to the world, "Let's go, I'm
ready to take you on."

He wasn't wearing that expression today. His face was coldly neutral, his
eyes a flat mask. His shoulders were slightly hunched as he walked that
strangely stiff swift-legged stride atop the fence. This time, what he said
to the world was, "Don't you dare mess with me, or I'll make you sorry."

The third thing that was out of the ordinary was something that was absent.
Ranma's "fiancee" Akane Tendo, daughter of Genma's friend Soun, usually
walked to school beside him. Not being good enough to walk on the fence like
Ranma, she was forced to stand below him as they went to school together.
Ranma didn't love her, Ukyou was certain of that. It was just a forced
marriage by that scum Genma, who saw a way to improve his standing at the
world at the expense of others� even at the expense of his own son. Even
though Ranma had risked his own life many times to save Akane, Ukyou knew it
was really just his sense of duty that made him do so. He had no feelings
for Akane. The fact that Ranma wasn't with her made Ukyou's heart soar with
hope, and helped her shake off the increasingly sick feeling she was getting
in the pit of her stomach as she looked at him.

She bounded out the last few steps to meet him, and called out, "Ran-chan!"
in her cutest voice, waving her arm above her head.

He stopped cold.

Fixing her with a steely glare, he asked, "What did you call me?"

Ukyou blinked, then said, "I called you Ran-chan! It's me, Ucchan!"

Ranma reeled as if he'd been slapped, then his face went from coldly neutral
to coldly furious. Leaping from the fence to land an inch in front of her,
he grabbed her by the throat. Not the cloth of her shirt, but her throat.
Lifting her off the ground as she struggled and grabbed his arm, he said,
with an awful finality in his voice, "I don't usually hit girls. Don't make
me make an exception. If you value your health, never say those words
again." And he tossed her aside to land behind him, rubbing her throat and
staring after him in amazement. She was too dazed even to move as he strode
purposefully away and entered the school. The door banged shut behind him.
Ukyou remained propped up on her elbow for an endless moment longer, then
collapsed on her back, tears leaking from her eyes.

How could he do this to her? How could Ranma, the man she loved, the man of
iron, the man with unshakable honor, how could *he* attack her like that?
She closed her eyes and shook for awhile, unable to stop the tears from
flowing freely, unable to stop the sobs from escaping. She could still feel
his fingers tightening around her throat. She could still hear his cold
words echoing in her soul. She lay there and cried, not having any idea what
to do next.

A few minutes had gone by when Ukyou heard footsteps above her head. She
looked up to see Akane Tendo glaring down at her. She said, "You're blocking
the road."

Ukyou, still shaking, tremulously got to her feet. Akane wore a gaze that
was no more than a few degrees warmer than Ranma's had been. She was dressed
in her usual school uniform, but her hair was long, longer than it had been
before it had accidentally been cut off when Ryouga'd first shown up. That
was before Ukyou knew her, but she'd seen pictures, and Akane's hair didn't
reach down to her waist before. On Akane's voluptuous form, it looked
strangely unattractive. Like a blue-black horse's mane.

"Who are you?" Akane snapped at her. "Are you another one of the 'fiancees'
that good-for-nothing Genma picked for Ranma?"

Ukyou blinked and tried to speak through her sniffles, but couldn't. Akane
frowned deeper, then said, "Listen, you. I don't know who you are or where
you came from, but it's *over*, do you hear? He's married. To me. Leave him
alone. I don't care what Genma promised you. Genma's dead. Go away. Or I'll
hurt you." And with a vicious shove, she knocked Ukyou back to the ground,
and followed Ranma into the school.

Ukyou felt herself growing faint. Her last woozy thought was *Funny� it's
only early morning and I've already had too many shocks for the day*, as she
passed out.

---

*Genma's dead. Genma's dead.* That thought rang in Ukyou's mind as she
regained consciousness. As she groggily shook her head clear of the cobwebs,
she noted that while she lay unconscious, someone had apparently stolen her
backpack and weapons. She groaned and put her hand to her forehead.

So Genma was dead. Somehow, her change to the past had led to Genma's
demise. That might explain why Ranma was so twisted, but Ukyou doubted it.
Genma was a lousy father. He did much more harm to Ranma than good. Surely
the loss of such a father wouldn't have turned such an honorable young
martial artist into the man who'd half-throttled her.

Why had Ranma married Akane? And for that matter, why hadn't he recognized
her? Why had he reacted so violently when she called him Ran-chan? Ukyou's
head ached. She was beginning to understand Cologne's warning.

She couldn't go see him. She didn't know what turned him into what he'd
become, but she couldn't bear seeing him like this. She had to find out what
caused this. Then maybe she could help him.

Keeping that thought in mind, she set off for the Nekohanten. She had to see
Cologne.

=====

The Nekohanten wasn't there. Ukyou cursed. Of course, since Cologne and
Shampoo had apparently never come to Japan, there was no reason for the old
woman's restaurant to be there. Cologne was probably still with the
Jokusetzuko, in China. Ukyou had no way of going there.

She thought. She needed Cologne's vast skills and knowledge in the arcane
arts to help her delve into the past, to find out what had come over Ranma.
Cologne was not available. But there was one other person she knew, whose
mastery of the black arts was every bit as impressive� if not more so.

She swallowed deeply. While Cologne was fairly neutral, the other magician
was flatly evil. And his tastes were beyond notorious, to infamous. He could
probably help her, but he would demand payment. Knowing his reputation, she
could pretty well guess what that payment would be. She steeled herself to
paying it, if necessary. Anything to help Ranma.

Before tackling the Master, she headed off for her okonomiyaki restaurant,
the Ucchan. She would need to pick up a few extra items of "ammunition"
before facing him. When she got there, a cold feeling poured over her like
liquid nitrogen, and a dry voice told her that she shouldn't have been
surprised.

The Ucchan wasn't there either.

---

Midnight, and Ukyo crept into the yard of the Tendo Dojo. She had to be very
careful, for she knew that the place was inhabited by masters of martial
arts, who might wake up at the slightest sound. She carried on her arm a
coiled length of makeshift rope she'd made from tree bark. She was stranded
in a world not her own, and she'd lost all her possessions, including her
treasured spatula. Her restaurant and apartment were no longer there. All
she had was what she wore, and what she found. 

Taking a deep breath, she unbuttoned her shirt and unfastened her bra,
thanking her lucky stars that she'd chosen to wear it rather than her usual
breast bindings. She'd wanted to look her very prettiest when she first met
Ranma after making herself his wife.

Slipping the bra off her arms, she securely tied one end of the rope to it.
Then twirling it like a sling, she heaved the bra with rope attached through
a specific window of the dojo. Holding tightly to the other end of the rope,
she waited patiently for a nibble.

She didn't have to wait long. She felt a tug at her end of the rope, and
responded with a sharp yank, hurling the bra out of the window, along with
an old, balding man clinging tightly to it.

The man landed unceremoniously at her feet. Drawing himself up menacingly to
his full 3'6" height, he bellowed, "Who do you think you are, dragging an
old man out of bed like that? I'll teach you a�" but here he stopped, for he
finally looked up to see Ukyou smiling sweetly at him, leaning over him, her
blouse unbuttoned. "Hi there, cutie-pie!" she chirped. "How's about doing me
a favor?"

 ---

The negotiations were swift. The service would be simple: a viewing of the
past, to see the event had affected Ranma the most. The payment would be a
pair of recently worn panties. Ukyou'd figured as much, and concluded the
deal quickly.

He led her to a dank cave, accessible only through a hidden trapdoor in the
back lawn of the dojo. Although they were completely underground, the cave
shown with light as bright as day, from a source unknown. A shelf by the
wall held hundreds upon hundreds of tiny bottles, meticulously labeled. A
pile of scrolls half again as tall as the old man sat in a corner. 

The old man had Ukyou sit cross-legged on the floor, fetched a pipe, and
packed it with pinches from three different bottles. Sitting in front of
her, he took five quick puffs on the pipe, then a deep, deep drag. He held
the smoke for a long time. Finally, Ukyou interrupted, "What are you doing?"

Speaking in a strange, crackly voice as he held the smoke, the old wizard
replied, "Patience. These things must be done in the right frame of mind."
And with that, he finally exhaled, the smoke billowing out in a huge cloud
front of him. Ukyou gasped as the smoke coalesced and formed eddies, which
took weird shapes. Finally, the swirling smoke was recognizable as a
campsite in a forest, with an okonomiyaki cart in the background. Genma's
father was off to one side, and there was Ukyou herself, barely thirteen.
The detail was amazing. If she looked close enough, Ukyou could see the
individual hairs on Genma's head.

"Wow", Ukyou breathed. Master Happosai, unnoticed, had crept up to perch on
her shoulder. "Yes, wow," he replied.

Ukyou glared at him. "What are you doing-"

The Master shushed her. "Listen."

Ukyou shut up. And she heard a very tinny, very faint voice in her ear, "Hi,
Ucchan!"

Ukyou started. "What was that?" she whispered. "That," retorted Happosai,
also in a whisper, "is Ranma's voice. This spell follows him around, so we
can hear what he's saying. But we can't hear what anyone else is saying, so
be quiet while I read your image's lips. You said 'Hi' back."

"That's quite some spell," Ukyou marveled. Happosia smirked. "That's
nothing," he replied. "If you concentrate, you should be able to experience
Ranma's feelings."

Ukyou concentrated, and indeed got a general feeling of contentment. "The
spell is powered by my ki energy," explained the old man. "It turns part of
the ki into a tangible wave of emotional energy, conditioned by the spell's
target, which anyone within a few feet of the spell can feel."

"Shh," Ukyou said, peering into the smoke intently. Ranma had left his
father and Ukyou and was swimming in a forest pool., radiating satisfaction.
He swam for about fifteen minutes, when his father burst out of a thicket
and ran over to him. "Ranma, son, come quickly," Happosai hurriedly
lip-read. "Ukyou� terrible accident."

Ranma jumped out of the pool, panic rising. He crashed blindly through the
forest, coming out at the edge of a cliff. He looked down the cliff's rocky
surface to the beach below, and cried out "UKYOU!!!". The spell went hazy as
Ranma's vision fogged with tears. He bounded down the cliff in a flash,
coming to rest by Ukyou's still body, half-buried in the sand from the
impact. She'd landed face-down, and as Ranma rolled her over, he saw that
her forehead had cracked on a small, jagged rock in the sand. The spell
blurred beyond recognition for a few seconds, then cleared to Ranma's sight
of Ukyou limp in his arms, her chestnut hair caked with blood, her eyes
vacant. Watching the sight in the cloud of smoke, Ukyou sobbed as Ranma's
horror and anguish slammed into her like a freight train. Ranma's cries of
despair were clearly audible. And then he looked by where her arm had
landed.

With her last breath and her last ounce of strength, Ukyou had managed to
use her finger to write a word in the sand before she died. It must have
taken a Herculean force of will, with her body crushed and her lifeblood
seeping out of her head, but she had done it. And the word she'd written was
GENMA.

Ranma stood up, and Ukyou felt her heart clench as he radiated a cold, cold
fury. Ranma's ascent up the cliff was swift and mechanical. He found his
father. He said one word: "Why?" Genma's answer was too stuttered and
makeshift for Happosai to be able to lip-read it all, but the general gist
of it was, "I had to do it, son, you're engaged to my friend Soun Tendo's
daughter!" Before Genma had stopped talking, Ranma's fist shot out and
caught him right in the throat. Ukyou's imagination supplied the sickening
crack that the spell did not. Genma's eyes bulged out and his legs collapsed
under him as he clutched at his neck. He lay, on his back, hacking and
coughing uncontrollably, until blood started leaking from his mouth. The
blood kept flowing until Genma was still.

Ranma looked away from his father's body. Ukyou cried out and buried her
head in her hands, unable to bear what she'd just seen. She recoiled in
horror at the thought that Genma would kill her� and that Ranma would react
in such a brutal fashion. If this was what had truly happened, she now knew
why the present Ranma behaved as he did.

As she looked up and tried to stem the flow of tears, she saw the smoke
dissipating over one final scene: Ranma kneeling over a grave, pounding a
slab of wood by the grave's head. On the slab was carved:

HERE LIES
UKYOU KUONJI

MY LIFE ENDS WITH YOURS

� to be continued �

=====

Copyright 1998 Jonathan S. Haas, but do whatever you want with it. Except
put your own name on it or sell it or anything stupid like that. Ranma 1/2
and characters (C) somebody else.