(Now back to Rob Bob's Last Call, and "Her"...)

	'I think when we got cursed, we got more than their bodies.' Ranma's
told Ryouga about the weird dreams he's been having about the girl
who drowned in Jyusenkyou all those centuries ago. 
	There's an interesting little fact about "Her" that not many people
know. As I mentioned earlier, this was written in September 1996. It
took a total of three days, writing nonstop, to turn out this thing.
Three days, folks. The really scary thing is, in the year and a half
since this was written, it hasn't been edited one single time. And
you sure can tell it, can't you?
	Well now we get to watch as Ranma and Ryouga try to get in touch
with their inner self...girl...pig...whatever, who the hell cares
anyway. This is also where the OOC problems of this story really
begin showing. 
	So let's get back to the fic...

 When Akane and Nabiki got home from school, they found Ranma and
Ryouga 
sitting at the shogi board Genma and Soun usually sat at. Genma was 
watching TV and Soun was reading a newspaper, and both men seemed to
be 
trying to avoid looking at the boys. Akane looked into Ranma's eyes
and 
saw the same disturbance there that was there this morning. She
looked 
over at Ryouga, and was surprised to see the same look there. 
 Kasumi came in, and said quietly, "They've been like this all day.
Ranma 
went up to rest and Ryouga was in there with him, I think they were 
talking, then a little later they both come down looking like that,
and 
they sat down at the shogi board, I can't imagine why. Father and
Saotome-
san weren't too happy about that, but I think the boys' eyes scared
them. 
They've been keeping their distance all day."
 Nabiki frowned. "This is getting intriguing."
 Akane glared at her. "Nabiki! Two very close friends are going
through 
something so awful they can't tell us about it! And all you can say
is 
intriguing!?"
 Suddenly, Ranma and Ryouga called out at the same time, "Kasumi,
water 
please."
 Kasumi came in with two glasses of water. Ranma and Ryouga each took
one,
 and in perfect synch, proceeded to empty the water onto their heads.

Both were too lost in thought and in horror to care that Akane would
see 
Ryouga turn into P-chan. Now, Ranma-chan and P-chan sat at the shogi 
board. The same look of horror was still in their eyes. They didn't
move, 
didn't blink. Akane was staring in shock at P-chan, as her mind ran 
frantic circles. "I don't believe it! All this time, I've been
sticking 
up for Ryouga because he's so sweet and nice, and I found out he's
been 
sneaking into BED with me? That...that...OOOOHHH!!!"
 Kasumi came in just as Akane was about to reveal Mallet-sama.
"Akane-
chan...I know you're upset with Ryouga-kun. But don't do this right
now. 
He wouldn't have turned into a pig right in front of you unless he
had a 
very good reason."
 "But...but...how'd you....he's a pervert! I'll...I'm gonna kill
him!"
 Kasumi sighed. "Forgive me, little sister." Everyone in the room who

wasn't in a trance gaped in shock at Kasumi as she briefly glowed a
pale 
yellow, and raised one hand with the palm facing Akane's chest.
"Silent 
Stun Technique," she said softly and calmly as a shocked Akane looked
at 
the hand pointed at her, as did Nabiki, Genma, and Soun. A small
flare of 
chi erupted from Kasumi's palm, and Akane slumped to the ground 
unconscious. Kasumi's aura vanished, and she smiled cheerfully and
said, 
"Anyone want some cookies?" The others didn't need to be blasted to
pass 
out.
 "Oh my."

********

 About an hour later, everyone had woken back up. Ranma-chan and
P-chan 
were still in their trances. Akane wasn't about to disturb whatever
was 
going on. She wasn't too keen on finding out what else her sweet, 
innocent older sister might be capable of. 
 Nabiki seemed to be reading her mind. "Who knew, eh Akane?" Akane
nodded.

 Suddenly, Ranma-chan snapped out of her trance, and looked
considerably 
more horrified than before. "No way," she breathed.
 P-chan came out of it, as well. He let out a quiet squeal, and the
look 
of horror in his eyes had not diminished at all. In fact, it had
actually 
gotten a bit worse.  
 "Hot water, please, Kasumi," Ranma-chan said, still very quiet.
Kasumi 
appeared with a kettle. "Good, you two are done then?" She poured the

water on them both. It took Ryouga less than 3 seconds to dress after

changing. Kasumi turned to Akane now, and said, "Now, Akane-chan, I'd

rather you not go attacking Ryouga-kun now, understand?" 
 Akane gulped and nodded. "I'm too curious about what's going on
anyway. 
I'll kill him later."
 Kasumi smiled sweetly. "Good girl." 

 Ranma and Ryouga were staring at each other rather intently now.
They'd 
managed to tune out the little conversation going on between Kasumi
and 
Akane.
 Ryouga looked at Ranma for a while, and said quietly, "Ranko."
 Ranma took a long look at Ryouga, and said, "Ryokuroi."
 Both blinked a few times. Then Ryouga smiled slightly. "Damn ironic 
isn't it?"
 Ranma nodded. "I'll say. But I just don't buy it...I mean she
couldn't 
be..."
 Ryouga frowned. "She is."
 Ranma shook his head. "It's just too weird to accept it."
 Ryouga smirked. "I---he---WE were there. Nobody would know better
than 
us."
 Ranma sighed. "Well, one way to be positive..." He went over to
Soun. 
"Tendou-san, I need to take a look at your ancestral records."
 Soun, as well as everyone else in the room, blinked. "Why, son?
What's 
going on anyway?"
 Nabiki said, "Yeah Ranma, you guys definitely have some explaining
to do." 
 "Some more than others," Akane muttered, glaring at Ryouga. To 
everyone's surprise, Ryouga actually snapped at her. "Don't start
with me 
right now Akane-san. I'm not in the mood."
 Mallet-sama came close to burying Ryouga in the foundation of the
dojo. 
Suddenly Kasumi was there in front of him. Akane couldn't break the
swing 
in time and the mallet slammed into Kasumi's head. Kasumi gave Akane
a 
maternally disapproving look and said, "Now, now, Akane-chan...do be
a 
little more courteous. Ryouga-kun has a lot on his mind right
now...let 
everything settle down first." She removed the mallet from her
head--it 
hadn't even left a bump or a bruise--and pointed it head-first at
Akane. 
Then she flared pale yellow again. The next thing anyone knew, Akane
was 
being propelled out into the yard by a chi-charged Mallet-sama. She 
landed in the pond. Everyone stared in shock.
 "Kasumi, was that really neccessary?" Soun asked. 
 Kasumi smiled sweetly. "I warned her to let it go for a little
while, 
she shouldn't have forgotten about that." Suddenly, her aura was gone

again, and a wet Akane was trudging back into the house, pausing to
glare 
at both Kasumi and Ryouga before stomping upstairs. Kasumi produced a

very old scroll from the pocket of her apron. "Is this the one you
were 
looking for, Ranma-kun?"
 Ranma nodded. "That looks like it. So long as it's the one that
covers 
1500 years ago."
 Ranma and Ryouga were poring over the old scroll when Akane came 
downstairs. Everyone was sitting around watching, wondering what they

were looking for. Finally, Ryouga exclaimed, "Aha! Found it! Right 
here!"
 Ranma looked, and said, "Well whaddya know? It's true after all!"
 Ryouga snorted. "Duh, Ranma. Her pet tried to tell you that."
 Ranma snorted. "Yeah yeah whatever. I still say what could a dumb
pig 
know."
 Ryouga was a little mad. "We are NOT dumb!"
 Ranma blinked. "Hey, what's with all that 'we' stuff anyway?"
 Ryouga blushed a little. "Ryokuroi is happy with the current
situation. 
We spend more than enough time as a pig for him anyway...he does wish
I'd 
let him lead more often though." Both of them broke out in laughter
at 
that.
 Akane had had enough of this. "Is someone going to tell us what the
HELL 
YOU TWO ARE TALKING ABOUT!?"
 Ranma and Ryouga looked up, and blushed, smiling nervously. "Well...
y'see Akane..." Ranma began.

 "It started with me having these dreams lately, where I'm walking 
underwater but I can breathe, and there's these spheres...."

 After Ranma finished telling about the dream, Akane said, "So that's

what was wrong with you this morning." Ranma nodded. "I can see why,"

Akane said. "If it was me I'd have gone insane from that." She looked
to 
Ryouga. "I'm going to put aside the fact that I hate you for right
now. 
Have you been having the same dreams too?"
 Ryouga shook his head. "I didn't know about any of it until Ranma
told 
me about it this morning. It's not the dream itself that's got Ranma,
and 
myself, upset. It's what the dream implies."
 Soun asked, "Exactly, what, DOES it imply?"
 Ranma's turn. "Well, see, Tendou-san, after I had the dream, I
realized 
something about Jusenkyo. I figure that everything that drowned there

left its soul behind in the springs, and whoever falls into one of
those 
springs takes the soul of whatever drowned there with it as well as
the 
body." There was a collective gasp from all present who didn't know
this 
part already. 
 Ryouga nodded and spoke next. "I didn't think Ranma was right about
that 
at first, but I had to admit it was possible. So we came up with a
way to 
find out for sure."
 Ranma nodded. "We've been in deep meditation since this morning
trying 
to touch the souls of our cursed forms. I think we managed to get
some 
kind of telepathic rhythm going because we both figured out at the
same 
time that it would be easier if we were in our cursed forms.
 "It worked," Ryouga said.
 Soun and Genma both gave a low whistle. "Incredible," Genma said.
Soun 
nodded. "If you two boys continue to demonstrate this kind of
dedication, 
someday you could both be wiser and more formidable than Shampoo's
great-
grandmother. Wouldn't you say so, Saotome-kun?"
 Genma nodded. "My son never ceases to surprise his father."
 Akane was anxious for the story to move on. "Okay, so what did you
two 
get from this little communion with the spirit world?"
 "Well, first of all," Ranma said, "They're not in the spirit world. 
They're trapped on earth by the magic of Jusenkyo, imprisoned here. 
They've spent 1500 years in those springs, now they're inside us."
Ryouga 
nodded.
 Genma spoke up. "Hey, wait a minute...Ryouga, didn't the guide say
the 
spring you fell into was formed 1200 years ago?"
 Ryouga nodded. "Jusenkyo made a clerical error. Apparently whenever
the 
historians were preparing the information on the cursed springs,
someone 
accidentally put a 2 where they should have put a 5...they should
have 
stuck to the traditional numbering system instead of trying to do it
in 
Arabic."
 Ranma smirked. "Aw, come on man, we both know you don't really know
what 
kind of system they were using. The only reason we know the date the 
Guide has is wrong is because Ranko and her pet both remember being
alive 
1500 years ago and drowning around the same time."
 Everyone blinked. Akane said, "Ranko!?"
 Ranma grimaced. "That's the real irony in all this...well, one of em

anyway. When I was able to touch the drowned girl's spirit and 
communicate with her, naturally one of the first things I wanted to
know 
was who she really was. I thought she was putting me on when she said
her 
name was Tendou Ranko."
 Everyone facefaulted.
 Ranma smirked. "Hey, I wouldn't claim that if it wasn't so. Ryouga
can 
back me up and so can the old scrolls."
 "And how would Ryouga know?"
 Ryouga spoke next. "Because the spirit of the drowned pig is a lot 
smarter than you'd think, and because spirits don't have that
language 
barrier thing." Pausing, he added, "Of course, with this curse I
speak 
pig anyway..." 
 "Anyway," Ranma interrupted, "Ryouga's little soulmate was Tendou 
Ranko's little pet pig Ryokuroi."
 Meanwhile, Soun was reading the old scroll now, and suddenly looked
up 
in surprise. "I don't believe it. He's right!" He pointed to a spot
on 
the scroll which Genma looked at and nodded. "Just over 1500 years
ago, 
one of the heads of the family did indeed have a daughter named
Ranko."
 Ranma nodded. "The Tendou family was still mostly made up of peasant

farmers at the time, but a couple of household heads who were spread
out 
from the main group were determined to bring a warrior into the
bloodline.
 One of those houses had a daughter, Ranko. She was the classic
tomboy. 
She drove her parents insane. They wanted her to dress like proper
girls 
dressed, she refused. They wanted her to accept an arranged marriage
or 
at least try to go out and snare herself a husband, she refused. One
time 
her father tried to get her to get rid of the little pig she'd found
and 
brought home with her and she told him no. She was always getting
into 
arguments and fights, she beat up any guy who tried to win her
affections,
the girls all made fun of her and looked down on her. Finally when
she 
was fifteen, her father had had enough of her, and cast her out of
the 
family, and told her that for her sake she had better get out of
Japan. 
Ranko took her little pig, who was her only real friend in the world,
and 
set out to go to China."
 Akane shuddered. "That's...barbaric."
 Soun sighed. "At least we don't treat our tomboy daughters like that

anymore...URK!" Mallet-Sama had introduced itself to Soun's skull.
 "Well anyway, Ranko spent a year travelling across China. A year
into 
the journey, she made the stupidest mistake anyone could possibly
make...
ironically, one I repeated in her body 1500 years later."
 Akane had calmed down now. "Which was?"
 Ranma gulped. "She wandered into Juketsuzoku."
 Everyone shuddered.
 "Ranko was given a fairly civil welcome to the village, and it was
going 
alright for her until this guy named Deodorant noticed her and
started 
hitting on her. This made the guy's girlfriend, Lotion, mad. Ranko
was 
trying to explain to Deodorant that she wasn't interested, when
Lotion 
showed up and started smacking her around. Ranko got ticked off, and
she--" 
 Ranma cast a nervous glance at Akane, and said, "Uhh....this is not 
going to amuse someone here who has a tendency to pull a giant mallet
out 
of thin air and bash people with it."
 Akane grew red in the face, and snapped, "What?" 
 Ranma gulped, and said, "Well...Lotion started smacking Ranko
around, 
which made her mad, so she pulled a mallet out of nowhere and pounded

Lotion into the ground."
 All around the room, people were trying to hold in snickers, and
failing 
miserably. Akane looked very angry, and almost everyone was sure that

Mallet-sama was going to be making a round trip. Then, she smiled,
and 
said, "Well, I had to get it from somewhere." She giggled as everyone

blinked at her.
 "Anyway, when Lotion came to, she gave Ranko the Kiss of Death.
Ranko 
had no idea what was going on and just stood there babbling instead
of 
making a break for it." Suddenly Ranma winced in pain and doubled
over, 
gasping. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Akane cried out,
"Ranma!"
 Ranma straightened up after a minute, and took a few deep breaths, 
rubbing his head. "Ow," he said. "Damn little..." He winced again and

inhaled sharply. 
 Ryouga suddenly figured out what was going on, and broke into a wide

grin. "Forgot that the link between you is still open, eh?"
 Ranma nodded. "Yeah, and just my luck she'd wake up and start
listening 
in."
 Everyone looked confused, then Ryouga explained, "The links we made
to 
talk to their souls didn't go away when we were through talking to
them. 
They've been at rest from the strain of communication ever since. But
it 
seems Ranko's paying attention through the link, and I guess Ranma
said 
something that ticked her off.
 "But what did she DO to you Ranma?" Akane asked.
 Ranma smirked. "She yelled in my ear."
 Ryouga gave him a look. "Baka! They're in our heads! They don't talk
to 
us through our ears!"
 Ranma smirked. "Jeez, it was a figure of speech okay? Anyway, Ranko
had 
no idea what was going on, and she was trying to communicate to
Lotion 
that she didn't understand. A few minutes went by quietly, then
Lotion 
grabbed Ranko by the neck and tried to strangle her. Ranko broke
loose 
and decided it was time she needed to get out of town. 
 "The only road leading out of Joketsuzoku leads right into Jusenkyo 
Valley. Once they got down there, Lotion caught up while Ranko was 
looking for an escape route, Lotion got ahold of her, and pushed her
head 
down into one of the springs. Ranko struggled but Lotion was too
strong 
for her, and eventually Lotion managed to kill her in there."
 Everyone gasped. Ranma, Akane, Ryouga, and Soun all seemed to be
crying 
a little.
 Ryouga spoke next. "Ryokuroi was devastated when he realized his
beloved 
owner wasn't alive anymore. He threw himself at Lotion, biting and 
scratching at her. She got mad and threw him off, and he landed in
one of 
the other springs. Ryokuroi couldn't swim, and he drowned as well."
 Akane spoke. "That's...that's so sad."
 There were lumps in everyone's throats.
Kasumi finally broke the ensuing silence. "So, what happens now? What

will you do about the souls?"
 Ranma looked uncomfortable suddenly.
 Ryouga had no problem, however. "Well, Ryokuroi is perectly happy to

coexist with me as P-chan, and I don't have a problem with it. He's 
smarter than you might think a pig could be, and he's very nice.
Couldn't 
ask for a better traveling companion." With a dry chuckle, he said,
"Wish 
I'd found out about him sooner."
 Ranma, on the other hand, looked miserable.
 Akane was worried. "What's wrong Ranma?"
 He swallowed. "I personally wouldn't have a problem with coexisting
with 
Ranko and letting her take over when I'm in that form, since she's
almost 
exactly like I am as a girl anyway, but for us it isn't that simple."
 "What do you mean?"
 "It doesn't work the same for human curses as for animal curses."
 Everyone looked at him. He swallowed again, looking depressed and 
miserable.
 "A pig or a panda can coexist with a person easily because they're
not 
from the same species. But when you have two human souls in a
Jusenkyo-
cursed body, it's a different story. If both are the same gender then
you 
wind up with someone with split personality syndrome. However, if
they're 
of opposite sexes..." He gulped. "It can't be done. The female soul
would 
confuse the male body, and the male soul would confuse the female
body. 
Eventually, the cursed person won't have any sense of sexual identity
in 
either form. It presents a lot of danger for the person involved."
 Genma nodded. "I can see where that would be a problem."
 Kasumi said, "So what about Ranko then?"
 If Ranma had looked miserable before, he looked like he was ready to
die 
now. "Ranko's soul is imprisoned by my own. She can't get out, and I 
can't force myself to release her. She's only got two ways out."
 "Which are?" Soun asked.
 "One way involves separating my female form from my male form. The
magic 
would have to be done perfectly. If it could be done, and done
correctly, 
there'd be a male Ranma and a female Ranma...me, and Ranko.
Completely 
separated, and Ranko would be free.
 "What's the other way?" 
 Ranma suddenly looked very tense. He began to sweat.
 "What's wrong Ranma?" Akane asked.
 "Hey Ranma you okay?" Ryouga asked. Ranma shook his head, and
sighed.
 "There's only one other way to get Ranko out of there."
 He took a deep breath, and released it in ragged gasps.
 "If a technique can't be found to split me in two, then the only way
for 
Ranko to be free from her imprisonment is..." He closed his eyes, 
swallowing a huge lump in his throat. "...is for my body to be locked
in 
female form, and my...my..." He was fighting back tears now.
 "I'd have to be exorcised out of my body." 
 "WHAT!?" shouted everyone in the room.
 Ranma gulped again, this time his voice wavered as he talked.
 "If we can't free Ranko by splitting me in half, then...then the
only 
way to free her is for me to be destroyed."
 Ryouga was stunned.
 Soun wailed.
 Genma stared at his son in shock.
 Nabiki didn't know what to think.
 Kasumi was worried for everyone in the room including the girl and
the 
pig who none of them could actually see.
 Akane got on her feet, and ran from the house, crying.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Try to control yourself..."
"Hey, I'm 20. I'm male. I'm single. I'm not 
getting any. What do you expect?"
"...I stand corrected. And you...just...stand."
-Conversation between Lurker and an 
anonymous AOL user
---
The Eternal Lost Lurker
...gettin' ficcy wit' it...
EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net
http://www.geocities.com/~etlostlurker

"Heeere leezard, leezard, leezard..."
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