well, I'm having a bad day, so I edit and repost this little gem..  I'm
extending the chapter length greatly, so this whole...   thingy... 

would be chapter one.

<<begin>>

there's things in life, that are beyond irony, beyond angst..  things that
simply cannot be withstood.


Happy Birthday
(1/2?)
(1/3?)
(1/????)

don't worry, this will end up dark..
; )

	Ranma was returning home from school one summer's evening, alone. As he
walked along the fence with a pair of schoolbooks in one hand, he
concentrated on the ground in front of him, oblivious to the world. The
jingling sound of the cheery purple-haired Amazon's approach alerted him,
and Ranma looked up just in time to see Shampoo on a direct course for
impact with his face. Her course terminated its ballistic trajectory, and
Ranma was pinned to the ground, his books dangling by their strap from one
upraised hand. Shampoo peered over the side of her bike, looking at the
crumpled martial artist.

	"Nihao, Airen! Where Violent Girl?" Shampoo bubbled brightly, her bangs
bouncing in boisterous counterpoint to her speech.

	"Akane's home early." Ranma grumbled as he brushed at the bits of dirt
clinging to his clothing. "She had a message from school to come home
early." He concluded, considering the tire tracks across what had been a
clean shirt.

	"Excellent!  Now Ranma have time to go on date with Shampoo!" the Amazon
chimed triumphantly. Ranma looked up from his shirt, an expression of
momentary panic crossing his face.

	"I can't, Shampoo..  I've got to go straight home after school." Ranma
stammered. The look of panic was replaced by one of disgust. "I'm supposed
to have some sort of surprise waiting for me."

	At that, Ranma turned, and resumed trudging towards home, his worry
plainly evident on his face for one who knew where to look. Overhead, the
birds chirped uncaringly, and crickets played a spirited game of Human
across the grass, luxuriating in their ignorance of the unknown.

	Ranma arrived at the Tendo Dojo as clouds began to loom overhead,
darkening the cheerful summer sky. He looked up as he stopped in front of
the open gates, then trudged onwards towards the house. As he opened the
door, he called out.

	"Akane, Dad, Kasumi! I'm home from school!" Ranma called out, his voice
stunted in the emptiness of the house. Ranma shuddered, then took his shoes
off, and walked into the kitchen to grab a quick snack. As Ranma walked
into the living room to sit down and study his homework, he received a
complete shock. Opening the door to the living room revealed a group of
people. Akane was there, sitting on the couch off to one side, and looking
none to comfortable. His father and Soun were standing behind his mother,
and Kasumi and Nabiki were off to one side, Nabiki holding a camera, and
Kasumi a cake..   

waitaminute. His father and Soun were standing behind his mo.th.er..

	Ranma's mind abruptly stopped processing information, as the crowd in
front of him shouted.

	"Happy Birthday, Ranma!"

Happy birthday (2/?)

	What has gone before:
stuff.

	Ranma remained in a semi-comatose state as his mother ran forward and
threw her arms around him, crying into his shoulder.

	"Oh, my manly son, I've finally got you back>" She cried, wetting his
shirt with her tears. Ranma, for his part, remained nearly motionless, his
mind having fled in terror. 

	"mom? MOM? MOther!?!?!" Ranma finally managed to grate out as his mind
rebooted. He hugged his mom back, finally able to do so after nearly ten
years. He gave up his stuttering and merely held his mother, trying hard to
keep the tears from spilling down his face. He succeeded, and was smiling
sadly when his mother broke the embrace, and moved to arms length, studying
his face as if she hadn't seen it in years. <auth note.  : ) > After she
released him, Nodoka Saotome immediately moved to the table, gesturing to
the cake Kasumi had just laid there. 

	Shakily, Ranma kneeled, as indicated, and his mother produced a match, and
lit the seventeen candles on the cake.

	"Six candles for the years you were with me, my son." Nodoka said softly.
"ten for the years you were away, and one for the day which brings us back
together." she finished, coming close to tears. Ranma sat, his shoulders
bowed in a mixture of fear, longing, and sadness. As Nodoka finished
lighting the candles, she moved to stand behind Ranma, her hands on his
shoulders. Ranma reached up a hand to touch one of hers, then leaned
forward to blow out the candles, easily snuffing all of the tiny flames. 

	"You have kept your promise to me, haven't you, Ranma?" Nodoka asked, her
voice velvet over steel. Ranma jolted as if struck, but Kasumi spoke up
before he could say anything.

	"Time for cake and ice cream!" she said brightly, walking into the living
room with a platter with bowls full of ice cream and plates for the cake in
her hands. On the platter was a long, wooden handled knife, which she
swiftly cut and served the cake with, giving Ranma the largest piece, and
Nodoka the second largest. Ranma immeadietly dug in, hiding his face behind
his eating. Nodoka sat primly, watching her son eat with an unreadable
expression on her face.

**********************
Later
**********************
	As Ranma sat on top of the house, listening to his parents talking,
reconciling ten years of absence (and, surprisingly, faithfulness on both
_Genma_ and Nodoka's part) Ranma considered the situation.

Nodoka, his _mother_ had returned.
She required him to fulfill the promise his father had made for him.
She didn't know he was cursed. 
Sooner or later, she would find out.

	Ranma's mind, not used to logical thought, ground these concepts into
submission for hours, until, as the sun set on Nerima, he came to a
conclusion. Leaping to his feet, Ranma spoke in a loud, clear voice,
presenting his decision to the heavens.

	"I'll do it myself. I'll take the honorable path, and tell my mother about
my curse. On _my_ terms!" Ranma finished triumphantly, raising his fist in
defiance at the setting sun. To his side, along the peak of the roof, a
noise shattered his dramatic reverie. A bird, some sort of pigeon, looked
angrily at him for disturbing it's nap on the warm tiles. Ranma grinned
bashfully, and jumped down from the roof, bouncing off of the wall, Master
Happosai on his way out for an evening's raid, and a rock by the koi pond,
before coming to rest on the ground outside the Dojo.

	Hearing the sounds of sparring coming from the Dojo, Ranma walked through
the door, holding it open behind him. Sillouhetted in the setting sun,
Ranma watched as his mother and father danced their love for each other in
the delicate, savage motions of a pair kata in Kenpo, the smooth lines of
the bokkens they weilded standing out sharply in the torchlight, highly
polished wood slicing through the still night air. As they finished, Genma
brought his bokken up into a French swordfighter's salute to a lady, and
Nodoka bowed, accepting his salute as her due. Ranma applauded, in awe at
the fluid grace and consumate skill the two had displayed. Nodoka looked
over at Ranma, her bokken coming to bear in a guard position momentarily,
before relaxing at her side. Ranma was startled at the defensive movement,
but dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. 

	"Master Happosai is going out for a raid, Pop. I think you and Mr. Tendo
should go at least _try_ and stop him." Ranma said sarcastically, earning a
disapproving glance from his mother. Genma nodded and headed towards the
door, notably avoiding the bucket of water that stood beside the door, for
washing or cooling down. Ranma glanced at that same bucket, and grimaced.
Now was his time.

	"M- Mom..  I'm a manly man, right?" Ranma asked nervously.

	"As far as I've seen so far, son. You have a lovely fiance, with a fiery
spirit. I'm sure you'll have lots of lovely children. Your father has kept
up his training, so I've got to assume you've been as well educated in the
Art as he promised.." Nodoka trailed off, tilting her head to one side in
an inquisitive look. "Would you like to spar?" Nodoka asked hesitantly.
Ranma started, then nodded his head.

	"I don't hit girls, though. especially my own mother!" Ranma stated,
shifting into a loose defensive stance. "Whenever you're ready, mom!" Ranma
said confidently. Nodoka looked startled, then shifted into a battle ready
stance, her form exact, her movements perfectly balanced. She approached
Ranma, who remained in his relaxed posture. When she closed to a good
striking distance, Nodoka brought her feet together, her sword at ease, and
bowed to Ranma, who returned her bow, his eyes never leaving hers. As she
straightened, Nodoka snapped into her battle stance, immedately launching a
pattern of attacks that more than doubled Kuno's impressive speed, and
Ranma could feel the air moving past him, hard enough to shred his skin,
and break his bones had he not been out of the way of the strikes.

	As he vaulted through the air over his mother, Ranma almost laughed out
loud. Her skill with a bokken was unmatched! Ranma had never fought against
an opponent this skilled with the blade, and it was the most fun he'd had
in a long time. As Ranma lost himself in the battle, the grin of wild
enjoyment on his face widened, showing his inner joy as he dodged around
the dojo at lightning speed, avoiding the attacks his mother unceasingly
pressed, unsucsessfully searching for an opening in her defenses, for any
pattern which to exploit. As he finally discovered one, Ranma waited for an
opening, his face bearing a clean, pure expression of joy. As the opening
he waited for appeared, Ranma darted forward, and placed the tip of one
finger to his mother's forehead, leaving her blocking a strike which he had
not made. 

	"Point." he said, his voice happy, even though he was panting for breath.
Nodoka's eye's flared with some emotion for a second before her face broke
into a smile, and Nodoka bowed to her son, accepting her defeat. Again,
Ranma returned her bow, a smile still on his face. After he straightened,
he looked quizically at his mother, and they both spoke simultaneously.

	"You were holding back!"

	Ranma and Nodoka both broke into laughter, and Nodoka stepped forward,
putting her arms around her son in a vigorous hug. Ranma was unused to such
displays of affection, but still nervously returned his mother's embrace.
Nodoka drew back, again holding Ranma at arm's length, and smiled broadly.

	"I'm so proud of you, son. You've taken control of your life, using the
teachings of your father. I was wrong when I made him sign that contract,
Ranma. You've grown up into a strong, manly young man." Nodoka sniffed away
a burgeoning tear, and was about to continue when she was interrupted, by
the arrival of a vivacious Amazon, bursting through the wall.

	"Nihao, Airen! Shampoo ready go on date, yes?" the bonbori-wielding girl
asked cheerfully. "Who lady with bad look on face?" she continued, noticing
Ranma's mother. 

	"That's my mother, Shampoo..  now, GO AWAY!" Ranma yelled, hoping to avert
disaster.  Nodoka turned and looked at Ranma, then returned her gaze to
Shampoo, who was now standing nervously, her bonbori behind her back.

	"Son, that woman just addressed you as 'future-husband' and asked to go on
a date with you..   Do you have an explanation for this??" Nodoka asked
quietly, her voice firm and intense. Ranma closed his eyes, trying to hide
the hot tears of frustration welling from them, and bolted from the dojo,
bowling over Shampoo and escaping into the twilight of the evening. 

	"Aii-yah." Shampoo said quietly, sitting on the floor where she had been
knocked by Ranma's escape. "Way Ranma run, it look like Airen, he escaping
death.." She stated, hanging her head sadly to see her Ranma in such a state. 

	"He is." Nodoka said. Discarding her bokken, she drew her Katana from the
sheath on her back, and darted forward. In a single swipe, she beheaded
Shampoo, and was out of the Dojo and gone into the night before her head
fell off her shoulders to hit the warm, smooth wood of the floor. 

***************************
Kerthump
***************************

	Ranma fled across rooftops, not even noticing when he would alight briefly
on a less-than-stable support on his escape. Ranma's mind stopped gibbering
in fear, allowing Ranma to come back to his senses, realizing just whose
roof he was currently sitting on, tucked neatly behind a sign, with
odoriferous enamanations of okonomiyaki wafting up to his nose. His stomach
growled, and Ranma belatedly realized that it had been several hours since
dinner, and he had been sparring for some of that time. In search of food,
Ranma slipped off the roof, moving down the wall till he reached a window.
Peering in, Ranma grunted, seeing the familiar smooth, white curves, and
strong, flat surfaces..

	Of Ukkyou's bathroom. 

<Auth note: Gotcha!>

	Moving to a different window, Ranma grinned in satisfaction as he saw
Ukkyou herself, seated on a futon in a Hello Kitty shirt, playing Final
Fantasy 5 on her Super Famicom <auth. Note: I've played it, it's great!>.
Tapping on the window, Ranm succeeded in scaring the hell out of Ucchan,
who soon came over to the window and opened it, letting Ranma in out of the
rapidly cooling night.

	"T-Thanks Ukkyou, I'm S-Sorry to be B-b-b-bothering you this late, but
it's C-C-Cold, and I'm H-H-Hungry, and I C-c-can't go H-H-Home an-"

	"Hush, Sugar." Ukkyou cut Ranma off, leading him to her futon, where she
grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around the shaking shoulders of her
fiance. Ranma slumped onto the futon, staring off into space. On the
screen, the chocobo being ridden by the character Butz warked at him
questioningly. Ukkyou left to make him something to eat, and returned to
find him curled into a ball, fast asleep with her blanket wrapped around
his shoulders.

	"What could have done this to my fiance?" Ukkyou muttered, tucking the
blanket a little more securely around the sleeping Ranma. As she rose from
her kneeling position, she heard the whickering sound of a katana being
swung, and then nothing.

**************************
kerthump
**************************

	Nodoka arrived back at the Tendo Dojo, exhausted, and carrying an
unconcious Ranma across her shoulders. She knocked on the door, and Kasumi,
a cheerful, empty smile on her face, helped her drag the deeply asleep
Ranma into the living room, where he was placed gently on the couch.

	"Kasumi, who are Shampoo? And Ukkyou?" Nodoka asked, concern knitting her
brow. 

	"They are two of Ranma's fiances, Mrs. Saotome. Why do you ask?"

	"And, what of a girl named Kodachi? Who is she to my son?" Nodoka queried,
her face woven into a dark scowl.

	"Sh-She's another of Ranma's fiances, Mrs. Saotome." Kasumi said, her
usually even composure rattled. "Why? What has she done now?" 

	"She died dishonorably." Nodoka said flatly. 

	"Oh, my."

***************************
later
***************************

	As Soun and Genma sat playing shogi at their usual position, Nodoka
approached them from the side, her katana on her back, an even expression
on her face. 

	"Genma, we need to talk." she said, winning a glance from the
conecntrating martial artist. Soun took advantage of the distraction, and
flipped the board around, artistically rearranging pieces to his whim.
Genma nodded, and rose to follow his wife, leaving Soun sitting at the
board, playing against himself.

	"What can I do for you, my lovely wife?" Genma asked, as he followed
Nodoka out to one of the benches in the yard. Nodoka did not respond,
causing Genma to raise an eyebrow in puzzlement. Nodoka sat down on the
bench, still ignoring Genma as she faced the setting sun.  Genma sat down
beside her, the fabric of his gi rustling against the stone the only sound
made by the two. 

	"Tell me about Ranma, husband. who loves him? Who does he love?" Nodoka
asked, her voice quiet, firm, and filled with sadness. 

	"I think they all love him, in one way or another." Genma replied, equally
quietly, but with his voice filled with regret, distinctly different from
sadness. "And he, them. But the one he runs for, the girl who has his
heart, completely and totally, is Akane." Genma trailed off, looking into
the sunset. "I just wish he would admit it to her.." Genma fell silent
again, looking over to Nodoka as if she had sprang from the ground to
confound him.

	"Who are the others? Genma, why are there four girls in love with my son,
calling him husband, acting as if they are lovers?" Nodoka shifted on the
stone of the bench, adjusting her hands and feet like a five year old girl
about to get into a schoolyard brawl. Genma cringed, seeing the repressed
anger evident in his wife's movements, crucially aware of the katana at her
back. 

	"It's, it's my fault, really." Genma stammered, in a rare display of
honesty. "I've made a lot of bad decisions in my life, and Ranma has had to
pay for them." Genma paused, his shoulders slumping like a beaten man. "I
don't know how I will ever repay him." Genma finished quietly, his head
bowed. Nodoka turned her head, examining the very picture of a broken man
that Genma had become. Rising to her feet, Nodoka walked in front of Genma.
Placing her hand under his chin, she gently raised his face until he was
looking directly at her, and she could see the tears flowing from his eyes.
removing her hand, she loosened her katana from it's sheath. Genma nodded,
and silently sunk to his knees, the tears stopping as his expression grew
distant, his face calm and resolved.

	Nodoka drew her katana, and swung it back. The blade gleamed in the last
rays of the setting sun, and Ranma, coming out of the house to bring his
parents in for dinner, saw the inexorable sweep of the blade as it swung
down, like righteous vengance from the heavens. 

	"Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!" Ranma screamed, running forward fast enough to
see his father's lifeless body fall to the ground, his head rolling to land
against a stone. impossibly, his glasses were still on, and his face bore
an expression of infinite calm, as if he knew that he had finally restored
his honor. Ranma leapt to the bench, then fell to his knees in front of
Nodoka, who returned her katana to a resting position, then cleaned the
bright red blood off of the blade, before returning it to it's sheathe.

	"He died with honor." Nodoka said flatly, turning away from Ranma, and
walking around the bench, then back to the house, her steps light and sure,
the bloodspotted kimono she wore highlighted in Ranma's mind. Ranma knelt
on the stone bench, tears flowing unashamedly from his eyes. As the sun
set, Ranma rose to his feet, then jumped to the roof, where he opened his
window and climbed in. Returning to the roof in seconds, Ranma jumped down
to the ground again, and walked over to his father's head. 

	Placing it in the sheet he had obtained, Ranma wrapped the rest of the
body as well, and shouldered the resulting bundle. Jumping to the top of
the wall with a grunt, Ranma was otherwise silent as he ran across Nerima,
headig for the Tendo family graves, where his father would have been
buried, far far in the future. When he arrived at the graves, he placed the
wrapped body next to Kimiko, Soun's wife, and paced out two more gravesites
away from it. 

	"One for Mr. Tendo, and one for M-Mother." Ranma muttered to himself,
counting off the area that had to be excavated. Finding the perfect spot,
Ranma drew a deep, shuddering breath, and held his hands out in front of
him. He closed his eyes, and slowly began chanting to himself, one short
phrase pounding in his brain..

	"The world..  is a dark and lonely place." He chanted, and a ball of
greenish yellow ki began to coalesce about his hands. Increasing in size,
and luminosity, the manifestation of depression, sadness, and hopelessness
soon dwarfed Ranma, whos hair had begun to be blown about in a wind that
had sprang up from nowhere. As the orb reached it's peak of expansion,
Ranma threw his head back, and screamed to the heavens.

	"Shi-shi-Hokodan revised! Honor of the Father, STRIKE!" and brought his
hands down in a spreading motion. The glowing ball of energy exploded in a
brilliant, contained wave of power, spreading the dirt in a nine foot long,
five foot wide, six foot deep grave over the nearby area. As the blinding
light faded, Ranma saw that he had fell to his knees, and was now on the
edge of a perfectly rectangular grave. As the dirt pattered to the ground
around him, Ranma knelt next to his father's body, tears streaming from his
face, his form bent and mangled by exhaustion. After a few minutes of heavy
breathing, Ranma dropped his father's sheet-wrapped body into the grave,
pushing the dirt that lay in a ring around the blast site back into the
hole. As he worked, a figure walked into view, out of the darkness.

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 |  /\  /-\ /-\ |\ | \ / |my address my soul my life| |    | | /-\ ====
 | |--| | _ |  ||| |  |  |  <betrayal@matnet.com>   | |    | |  \   |
 | /  \ \_| \_/ | \|  |  |                          | |___ \_/ \_/  |
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