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it.  Original characters and situations, copyrights reversed.
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                          Blind Chance

    The pain was tremendous, Ranma kept tring to blink it away,
but the pain only worsened.  He'd underestimated the Old Letch
again, and one of his bombs had gotten through Ranma's defenses.
The splash of water that followed brought no relief, but let the
now female Ranma anticipate her opponent's trajectory without
needing sight.  Rather than the bountiful assets Happosai was
groping for, he was met with a full strength Amiguriken.  Unlike
the carefully placed blows that would disable without true harm
as was Ranma's usual style, these were nearly wild strikes
canvassing the volume of space she determined Happosai occupied.
There were several sickening cracks and an almost inaudible groan
as the old man dropped like a sack of dirty laundry.

    Silence reigned in the Tendo courtyard.  Being unfamiliar to
the area, the silence was a tense and nervous one that soon
departed.

    "Way to go son!  You do your father proud!" Genma
congratulated his son loudly.

    As Soun and Genma set to work wrapping Happosai for delivery
to Madagascar, the pain in Ranma's eyes settled down to a dull
ache throbbing in time with his pulse.

    "What'd you do to set the Old Letch off _this_ time, Ranma?"
Nabiki asked.

    "I didn't do nothin!  Could you get Akane?  I need to ask
her something." Ranma responded.

    "I'm right here you jerk!  You pulling a Mousse on us?"
queried Akane in a dangerous tone.

    Ranma's response to this held none of his usual bravado, "I
don't have time to argue with you Akane, I need you to lead me
to Tofu's.  I...I can't _see_ and my eyes _hurt_."

    ***

    Tofu fumbled with the pen light, his hands shaking as he set
it down.  "Nothing?" he asked.

    "The pain's nearly gone now, but I still can't see.  This is
just temporary, right?"

    "Ranma, I won't sugar-coat this for you, your retinas have
been shredded, and there are indications of damage to the optic
nerves.  It is unlikely that even your remarkable metabolism can
regenerate _this_ kind of damage."

    "Oh man, on top of everything else.  How am I supposed to
break _this_ to Pops, Mom...Akane.  Is Akane still here?"

    "This way.  She's waiting for you." Tofu led Ranma back out
to the lobby.

    "You going to be all right Ranma?" Akane asked.

    "Not right now.  Lets just get home, I don't want to have to
tell this more than I have to." said Ranma, still trying to
figure out how to break the news.

    Akane looks to Doctor Tofu, but he just shakes his head,
"Alright, but if this is just a ploy to get a few more minutes
of sympathy, you're in _big_ trouble." she said, tears welling in
her eyes.

***

    The pair wern't even halfway home when they were
interrupted, "Ranma Saotome!  Release the fair Akane Tendo this
moment!  I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinken High,
will not allow this display!"

    Akane lets go of Ranma's hand.  Ranma hears a solid thump as
Akane sends him flying with a powerful uppercut, "Give it a
_rest_ Kuno!" she cries.  She turns to smile at Ranma.

    The smile fades at his prideful response, "Come on, Akane!
Even blind I can take on _Kuno_.  You are so not cute!"

    "If you're so capable, then you can find your own way home.
Jerk!" Akane pivots on her toe and stalks away, "Boys!  Hmph!"

    "All right I will!" Ranma yelled, but Akane had already
left.

***

    Ranma was walking carefully along the street, kicking the
curb every once in a while to verfy his position.

    "Ran-chan!" called out Ukyou's cheerful voice, "The griddle's
hot would you like a Special?"

    "Sure Uk-chan, I'd love one." Ranma answered a little
nervously, he had forgotten that Uk-Chan's shop was on this
route back to the Dojo.  Maybe he could get by without Ukyou
making a scene?

    No such luck.  "Ranma is something wrong with your eyes?
They're all...  Oh Ranma, what have they done to you now?  Was
it that Chinese bimbo?  The psychotic gymnast?  It was that
violent tomboy, wasn't it?  She finally hit you once too often
with that damned mallet of hers..."

    "Uk-chan!  No!  Akane didn't do nothin' it was one of the
Old Letch's bombs!" Ranma reached out hoping to calm his friend
down, but instead got a handful of Ukyou's chest.  He pulled his
hands back as if burned, "Sorry! I didn't mean to...I was just...
Sorry, I should just go now."

    "Wait!  Ranma!" Ukyou calls out too late, "You didn't
finish..." She blushed and looked at the half eaten okonomyaki
trying not to think of how Ranma's hands felt on her body.

***

    "Genma, this foolishness has gone on long enough!  It has
been a year now and though he's tried, he hasn't had a moment's
peace to clear up the tangled obligations _you_ have forced on
him!  Your training methods have made a travesty of our son's
life, and since one of those mistakes means he is now my
daughter as well as my son, there are are obligations to _my_
family's Arts.  Considering this latest incident with your old
master, obligations I would like to fill while our child is
still alive to benifit." Nodoka was lecturing Genma, who was
bowing and scraping at her feet, "It is _despite_ your efforts
that our son has met the conditions of our contract.  I will ask
him when he returns, and if he agrees, he and I will be leaving
in the morning.  Agreed _Mr. Panda_?"

    "Yes dear." Genma responded

    "I'm back!" Ranma called as he entered the Tendo house, and
collided with something.

    "We notice." remarked Nabiki's most sarcastic voice, from
somwhere near floor level.  "You've still got at least four
senses left, would you consider using them before you rush
about?"

    "Ranma!  Akane said you'd insisted on walking back yourself!
Did the doctor have good news?" Kasumi asked.

    "She _would_ put it that way." Ranma grumbled, "I have
something to say, is everyone home?"

    "Yes." Kasumi nodded, "Everyone wants to know how you are,
and I think your mother wants to talk to you too."

    The Tendo and Saotome families assembled in the living room
for the announcements.

    Ranma couldn't see everyone's expressions so he was not quite
as nervous as he would usually be with so much attention on him
and he actually gets his news out with a minimum of delay, "The
doctor says that there's nerve and retina damage, and
that...that it might...no, _is_ permanent.  I'm blind."

    The silence even more strained this time, visiting
unfamiliar territory twice in one day.

    "My poor son, am I already too late?" said Nodoka in a voice
so quiet that even Ranma could scarsely hear it.  Then louder
for everyone, "My son's life has not been gentle with him.
Since fate has decreed that he is also my daughter, it is my
duty to ask; Ranma, would you like to carry on _my_ family's
martial arts?  It is very different from your father's and the
training would take you away for quite some time, nothing like
the ten years your father took, but perhaps more than one."

    "No mom, you're not too late."  Nodoka looks surprised that
he'd heard her soft words.  "I would love to learn anything you
care to teach mother, and if it gives me time away from my
rivals to adjust, all the better."


Hmm, more than a little OOC at the end there, but then major changes 
like loosing your sight tend to sober you up some.  I hope I managed to 
keep the quality up.  This will _not_ be a darkfic(I'm going to have to 
work really hard to keep it from going WAF on me).  If anyone wants to 
use the premise to make a darkfic, go for it, I might even read it!  It 
is begun, the death threats can stop now(=^_^= you know who you are!).  
Some of you have successfully guessed many of my major plot points, but 
hopefully I'll have _some_ surprises left.  All five parts are outlined, 
writing may take some time so bear with me, and thank you for your 
overwhelmingly positive responses!

^_^ Maikoru


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