Quantum Destinies
A Ranma fanfic
by Steven Thesken (jurai-knight@home.com)

This idea occurred to me after I finished the science-fiction novel 
"Paths to Otherwhere" by James P. Hogan.  Ranma and all other 
associated characters are owned by Kitty and the ever-creative 
Rumiko Takahashi.  Any new characters are the property of the 
author.  This is purely a work of fanfiction done for fun, so please 
read and enjoy.

Notes: Thoughts will be bracketed by a * on each end.  Any 
speech other than Japanese will be bracketed by < and >.



Chapter 8 - Confrontations

    Nabiki let her body move as it seemed that it instinctively 
wanted to.  She dropped to a split-legged position, and Kuno 
sailed over her head in a flying kick.  She attempted to fire a 
punch straight up, but it hit too far left of where she was aiming to 
be effective.  *Pity,* she thought.  *That could have ended this a 
lot quicker.*

    It was strange, Nabiki found it very easy to just let her body 
react without thinking, like she was an observer.  *I _have_ to get 
Ranma to let me try this again.  I never understood what Akane 
was talking about before, but fighting _is_ kind of fun.*  She felt 
more alive than she ever had before.  She sprang to her feet, her 
thoughts still impressed by the reality of the simulation.  She set 
her feet in a defensive stance, and waited.

    "You almost unmanned me, woman," gasped Kuno.  He circled 
around her, but his movements were a little unsteady in the legs 
from her blow.  He feinted a punch at her, and she ignored it.  He 
continued to circle her, firing off punches and low kicks as he 
tested her defenses.  Nabiki found them easy to block or evade.

    "Shut up and fight," Nabiki said in a low voice.

    When he began attacking more earnestly, she obliged him by 
responding in kind.  They maneuvered around each other as 
Nabiki continued to just let her body react.  She made the mistake 
of starting to think about what she should do, and Kuno hit her in 
the stomach with a hard punch.  A second punch slammed into 
her shoulder before she could recover.  She blinked at the pain, 
but it seemed to focus her thoughts.  *This fantasy body is in 
terrific shape.  I wish my own was in as good a shape.*  Nabiki 
made a vow to up the level of her own workouts when she was 
awake again.  *I'd better be careful, or I could turn into Akane,* 
she thought with a grin.

    "Take this fight seriously, woman," ordered Kuno.  "Tatewaki 
Kuno will _not_ be mocked by a female!"

    Nabiki slugged him across the face as hard as she could with 
her right fist, putting her whole shoulder into it.  *Arrogant jerk!*  
She felt a strong sense of satisfaction as she saw a tooth fly from 
his mouth along with a spray of blood.  Her torso pivoted around 
again the other way, and her left fist landed hard across his face 
before he regained his balance.  Kuno went down.  She backed off 
as he kneeled on the pavement.

    "Is that serious enough for you, Kuno-chan?"  She could have 
finished him off right then and there, but his chauvinistic attitude 
angered her.  Even though he was only a simulation of some sort, 
she wanted to make this last for a while.

    Kuno struggled to his feet, and his face was set in a grim look.  
He watched her with wary eyes.  The taste of blood was in his 
mouth, but he refused to be put down by Nabiki Tendo.  His 
tongue felt the empty spot where one of his teeth used to be.  
*Damn you to hell, Nabiki Tendo!*  He was going to make her 
suffer for this indignity that she had done to him.

    Out of the corner of her eye, Nabiki noticed other students 
watching the fight.  Betting seemed to be going on as to the 
eventual outcome.  From what she heard, she was the favored 
fighter in this particular match.  She leaned back and avoided a 
high kick from Kuno, as it passed within inches of her face.  A 
second kick followed the same pattern, but she grabbed the leg 
with one hand.  She twisted around and flipped him to the ground.

    Kuno could not believe that he was losing so badly to a woman.  
That he was losing to Nabiki Tendo somehow made it even worse.  
He slammed down hard to the pavement, face down, knocking the 
wind from him.  He struggled to roll to his feet, but only managed 
to make it to his back when Nabiki landed on his chest with her 
shoulders leading.  She drove her elbow into his groin two or 
three times before he was blessed with losing consciousness.

    Nabiki paused in her savage attack, as she waited to see if Kuno 
was still showing signs of awareness.  When he made no motions, 
she shoved upwards with her shoulders to land on her feet in a 
graceful move.  *That was incredible!*  Nabiki felt such a rush go 
through her at her victory.  She dusted off her skirt as the crowd 
around her stood in amazement.

    "Did you see that," asked one of the younger male students.  "It 
was straight out of an Arena match."

    "I've never seen Nabiki take down Kuno so quickly before," 
said a female student.  "She's _so_ cool."

    Nabiki smiled at the comments on the fight.  They made her 
feel ten feet tall.  She started to move through the crowd, and they 
parted before her.  *I wonder what else I can do in this simulation 
other than fight?*

    On a whim, she grabbed a random male student from the crowd 
by the lapels, and then she pulled him in for a kiss.  The other 
male students in the crowd murmured in envy, and many of the 
female students expressed shock at such a forward display.  
"Nabiki-sempai," was murmured by a small group of girls in 
surprise.  Nabiki didn't care.  It was only a simulation to her, so 
she felt free to be adventurous.  She locked her lips with the 
younger boy's lips as she gripped his lapels firmly with both 
hands.

    The boy resisted at first for a few moments, but then he relaxed 
into the kiss.  The kiss felt quite good to Nabiki.  She let it go on 
for several moments as she enjoyed the feelings before releasing 
the boy from her hold.  "Thanks," she said, then turned her back 
on him and walked towards the school building.  The crowd 
continued to murmur in amazement.

    *I have to get Akane to try this.*  She closed her hand into a 
tight fist, and then she relaxed it open again.  *That kiss felt so 
_real_, too.  Saotome really has something here.  It will totally 
revolutionize the entertainment industry.  I'll have to persuade 
him to let me try it some more.*  She chuckled for a moment.  
Some of the students in the hall looked at her strangely.

                    ******************************

    Genma watched Nabiki's comatose form for several long 
minutes before he turned to Ranma.  "Son, are you sure that this 
was wise?  I see that this girl is wearing the gray uniform of a 
Security cadet.  What if she tells someone?"

    Ranma leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.  He had 
been monitoring the pulse modulations of the resonator while he 
waited for the timer as it counted down to zero.  "If everything 
goes according to plan, she'll wake up convinced it's a ground-
breaking virtual simulation.  If not... I'll think of something."

    "What about her telling someone," asked Genma.

    "If there is one thing that I have learned about Nabiki Tendo in 
my time here at the Academy, it's that she treats information like 
a precious commodity," replied Ranma with a faint smile.  "Her 
coming here was a bit of a surprise, but I honestly think that she 
wasn't expecting to run into me down here this early in the day.  I 
believe that she was expecting to simply break in, snoop around a 
little, and then leave.  If I can manage to convince her that this is 
something other than what it really is, then I can continue my 
work without the government getting involved."

    Genma nodded.  "I hope you're right, son.  I sincerely hope that 
you're right."

                    ******************************

    Nabiki wandered the halls of the Academy for several minutes, 
her new memories helping her to identify people.  She simply had 
to look at a student in the halls, and she suddenly knew a name 
and something about them.  There were a few people that she did 
not recognize, but it did not concern her.  She couldn't get over 
the incredible freedom that she felt.

    She felt a tap on her shoulder.  Nabiki turned around to see a 
younger female student with a single hash mark on the sleeve of 
her gray uniform.  *Kimiko,* she remembered after a moment, 
*one of my assistants.*  The girl's eyes were shining with 
admiration.  She was accompanied by three other girls.

    "Nabiki-sempai, that fight outside was so cool," Kimiko 
gushed.  "You finally decided to put Kuno in his place?"

    "Yes," replied Nabiki.  "He annoyed me.  I decided to show 
Kuno what happens to people who annoy me."

    "So what happens now," asked one of the girls.  *Akiko,* 
prompted Nabiki's new memories.  It seemed as if Nabiki should 
also know the answer to that question, but she couldn't think of it.

    "Now we show your Captain Nabiki that she shouldn't have 
messed with the Men's Martial Arts Club," said a gruff male voice 
from behind the girls.  The girls turned, and Nabiki saw a group 
of very tough-looking male students dressed in Security gray 
suddenly come around the corner behind the girls.  One of them 
supported a staggering Kuno.

    Akiko snorted.  "Sho," she said quietly, a glint of menace in her 
eyes as she addressed the speaker.  "Your great Captain Kuno 
didn't do so well against our Captain, did he?  You boys feel like 
settling this matter between the Women's Martial Arts Club and 
yours?  I'll be glad to oblige _you_ with a fight."  Sho smiled a 
little nervously at Akiko.

    The two groups faced each other.  The four girls moved to 
guard Nabiki's flanks, fierce looks on each of their faces.  The 
boys with Kuno growled at Nabiki's little group.  There were 
seven of them with Kuno.  The girls growled back.  Other students 
in the hallway moved off a safe distance.

    "You boys want a piece of us," asked Nabiki in a quiet voice.  
She crooked her fingers at them.  "Come and get us," she taunted 
with a smile.  The girls all settled themselves into ready positions 
for a fight.  Each of them wore a grim smile.  Nabiki dropped into 
a ready stance and raised her fists.

    The boys charged the girl's waiting line, and martial arts 
mayhem began in the hall.  Three moved to attack Nabiki, and she 
found her hands a little full fending them off.  The remaining four 
boys paired off with one of the girls.  Kuno leaned against a wall, 
too injured to renew his attack on Nabiki.  Each fight seemed to 
be an even match.  Nabiki caught a glimpse of Akiko and Sho 
locked in a rapid exchange of punches and blocks.

    A kick slammed into Nabiki's chest, and she was knocked off 
balance against a wall.  *Idiot!  Always pay attention to your own 
fight!*  Nabiki immediately counter-attacked the boy who had 
struck her with a solid side kick to his stomach, and he dropped 
back as he gasped for air.  The other two rushed her, and she 
leaped up and delivered a crushing split-legged kick to each of 
them.  Both boys went down hard.

    Nabiki went over to the gasping boy, and lifted his head up 
with her left hand by his hair.  She drove a hard punch into his 
face with her right while she kept a firm hold on his hair.  His 
eyes crossed.  She hit him again, a little harder.  His eyes rolled 
back up into his head, and she let him drop unconscious to the 
ground.

    Nabiki started to turn around when the world went away 
around her.  She felt a moment of dislocation, and then she found 
herself lying on the couch in Ranma's lab.  Her eyes popped open 
suddenly.  *It was so real.*  She saw Ranma and his father as they 
stood next to the couch.

    "How was the simulation, Nabiki," asked Ranma in a calm 
voice.  He watched Nabiki with a wary gaze.  *Now comes the 
moment of truth,* he thought.

    "That was... quite interesting, Saotome," said Nabiki in her 
usual cool tone of voice.  "I've never felt anything like it.  How did 
you ever come up with something like this?"

    "I'm a genius," Ranma replied with a grin.  "So... is it a 
believable simulation of reality?"  He looked a little nervous to 
Nabiki's eyes.

    "Well... it seemed pretty real," Nabiki replied calmly.  She tried 
to sound unimpressed.  "For as short a time as I was under," she 
amended quickly.  Ranma and his father exchanged unreadable 
looks at that point.  Ranma grinned at his father suddenly.

    "I told you she'd be impressed," Ranma said with a grin.

    "Yes... yes, you did, son," replied Genma, as he got into the 
little game.

    Nabiki sat up.  Her thoughts felt a little strange, as if she wasn't 
quite herself.  She squeezed her right shoulder with her left hand, 
and she noted the lesser amount of muscle with a faint note of 
dismay in her thoughts.  *I need to work myself into better 
shape,* she thought idly.

    "Nabiki?"  Ranma looked at her in puzzlement as he spoke.  
"Are you all right?"  He moved closer to her as she continued to 
examine her shoulder.

    "I'm fine, Saotome-kun," she replied.  She looked up at him 
with a faint frown.  "I just realized that I needed some more 
exercise.  The fantasy body I had in your simulation was more... 
athletic."

    "Oh," said Ranma quietly, then he chuckled lightly.  "I 
understand."  *She bought it!*

    "I think I'm going back to class now," she said suddenly as she 
stood up.  "You may be able to skip a whole day of classes, but not 
me."  She put her hand on his cheek and leaned in closer, but her 
usual mocking tone was back.  "I trust you'll keep my visit here to 
yourself."  Ranma blinked and nodded.

    Nabiki nodded to Genma politely as she passed him.  She 
walked to the door with a confident stride, and briefly turned back 
to face Ranma.  "Saotome-kun," she said mildly.

    "Yes," replied Ranma.

    "I would be interested in trying your device again sometime," 
she said quietly.  Ranma paused and nodded his head.

    "I will keep that in mind, Nabiki," he said.

    Nabiki nodded once, then she opened the lab door.  She stepped 
out into the hallway and closed the door behind her until it clicked 
shut.  She leaned her back against the door as she lifted her hand 
in front of her face.  She closed it into a fist and opened it back 
up.   *Yes, Ranma, I would be most interested in trying your 
device again sometime,* she thought with a faint smile.

                    ******************************

    Ranma watched the lab door close behind Nabiki.  He turned to 
his father.  Genma was watching the lab door with serious eyes.  
He pulled his glasses off, and began cleaning them with a small 
handkerchief taken from his pocket.  Ranma knew from long 
experience that his father was thinking.

    "Ranma," said Genma suddenly.  "You handled that situation 
well."

    "Thanks, pop," said Ranma with a smile.  Genma put his 
glasses back on, and rubbed his hand back along his bald head as 
he looked at his son.

    "Let's power down," said Genma.  "I want to go over the 
components with you, so that I can understand how it works"

    "Sure, father," said Ranma.  He powered everything down, and 
discharged the capacitor for added safety.  He got out a 
screwdriver, and began removing the screws from the back of the 
unit.  Genma pulled Ranma's notebook out of his pack and set it 
down on the table.  Genma studied the schematics as Ranma 
continued to remove screws.

                    ******************************

    Ranma looked up when he heard the sound of keys rattling in 
his cell door.  He set aside his father's notebook as he sat up on his 
cot.  The Quantum Neural Resonator sat in pieces on the small 
table in his cell.  Most of the original components had been 
damaged when his father had attempted to destroy his work rather 
than turn it over to the Security Directorate.  His father had 
managed to burn all but one of his notebooks, but that surviving 
one had enough to recreate the device.  It just needed someone 
already familiar with the theories already.

    Nabiki stepped into the cell, and her hand stayed at the pommel 
of her gun.  She had a grim smile on her face.  "Working hard, 
Saotome-kun?"

    "I'm making progress, Miss Tendo," replied Ranma.  "I just 
need a little more time."

    "Despite the threats to your parents lives, I don't think you 
really are telling me the truth about that," she said in that calm 
voice of hers.  Ranma restrained the urge to smash her teeth down 
her throat.  He had attacked her once when he tried to escape, and 
he still had the bruises from her fists.  "Let's just say that I've 
decided to try an alternative form of persuasion."

    "What else could you do to me that you haven't already done?"  
Ranma leaned back against the wall.

    "I decided to bring in an expert from my family to help in this 
particular area," replied Nabiki.  "You can come in now, sister," 
she called to the cell door.

    Ranma braced himself as he expected to see Akane come into 
the cell prepared to work him over, again.  Instead, in walked an 
attractive, older girl with long brown hair, dressed in the gray 
uniform of Security with a white pin on her collar instead of the 
usual black one.  Ranma felt a chill run through him as he 
realized what was about to happen.  This girl was Kasumi, not 
Akane.

    "Good afternoon, Ranma," said Kasumi in a pleasant tone of 
voice.  "My sister has told me that you aren't working to your best 
ability.  Nabiki thought I should come and talk with you.  Doesn't 
that sound nice?"  She set her bag on the table, and turned to face 
him with a motherly smile.

    "I'm doing my best," Ranma growled out half-heartedly as he 
tried to be brave.  His heart sank in his chest.  Kasumi, young as 
she was, had already proven herself to be quite capable at the art 
of chemical interrogation.  She had broken more men than Ranma 
had years of life.  Ranma held little hope that he would be able to 
resist her for long.

    "Oh my," replied Kasumi quietly.  "This simply won't do, 
Ranma."  She turned back to her bag, and pulled out a small 
syringe filled with a yellowish fluid.  "Why don't I give you 
something to help you relax before we talk?"

                    ******************************

    Hours went by.  Genma looked at his watch and noticed the 
time.  The various circuit boards of the Resonator were laid out on 
the workbench along with the master schematic.  "Let's break for 
lunch, son."  Genma removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of 
his nose tiredly.

    "Sure, father," replied Ranma.  He stood up from where he had 
been leaning over the workbench and stretched.  His spine popped 
in a satisfying manner.  He repeated the process with his neck, 
and he was rewarded with further pops as he rolled his head 
around.  "I guess I lost track of time."

    They pulled out their lunch boxes.  Ranma felt his stomach 
rumbling with sudden hunger.  He attacked his lunch.  Genma ate 
his own lunch more slowly.  There was a companionable silence 
between them, only disturbed by the occasional loud chewing and 
swallowing on Ranma's part.  They shared a thermos of tea to 
wash down lunch.

                    ******************************

    Kodachi stood up from her desk when it was lunchtime.  
Ranma hadn't been to any of his classes that morning, so she 
concluded that he was working in his lab.  Carrying her lunch, 
she left class.  She passed various students in the hallway as she 
made her way to the stairs.  She walked slowly, her body protested 
when she tried to walk faster.

    She walked down several flights of stairs to the lower basement 
levels.  It became much quieter.  She reached the bottom of the 
stairs, her breath coming a little quicker.  The pain in her muscles 
had sapped her endurance more than she expected.  She walked 
off of the last step and opened the hallway door.  The walk down 
the stairs, and now the long hallway, gave her some time to think.

    She stopped outside the door to Ranma's lab.  She took a deep 
breath and let it out again as she tried to calm her sudden 
nervousness.  A sharp pain in her ribs warned her against doing 
that again.  *This is silly,* she berated herself.  *I'm a scientist 
and Ranma has something that I need to help my situation.  Why 
do I suddenly feel nervous to talk to him?*  The memory of his 
blue eyes made her heart beat faster.  She raised her hand up and 
knocked on the door.

    After a couple of minutes, Ranma opened the door to his lab.  
Kodachi felt her nervousness return.  *He's so handsome,* she 
thought with a girlish sigh.  She realized what she was doing and 
berated herself again.  She stood up straighter, and she smiled at 
Ranma.  She held her lunch behind her back with both hands.  
Ranma looked surprised to see her.

    "I was wondering if you'd care to have lunch with me outside, 
Ranma," she asked pleasantly.  "You didn't come to class, and I 
thought you might need some fresh air."

    "Lunch?"  Ranma felt his thoughts turn stupid when the pretty 
girl outside his lab door smiled at him.  "I already... that is, I 
mean I... that is to say...."  Ranma suddenly felt as if he had lost a 
significant part of his intellect.  Genma came to his rescue, sort of.

    "My son already ate his lunch, but I'm sure that he would like 
to spend some time with you outside, young lady," said Genma 
with a smile.  "I have some thinking to do on your work, Ranma.  
Why don't you take a break with this pretty, young lady while I do 
that?  Spend some time in the sunshine."

    "Sure, pop," replied Ranma.  "I'll be back in a little while."

    "Take your time," said Genma absently.  His thoughts were 
already occupied with possible methods to improve the scanning 
resolution to increase the range of possible worlds available 
through Ranma's equipment.  A few notions for improving the 
software controls also occurred to him.  Genma gently shoved 
Ranma out of the lab and closed the door.

    "Shall we go, Ranma?"  Kodachi smiled at him again.

    Ranma felt himself smile in return.  "All right," he replied.

                    ******************************

    Akane was bored.  Normally, to relieve her boredom she would 
pick a tough-looking student to challenge to a fight.  Other times, 
she would find a weaker student to bully to see if she could 
provoke a fight.  Her recent injuries prevented either from being 
practical for the next week, at least.  Uninterested in talking with 
anyone in her class, she was left occupied with staring out the 
window.  A few cherry blossoms blew by the window as they were 
carried on the breeze outside.  She scanned the yard with her eyes 
to see if there was anything interesting to watch.

    She noticed a pair of students walk out to the large willow tree 
in the grassy field in front of the Academy.  She focused her 
attention on them when she noticed that one of them was Ranma.  
She narrowed her eyes a fraction when she saw that he was with 
Kodachi.  A strange feeling of envy filled her as she watched 
them.  A faint feeling of anger joined it, which surprised her.

                    ******************************

    Ranma settled back against the tree, enjoying the warmth of the 
day.  The smell of cherry blossoms was in the air, mixed with the 
smell of fresh-cut grass.  He took a deep breath of sweet-smelling 
air, and let it out with a contented sound.  Next to him, Kodachi 
opened her lunch box and began to eat.  Ranma closed his eyes.

    Several minutes went by.  Kodachi used the time she spent 
eating to compose her thoughts.  Her lunch tasted good.  It was 
prepared by the estate chef before she left for school.  She chewed 
quietly as she tried to think of a way to tell Ranma how she came 
to be trapped in his world.  Ranma's presence was scattering her 
thoughts as quickly as she gathered them.

    "Ranma," she said suddenly.  He opened his eyes to look at her.

    "Yes, Kodachi?"  He watched the play of sunlight on her hair as 
it filtered through the branches above.

    "I'm not sure how to say this, so I'm just going to tell you 
straight out," she said.  "I know what it is that you're working on."

    Ranma's relaxed mood evaporated.  "What do you mean by 
that," he asked with a slight tension in his voice.

    Kodachi looked around to see if anyone was close enough to 
listen to them.  When she was satisfied, she leaned closer to 
Ranma and lowered her voice.  "Unless I somehow managed to 
misjudge the equipment in your lab, then you appear to be 
working on a method of crossing quantum timelines," she said in 
a serious tone of voice.

    Ranma laughed nervously.  "Uhh... that's an interesting theory, 
Kodachi.  What makes you think I'm doing something like that?"

    "Because I was involved with an experiment along those lines 
on another quantum timeline," she replied.  "Ranma, I'm a 
Jumper, and I need your help to get back home."

                    ******************************

    Akane had been watching the cozy scene taking place down by 
the old willow tree with growing irritation.  Kodachi and Ranma 
now had their faces close together as they talked.  Ranma had a 
goofy look on his face that Akane knew that she did not like.  She 
became angry when she realized that he was having this effect on 
her.  *Why do I care if Ranma Saotome talks to another girl?  It's 
not like we've even dated or anything.*

    Akane looked away from the window, strangely disturbed by 
the scene below.  Her thoughts flashed back on her history with 
Ranma Saotome.  She had gotten in trouble the first time they met 
when she had beaten him up for walking in on her in the girl's 
locker room.  He proved to be a pathetic loser when it came to 
athletics, so he had been fun to tease and torment over that.  The 
few times he had been provoked enough to fight back, she had 
beaten him up again.  It had been satisfying to lord her superior 
abilities over him.

    Then, a few days ago, everything had changed.  Ranma had 
changed.  She tapped her right index finger on her desk as she 
recalled the sparring match that he had had with Kodachi.  It was 
like a new Ranma had been presented to her.  Only this one was 
different.  This one had the makings of a challenge to her skill.  
This one had a hidden strength.  She was intrigued by him as she 
had never been about a boy before.

    She also didn't like another woman suddenly moving in on 
Ranma before she had a chance to explore this new aspect of him.  
Akane got up from her desk, and she marched out of the room.  
The other students watched her leave with puzzled expressions.  
Akane had a look of purpose on her face.  *I saw Ranma first.*

                    ******************************

    "You're a WH...mph?," shrieked Ranma before Kodachi 
clapped her hand over his mouth.  Ranma realized that she was 
stronger than she looked.  Kodachi smiled at Ranma to try to calm 
him down.  Ranma managed to regain control of himself quickly.  
He noticed a few groups of students watching them.

    "Please don't shout it to the world," Kodachi gently admonished 
Ranma.  "I'm a Jumper, and I'm trapped in this timeline without 
any possible way to get back home except for your device.  Now, if 
I take my hand away, do you promise not to scream anymore?"  
Ranma nodded his head slowly, looking a little stunned.  Kodachi 
pulled her hand away from his mouth.

    "How did such a thing happen?"  Ranma looked at her with 
wide eyes.  From his close call during the power failure, he could 
only imagine what he might have done if such a thing had 
happened to him permanently.

    "I guess I should start at the beginning," said Kodachi in a 
thoughtful tone.  "On my world, you never existed Ranma.  Your 
father never married.  Instead, he devoted his life to his research.  
He managed to create the device himself after twenty years of 
research into quantum theory and quantum mechanics.  He taught 
at my world's version of this Academy."  Kodachi made a 
sweeping gesture to take in the whole area.

    "Six months ago, I was chosen by your father as a test subject 
based on my interest in his work.  He made sure that I was fully 
aware of the potential risks before allowing me to make my first 
jump."  Kodachi smiled up at the sky.  "It was wonderful, Ranma.  
In the first world I visited, I was a rich foreign exchange student 
in a country known as the United States of America.  It was sort of 
embarrassing though, since I jumped into that Kodachi while she 
was in the middle of a rather... umm... passionate... session of 
kissing with her boyfriend."  Kodachi blushed a little at the 
memory.  "I did learn a lot though," she said quietly.

    Ranma blushed as well.  "I... uhh... had a brief sort of 
experience like that myself," he said in a quiet voice.

    "I think I visited about six worlds before the first problem 
happened," said Kodachi in a thoughtful tone.

    "First problem?"  Ranma looked at Kodachi.  "What do you 
mean?"

    "It was on a relatively close timeline," replied Kodachi as she 
tried to recall exactly what happened.  "I jumped into the life of a 
Kodachi who had been sold into slavery in the Arena to pay her 
brother's debts to the underworld.  It was the first time that I spent 
over fifteen minutes in another timeline, so I didn't know about 
the possibility of personality crossover."  She paused and looked 
Ranma right in the eyes.  "Ranma, I was in that life for an hour.  I 
came back with the knowledge of how to fight like you saw me 
able to do the other day."  She shivered a little.

    Ranma put his arm around her.  Kodachi leaned into his 
embrace.  She rested her head against his shoulder.  They sat in 
silence for several minutes.  Kodachi's shivers quieted.

    "Well, isn't this a touching scene," asked a voice from behind 
Ranma in a sarcastic tone of voice.

    Ranma looked back over his shoulder to see Akane standing 
there with her hands on her hips.  He blinked at a strange feeling 
of deja vu that settled on him.  He opened his mouth to apologize, 
and then he realized a moment later that he didn't have to 
apologize.  He frowned at Akane.

    "What do _you_ want, Akane?"  His voice was cool.

    "Romantic displays like that aren't appropriate in a public place 
like this," Akane said in a cold tone.  She had suddenly felt rather 
foolish, a moment after she confronted the couple.  She attempted 
to imitate Nabiki's command voice in an attempt to recover.

    Ranma removed his arm from around Kodachi.  He stood up, 
dusted off his pants, and stepped closer to Akane.  Kodachi 
watched the coming confrontation from her seated position.  She 
wasn't sure if she should intervene or not.

    "I'm getting a little bit tired of you bothering me, Miss Tendo," 
said Ranma in a warning tone.

    Akane was a little taken aback by Ranma's attitude.  "Are you 
actually threatening me, Ranma Saotome," she asked in disbelief.

    "Take it however you like," he replied.  "If you don't leave, I'll 
give you that fight you want right this minute."

    Akane almost backed up a step at the dangerous glint that 
suddenly appeared in Ranma's eyes.  She noticed the other 
students around her as they watched the unexpected exchange.  
Kodachi held her breath for a few moments as she watched Akane 
and Ranma.  Akane and Ranma locked stares.  Ranma broke the 
impasse first.

    "Three weeks from today, Miss Tendo," said Ranma in a 
neutral tone of voice.

    "What happens then," asked Akane, briefly puzzled.

    "I'm going to give you what you want from me," replied Ranma 
in that same neutral tone.  "Three weeks from today, in this spot, 
we fight.  If I win, you acknowledge me your superior before all 
witnesses."  Akane frowned at that one.

    "If I win?  What do I get?"  Akane looked up into Ranma's face.

    "What would you want from me, Miss Tendo?"

    Akane considered that question.  *What _do_ I really want 
from Ranma Saotome?*  A brief image of him doing her bidding 
came to mind.  She smiled at the thought.  "I know what  I want 
from you, Mister Saotome."

    "Name it," he said quietly.

    Akane pointed her finger into his face.  "You'll do whatever I 
say for a month."

    Ranma blinked.  That was the most unexpected thing she could 
have said to him.  He thought about it for a few moments.  
Finally, he nodded.  "I agree to the terms, Miss Tendo."

    "I thought you might," said Akane in a slightly warmer tone.  "I 
think I'm going to enjoy having you for a slave to my desires, 
Ranma Saotome.  After I properly break you in, of course."  She 
grinned at him.

    "You'd better heal up and train, Miss Tendo," said Ranma with 
a grim smile.  He leaned in closer to her.  "This is going to be one 
fight that you aren't going to forget soon," he said softly.  He 
turned his back on her, and walked back over to where Kodachi 
was sitting.  He offered her his hand.

    Akane turned around with a grumble.  She walked past the 
knots of students that were already gossiping on the fight.  She 
ignored them, and headed back to class.  Her hands remained 
curled into fists at her sides as she walked.  *I'm going to _break_ 
you, Ranma Saotome.  No matter how much you may have 
improved, I'm still better than you.  After the fight, you're all 
mine.*  Akane chuckled a bit as she walked.

                    ******************************

    "That was rather rash, wasn't it," asked Kodachi with a frown.  
She took Ranma's offered hand, and she let him pull her to her 
feet.  "I thought fighting Akane was one of the last things that you 
would want to do.  Do you really think that you can win?"

    "I think so," said Ranma as he nodded in thought.  "Akane and 
I are fairly well-matched in strength and speed, but she's always 
had superior skill.  I've never been much of a contest for her on 
the few times that she decided to beat me up."  Ranma closed his 
hand into a tight fist.  "Three weeks from today, Akane Tendo 
won't know what hit her."

    "Let's go back down to the lab," said Kodachi.  "I think it would 
be better for me if I finished my story while your father listened."

    Ranma waited while Kodachi picked up the remains of her 
lunch.  He listened to a few students as they commented on his 
chances in the upcoming fight with Akane.  The oddsmakers 
weren't looking too favorably on him.  The odds were against him 
at six to one.  *Maybe I should place a bet on myself before the 
fight.*

                    ******************************

    Kodachi and Ranma walked into the lab and saw that Genma 
was frowning at one of the components on the table.  Ranma 
closed the door behind him.  He was able to tell from the doorway 
that it was the Quantum Flux Coil.  Genma looked up at his son.  
"We have a problem," said Genma in his serious voice.

    "What's the matter, father," asked Ranma.  When he stepped 
closer, he saw a small crack down one side of the coil.  The green 
material was also bent slightly out of alignment.  "Oh," said 
Ranma.

    "It was my fault," said Genma in an apologetic tone.  "I was 
examining it, and it slipped from my grasp.  I'm sorry, son."

    "Great, pop," sighed Ranma.  "This is just... great.  It's going to 
take me a week to request more materials and fabricate another 
one.  I used up the last of my supplies to make this one when the 
previous ones kept burning out on me, before I solved the voltage 
problem."  Ranma picked up the damaged coil and pitched it into 
the trash.

    "Ranma," said Kodachi quietly from where she stood by the 
door.  "We should tell your father what I told you."

    "What was that," asked Genma.  He pushed his glasses up the 
bridge of his nose from where they had slipped down.

    "This young lady is Kodachi Kuno," said Ranma.  "She knows 
what we're doing here, father.  She told me that she's a quantum 
traveler herself, and I believe her."

    "What?"  Genma studied Kodachi intently.  *My son has 
always had a good sense about people.  Do I trust that now?*  He 
sighed, suddenly feeling old.

    "In my home timeline, Mister Saotome, you were the one who 
invented quantum travel," said Kodachi quietly.  "I need the help 
of you and your son to return home, if it isn't already too late."

    Genma blinked.  *This day has been full of surprises.  First, my 
son hands me positive proof of my own theories.  Now I find 
myself confronted with a traveler from another timeline.  A 
timeline where I was the one who invented quantum travel, 
instead of my son.*

    "How long have you been here, Miss Kuno?"  Genma's voice 
was mild.

    "It's been over a month since the accident that trapped me 
here," replied Kodachi in a sad voice.  "I would have approached 
you sooner, but I wasn't sure if you would even know what I was 
talking about.  I've only encountered one other timeline where 
quantum travel seemed to exist.  I had to be cautious."

    "I understand, Miss Kuno," replied Genma.  "However, I'm not 
sure what Ranma and I can even do to help you.  How did you 
become trapped here?"

    Kodachi sat down on the couch.  She looked like she was about 
to cry.  She pulled out a handkerchief from a pocket, and she 
dabbed at her eyes gently.  She looked up again after a moment, 
and she began to speak.  Her voice was a little husky with sorrow.

    "It happened on my seventeenth jump," she said.  "Professor 
Saotome was experimenting with fine-tuning the scanning pulses 
to pick up more worlds in a band when he picked up a second 
signal.  It caused the transfer pulse to activate before he could 
abort, and I found myself slumped against a wall of the lab.  The 
body I was in was shot through one of the lungs, and I could feel 
myself dying.  I didn't know how long I might have, and I didn't 
know if Professor Saotome would be able to retrieve me in time."  
Kodachi drew in a shuddering breath before she continued.

    "I crawled over to the console, and I saw the body," Kodachi 
said as she closed her eyes.  "It was Genma Saotome, slumped on 
the couch with his hand holding the neural headset.  His eyes 
were... open, but he was dead.  There was a loud banging on the 
door, and it sounded like several members of the Security 
Directorate were trying to get in.  I didn't know what to do.  The 
system was ready.  All it needed was a warm body in the scanner 
to activate the pulse."  She covered her face with her hands for a 
moment as she began to cry for a moment.  After a few moments 
of sobbing, Kodachi managed to calm herself enough to continue.

    "I managed to program the system to purge itself ten seconds 
after transferal.  I discharged the capacitor, and disconnected the 
backup power cells.  They were starting to break down the door 
when I put the headset on.  That was the last thing that I 
remember before I woke up here, in this life."  She looked up at 
Genma with hope in her eyes.  "That was over a month ago, 
Professor Saotome.  Tell me that you think you can help me return 
home."

    Genma looked helplessly at Ranma.  Ranma was shaking his 
head slowly, a sad look on his face.  "I don't see how we can, 
Kodachi," said Ranma.  "I doubt we'd be able to even _find_ your 
original world.  Even if we did, I think the personality integration 
is probably complete.  Like it or not, this is your home now."

    Kodachi nodded with tear-streaked cheeks.  "I suspected as 
much," she said slowly.  "I guess I'll have to make the best of this 
new life."

    Ranma sat down next to Kodachi.  She clutched at him, and she 
sniffled softly against his shoulder.  Ranma stroked her hair 
awkwardly, and made gentle sounds in an attempt to comfort her.  
"I'll help you adjust, Kodachi," he said in soothing tones.  "I'll do 
my best to be your friend."

    After a time, Kodachi appeared to cry herself out.  She ended 
with a few shuddering sighs as she held herself against Ranma.  
"Thank you, Ranma," she said softly.  "I've felt so alone in all this 
until now."

    "I'm probably the only person who has any idea what you're 
going through with this," said Ranma.  "I promise to do whatever 
it takes to help you through it."

    Kodachi looked up with a hopeful smile.  "Take me on a date 
tonight," she said softly.  "I want to do something to forget my 
problems for a while."

    Genma coughed, and cracked a smile when Ranma looked at 
him.  "I think that might be a good idea, son," said Genma.

    "I'll even pay for everything," said Kodachi with a little more 
life in her voice.  "I _am_ rich, after all."

    Ranma was feeling a little trapped.  He wanted to help her, but 
a date seemed a little bit silly to him.  Finally, he nodded.  *It 
might put mother a little bit more at ease about my social life.*  
He looked at Kodachi, suddenly puzzled.  "What do you want to 
do tonight?"

    "I want to do something special," she replied.  "My family has 
box seats at the Arena.  Let's go there tonight."