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 9 - A Taste of Things to Come

    Ranma had disappeared at the beginning of lunch today, and 
Akane was ready to kill him.  Lunch was almost over, and Ranma 
was nowhere to be found.  *That idiot!  If I find him spending 
time with Shampoo again, I'm going to break him in two!*  As 
she searched for him, Akane could still recall his lame excuse for 
his actions after he woke up last evening.

    "Honest Akane, the last thing I remember was sitting in class," 
he had said.  "The next thing I know is that I'm here in Dr. Tofu's 
office, and that it's seven hours later.  If I was going to make up 
an excuse, don't you think I could have come up with a better one 
that that?"  She had tried to hit him for such a lame excuse, and 
he simply dodged all around her swings.

    Eventually, she had calmed down.  Shampoo had just been 
happy to see Ranma all right again, and kept trying to hug him.  
Ukyou had almost started a fight right then and there with the 
Amazon.  Akane had turned her back on the whole thing, but she 
was secretly glad that Ranma was all right.

    Ranma had hopped off the bed, and asked Dr. Tofu if he could 
leave.  The doctor had given his permission, and Ranma had left, 
after saying goodnight to Shampoo and Ukyou.  The two girls had 
stared after Ranma.  *Could there still be something wrong with 
Ranma,* they both wondered.  Akane had followed Ranma, and 
her irritation had given way to puzzlement.

    He hadn't insulted her once on the way back home from Dr. 
Tofu's.  He had been quiet again at dinner, and had eaten like a 
normal human being once more.  He kept sneaking looks at his 
father, as the older Saotome gulped down food, like he didn't 
recognize him.  Genma hadn't noticed, but Ranma had become 
even more withdrawn after that.  These back and forth switches in 
personality were exhausting Akane.

    In the morning, Ranma had refused to spar with his father, 
saying he wanted to leave for school early.  Genma had pressed 
the issue, and Ranma had thrown him into the pond without a 
second look.  The wet panda had decided that discretion was the 
better course of action for the day.  Ranma had left quickly 
without Akane, and even before the time Nabiki usually left for 
school.  When Akane had come down for breakfast to find Ranma 
already gone, she was angry.  *What is with that idiot?*  

    Ranma had breezed into class a minute before the bell rang, 
and sat in his seat without a word to her.  He was even quicker 
with answers today in all of his morning classes.  His English 
pronunciation and grammar were now the best in the class, and 
the math teacher was convinced that Ranma was a late-blooming 
genius.  The history teacher gave Ranma one question, and then 
ignored him after he gave another stupid answer.  It made Akane 
feel a little better.

    At lunchtime, Ranma had left class in a hurry with his bag and 
disappeared.  Akane had searched all over the campus at his usual 
places, but she hadn't found a sign of him.  She had skipped her 
own lunch, and it was making her feel irritable.  She was on her 
way back to class when she spotted him in the last place that she 
ever expected to see him.  She noticed him through one of the 
windows by chance.  Ranma was reading a book in the library.

    Growling under her breath, Akane had stomped into the library 
building to yell at Ranma for making her worry.  The librarian, an 
ancient spinster, frowned at Akane when she came in.  Akane 
paused in mid-growl and mid-stomp.  She smiled abashedly at the 
librarian and made her way more quietly to where she had seen 
Ranma seated.  He had his back to her and a stack of books was 
on his left and right.  He was deeply involved in reading one.

    "Ranma," she whispered from behind him.  "What are you 
doing in here?"

    Ranma jumped a bit in his seat.  He whirled around to stare at 
Akane in surprise for a moment.  He relaxed immediately, and 
grinned at her.  "Duh, Akane," he whispered.  "I'm reading.  What 
does it look like I'm doing?"

    Akane glanced at the book in Ranma's hands.  It was a book in 
English by some foreign scientist named Stephen Hawking. 
Akane couldn't quite make out the title, but Ranma was about 
halfway through it.  It stunned her to see it in Ranma's hands.  
The books in the two stacks next to Ranma had titles that were 
equally shocking, and they ranged all across the sciences.  She 
blinked her eyes.

    Ranma glanced at the clock.  He had about five minutes left in 
lunch to get back to class.  "You should get going to class Akane," 
he said quietly.  The librarian glared from her desk at them.  He 
got up from where he was sitting and began putting the books on 
the filing cart.  Akane glanced at his notebook to see pages filled 
with mathematical formulae that she couldn't even begin to make 
sense of.  She flipped a few pages to find several more pages of 
formulae written down, and all were incomprehensible to her.

    Her anger was forgotten.  Ranma noticed her looking through 
his notebook and frowned.  He pulled it out of her hands without a 
word and stuffed it into his bag.  She glared at him, but he just 
ignored her.  That threatened to send her anger back to its usual 
levels.

    "Come on, Akane," he whispered.  Without a glance at her, he 
headed towards the front of the library.  Akane followed along 
behind him, and her expression was troubled.

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

    Shampoo relaxed by the pool after her morning workout.  She 
was wearing her favorite purple bikini, and a pair of mirrored 
sunglasses rested over her eyes.  The sun felt good on her skin, 
and she was working on improving her tan a little.  The Arena 
Director, Shido Sasaki, had picked her to appear in the latest 
calendar, "Girls of the Arena 1998-1999."  The bonus money 
would help her pay off her contract that much sooner, so the 
minor indignity of posing was easy to ignore.

    Running Deer was up on the high diving board, her body 
poised at the edge.  She was wearing a sleek, silvery, one-piece 
bathing suit that hugged her figure, and it showed her long legs to 
their best effect.  She wore her hair tied into a single braid that 
went down between her shoulder blades.  She bounced on the end 
of the board, her face relaxed.

    "Are you going to stand out there all day, barbarian," called 
Mina sarcastically.  She stood at the other end of the board, where 
she waited next in line.  She was wearing a one-piece suit in pink, 
cut high on the thighs and down to her navel in the front.  Her full 
breasts were barely held in place by the fabric.  "I want to get my 
turn before the sun goes down."

    Running Deer spread her arms wide, as if she was embracing 
the sun.  She bounced hard on the board twice, and then she 
catapulted off into the air.  She rotated her body into a quick spin, 
and then straightened her body to point downward.  She knifed 
into the water with a small splash to note her passage.  Several of 
the people by the side of the pool gave cheers and claps.  Mina 
glared at the spot where Running Deer had gone in.  Running 
Deer surfaced like a seal, and swam lazily to the shallow end.

    "Hmph... Showoff!"  Mina grumbled for several moments.  She 
walked to the end of the board and readied herself for her own 
dive.  *I'll show that long-limbed cow how its done.*  She then 
frowned when she noticed that her current boyfriend was studying 
the barbarian girl as well.  She glared icily at the Chinese boy 
from her position.  He didn't even look up at her.  He was going to 
pay for that when she got him alone.

    Mina bounced on the edge of the diving board, her arms held 
out straight.  She arced up into the air on her last bounce, and 
plummeted towards the water below.  She pulled off a graceful 
spin before she pulled her body into a downward point.  She 
splashed into the water, and then she quickly surfaced to only 
scattered applause.  Mina noted with disgust that most of the men 
were all studying Running Deer and Shampoo more than they 
were her.

    *I'm going to break them both into pieces,* she swore to herself 
in a cold fury.  *_I'm_ the one who's the most beautiful and the 
most skilled, not them!*  Mina swam over to the edge and slowly 
climbed out.  One of the younger girls handed her a towel, which 
she took with a growl.  She stomped over to the Chinese boy.

    "Tarou," she growled in a falsely sweet voice.  "Just what do 
you think you're doing?"  The handsome Chinese youth turned 
and smiled at her.  Mina felt her heart flutter a bit at that smile.  It 
was what she loved about him, along with his incredible skill at 
the martial arts.  He was the only man that she had ever met that 
she felt was worthy of her.  She suddenly remembered what he 
had been doing, and her gaze hardened again.

    "I was simply observing your enemies, my darling," he said 
calmly.  "Looking for possible weaknesses that you might exploit 
when the time is right.  Believe me when I say that that my 
interest in them is purely professional.  I have no interest in them 
beyond that.  You know that you're the only woman who truly 
excites me."

    "If you know what's good for you, then that will remain true," 
she said with a slight smile, but her gaze was still hard.  "Any 
woman that takes your attentions from me is as good as dead."

    "As is any man that draws your attentions from me, my fierce 
beauty," said Tarou with a cold smile.  "We understand each other 
all too well.  The usual time tonight?"

    "Of course," she replied with a lusty smile.  "You know that I 
prefer to have you with the blood of your opponents still fresh 
upon you."  She wrapped her towel around his neck, and pulled 
him down for a kiss.  Tarou wrapped his arms around her waist.  
She sighed lustily into his mouth as their tongues played.

    In the middle of the kiss, Tarou opened one eye to gaze again at 
Shampoo as she lounged on the far side of the pool.  *I plan on 
having you at least once, dear Shampoo.  Once I'm satisfied, then 
I will stand peacefully by and let Mina kill you.*  His gaze turned 
to watch Running Deer for a moment before he closed his eye.  *I 
think I will enjoy having you as well, sweet Running Deer.*

    Mina pulled back after a minute.  "That should be enough to 
hold you until I can deal with you better tonight."  She flipped her 
towel free of his neck.  Tarou watched her saunter off with a smile 
on his lips.

    "As you wish," he said softly to her retreating back.  His gaze 
flickered briefly to watch Running Deer and Shampoo again.  His 
smile was that of a predator.  He noticed one of his opponents for 
tonight watching Mina when he thought Tarou wasn't looking.  
Tarou smiled coldly.  *Such a pity that I had to see that, my 
friend.  I _was_ planning on leaving you the ability to walk after 
our fight.  I fear that I'll have to harm you more severely now.  
After all, _no_ man is going to take my dear Mina's attentions 
from me.  No one!*

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

    The afternoon sun shone down on a solemn fortress that stood 
at one end of a peaceful, mist-shrouded valley.  Beyond it lay a 
vast wall that encircled a multitude of pools of water.  These pools 
were scattered all over the length and width of the valley.  All of 
them were clearly marked with signs, and the many bamboo poles 
that once stood upright within them were removed a long time 
ago.  Scattered guard towers monitored the perimeter around the 
outside of the wall, alert to any trespassers that may come from 
beyond.

    Inside the fortress, a scene of carnage has ended.  The bodies of 
a few scattered guards were laying face down in pools of their own 
blood.  Many of their bodies were contorted in directions that were 
normally impossible for the human skeleton to do.  One elderly 
scientist had died within inches of the alarm button that would 
have locked down the entire facility.  His body was kicked away 
from the button by a bare female foot.

    "<Weaklings,>" she spat in Mandarin in the direction of the 
cooling corpses.  Her close-cropped white hair framed a beautiful 
face.  Her athletic body is naked beneath a few splashes of blood 
and gore.  Ignoring the drying splotches of the former owner's 
blood, she appropriated a cloak from the remains of the guard 
commander.  She wrapped it around her nakedness.  "<Pathetic 
weaklings.  If such as these are the best warriors that the Empire 
can muster, then my path to power is assured.>"

    The girl looked to be no older than seventeen, but she walked 
with the arrogance of nobility.  She scanned the cards on the 
remaining cells until she found the ones that she sought.  The lock 
on the first door shattered open at a strike from her hand, the fist 
encased in a brief glow of energy.  The figure within stirred at her 
approach, the inhibitor collar on his neck blurring his thoughts 
with pulses of electricity.  The girl placed her hand on the locking 
mechanism and concentrated.  The lock sparked and burst open.

    She left the young man to regain his senses as she went to the 
other cell that interested her.  The procedure was repeated, and 
she stepped inside to see another young man.  This one was not as 
muscular as the first, but his skills would be useful to her.  She 
removed his inhibitor, and went back outside the cell.  The two 
figures emerged from their respective cells and stood before her.  
At a glare from her, they knelt down and bowed their heads.

    "<My lord Herb,>" said the smaller one in a slurred voice.  He 
looked up at her with devotion in his eyes.  If his eyes hadn't 
stopped a foot below her face, then she would not have grown 
cross with him.  She hurriedly shut the front of her cloak and 
kicked him across the face.  The young man prostrated himself 
before her when he regained his senses.  The other one had not 
lifted his eyes yet.

    "<That I should suffer such an indignity,>" she muttered.  She 
whirled to face the other way.  The cloak gave a brief glimpse of 
finely toned legs as it swirled up for a moment.  <"I plan to make 
their Emperor suffer as I have suffered these many years, as our 
people have suffered.  Our people kept in cages for generations.  
Bred like animals for their experiments.  My own father dead at 
the hands of ones such as these.>"

    She whirled back to face her minions, the three of them the last 
remnants of the once mighty Musk Dynasty.  "<Lime... Mint...,>" 
she said in a commanding tone as the two young men looked up at 
her.  She wisely kept her cloak shut in front so as not to distract 
them.  "<We are leaving this place... after I get a surprise for the 
Emperor of Japan.>"  She laughed deeply.   "<A surprise that he 
will enjoy for the few remaining moments that I allow him... 
before I rip his head from his shoulders.  After that, I intend to 
visit such blood and terror upon this world that none will ever 
forget the power of the Musk Dynasty!>"

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

    Ranma smiled at Kodachi.  She smiled back, her tears were 
now dry.  Genma coughed politely behind them.  Ranma looked 
up at his father.

    "There are a few things that we should discuss, Ranma," said 
Genma.  He looked at Kodachi.  "I would like to speak with my 
son alone, if you don't mind, Miss Kuno," he said with a mild 
tone.  Kodachi blinked.

    "Oh, that's quite all right," she replied.  "I should be on my way 
to my afternoon classes anyway."  She walked over to the door, 
smiled once more at Ranma, and opened it.  "I will pick you up at 
your house at six, Ranma."  He nodded, and she went out the 
door.  Ranma closed it behind her.

    "What did you want to talk about, pop... father," asked Ranma.

    "You're certainly becoming quite a hand with the ladies," said 
Genma with a twinkle in his eyes.  "It reminds me of myself when 
I was your age, before I was introduced to your mother."  Genma 
took his glasses off for a moment and slowly wiped them with his 
handkerchief, a sure sign that he was nervous about something.

    "Is that what you wanted to talk about?"  Ranma looked at his 
father in surprise.  *He isn't going to try and give me _that_ 
father-son talk now, is he?*

    "In a way," replied Genma.  "I thought we should discuss the 
plans that your mother has been making.  How do you feel about 
meeting the girls that she has chosen for you, given the unique 
perspective that your recent experiences have given you?"

    "I'm a little nervous, I guess," replied Ranma with a shrug of 
his shoulders.  "One of them seems okay.  I have my doubts about 
the two Tendo girls."

    "I thought as much," said Genma as he put his glasses back on.  
"The girl Nabiki struck me as being quite clever.  I wonder how 
long you can continue to fool her."

    "As long as I need to."  Ranma turned around to look at the 
wall.  "I was looking forward to demonstrating my invention at 
the Ministry of Science, but I think I should keep it a secret for a 
little while longer, after what I've seen in some of the alternates."

    "What about the other Tendo daughter, Akane?"

    "She's not exactly what I would bridal material," said Ranma 
with a chuckle.  "She's attractive enough... in a way... if I went for 
that type... which I don't.  She and I have known each other for a 
little while, and what I know about her leads me to the conclusion 
that we wouldn't be happy together."

    "Fair enough," said Genma with a smile.  "You haven't ruled 
out the other Tendo daughter?"

    "Nabiki would be a possibility, if she wasn't so consumed with 
her career," replied Ranma with another shrug of her shoulders.  
"I don't know if she would make a good wife for a scientist."

    "That leaves the one that you meet tomorrow," said Genma 
with a rumbling chuckle.  "Ukyou."

    "From what little mother told me about her, I think we might 
get along fine."  Ranma picked up a random piece of his device.  
"It does promise to be interesting, my first meeting with her 
tomorrow."

    "Your mother told me quite a bit about the girl when I got 
home last night," said Genma with a smile.  "I think she might 
make a fine addition to our family.  

    "Yes, she might," admitted Ranma.  "I confess that I'll be 
expecting her to arrive with a large spatula strapped to her back."

    "She might be a ninja, based on where she's from," chuckled 
Genma for a moment.

    "Pop, don't _even_ make jokes about something like that," said 
Ranma with a grimace.  "The last thing I want to do is have my 
life turn into some warped mirror of that other Ranma's life.  Until 
I learn otherwise, I'm just going to assume that she's a simple 
shrine maiden in training.  Nothing more."

    "What about Kodachi?"

    "It's strange," said Ranma with a look at the door.  "I feel a sort 
of connection with her.  She's one of the few people on this planet 
that I could talk to about the experience of quantum traveling.  I 
think I can consider her a friend."

    "Nothing more?"  Genma raised his eyebrow.

    "Don't you start on matchmaking, too!"  Ranma paced about in 
a small circle.  "I have too many things going on in my life to 
even _think_ about romance.  For now, I'm simply going to move 
along with the flow."

    "Probably a wise choice," agreed Genma as he nodded.  "Just be 
careful that you don't end up in as bad a situation as your quantum 
counterpart."

    "Hey, how complicated could my life get?  I have the advantage 
that I can learn from the mistakes of the other Ranma.  With that 
knowledge, any romantic entanglements won't be a problem.  It 
would have to be something pretty extraordinary to mess up _my_ 
life."  Ranma sat down at the bench.

    Genma looked thoughtful for a moment.  "I suppose you're 
right, son.  It would have to be something extraordinary."

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

    Ukyou sat there in shock.  Her father had managed to surprise 
her with about the last thing that she would have expected from 
him.  Ukyou's lunch sat unnoticed before her.  Her mother and 
father sat there, calmly drinking tea, as they allowed her to absorb 
the news.  When Ukyou finally spoke, her tone of voice was one of 
quiet disbelief.  "You want me to what?"

    "You're going with your father and I tomorrow morning to 
meet a potential husband for you," said her mother calmly.  
"We've received word from one of the matchmaking services that 
we subscribed you to.  They tell me that they've found a boy in 
Tokyo who comes from an excellent family background.  We're 
going to meet him and his parents tomorrow."

    Ukyou just sat there blinking.  "Don't I have any say in this?"

    "Listen to your mother, Ukyou-chan," said her father in a 
solemn voice.  "It's time that you started thinking about your 
future.  You are to be the next leader of the Kuonji Clan.  It is 
high time that we found you a husband.  You've already rejected 
all of the local boys."

    "They're all perverts or weaklings," grumbled Ukyou.  "I think 
I'm more of a man than any of them."

    "That's another thing, daughter," said her mother in a mildly 
reproving tone of voice.  "This tendency of yours to disguise 
yourself as a boy is becoming alarming to me for a girl your age.  
Why do you persist in doing it?"

    "It's good practice for my disguise skills, and it lets me see the 
boys as they really are," replied Ukyou evenly.  "If they think I'm a 
boy, then they talk to me like an equal.  So far, all I've found 
though is that all boys are perverts.  There isn't a real gentleman 
in the entire lot."

    "Promise me that you won't do that to the Saotome boy after 
you meet him," said her mother in a mildly pleading tone.  "He 
comes highly recommended by the matchmaker.  He has a bright 
future as a scientist."

    "Feh," murmured Ukyou.  *He sounds like another weakling.  
This is so stupid.  I doubt that this Ranma Saotome can possibly 
be any different from any of the local boys.*

    "Ukyou-chan," warned her father.

    "Yes, papa," Ukyou sighed.  "I promise that I won't disguise 
myself as a boy while we're there."  *Afterwards, on the other 
hand...*

    "That's better," said her father with a smile.  "You know that 
your mother and I have only your best interests at heart.  Besides, 
this is only a preliminary meeting between the families.  If things 
go well, then I'll find you a place to stay with some of our relatives 
in the area where he lives.  That way the two of you can get to 
know each other better."

    "Yes, papa," said Ukyou with a sinking heart.  *This doesn't 
sound like it's going to be any fun at all.*

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

    Nodoka moved through her kata with grace and speed, but her 
thoughts were troubled.  Her bokken slashed through the air.  Her 
skillful strikes alternated between decapitating and eviscerating 
the imaginary foes that surrounded her.  *I hope that this first 
meeting tomorrow goes well.  Ranma only seems to be doing it for 
my sake.*

    She picked up the pace of her sword kata, trying to find her 
center in the purity of her movements.  Her thoughts remained 
troubled.  *Ranma hasn't shown much interest in girls, only in his 
studies.  Could I be rushing him before he was ready?*  She 
paused at the end of her kata as she took deep breaths.  Her arms 
were steady as they held her weapon in place.

    "What troubles you today, Nodoka," asked a pleasant female 
voice behind her.  "Your moves lack their usual sureness."

    Nadoka turned around.  Her friend, Kyoko Nakagi, stood 
behind her with a worried look on her face.  Nodoka relaxed her 
stance and lowered her blade.  She paused to wipe a line of sweat 
that had escaped the boundaries of her headband.  She sighed a 
little bit.  Kyoko noticed.

    "Has Genma done something," asked Kyoko with a smile.

    "No," replied Nodoka with a smile.  "It's not Genma.  Ranma 
has his first meeting with a potential bride and her family 
tomorrow.  I'm just feeling a little worried."

    "It's nothing to be worried about," said Kyoko with a smile.  
"I've had all four of my sons married off now.  You have nothing 
to worry about.  If the first potential bride doesn't work out, then 
move on to another that does."

    "Ranma seemed to find this one more interesting than the other 
two initial choices I showed him," said Nodoka with a troubled 
look.  "I don't want him to feel disappointed."

    "Just let events take their natural course, my friend," said 
Kyoko with a smile.  "Ranma is a fine young man.  I'm sure that 
the women will be clamoring around him before you realize it."

    "I just want him to find a woman that he would be happy with," 
said Nodoka with a smile.  "I worry about him so."

    "I don't think you have a thing to worry about," said Kyoko as 
she began her warm-up exercises.  "Do you have time for me to 
show you that disarm move?"

    "Of course," replied Nodoka, her troubles forgotten.  "I've been 
waiting for you to."

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

    For the most part, the rest of the afternoon passed swiftly for 
Genma and Ranma.  Ranma turned in his paperwork for his 
materials request to his student advisor.  When Ranma decided to 
introduce his father, Sensei Takiyama expressed his obvious 
honor at meeting the elder Saotome.  That resulted in an hour or 
so of polite conversation, with the Sensei praising Ranma in such 
an obvious display of bootlicking that even Genma was surprised.

    "Your student advisor is an... interesting fellow," said Genma 
diplomatically as they walked back downstairs to Ranma's lab.

    "I think he's hoping to get into the Ministry of Science," replied 
Ranma in a bored tone.  "As long as he gets me what I need and 
leaves me alone, he and I get along fine.  Earlier, you mentioned a 
few things that you wanted to discuss.  Was it only about the 
women that mother is trying to set me up with?"

    "Well, there is one other thing," said Genma quietly.  "We 
should wait until we get into your lab before I explain."

    "All right," said Ranma, his curiosity aroused.  They walked 
down several more flights of stairs.  Eventually, they reached the 
lower landing.  Ranma led the way down the hall with Genma 
looking more thoughtful as they walked.  They went into his lab, 
and Ranma closed the door.

    "Sit down, son," said Genma.  "What I'm about to tell you isn't 
easy for me to admit."

    "Sure, pop," said Ranma.  He went over and sat down on the 
couch.  "So what's the big secret?"

    "Ranma, do you remember why we originally left home when 
you were a boy?"  Genma took his glasses off and wiped the lenses 
with his handkerchief.

    "Sure, pop," replied Ranma with a smile.  "You wanted to make 
me into the genius that I am today."

    "Not quite," said Genma.  "Ranma... when you were four years 
old, your mother and I noticed that you were starting to fall a bit 
behind in your development.  It wasn't anything large at first, but 
it concerned us enough to take you to several doctors.  They tested 
you, and discovered that you were beginning to manifest a very 
rare genetic disorder.  It wouldn't kill you, but your mental and 
physical development would have left you far behind your peers.  
As your father, I couldn't stand to see that happen, so I took steps 
to prevent that fate from befalling you."

    "What are you saying, father?"  Ranma's face lost its smile.

    "A friend of mine owed me some favors," said Genma as he 
looked Ranma squarely in the eyes.  "At the time, one of the 
research labs controlled by the Ministry of Science had recently 
developed a prototype treatment for improving the entire genetic 
code of an individual using specially-engineered retroviruses.  
These retroviruses would improve and essentially 'upgrade' your 
complete genetic code, and allow you to develop to a vastly higher 
level of human potential.  I discussed the matter with your mother 
at great length, but she eventually agreed with me."  A brief 
memory of the one major fight that he had had with Nodoka over 
this matter surfaced in his thoughts.

    Ranma sat there with a puzzled look on his face.  "So what 
happened?"

    "The treatments were a success," said Genma with a solemn 
look.  "Lab tests revealed that your entire genetic code had been 
cleansed of all imperfections and latent disorders.  Your cerebral 
and neuro-muscular abilities began to increase in a dramatic way.  
Your body's immune system became almost turbocharged.  You 
were one of the very first recipients of this process, and I'm told 
that it will soon become standard for every Citizen child born.  
You are a new type of human, my son.  A superior breed.  That 
was when I conceived to do what I now wonder might have been 
egotistical folly."

    Ranma still looked puzzled as Genma continued on.  "Your 
mental development began to accelerate.  Not much at first, and I 
discovered that I enjoyed teaching you everything that interested 
you myself.  I called Nodoka, and told her how much better you 
were.  She wanted us to return home immediately.  I asked for her 
permission to see how far I could guide your development.  She 
reluctantly agreed, and you and I began to travel the world.  The 
Ministry of Science provided us with a stipend to cover all of our 
expenses.  I called on every acquaintance from every branch of 
learning that I knew.  Ranma, you learned from everyone I could 
find to teach you."

    "I don't understand, father," said Ranma slowly.  "It sounds like 
everything worked out for the best, so why do you sound like you 
feel guilty of something?"

    "I turned my own son into an experiment," said Genma quietly.  
"It wasn't until I saw how life was on that other timeline that I 
could admit that to myself, or to you."  Genma replaced his 
glasses on his face.  "I have also been noticing the more recent 
changes in you this last year, the physical ones.  Haven't you 
noticed how quickly you developed over the last several months?"

    "I thought it was just because of the exercise regimen that the 
physical training instructors put me through," said Ranma.  His 
father shook his head slowly.

    "I checked with my associates at the Ministry of Science, and 
the few test cases they have had all reported similar things," said 
Genma quietly.  "Neurological development progressed swiftly 
within months after the treatment, but physical development 
doesn't really begin until after puberty starts.  With the training 
you've undergone at the Academy, that development has only 
progressed faster."

    "So I'm some sort of freak," said Ranma quietly.

    "NO!"  Genma took Ranma by the shoulders and shook him.  
"The procedure gave you a superior genetic structure than the one 
nature originally gave you, that's all.  What you've done with that 
potential has been all your own!  I only wanted you to know this 
in case you started wondering why you had already healed from 
your recent injuries."

    Ranma blinked.  He hadn't really thought about why his bruises 
had healed so quickly.  *I should have been laid up for a week 
from the beating that Akane gave me,* he thought with surprise.  
With all that had been going on with his experiments, he had 
simply forgotten about his injuries.  *That explains why my 
coordination was always so good.*

    "It's all right, pop," Ranma said calmly.  "It just answers a few 
questions that I didn't realize I was having."  Ranma smiled at his 
father.  "I appreciate your telling me this.  It should make some of 
the things I have to deal with a little easier."

    Genma relaxed with a sigh.  "Thank you, son.  I swear that that 
is the only secret that I've ever kept from you."

    Ranma smiled and nodded.  *I might be able to develop some 
of the special techniques for my own use yet, in this case.  I keep 
having the suspicion that I will need them.*  He shrugged again at 
that thought.  The rest of the afternoon was spent describing all of 
his work to his father.  Genma spent the time nodding as Ranma 
lectured, but he was proud of his son.  Things were going to turn 
out for the best after all.

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

    The late afternoon sun found Ranma and his father arriving 
home.  Nodoka was in the midst of cooking dinner when the two 
men in her life came in the front door.  She wiped off her hands, 
and left the food simmering as she came out to greet them.  
Ranma dashed past her with barely a hello, as he headed for the 
bathroom.  Genma smiled at his wife as he kissed her gently on 
the cheek.

    "So how did your day go, Genma," asked Nodoka with a smile.  
"Did you and Ranma accomplish much?"

    "Yes," said Genma with a nod, as he looked in the direction 
that his son had disappeared to.  "We got quite a lot done today."

    "That's nice," said Nodoka as she headed back towards the 
kitchen.

    "I told him, Nodoka," said Genma to her retreating back.  She 
froze.

    "How did he take the news?"  Her posture was stiff.

    "He understands," replied Genma as he came up behind her and 
pulled her into a hug.  She relaxed against him, a sigh of relief 
coming from her lips.  "He seemed to understand why we did it."

    "I'm glad," said Nodoka.  "You and your promise to create the 
greatest mind that the Empire will ever see."  Nodoka turned 
around and smiled at him.  "I'm just glad that our son is healthy, 
and that his future looks so bright.  By the way, where did he 
charge off to in such a hurry?"

    "Our son has a date tonight," said Genma proudly.

    "A date?"  Nodoka wrinkled her nose in confusion.  "Who is he 
going out with?  When did this happen?"

    "A new girl at the Academy," replied Genma with a smile.  
"Her name is Kodachi Kuno.  They're going to the Arena tonight."

    "That sounds like an exciting evening," said Nodoka with a 
smile.  "I remember when you used to take me there when we 
were first engaged."

    "She should be picking up Ranma in a little while.  So what's 
for dinner tonight, Nodoka-chan?"

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

    Kodachi watched the buildings move by with a smile.  She 
smoothed a slight wrinkle on her skirt absently.  She had been 
thinking about Ranma all afternoon.  She had made the mistake of 
mentioning her date to her brother when he wondered why she 
wasn't going to be joining him for dinner.  Their parents were out 
of town, visiting the family estate in central China.  Kodachi 
briefly recalled her conversation with him.

    "You aren't joining me for dinner, my sister?"  Tatewaki had 
frowned at her.  "We always eat together when our parents are 
away."

    "Not tonight, brother," she had said.  "I have other plans."

    "Indeed?  Could it be that my little sister has finally gotten a 
date?"  He had chuckled at what he had thought was a joke.

    "I have, brother," she had said.  She left him sputtering in 
surprise as she went upstairs to change.  *My poor brother.  He 
still isn't used to the new me,* she had thought with a smile.  The 
Kodachi that she had jumped into had been a rather shy girl, her 
only two interests were science and dancing.  She was slightly 
afraid of boys, so her older brother had taken it upon himself to 
protect her.  He apparently felt that no man was truly worthy of 
his little sister.

    Kodachi smiled again when the car stopped in front of the 
Saotome residence.  The driver stopped the engine, and came 
around to let her out.  Kodachi stepped out of the car with a smile.  
"I should be out in a short while.  Please wait here."

    "Yes, mistress," replied the driver with a bow.  He was one of 
the many servants that the Kuno family couldn't seem to do 
without to manage their estates.

    Kodachi walked into the courtyard, pausing only to briefly 
admire the flower garden and well-kept yard.  She stepped up to 
the front door of the house, and was startled to see a humble 
hanging bell to announce her presence with.  She shook the 
ribbon that dangled below it, and was rewarded with a pleasant 
jingling sound.

    She waited patiently as she heard approaching footsteps, and 
the door slid open to reveal a smiling woman of middle years 
wearing a traditional robe.  Kodachi bowed with a smile.  "I give 
greetings to this household.  I am Kodachi Kuno.  Do I have the 
honor of addressing the lady of the house?"

    *Such a polite young lady,* thought Nodoka with a smile as 
she returned the bow.  "I am indeed the lady of this humble house.  
I am Nodoka Saotome.  I bid you welcome to my home.  My son 
Ranma awaits within."

    Nodoka gestured for Kodachi to enter, and she did.  She slipped 
her shoes off gracefully before she followed Nodoka into the 
depths of the house.  Kodachi took the time to admire the manner 
in which the house was kept.  The brief walk ended in the dining 
area.  She saw Ranma and his father seated at the table.

    "Hello, Kodachi," greeted Ranma.  Genma nodded politely to 
her.

    "May I offer you tea, Miss Kuno," asked Nodoka with a smile.

    "Thank you, Mrs. Saotome," replied Kodachi.  "Tea would be 
lovely."

    Kodachi and Nodoka both seated themselves.  Nodoka poured 
Kodachi some tea, as well as some for herself, with a smile.  The 
two women bowed slightly to each other and then began to drink.  
Ranma watched his mother out of the corner of his eye, and drank 
from his own cup of tea.  Genma studied his wife without giving 
the slightest appearance that he was studying her.

    "My son tells me that you will be taking him to the Arena 
tonight," observed Nodoka as she set her teacup down.

    Kodachi nodded politely.  "My family has box seats that are not 
often used, so it was kind of him to agree to accompany me."

    When the two women continued to exchange pleasant small 
talk, Ranma tuned it out.  He couldn't tear his eyes away from the 
beautiful girl seated across the table from him.  A slight smile 
appeared on his lips.  Kodachi was tastefully dressed in a pearl 
white blouse made of silk, and a long skirt made of black silk.  
Her hair was up in a simple ponytail and tied with a pink ribbon.  
The next thing he realized was his mother asking him a question.

    "Ranma, are you listening to me," asked Nodoka with a small 
amount of vexation in her voice.  "It's time for you to go."

    "Oh, yes," said Ranma as he sprang to his feet.  Kodachi smiled 
at him.  Genma shook his head behind Ranma, a smile on his 
face.

    The young couple took their leave.  Ranma slipped his shoes on 
with only a slight amount of nervous fumbling.  Genma watched 
his son with a pleased smile on his face.  Nodoka watched the 
young couple with a smile of her own.  They looked like a nice 
couple to her.

    The ride to the Arena was actually pretty quiet.  Ranma was too 
nervous to say much, and Kodachi decided to let him be.  The 
driver pulled into the parking lot and followed the lines to the 
special parking area.  Ranma saw a large crowd waiting at the 
main gate to get in.  It seemed to be a festive group.  Members of 
Arena Security could be seen maintaining order, their dark blue 
uniforms and unsmiling faces a sure giveaway.

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

    Ranma relaxed back into his cushiony seat.  They still had 
plenty of time before the matches were to begin, so they had 
ordered a meal to be delivered.  Kodachi was up getting them each 
a soda from the small refrigerator.  Ranma watched people move 
to their seats around the Arena.  *This place is huge,* he thought 
with a small amount of awe.

    Ranma had read that the Arena was remodeled a few years ago 
to provide a variable fighting area in order to increase audience 
excitement.  At the flip of a few switches, spikes could be raised 
through the floor, metal plates and a thin layer of oil could be 
spread to make footing more treacherous, or any of a dozen other 
obstacles could be placed.  This was to make the fights within the 
Plexiglas walls surrounding the fighting area more dangerous.  It 
made it more exciting for the audiences to watch.

    Currently, the floor was in its default mode, a bare, rubberized 
surface.  Kodachi handed him a soda with a smile as she sat down 
next to him.  He smiled at her, and then he chugged his soda to 
hide his nervousness.  Kodachi joined him in watching the crowd.

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

    Far away from the Arena building, in the village of the 
Joketsuzoku Amazons of China, the Matriarchs of the village 
gathered in the Council Hall.  Khu Lon, most respected elder in 
the village, bounced in on top of her staff accompanied by the 
Amazon known as the Enforcer.  The Enforcer was a quite 
attractive girl with pink hair, armed with a pair of battle axes 
slung at her back.  Her name was Per Fum.

    "<You are certain that Xian Pu is scheduled to fight tonight,>" 
asked Khu Lon in Mandarin.

    "<That is what the program has printed,>" replied Per Fum as 
she flipped through the document in question.  The village 
received one every month, detailing all the matches that were to 
take place.  At the Matriarch Khu Lon's instructions, Per Fum 
went through the program at the beginning of every month and 
marked down all the times of Xian Pu's matches.  Khu Lon had 
seen every one.  She missed her great grand-daughter, but 
consoled herself with the knowledge that she would return to the 
village a great fighter.

    The two Amazons watched the rest of the Council enter into the 
hall.  Khu Lon sat at the head of the Council, and that also gave 
her the best view of the television.  *I will give these outsiders 
credit for one thing; they create the most astounding devices for 
entertainment,* she thought with a smile.  The television had 
been purchased on the day that Xian Pu was taken from the 
village.  Khu Lon wanted to be able to witness her great grand-
daughter's progress as best as she was able.  She kept careful 
watch during each match, and she sent detailed critiques of each 
one of Xian Pu's fights in her weekly letters.

    The Matriarchs used the device to remain aware of events in 
the outside world.  The mail was delivered once each month with 
typical Imperial efficiency, but many on the Council had grown 
used to the convenience of receiving news through the television.  
Many Matriarchs would never admit it, but they had also grown 
somewhat addicted to the daily drama programs.  Khu Lon would 
especially deny it.

    "<You seem unusually quiet tonight, Per Fum,>" noticed Khu 
Lon as she looked at the Enforcer.

    "<It is nothing, Matriarch,>" replied Per Fum with a slight 
shake of her head.  "<A personal matter.>"

    "<What affects one Amazon also affects us all, child,>" said 
Khu Lon with a smile.  "<Tell me what troubles you.>"

    "<I find myself growing restless at remaining in our village, 
Matriarch.>"  Per Fum hung her head sadly.  "<I think I grow 
jealous of the attention that Xian Pu earns in the outside world.>"

    "<Ah, I thought as much,>" said Khu Lon.  "<Perhaps a trip 
might not be out of order for the two of us.>"

    "<The _two_ of us, Matriarch?>"  Per Fum looked at the 
elderly Amazon in surprise.

    "<I too have been feeling restless of late,>" replied Khu Lon.  
"<My dreams have been troubled the past few days.  The ancient 
powers seem to be trying to speak to me, but I cannot yet make out 
what they say.  I sense some great destiny is about to touch our 
village in some way, but I especially sense that it will touch my 
beloved Xian Pu.>"

    "<Should we warn her?>"  Per Fum unsheathed one of her 
axes, flipped it casually from hand to hand, and then resheathed it 
at her back.

    "<Warn her of what, child?  The vague, uneasy feelings that I 
have been having as of late?  No.  I think whatever is about to 
begin should be allowed to take shape of its own accord.  I will 
influence it when the time is right.  For now, we will sit here and 
watch my Xian Pu show the strength of the Amazons to the world 
once more.>"  Khu Lon smiled.

    "<As you command, Matriarch,> said Per Fum with a slight 
bow.  "<My honor is to serve.>"

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

    The last of the stragglers found their seats as Kodachi and 
Ranma finished their meal.  Ranma had found the meal to be 
quite good.  He had wasted no time in consuming it as quickly as 
manners would allow.  Kodachi had watched him eat with an odd 
smile on her face.

    The house lights dimmed, and the announcer walked to the 
center of the Arena.  A video monitor just to Ranma's right 
brought the man's face into clear focus.  As close as he was to the 
floor of the Arena, Ranma watched the man himself.  He had the 
smarmy looks of a game show host, but with better hair.  The man 
bowed to the crowd briefly, and stood up with a smile.

    "Good evening, gentlemen and ladies of the Empire!  Tonight 
we have an excellent show lined up for you, so sit back and enjoy 
the next two hours of spine-tingling carnage!  Prepare yourself to 
witness the acts of masters of the arts of fighting!  Our eager 
competitors come from the far corners of the Empire!  Give a 
cheer for our warriors for the evening!"  The man paused as the 
crowd erupted into cheers for their favorite fighters.

    Young men and women dressed in colorful fighting costumes 
jogged out to join the announcer in the center.  Ranma listened 
with interest to the cheers from the crowd.  Some of the fighters 
apparently had some large fan sections.  Ranma noticed the 
spotlights flashing through the crowd.  Each of the fighters also 
briefly appeared on the monitors with their names below.  Ranma 
happened to turn his head at the right moment to see a face that 
he never expected to see here.

    *Shampoo,* he thought as he looked at her face on the 
monitor.  He turned to scan the line of fighters, and he saw her 
near the center.  She was a hundred feet away from him, at most.  
He studied her as she watched the crowd with disinterest.  He 
jumped when he felt Kodachi touch his arm.

    "Are you all right, Ranma," asked Kodachi with concern on her 
face.

    "Yes," replied Ranma with a nervous chuckle.  "I was just 
looking over the fighters.  I didn't mean to get distracted."  He 
glanced at the field, but the fighters had already begun to clear off.  
Ranma got one brief glimpse of a head of purple hair.  *What do I 
do now?*