Quantum Destinies
A Ranma Fanfic
By Steven Thesken (jurai-knight@home.com)

Editor (as of Chapter 10): D.B. Sommer (sommer@3rdm.net)

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 2 - Memories of Me

    Ranma shut down power to his equipment, bemused by his 
sudden ability at athletics.  He knew that he didn't have the sheer 
physical abilities of the other Ranma, but he was in excellent 
shape from the rigors of his mandatory physical education course.  
*The Empire believes in strong minds in strong bodies.*

    He flipped open his notebook as he sat at the small desk in his 
lab space.  He made a few initial notes on the totally unexpected 
development of learning new skills by absorbing them from his 
alternate lives.  *I wonder if any of my own skills have been 
transferred to the other Ranma.  The endless possibilities for 
cross-universal learning are astonishing.  If that's so, I may just 
have made a dumb jock into a scholastic genius.*  He grinned at 
the thought.

    He glanced at his watch as he piled his books into his bag.  
Finishing quickly, he threw a cover over the computer and the 
small pile of equipment next to it.  Hefting the bag, he unlocked 
the lab door and opened it.  His mind was full of ideas for where 
to go next with his experiments.

    He locked the door behind him, and pocketed the key.  It was 
time for final period for the day, and he didn't want to be late.  He 
planned to return early in the morning, before first period, to try 
another session.  He couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he 
walked up the stairs.

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

    Ranma was extremely puzzled now.  Science class was his last 
class for the afternoon, and he had been dreading the upcoming 
exam.  He had tried to study for it, but with Ryoga or somebody 
else attacking him every five minutes it was rather hard to get in 
much quality study time.  Mister Sokawa had finished handing 
out the exam papers, and he had flipped his over.  He was fearing 
the worst.

    A miracle had happened.

    The first problem was easier than he was expecting as he 
scribbled down an answer.  The next one was simple, too.  Before 
he noticed it, he was done with the entire exam.  He was able to 
answer every problem.  Not only that, it was easy.  It was almost 
frighteningly easy, in fact.  Ranma knew that he had never done 
so well on an exam in his life.  When he was first to turn in his 
paper, Mister Sokawa had looked at him with a bemused gaze.  
Ranma had gone back to his seat, and the teacher had begun to 
grade his exam.  Some of his classmates eyed him with curiosity.

    Mister Sokawa began to look over Ranma's exam paper.  The 
bemused look on the teacher's face changed to surprise, then to 
shock as he went down the list of answers on Ranma's paper.  
Ranma didn't notice, since he had decided to get a head start on 
tonight's homework.  Akane was grumbling softly behind him at a 
particularly tough problem for her.  She hadn't even noticed 
Ranma turn in his exam so quickly.

    After class was over, Mister Sokawa gave Ranma back his 
paper with a small tear in his eye.  Ranma was utterly bewildered, 
and the rest of the class was even more surprised.  He could only 
stare stupidly at the score on the front page of his exam.  Akane 
gave a small gasp of surprise next to him.

    "Thank you, Mister Saotome," Mister Sokawa said solemnly.  
"If I can get an exam like this out of a student like you, then I 
must be doing something right as a teacher.  I finally got through 
to you."  Mister Sokawa smiled.

    Ranma was in shock, and so was the rest of his class.  Ranma 
had gotten a perfect score on his exam.

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

    Physical education was an unpleasant surprise for Ranma when 
he first arrived at the Academy several months ago.  His father 
had made little efforts to keep Ranma up to accepted Imperial 
standards for a youth of his age while they were out traveling.  
Because of this, it had taken months of pain and sweat to build his 
physique up to his current levels.  His coordination was very good, 
but his strength and stamina had been well below par.  Akane was 
among those who had enjoyed taunting the "weakling" for those 
many months.

    Today, as he put on his workout uniform, things felt strangely 
different.  He found himself moving differently, as if something 
had changed in his brain.  Today was to be hand-to-hand 
sparring, which happened once each week, partners chosen by 
random lot.  He hoped and prayed that he doesn't draw Akane 
again, who was also in his co-ed class.  More than any other girl, 
she seemed to take some large measure of satisfaction in beating 
him up when the instructors weren't watching them too closely.  
His male classmates were somewhat sympathetic, but that was a 
small comfort.

    After initial warm-up drills, he found himself facing an 
attractive girl his age who seemed somewhat familiar, but he had 
never seen her in class before.  *She must be one of the new 
transfers over the semester break.*  One of the two instructors 
went down the line, barking out the usual instructions.  As the 
class waited for the signal to begin, his opponent studied him with 
her cool, gray eyes.  He studied her in return.  She had a very 
attractive build, and an almost aristocratic poise.  Her long hair 
was bound up in a ponytail.

    The instructor reached the end of the line.  A retired military 
officer, he took great pride in his students when they did well.  If 
they were not doing well, he became a demon incarnate.  Ranma 
remembered more than one grueling exercise session that was just 
sort of being sadistic under Sensei Takami's care.  The instructor 
raised his hand and dropped it swiftly.

    "BEGIN!"

    Ranma and the strange girl began slowly enough, blocking 
each others punches and kicks.  She was obviously testing his 
level of skill, and he could tell that she was much better than she 
appeared at the moment.  Ranma just let himself relax into the 
motions when something very unexpected happened to him.  
Looking over that moment later in his memories, it was as if 
something "clicked" in his head.  His slightly awkward posture 
firmed and his movements became swifter and more sure.

    A miracle had happened.

    The girl across from him frowned in puzzlement, and she 
began to attack him more earnestly.  Ranma found his defenses 
able to meet every one of her attacks as they went faster and 
faster, but her defenses kept him at bay as well.  By unspoken 
agreement, they cranked up the speed of their sparring by one 
notch, then another, and still another.  The world around them 
faded away, and it became a dance of skill between the two of 
them.  She was an excellent fighter, but Ranma found himself able 
to keep up with her strike for strike.  He was so lost in the moment 
that he didn't think to question why.

    Their movements became a blur of motion, but the dance was 
drawing to its inevitable close.  His fist managed to break through 
her guard, and Ranma found himself beginning to get the upper 
hand.  He began to wear her down as he dealt her a blow to the 
chin, one to the stomach, and another one to the ribs.  Her return 
strikes only grazed him, but he found himself breathing harder 
and harder.  *My endurance isn't good enough for a prolonged 
match.  I have to finish this quickly.*  Without thinking about it, 
he began to launch a final sequence of blows that should give him 
the win.  He was so focused on the fight that he never even 
thought to question how he knows that.

    "BREAK!"

    Both combatants froze in place at the distinctive snap of the 
physical instructors voice.  Sweat ran down Ranma's face in long 
streams, and his hair was plastered to his scalp.  The girl looked 
tired as well.  Ranma took several gasping breaths as his opponent 
did the same.  Her gray eyes studied him more carefully than they 
had before, and there was a flash of something that hadn't been in 
her gaze before.  Ranma was trying not to stare at her heaving 
chest by looking around at his classmates.

    They were standing around the two of them with looks that 
approached awe.  Ranma spied Akane over on one side looking at 
him with undisguised surprise on her face.  A few whispered 
conversations are taking place, but Ranma couldn't hear them 
over the thundering of blood in his ears.  Some of the girls were 
giving him appraising looks that they never had before, and some 
of the guys were looking a little jealous.

    "Mister Saotome!"  Sensei Takami's voice has a quality to it 
that Ranma had never heard before, at least not directed at him.  
"That was magnificent!  All these months of teaching you have 
finally paid off!  I knew that there was a fighter inside that 
bookish exterior!"  Sensei Takami looked like he was near tears.  
Ranma had _never_ seen that happen before.

    Ranma just stood there in shock.  The girl gave him a slight 
smile.  She shook her head, scattering a few droplets of sweat 
from the end of her ponytail.  He focused his attention back on 
her, and on her face through an effort of will.  She held out her 
hand in a friendly gesture, and Ranma took it and shook it 
automatically.  Her next words took his breath away.

    "I'm Kodachi, Kodachi Kuno.  You're a very good fighter.  I 
haven't had this much of a challenge in some time."  She smiled 
at him.  Ranma couldn't help himself from smiling in return.

    Ranma tried to get his thoughts in order.  *Kodachi Kuno?  
Hmmm.  She seems normal enough.  I wonder if her brother 
exists?*  Ranma paused to study the information from his 
alternate that had surfaced in his mind.  This version of the girl 
did not seem to be unbalanced at all.  She wasn't letting go of his 
hand either.  Her grip was strong for a girl, and her hand was very 
warm against his.  Ranma swallowed down a suddenly dry throat, 
and tried to think of something to say.  Nothing was coming out.

    Ranma's attempted reply was cut off before he could make it as 
the class ended, and the crowd around the couple swept them 
apart.  Some of the girls were giggling as they led Kodachi away, 
and she chatted animatedly with them.  Akane had a frown on her 
face as she followed behind the crowd of girls, but paused to give 
Ranma an unreadable look.  He wasn't even looking at her, so she 
stomped into the locker room, unsure why she was so annoyed at 
him.  On the other end of the athletic building, most of the boys 
were a little unsure of what to make of Ranma, so he was left to 
himself as he trudged to the locker room.

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

    Ranma was lost in thought as he walked home, his bag slung 
over his shoulder.  *So much to think about.  My neural-motor 
abilities are greatly improved, which is simply amazing.*  Ranma 
looked at his hand and slowly made a fist.  *Pop will be surprised 
when I tell him the results of my first test run.  Waitasec.... pop?*  
Ranma felt a cold shiver run down his spine.  Up until that 
moment, Genma had always been 'Father' in his thoughts.  *I'm 
changing inside, maybe more than I think I like.  Perhaps I should 
avoid returning to that quantum's personality.  If an hour long 
merger with my other self has had this effect on me, I wonder 
what the other Ranma might be experiencing now.*

    He stepped around a corner, and almost bumped into Akane 
Tendo.  She was leaning against the wall of an alley that he used 
on his way home everyday, and she seemed to be waiting for 
someone.  Her bookbag sat next to her feet.  Akane had her arms 
crossed in front of her chest.  The look on her face was one of 
annoyance at something.  She looked at Ranma as he stumbled 
back from almost stepping into her.

    "Akane... I mean, Miss Tendo."  She narrowed her eyes at him, 
and Ranma started to feel that running might be a good idea.  He 
wasn't sure why exactly, but he was sure that she was mad at him.

    "Ranma Saotome...," as she spoke, her voice had an almost 
sultry quality to it.  She stepped away from the wall and raised her 
fists into a combat stance.  Her feet shifted into an offensive 
posture.  "I challenge you!"

    "Huh?"  He took another step back, and his bag fell from his 
suddenly nerveless fingers.  "What are you talking about?  I don't 
want to fight you."

    "I saw you today, in class.  Your skill was incredible."  She 
advanced a half step in his direction, and a slight smile blossomed 
on her face.  "I don't know how you improved so much so quickly, 
but I want to see how good you really are now."

    "I don't know what your problem is, but I just want to go home 
now."  Ranma bent down to pick up his bag, and Akane's kick 
almost took his head off.  He snapped his body back, and her kick 
flashed by his face by less than an inch.  His body took up a 
fighting stance before he realized it.

    "Not bad," she said as she smiled.  "You must be very good to 
hide your skill from me for such a long time."  She lunged 
forward.  "Now we fight!"

    Ranma backpedaled out of the alleyway, dodging punches and 
kicks from Akane.  *She's serious about this,* he thought as he 
blocked a sequence of punches and combination strikes.  He 
flipped over her head, and lashed out with a spin kick.  Akane 
blocked it with an upraised arm, and she hit him with a solid 
counterstrike punch to his gut.

    The punch slammed into Ranma's stomach, driving the air 
from his lungs.  His reflexes kicked in, and his palm strike drove 
across Akane's jaw.  Her head snapped to the right, and they broke 
apart.  *Why is she so steamed up to fight me?  This is crazy.*

    Akane swallowed a little blood as she felt her jaw, but none of 
her teeth seemed to be loose.  *Ranma, you _are_ a good fighter.  
I've been missing a real challenge in my life.  When I saw you 
today, it was as if for the first time.  I knew you would be it.*

    "Could you tell me why we're fighting?"  Ranma was hoping 
that he could talk Akane out of this.  He had no real desire to hurt 
her, or be hurt _by_ her either.

    "For the challenge, of course."  She grinned at him.  "Fighting 
a strong opponent is fun."

    "Fun?"  He paused to think about that, and Akane was all over 
him again.  One of her punches slammed into his face, but his 
knee caught her low in her side.  They blocked each others 
punches and kicks, but more of Akane's blows were getting 
through.  Ranma tried to throw her away from him, but his 
balance was off and she reversed the hold.  *Oh, no,* he thought 
in horror as he knew what was about to happen.

    Akane slammed him down to the concrete on his back, and 
rapid-fired a series of left and right handed punches into his face.  
Ranma could feel the world spinning, as Akane sprang back to 
her feet with a funny look on her face.

    "Come on, Ranma.  You're not as good as I thought you'd be 
after what I saw today."  Akane frowned, as Ranma wasn't moving 
much.

    "Thought... you... hated... me," he managed to gasp out.  His 
ribs felt like they were on fire, and his face hurt with more pain 
than he ever imagined that he could feel.

    "I hate weaklings," she frowned at him.  *What's wrong with 
him?  He isn't fighting anywhere near the level he was earlier.*  
She nudged him with a toe, ready for any tricks.  Ranma groaned 
and struggled to get up.  His elbows trembled as he forced his 
body away from the concrete.

    "Why do you keep picking on me, Tendo?"  He managed to get 
back to his feet.  "You get a thrill out of beating me up?  This is 
the eighth time, I think."

    "Damn you, Ranma Saotome!"  Akane kicked a can down the 
alley in disgust.  "This is different!  You managed to hide your 
ability from me despite my bullying you, but now I know the 
truth!  You're better than this, I know it!  I need a fighter to 
challenge my skills, so I'm going to keep at you twice as hard as I 
used to.  If you know what's good for you tomorrow, you'll fight 
me with everything I saw you had in you today."  She picked up 
her bookbag and walked off in disgust.

    *What a whacked out chick.  Looks like I'm going to have to 
spend some more time with my counterpart out of self-defense.*  
Ranma tried to clean the blood and dirt off of himself as best he 
could before he picked up his bag.  He stumbled home, cursing the 
name Akane Tendo all the way.

    Ranma stopped outside the front gate and tried to ready himself 
for his mother's reaction.  *This isn't going to be pretty.*  He 
trudged up the front walk and entered the house.  He could hear 
his mother putting the finishing touches on dinner.  With any luck 
he would be able to get cleaned up in the bathroom before he ran 
into his parents.

    "I'm home!  I'm going to wash up before dinner!"  His mother 
didn't usually greet him at the door, so he didn't wait for a reply 
before he ran up the stairs as fast as his abused body could move.  
He breathed a sigh of relief as he made it to the bathroom, and 
locked the door behind himself.

    He took a look at the damages in the mirror, and they weren't 
quite as bad as he feared that they would be.  He had a black eye, a 
split lip, and some impressive bruising on his face.  His stomach 
area was bruised on both sides, but the damage didn't seem to be 
very serious since he could take a deep breath and hold it without 
much pain.  A soak in the tub would be a blessing from the gods 
right now.

    Ranma pulled out the first aid kit from under the sink, and 
applied some antiseptic to his face.  The stinging brought a 
whistling intake of breath into his lungs.  Grumbling about 
violent, psychotic, thuggish girls, he undressed to clean off before 
taking a quick soak.

    "Ranma, dear?"  His mother spoke from outside the door.  "Is 
everything all right?  You never take a bath right before dinner.  
Did your experiment not go as you planned?"  Nodoka knocked 
when he didn't answer immediately.

    "It went fine, mother.  I just had a little accident on the way 
home from school, and I need to clean up a little.  I'll be right 
down."  He prayed to whatever gods were listening that she would 
take the hint and leave him alone.

    "All right, Ranma dear.  I can put off serving dinner for half an 
hour since your father isn't home yet."  She moved off down the 
hallway, and Ranma breathed a sigh of relief.

    Sitting on the bathroom stool, he doused himself with cold 
water.  Stifling a scream of pain from the stinging caused by the 
cold water, he stood up.  The steaming water in the tub looked so 
inviting at that moment.  Ranma lowered himself into the hot 
water with a long sigh.  When the hot water hit the bruises on his 
stomach, his eyes widened briefly as a new wave of discomfort 
rolled in.

    "Akane Tendo," he muttered as he settled his head back to lie 
against the edge of the tub.  *She wants to fight me?  I think I was 
better off when she was just bullying me.  At least then she'd just 
slug me a few times and that would be it.  What am I going to do 
now?*  He sighed as the heat loosened the tight muscles, and he 
felt his body relax.  *I guess I'm going to have to check up on that 
other version of myself for another session.  I need to let more of 
his skills transfer into me.*  He relaxed as a vision of a beaten 
Akane Tendo, groveling at his feet for mercy, filled his mind.

    A little later, he climbed out of the tub and dried off.  The soak 
in hot water had done his body a lot of good.  He could move a lot 
easier now as he dressed.  Stopping at the sink, he applied a little 
more antiseptic to the few scrapes on his face.  He put a bandage 
across the bridge of his nose, and he looked halfway presentable.  
*I hope that other Ranma is having a better time than I am, right 
now.*

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

    Ranma sat back and looked at his homework stack.  All of it 
was done, and he hadn't even had any trouble with his math 
assignment.  *This is so weird.  Even my English essay looks 
better than any other one I've done.  Miss Hinako will certainly be 
surprised.  I know I am.*  He closed his notebook and flopped 
back onto his futon.  His eyes closed as he thought about his day 
today.  *Something happened just before lunch, but what?*

    His thinking was interrupted by a knock at his door.  *It must 
be Akane.  Boy, is she in for a surprise.*  He grinned a moment.

    "Come on in," he called out.

    "Ranma?  Do you need any help with your homework tonight?"  
Akane came into his room.  She took one look at his relaxed state, 
and immediately jumped to conclusions.  "Haven't you even 
started?!"

    "I'm done already."  He smirked at her confused look.

    "That's ridiculous!  You've only been up here a little over an 
hour.  I'm only half-way done with mine!  You can't possibly be 
finished!"  She picked up his homework notebook and started to 
flip through it, becoming more confused as she found assignment 
after assignment already completed.  His handwriting was even 
neater.  She looked at Ranma with a stunned look.

    "Satisfied?  I'm going to work out in the dojo now.  All this 
brain work has given me a lot of nervous energy to work off."  
Ranma sauntered past her, and out the door.  *Hah!  That ought to 
show her!*

    Akane was confused.  Ranma had zoned out twice in class 
today around lunchtime, and he had been like a different person 
since then.  He hadn't insulted her all afternoon.  He had been 
quiet at dinner, and eaten like a normal person for once.  He had 
even finished his homework in record time!  Akane didn't know 
what to make of it.

    Ranma skipped down the stairs.  Being done with his 
homework so quickly was a relief.  The only thing that slowed 
him down was history.  His memories would tell him one thing, 
but the textbook in front of him had something different in it.  
Every other subject was easy for him tonight.

    Nabiki stopped him at the bottom of the stairs.  She had a smile 
on her face, which would not be good for him.  "Ahh, just the man 
I wanted to see.  Shouldn't you be doing your homework now?"

    "I'm done already.  What do you want, Nabiki?"  Ranma tried 
to shift past her, but Nabiki blocked his path.

    "Nothing much," Nabiki said as she smiled.  "I just have a little 
task that you could do for me tomorrow to work off part of your 
outstanding debt."

    "Doing what?"  His eyes narrowed in suspicion, then he blinked 
in surprise.  Nabiki had looked different for a second, tougher.

    "Nothing too strenuous for a martial artist of _your_ caliber."  
She noticed that Ranma was looking at her strangely.  "What?"

    "Nothing.  I think my brain must be tired.  Sure, Nabiki, I'll 
give you a hand tomorrow with whatever it is that you need me 
for."  He pushed past her gently, and ran for the dojo.

    *Ranma just gets weirder every day," thought Nabiki as she 
headed for the kitchen for a little snack.

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

    His mother took things as well as can be expected, all things 
considered.  His father was late coming home, so he only had one 
concerned parent to deal with right now.

    "Ranma?!," squeaked his mother when she saw him.  "What 
happened to you, my son?"

    "It looks worse than it is.  I just had some trouble after school.  
I slipped and fell."  He settled down without any real pain into a 
kneeling position next to the dinner table.

    "It looks like you fell several times.  Rather hard."

    "I'm fine, mother.  I'm rather hungry right now though."  He 
tried a smile, since that usually worked in situations like these.

    "All right, dear.  I want you to go right to bed after dinner.  A 
good nights sleep will fix you right up."  She got up to serve him 
dinner.

    Ranma ate like a starving man, ignoring his mother's looks at 
him at first.  After a while, he slowed down.  *A martial artist 
should eat as much as he can whenever he can,* he heard in his 
thoughts, his father's gruff words of wisdom.  *Must be from the 
other Genma,* he thought with a smile.

    "Thanks for a wonderful dinner, mother.  May I be excused 
now?  I'm very tired."  He stood up.

    "Of course, son.  Have a good sleep."  She smiled as he slowly 
wandered upstairs.  When Ranma was out of sight her face fell 
into a slight frown.  *He's hiding something from me.*

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

    Ranma stumbled a little as he came into his room, before 
flipping the light switch on.  He flipped his shirt into the corner, 
and dropped the casual pants on top of it.  He yawned as he rolled 
out his futon.  *A little sleep will make everything all right.*

    Sleep claimed him moments after he finished getting 
comfortable on the pad.

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

    Ranma was staring out over a valley shrouded in mist.  *I know 
this place.  Jusenkyo.  Something terrifying happened to me here.  
Why do I fear this place?*

    "Something bad did happen to me here," Ranma heard his own 
voice speaking from behind him.

    "What?"  Ranma turned around to see himself, dressed in a 
Chinese-style shirt and black pants.  The other Ranma was seated 
in a meditation position, eyes closed.

    "You heard me.  Something terrible happened to me here.  Do 
you want to see?"  The other Ranma spoke without opening his 
eyes.

    "I... I'm not sure...," Ranma stuttered in confusion.  "Who are 
you?"

    The figure smiled in a friendly manner.

    "I'm Ranma Saotome of the Anything-Goes School of Martial 
Arts.  I guess I'm part of you now."  The figure opened his eyes 
and looked at Ranma.

    "Wh... what?  That isn't possible.  I'm having some kind of 
nightmare."  He closed his eyes.  *Come on, Ranma.  Wake up!*

    "It's not a nightmare.  I'm not sure what I am exactly.  When 
you did your experiment, something unexpected happened to 
you?"  The voice of the other Ranma moved closer.

    "I picked up fragments of memories, skills that I never had 
before."  Ranma opened his eyes to see the other Ranma looking 
him over.

    "Man... Akane really worked you over good, huh?"  The other 
Ranma poked him in the stomach.  He felt a brief twinge of pain.  
"She's a real piece of work here, isn't she?"

    Ranma studied his other self, as his other self studied him.

    "I don't think you have to worry about me taking over your 
body, or anything stupid like that.  The only time I came close to 
doing that was in your first fight earlier today."  The other Ranma 
sat back down in a lotus position on the rocks in front of him.

    "Why didn't you come out when Akane started beating the hell 
out of me?"  Ranma took a mirroring position in front of his other 
self, his back to the edge of the cliff.

    "I dunno," the other Ranma shrugged.  "I usually get beaten by 
the tomboy, so I guess I'm used to it."

    "I must be dreaming, but how can I do that if I know I'm 
dreaming?"

    The other Ranma shrugged his shoulders again.  "You're the 
brainy one.  I'm just the dumb jock."  The other Ranma frowned.

    "I'm sorry for calling you that."  Ranma bowed his head low.

    "You're me and I'm you, so it's okay."  The other Ranma 
smiled.

    "This is the most surreal thing I've ever experienced.  Will I 
remember this dream when I wake up?"

    "How should I know?  Like I said before, you're the brainy 
one."  The other Ranma sprang back to his feet and began 
performing a kata in place.  "You wanted to know about this 
place?"

    "Yes.  Why do I feel such fear here?"  Ranma shivered as if a 
cold breeze blew through him.

    "Here is where I got cursed to turn into a girl."

    "What?"  Ranma blinked for a moment.

    "Let me show you."  The other Ranma sprang at him, grabbed 
him by the collar, and pitched him over the edge of the cliff.

    "AAAAAAHHHHHHhhhhhh..."  The screams faded away as 
Ranma fell into the misty valley.

    "He wanted to know the truth, and the truth hurts sometimes."  
The other Ranma smiled.

    A small geyser of water fountained up from the pool as Ranma 
impacted, softer than he was expecting after such a high fall.  The 
water tried to force it's way into his lungs, and he began to 
struggle towards the surface.  Something felt strange as he broke 
the surface with a loud gasp.  The other Ranma was sitting near 
the edge of the pool.

    "Have a nice trip?"  The other Ranma smirked.

    "What the hell did ya do that for?!"  Ranma spluttered as his 
body floundered in the deep water.  His balance felt all off.

    "Notice any changes?"  The other Ranma looked at Ranma 
about chest level.

    "What are you...?"  Ranma found he was wearing a white gi, 
and he opened the top.  His brain almost shut down as two female 
breasts were revealed, and his mind registered that his voice was 
suddenly a higher octave.

    "Oh, sir.  You fall in Spring of Drowned Girl."  The other 
Ranma smirked at him again.  "Now do you get the idea?"

    Ranma struggled over to the side of the pool, and climbed out.  
"I don't believe this.  This is impossible.  My mass has changed, 
and my size.  Physics says this is impossible."  He opened the gi 
top again, and just kept looking at his naked chest in stark 
amazement.

    "It's magic.  Anything is possible with magic."  The other 
Ranma looked unhappy.  "Anything but cure me."

    A steaming kettle appeared next to the other Ranma.  He 
picked it up and poured the contents over Ranma.  Ranma felt his 
limbs tremble a moment, and then he was his proper self again.  
His clothes even changed back to what he was wearing before.

    "How did this happen to you?"

    "My stupid father took me to this legendary training ground in 
China.  Now he turns into a panda, I turn into a girl, and several 
other people I know turn into other things."  The other Ranma 
turned to look out over the valley of pools.  "Life isn't all bad, 
though.  My life is an adventure."

    "So where do we go from here?"  Ranma turned to study his 
alternate self.

    "This is your dream.  I'm just memories from a life you never 
had to live.  Your life is a lot better than mine is in some ways."

    "What do you think will happen when I try the Resonator 
again?  Should I try your life again, or try other lives?"

    "I really don't know what might happen if you went back to my 
life," responded the other Ranma with a shrug of his shoulders.  
"You could end up with more of me in here, I suppose.  Some of 
you is probably left over in the real me, as much as I'm here in 
you.  We're both the same person though, aren't we?"  Ranma sat 
down on the path between the pools and cupped his chin with his 
hand.

    "You certainly don't talk like a dumb jock."  Both Ranma's 
grinned.  "The strange thing is that I feel like I'm more complete 
for having you here."

    "Thanks."  The other Ranma stood up, and the scenery changed 
to that of a strange building.

    "A dojo of some sort?"  Ranma found he was back in a gi, but 
the other Ranma remained in his Chinese-style clothes.

    "We might as well try to do some training of your neuro-motor 
abilities while we're together.  Your mental wiring has already 
been affected somewhat by the Resonator, I guess.  That's the only 
reason I can think of why you'd suddenly gain ten years of combat 
training in your abilities."  The other Ranma moved to the center 
of the dojo mat.  "Shall we begin?"