Quantum Destinies
A Ranma Fanfic
By Steven Thesken (jurai-knight@home.com)
This is purely a work of fanfiction done for fun, so please read and
enjoy. Comments and Criticisms are always welcome. It helps me to
know what is working, and what I need to work on to improve my
writing. Flames are ejected into an appropriate receptacle.
This idea occurred to me after I finished the science-fiction novel
"Paths to Otherwhere" by James P. Hogan, a great book by an author I
have long liked.
Ranma and all other associated characters are owned by Kitty and the
ever-creative Rumiko Takahashi. This is primarily a Ranma fanfic,
but I will be bringing in characters from other series for added color.
They will mainly be used for lesser roles or villains. Any new
characters are the property of the author.
Version 1.0 of this story may be found on a few places on the Web
since I first began writing it, or you may email the author for them:
Cursed One's Anime Fanfiction
http://members.xoom.com/Cursed_One/fanfic.html
Gorlando's Tribute to Ranma 1/2
http://home.one.net/~gorlando/Anime/ranma/index.html
Nostradamus Vault of Anime Fanfics
http://Nyx.Webjump.com/
Author's Note: Thoughts will be bracketed by a * on each end. Any
speech other than Japanese will be bracketed by < and >.
Chapter One contains a brief explanation of some of the terminology
and pseudo-science used.
What has gone before in this story....
On a parallel Earth that diverged from the standard Ranma timeline
over five hundred years ago, the Empire of Japan rules almost half the
world and has done so for almost a century. A young scientist named
Ranma Saotome has returned to Japan with his father for the first time
in ten years to study at the Imperial Academy. Ranma brought with
him plans that he created for a device that would enable him to
mentally link himself with alternate versions of himself on other
timelines, to prove his father's theories on the existence of alternate
worlds. At the Academy, Ranma meets Akane and Nabiki Tendou,
who are studying at the Academy to become members of the Imperial
Security Directorate. Their father, Soun Tendou, is a powerful man
within the structure of the Directorate and expects his children to
follow in the Tendou family traditions of service to the Empire. While
at the Academy, Ranma constructs his device and mentally links with
another version of himself, a young martial artist....
Chapter 2 - First Steps
***** Earth #0001-001
Ranma calmly reached over to the Resonator and flipped the main
power bar off. He listened to the hum of electricity racing through the
components slowly die as the device shut down. With a neutral
expression, he stared at the small accumulation of equipment, the
culmination of two years of planning finally fulfilled. He sat, mildly
surprised that he didn't feel the elation usually associated with major
successes. Instead, he felt calm and relaxed.
*I did it,* he thought with a sudden bemused expression. The
expression on his face lightened into a bright smile as the reality of
what he had done finally sank in. He punched his fist into the air. "I
did it!" he shouted, before quieting once more into thoughtfulness.
"But what do I do now?" he wondered to the empty room. Ranma
looked at his hand, opening it back up and closing it once more into a
tight fist. A quiet grin appeared on his face. His memories of that
alternate life were bright and clear in his mind, even the smells of the
food that he had eaten. He imagined that, if he inhaled, he could still
smell the subtle tang of spices.
Then there were the girls. Ranma closed his eyes, remembering the
expressions of love on their faces as they had gazed at him, at the
other Ranma. To have two such attractive girls look at him in such a
way had affected him more than he thought it ever would. *Shampoo
and Ukyou,* he thought with a smile. *And Akane Tendou.* His
smile faded. *Why did a duplicate of myself have to be in love with
Akane Tendou, of all people?*
Ranma sat down on the couch, picking up the discarded neural
interlink headset. He ran his thumb across one of the small contact
plates, imagining that he could feel the spark of wizardry within it that
had made his dreams a reality. Ranma had always loved science and
learning, always knowing that there was no mystery that he could not
solve. Today, he finally crossed a boundary that few men were even
aware existed, and it had left him changed.
Standing up and renewing the soft grin on his face, Ranma took a
few experimental punches at the empty air. His body felt awkward,
the unexpected ease of his earlier movements was now absent. He
bumbled the strikes he attempted, motions that felt almost instinctive
mere moments before. *I guess it wasn't as much of a change as I
thought.*
Ranma pictured in his mind an image of that other Ranma, a
martial artist, and smiled. Compared to himself, that Ranma led a far
more exciting life, certainly one more carefree than his own. It was a
life that Ranma found himself actually wishing that he had, for a
moment, even though he was sure that it had its own difficulties.
*Still, it looked like a fun life,* he thought as he began putting his
equipment back in order. *I think I'd like to see more of it. It's not
like my life will ever become half as exciting.*
"That was an unbelievable experience," he muttered aloud. "To
walk in a life that is so very different from my own. I wonder what
else my other alternative selves are up to?" The possibilities were
simply staggering, and Ranma found himself wanting to see as many
of them as he could. Quantum band sixteen alone promised to yield an
enormous wealth of rich experiences and maybe even some
adventures.
*If I could learn to fight like that other Ranma, then Akane Tendou
would, at the least, cease to be a concern in my own life, and she could
go pick on some weaker target and leave me alone.* He briefly
imagined himself standing triumphantly over a defeated Akane,
certain that that would end his troubles with the girl. He would pay
her back for the weeks of bullying that she had given him.
Ranma finished straightening his equipment, bemused again by his
brief burst of athletic skill. He knew that he didn't have the sheer
physical abilities of the other Ranma, but the extra training after his
regular classes was bringing him closer to it. Given time and enough
motivation, he felt sure that he could match his quantum brother. His
previous feelings of resentment for his physical training were muted
somewhat now. *The Empire believes in strong minds and bodies,*
he thought wryly. *I'll show them all just how strong I can be.*
Ranma flipped open his notebook as he sat at the small electronics
bench. His thoughts continued to race as he made a few initial notes
on his experiences with his first alternate life. *I wonder if there were
any side-effects for the other Ranma? Could he have learned some of
what I know? If that's so, I may just have made a dumb jock into a
scholastic genius.* Ranma grinned at the thought.
Taking a quick glance at his watch, Ranma piled his books into his
bag. For the first time, he was looking forward to his physical
education class. Quickly finishing, Ranma threw a cloth cover over
the computer and the small stacks of equipment next to it. Hefting the
bag onto his shoulder, he unlocked and opened the lab door. The
hallway beyond was quiet, dimly lit by bare tracks of fluorescent bulbs.
His thoughts continued to contemplate the new world that now lay
open before him, all the myriad possibilities of life that were now his
to explore.
Ranma shut the lights off in his lab, closed and locked the door
behind him, and pocketed the key. He found himself unable to stop
grinning as he walked up the stairs.
******************************
***** Earth #0001-211
Ranma slipped the neural interlink headset from off his skull and
sighed quietly. He felt a mild headache starting behind one of his
eyes, probably due to some sort of feedback from his latest failed
attempt to achieve full immersement into one of his alternate lives.
Ranma was unable to understand what was wrong, he was able to lock
onto an alternate timeline and achieve good signal stability in most of
his initial test runs, only occasionally encountering interference. But
when it came time to try for full immersion, he kept running into more
of that static interference taking place. The last attempt had been his
fourth for the day.
Ranma set the neural interlink headset down on the couch next to
his head. *Feedback... interference... what can they mean?* He
suddenly blinked his eyes open, surprised at what he hadn't considered
before. *Alternate timelines, each one with another version of myself
doing the exact same experiments. If just one other Ranma is locking
onto the same timeline at the same moment, then we would interfere
with each other.*
Ranma put an arm over his eyes, feeling his headache fade a little
already. *If that's true, then probability could have any number of us
matching up to the same alternate timelines at any one given moment.
I just have to keep trying and think of it like attempting to login to a
busy computer network. Eventually, I'll get through. I hope.*
If he couldn't solve the interference problem, then it might be time
to start looking at the only other alternative in his notes. The one that
he initially dismissed as nonsense when he recovered it from his
strange dream, a physical method of transport between dimensions.
Ranma's notes on it were even more fragmentary than they were for
the first one, but the central equation had emerged intact. Perhaps it
was time to stop chasing a possible dead-end.
Ranma heard the soft chime of the clock on his workbench. Time
to face another humiliation at the hands of Akane Tendou.
******************************
***** Earth #0001-397
Ranma opened his eyes and blinked up at the bright lights of his lab
area beneath the Academy. If it had been up to him, the lights would
have been left in their original condition. His unexpected lab partner
felt differently, preferring more light in the room, and Ranma hadn't
felt like fighting over the matter. A face moved into his vision, and it
took him a moment to realize who it was after his recent experience.
"Welcome back, Ranma," said Nabiki with one of her rare smiles.
She touched his face with a warm hand and bent down for a gentle
kiss. Ranma returned it with a shy smile and sat up.
"Did everything work as I thought it would while I was... away?"
said Ranma as he turned to look at his equipment. Nabiki had shied
away from being the first to try for a full immersion, so Ranma had
gone himself.
"Things went as you told me they would," reported Nabiki with her
face returned to its normal serious look. "I kept an eye on all of your
equipment readouts, and everything remained in the green. If I hadn't
known better, I would have simply thought that you were asleep. So...
what was it like? The equipment read that it was somewhere on
quantum band four."
"It was... different," answered Ranma, after a long moment to try
and compose his reply. "The world of that other life was very, very
different. The Empire was at war and had been for about six years, the
latest in a series of wars with the remnants of the Western powers. I
was a fighter pilot with the Eight Hundred and First Imperial Tactical
Training Squadron, a lieutenant, even at my young age. The Empire
was running dangerously low on pilots after some brutal losses in
campaigns in Africa. Akane, of all people, was my wingmate. She
seemed to be happy being a soldier."
A brief but pleasant memory of Akane filling out her snug, red
flight suit appeared in his mind. Wisely, he did not let himself dwell
on it, or to let Nabiki see that he was even thinking about such things.
If things had gone a little differently, perhaps Akane would be the one
seated next to him now.
"I can imagine," said Nabiki with a smirk. She paused for a long
moment, her face looking thoughtful. "I still think that I should tell
my father a bit about what it is that you've discovered down here. The
espionage possibilities alone are...."
Ranma silenced her with a firm kiss to her lips, and she relaxed into
his arms after only a moment of hesitation. *No, Nabiki, not quite
yet,* Ranma thought with an inward smile. *I just know that they'll
try and take it away from me, and I don't want that. There's so much
more that I want to learn.*
Memories of that other life still echoed in his mind: the feel of a
fighter jet under his control; the sweet thrill of his aerial practice duel
with the ace pilot of the Six Hundred and Twelfth Imperial Tactical
Training Squadron, Ukyou Kuonji; and, the look on Akane Tendou's
face after his victory and subsequent landing. Luckily, the skills to
accomplish these things appeared, as if by magic, in his mind mere
moments after full synchronization was achieved. Even now, he was
fairly confident that he could jump into an Imperial jet fighter and fly
like an expert.
That sort of experience was a rush that he did not want to part with
to such gray people as populated the Security Directorate. They would
never understand the full concepts, or the wonder of it all, only seeing
it as an information-gathering device of some sort. *As long as I can
keep Nabiki Tendou on my side, she can help me fend off her fellow
curiosity-seekers among the Security cadets.*
Ranma's thoughts briefly filled with memories of their first meeting,
when he first walked onto the Academy grounds. The two of them had
felt an immediate attraction towards each other, and both badly needed
to have someone in their lives to replace a recent heartbreak. Nabiki,
due to her having recently ended a bad relationship with one of her
fellow Security cadets, and Ranma, still feeling the loss of Kodachi
Kunou when she had left him in Paris to return to her family and an
arranged marriage.
As Kodachi had told him, before boarding the plane that returned
her back to Japan and her life among the lower nobility, "We'll always
have Paris, Ranma." She had flown out of his life, and he mourned for
the loss of her love.
Now, however, he had Nabiki Tendou. They filled a need in each
other that neither was aware of before, until that first time that they
looked into each others eyes during the welcoming ceremonies and felt
an almost magical attraction to each other. The cast-iron bitch that
Nabiki portrayed herself as melted away over the following few weeks
to reveal a gentle warmth inside. Ranma's arrogant assumption after
being burned by love once, that romance was for lesser intellects, was
worn away by that warmth.
It had been an interesting couple of months since their first meeting.
Nabiki soon learned what he was working on and decided to help
him with his project. She was fascinated by his dream and had sworn
herself to the utmost secrecy about his work. To the best of his
knowledge, she continued to keep that promise.
Now they had a multitude of parallel worlds to explore together, and
Ranma hoped that his other quantum selves were as happy.
******************************
***** Earth #0001-001
The figure moved smoothly and gracefully through the weapon
kata, each motion blending seamlessly into the next. Eyes closed in
deep concentration, he twisted and wove his wooden practice blade as
he pretended to fight with a dozen opponents. He was Tatewaki
Kunou, already approaching mastery of his craft, and considered to be
one of the most promising young duelists in the Empire.
Kunou brought the wooden blade back into his original starting
position to finish, both hands wrapped around the handle held in front
of his stomach, the bokken slanted upwards at the proper angle. Not
even a single degree of deviation from the proper form existed in his
stance. He opened his eyes and let his concentration break. Loud
clapping from a single pair of hands behind him caused him to turn.
"You never get tired of all those weapons drills, do you?" said an
amused male voice that he knew well. Kunou completed his turn to
see one of his fellow students at Whitehall Academy, a tall, handsome
youth named Mikado Sanzenin, observing him with a grin. Mikado
was dressed in his usual finery, a spotless blue uniform, only modified
by a white scarf at the neck.
"They serve a necessary purpose," Kunou said with a shrug of his
shoulders. "I must strive to improve my skills constantly, ere I fall to
one more dedicated than myself."
To this day, Kunou wasn't sure how he came to be friends with a
foppish sort like Sanzenin. True, both of them came from extremely
distinguished bloodlines and some of the finest of the Families, the
noble lords of the Empire, but they were a study in contrasts. Tall and
dark-haired, Kunou was a proud descendant of a warrior Family and
determined to follow in the glorious footsteps of his divine ancestors.
He held this attitude despite the modern age's slight disdain for such
things in its Citizens, the strength that had built an Empire. On the
other hand, Mikado Sanzenin was a laughing rogue, light-haired and
light-minded, a pursuer of his own pleasures, and somewhat of a mild
disappointment to his own noble Family.
The Kunou Family consisted of nobles of an ancient sort, their
lineage extending back to the rise of the first samurai. Despite their
impressive background, they were still only one of the Minor Families,
a situation that Kunou's father had been working to remedy for many
years now without much success. The Greater Families were rather
jealous of their positions and did not suffer upstarts well, even upstarts
from as ancient a lineage as the Kunous.
In comparison, the Sanzenin Family, though just as ancient a noble
bloodline, arose to prominence only in relatively recent times in the
Empire, less than two centuries ago. They had chosen the path of the
merchant warrior, ready to defend their goods against all, but also
ready to make a profit. Their original fortunes expanded greatly
during the gold rush and early colonial efforts in the frozen wilderness
of Arasaka, and they had used that wealth to buy up several sizable
holdings in frontier regions of the Empire. Considered small when
compared to the most powerful Families in the Empire, the Sanzenin's
cunningly married themselves into some of the most influential of the
Minor Families, and were now a force to be reckoned with.
Mikado and Kunou had been friends for a few years, finding
something missing in their own lives in each other. Mikado, for
example, was a master at dealing with women, and Kunou... was not.
In exchange for his friend's able assistance in such matters, Kunou had
helped Mikado improve his fighting skills. Early on, he was very
surprised to learn that Mikado was well-trained in the stick-fighting
and barehanded methods of Escrima from time spent at one of the
Sanzenin holdings in the Philippines.
"There is more to life than fighting, my friend," said Mikado with a
sad shake of his head. "Already, I don't believe that there is a match
for you among the young nobility when it comes to combat... except
maybe for myself." Mikado grinned his roguish grin once more.
"There is truth in what you say," acknowledged Kunou solemnly.
He made a dramatic gesture with his bokken. "I have fought well over
one hundred skilled opponents with a weapon like this in my hand,
and never once known defeat. However, I doubt that you would defeat
me, despite your grace and skill. You are a dancer at combat, my
friend, but I have been bred and trained all of my life to fight as a
warrior. I fear that none of our peers shall ever offer me a true and
worthy challenge in my life, so perhaps I should begin to consider
seeking it from those older than I. I fear that our generation has
grown soft. There are no true warriors left among us, save for myself."
"Well, maybe someday we might see, but I have no real interest in
fighting anyone," said Mikado with a smile. "Perhaps to win the love
of a woman. After all, there is only one thing that I truly value, a
beautiful woman. Speaking of which, how _is_ your sister?"
Kunou grimaced. His innocent flower of a sister was one of the few
things that could arouse his protective instincts. Kodachi attended
Whitehall's sister Academy, Blackhall. He was aware that there was
no real danger in Mikado's intentions, but long ago Kunou had sworn
to keep his sister safe from men who would abuse her naive trust. He
knew from experiencing his own desires towards the fairer sex that
there was a beast within all men, a slavering monster of lusts. To turn
his quiet and shy sister over to anyone would require that man to prove
himself to Kunou first.
So far, none had done so. Kunou doubted there was any man who
could.
"My sister fares well," answered Kunou gruffly. "But I worry for
her. This past month she has been like a stranger to me. She has even
renewed her combat training, which I find to be... passing strange."
"She has seemed distant whenever I have seen her of late," said
Mikado thoughtfully. "I thought perhaps there had been some tragedy
in your home that I was unaware of."
"It all began almost three weeks ago, when my sister woke the
household with screaming...," said Kunou, remembering.
******************************
***** Earth #0002-568
Kodachi was running, her lungs aching, as bullets whined by her
head. Behind her, several men armed with pistols and the distinctive
black body armor of the Security Directorate pursued her relentlessly
down the hallway as she strove to escape them. Her goal was coming
within reach.
"Don't kill her, you fools!" shouted one of the men. "Director
Tendou has given strict orders that she be taken alive! She's the only
one left who can understand the technology!"
Reaching the steel door, Kodachi turned and fired her stolen pistol
at her pursuers. The Security agents dove for cover to the floor as she
fired off half of the magazine in rapid succession. Her other hand
fumbled the key into the lock, a key wet with blood that was not her
own.
The key turned easily, unlocking the door, and she threw it partly
open. Using the doorframe for momentary cover, Kodachi fired off a
few more rounds down the hall as she recovered the keys and ducked
inside the lab.
The laboratory door slammed shut behind Kodachi, and she quickly
rammed the sturdy deadbolt home. Her hand shakily flipped on the
overhead lights. *Ranma's lab...,* she thought miserably. *How had
it all gone so horribly wrong?* She felt tears wash down her face in
two streams, marring her makeup. Fists thudded against the thick
door on the other side.
"One of you men go and get something to break this door down,"
she heard one of them say. Kodachi moved away from the door. She
didn't have much time, and she doubted that recall would take her
back home. If she was going to escape, she had to engineer it herself.
Her eyes fell on the small stacks of equipment, currently sitting
uncovered in the middle of the lab.
She had appeared in this timeline by accident. In her home world,
Ranma had been conducting tests late at night, since it seemed that the
interference effect lessened at those times. She volunteered to be his
test subject since he wanted to monitor the synchronization stability.
During the scanning phase of the test, something went horribly wrong,
an intense power surge of some sort ran through the equipment.
She remembered the feel of the contact plates frying to her skull, the
smell of her own burning flesh and hair in her nostrils. Then, she was
elsewhere, elsewhen. In this timeline, one of Ranma's other selves had
visited a year ago and left sufficient knowledge of the Resonator's
secrets in his counterpart here to allow him to construct a device of his
own. The Kodachi of this timeline attended here as a Science cadet,
like she did in her home timeline.
The Security Directorate learned of the existence of the device when
Ranma mentioned it to Nabiki Tendou, daughter of the current
Director. Soun Tendou had ordered all those with working knowledge
of the device's functions rounded up to prevent others from learning of
its existence. The Empire was in the midst of a vast civil war, and
such a device could yield highly valuable intelligence data to the side
which possessed it.
Ranma was shot through the chest during his capture by a sniper,
right before her eyes, and Kodachi had no idea who would do such a
thing. He died in her arms, his life's blood staining the cloth of her
skirt as the Security agents attempted to track down the sniper. It was
during the confusion that Ranma, with his final breaths, gave her the
keys to his lab and told her to escape this world. She used the skills
obtained from one of one of her other lives to sneak away into the
darkness. However, her freedom wouldn't last for much longer, and
she had no desire to risk dying here.
Kodachi powered up the Resonator and cursed rather unladylike
things at its primitiveness. The basic functions seemed to be the same,
but its range was much more limited than her Ranma's had been and
the scanning module software was less than a third of the speed. She
ran it through the startup routine as quickly as she could. While she
waited, she gathered all of Ranma's notes and schematic drawings and
set fire to them; the flames were strangely soothing to her.
When it was finally ready, Kodachi was watching the last wisps of
this Ranma's works crisp into ashes. There was a dull thudding at the
steel door, possibly from some sort of ram being used to try and force
the door open. She eyed the deadbolt; it would not hold up for long.
Kodachi hurried herself as fast as she was able to.
The equipment's primitive nature actually made her planned
sabotage even easier. After she had transited out of this life, a simple
virus she wrote would purge the computer memory. Without the
notebooks or control software, the Resonator was essentially a large
paperweight. The virus would run once synchronization and transfer
was complete. This Kodachi would be an empty shell at that point,
much like her original body must be now, if it lived through being
electrocuted by the power surge which sent her here.
That thought made her feel very... alone.
The door shuddered once more, shaking Kodachi from her reverie.
She leaned back on the couch and settled the bulky interlink headset
over her head, pausing for a moment to look up at the ceiling over her
head. One hand reached over and tapped a key, and she saw the
screen begin running calculations. A pair of sine wave graphs sat
below the streams of numbers, frozen in place. The door shuddered
again under another solid impact.
Kodachi forced herself to ignore the door as the calculations began
to slow down and finally stopped on a single set of numbers. The two
sine waves moved together as synchronization began. *Just let me
have a few more seconds... please.*
The door exploded open as Kodachi screamed with fear....
******************************
***** Earth #0001-001
Kodachi surged up in her bed, screaming in terror. She looked
wildly around the room, expecting to see sinister shapes coming at her
from the darkened corners. Her breathing started to slow when the
door to her room burst open, causing her to scream once more.
"Sister!" shouted Kunou. "What is it?!" He was armed with one of
his many bokkens, alternating scanning the room with looking at his
younger sister cowering behind the sheets of her bed.
Kodachi blinked, seeing Kunou just as she remembered him from
her original life, looking like a warrior from the old tales. She began
to cry.
Kunou set his weapon beside her bed and sat down next to her. *I
forget how fragile that she is.* He cursed himself for frightening her
so, aware that she must have had another one of her infrequent
nightmares. He pulled her into a comforting hug and felt her body
racked with sobs of fear and grief.
"Shhh... Kodachi..., " Kunou said quietly, unused to the position of
comforter. "Do not fear, for I am with you. No harm shall come to
you while I breathe." He patted her on the back, feeling her trembling
with fear in his arms.
Kodachi tried to calm herself as the memories of this life flooded
her awareness. It was not too different from her original life, save for
the events of the last twenty months. In this life, she had chosen to
attend Blackhall Academy, like many of her female peers among the
lower nobility, studying dance and gymnastics. In her old life, she
accepted a place at the Imperial Senior Academy as a Science cadet.
The decision point apparently came when she won the gold medal
in Paris at the World Gymnastics Competition, instead of the silver
that she had in her original life. Here, her parents urged her to pursue
her training even harder, and she had conceded to their wishes. This
body was even stronger and more capable than she had thought herself
ever to become, leanly muscular underneath very womanly curves. It
reminded her of the shape that she was in in the timeline where she
was a warrior.
This Kodachi had few friends though, devoting herself to her
studies. The other girls at Blackhall were jealous of her for some
reason and excluded her from their many cliques. The few young men
who had expressed an interest in her, those who attended the all-male
Academy of Whitehall, were apparently unable to get past her brother
Kunou, who was fiercely determined to protect her from what he
viewed as their lustful attentions. In this life she was very lonely.
Meeting Ranma in her original life had given her a rare friendship,
one her brother never knew of.
Kunou felt Kodachi's sobbing grow still. As the man of the house
while their parents were away, it was his responsibility to take care of
her. He was unsure what to do about the demons that pursued her in
her dreams, save to offer her a comforting shoulder to cry on. Luckily,
the nightmares of her childhood had grown rarer and farther apart in
recent years. They made her seem so fragile to his eyes.
"I... thank you for your concern, brother dear," said Kodachi with a
few light sniffles. "I am better now. The dream is far away from me."
"Are you sure?" asked Kunou, sitting back and releasing her. He
studied her face to see if he could discern what her true feelings were.
"It has been many months since your last nightmare."
"I said I'm fine," Kodachi snapped, and a moment later regretted it.
Almost all of the memories of this new life had settled into place
quickly, since the differences were so recent. Ranma had shown her
that she could be independent, and he always treated her as an equal,
not as some sort of doll, like her brother did. "I apologize, brother
dear. I appreciate your concern for me, but I would prefer to be alone
now."
Kunou nodded, stood up, nodded, and quietly left the room.
As he left, Kodachi noticed a familiar gleam on the table next to her
bed. She reached out and picked up the small golden crucifix with
trembling hands, a gift from her mother long ago. The trembling
stilled when the small, gold symbol was in her hands, and she stared
out into the darkness beyond her window in the Kunou mansion and
tried to contemplate her future.
******************************
"That was when you noticed the changes?" asked Mikado. Kunou
nodded and settled himself in at the edge of the practice mat. Mikado
sat next to him a moment later.
"Kodachi had always been such a gentle creature, the very image of
a noblewoman," said Kunou. "This new Kodachi was like unto one of
those commoner girls attending the Imperial Academy, independent-
minded. The very next day after her nightmare, I chanced to
encounter her in the mansion's training hall, working out. She was...
surprisingly skilled in combat techniques." Kunou's voice broke for a
moment, pride in his sister mixed with concern.
"That explains how she was able to knock Asuka Saginomiya out a
few weeks ago," said Mikado in a thoughtful tone. "I understand that
it was quite a fight...." It had also given him a very rare opportunity to
provide comfort to the blonde beauty. The slap to his face had been
well worth it for a kiss of those lips.
******************************
Kodachi was in a rush to get to her next class when a figure stepped
out of one of the side hallways, trailed by several cronies. The blonde
leader stood in front of her and snapped an arm out, blocking
Kodachi's path.
"What's your hurry, little princess?" asked Asuka with a smile. "We
have some unfinished business, you and I. You owe me and my
friends some protection money."
Kodachi paused, memories of bullying done by this girl springing
into her awareness. *Asuka Saginomiya... the self-proclaimed 'White
Lily' of Blackhall Academy.* Kodachi turned to coolly look the other
girl in the eyes.
"You and I have no business with each other, Asuka," Kodachi said
in neutral tones. "I would suggest, for your own sake, that you remove
yourself from my path and never bother me again in the future."
"OHHOHOHOHOHOHO!" laughed Asuka loudly, putting a hand in
front of her mouth in a semblance of ladylike behavior. She dropped
her hand when she finished laughing, the amused look immediately
fading from her face to be replaced by a more dangerous look. "Ooo...
listen to Princess Kunou," said Asuka with a sneer, looking back at her
followers. A moment later, she returned her mocking gaze back to
Kodachi. "And what happens if I don't do as you say?"
A few moments later, as the Poetry Club was enjoying the sun and
fresh air on the front grass of Blackhall, a female body came hurtling
unexpectedly through one of the second story windows. The girls
scattered as the famed White Lily barely managed to land on her feet
as she came down on the grass. A bruise from a punch marred the
complexion of her cheek, and fury lit her eyes.
Above, a few of the girls noticed Kodachi Kunou standing framed
in the shattered remnants of the window, an odd smirk on her face.
They saw her leap out from the window, body curling into a tight spin
for a moment, before her feet touched down gracefully on the grass.
The skirt of her uniform settled around her legs.
"Care to try again, Asuka-chan?" said Kodachi gently, as she raised
her arms into a combat stance, the picture of a confident fighter.
"You struck my cheek!" screamed Asuka in fury. "Marred my
beauty! Where did _you_ ever learn how to fight?!" The blonde girl
noticed that they were gathering a small crowd. Thankfully, most of
the boys at Whitehall were away on a field trip, so she wouldn't have
to contend with Kodachi's tiresome brother attempting to interfere.
She glared at the girls around them, and they scattered back from her
fierce gaze.
"You'll find that I'm full of surprises today," said Kodachi in a
bored tone. "Come closer and I'll give you a matching bruise on your
other cheek. So, are you going to rant some more... or fight?" She felt
exhilarated by the fight and hoped that it would last for a little while.
It would give her an opportunity to work off some of her frustrations.
"I'm going to KILL YOU!!" roared Asuka, charging at Kodachi.
She lashed out with a karate punch, and Kodachi ducked to one side.
Her left fist struck upwards and rocked Asuka's head to the other side.
They quickly traded blows and blocks before springing apart once
more.
Asuka heard the whispers around them, and her fury deepened. She
had been top girl at this Academy since she arrived. None of the older
girls had dared to challenge her like this, even those who were fighters
themselves. *Suddenly the mousy little gymnast Kodachi Kunou
grows a spine. Looks like I'm going to have to rip it out of her and
teach this little girl her place here. _I_ run this school! Kodachi
Kunou is NOTHING!!*
Asuka leaped at Kodachi and began throwing a furious assault of
punches and kicks. She was shocked to discover her opponent
blocking or dodging each strike, and a counterstrike punch slipped
past her guard to slam into her ribs. Ignoring the sudden pain, Asuka
drove her elbow up under Kodachi's chin, cracking her head back.
She followed it up with a savage knee into the other girl's gut.
Kodachi backed up, tears springing to her eyes from the pain of the
two blows. She ducked a spin kick by Asuka and lashed upwards with
a side kick of her own, managing to catch the blonde girl low in the
belly. Kodachi followed it up with an uppercut punch that caught
Asuka flat-footed. Her head popped up, a glazed look in her eyes, as
Kodachi spun herself around in a full turn and drove her foot across
Asuka's face in a powerful spin kick.
Asuka Saginomiya's head snapped to one side, and blood flew from
her mouth, as her body flew back to crash down hard on one of the
lunch tables. *I'm... losing....* Total disbelief colored her thoughts.
She laid there for a moment, dazedly watching the sky.
Kodachi dropped back into a ready stance and tilted her head to
each side, feeling the bones in her neck crackle and pop back into
place. A smile appeared on her face as she noticed the other girls
watching her with expressions approaching awe. *There's a new
Kodachi Kunou in town, ladies,* the dark-haired girl thought with a
smile. Establishing her new place in the social pecking order was long
overdue, especially against a bully like Asuka Saginomiya.
Asuka shook off her pain. Kodachi was faster and more skilled
than she had ever suspected. Fear briefly filled her but was quickly
replaced by more anger. *I am NOT going to lose to that pampered
princess!* She hopped off of the table in a vaulting leap that carried
her up into the sky.
Kodachi lost sight of the other girl in the sun. Shading her face
with one hand, she was almost caught by surprise by the rapidly-
descending Asuka. The blonde girl's foot clipped her across the
shoulder, driving her into the grass in a tumble. Kodachi rolled out of
it only to catch each of Asuka's fists into her face in rapid succession
before she could fully recover, causing her to reel back from the blows.
"You're NOTHING, Kunou!" shouted Asuka into her face. "I want
you to admit that!" Her fist struck Kodachi across the face once again.
"You're no fighter! So beg me for forgiveness, or I will BREAK
YOU!!!" Again her fist cracked across Kodachi's face, knocking her
off her feet.
Dazed, her thoughts unfocused, Kodachi felt herself being lifted up
by the front of her uniform. Her feet dangled against the grass. She
felt strangely distant, and observed inanely that blood was leaking
from her nose. *Mother will be upset with me for getting my clothes
dirty,* she thought as her clarity slowly returned.
Asuka held Kodachi up by one arm, confident that she had regained
her control of the situation. She slapped Kodachi hard across the face
a couple of times, watching the other girl's eyes returning to focus on
her once more. Asuka's look was cold. "Wake up, Kodachi... time to
end this."
Asuka pulled back her fist and struck down, a confident smile on
her face, despite the blood spilling from a split lip and battered nose.
Kodachi's hand suddenly caught Asuka's fist in mid-strike and held
it there.
"I agree," said Kodachi with a sudden, cruel smile. Asuka could
only blink in surprise when Kodachi's free hand struck her up under
the jaw, lifting her body into the air. While the other girl was still
descending from midair, Kodachi dropped one hand to the ground and
launched both feet into Asuka's stomach. They impacted hard, driving
the air from the blonde girl's lungs.
Asuka's body crashed to the ground, unconscious. *The White Lily
has been clipped,* thought Kodachi with a tired smile. Fighting had
taken more out of her than she thought. She let her knees sag to the
ground as she caught her breath and wiped at the blood coming from
her nose with her handkerchief. *Long live the new Kodachi Kunou.*
Kodachi stood up when Asuka's cronies came to check on their
fallen leader. A single glare from her eyes stopped any of them from
acting to avenge Asuka's loss. Ignoring the amazed whispers of the
crowd, she calmly walked back into the building. A weary smile lit
her face. *It's time to make some other changes in my life.*
******************************
"So that was the tale of how she came to be injured," calmly
remarked Kunou. "She would not tell me how she came by the bruises
on her face, claiming that they were from a simple accident in her
gymnastics class." He was less bothered by this new revelation than
he had thought he might be. "My sister has chosen to follow the path
of a warrior, as a true daughter of the Kunou Family. It will... ease my
mind a fraction to know that she can take care of herself."
"So does that mean I can take her on a date now?" joked Mikado in
half-serious tones. He saw Kunou eyeing him neutrally, and he
coughed into his fist. "Anyway... where do you suppose that she has
been going after classes are over the last few weeks?"
"I do not know, my friend," Kunou replied. "I asked her about it
once, and she requested that I leave her alone on the matter."
"Did you?" inquired Mikado curiously.
"Of course," answered Kunou. "I respect my sister's wishes. If she
desires to be alone, then I will abide."
"What if she's meeting a man?" Mikado said idly. There was a very
sudden stillness in his friend, an almost deadly calm. "Kunou?"
"My sister... would not do such a thing," answered Kunou slowly.
"She knows what I would do to any man taking advantage of her naive
innocence. Have you heard something?"
"Uhmm... not really," answered Mikado. "I have heard that she has
been spending some time near the Imperial Academy grounds lately.
Perhaps she made a friend with one of the female cadets."
"That might be so," said Kunou. "Perhaps I should make an
investigation into this matter more fully for myself. If she has met a
man in secret, then that sneaking scoundrel shall answer to the might
of Tatewaki Kunou!"
******************************
***** Earth #0016-502
"You will have fifty minutes to complete this exam, class," said
Sensei Takami, the science teacher. "I trust that all of you studied well
for it. This section of material is commonly on most college entrance
exams, so it would do you well to know it now."
Ranma sat, sweating lightly, in his seat. Behind him, he heard
Akane setting out her pencils and scratch paper. *Oh, man,* Ranma
thought gloomily. *I didn't get a chance to study any of this stuff. I
hate science class. It always makes me feel dumb.*
Akane sat at her desk and watched Ranma fretting in front of her as
the test papers were being handed out. *That dummy,* she thought
with a frown. *He had a whole week to study this material, and he
wasted it picking on Ryouga. It will serve him right to flunk this
exam. Honestly, you'd think he'd learn by now.*
"Your test paper, Mister Saotome," said the teacher mildly. "I hope
that you're able to do better with this one than the last one that you
did. Otherwise, you're looking at summer school to make it up."
"Uhh... yes, sir," answered Ranma, staring at the plain white piece
of paper in front of him like it was a death sentence. *Ohmanohman.*
Only a miracle was going to save his neck now.
"You may begin, class," said Sensei Takami, before he seated
himself at his desk at the front of the class.
Ranma flipped over the paper, expecting the worst. Science class
was his last class for the afternoon, and he had been dreading this
exam all day. He had honestly tried to study for it, but with Ryouga or
some other wacko attacking him every five minutes it was rather hard
to get in much quality study time in his life.
He read the first question: "What is the Photoelectric Effect?"
*Huh? Did we cover that?* The sweat on his brow got a little bit
heavier. He covered his face with his left hand and tried hard to
concentrate. His right hand dropped to the paper.
Ranma stared at the question again, through splayed fingers, sweat
beading on his brow. Then, something strange happened. The answer
to the question seemed to suddenly just appear in his head, and he saw
his hand scribble down the answer.
Ranma blinked.
The first problem must have been easier than he had first thought it
was. *Heh.... well, that was easy,* thought Ranma smugly. Normally
it took him well over five minutes to figure out the answer to a single
question, if he could at all. This time it took less than five seconds.
A miracle had happened.
Ranma read the next question: "What exactly is an Electronvolt as
opposed to a Volt? What is its value in Joules?"
*What the? How the heck should I know that?* thought Ranma in
a helpless tone.
Suddenly, Ranma heard his own voice in his head, reciting the
answer as if reading it from a book, "An Electronvolt is a unit of
energy equal to the amount of energy one electron acquires by
accelerating (from rest) through a potential difference of one volt. It is
usually used as a measure of particle energies, although it is not an
International System unit. The International System unit for energy is
the Joule. One Electronvolt equals 1.602 x 10^-19 joules."
*Heh. Guess I must've learned this stuff better than I thought by...
whatchamacallit... sleep learning,* Ranma thought proudly. He
decided that he would have to sleep more in class, like he had this last
week. He scribbled down the answer to the second problem with a
grin on his face and moved on to the next one.
His hand began scribbling down answers as fast as he could read the
questions. Ranma glanced behind himself and saw that Akane was
still working her way through the third problem. Her face was set in
deep thought as she slowly wrote down her answer. Ranma looked
down at his own paper and saw that he was on question number six
already.
Sensei Takami coughed gently up front, and Ranma looked at him
in surprise. The instructor slowly shook his head at him. Ranma
quickly put his attention back onto his own paper and gleefully
continued to scribble down answers as fast as his hand could write
them. Concepts were flooding through his mind for every question,
like he was an encyclopedia of scientific knowledge.
It was a heady experience, like his recent mastering of the Chestnut
Fist technique had been.
Before Ranma noticed it, he was done with the entire exam and had
answered every problem; his paper was filled with his scribblings. Not
only had he answered them, he easily answered them all. The tough
exam that he was dreading all day turned out to be 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, Sensei Takami had looked
up at him with a bemused gaze. Ranma had gone back to his seat, and
the teacher had begun to grade his exam paper. Some of his
classmates, like Hiroshi, eyed him with curiosity. Ukyou looked up
from her seat in the back and smiled at him with a wondering look on
her face. Ranma simply shrugged his shoulders and sat down.
As Sensei Takami continued looking over Ranma's exam paper, the
initial bemused look on the teacher's face first changed to surprise,
then finally to a state of shock as he went down the list of answers
written on Ranma's paper. Ranma didn't notice this, since he had
decided to get a head start on tonight's homework. The instructor kept
looking up at Ranma, working quietly at his desk, with an increasingly
querying look on his face.
*Did I finally get through to the boy? Compared to his last exam,
it's like night and day. He couldn't have cheated off someone else,
since he was done first. What's going on?*
Akane grumbled softly behind Ranma at a particularly tough
problem for her. She hadn't even noticed him turn in his exam so
quickly.
*Argh! I studied for hours for this exam! Come on, Akane...
what's the answer? You can do this.* Akane finally scribbled down
an answer and looked up at the clock to see how much time she had
left. *Thirty minutes left... I can finish this. That'll show Ranma
what a dummy he is for neglecting his schoolwork like he does. You'd
think he expects the answers to just appear out of thin air for him.*
After class was finally over, and the students began filing out for the
day, Sensei Takami 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 grade on the
front page of his exam. Akane gave a small gasp of surprise next to
him.
"Thank you, Mister Saotome," Sensei Takami 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." He
smiled.
Hiroshi and Daisuke suddenly crowded around him.
"Wow, Ranma... you learn some new martial arts studying
method?" asked Hiroshi. "I thought you told me this morning that you
weren't ready for this test."
"Yeah, Ranma," said Daisuke. "You've never done that well on an
exam before. What's your secret?"
"I... I don't know," mumbled Ranma, staring at his test paper in
shock, as if he was seeing it for the first time. The rest of the class
crowded around to see the evidence; Ranma had gotten a perfect score
on his exam.
"Ranchan, that's wonderful!" shouted Ukyou, hugging him. *I just
knew that he could do well in school if he put some of that Saotome
stubbornness into his studies,* she thought happily. A small smile of
triumph appeared on Ranma's face as it sank in how well he had done.
Behind them, Akane clenched one hand into a fist, her frustration
with the test compounded with her confusion at Ranma's unexpected
success. *But... he didn't study for it.... How did he do that?* She
noticed Ukyou still clinging to Ranma and that sent her over the edge.
She loudly growled, "RANMA!"
Ranma turned around, saw Akane in a full fury over something, and
decided that discretion was the better part of valor. He wiggled out of
Ukyou's grasp and ran out the door, Akane in hot pursuit. The fading
sounds of "...so uncute..." trailed behind them.
Behind them, Ukyou shrugged, decided that she had better save
Ranma from Akane and took off after them.
******************************
***** Earth #0001-001
His class in physical education was an unpleasant surprise for
Ranma when he first arrived at the Academy many weeks ago. Other
than the jogging that he had done on his own initiative, his father
made little if any effort to improve Ranma's physical performance,
concentrating only on his mental abilities while they were out on their
travels. Sensei Takami, his instructor, assigned him extra training
after normal classes until he was satisfied with Ranma's level of
performance. That training was in addition to all that Ranma was
expected to do in his regular physical education period during the day.
Due to the instructor's dissatisfaction with his performance, six
weeks of pain and sweat followed, building Ranma's physique up to its
present levels. Three hours of intensive training for six days a week
had worked a rather surprising amount of changes on his body:
building up and toning his muscles, and improving his coordination.
His coordination was already very good and got even better, but his
strength and stamina had been below what the instructor felt was
satisfactory. Akane was among those who had enjoyed taunting the
"weakling" for those many weeks, especially when she was throwing
him around during his combat training.
Today, as Ranma put on his workout uniform, things felt strangely
different. That unconscious grace that had possessed him for several
moments after his test was making itself subtly felt in his movements
once again, as if something was changing in his brain. He hoped that
it wouldn't throw him off during class, especially not today. Like it
was for three of the days out of the week, today was to be barehanded
sparring with his assigned partner for class.
Unfortunately, that partner was Akane Tendou.
More than any other girl, Akane 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, especially when she ground him into the
mat for the fifth time in an hour like she usually did. Ranma wanted
to beat her just once. She was always so smug in her victories over
him, and it irritated him a great deal.
Ranma closed his locker and walked out to the gymnasium area. A
rainstorm was beating against the windows, occasionally broken up by
bright flashes of lightning. It was a strangely ominous sign as far as
Ranma was concerned. He hoped that it didn't mean he was going to
get something broken today.
Akane Tendou walked past Ranma to talk with some of her friends,
favoring him with a brief look of disdain. She smiled at him and held
up her left palm vertically for a moment, before driving her fist into it
with a loud smacking sound. She noticed that there was something
different about Ranma today, but she couldn't quite identify it. Akane
shook her head. *Like I could ever be worried about a weakling like
Ranma Saotome,* she thought in mild disgust.
During initial warm-up drills, Akane kept finding herself sneaking
looks at Ranma, flustering her a little. *What is wrong with me?*
She could not get herself to shake the feeling that there was something
intangibly different about Ranma today, and it gnawed at her. All she
could tell was that there was something different in his movements, a
casual grace that was only noticeable by its previous absence.
Ranma kept noticing Akane watching him out of the corner of his
eye, and it bothered him. *What does she keep looking at me for?* he
wondered, as he stretched and limbered himself up for the coming
conflict. A competitive fire began to burn in Ranma, something that
he had never quite felt before. It startled him a little.
After initial warm-up drills were over, Ranma found himself facing
Akane across the practice mat. They were kneeling, less than two
meters apart from each other. Akane showed her teeth in a mirthless
smile as they studied each other thoughtfully. Akane and Ranma both
found themselves held by the other's gaze.
"Think you can offer me a challenge today, Saotome?" asked Akane
quietly.
"Maybe I can give you a surprise or two, Tendou," replied Ranma
with a steady look.
"Sounds good to me, Saotome," said Akane. She licked suddenly
dry lips briefly. They continued to hold each other's gaze, smiling the
same death's head smile. Their hearts speeded up, their breathing
deepened, and there was an almost, but not quite, sexual attraction in
the air between them. There was a thing they were both born to do,
more important to them than life itself, and they could feel it slowly
taking over, becoming inevitable.
Sensei Takami went down the line, barking out the usual pre-match
instructions. As the class waited for the signal to start, Ranma found
himself eager to begin. His mind was in a state of supreme focus, one
that he had only felt a few times before and never about any sort of
physical confrontation. Ranma licked his lips, his eyes never leaving
Akane's as her eyes never left his.
Sensei Takami 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. The instructor
raised his hand and dropped it swiftly.
"BEGIN!"
In a moment Akane and Ranma were both on their feet, facing each
other, the moment of truth upon them. They rushed together, both of
them now wearing those odd mirthless smiles. Akane took the initial
advantage, testing Ranma's defenses with her own strong punches.
She held nothing back, even though it was sparring, but Ranma wasn't
standing or moving like he normally did and managed to duck or
dodge each one of her punches.
Looking back over that moment later in his memories, Ranma felt
like something long missing had finally clicked into its proper place
inside him. His slightly awkward posture firmed and his movements
became swifter and more sure. Akane threw a punch at his jaw, and
his head swerved to one side. She threw a kick at his chest, and he
leaned back briefly to dodge it. He felt completely in control of the
course of the fight, and he never even paused to wonder why.
A miracle had happened.
*What's wrong?* wondered Akane, as Ranma slipped aside from
one of her punches. *Why do I keep missing him? He's not normally
this good. Has he been hiding his real skill from me for all this time?*
Akane frowned in puzzlement, and she began to attack Ranma even
harder and more earnestly. Ranma found his defenses able to block or
dodge every one of her attacks as they became faster and faster, but her
defenses kept him at bay as well. He threw a punch or a kick and her
arm blocked it, or she dodged. A strange passion filled Akane, never
before had she felt so challenged by an opponent. It was glorious and
wonderful to her, and she never wanted it to end.
No words were spoken between them, brief grunts of effort the only
sounds they made. There was an incredible intensity between them,
an undertone to their battle that required that no words be spoken.
This was a test of muscle and bone, nerve and will. That odd, almost
sexual tension between them continued to build as they continued to
fight. They strove against each other, each seeking to dominate the
other in a primal test of strength and skill.
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.
Akane was a supremely capable fighter, but Ranma found himself able
to keep up with her strike for strike for the first time in his life. He
was so lost in the passions of the moment engendered by the fight that
he didn't think to question why.
Their movements became almost a blur of motion, the intensity
slowly reaching a climax, and the dance was drawing to its inevitable
close. This clash of wills, of passions between them, swirled between
them, driving them both onwards like a couple in coitus approaching
orgasm. Something primal had taken possession of Ranma, a driving
need to show his supremacy by defeating Akane.
One of Ranma's fists managed to break through Akane's guard, and
he began to get the upper hand. Almost mercilessly, caught up in the
spell that he was in, he began to wear Akane down with powerful
blows: a punch to her chin, a kick to her stomach, and another punch
into her ribs. Akane's return strikes only grazed him, and a sense of
exultation filled him. Without even thinking about it, Ranma began to
launch into a final sequence of blows that would have given him the
win. He was so focused on the fight that he never even thought to
question how he knew that with such certainty.
"BREAK!"
Both combatants suddenly froze in place at the distinctive snap of
Sensei Takami's voice, trained to be undeniable even in the white-hot
heat of battle. The spell between Akane and Ranma shattered in an
instant, and their awareness of the world around them returned with a
crash. Sweat ran down Ranma's face, his hair plastered to his scalp.
Akane looked almost as tired as he did.
Ranma took several deep breaths, feeling his heart rate slowing
back to normal, and Akane did the same. Her eyes studied him with
much more care than they ever had before, and there was a subtle flash
of something new that had never been in her gaze before. Ranma was
trying hard not to stare at her heaving chest within her gi by looking
around at his classmates.
The rest of the class was standing around the two of them, staring at
Akane and Ranma with amazed looks. Ranma turned back and spied
Akane staring at him with a strange, almost smoldering look. A few
whispered conversations were taking place, but Ranma was having
difficulty hearing them over the fading thunder of blood in his ears.
Some of the girls were giving him appraising looks that they never had
before, and some of his fellow male cadets were looking at him as if
seeing him for the first time.
"Mister Saotome!" Sensei Takami's voice had a quality to it that
Ranma had never heard before, at least not directed at him. "That was
magnificent! All these weeks of training you have finally paid off! I
just 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. Akane shifted her expression and
gave him an appraising look, her features settled into a disturbing sort
of smile. She shook her head, scattering a few droplets of sweat from
her hair. Ranma focused his attention back on Akane, and on her face
through a surprising effort of will. There was an odd glint to her eyes,
as if she had just discovered a secret that both annoyed and pleased
her.
"A... surprisingly good match, Ranma," said Akane softly as she
gazed at him with that strange expression on her face. "Perhaps we
could bring it to conclusion someday?" She sidled closer to him, a
vaguely seductive look added to her smile. "Perhaps after classes are
over today?"
Ranma stared at her as if he couldn't quite comprehend what she
was saying. He tried to get his thoughts in order. *What the hell is
going on with Akane today? She looks almost... interested in me?*
Ranma paused to try and analyze the situation logically, now that his
thoughts were clear of those strange feelings that had settled over him
during the sparring match. Things were not computing well.
Akane reached out and gently grabbed one of his hands and didn't
look like she was about to let go. Her grip was strong for a girl, the
hand moderately callused from her training, and it was very warm
against his. There was a vague promise in her eyes, an almost manic
look upon her face. 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 Akane away, and she chatted
animatedly with them. Before she got out of his sight, Akane paused
to give Ranma an enigmatic look. When he didn't respond as she
seemed to expect him to, Akane turned and stomped into the locker
room, muttering under her breath. On the other end of the gymnasium
building, most of his fellow male cadets were a little unsure of what to
make of Ranma today, so he was left to himself as he trudged to the
locker room.
******************************
As she had been doing for the last couple of weeks, Kodachi stood
outside the grounds of the Imperial Academy and watched the front
gate area. Her chest heaved a little from the long run over from
Blackhall Academy, and she leaned against the tree she was lurking
behind as she regained her breath. A mildly painful stitch in her side
faded, a reminder of the hit she took there in her latest fight with
Asuka Saginomiya. A brief smile lit Kodachi's face at her memory of
the fight.
Only a day after the first fight was concluded with Kodachi's
victory, the self-proclaimed White Lily challenged her again. That
fight ended much the same, Kodachi dusting her hands off as she left a
beaten Asuka lying in a heap on the grass. The instructors were quiet
on the matter, which puzzled Kodachi. She asked one of them about it
and was informed that such vendettas were student affairs, due to their
status in society. She and Asuka could apparently beat each other
black and blue every day, as long as it didn't interfere very much with
their schoolwork.
Asuka refused to admit defeat, and each fight did give Kodachi a bit
of a challenge. However, none were quite as close as that first fight
had been. Kodachi looked at it as good training for her martial arts
skills, something that her solitary practice at home wouldn't have
given her. The White Lily had victimized the old Kodachi since the
first day of classes, for reasons that the old or the new Kodachi never
quite understood. Dealing with Asuka was rather difficult outside of a
fistfight anymore; she refused to speak with Kodachi other than to
snarl threats or insult her.
So the fights continued each day. Depending on the mood of
Kodachi's new enemy, Asuka would either challenge her when she
first arrived in the morning for class, or during lunch period. Almost
always, they fought outside on the grass where there was plenty of
room for acrobatic movement. On rare occasions, Asuka even showed
up at Kodachi's classroom, attacked her with savage fury, and the fight
began. On those few occasions, sometimes the arrogant Asuka would
be tossed through a window as an opening gambit in the fight, and
sometimes it was Kodachi herself. Kodachi's instructor only objected
to the intrusion once, when it was during an exam last week.
All of the other girls at Blackhall enjoyed watching the fighting,
though it would have scandalized their parents if they knew. Few of
the girls had ever received any amount of combat training; it was just
something that properly brought up young ladies of quality simply did
not do. But they received a secret thrill to see two of their own locked
in savage battle with each other. During lunchtime, the female cadets
ate their lunches and watched Asuka and Kodachi pummeling each
other like it was a staged show.
For her part, the fights were an almost pleasant diversion from
Kodachi's concerns over what to do about Ranma. For almost two
weeks now, she had been observing the Ranma of this timeline as he
went about his life. She felt a vague ache in her chest at the sight of
him, more than she thought that she should feel for someone who had
only been considered a friend to her in another life. So she watched
him from a distance and wondered what to say to him.
Kodachi saw Ranma walking out the front gate of the Imperial
Academy by himself, and her breath caught in her throat. She ducked
back behind the tree and breathed a deep sigh of relief when he didn't
appear to notice her. *He looks so much like my Ranma,* she caught
herself thinking. Then she frowned, cursing her own stupidity. *Of
course he would, you foolish girl, less than two years of experiences
are different between him and his counterpart.*
Kodachi slowly peeked around the edge of the tree and saw Ranma
walking up the street. He seemed to be lost in thought. *Okay, today
is the day that I introduce myself,* she thought with a sudden surge of
confidence, bringing her right fist up in front of her chest. She took a
couple of steps after him, and her resolve began to crumble.
What do I say to him? How do I explain who I am without coming
off sounding like a lunatic? What if he isn't even working on anything
like the Resonator? What if he's nothing like his counterpart from my
world? All these questions and more whirled through Kodachi's mind,
sapping the strength of her convictions. She stood there as Ranma
walked around a corner and out of sight.
"Coward," she muttered a curse to herself. "Weakling!" Kodachi
slammed a kick into a nearby brick wall, cracking and denting the
painted bricks. Overwhelmed with frustration, she burst into tears and
ran home as fast as she could. Kodachi didn't even notice anyone on
her way back to the Kunou mansion, running as fast as she was able
to.
******************************
After Kodachi left in tears, Tatewaki Kunou stepped out from where
he had been observing her. A dark scowl was on his face. The face of
the man who had caused his innocent sister to cry was seared into his
memory, and his imagination filled with possible dark deeds that she
must have suffered at the stranger's hands to bring forth such tears.
He rested his hand on the pommel of the bokken thrust through his
belt. A powerful need for vengeance filled him as he strode across the
quiet street to demand from the Academy administration the name to
go with that face.
Entering in through the open gateway, Kunou almost ran headlong
into a female cadet on her way out. Stumbling, he grabbed hold of her
in an attempt to steady them both, causing her to drop her bookbag.
He began to offer an apology when he felt his hands forcibly removed
from where they were holding onto.
"Watch where you're grabbing, whoever you are," Nabiki growled
softly, before regaining her normal, cool poise. Kunou blinked with
surprise, completely unaccustomed to being referred to in such a
casual manner.
"T'was an accident, no more," said Kunou stiffly, his need to retain
his dignity surging forward. "I merely attempted to keep you from
falling. I am not the sort of man who would do otherwise."
"Right, whatever," said Nabiki calmly, bending down to retrieve her
bookbag. She stood back up, noting his uniform, and looked Kunou
squarely in the eyes. "So what brings you to the Imperial Academy,
my young Lordling?"
Ignoring the cool-gazed girl's impertinence in the face of his greater
mission, Kunou struck a righteous pose. "I seek the name of the base
scoundrel who has defiled my innocent sister," he thundered. "I saw
him leave through these gates mere moments ago."
Nabiki paused in the midst of straightening her uniform. A chance
at making a little extra cash had apparently just ran into her. She
affixed a pleasant smile to her face, mixed with just the right amount
of sympathy and understanding. "Perhaps I might be able to be of
some assistance to you, my lord... my lord...?"
"Tatewaki Kunou, age seventeen..." he replied, picking up his cue.
Off in the distance, lightning flashed. "The rising star among the
noble warriors of the Empire, undefeated in combat, and the proud
heir to the noble House of Kunou, at your service." He looked a little
disappointed when Nabiki didn't immediately kneel or bow deeply to
him. *Impertinent wench,* he thought in mild irritation, but there
was something mildly appealing to him about her. Kunou shook off
that distracting sensation. He had a mission to perform.
"Greetings, Milord Kunou," said Nabiki as she bowed to the proper
level, trying very hard not to break out in laughter at the stuffed shirt
standing so pompously before her in his starched school uniform. In
the back of her mind there was a stirring of feelings similar to what
she had felt upon seeing Ranma for the first time, but she ignored the
unexpected distraction to concentrate on the business at hand. "I am
Nabiki Tendou, middle daughter of Assistant Director Tendou of the
Imperial Security Directorate. I am very familiar with almost all of
the faces of the cadets attending here. If you described him to me, I
am sure that I could give you the name for a small fee."
"What?!" sputtered Kunou in surprise. "You seek to _charge_ a
Lord of the Empire? Know you not that samurai have the Imperial
writ to slay any peasant that stands in their way? I could dispatch you
for less." Kunou placed his hand in a more threatening manner on the
pommel of his weapon. "What manner of woman are you?"
"A practical one, Milord Kunou," Nabiki replied dryly, ignoring his
threat. "I have information that you require, and I'm your only option
right now. The administration offices are closed now, so you could
always come back tomorrow." Kunou puffed up dangerously. "Or you
could pay me a small finder's fee for my trouble, and I could give you
the name of the cadet myself. I should also point out at this time that
the Tendou bloodline is of minor nobility itself... Milord."
Kunou blinked, his arrogant mannerisms stumbling a bit, as he
asked, "But why, if you are noble, do you attend this peasant's school?"
"The Tendou's have served the Empire with distinction for several
centuries in such capacities, _Milord_," said Nabiki with a mildly
sarcastic emphasis on the last word. "Take note that you are seeking
information from me now, a task that my upbringing has taught me
well how to fulfill. Now, do you wish to pay me?"
"Very well," growled Kunou. "I shall not soon forget this though,
Miss Tendou. Consider this the first and last money that you will ever
receive from the noble House of Kunou. How much do you require?"
"Two thousand yen should cover a name," Nabiki replied mildly.
"Five thousand if you also desire an address." She held out her hand
and Kunou swiftly counted out five thousand-yen notes into it. Nabiki
caught a look at the remaining number of notes in the wallet and
swallowed softly. It was more than she took in over a month. She
filed that bit of knowledge away for future reference, already planning
how she might supplement her income by providing future assistance
to someone like Tatewaki Kunou.
"The knave was about so tall," said Kunou, gesturing with his hand.
"A rather dull-looking sort, but also obviously possessing an animal-
like cunning if he was able to fool my sister with enticing words. His
eyes were blue, set into an almost effeminate face, and he wore his hair
in a pigtail. He appeared every inch an obvious base-born commoner,
unworthy of even looking upon a woman as noble as my cherished
sister."
Nabiki had been nodding along with his description until Kunou
mentioned the pigtail. *Ranma Saotome?* she thought with surprise,
but letting no sign of it show upon her face. *My my, Ranma... what
have you been doing with yourself?*
"I know the person of which you speak," said Nabiki mildly.
Kunou, forgetting the rules of propriety in his haste to acquire the
answer to his question, grabbed Nabiki by the arms and shook her
lightly. "You know of whom I speak?!" he cried. "Tell me that I may
punish him for the wrongs he hath done to my sister!"
Nabiki gave Kunou a neutral look, one eyebrow risen slightly above
the level of the other. Kunou blinked and quietly released her.
"My... apologies, Miss Tendou," said Kunou more calmly. "I fear I
was overcome by my righteous wrath against... this person whom I
seek. Please forgive me for my unseemly behavior. It did not befit a
noble lord of our Empire such as myself."
"I will forgive you, if you will forgive me for my rudeness earlier,"
said Nabiki mildly, grateful for a chance at preserving a potentially
lucrative relationship. "I was... startled to be grabbed by a strange
man like that."
"We are agreed then, Miss Tendou," said Kunou with his original
equanimity restored. "Please tell me the name of this person, that I
might exact justice upon him."
"His name is..." Nabiki hesitated for a moment. She still hadn't
decided if she wanted Ranma for herself, but she didn't think that
Kunou was going to kill him. He was probably just going to scare
him. "His name is Ranma Saotome."
Lightning suddenly flashed behind Kunou, and he appeared to be
committing the name of his chosen enemy to memory. "Ranma
Saotome," muttered Kunou, nodding his head slightly. "I shall bring
you to righteous justice... I SWEAR IT!" He raised his arms to the
skies and began to laugh.
In front of him, Nabiki raised one eyebrow as she stared at Kunou
in amazement. *What kind of a lunatic Lord have I just gotten myself
involved with?*
******************************
Unaware of the drama that had just taken place behind him back at
the Academy, Ranma was lost in deep thought as he walked home, his
bag slung over his shoulder. *So much to think about. My combat
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 mild amusement mixed with
concern. Up until that moment, Genma Saotome had always been
'Father' in his thoughts. *I'm changing inside, perhaps more than I
expected. Interesting. I wonder if I should just avoid returning to that
quantum's personality.* Ranma considered that and rejected it. If he
rejected one timeline due to fear of mental contamination, then he
might as well abandon the entire project. And that was not something
that he was prepared to do. There was too much to gain.
Ranma stepped around a corner, and almost bumped into Akane
Tendou. 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, and she had her arms crossed in front
of her chest. The look on her face was one of annoyance at something.
Akane looked at Ranma as he stumbled back from almost stepping
into her.
"Akane... I mean, Miss Tendou." 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 angry at him for
some reason. Then, her expression subtly changed.
"Ranma Saotome...," Akane softly said, her voice possessed of an
almost sultry quality. She stepped away from the wall and raised her
fists, her body in an offensive posture. "I challenge you!"
"Huh?" Ranma took another step back, and his bookbag fell from
suddenly nerveless fingers. "What are you talking about? I don't want
to fight you." Even as he spoke, he knew that it was a lie. More aware
of them now, Ranma savagely beat down the spell of emotions that
had gripped him in class. He was not going to lose control like that
again.
"I want to finish what we started today, in class," Akane continued
in that same soft and sultry tone of voice. "Your martial arts skills
were incredible." She advanced a half step in his direction, and a
seductive 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."
Ranma was having none of that.
"I don't know what your problem is, but I just want to go home
now," Ranma said gruffly, a hoarseness in his voice. He bent down to
pick up his bookbag, and Akane's sudden kick almost took his head
off. Ranma snapped his body back, and her kick flashed by his face,
missing by less than an inch. His body took up a fighting stance
before he realized it.
"Not bad," Akane said with a pleased smile. "You must be very
good to be able to hide your skill from me for such a long time." She
lunged forward at him. "Now we fight!"
Ranma backpedaled out of the alleyway, dodging a furious barrage
of punches and kicks from Akane. *She's serious about this,* he
thought, trying to control his own rising emotions as he blocked and
dodged Akane's attacks at the same time. 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 at that point, driving a solid palm strike
across Akane's jaw. Her head snapped to the right, and they broke
apart. *Is she feeling the same things that I am? This is just crazy.*
Akane swallowed a little blood as she felt her jaw, but none of her
teeth seemed to be loosened. *Ranma, you are a good fighter,* she
thought with a warm, almost loving feeling, and an awareness that she
had found her life's goal. *I've been missing a real challenge in my
life. When we fought together today, it was as if for the first time. I
now know that you're the one I've been looking for.* She smiled
coquettishly at him, and Ranma's face blanched slightly.
"Could you please tell me why we're fighting?" asked Ranma, now
almost desperate to avoid a fight. He was hoping that he could
somehow manage to talk Akane out of this. Ranma had no real desire
to hurt Akane, or be hurt by her either.
"For the challenge, of course," Akane replied with a throaty
chuckle, grinning at him. "Fighting with a strong opponent is fun."
"Fun?" said Ranma, sensing the truth in what Akane said but trying
very hard to deny it. 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
quickly 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
felt the world spinning, as Akane sprang back to her feet with an
extremely disappointed look on her face.
"Come on, Ranma," coaxed Akane, gesturing with her hands for
him to rise. "You're not trying nearly as hard as you did in class
today. I thought we could finish our fight." Akane frowned, as
Ranma wasn't moving much.
"Thought... you... hated... me," Ranma managed to gasp out. His
ribs felt like they were on fire, and his face hurt with more pain than
he had ever imagined that he could feel. He tentatively brushed his
hand underneath his nose, and it came away bright red with blood. A
sick feeling was in his stomach, but he also felt that strange desire to
conquer Akane.
"I hate weaklings," Akane said, frowning at him some more. She
wanted to experience that same rush of excitement that she had known
in class, but Ranma wasn't giving it to her. *What's wrong with him?
He isn't fighting anywhere near the level he was earlier.* She nudged
his leg gently with a toe, ready for any tricks. Ranma groaned, slowly
struggling to get up. His elbows trembled as he forced his body up
from the concrete.
"Just leave me alone, Tendou!" Ranma demanded, as he managed to
get back to his feet. He was trying to sort out his confused feelings.
"You get some sort of sick thrill out of beating me up?"
"Damn you, Ranma Saotome!" shouted Akane, kicking a can down
the alley in anger. "This is totally different! You somehow managed
to hide your abilities from me despite my bullying you, but now I know
the truth! You're much better than this, I know it! If we hadn't been
interrupted, you would have beaten me in class today. 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." Akane picked up her
bookbag and walked off in disgust.
*What a whacked out chick,* thought Ranma in amazement. He
tried to clean the blood and dirt off of himself as best that he could
before he picked up his bag. Ranma walked home, cursing the name
Akane Tendou all the way.
******************************
Akane walked home, cutting through an alleyway, her usual frown
back in place on her face. *Damn you, Ranma Saotome,* she thought,
kicking a chunk of concrete up between her feet. She caught it on one
raised foot on the way down, balancing the softball-sized stone easily.
She casually tossed it from foot to foot as she slowly kept walking, her
thoughts distracted.
Ranma's newfound skill just didn't make sense to her. *How did I
misjudge him so badly for so long?* She paused, a delicious shiver
running through her as she remembered her sparring match with
Ranma. *He finally showed his true level of skill to me,* she thought
with a sad sigh. *So why doesn't he want to fight me anymore?*
Far behind Akane, four shadowy figures entered the alleyway that
she was in. Once out of sight of the street, three of the four young men
pulled out weapons: the first flipped out and held a pair of balisong
knives, the second wielded a bokken, the third used a set of weighted
chains, but the last remained unarmed. As they stepped into the light,
their uniforms were revealed to be from the Imperial Academy, the
distinctive gray of Security cadets.
A single figure appeared behind them, remaining in the shadows of
the alleyway as he addressed the tough-looking young men. "You
know what to do," said the shadowy figure. "I want Akane Tendou
taken down hard as a lesson to her sister that there's a new power at
the Academy. I chose all of you for your skill. Don't fail me in this.
The four of you, my... Wolf Pack, should be sufficient to remove an
annoyance like the younger Tendou sister."
"We understand, Boss," said the unarmed one. He appeared to be
the most intelligent of the foursome. "Akane Tendou will be dealt
with."
"Excellent," said their leader, his face remaining hidden in shadow.
"I leave it to you then, my friend." He turned and walked from the
alleyway, content that the most dangerous piece from Nabiki's ranks
was about to be dealt with.
Behind him, the Wolf Pack moved towards Akane, an eagerness to
fulfill their mission in their eyes.
Akane sensed something wrong behind her and whirled around.
The stone that she had been kicking up between her feet fell to the
pavement. She spotted the four cadets from the Academy and a brief
moment of fear filled her. Separately, they had been tough but
beatable opponents. Together, even Akane wasn't sure if she could
take them all. Two or three of them she knew that she could handle,
but not all four at the same time.
The Wolf Pack stared at its chosen prey, and Akane stared back in
defiance. Her eyes blazed, her heart began to accelerate, and her
breathing began to deepen. Her frustrated need for a fight with Ranma
only added to her readiness. Her hands curled into fists at her side.
"So you're too afraid of me to try me singly?" taunted Akane, her
feet sliding into a ready position. Her mind worked furiously as she
forced herself to recall everything that she could about each of her
opponents.
The unarmed one, Anji Kyuuzan, was probably the most dangerous
of the foursome. He practiced a powerful but rare style of martial arts
called The Path of the Fist. His punches were able to shatter concrete,
and he was surprisingly swift for one so large.
The one wielding the bokken was Soujirou Seta, a skilled fighter
with his family's school of swordplay. His hair was held back by a
white strip of cloth emblazoned with his family's symbol, and a bright
smile adorned his face. Soujirou always smiled, even when he was
injured.
The chain wielder was Akio Kuro, and Akane always wondered
how he had gotten past the psychological tests given at the Academy.
A borderline psychotic, he was another one that she was going to have
to watch closely.
The last one, the knife wielder, was Kena Shishi and was lightning
fast with his blades. Akane needed to break one of his arms in their
last fight before she was able to put him down. She could tell that he
was aching to stab her as repayment.
*This is not going to be easy,* thought Akane, eyeing the four as
they closed with her. They had ignored her taunt and were coming at
her as a unit. For a moment, there was peace.
Then the peace shattered.
******************************
***** Earth #0001-153
Akane ducked under Kena's swing while trying to shake her arm
free from Akio's chain. The razor-sharp edge of his knife narrowly
missed opening up her cheek, only removing a single lock of her hair.
Blood ran down her right arm and left leg from two of his previous
slashes. Akane buried her foot into his stomach, slamming Kena back
into the alley wall. Only then did she turn her attention back to Akio.
She was slowing down, and she was still outnumbered.
Akio twirled the free end of his chain with one hand as he hauled
on her right arm with the other end. He snapped it out at her, forcing
her to block and devote more attention to him. A feral smile lit her
tired face as she rushed him, negating his hold on her with the chain.
Akio only had a single moment to realize his mistake before her palm
strike smashed into his jaw and shattered several of his teeth.
"Oou bith!" cried Akio through his ruined mouth. Akane drove a
second punch into his chest, feeling the satisfying cracking of several
ribs and a cry of pain that fell into soft sobs. She finished him off with
a savage knee strike up under the jaw that came close to breaking his
neck but only broke his remaining teeth. His body landed in a pile of
garbage bags.
Soujirou was slumped against one wall, where one of Akane's kicks
had propelled him. A trail of blood from his face and broken nose led
from his initial point of impact against the wall to the current resting
place for his head. His hand twitched slightly around the hilt of his
bokken. As he was unconscious, that was the only movement he
made.
Out of the corner of her eye, Akane chanced to see Anji rushing up
from behind her and tried desperately to block, but her balance was off
by a fraction from the weight of Akio dragging her back by the chain.
Anji's fist drove across her face, turning the cheek on that side into a
ruin of pulped flesh and broken bone. Akane was blasted back by the
impact into the wall behind her.
Akane felt her body going into shock. *Oh God!* she thought
desperately. *It can't end like this!* She staggered away from the
wall woozily. Another punch from Anji caved in a few of her ribs, and
Akane whirled away from him in desperation, struggling to put some
distance between her and him.
"Now it ends, bitch," Kena softly said, blood foaming up out of his
mouth as he loomed up in front of Akane. One of his blades sank into
the base of her abdomen up to the hilt, held there by his right hand.
Battered, exhausted, and on the edge of shock, Akane only gave a
small, surprised grunt of pain.
Kena laid an almost gentle hand on Akane's shoulder, feeling her
muscles trembling from the shock. Taking a firmer grip on his blade
first, Kena ripped upwards through her abdomen until the edge grated
on bone. A wash of blood and gore fell to the sidewalk as Akane
slumped against him. He gave her a contemptuous shove and let her
body fall to the pavement.
"She wasn't so tough," Kena said, taking a moment to spit on the
dying Akane. "The four of us took her out just fine. But how the hell
am I supposed to get this blood out of my clothes now? Stupid bitch!"
"Speak for yourself," grunted Anji, gently probing at his right
eyesocket. He couldn't see out of that eye and feared that he was blind
in it now, a reminder of Akane's strength that he would carry to his
dying day. "Look at Akio and Soujirou before bragging." Despite his
pain, Anji gazed at the fallen Akane, noting her open but sightless
eyes. A cruel smile appeared on his face. *Now none shall challenge
our power.*
******************************
Ranma paused in his footsteps and then snapped his fingers.
*Mother wanted me to pick up that book for her at the store, and I
walked right past the street that I needed,* he thought with a shake of
his head. He turned right and headed down the street. A twinge from
his back muscles earned Akane Tendou another curse from him.
******************************
***** Earth #0001-001
Akane considered running but realized that she didn't have a hope
of outdistancing them in the slippery confines of the alleyway. Her
only chance was to fight. *Besides,* she thought confidently. *I've
beaten each of these guys before. Taking them on together can't be too
tough. They'll probably end up getting in each other's way.*
Soujirou leaped at her, smiling his usual disturbing smile but not
speaking, his wooden blade thrusting downwards in a powerful strike.
Akane dodged to one side and the strike decimated a nearby garbage
can, its contents exploding open. She repaid his attack with a swing of
her bookbag, the heavy leather satchel impacted with his face before
he could bring his weapon up in time to block her.
"You are still as strong as I remember from our last fight, Akane
Tendou," said Anji in a calm voice. "You can't win though. There are
four of us this time, and we know how you fight." His fist narrowly
missed her body as Akane leaped up split-legged over his attack, her
hands resting for a moment on Anji's hugely muscular arm.
"We're all gonna have some fun tonight, Akane," chuckled Akio,
swinging his chain around his right hand as he waited for an opening.
He sent the weighted end snapping at her limbs every time he saw an
opening.
"I owe you some major pain after our last encounter, Tendou,"
growled Kena. "I intend to break both your arms as payback."
"Come on and try it, you little pervert," snapped Akane back. She
dealt him a kick to the face when he made the mistake of getting too
close but was forced to back off when Anji attempted to attack her.
"Hey!" called out a new voice behind them all. "What do you jerks
think you're doing?"
Five pairs of eyes turned to see a slightly battered Ranma walking
down the alleyway towards them. It was a toss-up as to who was most
surprised to see who in the alleyway confrontation.
Ranma had decided to take a shortcut through the small maze of
alleyways here in the commercial district to try and cut a few minutes
off of his path. He was surprised to discover, when he turned a corner,
four young men menacing a girl wearing an Academy uniform. It
wasn't until he moved a little closer that he recognized that it was
Akane, partially hidden behind her group of attackers.
Akane felt a strange sense of relief to see Ranma here, not that she
considered herself to need anyone's help in dealing with a fight. The
swordsman Soujirou was behind her, blocking her way. In the time it
took to deal with him, the others would be able to attack her from
behind before she was able to escape.
The Wolf Pack was irritated in varying degrees to see a witness for
the end of Akane. As far as they were concerned, Ranma Saotome
was simply an unfortunate bystander needing elimination once the
greater threat of Akane was dealt with. Anji tapped Kena on the
shoulder and muttered, "Deal with this intrusion."
"This isn't any concern of yours, Saotome," Kena smirked. "We
probably don't like the little bitch as much as you do. Why don't you
just turn around and walk away like a good boy? Otherwise you might
get hurt." Kena flipped the balisong knife around in his hands, the
split handle making snapping sounds as he flipped it open and closed.
Confident that Kena could quickly deal with a threatless non-
combatant like Ranma Saotome, Anji turned his attentions back to
Akane. Akio grinned and moved forward, and Soujirou did the same.
Akio lashed out with a length of chain, encircling one of Akane's
wrists as she struck Anji in the chest with a kick. Soujirou attacked a
moment later, and Akane was hard-pressed to deal with the three of
them at once.
Ranma calmly set his bookbag down as Kena walked towards him,
his two knife blades spinning and flipping, one in each hand. *All
this fighting in one day is getting a little tiresome,* Ranma thought in
annoyance. He waited for Kena to get closer.
"So what do you say, Saotome?" said Kena. "Are you going to turn
around like a good little honor student and leave Akane Tendou to her
fate? It would be the... URK!"
Ranma's fist smashed hard into the middle of Kena's face, cutting
him off in the middle of his impromptu speech. The two knife blades
clattered to the ground as his body toppled backwards. Ranma leaped
up, bounced once off of Kena's prone body to ensure that he stayed out
of the remainder of the fight, and leaped into the middle of the fray.
Akane was dealing fair to poorly with the three attackers that now
surrounded her, unused to fighting multiple highly-skilled opponents
like this. She dodged away from Soujirou's bokken slash, ducked
under Anji's massive fist swinging at her, and ended up getting
clipped in the chin by Akio's chain weight. *Now I'm mad!* she
thought.
Anji summoned up his full strength to strike Akane when a kick
impacted into the middle of his back, driving his face into the wall.
Akio whirled to see who the new threat was just in time to catch an
axe kick down across his face from Ranma as he landed behind Anji,
currently partially stuck in the wall and bellowing his rage.
Soujirou struck down with his bokken, but Akane was able to deal
with him easier now that she didn't have two other opponents to deal
with at the same time. Her body moved aside from the slash, ducking
out of the way. Her fist drove into his stomach as the blade of his
wooden weapon passed by her, earning her a gasp of pain from him.
Ranma's arm was wrapped around by a length of chain as he tried to
dodge around the trapped Anji. "Give it up, Saotome," snarled Akio.
I'm twice the fighter that you could ever be, even with the special
training that Takami has been giving you." He yanked at Ranma's
arm and was surprised when the scholar didn't lose his balance.
Ranma pulled on his arm, feeling the tension between him and Akio
as they tested each others strength. *Time to show Akio that I've
learned some new tricks.* Ranma rushed towards his opponent,
smiling at the surprised look on Akio's face.
Anji managed to pull his head from the hole in the brick wall.
"What soon to be dead coward dared to strike me from behind like
that?!" he roared to the skies. Akane dodged another furious assault
by Soujirou by dropping down prone to the ground. Her right foot
drove upwards into Anji's groin with as much strength as she could
manage.
As Ranma slammed his fist into Akio's face, he heard a muffled
whumping sound next to him. Anji sank to his knees, tears on his
face. Akio bounced off the wall from the force of the blow, and
Ranma yanked him back by the chain he held. Ranma drove his fist
into Akio's face a second time, and watched the other youth's knees
buckle. He let him fall and turned to see how Akane was doing with
the two remaining attackers.
Akane kicked upwards a second time, aiming higher, and her foot
hit Soujirou under the jaw. His body flew up and back in an arcing
flight to land with a resounding crash against one of the brick walls.
The bokken fell out of his hands as he dropped unconscious.
Ranma lifted Anji's chin up, noting where Akane must have hit him
by the way that Anji clutched himself and moaned. Taking pity on
him, Ranma attempted to knock him unconscious with a crack of his
fist onto the other's jaw. When the first didn't do it, he added a second
punch for good measure. Anji's eyed rolled back into his head, and he
fell backwards unconscious.
Ranma felt extremely lucky that he took no hits during the fight,
idly noting that Akane looked uninjured. He offered her a hand up,
and she slapped it away before springing back to her feet. Shrugging
at that, Ranma turned around and walked back to his bookbag's resting
place. *Ungrateful tomboy,* thought Ranma, feeling even more
needful of a hot soak once he reached home.
"I didn't need your help, you know," Ranma heard Akane say from
behind him. "I would have been able to beat them all by myself."
"I'm sure you could have, Akane," said Ranma, picking up his
bookbag before he turned back to face her. He grinned at her. "I just
don't like to see someone getting bullied. Even though I knew you
would win, I couldn't resist joining in the fun." He turned away and
walked off, waving back at her without turning around. "Later."
Behind him, Akane held one hand in a tight fist. *I don't need
some man to save me, Ranma Saotome. But... thank you.* She
relaxed her hand back open, and a brief smile appeared on her face.
******************************
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, and he heard 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!" Ranma shouted out. "I'm going to go and 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. Ranma breathed a sigh of relief as he made it to the
bathroom, and locked the door behind himself.
Ranma took a look at the damages in the mirror. 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.
He took a deep breath and found that he was able to hold it without
much pain. A soak in the tub would be a blessing from the gods right
now.
After washing his face with some warm water, Ranma pulled out
the first aid kit from under the sink and applied some antiseptic. The
stinging brought a whistling intake of breath into his lungs, and pain
to his abused stomach muscles. Grumbling under his breath about
violent, psychotic, thuggish girls, Ranma quickly undressed to clean
off before he took a quick soak.
There was a brief knock on the door.
"Ranma, dear?" called out Nodoka from beyond the door. "Is
everything all right, Son? You never usually take a bath right before
dinner. Is something wrong? Did something happen at school today?"
Nodoka knocked again when he didn't answer immediately.
"I'm fine, Mother," answered Ranma quickly. "My experiment was
a success. I just had a little accident on the way home from the
Academy, and I needed to clean myself up a little. I'll be right down."
Ranma prayed to whatever gods might be listening that she would take
the hint and leave him alone.
"All right, Ranma dear," said Nodoka cheerfully. "I can put off
serving dinner for half an hour since your father isn't home yet."
Nodoka moved off down the hallway, and Ranma breathed a sigh of
relief.
Sitting on the bathroom stool, Ranma quickly doused himself with a
bucket of cold water. Stifling a grunt, that threatened to turn into a
scream of pain, from the stinging caused by the cold water, he swiftly
stood up. The steaming water in the tub looked so very inviting at that
moment. With a soft sigh, Ranma lowered himself into the hot water.
When the bruises on his abused stomach dropped into the water, his
eyes widened briefly as a new wave of discomfort rolled in.
"Akane Tendou," Ranma muttered as he settled his head back to lie
against the edge of the tub. *She wants to fight me? And who were
those guys attacking her? Too many questions. 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? Those guys
probably won't be too happy that I helped either.*
Ranma sighed softly 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 think I'm going to need
to let more of his skills transfer into me.* He relaxed as a fantasy of a
beaten Akane Tendou, groveling at his feet for mercy, filled his mind.
It was quickly replaced by another, more likely one, of himself caught
up in an endless series of fights with Akane, all because she had
developed some sort of pathological fixation on him now.
A little later, Ranma climbed out of the tub and dried off. The long
soak in hot water had done his body a great deal of good, and he was
able to move a lot more easily now as he dressed. Stopping at the
sink, Ranma applied a little more antiseptic to the few scrapes on his
face. He put a clean bandage across the bridge of his nose and decided
that he looked halfway presentable now.
*I hope that other Ranma is having a better time than I am, right
now,* he thought sincerely.
******************************
***** Earth #0016-502
Ranma sat back and looked at his homework stack. All of it was
done, and he hadn't even had any of his usual troubles with his math
assignment. *This is so weird,* thought Ranma with a slight frown.
*Even my English essay looks better than any other one that I've ever
done. Miss Hinako will certainly be surprised.... I know I am.*
Ranma 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?" Akane called out as she came in. "Do you need any help
with your homework tonight? I thought you might want to study
together." Akane came into his room. She took one look at his
relaxed state and immediately jumped to conclusions. "Haven't you
even started?!"
"Relax, Akane," said Ranma calmly. "I'm done already." He
smirked at her confused look.
"That's ridiculous!" shouted Akane in anger. "You've only been up
here for a little over an hour. I'm only half-way done with mine, so
you can't possibly be finished!" She picked up his homework notebook
and started to flip through it, quickly becoming more confused as she
found assignment after assignment already completed. Ranma's
handwriting was even neater. She looked at him with a stunned look.
"Satisfied?" asked Ranma with a grin. "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 with a smirk 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, been quiet at dinner and eaten
like a normal person for once. To top it all off, he even finished his
homework in record time! Akane didn't know what to make of it.
Leaving a stunned Akane in his room, Ranma skipped down the
stairs. Being done with his homework so quickly was a great relief.
Even his history report on the events of the Tokugawa Shogunate had
been easy for him to do. Ranma just wrote down everything that he
remembered about its rise and fall. He never suspected before how
knowledgeable that he was in so many subjects, and it made him feel
even more cocky.
Nabiki stopped Ranma 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," replied Ranma curtly. "What do you want,
Nabiki? I'm kind of on my way to do something" He tried to shift past
her, but Nabiki kept blocking his path.
"Nothing much," said Nabiki with a smile. "I just have a little task
that you could do for me tomorrow... to work off a portion of your
outstanding debt."
"Doing what?" Ranma asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. A
moment later, Ranma blinked in surprise. Nabiki had looked different
for a split second in the dim light of the hallway, but the effect faded a
moment later. *That was weird,* he thought, scratching his head in
puzzlement.
"Nothing that will be too strenuous for a martial artist of _your_
caliber," Nabiki replied with a smile. She noticed Ranma looking at
her very strangely. "What?"
"Nothing," answered Ranma, shaking his head. "I think my brain
must be tired or sumthin'. Sure, Nabiki. I'll be glad to 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.
******************************
***** Earth #0001-001
Nodoka actually took things about as well as Ranma expected, all
things considered. His father was late coming home, so he only had
one concerned parent to deal with right now.
"Ranma?!," gasped Nodoka in surprise when she saw him. "What
happened to you, my son? You look like you've been fighting."
"It looks worse than it is," Ranma answered mildly. "I just had a
small bit of trouble after classes.... I slipped and fell." He settled
down, without feeling any real pain, into a kneeling position next to
the dinner table.
"It looks like you fell several times," observed Nodoka in a dry tone
of voice. "Rather hard each time."
"I'm fine, Mother," said Ranma soothingly. "I am rather hungry
right now though." He tried a smile, since that usually worked in
situations like these.
"All right, dear," said Nodoka with an answering smile, tinged
slightly with her remaining concerns. "I want you to go right to bed
after dinner though. 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 forced himself to slow down his eating
speed. *A martial artist should always try to eat as much as he can
whenever he can,* he heard in his thoughts, in his father's gruff voice.
*Words of wisdom to live by, from the other Genma,* Ranma thought
with a smile.
"Thanks for a wonderful dinner, Mother," said Ranma, stifling a
sudden yawn. "May I be excused now? I'm very tired." He stood up,
feeling slight twinges from his recent injuries.
"Of course, son," answered Nodoka with a nod. "Sleep well." 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 threw his shirt into the corner and dropped his
casual pants on top of it. Yawning, he rolled out his futon. *A little
sleep will make everything all right.*
Sleep claimed him moments after he finished getting comfortable
on the futon pad.
******************************
Ranma was staring out over a mysterious valley shrouded in mist.
Something in it called to him, a memory that he could not quite place.
*I know this place somehow. This is the Valley of Jusenkyou, but why
do I know it? Something terrifying happened to me here once. Why
do I fear this place?*
"Something bad happened to me here," Ranma heard his own voice,
speaking softly from behind him.
"What?" asked Ranma, surprised. He turned around quickly to see
himself, dressed in a Chinese-style shirt and black pants. The other
Ranma was seated in a meditation position, looking like a Buddha, his
eyes closed.
"You heard me," repeated the Chinese-clothed Ranma. "Something
terrible... horrible... happened to me here. Do you want to see?" The
other Ranma continued to speak without opening his eyes.
"I... I'm not sure...," Ranma stuttered in confusion. "Who are you?"
The doppleganger smiled in a friendly manner and opened his eyes.
"I'm Ranma Saotome of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts,"
said his double. Ranma blinked and looked surprised. "I guess I'm
part of you now."
"Wh... what?" stuttered Ranma, backing slowly away from the
seated figure. The edge of the cliff behind him stopped his retreat.
"That isn't possible. You can't be here. I'm having some kind of
nightmare." He closed his eyes. *Come on, Ranma. Wake up!*
"It's not a nightmare, so don't act so scared," his doppleganger said
with mild annoyance. "I'm not really sure what I am exactly. When
you did your experiment, something... unexpected happened to you?"
The voice of the other Ranma moved closer. Ranma felt himself
becoming more and more afraid.
"I picked up fragments of memories, skills that I never had before,"
Ranma answered his double. He sensed a presence standing near him.
Ranma opened his eyes to see the other Ranma looking him over.
"Man... your Akane really worked you over good, huh?" asked his
quantum duplicate with a smile, poking him in the stomach. Ranma
felt a brief twinge of pain. "You're going to have to learn to dodge her
better than that, or you'll end up in traction for sure."
Ranma studied his doppleganger, 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," said the other Ranma with a smirk. "The
only time I came even remotely close to doing that was in your first
fight earlier today." Ranma's double 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?" snarled Ranma, irritated at the poise of his duplicate. "Are
you the reason that I feel so... excited when I fight with her? Is that
it?" Ranma took a mirroring position in front of his other self, his
back to the edge of the cliff.
"I dunno," Ranma's double shrugged. "I usually get beaten on by
the tomboy, so I guess I'm used to it. As to finding Akane exciting to
fight? That's a new one on me. She's about as uncute and sexless as
they come. And Akane calls _me_ a pervert." He chuckled.
"I must be dreaming," stated Ranma. "But how can I do that if I
know I'm dreaming?"
The other Ranma shrugged his shoulders again, frowning. "You're
the brainy one," he said in a tone of mild irritation. "I'm just the dumb
jock, right?"
"I'm sorry for calling you that," said Ranma sincerely, bowing his
head low. "You know more than I do about martial arts, after all."
"I accept your apology," said his double. Ranma smiled.
"This is certainly the most surreal thing I've ever experienced," said
Ranma, looking out over the valley behind him once more. "Will I
remember this dream when I wake up?"
"How should I know?" said Ranma's doppleganger with a shrug of
his shoulders. "Like I said before, you're the brainy one." His double
sprang back to his feet and began performing a kata in place. "You
wanted to know more about this place?"
"Yes," answered Ranma quietly. "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," said his double in a
matter of fact tone of voice. "Here is where Ranma-chan was born."
"What?" asked Ranma in confusion. He blinked for a few moments.
"What do you mean you got cursed to turn into a girl? That's just
plain ridiculous. There's no such thing as curses or magic."
"Let me show you then," said the other Ranma with a smile. His
double sprang at him, grabbed him securely by the collar, and pitched
him over the edge of the cliff.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHhhhhhh..." screamed Ranma as he plummeted
off the edge of the cliffs. The screams faded away as Ranma fell into
the misty valley.
"You wanted to know the truth, and the truth hurts sometimes," said
Ranma's doppleganger with a smile.
A small geyser of water fountained up from the deep pool of water
as Ranma impacted into it, softer than he was expecting after such a
high fall. Ranma felt the water trying to force its way into his lungs,
and he began to struggle up towards the surface. His body 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?" asked his double mildly, a smirk on his face.
"What the hell did ya do that for?!" shouted Ranma at his double
loudly, sputtering slightly. He felt his body floundering in the deep
water, his balance was all off. Ripples filled the pond as he struggled
to keep afloat.
"Notice any changes?" asked the other Ranma with a lecherous
smile, staring at Ranma at about chest level.
"What are you...?" asked Ranma, before stopping in hesitation. The
feeling of wrongness continued. Ranma found himself to be wearing
a white gi, and he opened the top. His brain almost shut down as two
sizable female breasts were revealed, and his mind registered that his
voice was suddenly a higher octave. He was now a she.
"Oh, sir," said the male Ranma in a singsong tone. "You fall into
Nyanniichuan. Very tragic story of young girl that drowned in pool
over one thousand, five hundred years ago." The male Ranma smirked
at her again. Female Ranma was having some difficulty keeping from
screaming. "Now do you get the idea?"
Ranma struggled over to the side of the pool and climbed out. She
looked at her new body in amazement. A lock of reddish hair drifted
in front of her face, and she stared at it cross-eyed. She actually found
herself to be looking up at her male self. She walked around, feeling
the change in mass and center of gravity.
"I don't believe this," said Ranma, frowning at the sound of her new
voice. "This is impossible. My mass has changed, and I'm... smaller.
In some areas that is. Physics says this is impossible...." She opened
the gi top once again and just kept staring at her naked chest in stark
amazement.
"It's magic," said the male Ranma with another casual shrug of his
shoulders. "Anything is possible with magic." Male Ranma suddenly
looked unhappy. "Anything but a cure for me."
A steaming kettle appeared next to the male Ranma. He picked it
up and poured the contents over the female Ranma. Ranma felt her
entire body seem to tremble for a moment, almost a pleasant sensation
ran through her, and then she was a he once again. His clothes even
changed back to what he was wearing before but damp now.
Ranma took a moment to feel his shoulders and pat his male chest,
marveling at the dramatic change. He turned to look with sympathy at
the Chinese-clothes garbed Ranma.
"How did this happen to you?" asked Ranma softly.
"My stupid father took me to this legendary, cursed training ground
in China called Jusenkyou," said the other Ranma in disgust. "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
hasn't been all bad, though," he said in quiet tones. "My life has been
an adventure."
"So where do we go from here?" asked Ranma, turning to study his
martial artist alternate self.
"This is your dream," said his double in thoughtful tones. "I'm just
memories from a life you never had to live. Your life is a lot better
than mine is in some ways. You have a mother, for instance. I...
never knew mine."
"What do you think will happen when I try the Resonator again?"
asked Ranma in curiosity. Do you think I should 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. "It
could do nothing. You could also end up with more of me in here, I
suppose, not that I'm sure how much of me there is in here as it is.
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?" The other
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," Ranma said mildly to
his seated duplicate, and both Ranma's grinned. Ranma looked at his
hands, the hands of a fighter now. "The really strange thing is that I
feel like I'm more complete for having you here."
"Thanks," said the other Ranma with a smile. He stood up, and the
scenery changed to that of a strange building.
"A dojo of some sort?" asked Ranma in surprise, finding himself
back in a white gi. His companion remained in his normal Chinese-
style clothes.
"I thought we might do some sparring and a little training while
we're together," said the red-shirted Ranma. "All this talking is about
things you'd understand more than me. All I know is martial arts and
how to get myself into strange romantic situations. Be grateful that
you aren't engaged to marry your version of Akane, for instance."
Ranma raised an eyebrow at the thought. "Like that's ever going to
happen in this life. You don't know her as well as I do. She's easily
more violent and thuggish than your Akane could ever be. She just
wants to find a sparring partner more than a husband."
"Oh?" said the other Ranma with a smile. "You might be surprised
what's going on in a girl's head. They all have an agenda, my friend.
Some are just more obvious about it than others. So, shall we see how
much of my combat experience you have?"
"Yes," replied Ranma as they both moved to the center of the dojo
mat.
"Then let's begin."
******************************
Soun looked in on his sleeping daughters when he finally returned
home. He was surprised to see bandages on Akane's face when the
dim light from the hallway fell across her face. *She's been fighting
again,* he noted sadly. *There's so much of her mother in her.*
Soun closed the door to Akane's room quietly. He trudged quietly
down the length of the hallway and into his own bedroom. After
turning on the light and sitting down heavily on the bed, he rested his
head in his hands. *There's just so much to do,* thought Soun quietly.
*Tomorrow I set the arrangements into motion for Ranma Saotome's
future with my family. I've put them off for too long, now that he's
back in Japan.*
Soun stood up and removed his uniform jacket, laying it over the
simple wooden chair next to his desk, feeling tired from the long day.
Following that, he removed and hung his shoulder holster and sidearm
from one side of the chair. He slowly removed his trousers and laid
them across the chair, trying to be careful with the creases. Dressed
only in white underclothes, he pulled down the covers and sat back
down on the bed.
Soun looked at the small picture of his wife near the bed. He slowly
reached out and picked it up, smiling gently at a memory of one of the
happier times in his life. After pouring a small glass of whisky from
the bottle he kept in his nightstand, he toasted the picture of his dead
wife. *Here's to my managing to make it to the end of another day
without you, dear wife.* He sipped from the glass, setting the photo
back down in its accustomed place.
*Here's to your memory, dear wife. I pray that our daughters will
someday understand why I will do what I am about to do. They'll both
need someone to take care of them... after I'm gone.*
Soun swallowed the entire glass of whisky, turned off the light, and
lost himself in dreams.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of my pre-readers for all of their
comments and suggestions. A special thanks goes out to D.B. Sommer
for his experienced assistance with my clumsy writing, and also to
Michael Allen for his help with the plot points.