Greetings all, I've worked the third chapter into something 
that actually warrents being called rough, and I felt I should repost 
the first two chapters  as well for those who missed the fict the first 
time.
C&C appreciated, please send to brenda02@sprynet.com


Ranma three and a half eyes
Chapter 2
by Brendan O'Donnell

	"� So as I was watching Ranchan and Akane arguing I thought 
about everything, and I realized that I would rather satisfy family 
honor by marrying him instead killing him."  Ukyo concluded her 
explanation to Nodoka Saotome.
	Nodoka looked at Ukyo.   She moved her head to look at Genma.  
Genma began to sweat.  "Genma,"  she began; her use of his first name 
prompted a quick gulp from her husband.  "I know you've been very 
sensitive about food after having to spend two years without eating, 
but I don't think that's an excuse."
	"I�  No�"  Genma replied slowly, directing his gaze to the 
table.  A few silent moments later he looked up into his wife's eyes.  
She couldn't speak directly into his mind any more but he knew she was 
demanding an answer.  "Well when he offered the Yatai, that's why I 
immediately wanted to say yes, but I�"  he looked at her again.  "I� I 
guess I thought if I did something I knew you'd disapprove of I 
wouldn't miss you so much."
	Nodoka blinked.
	"I'm sorry Nochan."  Genma added quietly.

	"Ukyo."  Hearing her name called she turned and looked at Mrs. 
Saotome, who had stepped out of the Dojo after her.
	"Mrs. Saotome?"
	"Call me Nodoka, please.  I was hoping you would let me walk 
you home, I think there are a few more things we should discuss."
	Ukyo wasn't sure what to feel.  She felt unnerved by the 
Revelation that Ranma wasn't completely human, she felt a betrayed 
because of the new bond that had suddenly formed between her fianc�e 
and her rival, and she was afraid that she would be discounted as 
Ranma's fianc�e.  Now Nodoka wanted to talk to her.  *If she's going to 
talk about the new situation negating my engagement, she'd better save 
her breath for Shampoo.  I tracked Ranma for ten years, and he's mine!* 
 "Thank you M� Nodoka," Ukyo replied, turning and starting toward the 
Dojo.  "I am your son's fianc�e after all."
	"Many of the humans I have met through the years feared the 
Sanjiyan just because we are not like them.  That's the main reason we 
returned to Japan where there were few people who knew I was once a 
Sanjiyan.  It's nice to see someone who's not repulsed by this 
discovery."
	"I could never be repulsed by anything about my Ranchan.  
Besides all we have to do is go to China and redo whatever ritual you 
did with the Nanichuan.  Ranma goes back to being human and get's cured 
to boot,"
	"It wouldn't work,"  Nodoka replied.  Seeing Ukyo pause and 
look at her she continued, "The power Ranma now possesses is far 
greater than all the springs in Jusenkyo combined.  For the Ritual to 
work requires one thing I had and Ranma lacks, an overpowering desire 
to become human.  That kind of desire is the result of decades of 
searching.  Besides Ranma knows that if he is cured his nature will 
pass on to his children, so the necessary desire will be even harder to 
develop."
	Ukyo looked at Nodoka.  Nodoka looked back and smiled.  "Well 
for the moment let's forget that.  Let's pretend instead that there is 
a simple and quick way for Ranma to regain his humanity and that he 
decided to marry you afterward.  What do you think it would be like 
being married to my son?"
	Ukyo didn't need to think.  She had been contemplating and 
planing the details of her marriage to Ranma since the moment he called 
her cute.  She began to share those plans and fantasies with Nodoka, 
the details of their quiet life running an Okonomiki restaurant 
together.  A few minutes later as she was explaining her preferred 
names for the children, she noticed Nodoka was looking forward with a 
troubled expression on her face.  Pushing down a surge of fear she 
said, "Nodoka?"
	"Do you know my son at all?"  Nodoka commented quietly, then 
shook her head and glanced at Ukyo.  "Oh, sorry, I was just thinking of 
something.  Anyway, I'm not going to do anything to  force you to end 
your engagement to Ranma but it would probably be best if you did.  
Magic that can make a Sanjiyan human is so rare and powerful that the 
search would take decades or even centuries.  You shouldn't throw away 
your life waiting for someone who would return looking young enough to 
be your grandson."
	"Who said anything about waiting.  I'd be perfectly happy 
traveling with Ranma and helping him search.  If he couldn't become 
human, couldn't he just give Akane back her soul and take mine 
instead?"
	"The type of magic that can restore a WU's soul is almost as 
rare as that which can make a Sanjiyan Human."  She shook her head.  
"I'm quite familiar with the human capacity to overcome the odds, but I 
really hope you don't try to match Kyosaku.  My son was inadvertently 
responsible for your loosing 10 years in pursuit of him, and he 
wouldn't want to be responsible for making you throwing away the rest 
of your life wandering through perpetual danger watching a man you care 
about stay the same while you grow older.
	"That's your restaurant, right?"
	Ukyo blinked a moment, then looked to see Ucchan's sign a few 
feet away from her.  She nodded.
	 "Then I guess I've escorted you home."  Nodoka commented as 
she turned.  She stopped and looked over her shoulder at Ukyo.  "Here's 
one more thing to think about.  There has never been any possibility of 
Ranma leading a quiet life.  Whether awoken or not Ranma is a living 
generator of magic power.  Magic comes from chaos, so magic attracts 
chaos.  No matter how Ranma's life had turned out it would have been 
chaotic indeed."  Nodoka smiled.  "Whatever happens remember that you 
are a fine young woman and there are many fine men who would risk 
everything for someone like you.  Please embrace that truth and let my 
son go his way in peace."
	Ukyo stood by the door of her shop looking at Nodoka walking 
away.  Narrowing her eyes she opened the door and entered, slamming it 
shut after her with almost enough force to shatter the frame.
 
	Ranma lay on his futon.  With everything that had happened 
today, he didn't expect to sleep at all, but instead he found a feeling 
of exhaustion swallow him up.  He lay there snoring quietly.  Then 
suddenly all three eyes opened and he sat up and looked around.  He was 
in the Tendo Living room, looking at a table laden with every kind of 
food imaginable.  He grinned and grabbed a rice cake to start, then 
froze as he felt a presence behind him.  Glancing over his shoulder he 
saw a girl about his age.  She was about his height, and wearing a very 
worn brown traveling kimono.  A Kitana was stuck through the sash at 
the waist, and her light brown hair fell loose somewhat past her 
shoulders.  Her face looked a lot like his Girl forms, except for the 
third eye in her forehead.  Ranma realized he was looking at a younger 
version of his mother.
	"Nothing to say?"  The young Nodoka commented in a sarcastic 
tone of voice.  Walking up the table she sat next to him, grabbed a 
rice ball and devoured it in three bites.  "Well your mindscape has a 
good sense of taste, I guess."  She commented, chuckling to herself.
	"Mindscape?"
	"This dream of yours we're sharing.  It's entirely a construct 
of your own mind."  She looked around "It certainly looks like the real 
thing."
	"We're sharing a dream?  You are mom aren't you?"
	"Yes and sort of, to answer both questions.  Your mother 
obviously never explained the growing corruption in the Sanjiyan 
bloodlines.  In our day, the elders were cruel and held everything but 
power in contempt.  The younger of us often came to develop two 
separate personalities, one mastering the power of this,"  She raised 
her hand by her third eye.  "The other being the more versed in the 
ways of friendship.  I was the part of Vishnaru who mastered her power 
of magic."
	"Wait a minute, who's Vishnaru?"
	"Shortly after your father became our WU, your mother decided 
to adopt a more common human name.  We were actually born Vishnaru, 
youngest daughter of Kali II."
	"Kali?"  *Have I heard that name before?* Ranma thought to 
himself.
	"The legends were based on a collection of gross exaggerations 
and outright lies about my grandmother!"  She snapped.  "Everyone 
reacts like that�"  She muttered.  "Anyway, shortly after your mother 
met your father, they discussed human names.  After Genma said Nodoka 
was a good example of a name appropriate for a beautiful woman like 
her, she decided to call herself that.  I on the other hand have always 
remained true to my original name of Vishnaru."
	"Ok, so you're part of my mother."  Ranma said.
	"Was part of your mother, the part of her that best understood 
the magic which flowed through our veins like liquid fire.  When we 
performed the conversion ritual at Jusenkyo I expected that I would 
either merge with Nodoka's personality forever or else simply cease to 
exist.  Instead I found myself separated from our body.  It was quite 
unexpected and rather frightening."
	Ranma looked at Vishnaru and tried to think of something to 
say.  Before he could she looked him in the eyes and smiled fiercely.  
"It wasn't what I had planned, but I've come to really enjoy being like 
this.  I'm free of the limitations of the physical body."  She held up 
her hand looking into her palm.  "I have held the heart of a star in my 
hand."  She sat there quietly a moment.  "But that has nothing to do 
with why I'm here.  Ranma, in maters of Magic you have talent and 
power, but absolutely no real skill.  Nodoka's worried about you for 
this fact so I'm here to get rid of her concerns."
	Ranma looked at his mother's� former split personality.  "How."
	"How Sensei!"  She snapped.  "You have a lot to learn and the 
quicker you learn it, the less likely your mother will have to organize 
a funeral for you!"  She raised a hand and suddenly they were siting on 
a grassy plain.  "This feels like a better environment to start."

	Shampoo stood in the kitchen of the Nekohanten, watching as 
Cologne opened the door to the cellar.  "Great Grandmother�"
	Cologne paused and looked at her great granddaughter.  "Hush 
Shampoo.  I know you want to help, but I have to research some of the 
more arcane books I have and you simply haven't learned enough to help 
me.  Just be content making sure the restaurant runs smoothly."
	"Hai."  She commented as she walked back into the dining area. 
 *Arrr, I hate not being able to do anything but wait.  Still that's 
all I can do.  With luck Great Grandmother will figure out how to turn 
Ranma� like he was,  Then Mother in law will definitely accept me as 
Ranma's wife.*

	Cologne closed and locked the door behind her.  Quickly 
descending the stairs she walked past several crates.  Pausing she 
looked at an open crate beside her.  Clenching her fist she struck the 
box with the side of her fist, reducing it to a cloud of splinters.
	{What's wrong?}  Cologne felt the words form in the back of her 
mind.  Frowning she continued to a small table three feet away from the 
wall.
	Looking at a small globe of obsidian she said, "Things have not 
gone well."
	Ripples began to shimmer across Cologne's reflection in the 
sphere.  {Odd,} the voice responded.  {Even you would have had trouble 
stooping that demon.  Shampoo's presence would prevent you from being 
suspected, and your summoning at the Kuno estate would not have left 
any signs of your actions.  What happened.}
	"It seems that Ranma's parents have kept an important secret 
from him and from me."  Cologne said, siting on the cushions before the 
table.  "My future son in law is not human."
	{Interesting.  But how did this affect what transpired?}

	Genma Saotome sat at a small table in the Dojo, carving at a 
hexagonal piece of ashwood with a long knife.  He put the knife down 
and carefully examined his work.  Nodding to himself he picked up the 
knife again and carved a few more curls of wood from the grove 
bisecting the wood artifact.  Putting both carving and knife down he 
picked up a length of wire and carefully pushed it into the grove.
	"Genma."
	Genma raised his hands from his work, then dropped them to rest 
on the table.  "Nodoka."
	His wife sighed as she entered the room.  "We have almost 
become strangers."  Walking to the other side of the table she sat and 
examined Genma's work with a critical eye..
	"I haven't forgotten what I learned with you."  Genma commented 
quietly.
	"Not magic it seems."  She responded.  "Though we used much 
less passive effects than this."
	"We used whatever we could use that would work best.  That's 
still the case."
	"I talked to Ukyo.  You really ruined her life."
	"I know.  I thought it would simply create a small economic 
hardship for her family, not the catastrophe it invoked."  Genma 
contemplated the inkstone and peachwood brushes beside the incomplete 
witch compass.  "Her Yatai, I used that Kirin shrine trick."
	Nodoka looked at him.  She smiled.  "That does go a long way 
toward making amends.  But you have to recover it and make her accept 
it.  That will be difficult."
	"I know."  He looked at his wife a moment, then picked up the 
inkstick and began rubbing it on the inkstone.

	Ranma opened his eyes and blinked a moment.  Glancing sideways 
he confirmed that his father was sleeping next to him.  He sat up and 
rubbed his eyes.  *Weird, I can clearly remember that session with 
Vishnaru, but I still feel like I slept the entire night.*
Suddenly he heard a loud scream.  *AKANE!*  Springing to his feet he 
ran through the hall.  Reaching the bathroom he threw open the door and 
froze at the sight of Akane's naked form standing in front of the 
mirror.
	"Woah!"  Ranma called as he spun to look the opposite direction 
from his pervert-hating fiancee.  "I'm sorry, I just� I heard...  so 
I�"
	"It really happened."  Akane said quietly, not moving from 
where she stood before the mirror, her right hand feeling her forehead 
where the Chinese character for void had become a part of her.
	Ranma blinked.  Concentrating a moment, he willed his third eye 
to open.  He sharply inhaled as his senses suddenly expanded and his 
body filled with power.  He looked down as he raised his hands, he felt 
stronger than he had ever felt in his life.  Closing all three eyes, 
Ranma responded, "Yeah, I'm not human," as he felt his body collapse 
back into normality.  Reaching behind him, he felt the door's handle 
and pushed it shut.

	*'I'm not human.'*  Akane thought of what Ranma had said 
seconds before.  With her fingertips she traced the character on her 
forehead, then glanced down and looked for any trace of where she had 
been impaled by the demon's tail the day before.  Her skin was 
unmarked.  *Ranma's not human.*  "And neither am I."

	Ukyo sat in her restaurant's small bathing room soaping her 
body with the quick precision of routine.  Her mind wandered to the 
events of the previous day.  The attack Ranma and the other's had 
talked about.  *Something like that happens and I'm not even there!  If 
Ranma hadn't been� what his mother says he is,*  She thought of Akane 
dying.  An image popped into her mind of her consoling Ranma, then of 
him thanking her and�*NO!*  She shook her head, to clear it, then 
poured cold rinse water to help the process.  *I don't want to win that 
way!  I don't!  I just want Ranma to realize I'm his only real fianc�e 
and marry me.*
	She thought about Ranma.  And she saw him looking at Akane the 
previous evening.  She clearly remembered the look and how much she 
wished that he would someday look at her that way.  With a depressed 
sigh she picked up her shampoo and started washing her hair.  The 
familiarity of the activity gave her time to think, and she pushed her 
depressed musing away.  *I'm acting almost as bad as Ryouga!  I will 
not give up!*  She rinsed her hair, then paused to run her fingers 
through it.  *Cute fianc�e vs. Uncute fianc�e.  No contest.*

	Genma sat at table in the main room, with the entire Tendo and 
Saotome families gathered around him.  He picked up the witch compass 
he had created the night before.  "It's not that complicated.  I just 
put some of the demon's blood here," he indicated a circular depression 
at one end of a grove bisecting the wood hexagon,  "And it'll lead us 
right to wherever it was summoned from."  Genma placed the witch 
compass in a bowl of water, then put a small shard of the sword which 
Shampoo had shattered against the demon the previous day into the 
depression.  The compass floated still a moment then rotated a few 
degrees and came to a stop.
	"Ok, let's go pop!"  Ranma commented as he came to his feet.
	 "I'm going too."  Akane said as she stood, double-checking 
that her Gi's belt was properly tied.
	"Oh no you aren't."  Ranma responded angrily.  Seeing Akane's 
dark glower he added in a quieter tone, "I don't wanna half to worry 
about you."
	"Worry�  You made me immortal remember!!"
	Ranma looked down at the table.  "It was the only way to save 
you."
	Akane blinked in surprise.  Then she looked down.  "Ranma, 
thank you for worrying about me, but it's not necessary any more."  
Ranma looked at her, and she met his gaze.  Then she smiled in an 
unpleasant way.  "Besides I want to meet whoever sent that thing after 
us."
	Genma looked at his son and smiled.  Then he rose to his feet 
and started for the front door.  "Let's go!"

	Nodoka looked up at the sign identifying the building she had 
stopped in front of.  *I hope Ranma and Dearest are all right.  Ranma 
is so new to his power and if Genma has to�   No! until I hear 
differently whatever they find will be within their capacity to deal 
with!*  She forced herself to relax, then entered.
	"Welcome to Nekohanten!  Ah, Mother in law!  Shampoo happy to 
see you!"  Shampoo said as she came up to Nodoka.  "Come Shampoo show 
you table, you have Ramen on house!"
	"Thank you," Nodoka commented to Shampoo as she was led to  a 
table  close to the counter.  "Are you too busy to join me?  I came 
over because I need to talk to you."  She sat at the table.  "About my 
son and his new WU."
	Shampoo paused on her way to the kitchen, then shook her head 
to clear it and walked up to the serving window.  Her father passed her 
two bowls of the deluxe ramen, and she carried them back to Nodoka's 
table.
	"Shampoo, you were there when it happened."
	Shampoo sat and looked at her bowl of Ramen.  She didn't want 
to remember the demon, wished she had never heard the pain in Ranma's 
voice when Akane lay dying in his arms.  "Shampoo there,"  She said 
softly.
	"My husband told me about the law requiring you to marry my 
son.  Does the fact that he isn't human have any effect on that?"
	"Shampoo�  not know.  Shampoo not care!  Just want Ranma to 
love Shampoo."  She looked into her soup, remembering the way she had 
seen Ranma look at Akane sometimes when he thought no one was looking. 
 The moment the demon had attacked Akane, she recalled a brief flash of 
happiness at the loss of her greatest rival, even as her heart had been 
torn apart with sorrow.
	"We don't have to talk about that."  Nodoka said quietly.  "Any 
time you do want to talk about it, I'll make time and talk to you."  
She picked up her chopsticks, and stirred the Ramen a moment.
	Spending a moment to sample some of the noodles and broth 
Nodoka said, "Delicious, I see why you have done so well."
	"Nekohanten best Ramen in Tokyo."  Shampoo replied with a 
smile.  Her smile faded.
	Nodoka looked at Shampoo a moment.  With a sigh she said, 
"There's something else I came to talk about.  You've been here for a 
year, you've seen how my son attracts chaos."  She looked at Shampoo 
who nodded.  "Magic is from chaos, so magic attracts chaos.  Last 
year's events are partially because of the dormant magic that has 
always slumbered within my son.  It's awake now.  What he will draw 
will make the last year seem dull."
	Shampoo looked at Nodoka.  "Shampoo not frighten off easy."
	Nodoka smiled.  "I'm not trying to scare you.  I'm not even 
really here to ask for anything that directly affects my son.  I'm here 
about Akane."  She looked at Shampoo a moment, then pulled a few 
noodles from the bowl and slurped them down.
	Shampoo blinked and looked at Nodoka.  "What Akane need from 
Shampoo?"
	"Her role is to protect my son when he's vulnerable.  Now she 
should learn magic, but it's going to take all my effort just teaching 
Ranma enough of the basics and that's assuming he has the Sanjiyan 
instincts for spellcraft."  She looked down.  "I don't know how long 
before forces drawn by my son make him leave Nerima, but I want Akane 
to be as capable of protecting him as she can become.  In short she 
needs training, and you're the only person I can think of who could do 
it."
	Shampoo blinked.  She looked at Nodoka and thought of what she 
had just asked.  To help her greatest rival become stronger.  She 
thought of training, of the many opportunities to "Accidentally" push 
just past what Akane could survive.  She pushed the thought away from 
her feeling sick for thinking it.  "Shampoo, Shampoo not think she best 
choice.  Ranma is�"
	"Ranma's no good."  Nodoka responded.  "I don't know how good a 
teacher he is, but I do know that he cares to much about her."  Nodoka 
looked her in the eyes, and Shampoo could see the pain hidden there.  
"Akane doesn't just need to learn to fight, she has to come to terms 
with the nature and limits of her new immortality.  She needs someone 
who will push her past human limits, will strike to kill and maim and 
not pull any punches."  She shuddered and looked down.  "I'm sorry.  
This isn't the sort of thing anybody should be asked to do.  But if it 
isn't done Akane might not be able to keep Ranma from being killed.  
And his life is hers now"
	"Great-Grandmother�"
	"I called her this morning.  She said no."
	Shampoo looked at Nodoka with a surprised look on her face.  
"Why say no?" she said quietly.
	"Well, she said that she was sure that if she studied the 
amazon lore she had she could eliminate the need, and said something 
about there being trouble if she taught another outsider."
	*The tomes I can understand, but she has discretion to impart 
her knowledge in any way she is sure will not harm the Amazon's.  I'd 
better ask her about it later.*

	Genma was walking along the wall of the Kuno estate.  He came 
to a stop and looked at the compass closely.  Ranma and Akane stood 
behind him sharing similar impatient looks.
	"Come on, let's find whoever summoned that thing!"  Ranma said 
angrily.
	"We have."  Genma replied.  "Or at least we now know where it 
was summoned from."  He raised his hand and tapped the wall.  "In 
there"
	Ranma stared at him a moment.  "Kuno or Kodachi?!"  He stared 
disbelievingly at the wall for a long moment.  Then he glanced at Akane 
and his eyes narrowed angrily.  Turning back to the Kuno estate he 
casually leaped to the top of the wall.  Akane and his father followed 
him.

	"In here," Genma commented as he stood before the Kuno 
greenhouse, pausing to glance at the shattered traps littering the 
ground of the estate.
	Ranma grabbed the door and flung it open.  Holding up his hand 
he caught the large iron sphere which had dropped from the roof.  
Casually tossing it aside he walked into the huge edifice.  He knew he 
was standing in Kuno's section of the greenhouse.  Growing on the 
tables to either side of him were red long stemmed roses.  On every 
table stretching to the distant other side of the greenhouse.
	"This way."  Genma commented as he stepped in front of Ranma 
and Akane and started leading them foreword and through the rows of 
tables.  They realized they had entered Kodachi's area when the Roses 
surrounding them turned black.  Then they were past the Tables of 
flowers and walking among Hawaiian trees and plants.
	"I thought Principal Kuno lived at the school."  Ranma 
commented.
	"So did I."  Akane responded.
	They walked a little further into a clear space.  Which 
contained a pentagram with the burnt down remains of black candles at 
each point and a small pile of red wax was in it's center.  "This is 
where it was summoned."  Genma said.
	"Was that demon connected to Hawaii in any way?"  Ranma asked.
	"No it's summoning base was more concentrated in Austria as I 
recall."  Genma responded.
	"SO THE SORCEROR RETURNS!"
	Ranma and Akane looked as Kuno rushed from the trees to his 
right.  He was dressed in his usual Kendo outfit, however instead of 
his Boken he had a real Katana in hand.  "Did you think that your 
defacement of the Kuno sanctuary would go unnoticed?  Prepare to die 
for whatever magic's you sought to use against me could not touch the 
Blue Thunder, chosen of the heavens!"  He surged foreword lashing out 
with a viscous slash aimed to cut Ranma in half just below the ribcage. 
 Ranma calmly leaned back avoiding the attack, then with his eyes 
tightening he lashed out two strikes to Kuno's shoulders.  Kuno 
screamed in pain as his sword fell from his spasming hands.
	"Ranma�"  Akane stated, stepping foreword then stopping to look 
at him and Kuno with a shocked expression.
	Ranma ignored her and grabbed Kuno by the throat and pushed him 
against a palm tree.  "That was a clean dislocation.  It'll hurt like 
hell but you'll recover with no permanent damage.  This time."
	Kuno stared at Ranma, his eyes narrowing in hatred.  "Vile 
sorcerer."
	"Now get this straight.  The reason I'm here is because a demon 
almost killed Akane yesterday and we just learned that it was summoned 
from that circle.  Now who summoned it!"
	Kuno's eyes shifted from Ranma to Akane then back.  "Think you 
the Blue Thunder is fooled so easily?  There is but one sorcerer here 
and it is you!  You clearly have grown tired of Akane and sought to 
dispose of her through your pacts with the darkness!  The vengeance of 
heaven is slow but sure and I shall be it's hand!"
	Kuno interrupted his rant to scream as Ranma grabbed his 
shoulders and popped both joints back into place before striking a 
quick blow to Kuno's face, knocking him unconscious.
	Ranma turned and walked back to Akane.  "I don't think he 
knows.  Well it's not like I ever thought he had the brains to pull off 
something like demon summoning.  So it's either Kodachi, Principal Kuno 
or someone snuck in here and did this in secret."  He shook his head.  
"I can hardly believe anyone did it."  He took a step toward the 
pentagram and looked it over.  Frowning he opened his third eye, and 
almost jumped back as he saw Vishnaru standing in front of him a bored 
expression on her face.
	"You finally decided to actually look.  Took you long enough." 
 Ranma opened his mouth, prompting her to scream, "DON'T TALK!"  
Calming herself she added, "Remember, if I and everything I teach you 
are a secret, if there's trouble you will have an advantage that your 
enemy wouldn't know about."
	With a sigh Ranma concentrated on the basic telepathic magic 
she had taught him in the previous nights dreams.  {OK, I did help come 
up with that plan remember?}
	"Is anything wrong, Ranma?" Akane asked as she stepped up to 
him.
	Ranma glanced at her.  "Uh no no, it's just,"  He paused to 
raise his hand to his third eye.  "Things look really different, it 
takes getting used to."  He looked back at Vishnaru.
	"Play with you Wu another time kid.  This is more important."
	"What's it like?"  Akane asked.
	"Um, I'm not sure how to describe it.   Now if you don't mind I 
might be able to see something important."  He stepped foreword and 
began circling the Pentagram.
	"Done?"
	{What am I supposed to be looking at here?}
	"OK, next lesson.  You remember how I explained the basic 
principals of seeing the patterns of force?"
	{Yeah,}
	"Well look in the center of the pentagram."
	{It's a big jumble.}
	Vishnaru grinned and raised her hands toward the pentagram, her 
third eye glowing brightly, then fading as she lowered her hands.  
"Look again."
	As Ranma watched all the patterns but two faded away.  "This is 
the demon's essence,"  Vishnaru commented as she materialized a pointer 
of light and indicated a black aura which suffused much of the area.  
"This,"  she indicated a different pattern, "Is a part of the magic 
that imprinted with the summoners pattern.
"Now, Genma is working on tracking the responsible party through the 
aspect of the demon's essence which would have contaminated their aura 
in the process of summoning and dealing with it.  This is the easiest 
to spot, but there are ways of blocking and hiding its presence.  Now 
the pattern fragment is something you wouldn't spot unless you 
specifically look for it, but it's something that can't be disguised."
	{So how do I find who's responsible?}
	"I'm here to teach you, not hold your hand and sing lullabies! 
 You'll have to figure that one out on your own."  With that she 
vanished.  Ranma looked back into the pentagram.  The jumble he had 
first seen was back, but now he looked and saw the two elements that 
were so important.  He glanced at Kuno.  There was no trace of the 
demon's essence that Vishnaru had pointed out.  Looking further he 
concentrated on the patterns he could see in Kuno's Aura.  None of them 
resembled the imprint in the pentagram.
	"Um, I can see, something in that penwhatsits, and I think I 
can see what's both there and on that compass thing.
	"I don't se anything like it on Kuno," Ranma added.