Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi

Tribe of One is owned by TSR.


A Stained Glass Mind
--------------------------

By: Anand Rao


"O-Otosan. . . I don't wanna do this again."  The little boy looked up at
his father and sniffed back his tears.

"One more time, Ranma."  The father held his son dangling over a pit.  The
little boy, Ranma, had sardines tied all over his body.  In the dark and
cavernous pit below him, terrifying meowing sounds could be heard.  "One
more time," Genma repeated, "to get you over this fear.  The damage has been
done, and now we need to repair it.  Face it like a man, Ranma!"

Sweat started to drip off the boy's face and mixed with the blood from the
cuts and scratches he had previously received.  The salty sweat burned in
his wounds, but his fear was too great to truly feel the pain.

"Here you go."  Genma tossed Ranma into the pit.

Darkness descended upon Ranma as he fell.  The meowing, scratching, clawing,
and biting started all over again. Then the screaming. . . the frustrated,
fearful, painful screaming began; and just as Ranma realized that it was his
own voice, his mind shattered.


Chapter 1: Shattering the Mirror
-----------------------------------

Ryoko walked through the village in a pensive mood.  For the first time in
over ten years, she had dreamed about her family.  She had thought that all
the pain, abuse, and misunderstanding, were behind her.  The village was her
home now.  She, like all the women in the village, was an outcast.  Their
own families and friends could not accept what they were, so they came here,
for peace, solace, and education.

All of the women were different from so-called 'normal' people.  They were
born with an intellect that far exceeded anyone their own age, and with that
intellect came some kind of psionic skill as well.  Ryoko's powers lay in
dreaming.  Her dreams did not so much foretell the future as many had
thought, but instead provided her with a sense of foreshadowing.  At the
village, she had learned telepathy as well.  She was not very strong at
first, but the ability was there, and she improved as she grew older.

Ryoko idly watched as different classes were being taught around her.  Mara
was conducting a class in telekinetic ability, having different students
attempt to move multicolored rubber balls with their minds.  Melanie was
teaching another group of students a basic kata.  In this village, the
Village of the Mind, the women believed in maintaining a balance between the
mental, the emotional, and the physical aspects of life.  They reasoned that
a strong body coupled with a strong mind led to true mastery of their
skills.  Yet another group of students, some of the advanced ones, were
training to focus their ki.

(Body, Mind, and Spirit,) Ryoko thought as she walked into the building that
contained her personal study.  That motto was the center of their beliefs.
Ryoko's thoughts once again returned to her dream.  Someone in her family
was in trouble, and somehow she was involved as well.  She grimaced as she
realized that she really did not want to see any of her family again.  She
did not need the bitter memories to return.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts and one of her young students
walked in.  "I am sorry to interrupt you, High Mistress, but there is a. .
. -man- who wishes to see you."

Ryoko raised her eyebrows.  "A man?  Did you actually let him into the
village?"

"No, he is at the front gate.  He says he is your brother."

(Genma,) Ryoko thought with a resigned sigh. "Escort him here."

"Is there something else?" Ryoko asked, noticing that the young student had
hesitated for a moment.

"He has a small child with him, a little boy. He looks half-starved."

"Show them in at once, and bring some food here."

The student rushed out of the study and after twenty minutes, a travel-worn
Genma walked into Ryoko's study, little Ranma walking behind him.  Ryoko
ignored her brother as she stared at Ranma.

(The poor child looks ready to collapse!) She glanced at her brother.  "Put
the child on the sofa over there, Genma.  Food will be coming shortly."

Genma led Ranma to the sofa and seeing that the child was not responding,
gently picked him up and lay him on it.  Ryoko looked at the child more
closely.  He looked tired and hungry, for certain, but there was something
else wrong as well.  The boy had a vacant look on his face.  He didn't blink
once and did not seem to be responding to the world around him.

"What happened?"

Genma turned towards Ryoko and chuckled nervously.  "It- It is so good to
see you, Oneechan.  You are looking well.  Life. . . has been good to you;
I'm glad."

"Really?  As I recall, you called me a 'freak' and a 'witch' when I left.
Are you really glad to see me Genma?"  Ryoko could not keep the bitterness
from entering her voice.

"Of course, Oneechan-"

"Ryoko."

"What?"  Genma asked, a confused look on his face.

"Call me Ryoko.  You lost the right to call me 'sister' a long time ago,
Genma.  It is quite obvious that you -want- something, so get on with it,
then get out of my life and out of this village."

Before Genma could reply, a young student entered the study, carrying a tray
of fruits and vegetables, along with a pitcher of water and a glass of milk.
Genma ravenously attacked the food as Ryoko looked on in disgust.  (You
haven't changed a bit, have you?)  She picked up the glass of milk and
walked over to Ranma.  She gently smiled at the boy, and offered the glass
of milk to him.  She frowned, as Ranma seemed to be staring through her,
completely ignoring the milk.  On a hunch, she tried to probe his mind
telepathically and suddenly recoiled at what she found there.

A cacophony of voices raged in Ranma's mind.

A voice laughed.

A voice cried.

A voice demanded silence.

A voice growled in inhuman hunger.

A voice shouted in fear.

A voice sighed in resignation.

A voice-

Ryoko cut off her telepathic link.  She dropped the milk on the floor and
turned towards Genma, her face livid with rage. She grabbed him by the front
of his martial arts gi and lifted him up to face her.

"What did you do to that child?"

Genma cringed at the look on her face.  He started to panic and resisted the
urge to try to run away.  (I have to do this. . . for the boy.)  He took a
deep breath and began.  "That is my son, Ranma.  He's. . . he's sick, Onee-,
Ryoko-san.  Help him, please."

"What. Did. You. Do." Ryoko was barely keeping her anger in check.

Genma proceeded to tell Ryoko about the Cat-fist training.  At first, she
was sure he was lying.  (No one could be that stupid.)  Ryoko probed Genma's
mind to discover the truth of what had happened.  She watched with growing
horror as Genma threw Ranma into the pit time after time.  "You are beyond
belief, Genma.  What kind of an idiot are you?"  She let go of Genma's gi
and started shaking her head.

What little pride Genma had reasserted itself.  "I am student of the Art,
Ryoko-san.  I will do anything to make sure my son becomes a master of that
Art. Anything."

"Well, Genma, your resolve has destroyed his life," Ryoko began acidly.
"Ranma's mind is completely fragmented."

Genma looked at his sister quizzically.  "What to you mean, 'fragmented'? "

Ryoko sighed and sat down on the sofa next to Ranma.  She motioned for Genma
to sit down in a chair across from her.  "Genma, how long ago did you try to
'train' Ranma in this Cat-fist?"

"It has been about three months.  Ranma was as you see him now.  He doesn't
talk, he doesn't seem to notice other people, and I almost have to force him
to eat.  I brought him here because I thought you could help him.  I never
understood your powers, but. . . ."

"Genma, a person with a fragmented mind has several separate and distinct
personalities residing within the one body.  Ranma has many, many, voices in
his head.  I don't know which one is in domination. Genma, there is no cure
for this."

"So my son is insane?"  Genma nearly shouted.

"No, not insane. . . though people in the outside world might think so.
Like I said, there is no cure, but I can help him adjust to his situation.
We have journals here about cases like this. We call it 'A Tribe of One'. It
is a rare situation, but has happened before."

"So, you will help him?"  Genma asked in a hopeful voice.

"Yes, but he will have to live in the village-"

"Anything, anything at all," Genma interrupted.  "We'll move in right away,
we-"

"I said, -he- will have to live in the village, not -you-."

"But. . . but you can't expect me to leave my son alone, in a village filled
only with women! Who will teach him the Art?  I promised my wife that I
would make him a man among men!  I took him away from her so that she
wouldn't coddle him!  And now you want me to leave him here?  Alone?"  Genma
was standing and clearing shouting by the time he finished speaking.

(Sit down!)  Genma heard Ryoko's voice in his head.  Shocked at the mental
command, he complied.  "First of all," Ryoko began in a calm voice, "we do
not 'coddle' anyone here.  Every one of these women works harder than you
ever have, Genma.  They learn to discipline their minds, souls, and bodies.
They also fend for themselves and work to make the village thrive.   Ranma
will not find life easy here.  Most of these women hate males.  As for the
Art, I can teach him anything he needs to know.  I was better than you when
we were younger, and I am better than you now.  You will leave Genma.  I
will not have you disrupting life here.  Come back in ten years; Ranma
should be ready for the outside world by then."

Genma looked helplessly between Ryoko and Ranma.  He began to think that
going to Ryoko was a mistake.  He didn't want to leave Ranma behind, but
Ryoko was right, she -was- better than him.  (Maybe I can sneak back in
after dark.)

"Ryoko. . . I'll leave, but I'll be back in ten years.  You had better give
me my son at that time!"

Genma turned to walk out of the door and he heard Ryoko's voice inside his
head.  (Genma, don't try to sneak in here at nightfall. . . you'll regret
it.)  Genma paled as he remembered that he was in a village full of psionic
women. He opened the door and ran towards the village gate.


         ***** 10 Years Later *****


Ryoko smiled as the sweat dripped off her face and neck.  Dozens of the
village students and not a few of the instructors watched in admiration as
she faced off against Ranma.  These sparring sessions were a daily ritual,
but it was only recently that the crowds had started to gather.  Ranma was
fast approaching Ryoko's equal and everyone knew it.  They had been sparring
for hours and neither one had been able to land a single blow.

As the sweat glistened on Ranma's muscled chest and his long damp hair clung
to his forehead, Ryoko could not help but think about how far he had
progressed in the past ten years.  He was about sixteen years of age now,
and already he was the best martial arts student in the village.  He did,
however, use the tribe to cheat his way out of studying anything else.
Ryoko despaired of ever teaching -Ranma- about math or history.

Life had not been easy for Ranma at the female-filled village.  At first,
all of the women rejected him, placing their prejudices and problems with
men firmly on his small shoulders.  With Ryoko's insistence and persistence,
however, he became one of them.

Of course, Ukyo was a great help as well.  She was the same age as Ranma,
and had befriended him when no one else had.  At the tender age of six she
had proclaimed that anyone who hurt her 'Ranchan' would answer to her.  She
protected him like a younger brother, and the two had become close.  They
had become so close, in fact, that the first word Ranma said since he enter
the village was 'Ucchan'; his pet name for Ukyo.  The other villagers were
shamed by Ukyo's actions, and eventually they accepted him as well.  He had
become everyone's 'little brother'.

This acceptance, however, did not help Ranma's problem.  It was a little
over two years until Ryoko was able to draw out the other personalities in
Ranma's mind.  She had tried in the beginning, of course.  Every time she
tried to telepathically read Ranma's mind, she was shut out.  Even when
Ranma had given his permission, she still could not break through the wall
that was erected in his brain.  This surprised and puzzled her because that
kind of a mental block to a probe meant that Ranma had some level of psionic
power.  Yet, whenever he practiced the telekinetic or telepathic exercises,
he always failed.

Finally, one day when Ryoko was trying to probe Ranma's mind, she met one of
the other personalities.

She had called Ranma into her study, as usual during these attempts.
"Ranma, just sit back on the sofa and relax."

"I -am- relaxing, Sensei.  I'm relaxed every time that we do this.  I want
to let you in my mind, but- but-"

"It's okay, Ranma," Ryoko said in a soothing voice, trying to calm the boy
down. "Let's just keep trying?"

"Okay, Sensei."

Ryoko began her probe and was suddenly and violently pushed out of Ranma's
mind.  Ranma's demeanor suddenly changed.  He sat taller, more confident and
he looked Ryoko straight in the eyes.

"Why are you doing this to us?"  Ranma demanded.  Only, Ryoko realized, it
wasn't Ranma.  She sat down and stared at Ranma, the fascination evident on
her face.

"You are one of the others, right?  What. . . what should I call you?"

"You can call me Guardian.  Why are you trying to enter our mind?"

"I want to help Ranma understand what he is, I want to understand what
happened to him."

"You want to help him?  By asking him to lift those silly balls?"  The
Guardian asked, speaking of the telekinetic exercises.

"It is not silly.  It helps develop psionic talent."

"Ranma does not -have- any psionic talent."

"But, then, how. . .  I understand!  One of the others is psionic, correct?"

"I have the gift of telepathy, yes," Guardian confirmed.

"Why haven't you revealed yourself to Ranma?"

"There is no need.  We will protect him as required."

"But you have to tell him!  Ranma has to understand the tribe.  It will help
him to adjust as he lives his life among others."  Ryoko bit her lower lip.
She hoped that the Guardian would understand.

"He has lived his life here comfortably, without the knowledge of us.  Why
should things change now?"

"Ranma might not always be living here!  The outside world will not be as
opened minded as some of us."

"Perhaps. . . Ranma cares for you a great deal.  He loves you like a mother.
You tell him of us, and we will guide him to understanding."

"Agreed."

That day marked a changed in Ranma's training.  Ryoko studied all the
village's journals for whatever she could find on  'A Tribe of One'.  She
explained to Ranma what she knew and what she learned, while the Guardian
gradually opened Ranma's mind to the other personalities that lived there.
Over the years, Ryoko learned that there were ten different personalities in
Ranma's mind.

First, there was Ranma, of course, who was the primary personality and led
the tribe. Second, was the Guardian who guided and protected Ranma and made
the tribe work as a team. Third, there was Bitter, a cynical, adult
personality that looked at the pessimistic side of any situation.  Fourth,
there was the Watcher, a paranoid being who was constantly aware of
everything in the environment and was also scared of everything.

Fifth, was Lyric, a child-like artist who liked to sing and dance and laugh
all the time.  Sixth, was Play, a sensual being who just wanted experience
everything life had to offer; regardless of the consequences.  Seventh, was
Shade, a dark personality who only believed only in survival.  Shade
instinctively wanted to kill any being that was a threat to the tribe.

Eighth, was Neko.  None of the tribe knew who or what Neko was, only that he
was there. Ryoko, however, knew what he was. It became all too evident when
one of the girls offered to let Ranma play with her pet cat.  Neko was the
embodiment of the Cat-fist.

Ninth, was the Master. Master was more mysterious then Neko.  The tribe was
in awe of him, but so far he had not taken a turn at controlling Ranma's
body.  And finally, there was the Inner Child; that which was Ranma before
Genma had tried to teach him the Cat-fist.  The Inner Child was safe and
protected in the depths of Ranma's mind and would probably never wake up.

Ryoko kept her mind from wandering any further as Ranma's fist nearly
planted itself in her face.  She smiled and held up a hand; a signal that
the match was over.

"Very good, Ranma. You grow stronger with each passing day."  Ryoko bowed in
Ranma's direction as the rest of the students clapped and congratulated him.

"Aw, it was nothin', Sensei.  I had a good teacher.  Besides, I'm not that
good  yet. . . I -still- couldn't hit you," Ranma sighed and continued, "And
I still can't seem to focus my Ki."

"It will come in time, Ranma." Ryoko said as the crowd walked off to finish
whatever duties that had been interrupted by the match.

Ukyo ran up to Ranma and latched onto his arm.  "Ranchan!  You were
wonderful!  You are probably going to be the best martial artist that ever
lived!"

Ryoko frowned to herself as she looked at Ukyo.  Over the years, the two had
become close; like siblings.  Lately, however, she had started to notice a
change in Ukyo's feelings for Ranma.  It had become obvious to everyone in
the village, (everyone but Ranma,) that Ukyo loved Ranma as a woman loves a
man, not as a sister loves a brother.

This in itself did not bother Ryoko, but she knew that Ranma would be
leaving soon.  His ten years were almost up, and Genma would be returning.
Whatever else Genma might be, he was incredibly tenacious when it came to
the Art and the traditions of passing it on to his heir.

"Go get some rest, Ranma.  You must be exhausted."

"Hey, I feel fine, Sensei!  I could keep practicing all afternoon!"

(Be that as it may, Ranma, this body does need to rest,) Guardian advised.

(Okay, okay, whatever,) Ranma agreed.  "I'm gonna go to the springs first
and take a bath," he said out loud.

Ryoko and Ukyo, who were closer to Ranma than anyone else, realized that a
private conversation had just taken place. Ryoko even went as far as saying,
"Thanks, Guardian. Sometimes he doesn't know when to stop."

"True," Guardian replied, temporarily gaining control of the body.  Ryoko
and Ukyo laughed as Ranma, once again in control, sheepishly scratched the
back of his head.

Suddenly, one of the students, a tall, green-eyed girl, named Katya quickly
approached the trio.  "High Mistress, there is a man at the village gate.
He says he is Ranma's father."

"My father?"  Ranma asked in a bewildered voice.

(He probably wants money or something,) Bitter guessed.

(Daddy!)

(Calm down, Lyric.  Let's be cautious about this. Everyone, be ready, Ranma
may need some help after this,) Guardian advised.

Ryoko had never told Ranma much about his father.  Only that Genma had
brought him to the village so that Ranma could get help dealing with the
tribe.  The tribe was aware that they existed because Ranma had gone through
some type of traumatic ordeal.  They didn't know, however, how that ordeal
was related to Genma.

Ryoko looked at Ranma and smiled sadly.  "Katya, let Genma into my study, I
will be there shortly.  Ranma go get washed up and changed and then come to
my study."

"But-" Ranma began to protest.

"Please, Ranma, be patient.  Just get washed up.  There are some things I
need to discuss with my brother before he sees you."

"Okay, Sensei."  Ranma ran off to the springs, Ukyo not far behind.

Ryoko took a deep breath and headed for her study.  (Hopefully that idiot
has gained -some- wisdom over the past 10 years.)


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


Ranma stripped off his sweaty gi and waded into the warm pool.  The hot
springs were located very close to the village and were a deciding factor in
building the village in this particular location.  The village of the Mind
was located in China, somewhere in the Himalayas.  A part of the education
discipline at the village includes geography. Ranma knew that the village
was lucky to have these springs since he didn't -think- that there was much
thermal or volcanic activity nearby.

(The existence of the springs kind of proves that particular theory wrong.)

(What ever you say, Bitter,) Ranma replied.

(You never were a very good student, Ranma.  Lucky for you, I, at least,
stayed awake during class.)

(But, Bitter!  Those classes were sooooo -boring-!) Play protested.

(How would -you- know? Its like you actually paid attention to anything.)

(Perhaps we should discuss the matter at hand,) Guardian suggested.

(Ukyo's coming,) Watcher warned.

Ranma ducked his head under the water to get his face and hair wet.  He then
stood up, shook off the excess water and turned around.  "Hey, Ucchan."

"Hi, Ranchan."  Ukyo slowly disrobed and walked into the spring.

Ranma had spent his whole life surrounded by women, so seeing one unclothed
did not elicit any sort of response from him.  Besides, this was Ucchan, who
he loved like a sister.  He had spent many, many, days bathing in the
springs like this, either alone or with some of his classmates.  It took the
other women some time to get used to disrobing in front of a man, but Ranma
never did or said anything that made them feel uncomfortable.

Ukyo waded in the water towards Ranma, concern written all over her face.
"Ranchan. . . do you want to talk?  About your father, I mean."

"There's not much to say yet, Ucchan.  Ryoko Sensei told me that he might
come back for me one day."

"But are you going to go with him?  Don't you like it here? Why can't you
stay?"  Ukyo's lips were trembling and her eyes started to water.

"I do like it here, Ukyo.  This is the only home I've ever known, but I want
to learn about my past.  I want to learn who I am.  I want to learn about my
family, about my bloodline."

"Ranchan, I. . . I don't want you to go."

"What do you remember about your family, Ucchan?"  Ranma suddenly leaned
forward.

"My family?" Ukyo blinked.  "Not much, Ranchan.  I remember my father as
being this really big guy with a large scruffy beard.  I don't know much
more than that, other than the letter he left with the village when he
abandoned me."  She turned away from Ranma, a sad look in her eyes.

"A letter?" Ranma prompted.

"Yeah.  Basically, my father wanted a son, not a daughter, and when my
mother died, he decided to get rid of me."

"So he just left you here?" Ranma was shocked.

(Hey, our father wasn't much better,) Bitter pointed out.

"Yeah.  I guess I was lucky, though.  The people here have taken care of me
and given me a home."

"And ya learned some useful skills," Ranma pointed out.

"Yes," Ukyo agreed.  "I -am- grateful for that.  After all, I wasn't born
with telekinetic powers, I had to learn it."

"This village saved my life, I think.  Probably my sanity as well.  I'm not
sure how I would have dealt with the tribe otherwise."

(Most likely one of us would have taken over, and -you- would spend most of
your time talking in here.)

(Bitter, I do that anyway,) Ranma replied.

"So why would you leave all this behind?" Ukyo asked.  "Why would you leave
me?"

"I want to learn about my family.  I want to learn about who I really am."

(Such a noble and foolish quest.  Why go out into the unknown with some old
man who left us behind?  Stay here, its comfortable, and we know where our
next meal is coming from,) Bitter argued.

(Bitter, please. . . not now.)

"But Ranma, what about us?  I- I love you!"

Ranma blinked, then smiled.  "I love you too, Ucchan, you're like a sister
to me, you know that, but I need to do this.  If my. . . father wants me to
leave with him, I am going to go."

"But Ranchan, you -don't- understand!  I don't love you like a brother!  I-"

"Ucchan. . . I'm sorry but-"

"Don't say it, Ranchan, don't say it." Ukyo quickly left the springs, tears
flowing freely down her face.

"Ucchan!"  Ranma called out, but she didn't turn back.

(It's better this way.  Even if you did love her, you know I never could,
either could the watcher.)

(Guardian, do you always have to be so damned cold-blooded about these
things?) Ranma asked.

(What do you want me to say?  If you loved her like that it would have only
made things worse, because the two of you could never be together.  I could
no more make love to a woman than you could to a man.)

(I don't know. . . it might be fun,) Play mused.

(Quiet, Play.  You'd just do it for the shock value.)

(Hey!  I'm just curious.)

(Ranma,) Guardian said, (it might have helped, if you had told her earlier
on that some of us are female.)

(How could I explain something like that?  Besides, I never thought that she
would develop feelings like that.)

(You were just scared about how being part female would affect her
perception of your manhood,) Bitter snidely replied.

(Well, maybe,) Ranma admitted. (But I didn't want to hurt her.)

(I'm sorry Ranma, but we really don't have time for this now.  Get dressed,
let's go see father.)

(Okay, Guardian, let's do it.)


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

Ryoko sat at her desk and looked at the man sitting across from her.  Genma
looked older, fatter, and had less hair.  Other than that, he hadn't changed
one bit.

"Genma, Ranma will be coming here soon.  He has grown into a fine young man
and has learned to deal with the tribe.  He will still have difficulty
adjusting to the outside world.  We have protected him here, and I doubt
that you could do the same.  If the choice were mine, I would not let you
take him, and no force on earth would stop me.  However, I know that Ranma
wants to go with you.  He is a young male, and his adventurous spirit is in
full bloom."  Ryoko paused and gave Genma a hard look.  "If you -ever- do
anything else to hurt that poor boy, I will kill you."

Genma gulped nervously.  "Ryoko-san, he is my son, and I love him.  Th-thank
you for taking care of him for all these years, but its time for him to come
with me."

As if on cue, Ranma knocked on the door then walked into the study.  Father
and son looked eyes and gazed at each other for a few moments.  Unknown to
Genma, the telepathic Guardian had risen up and was now probing Genma's
mind.

(This man is pathetic,) Guardian concluded,  (we are better off staying
here.)

(I know. However, I need to go, he has all the answers right now.)

Whenever the Guardian took over the body, she always allowed Ranma to exist
right beneath her.  In that way, Ranma was able to pick up anything Guardian
did during her telepathic probes.

(No,) Guardian disagreed, (we have all the answers right now.  We now know
where mother is and should visit her instead.)

(He is still my father.  I have to go with him, at least to make amends,)
Ranma thought stubbornly.

(Everything is his fault though!) Bitter exclaimed. (What kind of idiot
throws his son into a pit of hungry cats?  How can he make amends for that?
Is -that- love?)

(Bitter. . .)

(No, Ranma.  This affects the whole tribe.  Staying with him will be nothing
but trouble.)

Ranma sighed. (Okay, let's make a deal.  At the first sign of trouble, we
leave, would that be acceptable?)

(It might be too late by then,) Guardian pointed out.

(I agree-)

(ENOUGH.  RANMA HAS DECIDED,) Shade proclaimed.

All the voices immediately quieted down.  Not even Guardian had the courage
to stand against Shade.

"Ranma, my boy!"  Genma suddenly shot up out of his chair and grabbed Ranma
in a tight bear hug.


"Uh. . . I can't breathe!"

Genma released Ranma and gruffly started clapping him on the shoulder.  "You
look well, boy.  Well. . . we should go."

(He's scared of everyone in the village,) Guardian realized.

"Hold on for a second, Otosan."  Ranma walked around Ryoko's desk and stood
in front of her.  "Sensei, thank you for everything you have done for me.
You took me in when I was sick and taught me how to live with myself,
rather, my 'selves'.  I was happy here, and leaving you will be hardest of
all."

Ryoko stood up and wiped her eyes.  "Ranma, there is no longer a need to
call me 'Sensei'.  We are family, you are my nephew, but you have been like
a son to me.  You are welcome here anytime.  If the outside world becomes
too much for you, remember that you have a home here."

Ryoko slowly hugged Ranma and kissed him before letting him go.  Genma stood
in the background shuffling his feet at this display of affection.


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


"Well my boy," Genma said as they were several miles away from the village,
"the first thing we need to do is get your training up to speed."

"Training?"

"You are the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Marital Arts,"
Genma stated proudly.

(Anything Goes?  What a -stupid- name for a school,) Lyric laughed.

(It fits somehow,) Ranma disagreed. (I kinda like it.)

(At least we're out of the village now!) Play exclaimed.  (I've always
wanted to see the world!  There is so many fun things we can experience!)

"Has Onee-, I mean, Ryoko-san been teaching you the Art?"

"Yes, Otosan, we sparred every day.  She says I'm her equal now."

"Well, we shall see.  Since we are in China, I know the -perfect- place
where we can train."

The pair traveled across China for two weeks.  During that time, the tribe
took control rarely, and only when Genma was asleep.  No one in the tribe
liked him or had any desire to speak with him.  As for Genma, he
concentrated on telling Ranma about their school and how much he had
sacrificed for the art.  He knew, from Ryoko, that Ranma had many
personalities within him, but since they had not emerged, he decided to
ignore them.  He felt that it was Ranma's problem and that he was better
equipped to deal it at any rate.  He decided early on not to tell Ranma
about his agreement with his old friend Soun; it was best to deal with one
problem at a time.

Finally, they reached the training grounds where Genma was planning to test
Ranma; the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo.  They met a guide on the outskirts of
the springs who led them to the actually training area.  The guide spoke
very little Japanese, but tried to convey how dangerous the springs were.

"Are you ready, Ranma?"  Genma asked as he looked at all the bamboo poles
sticking out of the various springs.

"Any time, Otosan."

(Perhaps we should reconsider this,) Bitter advised, (the Guide seems to be
agitated.)

(What's he saying?  His Japanese is kinda rough, and I don't speak Chinese,)
Ranma admitted.

(You live in China for most of your life, and you don't even speak the
language?)

(Well, did -you- learn it, Bitter?)

(Of course, I did! It's not like I had anything better to do.  Your stupid
fights didn't excite me much. Besides, someone had to stay awake during
class.)

(Fine, you speak to him.)

"So, what's wrong-" Bitter started to ask when Genma jumped up onto one of
the poles.

"Come on, Ranma, hurry up.  You're not afraid are you?"

Ranma forced Bitter down and jumped up on one of the poles across from
Genma.

(I -reallllly- think we should wait on this.  Guardian why don't to read the
Guide's mind?)

As Ranma was about to let Guardian take over, Genma launched himself at
Ranma.

(Do it later!) Ranma snapped.

He jumped back off the pole and onto another one.  Genma landed on the pole
that Ranma had been standing on.  Genma turned towards Ranma just in time
for Ranma's foot to get planted on his face.  Genma fell off the pole and
into the spring below.

The Guide started babbling again.  Suddenly, a huge panda bear emerged from
the spring where Genma had fallen.  He jumped out of the spring and onto the
pole across from Ranma.  Ranma stared at the bear in shock as it growled at
him.

Ranma froze as he felt Shade trying to take control of the body.  He had
felt threatened by the bear.  Ranma did not know what was going on, but he
knew that Shade would try to kill the bear, so he struggled to hold on.
Unfortunately, this gave the bear enough time to backhand Ranma, sending him
off into another spring.  The sudden plunge into cold water, and the
immediate danger subsiding, Shade pulled back into the depths of Ranma's
mind.  Ranma regained full control as he reached the surface of the water.
He knew that something was wrong.

Something was. . . different.

He looked down at himself and saw a petite, full-figured, female body; then,
he blacked out.


******************
End Chapter 1

Notes:

So, why a rewrite of something I wrote back in October of '97?

Well, a few months back, I discovered, (much to my embarrassment,)  that
people still read this thing.  So I decided to take a look at it and cringed
at what I saw.  The grammar was horrible, the story was a poor mix of prose
and script, there were several gaping plot holes, the characters were hardly
IC, and the ending, quite frankly, sucked.

Good enough reasons, I suppose.  So sit back, relax, (and hopefully,) enjoy.

Thanks to Sean Gaffney for prodding me and Donny Cheng for prereading.

Any and all C&C accepted, (and desired, really.)  Even if you flamed me the
first time around, feel free to do so again.

Namaste,

Anand