Hi, everybody.
    The fourth chapter is here, and pretty quickly.  Not anything like
the third one...

    Again, all previous chapters, as well as illustrations, can be
found at:

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/5671/

----------------------
Note: Ranma 1/2 is the creation of the incomparable Rumiko Takahashi.


LoveSpell
by Anna Lvovsky

Chapter IV: And Then There Was One
****************************

 Why do they confuse me so
So bright, so clear, so light?
How can they cause such misery
With one sight, one so slight?
And drown me in a joy so deep,
They, odd and crystalline?
How can they play so artfully
With this frail heart of mine?
Why does my pulse begin to race
Whenever they're near me?
Why do I always look so hard
But never seem to see?
What have they done, it is so new,
Why do I feel this way?
And why, please tell me, tell me why
Do you turn me away?
                            -Akane

----------------------------

   Ryoga stood, staring ahead, the scroll rolling at his feet.  His
eyes were glazed over in sadness, dread, guilt.  And as his gaze
remained forward, his hands parted as a small, glowing ball of
depression began to form.

   "Ryoga."

   He blinked and the orb disappeared as Nabiki's annoyingly dry and
unfeeling voice cut through to his senses.  

   "Look, we're all upset, but blowing up this castle won't solve
anything, okay?"

   "Hmm."

   "What-what happened?"  Ranma asked Cologne, his expression
uncharacteristically frightened.

   "I do not know, Son-In-Law.  Something went wrong with the spell."

   "I think I know what."  Keita stepped forward, his expression grim. 
"Ryoga."

   "Yeah?"

   "What were you thinking about as the spell was cast?"

   "I thought about the valley, of course!"

   "At the very end?"

   "Well, then, I was thinking about...Akane..."

   "Thought so.  That's why she is gone alone.  You were thinking just
of her at the moment and  so you sent her to the valley by--"

   "I think not, sugar."

   Keita turned to the girl named Ukyo.  "What?"

   "Take a look at your little portal, why don't you?"

   As he glanced at it, she went on.  "She's not there."

   "Oh, no.  *Oh...no...*"

   "What is trouble?"  Shampoo walked over to where Keita was standing
and looked at the scene.  "Oh.  But if Akane not there, where?"

   *Don't panic!  It's not going to help anyone...You can only help
Akane if you keep focused on the priority...Wait, Akane...  Just...stay
where you are, and we'll find you.*    "Anywhere.  She can be in any
dimension.  She can be  in a Main dimension, a Single, or  new one..."
He broke off at their confused  stares.  "It's hard to explain."

   Ryoga's eyes ignited with lightening as he listened to Keita.  "Wait
a minute!  You mean...Akane is...anywhere?"

   Nabiki glanced at him.  "Yup."

   "No!"  Ryoga rushed up to the portal, looking to find her. "No..."
He closed his eyes, clutching his head.  He turned, throwing back his
elbows as if to fight his agony off.  As his arm was thrown back, it
caught Keita's hand.  

   Keita's fingers slammed into the wall.   He grimaced at the
throbbing pain.  *He's stronger than I thought..."

   Then he heard the quiet shattering.  He moved his hand slowly away
from the wall.  As if in slow motion, the gem on his ring fell to the
floor in small shards.  Then the circlet slid of his finger and rolled
into the shadows.  Everybody merely watched in surprise.

   But only Keita understood what this meant.  

   *I cannot foresee this occurrence.*

   It was so obvious... Yasahari was set on having Akane learn the
Point of Destruction, but the portal hadn't been able to see her
needing it.  Because of this.  The ring couldn't technically read the
future.  Just its existence.  If it existed when an event happened, it
knew, not because it looked into the future, but because its future
self looked back, and supplied itself with the proper information at
the right time.  But as for his question, the ring's, and in that, the
portal's, future self did not exist at the needed time.  Because that -
that *fool* broke it.

   And Akane did need the Point of Destruction.  She *would* need to
use it.  Because she would be in severe danger...  

   Unless they found her first.  She would still need the technique;
Yasahari always examined everything thoroughly, and there was no
avoiding it.  But if they found her, they would be there to help her. 
Yasahari maybe even made sure that he understood this.  Hidden hints in
their conversation; he had used such tricks before.  He had prepared
him for this.

   But Keita couldn't help but feel betrayed that Yasahari didn't warn
him of this, didn't stop the fluke in the spell when it would have been
such a simple matter.  A few words to him, and this would never had
happened.  Of course, Yasahari always had reasons for his actions, or
inactions.  This must later accomplish something.  It had to somehow
help him, or the others.   But the strong pain of betrayal was still
there...

   Keita looked up, pushing back his renewed pain as a tall figure
strode forward.

   "It cannot be!  Akane Tendo...and we know not where she is?!"  Kuno
furiously whirled on Ryoga, his dark eyes blazing.  "You!  Can't you
say some text and think about a valley or is this too hard even for
you?  You idiot!"

    His bokken appeared in his hands as Kuno advanced.  "Argh...for
Akane, you shall pay!"

   Ryoga looked at him, his expression lifeless, and finally shifted
into a battle stance.

   Kuno  lurched forward, the sword flashing in his hands, and
attacked.  Ryoga dodged the first blow and stepped up with a punch. 
Kuno's determination giving him agility, he blocked with the side of
his sword and adeptly swung it forward.

   Nabiki's eyes widened in amazement as the bokken connected hard with
Ryoga's stomach.  He reeled over at the strike and Kuno's lips curled
into a smile.  Nabiki just stared at Ryoga's hunched form.  Kuno landed
a blow...on Ryoga?  Ryoga couldn't block?  

   Then again, he hadn't looked like he had tried...

   "Now."  Kuno's triumphant face barely contained his newly inflated
ego.  "Now for the final strike."

   His bokken, lifted in easy striking distance of Ryoga, came fiercely
down.

   Keita quickly stepped in front of Kuno, and caught the bokken in his
hand, with his thumb and forefinger, his arm not even wavering under
the force.  *Oh, why did I save him, when he...well, I guess it wasn't
completely his fault.*

   Nabiki's eyes narrowed appreciatively.  *Wow.  The blade didn't even
touch his skin.*

   Ranma looked at him.  "That's pretty good..." he whispered quietly.

   "Not bad," a jealous Mousse murmured.
 
   Keita's fingers loosened around the sword and he looked into Kuno's
insulted eyes.  "Not here, okay?  We have to worry about Akane."

   Kuno momentarily forgot his ire.  "Ah, yes.  Of course, Akane is
what matters here.  Even the beauteous pig-tailed girl, in her own
words, wished me to 'find Akami.'  Uh, Akane."

   "So what do we do?" Ryoga gasped, straightening.  "To look for
Akane?"

   Cologne spring forward.  "I think that we should look at different
texts that this boy has.  It should say somewhere about reversing
spells, or learning locations."

   Keita nodded agreement.  "It should.  I have many books on
conjuring. The chances are unfortunately less of finding the right one,
since Ryoga used one of your spells, not mine, but we should find a
couple of texts on it."

   Ryoga looked around.  "But this is ridiculous.  There are hundreds,
maybe thousands, of books here.  It'll take days, weeks, to find the
right one."

   Cologne turned from him and picked out a tome.  "That, boy, is why
we should start looking right away."

----------------------------

   Nabiki skimmed the page of the open tome.  How long had it been
already?  Fifteen minutes? Thirty minutes?  An hour?  Two hours?  It
was hard to tell.  And she hadn't even covered one text.  

   *I hate to be, uh, pessimistic, but well... At this rate, Akane had
better be ready to stay wherever she is a long, _long_ time.*

   She flipped slowly through the next few sheets of old parchment, her
eyes covering the print in a routinely practiced brush of her gaze. 
Nothing.  Finally, she came upon thick, ancient leather.  

   Nabiki sighed, slammed over the other cover, and let the book slip
from her hands onto the table.  *Well.  One down.  _Five million_ to
go.*

   She rose quietly from her chair and paused as sharp currents of pain
surged through her legs and back.  How much more of this before someone
found the right spell?  

   Nabiki looked around the room.  Mousse, Ranma, and Ukyo were
finishing their first books.  Shampoo was well along in hers.  Kuno was
picking out a new text. Cologne was putting down her tome on top of
several others lying in front  of her, and Keita was silently flipping
through pages.  Lying near him was a rather large pile of books.

   Well, it was his library.  He knew these books, and knew when
something could be skipped.  Still, a tinge of jealousy remained.
Quick, smart, a good martial artist.  And remarkably cute, too.

   But that was irrelevant.  They were here to get Akane.  Maybe in the
heat of things, the others had forgotten, but he *was* the one who had
kidnapped Akane.  And lied to her about it, no doubt.  No matter how
nice he seemed, there had to be some ruthlessness inside him.  

   Of course, she of all people understood that.  It was only natural.

   Nabiki ripped her gaze off of his handsome face, and out of the
corner of her eye, she saw him look up, surprised.  Noticed someone was
looking at him, probably.

   She came up to a nearby bookshelf and started to pull out a tome.  A
movement suddenly caught her attention.  Nabiki walked around the row
to the next.  There, Ryoga was leaning against a shelf, an open book in
his hands.  His eyes were gazing placidly at it.

   *Oh, for goodness sake!*    Nabiki stalked over to where he has
standing, unable to just stand by.  It wasn't only that she was sorry
for him, which she was.  He was probably feeling guilty about Akane,
and justifiably so.  But besides that, he wasn't accomplishing
anything, and in her way of looking at it, the production rate was
seriously down.

   "Ryoga."

   "Umm?"  He looked up at her quickly.

   "Look I know you're feeling bad--"

   "Of course I am!" he hissed.  "This is all my fault!  I'll never
forgive myself!"

   Nabiki sighed wearily.  "Look.  Yeah, you messed up big-time.  No
sense in denying it."  She ignored his miserable look.  "But the fact
remains that you're not helping anyone, especially not Akane, just
moping around.  So start searching, okay?  Maybe then we can get
somewhere."

   "Oh, but Akane--what have I done?  I can't forgive myself!"

   "Ryoga!  Get a grip!  You made a mistake!  Why are you so upset?"

   "Because I... I love her."  His words were quick, hardly audible.

   But Nabiki heard them.  "Because you...Oh, my god... I can't believe
I didn't see it!  Of course, I didn't care, but... So that's why!" She
paused delicately.  "Ryoga, I really do hate to hurt your feelings,
but, well, you're treading on someone else's territory here.  Odd one
out."

   Ryoga slammed back into the shelf as if struck.  "But, but...Ranma
is--"

   "Going to marry Akane," she finished.

   "No!  Not if I can stop it!"

   "Which you unfortunately can't.  Sorry, Ryoga, but, that's life."

   "No... It wouldn't end this way..."

   But Nabiki was already thinking of something else.  "Still, you
hated Ranma even before you met Akane.  And a fight wouldn't quite
cover it.  Is there anything else you've been hiding?"

   Ryoga's eyes widened in fear.  "No!  A-of course not!"

   "Really?  Quite fast to deny it, aren't we?  I'll bet there *is*
something else."

   Ryoga shook his head, a drop of sweat trickling down the back of his
neck.  "No!  I mean... he... I had to travel China by foot for years
because of him! He skipped our fight!  Of course I hate him!"

   "Still...that doesn't seem enough." Nabiki paused.   "Now what could
inspire so much hatred?" she asked rhetorically.  "Hmm.  China, you
say?  Well, from my association with Ranma, and the rest of the people
who came in the package with him, it would have to be...wait!  It
couldn't...be... a curse...?"

   "Of course not," he repeated hotly.

   "It is a curse!  A Jusenkyo curse?!"  Nabiki laughed quietly.  "And
what would you turn into..."  Suddenly, her mirth disappeared, to be
replaced with realization and curiosity.  "A pig?"

   "No!"

   "Yes!  I can't believe it.  You turn into a pig.  A small, black
pig?  As in...Akane's pig?"

   Ryoga remained silent.

   "You mean that it's been you all along?!  Well, gee, I'm sorry
Ryoga.  I sure wouldn't want to be you.  I mean, if Akane ever found
out..." She chuckled lightly.  "Well, then you'd be a goner. On the
bright side, maybe she won't.  Probably will, but there is that chance.
 The only thing I don't understand is why Ranma didn't tell Akane.  He
should know, after all.  And I believe he got quite jealous."

   "It...I...he... He promised.  He didn't know I was a pig when he
did.  He thought I turned into this dog.  But he said he wouldn't tell.
 I only learned of this later."

   Nabiki whistled silently.  "From the forming situation, it seems you
owe quite a lot to Ranma.  Why, your death could be sealed with a few
words.  And some hot water." She smiled.  "Maybe I missed something,
but I would be grateful to Ranma.  To think of all that you do to him,
when he did nothing to deserve it.  Pretty low."

   Ryoga's pained look of guilt quickly turned to disgust.  "That cad
is the reason I have this curse!  He did everything to deserve it!"

   "But isn't this the only way for you to be with Akane, without Ranma
there?"

   "Well, yes.  But...it's not exactly a smooth course.  When I just
got the curse, I wasn't used to it.  And I was in the middle of China. 
With my sense of direction, I wandered from unfamiliar land to
unfamiliar land.  By foot.  No one I knew, no one I could count on, no
one I could trust.  And every time it rained..."

   Nabiki smirked.  "That does explain the umbrella thing.  Look, your
tragic story brought tears to my eyes, but it doesn't change anything. 
You could think of a million reasons for hating Ranma, and he would
still be engaged to Akane.  There's nothing you can do to stop it."

     "We'll see," Ryoga whispered. 

   Nabiki ignored his remark.   "And I'd be careful, Ryoga.  One of
these days, you're going to take it too far, and then...well, we
shouldn't look into that."  

   She paused. "We have to get to work, Ryoga.  Or Akane won't be here
to marry anyone."  She walked away, musing.  So Ryoga was in love with
Akane.  She had always known that he was sometimes protective of her,
but she wasn't in his company long enough to notice anything special. 
No wonder he hated Ranma so much.  Of course, when you considered the
pig thing, no wonder Ranma felt pretty much the same way.  

   She shook her head slightly.  It was happening too fast.  She was
used to thinking and calculating quickly, but to find out in so little
words, not just about the fact that Ryoga had a, um, special interest
in Akane, but that he was P-chan as well...

   It was pretty disgusting, now that she thought about it.  That
little pig that had run all over the house, including, she believed,
into the bath when Akane was there, was Ryoga.  Pretty perverted.  It
did explain his strange appearances, though.  Well, she just didn't
want to be there when Akane found out.  Otherwise it didn't concern
her.

   Nabiki stepped up to where her chosen book stood protruding in the
shelf.  Most of the others were on a new text by now, and she had
better hurry up if she wanted to cover this one today.

   She sat down and began skimming the pages with one thought.

   *Now how much should I charge Ryoga to keep this secret?*

----------------------------

   Keita, absently yet carefully skimming the pages, turned to where
the murmurs of Nabiki where heard talking to Ryoga.  

   It was unusual, having so many strangers with him.  It reminded him
of when his father was still King, and he was the Prince.  Servants,
Dukes, workers walking through the halls rapidly.

   Funny how that memory seemed so far away.  Like it happened to
someone else, not him.  

   But why was he thinking of that now?  It wasn't that he was
unconsciously denying wanting to live there.  He had thought the choice
through, and never really regretted it. 

   No, he was remembering it because of Akane's friends.  It was a long
time since he had people, new people, with him.  It was always
Masafumi, Yasahari, and the other servants.  But the servants kept to
themselves; they had their own lives.  They could visit Yishuda
whenever they wished, and rarely even saw him.  He had always been
practically alone.  Akane had been here the past few days, but this was
different...

   What surprised him the most, though, was that he enjoyed being
around these people.  It was like a gaping hole inside him had been
filled.  A hunger eating away at him had ceased.

   Loneliness.  That was the feeling.  And as it subsided, he realized
that he didn't want to remain alone.  He desperately wanted to be
around people. Perhaps he should return Yishuda.

   After five years?  It would be too different.  If the Kingdom had
changed, going back, seeing it, would be like shattering an old memory.

   And even if he did go back, he still wasn't used to being around
strangers.  With Akane he had felt different than now.  With her, he
had relaxed.  He had started acting more...his age.  He remembered
weeks before, when he had been so solitary, dark, inhuman, almost.  It
was laughable, now that he thought about it.  And yet, here he was,
doing it again.  Retreating into his old shell.   And now it bothered
him...

   Well, now wasn't the time to concern himself with this.  Akane could
be in trouble, and he had to focus on the situation.

   But how much longer could he stand to ignore it?

----------------------------

   Akane gazed sadly at the slowly descending sun, still shining
brightly on the soft grass..  How long would this wait be?  An hour, a
day, a week, and month, a year...

   Well, all she knew is that sitting around doing nothing probably
wasn't the wisest choice after all.  Especially taking into account the
fact that she had to have food.

   Ranma.  This was all his fault.  He just had to tease Ryoga and take
away his concentration.  It somehow didn't surprise her.  Everything
was his fault.  She just wished that she had never met him.  Life would
have been so much more...

   She turned away as a sickening feeling formed in her stomach.

   "Why so sad?"

   Akane jerked her head up to the mellow male voice to see a...

   Demon?

   It was the best word she could think of for him.   But different
from what she had ever heard about such creatures.  He seemed...mild,
civilized, almost scholarly.  Not at all a physical threat.

   Akane watched him slowly walk over.  In spite of it all, he looked
somehow...intimidating.  Dangerous, almost, even in his unhostile
attitude.  Akane tensed up, ready to lash out her staff if need be.

   "Excuse me?"

   The creature smirked.  "Do not be so tense, my dear.  I just noticed
you here and was interested in what happened."

   "Um, well, uh, thank you, I--"

   "New here?  A fluke in a spell, maybe?"

   "Uh-huh.  I don't exactly know what happened.  Where is this,
anyway?"

   He sat down by her on the rock.  "You don't know where this is?"

   "No idea."  She shouldn't be trusting him.  Who knew what he wanted.
 It wasn't a good idea talking to him, especially with her first
opinion of him, but she was too lonely.

   "Are you familiar with the reality of dimensions?"

   "Yeah, kind of.  I know they exist and all."

   "Well, this is called the dimension of Magic.  I assume you are from
the dimension of Science?"

   "I guess.  From, uh, Earth."  Akane grimaced at how silly it
sounded.

   "Ah, yes.  'Earth.'  That's what they called their land.  Rather
unimaginative."

   "Well, what's this called?"  Akane asked defensively.

   "This doesn't have a name.  Names are boundaries.  They only limit. 
We here use the land as it was granted to us."  His eyes slightly
narrowed thoughtfully.  He spoke up again, his voice toneless.  "There
is no sense in wondering what it is called, so it has no calling.  No
sense in wondering how far it reaches, and so it is limitless.  Size,
area, extent...they are all things of the mind.  If you do not put a
boundary on land, it has none."

   It was strange how he was so extremely convincing, but Akane put in
her argument.   "That's impossible."

   "Oh?"

   "Earth was made the way it is.  It was that way before anybody
started forming ideas.  It was that way to be discovered."

   He smiled knowingly.  "But think, my dear.  Humans, or rather, those
in the dimension of Science, have always thought that everything had an
ending point.  The primitive Earthmen, for instance: they knew that
spring ended, that lakes ended, fields, mountains, hills, ended.  In
the back of their minds, they began to form the idea that everything
had to stop.  And as they evolved, humans kept that idea.  First they
thought that the planet was a flat block earth and water suspended in a
void, and had a brink.  Then the idea that it wasn't emerged. 
Navigators sailed the oceans, and they never saw any such brink.  Those
few with imagination or curiosity were riding an endless sea.  But the
idea of boundary was chiseled into their minds; perhaps subtle, but it
was present.  They couldn't accept the possibility of a truly perpetual
land; it contradicted everything they had heard about it from youth. 
And so they set another boundary: the water wasn't ending because the
Earth was a sphere, and sooner or later, they were going to come back
were they started.  This became so logical to them, so simple and
understandable, that it was true for them.  They did come back to the
land, or to near the land, they had begun in.   And through the course
of years, this became the accepted idea.  It was taught all over the
world to children, and then to their children... And now no one doubts
it, and it is true.  To them."

   Akane shook her head thoughtfully.  "Maybe if you mean that names
divide land, it might be true.  If Japan wasn't Japan, and China wasn't
China, but they were whole... That if it something has no name it is
not defined, and no one can call where it ends, than you might have a
point, but..."

   "In part, that is what I am saying.  But the people of Science were
born with this restricting curiosity, and it couldn't be helped.  If
you took away all the names, in your minds, there would still exist the
barrier.  While as here, it is literal.  There is no ending of this
dimension."

   "That's impossible.  Even if that was true, how would you know? 
Where I come from, we know because people have explored, and have found
land, and have found the end of land.  So you can't know that this
dimension has no end unless someone searched and found none.  And you
can't rely on that, because maybe the person just didn't reach the
end."

   The demon shook his own head, amused.  "Ah, those of Science, as
much as they can try deny it, have only quantity in mind.  How much
there is of a thing.  Your mind won't truly explore other
possibilities.  If you will notice, you entire speech just now was
based on the notion that there *is* an end to everything."

   "Well, you can't say, or 'explore' anything without having an idea
to either prove true or false."

   "We of Magic don't try to prove this idea false.  Why not accept it?
 Why bother to try to prove something that is benefactory to everyone
false?"

   "It seems to me that you here have your own minds set on an idea,
and you're just as headstrong about it."

   "But ours is the superior idea."  He paused.  "And I am not saying
that this land has no possible end.  I am saying that such an end
doesn't exist for us.  If you, with your mind all set on limitations
and boundaries, try to find a brink, or an overlapping, perhaps you
will.  But it will be one only to you.  If someone of Magic were to
stand on that same spot with you, they would see no such end.  In this
dimension, the only barrier is the barrier of your mind, quite
literally."

   Strange.  This was definitely...different.  Well, if she was to stay
here any amount of time, she might as well get familiarized with the
land.  "Who..." she paused, carefully phrasing her question. "How is
this land organized?  Ruled?"

   "If you mean a sole monarch, there is none.  We are not medieval. 
The population of dimension of Magic is grouped in villages, towns,
cities. Ten thousand in all, give or take a few.  There are many living
alone with their families, or close to villages.  These mostly don't
know sorcery.  In every village there is one, perhaps two, people who
can exercise personal magic, and it is minimal.  Conjuring water, and
the like.  The elders often have tomes with spells, but they are rarely
used.  And, of course, there are a number of Sorcerers and Sorceresses.
 They mostly leave each other alone.  No fighting for power, as you of
Science seem to love in Magicians."

   "What about..." Akane hesitated mildly.  "What about you?"

   He smiled and his eyes seemed to blaze as a fire ignited in them.  

   "Well?"

   He blinked and his eyes reverted to dull, unfeeling.  "How do you
plan on returning to your dimension?"

   Akane didn't understand the change of subject, but she did need to
think about her return.  "How *can* I leave?  Do you know how I can go
back?"

   "Oh, there are plenty of ways you *can* go back.  There are few ways
you will be *able* to go back."

   Akane's temper flared.  "And what are they?!"

   Either he didn't hear her, or he chose to ignore her outburst,
because he continued as if she hadn't said a word.  "I wouldn't
consider learning enough magic to go back a logical way to return, so
that would leave the...Chushin-no-Maho."

   "The Chush... What exactly is this 'center of magic'?"

   "A certain point in every dimension where magic is strengthened.  It
is a way to pass through dimensions without powerful, certain, and
specific magic."

   "Where is it?"

   "Do you see over there?" He gestured to a thick expanse of trees at
the edge of the horizon.

   "Yes."

   "That is the Mori-no-Maho, or the Forest of Magic.  It is named thus
because somewhere in its very deep is the Chushin-no-Maho.  Of course,
you must first obtain a spell to cross."

   Akane strained to see the forest.  It was dense, the only place
where the barricade of trees gave away being a rugged path.  It seemed
safe enough...but of course there could be dangerous animals hiding in
the patches of darkness, and she had never before traveled in such an
uncultured forest.  "Isn't there any other way?"

   "Not one open to your access, I'm afraid."

   There was an aspect in his tone that...cut through his politeness. 
Akane leaned her head on her hand, unnoticeably reaching closer to her
staff.  There was something she didn't trust...

   "A pity," he continued, smiling in his disturbing fashion.  "I
suppose you will be staying here a while then."

   That was it.  Something about him... Akane's practiced reflex took
over before she had time to think.  Her staff twirled in her hand and
lightly struck him on the shoulder.  

   *Please don't...*

   A dark ambiance flashed around him. 

   *Oh, no...*

   His smile now clearly showed the malice Akane had sensed before. 
"My dear Akane, you really should stop being so suspicious of others.
Curiosity might not kill the cat... 

  "But I will..."

----------------------------

   "Anything at all?"  Cologne looked around the room.

   A chorus of answers let on about the same gist: no.

   Nabiki stood wearily.  "I guess we should continue tomorrow.  I, for
one, can't concentrate on anything."

   "I'll stay," Ryoga said.  "You guys go if you want."

   "Look, Ryoga.  I think it would better to rest and pick up in the
morning than reading now and risk the chance of overlooking something
important in your fatigue."

   "Who's tired?"

   "You are.  And you're going to get sloppy, so stop."

   "She's right." Keita rose from his chair.  "It is late.  We can't
help Akane if we're too weary to think."

   "Exactly."  Nabiki's gaze snapped around to assure everybody's
assent as she stifled an unexpected burst of pleasure at Keita's
agreement.  *You fool--you're getting weak. Since when does a cute guy
melt you?*

   *Never did, doesn't now, and never will.*

   Ranma followed the others down the aisle.  How long was it going to
take to find Akane?  Were was she?  What if she was in trouble?  

   He sighed silently and looked down.  He didn't like this.  It was
so...strange.  When had he felt like this before?  A dull, cutting pain
in his gut.  Darkness swelling in the deep of his mind.  Darkness that
took control of him, governed all his thoughts.  Darkness that was
dismal with pain, confusion, jealousy.  He felt...lost.  He couldn't
get a handle on himself.  

   He remembered this wrenching feeling.  When Kirin had come down and
taken Akane.  Had beat his attack.  Had risen into the sky.  Looking
into Akane's eyes, into her pleading face, and not being able to do
anything.  He had felt like this then.  And on the island, when he had
watched her disappear with Toma.  The flames all around him,
torturously singeing his clothes and skin.  Akane had reached out to
him, begged him to help.  And he didn't.  He couldn't.  That
feeling--*this* feeling--it was a feeling of helplessness.  

   Helplessness.

   Ranma's mind recoiled at the word.  Through his travels, in his
training, living with the curse, he had felt many things.  Agonizing
things, that he hadn't been able to think about.  They were too
repulsive, too abysmal.  But never had he been helpless before.   And
now, being so unable to do anything when Akane needed him so much... It
was worse than anything he had ever imagined.  

   This--this was too different.  He couldn't bear it. No.  He had to
get in control again.  He had to push this away, to take charge of it
before it took charge of him.  He had to get rid of it.  He needed a
feeling he governed himself, a strong feeling, something that could
over-ride this.  He needed...anger.  He couldn't let himself be weak. 
He had to become strong again.  He had to do something, to say
something, to fool himself.  He couldn't let anyone be able to hurt
him.

   What would Akane say, if she saw him like this?  Call him an idiot,
a weakling.  A weakling.  What was with her?  He always tried to help
her, and the only way she ever repaid him was with pain.  Her words or
her fist. No matter what he did, it was never good enough.  She never
saw, never tried to see, that he was trying to help her.  Why did he
even bother trying? What made him do it in the first place? He'd risk
his life to save her, and she overlooked everything but faults. His
fury began to build.   Akane might think that he was a jerk,
insensitive.  But she was the insensitive one.  

   Ranma's mind struggled to word his fury.   All she was an ugly,
stupid tomboy.

   But as he calmed down, a thought rang in the midst of his anger.  He
would still risk his life, and he would do it without a second thought.
And...why?  Why did he care so much?  She wouldn't raise a finger to
help him.  Why didn't he just stop worrying, stop caring about what
happened to her?

   Ranma felt a stab of pain, but he kept going.  He had to keep
himself angry, had to cover vulnerabilities.  He had to distract
himself.  To forget all about...weaknesses.

He turned to the hallway walls, glancing at Keita, and spoke aloud.
"Stupid girl.  This is all her fault.  Always getting into trouble, and
then *we* have to rescue her.  Why do we bother in the first place? 
It's not like she's worth it." Ranma studied Keita's expression to see
his reaction.  Anger first.  Good.  Then a thoughtful look, almost
staring off into nowhere, as if he was phrasing and rephrasing the
reply that first came into his mind.  A bit more work, though...

   In reality, though, what Keita was doing was different than what
Ranma imagined.  At first he was angry, yes, but his first instinct was
something that he had long ago developed as a reflex when he wasn't
clear on how he should react.  He started focusing in on Ranma's aura. 
Not a very difficult thing to do, what with an aura as bright as his. 
You would think a person with as many doubts and that curse to back
them up would have been a bit more withdrawn than that.  But however
readily it appeared, his aura was more complicated than most.  With the
curse interfering, his actual feelings were a bit deeper.  There
was...pain.  Pain.  An all too familiar tint in the auras around him
lately.  And anger.  Confusion.  How were those two tied?

   Finally, Keita answered.  "Oh, really?  If you truly believed that,
why go to all that trouble rescuing her from Kirin and Toma?  I'm sure
wearing an evening dress with heels isn't exactly your idea of a good
time."

   "Well, she-she--" Ranma's face darkened.  "I thought Akane forgot
me," he said.  "How would you know about that?"

   "The portal.  When Akane came, I decided to learn about who she was.
 To understand that, I had to learn quite a bit about you."

   "Came?  Came?!  Oh, please!  You probably used one of your little
magic tricks to conjure her to you."

   Keita said nothing.

   "I should have known.  How low is that!  I oughta--"

   "What?"

   "Boys, boys, stop fighting."  Nabiki was looking at them
patronizingly.  "We have more important things at hand than petty
quarrels.  For instance, we all need rooms to sleep in.  And some food
wouldn't hurt, either, you know."

   "Oh.  Sure."  With one last glare at Ranma, Keita walked to the
front of the group and started leading them down the hall."

----------------------------

   Keita stood in his room, looking out the window.  The others were
asleep by now.  But Keita couldn't sleep. There was too much on his
mind.  The spell breaking, Akane conjured away...  And to top it off,
Yasahari lying to him.  Well, not lying, really, but not telling the
truth.  Why had he done that?  No, he couldn't relax now.  Every sound
he heard was grating on his nerves.  The sharp wind blowing, the trees
rustling, the grains of sand brushing against each other as they etched
their way through the narrow passage of the hourglass.  Sleep wasn't
even an issue.

   And so it was that Keita found himself making his way to the dojo. 
He entered, quietly closed the door, and sat down on the wooden floor. 
Only hours ago he had sat on this same spot with Akane next to him. 
She really was a good fighter, thought perhaps not a match for any of
those here now, with the single exception of her sister.  Still, when
she was angry, it was pretty much impossible to avoid her attacks.  As
Ranma found out every day of his life since he came to the Tendos. 
Keita smiled a bit at that, but the smile quickly vanished, for that
reminded him of what he had seen in Ranma's aura earlier.  Pain.  Were
all these people in some kind of pain?  And the answer, sadly, seemed
to be yes.  Ryoga for one.  Via his aura, Keita saw that he and Akane's
P-chan were one and the same, and he certainly didn't like that, but it
was all the worse for Ryoga.  Not only did he love Akane, and she
didn't return the feeling, but even though the only way he could be
alone with her was in his cursed form, every minute he spent with her
as a pig drew his human form and Akane farther and farther apart.  And
Shampoo and Ukyo; they both so loved a man who didn't even seriously
consider them as romantic interests.  Mousse, who worshipped Shampoo,
and yet the more he loved her, the more she despised him.  Cologne, the
old Amazon who seemed so indifferent to everything other than Shampoo's
marriage.  She had wanted her great-grandchild to follow in her
footsteps, and she knew that now, all because Ranma had been in the
wrong place at the wrong time, an event that never should have
occurred, this could never happen.  Even the idiot Kuno, for although
his turmoil was spurred from nothing but his own imaginings, he was
madly in love with girls who were both bound to the one person he hated
most.  And Nabiki, her agony of never belonging warring with her love
of being so different.  And, of course, Ranma.  His pain wasn't
necessarily greater than that of the others, but it had so much to feed
on.  All those torturous training trips; the Nekoken; his curse, making
a mockery of all that he had hoped to be as a man; and Akane, whom he
loved, working so hard to make herself hate him more and more.  And he
did love her.  It was obvious, now that Keita had seen his aura.  No,
it was obvious without the aura, it was clear from the way he acted,
the way he looked at her.  Why hadn't he seen it before?

   *Maybe you didn't want to see it.*

   Well, he still didn't want to see it.  But it was true.  That in
itself explained why his spell hadn't worked.  Keita hadn't counted on
them *loving* each other.  For as much as he hated it, Akane loved
Ranma, too.  Her whole world revolved around him.

   "Ah, you see it now."

   The voice came completely unexpectedly, and Keita recognized it
instantly.  Yasahari.  Keita averted his face and remained silent.  It
was a childish, bratty thing to do, something a ten-year-old might have
done if he were angry, but Keita couldn't help it.  He didn't want to
speak to Yasahari at the moment.  If he waited quietly, perhaps he
would get the message and disappear.

   No such luck.

   "You might very well be angry at me, and no one can blame you, but
do stop being a child about it."

   Keita waited.

   "I do suppose it would be helpful if I gave you my reasons for not
warning you about Akane."

   He turned to face Yasahari, coldly.  "As a matter of fact, it
would."

   "However, I'm rather afraid that I cannot do that, Keita-san."

   "Oh.  Well, that's just great.  *Thank* you, Yasahari.  This
enlightening conversation has certainly made *me* feel better.  And no,
I don't, as you put it, 'see it now.'  Akane may love Ranma; in that
case, exactly what does she feel for me, then?  I can read auras every
bit as well as you can, and I understand them better, because I
actually *have* something called feelings!  Tell it to me or not, I
sure am glad you had a reason, because I hope you didn't let this
happen just to make *my* life more interesting!  And not just me.  I
know that you might not have a conscience, Yasahari, but next time you
see something that will turn our lives upside down will happen, try to
pretend that you do and *warn us*!"

   Keita took a breath.  There.  Perhaps it wasn't the greatest speech
ever given by man, but it conveyed what he wanted to say.

   But if he had hoped that it would move Yasahari in some way, the
demon was just as expressionless and imperturbable as ever.

   Keita sighed and looked down, and when he glanced at Yasahari again
he was gone.  Just as well.

   He closed his eyes, resting his head on his hand.  He felt like such
a hypocrite.  It was wrong to blame this on Yasahari.  He wasn't really
involved in this mess.  Keita had brought it all on himself when he
conjured Akane to him.  And how could he speak of the inconvenience to
himself, when it was really all his fault?  It was the others who had
anything to blame on anyone else.  They weren't responsible at all, yet
here they were, having traveled all they way from Japan to the
Chushin-no-Maho.  And to say that Yasahari had turned all their lives
upside down...Hadn't he himself done exactly that when spelling Akane
from her family?  He didn't even remember his justification for the act
anymore.

   And now poor Akane was who knew where.  He wasn't at all sure that
they *could* get her back, although he had tried to keep all negative
feelings to himself.  What happened, after all, when the caster of a
transportation spell had no definite location in mind?  Was a new
dimension created?  In that case, all they had to do was focus on
Akane, and the spell would take them there.  However, if she was sent
to a dimension that already existed, it would be almost impossible to
find her.  There were hundreds, thousands of them.  They couldn't check
every one.

   "What a tangle this is..." Keita murmured.

   The door opened slowly.  A tall silhouette walked into the room. 
"What are you doing?" Ranma's voice asked.

   Keita tensed.  What was it, really, that made him dislike Ranma? 
Was it resentment, or jealousy?  His anger had quieted down in the
uproar of the things earlier, and yet, in the pit of his stomach, a
bitter loathing boiled.  It wasn't that there was anything wrong with
Ranma... In other circumstances they could have been friends, maybe.  
But unfortunately, this wasn't in other circumstances.  Still, he had
to put his feelings aside.  In finding Akane, in having a chance of
finding her, a barrier of hatred would be fatal. 

   "Nothing.  Couldn't sleep?"

   "Nah."  Ranma paused tentatively.  "We won't find anything in the
books, will we?" he asked.

   "I hate to say this, but I doubt it.  How did you know?"

   "Well, I don't know much about magic, but I was thinking: those
books have spells, not simple solutions.  Besides, I'm sure whoever
wrote them hadn't counted on having to get out of a situation as
idiotic as this."

   Perhaps the cynicism wasn't appropriate about this problem, but they
both knew he was right.  It might seem serious to them at the moment,
but to someone with experience in magic it was plain stupid.  Someone
who didn't have the slightest understanding of how spells worked
forgetting what they were supposed to be doing and sending a person to
a destination completely undefined.  It was a joke.  "Yeah.  I'm just
hoping that they might have some kind of spell for tracking through
dimensions.  We might be able to use it to find her."

   Ranma looked ahead steadily.  "Why did you bring her here?"  His
voice, oddly, even to his own surprise, wasn't angry, had no feeling in
it at all.

   Keita gazed at Ranma's face, slightly visible in the moonlight. 
What did he want to hear?  The question was ridiculous.  Why had he
done it?  To Ranma of all people that should be obvious.

   "Ranma, if you're wondering if there will be competition between us
when we find Akane, I can't answer that, because I really don't know. 
The law of my Kingdom was that I had to marry at eighteen at most.  But
I'm no longer in my Kingdom, am I?  I think that you know why I
conjured her here in the first place, but it's really her decision. 
And as much as I hate it, I think she'll choose you."

   They were both silent.

   Keita shook his head.  After being so headstrong about it minutes
before, it amazed and dismayed him that he so easily admitted to Ranma
and to himself his probable loss. "I do not believe I just said that." 


   He had meant to say that to himself, but Ranma must have heard it,
because he smiled.

   "I'm not so sure you're right."

   "Oh?"

   "When she learns that *you* conjured her here, she'll either kill
you, or spite us both and choose P-chan."

   "Ryoga?"

   "H-how did you know that?"

   "Their auras are identical.  But it's actually pretty obvious, even
without the aura.  I mean, the bandanna doesn't exactly help the
disguise.  That and the fact that neither I, nor the servants, nor
anybody else has spotted a black pig yet."

   "Akane never did figure it out, though."

   "Akane makes herself blind to most things about P-chan."

   "Akane makes herself *stupid* to most things about P-chan.  They'd
actually make a nice pair, seeing as to how big a moron Ryoga is."

   "You really don't like him, do you?"

   "It's not...let's put it this way.  Ryoga is an okay guy.  Ryoga. 
Not P-chan.  P-chan I don't like.  Do you?"

   "To tell you the truth, what he's doing is one of the most perverted
things I have ever heard of." Keita paused.  "Well, I have to go. 
Tomorrow, I need to be awake."

   "To do what?  Find something in the books?"

   He grimaced.  "I hope."

----------------------------

   Akane stood, eyeing him warily, her staff ready in a combative
stance.  She waited for an attack.

   The demon merely smiled calmly.  "I have always thought that the
prelude to the Point of Destruction was rather awkward.  Not a hint of
subtlety.  Well, Akane, what has it told you?  What, now, are you going
to expect?"

   A flick of his wrist.  Practically invisible.  Two weeks ago she
wouldn't have noticed it.  But she had become faster since then, and
when the small orb of magic reached her she had long since rolled
forward and was focusing on the Point.  *What!  Where...?*  *Think
harder!*

   Akane's eyes snapped open.  He was gone.  Yet, her martial artist
sense told her there was something... Behind her... She swung her staff
over her shoulder.  There was a blast.  Akane spun around to see smoke
dissipating from around her staff.  But not like what happened after
the Point of Destruction.  More like...  *Oh, great!  He's gonna _keep_
attacking me with spells!*

   Before her, the demon split into two.  Into four, into eight, into
sixteen, until they surrounded her.   Why did this seem familiar?  *Oh,
of course.  It's what Cologne did in her fight with Ranma when she just
came to Japan.*  

   "Find the real me and you win," he said from all around her.

   When Ranma won that round, it was because of chance, really.  And
she doubted that he would make the same mistake Cologne had.  "Why
should I play this silly game?  I can just jump over you and leave."

   "Ah, but if you do this you will spare yourself more combat.  Do
this and you win."

   He had a point.  Well, she'd try.

   First of all, if, as he had said, only one of these was real, only
one would have a Point of Destruction.  Therefore, if she found it, she
would win.  He wasn't even attacking her, wasn't even moving.  How easy
could this get?

   Akane slowly started to walk around, passing each.  She closed her
eyes and concentrated, trusting her feet to find the correct path along
the circle.  She made one round. Two.  Three.  Nothing.  The Point
wasn't there.  But that was impossible!  Unless... Unless the real
demon wasn't among these at all.  He must be having fun, watching her
search for something that wasn't there!

   Then she saw something.  Out of the corner of her eye.  Akane
whirled on the dot.  There it was.  Right in the center of the circle. 
Akane's frown deepened.  She strode to the center and her staff lashed
at the Point.  He wasn't there.  The replicas had vanished, he stood
ahead of her, and an akurei had her in an arm lock behind her, the
staff at her feet.  Around them stood demons.  Strong, belligerent
demons.  And she knew they were real.  "I thought you said I would win
if I found you!"

   "Yes, I did, true.  But it turned out to be so dull..."

   "You are so despicable!!"  Akane wasn't exactly sure what happened,
but the next thing she knew the akurei was sprawled on the ground
before her.  She picked up her staff and leaped, gaining confidence. 
Thrust, kick, block, lash, punch, swipe, jab, parry, strike.  The demon
bodies lay in a circle.  Yes, she had positioned herself well.  In a
perfect place to bring her staff up against the Point.   But, once
again, he disappeared.  Only for real, this time.  She could feel it.

   His voice still hung in the air.  "Just you wait, my darling Akane."

   "Oh, shut up!"

   "Be careful whom you make your enemy.  Zangitokun was a bad choice."

----------------------------

   Keita leaped, twisted, kicked.  Steadily, he completed his attack on
the invisible opponent.  Finally the Kata ended.  Keita looked down and
wiped the driblets of sweat off his brow.  That helped a bit.   He
walked over to a wooden training post and leaned against it.  He closed
his eyes.

   There it was.  Everything he had looked over all those times he had
spent poring over the portal, trying to find out all he could about
Akane, trying to understand her as best he could.   He saw her
clutching to Ranma as they plunged to the spring of Togenkyo, pleading
for him to forget about her and use his chance to rid himself of his
curse.  He saw her running into the Hiryu Shotenha in an attempt to
give him the moxibustion chart, risking her life to help him.  He saw
her in a forest, trying desperately to make Ranma understand why she
said she could love Shinnosuke.  He saw her descending deeper and
deeper into the waters of the lake of the forest, regretting that she
never told Ranma her feelings, the words forming in her mind, it's you
I...

   Keita lashed out in a series of punches and kicks and the post
collapsed to the floor in splinters.

   *Whatever happened to taking this _maturely_?*

   *Oh, shut up.*

   *So mature.*

   *Leave me alone.*

   *Would you stop talking to yourself already!*

   "Keita." 

   He spun around, reflexively moving into a defensive stance.  "Hello,
Yasahari."  His arms dropped to his sides.  Strange...this was the
second time he hadn't noticed Yasahari's arrival. 

   "Feeling sorry for yourself, my boy?"

   Keita smiled wanly.  "Yes, actually."  His smile disappeared. 
"Look, Yasahari, I'm sorry for what I said to you those days ago."

   "Forgiven.  As it happens, though, I came to help you with the
over-grown case of self-pity you've acquired."

   "I've what?"

   "You are, of course, unhappy because of Akane and Ranma's shared--"

   "Don't say it!"

    "--love."

   "Do you know what I think?  I think that you haven't forgiven me at
all, and you're here to pay me back."

   "Nonsense.  Vengeance is not something I prefer to indulge myself
in."

   "Of course not.  After all, you demons come with none of the
liabilities of us mortals."

   "Stop being sarcastic, Keita-san.  Perhaps in the recent events you
have let yourself crawl into the shell of immaturity, but that shall
hardly assist you in the search, I assure you."

   Keita sighed.  "I know, I know.  Look, it's just that...the books
aren't leading anywhere.  Everybody is completely exhausted.  Their
determination is being completely drained, and with every day they
become more and more sure that this is completely pointless."

   "It is not pointless, believe me."

   "What?  You mean--  Which book is it in?"

   "I cannot say."

   "Can't you help us out at all?"

   "Yes.  Here is my advice.  You must keep searching, but you should
also try other means."

   "Two heads are better than one, and all that?"

   "In a manner of speaking.  After all, a tangle is best unraveled
with both hands."

   "I guess.  Thanks..."

   "Farewell, Keita-san."

   "Leaving so soon?"

   "I am afraid so.  I have matters to attend."

   "Good bye."

   Yasahari swirled out.  

   Keita stared thoughtfully at where the demon had stood a moment ago.
 It was unlike Yasahari to come in and out in such a flash.  Usually he
didn't utter one mystic phrase and run out.  He had said he had to do
something... That was it, simple and clear.  Yasahari was around so
often it was hard to remember he had a life of his own.  They never
talked about it.  Keita didn't think he had a family, or anything. 
Still, he was a few hundred years old, and he had to have other things
to do than help a teenager with his love-life.

   Keita thought back to what Yasahari had said.  That they should keep
searching the books, but try something else, too.  What else?  What
else could they d--

   He became aware of another presence, right behind him.  He whirled
around and caught a wrist in his hand.  A slender wrist.  "Hi, Nabiki."

   Nabiki stood there, a finger on the wrist he caught stretched out as
if she had meant to poke him in the back.  Peculiarly, out of the
group, she had become his best friend over the few days they were
together.  Strange indeed, since she was completely different from him.
 They were the same age, true, but otherwise...  She wasn't a martial
artist, was frighteningly cynical, lived for nothing but money... Plus,
she was a girl, which classified her safely into the category of alien
lifeform.

   "Exactly how much did you hear?" he asked.

   "Oh, not much.  Just a strange voice, whose speaker certainly
doesn't seem to be here.  But hey, is that really all that weird?"

   "It was no one."

   "I'm sure."

   "Please.  Don't tell anybody about this, okay?"

   "Fine.  Did he say anything important?"

   "You didn't hear much, huh?"

   "Oh, just a bit.  Now really: spill."

   "We should search for Akane another way than the books."

   "He said that?"

   "Yes, that and the fact that the books do have something
significant.  Now stop talking about 'him', and help think of what."

   "Which what?"

   "How else to look for Akane!"

   "Oh.  That what.  Hmm.  Well, you're the adept in magic here; why
can't *you* think of something?"

   "I can.  Did, in fact.  But I'm not at all sure it will work."

   "What is this brilliant idea?"

   "Maybe we should send someone across dimensions to look for her. 
That's it.  And I'm glad you think it's brilliant, because I sure
don't."

   "That's really..."

   "Stupid?"

   "It has a lot of loose ends," Nabiki clarified.  

   "Yes, it does."

   "But I'm positive we can try it if we work it out, though..."

----------------------------

   "All right, here it is," Nabiki announced.  Everybody was gathered
in the room, their attention on her.  It was a rather pathetic sight. 
They were so obviously drained, and unused to being cooped up indoors. 
The atmosphere of the castle didn't help, either.  Keita was friendly
enough personally, but his home was so bright, clean, and solitary, so
uniform, as to be utterly depressing.  Many of the people around her
looked so tired, so worn out.  And if she looked into a mirror, she was
sure that the same expression she met as her eyes skipped from person
to person would stare right out at her.  The others were direly
impatient.  The contrast was almost ridiculous.

   Nabiki took a breath and continued.  "An anonymous source has
informed us that we should take up another search."

   "Who is this 'source', anyway?" Ranma asked.

   "There is a reason that I said an 'anonymous' source.  Just trust
me, ne?"  She glanced around, drawing out their agreement with her
eyes.  "Anyway, Keita and I were thinking about it just before we
called you here.  We came up with something that isn't much of an idea,
I know--"

   "Funny," Ukyo interrupted.  "We here have been thinking a whole lot
less, and yet our results seem to be the same."

   "*But*," Nabiki said, glaring, "It is an idea."  And Nabiki, in full
detail, told  them about the plan.  Finally, she finished.  "So... What
do you think?"

   She knew what everyone was thinking.  Just by looking at them she
knew.  It's not too good, but I can't think of anything better.  That
was the thought that flickered through their minds.  She saw it
perfectly.  Partly because she was thinking it herself.  *Believe me,
my dear friends, if I can't think of anything to top this, neither will
you.*

   There was an exception, though.  Cologne, she was sure, wasn't
thinking of that at all, but rather examining and reexamining the idea
in her mind.  Hers, really, was the only approval needed for the plan
to be carried out.  Cologne kept to herself and Shampoo most of the
time, but it was clear as daylight that she was the leader of the
group, and never would that power be taken from her.

   "That is the riskiest idea one can have thought of in this
situation," Cologne said.  "It would be truly unwise to divide
ourselves.  What if something went wrong, and we lost connection with
the person we sent?  The last thing we need is to lose yet another
person in these dimensions.  It would be unsafe to send one of us alone
to a strange land, perhaps a hostile land.  And yet if we sent a group
they would most certainly not reach the same destination, and we would
have too many people scattered across the modes of reality.  Is the
possibility of success really likely enough to risk such consequences?"

   Nabiki nodded her head slowly, processing the words, trying to
figure out the solutions to the questions.  "If we take certain
precautions--"

   Cologne finished her sentence for her.  "It might just be desperate
enough to work."  The Amazon smiled, and with that smile gave her
approval.  "Now we must decide whom to send, who has a strong enough
link to Akane to be able to trace her."

   Nabiki knew that the obvious choice, the one that they would send,
was Ranma, but she reflexively turned to look at Keita.  Whether it was
because he had such a link to Akane, to hear any opinion he had to
offer, or to see his reaction to the existence of so strong a
connection between Ranma and Akane she couldn't tell.  But she saw
nothing.  Keita's face remained impassive.

   "I'll go," Ranma said.

   Cologne studied him.  The Future-Son-In-Law wanted to go.  That
would deprive Shampoo of time with him.  The only reason they had
agreed to go was to get the two together, and because the chances of
actually finding Akane had been minimal.  Now Ranma remembered the
girl, and little progress had been made by Shampoo.  They needed all
the time they could get.  And yet no one else except the
Future-Son-In-Law *could* possibly find Akane.  She had agreed to
sincerely help, which would mean sending Ranma.  "Yes.  He will go. 
Now, we must prepare for his journey.  I'll do some more research. 
Keita here will fashion a spell for Ranma so that he will be able to
get back anytime.  He will leave tomorrow.  Maybe luck will be with us,
and this trip will prove successful.  Maybe.  And maybe not."

----------------------------

   Akane sat by the river and pulled up her left sleeve.  She gathered
a handful of water and gingerly rinsed her arm.  She sighed.  A bruise
from that arm-lock the demon had put her in was still there.  A day had
already passed.  With the stamina she had developed in her training, it
should have healed by now.

   When would she get out of here?  When would she be home again, or
with Keita, for that matter?  She wasn't sure how long she was going to
be able to stay here.  And it wasn't the problem of food and drink. 
There were plenty fruit trees, creeks ran abundantly throughout the
land, and now that she had found deep water she would be able to get
fish.  It was just...being here.  If she had the others with her, she
would have considered this land beautiful, but as it was, it seemed
like desolate, hostile territory that never seemed to end.

   Akane tensed.  Something... Ah, yes.  "Zangitokun?  Haven't we
already settled this?"  She stood up.

   "Don't be ridiculous," his voice came.  "You have defeated me.  I've
come to even out the score."

   "Really.  Any more weak demons?"

   "No, no.  I've brought something a bit more potent with me.  You
see, the past hours since our last battle, I've taken the liberty of
looking up on your personal history.  Quite intriguing, may I say.  And
I've decided--"

   "Are we going to fight or what?"

   "Very well.  Let's begin."

   "At least show yourself!  How do you expect me to fight you if I
can't see you?"

   "I fail to understand why you need to be able to see me, but if you
insist..."  He materialized before her.

   Akane picked up her staff and attacked the demon.  He wasn't much of
a fighter, aside from being rather fast, and he carried no weapon.  She
smiled, about to land a blow.

   Suddenly a memory came back at her.

   *You might be strong as a mule, but you're still a complete
slowpoke!*

   She paused.  *Why the heck am I remembering this now?*

   Zangitokun smiled.  "Now do you understand the nature of the battle
about to take place?  Your mind against mine; how your mind can fight
against what I throw at you."

   Akane barely heard him.  Ranma's voice continued in her mind.

   *She's got no figure, she can't cook, she's a deadweight in the
water, she hits you when she's mad..."

   *No!*

   *...she's violent as a gorilla, and she's coordinated as a whale!*

   *The tomboy rears her ugly head at last!*

   *You are so uncute!*

   *I hate tomboys!*

   Akane angered in spite of herself.  *What?!*

   *I'd worry more about how you're going to trick some poor jerk into
marrying you!*

   *You have to work on making yourself at least half as sexy as me, or
you'll never get a husband!*

   *Stubborn as a mule, twice as ugly, just as strong!*

   *And I'm better built, to boot!*

   *You're too stupid to know what's good for you!*

   *I don't have to eat your cooking to know it's toxic!*

   *I don't want to hug you!*

   The insults kept coming, but Akane wasn't paying attention to them
anymore.  Another string of words, words that her own memory brought,
covered them over.

   *Akane is my fiancee!  You touch her, and I'll kill you!*

   *You try that stuff with Akane and I'll...!*

   *Akane is mine!  No one's going to take her from me!*

   *She's engaged to _me_!*

   *Why, Akane?  Why did you choose him over me?*

   *I'm doing this for you.*

   *Your hair really does look cute.*

   *This one's spicy.  I like it.*

   *Akane is my fiancee!  You touch her, and I'll kill you!*

   *You try that stuff with Akane and I'll...!*

   *Akane is mine!  No one's going to take her from me!*

   *Why, Akane?*

   *Why?*

   Akane's staff had long since fallen.  Her fingers flew to her cheeks
and her tears rolled over them.

   Zangitokun was saying something, but Akane wasn't listening. 
Insults were still flowing, but she pushed them away, immersed in her
own words.  Another change took place.  Akane heard her own voice,
angry and out of place after the words it followed.

   *You pervert!*

   *He's a couple all by himself!*

   *I want nothing to do with you!*

   *How can you call yourself a guy with a body like that?*

   *What did you do this time, Ranma?!*

   *Get engaged, maybe!?*

   *Face it, I'm engaged to my worst nightmare!*

   *He had it coming for something.*

   *You are such a jerk!* 

   *I know it's your fault because it's always your fault!!*

   *I know it's your fault because it's always your fault!!*

   *I know it's your fault because it's always your fault!!*

   Again they changed.

   *Of course I'm telling the truth!*

   *I'm glad you have such faith in me!* 

   *And how many times do you actually wait before hitting me?*

   Akane fell to her knees.  *Oh, Ranma... I'm so sorry...*

   <Why, Akane?  Why did you choose him over me?>

   *No, Ranma, it's you I...*

   "Love," Akane whispered hoarsely.  "It's you I love..."

   Zangitokun smiled triumphantly.  He hadn't heard her.  He thought it
was his words affecting her like this.

   *It can't...could it be...do I...love Ranma?*  Akane leaned on her
arm to support herself, struck by the force of the realization.  She
stared at the grass as all her thoughts and emotions surged in her
mind.  Happiness, hope, grief, regret... Suddenly the non-stopping
torrent of insults became apparent.

   *You keep following me around and maybe some of my good looks will
rub off on you!*

   *What are you making that goofy face for?  I think I'm going to be
sick!*

   *And I certainly don't care about that stupid Akane!!*

   Akane heard her breathing become shallower.  *And he means it, too,
I know he does.*

   *Akane is my fiancee!  You touch her, and I'll kill you!*

   *Maybe...*

   *You touch her and I'll kill you!*

   *I certainly don't care about that stupid Akane!!*

   Zangitokun!  How dare he mock her like this?!  Toying with her,
meddling around with her deepest feelings..!  He was going to *die.*

   Akane grasped her staff and rose, her expression hardening, mindless
of the tears that still flowed freely down her cheeks.  "Zangitokun."

   "You're stronger than I thought.  I'll just have fight you the old
fashioned way.  And it will be easy, what with you playing with that
silly technique of yours."

   Akane didn't wait until he finished.  She attacked him full force. 
He remained calm, shifting quickly to keep her from pinpointing the
exact spot for the technique.  But Akane wasn't going after the Point
of Destruction.  After what he did to her, she wouldn't let him off
that easy!  She struck wherever her staff reached, swift numerous blows
that would have severely injured a mortal.  As it was, he was
nonetheless getting affected, his movements becoming more awkward and
jerky as each blow landed.  Finally he started to diffuse, slowly,
through strained stages, his energy and power worn out from the fight. 
Then he was gone.

   Akane stood catching her breath, her anger and rush of adrenaline
exhausted, the shock and weight of what happened setting in.

   *I love Ranma, I love him, and, oh, why didn't I see it before? 
Everything Zangitokun said, he was right, and no matter what I tell
myself, everything was true!  I don't deserve him, and I never will,
and whatever chance I ever had passed away long ago.*

   Akane looked around, her vision blurred with tears.  She had to get
away from here.  She just felt so ashamed, so unworthy.  She closed her
eyes and started to walk away.  She broke into a run.   Faster and
faster, farther and farther away, she ran and ran and ran.  But the
words didn't leave her, and the tears didn't stop.

--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------

Well, what did ya think?  The story's finally going somewhere, ne? 
Please tell me your comments, be they good or bad.

   Anna
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