aaaaaand.... part 2....

*   *   *   *   *   *

    "Umm... Doc?" Ranma ventured after a few minutes.
    "Yes?" the Doctor replied.
    "I was just wondering... just how much like people are Reploids?" Ranma 
asked.
    "What do you mean?" Dr. Light asked in turn, confused.
    "Emotionally.  Like, could one fall in love, or dream, or something, you 
know, the stuff that makes people people," Ranma explained.
    "Of course," Dr. Light answered.  "Love was as common among Reploids as 
it was among humans.  There were even a few cases where a Reploid fell in 
love with a human, and vice versa.  Dreaming was also common among Reploids, 
though not as common as human dreaming.  Usually, a Reploid didn't start 
dreaming until years after it had been manufactured.  In other words, once 
it's personality core had stabilized.  Do you understand?"
    "I think so, Doc," Ranma answered, thoughtful.
    "Why did you ask?" Dr. Light asked.
    "Huh?  Oh, umm... just curious, I guess," Ranma said, his hand behind his 
head.
    "Seriously, Ranma.  If it's a secret, I promise that I won't tell 
anyone," Dr. Light promised.
    "Well... okay," Ranma agreed.  "Before the Apocalypse and whatnot, me and 
my Pop were on a really long training journey to master my family's school of 
martial arts.  We ended up at a place called Jusenkyo."
    "Jusenkyo?" Dr. Light cut him off.  "How interesting."
    "You've heard of Jusenkyo?" Ranma asked, surprised.
    "I have.  In fact, it was one of the most intriguing finds of my time," 
Dr. Light admitted.  "Unfortunately, that find ended what had been a dynasty 
of beliefs for the people that lived in the area."
    "What do you mean?" Ranma asked.
    "Everyone thought that the springs were magical in nature," Dr. Light 
explained.  "However, under careful testing, it was found, much to our 
surprise, that the water was, in fact, a genetic symbiont.  That's why a 
person 'cursed' in one spring can't become 'cursed' by another; the symbiont 
already has control and kills any intrusion upon it's host," Dr. Light 
explained.  Ranma, stunned, stood silent for a moment.
    "Could you cure it?" he asked.
    "Given the proper facilities, yes.  However, many tools necessary for the 
operation won't be invented for decades, and I don't have their schematics in 
my files.  I'm sorry," Dr. Light apologized.
    "It's okay," Ranma said, sounding dejected.  He said nothing after that, 
looking dejected.
    "You were telling me about your training trip?" Dr. Light prompted.
    "Oh, yeah.  Well, we got to Jusenkyo, and me and my Pop were fighting 
there.  Great place for aerial combat.  Anyway, I knocked him into the spring 
of drowned panda.  He spazzed and went after the guide, 'cuz he hadn't 
listened to the poor guy's warnings earlier.  I was still on top of one of 
the poles.  Suddenly, this weird feeling started in my stomach, like there 
was something in it tryin' to get out.  It really hurt, and I lost my balance 
and fell into the spring of drowned girl," Ranma said.
    "So you become female with the application of cold water?" Dr. Light 
asked.
    "Uhh... yeah," Ranma agreed, after figuring out what the Doctor had said. 
 "Well, after that, my Pop forbid me from doing martial arts, 'cuz I was both 
half-human and I was female when I was.  Martial arts is all I really know, 
so..."
    "You want me to talk to him about your situation as a Reploid?" Dr. Light 
supplied.  Ranma looked up, a hopeful half-smile on his face.
    "Would ya?  I've been trying to talk some sense into him for weeks.  
Maybe he'll listen to someone who actually knows that they're talking about." 
Ranma asked.
    "I'd be more than happy to, Ranma," Dr. Light agreed.  "However, I'd 
suggest that you wait until Akane is repaired."
    "No, really?" Ranma asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.  "Geez, Doc, 
just when I started to think you were smart or somethin'..."

*   *   *   *   *   *

    "No, no, no!" Inferno Phoenix exclaimed, smashing a fist on the steel 
tabletop that stood in front of him.  Atop it lay the half-assembled shell of 
a Reploid.
    "What's wrong?" Typhoon Dragon asked from his position in the corner.
    "It's not going to work," Phoenix answered, annoyed.  "His legs are too 
short, and if I make them any longer, they'll be unweildy."
    "He can't run fast enough, then?" Typhoon asked, lumbering over.
    "Exactly," Phoenix agreed, calming himself.
    "What about his turbine?  With the repulsors, he should be able to use 
that," Typhoon proposed.
    "No good.  I couldn't get decent materials for the repulsors, so he's 
only got a very general control of his height.  The only way for him to be 
sure to be within striking range is to have them at their lowest setting.  
That means he'll only be a few inches above the ground," Phoenix said, 
shaking his head.
    "Meaning that an errant rock could cost him a leg," Typhoon finished.  
"What about a temporal acceleration bubble?"
    "A Mark I accelerator would be too big, and I haven't got a diamond of 
sufficient size for a Mark II," Phoenix negated.
    "How big of a diamond do you need?" Typhoon asked.
    "Big.  At least twenty carats, and absolutely flawless at that.  I need 
it for a lens to project the bubble.  Anything less sturdy would fragment in 
seconds under the pressure," Phoenix answered.  There was a hiss, and a small 
panel hidden in Typhoon Dragon's chest slid open.  He reached in and pulled 
something out.
    "Will this work?" he asked, holding an immense cut diamond out to his 
comrade.
    "My God," Phoenix breathed, taking it carefully.  "This must be at least 
fifty carats.  Where did you manage to dig this up?"
    "I found it in the treasury of the Musk, after I annihilated them.  It is 
an ancient treasure, predating even their dynasty.  I believe it is called 
'The Dragon's Eye'," Typhoon explained.
    "It's flawless," Phoenix said, as if he hadn't heard the words of the 
giant next to him.  "Well, who says nothing good ever comes from a human, eh, 
Herb?"  Typhoon was silent for a long moment.
    "You will not call me by that name again.  Just as I would not presume to 
call you 'Saffron', I expect the same courtesy of you.  You may use the gem 
for your creation; I have no wish for it's return now," Typhoon sneered, then 
turned and retreated to his corner.  Phoenix was about to apologize, but 
decided against doing so.  The Virus changed many things about a Reploid, but 
some, like Typhoon's inability to accept apologies, were immutable and 
unchangeable.  Grinning, he returned to his work, pulling components from the 
metallic hedgehog's chest so that he would have room for the accelerator.

*   *   *   *   *   *

    Slowly, Akane opened her eyes, the world coming into focus.  Squarish 
clumps of blue, brown, and gray came together to resolve into Ranma's face, 
looking anxious and hopeful.
    "Akane?" he asked, worry in his voice.  "Are you all right?"
    "I'm..." Akane managed, taking stock of herself.  "Okay...," she said, 
with no small amount of surprise.  "I don't get it.  I should be trashed 
right now."
    "Yeah, you were.  Thanks to Doc Light, though, you're gonna be all right. 
 He's almost done fixin' ya up; that's why you can't move," Ranma said, his 
relief apparent in his speech.
    "Who?" Akane asked.
    "Dr. Light.  He's this computer program in a big blue capsule that found 
you.  He's a really great scientist, and I think he's figured out what 
happened with the Apocalypse," Ranma explained.
    "Really?  Where is he?" Akane asked, intruiged.
    "You're inside of me, so to speak," an elderly voice answered.  "I've put 
you inside of myself so that I could repair you.
    "Huh?" Akane asked, confused.
    "You're propped up inside the capsule so that the Doc can work on you," 
Ranma explained.
    "Oh," Akane replied, looking around.  The inside of the capsule was a 
mass of jumbled wires and silver cables.  On the top of the thing was a huge 
lens, with eight squarish lens-like windows placed around it.  She couldn't 
see the bottom, since her feet were on top of it.  Suddenly, she gave a lurch 
as one particularly large cable slid free from the back of her neck, a small, 
light grappler arm softly putting her long, black hair back into place.
    "There, that does it," Dr. Light said.  "You should be able to walk now." 
 Even as he was saying just that, Akane had stepped from the capsule, and was 
flexing her arm, testing it's mobility.  Finding it to her satisfaction, she 
turned and bowed deeply to the capsule.
    "Thank you, Doctor.  I owe you a lot," she said formally.  Dr. Light's 
hologram popped up on the pad where she'd been standing, giving the two 
Reploids their first look at the aged doctor.
    "Consider the debt repaid," he replied, bowing equally as low as Akane 
did.  "Just the chance to study your construction from the inside out was 
enough for me."  Almost as one, they both rose.  Ranma just smiled through 
the whole thing.
    "In any case," Dr. Light said, "About what it seems you have termed the 
'Apocalypse.'  I believe that, quite simply, it is an instance of Jakob's 
Law, which is... well, was more of a theory.  Anyways, it states that-"
    "Natural disasters are caused by friction between parallel planes of 
existence," Akane cut him off.  "We talked about it in science a few weeks 
before the Apocalypse.  This guy Jakob had just published it, so we were 
discussing it in class."
    "Well, I'm glad that I don't have to explain," Dr. Light said.  "It was 
hard enough to get Ranma to understand."
    "You mean that he was right?" Akane asked, more than a little surprised.
    "Surprisingly, yes.  Though he himself suspected that his theory was 
false, he published it, in the hopes that his name would endure through the 
scientific ages.  Imagine his surprise when, when he was on his deathbed, it 
was proven!" Dr. Light said, chuckling.  Akane, conversely, was silent, 
thoughtful.
    "There's nothing that we can do about this, is there?" she asked.
    "About the planar meld?  No.  Unless things fix themselves, we're stuck," 
Dr. Light agreed.
    "Doc?  I'm gonna go get my Pop, all right?" Ranma suddenly said.
    "That would be fine," Dr. Light said.
    "I'll come with," Akane declared.
    "Actually, Akane, I need you to stay down here tonight.  I kinda told 
Nabiki that you were spending the night at Saryu's house, and if she finds 
out about Doc Light here...," Ranma trailed off.
    "She'll sell him to the highest bidder," Akane finished.  "You seem to 
know her pretty well, for only having lived here a couple of days."
    "Let's just say that I think she's been taking pictures of me," Ranma 
said.
    "What makes you think that?" Akane asked.  Ranma walked over to his 
backpack, which he'd dropped by the stairs.  He pulled a small square of 
paper from it and tossed it to Akane.  She looked at it, then immediately 
looked away, blushing.
    "Oh... my...," she muttered.  "How'd she get this?"
    "I think that she's got a remote controlled camera rigged in the 
bathroom," Ranma explained.  "Haven't been able to find it yet, but I'm 
looking.  In any case, I'm gonna go get Pop.  Why don't you hide somewhere, 
so that he doesn't see you and screw everything up."
    "All right," Akane said, moving to kneel behind a few old cardboard boxes 
that held party decorations.  Ranma, meanwhile, climbed the steps leading to 
the main floor.  When he opened the door, the hallway was empty; Nabiki had 
padded away when Ranma started to talk about coming up.

*   *   *   *   *   *

    "Hey, Pop," Ranma called, walking into the living room.  His father was 
playing a game of Go with Soun, and did not look up at his son's summons.  
"Pop, I gotta talk to ya," Ranma repeated.
    "Then talk," Genma growled.
    "Jeez, what's your problem?" Ranma sneered.  "Anyway, I want you to meet 
somebody.  I think that he might have something pretty interesting to say 
about my curse."
    "I don't care," Genma replied, moving a tile.
    "C'mon, Pop.  You made this a matter of Giri, and I think that I've found 
an answer.  Gimme a chance," Ranma asked.  Finally, Genma looked up from the 
board.  "As a matter of honor," Ranma added.
    "Fine, boy, but this had better be worth it.  I'll talk to this...," 
Genma paused.
    "Dr. Light," Ranma supplied.
    "... Dr. Light when I finish my game," Genma agreed.
    "Great!  Meet me in the basement when you're ready," Ranma said, then 
left.  Meanwhile, Genma sat and simmered, displeasure rising to cloud his 
face.
    "What is the matter, old friend?" Soun asked, seeing Genma's expression.
    "That boy... he's caused me so much trouble...," Genma trailed off.
    "What do you mean, Saotome?" Soun asked.
    "He's already been dubbed a 'bot lover' in his girl form.  No matter who 
I try to arrange an omiai with, they all refuse.  If this keeps up, Ranma'll 
be the end of the Saotome line," Genma explained.  Soun nodded, having had 
his own problems in finding a match for his own daughters.
    "A martial artist's path is frought with peril," he agreed sagely.  Genma 
nodded.
    "Too true, Soun.  Too true..." Genma stated.  Then, he pushed himself to 
his feet, moving a tile on the board.  "Still, if this is anything less than 
a cure, the boy will pay, and dearly.  That's game, by the way, Soun," Genma 
declared, making his way to the basement door.  Soun, surprised, looked at 
the game board and found it to be so.

*   *   *   *   *   *

    Genma descended the stairs leading to the Tendo basement neither quickly 
nor slowly.  He wanted to resolve this idiocy as much as his son did.  On the 
other hand, his life and what little was left of his honor were at stake in 
making Ranma male again, or al least human.  No matter what, he had decided, 
he would satisfy honor this one time.  Failure would mean supreme, ultimate, 
and complete dishonor.  And a chance to grow... more intimately acquainted 
with his wife's katana.
    His son waited at the bottom of the stairwell, a hopeful expression on 
his face.  Genma mentally snorted; the chances that the boy had found a cure 
were slim to none.  Once he found that there was no realistic chance of 
finding a male fiancee for Ranma, Genma had practically moved into the local 
library, poring over every text that might even possibly have a hint of a 
solution to Ranma's... problem.  The boy himself, of course, remained 
ignorant to his father's efforts.  Regardless, there had been nothing in the 
library.
    "All right, Pop," Ranma said, leading the overweight martial artist over 
to what seemed to be a huge, misshapen cylinder.  It had a number of cables 
and bulges on the top and bottom, while the rest was simply smooth glass.
    "What's this?" Genma asked gruffly.  The capsule looked extremely 
technologically advanced, an aspect which he'd not considered in the search 
for a cure.  His hopes lifted slightly.
    "I am Doctor Thomas Light," the thing spoke.  Genma, surprised, took a 
step back, while the glass slid down.  On the pad in the middle, a grayish 
hologram of an aged scientist resolved, then bowed respectfully to Genma.  
Stiffly, Genma returned the courtesy.  "You must be Genma Saotome," the 
hologram spoke.
    "I am.  Who are you?" Genma returned gruffly.
    "As I said, I am Doctor Thomas Light.  I am the scientist that invented 
the Reploids, and Ranma has asked me to speak on his behalf," Dr. Light 
explained.
    "What's a Reploid?" Genma asked.
    "A robot that can think and act for itself.  Essentially-," Dr. Light 
began.
    "What Ranma is, right?" Genma asked, cutting him off.
    "Yes.  Now, as I was saying-" Dr. Light answered, but was again cut off.
    "Can you make him human again?" Genma asked.
    "Human?" Dr. Light asked, confused.  "But he's been to Jusenkyo.  All he 
needs to become human again is a little cold water."
    "I mean full time.  If he's not completely human, or at least male half 
of the time, he is no good to me," Genma stated flatly.
    "What you're asking is impossible, Mr. Saotome.  We simply don't have the 
technology yet.  In a few decades, maybe, but not now," Dr. Light said, 
shaking his head.
    "Then why did you want to see me?" Genma asked, his voice cold and gruff.
    "I believe that the sentence you passed on Ranma for his curse is unjust. 
 Reploids are humans, by all standards that matter.  The only difference 
between them and humans is the fact that their bodies are made up of circuits 
and metal, instead of flesh and bone," Dr. Light explained.
    "He is a robot.  When he isn't, he's a woman.  Now...," Genma trailed 
off, his face coloring with rage.  "He resorts to machines and lies to gain 
his freedom?  Oh, the shame."
    "He is human!" Dr. Light shouted, having finally lost his temper.  "And 
he deserves much more than what you've given him!  I've known him for hours, 
and he has already gained a great deal of respect from me; more, I suspect, 
than you give him after knowing him for his entire life.  Your son is not 
weak, Mr. Saotome.  You are, because you don't have the strength to stand 
with him," Dr. Light accused.  Genma suffered silently through the tirade, 
his face darkening to a shade of red usually only seen on apples.  By the 
end, he was shaking with anger.
    "You side with this... machine?" Genma spat, turning to his son.  Ranma, 
stunned at the display of emotion on both sides, merely nodded.  Somehow, 
this seemed to calm Genma, because he stopped trembling, and his face resumed 
it's normal color.
    "Very well, then," Genma said, his voice calm.  "Ranma, as head of the 
Saotome clan, I revoke the oath of Giri that I forced you to undertake.  You 
may practice martial arts as often as you choose.  However, you will never be 
the heir to the Saotome school of martial arts."  Ranma's heart, or where it 
should have been, leapt for joy, but another part of him was cold, and he 
knew that that wasn't the end of things.
    "Why can't I be the heir?" Ranma asked.  "I'm already better than you 
are, Pop."  Genma didn't answer, but turned and walked to the stairs, his 
steps slow and deliberate.  "Pop, why?" Ranma repeated.  Genma, at the base 
of the stairs, paused.  Finally, he spoke without turning to face his son.
    "The heir to the Saotome school of Anything Goes martial arts must be a 
Saotome," Genma stated flatly, without a hint of emotion.  "As of now, Ranma, 
I officially disown you from the Saotome clan.  You are unwelcome in my 
presence.  I will return home to my wife, in the hopes that she and I can 
produce a true heir to our school.  Never darken our doorstep."  Ranma, 
shocked, stood with his mouth hanging wide open as Genma ascended the stairs 
out of the basement.  The door at the top opened, then closed, leaving Ranma 
alone with Dr. Light and Akane.  Nobody said anything; they were all too 
stunned.  After a minute, Ranma fell to his knees, then to all fours, the 
strikes of his metal body against the concrete floor booming loudly in the 
silent room.


***Author's Notes***

    Ha!  I did it right!!!  ::Sigh:: That feels good.  In any case, I have to 
admit that this is quite a turn of events.  It wasn't in my original plan, 
but as soon as I thought of it, I decided to do a little revising.  So, now 
Ranma's without a family and, depending on Soun's reaction, quite possibly 
out of a home.  What will happen?  Who knows?!  (me).  Anyways, I hope you 
liked it.  If you did, drop me a line.  If you didn't, drop me a line and 
tell me what I can improve.  Remember, no response is the worst kind of 
response.  Even if you tell me that it sucked, it lets me know that there are 
still people out there that are reading my stuff, and that's why I'm writing 
this thing.  I remain, as always,
    ~Flash
        -Flashfyre5@aol.com
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