This particular story was started over a year ago
in an hour challenge.  It's about time I finished it!


The Portal

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by June "KaraOhki" Geraci
Started April 20, 2003
Completed April 30, 2004

Ranma 1/2 characters have been borrowed from Rumiko
Takahashi.  Ah My Goddess characters created by 
Kosuke Fujishima. This story was written
for entertainment purposes only, and may not be used
commercially.

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



The newlyweds followed the owner of the inn down a
long hallway.  She stopped and gestured to a pair of
doors.  "The baths are here.  You might want to take
advantage of them while we prepare your dinner."

A little while later, Ranma and Akane left their
room and headed back toward the bathing rooms.
Ranma carried one of the inn's robes and his
pajamas. Akane too carried a robe, as well as a
package containing the midnight blue nightgown her
friends had given her as a wedding present.  They
stopped at the doors to kiss, and separated.

Ranma sank into the water, eyes closed.  That he and
Akane had survived their wedding day must have been
a gift from the gods.  But now she was his, and no
one knew their honeymoon location.

His thoughts were interrupted when another bather
opened the door.  Ranma opened his eyes and stared
into the eyes of the newcomer.  He was looking at
himself, but not exactly so.  This person, whoever
he was, was older--perhaps in his late twenties.

"What the hell--" they said simultaneously.

*****

Akane lay back in the water, luxuriating in the
warmth.  She held up her left hand and looked at her
ring, amazed that the madness of the day hadn't
prevented Ranma from putting it there.  "Someone was
watching over us," she murmured.  Then the sound of
another person entering the room distracted her.
She looked up, and found herself caught by her own
eyes.

The woman standing before her looked almost exactly
like her, but Akane could see that the newcomer was
some years older.  Like Akane, she wore a wedding
band, but her engagement ring was a pearl instead of
a sapphire.

"Oh my," said the newcomer.

"That's Kasumi's line," replied the Akane in the
bath.

Both women burst out laughing.

*****

"Two of us?" said newlywed Ranma from the tub.
"Keep the hell away from me!  I'm not sure what you
are, but I'M Ranma Saotome, not you!"

The older Ranma nodded calmly, and began to undress.
"You ARE Ranma Saotome.  But so am I."  The younger
Ranma began to get up, but the older one gestured
for him to sit.  "Look, I don't understand this any
more than you do, but it reminds me of something I
saw on Star Trek about alternate universes.  Come
on, I've had enough weird crap happen to me not to
believe it, and I imagine you have too."

The younger Ranma frowned.  "I'll accept that for
now, but don't try anything funny!"

Older Ranma snickered.  "Who, me?" he asked
innocently.

That didn't make his companion feel any better.

*****

"This reminds me of a book I read somewhere," said
newlywed Akane as she watched older Akane wash her
hair.  "It was about parallel universes, and how
there's one place where they all connect.  I thought
it was a great idea, but this is a little hard to
believe."

Older Akane rinsed off and stepped down into the
tub.  "I don't think I read that one.  Maybe you
should tell me about it."

*****

"...I'm nineteen years old, and Akane and I go to
Sanna College in Ube.  We just got married this
morning," said newlywed Ranma.

"College?"  Older Ranma looked surprised.  "We never
went to college.  Akane and I eloped during our
junior year at Furinkan.  We've been married for ten
years, and this is our second honeymoon."

"Ten years?  Do you have kids?"

"Three," replied older Ranma.  "Two girls and a boy.
Mom's keeping an eye on them."

"My Akane works in the day care center at Ube," said
newlywed Ranma.  "She's really good with kids."  He
paused, and scratched his head.  "Look, how do we
know we can get out of here?  What if I walk out and
end up in your world, or something?"  His companion
nodded, but before he could speak the door opened
again.

*****

"Okay, let me get this straight," said newlywed
Akane.  "You and your Ranma have been married for
ten years, with three children?  But you didn't go
to college, like us.  So the worlds aren't the
same."

Older Akane looked around at the bathing room.
"What would make this place so special?  Why does it
connect our worlds?"

"You're missing the most important question," said
her companion.  "How do we find our way back?"

Both heads turned as the door opened again.

*****

Both Ranmas gasped as a third entered.  This Ranma
looked positively terrible.  He was painfully thin,
and from the way he was limping it was evident to
the others that he was in considerable pain.  When
he saw the others sitting there, he drooped even
more than he already had been.  "I didn't need
this," he said.  Then he straightened up and began
unbuttoning his shirt.  "But as long as you're here,
I may as well join you."

Older Ranma moved over, and gestured to the newcomer
to sit next to him.  He looked him over, and his
face grew very serious.  "What happened to you?"

"Jusendo happened."

Newlywed Ranma grinned.  "Cool!  You can tell us how
you kicked Saffron's ass, and we can warn you about
the wedding they'll try to pull on you and Akane
when you get home."

The newest Ranma put his face in his hands.  "There
isn't going to be a wedding."

"Why not?" demanded both Ranmas.

"Akane's dead."

*****

Both Akanes flew out of the tub at the sight of the
third.  She was covered with fading bruises, and
walked like an old woman instead of the teenager she
was.  Her face registered confusion and resignation
as they helped her undress and bathe, and gently
drew her into the hot water.

They all sat quietly for a moment before the newest
Akane spoke.  "Have I fallen into a book?  I read a
book about many universes, and how they all connect
in one place, and--"

"I read it too," interrupted newlywed Akane.  "It
makes me wonder how many of us there are."

"This tub is crowded enough, thank you," remarked
older Akane.  "You look younger than either of us.
How old are you?"

"Seventeen," said the newest Akane.  "I would give
anything to be sixteen again, and to make things
work out differently."

"What happened?" asked older Akane, although a sick
feeling was already taking hold of her.

"Jusendo."  The newest Akane looked down, and when
she raised her head again her face was covered with
tears.  "He died for me.  He got me to the water,
and saved me, but he didn't make it.  He was hurt
too badly."  She began shaking.  "He didn't make
it!"

*****

The newest Ranma angrily wiped away the tears he was
beginning to shed and looked at the two faces before
him.  They were both quite pale.  "You were there,
too?  Did you save her?"

"Yeah," replied newlywed Ranma.  "I guess I was
lucky."

"We were very lucky," said older Ranma.

"Where is she?  I mean, where are they?"

"They're over on the women's side."

"Gods, I don't want to see them.  Don't let me see
them."

"I can't blame you," said older Ranma.  "Not if I
was in your position."

"What are you going to do now?" asked newlywed
Ranma.

The newest Ranma shrugged.  "I was in the hospital
for a long time, and then I was at home with Mom
fussing over me.  It was driving me nuts, so I just
took off.  I don't know if I'll ever go back."

*****

"After I got home, everyone treated me like I was
made of glass.  They won't even say Ranma's name in
front of me, as if that'll help anything!"

Older Akane put her arm around her.  "Yes, I
understand.  When I was expecting our oldest, Ranma
was hurt badly, and for a while I thought I was
going to lose him.  I do understand."

"What are you going to do now?" asked newlywed
Akane.

"I don't know.  I'm not sure if I can live without
Ranma.  I'm not sure if I want to.  I'm trying to
decide if I want to start again somewhere else, or
if I want to go to Ranma.  Maybe he's waiting for
me.  The two of you understand, don't you?  Nobody
else does, but you have to!"

Before either could answer, a voice called from the
other side of the wall.  "Akane?  Can you hear me?"

Newest Akane grew very pale.  Older Akane answered.
"Yes, I can hear you."

"How did you know that was your Ranma?" asked
newlywed Akane, even as she realized she knew he
wasn't hers.

"I know my husband."

"Can you come out for a sec?  I need to talk to
you."

"I'll be there in a moment!"

*****

"Wish me luck," said older Ranma.  "I have no clue
where I'll end up when I walk out of here."

"What are you doing?" demanded newest Ranma.  "I
told you I didn't want to see either of them!"

"Calm down!" said older Ranma sternly.  I'm going
out into the hallway to talk to my wife.  Don't even
think about getting in my way.  The shape you're in,
I could put you down with one hand."

The only response he got was a glare, but evidently
his message had gotten through.

Older Ranma got out of the water, dried off, and put
on a robe.  He exited the bathing room just as his
wife came out of the other door.  She ran into his
arms.

"I can't believe what's happening!" she cried.  "I
was afraid that I'd end up somewhere else if I left
the bath!"

"Shh, you're safe.  You're with me."  Ranma hugged
Akane before taking a step back to look at her.
"How many of you were in there?"

"Three."

"Three?"  Ranma looked behind him at the closed door
to the men's side.  "Tell me about the one who's
alone."

"How did you--" older Akane stopped herself.
"There's somebody like her in there?  Somebody who
lost his Akane, like she lost her Ranma?"

"Yeah, and he's in really bad shape.  He's afraid to
come out and see you."

"I haven't asked Akane how she'd feel about meeting
you, but I think she'd react the same way."  Older
Akane stopped talking for a moment, deep in thought,
and her husband allowed her the time to finish.  "I
think," she said softly, "that there's a reason for
all this.  We were brought here to help those two.
I think they need each other."

"But honey, she's NOT his Akane, and he's NOT her
Ranma."

"I know, but something tells me they need to meet.
Ranma, this Akane is ready to die.  I don't want to
see that happen."

Older Ranma winced.  "Not if we can help it.  The
Ranma in there isn't in very good shape either.  I
think if left to himself he won't live much longer,
because he has no reason to want to."  He stopped,
and gave the matter some serious thought.  "Maybe
they do need to meet each other"

"They won't want to.  We already know that."

Ranma grinned.  "Then we have to be sneaky.  This is
what I want to do...."

*****

Newlywed Ranma sat silently, watching the
expressions change on his companion's face.  He
tried to put himself in the other man's position and
cringed inside.  If he'd lost his Akane, and knew
there was another one nearby, one who didn't belong
to him.he pushed the thought away and tried to think
of something to say.  Nothing came to mind.  He was
rather relieved when the door opened and older Ranma
returned.

"Did you find her?"

"Yeah.  No problem."  Older Ranma paused, looked
around, and grabbed a bathing stool to sit on.
"Look, I think maybe you and your wife should think
about getting back to your room."

"But-"

"Hell, you have better things to do than hang around
with us tonight!"  Older Ranma had the satisfaction
of seeing the younger one redden in embarrassment.
Then he softened his tone.  "Go on.  I'll handle
things here."

"I don't need handling!" shouted newest Ranma.
Newlywed Ranma took one look at his face and decided
to take older Ranma's advice.  "Akane, you about
ready to get out?" he called.

"I'll be there in a minute!" she replied.  "Are you
arguing in there?"

"No!  Why would we be?"

"Wow," said older Ranma.  "The right one answered."

Newlywed Ranma smirked as he got out of the tub and
began toweling off.  "How come your wife answered
instead of mine when you called?"

"Smartass," said older Ranma.  Then he turned toward
the partition again.  "Honey?  I'm about ready to
leave."

"Give me a few minutes, would you?  I've got
something to do first."

Older Ranma looked at the others and shrugged.
"Women." he muttered.  "Okay, just tell me when
you're ready."

"Okay!"

The newest Ranma struggled to his feet and out of
the tub.  "I better get out of here.  I don't want
to run into either of your wives."

Older Ranma carefully maintained a straight face.
"That's your decision," he said, "but I hoped you
would change your mind."

"I'm sure my wife would be upset if she didn't get
to speak with you," said newlywed Ranma.  Won't you
give her the chance?"

"I don't think so," said newest Ranma.

*****

"I'll stay here," said newest Akane.  "I don't think
I could handle seeing either of your husbands."

"Are you sure?" asked older Akane.   My husband was
hoping to have a word with you, and he's probably
told the other one you're here."

"And if I know Ranma," said newlywed Akane, "he'll
want the chance to meet you."

"No.  I don't want to."

"Then you leave first.  We'll delay long enough to
let you get away."  Older Akane took off her
bathrobe and unfolded her nightgown, while the other
two Akanes exited the tub and began drying off.
Newest Akane put on her pajamas and gathered up her
clothing.

"Thank you for talking to me.  I'm glad to know not
everyone's story ended the way mine did."

"Your story isn't over yet," said newlywed Akane.

"Isn't it?"

Older Ranma's voice came though the partition again.
"Aren't you ready yet?"

"Another minute!" called older Akane.  The signals
had been given.  Now was the time to act.  "Let's
get you out of here before my husband starts
knocking on the door!"  She grabbed newest Akane,
and hugged her fiercely.  "Good luck."

Newlywed Akane also hugged her.  "Don't give up.
Please."

Newest Akane just smiled sadly.  "We'll see," was
all she would say.  Then older Akane opened the door
and shoved her into the hallway.

*****

Newest Ranma was dressed in his pajamas and ready to
go in under a minute.  He bundled up his things and
bowed to his companions.  "It's weird, but I'm glad
I met you.  I can't explain why, though."

"You don't have to," said older Ranma.  "We know
each other too well for that, don't we?"

"Yeah."

Newlywed Ranma came forward and grasped the younger
man's arm.  "Good luck to you," he said.  Before
newest Ranma had the chance to open the door for
himself, older Ranma did it for him and shoved him
into the hallway, where he collided with someone.
The impact sent them both to the floor, with Ranma
on top.  He scrambled off the person and sat there
staring as she rose to a sitting position

The girl was Akane, but it was not possible for her
to be either of the women his companions had
described.  This was neither a married woman of ten
years, nor a new bride.  "Geeze, Akane, you look
like hell!" emerged from Ranma's mouth before he
could stop himself.

Ranma's hands covered his mouth as he finished
speaking.  He looked anywhere but at Akane, wishing
he had swallowed his tongue rather than say anything
so stupid.  As he looked to one side, he saw two
women peeking out of the bathing room entrance.
Here were the Akanes he would have expected to see.
The older woman smiled at him, while the younger one
looked totally confused.  Then he turned around and
saw his bathing companions.  Older Ranma looked
rather embarrassed, while the younger one appeared
to be as confused as his wife.  "You did this on
purpose, didn't you?" he demanded of them.

Older Ranma nodded, as did his wife.  Newest Ranma
looked back at the Akane sitting on the floor.  She
was looking at him with understanding dawning in her
eyes.  "You're alone, too," she murmured.  Then she
began to cry.

Newest Ranma was furious.  "Now look what you've
done!" he exclaimed.  "You've gone and upset her!"

"Are you sure it isn't what you said?" asked
newlywed Ranma.

"Shut up!"  Newest Ranma got to his feet, gathered
up his things and Akane's, and helped her off the
floor.  "Please don't cry."

Newest Akane took Ranma's hand as he helped her off
the floor.  He tried to snatch it away once she was
on her feet, but she held onto it and brought her
other hand to his face.  As Akane placed her hand on
Ranma's cheek he leaned into it, eyes closed.  Then
his eyes flew open, and he caught her as she
fainted.

There was a collective gasp from everyone else, and
they would have rushed forward if it were not for
newest Ranma's glare.  "Stay out of this," he
growled.  "I'll take care of her."  He paused long
enough to allow all of them to nod, then stalked
down the hallway.  He glanced back just before
turning the corner at the end of the hall.  Both
couples were staring at him as if they had something
to say.  He stopped once around the corner,
hesitated, and turned back.  When he reached the
corner to look at them, no one was there.  "That's
weird," he murmured.  Then he shrugged, looked at
the unconscious girl in his arms, and headed for his
room.

*****

Newlywed Ranma turned to older Ranma.  "That was
sneaky," he remarked.  "Do you think they'll be
okay?"

"I have no way of knowing," his companion replied.
"I can only hope we did the right thing."

"I think you did," said newlywed Akane as she
approached both men.  "It was better than letting
them give up."

Older Ranma smiled down at newlywed Akane.  "Wow, I
forgot how cute you were at that age!  OW!!!"  He
turned to see his wife removing her elbow from his
ribs.  "Why did you do that?"

"I'm not cute anymore?"

"Of course you're cute!  You'll ALWAYS be cute!

"That's better."

"It's us.  It's really us."  Newlywed Akane was
laughing so hard that she was shaking.  "It's so
weird to see it!"

"Does this mean I'll still have foot in mouth
syndrome after ten years?" asked newlywed Ranma
wistfully.  "I was kinda hoping I'd outgrow it."  He
looked at his wife, grinning.  "Then again, seems
Akane didn't outgrow being a violent tomboy,
either."

Both couples just laughed.

*****

Ranma unlocked his room and carried Akane inside.
He placed her on the bed very gently, and put her
things on a nearby table.  "I hope you don't get mad
at me," he murmured, "but I didn't know what else to
do."  Then he sat down and stared at her.

He knew.  The moment she touched his face he knew.
This wasn't some other Akane, from some other
universe.  This was HIS fiancee.  How it was that
she was here, alive, was beyond his understanding.
After all, her ashes were beside her mother's.  He 
only knew that it was the truth.

*****

Akane gasped as she came back to consciousness.  She
sat bolt upright, trying to look in all directions
at once.  The sight of Ranma sitting in a chair
pulled close to the bed made everything come back to
her in a rush.

This was HER Ranma.  She had absolutely no doubts,
even though she knew he was dead.  She'd held his
ashes in her arms all the way home from China.  It
was impossible for him to be sitting there, but
there he was.

"How?" she whispered.

"I don't know."  Ranma went to the bed and took
Akane into his arms, holding her tightly.  "How did
you come back to me?"

Akane pulled away and looked into Ranma's eyes.
"What are you talking about?  You came back to me!"

Ranma blinked a couple of times, then took a deep
breath.  "You told those other girls that you lost
me, didn't you?"

"Yes.  That's what happened."

"But I told the other Ranmas that I'd lost you."

"I want you to tell me everything," said Akane.
"Tell me exactly what happened from your point of
view, and then I'll tell you what I remember."

Ranma held Akane closer, to assure himself that she
was really there.  "Okay."

*****

The two remaining Ranmas ducked back inside the
bathing room to retrieve their things.  Newlywed
Ranma shook older Ranma's hand.  "I'm glad I got to
meet you."

"Same here," replied older Ranma.  "Somehow, I doubt
that this will happen to us twice."  They went out
into the hallway to discover that their wives had
vanished, presumably back into the women's side.  A
moment later, older Akane came back out and joined
her husband.

"Your wife will be out in a moment," she said to
newlywed Ranma.  She smiled at the younger man as
she took her Ranma's arm.  "You certainly are as
adorable as I remember."  She felt the muscles in
her husband's arm stiffen, and continued before he
could speak.  "But I prefer older men."

"Hey!" protested older Ranma.  "I'm not even thirty
yet!"

"Shut up, silly," replied his wife.  "Let's go,
before you can get us into any more trouble."

They could still hear newlywed Ranma laughing as
they turned the corner and headed to their room.
They didn't notice the air shimmer behind them as
they walked, or the season change from winter to
spring.

Ranma opened the door to his and Akane's room, and
swept her into his arms to carry her inside.  The
room's curtains were open, showing a lovely sunset
over the mountains, and their dinner was waiting on
a table near the window.

"Quite a difference from our honeymoon, isn't it?"

Akane smiled as Ranma put her in a chair next to the
table.  "Very different.  This time we won't be
camping out and eating out of cans."

"I'm surprised the place isn't crowded.  There
wasn't anyone but me in the bath."

"Same here.  Too bad we didn't know that.  You could
have joined me."

"On the women's side?  With my luck somebody would
have come in, and cold water wouldn't have solved
the problem."

*****

"Where are you, Akane?" asked newlywed Ranma.  As he
spoke, the door to the women's side opened.

"Right here."  Newlywed Akane saw her husband's eyes
go to the opening at the top of her robe and note
the midnight blue lace peeping out.  Then he smiled
at her, and led her to their room.  The fire was
burning brightly in the fireplace, and they could
see the snow still falling outside.  Neither gave
another thought to the people they'd just been with,
because they had no memory of having met them.
Besides, distractions on a honeymoon are
simply...unnecessary.

*****

"I was trying to get to the water, to bring you
back.  Every now and then I'd look at you, and your
eyes would be half closed."  Ranma gulped back a
sob, and continued.  "I kept begging you to stay
awake, and whenever I would you would open your eyes
a little bit wider and smile at me.

"When I finally defeated Saffron, I brought you back
to your regular size, but you weren't breathing.  I
called you and called you, and did everything I
could think of, but you were gone.

"That's when I went crazy.  I wanted to blame
everybody for what happened, but most of all, I
blamed myself.  Pop had to knock me out before I
hurt myself or somebody else.  If my leg hadn't been
so mangled he wouldn't have been able to."

Akane hugged him.  "I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault."  Ranma wiped his eyes, and
continued.  "We brought your ashes home.  You don't
want to know how your family reacted.  You really
don't want to know.  Mom wanted me to get my leg
taken care of, but I insisted on being there for
your funeral.  After that I went into the hospital
so they could try to fix it."  Ranma pulled up his
pant leg and showed Akane a series of scars.  "They
put pins here and here, and the leg pretty much
works, but it'll never be the same.  It didn't
really matter to me.  I'm not the same without you."

*****

"I can't really remember a lot about your fight with
Saffron.  I was feeling very weak and lightheaded,
and all that movement made it worse.  I do remember
hearing you tell me to hang on, and that would help
a lot.

"I was getting so tired.  No matter how hard I tried
I just couldn't keep my eyes open."  Akane had been
relating her tale with her eyes on the bedspread.
It was too hard to see the pain on Ranma's face as
he listened to her.  "The next thing I remember is
hearing you tell me to wake up.  When I opened my
eyes I was lying on the ground, wearing your shirt.
You were next to me, holding onto me.  When you saw
that I was alive, you smiled."  Akane sobbed.  "It
was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.  Then
you whispered 'I did it.  I did it.  I love you,
Akane.'  I picked up my hand to touch your face, and
it was full of blood.  That confused me, because I
felt a little bruised, but nothing more.

"I looked down by my side, and the ground was
covered with blood."  Akane grew very pale, and held
hard onto Ranma's hand.  "Your blood.  The last
thing you ever said to me was 'I love you,' because
when I looked up your eyes closed and you never
opened them again."

"We had you cremated, and your father handed the
ashes to me.  When we left the valley, Shampoo
confronted me and demanded them.  She said that her
husband deserved to be buried in her village."

"Was there anything left of her when you were done?"
asked Ranma.

"There wouldn't have been, but Ryoga and Mousse made
me stop once I'd made my point.  Shampoo came back
to Japan for your funeral, but she kept her
distance.

"I don't understand," whispered Akane.  "We both
remember something totally different.  Who died?
You or me?  Or was it neither?"

"Actually," said a stranger's voice, "both of you
did".

Both young people whirled to face the window, where
a very exotic looking woman was coming through the
glass as if it wasn't there.

*****

Ranma sprang to his feet and got between the
stranger and Akane.  "Who the hell are you?" he
growled, "and what are you talking about?"

The woman settled into the chair Ranma had vacated.
"My name is Urd, and there's no reason to fear me.
I'm here to help."  She paused, and turned rather
red.  "You see, it was my responsibility to protect
you, and I failed.  So I'm here to fix my mistake."

"Does that mean you're our guardian angel?" asked
Akane.

Urd shook her head, and looked even more
embarrassed.  "No.  I'm not an angel.  I'm a
goddess."

"Yeah, right.  The way my life's been goin' the past
couple of years, no way you can convince ME the kami
are on my side.  I figure you all have it in for
me!"  After finishing his statement Ranma sat beside
Akane, folded his arms, and glared at Urd.  "I don't
see where you guys gave me any help at all!  OW!"
Ranma turned to glare at Akane, who had planted her
elbow in his side.  "Why'd you do that?"

"She's a GODDESS, Ranma!  You've got to be a little
more respectful!"

That little exchange shattered the last of Urd's
self-control, and she began giggling.  The giggles
turned into full-fledged laughter, and it took her a
few minutes to regain control.  "I have SO enjoyed
being assigned to keep an eye on you!" she
exclaimed.  "You've never been a bore."  Urd wiped
her eyes, and continued.  "Actually, you've always
been perfectly capable of handling anything life
throws at you, and the only time you really needed
divine intervention was when you fought Saffron.
That's why I got in so much trouble when I let the
two of you die."

"You said that before," said Akane.  "But that's not
what we remember."

"That's my doing," said Urd.  "I gave you those
false memories, and placed you here so that you
could meet your alternate selves."  The goddess
paused, looking quite embarrassed.  "It was
important for me to show you that I don't always
make a mess of things.  Perhaps I was wrong, but I
thought it would be easier this way."

"Easier?  You think it was easy watching Akane die?
Even if it wasn't real?"  Ranma was so angry that he
was glowing, and for a brief moment Urd thought he
was going to hit her.

"Of course not!  But I wanted to spare you this."
Urd stood, and gently touched a finger to Ranma's
forehead.  His eyes glazed over for a few seconds,
during which time he turned deathly pale.  When his
eyes cleared, Ranma looked down at his shaking hands
before speaking to Urd again.

"Is that, is that what really--"

"It's even worse to face your own mortality, isn't
it? You don't want me to show Akane, do you?"

"NO!"

"I want to know what really happened," stated Akane,
in a tone of voice that let Urd know she wasn't
going to take no for an answer.  "You don't have to
show me.  Just tell me."

Urd's eyes met Ranma's.  He looked rather grim, but
nodded to her.  "Go ahead.  If you don't, she'll
never stop asking."

"After Ranma defeated Saffron, he restored you with
the water.  You'd just come to when the ceiling of
the cavern collapsed on top of you.  Ranma's father
and your friends tried to dig you out, but they were
unable, and eventually Kiima made them leave."

"Oh," said Akane, in a very small voice.  "Then what
happens to us now?  Where are we?  Are we real?"

*****

Ranma poured Akane a cup of tea before serving
himself.  Urd had suggested that they order dinner
before continuing, but Ranma found himself
encouraging Akane to finish what little she'd put on
her plate.  "Are you sure you've had enough?"

"Don't nag!"

Ranma immediately backed off.  "Okay, okay!"  He
turned to Urd.  "You ready to tell us what's going
on now?"  The goddess had poured herself several
glasses of wine during dinner, and seemed to be
getting more and more nervous.

Urd bit her lip, and looked down at the floor.  "I
was going to offer you a choice.  Go back to the
point where I screwed up, and let me save you.  Then
you could go on from there."

"That doesn't sound too bad--" began Akane.

"We'd get home and our families would spring a
wedding on us," Ranma informed her.  "One of the
guys in the bath told me."  He twiddled his fingers
and turned red.  "I don't mind if you don't."

Akane placed her hand over Ranma's fidgeting
fingers.  "I don't mind."

Ranma grinned at her, but his grin vanished when he
saw Urd's expression.  "You got something more to
tell us?"

"I'm afraid so."  Urd opened her mouth to continue,
and was interrupted by a crack of thunder.  She
looked up at the ceiling and shrugged.  "I'm already
in trouble.  How much worse could it get?"  Then she
returned her attention to her audience.  "I wasn't
supposed to peek ahead, but I needed to know.  Let
me show you what happens at the wedding."  As Urd
spoke, she gestured at the television, which turned
itself on and began to play.

The screen showed Ranma and Akane in wedding
clothes, having a conversation in Akane's bedroom
that could not be heard.  Then Ranma dashed out of
the room and down the stairs, with Akane following.
The next few minutes were pandemonium.  Shampoo and
Ukyo appeared, and threw something at them that
exploded.  Akane's wedding dress caught fire, and
the two young people were horribly burned as Ranma
broke through the side of the house with Akane in
his arms and threw himself into the koi pond.  A
series of rapid images showed the couple being
admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Ranma shrugged.  "So we'll avoid it!  If we don't go
running down the stairs, we won't get hurt!  I can
take Akane through the window or something."

"No, you can't." said Urd.  "Because you won't know.
You see, if I send you back, you won't have any
memory of this, because it won't have happened."

"So what's our other choice?" asked Akane.

"Go home.  Ranma can yell at his father for not
trying hard enough to dig the two of you out."  Urd
grinned.  "Your funeral is scheduled for the end of
the week.  I'd say show up in time to interrupt it."

Ranma pulled up his trouser leg and pointed to his
surgical scars.  "What about this?  How am I going
to explain it?"

Urd waved a hand, and the scars vanished.  Ranma
looked at Akane.  She still bore some bruises, but
wasn't as painfully thin as she had been moments
before.  He suspected that if he looked in a mirror
his appearance would be drastically improved.

"How long has it been since Jusendo?" asked Akane.
"Days?  Weeks?"

"A few weeks.  Why?"

"Don't you know how Daddy will react?  When he finds
out Ranma and I spent all this time alone together,
he'll insist on a wedding."  Akane looked at Ranma.
"Like I said, I don't mind, but how do we know what
you just showed us won't happen anyway?"

"I don't know.  But I know a way around it."

*****

A few days later, Urd stood at the entrance to the
portal, looking out.  From her vantage point, she
was able to see many, many worlds, but on this
particular occasion she concentrated on only three.

Ranma and Akane held hands as they left the inn and
headed for the train station.  Their second
honeymoon had been everything they could have asked
for, and now they were on their way home to their
children.

Urd smiled.  "I wonder what Akane will say when she
finds out that baby number four is on the way," she
murmured aloud.  Then she turned her attention to
the second couple.

The honeymooners were on the mountain above the inn,
where Ranma was carving their initials into a tree.
Urd looked more closely, and saw that Genma and
Nodoka's initials were already there.  That made her
burst into a fit of giggles.  "Doing something
romantic, Ranma?  Didn't think you had it in you!
Then again, didn't think Genma had it in him,
either."  She was very pleased with the couple.
Their decision to leave home and study in Ube was
working out quite well, and now they were finally
married.  That didn't mean life would be quiet or
simple for them, but Urd knew that didn't matter.
They could handle anything life threw at them.

Finally, she looked at the youngest of the three
couples, who were just getting off the train in
Nerima.  The way she had timed it, they would arrive
at the dojo just as their funeral service was about
to begin.

'It's going to cause a riot when everyone sees you',
she thought.  'Then it will cause another when they
find out you're married, but I'm glad you took my
advice and did it.  There will be no wedding to
stop, and your fathers will be so happy that anyone
who tries to do something to either of you is likely
to get killed.'

Urd observed them long enough to determine that she
had guessed right, and then turned back to the
portal.  It was time to find out how much trouble
she was in, especially for allowing the young couple
to retain their memories of their encounter with
her.  She stepped through, and immediately ran face
first into her sister.  Belldandy caught Urd before
she fell.  "Sister?  Why are you here?"

"I have a message for you."

Urd winced.  "How bad is it?  What did he say?"

Belldandy smiled.  "Actually, he said only two
words."

"Well done."

-----------------------------------------------------
For anyone who's keeping score:

"Older" Ranma and Akane are from my story
Breaking Free.
"Newlywed" Ranma and Akane are from
A Change of Scene.
"Newest" Ranma and Akane were supposed to
turn out like the couple in Cinders, but were
prevented from doing so by Urd's original
error, and her later intervention.

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


As always, I'd be glad to hear from you.










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http://karaohki.anifics.com
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     You could turn this way,
I'm also lonely
     this autumn evening

Basho

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