Hearts' Healing

A Ranma 1/2 - Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki FanFiction
By
D.F. Roeder

This and other fanfictions can be found at:
http://www.flash.net/~dfroeder/index.html

C&C very welcome. Respond to FFML or privately to
[email protected]

     ----- Continuity -----
This is a Ranma divergence fic, the divergence occurring at the 
beginning of the Ranma storyline, the day before the fateful trip 
to Jusenkyo at the end of the 10-year training trip. This will 
NOT be a rehash of the "Sorry 'bout this!" beginning to Ranma 
1/2. It will be decidedly different, as you will see.

This is also a continuation of the TM! OAV storyline, although 
the concentration will be on one character, with the remaining 
cast coming in as appropriate.

The dates inserted are somewhat arbitrary. If anyone has better 
info and can point to some primary source material to back it up, 
I would then welcome suggestions.

     ----- Acknowledgments -----
My sincere thanks to Vince Seifert for giving this puppy a 
critical going over. As always, my work would be far poorer 
without him.

Thanks to T.H. Tiger for the Tenchi discussions, catching some 
errors of omission, and the thumbs up. ^_^

     ----- Disclaimers -----
Ranma 1/2 and its characters are the property of Takahashi 
Rumiko, Shonen Sunday comics, Shogakukan, and Kitty TV (Japan) 
and Viz Communications (USA).

Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki is the property of Kajishima Masaki and 
AIC/Pioneer LDC.

This work of fiction is for free entertainment purposes only. No 
compensation has been or will be received.

____________________

Part 1 - Sticks and Stones
____________________


[October 7, 1991]

"Excuse me, sir."

The okonomiyaki vendor looked up from the grill to see a short, 
ragtag redheaded girl wearing Chinese peasant clothes looking up 
at him.

"What do *you* want," he asked suspiciously.

"Lookin' for work."

<A classic case,> the vendor thought, his eyes narrowing. <Barely 
keepin' the drool in her mouth.> "What's your name?"

"Ranma."

"What Ranma?"

Ranma lowered her gaze to the grill, shuffled her feet, and 
didn't answer.

"Where's your family?"

Her eyes flicked from side to side. "Ain't got none."

<Oh, great.> "Gomen. Don't have any work for ronin."

Ranma sighed, "Nobody does," and started to walk off.

A mild attack of conscience loosened the vendor's tongue. "Wait a 
sec."

Ranma turned and watched the man wrap a plain okonomiyaki in 
newspaper. "Here. Now be off with ya!"

Ranma took the proffered food. "Arigatou gozai--"

"Yeah, yeah. Just scoot!"

To the vendor's relief, Ranma sketched a bow and left.


Slowly munching on the okonomiyaki to savor every bite, Ranma 
wandered down the street, occasionally asking the locals for 
work. No luck, and night was beginning to fall.

She popped the last piece of the dough into her mouth and chewed. 
<Sure ain't yours, Ucchan, old buddy. I could really go for one 
of your pop's famous cakes.> She slumped a little. <Your folks 
wouldn't want me now, either, I guess.>

"Shit!" <What's in a name, anyways? Just one more way ta pin ya 
down, make ya somethin' ya ain't, or... try ta make ya be 
somethin' ya can't be no more, because ya spent your life 
followin' some dumb-ass fa-->

An explosive sneeze shattered her thoughts. "Oooh, that felt 
weird." She looked at the slightly green-tinged mucus on her 
hand. "*Now* what?" Ranma wiped her hand on her sleeve and walked 
on.

----------

[June 14, 1976]

The door opened to reveal three women in their best kimonos.

"Nodoka-san! How are you? Is that Ranma-chan?" The first guest 
wiggled her fingers at the one-year old child Saotome Nodoka 
cradled in her arms.

The three women filed in, and Nodoka bade them sit while she 
prepared some tea. She handed Ranma off to one of the ladies to 
play with. She smiled at the joy a little baby could bring and 
went into the kitchen.


"So what's that husband of yours up to, these days?" guest number 
three asked.

A small frown creased Nodoka's forehead as she sipped her tea. 
"He's probably off running around with that friend of his, Tendou 
Soun."

"Errr, has he gotten a job--" guest number two asked before 
getting swatted by guest number one. A quick glare from number 
one sent number two in a different direction. "I mean, has he 
gotten to know his baby?" Number two smiled weakly.

It was a lame save, and Nodoka knew it. She shook her head 
wearily. "No and not really," she replied, answering both 
questions. Ranma began to complain at that moment, and Nodoka 
took him back from the woman who'd been holding him. Picking up a 
bottle she'd prepared earlier, she began to feed him. She smiled 
serenely down at her child. "Your Mommy's little manly man, 
aren't you?"

Ranma just looked up at his mother, soaking in the sounds of her 
voice as he suckled on the plastic nipple. Understanding would 
come later.

----------

[October 9, 1991]

Something was definitely wrong. Ranma coughed, her chest rattling 
and wheezing. <Man, I *never* get sick! What the hell's this all 
about?!>

Finding no comfort in her thoughts, Ranma continued down another 
street. She'd finally made it to Tokyo and was wandering around 
the Juuban district, still looking for work. Being sick, as well 
as without family, made her all too easy to turn down. Starving 
and gaunt, Ranma kept trudging.

<What I wouldn't give ta see Pops about now,> she mused, then her 
face darkened. "No, he had his chance," she mumbled.

Her sunken and hooded eyes concentrated on the asphalt in front 
of her as she continued in a straight line, not caring where.

"Baka oyaji..."

----------

[March 15, 1990]

*WHAP!* Saotome Genma cuffed the back of his son's head. "Boy, 
I'm really starting to worry about your training! Thievery is 
part and parcel of the Musabetsu Kakutou Ryuu! What will it take 
to get through to you?!"

The son, Saotome Ranma, was getting a belly full of his father's 
griping this morning and had just about had enough. "Pops, how's 
it gonna help me in the Art, again? What the HELL does thievin' 
have to do with martial arts?! Just cause YOU couldn't steal 
enough this mornin' ta fill your fat belly's no reason ta get mad 
at me!"

Genma put his fists up to his head and reared back. "ARGH!! 
Stupid boy! It's not the stealing, it's the situations it puts 
you in!! Have you learned nothing?!"

Cross, Ranma snorted and looked away. "You've been tryin' ta sell 
me that bill'o goods for ten years. Give it up."

Genma slumped, still angry but unable to come up with further 
argument. He shouldered his pack and struck off down the road. 
Thinking of his good friend, Tendou Soun, he mumbled quietly to 
himself, but not quietly enough. "The boy's going to be a big 
disappointment when we get home."

<NANI?!?!> Ranma was thunderstruck - this was something 
completely new. <What's Pops talkin' about?! Who'll be 
disappointed at home?!> The realization that hit was terrible. 
Who else? <MOTHER?!?!?!>

Visibly shaking, Ranma hefted his pack and plodded after his 
father. His thoughts were having a hard time coalescing into 
anything understandable, so he just followed along, allowing the 
turmoil to settle into a dull ache.


"See that cooked duck hanging over there, boy?" Evening had 
fallen, and Genma and Ranma had made it to a small village, a 
half-day's walk from their next training stop. Genma, of course, 
had blown what little money they still had left on Chinese beer 
the night before.

"Yeah, so what." Ranma studied his fingernails.

Genma grimaced and leaned one hand against the building they were 
hiding behind. "So *take* it, boy!"

"Ain't gonna." Ranma started to walk off, but Genma cuffed him on 
the head again, glaring.

"You're such a disappointment, Ranma."

Ranma flinched, thinking of his mother again.

"Why, when I was training, we would..."

Tuning his father out, Ranma concentrated on stuffing away the 
hurt, but he was unsuccessful. It quickly boiled into anger, 
simmering just below the surface. <No way! She can't want me to 
be like *him*!> Ranma's thoughts roiled, and he missed the rest 
of Genma's anecdote.

"So, now do you see?" Genma finished.

Staring at the ground with his fists clenched, Ranma barely heard 
his father's question. He looked up.

"Huh?"

Defeated, Genma slumped and then prepared himself for a try at 
the duck hanging so tantalizing close yet so annoyingly far. 
Genma grumbled to himself as he moved off, "What a disappointment 
he'll be." <I hope you can see your way clear to honor our pact, 
Tendou.>

Ranma's heart fell into his stomach. He felt like crying, but 
that wouldn't be manly. <Can't do that! Pops is always harpin' on 
the manly bit. At least I can be *that* for Mom.> He shuffled 
away, not wanting to be around his father for a while.


The next day dawned bright and clear, the very opposite of 
Ranma's mood. He shot Genma a deadly glare after being kicked 
awake. <Don't push it, old man!> After scarfing down the meager 
remains of the duck his father had left him, the two of them got 
through their morning sparring session in record time. Ranma 
pounded Genma into the dirt.

Genma was surly when he came to, and neither spoke as they broke 
camp and proceeded down the road to the next training spot.


A few hours later, the road began to climb slightly, and Ranma 
looked up. Genma had stopped and was comparing the Chinese 
writings on a sign to the writing in a small book he'd been 
carrying around for some time. Ranma sighed, tired of the all-
too-familiar futility that his father personified in certain 
matters. A flash of sunlight caught his eye, and Ranma found 
himself walking to the edge of the road and looking down the 
slope.

A small brook wound its way through the stones. The clear water 
seemed to laugh as it bounded and flowed through the obstacles. 
In intermittent patches of soil, wildflowers had opened their 
springtime faces to the sun and waved in the slight breeze. It 
dazzled the eye with myriad shades of red, yellow, and blue.

Ordinarily, being who he was and doing what he did, Ranma 
wouldn't have had time to notice the small wonders that 
surrounded him. His current frame of mind, though, was in 
desperate need of a soothing balm, and gazing at the scene before 
him provided it. He became so lost in admiration that he failed 
to hear his father walk up behind him.

"Beautiful..." Ranma said to himself.

Genma smirked. "Pretty, hey? I wonder how *manly* your mother 
would think you are, looking at pretty flowers and shiny water. 
'Shall we stop and freshen up at the stream, dear Mother?' 
Yessiree, Momma's manly man!" Genma turned and walked back up the 
road, chortling.

Ranma was a statue. His father wasn't acting like he usually did 
when telling lies. He certainly ought to know; Genma told enough 
of them. That left only the truth. Ranma tried desperately to 
reconcile the picture of his mother his father was painting with 
the dim memories he had of warmth and security. He failed.

Hanging his head, he once again plodded up the road. <Am I 
already a disappointment to Mom? What am I gonna do?!> He trudged 
along, barely keeping his father in sight. <Maybe Pops is right. 
I guess it's thievin' for me. And the manly thing's always been 
there. I guess I know why, now. A *manly* thief. Yeah... right.> 
Ranma picked up his pace and soon caught up to the man in the 
threadbare gi.


"Welcome, Sirs, to Training Ground of Accursed Springs, 
Jusenkyo!" Ranma and Genma looked out at the numerous pools, 
varying numbers of bamboo poles sticking out of each small body 
of water. Ranma was silent, his thoughts still miles away, over 
the China Sea.

"Errr, thanks," Genma said uncomfortably. The Guide was not in 
his training plans for the day. He shrugged, dropped his pack, 
and leapt to the nearest bamboo pole. "Ranma! Follow me!"

"ACK!! Sir! What you doing?! Very bad you fall in spring!" The 
guide waved his arms frantically, trying to convey the urgency of 
the situation.

Jarred from his thoughts, Ranma looked up and sighed. He dropped 
his pack and jumped up to a pole, while his father bounced around 
from pole to pole, getting the feel of the place. In the 
meantime, the sun on the water had recaptured Ranma's attention, 
and he stared into the brilliance reflected up from the pools. 
<Mother...>

Ignoring the Chinese the yelling Guide had lapsed into, Genma 
stopped, readying himself for battle, and was not a little 
annoyed that his son seemed unaware of his surroundings. <Bah! 
This'll teach him!> Genma leapt at Ranma.

<Mother--> "URK!!!" He hadn't even noticed his father coming at 
him. Ranma described a textbook parabolic trajectory through the 
air, terminating in one of the pools nearby. Ranma sank beneath 
the surface, the water bubbled for a few seconds, and then all 
was quiet.

"Oh, too bad," the Guide sang. "Young Sir fall in Nyanniichuan. 
Very tragic story of young girl who drown there one-thousand, 
five-hundred year ago."

Genma hopped over and peered down into the water. He leaned back 
out of the spray as the surface broke, and one of the most 
beautiful girls Genma had ever clapped eyes on looked up at him.

"Pops? EEP!!!" Genma was frozen in shock, and Ranma wasn't much 
better, wondering what had happened to his voice.

"You see, Sirs. Nyanniichuan. Whoever fall in spring take body of 
young girl."

Ranma *did* feel strange, so he looked down. He carefully felt 
his chest, his dread growing. Grimacing, he opened his gi and 
took in the sight of two magnificent breasts. <I'm a girl...> her 
mind blandly stated. The color drained from her face, and her 
hands fell to her sides, the gi still open and Genma still 
staring. <It's all gone. Everything that I am.> Ranma looked up 
at her father. She misread his unreadable expression for a lack 
of emotion and caring instead of the shock that it was.

"See?" the Guide said. "You young girl."

Ranma stared at her father, seeing no pity, no love, nothing. An 
all-too-easy picture with Genma. She began to shake, and terror 
temporarily washed away any sane response. Her worst fears rose 
unbidden, reflected in those dead eyes high on the pole. Manhood 
gone. Honor gone. Only shame.

With an inarticulate scream, Ranma leapt out of the spring and 
ran off back down the road that had brought them there. <I'm so 
sorry, Mother...> She began to sob as she ran. The springs passed 
out of sight, and the road suddenly turned to the left. With a 
mighty leap, Ranma cleared the brush lining the turn and kept 
going straight, over the countryside.


Genma, perched atop a pole, was still staring at the spot where 
his son had become his daughter. He would come to regret his 
inaction at that precise moment for the rest of his life.

A few minutes later he shook himself out of his daze and speared 
the Guide with his eyes. "What -- just -- happened?!"

"Young Sir fall in Nyanniichuan, Spring of Drowned Girl. Very 
tragic story of girl--"

"YES, YES! But what happened JUST NOW?!"

The Guide shrugged. "Fall in spring. Now young girl."

Genma boggled at the Guide. "You've GOT to be kidding--"

"Not trust eyes, no?" The Guide pointed at the pool.

Genma looked down at the pool, and then back to the Guide. "Can 
it be cured?"

"No cure." The Guide shook his head sadly.

"Oh, no! NODOKA!!"

"Eh? What this nodoka?"

"NO, not what, who-- nevermind. What am I going to do?!"

The Guide shrugged again. "Find young Sir and take hot water."

"WHAT?!"

The Guide sighed. <Tourists!> "Cold water make curse happen. Hot 
water change young Sir back... till next cold water, anyway."

Genma nearly fell off the pole and into the Nyanniichuan in 
relief. "Thank you, Kami-sama!!" he whispered fiercely. <All 
isn't lost, Tendou!>


The countryside had flattened out as Ranma had continued to run, 
and she now found herself in a stretch of well-worked farm plots. 
Pelting through the organized growth, she surprised many men and 
women working the fields. She didn't stop or even acknowledge 
them; she just ran.

In two hours, she finally reached a road and the end of her 
stamina. She instantly collapsed onto a clear spot, lying on her 
side and staring dully at the packed dirt. She had lapsed into 
emotional numbness and was content to feel nothing.


The sun had crawled across the sky a minute distance when the 
scuffling of hooves and the creak of an oxcart impinged on her 
awareness. Ranma rolled her eyes to look at an elderly woman in 
dull, mannish clothing looking down at her curiously.

"Are you all right?" the woman asked in Mandarin. Ranma simply 
stared. "Do you speak Han?" Ranma recognized "Han" as the word 
for Mandarin in the tongue. She wearily shook her head.

The woman sat back on her seat and studied the girl. <Hmmm. Not 
Chinese. Didn't think so to begin with. She looks a little like 
an American with the hair, at least, from what I've seen in 
government films, yet the rest of her is from close by. Very 
pretty. *Too* pretty to leave on the road, especially in the 
shape she's in.>

The woman scooted over on the bench and patted the empty space, 
pointedly looking at Ranma. Ranma blinked and, since she had no 
better offer - make that no other offer at all - climbed up next 
to the Good Samaritan.

The woman tapped herself on the sternum. "Wong Liu," she said.

Ranma smiled tiredly and repeated the gesture. "Saotome Ranma."

<Strange name,> Liu thought. A terrifying possibility occurred to 
her. "Nyuuchiezuu?!" she asked shakily.

Ranma looked at her strangely and shook her head, not 
understanding. Liu relaxed and chided herself; the Nyuuchiezuu 
would've understood her. She shook the reins, and the two oxen 
pulling the cart began to shuffle down the road.

"Arigatou, Wong-san."

Liu nodded, not understanding either but getting the gist of it. 
She watched Ranma lapse into staring at the passing road. <Great 
pain, there. I wonder what happened.>

The oxcart trundled slowly along and soon crested a hill, moving 
out of sight. They were headed North.

----------

[March 22, 1990]

To say Genma was exasperated was an understatement. After taking 
leave of the Guide, he'd traveled back down the road to the next 
village. Asking after his son or the girl he could become, he 
discovered that no one recalled having seen them other than when 
they initially passed through. Or at least, that's what he'd 
understood from the pidgin conversations he'd endured to find 
that out. Thinking that Ranma could've passed through unnoticed, 
he continued on to the next village, and the next, with the same 
result.

His failed search brought him back, on this day, to the leg of 
the road leading into Jusenkyo. He began to search the ground to 
either side. Some hours later, he discovered a deep set of small 
footprints just beyond the turn in the road. Cursing the fact 
that the trail was a week old, Genma sighted back up the road and 
then out over the countryside. He took off at a steady lope, 
keeping one eye peeled for sign of his child's passing.

----------

[March 23, 1990]

He was at an impasse. The trail terminated at a road, running 
North and South. Genma had been happy to discover that the 
occasional farmer he'd run across had been able to convey to him 
that a redheaded girl had blown through some days before. He had 
continued on with a lighter heart. Until now.

There were no villages and few or no passers-by. The handful that 
he'd asked simply shrugged and went on their way. He sat down on 
the ground and began to think, an activity that didn't come 
exactly natural to him. <If I were Ranma, which way would I have 
gone? Hmmm. Where would I want to go? Well, home, of course. 
Which road will take me there? South!> To his credit, Genma was 
thinking as would a normal person, one not having to deal with 
the trauma of a form-altering water curse... or living up to 
certain promises made.

Happy that he'd deduced Ranma's intentions, Genma headed South. 
South would be towards the ports that could take one to Japan... 
and home.

----------

[October 10, 1991]

<Nerima?!> *COUGH, COUGH* <Didn't Pops say isn't that a pretty 
rough ride back from where am I going, again?>

Ranma hunched over and put her hands on her knees, waiting for 
the swirling in her brain to stop.

<Gah. I'm really sick. Can't even think straight.>

After a few moments, Ranma slowly rose to a slumped-over position 
and looked around. Spying a place to sit down, unlikely to be 
bothered by anyone, she shuffled over and fell on the three steps 
leading to the entrance to an abandoned building. She lay there 
without moving for about ten minutes before crawling up into the 
alcove in complete exhaustion.

"Mother, I miss you!" she deliriously cried out in Chinese.

Ranma slept fitfully for almost a day-and-a-half, not moving from 
her cover.

----------

[February 2, 1991]

*THOK!* *Chunk*

*THOK!* *Chunk-chunk*

The head of an axe came to rest on a splitting-stump, and the 
wielder wiped his little bit of sweat against the sleeve of the 
simple Chinese tunic he wore. He breathed in the crisp late 
winter air and smiled. After years of the rough and tumble and 
scrapes of life on the road, the quiet serenity of this simple 
farm had done wonders for his state of mind and emotional health.

He picked up the last log to be split for the fire, for the cold 
days and nights still to come, and set it on the stump.

*THOK!* *Chunk-chunk*

Satisfied that enough wood had been split, more than enough, as 
Liu would probably point out, he quickly loaded the tinder onto 
the cart behind him. He shouldered the pull-straps and walked to 
the cottage.

Leaving the stacked cart outside, he went into the dwelling, 
shook the snow off his boots, and looked for a kettle. <A nice 
cup would hit the spot!> A commotion in the front room changed 
his mind, and he wandered in to see who was here.

A middle-aged man, one of the village elders, Ranma remembered, 
was speaking animatedly at Liu. He abruptly stopped speaking when 
Ranma entered. The two men looked at each other for a moment, and 
then the elder nodded to Liu and left.

Liu had slumped over in some kind of distress, and Ranma rushed 
over. "What wrong, Liu-san? What he say?" Liu had been patiently 
teaching Ranma the local version of Han, when time and the 
demands of the farm permitted, but he'd stubbornly hung onto the 
Japanese honorifics. "Liu-san?"

"Ranma." Liu turned around and fiercely hugged her friend and 
housemate. She leaned away and looked up at the young man. "My, 
how you've filled out since I first met you. But then, you were a 
girl when we crossed paths." Liu smirked mischievously at him.

"Ah! No remind Ranma. You no answer, Liu-san."

The old woman sighed. "If I were forty years younger and trained, 
I'd fight them off and keep you for myself."

Ranma looked at her strangely. "What you mean?"

Liu's eyes began to tear. "Time for you to go."

"NANI?!" Ranma had to steady himself a little. "You no want 
Ranma? Chase off?"

"No, child. You're the best thing that's happened to this old 
woman since my husband died in one of the Party's stupid wars. 
No, people are coming for you. You must leave before they arrive, 
which is soon. They are already in the village."

"People?"

"Nyuuchiezuu."

Ranma started. He remembered Liu saying that word when they first 
met, and he'd since heard it spoken in whispers in the village. 
"Who Nyuuchiezuu?"

"Bad news. Women warriors. They have a village near Jusenkyo, and 
they claim Jusenkyo as theirs. Word of the few times you've 
changed in public must've finally gotten to them. I would not see 
you cast into their hands. Men are treated very badly by them. 
Many acquaintances of mine have lost their able-bodied menfolk to 
Nyuuchiezuu raids."

Ranma stood straight. "Martial artist. Fight off!"

"Fight off twenty well-armed and well-trained warriors? Most 
carry swords and know how to use them."

Ranma wilted. "Call, ano, authorities?"

"They would ignore it, as they have since anyone can remember. 
There is no choice, child. You must leave. Now!"

Clearly unhappy, Ranma tried to stand his ground.

Liu sighed and hugged Ranma again. "It is my wish. Will you go 
against my wishes?"

"...!" After Liu released him, Ranma sat down heavily in a nearby 
chair, the weight of his situation bearing down on him. "I honor 
you wish," he whispered.

Liu pasted a smile on her face. "Good! Go pack. Make it quick. 
I'll put together a little food for you."

Ranma dragged himself up and entered the one bedroom of the 
house. He looked at Liu's bed against the wall on one side of the 
room, and then at his against the opposite wall. <I'll miss this 
place. And Liu.> Sighing again, he quickly gathered his things 
into a makeshift pack and returned to Liu.

"That was fast!"

Ranma just shrugged, depression beginning to settle in.

"Here." She handed him a bundle of hardy foodstuffs wrapped up in 
cloth. Ranma took the bundle and set in on the counter. He 
grabbed the old woman up in a crushing hug. "You mother for 
Ranma," Ranma choked out. "Help Ranma. Teach Ranma. Make feel 
good even with curse. No want leave!"

Liu, crying freely, beaned him on the head. Surprised, Ranma let 
her go. He then smiled at her wet face. She swatted his behind. 
"'Mother' says go! The Elders will stall only so long with the 
Nyuuchiezuu. Go!"

Ranma took Liu's care package in hand and stumbled out the back 
door, dazed by the sudden tragic turn in his life.

"Go South!" Liu called. Ranma nodded absently and took off across 
the field. He was glad Liu couldn't see his tears as he turned 
around one last time to see his friend. Liu shooed him, and he 
turned, disappearing over the rise.


Liu sobbed for a few minutes, and then shuffled in and put the 
kettle on. There was no way she'd get anything done, today. Her 
heart just wasn't in it. She dried her face and waited.

Soon, the kettle was hot enough, and Liu poured herself a cup of 
tea. She sat down in her chair in the front room and brooded.

The front door abruptly shattered and fell in. Several grim 
women, garishly dressed and armed to the teeth, walked in.

"Tell us where he is," the young leader with the purple hair 
commanded.

Liu sipped her tea and smiled. Sixty years of manhandling a farm 
had made her tough, as well. "Gone. Back to Jusenkyo to look for 
the Nanniichuan."

"You lie. That doesn't work."

Liu was genuinely surprised. "He didn't know. Hmmm, if you were 
cursed with a *man's* body and not being any wiser, wouldn't you 
think of the Nyanniichuan?"

The lead Amazon chewed on her lip, digesting the possibility. She 
quickly made her mind up. "Let's go."

The women filed out and disappeared into the fields.

Liu set her cup down and went out back to find some boards to 
nail over the front doorway. It would be a cold night, regardless 
of what temporary measures she took. She noted the oversized 
stack of chopped wood in the cart by the backdoor and smiled, 
crying anew and blessing her one-time son.

____________________

[October 11, 1991]

Cold rains had been drenching the Nerima Ward of the Greater 
Tokyo Metropolitan Area for the last two days, and pedestrians 
were going out for the evening dressed in warm and somewhat 
water-proof clothing and toting countless umbrellas, most of them 
yellow.

One man, carrying such a yellow umbrella, was stepping briskly 
along the shiny streets. He was returning from a call for his 
services, midwiving a young woman trapped in an elevator due to a 
sudden power outage, and was humming a happy little tune. He 
smiled as he stomped in a puddle just for the joy of it. Of 
course, the yellow rain boots he also wore took away any worries. 
He looked up and saw the entrance to the clinic he ran a couple 
of blocks up. He quickened his pace.

A loud and congested sneeze brought him to a halt. Tracking the 
noise, he spied a curled-up figure in the entry alcove of an 
abandoned storefront. Normally, the derelict figure would not 
have been approached, but this particular man was unusual in two 
important respects.

First, he was a doctor. Helping others was his calling in life, 
even if many of his colleagues would still have passed by, 
cultural biases directing their behavior. Second, he was a top-
notch martial artist, and his sensitivities had been attuned to 
pick up on certain aptitudes and qualities in the people he met. 
His sensitivities were screaming at him as he looked at the young 
girl wedged into the alcove. The girl's aura, while unfocused and 
suffering from illness, was astoundingly strong. Adjusting his 
glasses, Dr. Ono Toufuu crossed the street to stand over the 
girl.

"Konbanwa."

With bleary eyes, the young girl looked the man over. Toufuu 
grimaced as a coughing fit shook her slight frame, and she spat a 
mass of green phlegm at the other wall of the alcove.

"You're ill. Influenza, I'd expect."

The girl focussed on him again. "What's it to ya?" she muttered.

Toufuu sighed and squatted down at the entrance, bringing him eye 
to eye with her bloodshot crystal blues. "I'm a doctor."

Ranma snorted and looked away. "So what. I ain't got no money. I 
ain't got nothin'."

Toufuu looked at her critically. "Would you rather die in the 
cold?"

"Maybe," she rasped. "There're worse things."

The despair in her voice rocked Toufuu, but he managed not to let 
it show. The girl looked back and studied him.

"You ain't no doctor. You're a martial artist. From what I know, 
they don't mix."

Toufuu adjusted his glasses again. "Then maybe you don't know as 
much as you think." He reached into his overcoat and pulled out 
his card, handing it to her. She took it guardedly, and looked it 
over. <Ono Toufuu...>

She flipped the card back at him. "Okay. So you're a doctor *and* 
a martial artist. Don't mean nothin' ta me." She turned back to 
her examination of a stone in the wall across from her.

Instead of answering, Toufuu stood and held out his hand, waiting 
patiently. The girl looked at him askance. "Told ya. Got no 
money."

"So you'll work it off when you're better." The hand still 
waited. The girl bit her lip. Her fevered mind was not clear 
enough for her to make command decisions, so she had to decide if 
she could trust him. She'd been burned often enough over the last 
few months, trusting when she shouldn't have.

Her body convulsed as another fit took her. She stared at the 
mottled blob she'd just ejected from her lungs, and that made her 
decision. Without looking, she scrabbled for his hand and found 
it.

Toufuu smiled and hauled her to her feet. She stumbled, but he 
caught her, unintentionally mashing her breasts. Once he got her 
back on her feet, he said, "Ano... gomen."

The girl snorted again. "Eight months on the road. Ya get used to 
it. Perverts, all of 'em!"

Toufuu nodded and began to walk her down the street. "By the way, 
is there a name to go with the attitude?"

The girl thought for a moment. "Ranma." At the doctor's 
hesitation, she said, "That's all... for now."

"Ranma," Toufuu said. "Interesting name."

"Yeah," Ranma chortled raggedly, "sort of like bein' named 'East 
Wind'."

Toufuu laughed out loud and was graced with a smile from Ranma. 
"You get used to it," he said.

The pair limped up the final two blocks to the clinic entrance, 
each having passed the first of many tests between them.


"First is a warm bath... or shower, if you prefer. Then I want to 
examine you." Toufuu helped Ranma up the stairs to his apartment.

Ranma started, but the sudden motion brought on another fit. When 
it subsided, she said, "Warm shower. May not be a good idea. The 
warm, I mean."

"Huh? Well, you certainly can't take a *cold* one." They began 
climbing the stairs again.

"Believe in magic, sensei?" Ranma had to stop at the top of the 
stairs and catch her breath.

Toufuu looked at her oddly. "Maybe. I've certainly seen some 
strange things in my studies. Why?"

Ranma barked a ragged laugh. "Well, it's about to get stranger. 
You may wanna toss me back out, when you see." When it was 
apparent nothing more was forthcoming, Toufuu supported Ranma 
through the door and into his bathroom. He moved to leave.

"No. Stay. Might as well see this now." The pain in Ranma's voice 
was quite apparent. "Tired of trying ta hide this. Folks chasin' 
me away when they see." Ranma began to slough off her clothing, 
and Toufuu started looking uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, sensei. I ain't got nothin' ya ain't already 
seen... yet." Ranma snickered to herself. Toufuu wondered if the 
fever was affecting her mind.

Now fully nude, Ranma walked carefully to the shower and turned 
on the hot water. When it had heated sufficiently, she turned on 
the cold to adjust the temperature. Before she stepped in, Ranma 
looked back at her benefactor.

"Don't blink, now," she giggled hoarsely.

<Yes, definitely the fev--> Toufuu's jaw dropped as the pretty 
little redhead suddenly added several kilos of mass, rose in 
height, and became obviously male, her... his hair shifting to 
black. The running shower water had visually fuzzed the process, 
but it was clear enough. A memory of something once read tickled 
the back of his mind, but the shock was too much for his mental 
functions to dredge up.

Ranma chose a cloth and some soap and began to scrub his body. He 
looked over. Toufuu was still staring, although he was in the 
process of slowly closing his mouth. "Shocking, ne?" a deeper 
voice inquired.

Toufuu shook himself and adjusted his glasses out of habit. 
"Um... There must be quite a tale behind that, er, son. Ano... 
are you male or female?"

"Male. The girl body's a curse."

Old information flooded Toufuu's mind. Curse... Hot water... 
"Jusenkyou," he said.

Ranma looked over sharply, and then slowly turned back to his 
washing. "When... when I'm finished, I'll leave. Ya don't want 
some freak hangin'--"

"Nonsense." Toufuu had gotten over the shock and was speculating 
on the difficulties such a condition must've caused on the road. 
"The last thing you need is to be back out in that weather. 
Besides, you'll still have to work off your treatments, and I 
have need of an assistant. I think you'll do fine."

Ranma was in shock, this time. He stared at the kindly doctor for 
several heartbeats before falling to his knees, shaking. Toufuu 
moved to help, but before he got there, Ranma had passed out from 
the various kinds of fatigue he'd been suffering from. Toufuu 
shut off the water and picked Ranma up in his arms. He tottered 
down the stairs and into the examination room, laying the 
unconscious boy on the table dominating the area.

Toufuu sat heavily in a chair and considered the young man. <Such 
pain.> His eyes refocused, and he studied Ranma's aura. <And such 
potential. I'd be no healer to let that waste away.> His mind 
made up and his intentions firmed, Toufuu went about his 
examination.

----------

[November 3, 1991]

Ranma was mopping the waiting room for the clinic, in which he 
worked and lived. The regular patient hours were over, but that 
didn't mean the visitors stopped. There were frequently needs to 
be met off-hours, and Ranma had come to understand and enjoy the 
constant ebb and flow of crises around his patron. His respect 
for Toufuu-sensei grew daily as he witnessed healing arts 
performed and little kindnesses bestowed. He'd also learned to 
get the hell out when a certain young woman came by to visit or 
borrow books.

He chuckled. That certain young lady, a one Tendou Kasumi, had 
even captivated Ranma a little, but it was clear she was 
interested in Toufuu. And it was more than clear that Toufuu was 
plain, head-over-heels in love with Kasumi. Everyone knew it, 
except, it seems, Kasumi herself. <Odd,> he thought, <she doesn't 
really strike me as the dense type, although she acts like it 
sometimes.> A rapid knocking at the entrance interrupted his 
musings.

Ranma walked over, unlocked the door, and stuck his head out. 
"Hai?"

The girl standing there blinked and then smiled. "Oh, you must 
Toufuu-sensei's new assistant. Kasumi told us about you."

Ranma nodded. "Yeah." <Man, she's cute!> "Are you Kasumi's 
sister?"

The girl twirled her foot on the pavement. "Yeah, I'm Tendou 
Akane." Akane started when she realized she was blushing. <ARGH! 
It's just another *boy*!> Schooling her features, she said, "Um, 
is Toufuu-sensei in? I kinda, er, hurt myself."

Ranma wondered at the change in her manner. "Uh, yeah. C'mon in. 
Sensei says the Tendous are always welcome." He laughed. 
"Especially Kasumi." His good humor fled when he saw the anger 
rise in Akane. "Heh, anyway, just a minute." He hotfooted it into 
the examination room.

Toufuu was busy inventorying his prescription medications. "Errr, 
Sensei? There's a Tendou Akane to see ya. Might wanna be careful. 
Seems mad about somethin'."

Toufuu laughed. "Akane does have something of a temper." He 
paused. "Are you sure you don't want to tell them? It might help 
you find your mother."

Ranma sighed and fidgeted. He finally shook his head. "No, if old 
man Tendou is a friend of Pops, then tellin' him will only cause 
trouble. And anyway, I don't figure Mom'll wanna see me with this 
curse, not from what I've heard. The Tendou girls wouldn't 
understand what it's like, the thing with Mom. They'd probably 
try ta help and only make it worse."

Toufuu's mouth drew a line. That was a lot of thoughts out of 
Ranma at one go, and it was obvious from the various 
conversations they'd shared, the boy had considered virtually all 
the angles. The revelation about the Tendo Ryuu of Musabetsu 
Kakutou had initially brought Ranma some hope, but he soon 
remembered his father speaking of a Tendou he'd trained with and 
had probably correctly deduced that the local Tendou was one and 
the same.

Ranma had put it best once, he remembered. "It doesn't matter. 
Not anymore. I was livin' those last days, thinkin' of Mom. I 
don't think Pops was lyin', so if she expects me to be like Pops, 
well... let her believe it as long as she can. I won't be the 
reason she don't no more."

Finished with his reverie, Toufuu said, "I understand, Ranma. 
Show Akane in, why don't you?"


Akane made many visits over the next couple of weeks, sometimes 
for the sparsest of reasons. Everytime she talked with Ranma, she 
had to remind herself that he was just a boy. Nothing more.

But Ranma was different. He was generally quiet, didn't do 
anything to provoke her, and was genuinely funny on the rare 
occasions he let his humor show through. She also felt a kindred 
spirit in him - someone who'd suffered great pain and was 
persevering.

Eventually, she stopped coming by on the pretense of seeing 
Toufuu and simply came to visit with Ranma. No one had really 
caught on to what she was doing, not even her nosy sister. Akane 
relished the haven Toufuu's waiting room had become and the 
friendly male voice that would talk with her.

It was in the third week that she stepped over the line.


Akane bounced happily into the waiting room and, as expected, saw 
Ranma waiting there. The fact that he was working was incidental. 
She plopped down on the couch next to where he was sweeping and 
smiled.

"Hi!"

"Hi, yourself!" Ranma said, putting down the broom and sitting 
next to her. "How was school?"

"Oh, you know. Same old stuff."

"I hear you're havin' some troubles in the mornin's."

Akane scowled. "Don't worry about it. I can handle it," she said 
sharply.

Ranma made a peace gesture by holding his hands up with the palms 
out. Akane grinned ruefully.

"Gomen. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. Let's forget 
it." She thought for a second. "By the way, can I ask you a 
question?"

Ranma's eyes flashed, but he stayed steady. "I guess..."

"Why aren't you attending Furinkan?"

"Oh, that," he said relieved. "Errr, Sensei got me some private 
tutors, instead."

"Did he get you a speech coach, too?" she smirked.

"Ha. Ha." Ranma made a face at her, and Akane giggled. It wound 
down, and she turned serious.

"Really, though. Aren't tutors expensive?"

"Yeah, but Sensei trades doctor visits for them. He says free 
medical stuff is very, ah, persuasive."

Akane smiled knowingly. "I can imagine. Nabiki was very proud of 
herself when she finagled a family rate out of him."

Akane's mood abruptly shifted when she clasped her hands together 
in her lap and stared at her fingers. "Ah... Ranma?"

"Hmmm?" Ranma's mind had wandered somewhere, and he looked at her 
again. "Gomen."

"Um, I was wondering," Akane straightened the skirt to her 
uniform, "if, ah, you'd like to, erm, comeoverfordinnertonight."

Ranma squinched his nose, trying to decipher the last run-
together bit, but when he did, he grew afraid. He stood up and 
grabbed his broom, resuming his chores.

Akane looked at him with a slightly hurt expression. "Ranma?"

"I'm sorry, Akane, but I can't. I, uh, have stuff ta do." He 
busied himself sweeping the same spot of floor.

Akane's slight hurt became anger. She stood up and stomped in 
front of him. "And WHY NOT?! Are we Tendous not good enough or 
something? Am *I* not good enough?!"

Ranma sighed and stopped sweeping. He leaned against the broom 
and closed his eyes. "Nothin' like that. I just... can't. That's 
all." Ranma resumed sweeping.

"What?! You can tell me!" Akane pleaded. Ranma stopped again, and 
looked her in the eye.

"No. I can't. You wouldn't understand. No one understands." He 
shuffled across the room, moving the broom back and forth in 
front of him.

Akane stood there a moment, tears beginning to run down her face, 
and then she ran out the door. Ranma stared at the drops of 
moisture on the floor and cursed himself. <Shouldn't have let 
myself get so close! Damn it!>

"Ranma."

Ranma jumped in surprise and spun around. Toufuu stood there 
looking at him sadly. "Would it have been so bad?"

"No... If it'd been anyone but the Tendous, no, it wouldn't."

Toufuu shook his head. "You can't hide forever, you know. 
Someday, you'll have to let someone else in."

Ranma didn't answer and went back to sweeping.

----------

[December 21, 1991]

A few more weeks had passed, and Akane had stopped by only once, 
and it had been to really see the doctor. Ranma could tell she'd 
had to steel herself. He also felt her longing gaze when his back 
was turned. He'd tried to say something to her before she walked 
out, but the words wouldn't come. That was one week ago.

Ranma walked down from the apartment he and Toufuu shared, a 
satisfying lunch settling nicely in his stomach. He went to the 
front door, collected the day's mail, and set it on Toufuu's desk 
in his office. He walked outside and set about cleaning the 
sidewalk and steps.

He'd brought a scrubbing brush and a bucket with him, and the 
bucket was soon full from the outside tap. Ranma squirted some 
cleaner into the water and gently stirred it with a stick he kept 
for the purpose. Holding the bucket at arms length, he climbed 
the few stairs to the clinic entrance and set the bucket down. He 
carefully dipped the bristles of the brush into the liquid and 
swirled it slowly. Applying the wet brush to the stone, he 
scrubbed at the dirt and algal growth that had appeared since the 
last cleaning. He worked diligently, part of his mind on the 
work, part on the passers-by, and the rest lost to thought. He'd 
nearly finished the upper landing, when one part of his awareness 
noted that someone had stopped.

"Ranma."

He turned to see Akane standing at the bottom step. Overflowing 
water washed shallowly around her shoes. "Hi, Akane." He went 
back to scrubbing.

"I, um, wanted to apologize for making a big fuss that day." 
Akane's head was down, and her hands were clasped in front of 
her.

Ranma sat back on his wet shins, mentally keeping track of how 
much of his body was damp.

"That's okay," he said. "It's... no big deal."

"Yes it is!! I..." She stopped, then more calmly, "I shouldn't 
have pushed like that. Whatever it is that you won't say, I hope 
someday you can tell me."

Ranma didn't say anything for a moment. Then he bent back over 
and resumed scrubbing. "It's not... easy."

A running man came into view up the street.

Ranma stopped and thought for a second, then said, "It's outside 
of what most folks want to believe... or can believe." He sat 
back on his shins again. "There're some stuff in the world, 
Akane, that... that..."

The running man was abruptly upon them. He dashed up the steps 
and blew through the open door, kicking Ranma's bucket as he 
went.

Akane gasped. Where that cute guy had sat, the guy Akane had 
finally realized had wormed his way into her heart, was a 
beautiful redheaded girl. Her wet clothes clung to her body, 
leaving no doubt as to the completeness of her gender. Akane's 
head began shaking back and forth.

Ranma looked down and closed her eyes. "Now do you understand?" 
she sadly asked, the pitch of her voice punctuating the change. 
She looked up to see Akane running back the way she came. "No... 
I guess ya don't."

Without bothering to return to her normal gender, Ranma bent down 
and mechanically continued to clean.


After dumping the remaining water in the bucket down the short 
stairway, Ranma put the cleaning materials up and shuffled back 
into the clinic, wringing her clothes out as best she could 
without taking them off. The man that had triggered her change 
passed her on his way out, giving her an odd look.

"Caught you, huh?" Smiling, Toufuu was leaning against the 
doorway to the examination room. Ranma nodded.

"Did I hear you talking to someone?"

"Akane... stopped by... to say she was sorry for gettin' mad at 
me." Ranma kicked off her slippers and walked towards the stairs 
to the apartment level. Toufuu's smile had dropped.

"Did she--"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"And nothin'." Ranma stopped at the first step. "She ran off." 
She put a damp hand on the wall and put her forehead against it. 
"I hate this place, sometimes."

A grim line formed between Toufuu's lips. "Careful what you wish 
for."

Ranma turned her head against her hand. "Huh?"

"Come back down when you're cleaned up. We have to talk."


Male and freshly laundered, Ranma went into Toufuu's office and 
plopped down in the patient chair.

"What's up?"

Toufuu leaned back and adjusted his glasses. He picked up a piece 
of paper from the desk and waved it in the air.

"This came in the mail, today. I'm moving."

"What?!" Ranma sat up straight in the chair.

"I've been offered a teaching practice at my old university. It's 
not something I can turn down and expect to advance in my 
career."

Ranma settled back and let the information soak in.

Toufuu allowed him a minute to think, then said, "So. You have a 
choice, now. Do you want to stay here, or come with me?"

Ranma snorted. "What choice?" He then reconsidered his words. 
"No, that's not fair to ya." He clasped his hands in his lap. "If 
ya want me, I'll gladly come with ya. You're... well..."

Toufuu smiled warmly. "I think I know what you're trying to say. 
Which brings me to another matter, one I was planning on waiting 
till Christmas to tell you, but I think you could stand to hear 
it now."

He definitely had Ranma's attention.

The doctor opened a lower drawer to his desk and began pulling 
papers out, continuing to speak as he did so.

"I have, over the last couple of months, come to an interesting 
conclusion concerning you." He stopped what he was doing and 
pointedly looked at Ranma. "I've decided that my life would be 
much poorer without you in it." He resumed scrabbling around in 
his desk drawer. Ranma gulped, nervous as to the coming 
revelation.

"I've come to depend on you for help in the clinic, on your 
friendship, and..." he plopped a stack of papers on the leather 
desktop, "the sense of family you've brought to my life. The 
whole thing actually quite surprised me, when I realized it."

Toufuu shrugged and continued, looking Ranma in the eye again, 
"And since you're not willing to seek out your own family... 
That's still how you feel about it, ne?"

Ranma nodded.

"I still don't think things are as bad as you paint them, but 
then, I didn't experience your father first hand, as you did. If 
half of what you've told me is true, well... I'm not sure I want 
you going back to him, either. However, this family-name limbo 
you're in is going to cause you some problems... very soon."

Ranma was silent.

"I have a solution, if you'll agree to it."

Ranma leaned forward, indicating for him to continue.

"I'd like to transfer you to the Ono family register, adopted as 
my son."

Ranma fell out of his chair. Toufuu stood and looked over his 
desk. "Ranma?"

Ranma climbed up from the floor. "Ah! HAHA! WOW!! I wasn't 
expecting that!" Ranma settled himself back into the chair, a 
silly grin covering his face. "I... uh... Jeez! Why? I mean, 
don't get me wrong, but you've only known me a couple'a months. 
Why?"

The chair creaked as Toufuu seated himself. "I like to think I'm 
a good judge of character, Ranma, and from what I've seen, you'd 
bring honor to the Ono name, regardless of what you do with your 
life. Besides," his eyes glinted from behind his glasses, "you 
have certain, ah, potentials that shouldn't be wasted."

"I haven't really talked to you about this yet, since your 
recovery from one of the worst cases of flu I've ever seen was 
slow, but one of the things I was trained to do was to read a 
person's aura. When I first met you, out on the street, ill and 
confused, your aura was inconceivably strong. The first thing 
that came to my mind was that this girl... sorry, this person has 
amazing potential as a healer."

Ranma almost fell out of his chair again.

"A healer?" he squeaked, gripping the chair arms.

"I feel that once my old teachers get a good look at *you*, 
they'll be beating a path to your door."

"But... but... I ain't had no proper schoolin'. Hell, I can't 
even talk right!"

Toufuu laughed. "All that can be fixed." He turned serious. 
"Ranma, you don't have to be a healer. You can be anything you 
want, and my adoption offer will still stand. It isn't contingent 
on your career choice."

Ranma smiled in acknowledgement. 

"I just want you to think about it, and I want you to know that 
you have great potential for a healer. Just think about it. We've 
certainly got some time. We've got to move, after all, and you 
have much tutoring to finish before you have to make any 
decision."

Ranma steepled his fingers and moved them up and down for several 
moments in the silence of the room. An expression of sadness 
washed over his features.

"What... what about the, ah, oldest Tendou daughter?" he asked.

Toufuu bowed his head and studied his intertwined fingers. After 
a moment, he said, "I... I... ...!"

"Sensei?" Ranma prodded him softly.

Toufuu looked up, and Ranma saw a single tear tracking down his 
right cheek. The doctor's eyes were unfocused, looking into some 
deep part of his psyche. Ranma chose to wait him out.

After about five minutes of silence, Toufuu's eyes abruptly 
focused on Ranma. "What...?" He sighed. "How long was I gone, 
that time?"

Ranma snickered. "Not very."

A rueful smile tweaked the corners of the older man's mouth. 
"We're a pair, aren't we? The women we, er, 'like a lot' are 
sisters, but we're separated from them: me by what happens to me 
on the inside, and you by what happens to you on the outside."

Ranma shrunk into his chair.

"Gomen," Toufuu said. "I didn't mean to pick at your wound." He 
took in a deep breath and exhaled. "But it doesn't change 
anything. I haven't been able to, um, get past certain, ah, 
inhibitions before this came up," he wagged the same piece of 
paper, "and now it's a moot point. I can no more refuse this than 
I can refuse eat or drink. I owe these people honor debts. I'm 
sure you understand."

Ranma slowly blinked.

Toufuu pasted a smile on his face. "So! What about my offer?"

Ranma shook himself and settled into his chair, going back to 
squinching his fingers up and down. He thought about what the 
step would mean. It was a divorce of sorts, a cutting-off from 
who he'd been and from the people, or person, who had gotten him 
there. <Pops!> he thought, frowning. <Well, he'll be happy about 
one thing. I don't plan on givin' up the Art.> Ranma abruptly 
stood and bowed formally to his mentor.

"I would be honored to be added to your family, Sensei." He 
straightened and looked at Toufuu with a mercenary gleam in his 
eye. "And I *will* think about what ya said... 'bout healin'. But 
ya hafta teach me what ya know about martial arts. I seen ya 
practicin', and ya got some interestin' moves."

Toufuu smiled at the playful change in Ranma's demeanor and 
slapped his hand on the desk. "Deal!"

____________________

[April 4, 1993]

"Saotome-kun!"

A sopping wet Genma stood in the foyer of the Tendou household. 
The storm raging outside had blown his umbrella away, not that it 
had helped much; the rain was almost horizontal.

"Tendou."

"Come in, come in! Good lord, let's get you out of those clothes! 
Kasumi!!" Tendou Soun called back into the main part of the 
house.

Tendou Kasumi stepped out of the kitchen. "Yes, Father?"

"Get one of my gi's, please. My friend, here, is cold to the 
bone. And some tea and a blanket, when you can."

"Yes, Father." Ever the dutiful daughter, Kasumi went about 
gathering the necessary items. Soun led his silent friend to the 
bathing room. Kasumi followed shortly after with a fresh gi.

"Here, Saotome-kun. Get cleaned up and join me in the tearoom." 
The silent man nodded, and Soun and his daughter left him to his 
ablutions.


Soun sipped his tea and watched the rain alternate between 
falling down at an angle to blowing directly across his field of 
view. Kasumi walked in, drying her hands on a dishtowel.

"Father, did you say 'Saotome'?" She knelt at the table. "Is that 
the same man you were telling us about from that postcard a long 
time ago? Something about a prearranged marriage?"

Soun set his tea down and sighed. "Yes, daughter. That's him, and 
he was supposed to have been here shortly after we received that 
card. Something must have happened, since he's here now, years 
late, without a son." He reached over and patted her hand. "Let's 
wait and see what he has to say."

Kasumi nodded, settling in, and poured herself a cup of tea, as 
well.


Genma, scrubbed and in a clean, if somewhat tight, gi, hesitated 
before joining his old friend. There would be no celebrations 
from this visit. Genma hung his head. When Ranma had disappeared, 
a large part of his soul had disappeared with him. Genma 
straightened and schooled his features. Time to tell Tendou the 
news. He walked into to the tearoom, catching the attention of 
Soun and his daughter.

"Satome-kun. Please, sit and get warm."

Kasumi stood with a blanket in her hand and walked behind Genma, 
setting the cover over his shoulders. Genma smiled his thanks and 
drew it around him.

"I gather by your unannounced appearance - without a son - that 
your news is not good," Soun began as Kasumi took her place at 
the table again.

Genma shook his head sadly and took the cup of tea proffered by 
Kasumi. He took a warming sip and said, "I lost him, Tendou. The 
last I saw of him was in the Bayankala mountain range, Northern 
China... over two years ago."

"Oh, no," Kasumi whispered. "What happened? Did he run off?" Soun 
nodded at her questions.

"Yes, but not like you might think. *sigh* Do you believe in 
magic, Tendou?"

"Well... I think so. The, um, Master certainly knew an odd thing 
or two."

"Believe *me*, then. It does exist, and in ways you can't 
imagine. It all began at our last training stop before we were 
supposed to leave China, a place called Jusenkyou..."


"...and the girl's trail stopped and disappeared at that road. No 
one had seen her after that. I assumed she would head South, to 
the ports, but I never caught a whiff. I've searched high and low 
for many, many months, but it was like she, er, he had vanished 
off the face of the Earth." Never once did Genma refer to his 
child by name.

The room was very quiet for several long moments. Soun's eyes had 
begun to tear; he feared for the fate of the boy and for the 
future of the Art.

Kasumi was lost in her own thoughts. After the furor from the 
announcement that one of them would have to marry Saotome's son 
had died down, Kasumi had gradually begun to entertain happy 
little fantasies about this mysterious young man. Now knowing why 
he'd never arrived, her heart went out to him. She would pray for 
him at the shrine of her ancestors.

"Father? What was his name again?"

"Ranma. It was Ranma," Soun said sadly.

"Oh, yes. I remember now." A puzzled expression settled on her 
face. <That's funny. I knew a Ranma not too long ago.>

Soun noticed his daughter's expression. "Something wrong, Kasumi-
chan?"

Kasumi jumped a little, and then waved her hand in a dismissive 
gesture. "No, no. Nothing to do with this, I'm sure."

Sound turned to his friend and began to console him.

Kasumi, however, was still thinking. <What was his family name? I 
don't think I ever knew. I thought he was related to Toufuu-
sensei somehow.> She shrugged and stood to walk back into the 
kitchen. <'Ranma' *is* unusual, though...>

The sound of humming soon drifted into the tearoom, Kasumi's 
thoughts already on other, more immediate concerns. 

END PART 1

____________________

Part 2 - Strangeness in the Night
____________________


[June 13, 1996]

Large, close-set yellow eyes watched from across the street into 
the window of a local bar. A long hind leg came up and scratched 
at an itch in the wiry brown fur behind an oversized, tufted ear.


<It's over. It's finally over. And I lost.> Hakubi Ryouko slammed 
back another full bottle of sake and pounded the bar counter, 
demanding more. The bartender grimaced and walked over. She had 
an elbow on the counter and had placed one hand on the bronze 
dragon sculpture incorporated into the Chinese chic decor. She 
wore her pale green and orange outfit that she first wore when 
released from her imprisonment. Her "elf" outfit. Somehow it had 
felt appropriate.

"Look, Miss. You've already had more than I'm supposed to give 
out. This is a family bar..."

The sculpture began squeezing out from between Ryouko's fingers 
like putty. The barkeep bigsweated. "Errr, co-co-coming right 
up!" He jogged to the other end of the bar, put three bottles on 
a tray, and jogged back, setting the tray down and escaping.

Ryouko slowly released the mangled dragon, but stopped when she 
caught sight of the gem in her wrist, the wrist that hadn't had 
one in over 700 years. She reached up and felt the gem at her 
throat and looked at the gem on her other wrist. Sighing and 
putting her elbows on the counter, she rested her forehead 
against her palms and remembered.


The end had begun 3 months ago. She and Aeka, the other serious 
contender for her beloved's heart, were actually sort of getting 
along, more or less. Oh, the fights still raged occasionally, but 
it was more to vent frustration than from any real enmity. It had 
also helped that Mihoshi had been and would be out of the picture 
for a while, called back for some matter dealing with her 
grandfather, Galaxy Police Grand Marshall Kuramitsu.

And Tenchi. He'd actually started looking at them and acting 
around them like potential mates, and the two girls... no, 
*women* had begun to see a light at the end of that long, oh so 
long tunnel. And then it all fell apart.

It began with a scream that morning, coming from the kitchen 
where Sasami was about her usual business making breakfast. 
Everyone rushed to see what'd happened - the entire household 
dearly loved the little blue-haired princess. What they saw tied 
their stomachs into knots, instantly evaporating any thought of 
food.

Sasami was floating in a cocoon of blue energy... and dissolving. 
Pain was clear from her features and stark terror from the look 
in her eyes. The family rushed to help, but the field was too 
strong. Energy swords, the Tenchi-ken, even Washuu couldn't bring 
anything sufficient to bear. Soon enough, Sasami was gone, her 
last expression, oddly enough, a joyous smile. The energy cocoon 
stayed in place, just hovering there.

Aeka had broken down, incoherent, and Ryouko hugged her and cried 
with her. Washuu and Tenchi were too stunned for words. Ryou-ou-
ki was wailing piteously in her piercing voice. Only Katsuhito 
seemed collected, although he always wore that face. It turned 
out, however, that he was the only one who had an inkling of what 
was happening. He moved next to the cocoon and waited. Those 
still aware of their surroundings looked at him strangely, but 
continued to comfort those more distraught while trying to deal 
with their own grief. Katsuhito continued to wait, his arms 
folded.

After a period of time, long or short, no one knew, the cocoon 
began to pulse and shrink. Katsuhito made no move. The blue ovoid 
began to crease and ran through various ill-defined forms. Later 
reflection would reveal that the shapes had been reminiscent of 
the various stages of embryonic development.

The form continued to shrink and finally took the shape of an 
all-too-familiar woman. The corona of energy flickered out, and 
Tsunami stood in its place. Yet, not quite Tsunami, but neither 
Sasami - something in between.

The Juraian goddess-princess lifted her head and said with her 
high voice, "It is done."

What happened next surprised everyone, even Tsunami. "Your 
reasons are plain to see, Tsunami," Katsuhito's eyes flicked over 
to Tenchi and back, "but did you have to steal her childhood 
because of it?!" he said with undisguised anger and disgust in 
his voice. Tsunami said nothing, and Katsuhito whirled around and 
stalked out of the house.

Tsunami watched him go and stared at the point of his exit for 
several moments. <Not for Tsunami, Oniisama...> She then turned 
and surveyed the shocked group, settling on one face.

"Tenchi... niichan."


Ryouko slammed her fist onto the wooden counter, causing a crack 
to open along its entire length. The bar patrons froze, and 
Ryouko looked over her shoulder at the staring crowd.

"Gomen," she said flatly. The patrons returned to their 
conversations, keeping one eye on the strange woman with the odd 
cyan hair.

Ryouko slammed down another sake, long immune to the burn of the 
liquor, and stared at her reflection in the bottle-encrusted 
mirror behind the bar. <I should've seen it then. It was so 
obvious! But... I didn't want to see it.> She quickly disposed of 
the remaining two bottles and caught the bartender's eye, glaring 
at him. He trotted over with three more bottles and returned to 
the safety of the other end.


Over the course of the next few days, everyone was beginning to 
wonder at what Tsunami's arrival truly meant. Only Katsuhito and 
Ryou-ou-ki seemed to have made up their minds about the event. 
Katsuhito stayed at the shrine almost constantly, and Ryou-ou-ki 
had rebuffed Tsunami repeatedly. The little cabbit eventually 
retired to Washuu's lab and rarely came out, profoundly unhappy 
with the changes wrought on her friend.

Unfortunately, Tenchi's eyes were being inexorably drawn to 
Tsunami, and she did nothing to discourage him and much to 
encourage him, her behavior a strangely provocative mix of 
Sasami's cheerfulness and humor and Tsunami's femininity and 
presence. 

Over the next few weeks, they begin to spend all of their time 
together. Ryouko was infuriated when she caught them kissing, but 
was too afraid of Tsunami's power and of accidentally hurting 
Tenchi to do anything more than scream in outrage.

Aeka had withdrawn to her room, unwilling to come out for 
anything other than baths, the restroom, and an occasional meal. 
Aeka's behavior only fueled Ryouko's fury, but she waited, hoping 
to find an opportunity to nip this, this horror in the bud. She 
hovered around, out of sight, tiring herself to the point of 
falling down.

And fall down she did. For two days straight she slept up on her 
rafter beam.

When she finally awoke, it was night, and she floated down to the 
kitchen for something to drink. The clock read 4:23 AM. She 
downed the last of some orange juice and then phased through the 
walls into Tenchi's room. She'd had to choke off a cry.

Tenchi and Tsunami were asleep under the sheets. They were nude, 
and the musk of sex was still heavy in the air. But it was only 
one, otherwise innocent thing about the whole scene that sent 
Ryouko spiraling out of control into the deepest of depressions. 
Tenchi lay there... a smile on his face.

Ryouko raced back through the walls and landed on the kitchen 
floor. She hugged herself and shivered, moaning to herself again 
and again. "It's over. It's over..."

A surprised Aeka stood stock still, a half-empty glass of water 
at her lips. After a second, she lowered the glass and put her 
other hand on Ryouko's shoulder.

Ryouko jumped and looked at her with wild eyes.

"Ryouko-san?"

Ryouko's eyes steadied for a moment, and she said, her voice 
still shaking, "It's all over... Aeka. No more... fights. 
Nothing... to fight *over*... anymore."

Forcefully quelling her fears, Aeka clutched at the one-time 
space pirate with her free hand. "What are you talking about?!" 
she hissed.

Aeka stifled a shriek, because instead of answering, Ryouko 
grabbed her arm and dragged her back through the walls and into 
Tenchi's room.

"Look!" Ryouko hissed back. "If you never again allow yourself to 
see, look now! It's over, Aeka!"

The glass of water Aeka had carried with her through Ryouko's 
phasing fell out of her numb hands. It hit the floor with a 
hollow ring and rolled in a circle until it stopped. The sleeping 
couple mumbled in their sleep, and Tenchi put his arms more 
firmly around Tsunami, pulling her tighter to himself. Tsunami 
drew her leg up and over his hips and pulled herself on top of 
him, obscuring Tenchi from view.

Having seen enough, Aeka turned away, and Ryouko led her back to 
the kitchen.

In Tenchi's room, Tsunami looked at the space where the pirate 
and princess had been. A hint of confused sadness showed in the 
gathering of her eyebrows, and the pink of her irises seemed to 
lighten fractionally. But she then closed her eyes and went back 
to sleep, the smile returning to her face as she nuzzled her 
lover's chest.


Ryouko swirled the clear contents of another sake bottle before 
polishing it off. She had asked for the rest of her gems back the 
next day, and it had galled her that Tenchi had looked to Tsunami 
before granting her request. Tsunami, however, simply nodded and 
then went into the kitchen to fix herself and *her* man a snack, 
humming one of Sasami's favorite pop songs. Ryouko was no longer 
certain who had gotten Tenchi, Tsunami or Sasami. It didn't 
matter; the line had been crossed. Once the gems were returned, 
Ryouko had left without a word. Ryou-ou-ki had tried to follow 
her and comfort her, but in her grief, Ryouko chased away her 
long-time partner in crime. That had been one week ago.

Ryouko opened and drank the last bottle of sake and concluded 
that she'd had enough... for now - the pain had been sufficiently 
dulled. She materialized an ingot of platinum into her hand and 
set it on the counter, the wood creaking under the weight. She'd 
forgotten much of what she could do with all of her gems, and 
this was just one little talent that she'd accidentally 
rediscovered.

She stumbled to her feet and tried to navigate through the tables 
on foot. It would've been easier if the room hadn't been 
alternately spinning and moving in and out. Annoyed with the 
effort it was taking, she levitated and floated erratically 
towards and out the door. The bar she left behind was deathly 
silent, the patrons trying to decide if they'd had too much to 
drink and the bartender deciding it was time *to* drink.

Across the street, a cabbit phased back into the wall and out of 
sight.

For Ryouko, floating, while great from the point of view of not 
having to walk, was hell on her inebriated inner ear, so, the 
world turning circles, she alit on the sidewalk and considered 
where, on foot, to go next. "Any old port in a storm," she 
muttered, after a moment.

Ryouko stepped into the street.

----------

"Kamisama, what a day!" Ono Ranma leaned back against the seat of 
the car he was driving, straightening his arms against the 
steering wheel, and yawned. The car, a Toyota compact, belonged 
to the school, and as a second-year medical student, he was high 
enough in the echelons to be responsible for ferrying visiting 
dignitaries around, in addition to his normal schoolwork, of 
course. It didn't hurt, either, that he was one of the few 
students with a driver's license. <One slave, made to order,> he 
thought ruefully.

He chuckled as the memory of a conversation he'd once had with 
Father surfaced. It'd been a couple of years back, just after 
turning 21. "Ranma," he said, "I'm not asking you to buy a car, 
just get the license. All your martial arts and roof-hopping 
notwithstanding, there'll be times when it just won't be 
appropriate!" Father was a good debater, especially when he was 
right.

Of course, he'd been right about a lot of things. Ranma yawned 
again, looked down, and slammed on the brakes. The line of 
pedestrians crossing the street glared at him, and he hunkered 
down behind the wheel. Once the crowd had passed, Ranma eased 
away from the intersection, keeping a low profile. Father had 
also told him to pay attention when driving. Ranma shook his head 
back and forth, rapidly. "Gotta stay awake!"

His thoughts resumed as he managed to perk himself up a little. 
Father had been right about his old mentors, too. One assessing 
look at Ranma and his aura, and they were offering him the moon 
to go to school. Well, to *that* school, the one for traditional 
healing. Ranma was a double student of sorts. There was the 
regular medical school he attended, working toward his doctor's 
license, and then there was the *other* school, where, when time 
permitted, he learned to do the things that had so impressed him 
about Father; accupressure, moxibustion, chiropractic, and other 
more arcane methods of healing. They also had an unusual library, 
full of aged scrolls. Among them were a handful of martial arts 
treatises, unfortunately in Chinese. A few of them scared him; 
what little Chinese he knew allowed him to read 'Nyuuchiezuu' in 
the text in places.

Ranma sighed. <What would Pops think if he knew I was afraid of a 
scroll? Well, Pops isn't here, is he?> Noting that, though, led 
him to the conclusion that perhaps he should pick up a Chinese 
course next term.

In spite of his best efforts, another yawn muscled its way to the 
surface, and Ranma opened his mouth wide, temporarily shutting 
his eyes. When he opened them, a woman was about 4 meters 
directly in front of the car.

"GAAAAHHH!!!" His martial arts reflexes allowed him time to turn, 
but not quite soon enough. The car lurched as the front left of 
the vehicle clipped the woman, launching her through the air to 
land in a heap 5 meters away. Ranma screeched to a halt and, with 
a sinking stomach, rushed out of the car and towards the woman. 
To his lasting surprise, the woman climbed to her feet and 
wobbled over to meet him.

"You HIT me!" she cried, the fluorescent streetlamp backlighting 
her and shadowing her features. Ranma had stopped short, amazed. 
He looked back at the car; the left front quarterpanel had been 
caved in. At least it was drivable. He looked back at the woman, 
who continued to weave her way toward him.

"Why... why..." she said, before passing out and falling into his 
arms. He gently laid her on the asphalt and, using what training 
he had, tried to assess her injuries. He found none. Scratching 
his head, he looked back at the car and then back at the woman. 
<No way!>

Shrugging in confusion, although relieved, he picked her up in 
his arms and carried her around to the passenger side of the 
abused Toyota. Getting the door open proved to be a bit of a 
chore, as the car's frame had twisted slightly. Shaking his head 
at the wonder of it all, he managed to get her into the seat. 
Leaning his body against hers to keep her upright while he 
fastened the seat belt, Ranma got a noseful of sour sake breath. 
<Well, that explains the wobbling, but still...>

Ranma hurried around, getting back behind the wheel, and drove 
off, going as fast as the law would allow. His concern brooked no 
thought of the beautiful twinkle of the Grand Seto Bridge, which 
he often admired, visible just above the Okayama City skyline.


A small shape soared about 20 meters above the road, following.

----------

The front door slammed open, then shut, startling the man sitting 
in the den, reading a medical journal.

"Father!" a voice called.

Ono Toufuu rose from his seat and met his adopted son in the 
hallway. "Oh, my!" he exclaimed. "What happened?!"

Ranma stood there, shaking in concern and holding a beautiful yet 
unusual young woman. "I... I ran over her!! But... but I can't 
find nothin' wrong!!"

"Take her into the den and put her down on the couch. I'll get my 
things." Toufuu hurried into another room, and Ranma took his 
victim into the den, laying her down and smoothing her oddly 
colored hair out of her face. He looked a little closer. <That 
color's natural!>

Toufuu walked in. "That's some dent! What else did you hit?"

"Nothin'!" Ranma lapsed into the speech patterns of his teen 
years. "I swear! All I nailed was her!"

"All right, all right. Calm down and let me have a look." The 
older man put on a stethoscope and listened to the woman's heart. 
He nodded, satisfied, and began to massage her limbs, feeling the 
flow of the woman's life force. He stopped, then restarted, only 
to stop again and jerk his hands away.

"Father?" Ranma asked.

"Errr, just a minute. Where do you think you hit her?"

"On the hip, most likely."

Toufuu lifted the woman's left leg and watched the hip joint. 
Putting the leg down and steeling himself, he touched her again 
at the hip. After a moment, he moved back and thought. On a whim, 
he reached over and opened one of the woman's eyes. He gasped and 
let go.

"All right, spill it!" Ranma was getting nervous from Toufuu's 
behavior.

Toufuu coughed a couple of times to clear his throat. "There's 
nothing wrong with her, I'm guessing, besides being drunk, but 
I'm hardly qualified to know."

"Huh?"

"Look at her eyes."

Wary, Ranma reached over and opened the same eye on the woman. 
"Ca-ca-CAT!!" He hastily let go and backed up against the wall.

Toufuu sighed. "Ranma, look at her. Is she a cat?"

Embarrassed, Ranma scratched the back of his head and chuckled. 
"Er, no, she's not." He moved back to the woman's side. "So, what 
do you think?"

Toufuu considered his next words carefully. "Ranma, do you 
believe in magic?"

Ranma snorted. "You're askin' ME?"

Toufuu didn't smile, and Ranma settled down. "If you believe in 
magic, is it reasonable to believe other fantastic things might 
exist?"

Ranma couldn't see where Toufuu was going, but he nodded anyway. 
"Sure, I guess..."

Ranma's adopted father turned and looked him in the eye, glasses 
glinting. "She's not human."

Blinking, Ranma looked at the woman and then back at Toufuu. 
"Just because of the eyes?"

"No. Okay, time for a little advanced training. Put your hands on 
her leg." Ranma complied. "Now, concentrate like we've been doing 
in school. Feel her life force?"

Ranma closed his eyes and concentrated. "Yeah..."

"Feel its nature, its quality, its strength. What do *you* 
think?"

Ranma kept his concentration for a moment longer, and then his 
eyes snapped open, and he jerked his hands away. "Ah! Uh! Weird! 
STRONG!! Stronger than anything I've ever felt! Ah! Hmmm. Nothin' 
like the plants or animals or other folks we've been practicin' 
on."

"Right. And your diagnosis?"

Ranma shook his head, staring at the unconscious female. "Not 
human," he muttered.

"But!" Toufuu interjected, startling Ranma, "Still a patient!"

Ranma had to chuckle. "True. And she does speak Japanese; she 
asked me why I hit her. I'll go get a blanket."

Toufuu nodded and returned to his examination.

----------

The first thing she became aware of was PAIN, and she felt every 
single capital letter of it. Her eyes hurt, the space behind her 
eyes hurt, her forehead hurt, her temples, her ears, behind her 
ears, the back of her skull, and her neck hurt. In short, 
everything from the collarbone up was PAIN. Her stomach was also 
queasy, and her left hip ached a little.

The second thing she became aware of was an intermittent wet 
coolness on her face and neck. <That's niiice,> she thought.

Ryouko's eyes fluttered open and looked directly into the bluest 
orbs she'd ever seen. It wasn't the masking purple or maroon of 
some she was familiar with, or the nondescript brown she was most 
familiar with, or... the hated pink of others; just a cool, 
relaxing blue. She sighed, and then realized she didn't know the 
owner.

"ACK!!" She backed up against the arm of the couch. Bad move. 
"Oh, fuck!" She covered her face with her hands, shutting out the 
light, and slid back to a prone position. After a moment, she 
wearily let her arms flop down to her sides. She blinked at the 
man sitting next to her.

"Tell me why I hurt so bad."

The man dithered for a second. "Um... where exactly?"

"My head. My stomach. Oof! My hip."

The man nodded. "The head and stomach is sake."

Ryouko grunted. "Figures."

"The hip, erm... because I ran over you with a car last night." 
He was suitably sheepish.

Ryouko blink-blinked. "Oh."

"Ano... gomen nasai." He bowed from his seat.

"Don't worry about it." Ryouko put her arm up over her eyes and 
breathed, expelling a lungful of air.

"Hungry?"

Ryouko considered that. Her stomach was having an argument with 
itself. One faction, the queasy party, said no. The other 
faction, the cramping-muscle party, said yes. Ryouko compromised.

"Okay, but a pot of strong tea, first," she said from behind her 
arm.

Unseen by his patient, the man smiled and rose to fulfill her 
request. A little later, the clatter of tea things made Ryouko 
put her arm down and make an attempt at sitting up.

"Slowly," the man cautioned. Ryouko obliged and carefully 
maneuvered herself to a sitting position. The man hovered over 
the tray.

"Anything in your tea?"

"Sugar. Lots."

He softly snorted and put in four teaspoons, offering her the cup 
after he'd stirred it. She sipped and sighed. "Super."

He sat and sipped from his own cup, studying his patient over the 
rim. He sat the cup down and placed his hands in his lap, a 
studied pose of receptiveness. He'd learned much from observing 
his father.

"How are you feeling?"

Ryouko slurped another mouthful of tea and swallowed. "I'll 
live."

"You don't sound too happy about that."

Ryouko glared at him. "Mind your own business."

"Of course." He waited patiently, somewhat to Ryouko's annoyance.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"It's my day off."

"Oh. I hadn't realized." She slurped again, and then looked at 
him. "Well, what's your name, anyway?"

"Ono Ranma."

Ryouko boggled for a second. "Wild horse?"

Ranma laughed. "You get used to it."

"I'll bet." She set her cup down and leaned her head back, 
massaging her temples.

"Aspirin?"

"Doesn't work for me. Just time... and food," she said 
meaningfully.

"Ah." Ranma got up and disappeared into the kitchen. He came out 
a few seconds later, breakfast already made. A bowl of miso, 
rice, and a few pickles were presented.

"Mmmm, looks good. You the cook?"

Ranma nodded. "Father and I ate earlier. I've been keeping it 
warm for you."

Ryouko eyed him strangely, but dug in nonetheless. It was 
excellent, and she found she had an appetite. The meal was gone 
in short order. She sighed, feeling more charitable by the 
moment. "Why did you bring me to your home?"

Ranma shrugged. "I ran over you. It was the least I could do."

"Maybe. Why else?" A nasty suspicion had begun to form in her 
mind. She *had* been unconscious.

Ranma sighed. "My father's a doctor. I'm training to be a doctor. 
That good enough for you?" he said a little testily.

Chagrined, Ryouko said, "Gomen. You never know."

"True enough, I suppose." Pause. "So, do you have a name?"

"Ryouko," she said, disinterestedly.

"Pretty name... and mysterious. It suits you."

Ryouko looked up sharply to see Ranma smiling at her in genuine 
warmth. She blushed furiously, but said nothing. Ranma's smile 
faded a little as he prepared to ask his next question, hoping he 
wouldn't be pushing his luck.

"Now that I know *who* you are, mind clueing me in as to *what* 
you are, exactly?"

Her blush faded to white as a grimace flashed across her face. 
"Mind your own business," she muttered. She picked at the 
fuzzballs on the blanket.

"Sorry," he sighed.

Silence reigned for a time.

Ranma was in a quandary. Something about this woman reminded him 
of himself, back when things were looking bad for him, when hope 
had been lost. The look on her face, the tone of her voice, the 
despair in her words. He wasn't sure what about her kept striking 
a chord in his soul, but there it was. He felt compelled to do 
*something* for her.

<Maybe Father was right,> he considered. <Maybe I do have a 
healer's instinct.> He brightened as an idea occurred to him. 
Maybe he could strike the same chord in her and break down a wall 
or two.

He got up from his chair, sat on the floor, facing away from 
Ryouko to give her some distance, and leaned his head back 
against the couch. He sipped his tea quietly for a few more 
moments.

"Several years ago," he began, "there was this boy. He'd trained 
all his life, since he could even remember, in the martial arts. 
His father wanted him to be the best, and to that end, he dragged 
the boy away from his mother at age six and began a ten-year 
journey, visiting all the famous teachers and training spots.

"At the end of that journey, there remained only one site left to 
train at. The boy was homesick and had just been given reason to 
believe that after all that time, he would still be a 
disappointment to his mother because he wouldn't follow in his 
father's lawless ways, strange as that may sound. He was also 
told that his mother expected him to be very manly.

"At the last training ground, something, er, happened to take 
away some of his manhood, and the boy knew he could never see his 
mother again, so he ran off. At sixteen, he ran off into the 
unknown, without his father and without any idea of what he was 
going to do.

"A kindly Chinese lady took him in, made him feel better, and 
gave him hearth and home. He came to love her very much. She 
became as a mother to him. But some people came, looking for the 
boy because of what had happened at that training ground, and he 
had to flee, or become a slave to those people.

"The boy wandered for many months and finally found his way back 
to Japan. Only Japan wasn't nearly as kind to him as China had 
been, which isn't saying much. So instead of just being 
shiftless, he became shiftless and starving. At the onset of the 
fall rains, he found himself ill, very ill, with nowhere to go. 
He finally curled up in a doorway, waiting and wanting to die.

"But it didn't turn out that way. Wouldn't be much of a story if 
it did, ne? Anyway, a kindly man, a doctor, happened by and saw 
what the boy couldn't. He saw hope where there had been none. He 
saw potential where there hadn't been any."

Ranma paused to clear his throat. "And that is why... I am alive 
today, studying to be a doctor and tending to a patient on my day 
off."

They sat there, Ryouko on the couch and Ranma on the floor, for 
several long minutes, staring into their pasts, before one of 
them broke the quiet.

"So... what happened to that boy at the training ground?" Ryouko 
asked.

Ranma turned his head and looked at her. "You really want to 
know?"

Ryouko nodded. "Un."

Ranma smiled. "I'll show you if you'll tell me what *I* want to 
know."

Ryouko looked away and fidgeted for a moment, but figured she 
really had nothing to lose. Nobody here could hurt her, not with 
all of her gems, anyway. Ryouko stood and walked a little bit 
away. She turned and faced Ranma, and Ranma had to stifle a 
chuckle at the formality of it. The potential chuckle died as 
Ryouko levitated off the floor.

Hovering there, the gems at her wrists and throat began to glow, 
and a flare of light began at her feet and washed up her body. In 
place of her previous clothing, the light left a black and red 
bodysuit in its wake. Much of one side of her face had turned 
black, like some strange solid warpaint. Ryouko's head had lolled 
back; she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the full power of all 
her gems. She brought her head back down and speared Ranma with 
her gaze.

"I am Ryouko," she intoned. "My family name is Hakubi, although I 
rarely use it. I was born, or perhaps created, several thousand 
years ago in the laboratory of my mother, Hakubi Washuu, at the 
Todain Academy of Science, on planet Todain, which circles a 
blue-white binary star, about 1200 or so light-years from Earth. 
My mother's origins are unknown; even she doesn't remember past 
20,000 years ago.

"I remember little to nothing of growing up. I remember nothing 
of being captured by mother's assistant and my mother being 
locked away in a closed dimension for 5,000 years. Thankfully, I 
remember only a little of being the assistant's mind-controlled 
tool of destruction. I was... a destroyer of worlds.

"I was finally defeated 700 years ago on Earth, by the crown 
prince of one of the most powerful empires in the known universe. 
He took my power and imprisoned me in a cave. For those 700 
years, I fought and lost to madness many, many times. I finally 
learned to move out of my body and roam the countryside.

"I was finally released from my prison by the grandson of the man 
who put me there. I had fallen in love with him, having watched 
him grow from a baby. I moved in and lived with his family up 
until a week ago, when someone stole him from me."

Ryouko's gems flickered and dimmed. She touched ground, her 
regular clothing materializing around and on her.

"I lost him to one I can't fight and hope to win. Now, I am 
nothing, even less than I was when I only had part of my power 
back." She looked at the recently returned gem on her right arm, 
and then looked back at Ranma. "I've been drinking ever since."

She lowered her arm and shuffled back to the couch, looking in 
every way like a lost soul. Ranma shook himself out his shocked 
daze and let out the breath he'd been holding.

Ryouko said with some amusement, "What's the matter? Don't 
believe in aliens?"

"Ah, well, I'd heard that there are some strange goings-on in 
Tomobiki, but nothing quite like this. Wow!"

Ryoko laughed. "Well, believe it. I'm about as alien as *you'll* 
ever see. Now," she said seriously, "I believe it's your turn."

Ranma studied the floor for a moment. "I'll believe in aliens," 
he began, "if you'll say you believe in magic."

Ryouko quirked an eyebrow. "Well... I'm game, I guess. What's the 
trick?"

"No trick." Ranma put his arms around his knees and rested his 
chin on his kneecaps. "That last training stop is called 
Jusenkyou, the Training Ground of Accursed Springs. It's also 
called the Pools of Sorrow, and for good reason. In almost every 
pool, something different has drowned." Ranma stopped his 
narrative and got to his feet, going into the kitchen. He came 
back with two glasses of water.

"As I was saying, something different drowned in each pool. If 
you have the bad luck to fall into one, you take the form of 
whatever last drowned there when splashed with cold water." He 
picked up one of the glasses. "I fell into the Nyanniichuan..." 
he poured the water over his head, "the Spring of Drowned Girl," 
she finished in a much higher voice.

Ryouko was stunned. She'd seen a lot of strange things, but this 
was of an entirely different order. Ryouko stood and slowly 
walked up to the short, busty redhead. Ranma's gi-style tunic was 
too big, now, and the front had fallen open enough to give a 
decent view of the swell of her breasts. Ryouko took hold of the 
two halves and opened the tunic completely.

"ACK!!" Ranma grabbed control of her clothing back and wrapped it 
tighter around herself.

"Yep!" Ryouko commented. "No fakin' those."

Ranma scowled at her, and Ryouko giggled. "Gomen ne."

Ranma's scowl softened. "Okay... I guess."

"How do you go back?"

"Hot water." Ranma reached for the other glass, but Ryouko 
touched her arm, causing her to stop.

"So what do you do when you're a woman?" Ryouko asked as she 
continued to walk around the object of her amazement. 

"What do you mean?"

"Do you, like, go out with guys, have sex with 'em, you know?"

"GAAAH! I don't do nothin' like that! I'm a GUY!!" she shouted.

Ryouko put her hands up in a peace gesture. "Just curious," she 
said, smiling.

"Can I change back, now?" she growled.

"Sure." Ryouko stepped away and watched the reverse process as 
Ranma doused herself with the warm contents of the other glass. 
Ryouko watched the transformation rip through her... his body. 
Where the adult woman had stood, Ranma now appeared. He was 
obviously relieved.

"Don't like it much, do you?" Ranma shook his head in the 
negative. "You know, as problems go in the cosmos, it's not 
really that bad. There are worse things."

Ranma sat down on the couch with a thoughtful expression. "I 
don't *really* hate it, I guess. Not anymore. Maybe that's part 
of the magic. I don't know. I've found my girl form is actually 
useful for some things. It definitely handles pain better." Ranma 
then smiled wickedly. "I can also cadge all the free eats I want 
from young male vendors."

Ryouko face-faulted, then started laughing while on the ground. 
"Sounds like the best of both worlds to me," she chortled as she 
got back to her feet. "Just don't give up on the sex, just yet. 
You might like it."

Ranma turned a little green. "Urg... how would you know?" He 
jumped off the couch and brought his hand up to his mouth, and 
Ryouko scowled. "Uh, gomen. You're a girl, too."

"Glad you noticed," she said icily, but her face and body drooped 
a little. "You're right, though. I don't really know. I'd 
hoped... that... my love might've shown me, but..." she trailed 
off.

Ranma felt low. "I'm sorry, Ryouko. I shouldn't have shot my 
mouth off. Old habits die hard."

Ryouko reached across the distance between them and cupped his 
face in her hand. "Thank you," she said. "For taking care of me. 
You're sweet, and I *do* feel better... some." She stepped over 
and kissed him on the cheek. Stunned, he shivered from the soft 
warmth of her lips.

Her hand dropped. "I should go." She turned and walked a few 
steps before turning her head. "Thank you, again." She began to 
shimmer out of existence.

"WAIT!!!" Ranma yelled, but she was gone. And then she was right 
back.

"What?"

Ranma's mouth worked, and he finally said, "What'd ya just do?!"

"Teleportation," she smirked. "Just one of my many talents." She 
polished her fingernails on her blouse and inspected them smugly. 
"What'd you want?"

"Ah... ah... ah..." Ranma's eyes were still bugging out, so he 
clonked himself on the head. Ryouko giggled. "Ah, where do I find 
you?"

The mirth left Ryouko, and her eyes narrowed. "Why would you want 
to?"

He managed to collect his wits. "I want to do a checkup in a week 
or so."

"You're *not* a doctor, yet."

"For practice?" he asked hopefully.

Ryouko laughed, but then turned grim. "You don't want any part of 
me. Trust me." She turned away.

"Why don't you let me decide that?"

Ryouko stood there for a moment, thinking. She turned her head to 
the side and looked at him out of the corners of her eyes. 
"Masaki Shrine. Your choice," she said softly and vanished.

Ranma blew out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding and 
fell back onto the couch, wondering just what he'd set himself up 
for. He absently put his hand up to his tingling cheek.

----------

[June 20, 1996]

A cool breeze was blowing up the valley, and Masaki Katsuhito had 
brought his fresh cup of green tea out to the office steps to 
enjoy the mild relief from the already muggy summer heat. He was 
also thinking on unsettling events recently past and wondering if 
he should interfere on his grandson's behalf. Much about those 
events rubbed him wrong, but he couldn't deny the growing love 
between Tenchi and Tsunami. He sighed.

It was too late to prevent the real tragedy, as he saw it; little 
Sasami was now fully assimilated, combined with the spirit of his 
homeworld. Katsuhito knew that much of the life in the house 
below had changed, as well, and possibly not for the better. His 
moody musings were interrupted by the appearance of a young man 
cresting the top of the long stone stairway and looking around.

"Oi!" Katsuhito called, waving his free hand. He watched the 
visitor walk across the hard dirt of the grounds. <A martial 
artist. And a good one, if I'm any judge. This could be 
interesting.>

The young man stopped at a respectful distance and bowed.

"What are your needs, my son?" Katsuhito asked.

The young man straightened and scratched the back of his head, 
laughing nervously. "Ono Ranma, sir. I... I'm not... Does Ryouko 
live here?" he finally blurted.

An eyebrow rose on Katsuhito's face. "And what business might you 
have with her?"

Ranma blushed. "I, erm, kinda ran over her with a car last 
weekend." Katsuhito's other eyebrow went up. "She's also sorta my 
patient, or... would be if I was finished with medschool, that 
is."

"I see." Katsuhito sat and watched him. Ranma fidgeted, and then 
realized what the old man was waiting for.

"I know what she is and some of what she's done, if that's what 
you're wondering."

Katushito nodded. "Very well. Please wait here. I will see if she 
is available." He started to walk around the building, but he 
paused after a few steps. Without turning around, he said, "I 
expect you to be gentle with her. She's had a hard blow 
recently."

"Yeah," Ranma answered, "I know."

Katsuhito continued and disappeared around the corner.


*NMMMMM* *SWISH*

An assortment of severed tree limbs fell onto the hardpack. 
Ryouko eyed her trimming job; satisfied, she dispelled her energy 
sword and began to pick up the cauterized pieces of green wood. 
She was trying very hard to keep her mind on what she was doing 
and *not* on the goings-on at the Masaki house. To that end, she 
hadn't gone back down there since she'd returned from her 
weeklong binge. It had also helped a little that a pair of cool 
blue eyes kept wandering in and out of her thoughts.

Yoshou had been kind enough to let her sleep in the shrine office 
ceiling and had brought her food up twice a day. He wouldn't do 
it for much longer, but she had been touched by his efforts. 
Sooner or later, however, she'd have to either re-enter life at 
the household or leave for another destination. It wasn't that 
she wanted to leave behind her friends and family, but the pain 
was just too great. The dashing of her single ray of hope after 
5,000 years of loneliness was not something easily gotten over.

She dumped her trimmings into the cart she'd brought along for 
the purpose and smirked to herself. <Look at me. Working for a 
living. Who'd of thought?> She returned to the edge of the 
grounds and sheared off another armload of errant growth.

She had apologized to Ryou-ou-ki when she had returned to the 
valley, and the cabbit had since stayed nearby, giving and 
receiving comfort as needed.

Aeka had been a real surprise. She'd started coming up in the 
evenings, carrying Ryouko's third meal of the day. They would sit 
and chat, carefully avoiding any talk of their mutual misery. 
She'd also told Aeka about the strange man she'd met, who'd run 
her down in his car. They'd both laughed at the situation, 
although Aeka obviously had some trouble believing the sex-
changing curse. It wasn't deep conversation, but it provided a 
little something for both of--

"Ryouko-san."

"YAH!!" Ryouko spun around, clutching her heart.

"Wool-gathering, Ryouko-san?"

"Yeah, *pant* something like that. *pant* Damn it, Yoshou! *pant* 
You're a sneaky old--"

"Now, now. Don't curse on shrine grounds," he admonished with a 
twinkle in his eye. "And don't call me Yoshou. We've talked about 
that, ne?"

"Sure, 'Katsu-chan'. Whatever your heart desires," Ryouko 
snorted.

"Tut, tut!" His glasses went bright with sunlight. "Or I'll tell 
that handsome young medical student that came to see you that 
you're... not... Hmmm."

Ryouko had shimmered out of existence before he could finish. 
Katsuhito allowed some teeth to show in his smile. <I wish you 
luck, Ryouko. Of anyone, you deserve it.>


Ryouko phased in at the top of the stone stairs, looked wildly 
around, and saw Ranma stand up from the office steps. She phased 
out and appeared in front of him. Ranma jumped and clutched his 
chest dramatically.

"Jeez! That's gonna take some gettin' used to!"

Ryouko blushed. "Er, gomen. Oh, uh... Hi!"

"Hi! Thought I'd look in on my favorite patient."

Ryouko's blush reddened. "I'm your only patient."

Ranma scratched the back of his head and laughed. His memory of 
the cyan-haired woman had not done her justice. He discovered his 
heart was racing. "I guess the first, erm, patient is always, ah, 
special. Heh."

Ryouko's color bordered on purple. They both stood there for 
several moments, looking at anything other than each other. 
Ryouko finally had enough.

"ARGH!" She grabbed Ranma's arm and nearly yanked him off his 
feet. "C'mon. Let's walk."

A little shaken by her obvious strength, he quickly calmed down, 
and they leisurely walked to the stairs and down.


Katsuhito had waited and then turned the corner as they walked 
away. He stopped at the entrance to his office and watched them 
disappear down the stairs.

"What do you think?" a voice from behind him said.

"Ohayou, Washuu-san," he said without turning.

"Katsuhito-dono."

What could've been mistaken for a twelve-year-old girl walked out 
of the shrine office and stood at the top of the steps, keeping 
herself at eye-level, almost, with her companion.

"An interesting young man," he observed. "Strong aura... and 
something else I can't put my finger on."

"Mmmm. It's that last bit I'm interested in. The second he set 
foot in the area, my instruments started going off right and 
left. He carries an unusual energy signature."

Katsuhito looked over his shoulder to see a familiar gleam in the 
diminutive scientist's eyes. "Let him get to know us before you 
drag him into your lab," he said dryly.

Washuu cackled, throwing her head back. "Not to worry! I value my 
daughter's future happiness too much!" A brief frown flashed 
across her face, but it was swallowed by an evil grin. "But mark 
my words, I *will* get to the bottom of this!"

Katushito laughed. "I expected nothing less." 

The two of them went back into the office and enjoyed several 
cups of tea with conversation.


A small brown blur streaked across the shrine grounds and 
disappeared into the brush to one side of the stairway.


Ryouko led Ranma onto a path that cut away from the stairs. The 
ice eventually broke, and the two of them chatted amiably about 
little things. Their walk eventually led them to the mouth of a 
cave.

"Cool," Ranma observed, and he started to walk into the opening. 
He was stopped by an irresistible grip on his arm.

"No. It's not," she said in a low voice.

"Eh?"

"Remember what I said about what happened 700 years ago?" Ryouko 
looked at him meaningfully.

Ranma searched his memory and came up with the answer. "Here?" He 
pointed into the cave. Ryouko nodded. "I'm... Gomen, I didn't 
know."

She smiled at him again, and Ranma thought it was like sunshine. 
"Of course you didn't. C'mon."

The pair trooped back down the path and took a different route 
where it forked. They soon found themselves at the edge of a 
large pool. In the center, approached by stepping stones, was an 
old and very large tree.

"Nice," Ranma commented. Ryouko gently pulled him across the 
stones to the base of the tree, Ranma keeping a careful eye on 
his footing. <Why does it always have to be water!> Once back on 
terra firma, he relaxed, but his tension hadn't gone unnoticed.

"What? Oh! I'd almost forgotten." She snickered at his 
predicament.

"Ha, ha, very funny," he said, sulking.

"Aw, don't be mad," she chided. "Besides, I think you're just as 
cute as a woman."

Ranma was indignant at first, but then he worked that comment 
around a few times and discovered the hidden compliment. He 
blushed and evasively turned his attention to the tree. Ryouko 
snickered again, understanding the play of emotions on his face. 
<Such an honest face, too.>

Ranma leaned against the tree and relaxed, enjoying the same 
breeze as Katsuhito had earlier. After a few seconds, however, 
something began tickling his trained senses. He turned and looked 
at the tree. Curious, Ryouko watched, wondering what was going 
on.

Ranma laid his hands against the rough bark and closed his eyes, 
letting himself fall into the sensing mind he'd been taught. He 
felt the flow of the tree's life force (it was very strong) and 
smiled from the subtle euphoria that enveloped him. He felt the 
tide of force shift into him slightly, a greeting from the tree. 
Ranma lent the tree a little of his own aura and said hello back. 
His eyes snapped open, and he let go of the bark as if it were 
burning.

"What?!" Ryouko asked, concerned.

"IT... IT... SHE *TALKED* TO ME!!!" Ranma was shaking in 
amazement. He looked down to see Ryouko rolling on the ground and 
howling in laughter.


In the shrine office, two levels of communication were occurring. 
Washuu was chattering about an experiment she'd just finished, 
and Yoshou's spaceship tree was telling him how much she liked 
the young man who'd just core-dumped his mind into her. Funahou 
posed a question, and Yoshou frowned minutely, thinking. After a 
moment, he gave the tree a "Yes". He smiled and tuned Washuu back 
in.


Ryouko had calmed down some when she saw Ranma backing away a 
little from the tree.

"Stop!" she said. "It won't hurt you. This," she gestured at the 
tree, "is Funahou. She used to be the mind of a living spaceship, 
although I'm told that since she's taken root, she can never be 
that again."

"A SPACESHIP?!?!"

"No, just the mind."

"Oh," he said, as if that cleared things up.

"Hey, how could you talk to her? Only the person who commands her 
key can do that."

"I... I'm not sure. I just extended my aura into the tree, and, 
and it spoke!"

"Your aura?"

"Yeah, it's part of my, er, less formal medical training. It's 
kinda hard to explain."

Ryouko shrugged. "Try it again," she encouraged. This was neat.

"Un-uh." Ranma shook his head vigorously.

"What's a matter? Chicken?" she taunted.

"HEY! I'm not afraid... of... well... maybe," he finally 
conceded.

Ryouko placed her hands flat over the swell of her bosom. "I 
swear that nothing bad will happen," she said solemnly. <Besides, 
I'd like to get one over on the old goat,> she giggled inside, 
thinking of Yoshou, no, Katsuhito.

"I don't know--"

Ryouko began a singsong. "Ranma's a scaredy ca--"

"GAH! Don't say that *word*!"

Ryouko blink-blinked. "Huh?"

"Look, fine! I'll do it! Just don't say... that again." Ranma 
shivered and stepped back up to the tree.

Ryouko was left scratching her head. <What'd I say?>

Ranma tentatively laid his hands against the tree again. When 
nothing immediately happened, he breathed in relief. The tree, 
however, was patient; it'd had plenty of practice at waiting.

Concentrating so as not to slip too far too fast, he opened his 
senses. Just barely extending into the tree, he could feel the 
life force again. He extended a little further - nothing. He let 
out a second breath he'd been holding.

<"Hello, Ranma.">

Ranma did the mental equivalent of presenting warding signs. When 
nothing more was forthcoming, he stuttered a reply.

<"You... how do you know my name?">

<"When you first reached out, you spilled most of your life in 
with your aura. Your inexperience with this is at fault. You 
probably felt the data dump as a feeling of overwhelming 
happiness. I am told it is very cathartic. One of my... functions 
is to gather and store data. You force-fed me most everything 
about you.">

<"Erm... sorry.">

<"That's all right. A drop in the bucket, in your terms.">

<"Oh. How... how come we can talk like this?">

<"You have a strong empathic talent. When you came into contact 
with a strong enough source, me, it provided a conduit for 
telepathic communication.">

Ranma said nothing, trying to work what the tree had told him 
into what he knew from his studies.

<"You're very fond of Ryouko,"> she said, after a time.

<"Huh? Ah... I... *sigh* Yes. I don't know her very well, but... 
I don't know how to word it.">

<"You don't have to. I understand."> A brief pause as Funahou 
firmed a decision already made. <"Break contact and remove your 
hands from my bark.">

<"What?! Did I say some--">

<"No, no. I have something to show you, but you should be solidly 
in your own mind. Break contact and remove your hands from my 
bark.">

Reluctantly, Ranma complied, instantly feeling his self diminish 
in some way. He didn't have time to ponder this as innumerable 
points of light began firing from the leaves of the tree, soon 
creating a solid curtain of light. Then darkness fell.

Ranma looked over and saw Ryouko floating with him above what he 
could see was Earth. It was, in fact, over Japan. He glanced at 
Ryouko again, but her expression was unreadable. Something pulled 
his attention away from Ryouko and the planet below and out to 
the stars. Quickly, he spied two craft headed towards him, one 
chasing the other.

The craft being chased was very odd. It looked to be made of 
cobbled-together crystals of varying shades of grey. He cringed 
when heard the ship cry out in pain from a series of energy 
discharges fired by the pursuing ship. The crystalline ship 
flashed past his viewpoint, almost instantly followed by the 
second. Ranma somehow knew that Ryouko was on the first ship.

Another volley from the pursuing vessel sent the first ship into 
a dive. His point of view abruptly changed, and he saw Ryouko's 
ship plow into the ground, an explosion rivaling that of World 
War II atomics vaporizing everything for a kilometer or more in 
every direction.

The other ship touched down just outside of the blast radius, and 
Ranma saw a youngish man in fancy robes disembark, a glowing wand 
in his hand. To his surprise, Ryouko emerged from the still-
raging holocaust, apparently unharmed and wearing the bodysuit 
she'd showed him a week ago. Ranma shivered at her glowing, 
pupil-less red eyes. A sudden movement to his left swung Ranma's 
attention to where the present Ryouko had been.

She was pounding against what looked like empty space, tears 
running down her face and her mouth open in a yell or scream, but 
he couldn't hear her for some reason. Feeling oddly detached, the 
imminent battle in front of him turned his head.


Washuu jerked and dropped her cup of tea. "RYOUKO!!" She hopped 
up and started to run out of the shrine office, but Katsuhito's 
long reach served him as he snagged her arm.

"WAIT! Funahou is monitoring the situation."

"WHAT?!?!?!" Washuu screeched.

"Sit," he quietly commanded, the iron in his voice quelling even 
her, "and I will explain." Washuu reluctantly took her seat.


Concealed in the undergrowth by Funahou's pond, Ryou-ou-ki 
pensively sat and waited for the light show to end. She could 
feel her friend's misery through their link, but for reasons she 
couldn't identify, Ryou-ou-ki felt that interfering would be 
wrong. She frowned and continued to wait.


The man and Ryouko met with clashing swords. Their fight raged 
all over the countryside, the effects leveling some small 
mountains and creating others. After a time, the man managed to 
impale Ryouko through her throat. Ranma's eyes narrowed, and he 
looked closely at the small red gems that coursed down the length 
of the blue blade held by Ryouko's attacker, one by one, until 
three had passed and embedded themselves in the pommel of the 
sword. Ryouko wilted and hung on the blade like a puppet with its 
strings cut.

Ranma abruptly found himself blinking in the sunlight, the 
darkness, then the curtain of light, swiftly vanishing. His head 
felt like a truck had run over it. He put one hand against 
Funahou and massaged his temples between thumb and ring finger of 
the other.

<"A choice is now forced upon you,"> Funahou spoke to Ranma.

<"How? I haven't...">

<"I kept a very small link with you active.> Pause. <Look at 
her.">

Ranma opened his eyes and saw nothing for a second, but then he 
spied Ryouko curled up in a fetal position, wedged between two 
large roots.

<"Why did you do this to her?!"> he shouted in his mind. 
<"Why?!">

Funahou sighed over the mental link. <"Ryouko is a creature of 
extremes. She is intensely loyal and would not normally switch 
those loyalties easily. Even though she is attracted to you, as I 
can see from within your own mind's eye, she would still pine for 
Tenchi for years, possibly decades... or longer. Tenchi is lost 
to her; that much is now abundantly clear. May the All-Mother 
forgive me, but after receiving your life's memories, I... and 
another chose to create a situation in which she would be capable 
of switching her loyalties and would have a chance to proceed 
with her life. You should now understand your choice.">

<"But... but... I don't even know her, really. How can I--">

<"The both of you may drift apart. Nothing is written in stone, 
here. But for now, she needs someone to wean her off Tenchi, and 
that person is you. The fact that she likes and is attracted to 
you may turn it into something more, but that is also part of 
your choice.">

Ranma stared at the quivering woman on the ground.

<"Your heart brought you here in the first place. Search it! What 
does it tell you? I know. Do you?">

Ranma pulled his hand away from Funahou. <What do I feel? Is it 
that strong, already?> He closed his eyes and pictured the 
smiling woman walking through the woods with him, her golden eyes 
laughing in the dappled sunlight. She reached out and held him 
against entering the cave that had been her prison, the tingle he 
felt when she pressed the flesh of her hand against his arm. He 
thought a little further back, when he decided he would visit 
her, that moment when her lips touched his cheek and a marvelous 
thrill chased up his spine. He now realized what he hadn't 
before; he had been lost the moment she kissed him.

Ranma opened his eyes, his face at peace after the struggle. He 
moved over and squatted next to the distraught girl, placing a 
hand on her arm.

"Ryouko?"

She jerked but didn't say anything. Sighing, Ranma gently 
gathered her up, momentarily surprised at how light she was. In 
one smooth motion, he lowered himself to the ground with crossed 
legs, cradling her in the triangle between his pelvis and knees. 
She was still shivering, so he began to rock her, wrapping his 
arms around her tightly.

After a few moments, she spoke to him haltingly, not raising her 
head and her voice breaking from the shakes. "I... never... 
wanted you... to see me... like that...."

"Shhh. It's okay. That wasn't you."

She slowly raised her head, dragging her watery eyes up to look 
into his. "How... how can... you say... that?"

Ranma was appalled at her ashen and tear-stained face and her 
quivering lips. <Was all this really necessary?> For her, he 
grinned lopsidedly, the wind rakishly tossing the front of his 
black hair around.

"I'm just a dumb Earth boy, but even *I* could tell that there 
was someone else behind those red eyes. Somehow, I just don't 
think you have that kinda thing in you. Your real eyes are too 
beautiful."

The quivering of Ryouko's lips intensified, and she slowly put 
her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest, crying 
freely.


Washuu cried against Katsuhito's chest in relief and joy for her 
daughter, and Katsuhito absently stroked her hair, smiling as 
Funahou related ongoing events to him.

In her little-girl form and laughing through her tears, Ryou-ou-
ki bounded into the shrine office and hugged her mother and 
Katsuhito.

Aeka chose that moment to enter the shrine office and visit with 
her former rival.

"Ara?" Aeka stared at the tableau.


Ranma had continued to rock Ryouko for several minutes until an 
internal percentage meter started sounding an early warning.

"You keep hosing me down like that, and you're gonna have, 
instead of Ranma, Ranma-*chan*."

Ryouko laughed and hiccuped into his soaked shirt. She turned her 
head against the moisture and looked out over the pond 
surrounding Funahou. "I wouldn't mind at all," she whispered.

____________________

FIN

Someone pass the Kleenex, please...


Interlude - The Wedding
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