This story got into my head one day and demanded to be written.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, nor am I making any money from this.

Chapter 1


The door slammed open. Tatewaki Kuno strolled in and demanded "Wife, I'll have my dinner," before stepping over to the fireplace and removing his samurai armor.

Akane, from the kitchen in back, shivered. She took a long slow breath before doing the inevitable, and after placing a compact mirror in her dress pocket did her best to finish making dinner for her husband. She would have to go buy more sake soon; there was only enough to last maybe one or two more nights.

Every night Akane did her very best to get Kuno to pass out drunk at the dinner table. The nights that she failed he would demand her presence in the bed room. Akane shivered again. Those few times had scarred her, and she was determined to have them repeat as few times as possible, hopefully not at all.

She may have been forced to marry to prevent her sister's beheading, but she didn't have to like it. Nabiki's scams had been one of the few ways the Tendo family could earn enough money to scrape a living. Unfortunately Nabiki had been caught in her tricks three months ago and would have been executed by Tatewaki Kuno had it not been for his hard bargain. If it weren't for Kuno's position as a one of the local Lord's Samurai he would have never been able to blackmail the family into handing over the youngest daughter for marriage.

With the dinner neatly arranged on a tray Akane walked in to the main room where her husband was cleaning his katana and placed it on the dinner table before him. She very carefully poured a cup of sake and left the full bottle on the table.

"Dinner is served my husband," Akane bowed meekly before him. Once Akane would have thrown the tray at his face before smashing the table over his head; she used to think her fighting skills were unmatched with her ability wipe the floor with the average person off the street. That was before the horror of her wedding night. The pain and shock that a man, especially this pompous and arrogant man, was stronger than her had only fueled her bitterness and contempt towards Kuno. One day, she had vowed, things would change and she'd leave this horror of a life behind.

Her husband took a bite of his dinner than spat it out immediately. "Akane dear," he grated through his teeth, "have those rats been running through our stores again?"

"The sake is excellent, it is the best bottle we have," Akane distracted him while glaring at the floor at his insult to her cooking. The obvious distraction worked, even if her glaring went completely unnoticed.

Not more than an hour later Tatewaki Kuno was passed out drunk on the floor. Akane seethed at her husband a few moments before dragging him, none to gently, into the bed room and dumping him on the floor. She returned to the main room where she hastily cleaned up after her husband and finished her evening chores.

When Akane finally had time for herself, she let out a sigh and plopped down in front of the fire place in the main room. She pulled out the compact mirror from her pocket, taking time to admire the phoenix and dragon design that covered one side. The other side of the compact had kanji written across it, but Akane couldn't read and she wouldn't dare show the compact to Kuno. The mirror was the only good thing that came of her marriage. It had been a wedding gift exclusively to her from this dirty old man going by the name of Happosai. Why he insisted she take it, Akane didn't know, but she was glad he did. It wasn't until the evening of her wedding, after Kuno was asleep, that she discovered its secret. The mirror was cursed, but not in the sense that it caused ill fortune to the one who possessed it. Instead it served as a prison for one pigtailed young man.

Akane carefully unlatched the clasp and opened the mirror. Instead of seeing her reflection looking back at her Akane saw the inside of a miniature one-roomed cabin. And there, sitting at a low table in the center, was the mirrors captive. He glanced up and seeing her let a smile grow across his face. Akane could only answer with a smile of her own.


Ranma Saotome sat down at the low table with a cup of tea and sighed. It had been nearly six months ago that he was trapped in this mirror. His prison consisted of a one room cabin with a small yard, a well and a garden outside that magically provided for his every basic need. The only thing his relatively nice prison lacked was a means of escape. If he wandered more than six meters from the cabin's door he slammed into an invisible wall. The cabin itself only had one door and a single window. The window served as his only connection to the outside world; it normally was a solid pitch black and very dismal to look at. However, when the compact mirror was open it provided a view of the outside world for him, but it also was the means for his captors to check on him.

For the first month of his imprisonment the only ones who opened the hand mirror were the Amazons who had imprisoned him in the first place. Ranma thought this arrangement was a major overreaction on their part. True, he and his father had stolen some food from them, and then Ranma had defeated their young champion when his father left him behind, and finally it had been revealed that he had a Jusenkyo curse, but the real problem was the Amazons' bizarre laws that had gotten him stuck here. That and his father's selfishness and cowardice had led to this predicament. His father was the one who had dragged him to Jusenkyo and knocked him into one of the cursed springs that cause anyone who falls into one to take the form of whatever drowned there last when hit with cold water. At least hot water reversed its effects. However, when it was revealed that his cursed form was a girl the Amazons had been even more offended by him and his previous crimes. They had quickly thereafter shoved him into his magical dungeon.

After the first month Ranma was introduced to his second owner of the outside world, an old man who turned out to be a world class pervert. Ranma had no idea how this old man had obtained the compact mirror, but Ranma had a suspicion he had stolen it from the Amazons. When the old man had found Ranma in the mirror he had been genuinely surprised before grinning mischievously at Ranma. From then on the old man showed his captive all the items he stole, a large majority of which were women's undergarments.

About three months ago she had opened the mirror. Ranma, expecting the old man's leering face, had been amazed when instead he saw a miserable young woman. Tear tracks stained her cheeks, her lip bloody from where it looked like she bit herself, and deep brown eyes holding despair and pain had given him the impression that she was broken. Even her blue-black hair hung limp as if defeated. He, of course, had no idea what had happened to her, or how she got the mirror, but he did his best to cheer her up and remove the haunted look from her eyes.

It had taken awhile, but his gestures, expressions, and pantomimes had managed to get a faint ghost of a smile from her eventually. Since then he tried to make sure she never returned to the embodiment of despair. He had shown her his curse, what he could of his martial arts, and the things in his prison. In return she had shown him as much as she could of her life. Despite not being able to speak to each other they began to be good friends, and Ranma had started to look forward to the times when he saw the blue-haired woman. At that thought the black window began to lighten and Ranma smiled at the young woman's face.


It was the following day, around midday, when Tatewaki Kuno slammed the door to his house open, his face not arrogant for once. Instead he wore a look of sheer terror in a pale face. "Akane, where are you?!"

Akane, disturbed at seeing her husband midday, snapped the compact mirror shut and cautiously eyed him while getting up at the table.

"The Lord has found out about all the imperial sake I have taken from his stores; and even though I have earned it he ordered that I offer him an equivalent gift and if I fail he'll behead me immediately!" Kuno gushed stalking towards his wife. "Some of his personal guard will be here soon; you must find something to save me!" He stopped about two meters in front of her and hurriedly searched the room with his eyes. A glint from Akane's right hand caught his eye, "What's in your hand? Give it to me, if it's valuable I'll exchange it for my life."

In horror Akane hid her right hand with the compact mirror behind her back. She glanced up into the demanding eyes of Kuno and her fear of losing the mirror quickly boiled over to rage and bitterness.

"No."

"What did you say?"

Standing up straight and staring into his eyes, she replied, "No."

"Dear wife, maybe you don't understand, I'm going to be killed! Unless you present that treasure to the Lord; now, give it over."

Akane didn't budge, "No, Never."

Kuno stared hard at her a moment, "It's just an object, a small price to save your beloved husband."

"NO."

An ugly look passed over his face and he reached for his katana, pausing with his hand on the hilt "I seem to remember that one Nabiki Tendo got off easy for her crimes."

"You'll be dead in a few minutes if you don't find something else, you couldn't possibly punish her," Akane's anger glittered in her eyes, even though her voice was free from all emotion.

"Akane, dearest, love," Kuno began pleading, "I'm your husband, haven't you been honored to be married to me, the dream man of every woman?" His usual pompous arrogance revealed itself.

"You blackmailed me into marriage, and now you want to take the one thing I care about away from me. If you want to live find something else to trade for your life, or pay for the crimes of your corruption."

Kuno stared blankly at her not comprehending a single word she said, "I'm your husband…"

Akane looked toward the door at the sound of marching feet, before looking back into Kuno's eyes, "Goodbye Tatewaki Kuno."


Ranma had been having fun. He was showing the blue tomboy (that's how he thought of the blue haired woman) how his father and he had dealt with a drunken merchant who thought Ranma was his runaway son. He had made puppets with sticks, stones, pieces of cloth, and other random objects acting out the scene. He honestly doubted she understood the story from his makeshift puppets, but she was smiling so she must have been enjoying it. That's when her face had rapidly jerked up and the window went black once more.

He sighed, wondering if that man was bothering her again. About a week after he first saw the blue tomboy she had shown a tall man passed out on the floor to Ranma, followed immediately afterwards by her disgusted face. From what he could tell that man really bothered her and she seemed to make sure that man never saw Ranma. The tall man was the only other person Ranma had seen in the house and the observation disturbed Ranma, even though he wasn't entirely sure why.

Instead of dwelling on uncomfortable thoughts Ranma got up to clear the makeshift puppets from the table. He'd tell, well, show really, the story to her later.

Light from the dark window filtered in, and the blue tomboy appeared with a serious face. Once he looked back at her she nodded once and shifted the mirror to the scene outside her doorway. Several guards armed with crossbows and short swords were dragging the tall man, kicking and screaming, away. Once they were gone the blue tomboy then moved the mirror again to show the main room where the table had been overturned, a broken tray lay on the ground, and a katana was stuck firmly in the wall by the fireplace. She walked through the house to the bedroom and put the mirror, still open, down so that Ranma could watch what she was doing. She left the room briefly and returned with a hunting knife and a pot. Setting the pot down next to the mirror, the blue haired woman backed away a bit then lifted her long hair with one hand and cut it with the knife in the other hand. Long locks of hair drifted to the floor around her. When she was done she set the knife next to the pot and gathered her hair from the ground. After a search of the bedroom she gathered together trousers, a tunic, a traveling cloak, and a large blanket. Taking the trousers and tunic she left the room again. When she returned she was wearing the trousers and tunic loosely around herself, hiding her form. She also had with her a walking stick and a bundle that was strips of the dress she had been wearing wrapped around her arm. Ashes from the fireplace were smeared over her face and hands. Proceeding to pack all the items she gathered together into the large blanket, the young woman was careful to wrap the knife up before packing it too.

Ranma stared at her actions, gaping. What was she doing? Where was she planning to go? Did she even know how to safely travel? At least she knew that male travelers were less likely to be bothered than females. Ranma had to admit she did look like a young orphan boy who spent his entire life living off the streets now. Her oversized clothes appeared to have been stolen; the ashes made it seem she hadn't washed in a long time, and when she tied her pack wrapped in the blanket with expert ease to the stick Ranma had to wonder if she had done this often in the past.

Finally the blue tomboy turned to face him again gesturing to herself and raising an eyebrow, asking the quality of her disguise. With a sigh Ranma slouched and nodded, yes, it would pass. He waved his hand at her and exaggerated a shrug, why was she doing this? In response she glared at the bed, from even behind the glass of the mirror Ranma could feel the malice rolling off her. After a moment she looked away and several tremors passed through her. The blue tomboy reached for the compact and bowed slightly in apology before closing it and sending the window into black void once more.

Ranma watched the window for a few more minutes, wishing he knew what exactly she was thinking or a way he could help.


A pile of sticks and branches fell where Akane dropped them in the center of a clearing. Taking a break to wipe her brow, Akane looked around at her surroundings for the evening. It was a small clearing off the beaten path that had evidence of being a popular resting stop for travelers. On this particular night Akane was glad to be the only one using the place. She bent down to arrange the firewood and start a fire with some flint. It was lucky the night was so clear. Akane estimated she was about halfway to her destination; she should arrive there the next day around noon.

When the fire was blazing nicely Akane took the compact out and set it on her pack at an angle to the right. She felt bad for the mirror's prisoner who had become her friend. He had brought a sliver of happiness to her life with Kuno and she was ever so grateful. Akane hoped to repay the pigtailed man one day by finding a way to set him free. She frowned, since midday of that very day Akane was a widow, though she was hardly upset at Kuno's passing. She could barely stand him in his life.

She really didn't have a choice but to leave her home after the events of the day, not that Akane objected to leaving the place. With her husband dead it would only have been a matter of time before either the guards or the local bandits visited the house. When they did visit there was no doubt in Akane's mind that they would loot and ravage the premises, and if Akane were still around they would have looted and ravaged her too.

Glancing at the compact she found her friend asleep on his bed and Akane couldn't stop a soft smile from appearing on her features. As Akane made her own bed from her pack she couldn't stop wishing she at least knew the young man's name.


The next day it was pouring. Walking down the street with the traveling cloak hiding her face Akane carefully looked at the buildings in town before spotting the one she wanted. Hurrying toward a worn looking shack at the edge of town Akane knocked as a bolt of lightning lit the sky.

An irritated young woman with short brown hair opened the door and glared at her. "The inn is just down the street," the woman sharply replied while beginning to close the door again.

"Wait!" Akane pushed her left hand at the door and pulled the strands of her hair from the haircut out with her right.

The woman at the door stared at the hair intensely for a minute before recognition reached her eyes and she looked up, "Akane, is that you?"

Akane nodded, "yes, Nabiki."

"Akane!" Nabiki's face lit up as she dragged Akane inside, "Kasumi! Come quick! Akane's returned!"

A demure motherly young woman hurried toward her sisters' voice before glancing at the newcomer and pulling both her sisters into a tight embrace, "Oh, Akane! It's so good to see you again!"

After a moment Akane reluctantly pulled away from her sisters arms, "Where's father?"

Her two sisters shared an uneasy glance. "He is ill, and has been bedridden for quite awhile now. We tried to contact you but Kuno wouldn't allow it." Nabiki spoke wearily with a hint of anger.

"Come see him, he'll be so happy to see you again," Kasumi gently guided her sister around their sparse two room home to their fathers' bedside.

Soun Tendo appeared to have seen better days. Nonetheless Akane was glad to see him. At first he glanced confused at his daughters, but after being told his youngest had returned home his mood and health seemed to brighten considerably.

Once everyone had calmed down from all the excitement they had all set themselves around the oldest Tendo's bedside. "Sister, I would like to know what has happened to you these past months, and I'm sure Father and Nabiki would too." Kasumi watched her long lost sibling intently.

Taking a deep breath Akane told them about her unhappy existence as Kuno's wife. When she told them about the Lord's guards dragging him away Nabiki cheered and Kasumi smiled faintly with bit of guilt for doing so. Akane wasn't the only one who disliked Kuno. She ended telling them about the mirror and its prisoner, pulling it out to show them.


Pulling on a clean shirt while walking in from outside after his recent bath, Ranma at first failed to notice the bleak window brightening. In fact he didn't notice it at all until the blue tomboy waved her hand and the sudden movement caused Ranma to jump back. Apparently living alone in a magical prison for six months was bad for his awareness training. Annoyed at being startled he scowled at the blue tomboy. She just smiled and gestured toward several people behind her.

Two young women, one with short brown hair and a calculating look in her eye, the other with longer hair and her hand up to her mouth in shock, and a middle aged man with a moustache and who seemed to be not in the best of health, stared back at him. They all, the women especially, bared some resemblance to the blue tomboy. They were her sisters and father, perhaps? Ranma smiled awkwardly and bowed to greet them each in turn.

The action had mixed results. The moustache man looked like he couldn't believe his eyes and was experiencing some weird hallucination. The woman with the longer hair recovered from her shock and bowed back welcomingly. The one with the short brown hair smirked with one eyebrow lifted and her lips moved as she spoke. Unable to hear what she said or respond back, Ranma just shrugged at her. The blue tomboy faced her smirking sibling and explained something to her. If those were their reactions to his prison situation Ranma wondered what they'd do if they saw his Jusenkyo curse.

As the blue tomboy and her sly sibling seemed to engage in an intense discussion the kind sibling picked up the compact and placed it on a table farther back allowing Ranma to see the entire room. The moustache man lay down and turned over as if he thought some sleep would stop him from seeing things. After that, except for a few glances now and then, the family seemed to forget about the magical cell and its prisoner.

For awhile Ranma watched the antics of the reunited family with fascination. The kind sister seemed to be the peaceful housekeeper; the sly sister was the mischievous trickster of the family. Several times when the blue tomboy was taking items out of her pack the kind sister would distract her offering help. While the kind sister distracted the blue tomboy the sly sister would take items already removed from the pack and put them back or hide them. Noticing the items missing the blue tomboy would turn to the sly sister and huff in annoyance placing her hands on her hips, demanding to know where the stuff got put. The sly sister would just shrug and rub her fingers together asking for money. Before the blue tomboy's frustration got too high the sly sister would return the missing items with a grin. At one point the sly sister responded by saying something while gesturing toward Ranma. The blue tomboy rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and settled for glaring at her sister. When the blue tomboy settled for just pouting at her sibling both her sisters ganged up and started tickling and poking her until all three where giggling mercilessly.

Ranma grinned at the scene, happy that the blue tomboy found a household that obviously loved her. He just wished that she would look his way a few more times.