funvince@hotmail.com
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/ranmanexus/ranmaweb/splits.html
The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the creation of
the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi, who could track me down and
sue the pants off me if she felt like it. Yada yada yada.
Seriously, I always give credit where credit is due and I for
one am glad she created Ranma 1/2. Otherwise, I'd have to
write fanfiction on insert most hated anime. :)
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THE SPLITTING: A RANMA 1/2 FANFICTION
CHAPTER I: DISASTER STRIKES!
By Vincent Nguyen
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-Chapter 1-
"Come back here, you old pervert! What did you do to
me?" Ranma cried chasing after Happosai, the old pervert in
question, through the dojo. There was fury in the young
martial artist's voice as usual, but now it was also filled with
panic and a little bit of fear.
There was a burning intensity in his eyes as he pushed
himself along by sheer force of will. His battle aura flickered
weakly and he looked like he was dying. Gritting his teeth,
Ranma said, "I am not letting you get away this time!"
With all the concentration he could muster, a ball of ki
shot from his hands and barely missed hitting Happosai, who
at the moment was running for his life.
Happosai wasn't afraid of Ranma (he knew he could beat
him any day of the week), but he was terrified of what was
happening to him. He had never seen anything like it. He
couldn't help looking back every so often in horrified
fascination. He had never expected this to happen when he
used that magic potion. He vowed that he would never do
business with that alley fellow again!
*FLASHBACK
Happosai had just come back from a very successful day
of looking up women's skirts and stealing underwear from the
young and innocent. Why, he was like that Robin Hood
fellow! His memory told him that wasn't quite right but he
ignored it.
Skulking through an alley, he suddenly sensed something.
He whirled around and saw a young man who looked to be in
his mid-twenties, but he had the air of someone much older.
He was wearing a suit and tie and appeared to be a normal
businessman. Happosai wasn't fooled, however, because as
he focused his eyes he could see enormous magical energy
radiating from the fellow. Also, there was something very
strange about his aura...
"What do you want?" Happosai asked warily.
The man smiled and in a cultured voice of a gentleman said,
"Master Happosai, I have a proposition for you."
Happosai didn't live this long by being stupid. "Unless
it involves some pretty undies, I'm not interested."
He turned to go when the man said, "I have a potion that
will help you get your revenge on a certain Ranma Saotome."
Happosai narrowed his eyes. It was true that the young
whelp had recently angered him with his holier-than-thou-
simply-because-I'm-not-a-pervert-like-you attitude, but he
didn't trust how this opportunity came up so conveniently.
He asked, "What exactly does this potion do?"
The man leaned down to Happosai and whispered the
answer. The diminutive lecher widened his eyes and he
chortled in delight.
"My, my. That will certainly do the trick," Happosai said
looking over the bottle in his hand, but he was still
suspicious. "What do you get of this, mister?"
The mysterious stranger replied, "You would never believe
me if I told you. Let's just say that Fate is involved and
whatever hand she deals will have consequences you can't
even imagine. I'm doing this because I have to and because I
know good things can come out of chaos. In this case, I'm
counting on it."
The fellow seemed sincere enough about his intentions
and Happosai decided to take pity on the plainly delusional
fellow. "I guess that's all well and good so I'm going to be
generous with you. Name your price."
The gentleman smiled condescendingly at Happosai for a
moment and with a bow, he vanished.
Happosai was momentarily startled, but he quickly
composed himself. He was the master of the Extra
Dimensional Warp after all and shouldn't be surprised by
such things. But he couldn't help feeling a sense of unease
as he walked back to the Tendo Dojo.
*END FLASHBACK
It turned out he was right after all. The potion didn't
work the way he had expected at all. Obviously, something
had gone very wrong. Looking behind him, he knew he had
definitely crossed the line this time.
He had seen many things in his long life, but this one took
the cake. Ranma was flickering rapidly from his normal state
to his cursed form and back. In one step, he was a short,
red-haired girl, the next he was a muscular, black-haired boy.
The changes were increasing with frequency and it must
have been painful since Ranma was visibly straining to keep
going.
"When I get my hands on you, I'm going to ground you
into dust," Ranma growled with every other word rising into
the soprano range. He threw a speed punch at Happosai, but
just as it was going to connect, his arm shrank and Ranma
stumbled onto the floor, changing back as he hit it. He didn't
move and he didn't seem to be breathing.
The old wizened lecher cautiously poked the body with his
pipe and got worried when there was no response. How
would it look if the heir to the Anything Goes School of
Martial Arts was killed by his Master?
In his musing, he almost failed to see a white light flare
around Ranma's body. Happosai backed away instinctively
knowing this was not something he'd want to be a part of.
As much as he wanted to see what would happen next he wasn't
going to wait around to take the blame. A vacation was
definitely in order. He hadn't been to Havana in a while and
there were many pretty ladies there he hadn't seen for some
time.
With his mind already focused on what type of swimwear
was appropriate for the season in Cuba, Happosai bounded
off into the night just as the white light around Ranma
reached its maximum intensity.
BOOM!!!
Akane gave up trying to get back to sleep. She had
ignored what had sounded like a typical runaround with
Ranma and Happosai, but what she just heard gave her some
concern. She placed P-chan to the side of her bed and left the
room. She gasped as a figure stepped out in front of her.
"Cologne! What are you doing here?"
Cologne replied, "Please, child. Did you imagine that the
explosion of such magical energy would have kept me away?
But an old woman like myself knows better than to barge
headlong into a potentially dangerous situation. I decided
to wait for you and your family to wake up and barge in for
me."
Akane sighed knowing that she shouldn't have really
expected a serious answer from the ancient matriarch. Then
she gave Cologne a look. "I don't believe there's anything
you couldn't handle by yourself."
"An important life secret to remember is that there is
always someone better, but the point is moot." Cologne
pointed to the rest of Akane's family who had just showed up,
rubbing sleep out of their eyes. They cautiously entered the
dojo and were shocked by the sight that greeted them. And
anything that could shock *this* family had to be very
impressive.
Lying side by side in defiance of all natural laws (which
had no meaning in Nerima anyway) were the bodies of
Ranma's male and female sides, who inexplicably were both
dressed in Ranma's trademark Chinese red shirt and black
pants.
Akane was livid. "I can't believe that Happosai would
split Ranma again after what happened last time!"
Cologne inspected the bodies. "I don't think that was
what he intended to do at all. For one thing, both bodies
are solid. There are other signs but it seems to me that
whatever he was trying to do went horribly wrong. I
suspect I know what happened but I really should make
sure first."
She tapped a pressure point on both Ranmas' necks then
stepped back. Both their eyes opened at the same time and
in unison they groaned in pain. They sat up with a hand
clutching their heads and then they looked at each other.
In shock, they screamed, "Evil spirit!"
"Who are you calling an evil spirit!" They simultaneously
yelled as they fell into fighting stances. The Ranmas
whipped some spirit wards seemingly out of nowhere and fell
to attack in earnest, perfectly attacking and counterattacking
the other's moves with the greatest of ease. Genma made a
move to stop them, but Cologne waved him back.
*AT THIS POINT THE FEMALE RANMA WILL BE REFERRED TO AS RANMA(C)*
Ranma(C) tried to use her greater speed and agility to her
advantage, but it didn't seem to work as her opponent
seemed to be able to anticipate what she did before she did it.
With some pride, she noticed she could do the same, but she
did wonder why.
Unfortunately, neither of the two could make the
connection and the fight went on for at least an hour. The
dojo would have been destroyed long before by body impacts
and ki blasts if not for the fact that Nabiki had rendered her
help in arranging for the dojo to be made virtually impervious.
For a modest fee, of course.
Anyway, while the structure was still standing it had taken
quite a beating. Finally, Cologne stepped in and easily
stopped the fight. Or maybe not so easily. If one Ranma was
a handful, then two must have been a nightmare to subdue.
When the Ranmas came to again, they saw everyone
sitting at various points around the room staring at them.
There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone tried to
assimilate what their senses were telling them. Nabiki turned
to Cologne and asked, "Okay, they're awake. Mind telling us
what happened?"
Cologne raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was obvious.
Happosai somehow made a separation of young Ranma's two
forms."
Kasumi, who had been doing some ironing in the corner,
raised her head and asked, "How do you know that grandfather
Happosai didn't do the same thing that was done to Ranma before
with the incense? Or that she isn't another clone like with the
magic mirror incident?"
"That is a good question, Kasumi. You see, what
happened last time was that Ranma's Jusenkyo curse was
withdrawn from his body. His female half may have been the
manifestation of his worst qualities, but since Ranma's soul
was still in his body, that half was immediately entered by an
evil spirit that had been attracted by the magic incense that
was used. The second possibility is unlikely as that involved
the spirit of a dead woman using Ranma-chan's reflection as a
template for a body(1)."
"What has happened in this case is not either of those
possibilities. Granted, I have only heard of these events
secondhand but when I first saw their auras and the lack of
Jusenkyo's influence in either, I felt confident in ruling
out them out. But I had to be sure. After watching the way
they fought, the tactics and strategies they used and how they
used them, I can say with almost absolute certainly that not only
has my son-in-law's two forms been split in two but his soul
has too."
"That's impossible!" Genma growled. As if to prove this,
he proceeded to ask questions to both Ranmas, trying to
catch them in error in some way. The Tendos joined in and
ten embarrassing minutes later, he and everyone else were
reasonably sure of Cologne's claim.
Akane said, "Cologne, you said something about
Happosai not intending to do this."
"I doubt he did. This appears to be a case of incompatible
magics. If I had to guess, I'd say Happy tried to permanently
change Ranma into a girl and it backfired."
Ranma looked like he was going to explode in anger, but
he choked it down and in a calm yet still menacing voice, he
asked, "Why didn't the old freak's plan work? When Herb
trapped me as a girl with the Chiisuiton, that worked fine."
Cologne hit him over the head with her staff and said in
exasperation, "Weren't you listening? The Chiisuiton was
just a variation on the magic of Jusenkyo's waters and
therefore is compatible. As long as the magic applied to you
is water based or doesn't directly affect your curse, it will
work on you. This spell appears to be neither and therein lies
the problem.
"This spell was specifically built to turn men into women.
Not lock them but change them. But the fundamental base of
your curse is that it is reversible in some way. The spell most
likely didn't meet any of the established parameters that
Jusenkyo magic needed in order to accept it. But apparently, the
spell was strong enough that it couldn't simply be rejected. So in
an attempt to reconcile two directives you were torn in two, which
satisfies both curses."
"I'm glad they're happy," Ranma muttered while Ranma(C)
just stared at her hands. She hadn't said or done anything
since the conversation had began and that was so unlike her
that Nabiki actually gave her a concerned look before saying,
"You make all this magic sound like a computer program. Got
a way to troubleshoot?"
"Perhaps. I know some people well versed in this sort of
thing. Incompatibilities happen quite often and I'm certain
these two could possibly be merged back together. But I
wouldn't advise it."
Before anyone could ask about that last statement,
Ranma spoke up, "Hey! Who said I wanted to be cursed
again? I just got cured and I'm not giving that up! Besides,
how do we know she isn't some demon in disguise or
something?"
Ranma(C)'s eyes blazed. "I can't believe you! You think
I'm happy about this? I might be stuck like this for the rest of
my life because you're too damn selfish to help me."
Ranma growled then threw up his hands in frustration.
"Fine! Have it your way! I'm used to being cursed by now.
Might as well keep it going."
Cologne shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid I can't allow
it. In situations where the merging of two living creatures is
needed, the willing consent of both is required because in
every case I have ever heard of the procedure is too
dangerous to be done on a whim."
"Dangerous?" Everyone echoed. Cologne sighed then
said, "One or both of you could wind up dead. The best case
would be that you'd both be vegetables. There is no way
any merging procedure would have a chance of succeeding if
both of you don't honestly want to do this."
Ranma crossed his arms. "Well, that's it. I don't see how I
could honestly want to do this. I guess it's too bad."
Akane opened her mouth to yell at Ranma, but she was
interrupted by Ryouga's voice, "Ranma, you insensitive jerk!
How can you just stand there and ignore what's happening? I
demand you make things right!"
"You're just jealous, P-chan," Ranma taunted, trying not to
show how surprised he was that his rival had suddenly
appeared out of nowhere.
"Who are you calling P-chan?" Ryouga yelled. He made a
move to rush Ranma when Cologne deftly tripped him with
her staff. She calmly said, "Your hot-headed friend has a
point. Have you really considered the consequences of your
actions? Your hatred toward your curse may have blinded
you. Many so-called curses have hidden benefits to them if
one looks hard enough."
Ranma snorted and Cologne glared at him before
continuing, "Ryouga's curse is a prime example of what I
speak of." Ryouga gave her a look of pure panic.
"As you all know, I'm talking about Ryouga's ability to
constantly get lost." There were massive facefaults around
the room from everyone except Akane and a few others.
Cologne gave the group an amused glance. "Of course it's
a curse. There's no natural way for a person to get lost so
easily but still have about an average level of intelligence.
It also doesn't make sense for his entire family to be afflicted
in the same way."
Ryouga asked, "You mean I'm afflicted by magic? Can you
help me?"
Cologne replied, "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to
talk to one of your parents. A curse that was placed on
purpose can usually only be lifted by the one that cast it or
by a descendant of that spell caster. A more powerful mage
could manage to lift it, but that could have disastrous results
if there are lingering booby traps hidden within the frame of
the curse."
Ranma looked impatient. "Okay, this would explain a
whole lot about Ryouga, but I don't see the benefit in this."
Cologne glared at him again. "Aside from the obvious
things like developing independence and strength, a direct
side effect of this curse is that Ryouga always manages to
show up at the most convenient times. It can't be merely
coincidence that he finds Nerima so often."
Ryouga looked at her with amazement in his eyes while
Ranma said, "That may be true and as I said, it explains a lot,
but Ryouga had to go through a bunch of crap just for these
so-called benefits. Look, you can't just change the way I feel
with a few words. You don't understand what I've been through.
All the logic and reason in the world can't change what I believe
to be true. I still think my life will be a lot easier without the
curse."
"That remains to be seen."
Ranma turned around to see his alter ego glowing with a
battle aura. There was such sorrow and frustration in her eyes
that Ranma actually considered taking a step back. Then
determination filled his face as he rose a battle aura of his own.
Cologne sighed. It was going to be a long night.
The next day everyone slept in, worn out as they were by
the events of the night before. Cologne had gone back to the
Nekohanten when she saw there was nothing more to be
learned, and Ryouga was probably lost in the dojo.
When the Ranmas woke they immediately went back to
fighting. Poor Ryouga got in their way trying to find the
bathroom and was knocked into the stratosphere.
The two Ranmas had managed to get each other into
unbreakable chokeholds and were trying to suffocate the
other. Ranma was stronger, but Ranma(C) was able to hang
on by sheer force of will. Suddenly, Kasumi came in and said,
"Ranma-kun? Ranma-chan? When you two are done
sparring, please come to the living room. Doctor Tofu is
waiting to see you."
The two Ranmas released their deathgrips on each other
and ran for the door before simultaneously freezing in
mid-step. They slowly turned toward Kasumi and Ranma
voiced the thought that was on both their minds. "Uh,
Kasumi? Will you be there when Doctor Tofu treats us?"
Kasumi looked at the fear on their faces and couldn't help
but burst out giggling. "Oh my! Are you afraid the doctor
will hurt you while I'm around?"
"You know?!" the Ranmas chorused in surprise. Kasumi
gave them an amused look. "There are many things people
call me but blind is not one of them. Don't worry, I'll be in the
kitchen making breakfast." With that said, she left, still
giggling.
The two martial artists looked at one another. Finally,
Ranma said to his alter ego, "Do you get the feeling we
missed something?"
Ranma(C) shrugged and they walked into the house.
Doctor Tofu looked startled to see them when they arrived,
but he quickly recovered and motioned for them to come over.
He gave both of them a thorough inspection and administered
a series of tests for at least an hour when he finally sat back
with a sigh. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't
have believed it."
"What did you find out?" Soun prompted.
"As far as I can tell they are two healthy, normal
individuals. And yes, they are in fact quite human. Mentally
and psychologically speaking, there is little doubt they are
the same person. I don't have the tests for it but in my
professional opinion, if they were to get DNA tests, it'd show
that they were twins at least."
He glanced over at his patients and sighed again. "But I'm
afraid there's nothing I can do for them. I can tell that they're
not completely separated and there is still some connection
between their souls, but I have no idea what to do with that
information."
Ranma(C) asked in a strained voice, "There's nothing you
can do?"
Dr. Tofu shook his head. "I have to admit that I'm stumped.
Cologne knows far more than I do and if she couldn't help you,
I doubt I could."
Ranma(C) scoffed, "Yeah, right! It's probably just some
scheme of that old ghoul to get me, uh, *him*, to marry
Shampoo!"
Ranma, who had been idly lying around acting like he
couldn't care less about what was going on, immediately sat
up and said, "Like that would ever happen!"
Everyone ignored him and Nabiki said, "I think Cologne
was serious about what she said. While she'd do many
things and I wouldn't put anything past her, she seemed
genuinely worried.
She paused. "It's bad enough to have one Ranma running
around, but this would cause too many complications. It's
one thing to upset the status quo, it's another to completely
destroy it and it's possible that's what could happen. This
split would more likely be more of a hindrance than a help to
her plans."
Tofu rubbed his eyes then pushed his glasses back on.
"I'm inclined to agree. There is no proof that the Amazon
matriarch is planning anything and even if she was, we don't
know that and can't act like we do. False hope is worse than
none at all in my experience."
Ranma(C) balled up her hands. "I refuse to believe that
there isn't a cure of some kind!"
Tofu replied, "I didn't say there wasn't. And there is
nothing wrong in keeping hope about that."
Ranma spoke up, "As far as I'm concerned, a cure was
found when I was freed of the curse."
The doctor gave him an asking glance. "Aren't you the
least bit concerned about the plight of your other half here?"
Ranma hesitated then looked away, unable to meet Tofu's
eyes. At that moment, Kasumi came in carrying a tray of
breakfast. Tofu's glasses instantly fogged up and he
stuttered, "Kasumi! What a surprise to see you here! Have
you come to borrow another book?"
"Doctor Tofu!"
"You certainly look beautiful today. Oh my! Are you
going to eat all that food by yourself? Well, breakfast is the
most important meal of the day..."
"DOCTOR TOFU!"
The anger in Ranma(C)'s voice was enough to snap the
good physician out of his love-struck daze. With an abashed
look on his face, he said, "I'm sorry, Ranma. That was
inexcusable. I'm a doctor and I should be able to pay
attention to my patients. I don't know what gets into me
sometimes..."
Ranma(C) waved off his apology, but there was a sad look
in her eyes. "That's okay, doc. It's nice to know some things
don't change. I can't say that about too many things in my
life."
Tofu looked at Ranma(C) for a long time then he looked
over at Kasumi. He said softly, "Sometimes, it takes change
to make a person realize what they're missing."
Clearing his throat, he stood up. "I'm sorry I couldn't be
of any more help, but if I discover anything I will give you a
call."
After he left, the Saotomes and the Tendos began their
breakfast. As they were eating (or in some cases, shoveling
down food) Ranma(C) asked, "Hey, Pops, what are we going
to tell Mom?"
Genma stopped his assault on his food long enough to
say, "I don't really know. Your mother went out of town last
week and I don't know when she'll back. But that reminds me.
Tendo and I have been discussing some aspects of your
predicament."
Soun cleared his throat. "Given the current situation, we're
all going to have to make some adjustments. Both of you will
still have to go to school, for example. Ranma-"
Both Ranmas looked at him and Soun paused, confused.
"Uh, Genma and I have decided to make you two brother and
sister for the duration to avoid any awkward questions by
anyone not used to such... strange occurrences."
Soun suddenly looked uncomfortable and his eyes were
downcast. "That means, Ranma... -chan, to avoid confusion
you'll have to change your name. It'll only be temporary, of
course-"
"No," Ranma(C) said flatly.
Genma said in what he thought was a soothing voice,
"Now, this is only for the best. There is too much
strangeness already associated with this dojo and-"
"What part of no did you not understand, old man?"
Ranma(C) interrupted glaring at him from across the table.
Akane hit the table with her fist, angry for some reason
she couldn't name. "Daddy and Mister Saotome are just
trying to deal with the situation. Why are you being so
stubborn?"
"I'm sorry to be so much trouble. I suppose I should just
sit back and let you take away my identity one bit at a time.
Would that make things easier for all of you?" Ranma(C)
asked coldly. With that, she stood up and left, leaving an
awkward silence behind her.
By dinnertime, things were back to normal for most of the
family, but Akane sat quietly by herself, wondering where
Ranma(C) was. She glanced over at Genma and Ranma who
were fighting over food as if nothing was wrong. She was
confused for she was happy for Ranma, but the image of a
red-haired girl who looked like she needed a friend kept
popping into her head.
She left the table and went to the roof, knowing the
person she was searching for had to be there. She gasped at
what she saw. Ranma(C) was reading and it wasn't a manga!
Ranma(C) whirled around and tried to hide the book in her
hand, but Akane caught two words: Split Personalities.
Akane asked, "What are you doing? I thought you hated
studying."
Even through her embarrassment, Ranma(C) gave her the
smirk she had grown to know so well. "No, I hate school.
There's a difference. Martial artists aren't stupid, Akane.
You think a guy who can pick up new techniques so quickly
couldn't use this ability in other ways? But school is boring
and I learn things better at my own pace and when I'm
interested in it."
"How long have you been doing this?" Akane asked
curiously.
Ranma(C) shrugged. "After I came to live here and my life
turned upside down, I started looking for ways to get cured,
to deal with the changes I was going through. Eventually, I
got interested in other things. I mean, with all the monsters,
spirits, and weird magic going around, it's hard not to get
curious."
She sighed. "Life was much easier on the road. Aside
from Pops always selling me for food, of course. Here, living
in a house, I almost went crazy. Books keep my mind off
things. Sometimes, I even manage to find things that are
stranger than my life, if you can believe that.
"I don't tell anybody 'cause I got an image to uphold,
you know? Besides, Pops wouldn't understand and I'm not
sure about Mom so usually, I'd wait for when I'm alone in
the house, but right now, I really didn't feel like thinking
about certain things."
"What things?" Akane asked without thinking. Then she
mentally kicked herself and opened her mouth to apologize.
Her jaw froze when the girl in front of her gave her a sorrowful
smile.
Then she turned away from her. "It's not your problem,
Akane. You don't have to worry about it."
Akane wasn't going to leave it at that. "Please tell me,
Ranma. You have done so much for me since you've
arrived and it's time I returned the favor. I think you need
someone to talk to and I don't want you to keep everything
bottled up. I didn't come up here just for you to send me
away. I'm not leaving until you talk to me."
Softly, Ranma(C) said, "Before you showed up, I was
trying to deal with the fact I might be stuck like this for the
rest of my life. This is different from anything that has ever
happened to me. Any other time, I always knew there was a
slight chance I could change back to my original body. But
this is my body now! And there really isn't anything I can do
about it."
Akane didn't want to hear anymore. She suddenly
wondered why she was here. She wasn't any good at dealing
with emotional problems. It made her feel helpless to be
confronted with something she couldn't punch or kick to
make go away and she didn't like the feeling. It reminded her
too much of her mother's death.
She finally realized that Ranma(C) hadn't said anything in
that time, as if she had known what Akane was going
through. She hardened her resolve to stay by her friend in
her time of need.
Ranma(C) gave a harsh laugh. "It's almost a relief, actually.
I mean, my worst nightmare has come true and things can't
get any worse, right?"
Akane was shocked. "You're just going to give up?
That's not like you."
Ranma(C) gave her a long, suffering look. "No, it's not.
And it's not like *him*. Akane, I've tried to get rid of my curse
for as long as I can remember and in a sense I did. I've been
thinking about this all night and I know exactly what he's
feeling.
"I know what it's like to be goggled at and made fun of
simply because I can change gender with a cup of water. I
know all the fear and anger I had to deal with over the year
because of that curse.
"Why should I bother trying to get *him* to change his
mind when I know there's no point? He may not look it, but
he's torn up with guilt."
"But that's good! He deserves it! I can't believe he would
be so mean to you about this whole thing," Akane said,
wondering if she knew her fiance as well as she thought.
Ranma(C) shook her head. "You still don't understand.
Have you ever wondered why I hated my curse so much? It's
wasn't just because I turn into a girl. I was so sick of feeling
like the world was out to get me."
She took a deep breath. "Do you know what it's like to
wake up every morning and just know that no matter what you
do something bad is going to happen? I'm so tired of being
some cosmic joke for people to laugh and point at.
"Every morning, I can lie in bed and predict that during the
day I'll be splashed at least a dozen times, be attacked or
glomped just as much, and if the day is really bad I'll end up
malleted halfway across the city. I've tolerated all of the chaos,
even enjoyed some of it, but this is the last straw."
Ranma(C) looked down at the roof. "I thought the curse
was the worst thing that could have happened to me and now
this happens. Why do these things always happen to me?
Why can't I learn martial arts and still have a normal life? Why
can't I be... happy?"
Ranma(C)'s face was unreadable. "But maybe I don't
deserve to be. My life here isn't all bad. I enjoy the fights and
I never get bored but the price is too high. Almost everyone
I have ever known is miserable because of me and do you
know how depressing that is?
"If one of us has to be miserable, it might as well be me."
She shifted her body toward the koi pond and didn't move.
Akane's heart ached with sympathy and sorrow for the girl
who was no longer a boy. On an irresistible impulse, she
gave Ranma(C) a hug. The pig-tailed girl froze for a moment
then relaxed; but, the air of depression around her didn't
dissipate.
That would take some time.
=============================================
Author's Notes:
I may or may not have mentioned this before but this is my
first fanfiction. Actually, I think I'm doing pretty well, but just
in case, I'm going to wait for all of you to prove me horribly
wrong. Please don't be *too* brutal! :)
I wrote this because I have read many fanfics dealing with
Ranma's male and female side being separated and I always
thought something was missing. It seemed more like a
gimmick than a real life-changing phenomenon that would
affect everyone and not just Ranma.
This is only the beginning of course. More will be
revealed later. Be warned: this may be based mostly on the
anime series as well as several manga events that would fit
well into the show, but I will also put my own spin and
interpretation on characters and plot devices so deal with it.
But if it really disturbs you, you know where to email me.
For example, I decided to make Ranma smarter. Not
intelligent, mind you, but smarter. I've always felt that he
was unfairly underestimated in that department. He'll still be
the idiot that puts his foot in his mouth and know nothing
about social interactions, but he'll be a three dimensional
character instead of simply the stereotypical macho jerk
people think he is. This will be done with other characters
as things goes on.
One more thing, are you curious about the guy who gave
Happosai the potion that started the whole thing. Oh, he'll
show up again and how important he's going to be to the plot
will be determined later on.
Well, hope I didn't bore you silly, though there's probably
fat chance of that. You did know you could skip author's
notes, didn't you?! Oh, well.
See you next installation!
(1) Added February 9, 2001
I haven't read manga book 35 until after I had posted this
chapter originally on my site but when I finishing reading it,
I felt it was important that I at least make some reference to it.
The gist is that the magic mirror talked about had a woman's spirit
in it who periodically took someone's reflection (in this case
Ranma's female side) to create a body that she would use to cause
havoc until she could be contained again. (Note: Ranma still had his
curse at the time as the mirror in no way affected him directly and
only created a Ranma-chan copy.) You'd really have to read this
yourself to understand. I suggest going to http://ranmascan.dhs.org
to read the Ranma 1/2 Manga online.
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/ranmanexus/ranmaweb/splits.html
The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the creation of
the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi, who could track me down and
sue the pants off me if she felt like it. Yada yada yada.
Seriously, I always give credit where credit is due and I for
one am glad she created Ranma 1/2. Otherwise, I'd have to
write fanfiction on insert most hated anime. :)
***********************************************
THE SPLITTING: A RANMA 1/2 FANFICTION
CHAPTER I: DISASTER STRIKES!
By Vincent Nguyen
***********************************************
-Chapter 1-
"Come back here, you old pervert! What did you do to
me?" Ranma cried chasing after Happosai, the old pervert in
question, through the dojo. There was fury in the young
martial artist's voice as usual, but now it was also filled with
panic and a little bit of fear.
There was a burning intensity in his eyes as he pushed
himself along by sheer force of will. His battle aura flickered
weakly and he looked like he was dying. Gritting his teeth,
Ranma said, "I am not letting you get away this time!"
With all the concentration he could muster, a ball of ki
shot from his hands and barely missed hitting Happosai, who
at the moment was running for his life.
Happosai wasn't afraid of Ranma (he knew he could beat
him any day of the week), but he was terrified of what was
happening to him. He had never seen anything like it. He
couldn't help looking back every so often in horrified
fascination. He had never expected this to happen when he
used that magic potion. He vowed that he would never do
business with that alley fellow again!
*FLASHBACK
Happosai had just come back from a very successful day
of looking up women's skirts and stealing underwear from the
young and innocent. Why, he was like that Robin Hood
fellow! His memory told him that wasn't quite right but he
ignored it.
Skulking through an alley, he suddenly sensed something.
He whirled around and saw a young man who looked to be in
his mid-twenties, but he had the air of someone much older.
He was wearing a suit and tie and appeared to be a normal
businessman. Happosai wasn't fooled, however, because as
he focused his eyes he could see enormous magical energy
radiating from the fellow. Also, there was something very
strange about his aura...
"What do you want?" Happosai asked warily.
The man smiled and in a cultured voice of a gentleman said,
"Master Happosai, I have a proposition for you."
Happosai didn't live this long by being stupid. "Unless
it involves some pretty undies, I'm not interested."
He turned to go when the man said, "I have a potion that
will help you get your revenge on a certain Ranma Saotome."
Happosai narrowed his eyes. It was true that the young
whelp had recently angered him with his holier-than-thou-
simply-because-I'm-not-a-pervert-like-you attitude, but he
didn't trust how this opportunity came up so conveniently.
He asked, "What exactly does this potion do?"
The man leaned down to Happosai and whispered the
answer. The diminutive lecher widened his eyes and he
chortled in delight.
"My, my. That will certainly do the trick," Happosai said
looking over the bottle in his hand, but he was still
suspicious. "What do you get of this, mister?"
The mysterious stranger replied, "You would never believe
me if I told you. Let's just say that Fate is involved and
whatever hand she deals will have consequences you can't
even imagine. I'm doing this because I have to and because I
know good things can come out of chaos. In this case, I'm
counting on it."
The fellow seemed sincere enough about his intentions
and Happosai decided to take pity on the plainly delusional
fellow. "I guess that's all well and good so I'm going to be
generous with you. Name your price."
The gentleman smiled condescendingly at Happosai for a
moment and with a bow, he vanished.
Happosai was momentarily startled, but he quickly
composed himself. He was the master of the Extra
Dimensional Warp after all and shouldn't be surprised by
such things. But he couldn't help feeling a sense of unease
as he walked back to the Tendo Dojo.
*END FLASHBACK
It turned out he was right after all. The potion didn't
work the way he had expected at all. Obviously, something
had gone very wrong. Looking behind him, he knew he had
definitely crossed the line this time.
He had seen many things in his long life, but this one took
the cake. Ranma was flickering rapidly from his normal state
to his cursed form and back. In one step, he was a short,
red-haired girl, the next he was a muscular, black-haired boy.
The changes were increasing with frequency and it must
have been painful since Ranma was visibly straining to keep
going.
"When I get my hands on you, I'm going to ground you
into dust," Ranma growled with every other word rising into
the soprano range. He threw a speed punch at Happosai, but
just as it was going to connect, his arm shrank and Ranma
stumbled onto the floor, changing back as he hit it. He didn't
move and he didn't seem to be breathing.
The old wizened lecher cautiously poked the body with his
pipe and got worried when there was no response. How
would it look if the heir to the Anything Goes School of
Martial Arts was killed by his Master?
In his musing, he almost failed to see a white light flare
around Ranma's body. Happosai backed away instinctively
knowing this was not something he'd want to be a part of.
As much as he wanted to see what would happen next he wasn't
going to wait around to take the blame. A vacation was
definitely in order. He hadn't been to Havana in a while and
there were many pretty ladies there he hadn't seen for some
time.
With his mind already focused on what type of swimwear
was appropriate for the season in Cuba, Happosai bounded
off into the night just as the white light around Ranma
reached its maximum intensity.
BOOM!!!
Akane gave up trying to get back to sleep. She had
ignored what had sounded like a typical runaround with
Ranma and Happosai, but what she just heard gave her some
concern. She placed P-chan to the side of her bed and left the
room. She gasped as a figure stepped out in front of her.
"Cologne! What are you doing here?"
Cologne replied, "Please, child. Did you imagine that the
explosion of such magical energy would have kept me away?
But an old woman like myself knows better than to barge
headlong into a potentially dangerous situation. I decided
to wait for you and your family to wake up and barge in for
me."
Akane sighed knowing that she shouldn't have really
expected a serious answer from the ancient matriarch. Then
she gave Cologne a look. "I don't believe there's anything
you couldn't handle by yourself."
"An important life secret to remember is that there is
always someone better, but the point is moot." Cologne
pointed to the rest of Akane's family who had just showed up,
rubbing sleep out of their eyes. They cautiously entered the
dojo and were shocked by the sight that greeted them. And
anything that could shock *this* family had to be very
impressive.
Lying side by side in defiance of all natural laws (which
had no meaning in Nerima anyway) were the bodies of
Ranma's male and female sides, who inexplicably were both
dressed in Ranma's trademark Chinese red shirt and black
pants.
Akane was livid. "I can't believe that Happosai would
split Ranma again after what happened last time!"
Cologne inspected the bodies. "I don't think that was
what he intended to do at all. For one thing, both bodies
are solid. There are other signs but it seems to me that
whatever he was trying to do went horribly wrong. I
suspect I know what happened but I really should make
sure first."
She tapped a pressure point on both Ranmas' necks then
stepped back. Both their eyes opened at the same time and
in unison they groaned in pain. They sat up with a hand
clutching their heads and then they looked at each other.
In shock, they screamed, "Evil spirit!"
"Who are you calling an evil spirit!" They simultaneously
yelled as they fell into fighting stances. The Ranmas
whipped some spirit wards seemingly out of nowhere and fell
to attack in earnest, perfectly attacking and counterattacking
the other's moves with the greatest of ease. Genma made a
move to stop them, but Cologne waved him back.
*AT THIS POINT THE FEMALE RANMA WILL BE REFERRED TO AS RANMA(C)*
Ranma(C) tried to use her greater speed and agility to her
advantage, but it didn't seem to work as her opponent
seemed to be able to anticipate what she did before she did it.
With some pride, she noticed she could do the same, but she
did wonder why.
Unfortunately, neither of the two could make the
connection and the fight went on for at least an hour. The
dojo would have been destroyed long before by body impacts
and ki blasts if not for the fact that Nabiki had rendered her
help in arranging for the dojo to be made virtually impervious.
For a modest fee, of course.
Anyway, while the structure was still standing it had taken
quite a beating. Finally, Cologne stepped in and easily
stopped the fight. Or maybe not so easily. If one Ranma was
a handful, then two must have been a nightmare to subdue.
When the Ranmas came to again, they saw everyone
sitting at various points around the room staring at them.
There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone tried to
assimilate what their senses were telling them. Nabiki turned
to Cologne and asked, "Okay, they're awake. Mind telling us
what happened?"
Cologne raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was obvious.
Happosai somehow made a separation of young Ranma's two
forms."
Kasumi, who had been doing some ironing in the corner,
raised her head and asked, "How do you know that grandfather
Happosai didn't do the same thing that was done to Ranma before
with the incense? Or that she isn't another clone like with the
magic mirror incident?"
"That is a good question, Kasumi. You see, what
happened last time was that Ranma's Jusenkyo curse was
withdrawn from his body. His female half may have been the
manifestation of his worst qualities, but since Ranma's soul
was still in his body, that half was immediately entered by an
evil spirit that had been attracted by the magic incense that
was used. The second possibility is unlikely as that involved
the spirit of a dead woman using Ranma-chan's reflection as a
template for a body(1)."
"What has happened in this case is not either of those
possibilities. Granted, I have only heard of these events
secondhand but when I first saw their auras and the lack of
Jusenkyo's influence in either, I felt confident in ruling
out them out. But I had to be sure. After watching the way
they fought, the tactics and strategies they used and how they
used them, I can say with almost absolute certainly that not only
has my son-in-law's two forms been split in two but his soul
has too."
"That's impossible!" Genma growled. As if to prove this,
he proceeded to ask questions to both Ranmas, trying to
catch them in error in some way. The Tendos joined in and
ten embarrassing minutes later, he and everyone else were
reasonably sure of Cologne's claim.
Akane said, "Cologne, you said something about
Happosai not intending to do this."
"I doubt he did. This appears to be a case of incompatible
magics. If I had to guess, I'd say Happy tried to permanently
change Ranma into a girl and it backfired."
Ranma looked like he was going to explode in anger, but
he choked it down and in a calm yet still menacing voice, he
asked, "Why didn't the old freak's plan work? When Herb
trapped me as a girl with the Chiisuiton, that worked fine."
Cologne hit him over the head with her staff and said in
exasperation, "Weren't you listening? The Chiisuiton was
just a variation on the magic of Jusenkyo's waters and
therefore is compatible. As long as the magic applied to you
is water based or doesn't directly affect your curse, it will
work on you. This spell appears to be neither and therein lies
the problem.
"This spell was specifically built to turn men into women.
Not lock them but change them. But the fundamental base of
your curse is that it is reversible in some way. The spell most
likely didn't meet any of the established parameters that
Jusenkyo magic needed in order to accept it. But apparently, the
spell was strong enough that it couldn't simply be rejected. So in
an attempt to reconcile two directives you were torn in two, which
satisfies both curses."
"I'm glad they're happy," Ranma muttered while Ranma(C)
just stared at her hands. She hadn't said or done anything
since the conversation had began and that was so unlike her
that Nabiki actually gave her a concerned look before saying,
"You make all this magic sound like a computer program. Got
a way to troubleshoot?"
"Perhaps. I know some people well versed in this sort of
thing. Incompatibilities happen quite often and I'm certain
these two could possibly be merged back together. But I
wouldn't advise it."
Before anyone could ask about that last statement,
Ranma spoke up, "Hey! Who said I wanted to be cursed
again? I just got cured and I'm not giving that up! Besides,
how do we know she isn't some demon in disguise or
something?"
Ranma(C)'s eyes blazed. "I can't believe you! You think
I'm happy about this? I might be stuck like this for the rest of
my life because you're too damn selfish to help me."
Ranma growled then threw up his hands in frustration.
"Fine! Have it your way! I'm used to being cursed by now.
Might as well keep it going."
Cologne shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid I can't allow
it. In situations where the merging of two living creatures is
needed, the willing consent of both is required because in
every case I have ever heard of the procedure is too
dangerous to be done on a whim."
"Dangerous?" Everyone echoed. Cologne sighed then
said, "One or both of you could wind up dead. The best case
would be that you'd both be vegetables. There is no way
any merging procedure would have a chance of succeeding if
both of you don't honestly want to do this."
Ranma crossed his arms. "Well, that's it. I don't see how I
could honestly want to do this. I guess it's too bad."
Akane opened her mouth to yell at Ranma, but she was
interrupted by Ryouga's voice, "Ranma, you insensitive jerk!
How can you just stand there and ignore what's happening? I
demand you make things right!"
"You're just jealous, P-chan," Ranma taunted, trying not to
show how surprised he was that his rival had suddenly
appeared out of nowhere.
"Who are you calling P-chan?" Ryouga yelled. He made a
move to rush Ranma when Cologne deftly tripped him with
her staff. She calmly said, "Your hot-headed friend has a
point. Have you really considered the consequences of your
actions? Your hatred toward your curse may have blinded
you. Many so-called curses have hidden benefits to them if
one looks hard enough."
Ranma snorted and Cologne glared at him before
continuing, "Ryouga's curse is a prime example of what I
speak of." Ryouga gave her a look of pure panic.
"As you all know, I'm talking about Ryouga's ability to
constantly get lost." There were massive facefaults around
the room from everyone except Akane and a few others.
Cologne gave the group an amused glance. "Of course it's
a curse. There's no natural way for a person to get lost so
easily but still have about an average level of intelligence.
It also doesn't make sense for his entire family to be afflicted
in the same way."
Ryouga asked, "You mean I'm afflicted by magic? Can you
help me?"
Cologne replied, "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to
talk to one of your parents. A curse that was placed on
purpose can usually only be lifted by the one that cast it or
by a descendant of that spell caster. A more powerful mage
could manage to lift it, but that could have disastrous results
if there are lingering booby traps hidden within the frame of
the curse."
Ranma looked impatient. "Okay, this would explain a
whole lot about Ryouga, but I don't see the benefit in this."
Cologne glared at him again. "Aside from the obvious
things like developing independence and strength, a direct
side effect of this curse is that Ryouga always manages to
show up at the most convenient times. It can't be merely
coincidence that he finds Nerima so often."
Ryouga looked at her with amazement in his eyes while
Ranma said, "That may be true and as I said, it explains a lot,
but Ryouga had to go through a bunch of crap just for these
so-called benefits. Look, you can't just change the way I feel
with a few words. You don't understand what I've been through.
All the logic and reason in the world can't change what I believe
to be true. I still think my life will be a lot easier without the
curse."
"That remains to be seen."
Ranma turned around to see his alter ego glowing with a
battle aura. There was such sorrow and frustration in her eyes
that Ranma actually considered taking a step back. Then
determination filled his face as he rose a battle aura of his own.
Cologne sighed. It was going to be a long night.
The next day everyone slept in, worn out as they were by
the events of the night before. Cologne had gone back to the
Nekohanten when she saw there was nothing more to be
learned, and Ryouga was probably lost in the dojo.
When the Ranmas woke they immediately went back to
fighting. Poor Ryouga got in their way trying to find the
bathroom and was knocked into the stratosphere.
The two Ranmas had managed to get each other into
unbreakable chokeholds and were trying to suffocate the
other. Ranma was stronger, but Ranma(C) was able to hang
on by sheer force of will. Suddenly, Kasumi came in and said,
"Ranma-kun? Ranma-chan? When you two are done
sparring, please come to the living room. Doctor Tofu is
waiting to see you."
The two Ranmas released their deathgrips on each other
and ran for the door before simultaneously freezing in
mid-step. They slowly turned toward Kasumi and Ranma
voiced the thought that was on both their minds. "Uh,
Kasumi? Will you be there when Doctor Tofu treats us?"
Kasumi looked at the fear on their faces and couldn't help
but burst out giggling. "Oh my! Are you afraid the doctor
will hurt you while I'm around?"
"You know?!" the Ranmas chorused in surprise. Kasumi
gave them an amused look. "There are many things people
call me but blind is not one of them. Don't worry, I'll be in the
kitchen making breakfast." With that said, she left, still
giggling.
The two martial artists looked at one another. Finally,
Ranma said to his alter ego, "Do you get the feeling we
missed something?"
Ranma(C) shrugged and they walked into the house.
Doctor Tofu looked startled to see them when they arrived,
but he quickly recovered and motioned for them to come over.
He gave both of them a thorough inspection and administered
a series of tests for at least an hour when he finally sat back
with a sigh. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't
have believed it."
"What did you find out?" Soun prompted.
"As far as I can tell they are two healthy, normal
individuals. And yes, they are in fact quite human. Mentally
and psychologically speaking, there is little doubt they are
the same person. I don't have the tests for it but in my
professional opinion, if they were to get DNA tests, it'd show
that they were twins at least."
He glanced over at his patients and sighed again. "But I'm
afraid there's nothing I can do for them. I can tell that they're
not completely separated and there is still some connection
between their souls, but I have no idea what to do with that
information."
Ranma(C) asked in a strained voice, "There's nothing you
can do?"
Dr. Tofu shook his head. "I have to admit that I'm stumped.
Cologne knows far more than I do and if she couldn't help you,
I doubt I could."
Ranma(C) scoffed, "Yeah, right! It's probably just some
scheme of that old ghoul to get me, uh, *him*, to marry
Shampoo!"
Ranma, who had been idly lying around acting like he
couldn't care less about what was going on, immediately sat
up and said, "Like that would ever happen!"
Everyone ignored him and Nabiki said, "I think Cologne
was serious about what she said. While she'd do many
things and I wouldn't put anything past her, she seemed
genuinely worried.
She paused. "It's bad enough to have one Ranma running
around, but this would cause too many complications. It's
one thing to upset the status quo, it's another to completely
destroy it and it's possible that's what could happen. This
split would more likely be more of a hindrance than a help to
her plans."
Tofu rubbed his eyes then pushed his glasses back on.
"I'm inclined to agree. There is no proof that the Amazon
matriarch is planning anything and even if she was, we don't
know that and can't act like we do. False hope is worse than
none at all in my experience."
Ranma(C) balled up her hands. "I refuse to believe that
there isn't a cure of some kind!"
Tofu replied, "I didn't say there wasn't. And there is
nothing wrong in keeping hope about that."
Ranma spoke up, "As far as I'm concerned, a cure was
found when I was freed of the curse."
The doctor gave him an asking glance. "Aren't you the
least bit concerned about the plight of your other half here?"
Ranma hesitated then looked away, unable to meet Tofu's
eyes. At that moment, Kasumi came in carrying a tray of
breakfast. Tofu's glasses instantly fogged up and he
stuttered, "Kasumi! What a surprise to see you here! Have
you come to borrow another book?"
"Doctor Tofu!"
"You certainly look beautiful today. Oh my! Are you
going to eat all that food by yourself? Well, breakfast is the
most important meal of the day..."
"DOCTOR TOFU!"
The anger in Ranma(C)'s voice was enough to snap the
good physician out of his love-struck daze. With an abashed
look on his face, he said, "I'm sorry, Ranma. That was
inexcusable. I'm a doctor and I should be able to pay
attention to my patients. I don't know what gets into me
sometimes..."
Ranma(C) waved off his apology, but there was a sad look
in her eyes. "That's okay, doc. It's nice to know some things
don't change. I can't say that about too many things in my
life."
Tofu looked at Ranma(C) for a long time then he looked
over at Kasumi. He said softly, "Sometimes, it takes change
to make a person realize what they're missing."
Clearing his throat, he stood up. "I'm sorry I couldn't be
of any more help, but if I discover anything I will give you a
call."
After he left, the Saotomes and the Tendos began their
breakfast. As they were eating (or in some cases, shoveling
down food) Ranma(C) asked, "Hey, Pops, what are we going
to tell Mom?"
Genma stopped his assault on his food long enough to
say, "I don't really know. Your mother went out of town last
week and I don't know when she'll back. But that reminds me.
Tendo and I have been discussing some aspects of your
predicament."
Soun cleared his throat. "Given the current situation, we're
all going to have to make some adjustments. Both of you will
still have to go to school, for example. Ranma-"
Both Ranmas looked at him and Soun paused, confused.
"Uh, Genma and I have decided to make you two brother and
sister for the duration to avoid any awkward questions by
anyone not used to such... strange occurrences."
Soun suddenly looked uncomfortable and his eyes were
downcast. "That means, Ranma... -chan, to avoid confusion
you'll have to change your name. It'll only be temporary, of
course-"
"No," Ranma(C) said flatly.
Genma said in what he thought was a soothing voice,
"Now, this is only for the best. There is too much
strangeness already associated with this dojo and-"
"What part of no did you not understand, old man?"
Ranma(C) interrupted glaring at him from across the table.
Akane hit the table with her fist, angry for some reason
she couldn't name. "Daddy and Mister Saotome are just
trying to deal with the situation. Why are you being so
stubborn?"
"I'm sorry to be so much trouble. I suppose I should just
sit back and let you take away my identity one bit at a time.
Would that make things easier for all of you?" Ranma(C)
asked coldly. With that, she stood up and left, leaving an
awkward silence behind her.
By dinnertime, things were back to normal for most of the
family, but Akane sat quietly by herself, wondering where
Ranma(C) was. She glanced over at Genma and Ranma who
were fighting over food as if nothing was wrong. She was
confused for she was happy for Ranma, but the image of a
red-haired girl who looked like she needed a friend kept
popping into her head.
She left the table and went to the roof, knowing the
person she was searching for had to be there. She gasped at
what she saw. Ranma(C) was reading and it wasn't a manga!
Ranma(C) whirled around and tried to hide the book in her
hand, but Akane caught two words: Split Personalities.
Akane asked, "What are you doing? I thought you hated
studying."
Even through her embarrassment, Ranma(C) gave her the
smirk she had grown to know so well. "No, I hate school.
There's a difference. Martial artists aren't stupid, Akane.
You think a guy who can pick up new techniques so quickly
couldn't use this ability in other ways? But school is boring
and I learn things better at my own pace and when I'm
interested in it."
"How long have you been doing this?" Akane asked
curiously.
Ranma(C) shrugged. "After I came to live here and my life
turned upside down, I started looking for ways to get cured,
to deal with the changes I was going through. Eventually, I
got interested in other things. I mean, with all the monsters,
spirits, and weird magic going around, it's hard not to get
curious."
She sighed. "Life was much easier on the road. Aside
from Pops always selling me for food, of course. Here, living
in a house, I almost went crazy. Books keep my mind off
things. Sometimes, I even manage to find things that are
stranger than my life, if you can believe that.
"I don't tell anybody 'cause I got an image to uphold,
you know? Besides, Pops wouldn't understand and I'm not
sure about Mom so usually, I'd wait for when I'm alone in
the house, but right now, I really didn't feel like thinking
about certain things."
"What things?" Akane asked without thinking. Then she
mentally kicked herself and opened her mouth to apologize.
Her jaw froze when the girl in front of her gave her a sorrowful
smile.
Then she turned away from her. "It's not your problem,
Akane. You don't have to worry about it."
Akane wasn't going to leave it at that. "Please tell me,
Ranma. You have done so much for me since you've
arrived and it's time I returned the favor. I think you need
someone to talk to and I don't want you to keep everything
bottled up. I didn't come up here just for you to send me
away. I'm not leaving until you talk to me."
Softly, Ranma(C) said, "Before you showed up, I was
trying to deal with the fact I might be stuck like this for the
rest of my life. This is different from anything that has ever
happened to me. Any other time, I always knew there was a
slight chance I could change back to my original body. But
this is my body now! And there really isn't anything I can do
about it."
Akane didn't want to hear anymore. She suddenly
wondered why she was here. She wasn't any good at dealing
with emotional problems. It made her feel helpless to be
confronted with something she couldn't punch or kick to
make go away and she didn't like the feeling. It reminded her
too much of her mother's death.
She finally realized that Ranma(C) hadn't said anything in
that time, as if she had known what Akane was going
through. She hardened her resolve to stay by her friend in
her time of need.
Ranma(C) gave a harsh laugh. "It's almost a relief, actually.
I mean, my worst nightmare has come true and things can't
get any worse, right?"
Akane was shocked. "You're just going to give up?
That's not like you."
Ranma(C) gave her a long, suffering look. "No, it's not.
And it's not like *him*. Akane, I've tried to get rid of my curse
for as long as I can remember and in a sense I did. I've been
thinking about this all night and I know exactly what he's
feeling.
"I know what it's like to be goggled at and made fun of
simply because I can change gender with a cup of water. I
know all the fear and anger I had to deal with over the year
because of that curse.
"Why should I bother trying to get *him* to change his
mind when I know there's no point? He may not look it, but
he's torn up with guilt."
"But that's good! He deserves it! I can't believe he would
be so mean to you about this whole thing," Akane said,
wondering if she knew her fiance as well as she thought.
Ranma(C) shook her head. "You still don't understand.
Have you ever wondered why I hated my curse so much? It's
wasn't just because I turn into a girl. I was so sick of feeling
like the world was out to get me."
She took a deep breath. "Do you know what it's like to
wake up every morning and just know that no matter what you
do something bad is going to happen? I'm so tired of being
some cosmic joke for people to laugh and point at.
"Every morning, I can lie in bed and predict that during the
day I'll be splashed at least a dozen times, be attacked or
glomped just as much, and if the day is really bad I'll end up
malleted halfway across the city. I've tolerated all of the chaos,
even enjoyed some of it, but this is the last straw."
Ranma(C) looked down at the roof. "I thought the curse
was the worst thing that could have happened to me and now
this happens. Why do these things always happen to me?
Why can't I learn martial arts and still have a normal life? Why
can't I be... happy?"
Ranma(C)'s face was unreadable. "But maybe I don't
deserve to be. My life here isn't all bad. I enjoy the fights and
I never get bored but the price is too high. Almost everyone
I have ever known is miserable because of me and do you
know how depressing that is?
"If one of us has to be miserable, it might as well be me."
She shifted her body toward the koi pond and didn't move.
Akane's heart ached with sympathy and sorrow for the girl
who was no longer a boy. On an irresistible impulse, she
gave Ranma(C) a hug. The pig-tailed girl froze for a moment
then relaxed; but, the air of depression around her didn't
dissipate.
That would take some time.
=============================================
Author's Notes:
I may or may not have mentioned this before but this is my
first fanfiction. Actually, I think I'm doing pretty well, but just
in case, I'm going to wait for all of you to prove me horribly
wrong. Please don't be *too* brutal! :)
I wrote this because I have read many fanfics dealing with
Ranma's male and female side being separated and I always
thought something was missing. It seemed more like a
gimmick than a real life-changing phenomenon that would
affect everyone and not just Ranma.
This is only the beginning of course. More will be
revealed later. Be warned: this may be based mostly on the
anime series as well as several manga events that would fit
well into the show, but I will also put my own spin and
interpretation on characters and plot devices so deal with it.
But if it really disturbs you, you know where to email me.
For example, I decided to make Ranma smarter. Not
intelligent, mind you, but smarter. I've always felt that he
was unfairly underestimated in that department. He'll still be
the idiot that puts his foot in his mouth and know nothing
about social interactions, but he'll be a three dimensional
character instead of simply the stereotypical macho jerk
people think he is. This will be done with other characters
as things goes on.
One more thing, are you curious about the guy who gave
Happosai the potion that started the whole thing. Oh, he'll
show up again and how important he's going to be to the plot
will be determined later on.
Well, hope I didn't bore you silly, though there's probably
fat chance of that. You did know you could skip author's
notes, didn't you?! Oh, well.
See you next installation!
(1) Added February 9, 2001
I haven't read manga book 35 until after I had posted this
chapter originally on my site but when I finishing reading it,
I felt it was important that I at least make some reference to it.
The gist is that the magic mirror talked about had a woman's spirit
in it who periodically took someone's reflection (in this case
Ranma's female side) to create a body that she would use to cause
havoc until she could be contained again. (Note: Ranma still had his
curse at the time as the mirror in no way affected him directly and
only created a Ranma-chan copy.) You'd really have to read this
yourself to understand. I suggest going to http://ranmascan.dhs.org
to read the Ranma 1/2 Manga online.