Ranma's Secret

Ranma has getting use to sleeping in the dojo. Since his mother has move in with them at the Tendo's. He enjoyed the somewhat privacy from the rest of the house. The far left corner of the dojo is where he slept, mainly to keep an eye on the front door. He pulls out a pair of pajama pants out of his backpack. Taking off is daytime clothes, and then puts on the pajama pants. A few moments later Ranma stands in the middle of the dojo. Taking a deep breath he starts his night Tai Chi exercise to relax from his highly stress day.

He was getting tired of the constant arguing and fighting with Akane. If it's not one thing, it's another. All of the negative energy was draining him. About thirty minutes later finishes and feels refreshed. He walks over to his futon and lies down. He looks up at the ceiling and prays for a better day tomorrow, it is his birthday. One of his many secrets that he wants to keep. After that Ranma closes his eyes.

Ranma eyes open to see that is in his mindscape. This is the one place where he could find peace. No rivals, no fathers plotting, no fiancés completing for his attention. This is the one place he could be his true self. In here he controls all. The pajama pants he is wearing change into a black pair of silk pants, then a red silk Chinese tunic appears covering the rest of his body. He unbuttons the two buttons on his collar exposing his neck.

"It's about time you showed up." A male voice chimes in Ranma's head.

The young man turns and bows to what seems to be an older version of him. "Sorry Master Draco." Draco bops Ranma on the top of his head. Ranma straighten up rubbing the somewhat sore spot. "It's getting harder to stop the two fools from marrying me to that tomboy. Sometime I wish I could tell them that I have a wife out there already." Draco just chuckles and smiles a soft smile. Ranma stops and thinks of when the first time he notices it. Draco has been with him his for as long as he could remember. But there was one day especially that smile help him more than any other time.

Flashback

(Yes I am doing one here)

Inside a deep dark pit a six year old Ranma sit in the corner. He can feel the hungry cats slowly coming towards him. They can smell that fish sausages wrapped all over his body. He can feel their hunger radiating from their small bodies. This isn't the first time he's been in this place, but this time something was different. Then he felt it, the first claw cut into his skin, and then sharp teeth biting into him not caring of what pain it cause him. He tries to hold back that sear terror and pain that he was feeling. Soon the feeling of hundreds of claws and teeth became 

too much for the young boys mind could handle. Not being able to take it any longer, something inside him breaks. At that moment Ranma closes his eyes and opens his mouth.

Outside, Genma hears Ranma blood curling scream. Genma putting down the sake bottle and walks over to the cover of the pit. "Stop acting like a girl and learn the Cat Fist." He yells down at the pit, and then walks back other to his sake.

Back inside, Ranma continues to cry out, kicking and punching blindly at his furry attackers. Something inside his mind unlocks, than a calm feeling comes over him. The young Ranma opens up his eyes and looks around. He was in a luscious green field that seems to go on for miles. Not that far away from him sat a man sitting at café type table drinking tea. A confused look shows on Ranma's face. "Who are you, and where here we?" Ranma asks.

"I am Draco." Answer the man. "This is your mindscape. In this place you control everything." Little Ranma feel no malice from man sitting at the table.

A few moments passed and Ranma finally calm down. "If this is my mindscape, how did I get here, and why are you here?"

Draco smiles at the Ranma's question. "You're very smart for someone your age. I bought you are. Normally I couldn't bring you here. You would normally find this place on your owns once you learn to mediate." Draco pauses for a moment. "But since your mind and soul was in danger, I had to act. But to answer your question, I am a guide for lack of a better word. Let just say I going to correct, and teach you about life that Genma teaches and will fails to teach you."

Ranma smiles at the offer in front

"First I am going to teach you the Neko-ken properly."

"Not that one Pop is teaching?" Ranma asks a little nervous.

"No little one. That perversion your father is forcing you to learn isn't the true Neko-ken. It's nothing more making a berserker with cat like reflexes." Draco explains before taking another sip of tea. "The way I am going to teach you is the proper way. I am going to teach you how to fake the rage and Ailurophobia parts of the flawed training."

"What about the pit of cats?" asks a young Ranma, remembering were his body was.

"Don't worry; they won't attack you anymore no matter how hungry they might be. They sense a stronger aura around you now." The Draco sits Ranma onto the ground. "I have a feeling that your jack ass of a father will be throwing you into pit a few more times, and when that happens I want you to think about this place. This is your mindscape. Here is where you are the safest." He stands up from the table. Draco waves his handover the table and chair causing 

both to vanish from sight. Taking ten paces back from Ranma, he gets in to a fight stance. "Are you ready, Ranma?"

Ranma gets into his own ready stance. "Yes Sensei."

"Begin." Draco says with a warm soft smile.

End of Flashback

"Ranma!" Draco says snapping Ranma out of his day dream. "I still don't know how you can do that in your own mind."

"Sorry Master Dragon. Just thinking about time I notice that smile of yours." Replies Ranma. "I guess your right about my day dreaming. One would think that I get enough of that during school." He laughs.

Draco just shakes his head. "About that, could you at least act like your paying attention in school?"

Ranma just shrugs and answers, "What can a human teach me that you already have?"

Draco starts to say something then shuts it. He really couldn't argue against that logic. "You have a point." Ranma has grown under his tutorage. Despite Genma constant bad behavior, Ranma has maintained a high moral code and honor. He also had to talk Ranma out taking the exam for early graduation from High School.

"So what is up for tonight?" Ranma pauses "Sparring?" he throws a few punches, "Education?" a deck and chair appears and Ranma takes the seat. Unknown to everybody Ranma takes his education with the same serious attitude as he takes in his Martial Arts training, 'To be the best.'

"No Ranma. Tonight is something different. Something special is going to happen tonight. In a few moments it will be your birthday, won't it?" Draco states with a great big smile.

Ranma nods his head. "I will be seventeen years old. What does that have to do with anything?"

"I hate to tell you this, but Ranma you will be turning eighteen." Draco states correcting Ranma's knowledge about himself.

"But how?"

"Genma wasn't there when you were born. In fact he didn't know your mother Nodoka was with child." Draco states. "Genma would sneak into the house and do what he need to do with her if she was awake or not. To tell that truth that is how you were conceived." Draco 

pauses for a moment. "He was making one of his nightly visits to your mother that is when he notices you sleeping in the bed with her. He know that you was a boy because Nodoka talks in her sleep when she happy."

"Genma this is our son Ranma." Nodoka voice echoes in Ranma's ears.

"Once he heard that Genma took you away."

Ranma leans back into the chair. There is a little shock in Ranma's eyes. He knew that his father Genma Saotome was a thief, but this was low. "He stole his own son away from his own wife." Ranma tries to make sense of what he just learned. "Then he steals a year of my life away." Ranma could only think about one question. "Why Mom never corrected him?"

"She has tried, but Genma really only see women as things, pretty thing, but things none the less. He never listened to her. In his mind why would he anyway she's a woman." says Draco while changes forms. "But after tonight, things are going to change." Draco eyes glow pure white as the change happens.

Ranma watches as the older version of himself changes into his true form. He has seen quite a few times, it was nothing new to him. When the transformation was over a huge golden dragon was standing in front of him. "I'm glad that you decide not to make a big production of it this time."

"That was twelve years ago, I was trying to impress you."

"What is this all about Master Draco? What is this all about things will change tonight?" asks Ranma.

"Ranma, I am not just your guide, but your birthright. I am you, and you are me. We are one and the same." States Draco. "This is the reason I said that after tonight thing will change. After tonight now mortal will able to control you. You have train all your life, endure many pain. The question is, are you ready to take you place in the world? Are you ready to take on reasonability of power? Are you ready Ranma Saotome?"

With tears in his eyes and his heart open, he whispers "Yes."

Draco hears the whispered answer and senses that Ranma's heart open to him. The golden dragon changes again, this time to a golden orb about the size of a basketball. Ranma closes his eyes and prepare to receive the orb. With a burst of speed it slams into Ranma's chest. His body absorbs orb, if anybody was watching it would look pain. But there was no pain, just understanding. The last thing Ranma heard from Draco is, "Finally we are on."

After everything was over Ranma opens his eyes. He stands alone in his mindscape, but was feeling lonely. A smile spreads across his lips. "I guess I didn't have to go too far to find her." He says out loud. With that said he vanish from his mindscape back to the waking world



Ranma opens his eyes which started to glow white. He sits up in his futon and looks around the dojo see everything like it was in the middle of the day. Then he feels it. A presence at the door of the dojo. He focuses on the presence. A smile crosses his lip, it's her. Seeing that she wearing her favorite night shirt.

She sees him looking at her. She smiles at him and starts to walk over to him. Her graceful stride would make a cat jealous. Once she is near him, she positions herself that his legs were between her. She lowers herself down that she squatting over his legs looking into his eyes.

"My mate, my love." She to him in a strange language.

"My mate, my love." He replies to her in the same language.

He reaches out and wraps his arms around her waist, and pulls her closer. When she couldn't get any closer she wraps her arms around his neck. She leans in and touches his lips with hers. The kiss was light and unsure. She pulls away breaking the kiss and waits. Ranma licks his lips, her taste lingers on them. It excited him, he wanted more. He leans up and kisses her more passionately. She in turn returns the kiss with equal passion.

After several minutes they take a break from their nonverbal acceptance of each other, they look at each other.

"Saotome."

"Nabiki."

"I am not sorry about this." The both say in unison.