Betrayal's Reward

by Trugeta

Betrayed by the ones he held dear. Thrown into the hellhole that is Ryker's Island. Innocent. Left to rot. Saved from a fate worse than death by an untainted offspring of Venom and presumed dead one Ranma Saotome was allowed to start anew.

2. The trial

Title: Betrayal's Reward

Author name: Trugeta

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel Comics as well as many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story. Also, the OCs used in this story are a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is not intended and purely coincidental.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in Ranma Manga No. 38 and a few months prior to Venom's escape from Ryker's Island during which he spawned the Carnage symbiote. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

Chapter 2: The trial

"And that's how it happened," Ranma said in English, and seconds later mutterings went through court room three, where the sentencing hearing of the trial the State New York vs. Ranko Tendo was taking place.

A middle-aged Caucasian woman jumped to her feet, her face contorted in rage. "LIAR!" she bellowed in rage, "YOU KILLED MY JIMMY, LITERALLY RIPPED HIM APART! YOU MONSTER, I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!"

Agreeing murmurs swept through the courtroom as the woman was pulled back into her seat and into a comforting hug by a man, probably her husband. Said tall Caucasian was glaring daggers at Ranma while he was holding the sobbing woman who had broken down as soon as she was in the man's arms.

Ranma had gone deathly pale as still happened every time the accusation was made. "N-No, I didn't do nuthin'," she denied, shaking her head several times for emphasis.

"Silence!" the Judge Edkinson exclaimed, and brought his hammer down a few times to re-establish order. He then looked at Ranma.

"So this is how it happened, Miss Tendo?" he asked 'Ranko Tendo' in English.

Ranma nodded, having regained her composure. "Yes. The next thing I know is waking up in some dirty back alley with guns pointed in my face," she replied in fluent English.

She had spent the last four months on bringing her English back to what it had been prior to coming to Nerima, when she had been really good, and she had succeeded. There was no way she would go into this farce of a trial unprepared. "And I said it many times, I am not Miss Tendo!" she emphasised.

"Your honour, if I may…" a big man in an elegant black business suit drawled.

"Go ahead, Mr. Burke." the Judge said to the so named Mr Burke - who had been introduced as the prosecuting attorney at law - with a nod.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, honoured members of the jury, what I will now reveal to you may come as a shock. Miss Tendo is not just a young woman, no, she is a mutant! Hot water turns her into a man, down to the genetic level as our scientists ascertained! That, and reports on her other mutant abilities are all included in the opinions." the tall man said and began handing out said opinions to the Judge, the defender and the members of the jury.

Murmurs spread through the crowd once again at Mr Burke's words.

"Other mutant abilities?"

"Dangerous!"

"Freak!"

"Disgusting murdering mutant!"

Mr. Burke looked smug and picked up where he had left off as soon as the Judge had re-established order. "As you can see, the change from female to male is real. Very ral. We even have video material. That reminds me, some coffee, Miss Tendo? Oh, you prefer tea, don't you?" he asked nonchalantly and fetched a can and a cup.

He placed both in front of Ranma and made as if to fill the cup. Predictably Mr. Burke slipped, and hot tea almost boiled Ranma's hand, making the teen cuss and shake his hand several times, glaring at Mr. Burke. The change had taken place immediately, and a male Ranma sat in front of an astonished audience.

"You bastard," Ranma muttered in Japanese, his eyes narrowed with barely suppressed anger.

"Objection, your honour!" exclaimed the defender in apparent outrage, "I object to my client being treated this way!"

"Overruled, Mr. Wilde. This was impressive practical proof that Miss Tendo is indeed a mutant. So what changes her back?" the Judge asked curiously.

"Cold water, your honour," Mr. Burke said and splashed Ranma with a convenient glassful, initiating the change. Through all of this Ranma fumed, but couldn't do much of anything. "You see, hot water changes her into a male."

"And what of the claims of my client that she is cursed? That has never really been investigated!"

"Mr. Burke..." the Judge said as he saw that the prosecuting attorney had gotten to his feet.

"Your honour, while it is true that we live in a world where super-powers and magic are real, we found no hint of this Jusenkyo the accused talked about. We even cooperated with the NASA to get accurate satellite images of the area, but there was nothing but a big lake. This whole curse drivel is utter nonsense." he sneered and sat back down.

"It is not! All those damned cursed pools combined into that lake!" Ranma exclaimed indignantly.

"This is ridiculous, your honour," Mr. Burke retorted silkily, his brows furrowed in distaste. "We may not have the proper scientific equipment to prove the X-Gene in humans, but her ability to change genders and her advanced healing are not found in normal humans. This is not a matter of a curse, but of evolution. And in a few years we will be able to prove it."

"Objection!" Ranma's defender exclaimed, "You have no scientific proof that my client is a mutant, only presumptions! My client has repeatedly claimed that there are other cursed individuals in the Nerima ward! What about them? Were they questioned? Were they tested?"

Mr. Burke scoffed in disdain. "If you refer to the so called 'Amazons' that own a restaurant called the 'Cat Café' in Nerima, they were not available for questioning. Some urgent family matter or something to the effect that required their presence in China. We did question and test one Ryoga Hibiki, of whom Miss Tendo claimed that he was cursed as well, but it turned out that he was not. Face it, Mr. Wilde, your client is a liar."

"I AM NOT!" Ranma bellowed in outrage, "THOSE DAMN CURSES EXIST! I HAVE ONE! THAT DAMN RYOGA MUST HAVE USED WATERPROOF SOAP!"

Judge Edkinson reacted immediately and admonished Ranma, and the redhead slumped in her seat when she realised that no one believed her. "Bastard attorney..." she muttered in Japanese.

"Your honour, Miss Tendos stories are bogus. She, and only she has the mutant ability to change genders. Miss Ranko Tendo is a woman, which is also a reason why I would suggest solitary confinement in a maximum security cell on Ryker's Island. Miss Tendo is female, and…"

"I AM A GUY!" Ranma hollered, creating even more mutterings.

"You see what I meant when I referred to her gender disorder, your honour? A stay in solitary confinement might help remedy it seeing that she would have time for herself in case of a conviction. We strongly suspect that it was Miss Tendos inability to deal with her mutant powers that led to the unfortunate events. The psychiatric evaluation leaves no conclusion other than that the pressure of her mounting gender disorder must have driven her over the edge," Mr. Burke explained, his expression dispassionate.

"I see," the Judge mused thoughtfully after browsing through a folder that presumably contained the psychiatric evaluation, "Continue."

Mr. Burke inclined his head. "Thank you, your honour. Had it not been for the help of Miss Nabiki Tendo, a brave young woman who tried to stop the accused, her own cousin, mind you, along with her sister from slaughtering the poor victims we might not have found out as quickly as we did!"

"Feh, if being thrown through a wall and breaking a lot of bones in the process means trying to stop the bitch then I qualify." Nabiki muttered dryly, lancing Ranma with a side-long hateful glare that the redhead returned in kind.

"Very interesting, Miss Tendo," Mr. Wilde, Ranma's defender mused, "So you didn't try to heroically throw yourself in harm's way, then?"

"Objection, your honour. The bravery of Miss Nabiki Tendo is of no relevance." Mr. Burke said in a tone that bordered on bored.

"Agreed. Go on, Mr. Burke." the Judge said while Mr. Wilde sat down with a disappointed look.

"Your honour, I would like to answer the question, seeing that it is in the protocols anyway." Nabiki said stone-faced.

"While this is unusual I have no objections. What about the attorneys? Mr. Burke? Mr. Wilde?" the Judge asked.

"None, your honour." both attorneys replied.

"Very well. Miss Ranko Tendo, you may leave the witness stand for the duration of Miss Nabiki Tendo's testimony. Guards, lead her to her chair and reattach the chains."

Ranma, who was practically forced to her feet by the guards locked eyes with Nabiki and matched her icy-cold glare. She was yet another one who had abandoned her, who had even inflicted damage on her with her voluntarily given information. No one stood or had stood by her, and why should they? It was that much easier to abandon someone, lean back and watch how they were thrown to the wolves. And it seemed as if Nabiki wanted to have her part in ensuring that exactly that happened.

-.-

Five minutes later the attorneys and the Judge had gone through the preliminary questions and were getting down to the nitty gritty. Ranma's defender had just repeated his prior question, and Nabiki regarded him with a cold look.

"First off, it all happened so fast that neither my sister, the other patrons, nor I could have reacted in a way that would have prevented the happenings. I have seen a lot in my life, being Neriman brings that about, but it tends to shock the living daylights out of you if someone you thought you knew," she glared coldly at Ranma, "goes about and slaughters some boys."

"THAT WAS NOT SOME BOY, THAT WAS MY JIMMY!" the same woman as before exclaimed heatedly.

Four other women who were seated in a row and whom Ranma knew to be the mothers of the other killed boys were crying and were being comforted by their significant others, while said significant others were all glaring daggers at her. "Why did you do it, bitch?" one of them, a big Afro-American, asked, "Why did you kill our Curtis? He was just a boy…"

Murmurs and whispers spread through the room, and the Judge had to call the court room to order. Once that had happened Nabiki regarded the Caucasian woman and the Afro-American man with a look of sympathy. "My condolences, Ma'am, Sir. We tried to stop her, we really did, but it was of no use."

"Tried to stop me, Tendo? I wasn't even there!" Ranma yelled in their native tongue, only to be admonished by the Judge.

"What happened after Miss Tendo had killed James Noland?" the Judge then asked.

Nabiki looked at Judge Edkinson, and then glared at Ranma. "We, my sister and I tried to stop her. When we had overcome our shock she," she spat and her glare intensified, "had already caved the boy's skull in. The pool of blood was so big, we just knew the boy was already dead. It was all too surreal, and we were rooted to the spot. Then, when she tore into the other boys with all her strength my sister performed one of her martial arts techniques and tried to knock her out with her mallet."

"A mallet?" someone among the beholders exclaimed disbelieving.

"Yes, it is one of my sister's techniques," Nabiki replied with a crisp nod, "But she stopped the mallet with one hand, yanked it out of my sister's hand and hammered it into Akane's sides before kicking her through a window. Akane was blown into a wall on the other side of the street, and it turned out that she had suffered twelve broken ribs, one of which had punctured her left lung, and four broken fingers on the right hand as well as two broken arms. Not to forget numerous cuts and bruises. I did not think very clearly at this point and yelled at her to stop, but she flicked me through the wall behind me."

"Flicked you through the wall? How do I have to understand that?" Ranma's defender asked.

Nabiki glared at the man. "You will assuredly have read the report, if not, well, I don't care about your lack of preparation," she sneered and went on before Mr Wilde could retort, "She didn't even turn around when she swatted me away like a fly. Ranko is so strong that a blow at full strength would have killed me instantly. I know it's a cold comfort to the parents of the killed boys, but I am glad that she considered me negligible in these minutes, otherwise I would not be sitting here today."

"It is understandable that you feel this way, Miss Tendo," Judge Edkinson said with a nod, "But why didn't you call the police?"

"The next phone booth was Kami-sama knows where, and it would not have done any good anyway. She would have decimated the police forces. You saw what she did to me, she casually blew me through a wall! I am lucky to be alive! As it is, I still have a long way of recovery ahead of me." Nabiki said and glared at Ranma who glared right back.

"That's true, your honour," Mr. Burke spoke up, "The initial check-up at the General Hospital revealed several fractures, minor spinal damage, broken shoulder blades and ribs, a broken nose and head-trauma. Quite the list, and one of the reasons I demand limiters for Ranko Tendo! She is a dangerous mutant that needs to be locked up, and I will prove it!"

"Would you agree with this assessment, Miss Nabiki Tendo?" the Judge questioned.

"Absolutely." Nabiki replied with conviction.

"Backstabbing bitch!" Ranma hissed out in Japanese.

"You'll soon find out who the bitch is when you are where you belong, Ranko, behind bars!" Nabiki hissed back.

"No further questions." Mr. Burke interposed smoothly.

"Very well. Do you wish a cross-examination, Mr. Wilde?" Judge Edkinson asked.

Ranma's defender looked up from his notes. "Not at the moment, your honour. But I reserve the right to do so later."

"Very well. Miss Nabiki Tendo, you may leave the witness stand. Guards, lead Miss Ranko Tendo back to the witness stand."

-.-

Ranma slowly walked up to the witness stand. Her mind was in utter turmoil, and she could not focus at all, her head seemed to be filled to the brim with cobwebs. Where she had thought that she would be cleared within hours once the real trial had begun it now looked as if the prosecution, the jury and at least the beholders believed that cock and bull story about her being a cold-blooded murderer.

Murmurs spread through the court room as she walked down the aisle, and had she looked left and right she would have seen a lot of hate-filled faces.

"Foreign murdering bitch!"

"Mutant!"

"Turns into a male!"

"Disgusting freak!"

"Dirty mutant!"

Those were but just a few of the derogatory comments used by the beholders, and the Judge had to slam his hammer down a few times to re-establish order even after Ranma had taken her seat.

"Your honour, a committee of our best doctors and psychiatrists evaluated Miss Ranko Tendo. First off, due to her being a high-calibre martial artist the lie-detector proved to be completely useless. Miss Tendo has such control over her body that the effectivity of the lie detector is below zero." Mr. Burke explained with a shrug.

"However, our specialists subjected her to thorough testing and came to the conclusion that she is unstable, which stems from her gender confusion due to her mutant ability. Otherwise she is absolutely fit for trial, our opinions prove it. Miss Ranko Tendo is a danger to society, any society, and after we have proven her guilt you, the jury, will hopefully come to the conclusion that she has to be locked away forever. Preferably in solitary confinement in the Vault." the prosecuting attorney concluded.

"Objection, your honour!" Ranma's defender called out. "What about the fact that my client claims to be Ranma Saotome? That has never been investigated!"

"Your honour, if I may…" Mr. Burke exclaimed as he got to his feet.

"You may." the Judge allowed.

"Mr. Wilde, we have conducted investigations, thorough investigations. According to the Japanese Ranma Saotome is an alias of Ranko Tendo's mutant form, and there is no evidence that points to the contrary. Soun Tendo confirmed that his niece used this alias during her stay in Nerima, Tokyo, and Nodoka Saotome confirmed this as well. All official records claim that Ranma Saotome is nothing but a fiction, at least nowadays."

"Nowadays, Mr. Burke? Could you expand on that?" Mr. Wilde inquired.

"But of course, dear colleague. Ranma Saotome was the son of Genma and Nodoka Saotome, but he died at age six during a training accident. Genma Saotome, the husband of Mrs. Nodoka Saotome, took Miss Ranko Tendo, who had lost her parents early on, under his wings with the permission of the head of the Tendo clan. He took her on a training trip and raised her as his own, probably to replace his dead son. Genma Saotome taught her the martial arts she knows, which I am sure he regrets now verily." Mr. Burke explained with a sad expression.

"I am sure my husband does." Nodoka said coldly from among the beholders.

The prosecuting attorney nodded. "Miss Tendo here had personal problems due to her mutant ability, and Genma Saotome allowed her to use the name of their deceased son for her other form out of the pure goodness of his heart. Most probably because he believed to see some of his dead son in the mutant form of the accused. But the accused, Ranko Tendo, is not the Saotome's child. This here is a young woman, a mutant and a murderer. The first two are facts, the third I will prove. I will prove beyond a doubt that Ranko Tendo killed five of our citizens in cold blood."

"No! It's all a lie! I am Ranma Saotome!" Ranma exclaimed intently, "And I didn't do nothing! And it gotta be Nabiki who did sumthin' to my records!"

"You did not do anything, Miss Tendo? Even after four months you still claim the same nonsense? And you claim that your cousin did something to your records? A girl who is not even out of highschool?"

"Yeah, I'm sure she did it. And I sure as hell didn't do anything, and that I sure as hell gonna claim, even after four months of hell in your custody." Ranma spat defiantly.

"So, so. You still refuse to admit the truth, I see. Then how do you explain that we found the blood of the victims on your clothes, hmm? Do you have an explanation for this?"

Ranma glared at the tall man. "I told ya a thousand times, whoever drugged me musta put those clothes on me ta frame me! I wasn't even there in that damned McDonalds, and if ya had checked my stomach ya would have seen!" she exclaimed heatedly.

"Bullshit, you perverted monster! You had not eaten anything before you killed those boys! Was that the reason you killed them? Because they interrupted your meal?" Akane yelled.

"N-No… I wasn't there, Akane! Ya gotta believe me. It wasn't me! Someone's tryin' ta frame me!" Ranma exclaimed, begging her fiancée to believe her.

Akane was about to yell back, but Mr. Burke stopped her with a smile as he got back to his feet. "So, someone is trying to frame you, Miss Tendo. Someone must have put the clothes on you to do so and they dropped you in the alley you were found in," he mocked, "And who should have done this? One of those rivals of yours you mentioned? The hard working employees of the NYMAT?"

Mr. Burke paced in front of Ranma and shook his head, his dispassionate gaze finally coming to rest on the redhead. "Well, we went to the trouble and checked their alibis, even those of your so-called rivals. Their alibis are all airtight. We even checked the crime scene a dozen times, because we take stories about impostors seriously with mutants like Mystique running around unchecked. Clones? Don't make me laugh. No one has the technology to pull off what you want to make us believe. This is 1994, not the year 2100!

"But we will play this little game of yours, Miss Tendo. Assuming this technology existed, who would have an interest in framing you? Who would have the opportunity, the money, and most of all, the access to this technology? Face it, a clone of you is an impossibility."

Mr. Burke continued to pace until he came to a stop in front of Ranma. "We even checked your delusional stories, Miss Tendo, but the evidence all pointed us to a simple fact: that you are guilty as hell. No one but you killed those boys, and I am going to prove it, Miss Tendo. I am going to prove that you are a monster that needs to be locked up until the cows come home!" he said and walked over to his seat where he sat down.

"BUT I AM INNOCENT! AND I AM NOT TENDO BLOODY RANKO! I AM A GUY CURSED TO TURN INTO A GIRL CAUSE OF A MAGICAL CURSE!" Ranma bellowed in Japanese, causing confusion among the beholders except for her parents and the Tendos.

The translator did his job and translated what Ranma had screamed, and murmurs spread through the beholders. Judge Edkinson looked sternly at Ranma. "Miss, control yourself. I will not tolerate such behaviour in my court room, and your claims to be 'magically cursed' have been refuted. Your enhanced healing and your ability to change genders with application of the appropriate agent label you as a mutant. So stop this nonsense. Mr. Burke, please proceed."

Ranma fell silent and shook her head. She could hardly believe what was happening to her. The whole world had turned on her, and that after all the good she had done. All her good deeds, and her own family and as-good-as-family believed that of her because of some so-called and clearly fabricated evidence? Why? Why were they so quick to abandon her? Was she nothing more than a tool that was thrown away when it had apparently lost its purpose, when it became too bothersome to 'attend to'? A prize that had lost its value? Didn't she mean more to them? Obviously not. And that realisation depressed Ranma a great deal.

Mr. Burke grinned due to Ranma's slumped posture. That the redhead had apparently given up would make it even easier for him.

"Your honour, I will now prove that Miss Tendo was at the crime scene despite her claims to the contrary. We questioned Mr. Hughes, one of the promoters of the NYMAT1994. He confirmed that Miss Tendo signed the red tape, but according to him she left his office after they were done. This concurs with the testimonies of Mr. Schaeffer and Miss Clark. They would be willing to testify, your honour, but their duties keep them occupied. In fact, Mr. Schaeffer and Miss Clark are currently abroad due to their duties. Thus we decided that their statements would be sufficient."

"Very well, Mr. Burke. Seeing that the evidence is indeed more than sufficient we can do without their testimonies. Continue." the Judge said.

Mr. Burke nodded and turned to Ranma, and his brown eyes drilled into her blue ones. "Your story of drugs and amnesia will not help you, Miss Tendo. Nothing was found in your bloodstream that would even suggest the presence of drugs, and I will prove that your little story of amnesia is bogus. You were there, you committed the crime."

"NO! I DIDN'T DO IT! I WAS NOT THERE!" Ranma cried.

Among the visitors Akane jumped to her feet. "You two-faced liar! I can't believe I ever liked you!" she yelled in Japanese, her face red, her breath coming out in huffs, "We tried to help the poor boys, tried to defend them from your mindless rage, but you threw us aside like rag-dolls. Do you see this hand?"

The youngest Tendo sister held her left hand up for all to see. "You broke three of my fingers so bad that they had to be reset four times! Four times, you monster! And you broke both my arms like twigs! You hit my sister so hard that your fingerprints remained visible for hours! You…"

"Thank you, Miss Akane Tendo," said Mr. Burke after the translator had done his job, "This brings me to exhibit A…. Photographs of the finger- and handprints found on Miss Nabiki Tendo's and Akane's bodies. Our specialists from the CSI compared them to Miss Ranko Tendo's fingerprints, and the conformance is one-hundred percent. We also found traces of blood on articles of clothing of both Akane Tendo and Nabiki, and were able to allot the blood to Miss Ranko Tendo. The same goes for traces of blood of her five victims. Even Ranko Tendo's wounds matched, your honour, honoured members of the jury. This is exhibit B, photographs taken of Miss Ranko Tendo after the arrest."

He handed the photographic evidence and the reports from the CSI first to the Judge and then to the members of the jury, and murmurs started among the beholders when the faces of the jury members turned grave one after the other.

"You did it, Ranma… Why did you do it? Why did you kill those boys, why did you hurt Nabiki and me so much? What did they do to you? What did I do? You… You monster! I hate you!" Akane yelled, her face red with rage.

"A-Akane…" Ranma stuttered, taken aback by her fiancée's look of pure loathing.

"Don't Akane me, you bastard! I was there when you killed the poor guys for hitting on you! I don't like boys much… You were the only one," she added in a whisper, "But that was no damn reason to kill them!" she yelled.

"K-Kill? There you go too, I didn't kill no one!" Ranma exclaimed, confused. "Those guys from the NYMAT knocked me out, from there… blank screen."

"LIAR!" Akane yelled. "You joined us after you had taken care of the red tape, and we went to McDonalds to satisfy your ever hungry belly, you bastard! There…"

"Your honour," the prosecuting attorney-at-law interrupted, "I believe we have heard enough of Miss Ranko Tendo's testimony. She obviously thinks she can get away with her little amnesia show. I request that Miss Ranko Tendo be removed from the witness stand for the time of Miss Akane Tendo's testimony. Miss Akane Tendo is the cousin of the accused, and has no reason to lie. I don't believe we would be able to learn anything useful from Ranko Tendo."

The Judge nodded his head after a moment's consideration. "Very well. Ranko Tendo, you may leave the witness stand for the time being. Guards, lead her to her place and reattach the chains."

"Yes, sir." two large men in uniform replied and carried out the order without a moment's hesitation.

Ranma was led to the chair she had been placed on at the beginning of this court procedure, and before she knew it her feet and hands were shackled. The redhead was much too stumped and mortified to even think about breaking free, which would have been easy for her. She slowly shook her head. "This gotta be a nightmare… Soon I'll wake up and this will all fade away…"

"Miss Akane Tendo to the witness stand." the apparitor called out.

Ranma watched as her fiancée got up from her chair, anger obvious in her posture. The glare with which she laced Ranma could have killed lesser (wo-)men, and the redhead shrank back into her seat. Her own parents and the other Tendos had not been much better, and when she had tried to talk to them they had just looked at her with stone-faced expressions. Even Kasumi had replied "I pity you, Ranko. I cannot believe you turned out as you did. Oh, and I am sorry to say, Ranma Saotome is dead to us and the authorities."

That had given put the boot into her. Her parents, their rejection she might have been able to bear, but Kasumi… Kind, gentle Kasumi who would never hurt a fly, who would never arrogate to Judge another human being judging her like that… That had truly finished her off. She knew she was innocent, of that she was sure. She had not slipped into the neko-ken, the residual feeling of that had been missing, so something else had happened. But what?

The redhead had no idea why this was happening to her, why everyone was turning on her like that. Her family had not even made an attempt to believe her, they had looked at the so-called evidence and had Judged her. That was what gnawed at her the most, that she had been thrown away like trash in a situation where she would have needed help and support for a change. She was trapped in a nightmare with no escape, and it seemed as if the girl she loved would deliver the final nail to her coffin.

-.-

Akane Tendo had taken her seat in the witness stand, and she fought for composure. Not only was she about to be questioned as a witness in a murder trial, no, her own fiancé, better make that ex-fiancé, was the murderer in question. Had she not seen it, she would not have believed it. Ranma, he had torn those boys apart! In front of their horrified faces.

She shook her head to clear it when she heard that the apparitor was talking to her. "Akane Tendo, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?" he asked in English.

The youngest Tendo daughter nodded, but inwardly shook her head that she had to place her hand on a bible of all things. "I swear." she vowed.

The Judge and the attorneys nodded, and Akane sat down. "Miss Tendo, in which way are you connected to the accused?"

That simple question raised Akane's ire. "She's my cousin," she spat in English. "But I wish I would never see her again! I hate her! Murdering bitch, you!"

Murmurs crept through the court room, and Ranma wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. If she had not wanted to believe it before it was now painfully clear, Akane really believed she had killed those boys, and hated her. That realisation hurt Ranma more than anything else. She had lost what was most important to her, and it looked like she was about to lose much more.

"Thank you, Miss Tendo. But please try to keep your temper in check." the Judge reprimanded in a gentle tone.

Akane nodded, and Mr. Burke, the prosecuting attorney-at-law continued his questioning. "Miss Tendo, were you there when the incident happened?"

"Yes," Akane said and closed her eyes for a few seconds as she remembered, "I was forced to watch the whole thing. At one moment we were eating, minding our own business, and then this gang of boys began to hit on us. At first it seemed as if Ranko," she spat the name like a vile curse, "enjoyed the flirting, pervert that she is, but then she pulled a complete one eighty! One of the boys had gotten insistent, granted, but then she," Akane emphasised the word, "went berserk when that boy laid his hand on her arm! We… We…"

"Here is a glass of water, Miss Tendo." Mr. Burke offered in a kind tone of voice.

"Thank you." Akane replied, took the glass and drank carefully.

The cooling water calmed her down, and the Tendo girl was able to continue. "We had to watch howshe," Akane glared at Ranma, "tore into the boy like a wild animal. She literally ripped him apart until he stopped screaming, but even then she continued to beat on him, and didn't stop until she had caved his skull in! I can't believe I know this monster!"

Soft murmurs spread through the court room, and quite a lot of listeners had gone deathly pale. Many were glaring at Ranma, and the horrified girl shook her head. "No, no… I didn't do nothing! I wasn't even there!"

"Is that so, Miss Tendo?" Mr. Burke questioned in a silky voice, "It's just too bad that all McDonald's branches are monitored, isn't it? And it is just so unfortunate that the branch at New York airport had just been equipped with an advanced monitoring system. Your honour, I would like to present you with exhibit C, a video monitoring of the act."

"You may proceed, Mr. Burke." the Judge replied with a wave of his hand.

"Thank you, your honour. Apparitor, wheel the audio-video equipment in." Mr. Burke said.

"Yes, sir. Guards, you heard the prosecuting attorney-at-law." the apparitor said as he delegated said task.

The men obeyed, and not a minute later a large TV complete with video-recorder had been wheeled into the court room. Ranma watched with a feeling of surreal detachment how the TV came to live. The video-cassette showed her in full Technicolor, frozen for all to see, but it wasn't her. That could not be! She hadn't even been there!

"No…" Ranma muttered. "That… That ain't me! That's gotta be some impostor!" she exclaimed in Japanese.

The Judge and the attorneys looked at the translator, who had had a very easy job up till now, questioningly. "She said that it wasn't her, that it was some impostor."

"RAN… KO!" Akane growled, eyes narrowed to slits, "I know you, you pervert, I lived with you for over two years! That was you! There was no damned splitting incense, clone or such thing! You did that, you killed them, nobody else!"

"Thank you, Miss Tendo. Ladies and Gentlemen, we will now watch the recording of this gruesome incident. An incident that cannot be excused, an incident, in which five citizens of the United States of America were murdered in cold blood, murdered by no one else but… RANKO TENDO!" Mr. Burke cried, pointing accusingly at Ranma.

The court room had gone deathly quiet, and all over the room people were glaring and pointing at the redhead. Mr. Burke was satisfied. The case was going well, and the recording would be the final nail in the coffin. Justice would be served, and the brave citizens of the United States could rest a bit easier as soon as this monster in human skin had been brought to justice.

"I warn you, Ladies and Gentlemen, the scenes that you are about to see are cruel beyond your wildest imagination, but I ask of you, members of the jury, do not look away. You must watch the inhumanity with which the accused acted, only then will we be able to reach a just sentence. Apparitor, show us the brutal scenes."

The Apparitor pushed a button on the remote, and the paused video-clip came to life. Ranma watched in morbid fascination how a look-alike of her methodically butchered five Gaijin boys, and that she used the Anything Goes was painfully obvious. The redhead estimated that whoever it was, she was as skilled as her, at least. Ranma was completely baffled. There were few who were as good as she was, all boasting aside, and there were even fewer who could impersonate her. What caught her attention was that the impostor took great care to avoid hot fluids, but it seemed that she was the only one to take note of said fact. That could only mean one thing. . . .

"Hey!" she exclaimed loudly as soon as the clip was over, "That's gotta be the mirror clone! Hasn't anyone else seen how she tried ta stay clear of hot fluids?"

Confusion reigned among the beholders, but the translator didn't even bother to translate what has assumed was nonsense. "It is of no relevance, your honour. Some nonsense about clones and hot fluids."

The prosecuting attorney snorted. "Nonsense indeed. That has been ruled out by the investigation."

"Indeed, Mr. Burke," the Judge agreed and looked grave, "The evidence is very damning, Miss Ranko Tendo. You were there, you had the opportunity and whatever motif. I can not and will not believe your story about clones." he concluded sternly.

Akane reacted even more volatile. "Ranko, you perverted, murdering freak! Did it slip your sick mind that the clones stayed in the mirror?" she shouted in Japanese, "It's all your fault! When will your sick and twisted mind get it? You killed those boys, and I hope you rot in hell for it!"

Ranma reared back as if slapped. "A-Akane…"

"Don't you Akane me! You lost the right when you killed those boys, and I hope you become someone's bitch in jail!"

"Thank you, Miss Akane Tendo," Mr. Burke said evenly, his face a mask of professionalism, "No more questions, your honour."

"Very well. Mr. Wilde, do you wish a cross-examination?" Judge Edkinson asked.

Ranma's defender, who was at the present digging through his notes, looked up. "Err, not at the moment, your honour."

The Judge nodded. "You may leave the witness stand, Miss Akane Tendo."

Akane nodded and walked to her seat. Nodoka watched her almost-daughter-in-law and was hard pressed to keep her tears in. Now she would never get grandchildren from this fine young woman, all her dreams were destroyed. Destroyed by this honourless ronin, who, shamefully, bore a strong resemblance to herself. Nodoka blessed the Kami that Soun had agreed to Nabiki's plan to make her ex-son's identity of Ranko Tendo his sole identity. She had not asked how the young woman had done it, but she had spared them a great deal of dishonour. Family honour was everything to her, and what did she care if her own flesh and blood rotted away in jail if their slate was clean?

They could have more children at any given time, especially now that Genma would not be allowed to go away on training trips any longer. They had all seen what the outcome of these trips was. Genma had inadvertedly created a monster, and that would not be repeated. Their next child would turn out way better, and that was that. But most important, their family honour was intact. The damage to the Tendo's family honour would be minimal, seeing as 'Ranko Tendo' was nothing but a distant cousin whose parents had died early on. No one would mention the name Ranma Saotome in her presence ever again, and those who did would get a taste of live steel.

She would not have thought that the trial would be this hard on her, and she barely kept her composure through all this. Her s… ex-son-turned-ex-daughter looked at her with pleading eyes as she was led up to the witness stand, but Nodoka just put on her coldest mask and stared right back at Ran… ko with contempt and disappointment. She had not accompanied Akane and Nabiki to America the first time, but deep inside they wished she had. Maybe she could have made a difference, but that was now irrelevant. The damage was done, but they had assured through Nabiki that it would not fall back on them. Ranma Saotome was dead, he had ceased to exist after age six, according to official records. Only Ranko Tendo was real as proved by the records, and she would be disowned and banned from the Tendo Clan, never to return to Japan.

At first, when they had gotten word that Ranma had committed the crime they had hoped against hope that he had not done it. But they had been presented with indisputable evidence in form of the video-cassette and the other exhibits today, and the appropriate actions would be taken. Not here and now, honour forbade it. It was better if her ex-son served his sentence in the guise of Ranko Tendo anyway, this way the blame would not fall back on them.

And what did they care if their perjury ever came to light? Nabiki had conducted a thorough research before coming to America, and their perjury wouldn't bar their testimony at all. The laws of the USA even protected them in this case, seeing as it was the Prosecutors office that decided if they wanted to prosecute. And that was not something you did to your witnesses from overseas. More important, the issue was not if Ranma was a Saotome or not, but if he did kill the poor children or not. With the evidence presented by the prosecution that question had been answered.

Nodoka knew that her ex-son-turned-ex-daughter had demanded a DNA test prior to the trial to prove that she was no Tendo, but Judge Edkinson had shot that down quickly. Due to the evidence and the proper paper-work, or rather the records Nabiki had had created he deemed that completely unnecessary. Which was good. The minimal press-coverage in their homeland was also to their advantage, and due to the fact that all possible witnesses to the contrary were in Japan and not likely to come to Ranma's aid and they were all set. Besides, even they would not be able to prove that Ranma was a Saotome, which was simply due to the fact that they had only known her ex-son for somewhat over two years. So who could claim that Ranmawas a Saotome if they had no idea who or what he had been before coming to Nerima? Their slate was clean, and that was that.

To Nodoka, her son was dead, and anyone who asked would receive this answer. That sorry excuse for a human being by the name of Ranko Tendo could well rot in prison for all she cared. She had no daughter, never had. Ranma, her son, had died, that was that. And what better than to leave the dead buried?

-.-

Ranma on her part couldn't understand why this was happening to her. Everyone was abandoning her, first Akane, now her mother. They had only visited her once during the time she had spent in custody, and had made it painfully clear that they believed in her guilt. Taking the video into account she had to admit that it looked damn convincing, but had they all forgotten the odd and sometimes bizarre happenings that occurred around her? Had the clone, and it had to have been one, been so damned convincing?

Nabiki had hurled the explanation as to why they believed that of her right into her face. Saffron. There and then she had killed, even if to save a life. They apparently believed that the stress from that in conjunction with the happenings at the failed wedding, her failure to acquire the cure at Jusenkyo and a severe case of gender disorder had driven her over the edge. Ranma Saotome had finally succumbed to the pressure of dealing with multiple fiancées, rivals, challenge and every other oddity in her life and had suddenly gone on a killing spree when some boys hit on her. Yeah, sure. How bloody likely. But someone had made it look this way, and he or she had been good enough to convince even her friends and family. Wait, make that ex-friends and ex-family.

Soun Tendo didn't even meet her eyes, and Nabiki looked at her with just as much loathing as Akane. Her mother looked at her with so much disappointment and anger that it hurt to even meet her eyes. And Kasumi, who had accompanied her sisters, looked at her with a pitying expression. Why? Couldn't they see that someone was trying to frame her? Her anger at them had grown in the last few months, and the thought that they believed her to be a murderer after everything she had done for them was unbearable. But as much as she tried to convince them, they didn't listen to her but chose to believe the eye-witnesses and the other evidence. Which was seemingly par for the course for her life. When in doubt, blame Ranma bloody Saotome. Just great.

"B-But I ain't done nothing! I-I would never kill anyone, y-you know that, Akane! Especially you!" the redhead pleaded.

"And what about Saffron, Ranko?" asked an icy-cold voice from among the beholders.

Ranma whirled around, and met the icy eyes of Nabiki, who still had one arm in a sling. "N-Nabiki! You know that I did that to save Akane!" she replied in Japanese.

The translator did his job, and Mr. Burke's eyes shot open. "And who is this 'Saffron', Miss Tendo? Another victim?"

"NO!" Ranma exclaimed heatedly, "That was self-defence! I stopped him ta save Akane, and ya know that full well, Nabiki!"

"That doesn't change that you killed him. Maybe you found it stimulating? The feeling that someone crumpled before your might and wouldn't get back up… Giving in to your base urges? Tell me, was it so, Ranko? How often did you dream of doing the same to Kuno, or Ryoga? Was it just an unfortunate episode that led to the demise of those boys here? Tell me!"

"N-No… I hate killing! And you know that! It's a martial artist's duty to protect, and I… I would never do that! You know me, Nabiki! Would I do something like this?" Ranma pleaded.

Nabiki met her pleading eyes with a cold glare. "The evidence doesn't lie, Ranko. Special video-cassettes like those can't be tampered with, it's real, all real. And I was there and witnessed the whole thing. I know you, and that was you!"

Her glare turned freezing. "You are a killer, you bitch. A cold-blooded murderer and a honourless bitch. I hope you enjoy your stay in jail, Ranko!" she hissed venomously in their native tongue, and her face twisted into a cruel grin. "I have heard what they do to new bitches, and I hope they fuck you really hard until you cry from pain and humiliation."

The Judge and the attorneys as well as the beholders looked at the translator questioningly. "She… She said that the evidence can't have been tampered with, that the accused is a killer."

"What are you leaving out, good man?" the Judge asked dubiously.

"Err, that's not fit for a court room, your honour." the blushing man said.

"Indeed," Nabiki said in a cold tone, "And this Saffron is of no relevance to this trial, your honour, Mr. Burke. It was mortal combat outside of all legal systems, and both parties had agreed to it. Ranko did indeed save my sister, but she obviously took to killing after her first real kill."

Mr. Burke nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Thank you, Miss Tendo. That was very enlightening and proves that the accused has killed before, something to which she obviously took a liking."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Ranma hollered.

"Miss Ranko Tendo, control yourself!" the Judge exclaimed loudly. "Continue with the questioning, Mr. Burke."

Said man nodded. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he began, and his hand encompassed the room, "you have seen evidence that this woman," he pointed at Ranma, "a mutant with the ability to change genders has killed five of our citizens in cold blood. They were boys who were hoping for a flirt, something that all boys do, and she killed them for it in a way so gruelling that words can hardly describe it." he said and let his words sink in.

"This cannot be excused, and I ask you to punish her with all the sharpness of the law. While we cannot impose the death penalty due to the current legal situation,"'Stupid laws that don't allow to demand the death penalty,' he thought, 'I would claim the chair for that bitch, but it looks as if the laws won't be changed soon enough.', "I ask of you to lock her up until the sun comes crashing down. Thank you."

One look at the members of the jury told Ranma that her chances to escape this farce were below zero, and she contemplated fleeing. Her parents and the Tendos would probably fight her and try to hinder her from escaping as things looked, but she was fairly certain that she could beat them all, but that left the chance that one of the guards might get a lucky shot in. Besides, she was innocent, and the good always won in the end, right?

-.-

"Mr. Wilde, you have the word." the Judge said to Ranma's defender.

Ranma's hopes sunk even more as her so called 'defender' got to his feet. The boy, err, man, barely looked older than twenty. He had been assigned to her by the State seeing that she had not been able to afford a competent defence counsel, and Nabiki had literally spat in her face when she had asked for her help.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your honour, Mr. Burke, the defence counsel can not refute the evidence. As Miss Nabiki Tendo said, these special video-cassettes cannot be tampered with, any claim to the contrary would be pointless. I close my parol with the hope that a full confession will have a mitigating effect for my client. Thank you." Mr. Wilde said and sat back down.

"Full confession?" Ranma asked disbelieving as she looked at her defender like he was a never before seen creature, "Have you lost your mind? I am innocent!"

Her defender looked at Ranma with an expression of pity. "Sorry, not even I believe that after seeing the video. Just take your punishment, gal."

"You incompetent… dickless… ass-sucking son of a bitch…" Ranma ranted in Japanese, making the translator blush once again, "How dare you… You're supposed to be my defender, you're supposed to believe me! Gutless bastard!" she screamed. "You didn't even try ta defend me! What kinda lawyer are ya? Go back inta kindergarten where ya belong!"

"Am I right to assume that it was something denigratory?" the Judge asked wryly.

"Yes, your honour. Miss Tendo doubts the competence of her lawyer." the translator replied evenly.

"Well, isn't that just too bad for her?" Mr. Burke mused with a smirk.

"Mr. Burke, control yourself. Miss Tendo, as sad as I am to say this, your only alternative would be to defend yourself. Which would be pointless with the evidence we have, to be frank." the Judge said.

Ranma ground her teeth in fury. "BUT I DIDN'T DO IT!" she yelled.

"Miss Tendo, control yourself!" the Judge admonished. "Or I will be forced to remove you from my court room."

The redhead visibly reigned her temper in. "It wasn't me. That was an impostor!"

"If that's all, the jury will now resile to conduct the counsels. The hearing is adjourned until the jury has come to a decision." the Judge exclaimed, bringing his hammer down.

-.-

Ranma still had the distinct feeling that she had entered the twilight zone or a bizarre alternate reality as she was led along the aisle. Her chains clinked with every step she took and reminded her that it was all too real. She was a prisoner in a foreign country, accused of multiple homicide and without a friend in the world. Her family and friends, even her fiancée, had abandoned her, yes, had even kicked her while she was lying on the ground.

She could not understand how they could believe… that of her! After everything they had survived together, after everything she had done for them… they were so quick to abandon her. Just her belief in justice kept her upright, her firm belief that good would triumph in the end.

The redhead's conviction didn't spare her the hateful glares of the beholders, and especially not those looks that hurt the most. The emotionless stares from the parents, whose faces conveyed the message 'you are dead to us' all too plainly, the loathing looks the Tendo sisters shot her, or the sad and pitying look of Mr. Tendo and Kasumi. Ranma registered with surprise how Nabiki pushed her way through the masses, Kasumi following her. For a moment Ranma believed that one angel still held true to her. That hope was painfully shattered when Ranma saw the look on Kasumi's normally so angelic face. It was stone-faced, her eyes like to chips of ice.

The brown-haired girls came to a halt in front of the redhead, and the guards paused. "I can't believe I ever welcomed you into our home. I can't believe I erred in you so much. And I can't believe that I ever considered you a sibling. I am very disappointed in you, Ranko. I had truly hoped that you were innocent, but the evidence is too overwhelming. May you get what you deserve, and may Kami-sama have mercy on your soul." she said in Japanese.

Her middle sister shook her head and glared. "Always the softie, big sis. Even when she goes on a killing spree and nearly cripples Akane and me."

"I didn't do nothing, bitch. And thank you very much for blabbing about my curse. I was tested endlessly in the last four months, endured humiliation after humiliation, all thanks to you. Bet ya made good money on the side, eh?" Ranma spat back.

"If you think that was bad then wait what lies in store for you." Nabiki promised with a cold and cruel smirk.

"Oh my, you have not done something untoward, have you, Nabiki?"

"If you call getting revenge for what she did to us untoward, then yes. I sat two metres away when she slaughtered those poor boys. I was coated in their blood, you maniac," she spat at Ranma. "Do you have even an inkling of how hard it is to get blood out of silk clothes? Do you?"

Nabiki huffed. "And what did you kill them for? For asking you out on a date. I don't know you." she exclaimed and spat on the ground in front of Ranma.

Akane had followed her older sister, and Ranma could see in her eyes that she was all too happy to take up where her sister had left off. And she did.

"Not only are you a perverted bastard, but a murderer! I am glad that you will be brought to justice, Ranko, and I would be too happy if you would rot forever!" Akane spat, her eyes narrowed hatefully, "I can't believe I ever liked you, and if I see you again in ten-thousand years it would still be too early!"

Ranma had reared back from the sheer venom in Akane's voice, and didn't manage more than a few stuttered words. "A-Akane… No! I. . . ."

"You're pathetic," Nabiki spat in disgust, and shook her head, "I can't believe I misjudged you so much. Saffron could be explained away, or so I thought… But it seems you took to killing. How many bodies will be found in Nerima, you bitch? A dozen? Two dozen? Regardless, I have no further use for you. May you rot in hell."

With that Nabiki turned around on the heel and followed her sisters, leaving an emotionally crushed redhead behind. But Ranma's ordeal was not over yet. Far from it…

-.-

Ranma Saotome, currently in her identity of Ranko Tendo sat slumped in her seat in the court room 101. If the insults and accusations of the Tendo sisters had been bad, the complete ignorance she had received from her mother had been even worse. Nodoka had treated her as if she didn't exist, and any try to talk to her had been met with stubborn silence. Even Soun Tendo, cowardly and spineless would-be dignified and honourable man, had acted like a Samurai as he had ignored her completely.

Now she was sitting in that damned foreign court room, waiting for a jury composed of gaijin. Gaijin, who would decide her fate. And there they came, the decision was near…

One by one the members of the jury entered the court room and took their places. Ranma as well as everyone else had been ordered to stand up, and were allowed to sit again once the members of the jury had taken their places.

"Have you come to a decision?" the Judge asked the leader of the jury.

"We have, your honour." the woman replied.

Ranma surveyed the middle-aged brown-haired woman who had had a part in deciding over her life, over freedom or captivity. She was a normal woman, had a round and friendly face, brown eyes and looked like your average woman. Normally not someone of whom you would expect to announce a ruling that would decide someone's fate. But here she was, and would do exactly that.

"And how does it read?" the Judge asked.

The beholders held their collective breaths, and Ranma's tension grew to incredible heights. The woman unfolded a sheet of paper. "It reads as follows, your honour… guilty. All in favour of guilty."

"Thank you Madame, for your service to this country. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I thank you. This concludes the sentencing hearing. The judiciary adjourns until 15th, November when the judgment will be pronounced." Judge Edkinson exclaimed and brought his hammer down.

The middle-aged man got up from his seat, and the room followed suit. Ranma barely registered that her defender expressed his condolences and disappeared in the crowd, she was much too shaken up. She had just been found guilty by the Jury, and according to the books on legal stuff she had gotten her fingers on this meant she would be sent to prison, and for a very long time at that.

She felt completely numb as she was ruggedly pulled to her feet, and barely resisted as she was led away.

-.-

Six weeks later

A very disillusioned Ranma Saotome, labelled as the Raving Ronin Ranko sat in the same self seat as six weeks ago. She had used her time well, had written petitions, contacted the Japanese Embassy, had demanded new investigations and thousands of other avenues, true to her credo that Ranma Saotome didn't lose. While that was true for physical combat it seemed that she had found her betters in the legal system. She was guilty until proven innocent, and the evidence looked very damning, that she had to admit.

What she didn't understand though was why no one of her supposed friends, Ukyo, Konatsu, the Amazons and so many more Nerimans hadn't raised a single finger to help her. No one had appeared in the whole five and a half months. Not even Tatewaki Kuno, who was, as was known far and wide, obsessed with her female form. But why? Had Nabiki or someone else done something to convince all of her friends of her guilt? Heck, she would even have been happy to see the old lech. But no one had come forward to help her, no one. It really seemed as if she had lost her worth to them, and that after everything she had done for them.

But even after all that had happened to her, Ranma still believed that justice would prevail in the end. There was still the off-chance that the Judge had come to the conclusion that something was amiss, and she clung to that hope as she waited for Judge Edkinson to appear.

Her former family was here as well, parts of it anyway. Her mother as well as Soun had come, but they hadn't spoken to her, had not even looked at her. To Ranma it looked like they wanted closure, wanted to take a last look at a ghost before it took its final journey. She, she had long since given up to try and talk to them. They believed the evidence over her word anyway, but that had been the case right from the start. It hurt nevertheless, and the importance of the trial added a whole new level of betrayal. In the end she had been on her own as had always been par for the course for all her big fights, but this time it looked as if she would lose.

Her verdict was set for 2 p.m., and she still had a few minutes to reflect on the past five and a half months. That time had been a complete nightmare filled with tests, insults, ridiculing and the worst press coverage she had ever seen. They painted her as a raving monster, a renegade martial artist that killed little kids before breakfast, as a warm-up. And she hadn't been able to do anything, seeing that everyone believed in her guilt.

Her life had turned into a bloody nightmare, and the periods she had experienced hadn't been the worst. She had lived through them, but the constant verbal abuse of virtually everyone around her was wearing her out. That, and that no one believed her. Bloody lie detector had been ruled out early on due to her being a high calibre martial artist. Now thank you very much. Other ways of ascertaining if she was telling the truth had been discarded in the preliminary hearings as well, seeing as they were not 'reliable' enough.

Thus her requests to try some of those alternate methods like Hypnosis had fallen on deaf ears. The Japanese Embassy had been a huge disappointment as well. To them Ranma Saotome didn't exist, which confirmed that Nabiki had made good on her threat. Not that that would have been very difficult considering A) Nabiki's contacts and possibilities and B) her very sketchy records. And the Ronin Ranko was persona non grata to the Japanese due to her dishonourable actions, so it was unlikely that the Japanese authorities would even look for manipulations. She had virtually no one in the world, and no one had visited her the whole time. Which was something that spoke volumes about her life.

Her defender nudged her and the redhead raised her bowed head. Judge Edkinson had entered the court room, and everyone had gotten to their feet. Ranma dragged her tired body up as well. The Judge got right into it after he had allowed them to take their seats. He browsed through a stack of papers before he looked sternly at Ranma.

"Miss Tendo, I have taken great care to examine the proofs brought before me by the prosecution. I have read every single opinion, report and God knows what. But everything pointed me to one conclusion: that you are guilty."

Excited murmurs spread through the court room, and a few among the beholders even cheered. Derogatory comments ensued, and the Judge had to re-establish order.

"Ranko Tendo, in light of the evidence with which I have been presented I have no other choice but to proclaim you guilty on all accounts. I sentence you to 350 years of prison, to be served in the State Prison Ryker's Island. The case is closed."

Ranma continued to watch disbelieving. The true meaning of the happenings didn't register in her mind when the Judge brought his hammer down, it was all too unreal. Her last hope to receive justice had been shattered, and her insides had turned to ice. She bowed her head and shook it slowly, tears escaping from her eyes.

"No, this cannot be… This must not be. I did not do it, why is that happening to me?" she muttered, and raised her head to look over at her mother and Soun.

"Ranko Tendo," came the Tendo patriarch's grave voice just in this moment in their native tongue from among the beholders, "As of now you are banished from the Tendo clan. We have no part in your dishonour and will not acknowledge your existence. You are from now on and forever dead to us. So sayeth I, Soun Tendo, head of the Tendo clan. May Kami-sama have mercy on your soul, Ronin Ranko."

Ranma's disbelief rose to astronomic heights as a stone-faced Soun walked out of the court room, but that was nothing on the expressions of her parents. Nodoka looked at her with a face that seemed to be carved out of stone, and the redhead noted that she looked profoundly disappointed. Her cold look could have frozen hell a thousand times over. And it was her that delivered the final blow.

"From now on and forever you are dead to us. May you get what you deserve." the Saotome matriarch said solemnly, using Japanese.

Ranma watched with tears streaming down her face as her mother followed the Tendos. She could barely wrap her mind around the concept that she had been declared ronin for all intents and purposes, that was of secondary importance. Much worse was that her own mother had abandoned her, had believed she could have committed murder in cold blood rather than standing by her side.

She didn't react as one of the guards rudely grabbed her arms. The redhead was forcefully dragged out of the court room, out of her old life and into a new and uncertain one. All the while Ranma muttered that this had to be a bizarre nightmare from which she would wake up soon. But Ranma Saotome should all too soon learn that the happenings had been bitter reality…

to be continued…

Thanks for reading. Also, thanks to everyone for helping me out with suggestions, comments, ideas and c&c in general.

Special thanks go to the people at Shinjis board for their continued great help.

And last but not least, many thanks to my beta for this story, Ordieth.

As always, comments and constructive crit are welcome and appreciated. Till next.

A/N: I know some of you might say that the behaviour of the Saotomes and Tendos towards Ranma is a bit extreme, but to them Ranma committed the crime. The evidence is simply crushing, and they have to make do with the facts. Add to that, that Akane and Nabiki were there when 'Ranma' killed those boys. Hope that explains their behaviour.

The next chapter will highlight Ranma's stay in prison and the bonding with the symbiote. Be warned, it will be one of my darker chapters.

Pertaining the update status on my other stories, I will update 'Chaotic Rebirth' on Monday. 'A legend reborn' will be updated on one of the next two Thursdays, and 'Betrayal's Reward' as soon as I have enough material.

As always, comments and constructive crit are welcome and appreciated. Till next.

Many thanks to those of you who were kind enough to leave reviews for the last chapter:

Howard Russell, Lost on the Info super high..., Silverscale, Martrex, Tuisto, ss4-link, Tatsu-ZZmage, AzureSky123¸ James Axelrad, ranger5, sieti, Dumbledork, Xtor49, DarkRubberNeck, Wonderbee31, sadfru, ..., Deus-Ex-Machina, Lord Oberon, Jago Li Son Shiranui, trunks and goten, Venom LS

Revision notes:

I made several changes to the original version.

- Ranma won't serve the sentence in the women's prison Assn, but on Ryker's Island in a maximum security cell. John Tannius and a few others pointed out that that would be where he would end up, considering his 'mutant powers' and the brutality of the crime

- it was pointed out that Genma would never have received entry permit due to his criminal record, thus I removed his part from this chapter and rewrote those scenes

- the DNA issue that many complained about has been resolved. I originally planned to get back to that in a future chapter, but you folks are right, here's as good a place

- the perjury issue has also been dealt with

- it will be revealed in future chapters as to why none of the NWC stepped forward to help Ranma

- finally, as for the DNA issue pertaining the Clone, remember, this is the Marvel Universe. as seen in the 'Clone Wars' saga, the clones here are absolutely identical to the original, fingerprints and everything. But more to that in the Q&A section and future chapters.