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 III: REVELATIONS
By Vincent Nguyen
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-Chapter 3-
Ranma(C) was disoriented as she woke up in darkness. It
took her a few moments to realize that she was staring at the
inside of her eyelids. They felt damp as if tears had just
soaked them recently. She tried to open her eyes, but they
refused to obey. Giving up for now, she examined the rest of
her body as best as she could and noticed that it felt different
somehow.
She had no further time for introspection as she felt a pair
of hands shake her shoulders. Without volition, her eyes
opened and stared into the face of a very familiar looking man.
Where have I seen him before? Ranma(C) thought before the
answer struck her. This man was her father!
But he was younger and there was a kind look to his eyes
that Ranma(C) had never seen before. All of a sudden,
Ranma(C) felt her presence being pushed back...
Nodoka Saotome blinked a few times to get her bearings
then she sat up and said, "Genma?"
He stared solemnly at her and said, "Dear, it's time."
Feeling a panic rise within her, Nodoka tried to keep her
voice level as she asked, "Couldn't we wait a few more days?
Do you really have to take Ranma away now?"
Genma sighed. "Nodoka, we have already discussed this
for years. This is necessary if we want our son to be a man
amongst men. Don't you want him to be special?"
He's already special! Nodoka wanted to shout, but instead
she desperately asked, "I understand all this, but is the
seppuku contract really needed? It's just not right."
"It is a matter of family honor," her husband replied firmly.
"Please, don't worry about us. We'll be fine."
Nodoka looked into his eyes and thought, Maybe it's not
too late to back out of this. Surely Genma would understand.
I simply don't know if this is the best thing for Ranma.
But she knew that she wouldn't stop her husband. She was
an old-fashioned woman and considered honor the most
important possession one could have. More important than
her son or husband? She knew that question would haunt her
for a very long time to come.
Ten minutes later, Genma was down the road, waving back
at the house, but Nodoka only had eyes for her baby boy, who
was now vanishing from her life. She sat in front of the window,
numb, for what seemed like hours as she tried to process the fact
that the two of the most important people in her life were really
gone.
Surely, she would see him again soon. A few months at the
most. Genma had absolutely no survival skills, his days with
Happosai and Soun having proved that, so he should give up
soon. Then she remembered the katana Genma had given her
and in her heart, she knew they wouldn't be coming back.
Days became weeks and weeks became months and her
prediction held true. She would have given anything for it to
have failed. Nodoka received letters from Genma often, but
over time she noticed that the language in his messages was
becoming harsher and that his handwriting was deteriorating.
They were subtle changes, but she knew they were only a
small indication of what was happening to her husband.
She suddenly realized that she was absent-mindedly
swinging her katana around. Over the months, she had
developed the habit of carrying the blade around with her,
carefully wrapped up, of course. It was somehow...
comforting to have something to hold and take care of.
Nodoka snorted to herself over her foolishness. But the
house was so lonely, except for the remains of her shattered
dreams. She used to imagine about having a family to take
care of and love, but now it would never happen.
Those hopes had been replaced by worries about what kind
of man her son would turn out to be. She knew every mother
went through that, but in her case, she wouldn't even be around
to watch him grow up. That thought brought on a pain that
somehow almost hurt worse than when she had to see her
baby being taken away. Almost.
She gripped the handle of her sword tightly. "Why, Genma,
did you take him from me? We were to raise him together!
Did you really believe that I could handle the loss of both my
husband and my child?!"
The katana dropped from her grip and clattered to the
ground and Nodoka soon followed it as she sank to her knees
and wept, releasing all the stress and sadness she had bottled
up for so long.
She knew that this would not be the last time this scene
would act out in the years to follow.
Ranma(C) cried but she didn't know why. It took her
awhile to realize that she was herself again, in mind if not body.
It took her even longer to calm down. Months of loneliness and
depression did not dissipate easily.
But it wasn't my fault! Ranma(C) thought. That stupid old
man did that to mom!
That reasoning did nothing for her mood. Every child felt
responsible when their mother was unhappy. Ranma(C) felt,
however, that she was too strong to be pulled down by
misplaced guilt.
Are you now? Somehow I doubt that.
"The old man did it to her!" Ranma(C) yelled, her innate
calm being overridden by the anger and hurt she felt raging
within her. But the words sounded feeble even to her ears.
No one is disputing that, but I am talking about events that
happened long after that. Surely, you still remember the first
time your mother came over looking for you?
"Yeah," Ranma(C) replied weakly.
Can you honestly tell me that you were forced to lie to your
mother and to deny her the joy of seeing her only child again
after more than a decade?
"How could you understand? I hadn't seen her in years! The
only things I knew about her were from what Pops told me. I
was afraid she'd kill me!"
But she knew that wasn't a real excuse and that made the pain
inside her ache even more. Am I going to spend the rest of my
life making up for Pop's mistakes? Ranma(C) thought.
And I suppose it was too hard for you to pick up a phone or
write her a letter to reassure her that you were all right, the
voice quickly countered, but strangely, there was no malice to
the reply.
Shame overwhelmed Ranma(C) at the same time that she
struggled to come up with a reply. She said, "There were so
many nights that I couldn't sleep because I felt so guilty
about being able to see her, but she couldn't see me. Not the
real me, anyway. I wanted to tell her the truth so badly.
"I've started a dozen letters and I've dialed her number a
hundred times more, but I couldn't go through with it. I didn't
want to lie to her any more than I had to. I always told myself
that she probably didn't take not seeing me so hard. I mean, she
always seemed so calm and happy when she came over."
She looked down. "I guess that it was pretty stupid of me to
think that she wasn't suffering as much as I was."
The voice softened. It's not your fault. Despite your
extraordinary life, you are only seventeen years old. It's only
natural to be confused about what is the right thing to do in
every circumstance.
"Then tell me why you are punishing me?" Ranma(C)
demanded.
I'm sorry you see it that way, but that is not the purpose
here. But we're behind schedule.
She didn't know how she knew it, but she could instantly tell
that the presence in her mind had vanished. She would have
fumed about it, but something caught her attention.
The body she was currently in shifted position and that
move told her several things. The body was small, female, and
seemed to by lying on something... metallic.
Shivers went up Ranma(C)'s spine as she realized who it
had to be. NO!!! Anybody but her! Ranma(C) silently
shouted.
Ukyou Kuonji yawned as she woke up and stretched to get
the kinks out of her. She had fallen asleep on her spatula again.
Suddenly, she remembered. Today was the day she was going
to leave with Ranchan and his dad! She excitedly glanced
around for her friend, but he was nowhere to be found. She
shrugged and went to go look for him.
She searched everywhere and grew more puzzled with each
step as her hunt revealed nothing. Where could they be? A
clattering sound reached her ears. It was the wheels of the
okonomiyaki cart! She'd better catch up or they might leave her
behind! She giggled at her joke.
Her smile faded as she reached the clearing only to find that
Mister Saotome was quickly running down the road, dragging
the cart with Ranma sitting on it.
Ukyou cried, "Wait! You forgot me!"
She ran after them, screaming and yelling, waiting for them
to stop, but they didn't. Her short legs were burning, her heart
pounded wildly within her chest, and her breaths came out in
painful gasps, but she forced herself on by sheer force of will.
But even the greatest will could only keep going for so
long. She fell further and further behind until she finally fell
to the ground, tears streaming down her face and her voice too
hoarse to do anything other than to sob silently into the dirt.
She made herself look up and through the misty haze, she
saw the boy she had considered her best friend in the entire
world waving at her and laughing cheerfully.
He was laughing at her, Ukyou thought as her heart broke
to pieces.
Ranma! Ranma Saotome!
Ranma(C) closed her eyes and turned away from where the
voice seemed to be coming from. "Just leave me alone, please.
I really don't want to hear more about what a horrible person I
am. Don't you think that I already know?"
Then you believe this incident and others similar to it are
a result of your actions?
"Of course not! At least... not directly." Ranma(C) felt a
compulsion to be honest.
Then why do you feel responsible? I concede these
mistakes were not of your making so why do you feel guilty?
"Because I have some compassion in me, you know!"
Maybe there's hope for you after all then.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma(C) demanded.
You have never learned the fundamental reason for being
a martial artist. Compassion is what people need and what you
have even though your father certainly never taught you. You
have a good heart but you never truly understood what you
were supposed to use it for. Your life would have gone much
better if you had.
Ranma(C) shook her head. "I still don't understand."
Oh? Let's make a few more stops, shall we? Don't worry,
it won't take long.
Ranma(C) had no time to try to protest.
Things were moving too fast for her tastes. All she had
wanted to do when she got home was rest and try to forget
about the events at Phoenix Mountain. But apparently, her
dad and Mister Saotome had different ideas.
Akane sighed in exasperation. She couldn't believe that
her dad would blackmail her like that! She knew that her
marrying Ranma was very important to him, but this was
ridiculous! She intended to have a talk with him, but now she
had bigger worries on her mind.
Did she *want* to marry Ranma? It was possible that she
might have feelings for him, but she was still in high school
for Kami's sake! But would it really be so bad? She thought
back to her strongest memory of what had happened in China,
when she had clearly heard Ranma say he loved her.
The door to my room suddenly burst open and Ranma
marched in, yelling, "Hey Akane! What is this nonsense
about you agreeing to the w..."
Ranma's jaw dropped as he stopped in his tracks and the
shocked look on his face was priceless. Akane resisted the
urge to laugh and instead tried to put on a sultry look. She
batted her lashes and said, "Hello, Ranma..."
She could practically hear his heart beating in his chest.
Ranma made some meaningless sounds of gibberish. Akane
knew that this was mean, but this was the most fun she had all
day. Considering the fact that earlier the same day, she had
almost died...
Akane mentally pushed that thought out of her mind. It
was too disturbing to think about for the moment. She
suddenly noticed that Ranma hadn't blinked for some time
now. She asked, "Do you like my dress, Ranma? I guess the
Japanese-style one would have been better after all."
She watched in amusement as Ranma stumbled over
himself to speak. He said, "You look really beautiful,
Akane..."
The expected bride tried to deny it, but a feeling of warmth
went through her as she heard those words. Compliments
from Ranma Saotome were few and far and she appreciated
every one of them whenever they came. She tried to sound
indifferent, but her excitement broke through as she said,
"You really think so? I'm glad."
There was an awkward silence. Akane felt a tinge of guilt
and sadness over the fact that Ranma had to be forced into
this. This was her wedding day, unwanted or not, and it was
supposed to be the happiest day of her life.
She reminded herself that this was for Ranma's cure, but
was that the only reason she was doing this? She needed time
to resolve her feelings for her finance. Why couldn't her father
understand that? Didn't he realize that she had almost *died*
today?
A voice interrupted her thoughts with the stammering of,
"Um... you see.... well..."
Akane looked up and said, "Yes, Ranma?"
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Ranma asked curiously.
"What made you want to go ahead with the wedding?"
"Well..." Akane blushed then forced herself to say the
hardest question she ever had to say. "Ranma, you love me,
don't you?"
"Um... I do?" Ranma asked nervously. He said quickly,
"What made you think of that all of a sudden?"
Akane's heart began to sink. Could she have been wrong
about what she had heard? She refused to believe that. "When
you were crying over me at Jusenkyo... I could have sworn I
heard you say... you know, say you loved me."
Ranma's eyes opened really wide and he cried, "I'm sure I
didn't say it out loud! I didn't NO WAY!"
"What's the difference?" Akane cried, anger welling up
within her. Even if she hadn't heard it with her ears, she had
felt it all the same. "I'm just as sure I heard you in some way!"
Ranma went into a stance and put up his hands. He
sputtered, "What?! You wanna fight about it?! You'll ruin that
pretty dress of yours like that."
"HMPH! Fine, be that way," Akane said turning away to
hide the fact that at the moment she wanted to cry. "Obviously,
I made a mistake when I pushed myself to go through with this
wedding."
She wished desperately for Ranma to tell her that she was
wrong, that he was glad that the two of them were going to get
married, but he was simply scared. But she knew Ranma too
well. Whether out of pride or something else, he would never
admit that he was afraid. She couldn't let him do this. He had
saved her life and at this point, there was nothing she wouldn't
do for him.
Akane turned to Ranma and gave him a hard look, a look
that conveyed that he'd better listen if he knew what was good
for him. She said in a low voice, "But I'm warning you,
Ranma... If you call it off at this point, you'll regret it."
Things got worse from there.
Akane sat in her room and stared at the ceiling. The
wedding had been a disaster, of course, as it had been crashed
by all of Nerima's most chaotic martial artists. Yet she
couldn't find it within herself to be mad. She couldn't really
blame the uninvited 'guests' as she knew that she probably
would have shared their reaction of Ranma having a wedding
out of the blue like that.
It was actually a relief, though, that they had showed up.
Though she most likely would have felt differently if Ukyou
and Shampoo had managed to hit her with their culinary
bombs! What was up with that, anyway?
Still, Akane felt a little disappointed. She really would
have gone through with it if she had to, but then she thought
about it. She didn't want to get married for Ranma's sake. She
wanted it for her sake too.
She shouldn't have gotten mad at Ranma. She should have
known that he wasn't ready, but what he said still hurt. If
truth be told, she wasn't ready for marriage either, but that
wasn't what was bothering her.
She loved him. She could finally admit it to herself, but
that realization brought her no joy, only a feeling of intense
loneliness as she thought about the earlier events of today.
Was it possible that Ranma really didn't love her? She
thought he did but now she wasn't sure at all.
There was so many signs that indicated that he did, but was
that just wishful thinking on her part? She knew that she
hadn't always been the kindest person to Ranma, but what of
all the good times they had together? They did almost everything
together! Who knew him better than she did, though her anger
often clouded her good sense? But now she felt like she didn't
know him at all.
This was not the way things were supposed to go.
Ranma(C) woke up in complete and utter darkness. But this
wasn't the same kind of darkness she had been experiencing
every time she shifted. She could tell that she was somewhere
drastically different. How long it had been, she didn't know.
Normally, this would have been disturbing to her, but
compared to what just happened, it was an enormous relief.
She sat there, alone with her thoughts. She just didn't have
the energy to get up and try to explore. She prided herself on
being able to defeat any menace or attacker, but there was no
way she could deal with this. No matter what other people
thought, she was still human and she had limits.
There was nothing to distract her from the depression that
was slowly enveloping her mind. It was almost addictive and it
seemed more comfortable to hide in the feeling rather than think
about the events that caused it.
Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a white light
appear into being. She stared blankly at it and after a moment,
the voice she loathed so much spoke. Are you just going to
sit there and wallow in sorrow?
"Why not?" Ranma(C) asked. "Ryouga does it all the time."
The voice chuckled. Ah, I see that you still retain your
sense of humor. I was afraid that this experience might have
broken you. Most human beings can't handle this level of
empathy with another person's pain.
That got a rise out of Ranma(C) and she said, "Well, I'm
not most people. Ranma Saotome can handle anything!"
Except your own life, of course.
"It's not my fault all this stuff has happened to me!"
Ranma(C) yelled.
It's not my fault, the voice mocked. You seem to
conveniently forget that while your father may have caused
many of your problems, you are the main reason that many of
them are here. Evil exists when good people stand by and do
nothing.
Ranma(C) opened her mouth to protest, but she fell silent
as dozens of foreign memories flowed through her mind. Then
she asked, "Am I really that bad?"
No, you aren't, the voice replied, surprising Ranma(C).
You had no control over the events in your life up until the
time you arrived in Nerima. But once you were there, you had
free will for determining your future, but instead you erected
an emotional shell around yourself at the expense of others.
The voice asked in a puzzled tone, But why? What were
you afraid of? And don't give me that you're not afraid of
anything. You may be a master of the martial arts, but when
you're confronted with anything emotional you become a
wreck and try to ignore the problem.
"So I'm a jerk," Ranma(C) said bitterly. "I may not say it
but I do care about those idiots. I do the best I can for them.
What I want to know is, out of all the people in the world,
why are you bothering me?"
I can't tell you that, but I can tell you that while your
efforts are made with good intentions, they aren't enough.
You've had a firsthand look at what your presence had caused
in the lives of other people. Though it's not directly your fault,
you still feel guilt. I can't tell you why you are chosen, but the
object here is not punish you but to open your eyes and show
you that doing nothing is the worst thing you could do.
"Don't you think I know that?" Ranma(C) yelled. "But do
you know what would happen if I tried something? I'll just
make things worse! I couldn't take that!"
The white light grew in luminescence. How do you know
that will happen when you don't even try?! You are a martial
artist so act like one! You are afraid to correct things because
you didn't know what upsetting the status quo would mean, but
sometimes, risks must be taken.
"Damned if I do, damned if I don't. I know it's selfish but if
something *did* go wrong, it really would be my fault,"
Ranma(C) said looking downcast.
The past does not necessarily determine the future.
Your other half may be bound by the prison he has
constructed, but you, on the other hand, are not. Martial arts
was created to help people who can't help themselves. That
doesn't just apply to physical problems.
How do you want to live your life, Ranma Saotome?
The light grew to blinding proportions and Ranma(C) knew
no more.
A few moments went by then the power of the light went
down to about a hundred watt lightbulb, revealing for the first
time the appearance of a woman and a man. They were both
dressed professionally and would have looked completely
normal to the unsuspecting eye. Except for one thing.
The woman was wearing a tag on her blouse with the word
'Supervisor' on it while the man had a tag with 'Not A
Supervisor' on his.
The woman rolled her eyes in exasperation then turned to
the widely grinning man and gave him a stern look. "I'm not
sure if it was the intelligent thing to do by interfering so soon
after the separation." She put an emphasis on the word
'intelligent'.
The man shrugged. "I don't like it anymore than you do,
Cindy, but the fate of the world does rest on this. Sheesh, that
sounds so cliche! Anyway, we've talked about this and we *are*
on a time table. The best way to get the female Ranma out of
her depression was to give her something to fight for."
"Why do you insist on using these Earthly names? I knew
you were eccentric, but now is not the time for such
foolishness. Besides, we get strange looks at company meetings."
The man appeared to be inspecting his fingernails. He
looked up and said, "Huh?"
The woman sighed. "All right, *Ned*."
The aforementioned Ned looked up, smiling. "Yes, Cindy?"
The woman reluctantly named Cindy resisted the urge to
mallet her annoying associate. The fact that she thought of
malleting him at all alarmed her slightly. She thought, I've
been spending too much time on Earth.
Trying to get back on track, she asked, "Aren't you afraid of
arousing suspicions in this early a stage?"
A hand was waved, dismissing the matter. "Don't worry so
much. Our friend here will barely remember this. As we
speak, the memories are already fading for they didn't belong
to her in the first place. Mister Saotome may interpret what's
left as a dream, but the determination to do what's right will
still take hold."
"What if it doesn't?" Cindy asked skeptically.
Ned's smile faded as he took on a more serious tone. "I
believe that I am than capable of making a judgement on
something this serious. I *have* been studying the boy for
years. This is why I was chosen for this job, was it not?"
Cindy held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, who am I to
argue? You have more knowledge in this matter. The young
man and all those connected to him are under your jurisdiction,
but that does lead me to wonder about your objectivity in all
this."
"Everything is going according to the Rules. So what if I
have a secondary objective? What I'm doing will satisfy both
our goals," the man replied confidently.
"Yes, you've taken quite an interest in this Ranma Saotome
and the others that interact with him. Frankly, I believe this is
the only reason that you've been assigned to this."
"What can I say? They are the most exciting assignment
I've had in centuries," Ned said, his tone suggesting he was
not joking. "But that isn't all there is to it. I *like* these
chaotic misfits and if we are going to do this to them then we're
doing it my way. As it is, I *really* hate having to do these
things, necessary or not."
Cindy gave a nod of sympathy then said, "It's none of my
business but I hope you remember that this isn't just about them.
It's about the greater good."
There was a snort of disbelief. "*Please.* It's always *said*
to be about the greater good, but you know our high and mighty
bosses are just looking out for their own hides. The fact
that we and billions of other people are saved will merely be a
positive side effect to them. Or have you overlooked the fact
that only a handful of us workers are on this project?"
Ned waved his hands. "I know what you're going to say.
Only a few could be spared for this task. *I* still say those
stuffed shirts expect us to fail."
"You seem to have forgotten that I'm one of those stuffed
shirts you're insulting here," Cindy said dryly.
"It figures that's what you'd focus on," Ned said, chuckling.
"Besides, who said that I forgot?"
The woman glared at him and the man smiled at her. "I'm
kidding. I happen to hold you in an esteemed regard. It's a
shame that you will slowly transform into a tyrannical
bureaucrat. Alas, I knew you well."
"Not feeling optimistic today, are we?" Cindy said,
struggling to keep a straight face.
"I'm *always* optimistic, but that doesn't mean I can't be
realistic too. Besides, you said yourself that we geniuses are a
bit eccentric."
"I don't recall calling you a genius..."
Ned continued smoothly as if she had said nothing, "This
combination of intellect and creativity has allowed me to come
up with many unique ideas."
"Like this crazy plan of yours, right?" Cindy said
sardonically.
"Of course. But with my genius mind, I have also modified
it from my original approved schematics with the addition of
*truth spray* into the subject. I thought that it was only fair to
make things easier on her or him, depending on how you see things,
seeing what we're planning."
"You did what?!" The supervisor cried, horrified.
"Just a little bit. I've injected the formula into her
pheromones to help her in her tasks. What harm could it do?
All it does is calm individuals down enough so that they can
listen to the truth without jumping into homicidal rages. You'd
be surprised at how often my charges do that."
"Do you realize what you have done? This was done
without authorization of any sort and now you have to face the
consequences-"
"Relax, my friend. I was only kidding."
"You were?" Cindy asked suspiciously.
"Yes, I was. Then again, maybe I wasn't," Ned said, raising
his eyebrows a bit too innocently.
"You're treading on thin ice here, pal," the woman growled.
"You seem to constantly forget that I outrank you."
Ned shrugged. "No risk is too great when it's for survival.
Besides, if my plan works, I'm sure the bigwigs will be too busy
celebrating to be assigning blame for a few minor...
indiscretions."
"Whatever. But I want to know what this grand, fantastic
plan of yours is that you've been babbling about for the last
few months," the woman said firmly.
"I'm sorry but I can't tell you. If the word got out, all my
projections might be ruined. The hierarchy may be slow, but
it's surprising how fast news can travel up and down it."
"I think that you've been spending too much time with the
humans," Cindy said with no trace of humor in her voice.
"You may be right. It's all a part of my master plan."
"You really can't tell me how it will turn out at least?
We've known each other for centuries!" Cindy said.
"Seriously, I can't tell you," Ned replied. Then he grinned
widely. "You probably wouldn't understand, being a stuffed
shirt and all."
"You are so infuriating!" Cindy yelled before fading away.
A weary look crossed over the lone man's face. He spoke
into the darkness. "I really can't tell you that I'm making this
up as I go along. Or that I curse the idiot in Personnel who
assigned *me*, the Galactic Slacker, to try to save an entire
planet!"
He put his face into his hands. "God, I hate doing this."
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 III: REVELATIONS
By Vincent Nguyen
***********************************************
-Chapter 3-
Ranma(C) was disoriented as she woke up in darkness. It
took her a few moments to realize that she was staring at the
inside of her eyelids. They felt damp as if tears had just
soaked them recently. She tried to open her eyes, but they
refused to obey. Giving up for now, she examined the rest of
her body as best as she could and noticed that it felt different
somehow.
She had no further time for introspection as she felt a pair
of hands shake her shoulders. Without volition, her eyes
opened and stared into the face of a very familiar looking man.
Where have I seen him before? Ranma(C) thought before the
answer struck her. This man was her father!
But he was younger and there was a kind look to his eyes
that Ranma(C) had never seen before. All of a sudden,
Ranma(C) felt her presence being pushed back...
Nodoka Saotome blinked a few times to get her bearings
then she sat up and said, "Genma?"
He stared solemnly at her and said, "Dear, it's time."
Feeling a panic rise within her, Nodoka tried to keep her
voice level as she asked, "Couldn't we wait a few more days?
Do you really have to take Ranma away now?"
Genma sighed. "Nodoka, we have already discussed this
for years. This is necessary if we want our son to be a man
amongst men. Don't you want him to be special?"
He's already special! Nodoka wanted to shout, but instead
she desperately asked, "I understand all this, but is the
seppuku contract really needed? It's just not right."
"It is a matter of family honor," her husband replied firmly.
"Please, don't worry about us. We'll be fine."
Nodoka looked into his eyes and thought, Maybe it's not
too late to back out of this. Surely Genma would understand.
I simply don't know if this is the best thing for Ranma.
But she knew that she wouldn't stop her husband. She was
an old-fashioned woman and considered honor the most
important possession one could have. More important than
her son or husband? She knew that question would haunt her
for a very long time to come.
Ten minutes later, Genma was down the road, waving back
at the house, but Nodoka only had eyes for her baby boy, who
was now vanishing from her life. She sat in front of the window,
numb, for what seemed like hours as she tried to process the fact
that the two of the most important people in her life were really
gone.
Surely, she would see him again soon. A few months at the
most. Genma had absolutely no survival skills, his days with
Happosai and Soun having proved that, so he should give up
soon. Then she remembered the katana Genma had given her
and in her heart, she knew they wouldn't be coming back.
Days became weeks and weeks became months and her
prediction held true. She would have given anything for it to
have failed. Nodoka received letters from Genma often, but
over time she noticed that the language in his messages was
becoming harsher and that his handwriting was deteriorating.
They were subtle changes, but she knew they were only a
small indication of what was happening to her husband.
She suddenly realized that she was absent-mindedly
swinging her katana around. Over the months, she had
developed the habit of carrying the blade around with her,
carefully wrapped up, of course. It was somehow...
comforting to have something to hold and take care of.
Nodoka snorted to herself over her foolishness. But the
house was so lonely, except for the remains of her shattered
dreams. She used to imagine about having a family to take
care of and love, but now it would never happen.
Those hopes had been replaced by worries about what kind
of man her son would turn out to be. She knew every mother
went through that, but in her case, she wouldn't even be around
to watch him grow up. That thought brought on a pain that
somehow almost hurt worse than when she had to see her
baby being taken away. Almost.
She gripped the handle of her sword tightly. "Why, Genma,
did you take him from me? We were to raise him together!
Did you really believe that I could handle the loss of both my
husband and my child?!"
The katana dropped from her grip and clattered to the
ground and Nodoka soon followed it as she sank to her knees
and wept, releasing all the stress and sadness she had bottled
up for so long.
She knew that this would not be the last time this scene
would act out in the years to follow.
Ranma(C) cried but she didn't know why. It took her
awhile to realize that she was herself again, in mind if not body.
It took her even longer to calm down. Months of loneliness and
depression did not dissipate easily.
But it wasn't my fault! Ranma(C) thought. That stupid old
man did that to mom!
That reasoning did nothing for her mood. Every child felt
responsible when their mother was unhappy. Ranma(C) felt,
however, that she was too strong to be pulled down by
misplaced guilt.
Are you now? Somehow I doubt that.
"The old man did it to her!" Ranma(C) yelled, her innate
calm being overridden by the anger and hurt she felt raging
within her. But the words sounded feeble even to her ears.
No one is disputing that, but I am talking about events that
happened long after that. Surely, you still remember the first
time your mother came over looking for you?
"Yeah," Ranma(C) replied weakly.
Can you honestly tell me that you were forced to lie to your
mother and to deny her the joy of seeing her only child again
after more than a decade?
"How could you understand? I hadn't seen her in years! The
only things I knew about her were from what Pops told me. I
was afraid she'd kill me!"
But she knew that wasn't a real excuse and that made the pain
inside her ache even more. Am I going to spend the rest of my
life making up for Pop's mistakes? Ranma(C) thought.
And I suppose it was too hard for you to pick up a phone or
write her a letter to reassure her that you were all right, the
voice quickly countered, but strangely, there was no malice to
the reply.
Shame overwhelmed Ranma(C) at the same time that she
struggled to come up with a reply. She said, "There were so
many nights that I couldn't sleep because I felt so guilty
about being able to see her, but she couldn't see me. Not the
real me, anyway. I wanted to tell her the truth so badly.
"I've started a dozen letters and I've dialed her number a
hundred times more, but I couldn't go through with it. I didn't
want to lie to her any more than I had to. I always told myself
that she probably didn't take not seeing me so hard. I mean, she
always seemed so calm and happy when she came over."
She looked down. "I guess that it was pretty stupid of me to
think that she wasn't suffering as much as I was."
The voice softened. It's not your fault. Despite your
extraordinary life, you are only seventeen years old. It's only
natural to be confused about what is the right thing to do in
every circumstance.
"Then tell me why you are punishing me?" Ranma(C)
demanded.
I'm sorry you see it that way, but that is not the purpose
here. But we're behind schedule.
She didn't know how she knew it, but she could instantly tell
that the presence in her mind had vanished. She would have
fumed about it, but something caught her attention.
The body she was currently in shifted position and that
move told her several things. The body was small, female, and
seemed to by lying on something... metallic.
Shivers went up Ranma(C)'s spine as she realized who it
had to be. NO!!! Anybody but her! Ranma(C) silently
shouted.
Ukyou Kuonji yawned as she woke up and stretched to get
the kinks out of her. She had fallen asleep on her spatula again.
Suddenly, she remembered. Today was the day she was going
to leave with Ranchan and his dad! She excitedly glanced
around for her friend, but he was nowhere to be found. She
shrugged and went to go look for him.
She searched everywhere and grew more puzzled with each
step as her hunt revealed nothing. Where could they be? A
clattering sound reached her ears. It was the wheels of the
okonomiyaki cart! She'd better catch up or they might leave her
behind! She giggled at her joke.
Her smile faded as she reached the clearing only to find that
Mister Saotome was quickly running down the road, dragging
the cart with Ranma sitting on it.
Ukyou cried, "Wait! You forgot me!"
She ran after them, screaming and yelling, waiting for them
to stop, but they didn't. Her short legs were burning, her heart
pounded wildly within her chest, and her breaths came out in
painful gasps, but she forced herself on by sheer force of will.
But even the greatest will could only keep going for so
long. She fell further and further behind until she finally fell
to the ground, tears streaming down her face and her voice too
hoarse to do anything other than to sob silently into the dirt.
She made herself look up and through the misty haze, she
saw the boy she had considered her best friend in the entire
world waving at her and laughing cheerfully.
He was laughing at her, Ukyou thought as her heart broke
to pieces.
Ranma! Ranma Saotome!
Ranma(C) closed her eyes and turned away from where the
voice seemed to be coming from. "Just leave me alone, please.
I really don't want to hear more about what a horrible person I
am. Don't you think that I already know?"
Then you believe this incident and others similar to it are
a result of your actions?
"Of course not! At least... not directly." Ranma(C) felt a
compulsion to be honest.
Then why do you feel responsible? I concede these
mistakes were not of your making so why do you feel guilty?
"Because I have some compassion in me, you know!"
Maybe there's hope for you after all then.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma(C) demanded.
You have never learned the fundamental reason for being
a martial artist. Compassion is what people need and what you
have even though your father certainly never taught you. You
have a good heart but you never truly understood what you
were supposed to use it for. Your life would have gone much
better if you had.
Ranma(C) shook her head. "I still don't understand."
Oh? Let's make a few more stops, shall we? Don't worry,
it won't take long.
Ranma(C) had no time to try to protest.
Things were moving too fast for her tastes. All she had
wanted to do when she got home was rest and try to forget
about the events at Phoenix Mountain. But apparently, her
dad and Mister Saotome had different ideas.
Akane sighed in exasperation. She couldn't believe that
her dad would blackmail her like that! She knew that her
marrying Ranma was very important to him, but this was
ridiculous! She intended to have a talk with him, but now she
had bigger worries on her mind.
Did she *want* to marry Ranma? It was possible that she
might have feelings for him, but she was still in high school
for Kami's sake! But would it really be so bad? She thought
back to her strongest memory of what had happened in China,
when she had clearly heard Ranma say he loved her.
The door to my room suddenly burst open and Ranma
marched in, yelling, "Hey Akane! What is this nonsense
about you agreeing to the w..."
Ranma's jaw dropped as he stopped in his tracks and the
shocked look on his face was priceless. Akane resisted the
urge to laugh and instead tried to put on a sultry look. She
batted her lashes and said, "Hello, Ranma..."
She could practically hear his heart beating in his chest.
Ranma made some meaningless sounds of gibberish. Akane
knew that this was mean, but this was the most fun she had all
day. Considering the fact that earlier the same day, she had
almost died...
Akane mentally pushed that thought out of her mind. It
was too disturbing to think about for the moment. She
suddenly noticed that Ranma hadn't blinked for some time
now. She asked, "Do you like my dress, Ranma? I guess the
Japanese-style one would have been better after all."
She watched in amusement as Ranma stumbled over
himself to speak. He said, "You look really beautiful,
Akane..."
The expected bride tried to deny it, but a feeling of warmth
went through her as she heard those words. Compliments
from Ranma Saotome were few and far and she appreciated
every one of them whenever they came. She tried to sound
indifferent, but her excitement broke through as she said,
"You really think so? I'm glad."
There was an awkward silence. Akane felt a tinge of guilt
and sadness over the fact that Ranma had to be forced into
this. This was her wedding day, unwanted or not, and it was
supposed to be the happiest day of her life.
She reminded herself that this was for Ranma's cure, but
was that the only reason she was doing this? She needed time
to resolve her feelings for her finance. Why couldn't her father
understand that? Didn't he realize that she had almost *died*
today?
A voice interrupted her thoughts with the stammering of,
"Um... you see.... well..."
Akane looked up and said, "Yes, Ranma?"
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Ranma asked curiously.
"What made you want to go ahead with the wedding?"
"Well..." Akane blushed then forced herself to say the
hardest question she ever had to say. "Ranma, you love me,
don't you?"
"Um... I do?" Ranma asked nervously. He said quickly,
"What made you think of that all of a sudden?"
Akane's heart began to sink. Could she have been wrong
about what she had heard? She refused to believe that. "When
you were crying over me at Jusenkyo... I could have sworn I
heard you say... you know, say you loved me."
Ranma's eyes opened really wide and he cried, "I'm sure I
didn't say it out loud! I didn't NO WAY!"
"What's the difference?" Akane cried, anger welling up
within her. Even if she hadn't heard it with her ears, she had
felt it all the same. "I'm just as sure I heard you in some way!"
Ranma went into a stance and put up his hands. He
sputtered, "What?! You wanna fight about it?! You'll ruin that
pretty dress of yours like that."
"HMPH! Fine, be that way," Akane said turning away to
hide the fact that at the moment she wanted to cry. "Obviously,
I made a mistake when I pushed myself to go through with this
wedding."
She wished desperately for Ranma to tell her that she was
wrong, that he was glad that the two of them were going to get
married, but he was simply scared. But she knew Ranma too
well. Whether out of pride or something else, he would never
admit that he was afraid. She couldn't let him do this. He had
saved her life and at this point, there was nothing she wouldn't
do for him.
Akane turned to Ranma and gave him a hard look, a look
that conveyed that he'd better listen if he knew what was good
for him. She said in a low voice, "But I'm warning you,
Ranma... If you call it off at this point, you'll regret it."
Things got worse from there.
Akane sat in her room and stared at the ceiling. The
wedding had been a disaster, of course, as it had been crashed
by all of Nerima's most chaotic martial artists. Yet she
couldn't find it within herself to be mad. She couldn't really
blame the uninvited 'guests' as she knew that she probably
would have shared their reaction of Ranma having a wedding
out of the blue like that.
It was actually a relief, though, that they had showed up.
Though she most likely would have felt differently if Ukyou
and Shampoo had managed to hit her with their culinary
bombs! What was up with that, anyway?
Still, Akane felt a little disappointed. She really would
have gone through with it if she had to, but then she thought
about it. She didn't want to get married for Ranma's sake. She
wanted it for her sake too.
She shouldn't have gotten mad at Ranma. She should have
known that he wasn't ready, but what he said still hurt. If
truth be told, she wasn't ready for marriage either, but that
wasn't what was bothering her.
She loved him. She could finally admit it to herself, but
that realization brought her no joy, only a feeling of intense
loneliness as she thought about the earlier events of today.
Was it possible that Ranma really didn't love her? She
thought he did but now she wasn't sure at all.
There was so many signs that indicated that he did, but was
that just wishful thinking on her part? She knew that she
hadn't always been the kindest person to Ranma, but what of
all the good times they had together? They did almost everything
together! Who knew him better than she did, though her anger
often clouded her good sense? But now she felt like she didn't
know him at all.
This was not the way things were supposed to go.
Ranma(C) woke up in complete and utter darkness. But this
wasn't the same kind of darkness she had been experiencing
every time she shifted. She could tell that she was somewhere
drastically different. How long it had been, she didn't know.
Normally, this would have been disturbing to her, but
compared to what just happened, it was an enormous relief.
She sat there, alone with her thoughts. She just didn't have
the energy to get up and try to explore. She prided herself on
being able to defeat any menace or attacker, but there was no
way she could deal with this. No matter what other people
thought, she was still human and she had limits.
There was nothing to distract her from the depression that
was slowly enveloping her mind. It was almost addictive and it
seemed more comfortable to hide in the feeling rather than think
about the events that caused it.
Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a white light
appear into being. She stared blankly at it and after a moment,
the voice she loathed so much spoke. Are you just going to
sit there and wallow in sorrow?
"Why not?" Ranma(C) asked. "Ryouga does it all the time."
The voice chuckled. Ah, I see that you still retain your
sense of humor. I was afraid that this experience might have
broken you. Most human beings can't handle this level of
empathy with another person's pain.
That got a rise out of Ranma(C) and she said, "Well, I'm
not most people. Ranma Saotome can handle anything!"
Except your own life, of course.
"It's not my fault all this stuff has happened to me!"
Ranma(C) yelled.
It's not my fault, the voice mocked. You seem to
conveniently forget that while your father may have caused
many of your problems, you are the main reason that many of
them are here. Evil exists when good people stand by and do
nothing.
Ranma(C) opened her mouth to protest, but she fell silent
as dozens of foreign memories flowed through her mind. Then
she asked, "Am I really that bad?"
No, you aren't, the voice replied, surprising Ranma(C).
You had no control over the events in your life up until the
time you arrived in Nerima. But once you were there, you had
free will for determining your future, but instead you erected
an emotional shell around yourself at the expense of others.
The voice asked in a puzzled tone, But why? What were
you afraid of? And don't give me that you're not afraid of
anything. You may be a master of the martial arts, but when
you're confronted with anything emotional you become a
wreck and try to ignore the problem.
"So I'm a jerk," Ranma(C) said bitterly. "I may not say it
but I do care about those idiots. I do the best I can for them.
What I want to know is, out of all the people in the world,
why are you bothering me?"
I can't tell you that, but I can tell you that while your
efforts are made with good intentions, they aren't enough.
You've had a firsthand look at what your presence had caused
in the lives of other people. Though it's not directly your fault,
you still feel guilt. I can't tell you why you are chosen, but the
object here is not punish you but to open your eyes and show
you that doing nothing is the worst thing you could do.
"Don't you think I know that?" Ranma(C) yelled. "But do
you know what would happen if I tried something? I'll just
make things worse! I couldn't take that!"
The white light grew in luminescence. How do you know
that will happen when you don't even try?! You are a martial
artist so act like one! You are afraid to correct things because
you didn't know what upsetting the status quo would mean, but
sometimes, risks must be taken.
"Damned if I do, damned if I don't. I know it's selfish but if
something *did* go wrong, it really would be my fault,"
Ranma(C) said looking downcast.
The past does not necessarily determine the future.
Your other half may be bound by the prison he has
constructed, but you, on the other hand, are not. Martial arts
was created to help people who can't help themselves. That
doesn't just apply to physical problems.
How do you want to live your life, Ranma Saotome?
The light grew to blinding proportions and Ranma(C) knew
no more.
A few moments went by then the power of the light went
down to about a hundred watt lightbulb, revealing for the first
time the appearance of a woman and a man. They were both
dressed professionally and would have looked completely
normal to the unsuspecting eye. Except for one thing.
The woman was wearing a tag on her blouse with the word
'Supervisor' on it while the man had a tag with 'Not A
Supervisor' on his.
The woman rolled her eyes in exasperation then turned to
the widely grinning man and gave him a stern look. "I'm not
sure if it was the intelligent thing to do by interfering so soon
after the separation." She put an emphasis on the word
'intelligent'.
The man shrugged. "I don't like it anymore than you do,
Cindy, but the fate of the world does rest on this. Sheesh, that
sounds so cliche! Anyway, we've talked about this and we *are*
on a time table. The best way to get the female Ranma out of
her depression was to give her something to fight for."
"Why do you insist on using these Earthly names? I knew
you were eccentric, but now is not the time for such
foolishness. Besides, we get strange looks at company meetings."
The man appeared to be inspecting his fingernails. He
looked up and said, "Huh?"
The woman sighed. "All right, *Ned*."
The aforementioned Ned looked up, smiling. "Yes, Cindy?"
The woman reluctantly named Cindy resisted the urge to
mallet her annoying associate. The fact that she thought of
malleting him at all alarmed her slightly. She thought, I've
been spending too much time on Earth.
Trying to get back on track, she asked, "Aren't you afraid of
arousing suspicions in this early a stage?"
A hand was waved, dismissing the matter. "Don't worry so
much. Our friend here will barely remember this. As we
speak, the memories are already fading for they didn't belong
to her in the first place. Mister Saotome may interpret what's
left as a dream, but the determination to do what's right will
still take hold."
"What if it doesn't?" Cindy asked skeptically.
Ned's smile faded as he took on a more serious tone. "I
believe that I am than capable of making a judgement on
something this serious. I *have* been studying the boy for
years. This is why I was chosen for this job, was it not?"
Cindy held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, who am I to
argue? You have more knowledge in this matter. The young
man and all those connected to him are under your jurisdiction,
but that does lead me to wonder about your objectivity in all
this."
"Everything is going according to the Rules. So what if I
have a secondary objective? What I'm doing will satisfy both
our goals," the man replied confidently.
"Yes, you've taken quite an interest in this Ranma Saotome
and the others that interact with him. Frankly, I believe this is
the only reason that you've been assigned to this."
"What can I say? They are the most exciting assignment
I've had in centuries," Ned said, his tone suggesting he was
not joking. "But that isn't all there is to it. I *like* these
chaotic misfits and if we are going to do this to them then we're
doing it my way. As it is, I *really* hate having to do these
things, necessary or not."
Cindy gave a nod of sympathy then said, "It's none of my
business but I hope you remember that this isn't just about them.
It's about the greater good."
There was a snort of disbelief. "*Please.* It's always *said*
to be about the greater good, but you know our high and mighty
bosses are just looking out for their own hides. The fact
that we and billions of other people are saved will merely be a
positive side effect to them. Or have you overlooked the fact
that only a handful of us workers are on this project?"
Ned waved his hands. "I know what you're going to say.
Only a few could be spared for this task. *I* still say those
stuffed shirts expect us to fail."
"You seem to have forgotten that I'm one of those stuffed
shirts you're insulting here," Cindy said dryly.
"It figures that's what you'd focus on," Ned said, chuckling.
"Besides, who said that I forgot?"
The woman glared at him and the man smiled at her. "I'm
kidding. I happen to hold you in an esteemed regard. It's a
shame that you will slowly transform into a tyrannical
bureaucrat. Alas, I knew you well."
"Not feeling optimistic today, are we?" Cindy said,
struggling to keep a straight face.
"I'm *always* optimistic, but that doesn't mean I can't be
realistic too. Besides, you said yourself that we geniuses are a
bit eccentric."
"I don't recall calling you a genius..."
Ned continued smoothly as if she had said nothing, "This
combination of intellect and creativity has allowed me to come
up with many unique ideas."
"Like this crazy plan of yours, right?" Cindy said
sardonically.
"Of course. But with my genius mind, I have also modified
it from my original approved schematics with the addition of
*truth spray* into the subject. I thought that it was only fair to
make things easier on her or him, depending on how you see things,
seeing what we're planning."
"You did what?!" The supervisor cried, horrified.
"Just a little bit. I've injected the formula into her
pheromones to help her in her tasks. What harm could it do?
All it does is calm individuals down enough so that they can
listen to the truth without jumping into homicidal rages. You'd
be surprised at how often my charges do that."
"Do you realize what you have done? This was done
without authorization of any sort and now you have to face the
consequences-"
"Relax, my friend. I was only kidding."
"You were?" Cindy asked suspiciously.
"Yes, I was. Then again, maybe I wasn't," Ned said, raising
his eyebrows a bit too innocently.
"You're treading on thin ice here, pal," the woman growled.
"You seem to constantly forget that I outrank you."
Ned shrugged. "No risk is too great when it's for survival.
Besides, if my plan works, I'm sure the bigwigs will be too busy
celebrating to be assigning blame for a few minor...
indiscretions."
"Whatever. But I want to know what this grand, fantastic
plan of yours is that you've been babbling about for the last
few months," the woman said firmly.
"I'm sorry but I can't tell you. If the word got out, all my
projections might be ruined. The hierarchy may be slow, but
it's surprising how fast news can travel up and down it."
"I think that you've been spending too much time with the
humans," Cindy said with no trace of humor in her voice.
"You may be right. It's all a part of my master plan."
"You really can't tell me how it will turn out at least?
We've known each other for centuries!" Cindy said.
"Seriously, I can't tell you," Ned replied. Then he grinned
widely. "You probably wouldn't understand, being a stuffed
shirt and all."
"You are so infuriating!" Cindy yelled before fading away.
A weary look crossed over the lone man's face. He spoke
into the darkness. "I really can't tell you that I'm making this
up as I go along. Or that I curse the idiot in Personnel who
assigned *me*, the Galactic Slacker, to try to save an entire
planet!"
He put his face into his hands. "God, I hate doing this."