The big day arrived when pains of labor summoned all the required assistance to the house. Yoiko grinded her teeth from the sheer agony thanks to the two babies coming out that instant. The girl smiled from the torment and understood why Ryoko begged for the transfer.
"Wow . . .These two are going to take me apart . . .Why are they moving so much?" Mai applied several anesthetics and kept the girl under surveillance. "Lt. . .There is some struggle in your belly. According to the ultrasound, the little monsters are chasing each other. . .I have no idea why."
Yoiko screamed this time and Ranma ran at her, grabbing the tense hand and staring at the bulging tummy with a serious face. "You two! . . .Stop makin' a ruckus in there, your mom is in extreme pain and she doesn't need more trouble from you . . ." At first the green haired girl and a cramped up pregnant girl stared quietly at the strange father, but oddly enough, the tow bulges stopped from moving.
"I did not expect that." Yoiko laughed and her big, blue eyes sparkled a thanks towards Ranma. "Hey, don' mention it . . .Mom was telling me of babies payin' attention from their wombs . . .Who knew!" Everyone laughed and the maltreated redhead began to rest before the heavy contractions.
Suddenly Yoiko stopped from talking and looked away, into the ceiling. Her eyes demonstrated purpose and Ranma knew she was talking in her mind with someone. When she went back to normal, the fanged boy waited for the message.
The fanged girl in Ranko's body saddened by her next declaration and felt the impulse to stretch and hug the boy. Ranma stiffed from an unexpected embrace from the girl and looked around the room. "Yoiko-Chan . . .Is everything all right?"
"Ranma . . .I don't know how to tell you this, but Ryoko is moving on. My alternate Ryoga loves you, I'm sure of it, but he is fighting everything to leave you behind. She told my Ranma of the last punishment . . .Well, we prepared for all of you . . ."
The fanged boy's face contorted into a disconcerting look. "What last punishment? . . .I thought everythin' was working fine from all this." The redheaded girl with the wrong soul tried to stare away from those blue eyes behind the green orbs.
"Ranma . . .Ryoko made us promise not to tell you anything, but I think that's cruel. When we leave this world for our mission to rescue our big sister, we'll be immortal and we are supposed to "leave" all of you out . . .In other words, Ranmas keep aging normally and make their families like any other human being."
"I saw Ryoko cry and beg inside for a chance to share her life with you, but Ryoga Hibiki made a pact with death. He swore leaving you out of his life no matter what, the day he had enough of your jokes and teasing. Your Ryoga didn't try to kill himself, but he is trying to kill her happiness."
Ranma gawked in fear and his stomach gurgled furiously from the thought. The boy turned to see Akane and the girl slowly shook her head dismissing his idea. "No Ranma . . .I have fought along your side for all this time . . .You can't . . ."
The boy trembled at the last decision he had to make. Try and fight for the eternal love for Ryoga Hibiki, or stay back and die along Akane Tendo and miss his true love. "Kane . . .Even if I wanted to look for her, what can I do . . . I. . .like you and we have shared all . . ."
Akane snuffled harshly and tears leaked from the pain. "But . . .But you don't love me? . . .Is that it?" Yoiko never thought of the alternative. Akane was meant to be his wife . . .Ryoga may have had fallen for the boy, but in the end, every dimension depicted a Ranma and Akane love story, or at least most of them.
"I think you should stay and live life at the fullest Ranma. You have a woman who loves you and wants to spend all her life with you. What would you get from my sister? . . .Just think of us like the experiment gone wrong. We fell for you thanks to childish tricks and jokes, but in the end you knew Ranma Saotome meant to marry and love Akane Tendo . . .Maybe Ryoko is right . . .I think you should forget us."
The pigtailed boy in Ryoga's body didn't know what to do and he tried to expose his challenging decision. "Kane . . .I would love to make a life with you, I really would, but even if what Ryoga and I got was a simple weirdness between boys, I learned to love with him."
He blushed at the big insinuation spoken, but his feelings floated up from the stress. "Yes . . .I said it Ok? . . .At first I never thought I would feel like this, but he made me fall for him too . . .I wish I could explain it but my best guess is I tricked myself when I tricked him . . ."
Yoiko cleared her throat and looked at Akane steadily. "Akane-san . . .I may have a solution for both of Ranma's problems, but the end might not be enough for you . . ." The girl cleared her tear stricken face and took a deep breath, clearing her voice afterwards.
"And what would that be?" The redhead stared at her bed and prepared her theory with care. "Akane . . .Ranma can come with me to the other side and become an immortal, but since Ryoko doesn't like him very much right now . . .He could comeback here, make a family with you and in the future when times runs its course, you can rest, while you let them be together . . .If Ranma can gain Ryoko's trust by then."
The idea felt appealing since the blue haired girl would keep her love for the rest of her life, and in the end, she could die old and happy from any accomplishments in this existence. "I think that would be Ok . . .I guess. Let me fight for his love and our marriage and maybe I can convince Ryoko of our affinity."
Ranma frowned and looked at the pregnant girl. Her pains returned and with force this time. "Ok . . .First, things first . . ." Mai rushed in and prepared for delivering. Ranma and Akane moved to their places and Bunto waited at the room's entrance with clean towels and blankets.
The procedure went normal, according to the previous childbirth. The two babies rested on each side of the exhausted girl. Ranma looked at the boys and smiled, proud at her and his eyes expressed the way for his immortal life.
"R-Ranma . . .T-This is where you come in . . .I have measured Yoshiro and little Ranma's "feeding frenzy." They seem to absorb my energy faster then the girls and since they are two, I don't think I'll be enough. . ." The girl's tired eyes rested on the fanged boy and nodded at him peacefully.
"Go, change into Ryoga's female side and rest at my side." The fanged boy did as told and when the long, black haired girl entered, she laid down on the bed, next to the new mom. "Here . . .Take Little Ranma and hold him tight on your arm."
At first Ranma feared the baby would push him away like No-Chan when trying to get near, but she felt the emanating link between a son and a mother. The connection pulled them together and Ranma felt the absorbing vacuum aiming directly into her Ki.
"Wow . . .He is absorbin' me dry! . . ." The Hibiki girl giggled at the tickling sensation, but soon, the fleeting sensation of draining power made her sleepy. "I feel . . .strange . . ." The redhead smiled and ruffled her hair. "It's Ok . . .is the link absorbing your energy, let him adapt to you and sleep will be your only side effect."
For the next days, Ranma witnessed how fast Ranma Jr. grew in size and smarts. The boy looked distant . . .Acting more like his old nemesis/lover. The girls noticed this too and gasped at the little boy when he stared angrily at his little brother.
"Mai . . .Why is Ranma-kun staring that way at Yoshiro?" Mai checked in the now ten year old boy and noticed how Yoshiro behaved more like his mother. The boy became shy and introverted while little Ranma became daring and alert to his surroundings. "I believe they are mimicking your demeanors. Look at little Yoshiro . . .He stays by his mother and obeys her on everything while little Ranma seems to jump all over the place, much more like the old Lt. . .Or the unstoppable Ranma Saotome."
The fanged girl gasped in admiration and tilted her head from the comparison. "You mean . . .He's emulating me?" The green haired girl nodded and added. "Now I see what was going on before delivery . . .I can't be entirely sure, but I think, Ranma Jr. chased Yoshiro inside their mom's belly."
Yoiko blinked and stared at a nervously, smiling Ranma. "Well I guess he is more like his father . . ." They observed the two babies more consistently and at the end of their growing race, a fully fifteen year old boy stared madly at a fifteen year old black haired girl.
Ranma-Jr. bared his teeth at the shy little girl and demanded her to change back into a guy so he could beat him up, the girl looked down, ashamed by his gender confusion but Mai kept the boys at bay while the mothers rested from the link.
"Little Ranma . . .You need to understand your brother's characteristics. He developed a tendency according to his mother, who happens to be a guy and accepted her feminine side fully. I believe he is behaving the same way. He was born a boy and he knows it, but he chose to be a girl . . .There is nothing wrong with that."
"No! . . .I blame my pops and even when mom gave everything for me, I cannot accept that curse. . .I am burying my female, shameful side and no one will ever know of this . . .You hear me? . . .No one!" Ranma Jr. walked by the dark haired little girl and shoved her to the side, and left mad at the doctor.
Mai helped the girl up and smiled at her when the girl fixed her skirt and sat, decently on a chair. "Don't worry little Yoshi-Chan . . .Many guys are going to try that on you for the way you feel, but remember, you mom is the bravest and manliest of them all . . .I can assure you that."
The next set of days felt like a repetition of old habits and memories. Ranma and Akane sat outside, staring at a strong and fast boy, eating every obstacle his old grandfather threw at him. Genma played a different role in this world but his desire to create the strongest fighter in the planet never left his sights.
"Good Boy! . . .Keep goin' like that and you'll be as strong as your father or handsome like me in no time. . ." Ranma Jr. scoffed at the remark and, closing his eyes, the little fighter vanished and popped in front of the old man in a second. The punch on the bald man's gut sent him to the floor in a heap.
Ranma cheered at the boy and patted him on the back proudly. Ranma Jr. smiled and his chest raised in pride, just like his father. Akane clapped at them both and walked near by, holding a big plate with sliced watermelon.
On the back of the house, Yoshi-Chan sat on the garden close to her mom and they talked about the differences of genders, funny enough, Yoiko found relaxing the way the girl picked flowers and arranged them on top of her spread long skirt.
"Yoshi-Chan, you need to be careful when acting this way. . .You know I love you and I find very much at peace while in my female form. But the world will never be ready for our kind. We defeated and protected people from evil but at the first look on our nature, we become trash. . ."
"Listen to me . . .You are your own greatest ally in life. I learned to love and to grow in both forms and I know you can do the same, please, stay as a girl forever, but now and then try your male side too. Believe me, it comes handy."
The girl smiled and bobbed her head in agreement. "Ok mom . . .I know how guys get thanks to Ranma Jr. but I am like you and I'll become strong . . .I will make you proud." Both girls giggled and played with the picked flowers until a shadow popped besides them and lifted Yoshiro rudely from the floor. "What do you think your doin' ? . . .Stand up and fight me, you . . .Weak girl!."
The yelling brought Ranma back at the garden and he saw something else in his boy. His arrogance against someone looking passive and non-threatening made him remember the teasing he did on the poor fanged boy.
"Ranma!. . .Leave her alone . . .When are you goin' to see her for what she is . . .We have the choice to go either way, why would you hate that . . .?" The boy walked at his father and stared at him in a challenging manner.
"Cuse "she" is unnatural. He is a boy who twisted his mind with that weak curse. I hate that weakness and I'll make him see the error of his ways . . .You hear me?" The boy extended his fist, ready to strike the blushing girl, but his father moved fast enough and held it back.
"Why are you actin' this way? . . .You are like her . . .You can understand both genders and act accordingly. . .Don' do the same mistake I did . . ." The boy tightened his fists and squinted mad at his father's advice. "You know what? . . .Grandpa was right . . .You might be the greatest fighter at one point, but you let your weak girl side rule you . . .That's why you ended up with Ryoga instead of my rightful mother . . .Akane!"
The youngest Tendo covered her mouth with both hands and saw the fury on her husband. This time, the boy . . .His boy, aimed at a low point . . .A case he didn't know how to explain. Ranma let go of his son and walked away. The younger boy felt like crying, but tears held back in his eyes.
Ranma Jr. looked at the girl who caused all this and scoffed at her angrily. Later that day, Father and son walked into the living room and little Ranma bowed at his dad. "Sorry dad . . .It wasn't my place questioning your life . . .I . . ."
Ranma stopped him and shrugged at the boy indifferently. "Don' worry son. What your mom and I went through is a special case. I love Akane and she will be your mom, but Ryoga and I delved into things we shouldn't have and ended up falling for each other . . .Sounds terrible, but is the truth."
"I don' expect you to understand, but someday when you meet the girl of your dreams, you will have to endure some challenges, and if people your age find out about your redheaded curse, there might be a love interest in there. . .Believe me . . .Dealing with being a girl has its perks, but its painful moments too."
Father and son kept talking about his experiences and the crazy ways he used his girl type from tasty treats to seduce evil and monsters. They laughed and the boy blushed more than once. Ranma looked nervous from other anecdotes he tried to forget, but Akane told little Ranma of them anyway.
"Yes! . . .I know he kissed me, but I didn' know how to skate at the time . . .He caught me out of my element!" The boy turned purple and felt sick from the explanation, but his face changed when he asked about that other boy.
"Well, Ryoga was different. We hit it off like rivals for the love of 'Kane, but he was different from the first moment I met him. Every time we fought, he would loose, come back and defeat me. That dance went on for a long time and we both learned special techniques trying to outmatch the other."
"There were some so powerful, I had to use my female side to find its weakness. Your mom is a really shy boy you know . . .And when I went all fuzzy with him, I melted him every single time. It took me all this time to realize I learned to love his attitude. . .His never give up desire to fight me and in the end I guess I fell for him just as hard as he fell for me."
"Now . . . Gender played a big part in our relationship. You could say, we challenged each other too. I never gave him the easy way to call him "my man" and when he turned into a girl, she gave and still gives me a hell of a fight. . .I guess we are meant for each other, and the only one capable to measure up to him and I love too is Akane . . ." The girl felt the nervous declaration, but accepted it from a distance.
Little Ranma reflected on the chat and the boy excused from his father, leaving in search of his little "sister." When they met near the Dojo, Yoshiro saw him coming at her and she moved into a shy fighting stance. Ranma Jr. smiled and walked near the trembling girl.
The boy bent his head and studied her stance. "You know your full of openings right?" The girl didn't expect the feedback and tried again on a different pose. Ranma grabbed her left arm and raised it a bit and while holding her back, used the other hand on her stomach. The boy slowly forced the girl forward a bit.
"You are too rigid . . .Slouch a little more and don't stiff your leg a lot, softer . . .calmer . . ." The dark haired girl stared wondering of the change and the boy ran his fingers through her hair. "Dad explained me about "our" dual gender problem."
"Yoshi-Chan . . .I felt inadequate with that but when I saw you so happy, I guess I overreacted . . .Sorry." The girl smiled and lunged at the boy, hugging him appreciatively. "Thanks Ranma-kun . . .That means a lot to me."
The boy blushed and patted the girl on the back. "Ok . . .Ok! . . .We are brother and sister, but I can feel those "things" and I get flustered . . .Cut it out . . ." Yoshiro let go of him and they laughed at the reconciliation. Far away from the pair, a satisfied Ranma and Yoiko agreed on a job well done.
"Well Ranma . . .Seems the next generation is ready for anything . . ." The fanged boy nodded and blinked at the strange sensation. After a few seconds, Ranma went back to his pigtailed body, Yoiko returned to her form and the hair turned from the jet black to a platinum white one.
"Well, I guess Ryoko has moved to the other side . . .Everything is in order again." Ranma smiled and hugged the girl respectfully. "Now what? . . ." The silver haired girl waved at Yoshiro and they walked close by.
"It's time for us to leave. I'm sending Yoshi-Chan to meet her dad one last time, while she visits him, I am going to take you through the portal. Thanks to the link with little Ranma, you should be able to pass through."
"Then, without Ryoko noticing, I'm bringing you back to Akane. That should do the trick for now." Ranma agreed and little Ranma ran inside to bid farewell at the whole family. When the boy went out, a strange bubble with an old man, a figure dressed in a robe and his mother stared back at him.
"Dad . . .Mom is in a bubble. . .Right in front of me. What do I do?" The pigtailed boy looked at Yoiko and feared for the main plan. "If you can distract her do it son . . .I need time to prepare my visit on the other side . . ." The boy nodded and extended his hand, making contact with the capsule and entering into it.
Ranma and the rest assumed the boy stayed with his mom, so everything went back to schedule. Yoiko gave a big description to Yoshiro about her father and the girl memorized everything. When she was ready, the girl ran at her room, changed and came back in guy form.
Yoiko wondered but didn't ask a thing, the new redheaded boy smiled and warned his mom. "I don't want to scare my dad too . . .I'll meet him as a boy I guess." The silver haired girl giggled and accepted his explanation. He left in a purple cloud just as Yoiko taught him and they promised to meet on the other side.
Ranma walked by Akane's side and kissed her on the lips. Somehow, the girl felt a strange kind of affection, more like a little brother then a husband, but she dismissed it and went with the feeling. "Kane . . .I'll be back and after this mess, we can give it a start from scratch."
The girl assented nervously and smiled while closing her eyes. "I'll be waiting Ranma . . ." The boy looked at Yoiko who extended her hands and summoned other purple cloud, just like the one Yoshiro made. The pair left and the pigtailed boy gaped when seeing his daughter in the distance fighting Aiko.
The silver haired mother went back to the tunnel and stayed back, supervising Yoshiro and her man. Yoiko felt the need to join her family, but she needed to stay behind for the time being. In time, she would come back and admire an old man with the name of Ranma Saotome.
Ranma walked casually into the field and every tiny detail called her attention until the flashy moves on the girls made her turn back at the action. Her steps kept going without any worry in the world and that careless demeanor became her downfall for some of the residents in the place.
"Hey guys . . ." The first reaction came from Ryota. The old teenager unsheathed his two handed sword and launched a sparkly attack at the pigtailed girl. Ranma didn't back up and the two clashed, making a light show that called the attention of the group.
No-Chan saw her father and broke the line of sight, and Aiko smiled devilishly and opened a hole at her side. The end of that hole popped by the bi-colored haired girl and Aiko's fist went through her point directly against her opponent's face. No-Chan tumbled several yards and got up, rubbing her face.
"Hey! Not fair . . .I was distracted. . ." The silver haired girl snickered and stuck her tongue out while pulling the left eye down. "Exactly! . . ." No-Chan ignored her and ran at her father. Ranma felt levitating in mid air while a giant fissure decorated the spot she was not a second ago.
"Hey buddy . . .Take it easy, I'm just visiting my daughter . . ."Ryota snarled and charged again, but he felt a physical attraction towards the computer room. The boy turned and saw little Nodoka stretching her arm and pulling the ancient fighter back from the redheaded girl.
"No-Chan . . .That girl can't be here . . .I don't know how it happened but she is going back from where she came." The redhead walked closed by and circled the fanged warrior cautiously. Ranma ran at her daughter and hugged the little girl tightly.
"I thought I wouldn't see you again baby . . ." No-Chan tried to interpret this new behavior from her father. The girl stared at her and frowned by the sweet talking she did. "Dad? . . .Since when do you act so . . .Motherly?"
The redhead blinked and chuckled back at her. "Well . . .Since I helped little Ranma Jr. grow up with my energy . . .Now that I think about it . . .Where is he?" The girl looked to the side and her cheery face changed into a sad one.
"We don't know dad. Mom came from Auntie Yoiko's world a bit ago, then a Greek immortal invaded this place. After that, they left together and I haven't seen her or little Ranma since." Ranma walked by the new group and met someone she felt familiar.
Toshiko smiled nervously at the redhead when they crossed paths. Ranma smiled and pointed at her, recognizing the image. "Are you the girl who drowned in Jusenkyo?" The ancient redhead nodded and Ranma jumped from the emotion. "You have no idea the kind of hell I went through, but I guess it was worth it in the end."
Ranma smiled while Ryota walked at Toshiko's place and pulled her at his side. The move felt like they were a couple and the new redhead's cogs in her brain began to move back to speed. "No. . .You mean, that you who looks like Ryoga and . . .You?" The ancient redhead giggled and the old fanged boy bared his fangs at the girl.
"Don't read too much into it . . .She is my rightful wife and mate . . .If you want to get yours, just look in that direction . . ." The pigtailed girl turned to where the wielding sword guy pointed and a very similar male Ranma walked at Setsuko' side. "Yes . . .My name is Tetsuo Saotome . . .One of the firsts Saotomes to walk the earth . . .Great-grand-child, it's an honor to finally meet you."
Ranma blinked and her smile grew even bigger. "The first Saotome . . .Great! . . .Wait for my children to meet you, they're goin' to die . . ." The girl ran around the ancients like a little girl with candy, but suddenly stopped and tilted her head at the main riddle.
"Then . . .If you guys have your own couple . . .Why Ryoga an' me?" Ryota got angry and bonked the girl on the head. "You were not supposed to go "that" way! . . .I am destined to live beyond time at Yoshiko's side and Tetsuo with Setsuko . . .I don't know why you chose the Hibiki brat."
Ranma tried to act goofy and make no big deal of the treatment, but something flared in the girl's soul and her Ki raised all the way to the capsule's ceiling. "You can disrespect me any time . . .But don' you dare talk 'bout my woman! . . ." The girl felt the raising power and when No-Chan walked at her side with the same level of energy, both girls looked terrifying.
Ryota took a few steps back and prepared for the battle, until Aiko waved at the weapon and it fell to the darkened ground in a thud. The ancient tried to lift it but it was glued to the spot. "You are disrespecting my mom too you know? . . .I love my mom and she has fought against armies to protect "me" and my brothers and sisters . . ."
The fanged boy raised his hands defeated and stopped arguing about it. "Fine! . . .I'm just saying Ranma wasn't supposed to fall for my grand-child. That is the only complaint I have." From the back of all the presents, the reverberation of a deep voice told them of another one arriving to the capsule.
"Oh, but they were meant to fall in love for each other and give me the greatest entertainment in my wretched existence." Ranma and the group saw a tall figure, but only Ryota and the other ancients recognized the monster.
Setsuko walked up front and demanded the reason for his presence. "Lord Jusenkyo . . .What are you doing here?" The enormous monster moved step by step to the pigtailed girl and the fighter frowned at the name. When Ranma saw Toshiko trembling at the figure, everything fell into place.
"You! . . .You trapped her . . .You locked the drowned girl in the pool . . ." The giant laughed and began to sit on a throne that appeared a second before. "Yes my child . . .The trapped girl was my captive, and there are more than just one girl . . .Every dimension has a girl who I drowned deliberately . . .And all for this outcome . . .I am pleased of my work . . ."
Ranma tried to ran at him, but another redhead stopped her in time. Ranma recognized Akira and the little girl shook her head from the daring move. "No Ranma . . .He might look like a monster, but he is the good guy here . . ."
This time everyone stared at the small redheaded girl who no one saw for some time. The Lord agreed with his servant and accepted her place at his side. "Little ones . . .The reason for such elaborated ploy is complicated but rest assured . .It was needed."
"In the era of ancient men, some found ways to "modify" their genetics. When humanity crawled from the waters, the first men and women reached their peak and declared themselves gods of the earth. Those "supreme beings" became petty and vindictive, using the lesser men for their entertainment."
"When I realized the decadent path of these people, I sided with "others" who shared the same potential but they moved away from the center of the planet and into the orient. These two were my "cousins" per say . . .They created more so-called gods and ruled this world and many others in their own way."
"I refused to play the same game again and I was cast into the pits of hell. A place where undeveloped humans saw me as a god and I despised them too. I moved away to my own little heaven where no human or "god" could bother me . . .Ever."
"But, I saw many warriors trying to prove themselves to these gods and came to my house with letters of challenge. I threw them out in anger and created ancient, magical pools surrounding my land. For some unfathomable reason, these men began to "train" in those pools and some even drifted from the main group. Women to be more precise. They understood the weakness in men and the Amazon tribes came to be. Now, they never worshiped me . . .We had more like a mutual respect and that is fine with me, until one of those wretched females managed to confront me and ask me about the story of the gods."
"They convened at my feet and begged for a way to mediate the power between those beings and the existence of humanity. That's when I told them about the secret that made us into gods, or supreme beings. They learned that power and made a great nation."
"From that nation, one came . . .A woman of beautiful form. That girl had long, white hair and the power infused from earth itself. She imposed respect with my help and gods from many lands accepted her as a neutral power."
"Zeus; Quetzaltcoatl, Khali and many others moved away and became bed stories for the children of men. There were others trying their own luck and created different worlds "Within these world." In the end, a mess was countered thanks to Gaia . . .Protector of earth and guard to the greatest power in any universe."
The dark emanating through his mask made the impression of evil brew around him, but after some time, Ranma felt the neutral intent in the deity. " A few centuries ago, the Amazon tribe found a way to corrupt Gaia and my mission has been to find the creature who started it all."
"That's why I created you . . ." The Lord pointed at Ranma and the girls besides her. "Ranma Saotome was designed as a failsafe by Zeus in case of powerful enemies invading the steps of Olympus. There was another project in his mind. A shy boy who the father of the gods cursed with a lost sense of direction and no kin he could call his own."
"Ryoga Hibiki is the lapdog created to train you and keep you in shape . . .With no future and no happiness." The giant laughed and shook his head at the outcome. "Imagine when I felt the pain in the boy and decided to give him the power to become a god . . .He made me proud when the boy chose helping others and shy away from women and public adoration."
The Lord looked at Ryota and bowed his head in respect. "Ryota . . .My old friend. Your child accepted her female side fully and learned from it. Thanks to my aberrations, this girl and your boy gave birth to the ultimate power before any men or god. . .Now we can find the culprit and restore balance to all the universes."
Ranma raised her hand and the Lord accepted her questions. "Lord . . .So, this means that I can keep Ryoga as my husband/wife? And another annoying thing would be to know 'bout that god makin' power? . . .What was it?" The Lord laughed again and nodded at the girl.
"You may join your mate, if he thinks you are worthy . . .I do not care for the rest of your immortal lives. Now for the power . . .Is something you use a lot and have it like a normal ability in your daily lives. The energy that makes Zeus an invincible god . . .Is his level of Ki. We learned that and sealed it from the lesser men."
"But I managed to recreate the energy for Gaia. The Greek god gave you that power when born, but I gave to Ryoga and now that you two are one . . .These little ones are the hope of men." From all the awe inspiring faces; Ranma, No-Chan and Aiko were the ones blinking the most. When Jusenkyo stopped for effect, the giant smiled at the girls and hinted one more piece of information.
"When all this is done . . .My Ryoga will be busy on other matters . . .Matters outside any of these universes and he must be ready for the "big tournament" . . ." Everyone stared at him, but there were no more hints. The Chinese god got up and vanished from that sphere, leaving akira as his representing officer.
The pigtailed girl walked to the smaller redhead and her eyes shot daggers at her. "So . . .You know what's next, an' that tournament he was talkin' about . . .Right?" The girl nodded and sat at her side. "Ryoga has been chosen to participate in a more dangerous battle after he rescues my sister. Now, that battle does not exist on any of these universes, and our enemies have won every match so far." The Saotome blood ran through the pigtailed girl and her thirst for challenges began to call on her.
"An' that tournament . . .Where's goin' to be?" Akira laughed and shook her finger at the redhead. "I wish it was that easy, but you are not invited Ranma. You are Zeus son and he is not included in those battles. . .Now. . .Your children are, thanks to Ryo . . .But that's all this universe can offer against those opponents."
Akira left the rest of the eternal youngsters and walked into the computer. She inputted several coordinates and a teleport popped up. When she prepared to leave, Yoiko entered and they met on their different paths. "Aki-Chan . . .There you are, where have you been hiding since everything broke loose with us?"
The tiny redhead tried to avoid the subject and the girl waved excitedly while quickly running to her transport. "Hey sis . . .I am really busy with other missions, but as soon as I free myself I'll stop by and help you all . . ." When the girl was about to enter, an invisible force pulled back at the group.
Akira turned around and saw everyone staring for a more detailed explanation, specially Ranma who was tapping the ground impatiently. "I know you're hidin' somethin'. . .Spit it out . . ." Ryota walked at the computer and revised the information recorded.
The fanged ancient boy opened his eyes and slapped the console angrily. "Akira-san . . .You're messing with other timelines and Ryogas? . . .Why?" The girl tried to stall and move for the portal but No-Chan walked closer to her.
"Auntie . . .What are you doing behind our backs?" The girl sighed and moved into a fighting pose. "I can't stand it any longer . . .I am fixing all my cousins outcomes. . .When I heard of the deplorable treatment Zeus gave Ryogas everywhere, I swore to restore them back into a more "justified" path."
The girl noticed no one moved against her and that was the moment when she slipped through the crowd and slid inside the portal. Ranma ran at the portal, but Ryota stopped her before entering. "You can't seriously think I will let you pass . .You are the "pigtailed goddess" on every world out there, if you go, more trouble will be generated."
The redhead slapped his hands away and hit him with a finger at his chest. "Listen to me . . .Thanks to your dumb ideas, Ryoga and me are together and I like it, but I will not stand for your meddling now that is too late. . ." The girl walked into the portal and her daughter followed too.
On the other side, a pigtailed boy studied his form when No-Chan popped at his side. "Daughter . . .Why did I come back in guy form?" The girl grabbed him by the arm and lead him out of sight quickly. "Dad . . .Only females are allowed to traverse to the other side, but you come as a male to this one."
Moments later a redhead walked by arguing with a very angry Ryoga Hibiki. "I'm telling you Ryoga . . .You don't need to take this garbage from that Saotome brat . . .Forget all this nonsense and walk away from Nerima."
The boy set his camp where he believed was the best place. . . In the middle of a park . . .A few blocks away from the Tendo Dojo. "Look . . .I felt your Ki and I know we are related, but don't you get into business you don't understand . . .Now, I have found the greatest soap in the world and it's going to help me win Akane-san's love . . .I will just declare my love for her since I'm a complete male now." The girl kept arguing, but the boy never budged.
Ryoga walked in direction to the public baths and the girl almost followed him, but was pulled into the bushes by the pigtailed boy and No-Chan. "What do you think your doin'? . . .This is the part where he goes to see Akane! . . ."
"I know and if I can avoid it he'll find someone else who will love him in the right way." Ranma kept quiet and his daughter cleared her throat at the small redhead. "Auntie . . .You know I love you like a second mom, but you know dad loves mom deeply . . .They were meant to be together."
Akira chuckled and grabbed the tiny niece's shoulder. "Nodoka-Chan . . .They love each other and I get that, but all that started because of these tricks. I need to be sure Ryoga will have a partner he can love for who she is and not start this whole mess again . . ."
Ranma couldn't resist any more and he reprimanded his sister in law. "Aki-Chan . . .I do love you too, but what gives you the right to let him reject his feelings for me? . . .I mean, this Ranma . . .?" The redheaded girl caught up his idea and refused to play along.
"No Ranma . . .You will not interfere with him just because your happy with your life and your Ryoga . . .I am here to help him find a better solution, not to push him into a relationship just because it worked in your life. . .Well, Is trying to work anyway."
Akira ignored the rest of the conversation and left in a hurry, leaving them back and trying to remember every step of the timeline. After a few moments, the little girl found Ryoga unconscious, sitting on a table while Akane read from a menu.
Whispering to herself, the girl noted the good moments her cousin was experiencing. "Well . . .He does look happy." Another voice told her of additional company at her side. "But is just a friendly date . . .Akane never looked his way before and he'll be heartbroken . . .I could change and help him and this Ranma join happily ever after . . ."
Akira negated the idea and pushed them into the deeper side of the bushes when the couple walked from the open restaurant to the amusement park. "You will do no such thing . . .I need to take Ryoga to America . . .That's the best place for him. . ." Ranma frowned and wondered about the sudden change of continent.
"America? . . .What's in America?" The girl shooed him and demanded to keep talking in a lower tone. "Keep it down will ya? . . .Anna is in America . . .Did you think Akane touched Ryoga's heart and by consequence you? . . .No . . .There is a little cowgirl who showed her feelings for my cousin and he was about to leave all this madness behind and join her, but Akane won in the end."
"I just need to convince him Akane doesn't love him that way and he'll go back to her." Ranma became strangely mad and gave a quick order to Nodoka. "No-Chan . . Pin her to the ground and follow me . . ." The girl pulled the tiny redhead's gravity weight against the spot she stood on and both father and daughter left her behind.
Akira tried to free herself, but she had no abilities from the teleportation. "Damn it . . .He is going to ruin everything." Time passed and the boy looked around the lake where the boats were rented. At a distance, he saw his double dressed in a pink female attire and holding hands with the lost boy. Ranma laughed and No-Chan turned pink from the position. "Dad! . . .That was daring, and in front of Akane and Ukyo?"
The boy kept laughing and took his daughter out of sight. "I need to find a way to convince this Ranma of Ryoga's love for him." When this world's pigtailed boy walked by the cascade, No-Chan's father grabbed him and pushed him against the wall.
"Listen to me carefully . . .You are about to make a bad move, but in the end is goin' to work great . . .I want you to look after Ryoga when everythin' passes, you hear?" The tricking boy pushed his impostor self away and readied his stance.
"I don' know who you are or what are you tryin' to pull, but it ain't me." The boy ran at his counterpart and initiated a series of punches the old Ranma knew and countered them just as easily. After the amazed boy moved back, Ranma waved his hands jokingly.
"Hey buddy . . .I don' want any trouble . . .I just." The boy didn't let him finish and launched his second attack. The chestnut fists in open fire was never matched before, but this time, this world's pigtailed boy stared at his opponent defiantly.
"I am goin' to beat you . . .No matter what you do . . ." In the shadows among the bushes, his daughter slapped her forehead with her open palm in anguish. "Dad . . .You are making all this worse . . ." The girl saw when Ryoga swam behind Akane, while the girl jumped from floating tree stump to stump.
No-Chan disguised a hole under her dad stance and sand made it look like smoke. The girl pulled him into the hole and closed it, spitting him underneath the bush she was in. "I swear dad . . .If mom finds out about this, you'll be dead . . ." Ranma rubbed his head by the quick switch off and stood back in place.
When the younger Ranma felt his presence, he walked at his position ready to end what the other boy started. This time No-Chan raised from the ground and a beautiful girl with red and black hair smiled attentively at the boy.
"W-Who are you . . ." The girl ran at his side and hugged him, giving a signal behind her back to her father. "It's me dad . . .My name is Nodoka Hibiki and I came from the future! . . ." Ranma showed her his big thumb up and a smile describing her fast thinking.
"Listen to me dad . . .When you go and change clothes with Akane, stay behind the waterfall and trick mom into catching you instead of "auntie" Akane." The blinking boy stared at the girl and her words stumbled one after the other in his brain.
"I'm supposed to stall Ryoga 'cuse I'm . . . Your dad, and . . .Your mom is coming too?" The girl pushed him aside and pulled Akane from the lost boy. For a moment, Ranma and the little Tendo stayed looking at each other until Ranma snapped from the little girl's comment.
"Hurry 'kane . . .Give me your clothes and take mine . . ." The girl got the idea of the plan and, after changing behind the same wall, she threw her clothes and ran away from the place. A very distraught Ryoga looked everywhere until finding his target hiding behind the waterfall.
The moment felt sublime not only for the lost boy but for the pigtailed boy hiding in the bushes. His man actually cried a tear of happiness and his heart hurt from a scene he never noticed before. "Oh Ryoga . . .I'm sorry . . .I always knew you would give it all, but from a hug? . . ." The boy slowly thought of what he believed were pranks and jokes in reality was destroying a "boy's innocence" like he described it in the locker room once.
At that precise moment Akira arrived to the moment and saw all her plans fail. The redhead ran at the older Ranma and hit him on the head. "What the hell did you do! . . ." The boy shrugged his shoulders and scoffed the little girl off.
"Don' worry, No-Chan is handling the situation better than me . . ." Akira rubbed the bridge of the nose and sat on the ground defeated. "Ryoko is going to kill me." Ranma didn't think it was a big of a deal, but when his eyes asked his sister in law the main reason, Akira responded sadly.
"Ranma . . .The moment you and No-Chan invaded this reality, you changed not only the timeline, but you contaminated its history. Look . . ." Ranma saw when the younger Ryoga turned angry at a wet Ranko who was laughing at the situation.
The boy tried to run at the redhead and kill her, but instead the soap effects gave up and a strange dressed young girl blinked away at the sensation. Ryoga stared at the two big mounds of flesh sticking from the top of her shirt and oddly enough, her hair was short just like her male side.
The younger Ranma jumped away and looked at the future girl. "I'm your dad an' your "mom" is coming? . . ." The wet redhead stared between the dark haired girl and the little bi-colored child. "You mean . . .Ryoga is my wife?"
Ryoga snapped from the comment and went back to business. "I don't know what your talking about Saotome, but this is all your fault! . . .Ranma Saotome . . .Prepare to die!" Both girls ran out of the park while taking most of the establishments apart.
"Well . . .I did not see that comin' . . ." The tiny redhead shook her head and tapped the ground with remorse. "Now we made a whole mess thanks to you. No-Chan . . .You need to keep the ruse and figure it out a way to separate them for good."
Nodoka saw the looks on her dad. He wanted a happy ending and he assured her, this Ryoga could have just that. "I don't know auntie . . .I think I can manage to get them together as a happy couple." Akira hanged her mouth open and then closed it from the shame.
"No-Chan . . .Think of the timeline. Ranma loves Akane and they live happily ever after . . .Ryoga has more candidates then your dad. Akari is a devoted girl . . .Anna loves him very much and in the last of instances, Ukyo ends up with him when Ranma leaves her for the Tendo girl. . .Don't try to get them together . . ."
"Too late auntie . . .I'm their daughter from the future and I will find a way to join them." Akira took her transmitter and relied her progress. "Sorry Ryota . . .Ranma and Nodoka intervened . . .Yes . . .Yes, they're staying until fixing the problem . . .How? . . .You don't want to know."
A loud voice over the speaker told them of a very angry Ryota, but father and daughter laughed carelessly and walked into town. "Ryo . . .Keep a tab on them . . .I need to see Ryoko and report back." The redhead left them on that world and moved through a portal into another dimension where time moved and stood still at the same time.
Later that day, Ranma and his daughter walked aimlessly into the city. The pair searched for the two misfits fighting off their differences. "Dad . . .Where are we going to hide while all this mess is resolved?." The pigtailed boy thought for a moment and came with an idea of his own.
"Let's lay low at the Hibiki residence. In all the other dimensions Ryoga's parents are missing and the house is empty . . .We should be fine." Father and daughter walked back and hoped the new girl in town would be out of trouble.
They arrived and after Ranma disarmed the traps, they went in and fixed the place. Dust and objects without being moved in years occupied the place. No-Chan made certain to get all the ingredients for their daily living by sending her dad for food.
"Ok dad . . .Be mindful and if you see your copy, ignore him and hide . . .We don't want any more lip from big uncle Ryota." The pigtailed boy walked with a list of things on hand and the usual suspect threw the obvious ladle of water at the pavement.
The redheaded girl walked damped by the attack and rinsed her shirt off while stumbling with someone. "Oh sorry . . .I wasn't lookin' where I was. . ." The next word never left her lips when at boy in a dark blue robe grabbed her and hugged her intimately. "Oh . . .My pigtailed goddess . . .Where have you gone missing from my grasp . . .It's such an endearing feeling to know that evil sorcerer finally rid you of that dreaded curse . . ."
"Sorcerer? . . ." Ranko stared at the pigtailed boy coming his way and the smiling face Kuno had to announce his victory over him. The girl put up her prettiest face and pouted in the most adorable way at him. "Kuno Sempai . . .Would you like to go with me and buy ice cream near by?"
The sword wielding boy lifted her up and ran on the opposite side of the pigtailed fighter. "Of course my dear . . .It will be an honor to show my manliness and aggravating looks on the local ice cream parlor and with no less then my kettle girl . . ."
Ranma walked by when he met the strange girl from before. He stayed in place while the bi-colored haired girl looked into a piece of paper. "I told him to wait . . .We can't make miso soup without these stuff . . ." The girl stumbled and stared at the boy in question.
"Care to explain me 'bout Ryoga back there?" The girl giggled and tried to avoid the boy, but Ranma moved in front of the ever changing girl. "Well you see dad . . .I came from the future to find a way . . .to . . .reconcile my mom with you! . . .Yes, that's it . . ."
"So, Ryoga is separated from me, after knowing he is a she and I have a baby with her in the future? . . .Well that doesn't sound so bad to me. He is a jerk and a pain every time he comes to town . . .Now, me doing the deed, sure sounds like fun . . ." The boy smiled evilly, but was held back by the little girl.
"But . . .But, you love each other . . .Right?" The blue face on the boy told her of his impending feeling to throw up and he looked away while trying to breath deeply. "I don' know what gave you that idea, but Akane Tendo is my fiancé and if Ryoga wants a baby . . .I sure as hell will give her one, but my future wife is waiting for me right now."
The boy patted the little confused girl and went on his way back. No-Chan stared disconcerted at the strange behavior on her dad and resolved to ask him directly . . .When she could find him. A few hours later, a lost Nodoka found the redhead giggling and joking with Kuno Tatewaki.
The girl hinted No-Chan to find a way to distract him and the girl just waved her hand at the street. Between laughs and attempts to grab the girl in certain private parts, Ranma tried to keep him at bay, and her daughter had a blast watching them going.
A bit of dirt lifted from outside all the way into the boy's eyes. The young kendoist rubbed his stinging eyes and asked for a glass of water to clean them. "I seem to be stung by something dear Kettle girl . . .Give me just a few minutes and I'll shall be rid of this pest."
The rubbing and the sand stuck in his eyes made the boy go blind and Ranko rushed at the waitress for an ambulance. Poor Kuno was taken to the hospital by a simple case of flying dirt. "No-Chan . . .That was a bit harsh, but it did the job."
The little girl shrugged and took her dad's hand with force. "Dad! . . .Your alternate seems a bit, careless . . .I met him a while ago and he acted indifferent . . .Even arrogant." The redhead nodded and agreed with her daughter.
"Well yes . . .If I was one thing on that stage, it had to be arrogant. On this time, I developed my destructive move from the chestnut fists and my friendship with Ryoga never became stronger because of the missing time with the moxibustion case."
"I remember when I even humiliated Ryoga before Akane without knowing and those times are what hurts him the most, but how can I fix this stage in my life and his?" The girl didn't know the answer and they just walked home sad at the new challenge in a new Nerima.
Worlds away from Ranma and his daughter, his better half trained to become a new power before her mission. The place denoted a force fighting with itself. Ranma Jr. practiced his rigorous teachings from the toughest of teachers. Chronos . . .God of time, took the boy as his protégé and is preparing the boy to become his second in command.
This force made the area unreachable by the regular immortal . . .Even gods confused their path with the twisting application of laws. In the distance, the boy walked and met an infuriated Ryoko. The girl battled her own opponent and "she" taught her many painful lessons.
Ryoko tried to avert her eyes from the other girl since the attire she wore was a simple skimpy outfit. "I don't know why you have to dress like that . . .If I'm going to become like you, there is no way I'm wearing that!" The other girl ignored her opponent and, by a quick wave of her hand, the fanged girl exploded in pieces.
The almost naked fighter shook her head disappointed and hurried at Ryoko. "C'mon immortal human, just a bit more and you'll have it ready." The dark haired girl focused and all the particles in her body slowly joined, until forming her full self again.
"Damn it . . .I almost avoid that attack . . ." They were arguing about the training when a blushing boy walked by them. Ryoko felt the bulging eyes on her son and the girl yelled at him angry. "Jr. . .Close your eyes and don't peek at her! . . ." The boy did as told and moved in the direction of his mother's voice.
"Mom . . .Aunt Akira arrived but she's still stuck in a loop." Ryoko rolled her eyes and went after her sister. She grabbed the redhead's clothes and automatically turned alive from the spell. "Man! . . .When are you going to teach me how to reverse that annoying time spell?"
"Never . . .This is a place for my personal training . . .You weren't even supposed to come." The tiny sister looked away ashamed and pouted from the yell. "Well . . .I wouldn't . . .But your husband is making a mess of others dimensions."
That did it. The face in the girl's turned red and she screamed at the pest believed to be extinct. " When am I going to be ridden of "him" . . .?" Chronos laughed and her previous fighting partner dared to as well, until she spoke with her.
"No! . . .Don't you dare treating that boy lightly . . .I will become you, but before I do, I need to know my demands will be met . . ." The other girl accepted and Ryoko left the place for the time being. On her way out Jr. asked her about the almost naked girl.
"She is not a girl Jr. . .She is just messing with us. Her name is Lady Death and I'm training to be a death substitute . . ." Little Ranma thought about that and went back to work while Ryoko left the special dimension with Akira
After the commotion, a familiar face visited Chronos world. Zeus walked into the time dimension with trouble on his steps. The father of the gods never liked that place and the god of time loved to prove him with flaws.
"Common brother . . .step lively . . .Even your son's son can traverse through my realm without a care in the world." The smile in his face told Ranma Jr. of the Ki limit on the god. Zeus felt this as well and he made the effort to walk faster.
"Spare me your comments Chronos, and he is not my child . . .Him or that brat with the pigtailed . . .I came to see the progress on my servants, that is all." Jr. stared disconcerted by the comment but he just returned to practice. Chronos told him of the level of power Ryoko reached thanks to Lady death and the problem she left to fix.
"This world was safer at my hands . . .I don't know why we gave it to humans . . ." The mighty god walked away from the report and asked his brother to keep him posted. That was the last time before mother and son would see for a while.