Ranma 1/2 Story:
"Switched At Birth"
Two strange letters arrived at the Tendo Dojo with a return address from the same medical doctor from a clinic just outside of Nerima, one was addressed to Ranma Saotome and the other to Ryoga Hibiki. They were left together in the mail box.
Akane flipped them over in her hand. She was the first to come home and picked up the mail. Kasumi was probably away shopping. And her father was at a town council meeting. Ranma's father was at Dr. Tofu's working as his assistant. And Who knows where Nabiki was, probably hanging out with her friends, she thought. So, the house was Akane's for the moment.
Someone must have known to contact Ranma here or the letter would not have arrived from the medical doctor address. The same with Ryoga, since he was known to frequent the dojo. But the letter to Ryoga also had a Return To Sender from another address.
She had no right, but since Ranma sometimes opened her mail, and it made her furious that he did, she paid Ranma in kind. And after reading Ranma's letter, she was confused. It asked him to come see the mysterious doctor at his earliest convenience.
When Ranma came home after school, he stopped in the main vestibule, slipped off his shoes, and faced Akane, as she greeted him. He was on clean-up duty and had to stay after school. Akane wasted no time in giving him the letter. He read the letter.
"To Mr. Ranma Saotome,
I have some important medical information that regards you, that is of the gravest importance. Please come to my clinic at your earliest convenience.
Signed,
Dr. Kenneth Cop-Katt"
He made a noise under his breath that of consideration and bewilderment.
Ranma twisted the letter on its side and then upside down, as if that would give him clarity.
"Well, Ranma? Do you know anything about this?"
"No clue," Ranma said, his eyes narrowing. He turned to her. "So, Ryoga got a letter, too?" She had it in he hand. He yanked of out, almost giving her a paper cut.
"Hey!" Akane protested, as Ranma ripped open the letter, avoiding her grabbing arms.
Ranma stopped, and compared the letters—they were basically the same. This mysterious doctor wanted Ranma and Ryoga to meet him at his clinic at their earliest convenience to discuss something that regarded them both.
"This is bizarre," Ranma said. "What's so important?"
"Important?" came a new voice. Ranma and Akane looked behind them, as Ryoga stood at the threshold with his pack and gear in hand. Again, he had found his way to the Tendo Dojo after weeks away on yet another training journey. He was dusty. "What's going on?"
Ranma laughed every time Ryoga returned. There was no way Ryoga could beat him. And Akane knew it. Akane knew Ryoga had feelings for her, but she didn't share them. She was engaged to Ranma. Only if something truly extraordinary happened would she consider Ryoga differently. But Ryoga was bad-tempered and dim-witted.
Akane shook her head mentally. She didn't want to marry anyone!
Ranma held up a letter, Ryoga's letter. "Someone wrote you a letter, an actual letter."
Ryoga growled, barring his incisors. "And you opened it? That's a gross invasion of my privacy!" Suddenly, Ryoga's anger tempered. He put a perplexed to his chin. "But who would write me a letter?" He snatched it out of Ranma's hand, and read it.
"I got the same letter," Ranma revealed. "Ever heard of this doctor or his clinic?"
Ryoga shook his head. "I've been to and passed through so many towns and cities on my journey's that they all go round together sometimes."
Ranma eyed Akane. "Yeah, more like you go around in circles," he mouthed from the corner.
Akane stifled a snicker. "Do you think we should visit this doctor and find out what he wants?" She looked at Ranma's letter. "There's an address, but no phone number to call. Or, maybe we should ask Dr. Tofu for advise."
"Dr. Tofu is out of town for a week, remember?" Ranma reminded her. "Pop's just at his clinic to keep it safe from thieves. Although the only thief I'm truly concerned about is Happosai."
"He's been a little quiet lately," Akane said. "As long as he has his collection, he's happy."
Ranma shrugged. "Fine, if we're all agreed, we'll go tomorrow," he said.
The doctor's office was a basic clinic, very clean, and sterile, when Ranma and Ryoga arrived. It was just outside the outskirts of Nermia. Akane, and Ranma's father, Genma, joined them—since they would need parental consent to authorize any medical records to be shown.
"If this concerns you Ranma, then it concerns me, too," Genma said. After he read the letter sent to Ranma, he was interested in what the doctor wished to see him about.
Ranma was appreciative of his father's sentiments. His father was also there for Ryoga, his parents could not be located. Ryoga looked nervous, but he always did with the unknown.
In the waiting area, Ranma read over the letter one last time. He wasn't sure what to expect, but something about it didn't feel right. There was no secretary or assistant on duty, so the doctor greeted them personally, coming out of his office sliding door. He was a small man, with a pudgy face, with a round belly, and round glasses.
"Thank you for coming," Dr. Kenneth Cop-Katt said. The doctor looked at Ranma, then at Ryoga. "Where are you parents, Mr. Hibiki?"
Ryoga looked downcast.
"He's with us," Ranma said, placing an arm around his shoulders. Ryoga's family was a bit of a mystery, but it was known that Ryoga developed his mis-placed sense of direction from them. So, not able to locate them, and the letter returned to sender was probably normal. "Right?"
Ryoga produced a thin smile.
"He's like a son to me," Genma added. "He's forever at the Tendo Dojo."
The doctor nodded. "Yes, of course," he said, with a little bit of bemusement on his face. "My assistant did tell me, someone knew Mr. Hibiki attended the Tendo Dojo frequently. It was a long shot, but we sent the letter there, hoping it would reach him. I'm glad it did."
"What is this all about, doctor?" Akane asked.
"And your name is?"
"Akane Tendo, I'm Ranma's fiancee," she said hesitantly.
Ryoga's eyes narrowed and he huffed under his breath, he crossed his arms. "To be engaged to a jerk like him is a curse of its own rite," he said stridently.
"Watch it, bacon-breath!" Ranma growled back.
"Please, come into my office," the doctor said, gesturing. "I have something important information to tell you both, and it may come as a bit of shock."
After entering the spacious office, and sitting down, the doctor wasted no time. He asked Genma where Ranma was born. Genma had to think about it for a moment, but ultimately said in a hospital. Ryoga was asked the same question and Ryoga said he believed his parents told him in a hospital as well. The doctor spoke the name of a hospital and Genma agreed it was the right one, and Ryoga thought it sounded familiar, but it wasn't sure.
After the preliminaries were out of the way, the doctor then said, "I received your medical records, because you doctor has retired, and I was allotted his load. And I believe a grave error happened." The group looked apprehensive. "Strangely enough, you were each delivered by the same doctor, Ranma, Ryoga—and Ryoga, you're older than Ranma by almost a year."
Ryoga nodded. "I was born on the 16th of March," he said, somewhat apprehensively.
Ranma thumbed himself. "November 25th," he said, "but age does doesn't determine maturity."
"You got that wrong," Akane said quietly
But Ranma heard her and snorted.
The doctor put his elbows on his desk and took a deep breath. He took a moment. "There's no way of getting around to it, but your medical records may have been inadvertently switched, or written down incorrectly by an inattentive recorder."
Both boy's looked dumbfounded.
"But that's…impossible!" Akane voiced bewildered. "How could such a thing happen eight months apart?
The doctor breathed out again. "I regret to inform you that despite how it may seem, you were born at the same time, within hours of each other, and accidentally switched at birth by the nurses. You looked so much a like in the nursery that they couldn't tell you apart. You even look very similar now, despite your current appearances. Has anyone ever told you that?"
Ranma and Ryoga looked at each other. Ranma said, "We ain't twins, but there is a bit of similarity. We ain't twins, or even family," he added, looking back at the doctor.
"You're wrong, doctor!" Genma protested. "I know who my son is."
The doctor sighed. "I know how much of a shock this may come, but these things have a way of happening, and I'm terribly sorry it happened to you. I've changed the medical records to reflect this and I will send them off to the appropriate organization."
Ranma shook his head. "No, this ain't real!" He looked at his father. "You're my pop, you've always been my pop," Ranma said soberly.
Ryoga stood up. He then grabbed the doctor by the lapels of his white jacket. "Doctor, this isn't a joking manner. Are you saying, my entire life has been a lie? That everything that happened to me could've been avoided?" He looked at Ranma. "Like, some…things?"
Ranma eyed Ryoga harshly. "We can't change the past, Ryoga," he said, standing up. "So, don't go blowin' you stack! This is all so—" Ranma put his hands to his face. "I can't handle this," and he walked out of the office.
Akane ran after Ranma.
She found Ranma sitting down on a step outside of the office just outside the front doors. She said down next to him. "Akane, it'll be okay," she said sympathetically. "Nothing has changed—"
Ranma looked up from his hands. "Everything has changed, Akane! Don'tcha get it? If I'm not who I am, then our engagement is off." This seemed to hurt Ranma even more than the news of what he just heard. "Ryoga is your new husband-to-be! That also means, I'm not Ranma Saotome! I real name is Ryoga Hibiki. Oh, man! This is not real! This can't be real!"
Suddenly, Genma stormed out of the clinic. "C'mon, Ranma, we're going home. That doctor is a quack. I know who my son is, and that's you!"
Ranma looked up at his father with what appeared to be tears in his eyes. "Oh, Pop! But what if the doctor is right? What if Ryoga and I were switched at birth?" He looked at his rival as he exited the clinic with what seemed to be a mild smile on his face. "Don't you dare smile!"
Ryoga became straight-faced as Akane looked back. "Nothing's change, Ryoga," Akane said.
Ranma then stood on his feet. "Wait! Oh, I get it now." He grabbed Ryoga by his shirt. "You sneaky bastard! This is a scheme you cooked up so you'd become Akane's fiancee, ain't it? You and that doctor in there are in on it together! Tell me, Ryoga! Tell me the truth!"
Ryoga pushed Ranma back and Ranma staggered but stood on his feet. "I'm just as shocked about this as you, Ranma," Ryoga replied back. "But I don't understand this, our personalities are different. If this is true, then shouldn't I have a better sense of direction?"
"Pop got us lost in China, found Jusenkyo, what do you think?" Ranma responded tritely.
"I knew exactly where I was going, Ranma," Genma said gruffly. "My sense of direction is fine!"
Akane chimed in. "They said, parental personalities brush off onto their children."
"And since your can't tell an empty lot behind your house, where I spent three days waiting for you for our fight, from a hole in the ground, then it's obvious who you take after," Ranma said.
Ryoga barred his teeth. "You take that back!"
Genma held him back.
"Enough!" Akane shouted. "Emotions are high! This is no time to be fighting, guys! Let's just go home, so we can deal with this calmly, and tell the rest of the family."
Ranma snorted.
Over dinner, the family was informed of the news, but Akane insisted nothing was going to change within the family dynamic. But Soun and Genma had other ideas, and talked about possible new engagement arrangements.
Ryoga was seated at the dinner table, but he hadn't said a word. But Ranma knew the guy was probably just waiting until he was alone to cheer. And what did his father care? As long as he got a dowry to carry him into retirement. Did the father/son relationship mean nothing to him?
Ranma knew right from the start that something didn't seem right, but how would Ryoga persuade a certified doctor to lie for him? And if this was a joke, Ranma wasn't laughing. If it was a joke, he'd beat Ryoga down for it!
That evening, Ryoga, Ranma, and Akane, all gathered in her room. Ranma gazed out of the window, sitting on Akane's desk, while Ryoga sat on the floor in an almost mediative state, with his legs crossed, arms folded, and eyes closed. Akane sat on her bed worriedly.
Akane looked at both of them. "Well, guys…"
"Well, what?" Ranma grumbled, his hand under his chin, an elbow on a raised knee. "Looks like you two will be getting hitched, Pop—I mean, Mr. Saotome—and Mr. Tendo seem to have discussed the details to their finer points at dinner. I'm left in the lurch."
"Ranma," Akane spoke, concerned for Ranma, "you'll always be Ranma, that'll never change. It's been your name for sixteen years. Your last names may change, but you're still the same people before the news."
"You don't get it, d'ya?" Ranma looked back with a scowl. "Nothin' has changed? Everythin' has!" He paused. "You know what, maybe this is a good thing?"
Akane smiled. "That's the spirit? But why?"
Ranma beamed with a thought. "Since I no longer have any ties here, I can go back to Jusenkyo and be rid of this curse once and for all!"
"You're not out of the woods, Ranma," Ryoga said, opening his eyes, looking at him. "What about Shampoo and Ukyo? What do you think their reaction will be when they hear the news?"
"Oh, I never thought about that," Akane spoke first.
"You defeated Shampoo, and Amazon law says the loser must marry her victor," Ryoga added. "And then there's Ukyo, you're long time friends with her, and Genma promised her father that you'd marry her as a dowry for her Okonomiyaki cart. And if that isn't enough, you have to deal with Kuno's twisted, demented sister. Once they hear about this news, you'll have even more headaches with the three of them fighting over you."
Ranma frowned. "You really know how to throw salt into a wound."
"I'm just being realistic."
"I still think you're behind this, somehow. Once I learn the truth, you're a deadman."
Ryoga slapped his knees and sneered. "I told you, I have nothing to do with this!"
Ranma huffed, then opened up the window, and crawled outside, and made his way to the roof. Akane went to the window and looked up, and saw the lower half of Ranma reach the roof, and disappear. She looked back. "Ryoga, you're taking this in stride," she said suspiciously. "If you do have anything to do with this, if this is a trick on Ranma to get him back for something, I'll never speak to you again, and you'll be banned forever from this house!"
Ryoga's eyes grew wide. He waved his hands in the air frantically. "I swear, Akane. I have nothing, nothing to do with this, I promise! But maybe the doctor made a mistake?" He got to his feet. "I think I should go back and see the doctor again and confirm everything."
"I think that would be a good idea," she said. "I don't like how Ranma's feeling. He's trying to keep it all inside, but I know he's hurting, and my father, and his father, didn't make any easier at dinner, talking about making new arrangements with this news."
Ryoga agreed. "It was far too soon. I'll go talk to the doctor tomorrow," he said. "But can I ask, can I say over for the night? I have no other place to go."
"Sure," Akane said. "You can sleep in Ranma's room."
That night, Ranma didn't sleep in his room. He sat up on the roof and looked at the sky, at the stars, and in deep thought. His entire life had just been turned upside down. He thought he could handle the day-to-day stresses moving to Nermia had given him, but that's when he knew who he was. Now, he had no identity. If he wasn't Ranma Saotome, and he had no clue about his real parents, then he was a soul in limbo. His name was very important to him, it was his self-identity, his very personal recognition. And he prided himself with it.
He put his head between his knees. He didn't want to cry, but the tears came. He never felt more lost, hurt, and disconnected. "Why did this have to happen to me?"
He heard footsteps, then someone sat down next to him. He looked up and saw it was Ryoga. "Go away, Ryoga—I mean, Ranma. And I thought life couldn't give me anymore grief."
Ryoga sighed, and found himself putting an arm around Ranma's shoulders. "Look, we may be rivals, but right now, let's just be friends. I'm confused about all this myself. I may even be in shock, which could account for my lack of empathy before."
Ranma shook his head and put it between his knees again. "I just don't care right now. I don't think you're behind this, Ryoga. I'm sorry. I just wanted someone to blame."
"You may be right about that, Ranma. I think there is someone to blame." Ryoga reached into his pocket for his letter. Ranma looked up. "I might be dense sometimes, but even I can have brilliant flashes of insight. I think we've been set up."
Ranma's eyes widened. "W-what? By whom? I'll kill whoever did this!"
Ryoga read the letter as Ranma looked at it,
"To Mr. Ryoga Hibiki,
I have some important medical information that regards you, that is of the gravest importance. Please come to my clinic at your earliest convenience.
Signed,
Dr. Kenneth Cop-Katt"
"Yeah, it's like mine," Ranma said. "Except for your name, exactly like mine. But your letter was sent here after it returned to sender."
"Yes, but my parents haven't moved," Ryoga said. "And they've lived in the same house since before I was born. So, why would it be returned to sender? Unless, it was sent to the wrong address to begin with? The hospital and the doctor would definitely have my proper address."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm thinking, that not only is the news of our switching births fake, but the perpetrator of this fraud is someone we know, and who has a grudge with both of us, and using some elaborate plot to destroy us. And then, when we're at our weakest—they'll strike!"
Ranma grabbed the letter, excited and thrilled. "Are you serious? I'm—Ranma Saotome after all!" Ranma read the letter again carefully. "But who—could've cooked up a diabolic scheme like this? He'd have to be very cunning and scheming."
Abrupt laughter came at them from all sides, echoing like from a sound stage. "I almost had you, only for the sake of that dimwit, were you spared, Ranma," came a voice.
Both boys stood on their feet, but after looking in every direction the owner of the voice was no where to be found—but the voice did sound familiar.
Ranma crumbled the letter in his hand when he figured it out. "Dr. Kenneth Cop-Katt, Copykat Ken! Damn it! It should have occurred to me earlier!" Ranma's teeth clenched. "Come out you coward! Stop hiding in the shadows and behind your tricks!"
Copykat Ken appeared on the edge of the roof, whisking his kerchief around in the air. Somehow, it was endowed with properties that blended it within his environment, almost making him invisible—a new trick. He used it to copy anyone, to become them, even their mannerisms, properties of speech, and martial artist moves. He was known as a notorious thief in the greater Tokyo area, amongst other things. A true trickster artist!
He wore an orange bandana, a red sleeveless top, blue jeans, and white sneakers. "I baited you, and you took it. But I suppose, in retrospect, I shouldn't have used a better name."
"Why?" Ranma clenched his fists. "I beat you the last time we fought!"
"And that is precisely why I did this, Saotome," Copycat Ken said, with his hands on his hips. "You beat me, and that didn't bode well for me. No one beats me at my own game. You confused me, and I lost control of my transformation ability, and it took me a long time to get back to being me. I wanted revenge, and as a thief, I decided to steal your pride, your self-identity—like you stole mine. I know all about the prideful nature of self recognition."
Ryoga stepped ahead. "But why me?"
"I saw an opportunity, I always do my research when I target someone. So, I concocted that whole scheme about your two being switched at birth. You have to admit, you two do look similar. It was the perfect scheme!"
"You used me to hurt Ranma!" Ryoga's anger swelled and he growled like a wild animal.
Ranma held him back. "Forget it, he's mine!" He growled at Copycat Ken. "You know how much anguish you caused, you amateur quick-change artist?"
Copycat Ken's lip curled. "Amateur? I'm one of the best in Tokyo. You may have beaten me, used my own tricks against me, but I've never been caught. And that clinic you visited is real, I just borrowed the location when the real doctor on vacation. I use everything at my deposal. And now that those records are sighed, sealed, and on their way to the proper organization for certification, I forged the real doctor's signature. I have the last laugh. You're finished, Saotome, and I didn't even have to bruise a knuckle. Revenge is sweet!"
Copycat Ken laughed loud and boisterously. A dog began to bark in the distance at the sound of Copycat Ken's laugh. His laugh was both sinister and disturbing.
"And now I bid you ado, you simpletons," Copycat Ken said. "For all your boisterous rancour about being great martial artists, it can't get you out of this mess."
"We'll get it fixed," Ranma said angrily, "but in the meantime—" Ranma was already on his way to attack Copycat Ken, when the thief leapt off the roof, and landed to the ground.
Ranma then heard a heavy thud.
He looked down and smiled. Akane was there, and she had clobbered Ken in the head with a frying pan, knocking out cold. "Nice one, Akane!"
She looked up. "I heard everything, Ranma. I'm so glad none of it's true."
They tied Copycat Ken up and put him in Happosai's room for the time being. The master was off on one of his infamous panty raids and would not be back for hours.
They family reevaluated things and Ranma and Akane were back engaged.
Ryoga had left as the family discussed how to handle the current situation and the damage Copycat Ken had done, and what to do with him. Ryoga had left, and now sat up on the roof, and gazed up at the starry night sky. For a moment, he thought things were going to go right for him, in a strange and twisted way. But, alas, fate again slapped him in the face.
Ryoga saw Ranma climb up onto the roof and sat next to him. "Hey Ryoga, you doin' okay?"
Ryoga sighed. "Yeah, sure…"
"Look," Ranma begin, reaching around to put an arm around Ryoga's shoulders but stopped. His arm dropped. "We're rivals, but you're the closest person I have to a bud. I know things were weird there for a time, but you'll meet someone. Akane and I have this thing, you know."
"Akane doesn't deserve a loser like you, Ranma. She deserves—"
"Watch it, Ryoga! Look, I know you like Akane. But you need to stop indulging in these sick fantasies of yours about her. She's already rejected you, when we had the big fight in the park where you perfected your Lion Roar Shot."
Ryoga's eyes teared up as he looked at Ranma. His heart ached and hurt. "You have no soul, Ranma," he said harshly, and then stood up. "You and Akane have a good life together. This is it, the end of the road, there's nothing left for me anymore." He stood on the edge of the roof.
Ranma jumped to his feet and grabbed Ryoga. "You idiot! Suicide isn't the answer!"
Suddenly, Ryoga saw Copycat Ken. He had escaped his binds and was now running out of the house and across the backyard. He pointed. "Ranma! Copycat Ken is escaping!"
Ranma breathed out, "How?" Then: "He is a thief, after all. I suppose he's an escape artist, too."
The pair jumped down off the roof, landed with considerable ease, and chased after their enemy, through the maze of adjacent streets. Copycat Ken was fast. But he kept just within sight. Then suddenly disappeared down an alley that seemed to be a dead end.
"Where'd he go?" Ranma said.
They were surrounded by fencing on three sides, and when they looked up, two houses on either side.
"Let's go through," Ryoga said. He turned, lifted a finger, and then touched the fence, using his Breaking Point to blow a hole through. Ranma shielded his face from flying debris.
"Damn it, Ryoga! Warn a guy next tim—"
Water suddenly rushed towards them and blasted them in the face, each of their curses activated. Copycat Ken stood on the other side of the fence with a bucket.
P-Chan squealed (Ryoga's clothes were on the ground), and Ranma flicked water off his clothes, his shirt blossoming a sizeable two-some of healthiness.
Copycat Ken smirked. "Like I said before, Ranma Saotome! I'm a thief, so I do my research to target my prey." He snorted. "I thought it was just a trick, but I found out something interesting about you two lately, listening to your friends. And now I know that it's true. Your bodies really do change by way of a curse. What I saw before was not merely a trick of the eye, something akin to a master magician like a Houdini or Copperfield." He laughed, as he threw the bucket away. "And with your change, it weakens you."
P-Chan growled, as Ranma protested. "Oh, yeah? You wanna see how weak I am, pal?" His voice feminine.
Copycat Ken pointed to something attached to the roof of a nearby house, a small video camera with a blinking green light. He must have broke into one of the houses, found the camera, and was now using it. "Your secret will be exposed for the whole world to see, and people will want to study you. Your lives will an endless control study how your curses work. My original plan to ruin your name may not have worked, but I'm going to be rich with this footage."
"You'll ruin our lives, you bastard! Not only mine, and Ryoga's, but the Tendo Dojo's reputation," Ranma said. "They media will be all over us, we'll never be able to live normal lives again! We haven't done anything to deserve this rigid treatment."
"You caused me grief, Saotome," Copycat Ken declared. "And that's reason enough for me!"
Just then, a shadow flashed across the sky like a leap of a swift cat. Happosai decided to make an appearance, landing from a roof top holding a sack full of his newest acquisitions.
"What a haul!" Happosai laughed. Then he noticed the scene. "What's going on here now? Ken, my boy! Nice to see you again. Playing with Ranma, again?"
"Settling an old score, Master," Copycat Ken said, the title honorary. Ken admired Happosai for his perversity and wanted to learn from the old goat, adding to his list of talents.
P-Chan had slipped away and found some hot water, returning as Ryoga. He quickly dressed.
"Hey," Ranma protested, looking at Ryoga. "How'd you change? And why no hot water for me?"
"You need me as me," Ryoga replied, buttoning up his shirt. "We're in a dangerous situation." Ryoga looked up, saw the camera, and leapt for it.
"Oh, no you don't!" Copycat Ken said, and leapt up. He kicked Ryoga and Ryoga felt back to the ground into some trash cans. Ken grabbed the camera. "This is my ticket to ultimate riches."
"You can't show that to anyone!" Ranma shouted, pointing.
Happosai took notice of the camera, as Ryoga got to his feet. "What do you have there?"
Copycat Ken smiled. "The Holy Grail, Master," he said. "I captured both Ranma and Ryoga changing, their curses activating. I'll make a fortune!"
Happosai jumped and snatched it out of Copycat Ken's hands. "I won't allow it. Their curses must not be known to the rest of the world. It isn't their fault. Making money off their misfortunate is a despicable act." Happosai took the tape out of the camera and smashed it.
"NOOOOO!" Copycat Ken cried out. He collapsed to his knees and picked up the tape, threading it through his fingers. He clenched his teeth. He looked at the trio. "I won't let this go! I know your secret now, Ranma Saotome! And I have a new goal. Your curse will be my moneymaker. I'm going to tell everyone!"
"Oh, yeah?" Ranma shouted. He grabbed the camera from Happosai and threw it at Copycat Ken's face. "Video this!" And the camera hit Copycat Ken centre-face, knocking him out cold. Ken lay on his back. Ranma stood over him. "Thanks old goat for destroying that tape."
Ryoga came over. "But he knows our secrets now and he's threatened to expose us. The only way to be safe is to kill him."
"No one is killing anyone," Ranma shot back.
Happosai asked what had been going on with Copycat Ken in his absence and Ranma told him about the clinic, how Ken faked medical data that he and Ryoga were switched at birth to damage their self-identities. Confirming their curses was only the latest bombshell.
"This creep has caused us a lot of trouble lately, and when he awakes he's going to keep causing us grief, he's probably going to try to blackmail us, too," Ranma said.
"I won't let that happen, I have a way of making him forget what he knows about your curses," Happosai said. "An old technique of mind erasure using special incense."
"You'd do that for us?" Ranma's eyes widened with both shock and awe. Ryoga got to his knees and begged for it. "You may not be as bad as I thought, old man."
With Copycat Ken tied up once again, he was seated in Happosai's room with a pot of incense on the floor, its fumes filtering the entire room. Ranma, in his male form, could smell the stuff from outside in the hallway, which was a combination of what-ever Happosai put together to create it. The old man also spoke some sort of weird chant and then instructed Copycat Ken to forget all about "curses" related to Jusenkyo. Ranma wondered if it would be work.
If it did, that would be one problem solved. The next was getting those records Copycat Ken sent away changed back!
After half and hour, Happosai emerged from his room, and Copycat Ken was unconscious on the floor. He yawned. "Boy, that guy's mind was difficult to crack, but I managed to erase it of what he thought he thinks was the Jusenkyo curse."
"Thanks, old man," Ranma said. "I owe you one."
"I'll take up you on that IOU some time later," Happosai said, then walked away. "I'm going to get myself something to eat," he added, and hoped down the stairs to the main level.
Oh, I'm sure you'll want my IOU. But I ain't wearing anything girly!
Ranma watched him go, then looked in on Copycat Ken. But he was gone. Ranma ran into the old man's room and turned his head 360 degrees. "He was here just a moment ago!" I only turned my head to watch Happosai go downstairs for a second!
Ranma ran to the window and caught a fleeting glimpse of Copycat Ken jumping over the back fence, but he didn't go after him. It was too late.
Ryoga suddenly come up the stairs and looked into the room. "Ranma? What's—"
"He's gone! Copycat Ken's gone!"
"Did Happosai's trick work?" Ryoga asked.
But Ranma didn't know what to tell him, even he didn't know. Maybe, someday, they'd find out.
The next day, Dr. Tofu returned back early from his vacation. There was no explanation, but Ranma and Akane told him what had happened with Copycat Ken, and the medical records he forged and sent off to the appropriate organization.
As per the custom, over a cup of tea and snacks, the doctor understood their dilemma. "Don't worry, Ranma," the doctor said assuredly. "I'll make sure things are settled."
A week later, the real doctor to the clinic that resided just outside of Nerima returned back from vacation, and an envelope awaited him, marked URGENT. He opened it and found two sets of medical papers of two people had never heard of, supposedly switched at birth. And the papers were to correct the error. Each had his signature on it for certification. He had never seen these papers before.
He read them over, and found out why they were returned to sender. The hospital that the two patients were supposedly were born at had no record of either of them, and hence the information was not accurate, and hence, could not be certified.
END