Memoirs Part 3: Memoirs of a God.

Have you ever had that dream where you're attending your own funeral? Well...imagine that being a reality and you have my current situation, For here I am, kneeling at the grave of one Saotome Ranma, missing and presumed dead nineteen months ago to the day, June 1st, 1998.

Saotome Ranma died long before that.

Here I was, reading his epitaph. In a way, I was the one who killed Ranma. In a way I was a daughter to him, in some ways a sister. But when it all comes down to it, I was him.

"To our Warrior, who lived in honor, and died fighting his shame"

I wondered how long it took Nodoka to think that up. I wondered where she managed to come up with tears. Maybe she was crying for her family's honor, which would be especially ironic, as she was the one who sullied it.

As I read the epitaph another grave caught my eyes and I nearly facefaulted.

A man who I still recognized, now assumably 22 years old, and looking better for it, was kneeling in front of a tomb that was extravagant it worst. Printed in bold, gilded letters across the tomb, upon which was mounted a statue that one would assume must be that of some goddess of love was "Osage-No-Onna, declared lost on the same day as her captor, 6-01-98."

"I don't die that easily, pervert..."

Kuno stood slowly. "I would prefer not to hear such language in the presence of the departed and honored m-...m-....my gods, you're beautiful. You look just like she did!"

"Who would that be, Kuno-sempai?"

"That's Kuno-sensei to you, miss. And I speak of my love who was lost to me so long ago."

I sighed and began to try and explain this to Kuno, in the hopes that his assumably adult mind would assimilate the information. "Kuno. The pigtailed girl was never yours to begin with. She wasn't even Ranma's, and she is -not- dead."

"Quoth Saotome Nodoka: 'she essentially committed suicide when she killed Saotome.' My love is dead."

"Are you blind as well as dumb, Kuno? Look at me, damn you!"

The former upperclassman looked up, and revealed his face to me. I could not help but gasp as I noticed the scar below his left eye. "Do not jest at my disability, girl. I am not one of whom you would make an enemy. In my foolishness I attempted to do as the honorable Oedipus did, Fortunately, my sister, crazed as she was, stopped me. This scar is the memory of the day my heart was torn out, the day I lost my love."

"Kuno. This is the only time I will tell you this. The pigtailed girl did not love you. She never did. And She never will. Her heart belongs to no man, but she does remember you, but never with fondness. Why don't you, instead of brooding over a love you never had, try to make things better for her sake, or, even better, for your own sake."

"How do you know this, young one?"

"You could say we're kindof sisters."

Kuno nodded. "Then I shall do as you say." He lifted the best-looking bouquet of flowers from the steps of the tomb. "Do take these, child, and tell me your name, for I feel you have done me some great service."

"Saotome Ranko, Kuno, and you'd damn well not forget it."

With that I left, leaving the former fool to his thoughts.

* * *

I couldn't believe it!

My goddess was alive!

I was ecstatic, to say the least.

But what the child told me, that was important as well.

The goddess was not mine to have, and never would be. So I would have to make do with what I had.

I would have to go on.

Saotome Ranko. Things finally began to fit together.

I had a distinct feeling that I would see this girl again.

* * *

"I never want to see that idiot again!" Ranko was still going on about it.

"Calm down, honey...it's not like he actually hit on you this time, at least. And it sounds as if you actually got a message through to him." I made a warding-off motion with my hands

'Please don't call me that, Ucchan! It makes me sound like a raving teenage girl!"

I simply gestured at Ranko and said, "If the shoe fits..."

Ranko, realizing what she was doing, began to calm down. "Thanks, Ucchan."

"...Speaking of wayward children...do you know why you aren't aging, Ranchan?"

"I don't know, Ucchan. I have to assume it's either some side effect of the curse or the Chisuiton. but my cursed form always looked the same anyway."

"Maybe it's time you visited Cologne, Ranma..." I called her by her true name, hoping to get through to her better judgement.

"I believe that is my cue," the old mummy scared Ranko half to death as she landed in the middle of the room, out of nowhere, pogoing on her cane "Well...I thought it was you, granddaughter. As level-headed as ever, I see." She gave a withered chuckle.

"I assume that to mean that you have no cure for me, mummy?"

"For the curse, certainly not. I have no Nannichuan water, and you are on probation, and are prohibited from leaving Japan. Am I right?"

Ranko simply nodded.

"I will try to remedy that, and I will also attempt to counteract the lack of aging, but you must in turn do something for me."

"And what would that be?" Ranko suddenly looked on edge.

"I want you to join my tribe."

Ranko did a double-take to make sure the old crone wasn't joking. "What? Why?"

"Simple, Saotome-san. You are the strongest warrior for many generations past. With your blood intermingled in our tribe we would become many times more powerful. Second: You have defeated one of our most skilled warriors, and nearly bested the Matriarch in battle, and I don't want to have to give you the kiss of death."

The old crone gently put out her third finger and stared levelly at Ranko.

"And...third?" Ranko said, curious.

"You defeated Happousai. Not even I was able to best that pervert in a one-on-one battle, and you not only beat him, you literally slaughtered him." Ranma winced "I do not want you as an enemy. I would much prefer you as a student."

Ranko nodded slowly.

"I accept your invitation, Matriarch, with the simple request that I am allowed to remain in Nerima Ward."

"Granted, granddaughter, but there is to be no killing."

"I can only guarantee that, if there is killing done, that the killer shall not be me."

* * *

For once, I was actually happy to see Shampoo, and for once she was not glomping me on sight.

"Hello, Shampoo."

"You're not Ranma anymore, are you?" Her Japanese had improved, as had her perception of the situation at hand.

"I can't say I am. Is that a ring I see on your finger?"

Shampoo smiled genuinely. "Mousse challenged me last June and finally won. He's been training very hard.

"Hello, Ranma." Mousse said with a bit of malice. I hadn't even noticed him approaching, but he was exuding no battle aura whatsoever, so I had no worries.

"Not Ranma. Ranma is dead. This Ranko." Shampoo said with a bit of a twitch.

Mousse looked confused for a second as I stood up.

"Congrats on the engagement, Muu-muu-chan. I'll be glad to give you a rematch, soon. I can't promise one of our man-to-man battles from way back then, but I can promise that I have also trained, and therefore will give you a run for your money."

"Great-Grandmother said that you are now a member of the tribe, Ranko. This is a great honor, you know?" Shampoo made an attempt to change the subject.

"I know, Shampoo. I just wish it had happened on better circumstances."

"Like what, Ranma? You and I both know you never would have married me."

I headed for the door. "This is getting uncomfortable. Get one thing straight, Ranma is no more. I am Saotome Ranko."

I left it at that and promptly exited the Nekohanten. I would return soon, but I needed time to cool off, and I had other loose ends to tie up.

* * *

"Ranko...you have to go to school! If you don't your probation officer will get on my case!"

"I will, Ucchan. As soon as I..."

"No, Ranko. You will attend school starting this next Monday. It's the start of the Semester and you'll be able to fit in in no time. Just do it, please."

"Fine, Ucchan, Monday. I promise. I'll be done with my business by then anyway."

Ranko had resigned to her fate, thankfully. She had been running all over town for the last three days, and with the episode with Kuno, she seemed to be losing her stability. I could only hope that seeing the faces of some of the teachers would help her, as I was nowhere near suited to mother a sixteen-year old girl, much less one who was in fact a few months older than I was, despite looks.

"But I'm not wearing one of those Sailor Fukus!" Ranko shouted with a playful grin.

"Fine," I said. "You can go in your bloomers!"

By the time we stopped laughing Akane had come up to see what the commotion was.

"Hey...guys. What's the fuss?"

"Nothing, Akane...Ranko was just discussing the finer points of the Furinkan uniforms with me." I couldn't help but burst into more giggles.

"Fine...okay" Akane nodded distantly and headed for her bedroom.

Something was, once again, up.

* * *

From teh diary of Tendo Akane

I had to brood, to think about it.

Everything was so good. I was with my love, and she admitted her love to me, finally, for good, and I had to recoansider my own heart.

Why was I always such a fool about these things?

Damn.

It all just seemed to tie back to the way I saw her when she was holding Happosai in her arms, not the embrace of lover's that I had always dreamed of her sharing with me, but as if she was unwillingly holding some disgusting pile of refuse that she could not remove from her hands.

Was that filth still there?

Would the blood ever wash away?

I guess it's strange when I think about it. Most people just accept death and get on with their lives, working to the fullest so that they could honor the dead.

I'd only mourned two losses in my lifetime. They were Mother and Ranma. One of them came back to me, I think.

* * *

I exchanged a glance with Ukyo.

Something was definitely up.

Without another word I ran to Akane's room to find her lying there, her face buried in a pillow.

"Akane! What's wrong?" I approached my fiancee, hoping to comfort her.

"Oh, nothing."

"Don't pull that with me, Akane. What happened?"

Akane sat up on her bed and looked at me.

"I was listening to Ukyo and you joke and...do you remember they day you left?"

"What about it?" This was not a subject I currently wanted to bring up.

"Well...When I saw you over his body, I couldn't help but to...fear you."

"I remember! Get to the point, Akane!" I really did not want to talk about that day.

"But now...it's even worse. You're not the Ranma I knew: You're smarter, happier, and even more tactful. But when I see you now, you're like a little brother or sister. But I still can't shake that memory of you, sitting there, with blood on your hands."

* * *

I had to tell her how I felt about her. I had to tell her how much I loved her.

Voices scream inside me. `You saw the lifeless husk that was in her arms that day. you saw how many bones she had snapped. You new in your heart that Ranma was dead from that moment on.'

Was it too late? No! Never! Our love could endure a thousand years and still be running strong. I loved Ranma from the moment I met her, and I still do to this very day!

`You've never really met Ranma, and besides. Your first kiss was worse than Shampoo's. You hit her with a table for God's sake! You were always such a bitch to her. You don't deserve such a pure soul to call your lifemate.'

Despite the doubts, I had to embrace her, to tell her. I needed Ranma, and she needed me.

`Why would she want a violent sadistic tomboy like you? Need you? You're an idiot, Tendo Akane.'

I wiped away my doubt.

`Ha! You were cruel to her from day one-'

I swallowed my fears.

`She wants to leave you and you know it. You never even thought of her as male!'

And I gave my heart and my soul up to my love.

* * *

"Oh, Akane..."

Before I could say anything else the youngest Tendo dove for my chest.

"Ukyo helped me. She made me realize that it was still you who I loved..."

"Ukyo...?" I didn't believe it.

"I could hardly believe it myself..."

"I knew that, if I could never have you as a love, which I saw, once I got to know Akane, that I still wanted to be your best friend," Ukyo said quietly from the doorway of the room.

I nodded silently, tears coming to my eyes.

"I love you Ranma. There is no denying it. I spent two years trying to regain my love. Do I have him or her back?"

"I'm yours, Akane. Forever."

Having lost the last of her emotional self-control, Akane gently glomped me as Ukyo winked and closed the door behind her.

I held Akane all night that night, and we slept in a lover's embrace, her fear gone, and my doubts shattered.

* * *

"Look at her," a contralto voice near me piped up.

"With her short hair," a slightly deeper, more sultry voice bubbled.

"Perfect body...she would have to have a perfect body" It was the first voice again.

"She looks like a slut..." This one was a soprano, cruel around the edges.

"Can't you three leave her alone? She looks so sad..." Younger, but kinder.

"That's what you say until she steals your boyfriend, Yuriko...but oh wait...you don't have one, do you?" It was the soprano.

Cruel laughter filled the corner of the Auditorium I sat in, awaiting the start of my term at Furinkan.

As I expected, very soon after a girl with long brown hair came and sat next to me.

"Hi. I'm Yuriko. What's your name?"

I greeted her in standard fashion.

"Saotome Ranko. How do you do?"

"Saotome...I know that name. Are you related to the Ranma saotome who was here a few years ago?"

"In a way, yes."

Confused by my answer, the girl continued on. "Well...they say he just disappeared into thin air a few months before his graduation. I wonder what happened to him..."

"Something tells me he's still around." I said with a knowing smile.

As I said that a teacher walked up to the podium at the front of the auditorium.

"To those of you who are new, and for those of you with short attention spans, I would like to introduce principal Kuno!"

The cheers were deafening. Something must have changed with this guy since I was last at Furinkan.

Then the unthinkable happened.

It wasn't the Hawaiian-clad psycho who stood up to the podium, but Kuno Tatewaki.

"Hello, students, and welcome to what, for most of you, is your second year at Furinkan High School.

There was another soft cheer.

"This year you will have options of taking our Rhythmic Gymnastics, Ice Skating, Cheer leading, Kenpo, and Kendo teams. I myself shall be teaching not only the Kendo team, but also the new Western Poetry course, which you shall be the first class to have the option to partake in."

There was a chorus of 'wow's from the Students.

"For those of you who are planning on taking our course in Abnormal Psychology, be sure to take notes, as my younger sister will be making a visit next Friday," Kuno cracked a slight grin as the students erupted into laughter.

"That being said, I will wish you all a great semester and I hope to see you all doing well. Thank you!"

Kuno exited the stage to a roar of applause.

"Ranko-san. We have to go get our schedules now," Yuriko tugged the sleeve of my Fuku.

We spent the next hour standing in line and chatting idly, as I explained my past, according to the alibi that Yoiko and Ukyo had set up.

"Wow, Ranko! So you must be a very good martial artist..."

I shrugged, not wanting to look overbearing.

"Well hello, Ranko. We've heard so much about you!"

Three girls who I recognized as being the ones who were picking on Yuriko earlier approached us in line.

"Ranko. This is Sayuko, Junior class F, Keiko from Sophomore class C, and my sister, Yuki, from Senior class D."

"Ohayo," I said with a slight glare, not wanting to interact with these girls any more than possible.

"Well, Yuriko. I'll see you at home." Yuki lead the group away from us hastily.

We finally got to the head of the line and found, to my delight, that we were in the same class, and that it was not Sophomore class C.

Just then an announcement buzzed across the school loudspeakers. It was Sasuke. "Attention, students, the school Kenpo team tryouts will be today. Be there!"

"Sasuke is the Kenpo coach?" I asked incredulously.

"Oh no...Sasuke is the principal's assistant. We've had a different Kenpo coach almost every year. But our new coach is supposed to be very good. Not even Principal Kuno has seen her yet, though. Apparently she called him at the last minute and he accepted, having no alternative.

I wondered who it could be.

"Say, Yuriko. Want to go to the kenpo tryouts with me?"

* * *

Two men sit casually next to a pool, staring in, waiting.

One dwarfs the other, a solemn look upon his face. Racked with shame.

What have I done?

His words do nothing to betray his thoughts.

"How long has it been?"

The look that the other has on betrays nothing as he smokes an old-fashioned corn-cob pipe.

"Twenty minutes"

* * *

As I came to the field where I had held so many battles, I was not surprised to see many boys there, hoping to show what they were made of. When I came to the field Sasuke was there.

"What are you doing here, Master Ranma?"

"Ranma is dead, Sasuke, or haven't you heard?" I said coldly.

The Ninja nodded sympathetically. He looked more or less quizzical in a teacher's polo shirt and slacks, and wore a golf cap to cover his head.

"So. It's Mistress Saotome, then. Is it?"

"We never had any bad blood, Sasuke. I'd rather not have any with you now. Call me Ranko."

Yuriko gave me a perplexed look.

"I thought you were new here, Ranko...What's going on?"

"It's a long story, Yuriko. I'll tell you when you're older."

"Hello, class. Sorry I'm late!"

"Oh no..." Sasuke put his head in his hands. "Pigtailed girl...why did you come back...wait...but I thought that she was...?" Sasuke began looking quickly back and forth between myself and another who was just out of my view.

I turned around to see Yoiko, sporting a thin pigtail.

"Yoichan!" I tackled her to the ground.

"Ranchan! I didn't expect to see you this early!" Yoiko acted as if a surprise had been spoiled. "Well. Here I am. I decided to stay on one side of the law this time. I thought I'd start in good old Nerima."

"Yoiko...this is probably not a place where you should be working...remember how I told you that you looked how I should if I was older?" I attempted to herd Yoiko towards the campus exit.

"Yes...what about it?"

"Well...do you remember the Kendoist that was in love with me?" I kept pushing.

"Vaguely..."

"He's the principal."

Yoiko finally stopped me from pushing her and turned around. "Well...is he cute?"

"Sort of. He has a scar under his eye, and he's tall."

"Well...maybe I should try something new. I've always wondered what a boy would taste like..."

"Pigtailed Girl!"

Before Yoiko could even act she had been glomped by a tearful Kuno.

"Kuno-Sensei. I would like to introduce you to my adopted oneesama, Yoiko."

"Saotome Yoiko..."

"That's Matsui Yoiko," I could tell this was a bad start.

Yoiko pried Kuno off of her and shook his hand.

"Now, if you don't mind. I have a Kenpo team to pick."

Kuno regained his composure and walked off, sporting a grin that wilted a few nearby schoolgirls.

"Is he always that much of a flake, Ranko-chan?"

"Perpetually, Oneesama."

"Well...maybe I should give him a shot. Say...why are you here, anyway? You not only are way too old for this, but you're also a better artist than I am. You'll make me look bad!"

As the tryouts wore on the applicants for the kenpo team wore on. Naturally I was among the few who stayed. As I watched Yuriko I realized that she was holding back on me, she had definitely had some training.

"And now, students, for a demonstration of the true abilities of a martial artist, one of you shall duel me."

I knew Yoiko would do this.

"Ranko saotome. Please approach the ring we have prepared, and get ready for our rematch"

We both took stances that were familiar, reminiscent of that day...

* * *

From the diary of Saotome Ranma:

As I stood in the rather unique sand-ring, Yoiko took a rather odd stance.

"What's up, Yoiko? Are you going to try to mop the floor with your hands?"

She was gently rubbing the ground in a circular motion.

"Let's go, new girl!"

I hopped out of the way as Yoiko Screamed and punched the ground as hard as she could.

"Houdou-Ken Strike Number 1! Koutsugou na Atemi no Pottohooru!"

The ground below Yoiko seemed to be supremely unaffected. Yoiko didn't seem to be in the least bit vexed by this; in fact, she seemed to be rather satisfied.

I leapt back, just in case.

"Auspicious Strike of the Pothole, Yoiko? What kind of move is that? It doesn't even-"

I was cut off as I landed in a meter-deep pothole that had somehow appeared behind me.

I immediately leapt up and took a defensive stance. For once a semi worthy opponent and, more importantly, something new to learn.

I used the momentum from falling into the hole and spring boarded back at Yoiko, sacrificing strength for speed in a quick few hundred slaps.

Yoiko stood there flabbergasted for a second.

"H-how do you move so f-fa-"

"It's called training, sister. Welcome to the big leagues."

This seemed to greatly anger Yoiko, as was intended, but I did not expect the amount of battle aura she put out to come out of a girl. She was far stronger than Shampoo, or even Akane. This girl...was good.

"Houdou-Ken Strike 2! KogataJidoushaken!"

I blinked as I dodged her strike and sent her into the ground, making a hole deeper than the one made by her pothole strike.

"You're not bad, Yoiko. You could use some work on naming your attacks, as a Compact-car fist just sounds sorta silly, but you could probably beat Ryouga on a good day. I, on the other hand, am too good for you."

"Screw you! Houdou ken Desperation Strike! Tansoukou no Yubinofushi!"

I quickly leapt over her head and watched as she went fist-first into a rack of barbells, bending the rack and shattering a forty-five kilo weight.

She got up and began to charge me, using multiple variants of each of her moves.

Now this was just pissing me off. This amateur, thinking she could come anywhere matching my skill, trying to fight me, actually thought she had a chance!

Yoiko warded off from her barrage as I began to leak some battle aura. Well...at least the bimbo could see. Maybe she wasn't entirely hopeless. I'd go easy on her this time. I began to ready myself for a quick hundred or so slaps.

"Kachuu Tenchin Amaguriken!"

Yoiko dropped to the ground, covered in small, feminine, handprints. I would never had used this on her before. Was I losing my cool? Was I becoming the monster that the police pegged me as?

Yoiko silently rose to her feet.

"Congratulations, Newbie. You've taken away my claim as the only undefeated Women's prison circuit champ. You have knocked me out of the ring.

"Don't feel bad, Yoiko. You've lasted longer than most. If either of your last two strikes had connected I'd be hurting." I tried to console Yoiko but she shrugged me off.

"But I wouldn't have won. You are my superior in the art, Saotome Ranko, and I would be honored to learn something from you."

I nodded.

"Well...I don't have much else to do," aside from planning my vengeance "So I'll do my best."

I surveyed my new student, per se.

She was sweating head to toe, panting in a way that said she knew exactly how to pant.

"You know....the first thing you need to learn is how to breathe."

"Pardon," Yoiko looked up, eyes exactly like my own, seated with some deep, inner pain.

"You can't sit there bouncing and panting as if you want to get your opponent to instantly attach herself to your leg in an uncouth manner."

She immediately straightened up, blushing.

"Good. Practice that. Today's lesson is over."

* * *

As I bowed to Yoiko, following the fight, I noticed that many of the other students were staring at me.

"You know, Yoi-chan, you've gotten better..."

Yuriko chose that time to speak up.

"Miss Yoiko...that was good, but Ranko-san...you were amazing! How do you move so quickly?"

"I've been practicing the art for twenty years, Yuriko."

"But you're only sixteen, Ranko"

"Er...Sixteen is what I meant. I rounded up." I tried to grin sheepishly.

This seemed to ward off most of the curious students, but Yuriko was looking at me oddly.

"Well...I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Ranko."

With that she ran off, something on her mind by the look of it.

* * *

I couldn't help myself. Something was weird with Ranko. She may have been the best I'd ever encountered at the Ward, but this time she was inhumanly good.

"That was good, Ranko-chan. You've gotten even better than when we first met, did you know that? You're going to start upstaging me!" I tried not to let on that something was wrong, but it was obvious that Ranko was feeling it too.

"I know, Yoiko. A lot of things have been nagging at me, lately."

As the students left, Ranko let her 'kawaii girl' facade drop, and what I saw scared me. This wasn't the Ranko I first met. This was someone...something darker. Ranko was definitely in there, but something was torturing her.

"Have you ever read 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' Yoichan?"

"No, Ranko. Why?"

"It's about this man who gets so bent upon his revenge that it almost consumes him, and in the end, he finally realizes that it's eating him alive and leaves before he can do any more harm."

"Get to the point, Ranko..."

"Do I have to leave too, Yoichan?"

I noticed that, for the second time since I had met her, Ranko was on the verge of tears.

* * *

In the Ward: Month three: Diary of Matsui Yoiko.

Today I came to Respect Ranko more than I possibly ever could have during our constant sparring matches. I found that she was a person worthy of respect, and even praise.

The entire incident started in our 'unadulterated history' class. the teacher was talking about why communist China was ineffective when considering the aspects of freedom. He kept going on about how, since the Chinese were never given the full scope of information, since their input was limited. The teacher stipulated that the lack of mental growth of the Chinese was due to this.

What Ranko said startled everybody, as it was the first time she had willingly talked aloud in this class.

"You're wrong, you know."

The teacher bristled, he was really pissed!

"What do you mean by this, Saotome?"

'Well...first of all, your theorem upon why the Chinese are deprived of knowledge is unfounded, because the Chinese aren't truly deprived; I've been to places where the stores of knowledge go far beyond anything you could put in any of your textbooks. The reason why they still have this knowledge is that the Chinese government, being a Centralized Communism, cannot possibly monitor all activity in China, It's just impossible, especially when there are renegade tribes running all over the place."

"Well, miss Saotome, why doesn't my book speak of these people?"

"Probably because they don't want to be found by an oppressive government, Sensei."

"I'll research this, Sao-"

"Furthermore, the very same treatment you call abhorrent in the Chinese is being practiced by this very ward, so you have no right to criticize them, anyway."

"By this ward? What do you mean by this? Speak up, Saotome."

"Only this, Sensei. You severely limit our input, despite the...wonderful instruction. Your staff has no idea how much torture it is, for at least myself and probably a few others, it is to be surrounded by pink twenty-four hours a day. You guys should realize the torture you put us through with that alone. Furthermore, our wardrobes would be antique if a three-hundred year old Chinese woman was wearing them. They're just plain ridiculous for us. Not every girl in the world wears dresses every day, and bloomers every time she's exercising, you know?"

The teacher was flabbergasted, speechless by Ranko's boldness.

"I'm done with this. I'll see you tomorrow." Ranko stormed out of the room.

We sat in silence for what seemed like hours. I had to speak up.

"You know, she's right."

With that I got up and followed Ranko out, running to catch up with her.

As we continued on I asked where we were going.

"To that idiot director Hans', of course! I'm mad now and this has to stop!"

I kept pace with Ranko, and noticed a guard trying to pick up something on a hand radio, something about a riot with the ward B girls filing out of their classrooms, heading towards Hans's office. That was about when i turned and glanced behind me to notice most of the girls following Ranko and I as quietly as they could.

"We're behind you all the way, Ranko," Sera Arashi called out.

"Yay Ranko! Get us our individuality back!"

We started to go on at a faster pace, some guards even joining in with the cheers as they heard what Ranko was trying to do.

As we got to Hans's office he was there, a stern look on his face, with two guards on either side of him, all armed.

"What is the meaning of this?" The old man's voice was a far fetch from what he was like at the orientations.

"We've come to protest, Hans! This personality structuring is turning us into nothing but drones! We want our individuality back!"

The old man seemed daunted by something in Ranko, something dangerous. As he looked into her eyes his frown slowly turned into something of a warm, triumphant grin.

"I see, now. So our new Kenpo captain is also a bit of a revolutionary, is she?"

Ranko didn't back down, she seemed to be pulsing with anger, this was only offset by the tears of indignence in her eyes, else nobody in the ward would have doubted that Hans's life would end that day.

Hans began to speak loud enough for the entire mob in the hallway to hear.

"Now hear this! One Ranko Saotome

has petitioned me with a request that I can't refuse. She has protested the treatment that you are receiving, and I think I have a solution. I propose that you girls form a committee to meet with a committee formed by the teachers and guards that will decide what to do with the wardrobes, modelling of the rooms, and-"

The rest of Hans' speech was drowned out by cheers. Ranko had given us a step up on our freedom.

* * *

It was about time!

Three months. It took three months for the girls to finally get through the first step of their treatment. Maybe this new girl was worth it after all. To think that I had actually considered at the orientation that she was going to be more trouble than she was worth!

This was going to be a good batch, this ward B. I owed much to Miss Saotome Ranko.

* * *

I enfolded Ranko in a hug.

"Can you tell me what's wrong, Ranko?"

"I visited my mother a few days ago."

"You mean..."

"Don't worry, Yoichan. She's still alive, despite her own efforts. She admitted herself to the Ward the next day. I think they may be good for each other."

"Then why bring it up, Ranchan?"

"They were in bed together...it seemed like they were...trying to make up for me, their mistake."

I held Ranko closer.

"They're fools, Ranko. You've told me that yours-"

"That doesn't make them not my parents, Yoichan. It hurt, seeing them like that."

I held her closer.

"There's more, Yoichan. Did you notice that I haven't aged since we met?"

"Yes...but I just thought you were in between growth spurts..."

Ranko shook her head and disengaged herself from me.

"I'm not so lucky. I think it's the Juusenkyo curse interfering with me. My girl form never aged before, and since I'm always her, neither do I."

I nodded empathetically, wishing to all of the gods that I could understand what she was going through.

"But doesn't that make you immortal, Ranko? I mean there's certainly no human alive who can beat you up..."

"That's the problem, Yoiko. I'll never grow up, I'll never get older. I'll always just be Ranko, never myself. I'll have to see you, Akane, and Ukyo die, just like Sera. But I'll always be the Pigtailed girl, the mysterious maiden that everybody either loves or hates. I'll never have an identity."

With that Ranko ran off, and I let her go. She needed time alone. My friend was dying on the inside, and I knew it.

* * *

I sat in front of the short-haired artist with whom I had made a lasting friendship in the last two years.

"So what will it be, Akane? We should tell her."

Akane was sitting on the other side of my grill, in the position opposite me that she had occupied for so many meetings between us, and the dragon in the past two years.

She gave me a look like I was asking her to slice Ranko's wrists.

"She's not ready, Ukyo. Give it another month or so. It can't hurt. The dragon won't hurt her, I know it. Herb doesn't work that way.

"If you say so, Akane. I still think we should tell Ranko what's going on. When people start lying it always ends in pain."

"I'm not lying, Ukyo. I'm protecting my love."

"You're hiding the truth, Akane, and that will only hurt her."

Akane gave me a fearful look. "You won't tell her, will you, Ukyo?"

I shook my head. "This is your problem, Akane. It's on your head."

I got up from the grill and went outside to brood, leaving Akane to her guilt.

* * *

I walked slowly home from the Kenpo practice. I'd let Yoiko get to close to me, and, damn it, I knew it. Now my curse was going to screw up her life too.

Damn my eyes. Why did I have to let her get so close to me?

I was lost in thought, but not so lost that I didn't notice him following me. I knew who it was, and he was back. He was also in for a surprise.

Luckily for that buffoon, his definition of `following me' somehow translated into walking into a brick wall that was in the opposite direction from him that I was.

Things were about to get interesting.

Disclaimer:

Surprise! I'm not Takahashi Rumiko! (btw: that means I don't own Ranma 1/2 or any of it's characters). Yoiko, Yuriko, Sera, and the bitches are all owned by me. Any comments and criticisms, constructive, preferably, E-mail to Inu_Ranma@yahoo.com

I love writing this fic and have made no profit from it.

Apology: I want to make this fic eventually perfect, so there will be frequent revisions, but I will be doing a new chapter in between each revision until I have finished with the plot of the fic, so don't despair.

Thanx to Kamui.

Special thanx to Figment. 3 in a row and still prereading strong.

Very very very heartfelt special thanx to Riyousha (LOVE!) for prereading, and being there.

Houdou-Ken is amusing."