Mirrors Multiplied

Part Eighteen
An Odd Reoccurrence
or
A Little Conflict

by Jared Ornstead
aka Skysaber

Disclaimer: This disclaimer wouldn't 'voom' if you put four million volts
through it! It's run down the curtain, and joined the choir invisible.
It's expired, and gone to meet it's maker. It's a stiff. Bereft of life,
it rests in piece. If I hadn't nailed it to this perch it would be
pushing up the daisies. This is an EX-disclaimer!

Author's Forward: Hmm, without going into detail I didn't want to divulge
as yet. Suffice it to say, that from Ranma's point of view, this begins
from the end of part 16 as if 17 had not happened.
That is not the case, of course. But we get to explore that in greater
detail later on, and that is *only* from Ranma's point of view (nasty
side effects to having your past muddled with and then mindwiped, you get
the idea).

*****
Heaven

Ares walked into Kami-sama's office, stopping in astonishment to see the
Almighty still dressed up in armor, fully armed in fact.
"Ares," the Almighty spoke without preamble. "We are hideously
outnumbered and yet you insist on stirring up dissent and aiding
wickedness in the pursuit of a good challenge. Over half of your personal
power is presently invested in amulets and power-boosts that you have
given over to agents of darkness to 'stir things up a little'. Having a
good conflict could be amusing but there are plenty of agents of darkness
without you creating them. This will be your only warning: One more act
of evil and I will revoke your power as a god."
The war-god's face darkened with anger, his hand reflexively going to
the hilt of his weapon. "But Loki..!"
"Loki has already received this warning, as have all other gods with
this peculiar bent. You are the last." Kami-sama rose from his throne,
taking steps across the dais to be closer to his subordinate deity.
"Draw energy from something other than hate, Ares. There is nobility
enough in the struggle of good verses evil. Your province is war, but
I've had enough of you creating your own opponents to the forces of
Light. Once more. Then I will see that all of your power is drawn from
yourself, your artifacts, and the servant's you've created. If you insist
on your old course then after I strip you of power I shall bestow it on
Kasumi Tendo, and we shall see what kind of war-god *she* makes. Is that
clear? Ragnorak was postponed, it is not yet over. And I shall not
tolerate any energy from the side of Light supporting agents of Darkness.
If you continue then Light will be fully withdrawn from you."
Ares fought a snarl. "And Loki? Hel?"
Kami-sama remained at the ready, and Ares recalled that while he was a
god of war, Kami-sama was *the* God. That included war among too many
other things to count.
Any number of which could stop war in its tracks.
"They have received their warnings. I shall expect you to abide by my
Law or you will receive your punishment with those who elect to disobey.
The transgressions of others will be no excuse for you. Recall that I am
a God of Justice and of Power. My aspect of Mercy is only available to
those who have shown it, and after receiving this last warning you are
left with no excuse. Mercy claims its own; those that attempt to change
their ways, those who were ignorant, or with good excuse. You have none.
You knew better. Repent or all shall be as I've said."
Fuming, Ares turned toward the exit.
When the doors boomed closed Kami-sama departed for his own private
chambers. He was met there by the female who had garbed him in armor. "He
will most likely join with Loki and those others." She told him.
Kami-sama accepted a refreshing drink from the glass that she bore.
"That is known to me. But the guilty must have room to condemn
themselves."
"What will they do?"
"Loki and those that follow him will attempt to subvert the Yggdrassil
system. The quest to do this will consume their time and resources while
my own plans progress. Those among our wayward children who take action
upon their plans will be stripped of all that power and Light which they
posses ."
Kami-sama met the eyes of his wife. "Some will fall, more will redeem
themselves when the fruits of their labor become clear. Those that fall
will be destroyed, either in literal word and deed or when they call for
power upon the Darkness which consumes its own. Our enemies will be
weakened by the loss of power from their tainted allies among the our
divine sons and daughters. They shall be further weakened by the loss of
the influence and aspects no longer available to them. Then shall they
lose more when allies or schemes which depend upon those influences and
spheres demand them and they are not there to be given. Further, the
children which choose to betray us will join the ranks of evil openly,
and will thereafter be forced to contest with all the others for power.
Power which already is less as so many of its sources are being lost to
their side, forcing those of *their* side to already scramble and claw
one another to retain the powers they already enjoy. Evil will gain no
strength, only the discord and strife which has so long been fostered
among others will be turned back upon them."
"And the Light?"
"Our greatest victory has already been won. The lines have been clearly
drawn. A few centuries more of both sides to gather themselves. Evil is a
prisoner of its own greed. While they gain in power and employ tools less
dark and evil than themselves they can tolerate each other to some
extent, but only then. When they can no more gain power from stealing and
treachery against Light they will take it from each other. Whatever they
have ever had, it can never be *enough*, a being of evil must always have
MORE. In their darkness and anger they will tear apart all they have and
still fight over the scraps left over. All this while the forces of Light
will recover from the stupors and blindnesses the treachery of these evil
ones have drawn over them.
"The ultimate victory will be had not because of our numbers, but from
the traits from which rise our strength. Evil has never had the capacity
to produce anything of worth, it can only take from others. They can take
only so long as those agents of Light which produce things of worth can
be deceived or overpowered. But the Light claims its own. Victory will be
ours because of the mere polarization of good verses evil. While our
enemies fight and claw to be masters of what they have, *we* are
overcoming the deceptions which allowed our enemies to feed on us. Good
and Evil are being labeled as such. Good will draw together, the strong
defend the weak, the weak will stand together. No slight effort will
steal energy for evil. There will be no easy place to hide. Every man,
every force and person will be seen for what they are and who they serve.
"There will come a day when the forces of that which is good and holy
will no longer be deceived or overpowered. No other thing is required for
victory."

*****
We Now Return You To Our Present, In Progress

Universe D, Eva Timeline

Nabiki turned over on her side. Eventful Day kind of summed it up. But
that failed to capture the real weirdness, even in comparison to Ranma's
normal behavior. There was also that minor fact that had that wish not
changed Ranma as it did, with all that went on with the Evas later on
they might not have survived.
So how did she feel about owing her life to Ranma's change?
Eyes open, unable to sleep, Nabiki caught some movement outside her
window and rolled out of bed to see Ranma perched on top of a tree branch
outside. His back was toward her as he considered the sky, and she heard
him softly sing.

**
"Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad, or made someone feel glad?
If not I have failed, indeed.

Was anyone's burden made lighter today
because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?

Then wake up! And do something more
than dream of your mansions above!
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure.
A blessing of duty, and love."

(The boy sighed and looked out over the city, across the waves and
including the two paralyzed angels in his study.)

"There are chances for good all around just now
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying 'Sometime I'll try.'
But go and do something today.

'Tis nobler of man to work and to give.
Love's labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.

So wake up! And do something more
than dream of your mansions above!
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure.
A blessing of duty, and love."
**

The young man sighed a long moment. "So, Nabiki, ya like it?"
The young lady opened her window from the crack she normally kept it for
breezes on summer nights and she leaned on the sill, arms crossed beneath
her breasts as she let the sea breezes play with her hair and nightgown.
"Sounds a little stupid, really." She shot a look at him look at him that
was half tease and half serious. "What kind of bonehead would really put
himself out like that? Do you honestly have time for all that?"
Ranma finished watching the stars and turned his head to regard her.
"Nabiki, let me tell you a brief and only moderately related secret. Men
like to build. It is what they do given their preference until and unless
it is beaten or trained out of them. But hand in hand with that comes the
ability to destroy, they are linked and no one yet has found any way to
separate those two talents. It may surprise you that women are not men,
their greatest *natural* talent is not to build but to manipulate that
which already exists. And again, they can use that both for good or ill."
He spun on the branch to face her, leaves jingling about as he did so.
"The contract of civilization at its most basic level is that a woman
agrees not to use her manipulative talent to cause emotional pain to a
man and he, in turn, agrees not to kill her."
Nabiki's hair fizzed like an electric current had hit her.
Ranma's level gaze did. "We now live in an age that is so called
'civilized.' Which means that if a man uses his power to destroy he gets
punished. But there are no laws against women causing emotional hurt or
inflicting ridicule and all the other ways she has of being nasty. By far
the majority of you women have figured out that you can do as you like
all the day long and if a man does anything back he gets punished, so
you're safe, right?"
Nabiki noted with some displeasure that Ranma's face was like flint and
considered trying to close her window and wondered if it would help any.
She concluded not and then found she had nothing left to do. When people
needed talking down she'd always went and got Kasumi, but that gaze
wouldn't let her go.
Menace oozed off of Ranma. "But you forget that *all* of civilization is
a BARGAIN! A series of agreements by both sides. If, at the most basic
level, you are not keeping your half at all, what is there, *really*, to
stop me from breaking mine?"
Nabiki Eeeped.
Suddenly the martial artist was as calm as a summer day and Nabiki had
to wonder whether she'd been imagining all of that sheer terror of a
moment ago. "Of course it doesn't work like that. If civilization
dissolves it will be for other reasons. But you'd best admit to at least
yourself that the result of cruelty is first to destroy love, next to
exhaust patience, and third to engender hate. Building up alot of hate
with nowhere for it to go isn't a great idea. It *will* either find an
outlet or make one. All containers have their limits. What'll you do when
all those convenient rules that keep you safe don't work anymore? Because
all empires fall. The usual symptoms are problems no one can seem to do
anything about, corruption in government, and in spite of all that the
people being complacent and sure they can't be overthrown - from inside
or without."
He rolled over to look at her, lying on the limb. "Because you see, a
strong and vital society will recognize things that can be a problem and
deal with them, but one that's old and bloated doesn't want to bother.
You can compare it to a man who takes care of himself, does his hygiene,
brushes his teeth, and all that, dealing with problems before they arise.
Or to a fat and greasy old fart who survives on junk food, who already
*has* a ton of health problems he ignores until one day he's watching TV
and a heart attack kills him abruptly."
He sighed. "It always seems to happen like that. People who are sure it
will go on working because it always has before, ignore all of the
warning signals of when it *stops* working. It is *very* much like a
grease gizzard who ignores a chest pain until suddenly he's dead. It is
only when he's essentially already gone that he thinks to do anything
about it, but by then it's far too late."
The martial artist lofted an eyebrow. "So tell me, does your society
have health problems?"
Ranma rolled over and folded his arms below his head. "Should things
break, all the old grudges tend to come up. Race quite often fights
against race, and 'scores get settled' so to speak. What it means is that
people kill each other. Sides that're both wrong will claim the other is
wholly at fault and they will take it out on each other in blood."
He craned his neck to look at her. "Building up hate along gender lines
places you on a side against the one with all the natural ability in
destruction. And a true barbarian is just an angry man who doesn't care."
His eyes caught her and froze her soul. "The most civilizing influence
on a man is a kind woman. But if you try and tell me you *are* one I'll
laugh in your face, and you are only slightly worse than normal. How many
proto-barbarians do you know of that that leaves? I leave it to you: are
men made gentle by loving influences of kind women more numerous, or are
the ones made bitter by hateful witches such as yourself more common?"
Within a fluttering 'little-bird-sees-big-cat' heart, some part of
Nabiki was cataloging all of the really kind women she knew, and came up
with one - her elder sister, who was single. Then she started to count up
all the boys she'd included in her personal trail of destruction.
Ranma's eyes bored into her, reading her mind like a book. "Do you WANT
to start a war that badly outnumbered?"
Ranma was back to studying the sky again, speaking calmly. "Imagine for
yourself a world without any safety, Nabiki, where your body belongs to
anyone who takes it and a harsh word will get you dead. Because I have
seen those worlds, and you are heading into one very soon now - possibly
*very* soon indeed, and the TV will not tell you when it's coming. It
will be something you don't look for that sparks it, it always is, but
the pressure buildup is there. You should be aware of it."
He shot a smile toward her. "Back to my main point. Did you know that
kindness and trust cover the fundamentals of marriage, too? Men may
*start* by checking out a pretty face, but the catch is made when he
finds out that she can be trusted to use her talent kindly to soothe the
hurts he picks up in daily wear, instead of adding to them. And she looks
for a man first who 'builds' enough so that she's supported, yet he only
catches her when she knows that he can be trusted to be kind and not
exert his power to hurt her."
Nabiki yawned, struggling to reclaim her unflappability. "I can think of
exceptions."
His smile gained in good humor. "All truth begins in generalities,
Nabiki. Remember that. We find what the basic truths are and then we find
what modifies them case by case, if anything does. It is a common
misunderstanding to assume that truth has to be complicated. As a basic
rule of thumb, good enjoys simplicity, and evil enjoys that which is
complicated. And good and truth are inseparable. When the exceptions
outnumber the simple things you can be sure that something's broken."
He hopped over to her window and plucked her out from it, taking her
with an arm under her legs and an arm behind her back. "However, I've had
enough of philosophizing for an evening. Here I've gone and lost all the
good feeling that had come from my first song, and you are responsible.
Since I prefer to go to sleep on a happy note, and I'll need all the rest
I can get for the insanity doubtless to strike tomorrow, you are going to
have to help me."
Nabiki had a sudden vision of herself with a handkerchief tied over her
hair, dealing with a bawling baby version of Ranma while the daddy looked
on, and stiffened in fright.
Ranma put her down and shook his head sadly. "What a unsteady sight you
are. As if you've no trust left in you. Look, I shall be honest. Not only
am I the *last* man on earth to try to take a woman by force, but as you
are you aren't particularly appealing to me. Being pretty only serves to
draw attention. Once its done its job then it hands over its task to the
beauty and kindness of your soul. No man alive who knows you would trust
you to be kind, and since kindness and trust are what really defines
attractiveness after the initial draw fades, you aren't left with much."
He waved a hand sadly. "Whatever physical beauty you have claim to is
more than canceled by the ugliness of your personality. No, I shouldn't
say you are ugly. Repulsive is a better word. Your face has not yet lost
its softness to the inevitable hard look of your later years, and you are
not yet scoured by the scowl lines engraved in line by line, that later
so cancel out your beauty that even you yourself forget that you were
lovely as a youth. More to the point, while rich, you forget ever being
happy."
"The face you have when you're born is the one your parents gave you.
The one you have when you're older is the one you've earned. All that you
do, Nabiki, just about everything; hiding your emotions, preying upon
others, cruelty - EVERY ONE of those gives their share to building a face
as ugly as your actions. I can't count the number of sour, ugly boardroom
types who were once quite beautiful. But when you make it your business
to hurt others it leaves its mark."
The middle Tendo was sobbing as tears ran down her cheeks. "Do you make
it your business to hurt my family, Saotome?"
"If I said yes would it make my words any less true?"
Ranma shook his head. "No. I don't. However, to quote a scripture you've
probably never heard: 'The wicked take the truth to be hard.' I would
count myself a fool not correcting gross wickedness when granted a chance
and when the alternative is to be happy. You don't have to be ugly. Akane
doesn't have to be as bitter and lonely as you after her anger transcends
the limits of her peers to deal with. You both could be quite happy,
attractive, well-liked and cared for by someone who thinks the world of
you. Neither of you *will* be on your present course of actions. Hate
twists a persons features as badly as cruelty does, she's only got a few
years of attractiveness left before she's an ugly hag. Nature marks her
most dangerous creatures and being an abusive man-hater clearly
qualifies."
Nabiki shot him a red-eyed, teary, angry expression that said she could
think of man-hating being justified under certain circumstances, like now.
Ranma exhaled wearily and explained. "Akane's anger not only soils her
own nest but her behavior scars the tender feelings of any man who knows
her. In viewing her, they become more timid toward women in general
because here's one doing EVERYTHING in her power to *prove* herself
dangerous - ie, hurtful toward men. What that means is that women who've
done nothing wrong find the road toward happy marriage is made doubly or
triply harder because their potential mates are scared of finding more
girls out there who act like this harridan they've seen. Men aren't sure
they *want* to marry if there's a chance they'll end up with someone as
hurtful as her. So the men proceed more cautiously, which means more
slowly, and the girls get frustrated with the pace. Anyone who is
frustrated is less kind, and behold! Proof! The men were right to go with
caution because, look, these girls are *also* unkind. And if there's
another witch running about delighting in another kind of cruelty to add
to the first, well then..."
Ranma shook his head. "All it takes is one *really* bad example and a
whole load of marriages don't happen. With two of you... many of your
female classmates will die single because of *your* actions." He frowned.
"But here you've got me philosophizing again. I was trying to relax. I
can feel in my bones that tomorrow will be a big day and I've learned to
trust those feelings."
He bent over and took her hand. "I would like to sing something to calm
me down, and what I'd prefer to sing is best done with an attractive
cuddle toy in my arms. Since you are one of the few females I could do
that with and not wind up married to her the next day, you can repay the
favor you owe by quietly occupying arm space." He smiled. "I repeat, I
want merely to hold you. Are we agreed?"
"Oh?" Nabiki choked out through her tears. "I thought I was too ugly for
you."
Again, he shook his head. "Nope. I said the road you're on leads that
way, and that to hide your better side so deeply that everyone is
convinced you don't have one is not a way to lead into a life of
happiness. As far as physical features go you're really quite lovely. We
can ignore all negatives for a moment and pretend things really are that
way, and who knows?" He shrugged. "They might be."
Ranma offered her a smile. "Very little of what's ever been done isn't
reversible." He eyed her as she recovered herself and thought about it.
Inwardly, Ranma sighed. ~Oh, little Nabs-chan. Please be alright, and
don't be unhappy in yet another lifetime.~
Nabiki nodded, drying tears. "Okay."
He hoped that was in answer to what he didn't dare ask. But he smiled
fondly as he swept her out, sat together with her on the leafy branch,
and began to sing.

**
"Life is full of sweet surprises
every day's a gift
The sun comes up and I can feel it
lift my spirit

Fills me up with laughter
Fills me up with song
I look into the eyes of love
and know that I belong

(Ranma snuck a tiny side glance at Nabiki, leaned against him, her sobs
quieting)

Bless us all
who gather here
The loving family I hold dear.

No place on Earth
compares with home
And every path will bring me back
from where I roam.

(A fond memory crossed as he thought of 'home', and Nabiki chanced to
glance up to see him smiling wistfully, yet with great fondness. And due
to her current location found a tiny hope that maybe a little of that
might be directed to her.)

Bless us all
that as we live
we'll always comfort and forgive

(The word 'forgive' caught Nabiki in mid-sob, and she paused in thought
even as her breath shuddered in and out)

We have so much
that we can share
with those in need we see
around us everywhere.

(Ranma thought of movie crews and starship captains, ghostbusters and
girls and just smiled)

Let us always love each other
Lead us to the light
Let us hear the voice of reason
singing in the night.

(A wry smirk from Ranma this time, that *he* of all people, had become a
voice of reason.)

Let us run from anger
and catch us when we fall.
Teach us in our dreams and please, yes please
Bless us one and all.

Bless us all
with playful years
with noisy games and joyful tears

We reach for you
and we stand tall
And in our prayers and dreams we ask you:
Bless us all.

We reach for you
and we stand tall
And in our prayers and dreams we ask you:
Bless us all."
**

Silently and gently, Ranma cradled Nabiki's body to him, asleep and
unused to all the emotions which had drained her. With great care he
lifted and carried her into her room and lay her to bed, tucking the
covers about her quietly. Then he kissed her softly on her cheek.
"Oh, Nabiki-chan. I may have married other women before you, and others
since, but there has never been anyone that I've married as *often* as
you. Please treat yourself well this timeline, okay? It hurts so much to
see you destroy yourself when I know what you *could* be with a little
effort."
She murmured something softly in her sleep and he left, closing the
window partway behind him.
In the room next to hers Kasumi blinked from behind her curtains as the
breeze from the open window above her bed carried in the soft sounds of
Ranma departing her sister's room.
That first song had been pretty. The conversation after...
Kasumi did not get very much sleep that night, having much to think on.

*****
Yet Another Alternate Universe

It was very difficult, Ranko reflected, as her chi reformed itself into
a viable life force once again, to actually *die* while carrying the
Silver Imperial Crystal. It tended to resurrect one in frequently awkward
ways.
Not that she had a great deal of experience with this before, but
staring at the inside walls of a high-tech, high-security prison built
with a great deal of ingenuity, super science, and absolutely no mercy or
unnecessary kindness, she came to the conclusion that what she'd heard
about the 'awkward' bit was assuredly true.
Wait a minute, she recognized this cell.
Ranko spent the next eleven minutes laughing.
The guards monitoring the detention area's audio pickups merely logged
that the prisoner in that cell had gone insane from the strain of knowing
of her upcoming execution. The brief chortle of some nonsensical phrase
was duly noted as proof.
When the cell exploded seconds later they logged that the laughter was
probably that of relief at finding she'd retained some form of concealed
suicide device, and the phrase an obvious command trigger. They sent a
squad over with a few droids to assess the damage and perform cleanup.
When communication with the squad cut off in a short series of blasts
and gurgling screams the officer in charge assumed that the explosion had
freed one of the Yuzzums in the neighboring cells, sent a squad to
contain the creature, and requested additional troops for the recapture
of the beast.
When Ranko blazed into the operations area of the detention block they
didn't have any time to log much of anything.

*****
Universe D, Eva Timeline

"Hi Kasumi!" Sasami chirped, bringing out a plate of food from the
kitchen. "You slept in and I didn't want to wake you, so I made everyone
breakfast. I hope you don't mind."
Kasumi shook her head. "No, I don't mind. It was very sweet of you. You
shouldn't have to cook."
"Oh, but I LIKE doing it!" Sasami replied cheerily.
Ryoko floated by lazily and Kasumi had cause to wonder at how odd her
house had become since yesterday.
"Come join us on the porch!" Yosho called from said place, waving a cup
while his daughter Achika sat happily near his side. "We're having
breakfast out here today."
Kasumi wandered out to see a minor banquet spread out over a groundcover
on her landing. The ships of both the UN and their own government could
easily be seen sailing around the legs of the paralyzed angels.
Occasionally, one of the US ships would fire their guns at one of the
beasts.
With a sky of gorgeous blue, the sea rippling in reflected sunlight, and
lovely little puffy white clouds it actually made a gorgeous scene. And
so Kasumi spent an enjoyable morning, not having to do a thing. She got
to watch as her family trickled in, enjoy the good manners and society of
her guests, eat without having to cook (a RARE treat for her), and enjoy
quiet suspicions about the way that Ayeka girl seemed so enamored with
her brother Yosho.
It was Kasumi's quiet conclusion that Ayeka wanted her brother to get
married soon.
The peace of this almost idyllic morning was broken when Akane stormed
through. It was easy to tell that she'd already blocked last night's
confrontation with Ranma from her mind totally. She hadn't liked it,
ergo, she refused to deal with it.
Kasumi was quietly suspicious about many of the points that Ranma had
raised. If she would refuse to acknowledge such a conversation as she'd
had, what part of reality did her little sister live in?
Ranma strolled in and it was obvious to everyone from the glare she shot
him that Akane and Ranma were already well into their usual morning
argument.
"Go *ON* then!" Akane shouted at him. "Go be with your harem! Let's see
how you like it when I start dating other guys!!"
"Again?" He asked with raised eyebrows. He glanced skyward and thought.
"Let's see, how many 'training missions' have you been on with Ryoga?
Just what did you mean when you told Shinosuke that you could love him?
Are we certain that the neighbors don't know that you take off with magic
princes all the time? There has to be SOMEONE curious as to why you treat
every male on this planet better than me."
Ayeka and Ryoko both started chortling.
Akane ignored them, focusing her steam against Ranma. "SHUT UP!!!"
She hauled back a barbell to throw it, when an orange energy beam split
between her fingers and vaporized the metal, going on to part her hair.
Electric shocks followed and Akane twisted in agony on the ground as
lightning ripped through her.
"Doesn't learn her lessons well, does she?" Ayeka asked, calmly sipping
her tea.
"No, she doesn't." Ryoko spared the Jurai princess a glance that had
some real friendliness in it. Being on the same side like this wasn't
turning out so bad after all.
"MIYAA!"
Ryoko looked down at her little Ryo-ohki by her side. "Funny, that
sounded like you when you're in spaceship form."
Yosho grabbed his energy sword in all seriousness. "We're under attack!"
The house disappeared in a flaming globe of plasma. When the smoke
cleared Ranma was standing in the midst of a very powerful protective
spell, whose confines protected all the others (save for Genma and Mr,
Tendo, who'd still been upstairs plotting, and were now lying in the
classic positions of the critically bonked).
His spell faded and flickered away. His guests were all already acting
at once.
Ryoko threw her little pet into the air, transforming it into a replica
of the spaceship that had just attacked. Yosho leaped out of the wreck of
the house in order to gain clear ground on which to battle, while Ayeka
followed him. Achika powered up her own Juraian gifts and began to trot
after her father, sparing a glance back at Ranma.
No sooner had Ryoko caused her pet to transform than both she and it
were bathed by a yellow beam. They screamed for several seconds then fell
limply to the ground wearing metal collars around both their necks, weak
and helpless, with Ryo-ohki back in cabbit mode.
"Hehehehehehe!!!" Laughed a voice from the floating enemy ship. "I
created you, Ryoko, do you think your own mom wouldn't know how to
discipline her daughter?"
"Dragon Slave!!!!"
A multifracted beam of orangish red light tore from the ruins of the
Tendo household and pierced the spaceship right through the middle,
causing the crystal spacecraft to shatter into a dozen pieces.

*****
That Same Alternate As Before

Leia awakened with a start as the door to her cell swished open. The
short figure silhouetted in the doorway waving a blaster in the air
immediately got her attention, and she quickly sat up in her bunk.
"Princess?"
Leia blinked. "Yes?"
"We're here to rescue you!"
Her heart leaped. "You're what!"
Sailor Earth bobbed prettily, tossing the princess the blaster. "I said
I'm here to rescue you." She winked. "I didn't think you'd be interested
in my just delivering a 'Get Well' card. Well, unless it had a hold out
blaster in it."
"Who's with you?" Princess Leia demanded, rising off of her bunk and
snatching the proffered blaster up from the floor.
Ranko spent several moments giggling, then recovered somewhat. "Sorry,"
she giggled some more. "I got carried away. I didn't mean 'we', I meant
me. Anyways, I'd always wanted to say that. And you wouldn't *believe*
how much I wanted to! I'm lucky to have gotten here before the others."
"What do you mean, is there another rescue party? I presume the others
are doing a distraction." Leia asked, checking the blaster's charge to
make sure it was powered and coming out of her cell. She stopped as she
saw the scene of destruction outside.
"I guess." Sailor Earth admitted, not noticing Leia's sudden pause.
"Actually, the guys I'm thinking of would've gotten you out. I just
wanted to do it first."
Leia gave her costumed rescuer a curious glance and motioned toward the
many mauled bodies. "Did you do that?"
"Oh, them." The displaced defender of Earth fidgeted sheepishly. "They
resisted a little more than I thought they would."
Princess Leia nodded in appreciative horror at the Stormtrooper Pretzel
Sticks that had formerly been the guards of this cell block. "Looks like
heavy fighting. Is this were you lost the rest of your team? I don't see
any bodies that aren't Imperials."
Sailor Earth toed the floor. "Um, no, actually, it was just me that did
all this. They had me locked up on execution detail, the same as you."
She chirped, then bounced down the corridor to the operating center for
controlling the cell block, which went happily beeping along in spite of
the bodies piled over the counters. "Anyway, there are some other guys
who're *also* here ta rescue ya. Looks like I got ya first, though."
"I don't understand." The princess bent down, pulling a utility belt off
of one of the dead guards and piling it full of grenades. "They *can't*
execute me! I'm a member of the Imperial Senate. Only the Emperor has the
right to condemn me to death."
"Only the Emperor?" The Sailor whispered. "But.... but that's SILLY! The
Emperor dissolved the Senate!"
Leia's face went as white as her dress.
Ranko paused for a moment. *THIS* wasn't how the 'save the princess'
scene always went in the movie. Had she screwed up? Swiftly, she reviewed
the movie in her mind.
"Ooops." Ranko muttered, when the Princess still hadn't moved. As a
frequent time traveler, she ought to have recognized that she didn't
always jump in where she *thought* she was.
Ranko took the princess by the arms. "Has anybody by the name of Grand
Moff Tarkin talked to you yet?"
Leia shook her head.
Ranko remained serious. "Has Vader interrogated you yet?"
A grim nod.
"Okay, so they ain't even blown up Alderaan yet, have they? That's
somethin' they were going to bring you up to watch. But if ya don't know
that Tarkin's here, then ya ain't seen it, which means they ain't done
it."
The Scout briefly reflected that not being her whole self, and being
'reincarnated' if you will, into the body of one of her dimensional
duplicates, seemed to have affected her speech patterns adversely.
The princess had hardened, her lips grim. "You're an Imperial spy. This
is a set-up."
"Yup!" Ranko chirped up helpfully, having dealt with that kind of
situation before and knowing refusal wouldn't work. "I did all this just
to trip you up, killing my fellow stormtroopers was kind of a thrill, I
always like to turn on allies, but you'd expect that of an Imperial
agent. So I'm going to pose as a fellow Rebel sympathizer and get you to
reveal to me all your secrets by gaining your trust through the clever
plan of saving your homeworld, defending the Rebel base on Yavin IV if it
comes under attack, possibly destroying this Death Star by exploiting its
secret weak point as described in the data you've cleverly hidden inside
that astromech droid, reveal to you the identity of the brother you'd
been separated from at birth... Heck! I'm so sneaky and insidious maybe
I'll disclose that I'm a boy and sometime around our third kid or so when
we've been happily married for a long time and you're finally beginning
to let your guard down just a trifle I will betray you *then*, when you
least expect it."
Ranko was looking at the princess with an utterly straight face.
Leia broke up laughing.
It was better than crying. She *knew* she hadn't revealed that
information about the rebel base under interrogation, so there was either
another player and this *was* an ally or somehow the Empire had learned a
different way.
Ranko bounced over to the cell block controls. "Well, you and I are too
curvy to fit in any of these uniforms. So that leaves out a *normal*
disguise. Hmm... I think I'll call a tech team up here to deal with all
those audio sensors I disabled." She began fumbling with the unfamiliar
computer system, then gave it up and turned to the Princess. "I can't
understand this at *all!* Could you figure out a way to get two female
uniforms up here in our sizes?"
"What are your sizes?" Leia asked, carefully looking over the board.
Ranko told her.
Leia looked blankly at her. "That tells me nothing. Couldn't you give it
in Galact?"
"Is that your standard measurement?"
"Yes, haven't you ever been to a clothes store before? What part of the
galaxy do you come from?"
Ranko shook her head helplessly, then pursed her lips. "One of the outer
spiral arms."
They looked at each other helplessly. Ranko gave a BIG sigh. "Okay, why
don't you just get a *picture* of what a technician or lower ranked
officer or somebody's outfit *looks* like for a girl, and I'll do the
rest."
Shrugging, Leia turned to the board, thinking of what kind of bizarre
primitive didn't even know how to access a standard terminal, and what
was she doing *here!*?
Data came up.
"Hang on." Leia told her primitive companion. "I've got other princesses
listed as confined in here."
"You mean the yuzzums?(1)" Ranko asked, rubbing her nose. They had
smelled... potent, she thought was a good word for it. Good thing she'd
read all the Star Wars books or she'd not even have known they were
anything but funny looking wookies; Longer in arm for one thing.
Leia took her blaster and started down one of the cell blocks at a trot.
"No, leaders of other rebellions. If we were to combine our forces the
Empire..." She stumbled to a halt at the blown out wreckage of what'd
been a cell. Her shoulders and arms drooped dejectedly. Her lips quirked
dryly. "So that's what that explosion was. She'd smuggled abroad a
self-destruct charge and committed suicide. Can't say I blame her."
Ranko was blinking at her side, the details did not click. "Excuse me,
aren't we going to go look for the other princesses?" She noted a furry
arm snaking out of one of the holes made by the twisted plates of metal
in one of the cells next to hers. The yuzzum inside was desperately
trying to escape, so she went over and hit the release panel like she'd
seen Luke do in the movie.
Nothing happened.
Leia was already trotting down another corridor and Ranko wanted to
hurry and catch up, so she just tore the door off, waved the creature
out, and ran off after her friend.
Being reincarnated also wasn't good for your wits.

(1) The Star Wars galaxy has as many varieties of large, furry man-shaped
creatures as we have apes, and yuzzums are one of the nastier ones. Being
in the same room as a yuzzum is largely considered lethal, unless you and
they hit it off right, of course.
Generally a bit shorter than wookies, yuzzums are stronger, smarter,
tougher, and if they weren't so doggone violent would probably be a ton
more popular. In the book in which they appeared one took several deep
chest slashes from Darth Vader's lightsaber and still went on to save
Luke's life.
Unlike wookies and ewoks, yuzzums are not tree climbers. But unarmed
they'll each take on four or five armed stormtroopers at once and
probably emerge without a scratch on them (but *with* the blasters and
grenades and whatever else of use those stormtroopers might have been
carrying). They are not generally known to hit things when repairing
them. But aliens (like us humans) tend to fall into two main categories:
friends, and fun things to break. With friends being decided on a
case-by-case individual being basis.

*****
Universe D, EVA Dimension

Flashback, NERV HQ the Day Before

"Commander!" Misato shouted, turning to face him while holding a device
to her ear. "We're registering a *new* AT field. Type...." she tapped on
her screen for a bit.
"Well?" Gendo's voice was demanding. Blast it! This wasn't according
to...
"The MAGI are working on it." Ritsuko interrupted.
"GREEN??" Misato asked, from over her shoulder. Shoving the scientist to
the side she examined the screen. "That can't be right. There ISN'T a
*green* type AT field!"
Ritsuko folded her arms arrogantly. "You can believe it. If the MAGI say
that it's green, it's green. They *don't* make mistakes."
Misato was looking up, a little sheepish at how close she'd skated the
edge of tolerances with her outburst. "Green?"
"Well, we know it's an AT field. And that it isn't one of ours." Ritsuko
returned her gaze to the big screens displaying the battle.
Misato stood from where she'd been hunching over the controls. "Well,
green is *sortuv* blue, so we'll just call it the enemy until we learn
otherwise, okay?" She shot a two-finger victory sign to her associate.
"Straighten your skirt, Misato." Ritsuko warned her confederate without
deigning to look at her.
Glancing down, the long-haired, shapely woman discovered that her
miniskirt had ridden up far enough to show a hint of panties. Many of the
male command crew were staring at it.
"Get your mind back on your job!" She shouted, hastily readjusting her
skirt.

End Flashback

Alarm bells and whistles tore the peaceful fabric of the NERV command
center.
"Green type AT field has returned to our scopes." One of the technicians
spoke.
"&%#@, So it *wasn't* just static from the Angel's own AT field." Misato
swore.
"Better get the pilots to their EVAs." Ritsuko said calmly, staring at
the screen.
"Hang on, they're on their way to school. It'll take some time to recall
them."
More alert beacons twisted the atmosphere of the already cluttered
command display. "WHAT!?? MORE AT Fields???" Misato could hardly believe
her eyes. "Please tell me this is some kind of drill, or a malfunction,
right?"
"The MAGI are analyzing the fields now. Some of them actually occurred
*before* the green type reappeared. Hang on."
Gendo scowled as the information brought out by the doctor's efforts
with the MAGI super computers came up on the display.
"White type AT Fields, orange type.... What's going on? There wasn't
*anything* in the material about situations like this. None of our
research on the dispatched Angels has yielded anything that would suggest
this." Ritsuko murmured.
"Well, we'll just have to improvise, then." Misato charmed her fried
with a grin. "We have three minutes until the children are inside the
Geofront, then we can begin counter-operations. What's the status on the
Angel?"
"Sir!" One of the techs on the boards said. "They appear to be duking it
out among themselves!"

"Grandfather!" Tenchi called out in surprise.
The old man stalking to face him said not a word, his face frozen in
anger, allowing the blazing energy blade held at the ready in his hand
make clear his opinions for him.
"But... but... Grandpa?" Tenchi stammered. "Don't you even remember me?"
The old man's face did not unfreeze. "I am not your grandfather." He
raised his blade and took a slash at the boy's head.
"But... You *are* my grandfather!" Tenchi screamed, diving under the
blade and thankful for once for all those summers of practice. "Don't you
remember? You raised me at the shrine during the summers after my mom
died! Since our house moved I see you after school there every day!"
Yosho made a lateral cut, still testing the boy's skills before
committing to an attack pattern. With stone hard words he spoke. "No
descendant of mine would come into my house and kill one of my guests! No
*creature* I'd be willing to call a relative would murder in cold blood a
soul as innocent as Orchid's!"
"Creature!" Tenchi screamed. "I'm not a murderer! How can you call me
that? I was just trying to stop somebody from interfering in my past!
Can't you understand that?!!"
The battle had settled into earnest now. Yosho was far more experienced
and skilled, but had allowed himself to relax through the years to where
he was no longer in the fighting trim he had been when he had defeated
Ryoko. There had seemed to be no need, and so while he remained spry, he
was not in the shape he could have been.
Tenchi had the blood of one of the strongest descendants of the royal
house of Jurai, and he had ties to the power of the Earth as well. As
always, his skill was less than stellar, but he was not without training
and as before, when his emotions got up, he tapped into hidden reserves
that made him potentially able to carve planetoids asunder, and to take
such a blow in turn and survive.
Yosho could have beaten him in his prime, or even with a few more weeks
to regain his conditioning. As it was he was fighting the battle with
Ryoko over again; A battle where only his tremendous skill stood between
him and a raging inferno of his opponent's power. Only this time that
opponent had some little portion of that skill as well.

Achika battled the double of her own friend Ryoko with all the energy
and skill that Yosho and her friendship with Ranma's girl form had
inspired in her. Her friend now lay helpless on the ground behind her
along with her pet Ryo-ohki, while the blazing ruins of this *other*
Ryoko's copy of Ryo-ohki lay lay at the bottom of the harbor somewhere.
Probably still burning.
The hostile Ryoko held her breath. She could beat this princess in a
fight, but the one thing she did *not* want above all was to kill the
mother of Tenchi, especially before Tenchi had been born! Trouble was,
the girl seemed utterly intent on killing *her* and wasn't easily going
to let herself be taken down non-violently.
Unknown to Ryoko, Achika was quite capable of killing her, too.

Ayeka faced Ayeka.
"So you have abandoned your duty to Yosho to chase after this boy? I'm
amazed that a copy of me could sink so low. Don't you know of your duty
to Jurai?"
The copy of the purple-haired princess with the large, bulky thing on
her head with glowing lights screamed at her past double. "Well, *I*
don't see how you can stay loyal to a rickety old goat such as my
brother! Besides, Tenchi is warm and kind..."
The past Ayeka's eyes remained hard. "So you don't even know that my
brother is under a disguise field, concealing his youth. How pitiful."
The future Ayeka turned pale. "Yosho... under a disguise?"
The past one nodded. "Yes. He revealed it to me in order to get my help.
You see, he didn't have an indecisive, scrawny grandson to pawn me off to
like a piece of fruit. Oh, and how would the Earth people describe him? A
weenie, oh yes, that's right."
"Grrrr!!" The future Ayeka was glowing blue.
"Perhaps it's best if things be this way. If, as you say, my past has
been altered, then I should be glad of it, rather than turn into a
disgusting creature like you. You can't even hurt me without knowing that
any scar you give would ruin your own complexion."
"WELL, I'M GOING TO TRY!!!" Screamed her future self.

Washu screamed and ducked yet another energy attack.
This kid was TOUGH!
Even though she had all the abilities of her daughter Ryoko; namely
flying, energy blades out of nowhere, teleporting, phasing and being
really hard to kill, she normally preferred to stay out of a fight and
just observe, with maybe a little help from her inventions to sway a
battle her way.
This blond-haired gaijin that was fighting on the enemy side was TOUGH!
Maybe he was a boyfriend of that Orchid girl. Curse not having time to
use her scanners properly! This kid had attacked and wasn't letting her
get to ANYTHING!! How was she supposed to fight without her gadgets?!
For Ranma this was simple. It was called: pressing the assault. Which
thing involved making the enemy react to you so they don't do more
complicated and more dreadful stuff. He'd seen how fast and easily she'd
taken down Ryoko, and didn't intend to leave that kind of threat alone to
do worse.
A blast caused Washu to dodge past, teleporting behind the leg of the
huge bio-structure currently regenerating in the bay. ~Hmmm.~ Washu
materialized her keyboard and pressed a key. "Activation of sub-routine
for the acceleration of regeneration has been establish....! URK!!!"
The little scientist stared at the sword that had been rammed through
her gullet. She raised her eyes to her attacker's.
"Nobody hurts Achika or her friends and lives." The boy told her
solemnly. "Digger Volt!!" A blast of high intensity electrical energy
slammed down the blade and right into the scientist's body. Ranma
withdrew the blade, aware that had Washu been able to access her
technology more freely their resolution would have been reversed.
Beside him, the legs of the Angel stirred.

Yosho was batted back by an energy wave that threw him across the lawn
and sent his body cratering into the side of a building. His enemy was
not toying with him, there was too much energy committed on both sides
for that. Even having cut the boy several times had not done Yosho much
good. The youngster seemed to have an endless supply of power with which
to heal himself and press his own attacks.
A power that he was not really using, come to think of it.
Tenchi lowered his sword just a trifle. "So are you willing to talk now?
You can't beat me, Grandpa. I've got all the training you could give me
and I've got the Jurai royal power."
"I have not..." Yosho began, pulling himself to his feet, "... ever
given you the right to call me your ancestor."
"Don't SAY that!" Tenchi shouted.
Yosho straightened up, looking regally at the boy he refused to
acknowledge as a grandson. "You are no descendant of mine."
Tenchi screamed, got angry, and while he did so Yosho attacked.

"Achika!" Ryoko called to her friend from where the demon from the
girl's own time lay helpless on the ground. The demon swallowed her
pride. "Kill me."
"What!!?" Achika spared a glance back for her friend. The Ryoko from the
future stopped fighting, shocked as well.
The bound and helpless Ryoko sucked in her arrogance. "Kill me, Achika,
I beg you. If these guys really are from the future, I'd have to be alive
to be helping them like this. I don't want that."
"I would *never* strike you down, Ryoko. You're my friend!"
"Please," the helpless demoness begged. "If you kill me then all their
plans die too. Without me or Ryo-ohki, they could never have breached the
dimensional barrier to follow you. Please, do this to save Orchid."
Future Ryoko blinked at her past self's loyalty. She'd felt that way for
someone *other* than Tenchi?"
"Besides, if you don't do it," past Ryoko murmured to her friend.
"Orchid will die."
Achika rounded on her enemy with a fierce glower. "Not if I can help it,
Ryoko." In a different life she might have summoned enough of the Jurai
power to kill a multi-dimensional being capable of destroying galaxies.
That kind of effort would doom her, but she tapped a lessor portion and
began to glow with power.
Achika was more powerful than her son.
The future Ryoko was blinking at this with a 'oh, shoot, I'm screwed'
expression.
"Ohohohohohoho!!! Maybe I ought to let them destroy you, Ryoko." Future
Ayeka arrived on the scene. "My own past self had *none* of my fighting
experience. She ought to wake up in an hour or two. But then I ought to
have Tenchi all to myself, because if I help you, you'll owe me, and if I
don't, you won't be there to worry about, don't you think?"
"Shut up, Ayeka." Future Ryoko growled at her supposed ally. "Or do you
think you can take Tenchi's mom alone?"
Ayeka considered. "Well, I'm sure that she's no match for the both of
us. After all, she has almost none of Lord Tenchi's training."
Achika turned and struck a downward slash at past Ryoko's exposed
throat. Future Ryoko tensed, waiting for oblivion at the action. When it
failed to happen, she cracked her eyes open a bit. Her past self was
rising up alongside Tenchi's mom, the glowing ember's of Washu's control
collar falling to the dust around her feet.
Future Ryoko's eye's flung wide as she saw her past self powering up for
a blast using all three of her power crystals. "That's not fair!" Future
Ryoko cried. "Tenchi only gave me one!"
Past Ryoko's eyes were hot and level as she grew her blast even more
powerful. "Your little trip upset Yosho so much he gave me all three.
DIE!!!" A rippling bolt of power sprung across the intervening distance,
curdling the terrain in its wake and causing backlash from the shockwaves
caused in passage.
The force beam caught Future Ayeka, ripped through her shields and
vanquishing her to oblivion before going on into deep space. Scattered
dust was all that remained of the Jurai princess.
Achika stepped up to past Ryoko's side, her own energy sword ablaze with
power.
Future Ryoko sweatdropped.
Past Ryoko blew on her fingertips, smiling. "That felt... oddly
satisfying." She flexed her fingers into a fist, forming an energy sword.
"Achika, go help your father. *I'm* going to deal with this tramp."
"Gotcha." Achika scooted, not wanting to be nearby.

Yosho's body hit the ground, cut and bruised. The old man struggled to
rise, fearing as he did so there was no way he could win this fight.
That's when Achika stepped up to his side, Light Hawk Wings blazing with
Juraian power.
"Mom?!??" Tenchi cried out in fear and wonder.
Her gaze was hard. "I acknowledge no son who'd do this to his
grandfather nor slay a girl as innocent as my friend Orchid."
"Oh, don't you start that, too." Tenchi deadpanned as he sweatdropped.
Yosho pulled himself to his knees. "What is your name, boy?"
"My name's TENCHI!!!" He screamed at his grandfather.
Yosho smiled as he turned to Achika. "Achika, daughter, I hereby forbid
you to ever give a child that name."
Achika smiled and nodded gladly at her father.
"WHAT?!?" Tenchi screamed. The device that he wore on his head heated up
and came alight with warning whoops and sirens.
Yosho nodded solemnly, eying the youngster. "And for my part, I shall
never train any of your offspring, but shall leave that to you and your
husband. Though I *will* train you for the intent of you passing on that
knowledge to your children."
The device on Tenchi's head gave a tiny puff of steam before the lights
went out and it failed. He opened his mouth to scream but no sound came
as he simply faded away, the rest of the time traveling attackers going
as well.
Yosho put an arm around his daughter and allowed her to aid him to his
feet. "Well, that was easy. People who travel into the past should work
harder that they don't erase themselves."
Achika giggled, happy in relief.
They started back to the remains of the Tendo building.

"This is turning out to be an eventful morning." Ranma groused to
himself, flying aloft and shattering a few spells on the skin of the
monster-thingy.
He resolved to call it Hellspawn, because that fit the best of what he
could think of, and it *didn't* act like an angel. Or at least none of
the ones HE knew! Gaining altitude, he went into free fall and dropped a
Dragon Slave on the thing's head. One thing this style of magic couldn't
do was cast two spells simultaneously. A big disadvantage when you had to
both fly and fight.
The blast hurled one half of the monster into the other and they
rejoined, no longer running about as two separate critters.
"Yup, nothing but Hellspawn would describe that behavior." He saw the
monster start to mutate and used his remaining altitude to drop another
Dragon Slave onto it, flinging it farther out to sea.
He barely recovered before he went sploosh, and swiftly rose up to gain
height in case he had to do that again, though his spell energy was
getting low.The hellspawn sent out a forest of blood red spikes growing
from its head, which then flopped over backward giving a crablike
impression.
Ranma Ulped.
The Angel/Hellspawn put both hands on its towering hips. "Ahahahaha!!!"
It roared. "I am Washu-iel. Cower ignorant mortals, for you are DOOMED!!"
Ranma was struck by the temptation to wet himself.

Urd was staring at a viewscreen. "Hmmm, no. I don't think so." And she
hit a key.

The giant Washu stopped laughing."Hey, what's happening? You can't do
that!! The timestream's been overridden! What do you mean I can't exist
in this temporal format without an geometaphysical anchor, I've *got* an
anchor. What?!! Tenchi's been vanquished!? No! Aaaaaargghhh!!" and faded
away.
Ranma was dripping enough sweat the cool ocean breeze had chilled it and
turned him female. She was twitching all the time.
"That's what I call too close." She murmured, then flew back to the
house.

To Be Continued...

*****
Author's Notes:

Wow! Life's been something of a wild ride for me lately. If I were to
list troubles no doubt half of you would commit seppuku out of shared
misery if you were not immediately sedated. And since I aim to prevent
such a catastrophe, I shall forbear.

I'll blame it all on the Knights of Akane, because, well, why wouldn't
I? That they're not technically at fault has no bearing on this matter.
The subject of their worship has always misapplied blame anyway, they
can't complain if I do the same.

Otherwise they'd be hypocrites, and have to worship Genma.

Hey! Genma's dishonor + Akane's anger and you have Ryoga! The unholy
Trinity! That explains so much...

The Song "Bless Us All" was from the Muppet Christmas Carol, sung by
Tiny Tim, and was read word-for-word at the funeral of my own son
Timothy. I had to include it here.

Work on part 19 is expected to be completed real soon now. I make no
promises, because I might be attacked by chicks wielding mallets or a
bandana-wielding fanged boy, but significant parts have already been
written and I've got the concept strong. It *may* happen in a week or so.

Oh, P.S. I may be changing email accounts someday soon. Gregg Sharp and
Celeste Byrd will be the best ways to contact me *IF* you get a bounce.
Kindly don't bug them if my netuser account *doesn't* bounce as yet. By
Part 19 I should (IhopeIhopeIhope) have a new email addy to include.

(author climbs a tree and pulls it up after him)