Ranma Nibunnoichi - Reflections
A. V. Morgan
Part Fifteen: I Am He as You Are Me or He Is She and We Are All Together
The first indication the morose trio had of impending rain was the sudden burst of motion from Ryouga. Responding to the first acrid tang of moisture on the wind, Ryouga reached over his shoulder and pulled his umbrella free of the restraints binding it to the top of his backpack. The force of the draw, as he whipped it around in an arc with his left hand, snapped it open. Ranma, currently in triplicate, snapped into reflexive guard positions and scanned the forest bordering the road, instantly ready if Ryouga happened to be preparing for battle. The umbrella spun in the lost boy's grip as he jerked it upright just in time to intercept the first fat drops aiming at his head. Cologne, who happened to have been riding atop the umbrella laden pack at the start of this maneuver, had been launched at a nearby tree, bounced from the trunk down to the path and back up onto the backpack just in time to perch in its shadow, safe from the deluge that followed. Instinctively, all three Ranmas hunched a bit and grabbed at their clothing, expecting their pants to begin sliding down after the transformation, though this reflex was only necessary for one of them.
The boy who had just become a girl automatically gathered her pants and tightened her belt around her narrow waist. The girl who had not changed simply confirmed that her oversized outfit was properly secured. Both of them were glaring at the boy who paused in the midst of checking himself, and began chuckling at the unnecessary reflex. When he smiled and leaned back to welcome the rain on his face, the two girls swallowed a growl and suddenly bounded off down the road in great, land devouring leaps. Spurred on by identical stabs of pain, they were almost blind to each other, until each noticed who was pacing her so effortlessly.
Turning to each other with equal looks of shock, they dropped out of their frenetic pace and lurched to a walk about a quarter of a mile ahead of the others. For a moment, they found themselves unable to speak, for the simple reason that the moment had put them into synch. They both opened their mouths to speak at the same time, and hesitated, biting their lips to gesture for the other to speak. For a moment, they mirrored each other, studying each other's face, reading their inner thoughts and feelings in the other's expressions. At the same time, they looked the other in the eye and began chuckling.
"Okay," they said together, "this is really weird!"
Sharing a look of surprise, they each took a step back and pointed, "Hey, how are you doin' that?" They frowned at each other, then started laughing. Even their laughter, interspersed with gasps for air, seemed to synch up, causing them to laugh even harder, until they fell forward into each other and slumped to their knees feeling light headed.
When they regained their breath, they leaned back on their heels and studied each other again. "Do you… uh… are you thinkin'… you are!" they both gaped as their thoughts sped down the same track faster then they could even put them into words. "But, why?" they both demanded, challenging some unspoken statement. "Right, so… Damn, this is confusing," they interrupted themselves. At the same time they impulsively reached out to touch each other's faces. With a start, they realized the reflection was not mirror perfect, they each had their right hand cupped to the other's left cheek. Their thumbs traced over a faint, hairline scar on the other's cheek in thought.
"It's not a mirror image. This would be on the other cheek if it was," they both murmured. "I didn't notice that before…" Their hands dropped to rest on top of their thighs. They looked at each other, letting their thoughts progress a bit further. "Okay, so… we are the same person. I guess it makes sense that we'd think and act the same," they pointed out. "Why wasn't it like this from the start? What brought this on?"
They looked inward trying to determine when the synchronicity had started. They remembered the moment when the copies minds had been joined to Ranma's by the mirror. When the copies… no, the reflections, had come back out of the mirror, they had been the same person in three different situations. They had each taken a unique perspective on the situation because of how they were in relation to the curse. For all they might think and act the same, the different circumstances they were in required them to think on different angles. "Somehow, we jumped onto the same track," they mused aloud. "When it started raining, when I watched him… Of course. How could I still be a girl and see that without getting upset?" they noted painfully, looking down.
"Okay, so, how do we stop it?" they asked a moment later. Once asked, it seemed obvious enough. The only thing that kept them from actually being the same person was being in different places. Or, more accurately, different states or situations. The most significant difference being that one of them was permanently a girl. Looking up, they both said, "Ranko…"
/ "…I have to start thinking of myself as Ranko."
\ "…you have to start thinking of yourself as Ranko."
Though they had spoken at the same time, the difference was instantly apparent. "Well, that seems to work," they echoed. "Damn. That's not enough." They frowned at each other. Still, that was a good place to begin. Since Ranko was entirely a girl, they could use that to establish precedence for speaking. By Japanese tradition, usually the male took precedence.
/ "I'm only a part-time guy, so I guess it's him, then me, then you."
\ "You're only a part time guy, so I guess it's him, then you, then me."
They laughed together for a bit. Squeezing tears of mirth from their eyes, they muttered, "Oh, this is wild. Akane'd just freak out if she heard us!" More laughter ensued. "Okay, so it's a little harder to do than to say," they admitted together. Concentrating, one girl raised an eyebrow at the other, who nodded. Taking a deep breath, the girl with the active curse rose to her feet.
"Good, it works with actions," she said.
The other girl got to her feet, "I was just about to say that…"
"I know. I suppose it's a good thing…" she cut herself off.
"I was thinking that too. I'm not happy about being stuck as a girl, but…" she shrugged. "You're right, if not for that we would have been stuck like that for a while."
"It's…"
"Please, don't say it," Ranko interrupted. "I know it's not as bad as before. I just… for me it isn't a choice. I'm glad I don't have that contract hanging over my head, but I still don't feel like jumping into a dress and chasing Ryouga!"
"At least that never happened when I was in my right mind," Ranma-chan sighed. Taking a deep breath and seeing the rest of their party closing on them, she focused on Ryouga. "I'm glad it didn't go too far, either. I feel bad enough as it is."
Ranko nodded, her eyes focused on the lost boy as well. "I think I am going to miss Copy-chan. It was a lot simpler for her," she sighed. Intellectually, she knew that she had been Copy-chan, but with all of Ranma's memories, there was only enough of that innocent girl left to keep her from screaming against her fate.
"It's also a lot more complicated because of her."
"I didn't think you'd admit that," Ranko looked at her twin.
Ranma-chan's eyes traveled over to the other boy. "Yeah, well, because of him, it's even more complicated. Now that he remembers me…" she cut herself off and swallowed. "Now that he is Ranma, all I have is a curse, and a whole lot of uncomfortable questions to answer. I'm just glad he's not Copy-kun."
"Ah, yeah," Ranko gulped, picking up on Ranma-chan's train of thought. "That isn't likely to happen again, but he'll still have the same effect on you." The approaching figures were staring back at them curiously, but before they came into ear shot, Ranko quickly added, "I know you had already decided we would take over as Ranma and Ranko. I know you feel like there isn't much left for you, hell, I have no idea what we'll even call you now…" She paused. Ranma's memories had made two things very clear. On a physical level, the curse made it far easier for her twin to be female. Cold water was much more common, and it would be easier to make the curse permanent than to cure it. On a mental level, it was far easier for her twin, for any of them, to be male. Sighing, she completed her warning, "Don't chose what is easiest. You have all the options, so think about what you want and fight for it, Ranma."
The other girl laughed somewhat eerily. "Even if it means fighting myself?" she asked pointedly. The others had finally caught up to them and looked between the girls curiously. The conclusion of their conversation was cryptic enough, but none of them wanted to probe. "It's about time you slow pokes caught up."
"Ah, impetuous youth," Cologne sighed.
As the twin girls fell into step with the others, they quickly described what had happened to them when they ran off. In the process of explaining their synchronization, they repeatedly fell into it, subjecting the others to the eerie stereo effect. They also explained their solution, distinguishing Ranma and Ranko and establishing their precedence in moments of confusion. Cologne noted that she had expected them to experience moments of synchronicity. She warned Ranma and Ranko that even with differing forms, they might experience it, so it was good they had come up with a system for all three to deal with it. The only problem, naturally, was what to call the original Ranma.
"Geez, it was bad enough I had to come up with Ranko," the cursed girl sighed. "No offense," she turned to the girl who now bore that name.
"None taken. I understand perfectly," she assured, glaring at Ranma.
"How about, 'Saotome'?" Ranma asked Ranma-chan.
"Nah, I'd think someone was talking about Pop. Yeah," she cut off the protest that she knew was coming, "I know it's common to just go by a family name, but that won't distinguish me from either of you." She walked between her twins in thoughtful silence for a while. Because of her father, this was unavoidable. The best 'son' had to be Ranma, for too many reasons. She had assumed other names and guises, usually to mess with Ryouga. The name Ranko had been invented to cover for the slip she had made during her mother's first visit, when she almost used her real name. For the same reason she could not be Ranma, she could not be Ranko. Not unless she intended to be a girl for the rest of her life. There was no point for her to fight for either identity.
Except that if she did not, she feared she would lose any sense of identity she had left. The very idea left her feeling uncentered, dissipated. She studied her feelings. She would have thought that not being Ranma would be the most shattering blow. It had certainly hurt to pose as Akane's cousin. Ranko was pure fiction, yet now the identity seemed to hold as much substance as that of Ranma. Why was that? She stopped, scrunching her face to concentrate on the elusive impressions inside her. There was something, her instincts were whispering it tauntingly. She turned around and opened her eyes. She found herself facing Ranma. She looked up into his face, ignoring his startled and confused expression.
Ranko narrowed her eyes and walked up behind her. Feeling the girl closing, Ranma-chan turned and held out her arms. Her hand caught Ranko on the shoulder, while the other pressed against Ranma's chest. In that position, the thread connecting them to each other was eclipsed by her body, which suddenly hummed like a power line. Cologne hopped down from Ryouga's pack and perched on her staff in front of the cursed girl.
"What are you doing, Son-in… Ranma-chan?"
Ranma-chan looked at the Amazon, but she couldn't speak. It was like her thoughts were being sucked off in different directions. Some seemed to speed down her left arm into Ranma, while others were channeled into Ranko. The questions that always lurked in the back of her mind spilled away until there were only one or two questions present in her mind. "Who is Ranko?" she asked under her breath, voicing the first question.
"I thought we had already established this," Cologne chided, pointing to the girl on Ranma-chan's right, off-handedly. She frowned as the girl-boy looked into her eyes and shook her head, dismissing her input. Cologne narrowed her eyes and studied the flow of chi in this strange circuit.
Ranma-chan was focusing on the thoughts trying to form in her mind. She felt strangely empty, yet focused. If her father had ever spared serious effort on meditation techniques, she would recognize the state she was in. She might even realize that it was a state her ancestors had identified and given a name. Shibumi. A quality of being without the angst of becoming. In that state, frustrated by the distraction of a question she should have known the answer to, she finally realized there had been an answer there, long before the question could be asked. Her head turned to stare in Ranko's direction. Her mouth fell open, as she realized too late what she had done.
Everyone was looking at her with some concern now.
Ranma-chan's hand recoiled from Ranko's shoulder. As the contact broke, a tremendous force threw the girl away from her twin. While Ryouga rushed over to try and intercept the flying girl, Ranma-chan turned entirely to Ranma, pressing herself tight against him, her arms going around him as if he was the only thing that could keep her tied to the Earth. She deliberately tried to provoke the strange polarity he caused, and it confirmed her suspicion. In that moment, she allowed herself to be the girl she had become to protect the boy she had been. A girl who had grown in secret, in shame and in guilt through the little indulgences sponsored by her relationship with Nodoka. A girl she had denied. A girl she could never be.
With shaking limbs, she pried herself away from the trembling and blushing boy. For a moment, he had felt the ascent of a female persona in his cursed incarnation. He had also reflected on the awkward and dangerous intimacies of the previous day, and their painful consequences. Unable to understand what had overcome Ranma-chan, the only safe course seemed to be having no reaction at all. He just gaped as she staggered to the side of the road and collapsed into a heap, tears streaming out between tight eyelids. They were almost masked by the rain sheeting over her face. Cologne, after a glance at Ranma, standing stiff with shock and fear, hopped over to Ranma-chan and stood beside her.
"What is it child? What have you seen that is so disturbing?"
Ranma-chan tried to look at the amazon, but her eyes could not focus through the tears. Wiping the back of her hand across her lids, she sucked in a breath, "I'm such an idiot! I didn't even see it!"
"See what?"
"I was too stinkin' proud," the girl sobbed on, unable to explain her revelation. She pulled her legs in—planting the soles of her feet—spread wide enough for her elbows to rest on her kneecaps, so she could bury her face in her forearms. "So stuck on all that man-among-men crap, I never saw it," she muttered to herself cryptically.
Cologne carefully composed her face and took a deep breath. "Are you saying what I think you are saying?" she dared to ask.
Ranma-chan looked up at her and blinked. "Yeah. Sure. Might as well let you rub it in, now that it's too late," she groused, looking away. Rubbing the beads of rain and tears from her face, she sighed and decided to spell it out. "I never wanted to be a girl. I figured, hell, I'm a guy, I can't be a girl. Copy-kun was right though. When I was a girl, I refused to admit it. An' I'm not talkin' about the curse. A different body don't make you a girl. Wearing dresses and eatin' ice cream and getting kissed by a guy don't make you a girl. It's somethin' inside, somethin' that grows with experience, and before you know it, you are a girl cuz you understand," she said softly.
Ranko, who had come running back with Ryouga, had caught most of this speech. She stared down at her twin and gasped, "What the hell are you sayin'!?" She reached down and pulled the other girl up to her feet and shook her, "You can't tell me I'm a girl! I don't understand anything! I don't know the first thing about being a girl! You can't go tellin' me what I am!"
Ranma-chan managed to break the other girl's grip and staggered back. "You're too scared to see it. I didn't even get it until I wondered why I…" she stopped and looked away.
"What!? Tell me!" the other girl raged.
"Why would it bother me to give up being Ranko? I mean, like it bothers me to give up being Ranma?" Ranma-chan demanded.
"It's just a stupid name!? How the hell should I know!"
"Because it's not," she retorted. "It's an identity."
Cologne quirked an eyebrow at this, while the others rubbed their heads in confusion or fumed in anger. "Perhaps you should explain that, child."
Ranma-chan pointed at Ranma, "Ranma is not just a name! It's my identity. It's who I am as a man!" Her hand came around to point at Ranko. "Just like Ranko is who I am as a girl. Who I'd be as a woman. If I let go of both, I am neither!"
Ranko could not reply. She just gaped in astonishment.
"When did this happen?" Ranma asked, utterly perplexed.
Ranma-chan turned back on him and began shouting, "It happened when Akane asked if I wanted to be her friend! It happened when Mikado kissed me! It happened when I told Mom I was Akane's cousin, and when Mom told me I'd make a good wife one day, and when we went shopping for bras! It happened when I was engaged to Picolet Chardin! It happened a little every day, no matter how hard I fought it!"
"Are you saying you want to be a girl?" Ryouga asked in a small voice.
She turned on him and took a deep breath. "Oh yeah. It happened when I was in love with you! Do I want to be a girl? It didn't even occur to me there was a choice until now! It's not my choice now. It's hers!" She turned to Ranko. With an effort she calmed herself and approached the other girl. "And, it is a choice. If you can let go of being Ranma, if you can figure out what it really means to be Ranko, you can be a girl."
"Why do you feel you do not have this choice?" Cologne asked gently.
Ranma-chan turned to her and shrugged. "I'm not sure I can explain it. I mean, sure, I suppose I could be Ranko, because that's just a way of being me. I'd remain centered and maybe I wouldn't just evaporate into thin air."
"Is that what you are afraid of? Is that what brought on this whole scene?" the matriarch asked. There was something in her eyes that disturbed Ranma-chan. She could not imagine what was on the old woman's mind, but there seemed no reason to deny it. She nodded. "Interesting. So, you feel that relinquishing your identity, as a man or as a woman, would leave you vulnerable to the mirror's curse?"
"That's about it. Don't ask me to explain it, I just get this strong feeling that I'd fly apart if I tried to pretend to be someone else."
Cologne narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "I see. Then perhaps it would be best to endure a little confusion about who is who, precisely. Unless you can think of some other aspect of your identity you might be able to cling to? Something unique to you?"
Ranma-chan laughed harshly, "Well, not hard to see what's unique! I'm half and half. Maybe you should call me Nibunnoichi!"
"Perhaps if it becomes necessary," the old woman grinned. "However, we're not getting home any faster standing on the road and quibbling amongst ourselves. I for one would like to get out of this rain and into something warm and dry!" she announced, eyeing the perch she had abandoned on Ryouga's shoulder. She could hardly return to it now without turning him into a pig. Ranma offered her a perch on his shoulder. Ryouga followed those two as Ranma set off once more for the train station. Ranko lingered behind, seeing her twin idling.
"Are you coming?" she asked.
"Yeah," Ranma-chan sighed and looked at Ranko. There was still some irritation on her face. "You did tell me to fight," Ranma-chan reminded her.
"I didn't say, 'Have a psychotic episode'!" she retorted. As the two of them began walking, trailing the others at a distance, Ranko spoke up again, "So. You gonna explain this girl-identity thing? I mean, what the hell brought that on?"
Ranma-chan shrugged. "I guess Copy-kun and Copy-chan were right. When I was caught between you two, it was sort of like I stepped outside of myself and finally saw what was always right there." As they walked, she tried to explain what she had been thinking and feeling, when she paused to think of some name to go by. As she related the details, she remembered the other question that had surfaced in the strange calm. She had focused all her attention on "Who is Ranko?" and ignored the deeper question, "Who am I?" Frowning in thought, during a lull in the conversation, she pondered that one. For some reason, her mind flashed to a scene at once familiar and unfamiliar. A memory of herself at Jusenkyo, surrounded by strangers who bound her and threw her into one of the springs. The scene repeated a few times and then froze as her body hung in the air over the water's surface, a man's voice echoing in her ears. "Goodbye, Fa Shen." Blinking, she focused on the horizon. That scene did not fit into her life. Perhaps it was a dream? She shrugged. The rain suddenly picked up again, and she shoved her thoughts aside to grumble about being wet and cold.
The edge of the storm finally slid over Nerima, announcing its presence by tapping insanely against the windows of Furinkan High School. The sudden explosion of fluid chatter drowned out the teacher's voice and drew the attention of Akane and Ukyo. They automatically looked at Ranma's empty desk, and thus in each other's direction. Meeting each other's eyes, they nodded, sharing the same concern for one martial artist. It was strange in a way that rain was no longer part of the background of their lives. Thanks to Ranma, and other cursed individuals, the rain was just a mask for the strange, silent and capricious silhouette that moved randomly across the stage turning the lives of the "characters" on end. Who could witness an instant girl, or cat, or duck, or yeti-riding-bull-carrying-crane-and-eel appearing in their midst, and not wonder what it would do to their own lives to have everything familiar about themselves melt away in a handful of water.
Akane sighed and looked back at her work. She had talked to Ukyo between classes and at lunch, explaining what they had all learned from Cologne. The okonomiyaki chef had listened to the news that Genma had proposed exploiting the mirror's curse to present Copy-kun as Ranma, both to Nodoka, as her son, and to Akane, as her fiancé. Ukyo was even more startled to hear about the strange endorsement Genma had made for Ranma to consider being a girl, the daughter Nodoka had always wanted. "But as Ranma pointed out, Copy-chan makes a better choice for that, for the same reason Copy-kun makes a better Ranma," Akane had confided.
"Still, I can't believe Ranma's old man would even suggest that!"
Akane shrugged. "Genma is capable of suggesting anything, as long as the outcome is to his benefit. When Ranma took over the engagement to Picolet, to learn combat dining, the old fool was tempted to let Ranma marry the creep just so he could stuff his fat face with French cuisine for the rest of his life!" Akane was still a bit bitter about that. Ranma had come close to starving to death trying to master the Parlay du Foie Gras, and perhaps even closer to losing his mind under the added burden of Madame St. Paul's Bridal Training. Ranma had swallowed every trace of masculine pride and choked down a lot more femininity than he had intended. "So, yeah, despite all that man-among-men crap he spouts all the time, Genma has no problems seeing his son as a daughter!" Akane concluded.
"Yeah, at least as long as it serves to keep his belly full, or to keep him from having to slice it open," Ukyo had agreed. "It's too bad he had to make Ran-chan sign that contract too."
"That stupid contract is the reason Ranma's being robbed of his whole life!" Akane growled. Worse, she kept to herself, once the other boy was Ranma, the fathers would be rushing them to the altar as fast as possible to fulfill their pact. "If he can't figure out a way to stop the bleeding, he'll even die."
"Is there some way to stop them?"
"I don't know. I mean, technically it is a cure," Akane sighed.
"The cure sounds worse than the curse."
They had gone on talking through lunch, and Akane had been dwelling off and on over the last thing Ukyo had said on the matter. "I can hardly imagine Ranma without the curse now. I mean, sure, he'd still have it if he survives too, and he or Copy-chan would be Ranko, but it would be strange to see Ranma get wet and not turn into a girl. I've gotten so used to it!"
The truth was, so had Akane. A struggling weed of romance had been budding between her and Ranma the boy, but the branch of friendship between them seemed to thrive best between her and Ranma the girl. Sure, it was a confusing and infuriating friendship, and it did seem to get in the way of everything, but it made Ranma unique in her mind. She had no idea what it would take for Copy-kun to remember being Ranma, or how long. She was not sure how she would feel about an all male Ranma, especially if he was overshadowed by an all female, or the original cursed Ranma. Such thoughts often tormented her whenever Ranma stumbled onto something that might cure him. It was not that she wanted him to be a girl, or in anyway preferred him as a girl. At least that was what she desperately hoped. She frowned. Maybe she just believed, deep down, that as long as Ranma was cursed there was no way the two of them would get married. Maybe it was just safer that way.
The moment Copy-kun became Ranma, that cushion would just disappear. Perhaps that explained why she could not imagine her reaction to being engaged or married to him. Perhaps she was afraid that, without the excuse of the curse, she be forced to confront her feelings. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. Her thoughts were already too personal and honest for her to deal with. She sighed and muttered under her breath, "It's not like I have to know right now. Even when he's totally normal, Ranma can hardly remember last week. What are the odds the other two will remember anything soon?"
Thinking of the copies, and deciding she had wasted enough thought on the boy, she considered the girl. She certainly had one thing Ranma never had shown. She was quite happy with her femininity, and not afraid to show it. Of course, she showed it with the same arrogant ego-centricity Ranma invested in his manhood. It was kind of funny that Ranma had more poise as a woman than Copy-chan, but at least it was not just an act with the duplicate. If the girl could just get a clue, she might make a good friend, Akane thought. As she was, she was almost as lost as poor Ryouga. Akane chuckled under her breath. Maybe that was why Copy-chan kept running into Ranma's rival.
Akane looked out the window, watching the water stream across the glass. The image of the two of them kissing in the park came back to her. Akane had retreated as quickly as she could, but she had not missed the fact that Ryouga had responded as passionately before she had interrupted. Akane had been discreet about the incident with the koi rod and Ranma, and she had tried her best not to hold it against him. The poor boy was so lost and lonely, and so incredibly shy, how could he be blamed for his unwanted attraction to Ranma's girl half. After all, her fiancé had used it to mess with Ryouga too many times to count. It was kind of tragic that Copy-chan had appeared to confuse his relationship with Akari. At the same time, Ryouga seemed to have some reservations about the pig-loving girl. Akane had not been blind to Ryouga's contempt for her pet P-chan. To her knowledge, Ryouga had always gone out of his way to avoid her pet pig, and absolutely hated it when Ranma teased him by calling him by her pet's name. Akane had pointedly ignored Ranma constantly implying that Ryouga and P-chan were connected. Just because she knew about Jusenkyo curses did not mean she could be conned into thinking everyone she met turned into something else. She felt that the comments were just Ranma's way of getting back at Ryouga for laughing at his curse. She had not realized how much Ryouga hated pigs until she saw his reaction to Akari's love of pigs.
It had reminded Akane of her own feelings about boys. She had no idea what Ryouga's problem with pigs was, but Ranma provoked his rival over it the same way he provoked her by always calling her a tom-boy. It seemed strange that Ranma had actually encouraged Ryouga's relationship with Akari. At least until it became clear how much it irritated Ryouga. Now that she thought about it, it had to irk the lost boy to have a girl throw herself at him simply for defeating her sumo-pig. It reminded Akane of Shampoo and her kiss of marriage. She wondered why people came up with such stupid rules for forming relationships. Maybe, just maybe, it would be best to encourage two people who seemed to want to be together? Considering what Copy-chan faced to become Ranko, it would be best for her to have someone who appreciated her for the girl she was, and did not hold her male origins against her. Maybe, if she and Ryouga were truly in love, she would not be destroyed by Ranma's memories. Akane could remember the depression that had threatened Ranma when his curse was locked. She also remembered how the curse had not mattered a bit when he was in love, under the influence of the koi rod.
Akane contemplated this for a while, a plan beginning to form in her head.
AN: This chapter took a lot longer than intended. As stated in the beginning, this story establishes several things meant to be explored in a sequel to Ranma Nibunnoichi while remaining inside the scope of the original series. As tends to happen, the fleshed out form of a story can be incredibly different from the original outline. I've noted the suggestion to treat this as an AU, but since this is fanfic I don't feel it is necessary to assert that. It's a safe assumption that Rumiko Takahashi did not dream of this story! So, my objective is a little complicated by how the story in progress is interpreted by the reader. Has too much happened for Ranma to continue through the conclusion of the original series? If it can be said without offending Ms. Takahashi, I submit that many of the experiences Ranma has had, in canon, would beg the same question if the original work had been in a novel format. The series skimmed over the surface of a very deep topic, and it is that topic I meant to explore as I wrote. I read a little more into the events forming the foundation of this story, and I hope it is evident that the changes you witness here are rooted in the series. Under the unique circumstances of this story, Ranma confronts the consequences of things he can no longer ignore. It's a learning process, and I make no guarantees that he will embrace any or all of it. So, if you are seriously wondering how things could possible go back to "normal" after all of this, well… keep watching. I might just pull it off!
So, here we are at chapter 15! It is two full days since the male copy emerged, and he has awakened as the new and improved, uncursed Ranma. This can't possibly be a good thing! Worse, Akane is plotting something to encourage romance between Ryouga and Ranko. Dare we imagine? And what about Cologne's secret plot? What will she do if she proves that Ranma was Fa Shen in a previous life? And another thing, are the new Ranma and Ranko afflicted with any residue of being Copy-kun and Copy-chan? Have we really seen the last of the amorous duo? What could possibly happen in the next five days? With this crowd? Are you kidding!? See you next time on, Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections!
Ja ne!