Ranma Nibunnoichi - Reflections
A. V. Morgan
Part Twenty-Seven: The Art of Dating, Step Three: Temptation
As the couple came closer and closer to the Tendo Dojo, Ranma became gradually more agitated. Even though preoccupied by other, private thoughts, Akane could sense the growing tension in the boy beside her, as if it was passing through his hand into her. When it first became noticeable, she had asked him what was wrong, but he had shook his head and muttered that he had no idea. They had automatically begun to scan the darkness beyond the street lights searching for some indication of attack, but neither had a sharp sense of danger. It was more like a creeping dread, and it did not take long to realize that it had something to do with what they faced when they got home. Considering their situation, it was not hard to guess what they could expect, coming home from a date together. With their fathers, it was reasonable to expect to walk into a wedding ceremony. Ranma frowned in incipient anger. That would absolutely ruin what had been the nicest date he had ever been on with Akane. After brooding on it for several blocks, he made a decision.
Akane turned to look at him in curiosity as he pulled them both to a halt. She had caught the flash of anger, but as she faced him there was only a serious look, a look he might go into battle with, but it quickly faded into something more uncertain. "What is it, Ranma?"
"Akane," he began, then took a deep breath. "I've got a bad feeling about going home. Something is going to happen to completely ruin our night." The hard look of intent came back, with an undertone of anger, "I am sick and tired of everything we do ending on a bad note."
"Well, if you don't want to come home, I guess I could grab your gear and bring it over to Dr. Tofu's for you," she offered, in puzzled concern. It bothered her that he seemed ready to ditch her, but knew any difficulty with the fathers would be diminished if he did not return with her.
"No, that's not it," he almost growled. "Akane, I usually try to do the right thing, but sometimes I can't figure out what that is. For once, it's different, 'cuz I do know the proper way to end a date. The problem is, I don't want it to be taken for somethin' it's not."
Akane was suddenly feeling lost. The proper way to end a date? Was he…? "Ranma? What… are you saying you want to kiss me?"
Ranma studied her carefully. The truth was, he did, but he did not know how to admit that. Not when he was still uncertain how she might take it. He swallowed and focused on her eyes, "It would be the right thing to do, I mean, if this is supposed to be a real date. But… Do you want me to?"
Akane stared back at him, seeing the uncertainty, the anticipation, the dread of how she might respond. They had reached this point before, and made the mistake of not making sure they had any privacy. If they got any closer to home, they certainly would not, but here, now, there were no witnesses. If anything, that was what convinced her he was serious. She found herself clutching his hand and trying to keep her breathing slow and even. Did she? Unable to say anything, she allowed herself to nod the tiniest bit.
Ranma felt his heart begin to race as he caught the faint acknowledgement. His mouth suddenly feeling dry, he glanced away, letting his face fall into shadow and licked his lips. From the corner of his eye, he saw her do the same. It almost made him laugh. For once, he envied Copy-kun and his fearless lust. With almost a hiccup of surprise, he realized that was a part of him now, and to his chagrin, the pale copy of himself had even recorded the procedure in his mind as a martial arts technique! What could be simpler for the Great Ranma Saotome than to execute such a simple technique? Step One: Turn toward your partner, look at her and let what you think and feel about her to show on your face.
Akane found his attention on her again and looked up. She almost gasped in surprise at his expression. She did not know what to make of it, there was humor and fear underlying protective concern and wonder filled with hunger and passion, and it was all beaming down on her. Her guard slipped and Ranma watched as surprise, curiosity, awe and a touch of burning fever filled her gaze. Suddenly, Step Two seemed easy. Tell her what you think. "You really are cute when you smile, and when you're asleep. It's hard to see that when we're fighting. I like seeing you laughing and happy more. I wish we could be friends instead of fiancées, so I could tell you I like you without everyone making a big fuss." He smiled, "You know, you're the only fiancée I think can understand how I feel about all these engagements. You're the only one who feels the same way. I guess that's why we get along so well."
Akane almost choked, "I'm not sure I'd call what we do, getting along!"
Ranma chuckled, "Come on, Akane. I'm not used to being in one place for so long, and I'm perfectly happy living on the road. Do you really think I haveta stick around people I don't like living with? I don't really understand why I make people so angry, 'cuz I know I'm not as bad as Pops. You must like me a little, 'cuz you never seem to stay mad at me for long. I'd say that means we get along pretty good."
"Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds?"
Ranma shrugged. Not sure if Step Two was going entirely right, but seeing Akane was not actually mad at the moment, he proceeded to the next step. He put his arms around her, slowly and gently, waiting to see how she would react. To his surprise, she slipped easily into his arms, looking up at him with her hands placed gently on his chest in curious anticipation. He had one part of Step Two left to do, and he steeled his nerve as he found a way to say, "This is going to sound crazy too, then. Akane." He looked deep into her eyes, searching, watching and waiting to see how she reacted to the rest, "If I was absolutely sure what it meant, I'd say I love you."
Akane felt herself struggling for air, even though his gentle embrace in no way actually impaired her breathing. Those words were like a fist in her gut, but the impact was disturbingly pleasant. She was well aware of the qualifications in his statement. He more than liked her. "You… you mean, you're not sure if what you feel is love?"
Ranma shook his head. "It's nothing like what those love spells have made me feel, and I'm not sure that's what real love would feel like. Those feelings would have made me kiss you already, but what I feel… I want to kiss you, but I won't if you don't want to kiss me."
Akane reflected for a moment, and the thing that came to mind was that part of what he felt for her was… Her eyes widened. Respect. Rather than try to speak, she closed her eyes, leaned carefully forward and gently touched her lips to his. It was all the encouragement he needed. In moments, she was holding on to him as much as he was holding her, tentatively, hopefully, gratefully. For the first time since the engagement was thrust on them, some small corner in each of their minds wondered if it was really such a bad idea.
Sanity returned and they both backed away. They met each other's eyes, flushed with excitement and chagrin, then looked away at the same time. The moment had been wonderful, but they recognized it as more of a declaration of peace between them than a promise of things to come. For once, they were able to end things on a good note. Whatever happened next would be unable to taint what had just passed. One step forward. No steps back. It was enough for both of them. So, they resumed walking home, preparing to face whatever disaster was certainly waiting for them.
Of course, they were totally unprepared for the scene awaiting them as they entered the dojo. The first alarm bell was being greeted by Dr. Tofu instead of Kasumi. One look at his severe, concerned face assured them that their recent date was the last thing on anyone's mind in the Tendo Home. He approached with the demeanor of every doctor faced with the burden of delivering bad news to a patient's family in the waiting room.
"Ranma. Akane," Tofu greeted them succinctly.
"Dr. Tofu?" they both gulped.
"Why don't the two of you come into the Tea Room and sit down. I have something to tell you, and it will take a bit of explaining. I must insist you hear me out before attempting anything rash."
"What's wrong? Is it Ranma-chan!? Did something happen to her!?"
"Please, come sit down. I'll tell you everything we know," he urged them, putting a hand on their shoulders and firmly steering them in to where Genma and Soun were pacing around the table. They paused and offered nods in greeting, but remained strangely silent and grim. The tension in the young couple shot up to agonizing levels and they turned as one to Tofu and pleaded.
"Please, Dr. Tofu, where is Ranma-chan?"
"Doc, at least tell me she's still alive!?"
"Ranma-chan is still alive, Ranma," he offered a faint smile. "However, something has happened to her and she is in some danger. That is why it is essential you listen to me so you do not inadvertently do something to harm her." The fact that he did not respond to Akane's question made it clear that their ignorance was a threat to her, if they were to rush to her side. The two sat down and listened carefully as Dr. Tofu explained what had happened to Ranma-chan. After making sure they understood his concern about triggering her curse, he led them upstairs to where she was laid out in the guest room. Since Mousse's actions and intentions had been also explained, the pair leveled withering glances on the master of hidden weapons when they spotted him hovering behind Shampoo and Ukyo. However, since he was in the middle of a discussion with Cologne, they ignored him and joined Kasumi and Nabiki on the other side of Ranma-chan and looked down on her with concerned faces. A moment later, Mousse stood up and left the room.
"I've sent Mousse to retrieve some books containing information related to the Mirror of Broken Souls and the cursed man who survived its influence," Cologne announced to the doctor, loud enough for everyone else to hear. Tofu nodded, stiffly from the door. He had not entered, and tried very hard not to glance at Kasumi.
"Has there been any other change in her condition?" he asked.
Cologne shook her head. "No. The symptoms of shock all cleared up earlier, but she remains in a deep trance. She is bleeding ki, but not at a dangerous rate. I suspect that the barriers she erected today have been relaxed a bit, but she is not as naked as she was this morning."
Ranma cleared his throat, "Is there anyway I can give her more ki? Would that possibly help? I mean, right now she's got about two thirds of a normal person's ki. The missing third might be keeping her in a healing trance."
"I considered that, but you remember what I said would happen to the reflections if she gained a full measure?" Cologne looked at him sternly. "It would take half your remaining ki to bring her up to that level, which would cut you and Ranko off leaving you with barely a third of the energy you need to survive, Ranma." She sighed, "No, there's a steady flow at present. She has more than enough ki to wake up if there is nothing else preventing her."
"Is there any way to tell if Fa Shen might be winning the battle for dominance?"
"I can only tell that there is currently no struggle of wills going on. I could not guess which one might have triumphed, if indeed they simply did not stop fighting altogether. I would suspect the latter, since the victor would almost certainly rise to consciousness," Cologne returned to the head of Ranma-chan's futon and looked down on her thoughtfully.
"You mean, they called a truce?" Akane looked at her.
"They would certainly have a lot to discuss if the circumstances allowed for it," Cologne offered, sitting down and patting the sleeping girl's head gently. "In the meantime, there are some things you should be warned of as well," the matriarch focused on Ranma meaningfully. When she had his attention, she proceeded to explain the concerns that had come up regarding Fa Shen's presence in the reflections. Shampoo and Ukyo cut in from time to time to emphasize their own concerns as well. An occasional probing question from Nabiki ensured that the matter was covered in sufficient detail. Ranma confided his own thoughts on the topic, stemming from his initial confrontation with Fa Shen, and the things he had pondered during his date with Akane.
"I wish there was some way to know if I am right," Ranma concluded, after expressing his concerns about what would happen if Fa Shen was the source of the additional ki, and the state of living death she or Ranma-chan might have to endure depending on which one was conscious. "But, if I am, Ranko and I wouldn't have the same problem. We're both on the edge of this, while Ranma-chan and Fa Shen are tied together in the middle."
"So, another no win situation for Ran-chan," Ukyo commented bitterly.
"I hope not, Ucchan," Ranma running his hands through his hair in frustration. He crossed his arms and looked between her and Shampoo. "It's pretty freaky that you two fighting over Ranma-chan woke Fa Shen up, when your engagements might be the one thing that would keep Ranma-chan from just handing everything over to Fa Shen."
Ukyo and Shampoo looked at him in surprise.
"I know she gave up the engagements along with being me, but there's no way I can honor all three engagements," he pointed out. "Also, since the two of us are the only ones who can be Ranma, unless Ranko decides to go back to Jusenkyo, being split like this isn't a perfect solution. I'm not interested in getting' married any more than ever, but, I would be okay with splitting up the engagements if that let her go back to bein' normal."
"Shampoo like idea, is best Shampoo married to cursed Ranma."
"I'm not gonna let you just take Ran-chan," Ukyo glared.
"Shampoo hear blah blah blah know this tune by heart. Time Spatula Girl learn new song," Shampoo sniffed in disdain.
"Right now, she's not engaged to anyone," Ranma growled.
"It was just a suggestion," Akane pointed out.
"Right. If you fight over her, she might just decide it's not worth the trouble to be me again!"
"If become Fa Shen, Shampoo have to claim you Airen and kill Ranko. Shampoo no want have to do that," she retorted in a hurt tone.
"You don't want him for a husband?" Akane pointed at Ranma.
"Stupid Kitchen Destroyer! Is good husband! No want kill Ranko!"
"Oh. Well. Who would?" Akane subsided.
"I wish there was some way to separate her and Fa Shen."
"There might be," Cologne spoke up thoughtfully. "If we can fix the three of you, make you all whole, Son-In Law."
"What?" everyone else chorused.
"Don't worry, I'll tell you all, when I have it figured out," she promised.
Everyone keeled over backwards.
Ranma slowly pulled himself back upright, then paused as an idea came to him. "The mirror," he said to himself aloud. Everyone else popped to their knees and stared at him.
"What?"
"What was that, Son-In-Law?"
"I'm not your Son-In-Law," he narrowed his eyes at her, and waved everyone off for a moment to think. Nodding his head, he looked up. "It would depend on if Ranko and Ranma-chan agreed to it, but I think we could use the mirror to separate Fa Shen from the rest of us."
"I don't see how, given what I know of the mirror," Cologne criticized.
"That's because you've never been through it."
"Well then, enlighten us."
Ranma nodded and jumped to his feet. As he paced back and forth, he spelled out his idea. "The way I remember it, the mirror feels like a doorway from my mind. I mean, if you've ever stared into a mirror, you can see your reflection is thinking the same thing you are. You're really on one side of the glass, but you completely control the person inside the mirror." That made several of his audience boggle. "Never mind. Try it and you might get the idea," he shuddered, remembering a time when he had studied his alternate form in the mirror and been spooked by the perception of his thoughts and feelings possessing her. "Anyway, I told Akane that when I was coming out of the mirror, I expected to still be cursed Ranma even though I was walking out all-guy. It was all in my mind until I crossed over. If I had not made the decision to come out as a guy, the reflection would have stayed normal."
"You mean there was something different from when Ranko was trapped in the mirror?"
"Yeah, because the curse was triggered, Copy-kun was put back in my head, but I never triggered the curse while Copy-chan was in the mirror, so she stayed in the mirror until I let her out," Ranma turned and looked down at his original self. "I didn't have to bring back my guy side," he shook his head. "It's done now, and the reasons are the same. However, it would be easier for Ranma-chan and Ranko to be the same person again. Ranma-chan would have a shot at being part of her family as Ranko, and Ranko would still be able to be male when she wanted with the curse."
"If they went back to the mirror," Cologne was catching on, "Ranko could go in, Ranma-chan could revert to male form, making them one mind again, then go back to female form and let Fa Shen take that body and come out of the mirror."
"Exactly," Ranma nodded with conviction.
"That would not completely fix the bleeding problem, but it would certainly clear up the mess with Fa Shen," Cologne noted with satisfaction. She returned her hand to Ranma-chan's head, smiled and gently brushed her bangs out of her face. "Well, all we need is for you to wake up, hopefully before your mother gets back, and make another trip out to that mansion."
Nodoka returned to the restaurant where Ranko and Ryouga were eating well before the two were finished with their desserts. On the train, she had brooded over the girl's gentle refusal of her offer to adopt her, but at the same time recognized that there were advantages to assuming the role of mentor instead of a motherly role. For one thing, it gave her a great deal of liberty in addressing the girl's sexuality and education. As a mother, it would have been difficult to be frank and honest about the chemistry she sensed between her young charges, but as a woman and teacher, she could take an active hand in initiating the young girl in the mysteries of womanhood. From their conversation in the ladies room, that was certainly a priority. As a former tom-boy herself, she understood that Ranko was far more adventurous than the average girl, and from her usual appetites certain to live up to certain myths about red heads. Nodoka knew she could not encourage her to indulge her curiosity with her new young man, so it had seemed prudent to invest in something to distract her. From personal experience, she knew a woman needed a "special friend" if she was determined not to stray into some man's bed in spite of all good intentions. Thus, she took advantage of the need to give the teens some privacy during their meal to pick up a little gift for Ranko.
When she entered the restaurant and saw the pair sitting on the same side of the table, polishing off a dessert and holding hands under the table, she knew it had been wise not to wait until Ranko could accompany her shopping for bedroom novelties. Taking a deep breath, and carefully masking her motherly concern, she approached their table to see if they were ready to go.
Ranko looked up as her mother approached and smiled. "Auntie Nodoka! Where have you been?" she asked with sparkling eyes and a flushed face, trying to hide some breed of mortification. Nodoka almost grimaced, wondering if she had missed something important.
"I had a little errand to run," she responded, smiling back. Noticing the wooden grin and glassy eyes of the boy beside Ranko, along with what appeared to be blood stains on his tux and the table cloth where he was sitting, Nodoka knew she had certainly missed something. She had heard of girls who exploded into full bloom, but she suspected Ranko was entering this new phase of her existence with the same unrestrained enthusiasm she did everything else. Time to nip this in the bud, she decided. "If you'd care to accompany me to the ladies' room, Ranko, I'll tell you all about it. Do you mind, Ryouga?"
"Not at all, ma'am! We were just about ready to leave, really!"
"Don't go anywhere, Ryouga. I'll be right back," Ranko insisted.
The boy nodded and, as they left, heaved a great sigh of relief. He needed to collect his wits and figure out if he was in heaven or if he was in hell. He had seen the Ranma he knew, mixed with the Ranma of the koi rod, the Copy-chan who opened his eyes to his feelings for Ranma, and this strange person Ranma had become for his mother all blended together, and he had not been prepared for her at all! Between a nose bleed and two naps on the floor, he had to wonder if it was really safer to just fight the girl, because he did not know if he would survive dating her. He did know this, though. He was totally in love! The very idea almost scared him witless. The universe did not hold his happiness in high regard, and he was terrified that somehow, some way, this wondrous feeling invited disaster. He pulled the condom out of his pocket, and fingered it thoughtfully. Quite clearly it represented a promise beyond his wildest fantasies, but more importantly, it was a message. He had succeeded in doing what he had set out to do. He had helped her come to terms with her new life, her current identity. In spite of anything that had happened, or anything that might yet happen, what he held in his hands was a symbol of victory. Ryouga Hibiki had successfully accomplished something he had set out to do. For the first time that he could remember, he felt a well of confidence spring up inside him, a brilliant, uplifting sensation that spilled out of him in a familiar glow.
He fought the urge to rush outside and let off his first mokotakibisha.
While he basked in happiness, Ranko and Nodoka confirmed that they were alone in the ladies room. Nodoka urged her to use one of the stalls, informing her that she had spotted a dance club that was perfect for the next activity of the evening. When Ranko emerged to wash her hands, she was presented with Nodoka's gift.
"I know I said we would go shopping for one of these, but it was simpler to find one now, since we're already in the city," Nodoka grinned, seeing the shocked look on the girl's face when she opened the long, narrow box. Ranko nervously pulled the cylindrical object out of its velvet nest, running her fingers over the smooth, rounded surface. It was a little shorter and more slender than what nature had graced her with as a boy, and in spite of herself she looked a little disappointed. Nodoka laughed, "I can see you expected something a little more… impressive. Trust me, this will be a lot easier for you to deal with for starters." Her face became more serious and concerned. "Ranko, I want you to know that I am concerned with your well being. By giving you some means of protection, I am looking out for you, but I am not encouraging you to do anything. Do you understand?"
Ranko looked up and nodded. "Is that why you bought me this?"
Nodoka nodded. "It's perfectly understandable that you would find yourself tempted by such a handsome young man, but let me ask you this. Do you wish to be married to him?"
Ranko paused and bit her lip. Once again the hated marriage question had come up, but after throttling her outright denial, she considered the context of the question. "I'm not thinking that far ahead. I'm just getting used to the idea that I love him. I never would have thought that possible, but I do. And I want to prove it to him," she looked up, hoping her expression would convey her meaning better.
Nodoka smiled and blinked sudden moisture out of her eyes. She could see the girl's feelings naked on her face, and shook her head faintly. "I am sure you do, and it's not my place to tell you what you can and can't do. I will say that it would be wise to take this very slowly. You might not feel the same way tomorrow, or a week from now."
"I've had these feelings a long time, but I couldn't let myself see that," Ranko blurted. For an instant she felt a dread of something going wrong, of things going back to how they were, or her mother learning who she really was. She swallowed hard in sudden terror. She grabbed the woman's hand and stared into her eyes, "You have to understand, no matter what, you have to know none of this affected Ranma! I didn't… I couldn't let any of this be blamed on him! He doesn't know!"
"Relax, Ranko-chan," Nodoka cupped her cheek.
"I'm not Ranma, Ranma's nothing like me, just… you have to believe me!" she demanded quietly, holding herself tight in anxiety.
"Certainly not. I don't understand this curse, or how it affects you two, but, I think I understand what you're concerned about," she smiled gently. "You don't have to keep hiding from yourself because of how this effects him. You are two different people, Ranko-chan."
"Yeah, well," she hung her head. "There have been times when it didn't seem that way. I wish I could explain it, but I'm too afraid you will think I've ruined him," she quickly brushed her cheek, blinking hard, and struggled to keep from hyperventilating. She was coming so close to revealing the truth, damning Ranma. She wanted to throw up. Before she could say any more, her chin was taken in a firm grip and she was forced to meet her mother's eyes.
"Ranko," the voice was stern, but the eyes holding her gaze were compassionate. "As I get to know you, I know who to look past to see my son. I don't see how you could help but make him a better person. I can't promise I will approve of him, but I will judge him solely for who he is. Do you understand?"
"I… I don't know. I can try," she offered.
"As can I," Nodoka smiled. "Now, put that in your purse. I would suggest you keep that in mind as an alternative to rushing into something you are not prepared for, just because it would feel good. If you are seriously thinking of becoming more intimate with Ryouga, I suggest you find out if he's ready to take that step himself. He seems to be a rather shy and insecure boy, and it might not be the best thing for him to pursue this too quickly."
"I… um… I sorta already, um, promised…" she babbled.
"What did you say exactly?"
"That I was willing to… ah…"
"Ah! Well, if that's all, then I suggest you leave it be," Nodoka suggested, patting the girl on the shoulder. "You've made your intentions clear enough, so I would leave it up to him to figure out if he's up to it."
"Um. You don't know Ryouga," she blushed. "He can get really carried away when he gets excited about something. I'm surprised he didn't just blow up on the spot!"
"Erm. Ranko-chan, dear," she tried not to laugh, "Unless you want to give the poor boy a heart attack or a stroke, I would suggest that you definitely take things very slowly. He sounds like a high strung young man. You need to gradually build up to things with him, one step at a time, or he will be completely useless. Besides, you might enjoy the whole thing much more yourself that way. Think of it as building discipline."
Ranko nodded, putting the vibrator away and quickly making sure she was presentable, before following Nodoka back to the table and Ryouga. The three quickly settled the bill and walked outside to hear Nodoka's plan for them to go dancing. Ranko and Ryouga blushed and stammered that they did not actually know how to dance, and confessed to having little interest in the activity. Hearing that, Nodoka commented idly that dancing was not too far from their favorite activity. Dancing could be looked at as a kind of kata for couples, with no particular emphasis on combat, it did have techniques and varying levels of complexity and difficulty. Ranko and Ryouga exchanged odd looks. It was not hard to relate this to their experience with pair skating. It should be easy to pick up if they saw anyone who was any good at dancing, they agreed aloud. Nodoka led them to the club and left them to observe the other dancers while she sought out a phone. She made a quick call to the dojo, intending to inform everyone that they would be returning rather late, since the date was going so well. After many long rings, Nabiki answered, and took the message with enthusiasm.
"Don't worry Auntie Nodoka, you three stay out as long as you like!"
"We will probably catch the last train home, Nabiki. I suppose I can wait until tomorrow morning to speak to my son," she sighed, shaking her head wearily.
"Oh, I am so sorry," Nabiki apologized sincerely. "As much as he wants to see you, he won't be home tonight. There has been a crisis with one of Ranma's friends, who has a life threatening condition. Ranma has been doing everything he can to help out the past couple of days. He vowed at the start to do whatever he could to keep his friend from dying. Ranma has a plan to find a cure so they're leaving tonight. I don't know when he will be able to come home."
Nodoka sighed. It was almost to be expected. "That's okay, Nabiki. I did come to the dojo unannounced. I wouldn't want him to abandon a sick friend for my convenience. I think it's very manly of him to be so generous and helpful to those in need. We will simply have to make up for it next time."
"I'll let him know. I am sure he'll be glad you understand."
"Well, that's it I suppose. Goodnight."
"Wait," Nabiki interrupted. "Would it be possible to put Ranko on the phone? This is a mutual friend of theirs, and I am sure she would want to know what is going on."
"Um. She's not right with me at the moment. Is it something I can tell her?" Nodoka inquired, craning her neck to see if she could spot Ranko in the crowd across the room.
"Well, Dr. Tofu was treating the friend, and Ranko has been working with Ranma to help out. She might know something important Ranma missed, so it would be best if they could speak directly."
"Dr. Tofu? You mean he's there?"
"Oh, well, you know how it is, him and Kasumi…"
"I see. Hold on a moment."
A moment later Nodoka had found Ranko and brought her back to the phone. Ranko suggested that Nodoka go keep an eye on Ryouga so he did not wander off. When she retreated, Ranko cupped the phone and asked, "What's going on, Nabiki?"
"It's Ranma-chan," Nabiki informed her, and went on to quickly explain what had been happening while Ranko was on her date. Ranko listened and grew paler and paler as she knotted the phone cord around her fingers. After Nabiki filled her in, she put the doctor on to answer any questions Ranko had Nabiki herself could not answer. Then, when she thought the news could not get any worse, Ranma came on the line and proposed his plan to her. As she hung up the phone her face was white as a sheet.
Ranma-chan and Fa Shen wandered through the dreamscape they inhabited in growing alarm. To distract themselves from the fear that they might not find a way to regain consciousness, they continued to talk about their lives and the problems waiting to be resolved when they awoke. However, their current dilemma continued to creep up as the focus of their conversation, and occasionally became grounds for argument. Fa Shen had proposed that, since they had stopped fighting for dominance, there had to be something else blocking them. Ranma-chan, highly conscious of how stripped her psyche was at the moment, insisted there could not be anything in her psyche holding them down. Fa Shen resented the implication that she was unconsciously hindering them. Before their argument erupted into insults and blows, they stumbled across something that almost sent Ranma-chan screaming for cover.
"Mrrrow?"
"C-c-c-CAAAT!" Ranma-chan stared at the curious black tom. The cat, awakened from its nap by the shouting girls and wandering out of hiding to investigate, stared back at her. Fa Shen stared at both of them. Apart from the initial shocked utterance, Ranko showed no extraordinary fear, and was rather stunned by the absence. Fa Shen shrugged and crouched to beckon the cat closer. The tom shifted his attention from the human statue to her affectionately cooing twin and inched forward to sniff at her outstretched hand. When the cat finally deigned to allow Fa Shen to pet it, Ranma-chan resumed breathing and frowned. "I don't get it."
"You mean, why aren't you afraid of this cat?"
"Yeah," Ranma-chan nodded. "Not that I'm complainin' but, it's been a long time since I could look at one and not freak out completely, at least on the inside." She scratched the back of her head.
"Isn't it obvious?" Fa Shen met her twin's eyes. One look told her she needed to spell it out. "Well, think about it. Why would you be afraid of yourself?"
"My… self…?" Ranma-chan's jaw dropped. She crouched down to stare into the cat's eyes. The cat gazed back with oddly familiar grey eyes. Apart from the feline pupils, they were the same color as Ranma-kun's eyes. The cat yawned hugely as Ranma-chan gaped at Fa Shen, "Ohmigod. It's my neko-ken."
"Well, your cat personality," Fa Shen nodded.
"What's it doin' here?"
"I don't know. Maybe that means we're buried as deeply as you bury your fears," Fa Shen suggested. Then she stiffened and searched around herself. In a nervous voice, she asked, trying to act casual, "So, uh, is there anything else you're scared of you might wanna tell me about before we, um, meet it?"
Ranma-chan shrugged. "I'm not really afraid of all that much."
"You're kidding," Fa Shen narrowed her eyes.
"Well, I suppose things scare me, like Akane's temper, but it's not like she terrifies me," Ranma-chan snorted. Seeing that Fa Shen still looked disturbed, she arched an eyebrow. "Is there something you wanna tell me?"
"Yeah, we really need to wake up. You don't wanna meet what I'm afraid of," Fa Shen warned in a very serious tone. She picked up the cat and the two of them resumed walking. At the moment, they were passing through what appeared to be the wilderness of the China. There was a faint sound of something massive pushing through the forest, and Fa Shen grabbed Ranma-chan's hand and began sprinting away from the sound. Ranma-chan peered back as she stumbled along to keep pace, and gasped at what exploded into the clearing they had just abandoned. It was big. Big enough to swallow her whole, though the saber-like teeth could have minced her into tiny pieces well before that stage. Ranma-chan stared into the burning yellow eyes that dominated the red scaled, armored face, and gulped.
"Fa Shen?" she asked in a tiny voice, as the distance between them and the giant predator widened. "Is there a, ah, undefeatable martial arts technique you learned by being thrown into a pit of starving dragons?"
"Nope. It was just a starving dragon, and if you'd been swallowed by one, you'd be phobic too," Fa Shen retorted in a clipped voice.
"Do you…?"
"I don't even want to know," Fa Shen was pretty sure she did not become a dragon to escape her fear. "But, if I did, it would explain why that idiot, Ergot, was always so hot for me!"
"Huh?"
"Ergot, dragon prince of the Musk. I don't remember the first time we met, because I was a bit out of my mind after crawling out of a dragon's throat, but he challenged me relentlessly after that," Fa Shen clarified, before stumbling to a halt. Ranma-chan stared at her, wondering what could make her stand her ground with the embodiment of her fear just around the bend. Then she took a good look at where they were.
"Heh, back where we started," she quipped, staring at the familiar mist filled, spring riddled valley. Even with all the cats in China on her heels, Ranma-chan would pause before racing through that place to get away. The pair carefully began to skirt the area, when a thought came to Ranma-chan. "Wait. If this is where we arrived, maybe the way out is here too."
"Seems reasonable. Do you remember exactly where we arrived?"
Ranma-chan winced. She certainly did. She quickly led the way. In a moment they were both standing beside the nyanniichaun. "It kinda makes sense. This is where you ended and where I, well, who I am now, began," Ranma-chan muttered, leaning forward to carefully peer into the water. To her surprise, there was a shadowy form submerged in the spring. "Hey. Who's that?" she reared back in surprise.
Fa Shen edged forward and knelt by the spring for a closer look. "It's a boy," she commented. She carefully set the black cat down. It padded forward to paw at the water, then decided not to drink and wandered into some tall grass carpeting the left bank of the spring. Fa Shen stood up and paced around until she found a long bamboo pole laying hidden deeper in the waist high grass. With practiced ease, she dipped one end in to fish out the body they had found, idly commenting, "I've heard of people with skeletons in their closet, but a drowned corpse?" She laughed and with a grunt flipped the boy out of the water. To both their surprise, the figure coughed up a lung full of water and curled up on his side. Even more shocking, they got a good look at his face.
"Hey! That's me!" Ranma-chan shouted, kneeling at his side.
"That's odd. Does this mean you are afraid of yourself?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" She grabbed his shoulder and shook him.
The boy ignored her, eyes tightly closed as he repeated over and over, "This can't be happening."
"What can't be happening?" the girls asked.
He blinked his eyes open and looked around in fear and confusion. Cautiously, he peered at them and shook his head to clear it. With a blush of embarrassment, he sighed. "It must have been a dream. Thank the Kami!"
The girls exchanged confused looks. "A dream?"
"Yeah. Uh, it's kinda weird, but I don't see him… it… whatever. So it had to have been a dream," he was still looking around. When he gave them a description of Genma and asked if they had seen him, an alarmed suspicion crossed Ranma-chan's face. He was still talking, "He's my old man. We came here to do some training. I musta got blindsided or somethin' 'cuz I coulda sworn my old man turned into a panda before he knocked me into that spring."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I told you it was crazy," he groused, standing up. "Huh. That guide's gone too. Stupid old man, leavin' me knocked out in a pond and runnin' off to stuff his face or somethin'!"
"Is this… am I seeing this right?" Fa Shen asked nervously.
"Hey. Do you know who you are and where you are?" Ranma-chan asked in trepidation.
"Sure. Ranma Saotome," he puffed up proudly, "Heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Oh, I guess I should thank you or somethin' for dragging me outta that spring."
"Is there something about that spring you're forgetting?"
"Huh? Supposed to be cursed or somethin' I guess. The guide was goin' on about cursed springs. Called the place Jusenkyo. 'There over one hundred spring here, each one have own tragic legend!' Shoulda known it'd be some tourist trap and not a real training ground," he grumbled.
"It's not possible," Ranma-chan was beginning to hyperventilate.
"This isn't just your guy side?" Fa Shen leaned toward her.
Ranma-chan just shook her head, beginning to tremble as the inconceivable began to take shape in her mind. Fa Shen noticed her eyes beginning to glaze and frowned in sudden, intense thought. The boy claiming to be Ranma looked at them oddly. He shrugged and was about to wander off when Fa Shen caught hold of him. "Wait. There's some things you don't know. You don't want to wander off in here."
"'In' here? We're outdoors. What are you talkin' about?"
"Oh, this is not good!" Fa Shen began to sweat, staring at Ranma-chan as something crept back into her mind. At the clinic, after her battle with Ranma, she had been informed of and finally remembered her death. There had been a sense that something had happened between that moment and her awakening in Ranma-chan. She had instinctively avoided it, but it suddenly played out now. It was a haunting, timeless memory of a dark, cold place barely illuminated by a distant, alluring light. She had been trapped and tormented by flickering shadows of countless beings. She had initially fought the shadows, trying to defeat them and break free of her prison. Again and again, she had lost these battles, feeling a tiny piece of her essence torn away each time before the shadows vanished. She learned to avoid the shadows, ignore their intrusions, and wait for a special kind with a certain feel, a certain vulnerability. These planned ambushes also resulted in more pain and loss, but finally, after what seemed an eternity, she found the perfect one, and charged into battle. For the first time, the shadow was pressed back to reveal a face. A face she had recognized as that of her nemesis, Lo Shen. She had attacked him instantly, with renewed rage, their ki spilling over each other and blending before the pair of them sank into oblivion. "He's Ranma," Fa Shen gasped.
"I can see that, Fa Shen!" Ranma-chan growled.
"Do I know you two?" Ranma squinted, trying to place their faces. He had just introduced himself, but they talked as if they were already familiar with him. Also, there was a nagging sense of familiarity about them. An unlikely family resemblance that disturbed him, since apart from his father, he really did not know much about his family. His scrutiny went unnoticed as they continued to argue, however.
"You don't understand. When he fell into the spring, I attacked him. We dragged each other down here," Fa Shen shouted.
"What?"
"I don't remember fighting you. I don't fight girls."
"Shut up!" the two girls roared at him.
"Sheesh. Stupid girls."
"No," Ranma-chan shook her head as her initial suspicion was confirmed. "That's not possible. I am Ranma." The boy stared at her in disbelief and then started laughing. "How can that be possible!?" she ignored Ranma and grabbed Fa Shen, shaking her roughly.
"You know what you said, about how this is where I ended and you began? You were exactly right," Fa Shen grabbed Ranma-chan and forced her to stop shaking her. The confusion her words caused was more effective. "Think about it. When he fell in, I jumped him. Male ki, female ki, it all blended together, because we have the same soul, but neither of us could control the whole so a new person, a 'whole' person formed and took control of it."
"What the hell are you two talkin' about?"
"When we figure that out, we'll tell you," Fa Shen snapped. She took Ranma-chan carefully into her arms, sensing she was too shocked to deal with the possibility. She wondered if it could possibly be true. Then she remembered what her mother had tried to make her do.
About a year before she died, her mom had taken her to Jusenkyo and tried to get her to jump into the nanniichaun. It had something to do with tapping into her full potential, her mother's animal heritage, something that could be unlocked by mastering the powers of a curse, like the traditional masters of the Shokei Fist, and mastered by embracing her masculinity. Because she had not been willing to do it, her mother had refused to reveal the mystery of her origins. All she did know was that if she had accepted the curse it would have been some kind of catalyst. The combination of male and female ki would supposedly have spawned a new version of herself capable of achieving her full potential. She leaned the other girl's head on her shoulder and whispered this story into her ear. "That's the real reason why you have the ki of two people, because you took mine and Ranma's and made it yours," she concluded.
"But, if I'm not Ranma, who the hell am I?" she wailed.
"You already told me. You are YOU," Fa Shen asserted.
"Why did I think I was Ranma?" she was looking for loop holes.
"I don't know. Maybe because he was awake when you were created, you just grabbed everything in his mind. You might have grabbed all of my memories at the same time, but our personalities weren't compatible, so you suppressed all of my memories," Fa Shen guessed, finding it easy to imagine that happening. Meanwhile, Ranma was listening to the two of them and getting a spooked and suspicious look on his face.
He swallowed and spoke up, "Now I know where I recognize you from. You were in the pool. You attacked me," he accused Fa Shen angrily. More of the memory returned, with it some disturbing information. With a shudder, he added, "It felt like you did something to me, changed me into a… a…" He stopped and patted himself down. "I'm still a guy. What happened? Was it real? Did I really see Pop turn into a panda!? Did I really turn into a girl!?"
The two girls turned to him and Fa Shen sighed. Ranma-chan was speechless. She stepped between the two and carefully explained to Ranma what had happened. It took a while, because he refused to believe until Ranma-chan woodenly began to parrot scenes from his life, in detail. Then, to prove where they were, Fa Shen tracked down the tom cat and confronted Ranma with it. Like Ranma-chan he expected to go into hysterics, but then he realized the cat inspired no fear. With some difficulty, he accepted that this was some kind of dream and openly wished he would wake up soon so he could look for a cure, not relishing the idea that he would be turned into a girl whenever he was splashed with cold water. When he was told that they had bigger problems to solve before returning to China, he gasped.
"What do you mean, return to China!? That's where I am, isn't it?"
"We're in Japan, idiot. We came back about ten months ago," Ranma-chan rolled her eyes. She wondered if he was even following the conversation. With forced patience, she quickly outlined what had happened since Ranma was cursed. "So, you see, we have to fix the problem caused by the mirror. It would kill us to be that far from our reflections." Ranma seemed to have stopped listening, distracted by the implications of all this history.
"You stole a year of my life!?" Ranma finally realized, turning on Ranma-chan in anguish.
"She didn't steal anything, and you're not the only one here who has had their life interrupted. Hell, you're lucky the two of us got into a struggle that dragged us down like this, or you might have never been woken up!"
"Huh?"
"You don't remember any of the things she told you, right? You wouldn't be able to bitch about it if we hadn't woken you up," Fa Shen pointed out. "Now, you're in the same boat as we are. We need to wake up, because it's entirely possible that we're all dying right now anyway!"
"Um," Ranma-chan paused thoughtfully. "It's possible we only got trapped here because of him. Can either of you think of some way the three of us can wake up?"
The cat mewed at the three of them, jumping from Fa Shen's arms and heading away from the springs. Pausing at the head of a path, it turned to stare at them. They all exchanged glances. The cat's tail flicked impatiently as he yowled at them. Fa Shen shrugged, "Maybe he has an idea."
The two Ranmas shuddered, but followed Fa Shen as she fell into step behind the cat. In a short while, the image of Jusenkyo vanished to be replaced by a cliff overlooking a vast ocean of swirling clouds and fog. The cat sat down on the edge of the precipice and began to clean himself.
"Well, this is helpful," the boy rolled his eyes.
"What do you make of it?" Fa Shen asked Ranma-chan.
She leaned out over the edge and frowned. "Leap of faith?"
"You want us to jump offa here!?"
"Seems as good as any other idea we've come up with."
Ranma-chan turned back around to face them, then froze. "Uh, unless you prefer that!" she pointed, turned, and jumped off the cliff. The other two gaped, then turned around. The dragon was slinking forward into position to pounce on them. They looked at each other for a heart beat, then raced to the edge of the cliff.