Ranma Nibunnoichi : Reflections Vol 1 : 2 : 3

by avmorgan

Complete. What if the copies of Ranma turned out to be a hint of something far more? Can Ranma survive the Mirror of Broken Souls? Diverging continuation of the Two Ranmas story V35 P14. Warning: Explicit sex in P38,40,41.

28. The Art of Dating, Step Four: Seduction

Ranma Nibunnoichi - Reflections

A. V. Morgan

Part Twenty-Eight: The Art of Dating, Step Four: Seduction

Nodoka had engaged Ryouga in small talk while Ranko spoke at some length on the phone. Although the woman was trying to be subtle about it, Ryouga grasped that the topic of conversation was really the prospect of sex between Ryouga and Ranko. The probing, seemingly innocent questions about his interest in and intentions toward Ranko, were making the boy's blood boil. He was painfully aware of what she was getting at, but deliberately misinterpreted such questions as, had he ever been in a "close" relationship with a girl before, was he, or had he been engaged to a girl, with his constant traveling were there any profound gaps in his education or, since he rarely came in contact with his parents, had he found other ways to educate himself in the roles and responsibilities of men and women in various relationships. Did he know how to treat a girl, make her happy. Did he love Ranko, and did he find her attractive. He honestly confessed that there were girls he had been drawn to, who he believed he loved but who he did not believe loved him. The relationship he had with Ranko was unique in a lot of ways. He explained that, though he loved her, he was going out with her so that she could find herself as a normal girl, and he was willing to do anything to help her find happiness in her life.

            "I've done more to hurt her or make her ashamed of herself than just about anyone else," Ryouga concluded softly. "To make up for that, I'm willing to do anything she wants me to, Mrs. Saotome."

            "I got the impression that she has done her part to upset you, as well."

            "You have no idea!"

            "Would you consider marrying her?"

            "I do. I'd love to. I just don't know if she'll ever be ready for that."

            Nodoka paused, then carefully went on, "She is willing to make love to you. Do you believe either of you are ready for that?" Nodoka almost hated herself for asking, but it seemed neither of these children had anything like adequate parental support. Someone had to step forward as an adult and point out the risks and dangers they faced.

            Ryouga swallowed. "I can't believe she told you that. It's kind of scary, Mrs. Saotome. Normally I am so afraid of rejection, or being tricked or made fun of that the very idea of doing something like that would make me a nervous wreck. But," he sighed and turned to look at Ranko hungrily. "She's so honest, so serious, I believe she wants it as bad as I do. To have someone, to hold someone, it's what I dream of when I am alone. I'm almost always alone. Now that I've had some time to get over the shock, I think maybe I am ready."

            Nodoka bit her lip. "Is she? Honestly?"

            "I almost think she has to," Ryouga fidgeted. "I can't explain it."

            "Well, I must say, you have done the most to bring her out of her shell. I keep forgetting that it all seems so sudden because I only learned of all of this today. Please forgive me for intruding on such a private matter, but I am just concerned for her well-being. I see you two are used to fending for yourselves, and I suppose this is just the latest thing you two have had to face without help or guidance. I will say this, however, and I mean it most strongly, Ryouga. If you hurt her, if things should go wrong and you fail to do the honorable thing, I will see to it that you pay whatever price is necessary to restore her honor," Nodoka warned in a severe voice. At the same time, she offered a compassionate and motherly look.

            Ryouga swallowed and nodded. Firming his jaw, he returned, "If somehow circumstances were reversed, I promise you I would not allow any harm to come to her because of you."

            Nodoka's eyes widened, but there was such a powerful tone of protectiveness in his voice she did not rebuke him for implying she might ever harm Ranko. She simply nodded, nobly and gracefully.

            Ranko had finished her call and walked up to them. She looked extremely pale and distant, but hesitated to answer Nodoka's concerned inquiry. Shaking her head, and grabbing Ryouga by the hand, she announced, "I need a moment to deal with the bad news, but I can't think in here. It's too hot and noisy. If it's alright with you, I'd like to step outside and walk for a bit before dancing. I'll take Ryouga with me."

            "I can come too," Nodoka offered.

            "No. I appreciate it, but I also have some things I need to talk to Ryouga about privately," she rejected demurely. Nodoka studied her thoughtfully a moment before nodding.

            "I will save us a table here, then. We have until the last train departs to go home. I suppose you two have some things to discuss and it would be good to get that out of the way so you can enjoy the rest of the night."

            "Thanks, M- Mrs. Saotome," Ranko gave a grateful smile and dragged Ryouga outside. After walking half a block, she proceeded to fill him on the news. Ryouga was stunned to hear about Fa Shen's awakening and the struggle for possession that had laid Ranma-chan out. Even though he found Ranma's suggestion to deal with Fa Shen a little disturbing, it was obvious Ranma-chan was far more upset. "I mean, it makes sense. I understand exactly how it will work, because I felt what happened to him when the curse was triggered. I'm just not sure I'll still be me if I get sealed up in Ranma-chan that way."

            Ryouga heard panic begin to enter her voice and pulled her aside, setting them on a convenient park bench, to calm her down. "Ranko, Ranko, calm down. I was there all day today while you were all working on the ki bottling techniques, and I pulled Ranma aside to talk about what the mirror did to him," Ryouga held her in his arms, and made his voice as reassuring as possible. "I am curious if the mirror can be used to cure me, so I've been giving everything I can learn about it lots of thought."

            "Ryouga," Ranko was instantly worried about him, instead of herself. "Don't even think about that! You could end up trapped as a pig forever!"

            "I wasn't planning on letting my pig side out, idiot," he frowned playfully. "I've actually been thinking about what the mirror does with ki. If I let a male reflection of me out, but shifted all my ki into the reflection, it would be sort of like stepping out of my cursed body into a completely normal one."

            "Oh!" she looked surprised. "You know, I didn't think of that! It might just actually work!"

            "Yeah, well… There's still that part about it killing my cursed body I'm not too thrilled about. It's an idea, but there's a lot still to figure out," he shrugged that off. "What I do know is that Ranma remembers Copy-kun's mind blending with Ranma's. When Ranma was splashed, Copy-kun remained part of him even though the reflection, and the feel of having a second body disappeared."
            "Um. I can sort of remember that, feeling that happen to him, since all of that blended with me when I fell into the mirror then."

            "Right, so, you'll be aware of becoming Ranma-chan. You'll still be you and her at the same time. I mean, since she's considered herself a girl, it should not change you that much, right?" he tried to sound optimistic, burying his own dread of being wrong and losing her.

            "I… Okay, so, maybe it's not like I won't be there, Ryouga," she relented, yet tensing up again. "I just d-don't kn-know if- if- if I'll still f-feel the same about you a-as I d-do now!" she stuttered as tears welled up in her eyes. "I p-promised y-you… b-but… I can't m-make that promise f-for h-her."

            "Hey! Come on!" he shook her gently. "It means a lot to me that you would want to… well… you know… with me. It really does, but I'm not going to hold you to that even now."

            Ranko sat up and stared into his eyes in sudden anger. "You! You don't WANT me!?"

            Ryouga gasped and flapped his mouth in instant dread. Somehow he had managed to say just the wrong thing, big time! With desperate, placating gestures, he babbled, "N-no! I don't- Aaaah! I mean, Yes! I want to throw you on the ground, rip off all your clothes and- and…" he pinched his nose and took a deep breath while his eyes rolled in his skull. Carefully editing out the graphic descriptions that typically came to mind, in accompaniment of skyrocketing blood pressure, he summarized, "…Do things to you that will make your toes curl!" He forced the images out of his mind and concentrated on regulating his pulse. If they continued to bring up sex, he would HAVE to get laid soon or his brain would liquefy and pour out his nose.

            Ranko was just staring at him in shock. She had always assumed he was as naive about sex as Ranma had been. "You, ah… actually have some kind of idea what to do… ah… sex wise?" she asked in a small voice.

            "Come on! When you've hung around with as many sailors, dock workers, truck drivers and monks as I have, you pick up a lot of interesting information! My head's been crammed with so much pornography and dirty talk I can't even look at a girl without thinking of all the ways to, ah… ahem," he shook his head and put a handkerchief to his nose. "It's really embarrassing, Ranko. People like to hide that sort of stuff in closets and pantries and basements, and there have been times when I've been locked in a room for days with nothing to do but stare at dirty posters and read dirty magazines out of sheer boredom. Don't even ask me about being stuck on a ship!"

            "You're saying you're a pervert?" she twitched.

            Ryouga shrugged and slumped, "Not because I want to be. I've just wandered into too many strange places too many times to be innocent. I'm not like Happosai. I don't revel in it, and seeing guys do that just pisses me off. Fact is, though, I've seen so much of that stuff that I am absolutely desperate to get laid!" he shuddered. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to deal with you under the spell of the koi rod. If I had not wanted to kill you, or that I'd vowed to save myself for Akane…"

            Ranko stiffened and found herself at the far end of the bench. Somehow she had teleported out of his grip to put some distance between them. That was as far as she got though, because as strong as the repulsion she felt imagining Ranma's reaction to this admission, her attraction to him would not let her go farther away. Hugging herself, she considered things anew. Taking a deep breath, she looked up. "Ryouga. I sort of promised my Mom that I'd go slow with you. But what's happening now, what you just told me, it changes everything."

            "Ranko…"

            "No. Just hear me out. This plan to save Fa Shen, that's a really good thing. She was murdered, for cryin' out loud! I'd do anything to give someone like that her life back. Even if I had to die!" she looked down and visibly shivered. When she looked back, there was a clear desperation in her eyes, showing all of her hunger. "I had a whole year to find out what it really meant to be a girl, but I was too afraid to risk it. I know what happened to Copy-chan better than anyone, because I was her. Call it amnesia, but when I remembered everything before that, Copy-chan was wiped out, overwhelmed and cast aside. In the short time she had, she only wanted one thing, Ryouga, and she never got it. I don't want that to happen to me again."

            Ryouga stared at her, understanding that she had been as hurt by the loss of Copy-chan as he had been. He sagged. "But… like this?"

            "I know. It sucks for you, 'cuz if I am right about this, you have as much to lose," she stopped hugging herself and began to wring her hands. "If we make love, it might actually hurt worse, but at least there won't be any regrets, Ryouga. If tonight is all we ever have, don't you want to know you made the most of it?"

            Ryouga knew he was losing the fight. He wanted to be noble. He wanted to resist the temptation to take advantage of her desperation, but her arguments were breaking him down. He wanted this. He needed this. Almost as much as she did. Before he could try one more time to resist, she delivered the final blow.

            "Besides, if we do this, it might just be enough to make sure the new Ranko loves you as much as I do," she murmured. Ryouga sighed. Ranko stood up and took the few steps necessary to stand in front of him in all her glory. Taking his hand, she pulled him to his feet and led him into the depths of the park their wandering had brought them to. He offered no resistance. With joy and trepidation, they sought out a bower in which to purchase a future with their virginity. Naturally, they were both scared witless by the decision.

Back at the dojo, the vigil continued. Nabiki had found herself unable to sit around staring at an unconscious Ranma-chan and wandered downstairs after Dr. Tofu showed Ranma and Akane up. She had sat down with the doctor to discuss the situation when the phone began ringing. After a bit, it was obvious that Kasumi was too preoccupied to come down stairs to answer it, so she took the call herself. After listening to Nodoka's plans, she had forced herself to sound as enthusiastic as possible, urging her to stay out as late as possible. At the same time, it seemed prudent to warn Ranko, so she schemed to get her on the line. When she put the doctor on, she scrambled upstairs and told Ranma to explain his plan to her. She listened in on his end of the conversation eagerly, and then confronted him when they hung up.

            "So, is she willing to do it?" she asked.

            "I think the idea scared her," he sighed, worried by the choked sob that accompanied her agreement. "She says she'll be ready to go tonight, when she gets back. If Ranma-chan isn't awake, we'll carry her out there with us and use her to unlock the mirror. Maybe Ranko will be able to wake her up from the inside if nothing else works. We can hide out in the dojo until Mom goes to sleep and then leave."

            "Seems like a plan. I'll call Mr. Tengawa and let him know you'll be going over tonight," she offered, patting him on the arm. She had seen his concerned look, and could guess how Ranko had reacted and why. Shaking her head, she picked up the phone and watched Ranma stumble upstairs in a funk. "Things just never get easier for him… them… whatever."

            The call itself was not too difficult. In spite of the late hour, and the promise of an even later interruption, the man from the mansion seemed grateful to be able to help Ranma and company out. He listened to Nabiki's explanation, assuring her that even if he did not understand their plan, he would happily accommodate any effort to undo the tragic situation the mirror's victims faced. After concluding the call, Nabiki wandered upstairs to her room. In spite of the current chaos, she did have homework to do and a business to run. Focusing all of her concentration, she ploughed through a small mountain of paperwork in an hour. As she finished, she found her thought slipping back to Nodoka's call, and from there to the scene at the train station. The humor of that situation lifted her spirits a bit, and might do some good with the others as well. Slipping out of her room, she entered the guest room chuckling. On impulse, Nabiki squatted down next to Ranma-chan and smiled. What better accomplice to help her drop the bomb. Several others had taken a turn at talking to the unconscious girl, in hopes of rousing her, so no one really paid attention to what she said. She started with a report of what was going on at school, focusing on the antics of a certain kendoist stewing over the unholy union of Ranma and the Pig-Tailed-Girl.

            "I knew he would cause problems with the dates, so I carefully kept the whole thing under wraps. Unfortunately, that creepy kid, Gosunkugi, was spying on Akane and got wind of it and told Kuno. Naturally, he had to go rescue his goddess from Ryouga!" At last, she made it to the punch line. Raising her voice, she laughed, "Oh, Ranma, you should have seen it! Your mother and Kuno! You would have absolutely died!"

            To everyone's shock, Ranma-chan sat bolt upright and almost slammed her skull into Nabiki's. Obviously disoriented, the red-head stared about, oblivious at first to what Nabiki had said. Closing her eyes, she thought back to her last memory, jumping off a cliff to escape from the dragon in her attempt to wake up. She recalled hurting into the sea of clouds and becoming disoriented, until it felt like she was actually falling up. The mist engulfing her had grown steadily darker, her limbs going numb, before she shot up past the echoes of Ranma and Ranko placed in her mind by the cursed mirror. She had been awakening when Nabiki's voice intruded, suddenly snapping awake. Finally, the content of those words penetrated. "What!? Kuno talked to my mom!?" she shrieked. Nabiki, sat back on her heels and nodded, enjoying the shock on everyone's faces. She carefully kept her own surprise masked, deciding that she had an excellent opportunity to break the long tension and have some fun at the same time.

            "What did he do? What did he say to her!?"

            "Well, first he attacked her with his bokken…" Nabiki gracefully rolled back and fully upright as Ranma-chan exploded to her feet in agitation. "Then, after she disarmed him…" a roar of babbled shock interrupted as everyone spoke at once. Nabiki kept grinning as she continued, "…she forced him to explain himself, and he told her all about Ranko's and Ranma's curse." As expected, Ranma-chan proceeded to wail and run around the room in terror. Nabiki turned to the others, "Well, I think that proves she's not Fa Shen. No one but Ranma could panic like that!"

            "I'm doomed! Doomed!" Ranma-chan cried, coming around on her second lap. She paused and grabbed Nabiki, "What did Mom do? What did she say? Is she coming here to make me commit seppuku!?"

            "Well," Nabiki schooled her features, "I was at a distance, so it was hard to get her entire reaction." Ranma-chan pleaded with her, pulling out handfuls of wadded bills and stuffing them in Nabiki's hands. "Well, for a second, it looked like she was thinking of engaging you to Kuno…" she deliberately fudged the identity, referring to Ranko as an extension of Ranma-chan, so she was ready to be cut off.

            "Aaaaaaahhh! She's going to torture me before she kills me!" Ranma-chan sobbed.

            "…but she remembered you weren't… I mean, Ranko wasn't her daughter," Nabiki continued, finally correcting herself. "Actually, she was really impressed that Ranko has been sacrificing her womanhood to protect her son from the curse they share, and offered to adopt Ranko." Nabiki decided she had tortured Ranma-chan enough to start cluing her in to the real story.

            "What?" Ranma-chan stopped bawling and stared at her. It suddenly clicked. "Wait, Kuno doesn't understand the curse! He thinks… Nabiki!" she raged, curling her hands into fists and leaning in close to the middle Tendo sister. When Nabiki did not flinch, Ranma-chan eased back. "Oh, man. If Mom ever learns the truth, she'll think we lied to her. I am so dead!"

            "I don't know," Nabiki sighed, "I mean it's dangerous to contradict delusional maniacs. I don't think Ranko can be blamed for humoring him, and then forgetting to explain the truth. I mean, who could expect her not to be distracted on such a romantic date."

            Ranma-chan twitched and eyed Nabiki carefully, realizing the girl was literally pulling her fat out of the fire. "Okay, Nabiki. What's this gonna cost me, exactly?" she asked in a suddenly tired voice.

            "Don't worry, Ranma-chan. I've already drawn up an installment plan," Nabiki grinned. "Actually, considering the size of the investment, I'll write off the fee for waking you up entirely!"

            Ranma-chan winced, then glimpsed a possible way out of the mountain of debt Nabiki was about to bury her under. "What if she doesn't learn the truth?"

            "Think of it as an insurance policy," Nabiki crossed her arms.

            Ranma-chan sagged in defeat.

            The fiancées, Shampoo and Ukyo, picked that moment to collect their wits and shake off the confusion of Nabiki's revelation. As one, they tackled Ranma-chan to the floor, welcoming her back to the land of the living in a fashion any otherwise straight girl would find quite disturbing. "Kyaaaaa! Wha-! Mmmfff! Are you tryin' to kiss me or each other!? Yaaaahhhh!"

            "Ah, the exuberance of youth," Cologne sighed, and exited the room.

            "Oh, my! That's no way for girls… Eeep!" Kasumi raced out into the hall.

            Nabiki leaned down and looked at what Shampoo's and Ukyo's affections were doing to Ranma-chan's clothes, and cleared her throat, "Forgive me for asking, but, where exactly are the three of you going with this?" When they all looked up at her in shock and embarrassment, she was holding her camera pointed at them and sighing, "I only have half a roll left. Do I have time to get some more film?" As Nabiki gave them an evil smile. Ranma-chan squirted out of the dual embrace and shot out the window.

            "Mercenary Girl ruin so so sweet moment with Airen!"

            "I don't believe that just happened," Ukyo blushed and climbed out the window after Ranma-chan. "Wait, Ran-chan! I didn't mean… It's not what you think! I was just happy to see you back!"

            Nabiki continued to meet Shampoo's glare with a nasty smirk. "Shampoo. Girl, if you're that desperate to make a man out of Ranma-chan," she began, forcing a look of concerned interest, "I suggest you start by remembering to use the hot water." She idly pointed at the steaming kettle that still sat next to where Kasumi had knelt. She waited to savor the look on Shampoo's face before turning to exit the room.

            Mouse met her in the doorway, and slipped past Nabiki to approach Cologne. The old woman perked up and held out her hand. Mousse pulled some books out of his sleeves and handed them to the matriarch. Cologne dismissed him and proceeded to pour hot water from the kettle Kasumi had been guarding over the books.

            "What are you doing?" Nabiki asked, turning back into the room.

            "Since I knew about Son-In-Law's curse, I brought along a few special books on Jusenkyo and related topics. I had hoped that if I could offer a cure, Son-In-Law could be persuaded to accept his marriage to my Great-Granddaughter," Cologne chuckled, shaking the excess water out of the book, and opening it to a book marked page. "Seeing as things are getting progressively more complicated, I decided it would be wise to review the details of the Jusenkyo cursed victim of the Mirror of Broken Souls."

            Nabiki was about to probe further when piercing screams from Ranma and Ranma-chan could be heard shaking the dojo. Since Ranma had been sitting across the room from them, the shock was quite painful. After shaking their heads, Nabiki, Cologne, Mousse, Akane and Kasumi turned to stare at Ranma. Ranma was staring at his hands in shock. When he proceeded to pat himself down, and turn pale, Cologne jumped to her feet. Staring at him in horror, she gasped, "A full measure!" She tore through the book at her feet and paused at a passage. Looking up at everyone, she commanded, "The curse must not be triggered! Under no circumstances must she be doused with hot water!" While everyone else stared at her in shock, Ranma leapt to his feet and ran out of the room.

            Akane frowned in alarm and went after him, while everyone else went to spread the warning Cologne had just given, and make sure that Ranma-chan was informed most of all.

            Akane tracked Ranma to the upstairs bathroom and looked on in shock. The sink faucet was turned full blast and Ranma was soaked in cold water. Worse, he was staring into the mirror muttering, "I didn't change… I'm still male… I'm stuck as a man!"

            "Ranma?" Akane edged forward, feeling an unformed terror. "Ranma! What's going on!? How could you forget you were cured!?"

            "Cured!?" the boy howled, gesturing at himself wildly. "You call this cured! I don't even know what I'm doing in this body!"

            Akane swallowed hard. She wanted to faint. She wanted it not to be true. She wanted to be angry at him for trying to mess with her head. She could not ignore the way he was standing, the subtle nuances of his posture. "Fa Shen?" she asked in a weak, stricken voice.

            "How did this happen?" the boy cried, tears beginning to spill down his cheeks, as he collapsed to the floor. Akane turned and ran back to get Cologne.

Fa Shen flopped down onto her side and curled up into a ball, shaking with sobs as she raked her mind for some explanation of what had happened. It was hard to think with her senses screaming details into her mind that she desperately did not want to acknowledge. It was unbelievable, the feelings were not unusual in the sense she might not categorize them as painful, but at the same time she was suffering a sense of incredible deformity. It registered as agony, because she could feel parts that were missing, and parts that should not be there, and everything else was somehow warped. At a deep level, she knew the actual pain was caused by her instant rejection of the body she now inhabited. Her refusal to accept this new reality. Rather than face it, she turned inward and played through her memory, trying to figure out how it had happened.

            She had been standing on the top of the cliff with Ranma-chan and the Ranma they had freed. Ranma-chan had warned them about the dragon stalking them and jumped off the cliff. They had followed. When they all hit the ocean of clouds, they had lost sight of each other, and the churning miasma had left Fa Shen with no point of reference, no sense of up or down or movement, just directionless falling. As the fog darkened around her, it also seemed to retreat. Soon there was a vast blackness her eyes could not focus on. She was about to panic when she noticed a distant form hurtling roughly towards her. She had squinted her eyes, and begun to focus her will on moving herself closer, to intercept the streaking object. She had no idea if it worked. It appeared as if the person suddenly began veering towards her. She was able to make out features and sighed in relief as she saw that it was the boy, Ranma. He was racing directly toward her at incredible speed, so she braced herself for impact and waited. To her shock, when he hit her, there was no physical sensation.

            She blinked.

            It had been like a psychic attack, her mind assaulted with thousands of images and sensations. Memories, she realized, as she finally stopped fighting to shut them out. As soon as she relaxed, the chaos settled into the back ground. She suddenly found herself aware of a chain of events that began with a girl emerging from a spring, shocked to discover she was no longer a boy, following the course of that cursed boy's life up to and through a mirror that cured him, but forced him to watch as other versions of himself lived his worst nightmares. With a cold flash, she noted that, while the boy she remembered could remember an entire life, he only had one year's worth of his own memories. He had been a projection of Ranma-chan's psyche. It was as if her mind had bitten off and consumed the reflection. Fa Shen gagged and vomited on the tiled floor she rested on.

            An hour ago, she had wanted to live again in the worst way.

            It was suddenly clear that now she was.

            Akane reentered the bathroom, leading Cologne.

            "Is it true?" the old woman asked, sadly.

            Fa Shen nodded, forcing herself to accept the consequences.

            "Can you move?"

            Another nod.

            "Well, come on then. I need to check on Ranma-chan. Come along so I can keep an eye on you. Akane?" she turned to the youngest Tendo girl and gestured for her to help Fa Shen stand up. Akane was literally shaking, her emotions were totally at war, and her mind raced with questions and demands for explanations. Unable to master any of those, she mindlessly crouched down and helped Fa Shen clean her… himself off and stand. When Fa Shen looked into her eyes, there was a haunting echo of Ranma, the Ranma she had finally opened up to, inside them. Akane flinched.

            "I… I am so sorry, Akane," the familiar voice breathed in agony.

            Akane felt her heart stop. Those words told her more than she had wanted to know. Fa Shen had done more than possess Ranma's body. She had absorbed him. "How?" she gasped.

            "He wasn't real, like Ranma-chan. He was a projection, a separate piece of her," Fa Shen whispered. In a terrible way, she wanted to admit to what she had done, even if it had been an accident.

            "I'd say it was significantly more than a piece," Cologne's voice intruded, grimly. Fa Shen and Akane stared at her. Cologne sighed. "The ki you possess is at least half of what Ranma-chan possessed. Enough to seal yourself off from her completely. Now hurry, I need to see what damage this has done to Ranma-chan," she commanded, showing her agitation. This spurred Akane and Fa Shen into motion. The three headed downstairs in time to see Ukyo dragging Ranma-chan's body into the Tea Room with the assistance of Dr. Tofu.

            "Ranma!" Akane cried, seeing the limp form in their hands.

            Cologne took a hard look at the cursed teen and strangled a cry of shock. "Goddess Above!"

            Ranma-chan's eyes fluttered and her head lolled in their direction. "Wha' happ'nd? I feel so light headed…" she squeaked.

            "Ranma!? Oh, thank the Kami. You're alive!" Akane raced over.

            "Di' an'body see wha' happ'nd t' th' oth'r guy?" she grinned.

            Cologne crossed the room, as Ranma-chan was laid out, and seized her wrist. By this time, everyone in the house had migrated into the room. She loudly repeated her warning to keep all hot water away from her. From across the room it had looked like every erg of ki had been drained from her body, but this close she could see the faintest trace permeating her body. To her trained senses, there was just enough energy to trace the outline of her body on a cellular level. "I am glad I overlooked this," Cologne muttered in relief. Turning to the others she announced. "I don't understand how it happened, but Ranma-chan has entered the final phase of the mirror's curse. Half of her ki shifted to Fa Shen, there, in Ranma's body. The other half I presume passed on to Ranko. The only ki Ranma-chan has left is that absorbed by the curse to power her transformations. It's stored up like a battery, but if the curse is triggered, there is only enough energy to destroy this form. The process would expose the energy to the mirror and send it to the reflections preventing it from creating Ranma-chan's male form."

            "What?" came the general, shocked reply.

            "This whole time I overlooked the curse in estimating Ranma's ki. I forgot that a significant amount is siphoned off by the curse, which the victim eventually replaces. Thus, Ranma had more than the ki of two normal people. Just barely enough to survive what has now happened," Cologne reached into her robe and pulled out two bottles of water. She carefully checked the labels and put one back. She opened the second one and poured the contents over Ranma-chan. "Forgive me child, but this is the only way."

            "What was that? What do you mean?" Akane stared at Cologne.

            "Water from the chisuiiton," Cologne tossed the empty bottle at Akane.

            "You locked her curse!?"

            "It was the only way to prevent a fatal accident."

            There was general silence.

            Nabiki cleared her throat. "So, what's in the other bottle?"

            Cologne blinked and shrugged. "It's an antidote to the sacred waters of Togenkyo."

            Everyone blinked.

            "What would you need that for?"

            "It's something every Amazon warrior carries. To prevent the water's use by outsiders to assure only the birth of sons," Cologne sighed. "Just one of the many ways the outside world has attempted to erase the tribe from existence."

            There was another long silence.

            Ranma-chan cleared her throat, "The pain is gone. I can barely feel anything though." Her body twitched faintly. "Uh. I can't seem to move either." There was a long pause as her face frowned in thought. "Please tell me I'm not gonna stay like this. I think I'd rather be dead," she mourned.

            "Is there any chance Ranma's plan could somehow undo this?"

            Everyone looked at Soun. Cologne looked at Fa Shen, asked a few questions and then announced that effectively Ranma's solution had spontaneously occurred. Because Ranma-chan's connection to the reflections had been overlooked as a byproduct of the mirror's influence no one had realized it was not necessary to return to the mirror in order for Fa Shen to escape. At best, going back the mirror would have only allowed them to control which body she inherited. From what Cologne could determine now, the reflections had solidified and were no longer able to re-enter the mirror.

            "So, there's no longer a cured Ranma," Soun sighed.

            Oddly, Genma looked somewhat relieved. "Such is life, Tendo-kun. We can only nurse my son back to health so the curse can be unlocked. In hope of that, we should renew the original engagement, don't you think?"

            "Absolutely, Saotome-kun!" Soun could always count on his friend to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Of course, everyone else either groaned for fumed over this typical exchange.

            "Is no change for Shampoo," the purple haired beauty sighed.

            "Of course," Mousse groused.

            "At least now Ranchan is free to be a man again."

            Ranma-chan closed her eyes, and wondered if what she had learned about herself made all these declarations moot. She knew that, as Ranma, she would like to go back to being a man, but she was not the real Ranma. In a tired voice, she muttered, "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that…"

            Fa Shen stiffened. Ranma-chan's comment had jogged his memory. He suddenly blurted out, "Ranma!" Everyone looked at him in curiosity. He looked at Ranma-chan, "When I woke up, I took back my ki. If the rest of the ki is gone, that means Ranma woke up too!"

            Ranma-chan considered that, while the rest looked confused, unable to follow what Fa Shen said. "He'll be in Ranko. Stuck as a girl. He won't even know Mom or Ryouga."

            "What are you two talking about?" Ukyo demanded.

            "Did Ranko trade places with Airen?" Shampoo bolted to her feet.

            Ranma-chan looked up at Fa Shen. He nodded and she considered the opportunity carefully. If she claimed to be Ranko, if she could predict Ranma well enough, he would not contradict her. "Uh, yeah… I suppose you could say I was never really Ranma. The real Ranma was trapped like Fa Shen, until we let him free," Ranma-chan informed the group wearily. "I think I am some kind of mix of both of them, or something. Fa Shen can explain it better than me. Anyway, I guess that makes me the real Ranko."

In a dark, secluded nook of a small park in down town Tokyo, a young couple lay naked and exhausted. The smaller of the two lay trembling in the other's arms, her mind racing in profound confusion. Ryouga held her in growing concern. In part of his mind, he was aware that as much as an hour had passed. It had been the most glorious hour of his life, and it was a wonder that the girl's screams had not brought someone to spoil it. He had no idea how to explain their absence to Nodoka, and suspected there was no way to disguise what they had done. But as great as that concern was, he was more troubled by the fact that Ranko had not spoken since the conclusion of their passion. Something had happened in the heat of the moment, which he had not noticed. Something to account for the fact that she seemed to be in shock. It was dark, but that had not kept Ryouga from realizing that her face was bathed in silent tears. He had kept his silence, just holding her and waiting for her to say or do something, but his concern had become too great. Hugging her close, he asked in a quiet voice.

            "Do you want to talk about it?"

            The girl jerked and pushed away to look into his eyes. In a trembling voice she asked, "What the hell just happened? Who are you? What did you do to me?" There was both awe and terror in her eyes.

            Ryouga was stunned by her questions. Loud alarms rang in his head. Swallowing nervously, he dared, "D-do you… Do you know who you are?"

            "Ranma Saotome."

            Ryouga stiffened. Had her mind snapped?

            Ranma was painfully aware of several things. The boy holding her was oddly familiar. From his reaction, he was not surprised when Ranma identified herself. Ranma could read body language very well, so it was more that, the boy knew who she was, but had expected a different answer. She returned to the thoughts she had been contemplating since her bizarre awakening. Things had made eerie sense up to a point, at least in dream logic; meeting the twin girls at Jusenkyo, being told he was cursed to become a girl, and learning that a year had passed he was not aware of. Dreams were like that. A short walk that took him to a place he knew could not be within a hundred miles of that part of China proved it had been a dream, even ignoring the cat. Jumping off a cliff to escape a dragon? Definitely a smart move in a dream. Getting lost in the clouds until he spotted one of the strange girls streaking towards him, and crashing into her only to explode into shards of memory, had been so confusing it had to be a dream. It had been impossible to grasp the memories that had crashed through his mind. In the same instant, he was overwhelmed by the sensations ripping through his mind. It took only a moment to recognize he had turned into a girl and her body was screaming with pleasure that overwhelmed her. It had been painfully obvious that the boy wrestling with her was the cause of the incredible sensation, so she let him continue, riveted in place and absolutely blown away.

            "I've never felt anything like that before," she breathed in wonder. In spite of the terrible shame she had felt confronting her transformation, and realizing that at least the part about the curse from her dream was true, she felt good. Emotionally, she was so confused the tears had come automatically. The transformation, and the thought that she might also have lost a year of her life were a blow. Most of the tears were for the loss of her manhood, but in her mind that loss was solely linked to turning into a girl. She did not know what sex was, or the threat the act should have been to her manhood. The way she saw what had just happened, she had not been effected enough by the curse to give up fighting, and was confident enough in her manhood to wrestle with a boy. She had never seriously considered wrestling a real martial art, of course, and as far as she knew only the most ancient forms were practiced in the nude. Still, if the style made the combatants feel so wonderful, she could see why it would still be practiced to this day. "I had no idea that wrestling was that much fun," she smiled up at him. "You must know about my curse, right? I mean, if you didn't know I was really a guy, you probably would have been ashamed to wrestle with me!"

            Ryouga gaped at her and shook his head. "Um. You sound a little out of it," Ryouga carefully said. "What's the last thing you can remember, Rank- Ranma?"

            Ranma blushed. "I was with my father on a training journey. He knocked me into a spring. I got turned into a girl… I'm a little hazy on everything after that." She frowned, she was still studying his face. Suddenly a light went off in her head, "Hey! I know you! We went to school together in Junior High! Uh… your name is… uh…"

            "Don't strain your brain, Ranma," Ryouga scowled, growing angry as he started to put things together. Most of his anger was directed inward, driven by the thought that what they had done had shattered Ranko's mind. In spite of accepting her future as a girl, she had been a boy originally.

            "Wait… I know this… I used to fight you for bread, and you have the worst sense of direction I have ever seen!" she grinned. She sat up and crossed her arms. "Ryouga Habiki! Man! It's great to see you again!"

            "You really don't remember," Ryouga sagged.

            Ranma frowned. "I had this dream, some girl told me she had lived a year of my life. Something about bein' submerged when I was cursed. I see the cursed part is right, so… maybe it's true." It was a thought that made her sad. However, there was a discrepancy. "Um, if I was asleep and dreaming, why did you start wrestling with me? I mean, come on! Fightin' a guy while he's tryin' to sleep!? Isn't that kinda cheap!?"

            "You weren't asleep, Ranma," Ryouga sighed. He knew this was stupid, but it had to be said. "You were someone else and we were 'wrestling' because you wanted to… Ranko." He hoped it worked. He hoped it would snap her back to her right mind.

            Ranma blinked. "Ranko…?" With a sudden shriek, the memories Ranma had shoved aside with the help of that mind bending pleasure suddenly flooded forward. It took an instant to understand the course of his missing year, the recent events that threatened to strip away his manhood, and the final act where she gave it away. It took a great deal longer than that to regain the powers of speech. "No. Nonononono!"

            Ryouga saw it all flash across her face. "I am sorry, Ranko. If I had known this would happen, I would not have…" he could not say it. He had tried to fight the temptation and failed. It was the koi rod all over again. The spell wore off and he had to watch as Ranma was destroyed by the realization of what he had done. His heart shattered, and that made it extremely easy to bow his head and murmur, "I am so sorry. If you want to kill me, I won't stop you."

            Ranma's head snapped up, her mind at war with itself. It was almost ridiculous, the part that was a girl in love with Ryouga was the part that understood what Ranma had lost. The part that was a boy proud of his manhood would not have understood the threat having sex as a girl was to his manhood. She could not know what she had lost without understanding what she had gained. Only by accepting the girl he had become could he recover the year he had lost. "Ryouga… I'd sooner kill myself. If I killed you, I'd have to. I don't understand what happened. I had a dream, it's really confusing, like… I suddenly didn't know what had happened after falling in the spring. But… now I am awake and I remember everything."

            Ryouga looked up. There was only one thing he could say. "I love you."

            Ranma smiled, "I think you proved that and then some."

            "What's happening to you? Are you Ranma or Ranko?"

            "I don't know. Maybe I passed out for a moment. Maybe I'm afraid that if I go back to being cursed, I'll want to be Ranma again. A man again," she shrugged. Unlike most dreams, this one had it's teeth sunk into her deep, and somewhere deep inside she had the feeling that she had been given something Ranma would never have wanted in exchange for something he had not realized he had lost.

            "Do you? Want to be a man again?" Ryouga asked, starting to search for their clothes.

            "The only time I've ever really been a girl is tonight, Ryouga. When that was my only option, it wasn't hard to do in the end. We both know I can't be Ranma, but… I don't know. Maybe for myself, I need to be able to be a guy. Not all the time, but… I think I do want the curse back. Would that… would we…?"

            Ryouga knew what she was asking. "Would I still love you if you were a guy sometimes? That depends on what kind of guy you are."

            Ranma looked down. Ryouga handed her dress over, and she began to get dressed. She still felt a little shell shocked. Her strange regression was disturbing, especially the sense of clinging to her original identity. Even as she shied away from thinking of herself as "Ranko" she had to think in the same way she had as "Ranko" to deal with this situation. If she regressed again, she might lose it completely. The man in her had to come to terms with the woman in her, or what she had done tonight would destroy her. As a martial artist, she had to be strong enough to face reality, even if it was totally unreal. With a rueful grin she wrinkled her nose. "If I had known sex was so messy, I might have changed my mind. My Mom's going to know what we did," she commented, as she tried to smooth her hair.

            "If she asks…" Ryouga placed a torn piece of foil in her hand and sighed, "I didn't forget. You're not a virgin anymore, but you aren't going to be a mother." Ryouga finished getting dressed, and came over to help her. He was surprised at how well she was able to clean herself up. He took her hands. "Ranko. I do love you. If the only way I could keep you was to jump in the nyanniichaun, to be good enough for your guy side, I would."

            Ranma looked at him. That came as a shock.

            "I've always told you I thought your curse was better than mine."

            "Wouldn't you be afraid of losing your manhood?"

            "You seem to be proving that curse adds something without taking anything away. If you can still think of yourself as a guy, after tonight, I don't see anything for me to be afraid of," Ryouga shrugged.

            Ranma nodded. Searching the ground, she asked, "Have you seen my panties? I can't seem to find them."

            "Yeah. I'm keeping them," Ryouga grinned.

            Ranma snarled. "Fine. I need to get to a ladies room really quickly then." She slipped her shoes on and dragged the boy out of the clearing. Pausing at a different club, on their way back, she led him inside to do just that. The pain of their activity was easy to ignore, but the trace of bleeding was going to drive her nuts if she did not take care of it immediately.