All Ranma ½ characters
belong to Rumiko Takahashi. However this story belongs to ME!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The way home had never seemed so endless; the Tendo house was a mirage at the end of it, a candle shining in the dark. Unfortunately said candle was not shining at the moment. In fact all the lights were off and when Ranma entered the place the air was so heavy that it was like walking into choking cotton-candy. It was so quiet it felt like being in a grave.
Ranma's senses stretched, trying to find the reason to this abnormal atmosphere in a house that was usually so lively and noisy in any hour of the day.
"Oh hi Ranma, welcome back" Kasumi's greeting lacked some of her cheerfulness but she acted as normal because being Kasumi she wouldn't do anything out of the ordinary no matter what happened.
"Kasumi, did something happen?"
The older girl gave him a strange look "It depends on what you mean-"
Ranma had an awful thought "Is it Akane? Did something happen to her? You've gotta tell me!"
Kasumi's face had a solemn air to it. Ranma's heart stopped beating for a second, before he raced up the stairs and burst into Akane's room
A form laid curled on the bed, completely covered by the blanket. Soft heartbroken sobs shook the girl's frame
Ranma took a tentative step inside but Nabiki barred the way.
"You have some nerve to come back here after what you did!"
"What I did- What did I do??"
"Come now, do you play us as fools?"
The sinking feeling was eating at the boy
"No... please don't tell me-" He raised his head "Whatever happened, you've got to believe me, it wasn't me!" Nabiki started to drag him out "AKANE!"
The girl slowly rose from the bed and faced him with tear-streaking burning eyes.
"You mean to tell me all you've told me.. your true feelings, everything... was a lie?"
Her gaze pierced his heart.
"I-"
"Ranma, I had no idea you-" Genma Saotome burst into tears leaning onto Soun who looked helplessly between his younger daughter and his friend and finally at Ranma. His normally gentle eyes hardened.
"Ranma, how could you!"
"My only son- to speak such harsh words!"
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH ALREADY!" Ranma's voice echoed in the suddenly silent house "Whatever happened, whatever was said, IT WASN'T ME!"
"But-"
"Come on! You guys know me better than that!" The boy was starting to get indignant. Couldn't his own family recognize him?
But his words had hit home. The others looked at him still a bit skeptical but with less hostility.
Ranma grabbed the girl with such seriousness on his face "Akane, would I ever hurt you?"
Minutes ticked by. The clock in the hallway chimed. Everyone waited holding their breaths and with eyes locked on the girl.
Whatever she read in his eyes decided her. She whipped her eyes, a tentative smile on her lips.
"You're right, it couldn't have been you. You might be an insensitive jerk Hey! but you're not a downright bastard"
"Thanks, I guess-"
"So you're telling us it was that perverted thief, that sosia of yours that's-" Nabiki voiced everyone's suspicions.
Ranma nodded, turning to them "Anyways, tell me exactly what happened. We've got to discover his scheme so we can figure out how to destroy it from under him. That way he'll be forced to come out into the open and then-" Ranma's eyes burned with insane determination, his hands clenched into tight fists "Then he'll be mine!"
Convincing the other girls that it hadn't been Ranma who'd tricked and taken advantage of them all that time (would you believe two whole weeks??) was no easy play. In fact, it was near impossible since their first reaction upon seeing him was grabbing for the nearest weapon and trying to kill him with it. It was kinda hard to reason with someone who was intent on doing you bodily damage instead of listening to your words.
Ranma had to concede that all evidences were against him. Therefore he'd have to show them the truth before anyone believed his innocence. This obviously fueled his determination further. Now he had another reason to capture the real culprit and bring him to justice -his justice being to beat the living crap out of the guilty party and throwing him to the girls' clutches.
With this in mind, Ranma had to figure out a plan that would get him out of the open. Since cooking up a plan was never one of Ranma's strong points (he was after all a man of action) this was the reason he was holding council with Akane and Nabiki. Three heads after all were better than one.
"What do we know about him?" Nabiki asked in general playing with a very Sherlock-looking pipe.
"That he looks a lot like Ranma?" Akane tried helpfully.
"Well, besides the obvious"
"Uhm... he likes probing girls and stealing food-"
"But not just any girl and any food" Nabiki hinted
"That's right! He dated Uchan, Shampoo and Kodachi. And stole all our food!" Akane clapped her hands, proud of herself.
Her sister nodded "He seems to hold a grudge on Ranma, since he's so intent on ruining Ranma's reputation" She turned to the boy in question "Now Ranma think hard: who have you beaten up lately?"
Ranma's brow furrowed in thought "Let me see- Kuno and sidekick, Ryouga, Moose, Happosai, copycat Ken, that voodoo kid..." he shrugged "The usual I guess"
"Not very helpful, it could've been any of them"
"Really"
Ranma stood up
"Where are you going?"
"To find out which one of them was playing one of his dirty tricks"
"And that's the last one!" Ranma declared clapping his hands clean.
Kuno groaned and tried feebly to reach for his katana. Ranma carelessly stepped on his hand.
"Was that really necessary?" Akane wondered out loud looking at the slaughter her fiancé had made in his wake.
"Hey, ain't my fault they wouldn't answer when I asked a simple question!"
She looked at him doubtfully.
"Not that you gave them much of a chance to speak"
"What's that supposed to mean??"
"I think you just needed an excuse to vent your frustration on someone"
"Hey-"
She narrowed her eyes. Ranma grumpily looked away.
"Whatever the case, it was none of them"
"So we're back to square one"
"Damn!" The boy cursed, aiming a kick at the unconscious Tatewaki.
"He hasn't tried anything on Akane yet" Nabiki pointed out
Her younger sister looked at her blankly.
Ranma's eyes lit up.
He put his hands on Akane's shoulders and looked her squarely in the eyes.
"Akane, I hate to have to ask ya but we've tried everything. You're our last chance-" He looked away, clenching his hand "Heaven knows you're as uncute and unfeminine as they get but-"
Ranma never saw what hit him.
Akane stomped away.
Nabiki kneeled tsk-tsking at him "You had that one coming"
He had to agree.
Akane anxiously looked around.
"Stop it! You're supposed to be clueless!" Ranma hissed at her from his hiding place.
"Yeah yeah, I know" She shot back at him through her teeth.
"How'd I get myself into this?" Akane wondered as she tried (really she did!) to look helpless and clueless as can be. Of course soaking in the tub for more than an hour playing bait was not her ideal of a plan in the first place.
"Ranma, this isn't working! And I'm starting to look like a prune!" She lifted her arm to show him the wrinkles.
Receiving no answer she looked toward his hiding place and saw him beat-red. That's when she suddenly realized she was in the bathroom with a boy, in a tub with nothing but water covering her and that she had innocently flouted her nude body at him. She submerged so quickly and completely that she risked drowning.
"You dimwit! What're you trying to do, kill yourself?" Ranma grabbed her head from under the water and brought her to the surface. Akane coughed and instinctly took a swing at him. With a startled oath Ranma jumped back, slipped on a bar of soap and landed on his backside. They stared at each other from across the room.
Without a word Ranma got up and opened the door.
"Whe-where are you going? What about the plan?" Akane called out.
"As you pointed out, it ain't working"
"Not rice again" Ranma groaned as Kasumi passed out the evening meal.
"Who's fault is it that the food keeps disappearing?" Genma snickered. A look from Ranma and he quickly hid his face in his bowl.
"Are you not making progress?" Mr. Tendo asked
"It's kinda hard when you don't know where he'll strike" Akane pointed out sadly.
"True true"
"Where's Happosai?"
"After what happened to his collection, the master has refused to come out of his room" Kasumi looked worried
"The old leech is too tough to let that kill him" Ranma reassured her
A commotion followed by the breaking of wood interrupted the family meal. They rushed out the house to see Happosai facing off with someone. The clouds parted allowing a stray beam to light up the stranger as he threw the old goat into the sky.
Everyone gasped.
"Ranma! That's-that's you!" Akane exclaimed glancing at her fiancé to make certain it was truly him beside her.
"Damn sosia!" He dashed at his copy, aiming to punch him. But the stranger easily dodged and kicked him, sending him flying across the yard.
Ranma picked himself up and rubbed his chin with the back of his hand.
"Eh, not bad" He conceded with an angry smile. The other's lips curved.
The two jumped at each other, lightening speed.
Whenever Ranma attacked the other counterattacked with cold precision.
"The-they're equally matched!" Akane exclaimed, her eyes glued on the scene.
"No, not completely" a voice stated from behind her. Akane turned around and met ancient eyes.
"Co-cologne!"
"What's happening?" "What is going on here?" Soun and Genma asked her.
"It seems future-son-in-law has met his match and more-" Cologne narrowed her eyes "Wait a minute- could it be-??"
"What? What is it??" Akane begged her, truly worried.
"It appears Ranma is battling- his own reflection!"
"WHAT?!"
The elder pointed at the two fighters with her cane "Notice how they reflect each other's moves"
"It's as if they read each other's thoughts and react to them" Soun agreed watching them.
"But- how can that be?? How can Ranma be fighting his own reflection??"
"Well, it's not unheard of" Nabiki replied sipping from her cup "Remember the trick with the incense?"
All eyes glared at Happosai.
"Hey, it wasn't me this time!" he cried out.
"He's right. This is his reflection we're talking about, not his female side-"
"There's only one explanation: the Shadow Reflector" Cologne stated with a hollow voice.
"The Shadow-"
"-Reflector"
Genma & Soun echoed each other.
The elder nodded solemnly
"It is said that long long ago a great wizard created a magical mirror capable of making shadow copies of anyone who looked into it. With this object the wizard planned on making an army of mirror images of his enemies, clones with same knowledge and abilities, with the only difference that they would obey only him"
"Exact copies-" Genma & Soun shuddered looking at Happosai who seemed to be drooling.
"Unfortunately something went wrong-" Cologne continued "The day he created it he realized he had made a terrible mistake. The copy was a reflection of the original, true, with the same strengths and weaknesses but with the exact opposite per-"
"How can you say they have the same strength??" Akane interrupted "Look at them!"
Ranma was starting to breathe heavier while the other wasn't even breaking a sweat.
"Ranma!" Akane ran toward him stopping short "It's your reflection! He's your reflection!"
The boy looked at her puzzled. Then the concept sank into his brain (after all, stranger things have happened before in Nerima)
"So you're telling me my opposite... is a pervert?" He wondered out loud, whipping his sweaty brow.
The other growled "Not a pervert!"
"Then what do you call yourself?" Akane demanded heatedly "You molested Kasumi and Nabiki!"
The clone actually looked embarrassed "Didn't mean to be that way. Never saw a real female before, was curious..." It shuffled its feet.
"Curious? You mean-"
"Let's cut the crap! It doesn't explain why he's been taking all the food!" Ranma of course had his priorities in check.
"Was hungry!"
"Hungry? Ya mean ya ate all the house's food?? What are ya, a whale??" Ranma crossed his arms, a look of mock incredulity on his face.
The other growled, clenched its fist and went at him.
Ranma dodged.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" he cried out attacking his opponent with the speed of light.
But his fists seemed to meet empty air as the clone easily avoided them.
The two jumped back and studied each other.
Ranma used the time to catch his breathe, wearily eyeing his copy who seemed to be perfectly calm and cool.
"Ranma! Duck!"
He turned around to see Akane hurling a big bucket and splash the other.
"Yes Akane!"
"Way to go, Akane!
"Good girl!"
"You remembered that when in girl-form Ranma is weaker and has less reach" Her father was impressed by her insight.
"And since he's Ranma's clone-" she beamed, proud of herself.
An amused chuckle interrupted their celebration.
Everyone gasped, horrified.
The clone disdainfully pushed back a lock of wet BLACK hair.
"But.. how can it be.. it's still-"
"A boy!"
Ranma quickly recovered from the shock.
"So ya don't have the Jusenkyo curse. Feh, bugger for you!"
He landed in front of his clone and aimed a kick at him. The other blocked his leg and punched him, taking his breathe away.
"Cologne, what's happening?? I thought-"
The old woman looked thoughtfully puzzled.
"I suspect the Shadow Reflector doesn't work well in certain cases" she speculated "Perhaps it got interfered by the Jusenkyo curse so that whatever the form it's automatically copied"
"Something like a photocopier" Genma mussed.
"But.. but that means- RANMA!" Akane cried out too late as the clone's kick sent Ranma flying into the family pond.
"Why you-" Ranma-chan jumped out and glared at her opponent who had a pleased expression on its face as he dashed at her with renewed speed.
Ranma-chan could only defend herself and she wasn't doing a good job at that either. She kept receiving one blow after another. The clone didn't give her any chance, there were no openings to take advantage of.
With a muffled cry, Ranma-chan was sent flying across the yard until she hit a tree, hard. She lay gasping and helpless as the clone advanced toward her.
"STOP!" Akane yelled putting herself between the fighters.
"Akane, get out of the way!" Ranma-chan barked
"NO, I won't! You're hurt!" she retorted angrily.
Ranma-chan was about to reply when she was taken aback by a sight that tore at her: the sight of Akane in tears.
"Akane, you-"
"You! That's enough!" The dark-haired girl told the copy "You've made your point!"
The clone gave another chilling smile and shook its head.
"'Fraid not, dearie. Just getting started"
Then before anyone could stop it, he grabbed a startled Akane and jumped on the roof.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing??" Ranma-chan demanded angrily, getting painfully to her feet.
"Let my daughter go!" Soun wailed in the background
"If you want to see your fiancé again, meet me at Furinkan High in three days. That is, if you've got the courage to show yourself!" the other smirked "Oh, make sure you practice a bit, will you? You were a bit disappointing"
With that he disappeared into the night.
"Akaneee!" Soun sobbed.
"Damn you!" Ranma-chan cursed, holding her aching ribs "DAMN YOU!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd like to THANK all of YOU who've been sending me your opinion. You've been spurring me to continue!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that I haven't disappointed anyone.
Before I get flamed, I want to get a few facts straight:
1) I've tried to remain as close to the original Takahashi story as possible;
2) I've got the Shadow Reflector idea from The Slayers oav "Mirror, Mirror" applying of course some variations;
3) I have nothing at all against Akane but if the original author used her as an excuse to get Ranma to fight whoever kidnapped her, I don't see anything wrong with resorting to the same expedient.
Also I think I was a bit influenced by the great fic "Pagliacci" by author Kickaha.
You really should find time to read it: it's hilarious, it's great!
I wish I were half as good as him. As is, I'm trying my best and I hope you appreciate it.
Well, next chapter should be the last, at least according to plan.
Please continue to SEND me REVIEWS!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The way home had never seemed so endless; the Tendo house was a mirage at the end of it, a candle shining in the dark. Unfortunately said candle was not shining at the moment. In fact all the lights were off and when Ranma entered the place the air was so heavy that it was like walking into choking cotton-candy. It was so quiet it felt like being in a grave.
Ranma's senses stretched, trying to find the reason to this abnormal atmosphere in a house that was usually so lively and noisy in any hour of the day.
"Oh hi Ranma, welcome back" Kasumi's greeting lacked some of her cheerfulness but she acted as normal because being Kasumi she wouldn't do anything out of the ordinary no matter what happened.
"Kasumi, did something happen?"
The older girl gave him a strange look "It depends on what you mean-"
Ranma had an awful thought "Is it Akane? Did something happen to her? You've gotta tell me!"
Kasumi's face had a solemn air to it. Ranma's heart stopped beating for a second, before he raced up the stairs and burst into Akane's room
A form laid curled on the bed, completely covered by the blanket. Soft heartbroken sobs shook the girl's frame
Ranma took a tentative step inside but Nabiki barred the way.
"You have some nerve to come back here after what you did!"
"What I did- What did I do??"
"Come now, do you play us as fools?"
The sinking feeling was eating at the boy
"No... please don't tell me-" He raised his head "Whatever happened, you've got to believe me, it wasn't me!" Nabiki started to drag him out "AKANE!"
The girl slowly rose from the bed and faced him with tear-streaking burning eyes.
"You mean to tell me all you've told me.. your true feelings, everything... was a lie?"
Her gaze pierced his heart.
"I-"
"Ranma, I had no idea you-" Genma Saotome burst into tears leaning onto Soun who looked helplessly between his younger daughter and his friend and finally at Ranma. His normally gentle eyes hardened.
"Ranma, how could you!"
"My only son- to speak such harsh words!"
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH ALREADY!" Ranma's voice echoed in the suddenly silent house "Whatever happened, whatever was said, IT WASN'T ME!"
"But-"
"Come on! You guys know me better than that!" The boy was starting to get indignant. Couldn't his own family recognize him?
But his words had hit home. The others looked at him still a bit skeptical but with less hostility.
Ranma grabbed the girl with such seriousness on his face "Akane, would I ever hurt you?"
Minutes ticked by. The clock in the hallway chimed. Everyone waited holding their breaths and with eyes locked on the girl.
Whatever she read in his eyes decided her. She whipped her eyes, a tentative smile on her lips.
"You're right, it couldn't have been you. You might be an insensitive jerk Hey! but you're not a downright bastard"
"Thanks, I guess-"
"So you're telling us it was that perverted thief, that sosia of yours that's-" Nabiki voiced everyone's suspicions.
Ranma nodded, turning to them "Anyways, tell me exactly what happened. We've got to discover his scheme so we can figure out how to destroy it from under him. That way he'll be forced to come out into the open and then-" Ranma's eyes burned with insane determination, his hands clenched into tight fists "Then he'll be mine!"
Convincing the other girls that it hadn't been Ranma who'd tricked and taken advantage of them all that time (would you believe two whole weeks??) was no easy play. In fact, it was near impossible since their first reaction upon seeing him was grabbing for the nearest weapon and trying to kill him with it. It was kinda hard to reason with someone who was intent on doing you bodily damage instead of listening to your words.
Ranma had to concede that all evidences were against him. Therefore he'd have to show them the truth before anyone believed his innocence. This obviously fueled his determination further. Now he had another reason to capture the real culprit and bring him to justice -his justice being to beat the living crap out of the guilty party and throwing him to the girls' clutches.
With this in mind, Ranma had to figure out a plan that would get him out of the open. Since cooking up a plan was never one of Ranma's strong points (he was after all a man of action) this was the reason he was holding council with Akane and Nabiki. Three heads after all were better than one.
"What do we know about him?" Nabiki asked in general playing with a very Sherlock-looking pipe.
"That he looks a lot like Ranma?" Akane tried helpfully.
"Well, besides the obvious"
"Uhm... he likes probing girls and stealing food-"
"But not just any girl and any food" Nabiki hinted
"That's right! He dated Uchan, Shampoo and Kodachi. And stole all our food!" Akane clapped her hands, proud of herself.
Her sister nodded "He seems to hold a grudge on Ranma, since he's so intent on ruining Ranma's reputation" She turned to the boy in question "Now Ranma think hard: who have you beaten up lately?"
Ranma's brow furrowed in thought "Let me see- Kuno and sidekick, Ryouga, Moose, Happosai, copycat Ken, that voodoo kid..." he shrugged "The usual I guess"
"Not very helpful, it could've been any of them"
"Really"
Ranma stood up
"Where are you going?"
"To find out which one of them was playing one of his dirty tricks"
"And that's the last one!" Ranma declared clapping his hands clean.
Kuno groaned and tried feebly to reach for his katana. Ranma carelessly stepped on his hand.
"Was that really necessary?" Akane wondered out loud looking at the slaughter her fiancé had made in his wake.
"Hey, ain't my fault they wouldn't answer when I asked a simple question!"
She looked at him doubtfully.
"Not that you gave them much of a chance to speak"
"What's that supposed to mean??"
"I think you just needed an excuse to vent your frustration on someone"
"Hey-"
She narrowed her eyes. Ranma grumpily looked away.
"Whatever the case, it was none of them"
"So we're back to square one"
"Damn!" The boy cursed, aiming a kick at the unconscious Tatewaki.
"He hasn't tried anything on Akane yet" Nabiki pointed out
Her younger sister looked at her blankly.
Ranma's eyes lit up.
He put his hands on Akane's shoulders and looked her squarely in the eyes.
"Akane, I hate to have to ask ya but we've tried everything. You're our last chance-" He looked away, clenching his hand "Heaven knows you're as uncute and unfeminine as they get but-"
Ranma never saw what hit him.
Akane stomped away.
Nabiki kneeled tsk-tsking at him "You had that one coming"
He had to agree.
Akane anxiously looked around.
"Stop it! You're supposed to be clueless!" Ranma hissed at her from his hiding place.
"Yeah yeah, I know" She shot back at him through her teeth.
"How'd I get myself into this?" Akane wondered as she tried (really she did!) to look helpless and clueless as can be. Of course soaking in the tub for more than an hour playing bait was not her ideal of a plan in the first place.
"Ranma, this isn't working! And I'm starting to look like a prune!" She lifted her arm to show him the wrinkles.
Receiving no answer she looked toward his hiding place and saw him beat-red. That's when she suddenly realized she was in the bathroom with a boy, in a tub with nothing but water covering her and that she had innocently flouted her nude body at him. She submerged so quickly and completely that she risked drowning.
"You dimwit! What're you trying to do, kill yourself?" Ranma grabbed her head from under the water and brought her to the surface. Akane coughed and instinctly took a swing at him. With a startled oath Ranma jumped back, slipped on a bar of soap and landed on his backside. They stared at each other from across the room.
Without a word Ranma got up and opened the door.
"Whe-where are you going? What about the plan?" Akane called out.
"As you pointed out, it ain't working"
"Not rice again" Ranma groaned as Kasumi passed out the evening meal.
"Who's fault is it that the food keeps disappearing?" Genma snickered. A look from Ranma and he quickly hid his face in his bowl.
"Are you not making progress?" Mr. Tendo asked
"It's kinda hard when you don't know where he'll strike" Akane pointed out sadly.
"True true"
"Where's Happosai?"
"After what happened to his collection, the master has refused to come out of his room" Kasumi looked worried
"The old leech is too tough to let that kill him" Ranma reassured her
A commotion followed by the breaking of wood interrupted the family meal. They rushed out the house to see Happosai facing off with someone. The clouds parted allowing a stray beam to light up the stranger as he threw the old goat into the sky.
Everyone gasped.
"Ranma! That's-that's you!" Akane exclaimed glancing at her fiancé to make certain it was truly him beside her.
"Damn sosia!" He dashed at his copy, aiming to punch him. But the stranger easily dodged and kicked him, sending him flying across the yard.
Ranma picked himself up and rubbed his chin with the back of his hand.
"Eh, not bad" He conceded with an angry smile. The other's lips curved.
The two jumped at each other, lightening speed.
Whenever Ranma attacked the other counterattacked with cold precision.
"The-they're equally matched!" Akane exclaimed, her eyes glued on the scene.
"No, not completely" a voice stated from behind her. Akane turned around and met ancient eyes.
"Co-cologne!"
"What's happening?" "What is going on here?" Soun and Genma asked her.
"It seems future-son-in-law has met his match and more-" Cologne narrowed her eyes "Wait a minute- could it be-??"
"What? What is it??" Akane begged her, truly worried.
"It appears Ranma is battling- his own reflection!"
"WHAT?!"
The elder pointed at the two fighters with her cane "Notice how they reflect each other's moves"
"It's as if they read each other's thoughts and react to them" Soun agreed watching them.
"But- how can that be?? How can Ranma be fighting his own reflection??"
"Well, it's not unheard of" Nabiki replied sipping from her cup "Remember the trick with the incense?"
All eyes glared at Happosai.
"Hey, it wasn't me this time!" he cried out.
"He's right. This is his reflection we're talking about, not his female side-"
"There's only one explanation: the Shadow Reflector" Cologne stated with a hollow voice.
"The Shadow-"
"-Reflector"
Genma & Soun echoed each other.
The elder nodded solemnly
"It is said that long long ago a great wizard created a magical mirror capable of making shadow copies of anyone who looked into it. With this object the wizard planned on making an army of mirror images of his enemies, clones with same knowledge and abilities, with the only difference that they would obey only him"
"Exact copies-" Genma & Soun shuddered looking at Happosai who seemed to be drooling.
"Unfortunately something went wrong-" Cologne continued "The day he created it he realized he had made a terrible mistake. The copy was a reflection of the original, true, with the same strengths and weaknesses but with the exact opposite per-"
"How can you say they have the same strength??" Akane interrupted "Look at them!"
Ranma was starting to breathe heavier while the other wasn't even breaking a sweat.
"Ranma!" Akane ran toward him stopping short "It's your reflection! He's your reflection!"
The boy looked at her puzzled. Then the concept sank into his brain (after all, stranger things have happened before in Nerima)
"So you're telling me my opposite... is a pervert?" He wondered out loud, whipping his sweaty brow.
The other growled "Not a pervert!"
"Then what do you call yourself?" Akane demanded heatedly "You molested Kasumi and Nabiki!"
The clone actually looked embarrassed "Didn't mean to be that way. Never saw a real female before, was curious..." It shuffled its feet.
"Curious? You mean-"
"Let's cut the crap! It doesn't explain why he's been taking all the food!" Ranma of course had his priorities in check.
"Was hungry!"
"Hungry? Ya mean ya ate all the house's food?? What are ya, a whale??" Ranma crossed his arms, a look of mock incredulity on his face.
The other growled, clenched its fist and went at him.
Ranma dodged.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" he cried out attacking his opponent with the speed of light.
But his fists seemed to meet empty air as the clone easily avoided them.
The two jumped back and studied each other.
Ranma used the time to catch his breathe, wearily eyeing his copy who seemed to be perfectly calm and cool.
"Ranma! Duck!"
He turned around to see Akane hurling a big bucket and splash the other.
"Yes Akane!"
"Way to go, Akane!
"Good girl!"
"You remembered that when in girl-form Ranma is weaker and has less reach" Her father was impressed by her insight.
"And since he's Ranma's clone-" she beamed, proud of herself.
An amused chuckle interrupted their celebration.
Everyone gasped, horrified.
The clone disdainfully pushed back a lock of wet BLACK hair.
"But.. how can it be.. it's still-"
"A boy!"
Ranma quickly recovered from the shock.
"So ya don't have the Jusenkyo curse. Feh, bugger for you!"
He landed in front of his clone and aimed a kick at him. The other blocked his leg and punched him, taking his breathe away.
"Cologne, what's happening?? I thought-"
The old woman looked thoughtfully puzzled.
"I suspect the Shadow Reflector doesn't work well in certain cases" she speculated "Perhaps it got interfered by the Jusenkyo curse so that whatever the form it's automatically copied"
"Something like a photocopier" Genma mussed.
"But.. but that means- RANMA!" Akane cried out too late as the clone's kick sent Ranma flying into the family pond.
"Why you-" Ranma-chan jumped out and glared at her opponent who had a pleased expression on its face as he dashed at her with renewed speed.
Ranma-chan could only defend herself and she wasn't doing a good job at that either. She kept receiving one blow after another. The clone didn't give her any chance, there were no openings to take advantage of.
With a muffled cry, Ranma-chan was sent flying across the yard until she hit a tree, hard. She lay gasping and helpless as the clone advanced toward her.
"STOP!" Akane yelled putting herself between the fighters.
"Akane, get out of the way!" Ranma-chan barked
"NO, I won't! You're hurt!" she retorted angrily.
Ranma-chan was about to reply when she was taken aback by a sight that tore at her: the sight of Akane in tears.
"Akane, you-"
"You! That's enough!" The dark-haired girl told the copy "You've made your point!"
The clone gave another chilling smile and shook its head.
"'Fraid not, dearie. Just getting started"
Then before anyone could stop it, he grabbed a startled Akane and jumped on the roof.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing??" Ranma-chan demanded angrily, getting painfully to her feet.
"Let my daughter go!" Soun wailed in the background
"If you want to see your fiancé again, meet me at Furinkan High in three days. That is, if you've got the courage to show yourself!" the other smirked "Oh, make sure you practice a bit, will you? You were a bit disappointing"
With that he disappeared into the night.
"Akaneee!" Soun sobbed.
"Damn you!" Ranma-chan cursed, holding her aching ribs "DAMN YOU!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd like to THANK all of YOU who've been sending me your opinion. You've been spurring me to continue!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that I haven't disappointed anyone.
Before I get flamed, I want to get a few facts straight:
1) I've tried to remain as close to the original Takahashi story as possible;
2) I've got the Shadow Reflector idea from The Slayers oav "Mirror, Mirror" applying of course some variations;
3) I have nothing at all against Akane but if the original author used her as an excuse to get Ranma to fight whoever kidnapped her, I don't see anything wrong with resorting to the same expedient.
Also I think I was a bit influenced by the great fic "Pagliacci" by author Kickaha.
You really should find time to read it: it's hilarious, it's great!
I wish I were half as good as him. As is, I'm trying my best and I hope you appreciate it.
Well, next chapter should be the last, at least according to plan.
Please continue to SEND me REVIEWS!