Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or Birdy the Mighty.

Author's Notes: Once again, we are gathered together to partake of more fanfiction. The action's heating up, as problem's are resolved and even more problems surface! For those of you wondering how it became a Ryoga/Kasumi pairing when she doesn't like immature people, think back to the breakfast incident or even think back to the fight with Taro. Ranma and Birdy nearly dying is plausible as well considering they were fighting a giant blob of goo. Just to warn you, I'm labeling the story 'AU'. I hope you enjoy the change of pace! The author's notes are supposed to answer questions I suppose, so I figured I should show you how my mind works. I'm all talked out so I think it's time we got this party started.

Ranma the Mighty

Chapter 7

Love and War

The dreams used to plague her mind nightly, driving thoughts of sleep away and sapping her strength. It couldn't have possibly become any worse or so she thought. Lately her thoughts were interrupted by daydreams that called her old memories to mind as well as her current victim's. Every little thing triggered a recollection. Her nerves were in shambles from her recent storm of tears. Fears long suppressed were suddenly brought out with startling clarity. The latest dream was of her mother before she was killed. Memories of lying in her mother's lap in the park, the warm sun shining on her face, and her mother's gentle voice filling her with love. It was so beautiful that she prayed it would never end, but like all good things, this came to an end as well.

"M-mom…How I miss you…If you were still here I'd…" her throat aching from the harsh sobs as she once again hugged her knees to her chest and cried. She wasn't sure if this longing for her dead parent was a result of her host or her own desires. Either way it was effective. Her thoughts were clear, but her emotions were running on overdrive.

'I need to get a grip on myself! I must make the galactic police pay for letting that murderer go! That bastard is still out there because they let him loose! Am I really my father's sin like he said?' Akane actually grew shocked at that. She was growing quite adept at finessing her way into Revi's private thoughts, but there was a block in there that couldn't be looked through.

'What did she mean by 'am I my father's sin?' Is there something I'm not getting here? She remembers Violeen clearly, even if it happened years ago. Some things burn their way into your mind, but she's only interested in the police. Why is she trying to hurt innocent people?' her musings were interrupted by a dark pulse that tore through Revi's mind, sending the already weakened alien woman over the edge into unconsciousness. She fished deeper to find the source of it and discovered it came from the block, but it seemed it was clearing. Before she could probe around it, a burst of bitterness shot out and blasted Akane's mind directly, making her reel in pain.

'…Nothing will stop me…Kill them all…Make them suffer for Mommy…Daddy said it was their fault…Daddy didn't kill Mommy…' a child's voice echoed sickeningly through the trapped girl's brain, battering her hard built mental resistance, but not breaking. As quickly as the assault started it ended, slowly relinquishing control to Revi once more, but she had the vague feeling that things were definitely not as they appeared.

/-

Morning was Ranma's least favorite part of the day because it meant he had to wake up. Sleep was one of his secret pleasures that life with Genma had forced him to hide, but one that he reveled in often. The healing tank was surprisingly comfortable, but maybe it shouldn't have been considering he was floating in liquid. His dreams were definitely pleasant as he thought about he was going to do as soon as he had his own body again. First thing was, ask Birdy out. It would be fun to actually be able to see her face to face; it was also a thrilling thought. Would it be as good to kiss her in real life as it had been in the dream or would it be better? He finally concluded it would be better because he'd actually be able to hold her. It took him some time to figure out why his thoughts had suddenly turned towards romance, but he looked upon it as a sign that Birdy was okay.

'Hey sleepyhead.' he said affectionately. When had he begun thinking about her like that? Sharing a body and a mind seems to have its perks.

'Mmm...Five more minutes...' she protested sleepily before the previous day's events caught up to her. Suddenly, the police girl was wide-awake and taking stock of their surroundings. Her thoughts were racing and it took several minutes to calm her down, whispering assurances to her. Birdy took a few seconds to compose herself before asking him what happened.

'You're not going to like this, but...' He said just before launching into the full explanation. She listened attentively, asking questions for clarification, before breathing a sigh of relief. He had been explaining how the battle ended and his trek across Tokyo, but even though he said all he managed to do was shatter him like glass, she seemed relieved.

'You don't know about his race, but that's okay. They can only live as long as they're liquid. Once their frozen solid, or something else turns them solid, they die. We don't have to worry about him anymore.' she sounded so confident about it that the pigtailed boy relaxed as well.

'Well, we were worried about being here for eight o'clock; it looks like we're stuck in this tank for another couple of hours. Accelerated healing is great, but our ki is still a little low.' Despite the situation, he seemed rather cheerful about it all; Birdy couldn't help but feel the same way. It was easy being happy around him.

'Sorry 'bout not realizing we were in trouble sooner…' she began to apologize before he cut her off.

'Don't worry about it. Really. I woulda probably done the same thing.' He said to ease her agitation. She knew he wasn't lying about it either. Her thoughts drifted over his thoughts while she was sleeping, causing both of them to blush.

'Maybe we could find out if they could do it immediately.' Birdy said hopefully.

'How do we talk to the chief from the healing pod?' Ranma asked curiously.

'Just switch to me.' She sounded confident. Ranma shrugged before expending energy to transform into Birdy. The police girl gave a command in a language that Ranma figured must be her home language before a strange mask lowered into the tank. She slipped it on just as the communication channel was opened to headquarters.

"Megius here." The chief said.

"Hey Chief. The mission was a total failure even if Rauvalumingo was defeated. The only way to win was by killing him." She would have continued the report, except the chief stopped her.

"Birdy, we detected your energy signature disappear. We were about to send a team to get your body, but I'm surprised to know that you're alive. How did you manage it?" he asked.

"There's uh…someone who doesn't want me to die." She could hear the embarrassment in her voice. The chief chuckled knowingly, causing the poor girl to blush even redder. Thankfully, he couldn't see her face or she would have been even more embarrassed.

"You would like to know if we could do the separation faster, correct?" he wasn't the chief for nothing and this was an easy guess. Birdy nodded her head until she remembered that it was a voice-only transmission before confirming what he asked.

"We were able to move it up a few hours, but it still won't be ready until at least five o'clock. Try looking for Revi while we get the equipment set up. Megius, out." He said before the connection was cancelled.

'Yes! Only a couple more hours!' Birdy cheered happily as she gave Ranma a big mental hug and wondering if a physical one would be better. Somehow, she knew it would be. The pigtailed boy laughing at her antics, hoping nothing would go wrong in the meantime.

'Only a couple more hours…' he thought, just as happy as Birdy.

/-

Ryoga finally awakened near the lunchtime rush, the day after he was dragged into the Nekohanten. Kasumi and Nabiki were helping out as waitresses, figuring they were safe with Cologne, Shampoo, and Mousse. The Chinese Amazons, while a bit strange, were undoubtedly excellent fighters. The elder was more then happy to give them haven, especially after finding out who the enemy might be.

"You believe it to be Akane?" The ancient matriarch asked in shock. The Lost Boy nodded numbly. Not from any real shock mind you, but his energy was still very low from the day before.

"There's no other suspects aside from me and I know I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but I stand out. She'd want someone that maybe has a fighting fit body and is relatively invisible. Since Ranma came here, it became 'Akane who?' Perfect." Ryoga said. Cologne just stared in awe at the complex thought he put together.

"Interesting theory and it bears investigating. Mousse said he saw Ranma being attacked by Miss Hinako, but that he disappeared in the confusion." She said.

"Ranma leavin' a fight?" He asked in shocked disbelief.

"Yes, he was reported to have been almost dead. I just hope he didn't find a quiet place to compose a final haiku." She said wryly.

"If he was gonna die, he'd go out with a bang. We'd know when he died." The Lost Boy was so certain that Cologne found herself believing him in spite of what she heard. Oh an the teacher? She was currently sitting in the corner of the room with another huge jar of pocky and showing no signs of leaving. She kept giving Mousse speculative looks that unnerved the myopic boy.

"May we be cursed to live in interesting times…" Cologne muttered to herself. "…Whoever said that should have killed themselves."

/-

Gomez was currently in the middle of preparations for what the night would bring. It would certainly be a difficult battle if recent events were any indication, but at least the officer was gone. The one remaining with the power to oppose them had been spied at a restaurant that translated to Cat Café. The Arkazoid had even managed to get inside and find out that the one responsible was a mere boy, but at least he was too weak now to do anything.

"Miss Revi has ordered your death. Don't blame me, blame fate." He said aloud. It was honorable to warn your opponent of what was coming. What the alien couldn't understand is why they were here in the first place and why they were harming humans. He had signed on to this with her upon the hearing that she had a grudge against the police. They had arrested him years ago when he was still young for a simple infraction, but had managed to keep him locked up on what he thought were trumped up charges. Gomez had nothing against innocent people, but police were a different story.

"Perhaps she will explain soon, but in the meantime I need to focus more on the job ahead." the first sign you're going crazy is talking to yourself. Gomez seemed cool and collected, but the alien sociopath was anything but. Given the right situation he could be absolutely psychotic. Standard criminal really, he never believed it was his fault for what he did, but he did acknowledge justification.

"Hard to believe a child could possess such power. Perhaps Miss Revi was right about finding a suitable partner here. I just hope the young man is well rested. I need a good battle." he smiled grimly. The few Arkazoids watching him shuddered.

/-

Revi could feel the human's body weakening from lack of sleep and mental exhaustion, but couldn't even close her eyes for a second lest the images return. Her memories would surface at the strangest times and never in a particular pattern. The bad ones were where she remembered the people she killed or even remembering her mother being killed. The worst memories were the dreams full of longing when she remembered her mother in life and the few times she was happy.

'I am Christelle Revi. My goal is to...' a flash went through her mind '...find a suitably strong partner to take on the galaxy police.' another flash tore through her psyche, but she was too tired to see anything was wrong. Akane watched in amazement as she could almost see invisible wires pulling the alien woman along.

'Maybe it's just the exhaustion setting in, but I'm having trouble finding the ruthless Revi that's supposed to be, in her mind anyway, the greatest criminal in the galaxy. She was actually feeling useful, even if she was essentially trapped in her own mind. Despite that, the girl kept up her guerilla tactics. Today would be the masterstroke. Revi was actually going to get some uninterrupted sleep. Her mental barriers were weakened and she needed to get inside the mental block that resisted her attempts to probe it. Their mind was jerked into semi-wakefulness by father's voice.

"Akane dear, you look tired. You should go get some sleep." he suggested. Revi almost wept. Sleep was desperately craved, but impossible to get. Soun took hold of his daughter's shoulders and gently steered her to her room. With tenderness, he tucked her into bed.

"D-daddy? C-could you stay with me?" Revi hated the weakness in her voice, but she didn't want to be alone. Her host's father smiled and sat on her bed, the weary girl cuddling up to him and falling fast asleep. Soun Tendo just smiled and stroked his daughter's hair softly.

"Sleep you poor child, just sleep." the way he said it made the still alert Akane jerk in shock. He knew! The girl smiled as she realized that somehow her father knew. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered.

"She's so alone, just as you and your sisters must have been. Please forgive me." the tears were thick in his voice, but not once did he bawl. With fluid grace he stood and left the room. A true father knows his own child.

'Okay Daddy. Now, let's get to work.' she thought as she went to the already clearing blockage, determined to get to the bottom of it. What she saw when she got there made her gasp in shock.

'O-oh my...'

/-

The soon to be separated duo were out of the tank and blurring through a kata to loosen up sore muscles. Their recent healing gave them too much energy and not enough ways to use it.

'Maybe we should try conserving the extra energy, Ranma. That way we won't be so weak after the separation.' Birdy suggested.

'How d'ya know we'll be weak?' he asked curiously as he wound down.

'Everything else seems to have made us weak in one way or another. Why should this be any different?' she asked. The pigtailed boy couldn't fault her logic so he decided to sit down and relax. He absently looked over at the clock and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Kuso! It's almost five! Let's go, Birdy!" the young martial artist took off running back to the medical bay. They were just in time to unpack the equipment. It took them several minutes to hook everything up, with Birdy having to take over a couple times, to get it all set up. Some of the devices looked just plain evil. Birdy laughed at some of his speculations before reassuring him that it was all going to be okay. Chief Megius was on hand to help direct their efforts.

"The moment you have been waiting for has arrived." he said with gentle humor. "Go back into the tank. The procedure is painless without even a trace of discomfort. Unless you're counting the fact that you'll need to remove your clothes. After you're done, we have a few things we need to discuss." with that cheerful thought, he directed them into the healing pod. The new additions to it made it look like some kind of alien blender. It had what looked like blades and dangling wires, the whole thing screamed pain, but the Chief wouldn't lie, right? After a quick strip, the UFO catcher arm hoisted them up again before dropping them into the tank. As the "blender" started up, the last thing Ranma thought was 'He lied about it not hurting.' before passing out from the pain.

/-

Whether it was hours or merely minutes, that kind of torture was almost too much to handle, but it was worth it. Birdy concluded that the procedure was a success when she looked over and saw a floating Ranma next to her. What really drew her attention was that he was completely naked. Luckily they weren't sharing thoughts anymore so she was safe from his comments, but one thing shot that idea all to hell and stomped on it.

'You're certainly a looker yourself.' Ranma thought to her with a grin. The two teens stared at each other for what seemed like forever until the communicator going off broke it. Getting out of the tank proved to be interesting considering neither one of them wanted to go first, but they had no choice. Once out, Birdy got her uniform on as Ranma quickly yanked his pants on, just in time for the police girl to take the message.

"Was the procedure a success?" Megius asked.

"Yes it was, Chief." Birdy smiled dazzlingly. The insectoid couldn't remember the last time she smiled like that and found it a tad distracting. Ranma came up behind her and easily set his arm about her shoulders, Birdy snuggling into his hug. The chief chose not to question why her hair was still red, it just wasn't important.

"Good to hear. On to business. Gomez has been spotted near a restaurant called the Nekohanten. It is also currently the location of a young man with phenomenal abilities who destroyed two of Revi's top assassins. Salamander and Undine. If Gomez is not stopped, there will be a tremendous loss of life. You both have your orders. Over and out." he said before terminating the connection. In the silence that followed the teens looked at each other.

"A young man with phenomenal abilities?" she asked aloud. Ranma kissed her softly as he responded.

'Must be Ryoga. We better hurry.' they broke the kiss reluctantly, but there were more important things to do. The pigtailed boy was about to get his clothes on when Birdy handed him a bracer like the one she wears.

"Try this instead. It's faster." with a smile she took off for the hatch. Without even pausing, Ranma used the bracer to put on the uniform. It was half red, half black on top with all black below a red belt. It felt like a second skin. His last thought before running out was.

'How do you wear this?' A laugh was his only answer.

The End

Author's Notes: Whew! This story is fun to write and thankfully my creative batteries are fully recharged. This story was originally only supposed to be four chapters, but there was so much that could be done. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Ja ne!