Multiplicity
A Ranma fanfic by Mike Breslau
Disclaimer: You know the drill: better folks than I own the characters that appear in this scribbling.
The next morning dawned grey and overcast. Tatewaki appeared in front of the Tendo home bellowing a challenge. "Ranma, come out and fight, if you dare!" His challenge was free from the usual flowery embellishments that Kuno usually used.
Ranma appeared looking bored and disheveled. "Keep it down, Kuno, civilized people are trying to sleep." He had no reason to worry about Kuno - Ranma had always beaten Tatewaki easily before and the "iron air" armor had never failed to protect him.
For once Tatewaki said not a word, but swiftly attacked with his enchanted sword. To Ranma's senses the weapon radiated power and evil intent. Ranma went on the alert - this could be bad news. Kuno was moving twice as fast as he ever had before - and he had been fast to begin with.
Ranma ducked and weaved, trying to make it look effortless. Ranma began to worry that the blade could actually harm him, but he also relished the challenge. It had been a long time since Ranma had had a good fight.
Tatewaki feinted to his left and then tried a surprise slashing attack on Ranma's right arm. Ranma's confidence was shaken when the sword cut effortlessly through his "iron air" armor and sliced open his forearm. The pain was incredible but brief. He backed off quickly and regenerated his flesh, but his ki had been somewhat depleted by the cut. Now Ranma was really worried. He hated magic - it had never done him any good at all.
After tasting Ranma's blood Kuno's sword slowly began to change. First, it became blood red instead of black metallic, and then the sharp edge, originally straight, gradually became serrated. Finally, a new jewel,shaped like an eye, appeared in the pommel of the sword.
It was time to take this fight seriously. Ranma lashed out at Amiguriken speed, delivering one hundred twenty body blows in less than a second. He backed off, out of Kunos range.
Tatewaki laughed off Ranma's attack. "Is that the best you can do, Ranma?"
Ranma seemed to disappear and reappeared behind Kuno. "You're too slow, bozo," he taunted. Tatewaki whirled around, only to be met with a powerful ki blast to his chest. Ranma was disappointed, but not surprised, when his Mouko Takabisha seemed to have no effect. Kuno grinned and redoubled his efforts, while remaining uncharacteristically silent.
Ranma realized that Kuno wasn't using the sword, the sword was using Kuno. That's why Tatewaki was acting out-of-character. Further, it seemed that physical attacks and ki attacks were futile against the sword's magic. Ranma tried using nekoken ki-claws; they were useless against the enchanted blade. It was time to try something else.
Ranma gestured. Tatewaki suddenly found his feet embedded from the knees down in a thick and heavy block of ice. He struggled against the restraint, but could not move his legs. Undaunted, Kuno began to carefully chip away at the ice with his sword. Ranma was glad to find something that worked in his own favor. He repeated the gesture and the block of ice grew to waist high. Ranma grinned.
Soon, Tatewaki was enclosed in a prison of ice up to his head - with only his face and his right hand sticking out of the glacier. He glared at Ranma with venomous hatred, but was powerless to move. Ranma used a vacuum blade - it was not composed of matter or ki - to slash at Kuno's exposed wrist. It worked. The sword, and Tatewaki's right hand, fell to the pavement below. Kuno screamed and fainted.
"Sorry about that," murmured Ranma to his unconscious foe. He released Kuno from his prison of ice and let him down gently. It wouldn't do if Tatewaki got frostbite. He then regenerated Kuno's fallen hand and wrist using ki from the vanished ice. When Ranma looked down he saw that the amputated hand had blackened and shrivelled and had fallen away from the hilt of the sword.
Ranma pondered what to do about the enchanted sword. He didn't want to touch it, or even stay near it, but he couldn't leave it where someone else could find it. Finally, he decided to enclose the weapon in a cylinder of pure silver. The sword shivered in revulsion as it was being entombed. Finally, Ranma placed the silver cylinder into his stuff-space without touching it.
Tatewaki moaned and began to stir. He opened his eyes and tried, but failed, to sit up. He asked, "Uhh. What's wrong with me? Why does my hand feel funny? What am I doing here?" The madness was missing from his eyes, and the theatrical pretensions were missing from his speech.
"Hold still," commanded Ranma. He performed a ki-healing and an energy transfusion to restore Kuno's health. "You were the captive of a demonic sword, which was using your body to do its evil work. I defeated the sword, but it had already fed on your life-force and a bit of mine."
"Oh," replied Tatewaki. "I thank you, Ranma. You have saved my life." He stood and bowed. "My apologies." Kuno said adieu and returned to his home.
Ranma returned to the Tendo's and prepared for school. After the breakfast rush had ended, but while he was still in the school library, Ranma visited the Cat Cafe to consult with the "old ghoul."
Cologne greeted him, "Ah, Ranma, welcome! How nice of you to drop in." She no longer called him "son-in-law" because it's not wise to annoy a deicide.
"Good morning, Cologne. I hope you can advise me on a problem I'm having. I need to dispose of a sword that seems to be inhabited by a demon, and I want to know the safest way to do it."
Ku Lon raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? May I see this sword, please?"
Ranma withdrew the silver cylinder from his stuff space and caused it to open, unfolding to reveal the sword within. At no time did he touch sword was slowly reverting to black as the blood-taint faded away.
Cologne's already large eyes opened even more widely. "That's a Soul Eater! I thought they were mythological. Where did you get it? Have you touched it?"
"I got it from Tatewaki; the Kuno's have owned it for a long time. An' I'm not dumb enough to touch it. However, it has tasted my blood in battle..."
Cologne was shocked and sorrowful. "They say its touch is poisonous and will eventually kill you!"
Ranma grinned. "I could sense that, so just to be safe I destroyed the body I had fought in and created another to replace it - without taint."
Cologne was bemused. "Only you could survive a demonic sword, Ranma. Only you."
"Yeah, but how do I get rid of it safely?"
"I'll have to do a little research. Give me a few minutes, Ranma." Cologne pogoed upstairs and returned ten minutes later with a dusty scroll. She unrolled it on a table and pointed with a bony finger. "This is the most powerful demon seal we know of. I don't think anyone can destroy the sword or the demon, but your silver sheath should be able to confine it."
"So I have to make these glyphs on the cylinder that I made?"
"Yes, but do be careful to copy these shapes exactly."
Ranma concentrated. The sword floated into its cylindrical sheath, and then the cylinder folded and sealed itself shut seamlessly. The scroll moved to cover the middle of the cylinder. The glyphs on the scroll glowed black for a minute, and then the scroll returned to its previous anti demon seal was now embossed on the middle of the cylinder as if by a fancy photocopy machine. Cologne nodded approvingly.
"Now where can I put it? We don't want anyone finding it."
Cologne nodded. "You can't simply bury it under a mountain - mountains don't last forever. Ideally, you'd want to put it somewhere far from the Earth, so that no one will ever find it."
"I could toss it into the Sun..." offered Ranma.
Cologne shook her head. "Bad idea. It would melt the seal and the sheath, freeing the demon. Can you imagine the trouble a demon-possessed star could cause?"
Ranma slumped, then brightened up. "I can put it in its own stuff-space, and then put that inside my own stuff-space. It would then be two levels away from the rest of our universe; an' nobody else can get at my private space."
Mousse gaped in surprise. "Can you do that?" he asked enviously. His foe Ranma was exceeding him in his own favorite domain - again. Unfair!
Ranma nodded. "I just figured out how."
"It may be our best option," agreed Cologne.
The silver cylinder briefly wavered in an eye-straining fashion and then vanished.
"I hope that does it," concluded Ranma.
The librarian noticed two unfamiliar patrons who appeared to be of highschool age. They were seated at the same table and ignoring each other. Both were nondescript students engrossed in reading books that appeared to be below their age level. She approached them and addressed the male student. "Are you new here? I don't remember seeing you before."
"Yes, this is my first time here," answered the young man politely, after laying down his book.
"Do you have a library card?"
The boy looked puzzled. "Do I need a card to read a book in the library?"
The librarian answered, "It's not strictly necessary, but we prefer it, and you'll get borrowing privileges too. It will only take a minute to fill out the paperwork."
"Okay," answered the student, "May I have the forms?"
"I'd like to have the forms too," volunteered the female student, "It's my first time here also."
As promised, it took only a minute to fill out the paperwork. The librarian took the forms to her desk and began to prepare library cards."Must be foreigners," she thought, "Their names are Hairy Potty and Her Mean Stranger." The librarian did not read English children's literature and so she didn't get the joke.
Ranma and Ranma, in their alternate identities, continued studying with slight smiles on their faces.
That afternoon Ranma asked Kasumi to go on a date with him that evening.
"Oh my!" exclaimed Kasumi as expected, "I'd love to accept, but who will take care of the family?"
"They're old enough to take care of themselves," answered Ranma, "and I'll make dinner for them so you don't have to."
"That's so sweet, Ranma. I will go out with you. What should I wear?"
"Well, I think that you're a romantic at heart, so I'm planning something secluded and romantic for tonight. Wear something nice, but not too fancy."
Kasumi spent the next few hours in a deliriously happy daze. She hadn't gone out on a date ever, and she wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Of course, Ranma hadn't voluntarily gone out on a date before, but he was a little calmer about it.
As dinnertime approached Kasumi came downstairs wearing the gown that Ranma had made for her. Her hair was brushed to a high gloss, and she wore the slightest hint of makeup, tastefully applied. Naturally, she was blushing and giddy. Ranma was wearing semi-formal clothes that emphasized his masculine figure. Dinner for the family was on the table under domes to keep it warm.
"You look nice," Kasumi and Ranma said in unison.
Akane was sulking. "You're supposed to be engaged to me, Ranma. Why are you taking out my sister?"
"Not any more, my mother annulled all engagements, remember?" asked Ranma. "You'll get your turn soon." With that the couple walked out the door.
"Don't be afraid," said Ranma. He picked up Kasumi in his arms and rose 40feet into air. Soon the two of them were flying along the street at high speed.
Kasumi was in heaven. Being held by those incredibly strong arms made her feel secure even as she hurtled through the air. This was beyond roof-hopping; this was really flying. She heard the wind of their passage but felt only the gentlest of breezes. Curiously enough none of the people who should have seen them took any notice.
Eventually they came to a park, and Ranma settled down on a grassy area near a lake. There was no one else in sight.
"Oh, that was wonderful!' exclaimed Kasumi, "What are we going to do here?"
"Candlelight dinner by the lake shore, and later dancing under the stars."Ranma was really enjoying this; he'd rarely had the opportunity to make someone happy, and it was a great feeling.
"I don't see any..."
Ranma gestured. A small round table materialized, followed by two chairs, and a white linen tablecloth. Two candles and a fine dinner for two appeared as if by magic.
"Oh my!"
They ate slowly, enjoying the experience, and talking to each other about their lives, their dreams, and their hopes for the future.
"I haven't had such an exciting life as you had," complained Kasumi, "Mine must seem ordinary and boring to you."
"If by 'exciting' you meant 'always on the brink of disaster,' then you're right. By now I want 'ordinary and boring,' but I suspect I'll never have any."
"I see," replied Kasumi, who was feeling better about herself and more sympathetic towards Ranma after that insight.
The sun slowly set in a blaze of glory and a full moon rose. One by one the stars appeared and began to twinkle. When dinner was finished the diners stood and all traces of their picnic vanished. Ranma smiled, picked up Kasumi in his strong arms, and flew straight up. He flew to the top of a nearby cumulus cloud and set Kasumi down on it. To her surprise, the cloud supported Kasumi's weight without a problem.
Somehow "oh my" just didn't cut it. "Sugoi!" She took a few steps and said, "It's slippery, Ranma."
Ranma agreed. Clouds were sometimes flat on the bottom, but their tops were usually bumpy with mounds of steam. He concentrated. An area about the size of a skating rink flattened out to a smooth "floor." "I can't do much about the slipperiness, but I can level the playing field. Now we can dance." Ranma exhibited an MP3 player he had Nabiki preload with suitable dance music.
Ranma and Kasumi danced on the top of the cloud with the moon and the stars looking down. What could be more romantic? The mood was broken when they were buzzed by a fighter plane that had been sent up to investigate the strange radar echos that had been detected.
The astonished pilot keyed his radio. "Base, this is Beta One. You're not going to believe this, but all I see up here is a man and a woman dancing on top of a cloud."
The radio replied, "Beta One, I don't know what you've been drinking, but I want some too. Can you get a picture?"
"Rodger that, Base."
A modern fighter plane is ill equipped to deal with airborne stationary objects, but the pilot did his best to get a shot with the wing-mounted cameras. When it was developed, the film showed Ranma waving a greeting to the pilot and Kasumi bowing politely.
Kasumi never noticed Ranma and Ukyo dancing on the next cloud over.
When the music ended Ranma picked up Kasumi and released the top of the cloud from his influence. It took him a few minutes to find the Tendo home from this height, but he found his way before either of them could get worried. He set Kasumi down gently in front of the entrance door.
Kasumi grabbed Ranma and kissed him long and passionately much to his surprise. She was sure she had just experienced the most romantic evening any woman had ever had, and she would do anything to show her appreciation. "I had a wonderful time tonight, Ranma." She blushed and added, "Would...would you like to spend the night with me?" she asked tremulously. "I can't believe I asked that!" she thought. Kasumi realized that at this moment she wouldn't mind bedding Ranma even if it meant bearing his child out of wedlock.
Ranma declined gently. "I appreciate the offer, but not tonight." He turned and flew away.
Earlier that same day, just after the lunchtime rush, Ranma entered Ucchan's.
"Hi, Ranchan, you want a special?"
Ranma sported a mischievous grin. "Well, I'd like something special, but not an okonomiyaki. I'd like to take you out for dining and dancing tonight. Can you be ready at 6:00?"
Ukyo was surprised and pleased. "The restaurant is busy at 6:00..." she began tentatively.
"I've got it covered," replied Ranma with a smirk.
A duplicate of Ukyo entered through the front door. "I'll handle the griddle, Sugar. Don't you worry about it none," she said in Ukyo's voice and accent.
Ukyo was surprised and truly puzzled. "Who...Ranchan, is that you?"
"Yup. I think I know you well enough that I can pretend to be you for a night," declared Ranma and the extra Ukyo in unison.
The real Ukyo sat down quickly. Things were moving too fast for her. "What do you have in mind?" she asked Ranma.
"Dining and dancing; a secluded romantic evening for two."
"Oh my," said Ukyo, "I'd love to go out with you, but what will I wear?"
"Wear whatever you like, nobody will see you but me."
Ukyo resolved not to miss this opportunity. "Yes, Ranchan, I'd love to go out with you."
"We'll pick you up here at 6:00 then," chorused Ranma and the extra left, leaving Ukyo delighted and disoriented.
At six o'clock, as promised, the duplicate Ukyo entered the restaurant."He's waiting for you outside, Ucchan. What do I have to do?"
Ukyo quickly filled her double in on the orders in progress so that she could take over smoothly. A few of her customers gawked at the sight; the remainder dismissed it as yet more Nerima weirdness and thus unimportant.
Ukyo stepped outside to meet Ranma. "Is it okay if I take my baker's peel?I feel naked without it."
Ranma chuckled. "I don't want you to feel naked, you might get the wrong idea."
Ukyo blushed. "That's not what I meant," she muttered.
"Don't be afraid," suggested Ranma. He picked up Ukyo and held her close to his body. They became invisible to everyone else as they rose into the air and flew away.
Once she had become adjusted to the strange situation Ukyo found it exhilarating. "My goodness, don't you have any respect for the laws of physics, Ranchan?"
Ranma laughed. "Only when it pleases me to do so, Ucchan."
Whereas Kasumi had spent her flight time looking at Ranma's face - she might have been afraid of heights - Ukyo was looking down and taking in the view. After a while Ranma brought them down to land at a scenic one side the ground dropped away sharply to where ocean waves were breaking against the face of the cliff; on the other three sides a dense forest blocked the view. They were in a modest-sized clearing where grasses and wildflowers grew. Songbirds could be heard from the nearby forest.
Ranma caused a table, two chairs, food, and drink to appear. Kasumi had been offered Japanese food, which she preferred, while Ukyo was served fine French cooking - pate de foie gras, filet mignon, cherries jubilee, etc. Ukyo was served one glass of champagne. Ranma didn't drink alcohol so he substituted carbonated apple juice that looked like champagne. Ukyo turned out to be adept at eating with a fork. Naturally, a good time was had by all.
Ukyo had a slight buzz from her drink, and was still tingling from her remarkable, magical date with Ranma. "Ranchan, I've never been this happy before," she slurred.
"Just wait, the best is yet to come," replied Ranma. He had intended to show her a good time, and it was working. He raised Ukyo to standing and then lifted her up in his arms. The remains of dinner vanished as the couple rose into the sky. Soon they were dancing on the top of a cloud near the one the other couple was dancing on.
"Who could I tell about this evening?" wondered Ukyo, "Who would believe it?"
"Are you happy, Ucchan?"
"Never felt better, Ranchan. I hope this night never ends."
When the music ended Ranma returned them to the front of her restaurant. Since his other self had already found the dojo, it was easy to find his way to Ucchan's. On the way he described what her double was doing in the restaurant so that Ukyo could take over smoothly when they arrived. At this hour there wasn't much left to do.
On landing Ukyo kissed Ranma passionately. "Thanks, Ranchan, I've had the best time ever." She turned away reluctantly and entered the restaurant.
That same evening Ranma's fourth body was visiting his mentor Dr. Tofu and describing what his other bodies were doing.
"Ranma, what do you think you are doing?" asked Dr. Tofu, sounding concerned. "What are you trying to accomplish?"
"Um... Have a good time, get to know each other. Isn't that what people do on dates?"
"Yes, that's what most people do on dates. You, however, are not most people. Ordinarily, dating does not involve dancing on the clouds."
"How else are they going to learn what I can do now? It's part of who I am." Ranma was confused.
"Do you have strong romantic feelings for these girls?" Tofu asked earnestly. "Do you intend to marry them?"
Ranma was lost in unfamiliar territory. "Well, I like them both a lot, but I hadn't considered marrying anyone yet. I need to find myself before I find a mate."
"Then you may be making a big mistake, Ranma. You are not just 'having a good time' - you are forging strong romantic attachments to you in Ukyo and K...Kasumi. If you don't marry both of them then they will be tragically disappointed." Tofu looked pained.
Ranma began to appreciate what the good doctor was driving at. "Oh. I'm not being fair to them, am I? I didn't intend to hurt them. Sensei, I'm not very good at this relationship stuff..." Then realization hit him like a thunderclap - the doc was painfully smitten with Kasumi, and Ranma was stealing his girl. "Oh my God, Sensei, I hadn't meant to hurt them or you. I'm truly sorry. Now I don't know what to do to make things right..." This might be one time when Ranma didn't win.
Tofu said, "I don't know how you can let those girls down gently, have to begin by explaining what happened and let them know how you really feel."
"You're right, Doc. It'll be hard, but I have to do my best. An' I have to be sure not to make the same mistake again. Sensei, what do 'normal 'people do on a first date?"
Now Tofu was on firmer ground. "Normally, dinner at a restaurant and take in a movie, in either order. For a second date you could include dancing at a night club."
"That'll be hard, Sensei. Those things take money, and I've been living without money for ten months now."
Tofu was surprised. "Ten months without a single yen?"
Ranma materialized an ice cream float and began to eat it, then he caused the remainder of it to vanish. "I can make anything I need outa ki, and I've got plenty of ki. Don't need money."
Tofu looked skeptical. "You may not need money for material goods, Ranma,but you will have to pay for services with cash. Doctors, lawyers, and others will expect to be compensated for their time." In a softer voice he added, "Present company excepted, Ranma. I'm not going to charge you for these consultations."
"Thanks, Doctor." In a bemused tone of voice Ranma added, "I'll have to get a job then. It'll be hard to find one that doesn't drive me nuts."
Tofu mentally appended, "and still harder to find a job where you don't drive them nuts!"
They talked for a few more hours. Ranma felt guilty for messing up the love lives of Ukyo, Kasumi, and Tofu. He resolved to do better in the future.
Author's Notes
Merely owning the demon-possessed sword has sucked the sanity out of the Kuno family members. Ranma had done them a great favor by hiding the cursed blade.
