CHAPTER 44

-"TORN BETWEEN LOVE AND DESTINY! THE BATTLE WITHIN RAN'S HEART!"-

TOKYO, JAPAN – NIGHTTIME:

We see crowds of people moving throughout the city, men and women, boys and girls, young and old alike. Cars are moving along in a steady flow of traffic. Some people are going to work. Others are just getting off work. Still others are looking through the various shops in the Ginza, going to the movies, dining at restaurants, hanging out with friends, or spending time with their families or loved ones.

In the myriad sea of human beings going about their everyday lives, absolutely no one noticed an unusual-looking person among their ranks. This "person" was wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt, a pair of Converse "Chuck Taylor" tennis shoes, and a matching cap and jacket with the logo and team colors of the Chicago Bulls.

"Well, what's so unusual-looking about that?" you might ask?

Oh, dear readers, if only you or any one of the people walking around could stop and take a REALLY good look at this person. Surely you would notice his face.

Or, the lack of a face.

Unless you count that single red camera-lens-like eye as a face!

It was one of the Zero look-alike robots designed by the RED CATS' scientists. As it walks through the city, the robot scans its surroundings, searching for anyone or anything related to the Phoenix Stone. Whatever the robot sees was instantly being relayed back to its source…

RED CATS' SECRET BASE – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:

Alone in his room, Erick is seated in his throne, surrounded by many video screens. It would appear that Erick has already begun mass production of his robot spies, using the replicating powers of his DVL Cells.

The screens seem to materialize out of thin air, as they display what his mechanical minions pick up via their video camera eyes. Erick watches them all with great interest. So far, he is pleased with the performance of his creations.

Erick smiles as he thinks, Already, my robot legions are performing beautifully. Even now, they keep me posted on what's happening all over Japan, especially in Nerima. Truly, I now have eyes and ears everywhere.

He looks at one of the screens, recorded by one of the robots in the Ginza shopping district. As Erick watches the crowds of people, he thinks with disgust, Bah. Look at those miserable talking monkeys, going about their mundane existence as if nothing's happening, like everything's all right with the world. So absorbed are they in their ways that they can't see what they're doing to the Earth, to themselves. Angelus says there are "good humans" in this world… yeah, right! There is none good, no, not one. And he wants to fight to save these pathetic creatures? Once we get that stone, mankind is in for a rude awakening. And then, once the Cat Ghost King is resurrected and we conquer the world, I can then realize my ultimate dream… Nothing will stand in my way. NOTHING!!

With a wave of his hand, Erick makes the screens vanish. He gets up from his throne and walks into the seemingly endless darkness of his chamber, appearing in yet another room. Just how many rooms are in this guy's chamber? Could it be that his chamber is one large sub-space pocket dimension? Hmm…

Anyway, Erick's in this room, standing on a small balcony. In front of him, only a few feet below, is a large boiling pot the size of a Jacuzzi hot tub filled with DVL Cells. Inside the pot are mounds of what look like large lumps of flesh with no skin and metallic spines running over them soaking in the Cells! The jar pulses with power, radiating with red energy, its contents simmering like some kind of bizarre stew. Suddenly, an arm, covered in wires, bursts out from the boiling liquid in the pot. The bony fingers on the hand clench and more of the body begins to surface, causing the Cells and liquid to splash out the pot and all over the floor. The flesh around the metal skeleton begins to turn a pale gray, molding itself into a familiar shape and finally hardens like steel. Standing in the bubbling pot of Cells, the fluids up to its waist, was another Zero Robot. The pot began to bubble over, and another robot emerged, followed by another, until there were three of them. One by one, they waded through the fluids over to a ladder mounted beside the pot and climbed out of it. Then they walked over to where a large group of already-finished drones stood and joined the ranks like perfect soldiers. Three-dozen drones now stood before Erick, fully operational, awaiting orders from their master and creator. Then, with a single thought from Erick, the pot stops boiling and shuts down… for now.

Erick smiles. His children, his Cells, were doing what he'd created them to do. Besides, it wasn't their fault; the Cell-powered pot could only produce three of these robots at a time, about every thirteen minutes or so. Though the number of mass-produced drones was not as large as he liked, he would make do with the forces he had until he could create more pots, or better yet, a machine (powered by the Cells, of course) that could supervise the creation of more drones. That way, Erick would be free to continue his efforts to get the Phoenix Stone… and maybe spend some time alone with Delia.

And then there's the matter of the man (or in this case, robot!) Erick decided to train as his new "apprentice". He's been so busy with his schemes he hasn't had a chance to tell Bass yet.

Erick smirks, thinking, But why spoil the surprise? The less Bass knows about my methods, the better. All the preparations have been made, everything's in place, and I've already sent Akuma and Gogandantess their instructions. Now, all that's left to do is summon Bass. He has no idea what's he about to face. The training I've prepared for him would kill anyone else; fortunately, that is a condition that I can remedy easily.

But that would come soon. Right now, he prepares to address his mechanized troops. But what to call them? After all, they weren't so much built in a factory as they were "spawned" from that pot. Erick's smile turns to a wicked grin. He has an idea, and a name….

He addresses his legions. "Hear me, my Zero Spawn! I, your master, command you!"

At the sound of Erick's voice, the Zero Spawn look up, their camera-eye lenses focusing directly on him.

"Find Lady Ran and the Phoenix Stone, and bring them to me! Let NOTHING stand in your way! Now… GO!

With that, all the drones teleport (Megaman X / Zero style) from Erick's chamber to join the others in search of the Phoenix Stone.

"Hm hm hm… Soon, Lady Ran. Soon we will find you, and soon I'll have that stone. As for your friend Ranma, I'll continue to send Wily's bots and our fighters to challenge and then destroy him. And, lest I forget, I've got my own plans for R… It won't be long now…. Hee hee hee…. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"

NERIMA, JAPAN – AROUND MIDNIGHT:

A lone figure approaches the gates of Furinkan High School.

It speaks in a mechanical monotone voice, like one of those answering machines, " ... Furinkan High School, Nerima Ward ofTokyo, Japan... Location confirmed ... Relaying data to Lord Erick…"

A single red light appears in the darkness. But this is no mere light. It is the camera-eye lens of one of Erick's Zero Spawn! One of the many that Erick created and sent out all over Japan to find Ran and the Phoenix Stone, it had wandered into Nerima. Once into Nerima, it made its way to the school. Sensing something important about this place, and because it was programmed to do so, it decided to report back to Erick.

" Accessing location data... now transmitting to Lord Erick… 20 seconds to go...."

We now switch views, looking through the drone's perspective. All sorts of screens and pop-up windows appear in its display; most prominently, three-dimensional maps of the school's floor plan. Every single detail was being analyzed and sent back to Erick at lightning-fast speed. Finished, it contacts Erick.

"Location data collected and sent... Awaiting orders…"

Then, the drone receives a message from Erick!

Excellent. Now, your mission here is to…

Erick then gives a set of special orders to the drone. What could he possibly want it to do at Furinkan?

"Special orders received... Operation will commence at 0700 AM tomorrow…"

The Zero Spawn then leaps over the gate and lands on the other side. Now on the school grounds, it proceeds to find a good place to hide. Finding a nearby row of bushes, it walks over to it…

"Engaging holographic camouflage…"

The Zero Spawn activates its holographic camouflage, blending in quite nicely with the bush and turning completely invisible!

"Concealment successful… Switching to standby mode…"

Hiding in the bushes, it waits silently…waiting to carry out Erick's orders.

THE NEXT DAY - RED CATS' SECRET BASE:

It's early in the morning. REALLY early in the morning. Like in the middle of the night, early in the morning…

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, the readers get the idea! It's early in the morning, OK! GET ON WITH IT!!]

Err… right, sorry. Anyway, Bass is on his way to Erick's dark chamber. He's a bit grumpy (OK, he's REALLY grumpy) because Erick summoned him (telepathically, of course!). In the middle of the night. At 4:30 in the morning. And Bass gets cranky when he doesn't get a good night's sleep. Need we say more?

Tired and grouchy, Bass complains, "Geez…. Erick and his mind-reading! If he wanted to call me, he could've just used the phone like everybody else! Man, this BETTER be important…."

Soon, he's in front of the entrance to Erick's lair. He knocks on the huge iron double-doors.

"HEY! Erick! What's the big idea wakin' me up at this hour, huh?"

The doors open….

Creeeeeeeakk…

"Ooookay…."

He goes inside, and then the doors slam shut!

CLANG!

Darkness prevails inside Erick's chamber. [AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, DUH!] It's so dark that Bass can't see anything at all. He taps on the cross-shaped jewel in the center of his helmet, causing it to light up and illuminate the area around him. But not even that can penetrate THIS darkness!

"GEEZ! OK, enough already! I get the picture already! It's dark in here! Stupid narrator! Man, the authors are being WAY too nice to him! If I ever find out where that guy's hiding, I'll beat some sense into him! And then, I'm gonna beat him senseless!"

The narrator gets scared. "*Gulp!*"

Bass continues his rant, "Look, Erick, I know darkness become you and all, but would it kill ya to turn on the lights in here? Ah, for crying out loud! What's the matter? You didn't pay your light bill? Sheesh!"

Just then, we hear a strange sound, somewhat like a faint hiss of air or gas.

Hisssssssssss….!!

"Hm….? *Cough, cough*…ACK…!! HEY! *Cough* What's this!?"

And then the lights finally come on, and standing before Bass is Erick. He has his hands behind his back, as if he's hiding something.

"Finally! All right, Erick, what're you up to now?"

Without saying a word, Erick pulls out a shotgun (!!) and…

BLAMMM

Having just shot his would-have-been apprentice, Erick watches calmly as Bass looks back at him with a mixture of anger and betrayal on his face (not to mention a HUGE hole in his chest plate!). Bass drops to the floor, dead, synthetic blood and sparks coming out of the grotesque opening.

Erick then walks over to the lifeless body of Bass, and smiles. "Ah... It should happen right about… now."

As if on cue from Erick, Bass's body begins to glow with an eerie red aura. Inside the gaping hole in his torso, we can see circuit boards reassemble themselves piece-by-piece, wires reconnecting, new microchips materializing in place of damaged ones. To his delight, his children, his Cells, were about to make radical changes in Bass' systems. As the self-recovery process continues, wires writhe and microchips change. Things slid, folded, and altered shape and position. Then, a fully restored chest plate, the blue center portion shining brightly, covers everything up neatly without a single crack or dent.

Suddenly, Bass's eyes open, and a furious look appears on his face.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Bass," Erick says/

Bass blinks. "Welcome back…!?" Then, becoming angry, "What's the big idea pointing that gun at me, Erick!? Into practical jokes, are ya? Well, I sure as hell ain't laughing, and… HEY! How come I'm not dead?" NOW, he realizes… "That gas… did you…?"

Erick confirms what Bass is about to say. "Yes. That gas contained a concentrated dose of my Cells. Enough to give your systems an upgrade, as well as equip you with the ability to self-recover from any damage you take."

Bass takes it in. "An upgrade, huh?" He grins evilly) Heh heh heh… Erick, my man, you got a REAL sick sense of humor. So allow me to thank you … by returning the favor!! TAKE THIS!!

Bass raises his right arm, about to change it into Buster mode and blast Erick. Erick's not even worried at all…. because Bass is just pointing at him with his outstretched hand.

"Huh? HEY! What the…!?" He tries to change his arm to Buster mode again – nothing happens.

A frustrated Bass says, "Grrr….!! Some upgrade, Erick! Just what exactly did your Cells do to me?"

Erick proceeds to explain, "Now, Bass, my Cells have indeed upgraded your systems… and at the same time, disabled your weapons. I can't have you using them during training, can I? That would give you an unfair advantage, and defeat the purpose of training you in the first place."

Bass gripes, "Oh, great. This is JUST great…."

"Don't sulk. Besides, it's only temporary. If you like, when your training is complete, I can restore the use of your weapons. But what if I told you that, with my training, you would be able to use the energy for your Buster in the same way a human martial artist can wield Ki? To use your existing powers in new ways, that not even you could have imagined?"

Bass thinks about what Erick's said for a moment. "Hmm…" Then, "OK, I'll do it."

"Excellent. Let's go. Your training begins now."

And with a wave of his hand, Erick and Bass disappear from the chamber.

We now switch to a desert (Which kinda looks like the Sahara – or is it someplace else?). It is here where Erick and Bass appear.

"HEY! What are we doing here? What is this place?" Bass asks.

Erick replies, "This place, Bass, is a self-contained space, a world within a world."

"Uh… excuse me, Erick, but what kind of cryptic garbage is that?"

"The kind that's kept this story going on for so long. To put it simply, we are inside a "pocket dimension". This particular one, which is by far the largest within my chamber, has been created for the sole purpose of testing one's abilities by placing them in various environmental conditions. For example, today we are in this desert. The next day you may be in a tropical jungle, an artic wasteland, or a war-torn city. The terrain and layout changes each time you enter, so you won't encounter the same obstacles twice. And it is here, Bass, where you'll do your training."

Bass is now interested. "Ah, OK, I get it now. Go on."

Pleased that he has Bass' attention, Erick continues, "This place is a perfect simulation of the real world. It has the same basic rules, rules like gravity. What you must learn is that these rules are no different from the rules of a computer system. Some of them can be bent. Others can be broken or rewritten."

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hmm… kinda sounds like the constructs seen in The MATRIX.]

"You see, it's not enough that you learn how to fight, but be able to fight anyplace, anywhere, anytime. All you have to do here is survive. Well, time marches on, and so must I. Farewell, Bass."

Bass is surprised. "WHAT? You're leaving? Already? Just like that?"

"Well, we ARE still trying to obtain the Phoenix Stone, you know. Plus, with my duties as the Cat Ghost King's High Priest, in addition to some… shall we say, "other" projects I have planned, I will be…. occupied at the moment. When the time comes, I will take over your training. But fear not, Bass; I shall remain in close communication with you from time to time to check on your progress. My words to your mind and ears. You understand?"

Bass finally says, "Geez… All right, Erick. So long as this whacked-out training regimen of yours works and I get the power to smack down Megaman and Dog-Boy and become a king, I'll put up with whatever you can dish out."

Erick likes that. "That's the spirit, Bass. Here." He gives Bass a sword and a canteen of water. "You'll need these. And I wouldn't waste the water, if I were you – this desert's quite huge. Oh, and by the way, Gogandantess is headed your way. He will oversee your training today."

And with that, Erick disappears, leaving Bass all alone.

Bass complains, "Oh, this is just great. I'm stuck here in this man-made desert, with nothing but a sword and this canteen of water, and somewhere out there is that freaky samurai demon." Then, he realizes, "Aw, CRAP!! We got in here, but how do I get out? Oh boy, I can just hear Erick now…" He imitates Erick's voice, "Ah, but… that is a secret."

Erick's voice echoes inside Bass' head: Not really, Bass. There IS a way out of this dimension – it's up to you to find it. Once you do, just step through it, and your training will end for today.

"Geez…. Well, I'd better start looking for that exit. Hm?"

Suddenly, the ground and sand trembles under Bass's feet. An earthquake?

Bass smiles – he knows what's coming. "Heh…. What a showoff… looks like I'll be looking for that exit later. ALL RIGHT, SHOW YOURSELF!!"

Then, a huge burst of sand erupts from the ground near Bass. From it, Gogandantess leaps out with his sword drawn, about to strike. Bass leaps out of the way barely avoiding the demon swordsman's attack.

Gogandantess laughs, "Very good, Bass. But dodging alone will not save you from my blade! Now prepare yourself! Prove to me that my lord is not wasting his time training you! EN GARDE!!"

As he draws his sword Bass snorts, "Feh. Last time, you got lucky. This time, I'M the one who's gonna take YOU to school! BRING IT ON!!"

Bass and Gogandantess clash swords in what will be an awesome duel. And it's only the first day of Bass' training!

MEANWHILE, AT THE TENDO RESIDENCE….

Early morning sunlight filtered through the windows of Ran Hayami's room. She reached blearily for her alarm clock, and managed to swat it on the third try. She buried her face in her pillow and moaned "Mmmmmm...", protesting to the world in general over the terrible tragedy of having to get up in the morning. She didn't sleep well last night, still wrestling with her feelings for Ranma Saotome. She sighed and rolled over on her side trying to go back to sleep. Then she remembers:

"Oh, right. I'd promised to spar with Ranma and Akane this morning."

But truth be told, Ran didn't want to be around Ranma and Akane today. Don't misunderstand; she felt very close to both of them - they were her friends for crying out loud! Yet her own feelings of love for Ranma bothered her, leaving her with the ever-present dilemma of whether or not she should confess those feelings to him. What would Ranma say, how would he react? Would he return those feelings, take Ran in his arms, and leave Nerima and all the craziness associated with it to live happily ever after with her? Or would he totally reject her, leaving her alone and friendless? Even worse, what about Akane Tendo? Despite their initial first meeting, over time Ran and Akane became close friends, almost like sisters. How would she take the news? Ran was well aware how Akane felt about the other girls (i.e. Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kodachi) chasing after Ranma. She could remember one heated conversation that they had, before they became friends:

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

(From waaay back in Chapter 4!)

"He's always flirting with those hussies Ukyo or that Chinese bimbo Shampoo, or with any girl he comes across!"

"That's a lie Akane and you know that. They always bother him, and he doesn't flirt with any girl!"

"How do you know that…Ranma's always flirting!"

"Akane, have you ever listened to Ranma about those situations? You know, listen to his side of his story?"
"Ha, what for? He's a jerk."

"Akane, have you ever wondered if Ranma has ever wanted those problems to happen to him?…He doesn't have anything to say in this problem. Have you ever helped him as his fiancée?"

"Fiancee? No way! I don't want that jerk! That was all our stupid fathers' idea!"

Ran sadly says, "Boy Akane, how I feel sorry for you."

"You feel sorry for me!?"

"Yeah, you have a guy that's totally loyal to you, that has saved you many times, who loves you, and you don't appreciate him… boy, how foolish of you."

"It's not like I wanted it!"

"Boy, you really don't know how lucky you are to have him Akane and you insult him, beat him up for every little thing. You never trust him. If he was MY fiancée Akane, I wouldn't do all those nasty things. I would even worship the ground he walks on. You have a guy that almost every girl would do anything to have him as her fiancée."

Akane snorts, "Well, if you like him so much, why don't you take him!"

"You know what, Akane? I think I will."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Since discovering her feelings toward Ranma, Ran regretted saying that to Akane. She regretted it with all her heart. If she revealed that she loved Ranma now, Akane might just go ballistic. She certainly wouldn't want to be friends with her anymore if she knew. If she were angry enough, she might just mallet poor Ranma for good measure!

Worse, it would ruin Ranma and Akane's engagement, which would bring Genma, Nodoka, and Soun down on her head. Next thing she knew, she might be kicked out of the house, with no home, no friends, and no family!

For Ran, the Tendos and Saotomes were about the closest thing she had to a family.

In the end, for Ran Hayami to declare she loved Ranma Saotome was, in her mind, futile, worthless even. It was not worth losing two friends and destroying an engagement over.

And yet… the feelings stirred within her were strong and ran deep, maybe even more so than the orders from Dr. Wily to kill Ranma, which still lingered somewhere within her mind. At least she'd been sleeping better lately; she'd had no more nightmares since declaring that she loved Ranma.

Nevertheless, to protect both of her friends, Ran decided to keep her real feelings sealed up, to lock them away within the depths of her heart.

She'd had no idea how hard that would be; of the emotional and psychological pain that it would cause her in the process. In essence, it would be like fighting a battle with her own worst enemy: herself, all the while hoping for a love that could never be.

Could she rise to the challenge?

With a long weary sigh, she pushed her comforter aside, and forced herself to swing her legs over the side of the bed and sit up. After briefly wondering if she could fall asleep in that position, she opened her eyes again. With another groan, she forced herself up, and stumbled over to the closet to get her gi.

Already, the internal battle has begun.

She was doing a little better by the time she made it to the dojo, where Ranma and Akane were just finishing a sparring match of their own. They'd already started practicing without her.

Okay, here goes… "Morning, guys."

Akane spots her. "Hey, Ran, you made it! Ranma and I decided to go ahead and spar while we waited for you. We're sorry."

"Yeah. You were sleeping so soundly, we didn't want to disturb you," Ranma says.

Ran's not stressing about it. "No, no, it's okay. I kinda needed the rest, anyway… If you only knew. Oh, if you only knew how I feel about you, Ranma, I…. She shakes it off. "Let me warm-up first, 'kay?"

"Hey, whenever you're ready, Ran."

Ran bows politely to Ranma, then starts going through some katas. Ranma and Akane watch in fascination; Ran's petite, lithe build coupled with her natural skill made her motions seem like a graceful dance. When Ran finishes she finds Ranma watching her from the center of the Dojo. She walks over to face him. "So, you ready to do this Ranma?"

Ranma seems happy. "You bet! So how would you like the fight?"

Ran thinks for a moment, then, " ………… All out."

This surprises Ranma and Akane.

Well at least, Akane is surprised. "Wh-what?"

Ranma's like, "Are you sure, Ran?"

Ran nods, "Yeah. Fight me for real. I… I want to….no, I'd like to see how good I really am."

Ranma's still unsure. "Ran…." Then, he says, "Okay. I won't go easy on you."

Ran, with a smile on her face, nodded in agreement. They bow to each other and then assume fighting stances. Akane moves out of their way and takes a spot in the center of the training hall, acting as referee.

"Are you ready guys?…Well…fighters ready…set…GO!!"

Then Ranma and Ran dash at each other fast, then begin to fight. They throw punches and kicks at each other and both of them are blocking them as well. Ran charges at Ranma, but he simply sidesteps it. Ran follows with a kick that hits his forward foot, knocking him off balance. He quickly brings himself back on top in time to block another punch from Ran. The match goes on that same line for a while: Two fighters, each one knowing what the other is going to do. Ranma allows himself to take some of the lighter blows to compensate for Ran's greater speed.

The all-out match goes on for a while until, at last, Ranma lands a solid punch into Ran's stomach. Ran retaliates with a shot to his.

A hurt Ranma grunts, "Ugh…!" Then, excited, he says, "Hey, so far, so good. You're doing great, Ran!"

Accepting his praise, Ran says, "Thanks! If you thought THAT was good, check THIS out!"

With that, Ran ignites a flame in BOTH (!) hands and charges at Ranma!

"Here comes my "Red Hot Chestnut Fist" (Sekinetsu Amaguriken)! Or, as I like to call it, the FIRECRACKER! HYAAAHH!!"

She comes at Ranma with a storm of flaming punches of impressive speed, all of which he blocks, his arms moving quickly as hers. But not without injury, as Ranma finds it's difficult to block Ran's Firecracker without getting burnt by her flame-charged fists. Still, he fights on despite the stinging sensations from the burns on his arms. Ran then tries for a kicking combination that Ranma deflects easily. She backs off a few feet, and then charges him with a jump.

"Uh oh! Big mistake!" Ranma launches into the air himself after her.

They meet in mid-air, each kicking the other, but Ran succeeds in passing over Ranma's leg with the help of her arms and hits him on the shoulder. He lands on the floor. "Urgh!"

Ran lands on the floor to face Ranma. She then unleashes another attack!

"HEAT TRIGGER!"

Using an improved version of her technique, Ran shoots a burst of flame from her hand (Similar to Captain Commando's "Captain Fire" from Marvel Vs. Capcom).

But Ranma counters it with:

"MOKO TAKABISHA!!"

The ki blast and flame burst collide, canceling each other out. The force of the impact pushes both Ranma and Ran back, giving each some breathing room… and a chance to set up their next moves.

Ran comments, "Using your Moko Takabisha to counter my Heat Trigger like that… Nicely done, Ranma. Shall we go on?"

Ranma laughs, "Hehehe! I like this! It's been a while since I've had a real challenge... Let's keep going!"

Ran's excited too, "Okay!"

Akane watches as Ranma and Ran continue to fight. She's worried, not for Ranma, but for Ran:

This is the first time I've actually seen Ran fight! They've never fought like this before, not even then last few times they've sparred. Watching them go at it, it's like they're evenly matched now. Ran seems to be handling herself well, but Ranma's used to these kinds of fights. I sure hope she hasn't gotten in over her head…

As the all-out sparring match between Ranma and Ran continues, Ran gets a glimpse of the look on Ranma's face. The way his eyes lit up with joy, the smile on his face… oh, how she loved his smile! It just made her melt. All he'd have to do is just look at her and smile once, and she'd feel lightheaded as the world around her seemed to fade away leaving her to bask in the warmth and light of the sun that was true love. A love that she felt deeply in her heart for him, and one that she hoped he felt toward her in return…

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whoa. Hey, everybody, look at the narrator waxing romantic here! (To the narrator) OH, GET ON WITH IT!! Stupid narrator …]

Oh, right. Anyway, Ranma and Ran were really going at it in their match. There was no hatred in their faces, and they felt none in their hearts as they fought. There was only the shared feeling of fighting a worthy opponent, and the excitement of battle....

But something was about to happen to poor Ran that would radically change the outcome of this match. A disgustingly familiar voice spoke inside her head:

Ran! Now's your chance! Destroy Ranma NOW!

Ran panics, thinking, Oh no! Not again! Not now! Go away!

Dr. Wily's voice laughs, "Okay. Sure. I'll go… NOT! I told you! You can't ignore the orders I gave you!"

Oh yeah? Just watch me!

Now Ran has to fight two opponents! On the outside, she's fighting with Ranma. Inside, she's fighting against the orders Dr. Wily gave her. Ran mentally sighed. How could she have ever wanted to kill such a sweet, innocent soul? He was so much fun to be with, so soft, so warm, and yet, so powerful… Why did Ran have to do such a terrible thing to her best friend? Why did it matter?

It matters because it is your destiny!

Ran cringed. There she was, battling with the boy she thought she loved with everything she had when that stupid old man's voice had to chime in again.

Yeah, right. Admit it, Ran! You don't love him.

I love him!

You're lying to yourself. The only thing you'd ever love is watching him die.

I would NEVER love that!

Ran leaps away from Ranma to avoid his incoming jump kick. Upon landing to face him, she rubs her mouth with her hand.

Dr. Wily's voice taunts, See? You love it already. You're salivating.

I am not! Look, there's no way I'll kill him!

There is, and you will.

Ran mutters aloud, "No… I… won't!"

Ranma blinks, surprised. "Huh?"

She clenches his fists, and charges at Ranma with another…

"FIRECRACKER!" as Ran starts throwing flaming punches wildly!

Ranma counters with, "KACHUU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!"

Now it was a duel of furious flying fists! Ranma and Ran's hands were moving so fast they were a blur. And all the while, Dr. Wily's sinister orders were further urging Ran…

Heh heh heh. You're already longing for his death. I can tell. After all, it was I who implanted that desire into you! No matter how hard you try to hold on to your petty and useless feelings for him, no matter how long you're able to hold out on your longing for his death, it will always come back stronger and more vicious than before. There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!

Oh, there's a way to stop it, all right! Aloud, Ran shouts, "THERE IS!"

And then she does something that shocks both Ranma and Akane. At the last possible second, she stops attacking Ranma, and drops her guard…

Akane's shocked! Oh no! What's Ran thinking!? If she lowers her defense now, she'll… "RANMA! RAN! YOU'VE GOT STOP THIS MATCH!"

Ranma's thinking, Huh!? What the heck are you doing, Ran? You gotta block my attack, or…!

But it was too late. With her defenses down, Ran was wide-open and took the blows from Ranma's Amaguriken. In that split-second before he could stop, she had already lost consciousness after the first dozen-or-so hits. And when he did stop, all Ranma could do was watch as Ran flew away to land flat on her back. Upon landing, her body bounced up from the impact and then she just lay there still, unmoving….

"Oh no! RAN!"

"Ran!" Akane cries.

They run over to where Ran is lying on the floor, totally exhausted and battle-torn. They see the bruises from Ranma's Amaguriken all over her…

And then they get a good look at her face. She has a bruise on her left cheek, her eyes are closed, and… and there was a quiet, peaceful smile on her lips. She seems rather, well… happy. This puzzles the young heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts and his fiancée.

But the unconscious Ran knew why she smiled. By losing to Ranma, she won against Dr. Wily's murderous programming. In defeat, she was victorious.

There's an old saying: "Lose the battle, and win the war." And indeed, this was most certainly the case today.

In her mind, Ran was swimming alone in that blissful sea of unconsciousness. She thinks she could hear voices, two of them, a boy's and a girl's. They were calling out her name. Then the girl was saying something to the boy that he shouldn't have agreed to fight all out; that he should have known something like this would happen. The boy defends himself, saying he didn't expect Ran to just completely drop her guard. And remember, he reminded her, that SHE was the one who asked for an all-out fight. And… to tell the truth, he confessed, he really didn't want to fight her all-out at first. After the first few blows they'd traded, he thought, nay, even admitted that maybe she could handle it. His tone of voice sounds apologetic and sincere. Ran starts to worry, afraid that they're going to argue. The girl breathes a sigh of relief, saying she's grateful he'd stopped when he did, otherwise Ran could have been seriously hurt or worse…

And then Ran heard that horrible voice again:

Now THAT was a bold move. To escape my persuasion, you allowed him to strike you down…? All right, I'll leave you alone… for the moment. But mark my words; it'll only get worse for you from here! And then, when your true desire becomes stronger than your feelings, you will finally destroy him! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!

The mad scientist's laughter seems to echo forever inside her head, causing her to stir. Her eyelids start to flutter.

Ranma notices Ran coming to. "Hey! I think she's coming around! Ran! Ran!"

Ran moans, "Mmmmmm….mmm…"

Ran opened her eyes slowly, like a beautiful princess awakened from her enchanted sleep by a kiss from the handsome prince. She sat up slowly, blinked her eyes a few times, and shook her head trying to clear away the dizziness she felt. But something still wasn't right, didn't feel right. And she felt sore all over…

With obvious concern Ranma asks, "Ran! Oh man! How're you feeling?"

Ran comes to her senses. "Ahh… I feel like a ton of bricks hit me back there!" Cheerfully, she then says, "But, aside from that, at least I'm still in one piece, right?" And so long to that crazy old guy's creepy voice! I hope…

"Just tell me something, Ran. Why'd you drop your guard like that in our match?"

Ran just looks at Ranma strangely. What did he expect her to say? "Ranma, I let my guard down because some crazy old man who's been haunting me in my dreams ever since I came here is trying to make me kill you. So I let you hit me to make him stop. Oh, and by the way, I've fallen hopelessly in love with you."

Oh yeah, right. Like that'll help. He'll think I've gone crazy.

And sadly, as she did before with Kasumi and Akane, Ran chooses not to tell Ranma why she did what she just did. She wants to tell him, but the truth would hurt her more than it would him. Not to mention what it would do to her friendship with Ranma and Akane.

"I'm sorry. I…I got distracted…."

Ranma's about to say something, but Ran finishes, "I know, I know. A martial artist like me shouldn't just let her mind wander like that. It won't happen again. Thank you for our match today, Ranma." She sighs, "Well, we'd better get on back inside. Kasumi should have breakfast ready by now." Ran gets up from the floor, ready to leave)

Akane's not convinced. "Ran, are you sure you're OK? I mean…you're just up and around like normal after Ranma got you with his Amaguriken."

Ranma agrees, "Akane's right, Ran. Maybe you should just stay home from school and rest today, y'know so your body has time to recover…"

Ran assures them, "No. It's OK, guys. I'm OK. Really. And besides, it's not like I'm sick or anything!"

But Ran was sick, dear readers. Lovesick, that is. She was just a poor, lonely, lovesick little girl with a strange crush on her best friend.

Ran teases Ranma, saying, "Y'know, I DID ask you for an all-out match, but I'll bet you were holding back the whole time."

Ranma's like, "Whaat!? You kidding? I gave it my all! If you didn't freeze up like that, you'd have won fair and square!"

Ouch. That one was a little too close to home. Ran couldn't help but get stung by that remark, because it was true. Now feeling a little sad, she thinks): No, you're wrong. If I continued to fight you, I…I might have killed you. And I couldn't live with myself if I did that. "I… Yeah, you're right. Look, I'll see you guys at breakfast."

Then Ran walks out of the training hall. Ranma and Akane, however, continue talking among themselves. "Say, Ranma…?"

"Yeah, Akane?"

"Just for a moment there, it seemed like Ran was fighting someone else during your match, and not you. I mean, you must have noticed it too, right?"

Akane gets no response from Ranma. He's sitting there, thinking about what just happened. "Ranma…?"

Ranma finally speaks. "I knew it."

Akane blinks. "Huh? What is it?"

"I could see it in her eyes, when she looked at me. Something's bothering Ran, Akane, and I think it might have to do with those dreams she's been having."

"But she hasn't had them lately has she?"

"Nope. But remember when Dr. Tofu said that Ran might be getting her memory back? She might not be having nightmares about it anymore, but… she's scared, Akane. She once told me that she was afraid of what would happen if she remembers who she is. She's afraid that she might be forced to kill me."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Wanna know something else? I'm kinda scared, too…"

This takes Akane by surprise. "Ranma…?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Me, Ranma Saotome, scared. But it's the truth. If Ran gets her memories back, and suddenly gets it in her head that she has to fight and then kill me… I really don't want to do it. I don't want to fight her, Akane. She's been a friend to me, the first real friend I've ever had. I'd tried telling myself there's no way that would happen, that no matter what happens, we are and will still be friends. I still believe that, even now. But there's this nagging thought in the back of my head, y'know, and sometimes I begin to think…"

Ranma is stopped when he feels Akane's hand touch his.

"Akane…"

"Don't. Don't you even think about it. Ran WILL get through this. We'll help her. Together. OK? After all, she's my friend, too. After all she's done for us – even saving our engagement! – It's the least we can do. We owe her that much."

"Hey, you're right…!" Ranma then smiles. "Thanks, Akane."

They share a quick kiss, and hand-in-hand, they get up and go back inside the house for breakfast.

TO BE CONTINUED…