Haigeki

by Xylix

His friends kidnapped by magical girls, Ranma is pushed beyond his limits to retrieve them.

7. Breakdown

Author's Forward – Wow, last chapter garnered a variety of reactions. Can't say I wasn't expecting it, but the extremity came as a bit of shock. Some people loved it. Some people hated it. Others floated somewhere in between.

For those of you in the latter categories, I make no promises. This story is dark, gritty and will not have a fairy tale ending. But this story is not a tragedy either. Maybe that little spark will hold you through the night.

Maybe it won't.

Enough of that. Read. Enjoy!

P.S. At this point it should be possible to deduce most of the remaining major events. Can you?

Beta reader: obsidian_fox

-oOo-

Chapter 7: Breakdown

-oOo-

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I slapped the alarm and it went quiet. A minute later a knife of agony sheered through the embers of sleep. With a growl, I threw off the covers and stood.

Pain.

Screws ground into my shins, splintering bone with rivers of torment. For a second, I feared they would slide out of place, but they held firm. I lurched forward, stumbled, and caught myself on the bathroom sink. I glanced up and stared into bloodshot eyes.

I hadn't slept well.

Michiko's emergency treatment had been no wave of a wand. Synthetic shuken, a phantom cure, was all that held my legs together. Beneath that illusion, my wounds remained. And so they would stay until natural healing finished what magic had started.

But that was the lesser Hell.

Only seconds after I had stepped free of Michiko's tube, I had been set upon by Kamiko. The furious woman had finally found the time to deal with me. Decorum, rules, class work, and etiquette, she had drilled mind numbing details into my head. Every fumble had been met by needles of agony and every success rewarded by bliss. The repeated applications had worn my mind thin. The last thing I remembered was collapsing upon my bed.

And that seemed only seconds ago.

I dragged my weary body into the shower and fumbled with the knobs. Water, blessed hot water, poured onto me. The heat penetrated my skin, washing away the Institute, the failed escape, and my femininity. It was a rare moment of peace. I was still me. Victory was possible. All that I required was a mistake.

The dull throb of agony paled before hope.

With a final blast of cold, I exited the shower as female as I had entered. Grabbing a towel, I dried myself, my eyes fixing on a golden spark that floated its way up and through the bathroom sink.

Odd.

I shrugged and stepped out of the bathroom in search of clothes to wear.

Only to stop dead in my tracks.

A petite, blond haired woman was waiting in the living room. She graced me with a bright smile, and dipped into a low curtsy.

"Good morning, Saotome-hime," the blond greeted sweetly. "I'm sorry to intrude, but I wished to catch you before you dressed. I hope you don't mind, but I have picked out a lovely outfit for you to wear."

I slung my towel over a shoulder and glanced at the bed. A girlish blue dress with cute, complementing undergarments were laid out for my access. I scowled, my hand waving away the pair of golden lights that danced across my vision.

Irritated, my eyes flashed back to the blond.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Oh dear. How thoughtless of me." The blond curtsied again, lightly lifting the edges of her short, pleated skirt. "I am Shizue Handa. With the permission of the Director, I am here to fashion you into a lovely doll."

My scowl transformed into a glare. Shizue Handa. XT-07. Michiko's failed attempt at creating a 'magical girl factory'. The girl who, in the words of Artemis herself, would 'hollow me out'.

In the Institute, there was no one more dangerous.

"Out," I commanded.

Shizue's smile slumped the slightest bit. "Please do not fret, Saotome-hime. To become a doll is the greatest joy a girl can know. You are lucky. The Director so cruelly forbids me from sharing my gift. I feel so sad thinking of those poor, unfortunate girls beyond my reach. All of them trapped by the curse of meaningless dreams."

Shizue's despondent voice returned to cheer. "But not you. You will be a doll. A perfect princess, forever free from all anxiety."

I shook my head to free my vision of the strange golden embers that floated across it. Shizue was obviously trying to do something to me. Arguing was stupid. I had to get this girl out of the room. Now.

With that in mind I stepped forward, gritted my teeth against agony and...

... slipped through Shizue's body like mist. I caught myself before I fell and turned to see an illusion waver then dissolve into golden light. My head jerked to the side. I spotted Shizue standing next to my bed.

"Please don't be violent, Saotome-hime," Shizue begged. The blond haired girl held up lacy, blue undergarments in offering. "How about you dress first? A girl is happiest when she's beautiful."

I ripped the clothes from Shizue's hand.

Th-thud.

I stopped.

Th-thud. Blood pulsed. My vision warped, and walls bent inward. Silk panties with cute bows crowded out everything else. The bright blue leached into the air, dye spreading through water.

Th-thud.

The pressure increased, crushing my head with the weight of a mountain. I swayed, dizzy and confused. Golden light swirled around me in a whirlwind. I blinked and struggled to recall my last thought.

Shizue. Get her the hell out.

Seizing that moment of clarity, I lunged forward. My body surged through the air, passing effortlessly through Shizue's illusion. Unhindered momentum carried me onto the bed. I bounced then slammed into the far side wall.

Sharp pain was a welcome gift. For a brief second it washed away the thickening fog. I bit my tongue to hold onto that lucidity while searching the storm of gold for my attacker.

"Are you- ... -hime?" Shizue's distant voice asked.

Th-thud. Th-thud. The drumbeat of my heart drowned out Shizue. A curtain of golden lights consumed my world. Embers crowded around me. They touched my skin and sank in. There they wiggled, slimy maggots burrowing through flesh.

"Out," I demanded. I could not tell if it was a shout or a whisper.

Awareness continued to splinter. Moments fragmented into a cascade of frames. Think. Think! I struggled to gather thoughts. Pain wasn't working.

I drew upon ki.

Life surged. Gold broke. Agony. Darkness. Suffering.

I shuddered. Fractional clarity returned. I found myself laying on the ground, my faced pressed against industrial carpet. I breathed, sucking in dust and fiber.

Gold flowed up through the ground in the form of a thousand lights. Thickening.

No! Intense will jolted through me. Madness descended. I pulled upon ki once more.

Agony. Unconsciousness. Awareness. Gold... then agony again.

I repeated the cycle. Once. Twice. I lost count. Everything bled away until all that I had was mindless obsession.

Agony. Unconsciousness. Awareness. Gold.

Warm hands cupped my cheeks. Shizue's glassy eyes were next to my own. Her face was stricken by confusion.

Agony. Unconsciousness. Awareness. Gold.

"I don't understand. Why are you fighting?" she asked.

Agony. Unconsciousness. Awareness. Gold.

"Stop. Please stop, Saotome-hime. I don't want to hurt you."

Agony. Unconsciousness. Awareness. Gold.

"Why won't you stop?"

Agony. Unconsciousness. Awareness. Gold.

"I- I'll make it better. Don't worry, Saotome-hime, it will be over soon."

Agony. Unconsciousness. Awareness-

Intrusion.

The pattern shattered. Betwixt broken moments, Shizue made her move. Her arm penetrated my chest, sinking through skin as though it were mist. Her fingers wiggled, brushing against my insides. What she touched were not organs but something else entirely.

Faint instinct made me draw back. My motion was halted by the bed I was propped against.

"There it is. Just a second longer, Saotome-hime, and everything will be better," Shizue promised.

The intruding hand clenched tight. I went rigid. Primal terror shot through my spine. Fear twisted into rage. Let go! That isn't yours! Anger eclipsed agony. Without thinking I seized Shizue's shoulders, my fingers crackling with erratic ki. Then, with all my strength, I pushed.

Yank!

A part of me tore free.

...

Huh?

My brow scrunched in confusion. What had I been doing?

Aimless.

Why had I been fighting?

Senseless.

Who... who was I?

Emptiness.

Thud. Shizue slammed into a wall. I hardly heard. It all seemed so... meaningless now. My actions, my thoughts, my dreams, they poured away, an ocean falling off the edge of the world. Void. That was all that was left.

No. That couldn't be right. There was more. There had to be more. Something in my life had meaning.

In vain, I searched my memories: years spent traveling dusty roads, battles fought with titanic foes, babbling teachers imparting wisdom. What purpose had any of that served? Trash. All trash. Time thrown away, and what had I gained in return?

Nothing.

Nothing. That was what I was.

Nothing. That was all I had accomplished.

Nothing. That was my future.

Ranma Saotome had no meaning.

A dawning sun broke the darkness of despair. Shizue. Her smiling face appeared before mine, a golden halo encircling her head.

"Are you better now, Saotome-hime?" Shizue asked.

Better? My face twisted with horror. How could this be better? With trembling limbs I grabbed onto her, a child seeking to reclaim broken dreams.

"Give it back," I whispered. My command was devoid of strength. I lacked all will. For me, there was only nothingness.

Shizue brushed my hair aside and shushed me quietly.

"Don't worry, Saotome-hime. You will feel better when you accept the truth. Now say it with me: I am an empty vessel. There is nothing inside me."

"No. I don't want to be empty. Give it back. Please, give it back."

Shizue shook her head. "There is nothing left to return, Saotome-hime. Repeat after me: I am an empty vessel. There is nothing inside me."

The last mote of passion spent, I slumped weakly. No longer able to resist, I echoed her voice. "I am an empty vessel," I whispered. "There is nothing inside me."

Tension drained away. The fear and terror of the void faded. Left behind was peace. I was empty.

But that was okay.

Shizue smiled, and I began to smile back.

"That's right, Saotome-hime. We are empty. But do not worry. Our hearts can be filled. By giving others happiness, we can know perfect joy. We exist to please."

My head swam. Rational thought teased me with images of battle. Use ki, it insisted. Face agony. But... why? Why would I do that? Fighting was pointless. I was nothing but a sack of meat. Better to give in. Better to be washed away.

I relaxed against the bed. With wispy words I repeated Shizue's truth and turned it into my own.

"My heart can be filled by the happiness of others. I exist to please."

"We are dolls," Shizue pronounced.

I opened my mouth...

And my throat froze. Vestigial will fought against magic. Whirling gold crashed down on me again. Animal instinct rose where humanity had fled, continuing the battle I could no longer fight.

But the result was inevitable. Emotion could not defeat an energy beyond its touch.

"I... am a doll."

Oh.

I'm a doll.

It felt good. It felt beautiful. The elation did not compare to the rush of bliss. It was soft and comforting, like a warm blanket. I was a doll. An object. An ornament. An existence that served and submitted. There was nothing more to me. I didn't need to feel or dream. All I needed to do was give. Give everything and anything that was asked.

It was a wonderfully simple existence.

"All better now, Saotome-hime?" Shizue asked. The blond haired girl stood and extended a friendly hand.

With a soft smile I reached up and grasped Shizue's offering.

"Yes... yes I do," I answered.

"How lovely," Shizue breathed. "Now, how about we get you dressed. I think you'll look very pretty in the blue dress."

I nodded absently and allowed Shizue to guide me. With quiet chatter, Shizue helped me dress. Slowly, my rough, tomboyish stature was refashioned. In its place was left a delicate flower. An innocent girl with bright blue eyes.

This is me.

This is how I should be.

I smiled at the sight.

"Are you satisfied, Saotome-hime?" Shizue asked from over a shoulder.

"It's perfect Shizue-chan," I answered. I stood and admired myself from all sides.

"You are too kind, Saotome-hime," Shizue replied. She stepped up to the closet. "If it is not too much trouble, I thought we would go through your clothes before breaking for tea?"

"A wonderful idea," I proclaimed, clapping my hands together. "So much of what the Institute left is, well, drab."

Shizue smiled. "Oh, I know. If you don't mind, I would be happy to improve your selection."

I gave a tiny curtsy. "I place myself in your care, Shizue-chan."

"I am honored to serve, Saotome-hime," Shizue said while returning a deeper curtsy.

Time blurred as we worked. Minutes passed into hours. I soaked in Shizue's guidance, learning the secrets of fashion and striving to match her gentle demeanor and delicate grace.

Eventually, we stopped for tea.

It was then that the door slammed open.

Akina rolled into the room like a storm, her violet eyes threatening death. A glare as destructive as a thunderbolt settled on Shizue.

"How dare you! Out!"

Shizue jolted to her feet, her face caught in shocked confusion. "Isshi-hime?" she squeaked. An instant later Shizue caught herself and dipped into a graceful curtsy. "I apologize if I have angered you, Isshi-hime, but I assure you that I am here with the permission of the Director."

I offered a dull smile and carefully sipped my tea while making sure my lipstick didn't smudge.

Akina's eyes narrowed. "This is not a request, Shizue. You will leave this room the civilized way or the uncivilized way. Which would you prefer?"

Shizue gentle expression wavered for the briefest moment. "I am sorry, Isshi-hime, but I cannot comply. Your request conflicts with the Director's orders. Perhaps you can meet with Saotome-hime some other time? I'm sure she would be delighted."

"You refuse then? So be it." Akina's gaze shifted to me. "Saotome, please disregard what you are about to see. It is unbecoming of senshi."

Akina crossed the small room in three steps. She then seized empty air and dragged it forward. Across from me, the image of Shizue dissolved only to reform within Akina's grasp. With a jerk, Akina pulled the girl off balance and dragged her to the door. With a final heft, Akina threw the blond out into the hall.

Slam! The door crashed into its frame, cutting Shizue off.

"Well, that was unusually crude of me," Akina said as she approached the table. "I see the charm of it though. No wonder you are such a brute."

I rose from my seat and gave Akina a pretty smile. I fumbled a curtsy. "Isshi-hime."

Akina's ruby lips quirked. A moment later she returned my curtsy. "Saotome-hime."

With that Akina slipped into an askew chair. "Since you are unaware, senshi do not curtsy to senshi. A product of Michiko's stubbornness, or so Kamiko tells me. 'I refuse to engage in unnecessary and inefficient motions', I'm sure that was Michiko's excuse."

"Of course, Ishii-hime," I said gently. "Tea?" I lifted the pot.

"Please. And call me Akina." Akina snagged a spare cup. "Saotome, do you remember who you are?"

Who I am? I stared in confusion while I poured green tinted liquid into the cup. Suddenly, I understood. Not who I am, but what I am. My smile brightened at the prospect of sharing the truth.

"I'm an empty vessel, waiting to be filled by the happiness of others," I said proudly. "I am a doll."

"No." Akina set her cup down with a clatter. Her violet eyes caught mine, allowing no escape. "You are not a doll."

I jerked back. "But... I..." I stumbled over the words, my thoughts breaking into shattered fragments. Certainty was replaced by terrifying confusion.

"You are Ranma Saotome: martial artist, thug and brute," Akina continued, allowing no respite. "You are a tomboy blossoming into femininity, an unbreakable warrior, an elegant senshi. You are many things, kohai, many wonderful things. But you are not a doll. Never a doll."

I fell to my seat, the jolt of impact running up my spine. My eyes were wide, and my breath came in short panicked gasps. Not a doll? No. I had to be a doll. Because, if I wasn't, then I was nothing. Nothing. Terror grew and meaningless void yawned wider. No. No! I wouldn't be nothing. Anything was better than nothing. A doll. I am a doll. She's lying. I'm a doll.

Comfortable warmth filled me again. I am a doll. A pretty object that existed to please. Fear receded, and my smile returned.

"If that is what you believe, Akina-hime, then it must be the true," I replied politely. In my heart I denied everything.

"Nothing is ever easy with you, is it, Saotome?" Akina said with a sigh. "Well if that approach won't work, I'll try another. Sing with me, kohai."

Akina sang. Her heavenly voice filled the room like an angelic choir. The silvery notes pierced my ears and wound their way into my soul. The lyrics bit deep and dragged me under.

Akina sang of a warrior. A brave fighter who battled a kingdom, only to fall before its queen. But this was no sad tale. Defeat did not grant bitterness or death, but instead love and companionship.

The music called to me and my voice joined Akina's. It was a pitiful imitation. I could not match her lofty notes, nor could I keep pace with the fluttering phrases. Still I sang. As I did so, the hole torn in my heart filled anew with forgotten emotion.

Knock, knock.

A soft tap broke our ballad. The door opened revealing Kamiko. Hawk-like hazel eyes settled on me briefly before flipping to Akina.

Akina stood. "Continue singing, kohai," she ordered. "Kamiko and I have things to discuss"

Kamiko confirmed Akina's order with a sharp nod, and I returned to my seat. My voice fell to a whisper. With Akina no longer there to guide me, I twisted the lyrics. I felt bad doing it, but it didn't seem right to me that a mighty warrior would lose to the evil queen.

In the doorway a fierce conversation ensued.

"What do you think you are doing here, Akina?" Kamiko demanded, her voice low.

"Fixing a mistake," was Akina's retort. The dark haired woman glared at her companion. "Perhaps you would like to explain why Shizue is working on one of us?"

"Shizue was here at the Director's command, Akina. You know that."

"And?" Akina asked while lifting a brow.

Kamiko sighed. "Please don't do this, Akina. I know what you want, and you know I cannot allow it. The Director has made herself clear."

"And, once again, I fail to see your point." Akina shot back. "We are not automatons, Kamiko. Our job is to do what the Director wants not what she says. What the Director desires is a senshi. Give her one."

"I wish it were that simple, Akina. But the Director has tied my hands. Her orders were quite specific. Saotome is to be left with Shizue until, and I quote, 'she begs for forgiveness'. There is nothing I can do."

"Saotome will never beg," Akina said. "That beast does not know the meaning of the word defeat. She will fight right up until Shizue claws away the last bit of her will. After that, she will be a doll. A pretty face, useful only for bribing representatives. This is a waste. A complete and utter waste."

"That is for the Director to judge, Akina" Kamiko reprimanded. "Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave so Shizue can complete her work."

Akina's violet eyes narrowed and her gaze switched over to me. Her ruby lips curved into a devilish smile. "If I may suggest something?"

"Please do," Kamiko said tiredly.

"The Director wants Saotome to beg. But, as long as Saotome remains under Shizue's sway, that will never happen. I think, for the Director to get what she wants, Saotome will need plenty of time to experience the true horror of what's happening to her."

Kamiko squeezed her eyes shut and her fingers dribbled rapidly on the door's frame. "One hour sessions, each day, until the desired template is reached. That was what the original XT-11 experiment called for. I can use that as an excuse if the Director asks."

"An improvement, but not much of one," Akina said with disgust. "Very well, if Shizue is to spend an hour with our kohai every day, then I will spend just as long repairing the damage. Send me her schedule so I can rearrange mine."

"Akina, you can't undo Shizue's magic," Kamiko said gently. "If Saotome-chan doesn't yield, she will break."

"I know my limits, Kamiko. And I don't need to stop Shizue. I only need to slow her down," Akina retorted. "Eventually you will come to your senses. Basic Education is your division, Kamiko. You have the authority to overrule the Director. The Director gave you that authority for a reason. Use it."

The women stood in silence, the shorter Akina gazing up into Kamiko's eyes. Eventually, they turned away from each other, Kamiko leaving the room, and Akina returning to my side.

"Well, Saotome, it appears that we will be spending a great deal of time together," Akina said. "So tell me, what it is you do to keep yourself occupied?"

I stopped my whispered singing. What I liked to do? Ah, the Institute had taught me the answer to that. "My hobbies are martial arts and sewing," I said with a pleasant smile.

"Martial arts and sewing," Akina repeated. "The first is more vulgar than I like, and, brute that you are, the second must be something Kamiko made up. Very well. We will learn to sew together. And to mix things up, I will teach you how to sing and dance. Perhaps a bit of choreography will add a touch of feminine grace when you are smashing your opponent through the nearest solid object. How does that sound?"

Honestly, singing, dancing, and sewing didn't sound particularly interesting. But I gave a courteous smile and said, "Wonderful."

-oOo-

Kamiko placed her clipboard on the living room table and settled into her seat. Tap. Tap. Tap. Her black, ballpoint pen drummed out a steady beat. The motion stopped a second later when Kamiko spoke. "Saotome-chan, this is a simple interview to see where you stand prior to your first adjustment. How do you feel?"

Terrible. Two weeks had passed in the blur. Every morning, Shizue had come. For an hour we would chat amiably while she ripped out my soul. Then, at eight thirty precisely, Akina took over. She inflicted on me sewing, dancing, and singing, all the while working her magic to undo the damage Shizue did. The tidal forces were tearing me apart.

The drunken haze broke yesterday, a product of Kamiko's three day ban on Shizue's sessions until my 'adjustment' was complete.

But, even with that tiny scrap of time, I didn't feel anywhere close to myself.

"Better," I answered in the end.

"Good. Like most tenki related coercions, dollification fades with time. Now, I am going to ask you some questions. Please answer quickly and concisely. Name?"

"Saotome-chan."

I didn't use my first name. It was forbidden.

"Sex."

I paused for half a second, a faded vestige of resistance barely worth noting. "Female."

Kamiko took a moment to scribble out a line. "Favorite color?"

"Black," I answered automatically.

Kamiko nodded and fixed me with her hazel eyes. "And how do you feel about the colors pink and white?"

I grimaced. Black, white, and pink were the theme colors of my transformation. A fate I had brought upon myself. The Institute had done nothing to inflict those colors upon me. It didn't need to. Tenki shifted the soul and generated a gravitational attraction to all its themes

Contemplating my future was making me nauseous. I gave the answer Kamiko wanted to hear.

"I like those too."

Kamiko busied herself scrawling out a long set of notes. "Akina tells me that your sewing skills are improving at an exceptional rate. How does that make you feel?"

I glanced away, my cheeks flushing. "Good, I guess."

"I would love to see some of your work, but we will save that for another time," Kamiko said, sounding honest. She unclipped her board and changed the page. "Your combined academics are up seventeen points, a good bit of progress for a mere three weeks. Still, you remain below the standards expected from a senshi. As such, I am increasing the time you spend with your tutor on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to two hours. Try to keep up."

Kamiko flipped the page back, and pushed her clipboard to the side. She looked straight at me, scrutinizing my every action. "My next questions may make you uncomfortable, but please do your best to answer them anyway.

"What word do you believe best describes you?"

My eyes dilated and a comforting warmth spread from heart. I felt light and slightly dizzy. Unbidden, my mouth opened ready to deliver the ingrained response. "I-"

Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it.

I tried to choke it off. Better answers flashed through my mind: I'm a guy, I'm a martial artist, I'm a girl. Any of those would have been better...

Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it.

"- am a doll."

There was a sickening, twisting sense of horror when the words left my mouth. In a way, it measured the power of Shizue's influence. I wanted to take those words back and bury them in darkness for all eternity. But, all the more horribly, I wanted to say them again. Again and again, repeating the declaration until every cell in my body acknowledged its new existence.

I did neither.

Instead, I stared down at the table my hands folded neatly in my lap. I hated myself all the more for how fragile and feminine I looked. I hated that I was wearing a cute dress with lace and ruffles. I hated how my hair was tied back by a pretty bow that I had put there myself. I hated the makeup I was wearing. I hated how much time I had spent in front of a mirror, making myself look nice for Kamiko's interview.

But, above all else, what I hated was that I was starting to like it.

I was losing. Two more weeks being devoured by the Institute, and I had no clue how I would escape. How I would turn everything around. How I would win.

"Look at me, Saotome-chan."

I didn't move.

Kamiko sighed and reached across the table to snag my tiara. An electric current shot through the metal frame and my body went cold. Kamiko had added a 'rule'.

"You are not to refer to yourself as a doll, Saotome-chan. Doing so will now cause automatic punishment. I apologize for the difficulties this will cause. Shizue's magic is more powerful than my conditioning. But please try to bear with it."

Kamiko lowered herself into her seat. She looked at me thoughtfully, then her expression turned to stone. "Next question, Saotome-chan. If you were ordered to have carnal relations with a man, would you comply?"

At first I failed to grasp the question. The concept was foreign, nonsensical. Then I started to quiver. Not because of how I felt: disgusted, angry, helpless. But because of what that question meant. The Institute, I had learned, could make me say yes. What truly terrified me was that Shizue could make me want to say yes.

"Please don't make me do that," I said, tears leaking out.

I was begging. It wasn't so I wouldn't have to say 'yes'. A mere word meant nothing any more. I was begging against a future where I would be asked to take that role. I begging Kamiko not to turn me into a girl who could answer that question 'correctly' and mean it.

There was silence between us, only broken by the swift movements of Kamiko's pen. She glanced at me on occasion, her face revealing nothing. Every second that ticked by made me feel smaller and more pathetic.

"I am cutting your sessions with Shizue to twice a week," she said after a long moment. "I don't suppose you'll apologize to the Director and save me from having to overrule her?"

My brain stopped briefly. I didn't have to answer the question? What did that mean? I was confused. I was relieved. But on the question of the Director, I was bitter. "Would Artemis accept a fake apology?" I asked hatefully. "Would she believe it if I pretended to beg?"

Kamiko was quite for a moment, then she admitted the truth. "No, she wouldn't."

Of course she wouldn't. Artemis wasn't Kamiko. Artemis wasn't looking for marginal steps in the direction she desired, even if they were laced with lies. Artemis had placed her ultimatum. She wanted me to beg, to wallow in the mud, to destroy myself for her favor. False obedience and shattered pride would not be enough. Artemis would make me prove I had broken.

And the things Artemis could ask for were too horrible to contemplate.

Better to be a doll. With Shizue I could at least 'die' fighting.

"The answer I wanted to hear was: no," Kamiko said, breaking the silence. "You are a senshi, Saotome-chan. I will not see you degraded in that manner. It reflects badly on the Institute. That we have girls who serve that role at all was against my objections."

I stared at the table. I didn't know what to say. "Thank you," I mumbled.

Kamiko looked at me quietly, her hazel eyes shadowed by a strange emotion. Then she stood. "That concludes the interview. Please follow me. I deem you fit for adjustment. We will proceed to the dive chamber immediately."

-oOo-

The dive chamber consisted of two metal tubes slanted at a thirty degree angle. Thick cords and pipes emerged from the tops, the nerves and veins of a grotesque monster. To the side was a dividing wall of glass with tables and computers flush against. Michiko glanced at me from the other side of the partition when I entered, but quickly buried herself in her work.

"Please remove your clothes, Saotome-chan, then enter the tube to the right," Kamiko ordered.

I obeyed, neatly folding each garment before setting it upon the desk provided. While I undressed, Kamiko surprised me by doing the same.

I entered the right side tube a few seconds before Kamiko entered the left. The dive chamber's tube was thinner than the one in Michiko's lab, no more than three hand spans broader than my shoulders. I settled against the tube's cushioned back in a position that was closer to laying than standing.

I was only barely getting situated when Michiko marched up the raised walkway. Her hands moved quickly, seizing a mask and jamming it onto my face.

"Secure the breathing device. The seal must be solid or you will drown," Michiko commanded.

Michiko did not check that I complied. Instead, the woman began attaching suction cups to my skin. While she worked, I examined the mask. It was clear and plastic, with an articulated pipe that connected to the tube. The elastic band seemed simple enough, so I slipped the device in place so that it covered both nose and mouth. A slight difference in pressure suctioned the mask to my face and held it solid.

I breathed in and out with only minor difficulty.

Once the last pad was in place, Michiko pulled a heavy mechanical helmet down and onto my head. The apparatus clicked into position, clamping onto my tiara. An electric jolt shot through me. Odd static like feelings played with my senses.

Michiko set a hand on the tube's door and paused. Her steel blue eyes scrutinized me, checking and double checking that every instrument was in place.

Chung. Hiss. Burble. She slammed the lid closed. The atmosphere inside adjusted slightly and a warm, wet liquid began to bubble up from the bottom of the tube. It wasn't water. The aqua tinted liquid was too thick. I watched curiously as it rose up and over my shins, wondering if I would transform.

I didn't. I expected as much. Michiko probably knew more about my curse than I did.

Head held in place, I shifted my eyes to the far side to see Michiko attending Kamiko. I watched and waited, the not-water crawling higher every second until it flowed over my head. I floated there for maybe a minute longer before Michiko walked away.

Screeeeeeee!

The nasty high pitch squeal was more than sound. It was a sensation. My ears rang. My skin tingled. A sharp metallic flavor wrapped my tongue and rapid ripples shredded my vision. Every nerve reverberated as though I were the string of instrument.

Thug!

Not a sound but a sudden, solid kick. With that single blast I vanished into nothingness.

Thug!

Then I came back. Normal senses resumed. I could feel clothes brushing against my skin and taste the air that flowed into my lungs. I drifted in a false darkness. Blackness surrounded me, utter void, yet I was perfectly illuminated. More than that, I was male and wearing my old shirt and pants combo.

I blinked taking in the sight. There was a sense of clarity, as though a haze had been blown from my mind. Memories filtered by me, undistorted but all the more confusing for it.

What had driven me to dress up for Kamiko's interview? Why had I bothered to fold those girly clothes? I had been playing the obedient girl all day. Hell, I had just strapped myself in to get adjusted.

My mouth twisted in disgust at my actions. Pathetic. I was pathetic. In the last two weeks I had barely been touched by agony.

And that was downright terrifying. Shizue's magic, I realized with horror, had distorted my thinking so strongly that I had lost the ability to resist.

Damn it. Don't think about pointless things, Ranma. The past is the past. What mattered now was how I was going to win.

I dragged my mind back out of the pits and glanced again through the darkness.

"Where am I?" I asked out loud

Surprisingly, I got an answer.

"Null space," Michiko's disembodied voice answered. "Null space is a minimal active area that serves as a staging point for entry, exit, and preparation. Once XT-02, Kamiko Ogura, is fully integrated with the system, you will exit null space and enter virtual space, a metaphorical reality based upon your psyche. Adjustment will begin immediately thereafter."

I folded my arms and floated backward in a slow spin. "And what, exactly, is adjustment?"

Michiko responded to the question without the slightest hesitation. "Adjustment: A procedure that utilizes technological devices to extend and moderate XT-02's capacity for neural reformation. Specifically, adjustment is a processes that resolves or elicits internal conflicts. This, in turn, generates shifts in the subject's mental paradigms and predispositions."

"Could you, uh, explain that again? Maybe in, say, a language I can understand?"

There was a brief pause, and I could almost see Michiko's slightly disappointed expression. Yeah, extra special science quizzes courtesy Michiko were in my future.

"Paradigm shift: A fundamental change of approach. A classic scientific case would be the shift from using an earth centric model to a sol centric model of the solar system.

"Predisposition: natural preference as driven by the brain's neurological reward and punishment mechanisms. A shift in predisposition results in a semi-permanent alteration in the way the brain reacts to specific stimuli. For instance, a change in predisposition might increase or decrease the reward associated with solving a math problem."

Scrunching my face I tried to render Michiko's words into examples I could understand. "So, adjustment could, say, make me think the institute was my friend instead of my enemy?"

"Affirmative," Michiko answered. "A foe to ally switch would constitute a paradigm shift. Such a result is within the realm of adjustment. However, adjustment is an entropic process that inherently destroys information. Thus, as the pool of information required to exert a change grows, the risks of adjustment grow with it. Excessive adjustment causes severe neurological damage. Known side effects include: nerve degeneration, memory loss, mental illnesses, coma, vegetation, and death.

"In order to avoid or reduce these side effects an iterative process is used. The temporal spacing of adjustment procedures allows the mind to adapt and build upon mental changes. Conditioning forces the subject into new situations and causes the brain to generate justifications and rationalizations. Dollification and personality implantation allow the direct injection of complete ideas and paradigms that can then be strengthened, modified, or combined with existing mental processes."

"Okay. I think I gotcha. So, while adjustment is going to fiddle with my head, I'm not going to wake up thinking we are all one big, world destroying family," I said.

"Affirmative. Familial feelings are unlikely to be fully formed until after your second or third adjustment," Michiko answered.

"Uh... okay." I shifted uncomfortably. "While all this paradigm stuff is interesting, what I really want to know is how adjustment works. From my perspective I mean."

"Adjustment, as observed from the subject, is simplistic and highly metaphorical. In process terms, adjustment is carried out by relocating aspects, virtual representations of the subject's personality, to the null space nexus point. Thereafter XT-02 will be able to enhance, diminish, reinterpret, or combine existing traits in -"

"Michiko, please refrain from telling Saotome-chan everything there is to know about adjustment."

Kamiko stood tall in the darkness beside me. With her low heeled pumps, slacks, maroon sweater, and no nonsense demeanor she projected a sense of order into empty void. Even gravity was commanded by Kamiko's presence, giving her a solid orientation even as I floated freely.

"The information provided does not exceed the bounds allowed to a senshi."

"I am less concerned with secrecy than the fact Saotome-chan will almost certainly attempt to sabotage her adjustment. Giving her the knowledge required to do so efficiently does not make my work easier."

"Hey! You do realize that I am a guy right now, don't you?" I said thumbing at myself. I grinned a second later. No agony for saying I was a guy. Cool. "I'm a guy! I'm a guy! I'm a guy!" I shouted happily while spinning through the darkness.

Kamiko looked at me and sighed. "Michiko, insert us please, and give Saotome-chan a more appropriate form."

"Hey," I growled. "I like the way I- waaaaa!"

Thud.

I hit the ground head first after a small drop. Nursing my skull, I rolled up into a sitting position and looked around.

We were in a wasteland. Cracked, parched dirt was broken only by jagged steel pillars that jutted into heaven. I followed them up to see a sky of orange and violet crowned by a titanic halo of gold.

Far ahead, wasteland broke. The most dominant features being a foreboding mountain and a twinkling, crystal spire. Enveloping both was a low lying swamp. Long rivers wound their way through the thick vegetation only to be split by a mighty wall that sliced across the horizon. Beyond the swamp and to the east the land transformed into rolling fields of green.

"Michiko, Saotome-chan is still in her male form," Kamiko called out. A few seconds later she sighed. "She always gets like this when someone interrupts her explanations. Come along Saotome-chan, we have work to do."

I snorted, folded my arms, and continued sitting on the ground. "And why would I help you?"

Kamiko sharp, hazel eyes pierced mine. I held her gaze, unwavering. I was making a gutsy bet that Kamiko lacked agony and bliss. The lack of punishment at calling myself a guy hinted at the first, the separate tubes hinted at the second, but there was only one way to know for sure.

When Kamiko rubbed her temples with her fingers my suspicion was confirmed.

"Please don't start this again, Saotome-chan. I cannot tolerate obstinacy at this stage. Adjustment has serious risks even when the subject is cooperative."

"If you're trying to convince me to move you'll have to do better than that."

"It appears I have not made myself clear," Kamiko said sternly. "You will provide at least a minimal level of cooperation, Saotome-chan. This is not an option. Should you refuse, I will assign additional sessions with Shizue until such a time that you comply."

I scowled deep. I was half tempted to keep sitting, but even a single hour with Shizue wasn't worth it. Hell, if I had been smart enough to keep my mouth closed in front of Artemis I might have been out of this mess already.

"Fine," I said. I pulled myself to my feet. "But don't expect anything other than the absolute minimum."

"Excellent. Now let us proceed. Quickly, please. I don't have all day."

Kamiko turned her back and walked away. I followed silentlystewing in my frustration.

The wasteland vanished at a dizzying speed, dozens of kilometers crossed in mere minutes. Soon were moving through light jungle and after that rolling hills. A small village appeared in the distance. Only then did our pace begin slow until it approached something explicable.

The village was tiny, a dozen houses gathered in a circle with a couple more scattered on the outskirts. The dirt road we were following took us to the village center, but not before swinging near an ornate dojo.

As we walked I stared at the person practicing outside. Ranma Saotome. The clone wore a white dogi covered in dust. Other than that, we were identical. He had the same build, hair and face. He moved just as I would, completing a complex kata with a perfect imitation of my grace.

Then he vanished behind the crest of a hill.

Dirt road gave way to brick. The whole of the village's center was paved, but green was more abundant than stone. Soft grass and short trees were abound. In the middle of it all was a statute. Ranma Saotome, five meters tall and carved from marble. A Greek god holding gekkaja aloft while Saffron lay crushed at his feet.

I nodded in appreciation. Yeah. I really was that awesome.

In front of the statue stood another Ranma. He wore a brilliant white toga and had his arms held wide as though to accept infinite praise from the crowd gathered around him. Female Furinkan students pushed up to the front, fighting amongst themselves for the chance to bask in his glory, only to swoon when confronted by the man's magnificent radiance.

Okay. I'll admit. That was pushing it.

My eyes drifted away from the toga wearing Ranma, scanned across the row of houses, and stopped on a tiny, dingy building. A church whose steeple bore the sign of Venus instead of a cross.

Kamiko came to a halt and my attention jerked back to my immediate surroundings.

We stood before a redheaded girl sitting on a bench. The girl stared off into the distance with vacant blue eyes. Yet another clone, this one of my female form. Floating over either shoulder were two more copies, each no taller than an ear. Both were male and wore my standard Chinese shirt and kung-fu pants, the only difference being that one dressed all in red and the other all in black.

Where the girl sat silent, the gnomes of black and red bickered loudly.

"Girls should wear skirts and dresses. Girls should use makeup and make themselves pretty. Girls should be kind, not violent," the black Ranma declared.

"So?" the red Ranma said scornfully. "She's not a girl. She's a guy!"

"A guy? Then what are these?" the black Ranma asked. The gnome jumped up and down on the girl's left breast in emphasis. "Last time I checked, guys don't have boobs."

"She's a guy even when she's a girl," the red Ranma retorted. The copy turned away in a stubborn gesture that denied the truth.

"No matter how you look at it, she's a girl." The gnome grabbed one of the girl's ear and shoved his entire face into it. "So get up and dress properly!"

The glazed eye girl started to stand, but the red Ranma hopped up on her head and, despite his tiny size, shoved her back down.

"Sit!" the red Ranma ordered. "Don't listen to Chauvinist. You are a guy and guys don't act like girls."

"Those three will do," Kamiko interrupted. "Bring them to the wasteland so I can convert them into something useful."

I looked at Kamiko then back at the girl on the bench. The argument continued with a new refrain. There was no sign that the fight between red and black would ever let up.

My expression fell into a scowl. Was I really going to do this? Help Kamiko butcher my mind? But what alternative did I have? If left to Shizue, I would become a doll for sure. Worse, as long as I remained in her grasp there would never be a chance for escape.

Yet, what was the guarantee this was any different? Would I arise from my adjustment still able to fight? Or would Kamiko nudge me over the edge so that I dreamed of being a magical princess?

"Best to get it over and done with, Saotome-chan," Kamiko pressed. "It will not become any more palatable while you wait."

"With eyes of diamond, an elegant hawk hunts its prey. What fierce beauty you possess. But you shall not snatch any of us today, witch. Your talons will break upon the strength of Ranma Saotome."

With poetic prose a kendoist entered the scene. Bokken resting on his right shoulder, he posed epically in his blue kendo dogi. For a second, I thought it was Kuno. That illusion was dashed when I caught the kendoist's face. The same as mine.

"You." Kamiko let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Indeed. It is I," the kendoist pronounced. "Now, let us meet in furious battle. Prepare yourself for defeat, for my name is Victory!"

Shouting the last as battle cry, kendo Ranma dashed in, his sword poised to strike. Kamiko made no motion to defend, instead she held up a hand and spoke a single word.

"Come."

The sky exploded. Inky clouds materialized from nothing and blue vanished into black. A shadow fell upon the village. An eerie darkness broken only by the foul glow emanating from the heavenly halo. But, the halo was no halo at all. It was a giant tiara held aloft by jagged probes thrust into my mind.

Heaven churned then bulged downward. The roiling mass descended as though reaching out to gouge the earth. From that darkness burst a monster. A four legged titan as broad as ship. It crashed into the ground. Brick shattered. Dirt burst out in a wave.

Then it lunged.

The creature moved with deadly grace, lashing out with a claw the size of a bus. The blow hit the kendoist head on, flinging him aside. He flew in a low arc, smashing through the statue as he went. Impossibly, the kendo clone recovered in midair. He flipped and landed on his feet, his wooden sandals sliding over grass as though it were ice.

"I fight on!" the kendoist shouted.

The demon yowled in answer.

Terror. Every drop of blood in my body turned to ice. I stood there, petrified, unable to think much less move. It wasn't just me. The whole town was frozen. The Furinkan girls were fainted on the ground. The toga Ranma stood as still as a statue. The kendoist was stopped in mid charge, his pigtail shooting out behind him from the shock.

In the stillness only Kamiko remained mobile. Fearlessly, she strode over to the colossal creature and climbed onto its back using the steel lightning bolts jutting from its body as hand holds.

A small, rough hand slapped over my mouth.

I jerked instinctively, suddenly free of the paralysis, but my captor pulled me back, hard. I struggled against the grip. The hold tightened, pressing my back into a pair of breasts. With gorilla strength the girl lifted me clean off the ground, then, before I could react, threw me through an open window and into the church.

I tucked myself into a ball so I passed through the portal unharmed then landed on my feet. I whirled to face my attacker. A tomboyish smirk met my effort. With a lazy hop, the girl slipped into the building behind me.

Another clone. Red hair, blue eyes, a simple shirt with kung-fu pants, the copy stood with arrogant pride, her ample breasts shamelessly pushed out as though to declare her femininity.

"Sorry about that," she greeted, not sounding the least bit sorry. "I just wanted to talk to you alone."

I watched the other me warily. I didn't fully understand this world. Aspects, virtual space, it was nothing but nonsense to me. Talking to a doppleganger did not put me at ease. I had met lookalikes before, and all I had gotten from it was trouble.

I glanced out the window. Somehow kendo Ranma had pulled himself free. He was now fencing the shadowy titan. The battle was intense but the results of the match were clear to see. The four legged beast would surely win.

I returned my eyes to my kidnapper, "Who are you?"

The girl flashed a broad grin. "Ranma Saotome, but you can call me Tomboy," Tomboy said. She shot a glance over her shoulder. "We need to be quick about this. Victory is keeping that bitch, Kamiko, busy right now. But Victory won't last more than a minute against Nightmare. So, if we are going to do this, the best time is right now. Strike when the iron is hot and all that..."

"Best time for what exactly?" I asked, my voice filled with suspicion. I wasn't about to trust Tomboy on her say so. Not with the Institute screwing with my head.

Tomboy's chest puffed with pride. "Glad you asked. Because I've got a great plan. The best plan. The two of us, we are going to pull the wool over that bitch's eyes."

"Uh huh," I grunted. "Sure we are, now spit it out."

Tomboy's smile vanished and she leaned in real close. "Are you saying my plan is no good?"

"Given that I'm not hearing anything, yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying," I retorted. I glared right back. I wasn't going to be stared down by a fake.

For a second it looked like Tomboy was going to punch me in the jaw, but after a short staring match she jerked away and scowled out the window. Daylight was returning. The sounds of battle had grown distant. Kamiko, Nightmare, and Victory had vanished from sight.

"Fine. I get it. You don't trust me. So I'll explain," Tomboy said. "But just so you know, this is all a waste of time."

"Yeah, well, I'll be the judge of that," I replied.

I understood what Tomboy was getting at and I shared her concern. But, right now, Kamiko was the devil I knew and Tomboy the devil I didn't.

"Okay. See female-mask, over there, on the bench," Tomboy said pointing out the window. "Kamiko wants her, right? Now, what we are-"

"Whoa, hold on a second there," I cut in. "Female-mask? How about you explain stuff more clearly."

Tomboy folded her arms across her chest. It had the effect of making her already large bust more prominent. Damn, I made one hot chick.

"I told you we don't have much time," Tomboy argued.

I snorted. "Yeah, and guess who is wasting it now?"

"Damn it. Stop being stupid," Tomboy growled. "We are both Ranma Saotomes here. Just trust me on this, okay?"

"I spent the last three weeks being girlified by the Pretty Princess Institute. Now, right after entering my own head, a girl me is trying to get me to do something for her. Tell me, how is that not suspicious? Besides, I'm Ranma Saotome. You're a fake."

"If I am a fake so are you," Tomboy retorted. "Since you didn't get the memo, let me explain. I'm Ranma Saotome," she said thumbing to herself. She pointed out the window at the girl on the bench. "That's Ranma Saotome. The bastards sitting on Female-mask's shoulders are Ranma Saotome. Ego, the toga wearing freak, is Ranma Saotome. The whole crowd worshiping him is Ranma Saotome. Victory is Ranma Saotome. Nightmare is Ranma Saotome. The sky, the ground, the trees-

"Are Ranma Saotome." I finished. I tapped my foot to make it clear that my patience was waning.

"Exactly! This," Tomboy waved her hands in wide gesture, "is Ranma Saotome's mind. You, me, and everything else here, except Kamiko and that damn tiara, are a part of Ranma Saotome. I thought that much was obvious, but apparently I'm stupider than I thought."

I glared at Tomboy. She was starting to piss me off. In fact, the idea of putting my fist in her face had an increasing appeal.

"Get to the point."

"That was the point. I am Tomboy, the part of Ranma Saotome that likes being a girl. I'm the one who was saying: hey, what's the rush? after Herb nailed us with the locking ladle."

Tomboy pointed outside. "The girl on the bench, that's Female-mask. She represents how you feel you should act when you a girl. The bastards on her shoulders are Denial and that piece of shit scum Chauvinist. Stupid little freak thinks we should turn ourselves into a gender stereotype just because we grew breasts."

I folded my arms across my chest, unconsciously duplicating Tomboy's posture. "So, what you are saying is that you are just a personality part."

"I'm not just a personality part. I'm the best personality part," Tomboy boasted. "And it isn't you its we. You are Ranma's 'will'. Basically, that means that you are the lazy bum all of us shout at when we want 'Ranma Saotome' to do something." Tomboy made another wide gesture when she named us, indicating she was talking about the sum of the parts.

"Now can we get to the plan? Preferably now before Kamiko shows up, gets pissed, and throws us to Shizue."

I scowled. I didn't like being told I was only a fragment of Ranma Saotome. Nothing had changed since I had dropped into this world. Well, actually, things had changed. From the moment I had set foot in null space my head had been clear. If I accepted Tomboy's words that made sense. I was the purified 'will' of Ranma Saotome. All the crap that had been clogging up my thinking? Well, it was probably around here somewhere.

"Fine. Tell me about this great plan of yours, then."

Tomboy smirked and bounced off the window sill. She sped across the small, dingy church and grabbed a pair of bottles. "Here's what we'll do. You use these to capture Denial and Chauvinist. Once they're gone, I'll handle Female-mask. Simple, right?"

"Yeah, and afterwards you get to dictate how I act as a girl," I rolled my eyes. Was I really this obvious? "How about you start convincing me why I should let you girlify me even further."

Tomboy stomped across the room and slammed the bottles on the window sill. "You want a reason? I'll give you a reason. While we sit here and argue, Kamiko is doing her best to grab all three of those aspects. Those stupid idiots can't defend themselves, and they wont move either, not until their argument is settled. Which will never happen. So, instead of letting Kamiko have them, we bottle those two bastards up. Afterwards, you can put them on Forbidden Mountain or something. Kamiko will never get them there."

There was sense in what Tomboy said. I wasn't sure how bottling Denial and Chauvinist would protect them, but I didn't know how this place worked. Still, Tomboy had a couple of big holes in her plan.

"I still don't to see why I should turn Female-mask over to you."

"Female-mask is just a shell. A sock puppet. The only parts of you that particularly care about how you act as a girl are those mindless bastards, Doll, and me. Only one of us can have her, and since we are knocking Chauvinist and Denial out of the picture, who do you want it to be?"

A nasty scowl spread across my face. Doll. To think that Shizue's disgusting creation had taken up residence in my head. A part of me wanted to say screw Kamiko, hunt that monster down, and kill it.

I forced my mind back to the problem at hand. "Fine. I'll do it, but only because I'm not thinking of anything better. Still, we've got a problem. Kamiko put her foot down. If we don't give her something we are going to spend the next week being brainwashed by Shizue."

"Shizue. Damn. I forgot about her." Tomboy scowled. "I guess you'll have to give the bitch one of the bottles then. Or hand her that jerk Masculinity. Its all the same to me."

I glared. Tomboy's casual suggestion that I do away with masculinity didn't inspire trust. I stomped on that feeling and snatched up the bottles. Right now Tomboy's plan was the only one I had.

I glanced out the window. Dark clouds had given way to a beautiful, sunlit day. The sounds of fighting were gone. I grimaced. Tomboy was right. We were wasting precious time.

Decision made, I hurdled the church window. A few dozen paces after that and I was standing before Female-mask.

"Girls should cook for their family. So, why haven't you been waking up early to cook?"

"Because she's a guy, you nit-"

Denial's denial was silenced when a glass jar swallowed him. The red clothed Ranma bounced off the bottom of the glass then lurched toward the opening. I slammed the metal lid closed, cutting off the tiny copy's escape. Tuh tuh tuh. Denial beat uselessly on the inside of the glass.

Securing Denial under my left arm, I opened the second jar. Chauvinist buzzed away and slipped behind Female-mask. He peeked over her shoulder, using her body as a shield.

"Hey wait! What are you doing!" Chauvinist cried out. "I mean, good going partner. Getting rid of that moron, Denial, was a brilliant idea. Now that he's gone our girl form is going to start acting right and proper, like a girl should. So, how about you put down that jar and- whaaaa!"

Whouom. Air reverberated across the bottle's opening as I swung at Chauvinist. The black Ranma dived from his perch in an effort to escape, but I was faster. With the twist of my wrist the bottle's trajectory changed. With Chauvinist captured I began to screw the lid on tight.

"Great work!" Tomboy yelled.

Tomboy beamed at me as she rushed from the church and over to the confused but curious Female-mask. Tomboy's eyes drank in the sight of her prize, as though she were admiring a trophy.

I shot Tomboy a look of irritation.

"I didn't do it for you," I retorted.

"No, but you will be glad you did! Things are finally looking up for- Crap!" Tomboy cut herself off when darkness shrouded the land like a blanket.

Nightmare.

The colossal, four-legged shadow descended at a run. Its forepaws slammed into the ground only meters in front of me. Earth trembled under the titanic weight. I stumbled away, my heart freezing with the raw fear of Nightmare's presence.

Denial's jar slipped through shaking fingers.

Terror yielded to desperation. With the toe of my shoe I caught the jar only centimeters above brick. The sudden shift and panicked motions conspired against me. Even as I flipped Denial back up into the air, Chauvinist slid free. I made a mad dive downward.

Nightmare yowled.

My breath stop. Icy tremors rattled through my bones. Terror. Indescribable fear nailed me in place with adamant chains. Crash! Glass shattered on the ground. A tiny Ranma zipped free, flashing away and toward Female-mask. I wasn't sure which of the two bottles I had missed until Denial's jar landed in my prepositioned palm.

Somehow, I summoned the wit to keep my grip.

Nightmare strolled forward, passing by so close that its whiskers brushed against my cheek. In a lazy gesture, the demon lifted a midnight paw and swatted Tomboy away. Slowly the creature turned back, mighty muscles rippling beneath shadowy fur. It paused next to me, giant, slitted eyes glaring into my own.

Then the demon the continued on its way. It stopped at the village center where it curled up on the ground. With a small, slimy tongue, it began lick its dark coat clean.

"Run run run!" Chauvinist shouted.

My head jerked to the side and I spotted the black clothed Ranma perched on Female-mask's head. He held tufts of hair between his tiny hands as though they were the reins of a great beast. Female-mask tore forward at Chauvinist's urging, disappearing between buildings. A puny, functional part of my brain remembered the direction they headed.

Kamiko rose on her mount and gazed down at me. Her hazel eyes flickered to the jar in my left hand. "Hand that over, please. Then you will help me collect the runaways."

I looked at Denial. The red Ranma was wobbling swirly eyed in the jar. I looked back at Kamiko and narrowed my eyes.

"No."

"Saotome-chan. Please do not force this issue. My ultimatum serves neither of our interests."

My grip on Denial's jar became white knuckled. I swallowed, but my throat remained dry. "Minimal effort," I began. "That's what you said. I'll give you one of them, but not all three."

"I did say that didn't I?" Kamiko sighed. "Very well. I will indulge you for now. However, I will accept no less than two, and one of them must be Female-mask. Is that clear?"

I opened my mouth and closed it again. No. I'd hold my ground here. "One and only one," I managed to growl out.

Kamiko's eyes narrowed. "This isn't a game, Saotome-chan. Do not make this harder than it has to be."

I tried to stay confident but my mouth had turned into a desert. I was shaking. Adrenaline and fear ran like rivers through my veins. I knew the consequences of defiance. The PPI had trained me in ways I would never forget. Even if... no when I escaped this hell hole, I would not be the same person that entered. I had already changed. Changed in ways Kamiko intended and in those she had not.

This was a bet. A gamble that Kamiko wouldn't invoke her ultimatum, that her desire for a senshi was greater than her need for control. I was gambling with my life, another week or two with Shizue was probably more than I could take.

But I couldn't give up either. I was Ranma Saotome. I fought and fought and fought until, through sheer stubbornness, I won. To me victory was not a mere desire, but a need. I didn't know how to give up. That was who I was.

"Not a game," I said through parched lips. "A fight."

"Saotome-chan, I will not-"

I rolled on, speaking louder to drown her out. I couldn't stop now. The moment Kamiko announced a clear stance, she would never back down.

"A battle royal. Winner takes all."

Silence followed my announcement. To my shock, Kamiko was considering my offer. I had expected to be shot down outright.

"And what does winner takes all mean, Saotome-chan?"

Kamiko's eyes were the narrowed slits of a predator. I had seen her exhausted. I had seen her cold. I had seen her watch dispassionately as she tortured me with agony, the all-business look of a woman that had done the same thing to hundreds girls and no longer felt anything for it. This, though, was the first time I had seen Kamiko on the hunt.

A chill went down my spine. I had a vague impression that if I didn't make myself perfectly clear the consequences would be dire.

"Those three," I said hurriedly, "Chauvinist, Denial, and Female-mask."

The predatory gaze vanished, and Kamiko resumed her authoritative stance. "If that is the case, I will set the terms. I get one aspect, no matter what. You will approve of my alteration of the aspects I capture. Capture will be accepted when I have the aspects in the wasteland and in my grasp. If Female-mask is not one of the aspects I have captured, you will exchange her for an aspect of your choice. Do we have a deal?"

Kamiko's offer was identical to her revised demand. Yeah, she had left a little wiggle room. I could make things better or worse. I didn't like it.

"No. With terms like that, how am I supposed to win?"

"This is not a battle, Saotome-chan. This is a procedure. I can tolerate achieving less than I had intended, but I cannot tolerate achieving nothing at all," Kamiko said evenly. "If that is not sufficient, then consider this. The Director will be quite displeased should your adjustment fail. At the very minimum, that will put my promise of reduced sessions with Shizue at risk.

"Now, please make your decision, Saotome-chan."

"Fine," I spat. "But, Forbidden Mountain counts as my win. If I get an aspect there, you can't touch it, got it?"

"Acceptable. Is the matter settled, then?"

My expression twisted. "Yeah. We've got a deal."

No sooner did the words leave my mouth then the world gave a deep shudder. Uh... What just happened?

"Thank you, Saotome-chan," Kamiko said. "Since I may now do so safely, I will take the aspect you are holding by force."

Nightmare pulled itself to its feet. An aura of malevolence stretched out as the four-legged beast stalked forward. It stopped its movement a dozen meters from me and crouched low. The demon's muscles shifted, leg tendons storing strength that waited to be unleashed.

Palpable fear washed over me, and my heart beat faster. Energy, not terror, roared through my veins. I welcomed the rush of adrenaline, my face splitting into a smile. It was stupid. It was foolish. The deal I had made with Kamiko did nothing but delay the inevitable. Yet, right now, I felt alive.

Come and fight me, if you dare. This is my battlefield and like hell I am going to lose while on it.

I moved. Nightmare pounced. The giant demon surged into the air, its monstrous paws stretching out to capture me. With the creature's colossal size the movement was slow, but the strikes were so wide that any advantage that might have imparted vanished. I dived to the side and hit the ground in a tight roll. Claws swept over me, millimeters short.

Palms met earth, and, in an instant, I was flying through the air. A barrage of forepaws struck in my wake, cratering the ground like mortar fire. While Nightmare rained down attacks, I scurried to the demon's right then slipped in between its legs.

The mighty beast twisted in place in an effort to catch me.

With flashing movements, I danced beneath the monster. Nightmare attacked with ceaseless aggression and in doing so tangled itself with its legs. I spent those precious seconds with reckless abandon. Instead of facing Nightmare, I retreated to the narrowest alley offered by the scarce buildings.

Nightmare uncoiled itself and lunged.

Crash! The colossal body smashed into the buildings in an effort to reach me. Thick support beams cracked and bent, but, incredibly, the wooden structures held. Nightmare fell back and shook its head in fury. It lunged again and landed on the roofs. Claws stretched out to scoop me up. I dodged around them, feeling like a bird in a cage.

My eyes danced across the terrain. Damn. Damn. Damn. There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to run. Nightmare had me cornered. I grimaced. Only one choice then. I had to attack-

My mind shattered like glass. A pain that rivaled agony tumbled through my brain like a thousand knives. I wobbled, stumbled, and dodged, barely escaping Nightmare's clumsy sweep. Memory had turned to fog, my last thoughts were deleted records. All I had left was a single notion.

Impossible. Nightmare cannot be defeated.

Confusion caused me to skitter into an alcove. It bought me extra protection at the cost of pinning me in place. Frustrated, Nightmare ceased its attack. The creature let out a horrible yowl that sent chills down my spine. While I fought against the paralysis, the demon sank its claws into the roofs and began to wrench the buildings apart to get at me.

Can't run. Can't fight. I was screwed. With all other methods defeated, I reverted to desperate tactics.

"Look! a giant tuna!" I screamed, pointing toward the village center.

With stupid fascination I watched Nightmare's head snap to the side. An instant later I kicked myself into motion. I sprinted out and into the rolling hills. A suicide run, but I didn't have much choice. For seconds there was silence while Nightmare stupidly searched for the nonexistent fish. Then a terrible yowl was let loose. Ice crawled up my veins and my run became ragged.

Move!

My sprint resumed. Nightmare rushed to catch up.

For each step Nightmare took I took five. Yet, the giant's strides dwarfed mine ten to one. The result was a foregone conclusion. Shit. Things kept getting better and better. A fighting retreat, then. I would have to drag this out while crawling my way to the swamp. When I reached the jungle, the terrain would favor me.

Steeling myself for an hour long battle, I turned to face the demon.

Only to freeze with a wide eyed stare.

Thumph!

Nightmare was blindsided by a fist the size of a mountain. The colossal demon thudded across the ground in a whirling ball of dark fur, only to catch itself on its feet a second later.

Thud! A fifty meter tall Ranma Saotome landed with a clap of thunder. It squatted between me and Nightmare, its knuckles supporting its weight as though it were a giant ape. From atop the towering Ranma a man wearing a kendo uniform shouted.

"You took flight so quickly, my beautiful falcon. But fear not, I have returned! Now we may gloriously clash anew. Steed versus steed. The steel of my sword against the blade of your wit. Let us joust!" Victory cried.

"BATTLE!" the mighty Ranma roared while beating its chest.

Nightmare met the battle cries with a fearsome yowl. The titans charged. Mountains met in midair. The gargantuan Ranma attacked first. With an almighty fist he struck the demon across the jaw with an uppercut so powerful that I could feel the thud of its impact. But, even as the Demon's body flipped upward, it lashed out. Forepaws slashed flesh. The claws bit deep, tearing wounds along the giant's forearm.

That was all it took.

Whsssh! Air, not blood, spewed from the giant's wound. Like an enormous balloon, the gargantuan Ranma deflated.

Victory was undeterred. He leapt from his mount with sword held high. "Have at ye!"

Slashing downward Victory plunged onto the stricken Nightmare. His bokken cracked against demon's head, causing it to cringe back.

"That's right, tremble beast! For I am Victory!"

While Victory paraded in front of his recovering enemy, the flailing giant continued to shrink.

Don't just stand there, Ranma. Move!

With raw will I forced frozen muscles forward. The icy grip of Nightmare's yowl released and I took off in a dash. I rushed for the thick grass of the plains holding my heading for half a minute before veering off in the general direction Female-mask and Chauvinist had taken.

The raging battle vanished behind me.

Minutes rolled by and my sprint turned into a jog. Dark clouds faded into bright blue sky. Tall hills rose and fell as much as a hundred meters all around me. Trees were rare and scattered. The only feature was an endless sea of grass.

My jog turned into a walk.

I scowled, staring at the plains and silently demanding that they reveal their secrets. Nothing. No trail. No signs whatsoever of Female-mask's passage. Either the girl possessed the same skill I did, or this world failed to retain the necessary signs.

"Shit," I grumbled while coming to a full halt.

Absently, I squeezed the jar held in my offhand, soothing myself with its presence. I had Denial. The tiny, red clothed Ranma glared at me and hammered at his container. I snorted and looked away. Forbidden Mountain. It loomed over the horizon, shedding an ominous aura.

No choice. Female-mask and Chauvinist had vanished. Looking for them when Nightmare was on the prowl was beyond stupid. But, even knowing that, I hated the idea. Kamiko was out there searching for the other aspects. If I wasted the time to secure Denial, those two could easily slip through my fingers.

Two is better than three, Ranma. Deal with Denial first. Once that was done there would be no way for me to lose.

Not lose? I scrunched my face in distaste. Ha! How did being rewritten more slowly count as anything but losing?

"Neaarrowwoom!"

A young boy flew out of the fields, his childish voice providing sound effects. He ran at me with arms spread wide. The kid banked to right as he approached and made a broad circle around my legs. The rice hat dangling from his neck bounced on his back the whole time.

Something about the sight made me smile.

"Hey kid," I greeted. I eyed the boy thoughtfully. Sure it was a long shot, but why not? "Say, you haven't seen Chauvinist or Female-mask around here, have you?"

"Neaarrowwoom!" The kid shot away while continuing his airplane noises. His arms suddenly went vertical and he made an abrupt turn back toward me. "Immelmann turn!"

With one last dash the kid came to a stop at my feet. He grinned up at me, bright blue eyes glowing with happiness. Faint memories of Pop's photographs filtered through my mind. Another Ranma Saotome.

"Nope!" the kid chirped. "Haven't seen her."

I patted the kid on the head. "Thanks brat."

Stepping around the young Ranma, I started the slow walk to Forbidden Mountain. At a glance it looked like a several hour journey. However, if the trip with Kamiko was any indication, reaching the mountain would take no more than half an hour.

"He he!"

While I had been lost in thought the kid had zoomed in front of me. He smiled wide as though he had an incredible secret he was dying to share.

I frowned. "This better be good, brat," I warned.

The kid bounced from side-to-side excitedly. "You know, if the black bug has Female-mask, he will want to take her to someone who can help him control her."

That made me stop. I looked at the kid with renewed interest.

The child Ranma nodded twice. "Yep, yep. Black bug is weak. He can't do anything with Female-mask on his own. But, if he does get help, then he'll be able to combine with her." The kid suddenly brightened. "Hey! Isn't that exciting? We might get a new girl. So soon after Doll-chan too!"

"Really," I said slowly. I couldn't stop the grimace that grew at the mention of Doll. "So tell me, brat, who all can give 'black bug' help?"

"Hmm," the kid hummed, wobbling his head left and right, his whole body swaying with the motion. "Martial Arts could do it. But black bug doesn't think girls should fight, so Martial Arts would definitely say no. Tomboy hates black bug. She'd never help. Victory could do it, too, but Victory and black bug don't understand each other, so I don't think black bug would even try."

The kid began to swing his arms in wide circles as he continued. "Ego, yeah, he'd do it! Ego will do anything if he thinks it'll make us more awesome. Oh, and Doll-chan too! She'd definitely do it, though, I think Doll-chan would steal Female-mask rather than help black bug.

"Hey! I could do it too! What do you think? Would that be fun? Hmm... Nah! Black bug is boring. Girls do this. Girls do that. I don't like rules. Rules are silly. I don't think there should be any rules."

So, according to the brat, in order to control Female-mask Chauvinist had to seek out Ego or Doll. Ego, in my mind, was a long shot. I doubted I would ever see life as a housewife as awesome. Toss in Kamiko and Tomboy, both of who had been hanging around town, and there was only one place left Chauvinist could go. Doll.

A sick expression crossed my face. Like hell I would let that black suited bastard take Female-mask to her. Even Kamiko was better than that.

"Where is Doll?"

The brat pointed at the crystal spire. The geometric structure jutted out of the marsh, glittering with refracted sunlight. I grimaced. The mountain and the spire, while roughly in the same direction, where enough offset that I would be wasting precious time.

"Nobody likes Doll-chan," the boy explained. "So she couldn't stay in the village. That's why she lives next to the crystal, instead."

Doll was an exile, huh? Good, I thought viciously. As far as I was concerned, that thing was a tumor. Hearing that the rest of my psyche agreed warmed my heart.

"Thanks again, brat," I said.

With that, I adjusted my angle and began the long trudge to the crystal spire. Again, I made it only a handful of steps before the kid was standing in my path.

"He he!" The kid's smile was just as bright as before.

I let out a sigh. "What is it this time, brat?"

"If you are going to the spire, I can help. I know all the shortcuts!"

"Is that so?"

I looked at the kid suspiciously. I didn't have time to play games. But, if the kid was right, I couldn't afford to ignore him.

"Yep, yep. I was here first, so I know everything there is to know about this world," the boy said wisely. He gave a sharp look. "And I am Wanderer, not brat."

I returned a smirk. "A brat is a brat, no matter what he says. Now lead on."

Wanderer's face split into another brilliant smile and the kid dashed forward. He ran in a zigzag manner, twisting, turning, and looking back at me as he moved.

"This way, this way," Wanderer called out as he rushed ahead. The kid spread his arms as he ran and he started swaying from side to side, his body banking with the motions. "Neaarro-"

Wanderer froze in mid-step. He turned back and gave me dark look. "You have to do it too!"

I snorted. "Just show me the path, brat. I don't feel like playing right now."

Wanderer's eyes narrowed into a glare. He spoke slowly, as though talking to someone incomprehensibly stupid. "I'm not playing. This is how it works."

I scowled. "Fine." I spread my arms. "You happy now?"

"Sounds too!" Wanderer chirped, his dark visage transforming into a thousand watt glow. The kid dashed forward. "Neaarrowwoom!"

"Neaarrowwoom," I echoed half heartedly.

Feeling like an idiot, I trudged behind Wanderer. I did my best to smother the embarrassment. It's all in your head, Ranma. Nobody can see you acting like a fool... well... except Kamiko. But if she was hanging around, I had better things to worry about than how stupid I looked.

I carried on like that for a dozen steps. After that I no longer had the brainpower to care.

When did it happen? After the tenth step or the twentieth? All I knew was that one moment I was miserably chasing after Wanderer. The next I was sailing through skies.

My eyes watered and I tried to make sense of what had happened. My arms were rigid boards channeling wind beneath them. In my gut was an engine, its pistons hammering in and out. A propeller span at the tip of my nose, a transparent blur that darkened my vision.

I had become an airplane.

Stunned, I yawed to the left and began to plunge. Desperately, I struggled to right myself. I wobbled back and forth fighting to restore my stability.

While I strained to fly straight Wanderer delighted in aerial acrobatics. He dived. He span. He flew upside down. With crazed and joyful movements, he fluttered about the sky. I followed as best as I could, dark swamp blurring by beneath me. Then, when I had just barely gotten the hang of my movements, Wanderer twisted in midair and pointed his nose at the ground.

In an instant I overflew his path. It was only then I realized that down was the next direction. Gritting my teeth against the insanity I banked hard and followed. Wispy clouds shot by and thick jungle expanded and a frightening rate. Clamping down on instinct I continued my dive, duplicating the brat's kamikaze drop.

It won't kill you. It's all in your head.

I gulped and closed my eyes.

Thump.

Airplane Ranma ceased, and I was human once more. My butt hit soft earth after a gentle one meter drop. Dizzily, I looked around, my mind fighting to make sense of the sudden loss of inertia. Whew! Not dead. I broke out into a grin and laughed.

"Wow. Gotta hand it to you brat. That was cool. Now, if only I could do that in real life," I said while pulling myself to a sitting position.

Splash! Splash splash splash. Wanderer stood in a shallow pond. With childish glee the brat jumped and stomped sending out waves of swamp water. He, no she was soaked. The boy had become a girl. Wanderer had my curse.

Wanderer's bright smile wasn't dimmed by her transformation. She danced with the same unrestrained delight. The kid gave me a goofy smile that turned sly. Dipping down she scoped up a handful of water and flung it in my direction. I didn't even dignify the brat's game by dodging. I just gave her an irritated look.

"Having fun?" I asked, sweeping excess swamp water from my hair. A girl. Again. Damn it. Couldn't I have a couple of hours of manly peace?

"Yep!" Wanderer said happily, then she hopped out of water and shook herself like a dog. "Quick, quick. Follow me!"

With a grunt, I jumped to my feet and jogged after the excited kid. Wanderer followed a wild route that dragged me over a rotten log and through grassy paths surrounded by water. The winding movements lasted for mere seconds before we burst into a sea of flowers.

It was there, shrouded in a shower of brilliant petals, that Wanderer paused briefly to let me catch up.

"Isn't this fun! We're running down a road only girls can travel. Zoom!"

She was off again, racing amongst the floral display. I sprinted after, crisscrossing through an the infinite fog. Then, just as suddenly, we were free. The garden gave way to a crystal glade. Quartz plants sprouted mineral leaves as sharp as swords. Sandy dirt glistened with glassy sparkles. The light that filtered through the crystal trees was cast in rainbow hues, dominated by shades of pink and violet.

At the center of the glade was a magnificent spire of diamond. It jetted up from the ground, a single geometric prism that pierced the clouds. It was a dual colored structure. Colorless white surrounded the whole and made up the bulk of the mass, but at the crystal's heart that changed. There, deep within, was sharp line that divided clear from pink.

The greater crystal had formed around the smaller.

Imprisoned within that pink heart lay a sleeping girl. I recognized the form. Twin, glittery pigtails that reached the her hips. A girlish dress of frills, bows, and ruffles. A short skirt that bordered on indecent. Tall heels.

My magical girl form. It was the same, yet different. The pink dress was embroidered with black. The fluffy ribbons, threads, and streamers were longer and more abundant. It was darker, and more adult. Sweet-lolita straddled the realms of classic and gothic.

"She will rule this world."

The voice was sweet, soft, and feminine. To me, it felt as though someone had shoved slivers of shattered glass into my ears. A sickening, repugnant hatred oozed through me. A resonant feeling born not from logic, but raw rejection.

I turned to face Doll.

The vile shade wore my form: a pretty, cherubic Ranma-chan. Every feature rung wrong in my eyes. The way her red hair fountained down her back, touching her calves. Her long lashes and her glossy pink lips. The silky choker that circled her neck. The white ball gown with its pink bows and ribbons.

The crystal princess, frozen in the heart of the spire, was not a scrap less feminine than the creature before me, but the hatred evoked was phenomenally different. Doll was not me. She was an invader. A fake. A disease to be eradicated. The sight of her called forth murderous instinct. I wanted to take a knife and plunge it into her porcelain skin until she was a bloody, oozing, corpse.

Yet she remained. A corrupting taint surrounded her with a subtle allure. Even as I was repelled, a tiny portion of me was drawn in.

I wanted to vomit.

"I did not expect to see you here, Ranma-sama. But I hope to be a pleasant host," Doll said in her soft voice. She fell into a deep and graceful curtsy.

"I'm not here to talk to you," I growled. I was squeezing Denial's jar so hard I was surprised it didn't burst.

Forcefully, I jerked my gaze from the abomination. No Female-mask. No Chauvinist. Damn. This was a waste of time.

Doll didn't lose her demure smile. "Be that as it may, now that you are here would you allow me to serve you? Whatever your pleasure, I will be glad provide it."

My lips curled in disgust. "How about you kill yourself? That'd make me happy."

"Hey! Don't be mean to Doll-chan," Wanderer broke in.

The little kid dropped from the spire that she had been trying to slink up. With a dash, Wanderer was between us. The energetic kid managed to stand still for all of one second before she was running figure eights around Doll and I.

"Don't be mean to her?" My voice was a low rumble. Fury caused me to shake. "That thing is not part of us. It is a fake put here by Shizue. She shouldn't exist."

"Please, do not turn away from me, Ranma-sama," Doll appealed softly. "You know in your heart that I am the only one who can give you happiness."

I ripped my eyes away from Doll, fighting the urge to bash in her face. "I'm not talking to you," I spat.

When I turned away, Wanderer jumped forward. "Hey, hey, make me pretty!"

I jerked, every muscle contracting as though I had been hit by lighting. I stared at the redheaded child.

"Of course, Wanderer-sama," Doll said politely.

Doll waved a gloved hand. Magical sparkles sprang forth, settling on Wanderer. In a flash, her rice hat and simple clothes were replaced by a black dress with pink ribbons.

"Weee!" Wanderer squealed. She span in insane circles, her dress spiraling up. "Look, look! I'm a pretty girl dancing!"

"Don't indulge that thing," I snapped.

Wanderer stopped her spin and broke into hyper-speed skips in erratic directions. She was moving so fast that I went cross-eyed trying to track which afterimage belonged to the real thing.

"You're being silly," Wanderer reprimanded. "If you don't eat at least three bites, how do you know if it's tasty?"

What? Try being a doll? A toy? An object that existed to please others? Those words were incomprehensible. No. Wanderer was a brat. She didn't mean it. She didn't understand what she had said. She couldn't have. No part of me would ever suggest that I try being Doll.

Yet, how could Wanderer not have understood? Wanderer was me. I was Wanderer. I understood, therefore Wanderer understood. Even if that logic didn't hold, I could feel the truth in the way Wanderer stared at me, into me, through me. Her eyes were knives that slashed open my soul. She judged me, a divine being that could not be denied.

But my will was firm. I would not be crushed by that gaze.

"Doll is poison," I declared.

But Wanderer was no longer paying attention. Instead, she had jetted over to a crystal plant and ripped it out by the roots. Holding foliage in both hands, Wanderer squatted down and slowly, stiffly stretched out her arms as though lifting the entire world.

"Look, look," she said, gleefully. "I'm a tree growing!"

"Wanderer-sama. Little girls shouldn't get their clothes dirty," Doll said gently.

"Eh?" Wanderer questioned. The redheaded girl's bright eyes were big and confused. "But getting dirty is fun! Everybody should be dirty. Dirt for everyone!"

What Wanderer demanded, heaven delivered. From blue sky came a rain of mud – a drenching torrent of wet, watery ooze. Thin rivulets of foul liquid ran off my skin and coated my clothes. Carefully, I sheltered my eyes while wrinkling my nose at the mess.

Where I was indifferent, Wanderer and Doll were at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. Doll cringed from the raining mud, holding her arms up in a useless attempt to shield her body. Her white dress was stained with brown and black. Liquid sludge soaked in, fouling multiple layers and filling lacy gaps.

"Please stop, Wanderer-sama," Doll begged.

Wanderer wasn't listening. Happy as a pig, she rolled in the deepest puddle she could find. The black dress Doll had given her was ruined. Filthy water drained from it in curtains. But that was not enough to leave Wanderer content. She rolled and rolled, until her dress was supersaturated. Then she jumped, hopped, and span, shedding dirty water everywhere.

"Look, look, I'm a mud princess!" Wanderer exclaimed gleefully.

Wanderer's crazed delight shed a warmth I could not escape. I found myself chuckling at the sight.

"Hey, brat, Female-mask isn't here. Can you get me to Forbidden Mountain?" I asked.

Wanderer stopped frolicking in the mud and bounded toward me taking care to stomp every puddle. She grabbed my hand with her tiny fingers and began to run around me in clockwise circles. I turned with her spin, mostly so she didn't rip off my arm.

"Weeeee!" Wanderer exclaimed, not stopping her endless dash.

I let out a sigh and recalled the airplane silliness. Swallowing my pride, I joined Wanderer's run. Each of us circled the invisible pivot where our hands joined. It was after a minute that I started to suspect I was being tricked.

"We're not going anywhere, are we?" I grumbled.

"Nope! But this is fun, fun, fun!" Wanderer replied happily. She ran a few more circles then suddenly dashed off into the woods. "Follow me!"

I groaned and followed. The crystal glade vanished into to swamp. Wanderer wove through the thick vegetation with boundless energy. Every obstacle was a game. Vines existed to be swung upon. Tufts of grass poked out of the water inviting little feet to dance across their top. I trudged after the girl, straining to keep up even though my path was arrow straight compared to Wanderer's meandering.

All the while Forbidden Mountain drew further and further away.

Wanderer stopped. The girl peered into a small, placid pond that reflected her face with a mirror's sheen.

"You are taking me to Forbidden Mountain, right?" I asked.

Silence.

"If you aren't going to answer, I'll start finding my own way," I warned.

Wanderer didn't reply, instead she dropped to all fours and shoved her head into murky, algae covered water. A stream of bubbles rolled up and around her cheeks, popping at the the surface. When Wanderer's lungs emptied she pulled out and took a huge breath. Dark water filled with green glops streamed down Wanderer's back cleansing a fraction of the mud caked into her black dress.

Chest filled to capacity, Wanderer shoved her head into the water again. Bubble bubble bubble.

Wanderer came up for another breath. She peered back at me. "Come, come. You do it too!"

I squeezed my eyes shut. Okay, one more game brat and that's it. I shot Wanderer a glare and seated myself beside her. Taking a small breath I plunged my head into the pond and breathed out. The deep thud of air and water rang in my ears. Bubble bubble.

I pulled out and brushed my hair from my eyes. "We good now, brat? Because I need to get to Forbidden Mountain. The faster the better."

"Bubble bubble. Bubble bubble bubble!" Wanderer shouted while jittering to a crazed dance.

I scowled, stood, and stopped. Bloop bloop. Bubble bubble bloop! The once placid pond began to thrash, huge bubbles rose to the surface displacing water. Moisture tickled my nose. Steam. The fine mist formed over the pond's top, and the radiant heat wrapped me in a blanket.

Bloosh. Bubble. Blasph. The thrashing increased. Bubbles became fountains that threw scalding droplets.

Ker-Splash! Wanderer canon-balled into the hot spring unleashing an explosion. A wave hot water splattered over me shifting me from female to male. Impatiently I waited. Wanderer didn't come up. Don't tell me... Damn. Couldn't the brat take a second to explain these things. My eye twitched in annoyance.

"This better take me to Forbidden Mountain or I walk the rest of the way," I muttered to myself.

With a wild leap, I plunged into the pond.

The spring should have been shallow. Instead, I sank at least two meters deep. Then I sank some more. A powerful current seized me dragging me down. The faint light filtering from the surface faded leaving me in a pitch black sea.

Deeper and deeper. My lungs hurt. My body demanded breath. Desperate need verged on panic. I clamped down on instinct, but the pain grew ever greater.

Whhppsshh!

Like a bullet bursting from the barrel of a gun, I shot out of the darkness and into the sky. I tumbled inelegantly as I flew, drinking great gulps of air with each breath.

Then, at the last second, I twisted and landed on my feet.

The geyser behind me sputtered out a few more sprays of water then died. I took in the rocky terrain around me. Forbidden Mountain. I stood at the foot of the mountain's black cliffs. Sheer, unscalable rock stretched up for an eternity. A narrow stretch of stairs wound their way across the cliff face, the only path to the mountain's invisible summit.

Thick clouds and darkness wrapped the mountain. The stones themselves radiated gloom and dreariness. The rock was barren. The only life that peaked through the soil were squat, black trees. None bore a single leaf, and the only touch of color they wore was the white ropes tied around their trunks.

I squeezed Denial's jar with my left hand and reminded myself of my burden.

"Thanks, brat," I said nodding to the kid.

Wanderer peered up at the mountain's shrouded summit, swaying side to side. The hot water of the geyser had restored the child's boyhood. At the same time it had erased the dress Doll had given, replacing it with a wide, conical rice hat and loose, dusty clothes.

I set a hand on the kid's shoulder. "I'm headed up."

I stepped forward then scrambled back. It was dark. Too dark. I had been wrong. Wanderer was not staring at the mountain's summit, but at the black, roiling clouds that blotted out the sun.

Nightmare.

My breath stopped. Fear. As though summoned by my awareness golden, slitted eyes turned to face me.

The demon yowled.

The cry echoed off the mountain and chilled my soul. Distance negated Nightmare's power. Instead of freezing me in place, the yowl set me into motion. With all my strength, I lunged. Muscles constricted, straining ligaments until it felt like they would snap. One meter. Two. I accelerated forward. Forbidden Mountain was safety. I knew it in the marrow of my bones. This was my place. Only I could enter there. Not Kamiko. Not Nightmare. Not even Wanderer.

With one last leap, I tore forward.

Nightmare was faster.

The demon was a shadow fleeing light. In a single instant it bridged the gap between heaven and earth. Vorpal claws lashed out, batting me to the ground. Searing pain screamed from my back dwarfed by the spikes of raw terror that stabbed into my soul.

I hit the ground and rolled. Somehow, my eyes remained fixated on the stairs the whole time. A few more steps. I could make it. I leapt to my feet.

But Nightmare barred my path. The titan did not run or jump, it merely dissolved into a dark cloud and reappeared to bar my way.

I stumbled back a dozen steps, fleeing the demon's slitted eyes.

"That's enough, Saotome-chan. Hand over the bottle. You have lost," Kamiko said from her mount.

I tore my eyes from Nightmare and found Kamiko. I grimaced. She was right. Nightmare was unassailable and the only entrance to the mountain blocked off.

I ground my teeth and squeezed Denial's bottle. No. I would not give up. It didn't matter how invincible my opponent was. It didn't matter how many times I was slapped down. I would fight to the bitter end.

With strengthened resolve, I glared up at Kamiko, while easing myself between Nightmare and Wanderer.

"No," I said with finality.

"This is pointless, Saotome-chan," Kamiko said. "You cannot bypass Nightmare."

"Yeah, maybe so, but you can't stick around here forever either. Female-mask and Chauvinist are still out there. And who knows, I might just find another way to put Denial out of your reach."

The woman climbed down from her perch, using the jagged, glowing bolts riveted into Nightmare's back like a ladder. She approached, her hazel eyes bearing mild disapproval.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Saotome-chan, but I have already contacted Female-mask and Chauvinist. Though, it would be more correct to say they contacted me. They are waiting in the wasteland as we speak. All that remains is for me to collect the last of the set. It is over."

Shit. I had made a mistake. It wasn't just Ego and Doll that could satisfy Chauvinist's desires. Kamiko could do the same. I hadn't thought of that. No. I had automatically dismissed it. The idea that a genuine part of myself would betray me hadn't crossed my mind.

It was an ugly, slimy feeling, to realize that a part of myself had thrown its lot with the Pretty Princess Institute.

Kamiko's sharp eyes softened. "It isn't anything special, Saotome-chan. The human mind is filled with conflict and contradiction. Life is unkind. It forces us to choose one dream over another. Aspects that have been left behind will do anything to find release. Even Wanderer-san, a cornerstone of your personality, would betray you if offered the right incentives."

"Yep!" Wanderer declared proudly. He looked up at us with a wide smile, even while he added an additional rock to the growing pyramid in front of him.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" I said with a scowl.

"Saotome-chan, I know you are not good at accepting defeat. But please do not press me further. I have wasted enough time with this game. Hand me the bottle, Saotome-chan. Now."

I held the jar in my left hand so tight that my knuckles went white. Shit. Shit. Shit. I needed something. Anything. Where was that arrogant jerk, Victory?

Nothing. There was nothing, damn it. Kamiko was right. There was no way I was getting past Nightmare. She had won, fair and square.

Yet, it was impossible for me to give in.

"No," I growled again.

Kamiko's eyes narrowed. "I won't tolerate dawdling, Saotome-chan. You had your chance and I have indulged you more than enough. Hand me the bottle. Immediately. If you do not, I will start assigning one-hour sessions with Shizue. The first one starts in: Ten... nine... eight...-"

"He he!" Wanderer interrupted.

The bright eyed boy bounced in between us then grinned up at Kamiko.

Kamiko's eyes were suddenly wary. "Is there something you want, Wanderer-san?"

Wanderer bounced from foot to foot. "I was thinking we should solve this with Rock-paper-scissors!"

My eyes flashed to Wanderer. "And why should she get anything of ours?"

"You agreed to the rules, Saotome-chan," Kamiko replied.

"Under duress," I shot back. "Besides, I haven't lost yet. Denial isn't yours unless you get him to the wasteland, remember?"

"I have already made myself quite clear on this-"

"STOP!" Wanderer's shout echoed off the rocky mountain side. "Rock-paper-scissors, and that's final!"

Kamiko's expression became haggard, and she let out a long sigh. "It seems I have no choice." Kamiko's eyes switched to me. "Unless you object, Saotome-chan?"

I glanced at the bottle then Nightmare. Fifty-fifty was an improvement. "Go for it, brat."

"Yeah!" Wanderer squealed happily.

The brat danced happily for a few seconds then lifted an arm up high. Kamiko reluctantly raised her own. Both hands moved up and down three times. Scissors versus Paper.

"I win!" Wanderer declared gleefully. He pointed at the woman. "And that means you're EJECTED!"

The world jerked. Trees and mountains went askew. Surface and sky were rent by great gaps of static. Sound, taste, smell, and touch fired off erratically. Then, just as suddenly, the world jerked back.

I swayed dizzily at the front of the mountain. Wanderer stood proudly in front of me, his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out, as though he'd just done something amazing.

As for Kamiko and Nightmare? They were gone.

"Uh..., thanks I guess," I said, my mind still trying to grasp what had happened.

Grim faced, I looked at the mountain, the weight of my burden nestled in my left hand. There was no telling how long Kamiko would be gone. Chauvinist and Female-mask were all but hers. The probability I would get them back was slim to none.

But not zero.

Thoughtlessly, I patted the kid on the head and ruffled his hair. "I've gotta go, brat. Take care."

I took a step forward only to find my path blocked by a stern faced Wanderer.

I gave the brat a tired look. "Can you make it quick? I don't want to sound ungrateful here, but I'm on the clock right now."

"Yep, yep. If you don't hurry, Kamiko-chan will get you," Wanderer agreed with a sing-song voice. "But first, I have to tell you a secret."

I squeezed my eyes closed. "Well? Spit it out."

Wanderer gave me an indignant look and placed his hands on his hips. "You have to lean closer first."

With a sigh, I lowered myself to my knees. "This enough?"

Wanderer's smile returned, then, before I could react, he shoved his thumbs into my mouth. With a tug he stretched the corners up and to the sides in a parody of a smile.

"Be happy, okay?" he said. "Frowns don't make anything better."

I jerked my head away. Standing, I shot the brat a furious glare. "In case you haven't noticed, I haven't had much to happy about."

Wanderer cocked his head to the side. "Eh? Of course there is!" Wanderer lectured while waving a finger in a tut-tut manner. "No matter what, there are always more fun things to do than time to do them."

"It isn't that simple, brat." I shook my head. "Life isn't just fun and games. People have to do things they don't want to do, and sometimes... sometimes you're just screwed." I sighed. Was the kid even capable of understanding? "Tell you what. When I get out of the Institute, I'll find something to smile about. Okay?"

Wanderer looked up at me with bright blue eyes. "Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise," I replied. I ruffled the boy's hair.

"And..., if you don't?"

I sighed. "No promises there brat. Though, if I'm stuck here, I'm pretty sure that Kamiko will find a way to force me to be happy." I shook my head. "I don't want to think about that. We good now?"

Wanderer's smile returned. "Yep! I'm going to go explore the Jusenkyo Swamps! Wee!" Wanderer shouted as he tore down a random path at break neck speed. "Playing the gate controls is so much fun!"

A faint smile tickled my lips as the kid disappeared. It would be easier to be like him – pure childish glee that ignored the weight of reality.

But I couldn't become a kid again. Nobody could.

Grim determination restored, I turned back to the mountain.

The climb was long. Stairs stretched up for extended lengths, passing under dozens of torri before turning sharply. As I ascended, the mountain grew darker. Black shadow washed over me. Stone lamps provided ghostly illumination.

The journey must have lasted mere minutes. It felt like hours. The air was heavy and drenched in despair. Every step was plodding, and each breath scorched my lungs.

Finally, I reached the summit.

The mountain's peak was cast in twilight. The pale glow filtered down through the bare, black branches that sheltered the tiny grove. A single ray of light pierced the gloom to fall upon a lone sword thrust into an obsidian altar.

I shivered. The silvery blade gleamed with a brightness the cut through the shadowed glade. It offered a cursed beauty. Thin fog poured off it, seeping down the stone, seething through the grass, and curling around my feet. The grove was drenched in it. Sakki. Blind rage. Unbound hatred. Cruelty without remorse.

Sealed.

Sealed by stone. Sealed by charm-laden ropes. Sealed by the mountain itself.

As it should be.

"If thou hast come for the blade with such weak resolve, I shall remove ye."

An angel, no taller than my forearm, floated a half meter above the sword's pommel. It met my gaze, its eyes reflecting unbreakable strength.

"I'm not here for the sword," I replied. "All I want is a place to store this safely."

I displayed Denial's jar.

The Angel pondered then gave a grave nod. "If thou wishest, thou may bequeath thy burden upon the altar. But I warn ye. Shallow Denial will break when placed before death and conviction. If it is thy intent to preserve that being's existence, then thou must cede to it greater claim of thyself. If not, it shall surely perish."

I closed my eyes then looked into Denial's jar. The little red Ranma quivered in terror.

Should I do it? Cede more of myself to Denial? In a way, it was tempting. By strengthening Denial I spat in Kamiko's face. But was that what I wanted? To wind back the clock to the first days after Jusenkyo?

No.

I didn't need Denial. When I had last gazed across the pools of sorrow, the truth had sunk in. Whether male or female, I remained unchanged. Ranma Saotome was Ranma Saotome. Simple, yet profound. I didn't need to become someone different when I was female. I could stay exactly as I was.

Denial, and his brother Chauvinist, were mistakes.

With a clunk of finality, I placed Denial upon the altar.

"End of the road for you, buddy," I said quietly.

I gazed at the Angel and waited for his judgment.

He offered none. The Angel did not nod or shake his head. He did not gaze into me as though seeking answers. He merely closed his eyes and vanished.

Tuh tuh tuh.

Denial struck the jar with all his little strength, banging at the insides.

I turned my back and walked away.

I left Forbidden Mountain in a rush. It was a grim and slow run. Down the stairs and across the jungle. Kilometers blurred by. Distances in this dream-like realm obeyed no constant. The trip down the mountain lasted half as long as the trip to the wastelands, even though the areas covered were vastly different.

But, for all that unreal speed, I was far too late.

Kamiko waited amongst the jagged steel pillars, her hawk-like eyes tracking my approach. Female-mask stood beside her, blue eyes dull and lacking life. On top of Female-mask's head rode Chauvinist. The black clothed Ranma stood tall and gave me a smug look.

"I am glad you came here on your own, Saotome-chan," Kamiko said, "If you had forced me to find you, I would have assigned a session with Shizue."

"I never had a shot of taking them back, did I?"

"No, you didn't," Kamiko answered. "It takes less than a minute to re-enter the system."

So that was it. From the moment Chauvinist had betrayed me, I had missed the chance to keep them out of Kamiko's hands. I grimaced. Knowing my failure had been written in stone didn't make it any less painful.

"Hurry up and give Kamiko-sensei permission," Chauvinist snapped. "That way I can get to work and start making us act like a girl is supposed to."

My eyes shot to the creature. "And why would I help a traitorous shit like you?"

"Because of the terms you agreed to, I do not require your explicit approval on this matter, Saotome-chan," Kamiko asserted. "However, I will demand it anyway. This is for your sake. Direct acceptance reduces the risks associated with adjustment. But I will not brook argument on this matter, Saotome-chan. Refuse and I will be forced to assign punishments."

I flicked my eyes from Chauvinist to Kamiko and scowled. Frankly, I didn't care about Chauvinist at this point. If he weren't part of my mind, I would have gladly offered the traitor to Kamiko.

"Your permission, please," Kamiko pressed.

My scowl deepened and my guts tied themselves into knots. Permission. Kamiko was asking the impossible. Giving Kamiko permission was the same as saying: 'I have lost'. Even if it was true, I didn't want to acknowledge it.

But fighting like this was foolish. In the first week I had remained stubborn and strong when I should have been flexible and clever. Making a stand felt good but ended badly. Endure. A chance will present itself.

It sounded like a lie. An excuse to lay down and surrender.

It was the only hope I had left.

"Do what you want."

"Thank you, Saotome-chan," Kamiko replied.

Chauvinist grinned wide. "Finally! Give me- arggh!"

A jagged spear of plasma fell from heaven. An ethereal blade of steel that sliced Chauvinist in two. The pieces fell apart even as burning light coalesced on a discarded fragment. The piece untouched reformed anew into Chauvinist, half his prior size. Charred flesh and burnt clothing flaked off the furious Ranma as he glared at Kamiko.

"What did you do to me?" he demanded.

Like a phoenix from fire, a new Ranma was born from the other fragment. Where Chauvinist was male, she was female. Crimson hair, half tied back in a pair of pony tails, the rest left free, fell to the small of the girl's back. She wore a school uniform, complete with thigh-high socks and patent leather shoes.

Chauvinist's eyes switched over to the school girl. He fixed her with a gaze of suspicion even as she examined herself from every angle.

"Who are you?"

The girl tapped a finger on her lips. "Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. The ideal woman, I think."

Chauvinist folded his arms across his chest and glared at the girl. "Girls should wear skirts, girls should use makeup, girls should dress properly," he challenged.

The school girl huffed. "How antiquated. Girl's are free to do as they wish. Of course I, as an idol every girl looks up to, would never step outside looking less than beautiful. But it is hardly fair to hold everyone to my standards."

Chauvinist glowered. "Girls shouldn't be violent. Girls should cook and clean for their family. Girls should get married and devote themselves to their husband."

The school girl's gaze turned sharp and she adopted a lecture pose. "Now listen here. While there is nothing wrong with being a housewife, this is the modern era. Don't be shoving your stuffy morals onto other people. Girls are free to chase whatever dream they desire. As for us, we should strive to be a shining example of female attainment! Nothing less than the best!" The girl's eyes went dark and she clenched a fist. "And if you disagree with that, I'll beat the crap out of you."

Chauvinist's face turned purple. Furiously, he whirled on Kamiko.

"What is this!" he screeched.

"An aspect representing an ideal woman," Kamiko answered. "She will be combined with Female-mask, causing Saotome-chan to act like a proper girl, just as you asked."

Kamiko stooped as she talked, placing an empty bottle against the cracked earth. Thin, writhing worms erupted from the dirt and slimed their way in to the container. Hideous whispers echoed out, barely a breath in strength.

"This isn't what you promised! You said you would give me control."

"And I will. But before I do that I need to rearrange what you are," Kamiko answered. "Into the bottle please."

Chauvinist cringed back. "No way!"

The black suited Ranma scampered away from Kamiko. He made it no more than three paces before Kamiko dragged him back with the motion of her free hand. Chauvinist's flight reversed and he began to slide back at an accelerating speed.

I couldn't help myself. I stepped forward and snatched Chauvinist out of the air.

"That's an extra session with Shizue, Saotome-chan," Kamiko snapped.

I jerked as though slapped. My grip loosened and Chauvinist slipped free. The black Ranma scaled my arm as though it were a mountain then slipped behind my shoulder. There he clung for dear life.

"You expect me to just sit here while you feed this little bastard to those?"

Kamiko's eyes held their narrow gaze. "Yes, Saotome-chan, that is exactly what I expect. My patience is at an end. You will return Chauvinist immediately, or I will assign additional sessions."

I reached back and tore Chauvinist from my shoulder. The little Ranma wiggled in my crushing grip. I scowled down at him. Then I stared at the school girl Kamiko had created. I hated to admit it, but she was better than the piece of scum squirming in my hand.

Chauvinist wasn't worth it.

Lips curled in disgust, I threw him at Kamiko.

Chauvinist flew in a low arch that skewed downward and into the bottle at the last second. The worms leapt up at him as he entered, grabbing onto skin and borrowing in. A tiny scream was cut off when Kamiko clamped down the lid but I could still see the worms as they swirled around in a writhing mass that devoured everything.

I shuddered.

"Thank you, Saotome-chan," Kamiko said. "If you continue to be cooperative, I will cancel your punishment."

I shot the woman a dark look. "I'm not doing this for you."

Kamiko unscrewed the lid of the bottle. Chauvinist was gone. All that was left was an even larger mass of worms. Hissing words escaped the container, louder than before.

The Pretty Princess Institute is family. The senshi are my sisters. I love my sisters. I am so happy that I get to work with my sisters and make the world a better place.

"Is this really so terrible?" she asked.

I glared in answer.

Kamiko sighed. Quietly she dropped a large, clear crystal into the bottle. It dissolved and the worms with it. Left behind was a slimy, transparent liquid. Kamiko offered the bottle to the tiny school girl.

"Drink," she ordered.

The school girl's nose scrunched up in an expression of disgust that mirrored my own. Kamiko thrust the bottle again. The girl shied back. Then, tentatively, she approached. With nervous hands, she cupped the bottle's top and drank.

I nearly emptied my stomach seeing it happen.

The school girl gulped and gulped again. Each pull came faster. Initial reluctance transformed into eager need and the girl tilted the jar further in order to guzzle the contents.

As the liquid poured down the girl's throat she changed. Her body swelled in size, surpassing Chauvinist's initial scale. Her red hair softened into glittering pink. Her uniform burst into embellishing bows and ribbons. The simple glasses on her nose shifted slightly to become perfect replicas of Michiko's gift.

"Ah," the transformed school girl breathed out as she sucked down a throat full of air. She reached into the jar greedily and scooped out another dollop from the edge before licking her hand clean. "Thank you, Kamiko-senpai. That tasted wonderful."

"You are welcome," Kamiko said with a friendly smile. "But leave the rest, please."

Kamiko pulled the bottle away from the girl and set it upside down on the ground. The thin trails of slime coating the jar fell to the earth in a rain of worms.

"Oh! I know who I am now!" The school girl's eyes brightened and she span with delight. "I'm Senshi, the perfect magical girl."

I shook my head in disgust. I didn't want to see anymore of this, so I wandered off toward the wasteland.

"Where do you think you are going, Saotome-chan?" Kamiko demanded.

I looked back and met Kamiko's sharp gaze. "You don't need me here, and if I keep watching I won't be able to stop myself from interfering. So, I'm leaving. Got a problem with that?"

Kamiko's gaze softened. "No. But please do not wander far. I'll be finished here soon." She turned away. "Senshi, would you please settle atop of Female-mask. I will join the two of you."

I didn't turn back. I stepped out into the cracked wasteland and stared up at the shadowy summit of Forbidden Mountain.

My first adjustment was complete.

-oOo-

Ending Notes:

Trivia

Dive Chamber – A not at all subtle Ar Tonelico reference.

Torri – A Japanese gate frequently seen in front of shinto shrines.

Characters

This is a brief guide to characters to help you keep track. Major Ranma characters will not be mentioned.

Dr. Kamiko Ogura (XT-02) [PPI, Serenity] – A psychiatrist magical girl (woman). Her ability is 'neural remap', which causes the nervous system to rewire itself in response to supernatural conditioning. When used directly Kamiko's abilities cause neural degeneration which becomes exponentially worse the greater the cumulative effect.

In order to reduce this side effect, and to allow for greater control, Kamiko utilizes her power almost exclusively through a series of technological tools invented by Michiko. The tiara's are the most common example, though each tiara functions as a discrete magical item. The adjustment process is another example and is completely reliant on Kamiko.

Kamiko's primary duty is the re-education of newly recruited girls. She personally evaluates each girl's psychology and recommends treatment to 'correct' their manner of thinking. Kamiko, however has been unable to keep up with the flood of girls that have been recruited in recent years. As such, she fast tracks important girls into adjustment while allowing lower priority girls to languish.

Kamiko's defense form, serenity, acts by causing individuals to completely fail to make any aggressive actions toward her. The nature of Kamiko's power and her megami no ooi renders Kamiko completely incapable of direct combat.

Shizue Handa (XT-07) [PPI, Illusion] – Shizue is experiment XT-07, and her tenki was engineered to produce mind altering effects. Her magic is 'dollification', a power that permanently alters the personality of the target so that the target begins to regard herself as an object that exists only to serve others. In the PPI, only five girls have undergone full dollification. However, it is common to use partial dollification to break down resistant girls or to add 'desirable traits' prior to adjustment.

Shizue is a relatively weak magical girl, well under Kuno. As such, her dollification could be easily resisted by Ranma, if Ranma were fully in control of her spiritual aura.

Psyche Characters

Characters appearing in Ranma's virtual 'adjustment' world. These characters shouldn't be considered a complete or balanced representation of Ranma's psyche. He has many other parts to his personality that are not shown.

Chauvinist [Psyche, Minor]: The Ranma in black on Female-mask's shoulder. Chauvinist is the representation of Ranma's belief that girls should be behave like stereotypical girls, and most especially the belief that because of Ranma's curse, that rule applies to her.

Denial [Psyche, Minor]: The Ranma in red on Female-mask's shoulder. The aspect of Ranma's self that believes that Chauvinist's views don't apply to Ranma in female form, because even when transformed Ranma isn't really a girl. Denial is effectively a representation of Ranma's defense mechanism against his curse and his somewhat sexist views.

Female-mask [Psyche, Minor]: A partially formed aspect of Ranma's psyche. Female-mask essentially represents how Ranma feels she should act while in cursed form. Since Ranma's feelings aren't yet well defined, and contradict what she really wants, Female-mask is essentially nothing more than a confused automaton being used by various aspects of Ranma's personality.

Masculinity [Psyche, Minor]: Masculinity represents Ranma's male bravado. It is huge, strong, and full of hot air. Masculinity, despite any claims and denials Ranma would produce, is not a major part of Ranma's personality. Masculinity only shows up briefly, when used by Victory to help fight Nightmare.

Tomboy [Psyche, Major]: Tomboy is the raw accumulation of the experiences Ranma enjoyed as a girl. Ironically, Tomboy is best described as simultaneous rejection of the feminine (cultural) and acceptance of the feminine (biological). In this sense, Tomboy cannot be said to be Ranma's feminine side, but rather an example of the type of girl Ranma would be most comfortable being.

Tomboy utterly despises Chauvinist, whose nature is in contradiction to hers. She isn't fond of Denial or Masculinity, either.

Ego [Psyche, Major]: The toga wearing fellow being admired by the crowd. This is Ranma's prideful narcissistic self, the part of Ranma that likes to see all sorts of people looking up to him.

Victory [Psyche, Major]: Ranma's drive to win, win, win. Victory wears a kendo outfit and behaves like Kuno. The Kuno-like representation is the result of Ranma's deep admiration for Kuno's ability to not give up, and Ranma's self-recognition that his desperate need to win often leads him to stupidity.

Lock [Psyche, Other]: The angel on Forbidden Mountain. Lock, which actually includes the rope seals and the mountain itself, is Ranma's ethical beliefs. Lock binds Ranma from engaging in 'evil' actions. As such, Ranma (the will) is the only one allowed to reach Lock's domain.

The Sword [Psyche, Other]: A representation of Ranma's capacity for destruction. This represents not only Ranma's willingness to attack with the intent to kill or destroy his enemies, but also his the latent urge to utilize raw, brutal force to resolve even normal daily conflicts. Ranma recognizes these feelings as 'evil' and thus the sword is sealed.

Nightmare [Psyche, Other]: Nightmare is the neko-ken and Ranma's fear of cats. Nightmare is also Ranma's fear of death, and other less specifiable terrors. Nightmare is controlled by Kamiko via the tiara, due to earlier interference in Ranma's psyche by Kamiko (during the first few days while Ranma was unconscious). Nightmare is easily controlled by the tiara because it is fundamentally similar to the agony the tiara produces.

Martial Arts [Psyche, Corner Stone]: Ranma love and dedication to the martial arts. This is the Ranma wearing a dogi outside the huge ornate dojo.

Wanderer [Psyche, Corner Stone]: Wanderer is Ranma's wandering spirit. It is his desire to explore new things and to not be tied down by any rules or structures. Wanderer is super capricious by nature and jumps from entertaining idea to entertaining idea.

Wanderer appears as a child Ranma, generally wearing a rice hat and simple clothes.

Doll [Psyche, Manufactured]: Doll is the female Ranma generated as the result of Ranma's repeated exposure to Shizue's dollification. Like all coerced tenki effects (Chiyo's cotton candy cocoon) her magically imposed existence fades to a degree with time.

Doll is a distorted aspect that cannot be considered natural in humans. It represents a completely submissive ideal that sees the most perfect notion of self and happiness as serving as an ornament and toy for other humans. Doll regards this not only as the most desirable state for Ranma, but the most desirable state for all women, and is thus Ranma's most sexist aspect, vastly more so than Chauvinist.

Crystal Princess [Psyche, Manufactured]: Less a psyche aspect than the spiritual and mental impact of Ranma's tenki and Michiko's subsequent modifications. The Crystal Princess is Ranma's magical girl aspect and represents the forcefully imposed ideal contained in Ranma's tenki.

The crystal she is imprisoned in grows with spiritual crystallization. Eventually, if perfect tenki is reached, it will swallow all of Ranma's other personality aspects and transform their nature to mesh Ranma's megami no ooi.

The Worms [Psyche, Manufactured]: A representation of Ranma's conditioning by Kamiko. The worms devour and infect vulnerable aspects and warp them to fit a person best described by the conditioning Kamiko provides. Given time, and a lot of help via Kamiko's adjustments, they can infect and transform everything about Ranma.

Senshi [Psyche, Minor]: The manufactured representation of an ideal woman as envisioned by Kamiko. Senshi is built from the broken and reassembled parts of Female-mask and Chauvinist. She wishes to be the proverbial 'perfect' magical girl / modern woman, which means perfect academics, perfect physical skills, and perfect social/leadership skills.

Senshi, by nature, identifies with the Institute and most especially her 'senpais'.