Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or its characters. Oh well..

Author's Note: This is a sequel to Test of Love: Trial of the Slave Pill. I would recommend reading that story first if you haven't.

Ch. 1

"AHHHHHH!" Ranma Saotome bolted up in bed, drenched in sweat. The red-headed martial artist quickly glanced around the room before burying her head in her shaky hands. Slowly, her rapid breathing and panting began to cease as she came to her senses. It had just been a nightmare.

No...rather it had been the same nightmare. The one she hadn't had for almost 8 years, but that she knew all too well. Ranma shook her head and sighed. Looking to her left, she saw the still soundly sleeping form of her wife, Akane, who's iron-clad sleep cycle had not been disturbed by her spouse's sudden outburst in the slightest.

Granted, Ranma's cry may have simply been drowned out by the former Tendo's snoring. The pig-tailed fighter closed her eyes and took a few more deep, calming breaths. She reached out her hand and gently brushed the blue hair from her hibernating wife's forehead. The touch of Akane's skin helped her feel more at ease...She definitely was not a doll. However, Ranma couldn't shake some nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

The red-head carefully slipped her legs out from under the bed covers and rose to her feet. Not that she really HAD to be careful. There was no real danger of disturbing her bedmate's slumber. But she didn't want to take any chances, all the same. Ranma had always found Akane's short fuse to be even shorter when she didn't get enough sleep...She briefly stretched, then walked over to the large window overlooking their backyard.

The night was calm, from what the girl's eyes could see. The stars were few and far between thanks to the overcast, cloudy weather they'd been getting the past few days. Ranma stared out the window, regardless, trying to forget her dream...but something was still not quite right...There was something about it she just couldn't shake.

For the most part, the dream had been the same as it had always been. Akane was a doll...the doll she'd been back on Phoenix Mountain so many years ago. She fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces. Normally, that was the bulk of the nightmare...repeating on a near endless loop. But this time, there had been another figure present in the dream. Just like the sky outside, the figure had been almost completely shrouded in darkness. Yet something seemed extremely familiar about it. As Akane's limp form hit the ground, the figure erupted into a deep, chilling laughter, the shock of which brought Ranma back to reality.

Ranma placed her fist on the cold glass. After all her training, all the things she'd been through, she should be stronger than this. A nightmare shouldn't be able to rile her up this bad...The pig-tailed girl shook her head. She knew that figure...But what did it all matter? It was just a dream, after all. She gazed at her reflection over-imposed against the dark landscape outside the window. Despite her better judgement, the martial artist's mind began to wander...as she remembered the last time she saw that figure…

"Elder! We need your help!" Akane Tendo said as she practically burst through the entrance door to the Cat Cafe, Ranma in tow. Cologne had just finished stacking another packed box of artifacts beside the hall closet to be taken out later. The crone raised an eyebrow at the two teenagers. After their last ordeal, she hadn't expected any sort of visit from them for quite some time. She assumed the air would need to clear first. Apparently, she wasn't always right about everything. The elder leapt from the floor to perch atop her wooden cane.

"Akane, Son-in-law...to what do I owe the pleasure?" Cologne asked. Ranma opened his mouth to protest the ghoul's use of his now no longer valid nickname, but his blue haired fiancé cut him off.

"Whatever cure you gave Ranma, it didn't quite work!" she answered. Her tone wasn't harsh, but Cologne could see a hint of frustration present in the youngest Tendo's eyes. However, she returned that look with one of confusion.

"What do you mean? He seems perfectly fine to me…" Cologne looked her former son-in-law up and down. His arms were crossed and his brow was more than furrowed. He seemed to be very much of his own, stubborn mind. Akane briskly walked over to the windowsill, grabbed the vase of flowers sitting there, and splashed its contents all over Ranma.

Immediately, the boy was a boy no more. Her eyes glossed over, her mouth fell agape, and her arms dropped limp to her sides. Cologne's eyes grew wide.

"No...that's impossible…" she muttered in shock. Shampoo peeked her head out of the kitchen. Her face was one of fury.

"Aiyahh! What Akane do to Airen?!" she exclaimed. Cologne spun her cane around and fiercely pointed her finger to the door.

"Xian Pu. Deliveries. Now!" the crone barked. Grandmother and granddaughter defiantly stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Shampoo sighed. She forcefully swiped the delivery bag she had been packing and marched over to the entryway. As she passed Akane, she gave her a sneering glance, then she exited out the door.

Colongne leaned in close to examine Ranma's face. She rubbed her chin in thought for a moment, then pogoed over to the box she had just placed by the closet. "It's possible," she said as she hopped off her cane and began rummaging through the box. "That we simply need to administer the cure to both of your forms. I hadn't accounted for your curse." She pulled out a green vial and walked back to the duo. She glanced over at the young Tendo. "Akane, if you would." The elder Amazon held out the cure towards the pig-tailed slavegirl. "Now, order him to take the antidote."

"R-right...Ranma," Akane said, a twinge of apprehension in her voice. "Take the cure from Cologne's hand and drink it."

"Yes, mistress." Ranma responded, robotically. She did as she was told and drank the green liquid. The three stood there in silence for a minute. But Ranma maintained her glossy, expressionless gaze. Cologne frowned. Akane's heart sank.

"Drat," Cologne said. "Well it's worth a try, anyway. Akane, maybe try ordering him to do something else." Akane sighed.

"Okay...umm...Ranma, slap yourself in the face," she commanded.

"Yes, mistress." Without skipping a beat, Ranma gave herself a swift smack to the face. The sound of the slap made Akane wince, and a large, visibly red hand-print remained on Ranma's cheek. Akane brought her own hands to her mouth.

"Ranma, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking...I didn't mean for you to hit yourself so hard, I just-"

"It's okay, Akane...it's okay." Cologne was back on her cane. She patted the young girl on the shoulder. "You were on the other end of this last time. It's different when you're the one calling the shots." Cologne then sighed. "But it's obvious that the cure didn't work." She hopped off into the kitchen.

"But why?" Akane asked, shaking her head. "This doesn't make any sense!" Cologne returned with a kettle of hot water.

"Likely, his curse is somehow interfering with the cure's effects." She poured the steaming liquid over Ranma's head, changing his gender instantly. The boy crossed his arms.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that didn't work…" he said, frowning. "What else you got, Old Ghoul?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, Son-in-law…..looks like I need to unpack." She closed her eyes and rubbed her brow. "I've got some research to do."

A cloaked figure stood peering into the viewing pool below her. Her red-hair almost seemed to shine through the otherwise dark landscape surrounding her. The girl's face bore a smile, a smile that, as far as she was concerned, was well earned. In fact, it was long overdue. For decades now, she had been doing nothing but waiting...waiting for the perfect moment to exact her revenge. And now, finally, the time was almost at hand. Another figure appeared from the darkness and walked up to her side, his face obscured by the cloak hood around his head.

"I've brought what you asked, mistress." He handed the red-haired girl a small vial. She snatched it from his open hand and held the object up close to her blue eyes.

"Excellent, Tso Pu," the girl chirped. "You've done very well." Tsu Po smirked, folding his arms.

"Careful, Mistress," he sneered. "That almost sounded like a compliment." The girl ignored her servant's snide remark and bent down beside the pool.

"This should really get the ball rolling." The girl popped off the cork from the vial and poured its black, liquid contents into the pool.

Suddenly, the reflectionless pool began to ripple and wave. It's dark surface was replaced by another image, that of Cologne, sitting alone in her candle-lit room. She was on her knees, deep in meditation. A book of strange symbols and languages was open at her feet. The red-head's smile grew wider. She turned to look back at the male figure. "Let the games begin," she said, raising an eyebrow. She leaned down over the pool and began to whisper.

Cologne knealt alone in thought. None of this made sense. She had told Ranma and Akane, who the Amazon had sent home hours earlier, that Ranma's curse was to blame for his shaky mental state...but she didn't know if that was really true or not. There really shouldn't have been any reason for the cure not to work, curse or otherwise. Did this have anything to do with her premonition?

The whole reason she had put Ranma through this trial in the first place was to strengthen his emotional resolve. She'd had a dream...a nightmare...a vision a few months ago that she still couldn't wrap her head around. All she knew is that it had something to do with Ranma being in grave danger, and that danger eminated from some unknown, female figure that haunted her dream. But now, her whole plan seemed to have backfired. Her former son-in-law was now quite literally half of the person he had been before she put him through that test. There was no way this was all just coincidence.

'But what does it mean?,' the elder thought to herself. Just then, Cologne's ear pricked up. A voice, a whisper, suddenly seemed to fill the room.

"I'm coming Little Ku-Lon. You'd better hurry…I'll be there soon…" it said, then it erupted into a shrill laughter.

Cologne leapt to get feet. Her eyes wide open, her breathing short.

'No...it can't be!' She thought. As fast as lightning, she rushed to the phone in the kitchen and dialed the Tendo residence. 'I should've know. How have I been so blind?!' After several moments, the voice of Akane Tendo came through the earpiece.

"Helloi, Tendo Dojo, how can we-"

"Akane, listen to me!," Cologne screeched frantically. "You and Ranma need to come back to the cafe as fast as you can. It's an emergency!"

"Elder Cologne? What's…"

"Just do it, and quick!," the elder ordered. "And whatever you do...DON'T let him get wet!"