The Characters of Ranma 1/2 are Rumiko Takahashi's. Hopefully, she'll
forgive us for what we're doing.

Kahm: "It's your turn."
She-Hulk: "Like hell it is! It's your turn!"
Kahm: "We'll do it together, all right?"
She-Hulk: "Yeah, I guess."

Kahm: "Please send us your comments, we-"
She-Hulk: "Wait a minute. Why do I always have to ask for the flames?" 		
Kahm: "Because they like everything 'I' write."
(Sound of someone choking on a keyboard.)


Ranma vs. Ranma! 
The Battle For Akane's Soul!
By She-Hulk and Kahm (brobinso@neocomm.net)
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Part 11


	Ranma groaned as the dull thud in his head finally managed to wake him.
What..? Had Akane nailed him with that hammer again? The prickly feel of
grass against his face itched. <Why does she get so mad at me, anyway. It's
not like I....> Ranma shot up and frantically searched his surroundings.
His father and Mr. Tendo were laying a few feet away. 

	He shook them awake. "Come on! Get up!" They began to come around and
Ranma dragged them to their feet. "He's gone. We have to get back to Akane."

	They winced at his furious glare. "We were only trying to help, son."
Genma said and Soun nodded, but Ranma wasn't placated. This was Akane's
life they were playing with. There would be no second chances; it would be
all or nothing.

	"Let's go."

	Ranma wandered for a bit, no real destination in mind. The wounds he'd
received at Dr. Tofu's had healed, but he was still enraged. <Those
bitches! I was so close! Who would have thought that those two could
fight?> He continued to rant to himself as he stalked down the street. He
rounded a corner and came face to face with Akane and Dr. Tofu. 

	Akane easily carried the heavy box of books. Dr. Tofu had chatted all the
way back about small things and Akane was grateful for the time to think.
She knew that she had to talk to Ranma. It wasn't going to be easy to
apologize....

	Dr. Tofu stopped suddenly and so did Akane. Ranma stood before them. He
smiled at Akane and took the box from her hands. "Here. Let me. I'm glad I
caught up with you. We ran into the demon, but it slipped past us. I sent
the others to join Kasumi at the clinic and came looking for you." They
began to walk again.

	 Akane's skin was crawling. She hadn't been sure at first, but as he
walked beside her she knew. She had walked beside the real Ranma too many
times and besides, he smelled funny. She glanced at Dr. Tofu to see if he
had guessed. Dr. Tofu returned her look steadily. 

	The aura he was feeling was Ranma's, but he could feel the faint
differences. There was an underlying hint of something, dark. They were
nearing the clinic. He realized that the demon would make his move soon. No
sooner had the thought been borne, then the demon carried it out.

	The demon threw the box at Tofu and made a grab for Akane. Akane wasn't
there. He whirled and the super mallet caught him square in the face. As he
sailed through the glass window of a department store, the demon reflected
that this may not have been one of his better ideas.

	Tofu wasted no time hustling Akane back to the clinic. They burst in to
find Kasumi and Nabiki cleaning up the waiting room. Tofu took one look at
the destruction and then crossed swiftly to Kasumi and took her by the
arms. "Are you all right?!" His voice was a little cracked. 

	Kasumi smiled and nodded. "Oh, we're fine. The demon stopped by, but
Mousse and Cologne asked him to leave." Tofu face-faulted.

	Nabiki snorted and continued to pick up chopsticks and business cards from
the floor. Akane set her load down and helped her. In a hushed voice she
asked, "What really happened?" Nabiki shook her head.

	Akane absently looked at the business cards she was holding and did a
double take. Nabiki Tendo Enterprises. She looked at Nabiki, then at the
wall behind her. Several dozen such cards were firmly imbedded in the wall,
along with a spray of chopsticks.

	"Actually, we arrived only in time to help him through the door." Cologne
stood in the doorway. Nabiki frowned at her but she took no notice. "These
young girls had already started him on his way. It's been a very long time
since I've had the pleasure to see such an expert example of Martial Arts
Homemaking." Kasumi blushed and Tofu looked as if he'd swallowed his tongue.

	Cologne turned to Nabiki. "You are the real surprise though. I didn't
think anybody even knew about the old Anything Goes Shadow Martial Arts."
It was Nabiki's turn to blush as Akane stared at her in surprise.

	"Nabiki !?!"

	Nabiki rose quickly and left the room, sending a threatening look at
Cologne as she passed. Akane was right on her heels, peppering her with
questions.


A little later...

 	Akane was searching books again, but this time she knew they were going
to find an answer. If not here, then somewhere. She glanced at Nabiki, who
was sitting on the floor across from her. "Why do they call it 'Shadow'
technique? Isn't adapting a variety of moves to suit you just 'Anything
Goes" martial arts?"

	Nabiki scowled darkly at Cologne, who studiously searched her own book.
"It just is, okay?"

	Akane wouldn't be dissuaded that easily. This was about martial arts after
all, she wanted to know. "But there has to be a reason."

	Nabiki sighed deeply. "Okay Sis, you asked for it. The Shadow technique
isn't just about stealing moves from other styles, though that's an added
bonus. Actually, it isn't about fighting either. As a matter of fact, if
you find yourself having to fight, then you've failed. The technique is
about stealth. Being seen, but not being seen." Akane blinked, confused.
"Oh come on, Akane! How do you think that I have been able to get such
detailed pictures of you and Ranma without being caught by either of you?
You're both trained to be aware of your surroundings. I don't just bust in
and snap pictures! It takes skill! It is an art that was developed by spies."

	Cologne piped up, "Assassins." 

	"You, shut up!" Nabiki aimed a warning finger at the old crone. Cologne
just laughed.

	Akane watched her older sister in awe. Nabiki is an assassin? "You're an
assassin?"

	She groaned and rubbed her face. Kasumi spoke. "What I don't understand
is, where did you learn to be an assassin?"

	On the verge of pulling her hair out, Nabiki drew a deep breath. Then
another. "Great-uncle Sai taught me in secret. That's what this style is
about, you know?! Secrecy?!"

	Kasumi nodded, remembering the summer that Uncle Sai had visited. "That's
right. You two did spend a lot of time together."

	Akane did not remember him, as he had died when she was only five. "Does
that make you a ninja?"

	Nabiki stiffened, insulted. "No! Ninjas are like the yakuza or group of
unscrupulous ercenaries! This is a individual thing." Akane's look of
disbelief angered her more. "I may be a little mercenary from time to time,
but I have standards, you know!" The groups snort had her blushing.

	"Could you show me something?" Akane's voice had turned playful. "A nin-I
mean shadow trick?"

	"Trick? Trick?!" Nabiki nodded sharply. They had asked for it. Now they
were going to get it. "Everybody close your eyes and count to ten."

	Akane counted slowly and wondered what she was trying. She reached ten and
opened her eyes. Nabiki was gone. The door was open, so she could have just
walked out, but Akane didn't think so. 

	Cologne scanned the room with an experienced eye. <That's odd. Surely she
couldn't hide from me?> 

	No one could find her. Tofu spoke, "I think you've proved your point,
Nabiki." 

	There was a slight rustling and Nabiki 'appeared' again. Akane saw it and
she still couldn't believe it. Nabiki had been sitting in front of her the
whole time. "Cool!"

	Nabiki was smirking. "Shouldn't we be attending to the business at hand?"
She felt Cologne's stare, but ignored it.< Let the old bag worry. If she
had kept her mouth shut this wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't have to
retaliate.> Nabiki thought of the money she had lifted from the people in
the room and smiled. Everyone's cash had been halved. <I warned her. A
surprise visit to the Cafe should do. Can't let her think that she can get
away with that kind of thing.>

	Everyone saw that smile. It was a very nervous group that returned to
their search.

	Ranma stepped into the clinic and breathed a sigh of relief. Everything
appeared to be all right. Genma and Soun rushed past him to the kitchen. He
shook his head and called out, "Anybody home?"

	Whatever he was expecting it had not been what happened next. Akane,
Nabiki, Mousse and Dr. Tofu raced into the room. At the sight of Ranma they
gave various battle cries and converged on him. Ranma figured he had two
options, one: he could let them beat the stuffing out of him or two: he
could run. He chose the second, but Akane had reached him by then. As the
mallet descended he braced himself for a blow that never came.

	Akane swung her mallet at the demon, even as her mind started to send her
little messages. There was a bruise on his forehead. He wasn't in a
fighting stance. He seemed completely surprised. These thoughts flashed
through her mind just as something else occurred to her; she was close
enough to smell him.

	Akane strained to change the course of the mallet. Ranma flinched as it
impacted with the floor beside him he heard Akane cry out, "Wait! It's Ranma!"

	The attacking group pulled up quickly. Ranma closed his eyes and
concentrated on breathing. For some reason he'd stopped.