The Legacy
                          Part III
                      For Love and Hate 

                  A Ranma Nibunnoichi Fanfic
                   by Joseph "Ashira" Kohle

     All characters of the Ranma series are the products of Rumiko
Takahashi's imagination and are used without the permission of her or
the innumerable companies that have rights to her creations. This is not
intended for sale and all creative rights and copyright privileges
belong to the author and Rumiko Takahashi.

                 ***************************

 
     There was a small moment of silence between Ranma and Akane. The
first part of the tale had been told, but Ranma still had a lot to tell
Akane about. He sighed and glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten and
he knew it was going to take at least a few more hours to complete the
story. Stretching, he stood up from the couch. "I need a drink of
water," he explained. "My throat feels like a desert." Without waiting
for an answer, he hurried into the kitchen. 
     From the couch, Akane watched Ranma find and fill a glass. Downing
it, he filled another and began to walk back to the couch, but at the
last moment he veered toward the bedroom door and opened it a crack. He
stood there for a moment, checking on his daughter before he went
inside. Curious, Akane followed him. She stopped at the open door and
leaned against the jamb, watching silently.
     Ranma was beside the bed his daughter slept in. A thin beam of
light from the window illuminated the tiny girl. She was tangled in a
sheet, the blankets and quilt long since kicked away. Ranma was beside
the bed. Gently, he straightened the sheets and pulled the blankets
tight around his daughter. Finished, he gently brushed an errant lock
from her brow and kissed her. Ranko mumbled a little and curled into a
tight ball, a content smile on her lips.
     Standing up and turning to find Akane watching him with a soft,
bemused expression, Ranma smiled a little. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"
Ranma asked in a soft voice, a note of pride in his voice.
     "Very," Akane answered in a whisper so as not to wake Ranko. "You
love her very much, don't you?"
     Ranma looked back at the bed. "It's more than that. She's a part of
me. There is a bond between us that just can't be explained with words.
I'd do anything for her, but I always feel like I'm not doing enough."
     "What do you mean? I think you might give her too much," Akane
said. Some of her friends had children, and Ranma's attitude toward his
daughter, from what she had seen, was much more indulgent than theirs.
Usually a child was shown his or her place in the family at an early
age, but Ranma allowed Ranko an almost equal footing with him. 
     "I can't help it," Ranma explained. "She's all I've had these past
few years. My life has centered around her. I've cared for her and
raised her. She's been more than my daughter. She's my companion, my
friend. There is more to it, but you've gotta hear the rest of my story
to understand."
     It was a subtle invitation to get away from an unpleasant topic,
and Akane realized it. It was impossible to decline it though. She
wanted to know what had brought Ranma to this end. She could always
delve into his relationship with his daughter later. So, smiling at him,
she returned to the couch and took her original place. Ranma joined her
a second later after closing the door to the bedroom. He sank down next
to her and finished off the glass of water. 
     "Now, where was I?" he mussed as he placed the glass on a book
table next to the couch. "Oh yeah, the old man's story. As you can
guess, that story didn't give me an answer that was very helpful. I
guess it wasn't too bad. I still needed the cure, but at least I under- 
stood why the nannichuan hadn't worked. Hui-sheng's hatred of Kaidu khan
and Kaidu khan's rage made it so that they could never counteract one
another. I needed another answer to my problem."
     "After the old man finished his tale, I sat there waiting silently
for him to say something that could help me. It was obvious he wasn't
going to help me, especially when he picked up a stick and began carv-
ing. Finally, I got tired of waiting and asked him if he knew where I
could find the cure. He did not, saying that he only knew stories, but
he said that if I would trust and believe his stories, he might be able
to help me.
     What could I do? I was desperate at that point and probably would
have gone steady with Kunou to get the answer. The problem was that I
was unsure. I had tried two different ways to cure myself, and they
seemed to be getting more and more obscure each time I found one. What
was next? I was uncertain whether I'd just end up spending my life
chasing after some fairy tale. I don't know why I decided to listen to
the storyteller. Maybe I just wanted to be cured, but I knew one thing.
I didn't want to give up and come back to you having failed. I think
that is what kept me going. I knew I was doing this for us. I don't know
how many times reminding myself about that kept me going.
     Anyway, I told the old man that I was willing to try anything now.
He smiled at me and began to tell a story of an ancient man who lived in
the Himalayan mountains. It was said that this man knew everything that
could be known, but he would only answer one question from each petitio- 
ner. Yet even for him to hear your question you had to beat him in a
fight. He was supposedly the greatest martial artist on earth. It wasn't
much to go on and after several questions, I realized it was about all
he knew on the subject, and I left with his blessing. I guess you can't
expect much more from a storyteller, can you? 
     I left him behind and descended to the plains. Bypassing the Valley
of Jusenkyo, I made my way toward the Himalayas. My hopes were high as I
left the valley. I had another chance. Though it was based on a tale
told by a man I did not know, it was my only hope, the only chance I
would get and so I held unto it, no matter how unstable it seemed.
     I traveled southwest from Jusenkyo, more south than west, but I hit
the Himalayas in the end. I wasn't really expecting this to be easy. I
mean I was looking for one single, mysterious, old man in a part of the
world I'd never been in much less spoke the language of. What I didn't
expect was the immensity of the task. The Himalayas are longer than
Japan, at least the main islands. The bloody thing stretches across the
top of India, down into Pakistan, and across most of Afghanistan. To
make matters worse, they cover most of Tibet, which is where I started
looking. 
     I searched through villages, monasteries, and roving bands whenever
I came across them. At first the searching went pretty easily. China
seems to have claimed most of Tibet, and the people there have a smat- 
tering of Chinese, so they could easily tell me they had no clue what I
was talking about. It was when I got closer to the ridge of the Himala-
yas and crossed into Nepal that I ended up in trouble."
     "Ranma, you probably could've avoided those problems if you'd actu-
ally paid the slightest attention in school," Akane chastised with a
small smile.
     "Hmph! How was I s'posed to know that geography and the such could
come in useful. At least I learned a little Chinese. You don't see me
turning into some demon when the moon comes out, do you?" Ranma asked. 
     Akane shook her head. "I guess I can give you that point. You're
not as stupid as your father, Ranma."
     "That's not saying a lot," Ranma muttered.  
     Akane chuckled a little and patted his cheek. "Keep talking. You
actually tell a good story."
     Flashing her a smile, Ranma took up his tale again. "It wasn't too
hard to get around that problem. Even though most of the monks in Tibet
smelled and acted like half-witted bumpkins, they were able to translate
for me. Well not really translate. I asked any monk, if he spoke Chinese
or some language I understood, to translate a few phrases into the
native dialects. I think I can say yes, no, where, count to ten, moun-
tain, valley, river, go that way, the directions, and the story of the
old man in at least three dozen languages, not that it really did much
good. 
     For months I searched through the Himalayas, traversing the valleys
and mountains in a kind of zigzag pattern. I traveled fast because I was
in a hurry, and, generally, I was pointed from one village to the next.
Each day brought nothing but new headaches and no information. Even
though I know how lucky I was now, at the time I was getting sick of the
traveling and the constant beating of the elements. I had left you in
the spring, and now winter was ending in the Himalayas, and I was tra- 
veling through it like some idiot."
     "I always knew you were a baka," Akane said.
     "I never denied it, but this time I think I took it too far. The
weather was breaking me down, my lack of anything remotely resembling
progress was crushing my spirits. I guess all those things sorta com-
bined and left me wandering in a half-daze. A blizzard hit me as I was
entering a valley from one of the higher peaks. My body just couldn't
take it. I don't remember much of what happened. I just remember biting
cold and then slipping into a warm, dreamless sleep.
     I was lucky I didn't die there. I don't know how those villagers
found me. I could never understand them enough at first to get the
story, and when I did learn their language, it was years later and I had
forgotten to ask. It doesn't really matter anyway. I survived, and with-
out too much damage. I had been smart enough to bundle up, so I was pro-
tected enough from the cold that I didn't lose any appendages to frost
bite. Of course I was sick for weeks. Most of the time I was in and out
of a fever. I probably regained my senses a week or two after that, but
I wasn't out of bed for at least a month. 
     By then, I had gotten to know them a bit and I brought up the
subject of the old man. I swear some kami must adore me. I fell right
into the answer. They knew exactly where he lived. Actually, he lived
on the sheer peak that rose from the other end of their valley. An old
man there understood a little Chinese, and he told me that many people
came to seek his advice, but all went away empty handed since they could
not defeat him. Some even died trying. They told me what I sought was
impossible, and to turn back. They thought my luck had run out by sur-
viving the storm. But I couldn't do that. This was my chance to find the
cure. I had to do this. If not for me, then for you, Akane. I could not
let you marry me if I was less than a whole man. I left the village just
as spring was arriving, probably a year after I left, and climbed the
mountain.
     For days I searched the mountain for the old man, traveling through
caves, crags, up and down cliffs and in and out of valleys.  Finally I
discovered a small plateau where a stone temple had been built. Exhaus-
ted from a long day's journey, I built a fire and curled up next to it,
falling asleep instantly. 
     I was rudely awakened by a bent old man, with a cane and mouse-
eaten brown robes covering his skinny frame. He was watching me with a
curious expression. "I think you're another one of them enlightened
fools, eh?" He didn't wait for my answer. "I thought so," he said and
prodded me with his cane. "Well Ranma, you ain't gonna defeat me laying
their like a lump on a log. C'mon, don't you want you're question
answered?" He cackled and prodded me again. I reacted and he jumped away
as I leapt out of my sleeping roll.
     He didn't look like that strong of a fighter, but then neither had
Cologne. I was confident, though, that my love for you and the nobility
of my quest would allow me to win. To this day, I no clue how Kunou put
that in my head as I stood there." Ranma chuckled a bit, Akane joining
him as she shook her head. They both settled down after a while and he
started telling his tale again.
     "Heedless of the consequences, I rushed forward and recklessly
attacked him, throwing all of my might against him. He danced around my
attacks, slapping me on the cheek every so often to insult me. This
continued for an hour. By the end of it, I was nearly exhausted and had
red hand marks all over my body. Finally, the old man leaped into the
air and smashed his cane on my head, knocking me out cold.
     I awoke with the old codger standing above me, laughing of all
things. "You've gotta hard head boy,' he said. "Stubborn and too dumb to
realize when to give in to your betters. Go home and live your life in
peace. What you want is not worth your life."
     With that, the bastard had the gall to start laughing and turn his
back on me as he walked toward his silly little temple. I was pissed. I
had come this far, suffered too much to be shot down and humiliated like
that. I didn't care how I did it, I was going to make that old fool
answer my questions. Jumping to my feet I shouted, "I'll be back old
man. I swear you'll answer my question."
     He never turned around. Instead he just chuckled and said, "Good,
an opponent with spirit. I haven't had a challenge in years. It'll be
nice to have some entertainment around here." He then disappeared into
the temple leaving me alone on the plateau.
     As you can probably guess, I was rather enraged at this turn of
events. I stood there cursing for a while, inventing new curses, and
finally smashing my fists into boulders every so often. I swore that I
would defeat the old man and gain the knowledge I required. I didn't
realize until later that my ego was still too large for my head much
less my skill in martial arts.
     I left the plateau, and searched the mountain for a training
ground. Eventually, I found one. It was a small protected valley at the
foot of a nearby peak. It was an ideal location, protected from the win-
ter winds and with hot springs that would serve perfectly. I had gotten
sick of traveling as a girl because of the weather and the lack of fuel
for a fire. I set up camp and began to train intensively, working on my
attacks and speed of my movements.
     I trained for a week solid, improving my skills, before I went back
and challenged the old man. Again he beat me with very little effort,
after tiring me out. I figured that maybe I could defeat him by working
on my endurance. That next week I worked on my endurance, as well as my
attacks. Then I went back and challenged him, and lost again, but after
two hours of fighting this time.
     This pattern continued for a long time. I would train for a week
and then challenge him. I learned from him each time and used that to
better myself. Eventually, he was forced to attack me more then that
final blow. I slowly learned his techniques and patterns, merging them
into my own style, but that was not enough.
     I traveled out into the surrounding areas seeking martial arts
masters to train under. Here I learned the importance of dodging. That
kata you saw me doing with Ranko was learned under a benevolent Buddhist
monk who could not bring himself to hit another human, so he had learned
to dodge so well that his attackers tired and left him and his temple
alone. I trained with him for a few months, leaving every week to chal-
lenge the old man. I spent a lot of time like that. I wish I had time to
tell you everything. There were so many people I met and things I did
that I could tell you about. I wish I had time."
     "You could tell me a few things," Akane suggested. "It's not like
I have anything important to do tomorrow."
     "You might not, but Ranko gets up with the sun nearly every morn-
ing, and it's downright tiring on me."
     "Please."
     "Oh, all right. Just a few though." Akane smiled sweetly at him and
he began to relate some of his more obscure adventures. The stories
varied greatly. From bizarre training adventures to real adventures, he
covered the basics of his training. She laughed as he told her about an
insane old man who had considered himself invincible because his body
reeked so bad that most people couldn't bring themselves to attack him.
She listened breathlessly as he related his encounters with bizarre
cultures and marauding bandits. She enjoyed his stories of elephant
riders from India and the simple life in many of the villages. After a
while though, he had to put the fun to an end. 
     "It's nearing midnight, Akane. I've gotta lot more to tell, and
these other things I can talk about later."
     "I understand, Ranma. I was just curious. Arigato."
     "No prob," he smiled and delved back into his story. "As I was
saying, I spent a lot of time training. The weeks passed and turned into
months, the months into years. I had almost been gone for a total of
three years when I almost beat the old man. It had started out like
almost all of our other fights. We traded blows back and forth, neither
gaining an advantage. Our fight was taking longer than usual, lasting
all the way through the afternoon and into the evening. The sun was
setting behind the mountains when the change came when I began to taste
victory. I could see he was tiring under my assault, and I was still
going strong. My training had conditioned me into excellent shape,
giving me the endurance of a horse. I was in at least decent shape. I
had blocked most of his attacks, and I had even hit him several times.
He let his guard down for a second as he backed away from one of my new
attack combinations I had learned from a Mongolian fighter. I exalted, I
was about to beat him, and so attacked him. I walked right into it. He
had let me through his defenses on purpose. Grabbing my attacking arm,
he flipped me to the ground and whacked my head with his staff, bringing
the match to an end.
     When I finally shook off the daze, he was sitting on a nearby rock,
breathing hard. "You're persistent, boy," he said. "I've not had a
challenger like you in centuries. You are learning. Maybe you will beat
me. If nothing else, you deserve to now. You're not there yet. You're
impatient, boy. Learn to control your emotions and thoughts. You jump to
conclusions before studying them. Learn from this, boy. I will see you
next week." He got up and disappeared into the temple.
     I stared after him thinking on what he had said. I needed to learn
patience. I knew that is what he meant. I left that day intending to
beat him the next time.
     Like always, I underestimated how easy it was going to be. It is
down-right impossible to learn patience, mostly because you're trying to
hard. I practiced meditating for hours, or sneaking up on deer, and even
fishing. At the end of the week, I was already starting back towards his
plateau, when I realized I had not really accomplished anything. It
would end the same as the last week. I decided I would not go there
until I had become a patient man."
     "I'm amazed you ever came home," Akane quipped. Although she real-
ized the story was important, it was easy, and it made dealing with
Ranma easier. He accepted the jokes in good faith and shot them back
with equal vigor. They were not so much insults as a tentative testing
of their relationship.
     "I could've stayed, but you know how impatient I am," Ranma smiled.
"For a whole month I forced myself not to go and fight the old man. As
the fifth week ended, I woke and realized it was the end of the week and
it was time for another fight, I ignored it and started my daily
routine. After a bit I stopped. I no longer felt compelled to fight the
old man. I knew he would be there when I went back. I had waited four
weeks. I could wait four more. I nearly yelped for joy. I had learned
the final lesson, patience or at least a semblance of it. I doubt it
was patience, but it was discipline which is really the same thing. I
decided that next week would be the last time.
     Exactly three years ago today I returned to the old man's plateau
and challenged him again. He came out of his temple and looked at me. "I
thought you had given up, boy," he said casually.
     "I've just been busy," I answered, "but today will be the last, for
better of for worse."
     "Well then, why don't you start?"
     "No thanks," I said. "I've started every other fight, I think I'd
better allow you the honour of the last one." The old man chuckled and
leaped at me. I dodged, and the fight was on.
     Throughout the afternoon we fought, each one of us taking the
advantage at some point. a few times we each hit the other, but mostly
it was an even match of dodging and blocking. Finally, it was coming
down to the line. The sun was setting again like it had five weeks ago.
We were both tired and sore from the fight. The old man was falling back
under one of my rhythmic onslaughts. Again he dropped his guard a bit. I
almost went for it, but at the last minute I remembered the last time
hesitated, waited for him to realize I had not fallen into the trap, and
acted as he quickly realized his mistake and tried to recover. I swit-
ched my attack and broke through his defenses as a hole opened up as he
recovered. He flew back into the temple wall and rolled to the ground,
dazed and defeated.
     I stood in place, breathing hard. I had defeated him. I had
defeated him. a pure shout of joy left my lips. After so much work and
so many hardships, I'd finally have my answer. I would finally be cured
of my curse. Ecstatic, I rushed toward the fallen form of the old man
and shook him back into consciousness.
     He opened his eyes and looked at me.  "You have done well, my Son,"
he said. "Few have ever defeated me, and none have been as persistent
and dedicated as you. Now, what do you want to know?"
     I explained my curse and the story behind it and then asked him how
I could be cured of the Curse of Jusenkyo. He started laughing. "All
that effort to find the cure to something as silly as that. Couldn't you
have lived with it?" He collapsed on the ground, rolling in hilarity.
     I looked at him and said, "No, I can live with the curse. If it was
just me, I could bear it, but there are others I can't disappoint and I
won't hurt. I went through all that effort so my mother could look at me
and see a real man. I went through all of that so I no longer had to be
branded a freak and pervert. I went through that so I could stand next
to the one I love and have her not be ashamed of her husband because he
was only half a man."
     The old man's laughter died at my words. When he looked at me, his
eyes were serious. "Yes, my Son, that is a worthy cause. I will give you
your answer, but it is not what you might expect. Your curse is not one
that is easily cured. The tragedy behind it touched many lives and
planes. When you fell into the nyannichuan, the soul of Hui-sheng came
to reside within you. She is a part of your soul, you are part of hers.
You are the overall dominate soul because it is your body. In the female
form, however, she is present with you. In the male form, you are the
only one. She is trying to find her own life again, and that is why you
become a woman. The water is only a medium because of how she died. To
be cured you need to find a new life for her to enter. However, since
she is a part of you and you are a part of her, the life must embody
both of your essence."
     "What does that mean?" I demanded. I had absolutely no clue what he
had just said to me. He smiled and told me he had answered the question
and that he could only answer one question and that it was my duty to
understand that answer. He got up to leave and then clapped me gently on
the shoulder. "Do not worry, my son. You will understand, and if you do
not, remember that you'll always have the heart of a true man." With
those words, he and the temple disappeared, leaving me alone on the
empty mountain plateau."
     Ranma fell silent for a moment. He was not being entirely truthful
with Akane, but he could not bring himself to burden her more than he
already had. Before he had left, the old man had given him a warning
that boded ill for Ranma. "Remember, my son, sometimes the cure can be
as much a curse." The words still sounded hollowly in Ranma's mind every
time he thought of the old man. He was terrified something would happen
to his beloved Ranko, but he could not give this burden to Akane. She
had suffered too much already because of his quest for a cure. Instead
he continued with his tale, trying to ignore the fear in his heart. 
     "I remained on the plateau for the whole night, thinking on what he
had said. I didn't understand what he meant by a life that embodies both
of our essences. It was simply beyond me. The sun was rising when I
finally stood up and walked down the mountain and into the village I had
left almost three years before. They were very surprised to see me,
having thought I had been killed by the old man or simply given up and
left. They were even more surprised when I told them I had beaten the
old man of the mountain. That night they threw a small celebration for
me, but in the morning I left and started my search to understand the
answer I had been given."
     "You really said that?" Akane asked as he stopped for a second. She
had held the question in, but her emotions demanded an answer. She was
trying to resolve everything that was bothering her about the situation
Ranma had placed her in.
     Ranma looked at her confused and asked, "Said what?"
     "All that effort so that you could stand next to the one you love
so I wouldn't be ashamed of you?" she asked quietly, her voice full of
emotion. 
     "Hai, Akane-chan," Ranma replied reaching out to grasp her hand,
"Every day that I trained I thought of you. Whenever I thought it was
hopeless, I remembered you and continued to fight. It was the thought of
spending my life with you and loving you that took me through that
ordeal. I couldn't ever give you up without a fight."
     "Oh, Ranma," Akane gushed, the hard anger melting a little within
her. "I love you. Don't leave me again." She reached out and brushed his
face. His tale so far had touched her heart and had given her a deeper
understanding of what he had gone through for her, and, thereby, what
she meant to him. After all of that, he still was not even finished with
it. There were still three more years unaccounted for. Her thoughts
halted for a moment. If three years ago he wasn't pregnant, how could
Ranko be almost four? She had a dreadful thought that his cure was not
what it appeared to be. She silently wondered what horrors he had
endured as her fingers traced the mysterious scars on his face.
     Ranma smiled at Akane, the feel of her fingers touching his scars
sending electric shocks through his body. Just being next to her brought
back thousands of memories, reenforcing the loneliness he had felt on
his journey.
     "It's getting late, Akane," he said, realizing that he still had a
lot more to tell her, "Do you want me to continue or finish this whole
thing tomorrow?"
     "Please continue Ranma, I want to know, " she answered, leaning
against him and snuggling into the crook of his arms. It felt right for
both of them. She felt safe and secure being held by Ranma. It was a
feeling that had been absent from her life for a long time. For Ranma
the loneliness and emptiness of his long journey disappeared into
nothingness. It had been so long for both of them, too long.
     Ranma nodded, holding Akane close to him, and picked up his tale
again. "As I said, I had no clue what the cure for my curse was. Oh I
had the answer, but what good was it if I couldn't understand it?
Staying in the village wasn't helping, mostly because I couldn't trans-
late the damn answer, so I left it behind and headed back toward China.
I didn't think I'd find the answer there, but I figured I could start
and make my way back to Japan.
     As I traveled, I thought about what the old man had said. I sort of
understood the idea of the soul of Hui-sheng becoming part of mine.
There is always a slight difference when I am a girl. I'm not talking
about a physical, difference. There is an intuition to it, kinda. I'm
pretty good at understanding balance and such, but I never had too much
trouble adapting to my female form. There was also the fact that the
added and missing parts didn't make me feel awkward. It was almost lie I
understood how to move as a girl instinctively. Yet it was still me. I
was the dominate inhabitant of my body. Therefore it made sense that
Hui-sheng needed a body of her own, a life for her to inhabit, but I did
not know how to do that, much less how to begin. Was I supposed to kid-
nap someone, have a magician remove the soul, and place Hui-sheng's soul
in the body? I didn't think so, but I couldn't think of any other answer
that made any kind of sense.
     Chance seemed to play a large part in this whole thing. I'd look
and drag myself under worrying about the answer, and it would just kinda
drop into my lap after a time. It was like someone was enjoying the
torment they were putting me through. This time it happened in a small
village in southern China a hundred miles out of Hong Kong. I had been
walking for the past two weeks, my stowaway rides having run out. I was
tired and sore so I stopped in a small village for some rest and food. I
gave them some money and they put me up in the town hall and gave me
some food. As I was eating, I heard a commotion from outside. Suddenly,
a man rushed in shouting, "Rejoice! My daughter and her husband have
brought a new life into this world. a son has been born to carry on our
lines!"
     My mind clicked two things together instantly, and the puzzle was
solved. Everything made sense in that instant, and at the same time I
became suddenly terrified. I remember dropping my bowl of food as son as
I put everything together. When the man said new life, I, for some
unknown reason, thought about what the old man had told me, and then,
when he mentioned a son born to carry on his line, everything fit. a new
life created for her that embodies both our essences. I was not to put
her soul into a new body, I had to bear a child that would hold her
soul. No matter how horrifying that thought was, the next part nearly
made me lose my dinner. I couldn't just father a child on anyone I ran
across, or bear a child as a female. I had to be the father and she the
mother. I had to impregnate my cursed form because it had to be of both
of us. And she was only present when I was cursed. 
     I said it terrified and sickened me, but that doesn't even explain
what I went through, Akane. I've never come to grips with my female
form. Having always hated it, I've tried to spend as little time in it
as possible. Even doing that, mostly because of those stupid things like
the cat-tongue and Taro's water, I noticed certain things. Sometimes,
when I turned, I was having periods. At first I didn't understand it and
was terrified. I almost asked you or one of your sisters what it was.
Now that I think of it, maybe I should've, but I didn't want to appear
weak. Also, it sounds sorta stupid, but I was scared that it might be
something wrong with me. When I overheard a conversation with some of
the guys, I put two and two together. Knowing what it was, I sorta went
to a library and looked some stuff up. I don't even want to talk about
the nightmares I had when I realized what having periods meant. I had
always thought my cursed form was just some shell on top of the real me
that made me look like a pervert or some freak. But when I started
having periods, I realized that I was actually a girl, all the way
through, and that meant I could have a kid. 
     The whole idea was disgusting to me, but it went beyond that. It
threatened my manhood more than anything else ever had. Can you under-
stand that, Akane? If I had a baby, I'd have to stay as a girl for nine
months, maybe longer. I'd read a few books about pregnancy, and I under- 
stood that there were a lot of other changes that went with it. I was
scared of that. I was scared of maybe liking be a woman too much. I was
terrified of what everyone else would think. Would they look at me as
some sort of freak, or even more of a pervert than they already thought?
More importantly I worried about my parents, especially my mom. She's
been obsessed with this men among men thing, and if her man among men
had a baby? C'mon, Akane, you know the answer to that one. I should
probably just put on a bra and panties and ask her to buy me some
lingerie. Yet even that was small compared to you. I was so scared that
if I did that, you'd just turn away from me. Maybe you'd think I was
a monster or something like that."
     "Ranma, that's not true," Akane argued. "I admit it's kinda
strange."
     "Kinda?" Ranma said. "I wouldn't put it that way. I did it, Akane
and I still can't really come to grips with it. I can't shake the
feeling I was doing something wrong. Don't get me wrong. I love Ranko
and would never, ever, do or say anything that would hurt her or make
her doubt me, but what about me? It's not her. She did nothing. It's me
that has to worry about what I did and the implications for me and her
both."
     "Ranma, there is nothing wrong with it," Akane assured him softly,
glancing up into his face. "I'll admit it surprised me, and that it will
take time to get used to, but I'd rather have it this way than find out
you slept with someone else, male or female. It's one less thing to deal
with in this whole mess."
     "I can see that. It was not my only complaint. The actual delivery
scared me. The thought of having a child scared me. I just mulled over
this for a few days in the village. I knew I had to do it, but I was
sorta mentally preparing myself to do it. Finally, I knew I had to get
going or I'd never do it. I left the village and headed for Hong Kong. I
had picked up enough money in my travels to cover medical expenses, but
I didn't take chances and stowed away back to Japan. My plan was simple.
I would return to Japan and pose as a married couple, playing both the
husband and wife. I would meet with a fertility specialist. I would have
him artificially inseminate me in my female form with my male sperm.
Once this was done, I would leave Japan and return to the valley I had
occupied in the Himalayan mountains and wait for the child to be born.
     The plan was perfect. I would be able to have the child, cure my
curse, and not have anyone find out how I had done it. I would be home
inside of a year. I knew it could not fail, but then I remembered that a
baby does not just get up and walk out into the world after a birth. 
Having been so worried and preoccupied with the idea of being pregnant
in the first place, I hadn't even considered what would happen to the
child. In my fear, I'd forgotten the result of a pregnancy. I really did
not know what to do.
     I knew what my choices were. I could keep the child and raise it,
or I could give it up for adoption. I really did not consider myself
ready to be a parent. I knew nothing about raising a child. Who would be
my role-model? My father? That's a joke. My father was the worst parent
you could possibly have. I mean, I guess I could've done everything op-
posite of him, and I might have done an okay job, but did I really want
the responsibility?
     Besides, what would I tell you? How could I explain a child of mine
and still keep your love? It was looking like I would allow the child to
be adopted, yet even that made me unhappy. Throughout the whole pregnan- 
cy the dilemma would plague me. Should I give up the child, and make it
easier for myself and the others, or should I raise it, trusting in love
and just hope everything turned out right.
     Undecided about this, I returned to Japan, and went to a fertility
doctor. I set up separate meetings. Once as the husband and then as the
wife. It took a bit of work, but I finally managed to get him to go
along with my story. He believed we were doing this because our sched-
ules were so incompatible that to get me pregnant was almost impossible.
     Though he warned me that it would probably take a while to get
pregnant through artificial insemination, I was pregnant after the first
month back. I stayed in Japan only long enough to make sure things were
going as planned, and then I disappeared back to my valley.
     One of the reason's I returned to the valley was that I did not
want to accidentally turn back into a man, and inadvertently kill the
fetus. I choose the valley because there was less chance of hot water
being flung at me than anywhere else. There were hot springs in the
valley, but they were secluded, and I could avoid them easily. Unfor-
tunately, or fortunately as you might see it, I did not need to worry
about that little problem.
     I discovered that I was actually stuck in my female form, no matter
what happened. I found this out while at a restaurant in Hong Kong. Some
one bumped a waiter carry a tray of tea kettles as he passed my table.
Three kettles of hot water splashed all over me. Screaming in pain and
fright, I jumped up, expecting to see my male form and the loss of my
baby, but I did not change. I remained a woman. Somehow the curse had
been negated slightly by my pregnancy. Hot water would not change me
back into a man. You can imagine I was somewhat relieved and more than a
little terrified. For a while, I thought I would be a woman forever and
that the old man had tricked me into finding the wrong cure.
     It took me a few weeks to realize that if this was a cure, then
maybe Hui-sheng was doing something to make me stay as a woman, so that
the child would not be lost. It made sense, sort of, but I still stayed
away from hot water and mopped around a lot once I got to the valley.
     My pregnancy was pretty rough. Although I was near the village and
they helped build a small home for me in the valley, it was nearly a
day's walk to get there from my valley. Most of the time I was alone and
I had no clue what was going on. I had to deal with almost all of those
little problems and emotional setbacks on my own. It was downright hor-
rifying. It's hard to explain, Akane. You want someone there to help you
and support you. There is this feeling of helplessness and insecurity in
being pregnant. I'd often make excuses to head to the village just to
have the women there to talk to or to teach me how to cook or sew. I
needed that physical contact.
     Don't get me wrong. There were very nice parts to it. It's almost
hypnotizing to feel a child move within your womb. It's sort of a rip-
pling, tingling sensation across your skin. I remember days when I'd
simply relax against a tree feeling Ranko move within me. It was almost
a compensation for the mood swings and phases I went through. Akane?" he
asked suddenly.
     "Hmm," she said from his arms.
     "I'd appreciate it if no one hears this again. I want you to under-
stand. I don't want to have secrets with you, but this is something, I
can't explain it very well, that is very personal to me. No matter how
much I hated it at times and despite my misgivings, I'm not stupid. I
realize I went through something that has changed me a great deal. I
just don't want that spread around. People are gonna find out about
Ranko. They'll find out I had a kid by myself, but what I went through,
what I felt and still feel is mine, and I don't want it tarnished by
some idiot's prejudice or stupidity."
     "Don't worry, Ranma. This stays between us, no matter what," Akane
assured him softly. She felt special that Ranma had actually opened
himself to her like that, and she told him so.
     "Arigato. That makes me feel safer for some reason." He sighed and
stretched his arms. He was getting tired and it was obvious that Akane
was about to fall asleep, so he quickly pushed on with his tale.
     "A lot of what I'm talking about is in the way I felt. I knew from
the beginning that having a child would be trouble, but as the pregnancy
progressed I found by defensiveness against having a child disappear. I
couldn't really tell you when it happened, but I started to fall in love
with the child I was carrying. At night I would lie awake, feeling Ranko
move within me, feeling her heart beat against my hands. I don't really
know when I started thinking of the child as a her; however, I do remem-
ber when I first called her Ranko. I was sitting outside thinking about
you, Akane. I was thinking about how nice it would be to see you again,
when I said, "Wait till you meet her, Ranko. I know you'll love her as
much as I do."
     It was at that point that I decided I could not give up Ranko. Over
the pregnancy I had fallen in love with my unborn child. But there was
more to it than simple motherly love. There was a connection between me
and Ranko. I mentioned that to you earlier. It's probably because of the
nature of her conception and the curse itself. I cannot really explain
it, since I don't understand it myself. It just seems that we share a
piece of each other's soul. Even today that connection still exists. I
know that she is sleeping peacefully right now, dreaming, safe and
content, in your bed. I'm not just guessing either. a part of my mind
just informs me whenever I think about it. I can also tell exactly where
she is at any given moment. I know when she is sad, happy, hurt, angry,
lonely, or anything else. She is much more than a daughter to me, she is
a part of me. I slowly came to realize that during my pregnancy as I
felt emotions and experiences that I was not having. This just streng-
thened my resolve to keep her no matter what the consequences would be.
     I told you my pregnancy was rough. It wasn't just because of the
loneliness. My body reacted violently to the Ranko. I was sick for at
least five or six months, and even the last few months were exhausting.
Part of the problem was that I was late. I knew the moment of conception
to within a few hours, and therefore I had a good idea of a due date. I
was four weeks late, and it made a big difference, and I do mean big.
     If we ever have kids, Akane" Ranma said seriously, "you are not
allowed to complain about how much it hurts.  I went into labour up in
the valley and had to drag myself down to the village. A day's walk, and
after that another day of labour."
     "It couldn't have been that bad," Akane said. "I was at some of my
friends' deliveries, they seemed to go pretty easy." 
     "Akane, how tall are those friends?"
     "I don't know, about my height, maybe a few centimeters taller."
     "Okay, I'm about ten centimeters shorter than you, and I don't
think any of your friends had over a nine pound kid. Am I right?" Akane
nodded numbly, her eyes wide. "Ranko was about twelve pounds when she
was born. I don't care what Toufu-sensei's mother said, it was not even
remotely easy, so no one ever gets to say I don't have a clue what it
feels like. It hurt, a lot."
     Ranma's voice fell silent as his face grew contemplative. Akane
watched his eyes gradually orient on the door to his bedroom. "Despite
all of that, despite how tired and sore I was, despite all of my fears,
when I held Ranko in my arms for the first time, and looked into her
perfect face, those blue eyes staring silently back at me, I just
started crying. What I felt was pure joy and happiness. There she was,"
Ranma said, holding out his arms as if he were cradling a babe, "this
perfect, little child that I had created. I just don't know how to
explain it. I already was in love with her, but holding her just made
me want to protect her for the rest of my life."
     Ranma sighed. "I'd almost consider doing it again. You know what's
funny? I was so afraid of the pregnancy changing me, taking away my
manhood, and in the end I let it. But it isn't that bad. Sometimes I
think, just maybe, I'm more of a man for doing this, for going through
this whole thing. I always thought I'd regret it, but it's strange. If I
had to make the choice over, I'd do the same thing. I can't imagine what
my life would be like without Ranko. She's become so much a part of me,
that, sometimes, I don't know where I end and she begins." Ranma stopped
and shook his head as if to clear it.
     "Enough of that. We can always talk about it later. I've still got
more to tell. Well I covered the pregnancy and birth. I took me a few
days to recover from that enough to let the women of the village let me
leave. As I said, the birth had taken a lot out of me. I didn't stay too
long though, I was anxious to get away from them so I can turn back. I
hurried back to my cottage, and I instantly rushed for the hot springs,
carrying Ranko with me. I emersed myself in them, waiting to change
back, but nothing happened. I couldn't believe it. I was still stuck as
a woman, even though I had borne a child for Hui-sheng's soul.
     Well, to make it simple to understand and to shorten this story, I
didn't figure this out until after several months, not to mention days
of inventing new curses, had passed. It is actually kinda stupid, and I
was just a little too pissed at the time to realize it. The reason I
didn't turn back was the same one I didn't when I was pregnant, I had to
remain a female to care for Ranko. Although it would've been great to be
a guy, I don't think I could've nursed her without breasts.
     I remained a woman, that sounds rather disturbing, doesn't it? Oh,
never mind. I remained a woman, no matter how many times I tried to
change back, throughout Ranko's first year. A little before her first
birthday, I started weaning her onto solid foods. A few months after
that she was almost totally eating solids, with only some nursing for
comfort every so often. We were down by the hot springs. For some rea-
son, I always went down there when I had to fix some of her clothes or
if I just wanted to relax. I was relaxing when Ranko decided that play- 
ing in the mud was much more entertaining than trying to learn how to
walk. By the time I got to her, she was an absolute mess of giggling
child and soupy mud. With the hot springs there, I just decided to clean
her up there. Picking Ranko up, I walked to the nearest pool and stepped
down into it, immersing myself in the hot water.
     Suddenly, I felt that tingling sensation that comes with my change,
but it was slow, almost creeping. Ranko suddenly started laughing in my
arms, and I knew that she could feel it too. The sensation continued for
a few seconds before ending abruptly, but my body had not changed. Then
the pain hit me.  
     I screamed as I felt something being ripped from my body. It was
excruciating. Dimly, I remember hearing Ranko screaming in my arms. I
knew she was feeling the same pain as me. For an eternity I screamed as
the pain built. I could feel and hear something tearing in me before the
pain suddenly stopped and I was floating in some sort of mist.
     I can't explain what happened next. It is like a dream that I can
catch glimpses of, but everything is so full of holes that I can't make
any sense of it. I kept seeing things, people and places that I knew
were coming from other people's lives. I saw parts of my life and then I
saw other visions. I saw a girl, glowing, walking up to a pool of water.
I saw a dark man standing above me as a sword descended on my neck.
Images and more images filled my head. I can't remember very many of
them, except the last one. A dark cloud surrounded me. In the distance I
could hear Ranko screaming, and then there is this silence in my mind
where she always is as someone laughs. It was horrible, so horrible."
Ranma's voice faltered as he remembered it. Stoically, he shook off the
thoughts and continued. He didn't want to burden Akane with the dreams
he had been having recently.
     "When I woke, I was laying next to the pool. My face was stiff and
aching. Ranko was in my arms, her face buried protectively in my chest.
At first I was disoriented, but I quickly remembered the pain that both
I and Ranko had felt. I turned my attentions on her first, fear filling
my heart, and was completely surprised by what I saw. It wasn't Ranko in
my arms. Well it was, but not really. Ranko had been born with black
hair, with some red highlights from my cursed form. Actually, she looked
exactly like my cursed form. Although she had sort of looked like that
ordinally, now it was easy to see. She had red hair and the more deli-
cate face. Even that was easy to accept, it even seemed right for some
reason. The worst thing was that she was at least two years older, maybe
three. She was no longer a baby but a toddler. I grabbed her in shock
and looked at her closely, trying to convince myself that this wasn't
real.
     At the sudden movement she opened her eyes at looked at me, smiling
she said, "You changed back, Otoosan." I stopped and starred at her.
When had she learned to talk? What had happened? Then what she had said
entered my mind.  Looking down at myself, I realized I was a man again.
I had turned back! And with the change in Ranko's appearance, I thought
that I had been cured! Personally, I thought it would've been more
joyful to me, but as I looked at Ranko, and the changes that happened,
the horrid experience, I wasn't so sure.
     I really didn't realize it at first, too happy to be a man, but the
celebration ended quickly as the impact of what had happened asserted
itself. Sure, I was a man again, but Ranko was nearly three years older,
around me the valley was giving up winter. When I had gone down to the
pools, it had been early summer. Strange things were happening, and I
did not understand anything. This was nothing like I had expected. Com-
pletely shocked, I stood uncomprehending for several minutes, until
Ranko touched my face. "Why are you hurt, Otoosan?" she asked. 
     Not comprehending I touched my face and felt these parallel scars
on my cheek. As I touched them, I felt this horrid fear. I pulled Ranko
to me unconsciously and began to tremble. I seemed to hear a dark
laughter floating over me. There were also other things. For a moment I
clearly remembered what had happened. Even though I can no longer remem-
ber what happened, it was enough to give me some insights. I was able to
figure out that Hui-sheng's soul had finally broken free of mine to join
with and become who Ranko was supposed to be. Yet it didn't seem right,
and I found out several days later why.
     I left the valley quickly, gathering my things. For some reason I
didn't feel safe there. No, that's not it. I didn't want to be alone
there. I was a man again and I was scarred for Ranko. I wanted to come
home and see you and my family again. So I left. A few days out of the
valley, it began to rain and after an hour of drenching I slowly shifted
into my cursed form. I didn't turn back until I was dry. I guess it's
not as bad as the original curse, but it still means that something is
unfinished. I just wish I could figure out what." Ranma stopped as the
wise man's words echoed in his ears.  Sometimes the cure can be as much
a curse.' In his mind, Ranma felt Ranko stir restlessly, disturbed by a
dream. He cleared his mind and felt her settle back down. He knew he
wasn't cured, but what could he do?
     "There are so many things I don't understand. So many things are
still questions in my head. I don't understand much of what has
happened. I came home so I could put things in order. My life has turned
upside down, and I've gotta start over sooner or later. Even if this
curse isn't done yet, it almost is. I don't have time to go searching
for it, and my curse is disappearing slowly as time goes by. I now only
become a woman if I soak in water, and I turn back once dry. It is
something I can deal with. But mostly I came back because of you. I've
done everything for you, Akane. I've been gone too long. I've caused too
much pain. I want to fix that. I hope we can do that.
     I came back as soon as I could Akane-chan, you have to understand
that. I did not want to be gone for so long, but things do happen in
their own time. As I said, right now I just need someone to help me
understand everything. I can trust you. I know you will help me. I love
you, Akane-chan," Ranma finished, looking down at her. She was cradled
in his arm, her head resting against his chest. At first Ranma thought
she had fallen asleep. 
     "Akane?" he asked silently.
     "Thank you for telling me, Ranma," Akane murmured, snuggling closer
to him, her arms slipping around his waist. "I want to help you. I want
us to be together again. So much has happened to both of us. I just
don't know where to begin. There are things that I need to tell you. I
know you need to tell me more. But right now is not the time, I just
want to get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning." With that she curled
tightly against Ranma and soon fell asleep in his arms.
     Ranma was surprised. He had not expected this reaction. His mind
was reeling with new questions and doubts after retelling his story, but
Akane had put even more into his mind, and then she had gone to sleep.
<It's probably just the after-effect of so much emotional change for a
single day,> he thought. Besides, he liked the feel of her in his arms.
Questions could wait for tomorrow.
     His face softening, he pulled her closer to him, inhaling the fresh
scent to her hair. It brought back a thousand memories, and he couldn't
resist the temptation, so he leaned down and gently kissed her forehead,
like he done to Ranko earlier. Closing his eyes, he rested his head on
top of hers and let his mind wander like stray sheep. Eventually, sleep
overtook him, bringing pleasant dreams for a change.

     Ukyou was walking up the steps to Akane's apartment. She had lost
track of the time and was feeling very guilty about it. Some friends had
taken her out for a celebration of their last final, and things had just
gotten out of hand. When she had noticed how late it was, she had rushed
out of the bar, suddenly remembering that she had wanted to make sure
Akane was okay
     Running down the street, she had berated herself for forgetting
like this. She had a duty to her friend. If anything had happened to
Akane, she would never forgive herself. She just hoped Akane had not
slipped into one of her depressions again. In one of those moods, Akane
was worse than unpredictable. She became capable of anything from
uncontrollable weeping to berserk rages to suicide. That thought alone
had propelled Ukyou into a frantic, headlong sprint down the dark
streets of Tokyo.
     Now she was climbing the last step and entering Akane's hallway.
The lights were dim, but a light shone from underneath Akane's door,
giving testament to Akane being home and awake. Walking up to the door,
Ukyou knocked, "Akane-chan?" she called. There was no answer.
     Worried she knocked again, a little louder. There was still no
answer. a horrid suspicion rose inside of her. <She wouldn't have, would
she?> Desperately, Ukyou pushed open Akane's door and rushed in, shout-
ing Akane's name. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. Akane was
cuddled against a man on her couch. It was not just any man though she
recognized him. 
     <It can't be. He died.> But the evidence was there in front of her,
the dark hair, the pigtail, the face she had memorized and dreamed
about. It was him! Ukyou ran forward with a glad shout, waking the two.
     "Ranchan!"

      'Life's not fair,' he thought for the thousandth time that day. He
had been repeating it like a mantra against madness since he had left
her, since she had refused him. Her words still held the deadliness of a
knife to the heart.
     He was on his knees in front of her as the prepared speech he had
laboured so long over died on his lips as he gazed into her glorious
eyes. This was the moment he had slowly worked himself up to over the
last four years, and he couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, he
just blurted it out. "A-akane-chan...I-I love you. I've always loved
you, and I don't ever want to leave you. I want us to be together,
forever as husband and wife. Will you marry me?"
     He held out the small black pillbox he had bought three months ago
when he had decided to marry her. With joy soaring in his heart like the
full-throated trill of a thrush, he watched as she trembling took the
pillbox, her eyes filled with tears. Tentatively, she opened the pillbox
and took the thin golden band, surmounted by a small diamond, into her
hands. For a while she just stared at it, tears in her eyes. "R-ryouga,"
she finally said, but then her voice died as she couldn't find words.
Ryouga, however, could see the answer in her shimmering eyes. She tried
to speak several more times before he saw the change. It came slowly. At
first the tears bean to spill down her cheeks as she shook her head. She
tried to answer once more and then the light in her eyes died as a soft
sob came from her lips. "I...I'm so sorry, Ryouga. I love you, but I...I
can't do this. Not know, maybe not ever. I'm so sorry."
     She slowly handed the ring back to him, but he refused to take it,
jumping to his feet, anger and grief flaring in his eyes. "Why? I love
you. Why can't we be together?" She didn't answer, but he saw it in her
eyes. They had become defensive, trying to block out some deep hurt. He
had seen it enough to know what she was thinking. "Ranma." The name was
a whispered curse on his lips as he turned and ran from her apartment,
uncaring of where he went. He had just wanted to get away, to hide from
everything that had happened to him in his life.
     So now he was here, wherever that was, lost as usual. Even thinking
about Akane's rejection brought back the old resentment. He couldn't see
how Ranma could still hold her heart. It wasn't like he had ever been
worthy of her affection. Why couldn't she just let him stay dead? He
knew it was hard to accept someone's death, especially a loved one. No
matter how much he had hated Ranma, and still disliked him, his threats
of death had only been a prelude to a fight. He had not wanted to kill
Ranma. He had never wanted to see his opponent fall, just to be defeated
and humiliated. But it was true. It had taken the villagers a while to
convince him, but they were sure, so he had believed them.
     Learning about Ranma's death had been completely accidental. Lost
somewhere, he thought it had been Asia, he had wandered into a village
at the foot of a sheer and intimidating mountain, the cap glistening
with snow, as the sides of cracked and jagged stones rose into the sky
like a geyser of granite. So intent had he been on the mountain, that he
had almost missed the village, stumbling over a group of men being the
reason he stopped. At first they yelled at them, but when they realized
he didn't speak their language they tried something else, and then
another thing, and the Chinese. Ryouga had understood that enough, so he
asked where Tokyo was.
     "Where?" the old man who spoke Chinese asked.
     "Tokyo," Ryouga answered, "You know, Japan."
     "Japan?" He scratched his head and then his eyes lit up. "Oh!
That's where the other young man came from, or was it a girl. I forget.
Can't even remember his name. Ran something or other."
     "Ranma?" Ryouga asked hurriedly. Although he was not interested in
Ranma other then beating him, Ryouga knew Akane would like some
information. "What about him?"
     "That's the name," the old man nodded. "Came here about a year
ago. Foolish boy was looking for the man on the mountain. We warned him
of course, but he had to go up there."
     "And?"
     The old man looked quizzically at Ryouga for a second, and then he
nodded. Turning to another man he spoke to him for a moment. Another
joined in, arguing. Soon all five of the men were in a heated argument.
It went on for a bit, and finally it looked like the guy who had jumped
in first won. "He's dead. He never came back, so the old man must've
killed him. It happens a lot, especially to the persistent ones."
     The matter of fact way they said it and the argument, obviously
about what had actually happened, didn't improve Ryouga's trust in them,
but as they explained what had happened he was forced to concede defeat.
Ranma had gone up the mountain, seeking a great fighter to answer a
question. The villagers had never seen him return, and the only way off
the mountain was through the village. To make things more air-tight, the
petitioner always returned within a few days, unless they were killed,
and Ranma had been gone for a year. He was forced to accept the death of
Ranma.
     Learning of Ranma's death had placed an obligation on him, he had
to face his family and tell them. Although he was dreading the moment he
told the news, in his heart, he was glad it was going to be him. By
bringing the news, he'd be able to be there for Akane when she heard.
Despite how he tried to deny it, he knew that Akane cared for Ranma. He
would never go as far to say love, but his hopes were such that he was
able to twist the truth for his benefit. When she heard his story, she'd
break down, and then he'd be there for her, to love her and comfort her.
     Of course nothing went right.
     By the time he arrived at the Tendou's he was tired, sore, and
famished. It had taken him weeks to get there, and when he finally
arrived, he could do little accept face the family. His mind was in
turmoil so he spoke to Akane and not the others. "I'm sorry, Akane.
Ranma's dead." She had at first just stared at him, shaking her head and
muttering over and over that this was some sick joke. He had told her
again, and she had started screaming at him, telling him to shut up and
to stop spreading lies. Then she had bolted as he refused to recant his
story. The pain he saw in her eyes, the wailing grief in her voice
haunted him to this day. He blamed himself. He should have told her
gently, after he told the family, or let the family tell her. In one
sentence he had destroyed her life, and the pain of that made the sear-
ing heat of lava feel like a balm.
     For weeks she secluded herself from everyone, and he could only
wait and hope for the best. When she emerged, however, his hopes were
dashed upon the rocks as if they were a ship. The akane he had loved and
worshiped was no longer there. a part of her had died when he brought
the news of Ranma's death. Her eyes were always haunted, her emotions as
taunt as a wire. She refused to let anyone near her accept Ukyou, and
after a while himself. Yet even then ti was to Ukyou that Akane always
turned. Her depressions were beyond the ability of her family to handle,
mostly because Akane refused to stay in the house. After Ranma's death
she had begged her father to let her leave, moving in with Ukyou when
she consented. 
     It was a nightmare for him. He tried to help, but could only help- 
lessly watch his beloved Akane for that first year as he tried to follow
Ukyou's instructions. As time passed it became easier, and Akane return- 
ed somewhat to normal, although she still walked around with a haunted
look in her eyes. She had never healed from his words, even when they
finally became a couple in the loosest sense of the word, he had watched
her reluctance to be with or to get too attached to people, but he had
ignored it and asked her to marry him anyway. And to what end? To find
out that she was still holding onto Ranma's memory. It had ben too much
for him. Even in death Ranma came between him and his love.
     Everything that had ever gone wrong in his life was because of
Ranma. Every failure and obstacle could be traced in some way to that
one person. It was Ranma's fault he was cursed. It was Ranma's fault
that he was unable to approach Akane and tell her how he felt. It was
Ranma who humiliated him, beat him, mocked him, and refused, refused!,
to take their fights seriously. And now dead, beyond his reach, he stood
between Ryouga and his ultimate goal. When he had lived, there had been
a way to Akane's heart, but his death had destroyed that bridge forever.
It wasn't fair. 
     Then he fell.
     His foot came down on a patch of gravel. Under his weight it
slide, and he lost his balance tumbling down a steep incline, bouncing
against stone and rock. Sliding to a halt at the bottom, he groaned as
he pushed himself to his feet. He could feel blood dripping from several
cuts, and his right arm was throbbing under his triceps and by the
elbow. Cursing his bad luck, he kicked an unoffending stone. It skit-
tered forward and then plopped into a small pool with a bamboo shaft
standing in it. Recognition dawned instantly. Quickly glancing around,
he saw the hundreds of pools that made up Jusenkyo.
     The fall brought back his first memory of Jusenkyo. He was walking
along a cliff when Ranma had dashed past him, knocking him off the
cliff. He screamed as he fell downward and into a pool of water. The icy
water closed about his head, and his body went numb from the shock.
Struggling, he managed to pull himself out of the water, and on all
fours, he crawled out of the pool. It was then that the true horror of
what had happened became known to him.
     The indignity of that moment still burned in his mind. Because of
that single moment, he had been forced to live a life in constant fear.
Either he was running from hungry humans, or he was avoiding water so
that Akane would never find out his secret. Even over the last four
years, he had been unable to bring himself to tell her. At first he did
not want to burden her any further, but after a while, when she became
more dependent on him, he didn't want to chance losing that, so he hid
it from her and everyone else. It was easier to do with Ranma dead. 
     Of course he wouldn't have had to do that if Ranma had watched
where he was going, if ranma had not forced him to fight, if Ranma had
not made it impossible for him to come forward. It was all Ranma's
fault. No matter what, it was ranma who kept him from Akane, even when
he was dead. Dead, dammit all! It was not fair, but here he was, in
Jusenkyo, and one more piece of Ranma's legacy could be put to rest. No
more would he, Ryouga, be a pig, enslaved to the bloody curse that had
brought so much horror into his life. He would be a man for his beloved
Akane.
     A dark, purposeful rage was seething deeply in Ryouga's heart. He
was angry at ranma and his own life. Determined, he began to search the
pools. They had retreated to the original pools after the flooding done
by Saffron. It looked a little different, but he knew which one it was,
and soon he found it. He might have a bad sense of direction, but his
memory was very good. Never in his life had he forgotten what anything
looked like, and now he recognized the nannichuan, right across from the
pool Ranma had fallen into.
     "Saotome!" The name was a poisonous curse as it rolled of his
tongue. "No more, Saotome. Today it ends, and I win!" Laughing almost
hysterically at the thought of finally beating Ranma, even with him dead
it was a satisfying victory, Ryoga walked toward the nannichuan. He did
not stop at the edge of the pool but walked into it. The water quickly
covered his whole body until nothing remained above the water.
     As the water enclosed him, the tingle of the change filled his body
and then was replaced as fire scorched through his soul. He screamed
underneath the water, the air bursting from his mouth only to have water
enter his lungs to replace it. Choking, he clawed at the water, trying
to swim to the surface, but he was sucked down into blackness. He heard
laughter, dark and sinister, in his head. It mocked him. It sounded like
his own. Maybe he was dreaming, then the darkness enclosed him, and he
knew no more.
     
     He awoke on the rocks next to the pool. Rain was pouring down
soaking his body to the skin. It took him a moment to realize that it
was raining and that he was a man not a pig. He was cured! He started
laughing in joy and anticipation. He could now face his Akane and not
worry. Ranma had been erased from his life forever. He was a whole man
again.
     "I will have my love," he shouted, <Yes I will have my love,> a
dark voice echoed in Ryouga's mind and then began chuckling before going
quiet.
     Unnerved, Ryouga searched the valley with his eyes, finding no one,
he shrugged and left the pools, not noticing the light dying from the
pool he had just exited from.

     Author's Notes:

     I never expected this part to turn out this long. I really wanted
to fix some sections, but as I started writing, the story just began to
flow out on the paper. I saw so many mistakes and places where I could
fix things to make them clearer and to give a deeper mystery to the
series. It sort of becomes easier when you know exactly where you are
going. You can add in all kinds of little hints and make the story a
little more obscure than the first time. 
     The first time I wrote this, the scene with Ryouga was horrid. I
urge you never to read it. This one is much better, it deals with a more
realistic Ryouga who is still trapped within his own self-serving, self-
degrading, pathetic lifestyle. He makes a perfect engine for my
purposes.
     I don't really want to talk to long, mostly because I don't have
much to say. I really hate to give away the future plot and I don't like
to explain things unless I really have to. So with that said, I'll bid
you adieu.

     Joseph Kohle


   ----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----
   All rights and privileges to Ranma Nibunnoichi       
   belong to Takahashi Rumiko. The characters of            
   her series are used without her permission for        
   the purpose of entertainment only. This work of 
   fiction is not meant for sale or profit.                    
                                                                         
All original characters are the creation of the
   author. All copyright privileges to these chara-
   cters are reserved for the author.

   This story is a product of the author's hard work    
   and imagination. Do not modify, add to, or make 
   use of any part of this work without the author's 
   knowledge and consent. Please feel free to archive 
   this work.                             
                                                                         
Comments and criticism are welcome.                   
   Written by Joseph a. Kohle,   1997.                 
   Send all comments to Ashira@worldnet.att.net