I have a bit of writers block concerning my Lodoss fic, so here is this...

Oh, and due to the recent fic/C&C thread on the list, I'll just say that
this is DEFINITELY an alternate fic, and Ranma is gonna to be a bit OOC...
Just read it, you'll understand. (I hope)

Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi (thanks Key!)

Tribe of One is owned by TSR.

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

"O-Otosan... I don't wanna do this again..."  the little boy said in a
pleading voice.

"One more time, Ranma."  The father said as he held his son dangling over
the pit.

The little boy, Ranma, had sardines tied all over his body.  In the dark and
cavernous
pit below him, terrifying meowing sounds could be heard.

"One more time, " Genma repeated, "to get you over this fear.  The damage
has been done,
and now we need to repair it.  Face it like a man, Ranma!"

Sweat started to drip off the boy's face and mixed with the blood from the
cuts and
scratches he had previously received.  The salty sweat burned in his wounds,
but his
fear was too great to truly feel the pain.

"Here you go."  Genma said, and tossed Ranma into the pit.

Darkness descended upon Ranma as he fell.  The meowing, scratching, clawing,
and biting
started all over again. Then the screaming... The frustrated, fearful,
painful screaming
began; and just as Ranma realized that it was his own voice, his mind
shattered.


   *****************************************
   *            *
   * Raoh the Conquoror presents *
   *     *
   *    A Story of Ranma 1/2  *
   *     *
   *    A Stained Glass Mind  *
   *     *
   *****************************************


Ryoko walked through the village in a pensive mood.  For the first time in
over ten
years, she had dreamed about her family.  She had thought that all the pain,
abuse,
and misunderstanding were behind her.  The village was her home now.  She,
like
all the women in the village, were outcasts.  Their own families and friends
could
not accept what they were, so they came here, for peace. solace, and
education.

All of the women were... different from so-called 'normal' people.  They
were born with
an intellect that far exceeded anyone their own age, and with that intellect
came some
kind of psionic skill as well.  Ryoko's powers lay in dreaming.  Her dreams
did not
so much fortell the future as many had thought, but instead provided her
with a sense
of foreshadowing.

At the village, she had learned telepathy as well.  She was not very strong
at first,
the the ability was there and she improved as she grew older.  She idly
watched as
different classes were being taught around her.

Mara was conducting a class in telekinetic ability, having different
students attempt to
move multi-colored rubber balls with their minds.  Melanie was teaching
another
group of students a basic kata.  In this village, the village of the Mind,
the
women believed in training the body as well as the mind.  They reason that
strong
body coupled with a strong mind led to true mastery of their skills.  Yet
another
group of students, some of the advanced ones, were training to focus their
ki.
*Body, Mind, and Spirit*  Ryoko thought as she walked into the building that
contained
her personal study.  That motto was the center of their beliefs.

Ryoko's thoughts once again returned to her dream.  Someone in her family
was in trouble,
and somehow she was involved as well.  She grimaced as she realized that she
really
did not want to see any of her family again.  She did not need the bitter
memories
to return.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts and her young students walked
in.

"I am sorry to interrupt you, High Mistress...but there is a...a MAN who
wishes to see you."

Ryoko raised here eyebrows.  "A man?  Did you actually let him into the
village?"

"No, he is at the front gate.  He...He says he is your brother."

*Genma*  Ryoko thought with a resigned sigh.

"Escort him here."

The young student hesitated for a moment and Ryoko asked, "Is there
something else?"

"He was a small child with him, a little boy. He looks half-starved."

"Show them in at once, and bring some food here."

The student rushed out of the study and after twenty minutes, a travel-worn
Genma walked
into Ryoko's study, little Ranma walking behind him.  Ryoko ignored her
brother as
she stared at Ranma.

*The poor child looks ready to collapse!*  Ryoko thought to herself.  Out
loud she said,

"Put the child on the sofa over there, Genma.  Food will be coming shortly."

Genma led Ranma to the sofa and seeing that the child was not responding,
gently
picked him up and lay him on it.  Ryoko looked at the child more closely.
He looked
tired and hungry, for certain, but there was something else wrong as well.
The boy
had a vacant look on his face.  He didn't blink once and did not seem to be
responding
to the world around him.

She turned towards Genma and said, "What happened?"

Genma chuckled nervously and said, "It- It is so good to see you Oneechan.
You are looking
well.  Life...has been good to you, I'm glad."

Ryoko could not keep the bitterness out of her voice as she said, "Really?
As I recall...
you called me a 'freak' and a 'witch'  when I left.  Are you really glad to
see me Genma?"

"Of course Oneechan-"

"Ryoko."

"What? "  Genma asked, a confused look on his face.

"Call me Ryoko.  You lost the right to call me 'sister' a long time ago,
Genma.
It is quite obvious that you WANT something, so get on with it, then get out
of my life
and out of this village."

Before Genma could reply, a young student entered the study, carrying a tray
of fruits
and vegetables, along with a pitcher of water and a glass of milk.  Genma
ravenously attacked
the food as Ryoko looked on in disgust.  *You haven't changed a bit, have
you?*   She picked
up the glass of milk and walked over to Ranma.  She gently smiled at the
boy, and offered
the glass of milk to him.  She frowned as Ramna seemed to be staring through
her, completely
ignoring the milk.  On a hunch, she tried to probe his mind telepathically
and suddenly
recoiled at what she found there.

She dropped the milk on the floor and turned towards Genma, her face livid
with rage. She
grabbed him by the front of his martial arts gi and lifted him up to face
her.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT BOY?"

Genma cringed at the look on her face, he started to panic and resisted the
urge to
try to run away.  *I have to do this...for the boy*  he thought to himself.

"That is my son, Ranma...he's...he's sick, Onee-, Ryoko-san.  Help him,
please."

"WHAT. DID. YOU. DO.  " Ryoko ground out.  She was barely keeping her anger
in check.

Genma proceeded to tell Ryoko about the Cat-fist training.  Ryoko's emotions
changed
from rage, to disbelief, and back to rage.  She let go of Genma's gi and
started shaking
her head.

"You are beyond belief, Genma... What kind of an idiot are you?"

What little pride Genma had reasserted itself.

"I am student of the Art, Ryoko-san.  I will do anything to make sure my son
becomes
a master of that Art.  Anything."

"Well, Genma, your resolve has destroyed his life, " Ryoko began acidly.
"Ranma has
become a 'Tribe of One' "

Genma looked at his sister quizzically.  "What is a 'Tribe of One'? "

Ryoko sighed and sat down on the sofa next to Ranma.  She motioned for Genma
to sit
down in a chair across from her.

"Genma, how long ago did you try to 'train' Ranma in this Cat-fist?"

"It has been about three months.  Ranma was as you see him now.  He doesn't
talk, he doesn't seem to notice other people, and I almost have to force him
to eat.  I brought him here because I thought you could help him.  I never
understood your...powers, but..."

"Genma a 'Tribe of One' is a person who has several seperate and distinct
personalities
residing within the one body.  There is no cure for this."

"So my son is insane?"  Genma nearly shouted.

"No, not insane...though people in the outside world might think so.  Like I
said, there
is no cure, but I can help him adjust to his situation.  We have journals
here about
cases like this.  It is a rare situation, but it has happened before."

"So, you will help him?"  Genma asked in a hopeful voice.

"Yes, but he will have to live in the village-"

"Anything, anything at all, " Genma interrupted.  "We'll move in right away,
we-"

"I said, HE will have to live in the village, not YOU."

"But...but you can't expect me to leave my son alone, in a village filled
only with women!
Who will teach him the Art?  I promised my wife that I would make him a man
among men!  I
took him away from her so that she wouldn't coddle him!  And now you want me
to leave
him here?  Alone?"

Genma was standing and clearing shouting by the time he finished speaking.

*Sit DOWN!*  Genma heard Ryoko's voice in his head.  Shocked at the mental
command, he
complied.


"First of all, "  Ryoko began in a calm voice, "we do not 'coddle' anyone
here.  Everyone
of these women work harder than you ever have, Genma.  They learn to
disciple their minds,
souls, and bodies.  They also fend for themselves and work to make the
village thrive.
Ranma will not find life easy here.  Most of these women hate males.  As for
the Art, I,
can teach him anything he needs to know.  I was better than you when we were
younger,
and I am better than you now.  You will leave Genma.  I will not have you
underfoot
disrupting life here.  Come back in ten years...Ranma should be ready for
the outside
world by then."

Genma looked helplessly between Ryoko and Ranma.  He began to think that
going to Ryoko
was a mistake.  He didn't want to leave Ranma behind, but Ryoko was right,
she WAS
better than him.  *Maybe I can sneak back in after dark...*

"OK, Ryoko...I'll leave, but I'll be back in ten years.  You had better give
me
my son at that time!"

Genma turned to walk out of the door and he heard Ryoko's voice inside his
head.

*Genma, don't try to sneak in here at nightfall...you'll regret it.*

Genma paled as he remembered that he was in a village full of psionic women.
He
opened the door and ran towards the the village gate.


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

         *** 10 years later ***


Ryoko smiled as the sweat dripped off her face and neck.  Dozens of the
village
students and not a few of the instructors watched in admiration as she faced
off against
Ranma.  These sparring sessions were a daily ritual and had recently become
interesting
to the rest of the villagers.  Ranma was fast approaching Ryoko's equal and
everyone
knew it.  They had been sparring for hours and neither one had been able to
land a single
blow.  As the sweat glistened on Ranma's muscled chest and his long damp
hear clung
to his forehead, Ryoko could not help but think about how far he had
progressed in the past
ten years.  He was about sixteen years of age now, and already he was the
best student
Ryoko ever had.

Life had not been easy for Ranma at the female-filled village.  At first,
all of the
women rejected him, placing their prejudices and problems with men firmly on
his
small shoulders.  With Ryoko's insistence and persistence, however, he
became one
of them.  Of course, Ukyou was a great help as well.  She was the same age
as
Ranma, and had befriended him when no one else had.  At the tender age of
six she
had proclaimed that anyone who hurt her 'Ranchan' would answer to her.  She
protected
him like a younger brother, and the two had become close.  They had become
so close.
in fact, that the first word Ranma said since he enter the village was
'Ucchan'; his
pet name for Ukyou.  The other villagers were shamed by Ukyou's actions, and
eventually
they accepted him as well.  He had become everyone's 'little brother'.

This acceptance, however, did not help Ranma's problem.  It was a little
over two years
until Ryoko was able to draw out the other personalities in Ranma's mind.
She had
tried in the beginning, of course.  Everytime she tried to telepathically
read Ranma's
mind, she was shut out.  Even when Ranma had given his permission, she still
could
not break through the wall that was erected in his brain.  This surprised
and puzzled her
because that kind of a mental block to a probe meant that Ranma had some
level of psionic
power.  Yet, whenever he practiced the telekinetic or telepathic exercises,
he always
failed.

Finally, one day when Ryoko was trying to probe Ranma's mind, she met one of
the
other personalities.

She had called Ranma into her study, as usual during these attempts.

"OK Ranma, just sit back on the sofa and relax. "

"I _am_ relaxing sensei.  I'm relaxed every time that we do this.  I want to
let
you in my mind...but, but..."

"It's OK, Ranma, it's OK..."  Ryoko said in a soothing voice, trying to calm
the boy down.

"Let's just keep trying, OK?"

"OK sensei."

Ryoko began her probe and was suddenly, and violently pushed out of Ranma's
mind.  Ranma's
demeanor suddenly changed.  He sat taller, more confident and he looked
Ryoko straight
in the eyes.

"Why are you doing this to us?"  Ranma demanded.  Only, Ryoko realized, it
wasn't Ranma.

She sat down and stared at Ranma, the fascination evident on her face.

"You are one of the others, right?  What...What should I call you?"

"You can call me Guardian.  Why are you trying to enter our mind?"

"I want to help Ranma understand what he is, I want to understand what
happened to him."

"You want to help him?  By asking him to lift those silly balls?"  The
Guardian asked,
speaking of the telekinetic exercises.

"It is not silly.  It helps develop psionic talent." Ryoko replied.

"Ranma does not HAVE any psionic talent."

"But, then, how...  I understand!  You are psionic, aren't you?"

"I have the gift of telepathy, yes."

"Why haven't you revealed yourself to Ranma?"

"There is no need.  We will protect him as needed."

"But you have to tell him!  Ranma has to understand the tribe.  It will help
him to adjust
as he lives his life among others."

"Perhaps...Ranma cares for you a great deal.  He loves you like a mother.
You tell him
of us, and we will guide him to understanding."

"Agreed."

That day marked a changed in Ranma's training.  Ryoko studied all the
village's journals
for whatever she could find on a 'Tribe of One'.  She explained to Ranma
what she
knew and what she learned, while the Guardian gradually opened Ranma's mind
to the
other personalities that lived there.  Over the years, Ryoko learned that
there
were ten different personalities in Ranma's mind.

First, there was Ranma, of course, who was the primary personality and led
the tribe.
Second, was the Guardian who guided and protected Ranma and made the tribe
work as a team.
Third, there was Bitter, a cynical, adult personality that looked at the
pessimistic side
of any situation.  Fourth, there was the Watcher, a paranoid being who was
constantly aware
of everything in the environment and was also scared of everything.

Fifth, was Lyric, a child-like artist who liked to sing and dance and laugh
all the time.
Sixth, was Play, a sensual being who just wanted experience everything life
had to offer;
regardless of the consequences.  Seventh, was Shade, a dark personality who
only believed
in survival.  Shade instinctively wanted to kill any being that was a threat
to the tribe.

Eighth, was Neko.  None of the tribe knew who or what Neko was, only that he
was there.
Ryoko knew what Neko was, it became all too evident when one of the girls
offered to let
Ranma play with her pet cat.  Neko was the embodiment of the Cat-fist.
Ninth, was the Master.
Master was more mysterious then Neko.  They tribe was in awe of him, but so
far he had not
taken a turn at controlling Ranma's body.  And finally, there was the Inner
Child, that which
was Ranma before Genma had tried to teach him the Cat-fist.  The Inner Child
was safe and
protected in the depths of Ranma's mind and would probably never wake up.

Ryoko kept her mind from wandering any further as Ranma's fist nearly
planted itself
in her face.  She smiled and held up a hand; a signal that the match was
over.

"Very good Ranma.  There is nothing more I can teach you. You are my equal
now."

Ryoko bowed in Ranma's direction as the rest of the students clapped and
congratulated
Ranma.

"Aw, it was nothin', sensei.  I  had a good teacher.  Besides, I'm not that
good
yet... I _still_ couldn't hit you, "  Ranma sighed and continued, "And I
still can't
seem to focus my Ki."

"It will come in time, Ranma." Ryoko said as the crowd walked off to finish
what ever
duties that had been interrupted by the match.

Ukyou ran up to Ranma and glomped onto his arm.

"Ranchan!  You were wonderful!  You are probably going to be the best
martial
artist that ever lived!"

Ryoko frowned to herself as she looked at Ukyou.  Over the years, the two
had become
close; like siblings.  Lately, however, she had started to notice a change
in
Ukyou's feelings for Ranma.  It had become obvious to everyone in the
village, (everyone
but Ranma)  that Ukyou loved Ranma as a woman loves a man, not as a sister
loves
a brother.

This in itself did not bother Ryoko, but she knew that Ranma would be
leaving soon.  His
ten years were almost up, and Genma would be returning.  Whatever else,
Genma might be,
he was incredibly tenacious when it came to the Art and the traditions of
passing it on
to his heir.

"Go get some rest, Ranma.  You must be exhausted."

"Hey, I feel fine sensei!  I could keep practicing all afternoon!"

(auth note:  When ever one of the tribe is speaking to Ranma inside his
mind,
the dialog will be displayed like this:  <name> *speak*)

<Guardian> *Be that as it may, Ranma, this body does need to rest.*

Ranma: OK, OK, whatever.... I'm gonna go to the springs first and take a
bath.

Ryoko and Ukyou, who were closer to Ranma than anyone else, realized that
a private conversation had just taken place.

Ryoko even went as far as saying, "Thanks, Guardian. Sometimes he doesn't
know
when to stop."

"True."  Guardian said, gaining control of the body.

Ryoko and Ukyou laughed as Ranma, once again in control, sheepishly
scratched
the back of his head.

Suddenly, one of the students, a tall, green-eyed girl, named Katya quickly
approached the trio.

"High Mistress, there is a man at the village gate.  He says he is Ranma's
father."

**********************************
End of part one....

I really don't know if I am going to continue
this...  I have been feeling a bit depressed lately
due to work, writers' block, and my Lap top hard drive
crashing.  So I raided the Sci-Fi section of the local
used book store (reading is my cure to most ailments)
and came up with this idea.