Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma 1/2: The Truth and the Tempest ❯ Aftershocks ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

[Author’s note: The characters and setting herein- with the exception of one or two O.C.’s of my own design- are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. And now, a few translations not included at the end of Chapter 12.

Shingen’s Spirit Purge invokes the names of six elements- Earth or Ground(daichi), Air(tenkuu), Water(mizu), Fire(Kaji), Darkness(kurayami), and Light(hikari). The final invocation at the completion of the Purge translates as Exile or Banishment(tsuihou). These translations were provided via an online English to Japanese translator website; I myself do not know fluent Japanese so if I screw up here and there please forgive me. Martial arts translations are courtesy of The Immortal Shadows, one of my first reviewers, check his work out if you have the time. And now, on with the show.]

Ranma ½: The Truth and the Tempest

Chapter 13: Aftershocks

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Where… where am I?

Ranma felt weightless, almost as if he was floating in cool water. His eyelids parted. There was nothing recognizable in front of him. Or above, below or behind. It even looked like he was surrounded by water; everything was a uniform shade of aquamarine. There was no light filtering in from above, though, nor did he have difficulty breathing. Must be a dream, he thought, glancing down at himself. He seemed to be dressed in his tank top and boxers, and his body was still male.

What happened? Did I pass out or something?

He twisted around to get a better look at his surroundings, but there was nothing. Just blue as far as the eye could see. He had a strange sensation of his body moving downwards.

I don’t get it…

He breathed evenly, trying to recount what had just transpired. He remembered pinpricks of fire all over his body, rapidly becoming a blaze which threatened to boil his blood. He remembered a twisting, tearing sensation as wave after wave of ki coursed through his body, seeming to last for hours before coming to a halt. Then the shouts, the clash of steel on bone, fists on flesh… a sudden wave of fear that had crashed over him. But it wasn’t just his own fear… it felt like Akane was screaming, even though he didn’t actually hear her scream. The words kept rolling over and over, “DON’T LET HER TAKE HIM FROM ME…”

That’s right… that thing that was inside my body. It was fighting back… it wanted to take control again, or kill one or both of us. And it might have, too… took everything I had to get up and face that hellspawn. Felt like my whole body was on fire again… but if I didn’t do somethin’, then Akane… my Mom… maybe more…

The light around him was beginning to darken. He glanced around again, noting for the first time that he was actually feeling cold.

No… no, it’s not cold. It’s more like… like…

He blinked. “Like there’s something that should be here, but isn’t,” he said aloud, the words echoing around him. The light darkened still, becoming more of a bluish-purple, but then something changed. Random patches of white light began to flare up briefly, like borderless globes of light. Ranma twisted around, trying to get a clear look at the lights; his eyes widened as he noticed each orb held a faint image. Images of himself, both in male and female form. Arguments with Akane, usually ending with a slap or a mallet. Kuno, pursuing him to either smite or date him. Shampoo glomping him as he struggled to free himself. Dozens of other images of his rivals and fiancées, some more painful than the others… and then, images of happier times. Again, some contained him as a man, others as a girl. There weren’t very many pleasant images, but a good number of them shared a similar aspect. Akane’s smile.

Then the images were gone, winking out of existence as the shades around him descended to deep purple.

He shuddered. Am I looking at myself from the inside out? Is this… is this the part of me that the curse spirit was lurking in? Is that why it’s so dark… so empty? Was this thing trying to rot me from the inside out… or was it hiding itself in here and now I’m supposed to fill in the gap? Geez, I dunno what this is all about…

A sudden brighter light winked into existence before him, a bluish-white light about the size of a baseball, shaped like a teardrop.

What the… The ambient light stopped getting darker as Ranma’s descent stopped.

>>It is yours now.<<

Ranma’s head whipped around. “Who’s there?” he shouted into the darkness. Moments passed by. Nobody answered. The light stayed in front of him, shimmering like a candle flame.

What am I supposed to do with this thing?

He peered into the depths of the light, trying to make out a shape of some sort. There wasn’t any; the entire ball of light seemed to be in constant motion. Gingerly he stretched a hand out. The light moved closer.

Am I supposed to take the light? Refuse it? What do I do with it?

>>Do with it what you will. The seducer, the controller, no longer has a hand on it. It is yours… no, ours… if you want it.<<

Ranma stared as the light wafted into his outstretched palm and began to grow smaller. It drew together, growing brighter still and gradually congealing into a sliver of light half a foot long and as wide as two of his fingers. One end flared out and split, its ends snaking around until they rejoined; the other end swelled and thrust out several luminescent protuberances. Ranma blinked as he realized the ball of light had turned itself into a glowing blue key.

A sudden flare of more blue light in front of him caught his eye. He looked up and stared, open-mouthed at the sight of what appeared to be, for all intents and purposes, a transparent blue crystal casket. It stood on one end and seemed to ripple and undulate as if made of living glass… or water. It looked to be just a little bigger than Ranma himself, and he could plainly see a keyhole placed dead center on the lid of the casket. For a moment or two he just stared in silence.

Did… did that demon lock something away? he wondered. Is that why everything’s so dark, because that redheaded bitch took something from me? His mind racing, he pushed towards the casket, hoping to find something to give him a clue. As he got closer, a shadow became visible inside the locked coffin. The key began to scintillate with a white light, as did the coffin… and suddenly he gasped.

He was staring at himself… a shorter, red-haired, female version of himself, clad in a tank top and shorts.

Is… is that… my other form?

>>She sealed a part of you away when she bound herself to you… to us… << Ranma blinked as he realized the girl in the casket had opened her eyes and was looking right at him.

“What are… what are you? Are you some part of the demon that got left over or something?”

>>I am no part of what was here. Only part of you…<< Ranma’s eyes widened as he looked closer. The girl within the casket was crying. >>You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to…<< Her words were laced with pure sorrow; she stared through the casket walls with eyes that seemed to beg forgiveness. He felt an ache in his heart, an overwhelming wave of empathy for this strange person who had appeared out of nowhere. There wasn’t any malice about her, none of the attitude he remembered from the succubus. Part of… of me? He stared at her for a long time, putting his left hand against the crystal lid holding her within. He saw her hand rise, pressing against the other side, matching the outline of his own hand. Her lips moved, mouthing a silent plea. Silent as it was, he still thought he heard something.

>>Please don’t hate me… <<

Ranma couldn’t tell what it was about her. Maybe it was the fact that he’d dealt with assuming the exact same body for more than a year every time he got soaked. Maybe it was in her eyes- steel blue, like his own eyes. It could very easily have been the position she was in, or the look on her face. All he knew was a sudden need to know. Was this something produced by the cursed spring, or something else? Something he’d been hiding… maybe pushed to the side by the curse or who knows what?

He felt his right hand rising. He saw the key in his fingers approach the lock. I don’t know what this is all about, but I can’t just pass over something like this. I want to know more… and I… I can’t leave her in here. Gods, I feel like I wanna cry myself just looking at her…

The key turned in the lock. The light within the casket intensified as the lid cracked and split. Ranma stared in awe… and suddenly he knew. He didn’t know how, or why, but he knew.


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


“I’m not quite sure what he just went through, but it looks like he’s had quite a hard time. Physically he seems okay, pulse steady, but his aura looks to be in rough shape.”

“Indeed, sonny, but it seems he’s well on the way to recovery already. In my long years, I’ve met few people with the resiliency and toughness of young Ranma here.”

Dr. Tofu nodded, pressing several therapeutic pressure points on Ranma’s forehead. They were in his bedroom, Ranma lying face up on his futon, covered from the waist down by a thin blanket. The doctor was on one side of him, Cologne on the other. Nodoka and Shingen stood near the doorway. “I’m still a little curious as to what exactly happened, all I know is that Tendo-san called the clinic in a panic, something about all hell breaking loose in his backyard.”

“That’s just about what happened,” said Akane from where she sat by Ranma’s knees. “I don’t think any of us expected his curse treatment to turn out the way it did.”

“Curse treatment?” Tofu asked, blinking. “You mean his Jusenkyo curse?”

“Indeed,” said Cologne, casting a trained eye over Ranma’s unconscious body, focusing on his aura. “The fellow over there in the leather jacket apparently knew something about the springs that even I was not aware of, and set his mind to do something about it.” She looked up. “I must say, I wasn’t expecting to hear about the results of your treatment for a while longer yet, young man. Though I certainly saw the results clear as day; do you know that ki pillar that erupted from the backyard could be seen all the way down at the Neko Hanten?”

“I suspected as much when you turned up, Honored Elder,” Shingen replied with a smirk. “Unless Tendo-san phoned you at the same time he phoned the good doctor here.”

The door to the room slid open and Shampoo slipped in quietly. Akane looked up, grimacing for a second before noticing the look of timidity on the purple-haired girl’s face, something she never thought she’d see in her life. It brought back fresh memories of their earlier confrontation, how distraught she had been then, and Akane’s expression softened quickly.

“Is Ranma ok?” she asked, kneeling next to Akane.

“I think so; it wasn’t a very pleasant experience, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to be alright,” Akane said, looking up at his sleeping face. A slight smile flickered across his lips, prompting her to smile as well. I hope you won’t have to deal with that voice anymore…

“Shampoo glad. Great-grandmother tell what wrong with Ranma… that spring make Ranma feel bad things. That maybe other springs do same… ” She looked up into Akane’s eyes, contrition plastered across her face- with a hint of fear. “Is… Is Akane still mad about this morning?”

Akane blinked, then shook her head. “No… not really. I guess I probably would’ve reacted the way you did if someone tried to take him away from me… well, maybe not quite the same, but I might have reacted nonetheless.” She reached over and took Shampoo’s hand in her own. “I’m not saying I’m not still upset about what happened. But I’m not mad at you.”

Shampoo nodded. “Please… Akane forgive Shampoo for stupid mistake?”

Akane paused a moment, then smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. “Sure. I’m pretty tired of all this bad blood anyway. Truce?” The Chinese girl nodded, but before she could respond there was a terrific cacophony in the hall outside.

“Shampoo, I’ve been looking all over the house for you! Is it true, did Saotome manage to dispel his curse?” A loud whack echoed in the corridor, accompanied by the sound of Mousse groaning and staggering back and forth.

“Watch the hands, buddy,” growled the unmistakable Ice Queen tone of Nabiki. A second later, her head poked into the room. “Somebody better take the walking weapon rack and put him someplace he won’t cause any damage. That’s three times so far he thought he was talking to someone else, and the second time he’s tried to hug me.” Shampoo groaned, quickly excusing herself so that she could drag the blind half-duck downstairs; Nabiki turned her attention back to the room. “So, how’s your little party going?”

“I’d hardly call this a party, Nabiki-chan,” said Shingen from his post at the door. “The Elder, the doctor and myself just wanted to be sure he’s in stable condition. We’ve been examining his aura for some time now.”

Dr. Tofu nodded, adjusting his glasses. “There do appear to be a few irregularities, but he seems to be recovering well. Of course, I never really examined him closely enough to note the effect of his curse, so I wouldn’t be sure of what to look for. I think it might be a good idea for him to stay home from school tomorrow, just to make sure there aren’t any lasting effects.”

“Well, when you’re done ogling him in his sleep, you might as well come down and join us for dinner. Kasumi really outdid herself tonight.”

“Ka… Kasumi?” Tofu stammered, glasses glazing over almost instantly. “Well, what a pleasant surprise! I wasn’t expecting her to be here, of all places…” Nabiki quickly grabbed the lovestruck doctor and dragged him out of the room, flashing a sly grin at Akane and Nodoka as she did so. Akane shot Nabiki a dirty look. Nodoka just shook her head.

“Hmmmm… yes, this is most encouraging,” said Cologne, prompting the others to glance in her direction. “Ranma’s aura appears to be a bit weak, but stable. I can’t see any evidence of outside influence, or any of the spirit binds I’ve noticed in Shampoo or Mousse. From everything I‘ve been able to see, it would appear his curse has been lifted.”

Akane gasped. “It worked? It really, truly worked?”

“Not quite.”

Everyone’s head whipped around and stared at Shingen, who took a few steps forward and knelt next to Ranma’s body.

“There’s something about his aura that doesn’t look right.”

Cologne stared. “I beg your pardon?”

“Your forgiveness, Elder, but you’re not seeing his aura through a Hunter’s eyes. You’re seeing it the way you’ve trained to see, and while you undoubtedly see much, there are certain telltale signs that my bloodline knows to look for. I’ve been fighting these beasts for a long time; it’s almost second nature to me.”

Akane’s face fell. “Are you saying there’s still something wrong with him? I thought that Spirit Purge of yours was supposed to take care of his problem! If the curse was because of that demon inside him, once she went up in smoke he should’ve been okay, right?”

“Theoretically, yes, the Purge should have cleansed his aura and removed all trace of the infection. However…”

“What do you mean, theoretically?” asked Nodoka calmly, but with a hint of ice.

“I’ve only ever performed the Spirit Purge on inanimate objects before, not anything that was living,” said Shingen. “But please, listen to me. For all intents and purposes, the ritual did do what it was intended for; I’ve been examining his aura since before the doctor and the Elder, and the infection has dissipated. I haven’t been able to see any trace of demonic energy within him, and the disruptions in his mental patterns appear to have subsided as well.”

Akane blinked. “So what’s the problem?”

“Something was left behind.” He rested a hand on Ranma’s forehead and concentrated. “The transformation aspect… it’s still a part of his energy patterns.”

“What?!?”

“Please, let me finish, Akane.” He stood up, turning so he could look at both Akane and Nodoka at the same time. “Under normal circumstances, it should have been expelled from his body along with the infestation that caused it. I performed that ritual letter-perfect; there were no interruptions, no fluctuations in ki, no slip-ups whatsoever. Both of you saw the demon emerge, you saw it fall. The fact that I underestimated the succubus’ power aside, everything went like clockwork. So how do we explain the fact that a transformational wave pattern is still present in his aura? Especially when it doesn’t appear to have the same sort of spirit bindings that would suggest a curse-demon’s presence? You said so yourself, Elder Cologne, those bindings aren’t present in his aura.”

Cologne nodded, a look of concern crossing her face. “Yes, that’s true, but if that is the case… then something must have happened before this ritual of yours, something that might have engrained the pattern into his aura.” She peered at Ranma much closer than before, and her eyes widened. “Yes… yes, I think I see what you mean; the pattern is still there. But what could have bound it to him like this…”

“Could it have to do with how often he transformed?” Nodoka asked, remembering the number of times she had encountered ‘Ranko and Mr. Panda’, and silently cursing the fear that had prompted him to hide in that manner.

“That might have something to do with it, Nodoka-san,” Shingen replied. “It’s also possible that it was because of interference by another form of magic; didn’t he say something about getting locked into his cursed form?”

Akane paled. “That was back when that fiasco with Herb happened,” she said quietly.

Cologne gasped. “The Chisuitton water… that’s right, he was bound in his other form and couldn’t change back without the power of the Kaisufuu.” Great spirits above, can’t anything go right for this boy? Curse that damnable Musk prince!

“Then it’s possible the transformation pattern somehow got embedded into him during that period,” Shingen continued. “However, this is all just hypothesis; however it happened, the point is his alternate form still appears to be a part of him. The demon that introduced and brought out the metamorphosis, on the other hand, is not.”

“So you’re saying my son still has to put up with changing forms against his will, even after removing the cause of it all?” Nodoka asked in a shaky voice, moving to sit beside him opposite Akane.

“No, that isn’t what I’m saying, Nodoka-san. I’m saying that the presence that would have eventually affected his mind has been dispelled, and with it, the trigger for inducing the change.” He took a deep breath. “The disruption in his aura was what caused him to morph at the touch of cold water. That disruption was induced by the presence of that thing I purged from him not long ago. It’s gone. The disruption is gone. That means there is no external trigger remaining.”

There was a long pause as three women looked at Shingen carefully. Nodoka pursed her lips in thought. Cologne tapped her cane, a slow smile beginning to emerge on her face. Akane looked confused.

“No external trigger?” Akane asked. “Wait, hold on a moment, what does all this mean?”

“It means I’m in control…”

Akane’s and Nodoka’s eyes widened at the hoarse voice that reached their ears. Turning their heads, they saw Ranma leaning up slightly, his eyes bloodshot but a small smirk on his face.

“Ranma?” Akane said softly. “Are you okay?”

He looked at her, nodding his head almost imperceptibly. “Feels like I got hit by a truck though…”

“Looks like it a little, sonny,” Cologne chuckled. “I heard you got into a bit of a scrape this evening.”

“Yeah… had ta pick a fight with something that was using my brain for batting practice.” He laughed slightly, wincing as he did so. “How long was I out?”

“Almost an hour, my friend,” said Shingen as he crossed the room and knelt near Ranma’s head. “Looks like the fight finally got to you.”

“Eh, wasn’t that big a deal.” Ranma paused, then looked at everyone a bit more seriously. “I heard what you were saying… an’ I’m not sure, but I think I heard Doc Tofu in here earlier.”

“Yeah, he just went downstairs with Nabiki,” said Akane. She looked at him, pressing her fingers together awkwardly. “So… you heard us talking about the curse…”

“I did.”

“I wasn’t expecting it to turn out this way,” said Shingen. “I’m sorry, that Purge should have got everything that was affecting your aura…”

“Shingen… it ain’t that big a deal.” Ranma brought himself slowly onto his elbows with a grunt. “I sorta knew about it even before I heard ya talking. I’m not real sure if it was some kinda dream, or whatever… but I think I’ve figured it out.” He took a deep breath. “I was never in control of it before; it was the spirit or whatever it was that made me into a water magnet. It wouldn’t let me have any say in the matter, no chance to decide for myself if I was going to change or not. But now it’s gone. It doesn’t have any say over what form I take.

“I still don’t have a damn clue why part of it stayed behind… other than at some point or another, I guess I subconsciously stopped caring. It’s not like I wanted another body, or that I liked bein’ a girl, it was just there. Just another part of me to come to terms with. Who knows, maybe it even has somethin’ to do with that whole weird Yin-Yang philosophy, ’bout how everyone has both a male an’ female side to them, I dunno. Never understood that concept anyway… all I do know is before, I couldn’t deal with it. And now I can.”

Nodoka blinked. “What do you mean, Ranma?”

Ranma sat up a bit more, then hesitated. “I… I’ll try and show ya, Mom, but promise me first that you won’t think any less of me for what I’m about to do.”

Her eyes widened for a moment before she nodded in agreement. “Of course, son. Please, show me.” Great Kami, even now he’s still afraid of my disapproval… Her trail of thought rapidly ground to a halt in reaction to what she saw next. Ranma pulled on his tank top and closed his eyes for a moment; a ruddy orange glow enveloped his body, and before the eyes of everyone in the room, his body shimmered and distorted, re-molding itself into the form of a short red-haired girl. There was an audible gasp as he- now she- glanced around for a few seconds, then repeated the process in reverse. Black hair quickly replaced red and he breathed deeply.

“That’s what I mean. It’s not really a curse anymore… just a part of me. Somethin’ I can do. I’m in control now.”

Cologne’s grin widened. “I’d begun to suspect this might have happened when he said the trigger was gone. You may not be completely rid of your other body, but now you can shift at will! My word, I haven’t seen something like this in at least two hundred years!”

Shingen folded his arms and nodded. “At the very least, you shouldn’t have to worry about changing against your will or getting assaulted by the infection anymore. That‘s the important thing.” Strange… when I called him a shapeshifter during our first meeting, I didn’t expect it to actually ring true!

“Yeah, and now you won’t have to worry about getting splashed in public, or not being able to get hot water,” added Akane with a smile of her own. Just then a loud clatter echoed from downstairs, followed by an incessant quacking sound.

“Oh, good heavens, what has that boy gone and done now?” Cologne grumbled. “I’m sorry, as much as I’d like to stay I think I’d better make sure he isn’t causing a ruckus downstairs. Shampoo might be able to catch him, but gods know that blind fool can wiggle out of tighter grips.”

“I think I’ll join you, Elder; I might as well check their auras while they’re here, make sure their own infections haven’t spread since I saw them earlier,” said Shingen. Cologne pogoed out of the room; Shingen nodded to the others before heading out himself.

A moment passed before any of the three remaining occupants said anything.

“I know it ain’t exactly the kind of cure you were hoping for, but…” Ranma started to say in a low voice, but was cut off by Nodoka clasping his hand and looking at him with moist eyes.

“Son, it doesn’t matter to me what kind of cure this was. It never mattered to me; the person it should have mattered the most to is you. And don’t you dare think that I would think any less of you because of your condition; it’s the person inside that matters the most to me, not what’s outside. I only wish I could have told you that so much sooner… and I wish you hadn’t had to fear meeting me when you were first cursed. I’m so sorry, Ranma…” She drew him into a hug, which he quickly returned. “I’m sorry I ever doubted your masculinity… and I’m sorry that damnable contract made you feel like you had to hide from me.”

“I… I just didn’t think you could bear having a son who… who was both a guy and a girl… I thought I’d be lettin’ ya down…”

“Don’t say that, son, and please don’t ever think that. Even if you hadn’t turned out the way you have, you’re my only child and I love you with all my heart. I could never truly bring myself to harm you; I only agreed to that contract because I thought it would keep your father in line… and also to give myself hope that I would see you again someday.” She wiped an errant tear away with her sleeve.

“You don’t have to apologize for what’s happened, Ranma. It wouldn’t even matter to me if you couldn’t control it; you are who you are inside, and who you are is my son… my son who has become so much more than I could ever hope for. Who you are on the outside… it just doesn’t matter.”

“That goes for me too, you know,” Akane added as she edged closer to him, wincing slightly from the bruises she’d received in the fight. “I told you as much a bunch of times, Ranma… besides, I guess you really wouldn’t be you without your girl half.” She giggled, prompting a smirk and then laughter from both Ranma and Nodoka.

“Yeah, well now I got an easier way ta cope with the whole shebang,” Ranma replied. “Not really sure if I’m gonna do anything with it… but at least I’m not hearin’ that damn voice in my head. That’s what really scared me the most, that I was gonna lose it completely… maybe wind up hurtin’ a bunch of people I didn’t want to.” He looked up at them both. “I guess that’s all that really mattered, not whether or not I was still stuck with this.”

Nodoka smiled. “I don’t know if I have the words to tell you how proud I am, son. I’ve seen more tonight than I ever could have imagined; I can’t even begin to think what else you may have faced.” She slipped a hand inside her kimono.

“Mom? What’re you doing?”

“Something I should have done a long time ago,” she replied in a voice verging on tears. Ranma’s eyes widened, as did Akane’s, as Nodoka withdrew her copy of the seppuku contract from inside her kimono. Both watched in silence as she glared at the folded paper in her hands, then carefully and deliberately tore it to pieces. “Do what you want with what’s left; burn it, throw it away, anything. I never want to see it again; I wish I’d never signed it in the first place. And please, son… never forget that I love you, and that nothing you do could ever change that. You truly have become a man among men…” Tears fell freely as she drew Ranma back into her embrace.

“I’m sorry I stayed away so long, mom,” Ranma choked, tears of his own beginning to fall. “I love you too… always have…” The two clung to each other just as tightly as they had when they were first reunited, and it wasn’t long before Akane was drawn into the hug as well, adding her own tears to the mix. Ranma didn’t even bother to remember his old axiom, guys don’t cry, and Nodoka didn’t seem to notice or care.

They really needed this, Akane thought to herself, smiling as she felt Ranma‘s left arm wrap around her shoulder. Hell, I think we all needed this. Gods, we’ve put up with so much badness up until now, it’s about time something good started to come of this. I never thought Auntie Nodoka would tear that thing up before Ranma and I were married… then again, there’s so many things I never thought a few days ago. We finally admitted what we mean to each other, his curse got turned into something manageable- even if I can’t for the life of me figure out how- and the Amazons are off our worry list, too! She snuggled closer to her fiancé, realizing that this was probably the happiest she’d ever felt since she and Ranma had first become engaged. It’s not over yet by a long shot, I know… but you’re right, Ranma. It’s gonna be alright.

They might have stayed in their embrace for the better part of the evening if Ranma’s stomach hadn’t growled. Each of them opened their eyes, smirked, and started laughing again.

“Um… sorry ‘bout that,” Ranma said sheepishly. “Kinda killed the mood there…”

Akane shook her head, smiling. “It’s okay; I think we could all use a little something right now.” Her own stomach growled in response, prompting a blush and some more laughter. “Do you think you can make it downstairs, or do you want to eat up here?”

Ranma pushed himself out from under the covers. “I’m not so wiped out; I think I can make it to the dinner table,” he chuckled as he staggered to his feet. Two seconds later, his knees gave out and he found himself being held up by Akane and his mother.

“Um… well, maybe I could use a little help standing…”

Akane giggled. “Come on, dummy, let’s go join the others.” He nodded, and the three of them shuffled their way out into the upstairs hall. Downstairs, they could just make out the sounds of dinner about to be served, accompanied by the occasional quack or the growl of a panda. Thankfully, there were no cat’s meows echoing up the stairs; apparently one person had managed to avoid the water jug Mousse had knocked over.

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


That same night at Ucchan’s was not a happy one. The doors were shut tight, and a large red ‘closed’ sign was prominently displayed. The grill was cold, and had been for the better part of the day. Every once in a while someone would come up to the doors and knock, hoping someone might answer and explain why the restaurant wasn’t open for business, and hadn’t been since noon the previous day. Nobody ever answered.

Ukyo sat on the floor, her back against the wall with her chin resting on her knees. Nearby, several chairs had been overturned, but no furniture was actually broken. Her gaze passed over the main dining area, stopping on one part of the wall that was bristling with several dozen of her mini throwing spatulas. If one had been in the room and looked, they would have seen two photographs pinned to the wall, with at least six spatulas embedded in each one. The faces in each photo were gouged to the extent that neither one was recognizable unless someone removed the spatulas and took a closer look. One would also have noticed that Ukyo’s eyes were puffy and red, a natural reaction to the tears she had shed that day.

“I’m a fool…” she whispered, letting go of her knees and standing up; she grabbed the nearest table as her feet decided they didn’t want to work properly. “I’ve wrecked everything. What was I thinking? I could’ve really hurt someone with those stupid okonomiyaki bombs, and I went and used ‘em anyway… and for what? To make Ranchan mine alone by force?” A fresh tear ran down her face. “Is… is that really what I’ve been doing this whole time… who am I kidding, of course that’s what I was doing. I tried charm, that didn’t work… I tried my cooking skills, that didn’t work… I even tried plotting with the others, gods know that didn’t work!” She stared at the table as his words rang in her mind again. Love is not a friggin’ dog collar, like you seem to think. It’s something you give, not something you take by force…

“Yeah… and there I was, trying to push him one way instead of just letting it happen. And… and it wasn’t going to happen, either. He never saw me as anything more than a friend, didn’t get flustered when Tsubasa made advances on me, or Konatsu either.” She shook her head, remembering how she had just ejected Tsubasa forcefully that morning, mailbox disguise and all, before setting off to find Ranma and try to clear the air. Konatsu had wandered off somewhere after Ukyo had begged him to leave her be for the day.

“All you were was a friend, weren’t you Ranchan? You didn’t know about our dads’ arrangement, hell you didn’t even know I was a girl… and when you did find out, you didn‘t want to hurt me or drive me off… and I… I…” She glared up at the wall covered in spatulas, then stomped over and began ripping the weapons off the wall. Metal clattered to the ground in waves before she reached her targets- a photo of Genma, and one of her own father.

“This is all your fault!” she screamed at the pictures. “Ten years… ten whole years of my life wasted because of some stupid deal you two made!” She grabbed the ragged photo of Genma and crumpled it to pieces. “All you cared about was scamming my old man and making off with the yatai, didn’t you? You didn’t care about me, you didn’t care about my friendship with Ranchan, all you cared about was your damn appetite!! And you had the gall to put the blame on his shoulders; we were just six years old, we didn’t know what the hell was going on!” She dropped the photo and grabbed the other one, of her father. “And you… you… you never really wanted me in the first place, did you? Naming me with a boy’s name, dressing me like one, putting me through training hell after they left… all you cared about was our damn family honor. You stole my childhood from me, dad! You never gave me a chance to think about anything else except revenge, the blood feud! Well, look where it got me! I tried my damnedest, and not only have I lost Ranma as a fiancé, I may have lost him as a friend too! Is that what you wanted? Huh?? IS IT, DAD???”

She collapsed to her knees in the middle of the restaurant, her hands shaking as she crushed the photo.

“I knew it all along, too… I knew how much he felt for Akane, even if I didn’t understand it. Anyone could’ve seen it… I just never accepted it.” She drew in a long, sobbing breath. “Lost the fight before I even started… and for what? Honor? Your approval, dad? Reassurance that I wasn’t someone you never wanted in the first place?”

She took another breath, wiping her eyes and staggering back to her feet.

“Fine. I don’t care anymore. You want to care more about a blood feud than your own family, then to hell with you, dad. I don’t need you. I’ve got my own business now, my own life. I don’t need your consent or approval to run my own life from now on! Disown me if you want, I’m not gonna turn into a monster!” Ukyo crumpled what remained of the photo into pieces before striding across the dining area and into the kitchen. Once there, she barged up the stairs to her tiny apartment and collapsed on her bed, sobbing into her pillow.

“I’m so sorry, Ranchan… please don’t hate me… I don’t want to be alone, I still want to be your friend… you’re the only one I’ve got left now. It’s not your fault, it’s my fault… too blind to see what was there all along… too stupid to be happy with what we had… I’m sorry…”

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


As night fell, the residents of the Tendo household gradually began to feel the need for sleep. The afternoon’s activities had begun to seriously take their toll on both Ranma and Akane, and they were in dire need of a good night’s rest. Cologne and Shingen talked for some time on some additional suppression techniques in the event that Shampoo’s curse began to override her, or Mousse’s overcame him. Both were in agreement that wherever Ryoga was, they needed to find him as soon as possible, and Cologne promised to look into divination techniques once the sun was up. Shampoo wished everybody good night, apologizing once again to Akane before leaving; Mousse did likewise, only once mistaking a lamp for somebody else. Dr. Tofu, to everyone’s amazement, had become rather lucid and sensible halfway through dinner and wished everybody a gracious good night- not freezing up even once when Kasumi wished him a good evening and kissed him on the cheek politely.

“Pressure point,” Cologne had whispered to Ranma and Akane. “Poor doctor didn’t even know he suffers from love-induced hysterical blindness; when he found out, he asked if I had a remedy. It’s only a temporary fix, mind you, until he overcomes his nervousness naturally.” Both of them had nodded and smiled inwardly. Before long, everything was more or less back to normal- with the exception of the ten minute celebration Genma had thrown, drinking himself silly and singing, “It works! It works! No more Mr. Panda for me!!!” Nabiki had promptly groaned and disappeared into her room to do her homework. Kasumi and Nodoka set about cleaning up after dinner- once they had ordered an exhausted Ranma back to bed and found a cold pack for some of Akane’s larger bruises. Both of them were quite happy that Dr. Tofu had written a note excusing both of them from school the next day; neither one was in the mood to do homework and Ranma was still having trouble staying on his feet. No one, however, could shake the smile off of his face.

In one room, Shingen sat quietly as he drew a calligraphy brush over a new roll of parchment.

So there is a possibility for a lingering effect to remain once the Purge is complete, he thought. I still don’t know what caused it, but at the very least he seems to be accepting it well. Perhaps living with it as long as he did gave him a chance to cope, even if he’s not overly fond of it. He smirked as he recalled something Ranma had said over dinner- something about incorporating it into his fighting style. While obviously not a fan of remaining in a female body, his other form was smaller and faster, and if he could now control his transformation, he could adapt to whatever the situation required, be it strength or speed. Its potential for confusing opponents was high as well, not to mention the potential for slipping or breaking out of bonds or ropes.

“Think maybe I can call it the Anything Goes Metamorphosis Technique,” he had quipped.

He’d probably be the only one able to use that technique, Shingen thought. The brush continued to move across the parchment.

There’s still something else, though. But it’s too soon to tell just yet. I’ll have to watch both of them very closely from now on; until I’m certain, I can’t tell either him or Akane about the other thing I noticed. If it is what I think it is, however, then this could be beyond anything they were ever expecting… or anything I had expected. Still, it was just a brief flicker in their auras. Possibly just a coincidence.

Then again… I can’t deny what I saw them both do in that battle.

Those were things you can’t just learn. If he really pulled off the Jinrai Tekken, and she manifested the Makoto Toku…

I’d best inform Father of this at once.

To Be Continued…

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

Author’s note: While I did mention at the end of last chapter that Ryoga’s condition would be mentioned, I’m afraid I was unable to make good on it herein. Believe me, we will be getting back to the lost boy shortly, it’s just taken a lot more time than I thought it would. And to all my readers, thanks again and keep those reviews coming in. Until next time.

-Neon Ronin
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