[Ranma/Tenchi][FanFic] The Girl Who Wasn't and the Princess Who Was 1-4

[Darwin Cruz]

The Girl who wasn't and the Princess who was
Continuation

Pug Productions
**************************
Author: Pug
cr...@rpi.edu
http://www.rpi.edu/~cruzd/pug/pug.html
**************************

Insert standard disclaimer here: A fan fiction
based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2.
The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the property of
Takahashi Rumiko and her licensees. All characters
portrayed in this story are owned by their
respective creators and companies. I don't own any
of them. Please don't sue me.

Genra: Ranma/Tenchi Muyo Alternate Reality,
cross-over.

Version notes:

Ver: 1.00 created: July 7 1999

Ver: 1.25 Major grammar corrections. Major
spelling corrections. Addition of Spam.
(What is Spam? Spiced Ham? I think not!)
Special thanks to Chad Walker for proof
reading.

C&C 12/7/99 - 14/7/99 (dd/mm/yy)
Chad Walker,csw...@hotmail.com(main)
csw...@mail.austasia.net (FFML /
alternate)

Ver: 1.30 Minor grammar corrections.

Ver: 1.99 Final revision. Better word wrap.
Completed July 28 1999

Summary: Ranma is finally free of the fiancee mess
and in a quest to find his cure stumbled upon a
place called the Masaki shrine. There he meets a
young pretty girl named Achika Masaki.

The Girl who wasn't and the Princess who was.

Chapter 1.

It was a peaceful night at the Tendo residence.

Alone in the dojo, Ranma sat enjoying the
moment which was all too rare. Given an hour ago,
anyone passing by would have heard the yells and
screams of 'tomboy' and 'pervert'. And who could
forget the resounding battle cry of 'Ranma no Baka!'

It was another fight, just like the others
in a long string of never ending mayhem. Ranma
shook his head, which had yet another lump in it
thanks to 'Mallet-sama'. And that was the problem.
In over the past year of staying in the Tendo home,
he and Akane were still fighting as if he had just
gotten there the day before.

"Nothing changes..." he sighed. It had
been two months since the failed wedding attempt.
He had hoped that with such a drastic event,
everyone would finally see things in focus and
realize that things had just gone too far. He had
also hoped against hope that Ukyou, Shampoo, and
Kodachi would finally give up on him, and that Akane
and he could finally come to an understanding.

"If only she wasn't so jealous, and short
tempered, and could cook, and..."

Things seemed to look better the first week
after the wedding. Both Shampoo and Ukyou had
apologized for the destruction they caused. Akane
had even stopped hitting him. But paradise didn't
last; and then things got back to 'normal'.

The bickering, the arguing, the rivalries,
all of it came back in full force. He had forgiven
everyone for all the trouble that they had caused,
and everyone took it as a sign to resume what they
had been doing before. Shampoo was back to her
'glomp of death', his father and Mr. Tendo were
again hounding him about the engagement, and Akane
was once more sending him on those one way trips
into the great blue yonder.

Ukyou had come by that afternoon. Before
she left, Ukyou had dropped off one of her specials
for him. As luck would have it Akane came home just
in time to run into the 'cute' fiance. Seeing the
package, the inevitable argument began. It ended
with his foot in his mouth and Akane's mallet on his
head.

And that brought him back to the present.

"The Kami must hate me!" He groaned feeling
the dull ache in his head.

"A yen for your thoughts Ranma?" a voice asked.

Facing the direction from where the voice
came, Ranma saw its source. "Hi mom."

The handsome woman looked at her son fondly.
Nokoda, matriarch of the Satome clan was dressed in
her usual kimono and the ever-present Saotome family
blade was strapped to her back.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked
taking a seat in the dojo next to him.

"I'm just trying to figure out why my life
is so messed up." He said.

"Oh, is that all." Nodoka said smiling.

"You think I'm being silly don't you?"

"Not at all dear. But the way you put it,
it seems that the weight of the world is on your
shoulders." (1)

"Well it feels like it. "

"Is it because of the argument that you and
Akane had? My son these things happen..."

"But they've been happening for the past
year now. After all we've gone through, Akane and I
are still at each other's throats. Then there's
Ukyou and Shampoo. They're still after me. They
just don't give up. And I don't even want to
mention Kodachi. If any or all of them ever get
together everything just explodes. "

Ranma frowned. "Things have gotten so out
of hand. I just don't know what do any more. It's
like my life is a leaking roof. I have one drip
coming down so I get a bucket to catch the water.
But when I get there another drip pops up. When I
get a bucket for that, two more appear and it just
keeps going from there. I can't keep up anymore and
I'm all out of buckets."

Nokoda had never seen this side of her son
before. He was best known for his brashness, and
arrogance. Ranma's tenacity, his refusal to give up
in front of any odds was his trademark. But what
Nokoda heard now, the tone in his voice. It
conveyed the loneliness and despair within his
heart.

Doing only what a mother could do, she held
him close to her and gently rocked him. "I never
knew Ranma, I never knew..." Nodoka cursed herself.
Her dreams, which she shared with Genma of joining
the two families had blinded her from her son's
pain. She had only the best intentions, wishing
that Ranma have a good wife by his side as he walked
the road of life. She had become quite fond of
Akane during her time with the Tendos. With the
wedding, her wishes were almost realized. But with
that disaster, and now this... Her eyes were now
open.

"Thanks mom, I needed that." He quickly
wiped his eyes. 'Crying was un- manly', he reminded
himself.

"Ranma, tell me something." Nodoka spoke.
"What do you want to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just wanted to know. If you could do
anything you wanted. What would it be?"

"I-I don't know..." He frowned. "What do
you want me to do mom? I'll do what ever you want."

"Oh, Ranma." She let out a rich laugh.
"You are my treasure, and I am so proud that you are
my son. I know that, that which you hate most is to
see those whom you care about hurt. But I
understand now that you can't live your life based
on the wishes of others."

"Mom..."

"Now close your eyes. That's right. Clear
your mind. Forget about the engagements, the
fights, and the problems. Think about what you
want, Ranma. Look deep in your heart. What is it
that you wish with your life?"

With his eyes shut, Images flashed through
his mind. Akane smiling at him. Ukyou fixing him
an okonomiyaki, even fighting with Ryoga. The
pictures jumbled in his mind. Then one by one they
faded away leaving only one image. It was what 'he'
wanted.

"I... I want to find a cure for my curse,"
he said simply.

"I know your feelings for the other girls,
but what about Akane? I know that you care for her
the most, though you still wish to hide it."

"I care about her a lot... but I don't want
to get married yet. At least not that way I am now.
When I do get married I don't want any one forcing
me to do so, and I want to be cured. And maybe then
it might be her..."

Nodoka nodded her head. "I'm glad to hear
you make your own decisions now. You've grown to be
a fine young man. Is it any wonder why the girls
chase you so?"

"Well, what good does it do me? You know
how Pop and Mr. Tendo feel about the engagement.
And besides, that family honor is at stake also. I
can't leave my responsibility. I'm right back where
I started. Nothing changes..." He sighed in
resignation.

Nokoda studied her son, her expression
serious. In a few moments she had come to a
decision. The hardest decision that she had to ever
make. But her mind was clear. 'Sometimes you just
had to let go of the things you love most'

"Don't be too sure of that Ranma. To live,
is to embrace change."

"I guess..." he said, unconvinced.

From the house Kasumi's voice could be
heard. "Everyone, dinner is ready."

"Ranma." Nodoka spoke, stopping her son
from getting up. "Sit with me for a while longer.
We rarely get to be together like this." 'And these
times will get rarer still' she thought to herself.

"Sure mom, I'd like that too."

****----***----****

"Another excellent dinner, Kasumi" Genma
said patting his paunch.

"Just like your dear mother use to make!"
Soun seconded, suppressing a sob.

"Thank you Mr. Saotome. Thank you father."
Kasumi said getting up. "Would anyone like some
more tea?"

"Kasumi dear, could you sit down for a
moment? Every else please remain seated. I have an
announcement to make," Nodoka said.

All eyes turned to the older woman with
interested looks. Ranma raised an eyebrow. After
their talk at the dojo, his mother had been
unusually quiet. Barely making conversation at the
dinner table, only to approve of Kasumi's meal.
Even as he had fought his father over the meal for
the pieces of food, he read a troubled expression on
her face which no one else seemed to notice.

"What's up mom?" He asked a bit warily.

"Ranma, this evening when we talked at the
dojo, I finally understood what you are facing and
the stress it has put on you. What was once a
time-honored tradition of engaging your child to
another in hopes of bettering their lives, has
turned into a circus. The multiple fiances, the
bitter disputes, and the curses have brought nothing
but chaos and destruction into your life. The
failed wedding is proof of this." She paused to
glare at her husband.

Genma who was sitting Nodoka was beginning
to sweat. His eyes darted around the room looking
for quick exits for an escape.

Nodoka continued. "In trying to do what was
best for my son, I made the mistake of neglecting to
ask him what he thought what was best for him. I
plan to remedy this mistake. Tonight I asked my son
what 'he' wanted. I had judged him as a man, and a
man is responsible enough to make his own decisions.
Because of this, I have decided to no longer support
the engagement to the Tendo's, or any of the
engagements that my idiot husband has agreed to."

There was silence as everyone's minds raced
to digest what Nodoka had just said. Both Genma and
Soun looked wide-eyed, disbelieving what they had
heard. Nabaki's eyes narrowed, thinking of the
repercussions that would soon follow. Akane felt a
hollowness grow within her. The hundreds of times
which she had declared of never wanting to marry
Ranma were coming back to haunt her.

Ranma was just as shocked as the rest of the
family. For almost the last two years, his
existence had revolved around the engagement to
Akane. Now the world was being turned upside down.
'Things are changing...'

It was Kasumi who broke the silence. "Oh
my!" And the room exploded.

"The two houses must be joined!" Genma and
Soun echoed

"Why don't you ask Ranma what he wants?"
Nodoka suggested

"It doesn't matter what the boy wants! This
is a matter of honor!" Genma said clenching his
fist in a noble pose.

"Ranma, you do want to marry my daughter
Akane? Don't you?" Soun pleaded. He was on the
verge of bursting into tears.

Ranma glanced back and forth between his
father, Mr. Tendo and his mother. Then he saw
Akane's face.

"Ranma?" the youngest Tendo daughter
questioned. Her expression was void of any emotion.

"Akane, I..." He felt himself faltering.
Then his mother's words came to him. '...you can't
live your life based on the wishes of others.'

"Akane, I don't want to marry you. I'm not
ready for it. I want to do some things for myself
first. Like find a cure for my curse. I'm
sorry..." He turned his face away, and looked down
at the floor.

"I see." she said. Her voice was cracking.
She got up from the table. "Please excuse me
everyone. I-I have some homework I need to
finish..." She quickly ascended the stairs,
hurrying so that no one would see the tears.

"Now the two schools will never be
joined!!!" Soun wailed, as soon as Akane left.

"Chear up Soun!" Genma said consoling his
friend. "Ranma might not marry Akane, but you still
have two other daughters."

The two remaining girls looked at each other.

"Father," Kasumi said.

"Daddy," Nabiki said.

Before either could continue, Nodoka
interjected. "Don't worry yourselves girls. No one
will force you into a marriage you don't want
either. "

They both looked at her gratefully and
quickly excused themselves.

"Genma, I said that I would no longer support the
engagements." She said dangerously.

"But dear, " Genma said, cringing from his
wife. "The honor of the Saotome family is at stake.
The pledge that Tendo and I made stated that our
children would marry to unite the schools. I can
not take back my word. To do so would plunge the
Saotome name into shame."

"And what about the other engagements? Did
you plan on just conveniently forgetting them?

"Well I... er..." Grabbing a glass of
water, he splashed himself. He pulled out his sign
saying <I'm just a cute panda>

Nodoka shook her head wearily. "Genma you
foolish man you. How could you have been so
careless with our son's welfare? Your unthinking
actions have forced my hand." She paused trying to
compose herself.

"So that my son will be free of the
obligations that my husband has unjustly placed on
him, and so that the Saotome honor can be
maintained, I here by disown my son Ranma from the
Saotome clan.

"Mom!" Ranma gasped. A faint "Oh my." Was
heard from upstairs. "Genma! Do something!" Soun
begged. Panda sign. <Nodoka, be reasonable!>

"I'm sorry Ranma, but this is the only way,
" Nodoka said.

"But I don't want to lose you."

"Lose me? No Ranma, you can never lose me.
I have loved you since that day you were born. I
have loved you though we were apart for ten years,
and I shall always love you. Your life is your own
now Ranma. What you make of it is up to you."

"Thank you mother." He gave her a hug.

"That will be the last that you will be able
to call me that Ranma. And this will be that last
time that I can call you my son..."

Giving her a kiss on the cheek, Ranma got up
and ran up the stairs to pack his things.

(-------------------------------------------------)

It was a clear day.

At least it was clear now. A spring shower
had come by earlier, lasting only long enough to
soak a certain martial artist and trigger a certain
curse. Ranma wasn't surprised. She was use to
being a 'water magnet'.

Ranma took a deep breath of the fresh air.
She marched along with a firm stride. She wore her
usual red shirt and ankle tied black pants. She
also carried a massive backpack holding the few
wordily possessions she had.

Sunlight filtered down through the emerald branches
of the trees painting the ground in marble pattern
of light and shade. She enjoyed the quiet solitude
of the forest as she walked.

Three weeks had passed since she had left
the Tendo home. Mr. Tendo was an inconsolable
wreck. Her father seemed no better. She found out
that his mother and father were also moving out of
the Tendo home shortly after her. Nodoka had
decided that they should no longer impose upon the
Tendo's.

She had left on good terms with Kasumi and
Nabiki, both of them wishing her well. Akane wasn't
there to send her off though.

Even now she could see the pain on Akane's
face.

****----***----****

"Akane?" Ranma said speaking to the wooden
duck with Akane's name carved on it. "Akane, it's
me. I... I just wanted to talk. Akane?" He
knocked on the door a few more times.

He took a breath. "Akane, I just wanted to
apologize for everything. The engagement, the
fights... You're not uncute or a tomboy. And your
definitely not built like a brick. I just said
those things to get back at you for the things you
did to me... I'm sorry, Akane. Good-bye," he said.
With a sigh he headed down the stairs.

Just then, the door opened. "Ranma..."

"Akane..." He could tell that she had been
crying.

"You're not a pervert," She said looking at
him. "But you're still a jerk." Forcing a smile.

"And you can't cook." He said returning the
smile. He instantly regretted what he said, seeing
her expression.

"Akane, I didn't..."

"It's all right Ranma..." Sadness showed on
her face.

Ranma saw this and tried his best to console
her. "Akane, you got nothing to worry about now.
Nobody's going to force you to do things any more.
And you don't have to worry about Kodachi and Shampoo
trying to kill you or poison you. Besides, who'd
want to marry a sex changing pervert like me
anyway?" he said jokingly.

Before he could do anything, he found Akane
on top of him. He closed his eyes, expecting a
mallet, for having put his foot in his mouth again.
It never came. Instead he felt something warm and
soft tough his lips.

Akane stepped back breaking the kiss. "I
would have." She said, answering his question.

Ranma stood there dumfounded. "Akane, I...
I..."

"Ranma no baka" Akane said softly. She
turned her face, which was wet with tears. And with
a 'click' her door was closed.

****----***----****

'It's not too late. I could still go
back..." she thought to herself. Ranma felt her
resolve crumble, as Akane's face formed in her mind.
But then another voice spoke within her.

'That part of your life is over. It is time
to move on. Isn't this what you wanted? Freedom?
Change? Will you give up your dreams so easily?'

And then all was clear, the last traces of
uncertainty were banished. She continued her pace
with firm purpose. With that, she closed that
chapter of her life.

Ranma unfolded her map. The most obvious
place to begin his search for a cure would have been
China. This is why that early on she had decided
that it would be the last place she would go to.
She was quite sure that the moment she set foot in
China, she would be facing Shampoo, Cologne, and the
might of the entire Amazon tribe. Once she had
exhausted all his options in Japan, she would
only then consider going to China.

She had already come up with some possible
leads for a cure. While searching in one of the
public libraries, there had been some references to
an old book, which was suppose to have been able to
grant three wishes to the person who found it. It
was called the "Book of Four Gods of the Earth and
Sky".

Another possibility Ranma picked up on was
some information on strange occurrences of Daimons
roaming around Juuban. Battling the daemons were a
group of young girls calling themselves the Sailor
Senshi. Their leader was some chick named Sailor
Moon who had supposedly healed people of Daimon
possession.

The last place on her list of most likely
places was a small holy shrine located in one a
rural regions of Japan. There had been some written
accounts of various people traveling there to pray
for cures for various afflictions. A number of them
were actually healed.

Coming to a decision on which trail to
follow first, Ranma had picked the third one. She
had enough experience with wishes gone wrong, or not
coming out the way the user intended. And her ego
just wouldn't let her go crawling to a bunch of
underdressed girls for help.

'Hmm... I'm pretty close now.' She looked
at the unfolded map on the ground. Judging from
where she was, she guessed that she was only a
little less than twenty miles from her goal. She
was confident that she could get there before the
day was out, with time to spare.

'Thank Kami I'm not like Ryoga. No way in
hell I'd ever find this place.' She carefully
folded up the map, placing it in one of the pockets
of her backpack. Somewhere out there, a certain
martial artist with fangs sneezed. (2)

Checking to make sure that everything was
secure, Ranma started out again. She bounded
through the woods, strong legs carrying her over,
bushes, rocks, and trees as she made her way to the
Masaki shrine. (3)

****----***----****

A faint blush of red touched the afternoon
sky over the Masaki shrine.

Most of the patrons had gone for the day.
And except for a young girl sweeping the steps the
place would have been deserted.

She dressed in a garb befitting that of a
Shinto shrine maiden. Her long black hair was done
up in a ponytail, which reached down her back. With
a morose expression, she swept the ground.

'Nothing changes.' Achika Masaki, daughter
of Katsuhito Masaki, the keeper of the Masaki
shrine, thought to herself. Tending the shrine had
been a routine part of her life ever since she was a
little girl. She had nothing against the traditions
of the shrine, it was just that tradition was so
boring.

It happened every summer as school ended.
While other children enjoyed their vacation with
outings and trips, she spent her time tending the
family shrine. She didn't mind the work though. In
fact she took her responsibilities very seriously.
It was the lack of her friends, which she found
difficult.

The Shrine was located in one of the last
remaining untouched areas of Japan, hidden from the
modern world. Its remote location made visiting
friends difficult at best. Sometimes her friends
did come to visit, staying over for a time. But
there was little at the shrine to keep teenage girls
occupied. Namely, teenage boys.

Achika sighed as she resigned herself to
another vacation of peaceful solitude.

Her peaceful solitude was broken when she
felt a touch on her shoulder.

"Excuse me?" a voice, said.

"Eeep!!!" Achika jumped. She hadn't heard
anyone behind her. She spun around, taking her
broom and gripping it like a sword.

"Ack!" Exclaimed the redheaded girl now in
front of her. She instantly leaned back to avoid
the wild swing of the broom. As she did so, the
massive backpack she carried caused her to lose
balance. With a thump, the redhead fell backwards.

Achika's eyes widened, as her heart got back
to it's normal pace. "Are you all right?" She
asked the prone form in front of her.

"Uuuuggh..." replied the fallen girl
struggling to sit up right.

Achika dropped the broom and was quickly by
the girl's side. "Here, let me help you. I'm sorry
about that. I didn't hear you come up behind me."

"No problem." Said the girl, sitting up.
"It was my fault. I didn't mean to startle ya. I
tried to get your attention before, but ya didn't
hear me."

"I guess I was daydreaming." Achika said
lamely.

"Yeah, I do that a lot too." The redhead
smiled as she stood up.

"Well in any case, welcome to the Masaki
shrine," Achika said bowing. "I'm Achika Masaki, my
father is the priest here." She returned the smile.

"Hi, I'm Ranm... Ranko!" she said
scratching the back of her head. "Pleased to meet
ya! Ya got a very nice place here. I really hope
that it's not customary to attack the visitors."
She said wryly.

Achika found Ranko's laughter contagious.
Soon both of them were laughing. She noticed that
Ranko laughed out loud, with out restraint, like a
boy would. The redhead wore Chinese cloths, which
were a little large though snug enough to show off
her form. And, judging from that large pack she
carried, Ranko was stronger than she looked.

"What brings you to the Masaki shrine?"
Achika inquired.

"Well, I... just wanted to look around and
see what's here. I read about this place in some
books. It seemed very special. I wanted to find
out for myself. Would it be ok if I look around?"

'I could always finish my chores later,'
Achika thought. Besides, she missed being around
others her own age. "How about I show you around,
Ranko?"

"That would be great."

Achika smiled. "Follow me then."

****----***----****

Two girls walked down a dirt trail through
the woods.

"It's very peaceful here," Ranko said.

"Yes, it is." Achika sighed, recalling her
dilemma.

"Is something wrong with that?

"Nothing, I guess, if you like it. But it's
always like that here. Nothing exciting ever
happens. Every year it's the same thing. Just
another peaceful summer."

"Ya won't hear me complaining." Ranko shut
her eyes enjoying the calm.

"So, Ranko, where are you from?"

"Nerima..."

"What's it like there?"

"Pretty hectic. So many things going on at
once that it was hard to keep track of all of them.
It's good to finally get away."

"I guess that saying is true."

"What saying?"

"The grass is always greener..." Achika
laughed.

"I guess so," Ranko said rubbing her chin and
smiling.

"We're here." Achika said after a few more
minutes of walking. She stopped in front of a cave
decorated with wards.

"What is this place?" Ranko asked.
Something about this place caused her some unease.

"This is the demon cave of the Masaki
shrine."

"Demon?"

"Um-hum. It's the legend of how the Masaki
shrine was founded. Almost seven hundred years ago
a demon fell to the earth. It was an evil creature,
large enough to walk over mountains, strong enough
to pick them up and crush them. Its eyes burned
with anger and it shot out fire from its mouth.
Ryoko was its name.

No one could stop it, and it seemed that the
world was fated to be destroyed. But then a warrior
flew down from the heavens, riding a ship in the
shape of a dragon. He carried a sword of light in
hands, and set forth to slay the demon. The
warrior's name was Yosho.

Yosho and Ryoko fought for two days and two
nights. It was on the third day that Ryoko was
finally defeated. Yosho placed the remains of the
demon in this very cave, and sealed the place with
his sword. Since that time, Yosho's descendants
have cared for the shrine. "

"Ahhh..." Ranko said. "Wish I could have
seen the fight."

"It's true!" Achika said defensively. She
thought she was being teased. Her friends had
laughed, the times they had come up to visit her,
when she had told the story. She couldn't blame
them because it did sound like something out of a
fairy tail. But she had been told the tale ever
since she could remember. And the way her father
had told it made it seem all the more real.

"I believe you," Ranko said seriously.
"I... I can feel it. I think it's watching us."

Achika smiled. "Yes, when ever I come here I sense
I'm being watched. When I was a little girl, I
played a game and talked to Ryoko." She walked up
to the mouth of the cave and bowed. "I'm sorry to
disturb you Ryoko. I just wanted to show my friend
around." Achika felt a slight breeze as if in
response.

"Did Ryoko ever talk back to you?" Ranko asked.

"I believe so..."

As they left the cave, Achika caught
something from the corner of her eye. "I'll see you
later, Ryoko," she said softly to the fleeting
image. "Come on, I'll show you the rest of the
place."

"Lead on then," Ranko said cheerfully.

They continued chatting as Achika continued
her tour. Though she had just met Ranko she felt
comfortable talking to the redhead. It was just
easy to talk to her. Ranko's face read like a book.
The sincerity of her expressions conveyed a feeling
of trust, which was usually reserved for close
friends.

But despite her openness, Ranko was still a
bit of an enigma. First of all, what would a girl
like her be doing at the shrine. It just wasn't
something normal girls her age do. 'Heck, I'd
rather be some where else' Achika thought. Second,
whenever the question of family came up, Ranko kept
avoiding the subject, and a hollow expression came
over her. Not wanting to pry, any more Achika
changed the subject.

"So Ranko, what are you interested in?"

"Martial arts," She said simply.

"Really?" Achika said a bit surprised. "My
father practices Kendo, and I know a little bit
myself. What form do you study?"

"All of them," Ranko said brightly.

At first she thought Ranko was joking, but
then she saw the look on her face. "You're not
kidding, are you?"

"Nope. I've been training since I could
walk. Pop taught me a lot of stuff, and I picked up
a few tricks along the way." She demonstrated with
a quick kata.

"Your very good." Achika complimented. Any
doubts she had were gone. Though the kata was a
simple one, Ranko had moved with the grace and
strength of a true martial artist. A master even,
as she compared Ranko's proficiency in the art with
her father's skill in the Masaki style of kendo.

"What's this place?" Ranko asked bringing
Achika out of her thoughts.

"Huh...oh..." Achika found herself in a
familiar area, a small lake of blue water. At the
center was a large tree, decorated with prayer
strips. There were stone steps leading from the
shore to the tree.

"This is the Masaki holy tree."

"Aaahhh!!!" Ranko exclaimed. An excited
look came over the girl's face. "Is it true about
this tree being able to cure people?"

Achika nodded her head. "Yes, there have
been some incidents where people came here to be
healed of one thing or another. Sometimes the
people were healed, and other times they weren't.
It's also said that you can also pray for rain to
the tree also."

"Do you... do you know if the tree can cure
curses?"

"I'm not sure. But I wouldn't be surprised
if it could. It's very special." Then something
came to Achika's mind. "You seem pretty interested
in the tree, Ranko. Is that why you came here? Do
you have something you what to have cured?"

"I... " Ranko shied away from her.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." She apologized upon
seeing Rankos reaction.

"It's ok. But it's something I'd rather not
talk about..."

Achika looked concerned. She remembered how
ill some of the visitors had been. Coming to the
shrine had been their last chance. A desperate
hope.

'What could be wrong with Ranko? Is she
sick? She looks so healthy.' Achika studied the
girl.

"Ranko, my father knows more about the
history of the tree than I do. When he gets back
you could ask him whatever you want. He might be
able to help you find what your looking for."

"That would be great Achika." The girl
instantly livened up. "Would it be alright if I
stayed here a little while?"

"Sure, Ranko. Please stay as long as you
like. I still have some chores to finish anyway.
Just follow the trail when you're finished. It will
lead you back to the shrine."

"Thanks for the tour, Achika."

"It was my pleasure." Achika smiled.
Walking back, she thought more about the girl she
had met. Ranko, a brash, fiery, cheerful young
girl. But Achika saw a hidden sadness that the
redhead carried. Ranko had come to the shrine
looking for something. Achika hoped that she would
find what she was looking for. Whatever the case,
at least she made a new friend.

****----***----****

Galaxy Police headquarters, the future.

The sirens were blaring and red lights
flashed through the corridors of the expansive
complex.

As the tech officers frantically struggled
to find the source of the red alert, the Grand
Marshal entered the command room.

"What's going on here? What is the cause of
this?" The lion faced Marshal asked.

"We are tracing the source of the alarm now
sir." One tech said.

"It's coming through. The source is
originating from... oh my god..." the man at the
terminal paled. "Main detention block, c-central
containment. It's a breach in the security field!"

The Marshal's face became a mask of worry.
'No... it can't be..."

"Sir, it's Kain!!!"

End (for now)

Spam notes:

(1) Washu <appears from nowhere>: Not literally the
entire world, but it would take a Herculean effort
to tolerate this situation. <Nodoka facefaults.>
Ranma: Please don't tell me you're another fiancee.
Washu: Heh, heh, heh. Of course I am, Ranma. So
you shouldn't have a problem with giving me a
'sample'...

(2) Ryouga: Where am I now? Man: You're in Hay.
Ryouga: Why's it so hot? Man: 'Hay, Hell, and
Booligal; the three hottest places on Earth.'
Ryouga: Huh? Man: It's just a quote I heard.
Ryouga: Booligal? I've never been there...

Well, he has seen hell...

(3) Over *trees*!? *Over* trees!? Yeah well, he's
Ranma, nuff said!

Story notes: I have been a fan of Ranma 1/2 and
Tenchi Muyo for some time now. I have enjoyed
reading fan-fic crossovers where the two casts
interact. But it was always the same thing, one
chaotic world collides with another to form one big
mess. So with this little experiment, I being the
all powerful god that I am, changed the timeline
just a tad. Ranma appears just a little bit earlier
in the Tenchi time line than he usually does. Where
could this possible go? I'd like to find out
myself.

Author's notes:

This concludes the first part of what I hope
will be a continuing series. Weather it continues
or not, will depend of the response to this piece or
work. Please feel free to flood my e-mail account
with various letters burning me in effigy. I look
forward to any "Creative Criticism" my pears are
willing to offer.

Cr...@rpi.edu

Pug Productions

*********************************
Author: Pug
cr...@rpi.edu
http://www.rpi.edu/~cruzd/pug/pug.html
*********************************

Insert standard disclaimer here:
A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma
1/2. The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the property of Takahashi
Rumiko and her licensees.

All characters portrayed in this story are owned by their
respective creators and companies. I don't own any of them. Please
don't sue me.

Genra: Ranma/Tenchi Muyo Alternate Reality, cross-over.

Version notes:

Ver: 1.00 created: July 16 1999
This is still a draft. Forgive any spelling or grammar
mistakes.

Ver: 2.00 Slight change to the story line. Ending is different
from previous.
Some spelling and grammar corrections.

Ver: 2.10 Minor spelling and grammar corrections.
Change of my e-mail address to cr...@rpi.edu
Some additions to the Authors Notes at the end.

Previous: Ranma leaves the Tendo dojo in search of a cure to his
curse. To escape the fiancee mess, his mother has
disowned him from the Saotome clan. In his search,
Ranma has come to the Masaki Shrine and had met the
daughter of the priest there. Her name is Achika
Masaki.

The Girl who wasn't and the Princess who was.

Chapter 2.

Ranma sat alone.
Facing her was the Masaki sacred tree, a massive thing, resting
in the center of a small pond. From her place on one of the stone
steps, Ranma marveled at its beauty.

She held her arms out, palms facing toward the tree. A faint
yellow glow surrounded her. This was her Ki. Everyone has their own
spirit force, or Ki, which was unique to each individual. Not only did
people have such auras, but so to do plants and animals. The aura that
the Masaki tree produced was amazing. The intensity of it was
awe-inspiring.

Not everyone could see the aura though. Only those who had
trained in its use could see or even manipulate Ki.

She reached out toward the tree by focusing her Ki. A
sensation of falling washed over her and in a blinding flash a New
World opened up as she probed deeper within the tree's aura. A
kaleidoscope of colored light danced around her, fleeting images
materialized in her mind.

Stars shone out in the blackness of space. In the open expanse
a deadly ballet was taking place as two great ships caught in flame and
fire fell to the blue sphere of Earth.

'What am I seeing? What is this?' Ranma tried to keep up with
the images.

The impact when the two ships crashed to the ground was
awesome. Trees for miles around lay flattened, and the ground was
smoking and blackened. From the remains of one of the craft a figure
appeared.

'A girl?' Ranma shivered looking at the woman. Her cyan
colored hair framed her red glowing eyes. 'Is this Ryoko?'

The demon flew across the sky, what little was left untouched
by the destruction of the crash fell before her as she unleashed her
own powers. It seemed as if the world would shatter before her wrath.
But then another figure appeared before her. A handsome young man
dressed in pastel robes. In his hands was a glowing blade.

'Yosho!' Ranma looked in awe. She struggled to see more but
something was fighting her. Slowly the images were starting to fade.
Gradually she felt herself being pushed away. Using whatever strength
she had left she pushed back. But the harder she fought against it,
the stronger the resistance she felt.

The final image she saw was Ryoko struggling her last, as Yosho
ran his blade through her. When the demon died a calm washed over
Ryoko's face. The madness and anger were gone and a peaceful smile
rested on the girl's face.

In the blink of an eye Ranma found herself facing the Holy tree
again. She tried once to get up only to find herself completely
exhausted. She had used much of her Ki and had overextended herself.

Ranma glanced up at the sky. 'It's almost been two hours!'
With a tired groan, she got up and started to slowly make her way back
to the shrine.

****----***----****

Achika breathed deeply.

Adjusting her grip on the boken, she steeled herself and
launched out in another attack. "Heya!" she yelled. The clacking
sound of two wooden swords hitting each other was heard. After a
series of
thrusts and slashes Achika fell back, disengaging from the duel to
catch another quick breath.

"Hmm... Your form is getting better Achika-chan. But you're
still dropping your guard too much. Keep your focus. Doing so becomes
more
difficult when you become tired," her opponent commented.

"Yes father. " Achika nodded. She took another breath and
faced off again.

Katsuhito Masaki, Shinto priest of the Masaki shrine moved with
the grace of a true master. His relaxed posture and casual grip on the
boken, showed the accustomed feeling of holding a blade in his hand.
Though still middle aged, there were wisps of gray in his mustache and
dark hair. He also wore a pair of rectangular wire rimed glasses which
caught the light as he moved. Of all the people Achika knew she
trusted and loved no one more.

"Much better," Katsuhito commented as he parried the incoming
strikes.

Achika could only manage a slight grunt as she struggled to
keep up with the older man. The two fought in an open area within the
grounds of the shrine. It had beenthe training ground of the Masaki
family for generations.

The sparring was conducted on top of small wooden pegs anchored
to the earth. Achika and her father not only had to concentrate on
attacking and defense, but also on balance and form as they stood
precariously on their perches.

"If you had kept up your training during school you would still
be in shape." He said with that incorrigible grin of his.

"I am in shape!" Achika said, her knuckles turning white on
the boken. "Just not great shape."

Blocking the last of her swings, Katsuhito leapt back and
bowed, ending the day's session. Achika returned the bow glad that
practice was over. Her shoulders slumped from the exertion. Seeing
her father's face she frowned. "Your enjoying this aren't you father?"

"Ah, so how was your day." Katsuhito asked, wisely changing the
subject.

"It was the same as usual." She said relaxing.

"Did you meet anyone interesting?"

"Y-yes... yes I did." Achika said a bit surprised.

"A young girl I believe."

"How did..."

Katshito looked off in the distance, the sun catching his
glasses. "She has red hair tied in a pigtail and wears Chinese
clothes."

Achika could only nod. 'How does he know?' When she was
growing up her father has always hinted about some greater power within
the Masaki line. 'Hidden potentials within you Achika-chan' were his
exact words. Was this it? An ability to see things which others
can't.

"Father, do you have ESP?"

Katshito leaned in his face taking a serious expression.
"No..."

"Then how..."

His eyes narrowed. "She's standing behind you." He pointed.

"Uh, hi a Achika." Ranma said lamely waving her hand.

Achika face-faulted.

Taking a moment to recover. "How long were you standing there
Ranko? And why do you keep sneaking up on me?" Achika said trying to
get back some of her dignity.

"I didn't mean to do it again. I was watching you practice and
since I didn't want to disturb you I waited till you were done.
Sorry..."

Achika sighed, she was more annoyed at her father than she was
at Ranma. "It's ok Ranko."

"Achika, why don't you introduce your friend," the older man
suggested.

"Ranko, this is my father, Katsuhito Masaki. Father, this is
my friend, Ranko."

"Pleased to meet ya. " Ranma replied.

"You have a very cute friend, Achika-chan." He patted Ranma on
the head. "All visitors are welcome here, Ranko-chan. "

"Thank you Masaki-san," she said through her teeth. Ranma
smiled weakly. 'Cute !?!'

"Father, Ranko came up here because she is interested in the
Holy tree. Since you know more about the history of the shrine, I was
hoping that you could help her. " Achika explained.

Ranma nodded. "I read stories about the people being healed
when they came up to this shrine. I wanted to know how you could cure
somebody if you needed to. I would appreciate any help that you could
offer. " Ranma bowed deeply.

"Hmm... The Holy tree..." Katsuhito mused as he rubbed his
chin. His face took on a mask of deep thought. "Ah yes, now I
remember..."

Ranma's heart raced. 'He knows the secret of the tree! He knows
how to cure me! I'm never going to be a girl again!' The redhead hung
on every word the older man spoke.

"Ah yes, now I remember..."

"Yes?"

"It's a secret." The old man smiled.

"What?!?" Ranma exclaimed as her jaw hit the ground.

"But you are welcome to stay as long as you like. Achika-chan,
why don't you invite your friend for dinner. I still have some things
to finish at the shrine. I'll be home for dinner. Bye-bye." He said
walking off leaving the two girls.

"Ranko, you can close your mouth now." Achika suggested.
"Ranko? Ranko?"

**--*--**

"You have a nice home, Achika," Ranma commented looking at the
small house. The exterior was in good shape showing the effort put
into maintenance. It sat by its lonesome at the edge of a lake. The
surrounding view of the trees and hills framed the house in a serene
setting.

"Father built it himself," Achika said proudly. "Please come
in."

Ranma looked around. It was a cheerful place bestowing a sense
of safeness. She placed her backpack down in a corner where no one
could trip on it.

"Please make yourself at home Ranko. Sorry if it's a bit
messy. It's just me and father living here. Mother was the neat one."
She smiled sadly.

Ranma nodded understanding. "Where are you going?"

"Upstairs for a quick change, then I need to start dinner.
Father is a horrible cook." She grimaced recalling growing up on
Katsuhito's cooking.

"Would you like some help with dinner?" Ranma offered. She
wanted to do something to help.

"Give me a few minutes and I'll be right down." Achika said
lightening up.

Ranma sat down on one of the steps of the stairs. Her brows
knit as she brooded over the day's events. She thought back to the
Holy Tree. From the first moment she saw it, she knew it was what he
was looking for. She had felt pricks on the back of her neck from the
life-force the tree radiated.

'I'm positive that the tree can cure my curse! I just got to
figure out how...' Asking Masaki-san had been useless. 'What am I going
to do now?'

Ranma was about to chalk up her trip to the shrine as complete
waste when Achika came back down. She wore a pale blue dress and her
hair was "Sorry to keep you waiting."

'I guess coming here wasn't a total waste.' Ranma smiled. "No
problem Achika."

**--*--**

Achika started getting the pots they would need for the meal
while Ranma started preparing the vegetables. As Achika was reaching
into the cupboard to pull out a pot, She heard a battle cry sound out
from the redhead. Turning around her eyes widened.

"Ha!" Ranma said tossing up a head of lettuce into the air.
Then taking a kitchen knife, she slashed at it, her movements becoming
a blur. What was once a head of lettuce fell into a waiting bowl.
Ranma did the same thing again with a tomato, this time sectioning it
into equal pieces. When she was finished with the rest of the
ingredients, she tossed the ingredients into a wok and began the
stir-fry.

Achika applauded the feat of dexterity. "Ranko that was
amazing. Where did you learn to do something like that?"

Ranma laughed. "Thanks Achika. I guess it was my Pop's idea.
He was the one who always said that a martial artist was in constant
training. So I kind of started seeing everything as an exercise."

Achika nodded. She was a bit surprised at how far martial arts
was ingrained into Ranko. She walked over and sampled the dish.
"Ranko, this is great! You really do know how do cook."

"Yeah well, I had to learn myself since my fiancee couldn't
cook worth a..." Ranma froze.

"Fiance!!!" Achika choked on the bite of food.

"Oh boy..." Memories of the fiancee mess came back.

"Your getting married?"

"No, it's not like that!" Ranma frantically gestured. "It was
my Pop's idea."

Achika blinked. "An arranged marriage?"

Ranma's shoulders sagged. "Yeah, pretty much. See, Pop and
this friend of his were training buddies. Well, they made an agreement
with each other to marry their children together so that the two
schools of Anything Goes Martial Arts would be joined. In fact, my Pop
took me away from my mother to train me in the art for ten years. "

"Isn't that a bit old fashioned? And if you are engaged, what
are you doing here?" Achika blurted.

"My fiancee and I didn't get along very well. Our fathers were
forcing us pretty hard but all that did was make things worse. We
fought a lot, and I usually ended up getting hit..." Ranma replied
distantly as she recalled the first time she met Akane and being
brought
low by a coffee table.

"Your fiance beat you?!?" Achika felt her blood boil as she
imagined some large brute manhandling the petite redhead. 'What kind
of scum would do that to a girl?!?'

Ranma continued on oblivious to her words were implying. "You
get use to it after a while," she mumbled.

"What?" Achika gasped in horror. "How could your father
expect you to marry someone like that?"

"Well, it was a matter of family honor, and besides, I've taken
harder hits from my Pop." Ranma said proudly.

Achika couldn't believe what she was hearing. What kind of
hell did Ranko go through? Growing up with an abusive father, then
being forced into a marriage with some jerk that was no better. Then
Achika pieced together the puzzle in her mind. "Is that why you're
here then, Ranko? To get away from those horrible people?"

"Yeah, I..." Ranma cut off when Achika grabbed her in a rough
hug.

"Oh Ranko, you're so brave to run off like that."

"Huh?!?"

"You did the right thing Ranko. Your father is a monster if he
strike at his own daughter. My own father has never done anything
like that, no matter what I've done. And no woman deserves a beast of
a husband who hurts her. He didn't do anything else to you did he?"
Achika said in a concerned voice.

"H-Husband?" Ranma blurted. She sudden realized what Achika
was implying. "Achika, your getting the wrong idea it wasn't like
that. You don't understand, " Ranma said, desperately trying to find a
way out of this mess.

"But your fiance..."

"It's not as bad as it sounds. We were both martial artists so
we both knew how to pull our punches." 'At least I did, whenever Akane
and I sparred' Ranma thought. "And my Pop just had an odd sense of the
word 'training'. You wouldn't believe the sort of stuff he had me do."

"It just sounded so horrible though. " Achika said still
unconvinced.

"Well it wasn't no picnic, which is why I left. To get out of
the marriage agreement, my mother had to disown me from the family so
that our honor would remain intact. She was the only one who helped me
get away from everything. Now I don't even have her anymore..."

Achika didn't know what to say. She looked at Ranma, who
stood with a dejected expression, wondered how a person's life could
get so complicated.

**--*--**

"This is delicious Achika-chan," Katsuhito commented after
tasting the food.

Achika blushed. "Actually, Ranko was the one who did most of
the cooking. I just helped."

"Couldn't have done it without you Achika," Ranma said with a
mouth full of food.

Katsuhito nodded, "You'll make a good wife someday Ranko-chan."
He smiled.

A sweatdrop appeared on Ranma's brow.

"Uh, Ranko? Where are you planning to stay the night? Achika
asked.

"I usually camp out. The weather is pretty nice this time of
year so it isn't that bad." She filled her bowl up with rice again.
It was her third bowl.

Achika was still working on her first bowl of food. 'How does
she eat so much and still keep her figure like that?' she wondered
enviously. "Ranko, you could stay here for the night. Right father?"

"It's dangerous for cute girls to be wandering alone at night."
Katsuhito agreed.

"It's settled then. Ranko you can share my room." Achika
smiled.

"I-I wouldn't want to impose." Ranma said a bit nervous. "The
couch here is fine."

"Oh..." Achika said a bit disappointed. It would have been
nice to have someone to talk to.

The rest of the meal was enjoyed quietly.

****----***----****

Ranma frowned. That morning she had tried once again to reach
into the tree, and once again found herself being pushed back. She was
about to get up when she felt someone approaching.

"Beautiful isn't it?" The figure said.

"Yeah it is." Ranma said not facing the older man.

"You woke up pretty early. It must be an important thing your
looking for," Katsuhito commented. He glanced at the backpack by
Ranma's side.

"I can't find what I'm looking for unless you help me. Will
you tell me the secret of the Holy tree?" Ranma said bluntly.

"No."

"Why?"

"I told you, it's a secret." The priest smiled.

Ranma shot out an irritated look. "If that's the way it is
then..." With a heavy stride she started to walk off slinging her
backpack on.

As she passed the older man, Katsuhito sighed and shook his
head. "Ah a pity today's youth, spoiled beyond belief, expecting
everything to be handed to them on a silver plate."

Ranma stopped. "What was that 'old man'?"

Katushito continued as if he wasn't interrupted. "They give up
so easily, not willing to put any effort in what they set out to do.
Just up and running away when the going gets tough," he said shaking
his head sadly.

"Are you saying what I think your saying 'old man'?" Ranma
said through her teeth.

"Truly a sad future our society has to look forward to. Not
only have our children become a bunch of quitters, but their dense now
too. Maybe television is to blame."

Something in Ranma snapped. Who was this guy thinking he was?
'How dare he judge me! The jerk has no idea of the thing's I've gone
through! Call me a quitter!?!? Me, Ranma Saotome!?!?' "Shut yer trap
'old man'! I ain't no quitter and I've never given up!"

"Oh your still here? I thought you had already left."
Katsuhito said.

"That's it 'old man. You asked for it. I challenge you!!!"
She threw her backpack to the ground and took on a battle stance. "If
I win you tell me the secret of the Holy tree."

"And if you lose?" Katsuhito's eyes narrowed.

"I do what ever you want."

He nodded. "Rules?"

"Sudden death. First clean strike wins."

"Agreed," the priest said taking a similar stance to Ranma's.

'All right 'old man', let's see how good you are with out your
stick,' Ranma smiled to herself. With a battle cry she leapt forward
and attacked.

**--*--**

Achika wiped her brow. It was getting hotter now that the sun
was coming up. She was kneeling down carefully pulling the weeds from
the garden. Most of their food was grown there. The careful tending
and caring for the plants had always yielded a bountiful harvest. But
what Achika loved the most about the garden was that it had been her
mother's.

That morning she had woken, finding Ranko up and out. The
redhead seemed preoccupied with something.

Ranko had seemed troubled after last night's dinner. When she
had asked her about it, the redhead had told her the frustration she
felt concerning the Holy tree. Her father and refused to give any
information about the curative abilities of the tree even after Ranko
practically begged him for an answer.

Achika had never seen her father turn down a plea for help
before. She didn't know what to make of it. She had privately asked
him why he refused and his response had been that irritating grin of
his. Achika knew her father well enough that she wouldn't be able to
get anymore out of him.

As she pulled out another weed, Achika turned her thoughts to
Ranko again. It was obvious that the girl wanted something cured, but
what? The redhead was a perfectly health girl. She was a bit of a
tomboy Achika conceded but other that that Ranko was quite normal. She
had hoped that she could have found out why Ranko was so desperate for
a cure. It came from a mix of curiosity and a sincere wish to help a
friend.

"Achika-chan." She heard her father's voice. Looking up she
saw her father dressed in his usual attire and beside him a very
annoyed looking Ranko wearing the same Shinto garb she was wearing.

"R-Ranko?" She said looking back and forth between the two.

Katsuhito smiled. "Ranko will be staying with us for a while.
In fact, she has volunteered to help you with your duties around the
shrine. Achika-chan, please show her the proper way things are done.
I know that Ranko-chan here is very excited about learning here.
Right?"

"Yeah... great...can't hardly wait..." the redhead deadpanned.

"I'll leave you two now then." He patted Ranko on the head.
The girl was livid.

As soon as her father was out of earshot, Achika raised an
eyebrow and looked at Ranko. "All right, spill it."

**--*--**

"I can't believe you challenged my father!!!" Achika
exclaimed.

"I can't believe I lost!" Ranma said viciously tearing out a
weed.

"What did you expect!?! Ranko, I know your good but father is
a grand master at kendo. He spent years training. You just don't
challenge someone like that and expect them to be a push over." Achika
shook her head, the girl wasn't listening.

'I lost! I shouldn't' have lost but I did!' Ranma knew her
abilities and was confident in her skill. She knew that she wasn't the
best in the world but she believed that she was at least in the top
ten. The only people that she had ever lost consistently to were
Happosi and Cologne, but they had three hundred years of experience
under their belt, Katsuhito was the same age as his father whom she
had surpassed years ago.

'How could I have lost?!?' Ranma thought as she replayed the
fight back in her mind.

**--*--**

Ranma leapt into the attack with a battle cry. Charging
forward, she started with a quick series of punches and kicks. She
didn't feel like hurting Achika's father too much so she had decided to
stick to the basics.

Katsuhito met the ferocity of her attack head on. With each
punch and kick Ranma threw the priest would either block or dodge. The
older man matched her speed for speed and skill for skill. As
Katsuhito defended himself he refrained from launching his own
offensive. In fact when Ranma stepped back to reevaluate her tactics,
the priest yawned. This irked Ranma even more.

'All right then. This time for real!' Ranma launched herself
into the air. The specialty of the Saotome School of anything Goes was
mid air combat. She was surprised when Katsuhito followed. The two
met in a furious exchange with Ranma just barely fending off
the man's strikes.

Ranma landed to the ground with a tumble. 'What's going on?!?
He doesn't even have his stupid sword.' As if reading her mind,
Katsuhito waved his open palms at her and winked. With her jaw
clenched, Ranma charged again, this time holding nothing back.

Her movements were true to the advanced forms of Anything Goes.
The flowing unpredictable form of unrestrained adaptability being it's
foundation. A complicated barrage assailed her opponent, each movement
unreadable until the last moment of the strike. Mixed in with the
attacks were deceptions meant to throw off the defender, feints within
feints within feints. And through all this, Katsuhito kept up with
her.

Pulling the last trick out of her hat, Ranma pretended to
strike low with a sweep. Then as the older man went to defend, she
vaulted over him twisting in the air and landed behind. Seeing the
opening she punched. "Heeeyaaaaa!!!"

A 'smack' was heard was her fist connected. Ranma blinked.
Somehow Katsuhito had managed to stop her punch with his palm. 'How?'
Then as she was still to grasp how he had managed to do that, Achika's
father pulled his hand back. Ranma who had put all her weight forward
into the punch fell off balanced. A finger poked her on the forehead
which kept her from falling over.

"You lose." Katsuhito smiled.

**--*--**

"So since you lost your going to be staying here the rest of
the summer?" Achika asked.

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, but your father said that if I could ever
manage to beat him I'd be free to go and he would tell me the secret. "

"It won't be so bad Ranko," Achika said. With someone her age
to be with, spending a summer at the shrine didn't seem so lonely.

'I'll show that old man!' Ranma thought. She'd beat Achika's
father, if it was the last thing she'd do. And she wouldn't use any of
her 'special moves' either. 'I'll win fair and square. That'll teach
him!' Ranma got a maniacal look on her face and started laughing
evilly. Insert image of chibi Ranko jumping up and down over a
defeated Katsuhito.

Behind her, Achika grew a sweatdrop.

**--*--**

Time passed.

Days at the Masaki shrine became a routine. The mornings
started with Ranko and Katsuhito dueling it out on top of the wooded
pegs of the training grounds as Achika watched from the sidelines.
Each of the fight's ended as the previous others did with Ranko somehow
being humiliated by the older man. Achika could only shake her head at
Ranko's stubborn refusal to give up. It was apparent the redhead was
outclassed but each defeat only drove Ranko harder.

The girls would spend the rest of the day tending to the
shrine. Sweeping the stone steps, cleaning graves of old flowers and
offerings, and caring for the vegetable garden.

In the afternoons Achika would train with her father while
Ranko wandered off on her own. Achika wondered where Ranko spent her
time.
After one practice, she looked around for the redhead and found her
sitting crossed legged by the Holy tree.

"I know that the answer I'm looking for is here Achika," Ranko
explained. "I can feel it. All I got to do is find it."

"Mind if I keep you company while you look?" Achika asked.

Ranko smiled.

Days turned to weeks and the two girls grew closer to each
other. Sweeping the steps was hardly an exciting task, so to pass the
time Ranko had told stories of her training trips. Achika enjoyed
listening about the places Ranko had visited and sights she had seen.

Achika shared her experiences at the shrine, telling all that
she knew of its past history. Since it's founding the shrine had
always been a sanctuary. 'All with a good heart are welcome here.' It
was a tradition passed down through the generations, and her father
lived true to the words that the hero Yosho had said himself.

The two girls also began teaching each other their respective
families form martial arts. Achika was a bit envious at how quickly
Ranko picked up the use of the sword, but Ranko was a good sensi taking
time to carefully show Achika the complicated forms which made up
Anything Goes.

During one such session Achika was balancing on the wooden pegs
showing off a piece of Masaki swordplay when she noticed Ranko wasn't
paying attention. "Ranko, is something wrong?"

"I'm so close." Ranko mumbled. "The tree... I almost had it
that time!"

"Ranko, will you please tell me what you need cured so
desperately. You told me that your not sick or dying and as far as I
can tell you perfectly normal. I'm your friend Ranko and I'm just
worried. You fight my father constantly and your spending more and
more time by the holy tree. It's becoming an obsession with you.
Please, I want to understand."

Ranko looked at her feet. "Achika..."

"I just want to help."

"I-I can't. It just so complicated. I don't want you hating
me..."

"Hate you? Ranko I..." She moved forward Trying to reason with
her friend. As she did so one of the pegs she stepped on gave way and
she found herself falling. She braced herself for the hard ground, but
instead a pair of firm hands caught her.

The moment she saw Achika falter, Ranko reached and caught her.
Ranko felt softness and warmth of Achika's body as she held her.
Their faces were only inches apart. Ranko could smell the scent of
Achika's perspiration, as the girl's breath fell on her lips. Ranko
felt a flush grow on her face. "I can't. I-I can't tell you." She
managed to stammer. She staggered back almost tripping on the pegs.
"Let's call a day Achika." With out waiting for a reply Ranko headed
swiftly back to the house.

Achika stood there, a breeze passed by. She had never seen
Ranko so distraught before. 'I went too far,' she thought. She slowly
walked home trying to think up an apology to her friend.

When Achika got home she caught Ranko coming out from a shower.
A towel was wrapped around her and her hair was still dripping.
"Ranko, I... I wanted to say I'm sorry for earlier. I promise never to
ask about it again."

"Achika, when I do get cured, you'll understand why I couldn't
tell you."

Achika nodded. "Are we still friends then?"

Ranko smiled putting Achika's fears to rest. "Bathroom is all
yours, and you could use a shower," Ranko sniffed playfully.

"Humph!" Achika said pretending to be annoyed. She walked
into the bathroom to take her shower.

As Ranko walked to down the hall Achika's voice screamed out.
"THIS WATER IS FREEZING!!!"

"Oops..."

**--*--**

Again time passed.

Ranma looked at he large house located in the hills. "What is
this place Achika?" Ranma asked as she unloaded the things from the
car.

"Every year father and I visit here It's a fairly popular
vacation resort. They close down for a week every time this year to do
maintenance. Father knows the owner so we get to go here for free
while no one else is around. Isn't that right father?"

Katsuhito who was helping Ranma unload nodded his head.

Just then an old lady came out from the pavilion and greeted
them. "Ah Achika-chan. It's good to see you again," the woman said.
Sachiko was the old friend of Katsuhito. She was the owner of the Hot
Springs resort. (S1)

Achika bowed. "It's good to see you also Obasan."

"And this must be your friend who your father said you were
bringing."

"Yes, this is Ranko."

"Hi." Ranma smiled.

"What a fine young girl. Achika-chan, you know where
everything is, make yourselves at home."

"Thank you, Obasan. Come on Ranko, I know you'll love this
place." Achika bubbled as she took Ranma's hand and led her away.

Walking down the halls, Achika turned into one of the doors and
pulled Ranma along with her.

"Where are we?" Ranma asked looking around.

"The changing room silly."

"What!"

"Here," Achika said handing Ranma a towel. "You can get
undressed in one of the stalls over there."

"B-but..." Before she could say anything more Achika had
entered a stall. 'What is this place?' Ranma thought as she quickly
undressed and wrapped the towel around her.

She found Achika waiting wearing nothing but a towel also.

"Come on." Achika said grabbing her hand once again.

"Where?"

"You'll see."

The two walked down the covered path of the resort. The narrow
walkway opened up to a large area. Ranma's eyes bulged out at what she
saw. In front of her was a large pond of steaming water, fenced in
with a bamboo wall and surrounded by various boulders.

"Well what do you think, Ranko? This is one of the most
popular hot spring resorts and we have it all to ourselves." Achika
said excitedly.

"H-hot springs?" Ranma's voice cracked.

"Let's go, Ranko. The water will feel great!"

"Achika, I... I can't... um..."

"What's wrong?" Achika saw the nervous look on Ranma's face.

"Swim! That's it! I can't swim Achika. Why don't you go in
with out me. I'll just stay here and..."

Achika laughed. "Ranko, the water barely reaches your waste in
some places." She began pulling Ranma toward the steaming water.

"No wait! Achika, I really can't" Ranma said frantically as
she edged closer to the edge of the spring. She grabbed a nearby
boulder near the edge and held on.

"Ranko, its only water. You're being a baby about this!"
Achika said tugging onto Ranma.

"I don't wanna go in!!!" Ranma yelled holding onto the rock
for dear life.

As the comical struggle continued near the water's edge,
Ranma's towel started to come lose. As it fell, Ranma instinctively
grabbed at it letting go of the rock before realizing her mistake. The
two girls quickly found themselves unbalanced and moments later two
splashes were heard hitting the water.

'NO!' Ranma thought as she saw the water quickly approaching.
'NOT LIKE THIS!!!' And then she felt the liquid's warm embrace and
shuddered at the change the soon followed.

Achika surfaced first. "Ha! Serves you... right... Ranko..."
Her words died in her mouth as she found herself facing a handsome
dark-haired young man who had no clothes on.

"W-who are you?" Achika said backing away fearfully. She held
on to her towel protectively.

"Achika, wait! It's me!" Ranma moved toward her but quickly
fell back into the water as he realized there was no towel around him.
"It's me Achika. It's me..." He said quietly. He turned away from
her
ashamed.

"R-ranko?" Achika said not believing her eyes. "How..."

"I'm cursed. Whenever I touch hot water I turn into a boy.
And whenever I touch cold water I turn into a girl. That's why I came
to the shrine, I wanted to find a cure..."

"Ranko, what are you? A boy or a girl." A faint blush
appeared on Achika's cheeks.

"I'm a guy!" Ranma replied automatically. "And Ranko is what
my mother use to call me in my girl form. I never meant to deceive you
Achika, please believe that. I never planned on staying at the shrine
but losing to your father and trying to find the secret of the Holy
tree... It hurt keeping it from you, but I didn't want you hating me,
or thinking I was some kind of freak. I... I'm sorry, Achika..."

Achika could only stare at the boy in front of her. 'Ranko, it
that really you?' She thought. Memories came back to her. The first
time they had at the shrine, the times the spent working in the fields,
and company they shared just talking to each other. Her mind struggled
with the concept of Ranko actually being a boy.

And then she saw his eyes, and she knew. From the moment she
had first met the redhead, Ranko had always been a true friend. Achika
had always been able to read Ranko's face like a book, and when she saw
her eyes, Achika would sometimes see a quiet sadness to them. Achika
saw that sadness now in the eyes of the boy facing her. What ever the
curse may have changed, it didn't change who Ranko was inside.

"Ranko... what did your mother call you as a boy?" Achika asked
softly.

"Ranma..." he replied.

Achika felt the blush grow on her face as she looked at Ranma.
His body was firm and well muscled. Years of rigorous training in
martial arts had shaped Ranma's physique into an elegant yet powerful
from of masculinity.

The cuteness of Ranko's face was toned down by the more angular
features on Ranma,s face. But that served to give him a more mature
and handsome quality. In either form though, Ranma's most striking
feature were his blue eyes.

'What do I do now?' Achika thought looking at him.

**--*--**

Ranma struggled to look at anything other than the girl across
from him. When he had first come to the shrine he had considered
Achika a beautiful girl. This wasn't anything new to him though. If
anything the fiancee mess left him wary of women. But the more time
they spent together, the more he had begun to notice Achika. As he got
to know her better he saw a beauty that was more than skin deep.

He had fought against the feelings growing within. 'You just
got out of one mess, you don't need to get your self into another one.
And you got more important things to do, like getting your cure!' With
each passing day Ranma found it harder push those feelings down.

'Now what do I do?' he thought looking across to Achika.

**--*--***

"Ranma," Achika began.

"Achika," Ranma also started.

The two found themselves looking at each other's eyes.

"..." Achika swallowed. Was it her or did some one turn up the
water temperature.

"..." Ranma felt a nosebleed coming.

The awkward silence was broken when an old woman entered the
pavilion. "Achika-chan, I brought you and Ranko-chan some extra
towls." The woman said.

"O-obasan!" Achika stuttered.

"Achika-chan? Is something wrong?" Sachiko asked. "Where's
Ranko-chan?" Her eyes finally came upon Ranma who was frozen shock.

A pause.

The old woman dropped the towels she was carrying and screamed.
"Pervert!!!"

In the ensuing commotion Ranma was sent running for his life as
the old woman chased him around the vacation spot wielding a large
broom. He managed to lose the old woman but still continued to run
just to be on the safe side.

It wasn't until Achika's father stepped in did the chase end.
He had grabbed Ranma by the pigtail as he ran by and brought the young
man to a halt.

"M-M-Masaki-san!" Ranma yelped seeing who had caught him.

Katsuhito leaned in with a serious expression. His rectangular
caught the light giving him and intimidating expression. "Hmm... The
men's locker room is that way Ranko-chan," he said pointing to one of
the doors. With a pat on Ranma's head, Katsuhito walked off.

"..." Ranma stood there dumfounded. 'He knew?" By the time her
recovered from the shock, he saw Sachiko-san barreling down at him.
The last things he heard were the sound of the broom handle connecting
with his head and Achika asking if he was all right.

****----***----****

"Hmm... I thought I'd find you here."

"Masaki-san," Ranma said.

"This is a good place." Katsuhito said simply. The two of
them stood on a ridge which overlooked forested grounds of the below.

"You knew didn't you?" Ranma asked. "You knew about my curse
since the beginning."

The older man nodded.

"You didn't say anything. Why?"

"It didn't seem important to mention." He said simply.

"But I lied to you and Achika."

"Everyone has something they wish to hide. Everyone has his or
her own secrets they want to keep. "

Katsuhito placed his hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Achika told me
about your family. It is difficult to be alone. I know. I too left
my
family on somewhat difficult terms. But I found peace.

Ranma saw a distant look on the man's face.

"Ranma, what ever the curse changes, it does not change the
person you are within. You have a good heart and that is all that
matters. Ne? You are welcome at the shrine for as long as you wish.
You've worked hard up till now, so it's a fair trade. As for your
cure, it is something you should find for yourself."

Ranma nodded understanding. Looking at the older man, Ranma
swallowed his pride and spoke. "Masaki-san, if you won't tell me the
secret of the Holy tree, will you train me instead?"

Katsuhito looked at him and smiled. "What do you think I've
been doing for the last month?"

Ranma had always seen Katsuhito as playful lighthearted man
seeming to take nothing seriously. But at the same time, Ranma also saw
wisdom in the man's eyes and kindness in his voice. "Thank you
sensi," Ranma said sincerely.

****----***----****

Galaxy Police headquarters, the future.

The command center was in a state of panic. Techs sat at their
consoles frantically typing away at the keyboards.

"Sir, the main containment is failing!" A tech officer
reported to the Grand Marshal.

"Reroute all power to the security field. Seal off the main
detention block immediately." The marshal barked.

"Yes sir, in progress now sir!" As the man hurriedly worked at
his terminal, A shudder passed though the whole of the complex.

"Report!"

"Sir, sensors report a tear forming in the time space
continuum! Point of origin is Central containment! It's growing
exponentially sir!"

More shudders followed. "Explosions reported on all decks.
Cause is the spatial tear. Emergency and backup systems are not
responding!"

The Marshal looked at the following reports gravely. "Begin
evacuation of headquarters. Send out a distress call to all ships as
well as to the Jurian royal family!"

As the officers worked to comply one man screamed out, "The
security field is down!!! He's free!!! Kain is..." In a blinding
flash of light the Galaxy Police headquarters disappeared. In the
fluctuating energies left behind, a ghostly white face formed. Kain
had returned.

End (for now)

Story Notes:

(S1): In the OVA series Tenchi and the gang went to the resort. The
old woman was there. Her name was never given. According to the
Tenchi encyclopedia, she is actually Tenchi's great-grandaunt.

On this piece I have concentrated on the growing relationship between
Achika and Ranma. They seem like an interesting couple.

As for the setting of the story, it is based on the "Tenchi Muyo In
Love" movie. The time this takes place at would be around the 70's.

Author Notes:

Due to positive responses to the first part, I have continued my pet
project. Hopefully this will also be met with good results. I'd like
to thank everyone for their support and the helpful comments and
criticism I've received vie e-mail.

As always I look forward to any suggestions anyone has to offer. Feel
free to e-mail me.

I'm looking for anyone who would be interested in pre-reading my works.
Also, I'm getting a web page soon. Since I cant draw I was wondering
If anyone out there would mind doing some fan-art and send me a picture
Of Ranma and Achika together.

Send all mail to the address below. For the subject please put:

Ranma|Tenchi

****************
Cr...@rpi.edu
****************

Pug Productions

*********************************
Author: Pug
cr...@rpi.edu
http://www.rpi.edu/~cruzd/pug/pug.html
*********************************

Insert standard disclaimer here:
A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series,
Ranma 1/2. The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the property of
TakahashiRumiko and her licensees.

All characters portrayed in this story are owned by their
respective creators and companies. I don't own any of
them. Please don't sue me.

Genra: Ranma/Tenchi Muyo Alternate Reality, cross-over.

Version notes:

Ver: 1.00 created: Aug 10 1999
This is still a draft. Forgive any spelling or
grammar mistakes.

Ver: 1.25 Some spelling and grammar corrections.
Formatting also cleaned up.
Change of e-mail address.
Addition of author's notes at the end.

Ver: 1.99 Final Version

Previous: Ranma leaves the Tendo dojo in search of a cure
to his curse. To escape the fiancee mess, his
mother has disowned him from the Saotome clan.
In his search, Ranma has come to the Masaki
Shrine and had met the daughter of the priest
there. Her name is Achika Masaki.

The Girl who wasn't and the Princess who was

Chapter 3.

The Future.

The room was dim, the only light coming from the
flickering of an old 8mm film being watched on the screen.

"Tenshi-sama, what are we watching?" Ayeka asked.
She was munching on a seaweed wrapped cracker of which she
had a bowl full.

"It's an old film." Tenchi explained. "Sasami-chan
found it and a bunch of old pictures when she was cleaning
out the basement. I didn't even know they were there."

Tenchi turned his head back to the screen. The home
made movie showed a young dark haired girl walking alone
through a wooded area.

"Tenchi, who is that girl?" Sasami looked on
curiously. Ryo-Ohki was perched on top of the little
girl's head as usual.

"That's my mother Sasami-chan."

"Ahhh, she's very pretty!" Sasami said taking
another cracker from the bowl Ayeka held.

"She should be, she's a descendent of the Juri
family. It's in the royal blood," Ayeka commented.

"Funny, don't you have royal blood too, Ayeka?" Ryoko
asked smirking. She finished the cracker she was munching
on and reached for another.

Ayeka pulled her bowl away. Glaring at the space
pirate.

"Hey! You can't eat all of it!" Ryoko growled.
Ayeka just stuck her tongue out at her, then bit down on a
cracker.

Ryoko went over and grabbed Tenchi's elbow.
"Tenchi," she said in a fawning voice, "Ayeka is being
greedy again, eating all those crackers. Everyone can see
how much weight she's gained cause she's such a glutton."

"Uh..." Tenchi said nervously as he looked between
the princess and the pirate.

Before the inevitable fight could begin, Sasami spoke
up. "Tenchi, who's that?" The green haired girl said
pointing to the screen.

Everyone forgot about the argument and looked to the
film. There they saw another girl standing next to Achika.
She was a bit shorter with her hair was tied up in a
pigtail. Achika was next to the pigtailed girl the two
were obviously friends. Achika seemed to be enjoying the
day while the other girl had a somewhat annoyed expression.

"She looks kind of familiar, can't seem to recall
from where though." Ryoko's brows knitted in thought.

"I don't know," Tenchi replied. "I don't think I've
seen her before. I guess she was a friend of my mother's."

As the group continued to watch, an odd thing
happened. Almost as if a person was taking an eraser to
the projected image, Achika and the pigtailed girl began to
disappear.

"Hm, something must be wrong with the film." Tenchi
got up to check the projector. And then the pain hit him.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

"Tenchi!" Ryoko cried.

"Oneesan! What happening to Tenchi!" Sasami
grabbed at her sister.

"Tenchi-sama is disappearing!" Ayeka screamed.

Tenchi looked at his hand as he gasped for breath.
It was translucent and quickly fading away. "W-what's
happening to m-"

****----***----****

The present, 1970.

"I got ya now 'old man'!" Ranma taunted throwing a
quick series of punches at his opponent.

Katsuhito fell back before the onslaught. The past
two months of constant sparing had greatly improved Ranma's
skill, and Ranma's tenacity only served to make the boy
more dangerous. But even backed by his stubbornness, Ranma
was still no match for the Shinto priest.

Ranma charged in and quicker than he could react,
Katsuhito sidestepped and smacked him on the back adding to
his momentum. Ranma was sent sprawling with the little
push and landed on the ground taking a mouth full of dirt.

"Not bad." Katsuhito said walking over to him. "Not
bad, but not good either. " He held his hand out.

"I'll get you tomorrow," Ranma vowed taking the hand
up. Ranma laughed to himself. He had been saying that
since he had first fought the older man. 'One day...' he
thought.

"It's almost time for dinner. Achika-chan said she
was making something special tonight."

"I'll catch up, sensi. I just want to practice a bit
more," Ranma said.

Katsuhito nodded. "Don't over do it."

Ranma started the kata Katsuhito had taught him. He
owed much to the Shinto priest. Even though Ranma had been
a stranger when he first came, Katsuhito had welcomed him
openly. The Masaki shrine had become a new home for Ranma.
Katsuhito and Achika, a new family. His curse changed
nothing in the priest's eyes. In fact Katsuhito had already
known about it. The priest wouldn't tell him how he had
known which still bothered Ranma.

When he finished, Ranma went home for dinner.

**--*--**

"That was great Achika! I'm so stuffed, that I can
hardly eat another bite," Ranma said finishing the last of
the rice in his bowl. It was his fourth serving.

"Well that's too bad, you'll have to miss desert
then." Achika smiled getting up to go to the kitchen. She
came out carrying a small chocolate cake. "I baked it
myself," she said proudly.

"Wow!" Ranma said, feeling his appetite returning.
"What's the occasion?" He asked.

Achika glanced at her father and smiled.

"Sensi?" Ranma looked at the man.

"This is for you, Ranma." Katsuhito said pulling a
paper wrapped package from behind him.

"What's this?" Ranma pulled the strings and
unwrapped the gift. Inside was a black jacket and matching
black pants. "A uniform?"

Achika nodded excitedly. "Yes, father arranged it
so that you could attend school with me when it opens next
week. At first they wouldn't admit you since you didn't
have any parents..."

Ranma winced at the statement.

"Ranma I didn't mean..." Achika said embarrassed.

"It's ok Achika. So how did ya get ronin like me
into school old man." He said looking at Katsuhito.

Achika handed him a slip of paper. "Father declared
himself your legal guardian. This is your registration
card, Ranma."

Ranma's eyes widened when he saw the piece of paper.
"Sensi?" Katsuhito had already done so much for him, and
now this. As his guardian the old man was willing to take
responsibility for him. Ranma felt a knot in his throat as
he spoke. "Thank you... thank you very much, Masaki-
sensi."

"Are you sure, Ranma?" Katsuhito asked.

"Yes sensi, I am sure. It would be nice to go back
to school," Ranma said looking down at the card.

Achika smiled and began cutting the cake.

****----***----****

It was autumn. With the end of the summer months
came the beginning of a new school year. Students once
more walked down the halls, played in the schoolyard, and
gossiped about things that had happened during their
vacation.

It was a time for friends to see old faces. In
Ranma's case it was a time to see a whole bunch of new
faces. Getting off the bus, he looked at the campus.
'Feels just like my first day at Furinkan,' he thought.

"Ranma?" Achika asked.

"Just remembering a few things from the last school I
went to, Achika," Ranma said to the girl next to him. He
tugged at the collar of the school uniform her wore.
"These things itch," he muttered.

Achika laughed. "The uniforms aren't that bad Ranam.
Besides, didn't you have to wear on at the school you went
to before?"

Ranma frowned. "No, never wore a uniform in my
life."

"Well I think you look quite handsome in one," Achika
said blushing. She noticed as an odd expression came on
his face.
"Ranma?"

"We're going to be late Achika," he said walking off.

"I'll catch up. I just want to say hello to my
friends."

Ranma nodded and headed off to class.

***---**---***

Ranma got to the homeroom. The teacher wasn't there
yet. The students patiently waited at their desks chatting
among themselves.

Ranma took one of the seats near the back of the
room. Ignoring the looks he received from the flustered
girls in the class he leaned back in his chair and relaxed.

"Hello," the student next to him said. "You must be
new here."

"Yeah, I transferred. I'm Ranma," he said
turning to the boy who had spoken.

"Pleased to meet you, Ranma-san."

"You don't have to be so formal. Just call me
Ranma."

"Very well then, Ranma. I'm Nobuyuki." They shook
hands.

From the corner of his eye, Ranma saw Achika come in
with two other girls. The three were caught up in some
friendly conversation.

"How was your vacation Achika-chan?" A girl sitting
next to her asked.

"It was ah... interesting, Tanaka-chan." Achika
said.

"Meet any cute boys at your father's shrine?" Tanaka
said teasing. She knew how isolated the shrine was.

Achika choked.

As Achika was about to answer, another girl turned
around. "No keeping secrets now Achika." Akemi said. I
saw you coming off the bus with that boy. You looked
pretty close. Spill it, Achika!"

"Which boy?" Tanaka butted in.

"The one with the pigtail sitting near the window.
Oh he looks sooooo cute!" Akemi held her hands to her
face and sighed.

"Him? That hunk with Nobuyuki-kun?" Tanaka said
surprised. "So, Achika-chan. Tell us about your
boyfriend." Tanaka leaned in.

"R-ranma and I aren't like that," Achika said
desperately.

"His name is Ranma..." Akemi had a dreamy look on her
face.

"There's nothing between us, he just stayed up at the
shrine during the summer." Achika tried to explain.

"You spent the summer the summer at that isolated
shrine of yours with that cute guy? How romantic! I want
to hear everything you did, and don't leave out the juicy
bits." The two other girls were practically drooling.

"It wasn't like that!" Achika argued.

"Ranma..." Akemi sighed again.

"I just feel sorry for Nobuyuki-kun, being tossed
aside like yesterday's newspaper. I know you had the
biggest crush on him last year when school ended." Tanaka
looked at the other boy next Ranma was chatting with.

Achika blushed.

"Achika-chan, now that you have your Ranma I can have
Nobuyuki-kun right?"

"No! I'm telling you that Ranma's not my boyfriend."
Achika said exasperated.

Tanaka sniffed. "Humph how greedy, wanting two cute
boys for yourself."

"Ranma..." Akemi said.

Achika gave up in disgust; she was saved from further
embarrassment when the teacher came rushing through the
door. The teacher was a tall blond woman, nicely tanned
and wearing a pink sweater with a dune skirt.

As the woman moved to her desk she tripped over the chair
and fell throwing various papers she had been carrying into
the air. She got up with a sheepish look on her face and
introduced herself to the class. "Um... hello... I'm
Mihoshi Kurumitsu." The papers fluttered down around her.

Everyone in the class was too shocked to stand up and
greet Mihoshi.

"Please don't tell me that's our teacher," Ranma said.

Nobuyuki could only shake his head in wonder as Mihoshi
fell to the floor again while trying to snag a paper in the
air.

It took a full ten minutes for Mihoshi to get
organized, the class looked on with a mixture of disbelief.
Just as Mihoshi was about to begin the day's lesson, the
principal walked into class and introduced himself.

"Mihoshi-sensi, sorry to interrupt your class but
you'll be teaching two more students who will be joining
you."

"That's wonderful!" Mihoshi said.

The principal, Mr. Tamo addressed the room. "I know
that all of you will welcome our two new students to our
school."

Achika and everyone else in the class turned their
attention to the new students coming through the door.
There were oohs and aahs when the first girl walked in.
She walked with a graceful step and her demure manner
captivating the students.

Achika felt like a clumsy walrus comparing herself to
how the girl moved. Nervously she glanced over to Ranma
gauging his reaction to the new girl. Achika relaxed when
she saw his indifferent look. Achika caught herself. 'Why
am I being so protective all of a sudden?'

"Hello," the girl said softly. "I'm am Ayeka Juri."
She bowed and took her seat in the class. She sat just a
seat over from Achika.

As the class was marveling Ayeka, another girl
entered the room. Everyone gaped in shock at her spiked
hair and punkish look. "Yo!" She said giving the victory
sign as she sauntered in.

"Ahem." The principal cleared his throat.

"Name's Ryoko Hakubi," she said casually. She then
took a seat next to Ayeka who seemed perturbed by the act.

From his seat Ranma perked up. 'Ryoko? Naw, can't
be. Just a coincidence.'

As Mihoshi started class, Achika saw the tension
between the two girls grow.

"Honestly, Ryoko, why can't you act normal for a
change!" Ayeka whispered angrily.

"Well, I guess I can't be all prim and proper like a
stuck up snob I know." Ryoko smirked.

"Ryyyyyyyoooookkooooo..." Ayeka said through her
teeth as she leaned in.

"Any time," Ryoko replied, her hands began to tingle
with energy. It was then that Ranma fell out of his seat
from leaning back too far. Both Ayeka and Ryoko noticed
the reaction that the boy had. The two quickly stopped
their argument andturned their attention to the
front of the class.

Ranma climbed back into his seat. Now and again he
would steal some glances to the two new girls. 'Damn,
those two make Akane's battle aura look like a night
light.' He shivered thinking what could happen if those
two ever went all out.

Achika sat in her chair growing a bit distressed at
Ranma interest in other girls.

***---**---***

With the noon bell came lunch. The students got out
their bentos, clustering around together to talk.

Achika opened up her container looking at the food
inside. 'Wow, Ranma sure packed a lot of food for me. I
don't think I can finish this much.'

At his desk Ranma sneezed. "Au nuts!" He muttered.

"Something wrong Ranma?" Nobuyuki asked.

"I packed myself the wrong lunch." Looking over
across the room he was Achika digging into 'his' lunch.
His stomach growled as he poked his chopsticks in the bowl.

From their part of the room Ayeka and Ryoko were
watching the two boys.

"Amazing isn't it, Ayeka?" Ryoko was talking with
her mouth full. "Going back in time and seeing Tenchi's
mother and father?"

"Tenchi looks as handsome as his father doesn't he?"
Achika said daintily picking at her food.

"I agree, he does look cute. But not as cute as my
Tenchi though."

Ayeka slammed her chopsticks down. "What do you mean
'your' Tenchi!?!"

"Just what you think it means!"

Everyone in the room was looking at them now. Ryoko
spun around. "What are you all looking at?!?" The
students quickly turned back to their food and started to
eat quickly.

"Humph!" Ryoko said sitting down and tearing into
her food. Ayeka grew a seatdrop.

***---**---***

The halls became filled with students when the end of
the day came. Going to their lockers to change their shoes
and pack their books.

As Achika made her way through the hall, she saw a
familiar pigtail stick out in the crowd.

"Ranma!" She yelled above the noise. Achika saw
Ranma wave at her as she made her way toward him.

When she got to him she was surprised to see another
familiar face. "Nobuyuki-kun!"

"Achika-san, how are you?" The spectacled boy
smiled.

"You know each other?" The three of them spoke at
the same.

Nobuyuki laughed. "Achika and I were friends since
grade school"

"Oh..." Ranma said.

"Ranma, how do you know Nobuyuki-kun?" Achika asked.

"We just met today." Ranma confessed.

"And you two know each other already right?"
Nobuyuki asked.

"I live with her." Ranma said tilting his head to
Achika. Ranma flushed realizing what he said. "I mean
we're living together... but not like that! Well ya
see..." Ranma found himself turning to Achika for help.

"Ranma's been living up at the shrine with father and
me. He's been training with father and helping with the
shrine." Achika explained calmly, though her face had a
slight red tint to it.

"Ah..." Nobuyuki said understanding.

***---**---***

"You and Nobuyuki seem to know each other pretty
well." Ranma said. He and Achika were the last people on
the bus. The commute from the shrine to the school was a
long trip because of its remote location.

Achika perked up at the remark. "We're very good
friends," she said.

"Just friends?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, just friends. Why do you ask?" said Achika.
She felt her heart beat a little faster. 'Is Ranma
jealous?' She studied his face and wondered.

Just then the bus slowed to a stop. Looking out they
saw the stone steps leading up to the shrine. "Our stop,"
Ranma said.

Achika quickly got up and exited the bus. Ranma
slowly made his way down the aisle. At the front of the
bus he saw his reflection in the rearview mirror. 'Just
friends...' he thought to himself.

As he stepped off, Achika grabbed his hand. "Ranma
it looks like it's going to rain," she said. "If we hurry
we might be able to get home before it starts."

Ranma nodded and the two of them were quickly
scampering up the steps. The house came into view as Ranma
felt the first drops of water hit him. "Should have known
by now that it was pointless trying to avoid cold water,"
he muttered.

"Well at least we're home." Achika said opening the
front door. "Hello? Father?" Ranma wrung her red pigtail
before she walked in.

When Achika and Ranma entered the main room, they saw
Katsuhito sitting at the table having tea with two girls.

"You two!" Achika exclaimed as she recognized Ayeka
and Ryoko.

"Achika-chan, we have some guests staying with us for
a while. The school called and asked if we could look
after Ayeka and Ryoko. It seems that they live a good
distance away and the daily commute to school would be too
difficult for them." the priest explained. Ayeka and Ryoko
both smiled and waved. "I'm sure we will all enjoy the
extra company."

Achika smiled. "I'm sure of it father. And besides,
Ayeka and Ryoko are in the same class as I am. "

Ayeka and Ryoko saw Ranma slinking away toward the
kitchen. Katsuhito noticed and cleared his throat. "You
already know my daughter Achika, but you might not know
Ranko-chan."

Ranma froze in mid step. "Uh... Hi!"

"Pleased to meet you Miss. Ranko," Ayeka said.

"Yo!" Seconded Ryoko.

"Ranko-chan is a student of my. She is also staying
here." Katsuhito explained.

"You go to the same school as us?" Ayeka asked,
looking at the boy's uniform the redhead was wearing.

"Um... sorta..." Ranma said hesitating.

"Funny, I don't remember seeing you at school," Ryoko
commented. Her brows knit thoughtfully.

Ranma was beginning to sweat. "Well... I guess I
better get dinner started," she said with a forced smile.
"Achika, would you please help me?"

"Sur- ack!" Achika felt herself grabbed and was
dragged away to the kitchen.

"Would you like some more tea?" Katsushito asked.

Ayeka and Ryoko blinked.

In the kitchen, Ranma was pacing back and forth while
Achika was calmly getting the utensils. "What am I going
to do now? They've already seen me like this. I can't
changed back."

"We could tell them about your curse," Achika
suggested trying to calm the redhead down.

Ranma gave her the 'look'.

"Ok... I guess you'll have to be Ranko for a while."

"I'm already getting a bad feeling about this."
Ranma shivered. She began to chop up the vegetables for
the meal. "Ayeka seems ok, but that Ryoko... I mean her
name..."

"Odd isn't it? It just seems to fit her though."
Achika shrugged.

"Why do I feel like everything has suddenly gotten
complicated."

"I thought it would be every guy's dream to be in a
house filled with cute girls." Achika smirked.

"Not when I'm one of the girls!" Ranma said
exasperated.

Achika saw the expression on Ranma's face and burst
out laughing. "Sorry Ranko er... Ranma."

The redhead shook her head in disgust. "Well at
least three cute girls out of four ain't bad."

"Hey!"

"Gotcha!" Ranma smiled.

The rest of the cooking was carried out smoothly.

***---**---***

It was evening.

"How are things going?" Tenchi asked as Ayeka and
Ryoko approached. He, Sasami, Mihoshi and Kiyone were
waiting at the now deserted Masaki shrine.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko said wrapping herself around the
boy's arm.

"Ryoko, can't you see that your bothering Tenchi-
sama," Ayeka snarled.

"Your just jealous cause Tenchi is showing his true
affections for me." Ryoko retorted.

"Ryoko..." Ayeka began dangerously.

"A-Ahhh... Ayeka... Ryoko..." Tenchi began so sweat
heavily.

Just then Sasami jumped up gathering her backpack.
She looked very cute wearing a shirt and shorts toped off
with a baseball cap on her head. "Everyone, Washu is
giving us a call," she piped in. She pulled down a pair
of reflective shades from the brim of the hat and an
antenna emerged from her backpack.

The shades became a small monitor and after a bit of
static an image of Washu at her terminal was seen.
Everyone crowded in around the little girl to get a better
view.

"Ah good! You all made it to the past safely. I
wasn't sure if the time machine was going to work or not,"
Washu, the greatest scientific genius in the universe,
said.

"What!?!" was the collective response from the group.

Ryoko pushed Tenchi out of the way went to the front
of the small monitor. "What do you mean that your weren't
sure! We could have been sent to who knows where by your
stupid machine!" Ryoko was fuming.

"Details, details. What's important is that your all
there and now we have a chance at saving Tenchi's parents,"
Washu said chearfully.

"Washu-chan!" Tenchi squeezed between Ryoko and
Sasami. "Do you know when my mother will disappear and
who's causing it?"

"Well, with Kiyone's help we've verified the
disappearance of GP headquarters. Their last transmission
dealt with something called KAIN. I have also managed to
narrow down the time the incident will occur. It will be
some where within the next seven days. With a little more
time I'll give you a more accurate answer."

"Thank you Washu-chan," he said gratefully.

"How was school?" Washu said turning to Ayeka and
Ryoko. "Did any of you find anything interesting? How are
Tenchi's parents?"

"Tenchi's mother looked fine." Ayeka told the group.

"I saw her also," Tenchi said. "She almost spotted me
during her gym class. I'll have to be more careful next
time. I didn't see my father though. How's he doing."

"You father looked almost as cute as you, Tenchi."
She pressed herself against him.

Ayeka cleared her throat. "The two seem to be
getting along well. I saw them talking in the halls after
class."

"That's a relief. If those two don't get together
I'll never be born," Tenchi said.

"Oh, we also found out who the other girl in the
movie was."

"Who is she Ayeka?" Tenchi asked.

"Her name is Ranko, she's a student of your
grandfather. She's living up at the shrine with your
mother. They are pretty good friends." Ayeka explained.

"In the film she was disappearing also, just like my
mother. That means that what ever happened to my mother
must have happened to Ranko also," Tenchi said.

"Hm... I think it would be best if you keep a watch
over Achika and Ranko until I can pinpoint the exact time
and place the two of them disappear," Washu said from the
small view screen.

Everyone nodded in agreement. "We better turn in
then, we have a long day tomorrow," Tenchi said to the
group.

****----***----****

Four girls rode on the bus to school. Achika sat
with Ranma sharing one of the seats. Achika looked at the
redhead who was nodding off. "Ranko are you ok?"

Ranma had a groggy look on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine.
I just couldn't seem to get to sleep last night." Ranma
yawned. "There was some kind of buzzing in my ears. It
kept me up all night. Did you hear anything?"

Achika shook her head. "No, I didn't hear a thing.
Ryoko, Ayeka, did you hear anything last night." Achika
turned to the two other girls sitting behind them.

"The only thing I heard was Ayeka snoring." Ryoko
smirked.

"I do not snore!" Ayeka said angrily.

"Ah... Never mind." Achika said quickly as she saw
another argument starting to build. She quickly sat back
in her seat.

"Don't those two ever stop?" Compared to them,
Akane, Shampoo and Ukyou's arguments seemed tame. Ranma
felt sorry for anyone unlucky enough to get caught in the
middle when the two were going at it.

The girls disembarked at the school. Walking through
the gates, Ayeka leaned over to Ryoko. "Ryoko, do you know
why Ranko is wearing a boy's uniform?" She said in a
hushed voice.

"Um-hm," Ryoko said nodding. "She's a tomboy."

"Ah... so that's it," Ayeka nodded. 'I guess
thats the way things work on Earth,' the Juri princess
thought.

Achika and Ranma had both heard the remark. Achika
covered her mouth to keep from laughing while Ranma
struggled to keep her temper.

"Well, I better get going," Ranma said leaving the
group. Along with her books and lunch, she also carried a
large thermos. 'Just got to find a place to change,' Ranma
thought.

"Where's Ranko-san going?" Ayeka asked.

"Ranko is in a different class than us," Achika said.

"It's for all the tomboys," Ryoko said.

"I see," Ayeka said.

Ranma walked off, her pigtail standing on end.

****----***----****

"Today we will be going over the legend of the Demon
of Rashomon," Mihoshi said starting class. "It is a love
story between a princess, a demon and a warrior..." She was
reading through her notes.

"Ah, Mihoshi-sensi?" Nobuyuki raised his hand up.
"Didn't you already go over that sto... eh?" He felt a
jab at his ribs and saw Ranma shaking his head.

"What was that?" Mihoshi asked looking up from her
mess of notes.

"Ah... Never mind sensi," Nobuyuki whispered over to
Ranma. "Ranma, why did you stop me?"

Ranma yawned "I wanted to get some sleep but I didn't
want to miss anything. Wake me up when it's lunchtime will
ya?" With that he rested his head in his arms. Quiet
snoring was heard a few minutes later.

Nobuyuki rolled his eyes, then pulled out his
sketchbook and started drawing.

The rest of the class followed suit, as Mihoshi was
busy fumbling with writing down notes on the chalkboard.

After lunch was recess. Many students took the
opportunity to stretch their legs and enjoy the outdoors
before the second part of the day began.

Ranma was on his way to his locker to put his lunch
box away. As he rounded the corner he spotted Achika going
through one of the doors leading out to the campus.
"Achika!" Ranma called out, but the girl didn't hear him.
With a shrug, Ranma followed after.

Rounding the corner he crashed into one of the
janitors. "Sorry about that. Are you ok?" She asked dark
haired woman.

Kiyone nodded. "I'm fine, are you ok? I should have
been more careful."

Ranma picked up the empty bucket and mop and handed
it to Kiyone. "Here ya go." He said hurrying after Achika.

"Thanks." Kiyone walked off muttering to herself.
"Graduated second in my class in the academy and I'm
mopping floors..."

****----***----****

Nobuyuki sat by himself near the edge of campus. He
enjoyed the view and peacefulness of the place. With a
content look he sketched away in the drawing pad he always
carried.

"Nobuyuki-kun aren't you on clean up duty today?" A
voice said behind him.

"Oh Achika!" He said a bit startled at her sudden
appearance. He quickly closed the book and shoved it under
his bag.

"What are you doing way up here?" Achika asked.
Then her eyes fell upon an exposed corner of the drawing
pad. "Hey, what are you drawing?"

"It doesn't matter..." Nobuyuki said hesitantly.

"Well..." Achikafeigned indifference then as soon as
Nobuyuki let his guard down she quickly pulled the book
from beneath the bag and flipped through the pages.
"Please show me, show me!" She chirped as the looked
through the book.

Nobuyuki tried in vain to get the book from her.

"What's this?" What's this she asked pointing to one
of the sketches.

"It's a house," he said giving up.

"A house?"

He looked out to the horizon. He began a bit
nervously. "Well I--I I love..."

"Yes?" Achika looked at him a blush coming to her
cheeks.

"I love to imagine and draw different houses like
this. I'd like to be able to build one some day."
Nobuyuki explained to her.

"Oh?" Achika said. Oddly she felt a mixture of
disappointment and relief at his remark.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked looking at her
expression.

"Oh, it's nothing..."

"Can I have the book?" Taking the book in hand,
Nobuyuki started to fill in the last of the details in the
picture.

"Uh you know, a window might be nice by the roof,"
Achika suggested as she watched him. "Don't you think?"

"What?" He tried adding a few lines. "Like this?

Achika shook her head. "Well more like that."

"Hey you've got good taste Achika-chan," Nobuyuki
laughed as he added the finishing touches.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah."

In the distance hidden behind one of the trees, Ranma
watched. With a downcast expression, he put his hands in
his pockets and slowly walked back to school.

****----***----****

"How was your day, Achika-chan?" Katsuhito asked
greeting the four girls coming home.

"It was ok, father. I just can't wait for tomorrow
though." Achika smiled.

"Ah, that's right." He said rubbing his chin. "The
field trip to Tokyo eh?"

Achika nodded. She looked over to the other girls,
"Would you like some help with diner, Ranko?" Behind were
Ryoko and Akea who were caught up in another petty
argument.

"No thanks Achika. I can do it myself."

"Oh..." she said surprised by Ranma's brisk manner.

"What's eating her?" Ryoko asked turning away from a
fuming Ayeka.

"I don't know..." Achika had a concerned look on her
face. 'Ranma seemed pretty excited this morning about the
trip.'

Ranma set dinner at the usual time. Everyone
gathered around the table with expectant looks on their
faces.

"Mmmm... Smells good!" Ryoko said as Ranma brought
out the dishes. "Looks good too."

"You've done a wonderful job Ranko-san." Ayeka dug
into the bowl.

"Thanks." Ranma brought out the last of the meal.

Achika noticed that Ranma didn't even look at her
when she served her. Ranma had been like this since the
afternoon. Achika kept silent hoping that Ranma would get
over what was bothering her.

"Ranko-chan, are you not having dinner with us?"
Katsuhito asked when he was Ranma head back into the
kitchen.

"I ate when I was making dinner, sensi. I better
start packing my things for the trip." Ranma said curtly.

Katsuhito nodded his head.

Achika slowly chewed her food. She wasn't' feeling
that hungry anymore.

Dinner ended and Ranma was nowhere to be found.
Achika had cleared the table and washed the dishes in the
redhead's absence. With the chores done, she excused
herself and went looking for her friend.

Going to the only place she could thing of, Achika
put on a jacket and went outside. Though it was late in
the evening, a full moon was out lighting up the night sky.

Achika carefully made her way down the lit path.
When she reached the training area she heard her. Through
the opening in the woods, she saw Ranma going through
various katas while balancing on the wooded posts anchored
in the ground.

The redhead's brow was covered with drops of
perspiration and her shirt was damp with sweat. "What do
you want?" Ranma asked, not stopping in the exercise.

Achika was startled by not only the way he had
detected her presence but also by the coldness of his
words. "I-I did the dishes for you..." she began.

"You didn't have ta, I would have done em' later,"
she said.

"Ranma, I..."

"Just leave me alone for a bit, Achika. Please..."
Ranma turned her back to her and started the exercise
again.

Achika's face was filled with confusion. She
couldn't understand why Ranma was acting like that. She
tried to speak out but no words would come. The night air
seemed colder and she felt a dull ache grow with her. The
path home was dark and lonely.

Achika was gone.

Ranma stopped the kata and wearily leaned up against
a tree. "Damn it!" she said slamming her fist into the
wood causing a chunk to break off. 'You don't need another
fiancee. You got more important things to do. You got a
cure to find,' She reasoned with herself. 'Besides, how
could she possibly love some freak like you?' Ranma sank
down to the ground and buried her face in her hands.

As she sat there a dull ringing grew in her ears. It
was the same ringing which had been plaguing her sleep for
the past few nights.

Ranma shook her head a few times but the ringing
remained. She tried cupping her hands over her ears but it
did no good. With a resigned sigh she groggily made her
way back to the house.

As she walked the ringing became stronger. "What the
hell is going on?" She started running through the woods
trying to get back to the house. When the noise became too
painful Ranma staggered to the ground gripping her head.
And then the sound suddenly vanished.

Looking around, Ranma found herself facing the
Masaki Holy tree. "Here?" Her eyes widened. The tree
stood solemnly in the moonlight.

"Your doing this to me, aren't you?" Anger started to
grow. Around her a yellow aura of Ki formed. As she had
done countless times before, Ranma used her Ki reaching out
to the Holy tree. Once again the images of the past filled
her mind. The ringing returned and now she understood that
the noise was actually the sounds that were associated with
the images flashing before her.

As she watched she felt the barrier again. Some
unknown force pushing here away. "You won't beat me... not
this time..." Ranma said through her teeth. She focused
her Ki and fought back pushing against the force. With the
force of her will, she compressed her aura tighter and
tighter as far as she could down to a single point. With a
final push, she punched her way through.

Ranma found herself tumbling in a swirl of light and color
pulled by a force that was irresistible. Glancing below
her she saw her body sitting near the Masaki tree. The
tree itself was glowing, a pillar of light was shooting out
from it. She realized that she was in that pillar.

Ranma traveled upward, the land below her growing
smaller with each second. Soon the earth was nothing more
that a point of light as her journey continued through the
stars.

Her mind reeled, trying to contemplate what was
happening. But the stress was too much, and consciousness
left her.

When she awoke Ranma found herself lying on top of a
stone pillar. There were other pillars around her, varying
in height and size. All of them rising out from water.
"Where am I?" The surreal world stretched out toward an
endless horizon of black.

Picking a direction in random, Ranma hopscotched from
one pillar to another. On the water's surface she saw her
reflection, her male body stared back at her. "How..."

It was then that a shaft of light rose up in the
distance. "I guess someone's home." She made her way
toward it hopping from pillar to pillar again. Surprise
grew on her face when she found the source of the light.
It was another tree just like the one in the Masaki shrine.
But this one looked older, more ancient.

"What is this?" She moved forward. She was caught
in mid-stride as an elegant woman appeared facing her. She
wore silken robes of pastel shades, and her cyan hair
reached far down her back.

"Hello Ranma," the woman said.

"How do you know me?"

"I've been watching you. From the first moment you
came to the shrine I've been watching you."

"Who are you?" Ranma asked in awe.

"Tsunami." Her rich voice echoed around them.

"Your were the one behind everything. The
images, the sounds, the power... You were what I felt
within the tree weren't you?" Ranma accused.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To test you... To train you..." she said simply.
"You passed. In fact you were more than I expected."

"Train me for what?" Ranma felt her anger grow as she
realized she had been manipulated.

"Something is coming Ranma. Something so dark and
evil that, even those who would call themselves gods
tremble in its wake. I have chosen you Ranma. You will be
the instrument of my design in stopping what is to come."

"Forget it!" Ranma yelled back. "No body uses me!
Go find som-" She stopped as a collage of horror passed
through her eyes. Ranma saw slaughter of thousands, she
heard the screams of anguish when they died, and through
all the suffering a ghostly face of white smiled.

Ranma fell to the ground shivering. "Get out of my
head!" She said through clenched teeth.

"You've seen the face of evil, Ranma. You've seen
Kain."

Ranma relaxed as the face faded from her mind. From
where she sat Ranma saw Tsunami's reflection in the water
around. It was the image of a little girl with two
ponytails.

"What are you?" she gasped.

"I am older than most stars, I have watched
civilizations rise and fall, and yet with all my power my
hands are tied. To interfere directly would allow others
to do the same. Only you can do what needs tobe done,"
She said simply.

"I said I don't wa-"

"Do you love Achika?" Tsunami asked.

"What?" Ranma was taken back by the question. She
found herself looking at Tsunami's pale eyes.

"Kain is coming for her. He'll find her no matter
where she hides and chase her to infinity and back. You
are her only hope."

"Why! Why Achika?"

"Because of what she is. As a descendant of Yosho,
there is a potential with her that has yet to be awakened.
Given more time Achika could fend for herself. But as she
is now... At best she might survive the conflict only to
live a shortened life. At worse..."

"Why should I believe you? You could be lying to me,
using me again! Hell, I could be dreaming this entire
thing!"

"Do you truly believe that?"

Ranma shut her eyes and steadied her breath. She
knew the answer, she knew it within her heart. "What can I
do against that monster?"

Tsunami smiled. "You'll know when the time comes."
She held her palm out. "Return..."

Ranma's mind snapped back into focus. "No! Wait, I
need to know if you can cure me!!!" She yelled as she felt
herself falling away. She tumbled back through the stars,
speeding through Earth's atmosphere via pillar of light.
And then she was back.

"Achika... What do I tell her?" Kain's face surfaced
in her mind again. "Nothing..." Ranma decided. "Better if
she didn't know..." With a tired sigh, Ranma slowly made
her way home.

****----***----****

A knock came to the door. Achika placed the last of
her things in her bag and went to answer it.

"Ranma..."

"Can I come in?" the redhead asked.

Achika nodded and stepped back from the door.

"About tonight..." Ranma began. "I..."

"Ranma?" Achika saw the hesitation on her face.

"Achika I'm sorry about the way I acted. I shouldn't
have treated you like that. You... I..."

Achika felt her heart beating faster and her mouth go
dry.

"I... just wanted to tell you that whatever happens I
promise to be there for you Achika. I'm your friend no
matter what." Ranma said quietly.

"Ranma wait, I..." Achika caught herself. Her heart
was beating faster and she could feel a warm flush grow on
her face.

"Goodnight Achika." Ranma closed the door behind her.

She went to her bed and curled up with a pillow.
"Just friends?" she wondered.

****----***----****

The train ride to Tokyo had been a disaster. About
half way through the trip a massive breakdown occurred in
one of the cars. Luckily no one was hurt but the delay
lasted for hours. The students got to their rooms late in
the evening leaving little time to explore the bustling
city of Tokyo that night.

The next day the tour of Tokyo began, everyone was
tired and grumpy from the lack of sleep. It was a blessing
that the first stop of the was the city park. It gave the
students some time to relax and wander off on their own.

Achika walked among the trees, gold and orange leaves
of autumn fell around her. It amazed her how in a large
city like Tokyo, a place like this could exist. It
reminded her of the Shrine back home.

As she walked, Achika saw Ranma walking toward her
with an annoyed look on her face.

"Ranma, what are you doing? Why are you a girl?"

The pigtailed girl frowned. "You wouldn't believe me
if I told you. I can get wet if I was in the middle of a
desert." she muttered.

Achika turned her face in amusement. It was then
that she and Ranma noticed that they weren't alone.
"Nobuyuki-kun?" A boy with a camera stood there. "Oh come
on, you again? What are you shooting me for?" Achika said
in embarrassment.

"To make a record of memories." Nobuyuki said.
"Who's your friend Achika-chan?" He turned the camera at
Ranma. The three continued to walk entering the center of
the park. Other students were gathered around there also.

"This is Ranko. She is a friend of mine in a
different class," Achika said.

"Hi," Ranma said softly looking between the two.

"Nice to meet you, Ranko-san. Now I've got a question
for the two of you. Are you enjoying this trip?" He said
focusing the camera.

"Yes I am, but there is one thing I'm worried about
my father," Achika said. I wonder if my father is eating
ok."

"I'm sure the old man's fine." Ranma said.

Achika smiled. "I know, but still I worry about
him."

"Next question," Nobuyuki said pointing his camera at
them. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Achika thought for a moment. "Maybe a bride?" She
said blushing.

Around the three, other students heard the
conversation. "Whew, Getting hot and heavy, aren't you, you
two?" They commented on Nobuyuki and Achika's red faces.

"What are you implying we're just talking." Achika's
face was flush with embarrassment. "Ranko, how about you,
what do you want to be when you grow up?" She asked.

Ranma shrugged. "A guy..." She walked off ignoring
the odd looks and stares she got from everyone. "I'll
catch you later, Achika."

Achika was just as surprised as the others with the
bluntness of Ranmas answer. "Ranko..."

From a park bench, Ryoko and Ayeka watched her go.

"Tomboy, definitely a tomboy." Ryoko said.

Ayeka nodded in agreement.

****----***----****

Everyone sat around the table with worried looks on
their faces. With a quiet hum, the hologram projector
turned on and a small image of Washu appeared before the
group.

"Washu-chan!" Tenchi said to the image.

"Hello everyone!" said the super genius.

"Have you figured out a way to save Tenchi's mother
yet Washu?" Ryoko asked.

Washu nodded. "Yes, but before I explain my plan we
should better know who we're facing." With that, another
screen popped up and a text box opened up and gave a
rundown of information.

Code name K-A-I-N
Super A-class criminal
Age: unknown.
Gender: unknown.
History: unknown.
Distinguishing characteristics: none
Offender number 070669 rank A
Universal era 507410
Characteristic energy form classified as NVO
General warrant issued:
Wanted for destruction of planets, suspicion of murder
Destroyed 13 federated planets and 275,000 spacecraft
Confined in the GP subspace network for the past 100 years

The room was silent as everyone digested the
information. "Kiyone, I'm scared," Mihoshi cowered next to
her partner.

"Get a grip Mihoshi! Remember you're a member of the
Galaxy Police!" Kiyone said harshly, but inside even she
was terribly frightened.

Finally Tenchi spoke. "Washu-chan, why is he after my
mother?"

"Kain is a being of pure anti-Juri energy. One
hundred years ago he went on a killing spree rampaging
throughout the known universe and destroying all in his
path. He was finally caught by a trap laid by the Galaxy
Police and with the help from the royal family of Juri.
Ever since Kain has had a personal hatred for anyone having
the Juri energy which imprisoned him. Now he has traveled
back in time to kill Achika and Lord Yosho." Washu
finished.

"I can't let that happen. I won't let it happen."
Tenchi said.

"How can we stop this guy Washu?" Ryoko asked.

"Tomorrow is the day that Kain will come for Tenchi's
mother. It will happen in Tokyo tower. No one here is
strong enough to face Kain head on. Our only option is to
set a trap for him."

"A trap?" Ryoko questioned.

"Yes. We will need to produce enough Juri energy to
trap Kain back into subspace."

"How about Achika or Yosho? Can either of them give
us the Juri energy we need?" Ayeka said.

"No, I don't think that either of them could produce
that amount. And in any case it would be better if we they
didn't. When Kain was caught, the emperor of Juri died in
the process from giving up too much of his energy. Our only
choice is to find another source of energy."

Then how do we get the Juri power we need?" Ayeka
looked at Washu's flickering hologram.

"Kiyone, show them the map I gave you." Washu
instructed.

The police detective unfolded a map of Tokyo.
"Washu-san said of five places where we can produce Juri
energy here on Earth. We should be able to channel the
energy from these places using this..." she pulled up a
brief case onto the table and opened it. "...the Psy-Wave
booster."

Washu nodded. "There are five transmitters which
need to be placed at each of the five sites. The main
booster has to be in position at Tokyo Tower. When Kain
arrives, we can set off the trap by remote and send him
back to subspace. Timing is critical. Everything has to
be in place before Kain arrives. Each of you will have to
go to one of the sites and place the transmitters."

"Let me take the main booster to Tokyo Tower," Tenshi
said. "I have to be there for my mother. No matter
what..." He pulled out the Tenchi-ken from his pocket, a
determined look was on his face.

"Right then, Tenchi. Leave the rest to us," Ryoko
said.

Washu nodded. "All right then. Tenchi will take the
main booster to the tower. The rest of you will have to
place the other pieces of the device at the stated
locations. As soon as you place the transmitters, make
your way back to the tower."

"Be careful then Tenchi." Sasami said worriedly.

"Myia..." seconed Ryo-Ohki

"I will, Sasami."

****----***----****

Tenchi made his was through the crowd. He carried
the main booster unit in the bag on his back. The area
was packed as numerous tourists and visitors milled their
way around the base of Tokyo tower. There were long lines
for the elevators as people waited patiently to ascend up
to the observatory deck.

"Where are they?" Tenchi looked around searching for
the group of students, which his mother was in. "Maybe I'm
early?"

Just then where a section of the crowd parted, he saw
his mother with her friends. She was talking to boy with a
smile on her face. "Is that my father?" Tenchi struggled
making his way near the edge of the crowd to get a better
look. As he pushed his way through he tripped and
staggered forward running into another figure.

"Ack! Grugle! Watch where you're going!" Sputtered
the angry redhead whom he had accidentally pushed at the
water fountain. "All I wanted was a sip of water, not a
bath!"

"S-sorry," Tenchi backed up from the angry redhead.
She looked familiar to him somehow and then is clicked in
his mind. "You!" He exclaimed recognizing the redhead as
Ranko, his mother's friend who also disappeared in the
film.

"Huh?"

"I mean... you alright?"

"Yeah... Do I know you? Ya look kind of familiar."
She said leaning in and squinting.

"Um... I don't think so." Tenchi replied nervously.

"I'm sure I've seen you some where before..." she
said frowning.

"I positive that we haven't met before. Excuse me,"
Tenchi ducked back into the crowd.

"Hey, wait," the redhead called out after him.

Weaving his way though the pack of people, Tenchi
finally breathed a sigh of relief seeing he had lost Ranko.
"Got to get the booster on the observatory deck," he
reminded himself. He looked down at his watch; Time was
running out.

****----***----****

"Where did he go?" Ranma searched the crowd. An
ominous feeling had been haunting her ever since they left
school. Though out the entire trip Ranma had been on guard
preparing for anything.

Achika had commented on her jumpiness. Her excuse
was never being in a large a city as Tokyo before. Ranma's
constant state of alertness was taking its toll on her.
There were just so many things happening to keep track of.

"I'm never going to find that guy with all these
people!" She said in disgust.

"Ranko!" A voice called out over the crowd.

She turned and saw Achika waving at her. Achika and
the rest of the students were getting in line for the
elevator to go to the observatory. Ranma saw Nobuyuki next
to her and frowned. Ranma looked at this school bag and
thought about the thermos full of hot water inside. "Damn,
no time to change back."

With a sigh Ranma headed toward the group.

****----***----****

'I hope everyone got to their assigned places on
time,' Tenchi worried. From his position in the back of
the line he could see his mother. He also looked at the
redhead Achika was with.

He was a bit nervous at how Ranko had seemed to
recognize him. Everyone said that he took after his
mother. Seeing Achika now, he realized how right everyone
was.

The ding of the elevator opening brought Tenchi back
from his thoughts. Slowly the line moved forward as people
boarded the lift. When he saw that he wasn't going to make
it onboard, Tenchi hurriedly pushed his way through the
line. "Excuse... Sorry... Passing though... Hold the
doors!" As the doors were closing, Tenchi made a last ditch
effort reaching out and squeezing his way though the
receding opening.

Making it inside, Tenchi felt something soft and
round in his hands. Tenchi looked down and saw the very
annoyed redhead he was fondling. "I-I-I..." A smack was
heard. "Sorry..." he said. His voice was muffled from
the fist that was connected to his face.

"Jerk..." Ranma said pulling her fist back.

"What's going on over there?" Nobuyuki asked.

Achika turned to see what the commotion was about.
"Ranm... Ranko?" Achika pressed her way to the redhead who
was busy strangling a boy.

"All right you pervert, who are you?" Ranma said
shaking Tenchi around.

"It was an accident," Tenchi pleaded.

Achika was about to intervene but as she moved
forward, a pain coursed through her body. Clutching at her
sides she gasped out and would had fallen if Nobuyuki
hadn't caught her.

"Achika!" Nobuyuki said. "What's wrong?"

At the same time Tenchi staggered slightly. He too
felt the pain through his body. He shook fighting against
the urge to fall over.

Ranma looked at Tenchi in confusion. "Hey, I didn't
hit you that har-" She stopped. The danger sense inside
of her kicked in. She had never felt a force as strong or
as malevolent as the one she felt now.

"Ranko..." Achika whimpered on the floor.

She now saw Achika in agony as Nobuyuki tried to
comfort her. "Achika!" It was then that the elevator
stopped.

The students inside the cab looked around in
confusion. "What's happening? What's going on? Why did
we stop?"

Tenchi saw the darkening of the clouds around them.
It was soon followed ay a racing light that swirled around
the tower itself. "He's here... Kain..."

Ranma spun around hearing the comment. "What did you
say?!?" she said grabbing Tenchi by the collar.

Tenchi's eyes widened in surprise. It was then an
explosion occurred shaking the entire tower. When the smoke
cleared there was a hole torn from the elevator. Outside
looking in was a ball of dark energy.

"I smell it." A voice spoke. A face formed in the center
of the ball. It looked at the survivors hungrily.

"No..." Ranma shivered remembering the face. She
moved placing herself in front of Achika.

Tenchi also moved closer to Achika.

"I smell it. I can taste the blood of Juri." Kain
smiled. Then from his mouth a frigid gust of air blew. I
froze all students left on the elevator. Only those
closest to Achika, (Ranma, Tenchi and Nobuyuki) were left
untouched.

Kain moved in hungrily as he saw the remaining few.
"I'll have the blood of Juri."

Ranma watched in horror as the faced approached.
"Stay back you monster!" She cupped her hands and focused.
"Your not going to get her! MOUKO TAKABISHA!" A yellow
ball of Ki erupted from her hands striking Kain head on.
The impact caused dust and debris to cloud the air. Ranma
felt someone pulling at her.

"Ranko, we have to get Achika out of here!" Tenchi
screamed.

"How did you do that?" Nobuyuki yelled over the
noise.

"No time to explain!" she said. In the chaos Ranma
forced opened the elevator doors and she and Nobuyuki
carried Achika between them.

"Where to?" Ranma asked.

"Up the stairs to the observation deck." Tenchi
called out from behind. When the four got there the floor
was empty. Tenchi immediately kneeled down and opened his
bag pulling out the Psy-Wave booster. "Got the find the
center of the room." He panted.

Ranma and Nobuyuki set Achika down gently. "Wait!
Who are you?" Ranma called out to Tenchi as the boy
scurried off. "Nobuyuki, keep an eye on her." Ranma stood
up and went after Tenchi.

"Hai," the spectacled boy nodded. "Achika, please be
all right."

She began to stir from his words. Her face took on a
look of terror. "He's coming... He's coming..." Another
explosion ripped through the tower. The jarring effect set
off the fire sprinklers. Cold water sprayed down from the
ceiling drenching everything.

Both Tenchi and Ranma halted in their tracks as they
saw the black form of Kain appear. The criminal was an
amorphous mass ever-changing in shape and form. His body
flowed like slick oil as he floated in the air. The only
constant was the face of white.

"I feel it, some one from the house of Juri is here."
Kain said. "There is some one here who holds tremendous
power."

Tenchi ran up to Ranma, both of them were shivering
from the spraying water and from fear. "Please you have to
place this at the center of the room!" He handed off the
disk shaped booster to the protesting redhead. "I'll hold
him off so hurry."

"Wait! Damn it!" Ranma cursed. "What the hell is
this thing!" She ran back to Achika and Nobuyuki as Tenchi
moved forward to face off with Kain. "Come on!" Ranma
said to the two, we have to get out of here.

"Who is that boy?" Achika said looking in awe as
Tenchi pulled out the Tenchi-ken. The blue light of the
blade lit up the shattered room.

Ranma's eyes also widened at the sight but she
quickly recovered. "Lets go!" She pulled Achika way with
Nobuyuki following after.

"This is as far as you go!" Tenchi declared. The
sword of light glowed with energy.

Kain looked at him curiously. "Are you from the
house of Juri?" the hollow voice questioned. Kain laughed.
"Very interesting. We'll see how much power you have."
Kain struck out with his hand, his arm stretching to reach
Tenchi.

Tenchi held firm and held the light blade in front of
him stopping the attack. The mix of the two energies
clashing against each other was an awesome sight as light
crackled against the dark folds.

"Now what?" Ranma said exasperated after placing the
booster on the floor. "What's suppose to happen now!" A
scream was heard. Ranma looked up and saw Tenchi fly
across the room and land heavily onto the floor. The sword
he held winked out as he struggled to get back up.

Kain moved forward menacingly. "This looks like the
end of the house of Juri. I'll eradicate you and put you
out of your misery!" The monster swore.

The Tenchi-ken once more flashed back to life. "I
won't let you touch my mother!"

Ranma blinked at the statement.

Achika stared stupefied at the boy's remark. She saw
Tenchi's features, his nose, his mouth, and his eyes.
Somehow deep inside her she knew that he has spoken the
truth. She clutched at this, which gave her the strength
she needed.

"Achika!" To Nobuyuki's alarm Achika stood up.

Tenchi steeled himself for what was to come. His
body was numb from the pain and cold from the water.
Everyone had worked so hard to get to this point. The
obstacles that they had to overcome just to face Kain were
miracles in themselves. He knew that there was no option
left for him. He would die before Kain harmed his mother.
As he prepared to attack, a voice rang out.

"Stop!" Achika stood. A force flew out from her
pushing back the debris around her. "Don't touch him!"
The fallen water on the floor rippled around radiating out
in waves.

Kain halted his advance. A look of amazement was on
his face. "I found... It's you. I found you! None of
the others were the same. I've come all the way to this
planet in the middle of nowhere to destroy you!" He turned
away from Tenchi to face the small girl.

Achika felt her strength falter and fear grew within.
"What? What are you?"

"I am one who has suffered grievously from the power
that lies within you!" Kain growled.

Tenchi watched in horror as Kain went toward his
mother. He yelled out to the redhead next to Achika.
"Ranko! Press the red button! Hurry!"

Ranma didn't have to be told twice. 'What ever this
thing does it better do it quick!' She pressed the button
on the disk and instantly the thing lit up. He grabbed
Achika's and Nobuyuki. "Come on!"

"What's this?" Kain saw the glowing disk. All
around Tokyo, the five transmitters worked as predicted,
gathering energy and shunting it to the main booster at the
tower. A pillar of light shot forth from the device
opening a portal. Kain realized too late that it was a
trap and was caught up in the vortex of the portal.
"NO!!!" He screamed as his black body slowly began to get
sucked in.

Ranma, Nobuyuki and Achika held on for dear life to
anything that was bolted down. Around them smaller bits
and pieces were being pulled in. The water from the
sprinklers whipped around like a hurricane was in the room.
The force that was imprisoning Kain threatened to do the
same to them.

"No!!!" Kain struggled against the pull of the
device but it was a senseless struggle. Bit by bit his
dark form was torn away into the void. "I will take you
with me!" He bellowed. From his hands, red tendrils shot
out wrapping themselves around Achika pulling her from her
hold.

"Achika!!!" Ranma reached out grabbing a hold of the
screaming girl's hand. With her other hand she held on to
one of the supports of the room. "Hold on, don't let go of
me!!!"

"Ranma!!!" Achika cried out. She could barely be
heard over the racket.

"I will take you with me!" Kain promised as more of
his body was pulled in.

Ranma felt herself being torn apart as she held on to
both Achika and the metal pole. Then the pole gave way.
Ranma felt the jarring sensation of being pulled in.
Nobuyuki reached out and tried to grab on to the redhead
hand. He missed managing only to catch on to Ranmas
sleeve. For a moment it looked like the three could hold
on but then the shirt sleeve tore off from Ranma and she
and Achika were sent spiraling into the void. And then it
was over; The portal had closed.

"Ranko... Achika..." Nobuyuki looked at the
devastation around him. Water rained down on the twisted
rubble. Fatigue and stress finally took their toll on the
young boy and Nobuyuki collapsed in exhaustion.

****----***---****

"Mother!!!" Tenchi screamed as the portal closed
before him. He ran forward not caring about the
consequences. 'I can make it... just a little closer...'
He was about to fling himself into the opening until a
figure blurred in front of him, holding him back.

"Ryoko!" He struggled against Ryoko as the girl held
him back. "My mother! Ryoko, I have to help her."

"No, Tenchi! It's too dangerous," Ryoko begged as
tears formed in her eyes mixing with the falling water from
the broken sprinklers. She had finally made it back from
placing the transmitter only to find she had been too late.

"Let me go, Ryoko! I have to save both of them!"
Tenchi continued to fight against her grip.

"They've already been sucked into subspace." Ryoko
cried.

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" Tenchi pleaded
desperately. "Mother!!!"

****----***---****

Ranma woke up. Her body was cold and sore. Looking
around she found herself alone in a barren wasteland of
gray dust and jagged rocks protruding from the ground.

"Achika!" Ranma called out over the desolate
landscape. The last thing she remembered was holding on to
Achika, as they were both pulled through the portal by
Kain.

Her clothes were torn ripped beyond repair.
Fortunately Ranma still had her shoulder bag which survived
the trip with her. Opening it up, Ranma pulled out her
thermos.

"Please let there be some left," she prayed. Shaking
it she felt the liquid slosh within. Crossing her fingers
she unscrewed the cap and poured the contents on herself.
The water was still warm enough and Ranma felt the tingling
sensation of the transformation.

Tossing the empty container aside, Ranma launched
himself, bounding across the landscape. "Achika! Achika!"

He came up a ridge overlooking a large crater. At
the center of the crater he saw Achika lying there. "No...
Achika!!!" Ranma moved sliding down the sides of the
crater. He was at the girl's side soon after.

"Achika..." She wasn't moving. As he reached out to
touch her, a dark form emerged from the girl's shadow and
launched after him. "What?!?" Only his honed reflexes
saved him from being caught as he leapt back from the
surprise attack.

Ranma watched in horror as the dark form grew into a
huge human like shape. Held at the base of the body was
Achika who was still unconscious. At the head of the
figure the ghostly white face of Kain formed.

Around him an aura of yellow Ki flared. His muscles
bulged as the energy coursed through his body. "Let her go
you monster!" Ranma roared.

The face just grinned at him and liked its lips. His
arms stretched out flying across the ground tearing up
anything in their path. Streams of living darkness shot
out toward Ranma.

"Bastard!!!" Ranma charged in, zigzagging his was
past though the streams of black. He ducked and dodged in
between Kains arms, his body twisting in an acrobatic style
he had spent years mastering. But even with his training,
he still felt the bite of pain as he took slight nicks and
cuts from the near misses.

One such near miss caught him across the chest,
barely managing to twist his body out of the way. Had he
been less conditioned it would have been fatal. 'I guess
those matches with the 'old man' were paying off,' Ranma
grimly mused. He prayed that it would be enough.

As much as her tried he couldn't get close enough to
Achika. His punches and kicks did nothing to the liquid
form of Kain, serving only to bloody his hands and legs.
Slowly he felt himself faltering. His aura was also
growing weaker as doubt and depression ate away at his
confidence.

"Achika, wake up!" Ranma yelled at the trapped girl.
Her body was almost immersed in Kains dark form.
Desperately he tried to reach out to her. "Achika! You got
ta wake up! Please!!!"

Achika's eyes fluttered and opened. "Ranma?" she
said dazed. Her mind snapped into focus as she realized
where she was and the danger that her friend face. "Ranma!
Look out!!!"

Ranma staggered as a strike grazed his leg.
"Achika!!!" She was still alive. Hope grew inside of him
and once again his battle aura flared. "Hold on Achika!
Just hold on, I'm coming for you!!!"

Achika watched in horror as he headed straight for
her, throwing caution to the wind as he charged into Kain's
waiting grasp. Then at the last possible second Ranma
jumped up into the air. The ground which he on a moment
ago was shattered by Kain's fists.

In the air Ranma saw the opening he needed. The
exposed face of Kain looked at him in surprise. Ranma
again called on his Ki as he cupped his hands together.
"Eat this you bastard!!! MOUKO TAKABISHA!!!" A yellow
ball of energy flew from his hands and struck the white
face, shattering it. A shudder passed though the large
body.

"I did it..." Ranma said weakly as he landed to the
ground. He barely managed to keep upright, using one hand
to steady his landing.

"Ranma!!!" Achika screamed out.

He looked up hearing her voice. His eyes
widened. "No..." The face was there again, smiling at him.

Achika felt Kain's pain from Ranma final attack. As
Ranma landed to the ground she could see relief on his
face. 'It's over...' she thought, and then she felt the
anger grow with Kain. "Ranma!!!" She screamed out.

She watched in terror as Kain's hand flew out and
clamped onto the unprepared martial artist's face. It
picked Ranma up and swung him around like a rag doll. The
arm moved and held the struggling boy before her.

"Ranma..." Achika's eyes filled with tears as she saw
the agony he was in.

With an indifferent gesture, Kain tossed the boy into
the air and let him drop. Achika turned her face away
wishing she could cover her ears when the impact came. Her
heart broke when she opened her eyes again and saw the
mangled form lying lifeless on the ground.

"Ranma! Ranma!!!" She struggled against the dark
folds holding her. She didn't care how she did it, but all
she wanted was to go to his side. She felt the power
inside of her again. Using it she forced her way free and
ran towards the pigtailed boy.

She reached Ranma's side and paused. 'He's not
breathing!' "Ranma!" She clutched at him frantically.
When she touched him a shock passed though her arm to his
body. The result was Ranma instantly gasping for a breath.

"Ranma..." Achika held on to him gently. She could
feel her hands tingling where she touched him.

"What... what are you doing Achika..." Ranma asked
weakly. He felt the pain in his body subside.

Achika couldn't answer; She didn't understand it
herself. "Shhh... It will be over soon," She said softly.
Slowly getting up she faced Kain. She felt it now, the
power she had. Her father had hinted about it, the legacy
of the Masaki family.

"Achika..." Ranma said in a broken voice. He tried
to get up but his body wouldn't move.

"I'll never forgive you for what you've done."
Achika said to Kain. She stepped forward and undid
the ribbon holding her hair. The black tresses shimmered
and turned silver gray. On her face Jurian war marks
appeared, and her clothes were torn away replaced by
flowing pastel robes. The power washed over her as the
transformation completed itself.

A door was opened in her mind and memories that
weren't her own came pouring through. "Tenchi..." The boy
in the tower who had faced Kain. "My son..." She could see
what he was doing now. He was searching for her.
Looking though the countless dimensions.

****----***----****

"Washu!" Tenchi yelled. With the help of Washu's
device he had sought out the astral pattern of his mother.
"I've found her! Can you open up the portal?"

I'm trying Tenchi! Keep concentrating on you mother
until I can get a lock in sub-space.

"Mother, please hang on." Tenchi said.

****---***----****

Tenchi her son had come through time to save her.
"No, I won't let you risk your life for me," she said. "I
won't let you harm my son, Kain!" Achika faced the monster.

Kain acted first, fire spouting from his mouth
threatening to incinerate her and Ranam. Achika stood
unwavering against the flames. When the fire reached her
it met a shield of Juri energy.

"Pretty good but not good enough." Kain intoned.
Again he attacked his fists battering against the shield
Achika held. The pummeling was relentless and the girl
struggled against the onslaught.

"Get back!" yelled Achika. She motioned with her arm
and her shield expanded pushing Kain back. Achika wavered
from the act.

From where he lay, Ranma felt the massive release of
energy. Achika's metamorphosis and the power she displayed
awed him. But in the same glance he saw that Tsunami was
right about Achika not being prepared. Achika's attacks
while powerful, lacked focus. She wasted too much energy
with each blow. It became a stalemate with Achika forced
to the defensive while Kain struggled to break through her
shields. Ranma saw Achika slowly weakening. "Achika..."

Growing frustrated Kain roared and a hole opened
within his body. "If I can't destroy you I'll absorb
you!!!" With that a vortex swirled pulling Achika toward
him.

Achika used her declining power to hold firm. From
the corner of her eye she saw Ranma on the ground
threatening to be taken in. "Ranma!" She grabbed his hand
before he could be dragged any farther. Again she felt the
shock and tingling sensation when she touched him. She
drew him closer and held on tight. Slowly the two were
pulled in.

In her mind she heard a voice. 'Achika?'

'Ranma!' she felt him in her mind.

'How can this be,' Ranma wondered.

'I don't know but I'm scared Ranma. I don't know
what to do anymore.'

Ranma also didn't know. To fight anymore seemed
useless. Even with his training he was nothing more than
nuisance to Kain. And Achika lacked the skill to properly
focus her reserves of energy. In the darkness of the
situation he recalled Tsunami's words to him. 'You are
the instrument in stopping what is to come.' All became
clear to him.

'Achika if we work together we can stop him.' Ranma
said.

'How?'

'Lend me your power Achika.'

'I don't know how to...'

'Your doing it now, I can feel it. I wouldn't be
alive right now if it weren't for you.'

Achika focused on his words. 'He's right.' The bond
they had now was from the energy mixing between them. She
concentrated. In her mind Ranma's face appeared. Blue
eyes stared back at her with a quite smile. Memories
surfaced, the walks they took together at the shrine, the
laughs they shared. She felt what was in her heart.
'Ranma...'

Ranma gasped as the surge of power hit him. Strength
flowed through his limbs again and around him his yellow
aura glowed but this time its edges were laced with deep
blue.

His senses came back to him and with an inhuman leap
he pulled himself and Achika away from the vortex Kain
held.

They landed dozens of yards away. He let Achaka
stand on her own. He could see the energy flowing from her
into him. 'Are you all right?' he asked.

Achika nodded and smiled. 'Yes. Face him Ranma, I
will be with you.' She shut her eyes and concentrated on
the link between them.

Ranma felt the intensity of power entering him. It
was as Tsunami had told him. He had become an instrument
for Achika's energy. Like a lens used to focus the Sun's
light, he was able to manipulate the Juri energy like his
Ki and concentrate its intensity.

Kain was enraged at being denied his prize. "I will
have her blood!!!" He screamed lashing out.

The glow around Ranma became even brighter, the
mixture of Ki and Juri energy crackled in the air. "I'll
drag you to hell with me first!" Ranma charged in his
fists blazing with blue light. Whatever he punched burned.
He hacked away at Kain's arms drawing blood with each blow.

Kain countered using his icy breath and energy
attacks. The ground was shredded, turned into a crater
filled battle zone. Ranma was forced to fall back from the
barrage.

'Achika, I need more power,' he said with his mind.

Achika's jaw clenched in the effort. 'I'll try
Ranma.'

Ranma shuddered from the link. His body felt like it
was on fire. The energy being forced into him was trying to
escape. It was only by shear will that he was able to keep
himself moving.

'Ranma!' Achika felt the resistance in the link.

Ranma realized now how Tsunami had prepared him for
this. The countless hours he has spent focusing his Ki in
trying to find the secret of the Masaki holy tree was in
preparation for this battle. 'I'm fine Achika. Don't
worry.'

Ranma attacked again, his movements becoming nothing
more than a blur. A normal human body would have destroyed
itself by now, muscle tearing from the bone from the
intensity of the movements. The only thing that kept him
from flying apart was Achika using her strength to
reinforce the failing flesh.

Kain struggled against the ferocity of Ranma's
attacks. In the span of a second, hundreds of wounds were
torn into Kain's body. But still Kain fought on his
strikes growing more desperate.

As he fought Ranma could feel the Juri energy eating
away at him. He was saturated with it. Every pore of his
body seeped with the blue light. But he knew that it still
wasn't enough. He leapt back from Kain and readied
himself. 'Achika help me.'

'Ranma you can't take any more!' Achika begged.

'Please...' Ranma closed his eyes and concentrated.

'No!' she realized what he was doing.

He began. "MOUKO..."

"You can't, its too much!'

"TAKA..."

'Don't make me do this to you..."

"BISHA..."

'Please...' tears came to her face as she funneled
energy into him once more.

Ranma's eyes opened. But instead of his eyes were
two pools of swirling blue. His voice was a whisper.
"PERFECT..."

A column of yellow Ki erupted from his hands. Around
it spiraled the Juri energy focused in a tight beam. The
blast tore into Kain and a brilliant flash of light filled
the sky.

****----***----****

When the light cleared there was nothing left of
Kain.

"Ranma, we did it!" Achika said. "Ranma?"

He stood there saying nothing. Like a puppet with
its strings cut Ranma wavered slightly and fell to the
ground.

"Ranma!!!" She went to him and felt his pulse. It
was there but weak. His breath was also shallow. "Please
don't leave me." She placed her head on his and closed her
eyes letting the darkness take her.

A drop of water touched her face. Then another one
came followed by many more. Water rained down over the
two. It was enough to trigger Ranma's curse. The water
came from the portal that had opened up above them. Three
figures emerged from it.

"Mother!" Tenchi said landing next to Achika.
Flanking him were Ayeka and Ryoko. All of them were
dressed for battle.

Ayeka quickly checked the fallen girl then tended to
the redhead. "It's all right Tenchi. They're both
extremely tired. They need rest."

"Where's Kain?" Ryoko asked looking around
cautiously.

Tenchi also scanned the area, his sword glowing ready
for anything. "Washu-chan, do you pick up anything?" he
asked.

From her terminal the super genius looked at the
incoming data on the screens. "Nothing Tenchi, Kain's
astral pattern is a negative. All I'm picking up are
residual traces of him and a mixture of Juri energy."

Ayeka's eyes widened. "That means that Achika-sama
must have defeated him."

"It seems like it but from my previous calculations
that should have been impossible."

"What about Ranko? Maybe she had something to do
with it." Ryoko suggested.

"What? A mere human? That's very doubtful. If I
had more information I could run more tests." Washu said
frustrated. She hated it when she didn't have the answers.

"We don't have time for this," Tenchi interrupted.
"Let's go home, he said."

Ayeka picked up Ranma while Ryoko helped Achika and
Tenchi. The group made their way back up through the
portal and found themselves back in the wrecked
observatory. The water had come from the broken
sprinklers.

They made their way down the tower and met up with
Kiyone, and Mihoshi. Sasimi was there also, looking after
Nobuyuki.

"We better get out of here," Ryoko said. In the
distance sirens were heard. Police and rescue vehicles
were coming to the scene. "Ayeka do you have it?"

Ayeka nodded and pulled out a small box. There were
three small metallic triangles inside. She placed one on
the foreheads of Achika, Ranma and Nobuyuki.

"So they won't remember a thing?" Tenchi asked.

"Yes, it's best that way," Ayeka said finishing.

"It's time to go," Ryoko said.

Tenchi nodded and looked at the sleeping form of
Achika. "Sleep well mother." he said softly.

Before he vanished he heard her say something in her
sleep.

"Tenchi..." she said.

****----***----****

Achika woke up finding, herself lying in a bed that
wasn't her own. Katsuhito walked in carrying a cup of tea.

"Ah... you're awake. You've been a sleep for a day
now." a look of relief was on his face.

"Where are we?" She looked around the room.

"We are at Tokyo General hospital. What was the last
thing you remember Achika-chan?" he asked.

"I was with my class... We were at Tokyo tower
and... I can't remember anything else. What happened
father?"

"They say that the tower was struck by lightning. An
explosion occurred and several people were injured as a
result."

"Father, where's Ranma?"

A pause, "Come with me," he finally said.

***--**--***

"No..." Achika saw the redhead lying in bed with
machines hooked up to her. The beep of the heart monitor
was heard.

The doctor was with them.

"I'm sorry Masaki-san. There's nothing we can do.
Her body is deteriorating at a rapid rate. We're running
tests but so far we haven't yet isolated the cause. It's
only a matter of time before her body shuts down
completely, maybe three days at the most. I'm afraid that
only a miracle can save her now."

"Father..." Achika began tears welled up in her eyes.

Katsuhito nodded understanding.

***--**--***

Achika prayed. There was nothing left she could do.
Her father and her had taken Ranma home. The doctors
didn't protest; they couldn't do anything.

"Only a miracle can save her now," was what one of
them had said.

"If that's what it takes then." Achika told the man.

She kneeled facing the Holy tree. "To anyone who can
hear me. My friend needs your help. He's dying and I know
of no other way to cure him. He good person with a kind
heart. Please, I love him." She said quietly. Her face
was wet with tears.

Katsuhito looked sadly at his daughter's grief. It
had been difficult for Achika when her mother died, and now
she had to deal with this. He looked at Ranma's body lying
next to them. With a worried expression he wondered,
'Tsunami, are you listening?'

***--**--***

Ranma gazed out over the tranquil waters. He knew
where he was but how he got there he couldn't remember. He
felt a touch on his shoulder.

"Tsunami," he addressed the woman. "What am I doing
here?"

"Remember," she said and touched his forehead.

Images flashed through his mind. The class trip,
Tokyo tower and, "Kain!" Ranma said. "He's gone isn't
he?"

"Yes. You and Achika were able to stop him."

"Then why am I here? I don't remember coming here."
His brows knitted.

"Look," she said pointing to the waters below.

Ranma saw his reflection, the redhead stared back at
him. It blurred and another image appeared. It was of
Achika and her father kneeling before the Sacred Tree.
Beside them he saw his body wrapped in a blanked between
the two.

"Achika... Tsunami, what's happening?" Ranma started
to panic.

"You're dying Ranma. The human body has no defenses
against the anti-Juri energy that Kain used. His essence
somehow contaminated you when you fought. It's slowly
killing you from within."

Ranma nodded remembering the cuts and scrapes he
received. What about Achika, is she all right?

Yes, her body can withstand Kain's corruption.

Relief washed over him. "At least she's safe now."

"Do you have any regrets? she asked.

A pause, He looked Tsunami in the eye. "No, I'd give
my life for her again if I had to."

"You love her then?" she asked.

"Yes."

Tsunami smiled. She held out her hand. There was
what looked like a small pebble floating above it.

"What is that?" Ranma looked at the object
curiously.

"A seed, the symbol of new life."

"New life?"

"Accept it and it will save you, but you will be
changed."

"Changed?"

"There is too little of you body left functioning to
repair. What can be saved will be saved but the rest must
be rebuilt entirely. With out this you will die."

"I don't have much of choice then do I?" he said
wryly.

"I'm sorry, Ranma," she said sadly. "It is the only
way."

"I accept then."

Tsunami nodded. She placed it upon his chest. It
passed through his skin and entered his body. The blue
glow could be seen from the point on his chest.

"What's happening to me?" Ranma asked frightened.
He watched as lines grew out from the seed and made their
way out through his entire body. He realized that they
were roots. The seed was growing inside of him.

"Do not be afraid Ranma. It is mending your body.
Rest now and accept." She spoke in a soothing voice quelling
his doubts.

Ranma relaxed letting go of the last of his fears.

***--**--***

"Ranma," the voice said. "Ranma, can you hear me?"

Ranma opened his eyes and saw the most beautiful face
he had ever seen. "Am I in heaven?" he asked. "Are you an
angel?"

Ranma! she held him tightly and buried her face on
his chest sobbing.

"Achika-chan?"

"I though I lost you," she cried.

"Never," he said. He held her chin up and gently
brushed the loose strands of hair away from her wet face.
"I'll never leave you. Achika-chan I... I love you."

She looked into his deep blue eyes. "I love you
too," she said and kissed him passionately on the lips.
Their kiss deepened and the rest of the world faded away.

"Ahem," Katsuhito said clearing his throat.

Masaki-sensi! Ranma blurted realizing the other
man's presence.

"Father!" Achiak said her face becoming beat red.

The two pulled away from each other hastily with
sheepish expressions on their faces.

"Achika-chan, why don't you help Ranma back to the
house? I'm sure that he could use some more rest. Right
Ranma?" he said narrowing his eyes at the two.

Ranma swallowed. "Y-yes, sensi."

Achika also nodded as she helped Ranma up.

Katsuhito watched then go and chuckled to himself.
He faced the Holy tree and bowed. "Thank you Tsunami," he
said gratefully.

"No thanks are required lord Yosho." An image of the
woman appeared from the tree. She smiled. "The boy is
remarkable, you trained him well."

"What did you do to him?" Yosho the crown prince of
Juri asked. "I can feel the Juri energy coming from him
now."

"The only way I could save him was to graft a seed of
a Juri tree into him."

"Then the seed you used..."

"Yes, it was to be Achika's tree, just as Funaho is
you tree." She patted the bark fondly. "You know as well
as I that a seed will not grow on Earth. And without her
own tree to sustain her, Achika would only live as long as
a normal human."

"So Ranma is now..." Yosho was shaken by the
revelation. 'A tree of Juri that isn't...'

"As I said, the boy is remarkable. Watch over both
of them Lord Yosho. You'll have to tell them the truth
soon. Ranma already knows some but Achika must learn of
her true heritage. I leave the rest to you."

"One more thing Tsunami," Yosho asked.

"Yes?"

"About Ranma's special problem?"

Tsunami laughed. "He'll find out soon enough." As
she disappeared it began to rain.

Yosho chuckeled as he walked home.

***--**--***

As the first drop of water hit him, Ranma groaned.
Achika smirked at his usual reaction. Ranma felt more
drops and braced himself for the inevitable change.
Nothing happened.

"Ranma..." Achika said softly her eyes were smiling.

He looked at her and saw that she was getting soaked.
He looked at himself and saw the same. "I'm still a
guy..." he said unbelieving. "I'm still a guy!"

"I'm happy for you Ranma!" Achika said.

He picked her up and hugged her tightly. "I love
you."

"I love you too."

****----***----****

The Future.

"We're back!" Sasami happily shouted as the group
reappeared in the room. It was as how they left it.
Ayeka's bowl of crackers was on the table, the box of
pictures was on the floor and the movie was running.

"Is everyone all right?" Tenchi asked.

"It worked!" Ryoko said looking at film. Achika was
there again walking through he woods, with her was Ranko.

"Yes, everything is back to normal," Ayeka agreed.

"Tenchi, lets celebrate," Ryoko said in a husky
voice. She snaked under his arm and started rubbing his
chest.

Tenchi felt a nosebleed coming.

"Have you no decency?" Ayeka growled.

"Oh, what are you going to do about it little Miss
proper?" Ryoko stuck her tongue out at her.

"Ah... Ayeka, Ryoko?" Tenchi saw the wooden blocks
appear around the princess and Ryoko's light sword flashed
into existence.

Before the battle started the front door opened.
"Mom! Dad!" Tenchi said. Instantly the two girls jumped
apart from each other and greeted the couple.

"We're home!" Achika said. Behind her Ranma followed
carrying a bag of groceries. She walked up and gave Tenchi
a peck on the cheek. She winked at him.

"Welcome home Achika-sama," Ayeka said in her demure
matter.

"Did you have fun shopping, auntie?" Ryoko asked
sweetly.

Tenchi grew a sweatdrop seeing the sudden change in
the two. The girls tried to out do each other in
sweetness toward the elder woman.

"Every thing was just fine girls." Achika said. "I'm
glad to see that you're getting along well together. It's good
that you're not fighting anymore."

Ayeka and Ryoko looked at eachother nervously.

Tenchi smiled at his mother gratefully. She was a
beautiful woman and though she was in her early forties she
looked like she was in her late twenties. In her eyes he
could see the years of wisdom within.

With just a few subtle hints she could diffuse the
arguments that Ryoko and Ayeka always got into. He hated
to think what his life would be like if his mother wasn't
there.

Ranma set the bags on the table. "How was your night
Tenchi?"

"It was interesting dad..." Tenchi said to the older
man. His father was also in his early forties with a few
streaks of gray in his pigtail, which reached down the
length of his back.

His father looked at him curiously and laughed. "You
can tell me about it later." He tussled Tenchi's hair
playfully.

Tenchi loved his father's easygoing manner in things.
He could easily talk to his father when he wanted and Ranma
would patiently listen giving advice whenever he could.

Tenchi couldn't believe how close he had come to
losing his family. What would he do with out them? He
wondered.

"Tenchi, is everything all right?" Achika asked.

"Yeah mom, everything's great." Tenchi said.

The End

Story Notes:
First rule of Love in Anime. Love comes in the shape of a
triangle or more complicated geometric shapes.

If you haven't noticed, this story is set in the Tenchi
Muyo in Love story line. I think I'm following it fairly
well. If you haven't seen the movie, it shouldn't matter.

If you have seen the movie you might be wonder about the
Operative. He's there in the background but I didn't see
the need to write him in.

Ranma a Juri Tree you ask? Well, I think it could work.
It's an excuse to make Ranma more powerful and it keeps
Achika alive. Cures his cure to boot!

I'm not really sure where else to take this. I'm open to
any suggestions.

Author Notes:

Well, that's all folks. I am tired. It seems that each
chapter is getting longer and longer. I really hope it's
worth it. I'm not boring anyone am I? If I am, please let
me know.

I'd like to thank everyone for their support. It's readers
like you that made this possible. If you have any comments
please send your messages to both the e-mail address below.
I'm in the process of moving and my address will soon
change.

I'm looking for anyone who would be interested in pre-
reading my works.
Also, I'm getting a web page soon. Since I cant draw I was
wondering
If anyone out there would mind doing some fan-art and send
me a picture
Of Ranma and Achika together.

Send all mail to the address below. For the subject please
put:

Ranma|Tenchi

****************
Cr...@rpi.edu
****************

Pug Productions

*********************************
Author: Pug
cr...@rpi.edu
http://www.rpi.edu/~cruzd/pug/pug.html
*********************************

Insert standard disclaimer here:
A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series,
Ranma
1/2. The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the property of
Takahashi
Rumiko and her licensees.
All characters portrayed in this story are owned by their
respective creators and companies. I don't own any of them.
Please don't
sue me.

Genre: Ranma/Tenchi Muyo Alternate Reality, cross-over.

Version 1.00 Draft. Created 12/31/99
Please forgive any spelling of grammar
mistakes.
Version 1.05 Spelling and Grammar corrections

Previous:
This work is based off a previous story of mine, "The Girl
who wasn't and the Princess who was" In short, Ranma left
Nermia to start his live anew. While searching for a cure to
his curse, he came to the Masaki shrine and there he met
Achika. The rest of the story is based on the Tenchi movie:
Tenchi Muyo In Love. Ranma and Achika face Kain together
and defeat the space criminal. The result of this leads Ranma
to a cure as well as love between him and Achika. Now with
out further ado, I present...

Father of the Prince

Prologue:

A boy ran through the woods.

He wore a pair of worn gray pants and the blue shirt.
His dark hair done up in a ponytail was matted with sweat. He
wiped his brow feeling a sting as perspiration touched his
eyes.

The trees lining the way rushed by as his feet carried
him down the dirt path. There was a look of fear on his face
as he pushed himself to go faster. With a surge of adrenaline
he picked up the pace constantly looking behind him to see if
he was being followed. In once such instance he fell to the
ground as his foot caught and exposed tree root. A small
object fell out from within his shirt and skittered in front of
him. It was an oddly shaped rod somewhat resembling a
sword hilt.

The boy quickly recovered from his fall, clawing his
way up from the dirt and picking up the hilt. He was off again
racing down the path. He gripped the stick so tightly that his
knuckles were turning white.

Eventually the maze of branched and leaves parted.
In the clearing the boy looked down toward his destination. A
white house with a red tile roof sitting next to a lake. With a
final surge of strength he sprinted to the door opening it and
slamming it shut behind him. He finally relaxed leaning his
back to the door.

As he struggled to catch his breath he looked up and
saw a pair of two pairs of eyes looking at him. Sitting
together on the couch was an older man and a woman. The
two were watching television from what he could tell. "Mom,
Dad! You're here!" he exclaimed.

"Where else would we be?" The man scratched his
head. His hair was tied in a pigtail.

"Something wrong Tenchi?" the woman asked. Her
black hair ran freely down her back with her features matching
very closely to his. "You look a little jumpy." She had a
concerned look on her face.

"N-no nothing's wrong," Tenchi stuttered. He
quickly shoved the sword hilt in his shirt.

"Look's like ya saw a ghost or something son." The
older man laughed jokingly.

Tenchi smiled weakly. "Yeah... a ghost... haha...
I'm going to my room now." Without any further comment
Tenchi rushed up to the stairs and dove into his room.

The man and the woman blinked.

"What to you suppose that was about Ranma?" The
woman asked her husband.

Ranma shrugged. "Don't worry about it Achika. I'm
sure Tenchi can handle what ever it is." He picked up the
remote and started flipping though the channels.

"I suppose your right." Achika said snuggling closer
to him.

Chapter 4.

The Present:

The school bell rang sounding the start of noon
recess. As the students gathered together and chatted among
themselves Tenchi sat at his desk playing around with the
sword hilt he had found during the summer. There was a
dubious look on his face as he studied the hilt in his hands.
'So this was suppose to be Yosho's sword huh? It doesn't
look like much.'

"Hey Tenchi what have you got there?" A boy asked walking
up to him. He was a tall paunchy looking kid with a large
nose and glasses on his face.

"Huh? Oh, hi Yuta. Nothing just a piece of junk," Tehchi
said as he placed the sword hilt back into his school bag.

Yuta pulled up a chair next to him. "So Tenchi, how was your
summer vacation?"

Tenchi shrugged "Same as usual just me working all day
long. It's suppose to be all part of training." He grimaced
remembering the daily routine of waking up at the crack of
dawn to practice with his father. Sleeping in was considered a
punishable offence consisting of a bucket filled with cold
water.

"What a big drag, didn't you get to meet any girls." Yuta
frowned.

"Ha, You think they'd come to a shabby shrine in the
mountains?"

"Hell no."

"You can get to meet only old men and women up there."
Tenchi lamented. "Just once I wish some cute girls would go
there."

"Pretty slim pickings huh? So I guess you dated mummies all
summer?" Yuta slapped him on the back and laughed at his
joke.

"Yeah dried up mummies... hahaha..." Tenchi stopped
laughing when he remembered the what happened in the
demon cave. The image of the dried up creature grabbing him
and running it's gnarled crooked fingers across his face caused
him to shudder. Beads of sweat appeared on his brow.

Yuta noticed his friend's reaction. "Hey what's wrong
Tenchi?" He studied Tenchi's pale face. "Don't tell me that
your were so hard up that you slept with a mummy!!!" Yuta
accused grabbing him by the collar.

Tenchi snapped. "Baka! I didn't sleep with no mummy!!!"
There was a large crash as Yuta collided with the lockers in
the hall. Recovering, Tenchi looked around the room and saw
everyone staring at him. "Eh... s-sorry Yuta." He apologized
profusely. Yuta accepted with a groan.

Tenchi opted for a quick exit and walked out of the classroom.
He clenched his fists to keep his hands from shivering. 'Geta
grip now, no one knows what I did last summer.' He used an
arm to lean against the wall and took a couple of deep breaths
to help calm him down. Just as he was settling down he was
startled with a tap on his shoulder.

"Tenchi?" A voice behind him spoke.

"Ack!!!" Jumped up and spun around quickly taking up a
fighting stance. His hands were up front set to attack or
defend. His body was balanced on the balls of his feet ready
to react in a moments notice. As his mind caught up to his
reflexes, Tenchi recognized his would be assailant. "M-
mom!"

Achika looked at her son with a bemused expression. "No
sparring during school hours Tenchi."

"Oh uh... sorry mom,"

Achika raised an eyebrow.

"I mean Masaki-sensi," Tenchi said straightening up.

Achika struggled not to laugh. Tenchi reminded her much of
how Ranma was like at that age. Aside from inheriting his
father's blue eyes, Tenchi also showed the sincerity of his
emotions, which read off his face like a book.

Achika shook her head. 'Where does the time go? I could
swear that it was only yesterday that Ranma had gotten
detention for sleeping in class and I had to wait after school
for him. Now I'm the one who's trying to keep the students
awake in my class.'

"Sensi?" Tenchi saw the distant look in his mother's eyes.

Achika cleared her throat. "Never mind Tenchi. Just don't let
the other teachers catch you roughhousing. There are already
enough dents in the lockers without you having to throw poor
Yuta into them. So no more incidents for the rest of the day,
ok Tenchi?"

Tenchi nodded sheepishly. "Hai Sensi."

Achika watched her son trot off. 'At least he's more studious
than his father ever was,' she thought to her self. Ranma still
held the standing record of detention for sleeping in class. She
walked back to her class with a smile on her face remembering
how cute Ranma looked napping on his desk.

***---**---***
The Past:

"Ranma! Ranma!! Ranma for the last time stop sleeping in
class!!!" the teacher bellowed.

"The answer's Hokido!" The pigtailed boy exclaimed
returning from his nap. Ranma bolted up from his desk and
was greeted with a piece of chalk hitting him on the head.

Mr. Hojo the math teacher buried his face in his hands in
exasperation.

"Uh, Kyoto? No its Osaka right?" Ranma said with his mouth
running.

"Ranma! Hall! Now!" the man pointed to the door.

"Hai sensi," Ranma said as he got up from his desk and
headed for the door. As he passed by her, Achika shook her
head.

As Ranma headed off to get some buckets, Mr. Hojo
continued on with the class. "All right now, can someone
begin the derivation of the Pythagorean theorem? Ah yes,
Nobuyuki please begin..."

Lunchtime:

As the students took out their lunches, Tanaka came over and
sat by her friend. "Hey Achika-chan eating alone again?" She
inclined her head toward Ranma who was again sleeping at his
desk.

"Looks like it," Achika said gloomily.

"Hm, that's the third time this week that Ranma's been caught
sleeping in class. What have you two lovebirds been doing so
late at night? Eh Achika-chan?" Tanaka leered at her friend.

Achika's face took on a red tint, then saddened a little.
"Father's has been pushing Ranma training pretty hard lately.
Their practices last a lot longer now. Ranma doesn't seem to
mind though. I mean martial arts is very important to him and
father hasn't had a decent sparing partner for a long time."

"Ah, no wonder you've been kind of moody lately. Ranma-
kun doesn't seem to be paying enough attention to you. I'm
right aren't I?"

"N-no t-that's not it at all." Achika quickly began stuffing her
face with her lunch.

Tanaka rolled her eyes. "Achika really, Ranma's just busy
lately it's not like he's intentionally neglecting you. I know,
why don't you tell your father that the extra training is
affecting Ranma-kun's academics and that he should lighten
up a bit. It is the truth after all."

"I don't know..." Achika said unsure.

"I'm sure it will work. Besides I still remember how you tow
acted after the fieldtrip to Tokyo. You so sweet to each other I
was positively sick." Tanaka laughed.

"Stop making fun of me," Achika said blushing. Finishing up
the rest of her lunch she looked over to the pigtailed sleeper.
'He really does look cute when he sleeps.'

***---**---***

The Present:

Tenchi looked down over the school grounds from his perch
on the roof. With no one around it was one of his favorite
spots just to sit and think.

Tenshi sat with his back against the wall and sighed. His
thoughts taking him back the summer vacation. Ever since
was he was little his grandfather had filled his head with
storied about the shrine and its founding. A demon falling
from the sky and warrior of light coming to defeat it and
locking it away in the cave.

His mother was another source of information. Her beliefs in
the stories were as strong as his grandfather's. From the first
time he had stood at the mouth of the demon's cave Tenchi
had wanted to know from himself if there was something
there.

For years Tenchi had sought out to enter the darkness and
learn the truth, but there was always one obstacle, his father.
He remembered the first time his father caught him trying to
find the keys to the gate entrance.

**--*--**

"Tenchi, there is enough complications in life that you don't
want to go looking around for more. " Ranma said seriously
to the eight-year-old boy. "Trust me on this, ok Tenchi?"

The little boy reluctantly nodded. "Yes papa."

Ranma sighed remembering how active little boys were.
"Tenchi, I think it's about time I started to teach you
something."

Tenchi perked up. "What's that papa?"

"It's something very old, passed down through my family.
How would you like to learn martial arts, Tenchi? My pop
taught me the Anything Goes school and I think it's about
time I started to pass it down to you."

"Anything Goes?" the little boy said trying it out for the first
time.

Ranma nodded and smiled. "Want to give it a try Tenchi?"

"Hai papa!"

**--*--**

Going into the demon cave had definitely been a mistake. "I
should have listened to pop." Tenchi lamented. "But at least
nothing happened."

"The stories were true..." His brows fretted in thought. "I
can't believe that grandpa's said nothing about it. Oh well,
just as long as I don't have to deal with it anymore. "

Tenchi yawned stretching his arms out. He felt himself
drifting off tiredly. Before he fell asleep Tenchi made a
mental note to himself to take his father's advice more often.

***--**--***

Ranma sneezed. "Hm, hope I'm not coming down with
anything." He brushed off some leaves from his shoulder as
he swept the steps leading up to the shrine. The autumn
months were the most beautiful at the shrine. The changing of
the leaves from emerald to gold was a sight that he loved
watching every year.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a surge a power
from somewhere. "What the..." A shiver ran down his spine.
Looking around he tried to find the source.

"Hm... that's odd. It feel like it's coming from..." His eyes
widened. "No way!" The broom fell and clattered against the
stone steps. The path through the forest raced past him in a
blur.

Moments later Ranma arrived at the mouth of the demon cave.
His eyes were alert and the yellow glow of Ki surrounded him.
Looking around, his gaze fell upon what remained of the gates
baring the demon cave.

"Damn..." Ranma muttered. The iron bars were twisted like a
pretzel. Focusing his senses he reached out with his Ki trying
to find the one behind the destruction. There was nothing, just
faint traces of the energy he felt before.

Ranma shook his head. "This is not good."

***--**--***

The Past:

"This is not good," Ranma said as he looked at the piece of
paper in his hand. It was his fifth detention slip in two weeks.
"The old man's not going to be happy about this." He sighed
putting the white slip in his pocket. "An Achika's going to
kill me for making her wait after school again." In all it was
shaping out to be a bad day for the martial artist.

He made his way down the hall dreading having to apologize
to Achika once again. He rolled his shoulders feeling the
tightness in them. 'This is all the oldman's fault,' Ranma
thought. Training had definitely beet raised a notch by
Katsuhito-sensi the last few weeks. Not even his Pop or the
Old Ghoul had pushed him so hard.

The techniques and forms that Katsuhito-sensi had started
training him in were grueling exercises pushing his mind and
body to the limits. And just when he though he couldn't go
any farther, Katsuhito-sensi would somehow find the right
button to push to make him go that extra inch.

"Know thy limits and strive to go further," Was the credo that
Ranma trained under. He looked at his hand, opening and
closing his fist. 'My limits... How far can I go?' He
wondered as he felt the constant pulsing of the Juri seed within
him. 'Not even Tsunami could answer that one for me.'

Ranma reached the school grounds with a tired sigh. "I guess
I'll have to make this up to Achika." In truth he feared
nothing more than a frown on her face. As he ran through the
different scenarios of apologizing to Achika, his nose caught a
familiar scent in the air. "Okonomiyaki?"

"Hi'a Sugar," a feminine voice said.

His mind went numb as he recognized the voice. "It can't
be..." He slowly turned feeling a sense of dread. He came
face to face with a pair of brown eyes. "Ukyou!"

His 'cute; fiancee was dressed in herusual attire of a blue
chef's outfit and black tights. Her brown hair was tied up with
a white bow and on her back was the large battle spatula.
"Um... Ah... W-what a coincidence meeting you here of all
places," he stuttered.

***--**--***

The Present:

Achika waited at the bus stop. She wore a long dark skirt and
a matching blouse. On he shoulder was her bag of books and
papers that she needed grading. She looked up at the clock
mounted on the front of the school building.

"Hm... it's almost five. Where is Tenchi?" Achika frowned.
She didn't want to wait for the next bus.

There were only few students left coming out of the school.
Most of them had stayed for after school activities. Achika
recognized one large boy coming out of the main gate.

"Yuta!"

The boy looked up from the manga he was reading. "Huh?
Oh! Masaki-sensi!" he said bowing.

"Yuta have you seen Tenchi? He's usually here by now so we
can catch the bus home. Do you know if anything is holding
him up?"

Yuta scratched his head. "Well he wasn't at the science-
fiction club meeting. In fact I don't remember seeing him at
all since noon recess."

Achika's frown increased. "Thank you Yuta. I'll see you in
class tomorrow."

"Yes sensi." The boy bowed and continued on his way home.

A few minutes later Achika heard the bus coming. She shook
her head and made her way back into the school.

**-*-**

The tinkle of bells was heard. From his awkward sleeping
position against the wall, Tenchi woke up. He yawned and
rubbed his eyes. "Where am I?" He looked around him. It
was dark out and the school grounds were quiet.

Tenchi groaned. "Oh great I fell asleep and missed all my
classes this after noon. Mom's going to kill me when she
finds out." As he got up he heard a noise.

"Meow..."

He looked up an saw a small black kitten on the roof with him.
"Kitty how did you get here?" He took a step toward it and
before his eyes it vanished.

"What the..." His eyes widened.

The tinkle of bells was heard again. The chimes had an eerie
ring to them. Tenchi swallowed, then slowly turned toward
the direction of the sounds. His heart sipped a beat when he
saw a girl sitting a top of the roof shed.

Her cyan colored hair was set in a spiky fashion and her topaz
shaded eyes had a hungering look about them. There was
something very cat like about her. In her hand were two bells
tied together with a red ribbon. She twirled them around her
finger and tossed them toward Tenchi.

"Ryoko. That's my name," she said lazily. A slight smile
appeared on her face and her eyes began to glow.

Tenchi's jaw dropped. "Oh no, you can't be that freeze dried
demon!"

"It was cold and dark in there. Seven hundred years have
passes since I was trapped in that cave. You'll never know
how much pain I've had to suffer." The coldness of her voice
chilled Tenchi to the bone.

'Oh boy...'

***--**--***

The Past:

'Why me?'

"Die Ranma!" The enraged okonomiyaki chef screamed as a
trio of spatulas flew from her hand.

Ranma felt the rush of the wind as the objects barely missed
hitting his head. Three 'thunks' were heard as the blades bit
into the brick wall of the school. "Ukyou wait-"

"Shut up!" she yelled bringing her giant spatula above her
head and prepared brought it down. Ranma dodged the strike
and sparks flew as the weapon's edge glanced off the
pavement.

Ukyou kept up her attack which was being fed by her fury.
Ranma fell back avoiding each swing. He refused to launch
any offence of his own. He couldn't, his conscience wouldn't
let him. "Ukyou, I-I can explain," he said, desperately trying
to reason with the furious girl.

"Explain?" Ukyou paused gasping for breath. "Explain what?
Explain why you ran off with out me again just like all those
years ago!" She leveled her battle spatula towards his neck.
"You're no better than your jackass of a father!"

"It wasn't like that!" he said desperately. He kept backing up
till he felt himself pressed against the wall of the building. "I
had to get away. I just couldn't take it anymore, the fights, the
arguments, the entire mess. If I hadn't of gone I'd of ended up
miserable and would have hated you all for it. I didn't want
that. Ukyou, I never wanted to hurt you."

She shook her head. "Shut up you jackass!" she said, her
voice cracked. Her eyes were beginning to waver. "I'm not
listening to you anymore! I won't fall for it again!"

"I won't fight you." His arms dropped to his sides. "If this is
what it takes, then go ahead and beat me up. I'm sorry
Ukyou." Ranma closed his eyes and steeled himself for the
impact.

Ukyou grit her teeth and swung.

***--**--***

The Present:

"So you came back for revenge!?!" Tenchi asked the floating
girl.

"Right."

Tenchi took a step back. "It's not my fault! It was my
ancestor. Some guy named Yosho-"

"I don't care!" His explanation was cut off when a flash of
light sprung out from Ryoko's hands. There was a soft hum as
an energy sword appeared before the demon girl. "I just need
to let out my anger now." With that Ryoko clenched her other
hand into a fist and shot out a ball of energy.

"Why me? I told you it's not my fault!!!" Tenchi screamed as
he barely dodged the blast. There was a smoking crater where
it hit.

Ryoko snickered and shot out more blasts. Tenchi frantically
dodged and ducked the deadly balls. He somersaulted in the
air hoping to avoid most of the projectiles. The daily regiment
of his father's training was immensely helpful. Tenchi twisted
his body in the air to avoid another shot. He could feel the
heat that it radiated. He landed on the ground with a wary
look as Ryoko eyed him mockingly.

"What's a matter? It's no fun just running away Tenchi."
Ryoko jumped down from her perch.

An indignant expression came to Tenchi's face. If there was
on lesson that he had learned from his father, it was to never
give up with out a fight. Steeling himself Tenchi threw out his
challenge. "As the heir to the Masaki school of Anything
Goes Martial Arts I will defeat you Demon!" He swallowed.
'I hope...'

Ryoko tilted her head looking at him curiously. She nodded.
"Come on then!!!"

Tenchi brought his fist in front of him. "All right, here I
come!" He ran forward throwing a punch. Ryoko stood her
ground in the face of his attack. As he was about to connect
Ryoko vanished before his eyes.

"Huh? She was just there..."

"Looking for me Tenchi?" Ryoko said appearing behind him.

Tenchi reacted instantly the moment he heard the voice. He
tucked his body and tumbled forward avoiding the slice of the
light sword. He rolled to a safe distance and got up. "H-how
did you do that?"

Ryoko just laughed and then vanished again.

'Oh man I'm in trouble!' Tenchi thought.

***--**--***

The Past:

'I can't fight her. I won't fight her.'

Ranma winced hearing the strike. 'That wasn't so bad, I
didn't feel a thing.' Cautiously he opened one eye. To his
side were the crumbled remains of what was once a solid wall.
"Ukyou..." She sat on her knees looking down at the spatula
in her hands. Wet drops were falling down her face.

"Stupid jackass..." she said quietly.

Ranma kneeled down beside her. "Ucchan I'm sorry." Before
he could react he was suddenly glomped onto. Ukyou held on
to his shirt.

"Why Ranma? Why did you leave me again?"

"Ukyou I care for you very much. I-I love you but only as a
friend. No matter how hard I tried you just could never seem
to understand." He shook his head sadly.

"But the engagement..."

"Doesn't mean anything any more. I'm not a Saotome
anymore so the engagements don't apply. "

"I know, I spoke to your mother when I found out you left.
She told me about it herself. I wouldn't have believed it
otherwise. When I asked her where you went off to she
wouldn't tell me. I was so angry at you, I still am but... I love
you Ranchan." She looked into his deep blue eyes.

"Ukyou I... Mmph!" He never finished as her lips pressed
against his silencing any other protests. She kissed, lightly at
first, then adding more effort as she felt his mouth relax.
Ranma's thoughts raced as struggled to control himself.
'What am I doing?' Fighting his instincts he broke the kiss.
"Ukyou I can't..."

***--**--***

The Present:

Tenchi dodged another attack as Ryoko appeared and
disappeared before his eyes. 'How the hell am I suppose to hit
her if she can do that?' The air shimmered in front of him and
again. His reflexes kicked in and he was able to roll again to
safety. Before he could counter, Ryoko was gone again.

'How can I hit something that I can't see? That's it! I got it
now!' The light bulb went off in his head. 'Her Ki, if I can
feel the moment her energy reappears I just might be able to
get her.'

He focused his, mind relying on his training. Only people
who spent years training could use of even feel Ki, the energy
within all living things. Even now it was difficult for him, and
he had been training constantly since he was eight.

'Com'on where are you?' He stood with his arms crossed
protecting his face. His eyes scanned the empty rooftop.
Then suddenly he felt it, just a bare moment before the air
began shimmering. "There!" As the girl solidified Tenchi
lashed out. "KACHUU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!!" In a
blink of an eye he spun around, his fist nothing more than a
blur as he threw a dozen punched in a span of a second.

A pause.

"Ah, Ouch!" Tenchi clutched at his hand as he staggered back
from the girl. 'It's like hitting a piece of iron...' He looked
up and saw an amused expression on Ryoko's face.

"Try not to hurt your self, Tenchi. I'd like to do that for you."
Her hand crackled as a massive ball of energy grew in her fist.
"HA!!!"

Tenchi did a backfill into the air avoiding Ryoko's fist as she
slammed it into the roof. An explosion bigger than the others
occurred blasting through the roof and down into the lower
levels of the school.

"Kami-sama..." Tenchi saw the destruction as the dust
cleared.

Ryoko hovered over the crater she had created. "Well
Tenchi?"

'Damn... I didn't want to do this but I don't have any choice.'
His body tensed as called upon the last of his reserves. What
he was about to do would have to be done perfectly. His
father had taught him this technique saying it was one of the
most useful and powerful moves he knew. It relied on speed
and surprise to work. 'The timing will be critical. Ok, let's do
it!'

Tenchi straightened up. "All right demon, prepare yourself!
HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" A very faint aura appeared around
him as he charged forward. "Masaki school of Anything Goes
final attack!!!"

"Huh? What's this?" A look of caution appeared on Ryoko's
face as the boy ran toward her.

"Masaki final attack, RUN... AWAY!!!" In his charge, just
before he reached her, Tenchi jumped down the crater that
Ryoko had created, tumbling onto the lower floor and made
off like his life depended on it.

Ryoko face-faulted.

**-*-**

'Where is he?' A worried look was on Achika's face. She
had gone to Tenchi's homeroom and found his bag by his
desk. Since his bag was still there she could only assume that
Tenchi was somewhere on campus also.

Achika was becoming very concerned. It was unlike her son
to be late for the bus ride home or for him to forget his things
in school. Dozens of dark scenarios began playing in her
mind. She tried to reason with her herself before letting her
imagination run rampant. 'Relax Achika, Tenchi is a big boy
now and he can take care of himself.' She took a breath to
calm herself down. It was then that a tremor shook through
the building.

'What?' She ran out into the hallway looking for the cause of
it. "Tenchi? Tenchi!" She called out. More tremors and
small explosions occurred.

Achika looked up. 'The roof! It's coming from the roof...'
"Tenchi!!!" She ran towards the stairs. As she ran, a massive
explosion tore into the building knocking her off her feet.
Looking up she saw the ceiling collapsing on top of her.
'No...'

***--**--***

The Past:

"Hey Achika-chan, wait up!"

The dark-haired girl turned and smiled. "Oh, hi Tanaka-
chan," she said greeting her friend. "Is the club meeting
over?"

The other girl nodded, and fell in step with Achika. "Finished
a little while ago. Waiting up for Ranma-kun again huh?"

"I kept myself busy making these," Achika said pulling out a
plastic container from her knapsack. She popped open the lid
and held it toward Tanaka. "Try one."

"Wow! They look so cute" Tanaka chirped, helping herself to
one of the cookies. The little animal shaped crackers were
still warm to the touch. Tanaka took a bite chewing it
carefully.

"Well?" Achika asked intently.

"Hm... moist, tender, not too sweet and with just a touch of
cinnamon." She smiled and gave a thumbs up. "These are
great Achika."

"I worked really hard making them," Achika confessed.

"Oh really? Making them for some special someone I take it?
Even though he doesn't deserve it." Tanaka said teasingly.

Achika blushed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Oh please, you don't have to act so embarrassed. Everyone
knows that you and Ranma-kun a pair. Ever since our class
trip to Tokyo you've been inseparable." Tanaka laughed.

"Humph!" Achika snapped the box lid close.

"Every girl in school would kill to be in your place. I mean
Ranma-kun is such a hunk."

"Careful, you might start drooling."

"Very funny," she said wryly "Well you better keep a good
eye on your man there Achika-chan. There's hardly a girl out
there who wouldn't want him for herself. Me included."

Achika laughed. "I better get going. I'll see you tomorrow
Tanaka-chan." Achika waved and hurried off. As she made
her way out of the main building, she saw the familiar
silhouette of a pigtailed boy waiting at the corner bus stop.

She ran forward to greet him. His name died on her lips as
she saw a chestnut haired girl break away from a kiss with
him.

She felt her heart growing heavier with each moment and
with a feeling of dread she spoke out in a trembling voice.
"R-Ranma-kun?"

"Achika!" Ranma pulled back from Ukyou. His tongue was
tripping over itself. "Achika-chan, It's not what it looks
like..."

Achika turned her attention to the cute girl with the chestnut
hair. Achika had come hoping to surprise Ranma with the
cookies she had made, only to see him in the arms of someone
else. The two girls' eyes met sizing each other up like two
boxers would in the ring.

"Who are you?" Achika asked with pursed lips.

Ukyou shot her a glare that was usually reserved for Akane or
Shampoo. "I'm Ranma's fiancee! Who are you?"

"F-fiancee... Ranma-kun?" Achika looked between him
Ukyou. She paled, her heart skipping a beat. Her hands went
numb as the plastic container fell from her grasp. The lid cam
open as it hit the ground and the small animal shaped cookies
were scattered to the ground. 'No...'

***--**--***

The Present:

Tenchi ducked into a room. He muffled his mouth with his
hands to keep from making noise. There was a fearful look on
his face as he looked out into the shadowy hallway. 'I'll just
hide here while I figure out a plan. What can I do against
something like that?'

His nose twitched as he caught the scent of something in the
air. 'What is that smell? Fumes? Gas fumes!!! Ryoko must
have broken one of the gas lines! I got to get out of here!!!'

As he began to get up he heard a voice calling out his name.
Tenchi froze swallowing nervously. From the wall facing
him, a figure began to fade in. The cyan haired demon passed
through the solid wall as if it were air.

Ryoko looked at him. "I really like you. You've got great
energy, Tenchi." She stepped toward him and began to form
another energy blast in her fist.

Tenchi's eyes widened to saucers as he saw the glowing hand.
"No! Stop there's gas!" He yelled out.

A confused expression appeared on Ryoko's face. "Gas?
What's gas?"

Tenchi buried his face in his hands. 'I can see the headlines,
brilliant student blown to bits. If I had known I was going to
die today, I wouldn't have done all that homework over
vacation! How am I going to get out of this?!? Wait, I think I
might just have an idea.'

The Anything Goes school specialized in the art of distraction.
And now Tenchi brought his technique to bare. "Hey what's
that out the window!" He yelled pointing outside.

Ryoko turned and looked. "Oh? What is it? I want to see.
Where tell me where it is," she said tilting her head around
looking out the window. "No... I don't see anything," she
said turning toward Tenchi. The only problem was that he
wasn't there anymore. "Huh?" A sweat drop appeared on her
head again.

"I'll get him!!!" She roared, realizing she had been duped
again. She clenched her fist forming the energy sphere. The
sparks she created were more than enough to ignite the gas
and a 'BOOM' echoed throughout the building.

>From another room, Tenchi peeked out into the hallway when
the blast ended. "Well there she goes. She was kind of cute,"
he said regretfully. He clapped his hands together, as was the
habit in the shrine honoring the dead. "Now how am I going
to explain..."

A laugh rang out.

Tenchi's jaw dropped. Through one of the windows he saw
Ryoko cackling madly admits the flaming rubble. "She's
alive again! I got to get out of here!"

***--**--***

The Past:

Wishing that he was anywhere other than there, Ranma began
trying to explain. "Achika I-"

"Fiancee?" Achika's voice trembled in distress.

"No she's not Achika," Ranma said pulling himself away
from Ukyou.

"Ranma the arrangement-" Ukyou began to protest!

"No! Not that again! I left that behind me Ukyou. I'm
starting my life over again, this time on my terms. I won't go
back to the way it was before. I can't."

"Then take me with you Ranchan. Start over with me."
Ukyou said desperately.

"I'm sorry Ukyou..." he replied quietly.

"Why! Why won't you love me?"

"Because..." He looked toward Achika.

Ukyou noticed the exchange. 'First Akane, then that bimbo
Shampoo, followed by psycho Kodachi, now her!' She turned
glaring eye toward Achika. Ukyou's blood began to boil.
"You! Who do you think you are! I've spent ten years of my
life looking from 'my' Ranchan! If you think I'm going to let
some hussy take him away from me now your sorely
mistaken!!!"

"He's not yours," Achika stated returning the glare.

'Slap!'

Achika gasped feeling the hard strike against her cheek. Her
eyes blurred buy her pride refused to let her shed a tear. She
steeled herself facing the other girl. 'Slap!'

Ukyou brought her hand up to her reddening cheek. "You..."
She began to reach for her spatula. The battle auras around
the two girls began growing at an accelerated pace.

"Ukyou!" Ranma put himself between the two girls. "Please
leave..."

"Ranchan I..."

"Leave Ukyou or I swear I'll never talk to you again." He
turned his face away from her.

Ukyou took a faltering step back. Her eyes were wet. She
took one last look to Achika. A mask of hate was onher face.
Ukyou left with a sob as she fled off into horizon.

"Achika... are you all right?" Ranma gently brushed her face
with his hand.

"Yes..."

Ranma nodded. He bent down and picked up the spilled
container. He started gathering the fallen cookies. "Achika
I'm sorry about the cookies. They sure looked good."

"Ranma... why didn't you ever tell me?"

He sighed. "My life was so complicated back then. So many
problems never any solutions. I just wanted to forget about it.
That's why I never told you about Ukyou and the other
fiancees."

Achika blinked. "Other fiancees?"

"Ranma froze. "Um..."

"Ranma..." Achika said through her teeth..

"I-It's a long story,"

"That's all right I'm in no rush," Achika said. Her eyes were
boring holes into him.

'Oh boy...' Ranma thought.

***--**--***

The Present:

Achika looked up. 'The roof! It's coming from the roof...'
"Tenchi!!!" She ran towards the stairs. As she ran, a massive
explosion into the building knocking her off her feet. Looking
up she saw the ceiling collapsing on top of her. 'No!!!'

She threw her hand up in the air. As the rock descended a
light blue barrier shimmered around her. The large slab of
concrete crumbled to smaller bits as it hit the surface of the
shield.

'That was too close.' Achika sighed. She got up dusting
flecks of debris from her. She took a few minutes to compose
herself. 'What is happening here?'

No sooner than she started to get moving again, a figure cam
from around the corner and ran into her. The two tumbled to
the ground with an "Umph!"

"Tenchi!" Achika latched onto her son frantically checking to
see that he wasn't hurt. "Tenchi are you all right?"

Shaking his head, Tenchi looked on a familiar face. "Mom!"

"Tenchi, what's going on here?"

"I don't have time to explain right now mom. We just have to
get out of here before she finds us." He said as he started to
pull her toward the exit of the school.

"Before who finds us?"

Tenchi hesitated for a second. "Um... Ryoko."

"What!?!"

"TENCHI!!!" Ryoko's screamed was heard behind him.

Achika's eyes widened. "How..."

"No time!" Tenchi said grabbing onto his mother's arm and
pulled her along.

***--**--***

The Past:

Ranma spoke to a closed door. "Achika I said sorry about not
telling you about Ukyou. I knew you'd get mad so I didn't
want to tell you about the fiancee mess. I urk-" The door
quickly opened revealing a pair of furious eyes belonging to
Achika.

"Not fiancee Ranma, it's plural. Its fiancees! Four to be
exact!!!"

"B-B-But I-I..." The door slammed in his face. "Achika
wait." He opened the door and was greeted with a book flying
toward him.

"Woah!" he exclaimed as he fell backwards to avoid from
being hit in the head. The door slammed shut again as he hit
the floor.

Katsuhito appeared over the fallen boy. "Interesting day at
school Ranma?"

>From his position on the floor the pigtailed boy looked up and
saw the older man hovering over him. "You could say that
sensi."

"Hm..." Katsuhito mused as he flipped through the book.
"The Five Rings. That's some heavy reading," he said
weighing the hardcover in his hands. "It's definitely
something that requires more than one sitting to get through."

"Yeah, it's something you don't want dropped on you all at
once," Ranma replied.

The man chuckled and helped him up. "Come on boy, it's
time for practice," he said walking out the door.

Ranma looked back toward Achika's room. 'I'll come back
later when she's calmed down.' A loud bang and other noises
were heard from within. He swallowed. 'Much later,' he
amended.

Practice began with the regular stretches followed by basic
katas to limber up the body. As it progressed the moves and
forms became quicker and more complex. When Ranma
finished his body warmed up and a sheen of perspiration
covered his brow.

Ranma faced Katsuhito. The priest's usual carefree
expression was gone leaving a mask of seriousness. It was
during this time that Ranma was reminded that the humble
Shinto priest facing him was a fighter he had yet to come close
to equaling. Ranma grit his teeth and bowed, and with that,
training began.

To put it bluntly, sparring with the older man had always been
a humbling experience for Ranma. Today was no different.
When it was over he'd have his share of bruises as well as the
continuing drive that one day he would stand on equal ground
with his sensi.

Ranma hit the dirt with a thud. His head was spinning as he
sat up. "Too fast..."

"Did you say something Ranma?" Katsuhito asked, walking
up to him.

"No, nothing sensi. Just trying to make sure that everything's
in one piece." He shook his head trying to clear the fuzziness.

The priest nodded, and offered his hand. "Something's
distracting you. You shouldn't have let that last attack land."
Katsuhito studied him for a moment. "Something happened at
school eh?"

Ranma sighed. There was no hiding it from the old man.
"Yeah... I sorta bumped into an old friend."

Katsuhito eyed him even closer. "I overheard. A young girl
named Ukyou I believe. Was she a good friend of yours?"

"Well... more like an old girlfriend..." Ranma swallowed.
"... a fiancee actually."

"My, my aren't young peoples lives interesting. Want to talk
about it?" He walked over to a near by tree and sat down
leaning his back against it.

Ranma found his own seat and began. "We use to play
together when we were kids. We were pretty young and I
even thought that Ukyou was a boy at the time. My father and
her father engaged us when we were six. I didn't even know
about it till a year ago when she came looking for me for
revenge because she though I had run out of the marriage
agreement. When she realized that I wasn't to blame we got
along great again. Just like old times, me and Ucchan. But
for her the engagement was still valid and that problem has
been haunting me ever since."

Katsuhito listened intently, nodding now and then encouraging
the young man. "But you still care for Ukyou, yes?"

"Hai, I mean she's my best friend. But she's more than that
though. She's like a sister. The marriage agreement just made
things so complicated. I mean, I couldn't marry my sister."

"Quite so..." Ranma didn't notice the sweat drop forming on
the older man's head. Katsutito coughed clearing his throat.

"I just can't love Ukyou like that." He sighed. "Things are
falling apart again. Old problems are cropping up and now
Achika's ready to knock my block off. I've been through this
before, I don't want to go through it again."

Katsuhito walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Wise
is the man who learns from his mistakes Ranma."

Ranma looked up reviewing the man's words. His eyes
widened as the realization dawned on him.

Katsuhito smiled. "Let's end practice early today." With that
he turned around and made his way to the shrine.

Ranma sped home running as fast as his legs could carry him.

**-*-**

"The jerk!" Achika pounded on the offending pillow on her
bed.

"Four! Four fiancees!" The pillow took half a dozen more
hits.

"And... and... she's beautiful..." she threw the pillow across
her room hitting the wall. Achika curled up in her bed. The
image of Ukyou came to her mind as if mocking her. The girl
was perfect. From her brown chestnut hair to the cute white
bow she used to tie it with. Achika felt like an ugly ducking
comparing herself to the other girl.

'What would Ranma want with someone like me when he
could have her? And she was his fiancee... How can I
compete with that?' She pulled the covers around her wishing
that she could shut the rest of the word out by doing so.

"I'm going to lose him..."

A knock came on her door. "Achika!" She easily recognized
the voice.

"Leave me alone Ranma!"

"No. Achika I need to talk to you and I'm not going to leave
until I do."

She angrily got out of bed. "I don't want to talk to you! Go
talk to Ukyou for all I care! She is your fiancee after all!" she
said yelling at the door.

"Achika let me in!"

"No!"

"I'll break the door down if I have to!"

"You wouldn't dare!" she replied angrily but she backed
away unsure.

"I warned ya! Hiaya!" The cracking of wood was heard as
the door fell over.

Achika was livid but as she began to voice her anger she saw
the haunted look in Ranma's eyes.

"Achika I..." his voice wavered. The anger he had shown
moments ago was gone leaving a quiet sadness in its place.

"Ranma, leave me alone, please..." Achika turned away.

"No. Not till I'm through. Achika... I've messed up enough
times to know that if I didn't talk to you now I'd regret it for
the rest of my life."

"..."

"Ukyou is my friend, and that's all I'll ever be with her. The
engagement doesn't mean anything to me anymore. None of
them do. It was just all one big mess I had to get away from.
I... I love you Achika. You're the most important thing in my
life and I never wanted to hurt you like this. I'm not going to
make the same mistakes again. I don't want to lose you..."

"Ranma..."

"I love you Achika." He held his hand out toward her.

Achika hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment.
Thoughts of inadequacies and doubts left her. He was there
standing before he now as vulnerable as she had ever seen
him. She took his hand and felt the warmth of his embrace.
She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling the beating of
their two hearts together. "Promise you'll never leave me
Ranma."

"I'll be here for as long as you want me," he said quietly.

"Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to tell father about the door?"

Ranma looked at the splintered wood and blinked. "Um..."

Achika laughed and kissed him. "I love you too. "

***--**--***

The Present:

"I-I think we lost her." Tenchi panted as he and his mother
made it to the outer field of the school campus.

Achika sank down to the ground. "That's... good... huff...
huff... Let me catch my breath... for a moment... huff..."

"Mom are you ok?" Tenchi asked moving beside her.

Achika nodded, her breathing gradually returning to normal.
"I'm just not as in good as shape as you and your father."

"Here let me carry that for you." He reached over and took
his mother bag as well as his school bag from Achika.

"Thank you Tenchi."

"We better get moving again mom. There's no telling where
Ryoko will show up next. " He looked around them
nervously.

"Tenchi, " she said as she got up. "do you know how Ryoko
escaped from the shrine?"

"Well... ya see... I sorta let her out by accident..."

"H-How!" Achika exclaimed.

"Istolegrandfather'skeysandwentintothecavewhereIfoundthisol
dswordwhichipulledoutofthisstonewhichletthedemonloseandi't
sallmyfaultandI'mreallyreallysorry!"

Achika blinked. "Again Tenchi, but this time slower please."

"I stole grandfather's-"

His explanation was interrupted by another voice. "Oh,
Tenchi." Ryoko shimmered out in front of the two. Her feline
like eyes looking intently at them.

Achika blinked checking her eyes. As a child she had know of
the story of the demon imprisoned in the Masaki shrine. To
amuse herself she had even imagined playing with Ryoko. It
had once all a game to her until she learned the truth of her
heritage. The stories were real. Her father, now a humble
priest, was once know as Yosho, the one who had defeated
and imprisoned the Ryoko. And now a young cyan haired girl
stood before her as the demon she had know growing up.
"Ryoko?"

Ryoko tilted her head looking at Achika. "Who's the old bag
Tenchi?"

"O-Old bag?" Achika said taken aback.

Tenchi moved in front of his mother. "That's my mother you
monster!" he said angrily.

"Monster? How dare you! Why do you call me a monster!"
Ryoko shouted back thumping her chest.

"You walk through fire! You walk through walls! You rip
holes through the roof and you can even fly!!!" Tenchi yelled
back.

"Very good reason's but not good enough!" Ryoko charged
forward, her energy sword blazing in her hand.

Tenchi stood his ground. 'I can't let her hurt mom.'

"Tenchi!!!" Achika screamed out as she saw Ryoko bring her
sword down on her son. Tenchi could only defend himself by
holding his school bag in front of the attack. Achika felt the
familiar rush of power through her as she called upon her
abilities to protect her son. Then as she was about to extend
her shields around the two of them a flash of light erupted
from the bag.

When the light cleared Tenchi stood there with his own energy
blade of blue energy. "Tenchi..." Achika's surprised look
match her son's. 'Father's sword...' Achika's eyes widened
seeing the Juri energy blade.

"What the.. Huh?" Tenchi had little time to ponder the blade
as Ryoko was barreling toward him. He reacted automatically
blocking the strike.

Ryoko grinned at him. "Don't be so scared sweetie pie. I
won't hurt you too much."

"I'm ready for you!" And the fight was on.

The two battled head to head. Ryoko relying on her energy
attacks and ability to fade her as her main weapons. Tenchi
did his best to keep up with her. A unique mixture of Masaki
swordplay and Anything Goes were the only things keeping
him alive.

>From the sidelines Achika watched in distress. Wishing that
she could intervene but knowing that just charging in could do
more harm that good. Ryoko's ability to disappear at will and
Tenchi's fighting style of misdirection made things difficult if
not impossible for her to follow.

Ryoko shifted back after a close strike from Tenchi. "I'm
impressed Tenchi. But your still not going to beat me."

'She's right,' Tenchi felt exhaustion creeping over him. 'I
can't keep this up forever, and she doesn't even look tired.
How am I going to stop her? Wait a minute, those jewels on
her wrist, that's got to be the source of her power. The legend
says so. Three gems for power, with out her power, that
demon is just another girl.' He eyed the gem on Ryoko's
wrist. 'But how am I going to-'

Ryoko threw another ball of energy at him but this time the
ball split in two in the air. "Ack!" Tenchi was caught off
guard. He managed to avoid the two blasts but he landed to
the ground off balance. Seeing her chance Ryoko moved in.

"Gotcha!" Ryoko swung.

"W-Woah!!!" Tenchi flailed around in his effort to get back
onto his feet as well as to avoid the girl. As yellow glow of
Ryoko's blade approached him, Tenchi felt the tug of the
sword in his hand. Whether it was some unseen force guiding
him or just dumb luck, he managed to avoid the deadly strike
and at the same time cut off Ryoko's hand.

The Cyan haired girl fell back clutching at her stump. Her
hand now on the ground burned away and the jewel that was
on her wrist shimmered as it returned to the hilt of Tenchi's
sword.

"Oh well another battle lost. My miserable lot." Ryoko sighed
and shrugged her shoulders.

"Huh?" Tenchi now realized the missing hand. "I-I... The
sword did it , I didn't mean to cut off your hand! I'm sorry,"
he said bowing profusely.

Ryoko laughed seeing his distress. Taking her remaining hand
she covered her stump with it and slowly pulled it back.
When she was through, a new hand was there. "See."

Ryoko smiled and took a bow. "Farewell," she said as she
faded again, sinking into the ground.

"Tenchi!" Achika ran over beside her son. "What just
happened?"

"I think I won, I guess," he said, unsure of what to make of the
entire incident.

"Tenchi?"

"Yeah mom?"

"Just exactly how are we going to explain all this?" Achika
asked.

Tenchi turned to see the smoking charred rubble that was once
his high school. He grew a sweat drop.

***--**--***

The Past:

"Ranma wandered the halls filled with students pulling out
their lunches from their lockers. His stomach growled
thinking about lunch. He came over to a familiar face.

"Hey Nobuyuki!"

"Ranma, what's up?"

"Have you seen Achika around? It was her turn to pack our
lunches today and I can find her."

"Sorry Ranma haven't seen her since class."

"Oh man, I'm starving." His stomach growled again.

"Then how about one of my specials Ranma?" A box
appeared in front of him. The smell coming from it could only
be from one thing. "Okonomiyaki..." Turning he saw Ukyou
there. She was dressed not in her chef's out fit, but in a school
uniform. The feminine attire as well as some subtle make up
helped to make her devastatingly beautiful.

"U-Ukyou?" Ranma swallowed as he noticed that his best
friend as also done away with binding her chest.

"Mh hm," she nodded. "What do you think?" she asked
cutely.

Next to Ranma, Nobuyuki's glasses had fogged up. "W-
who's your f-friend Ranma?" the poor boy nervously
stuttered.

"Ukyou Kuonji," she said flashing the boy a smile. The result
turned Nobuyuki into a quivering mass of jello.

Ranma was unsure of what to make of it all. Ukyou saw the
look on his face. "You can relax Ranma, I've finally decided
to give up on the engagement."

"You have?" he asked surprised.

Ukyou nodded. "Yup, I'm going to make you mine fair and
square. And then there'll be nothing that anyone can do about
it." She batted her eyes at him. "I'll be seeing you around
Ranchan."

Ranma stood there like a deer caught in headlights. There
were two things running through his mind. The first being;
'Ukyou really looks good in a dress.' And the second; 'When
Achika finds out about this, I'm a dead man.'

***--**--**

The present:

Tenchi staggered up to his room. He and his mother had
prudently decided to head home before people with questions
arrived to the school. Then made it home just in time to see
the coverage about the fire on tv. The explosions were blamed
on a gas leak and the damage would shut the school down for
months. He knew his mother well enough to know that
studies would continue at home under her supervision.

Closing the door behind him, he pulled up his bag and took
out the sword hilt. "That sword was really powerful. I
wonder what happened to that demon girl. Was really the end
of her?"

He groaned lying down on his bed. Not even workout's with
his father made him feel this bad. "I'm so tired. Huh?" He
felt something under the sheets.

He pulled the covers away dreading what was under there. A
pair of amber eyes looked back at him.

Ryoko smiled. "Welcome home Tenchi,"

End (for now)

Story Notes:

Fic based on the Tenchi OAV I expect to follow it for a bit
but I will take some aspects from the tv series also.

In the OAV, Tenchi's friend who accused him of sleeping
with a mummy didn't have a name so I just called him Yuta.

As for Tenchi's personality, it's pretty much the same but he
is a bit more confident when it's comes to fighting and he's a
little more out going. I figure that this is Ranma's influence at
work.

As with Ranma and Achika, I just wanted to develop their
relation ship more and see how things would work out. Also
I believe that the other fiancees would not give Ranma up so
easily.

Author's Notes:

Ever since I wrote "The Girl who Wasn't and the Princess
who Was" I have gotten good remarks and encouragement.
Some people wanted me to continue and others said that the
story was perfect the way it was. Well depending on how this
piece is received by those people I will decide to either
continue or not. I am too selfconscious of my work to judge it
myself. Please send me and comments that you may have.
Lastly thank you all for your support and I hope you enjoy
reading this as much as I had fun writing this.

Special thanks to:
Tom Sticka
For motivating me to write as well as pre
reading my work.
Sorry it took so long Tom, I hope it was
worth the wait.

Please send comments to:

*********************************
Author: Pug
cr...@rpi.edu
http://www.rpi.edu/~cruzd/pug/pug.html
*********************************