Ranma 1/2: A New Awakening Alternate Continuation (minor crossovers) By: Dani Yanega yanega@mindspring.com http://www.mindspring.com/~yanega/index.htm Co-author & Concept by: "Jerry" starfire@brainerd.net Chapter Twenty Nine "Ranko wake up, child we have a trip to take!" The deep voice of Majha broke into her slumber. Ranko's eyes fluttered open and stared into the dark hazel eyes of a C..C..CAT! She felt him place a hand on her shoulder and for some reason she couldn't understand she wasn't afraid of him any longer. He smiled down at her his three inch fangs becoming even more prominent. She looked around at her surroundings and barely recognized it for what it was. "I..I am dreamwalking again, aren't I?" She asked the Smilod with wide curious eyes. "Not quite child we Caiteny are not magical for the most part. What is happening is Romj has put you in a deep trance and I have entered your mind by deepening the trance even further." He explained to the confused young Sylph. "Why? Mr. Ah..uhm?" She fumbled for what to call the man in front of her. "Just call me Majha, I and Romj are to be your new teachers. Consider this as your first lesson." Ranko looked at him with mixed emotions first she was excited to meet a new sensei but the fact that he was a c..ca..cat made her nervous. Majha smiled down at her then held out a hand to help her up. She looked at his out stretched hand with distrust. Majha frowned slightly, but quickly hid it when Ranko tentatively took his hand. "Is my momma and poppa near by she asked looking around the dark smoky expanse that was her mind. "No child they are back at the training ground, I moved you to a spot in the forest. We need complete privacy to do this and I can't have your loved ones interfering. This trip will not be easy on you. They did however insist that your blue dragon and fluttercorn come with us." Majha told her and saw her smile for the first time. "What are we doing here?" The child asked her curiosity overriding the fear of the man in front of her. "I am afraid child we are here to cure you of your Neko-ken training and it is not going to be easy on you." Majha told her his frown returning even deeper then before. Ranko turned to him eyes wide with horror. She began to back away from the cat man but as fast as she was he was faster and grabbed her hand in his. He knelt down to be at eye level with her then looked deep into her eyes. "Child you should never have learned the Neko-ken it was a style for Caiteny only. We need to cure you or you will continue to fall into that pit and one day you may either hurt someone you love or you may never come out of it." He told her with earnest, Ranko stared deep into his eyes and could see he was telling her the truth. Ranko shuddered at the thought she might hurt someone she cared about. She looked around at the darkness around her. The hair standing up on the back of her neck. She turned when she felt Majha stand to his full 6' 1". She looked up at him and nodded, determination clearly on her face. "What do I have to do?" Ranko asked unsure she wanted to hear the answer, Majha to a deep breath. "You and I will travel back through your memories, we will be invisible observers to your life, till we get to that memory where Genma Saotome taught you the Neko-ken." Majha watched as Ranko's eyes widened with terror and she began to tremble. Majha pulled the young Sylph into a tight embrace and waited till she calmed down. Ranko pulled away from the cat man and looked into the darkness before her. With a slight shudder she turned back a question poised on her lips. "Why?" Was all she asked of him, Majha took a deep breath and explained. "You need to watch the event, I will be there but you need to understand that you were not the only victim of that training scheme and to do that you need to watch what happened to you during the process. I know it is hard for you to understand this, but this is the only way we have found to repair the damage done by the training." He told her resting a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Why did you cause me to go cat earlier?" She asked mulling over what he told her. "That is the first step of the cure. Your Neko-ken must fight a true Neko-ken warrior, it forces the victim to realize they are not a cat but a human. Can you remember when you first started to realize you weren't a cat during that fight?" He asked her while they started walking toward her memories in the distance. "When you knocked me of the boulder." Ranko said after some thought. "I wanted to stop then but something pulled me back into the fight." She told him quietly with a small amount of guilt. "Yes that was the Neko-ken fighting to regain control, it did not want to relinquish its hold on your mind." He told her with a warm smile. Ranko stopped as she came face to face with the memories of the past few years in the Faerie realm. They were running continuously in little pockets of space. Majha placed his hand around her shoulder and walked her through the jumbled memories. He did not like what he was seeing but where some of these memories saddened Ranko they made him angry. When they went past her new life as a Sylph they came to her memories of her life in Nerima. She looked around her and saw the different memories as they played out in front of her over and over. She and Majha watched as she killed Saffron again and again. They watched her battle with Herb over the magic pail. The fight with the ghost cat to save a friend. She watched the endless challenges the fights with Akane, the troubles brought on by all the fiancées, the rivals, and sometimes friends. She bowed her head in sadness when she watched as Akane beat her for fighting with Ryoga, or she beat him for picking on P-chan. Where she pounded him because he refused to eat her cooking, or was glomped by one of the other fiancées. Majha marveled that Ranma had been able to keep his sanity during his life in this place. The pair watched as Ranma gained his curse, as she chased his father around the valley. She watched in anger and horror as it was not her that knocked Ryoga off the cliff but her father. She just happened by him after the panda ran into him, hitting him from behind. She watched as Ryoga looked around in time to see the redhead run past and assumed it was she who ran into him as he fell over the cliff. Ranko watched the memory recede in the distance over her shoulder. While Majha gently pushed her onward to more memories many she had forgotten in order to keep her sanity. The two travelers cringed at the memory of Genma shoving his twelve year old son into a cave reported to have been filled with demons, ghouls and such. It was and Ranma had to fight his way back out, while Genma sat on the outside blocking the door with a large boulder. This forced Ranma to have to find another exit while remaining alive. They moved on to the memory of where Ranma met Ryoga for the first time. Ranko looked guilty as she had beat Ryoga out of the bread every day and then teased him while she ate it in front of him. Majha squeezed her shoulder and gave her a bemused smile as he pushed her forward. They past many more memories until they reached the one they sought. Ranko stepped back not wanting to watch this memory any more the she wanted to remember it. Majha pushed her forward and together they watched the travesty unfold. They watched as Genma wrapped a six year old Ranma in fish paste and strings of fish sausage. They watched as Ranma-chibi wrinkled his nose at the strong smell. "Now boy you are about to embark on your greatest training adventure yet. Learn the Neko-ken and you will be unstoppable. You will be the most powerful martial artist that ever lived." Genma told his young son striking the pose of a wise old sensei. Majha watched, his eyes flashing with rage. He saw that before Genma threw his six year old son into the pit he flipped threw the old and battered training manual never going past the page where it described how to set up the pit. They watched as Genma threw the manual aside and watched as it landed face up on the last page where it clearly stated; 'Training in the Neko-ken can either kill the trainee or cause permanent psychological damage, and or lock the trainee into the Neko-ken permanently. The two watchers looked up in time to see Genma push his son into the pit and close the lid. He then placed a large rock on top of the door and sat down on top to wait for his son to learn the Neko- ken. Ranko screamed at the sight and tried to run to stop him. Majha, however stopped her. The two next found themselves inside the pit and Ranko stiffened at the whimpering of her younger self and the low growls of the hungry cats as they converged on the small boy. "Ranma how long did it take your father to make this pit?" Ranko was surprised at such a question and glared at the saber-toothed tiger man beside her, but she answered him anyway. "I don't know about a couple of weeks I guess." She stated with sarcasm. "Did you always fear cats?" Majha asked her as she cringed when the first of the cats lashed out at the screaming boy. "No, momma had a white cat I use to play with all the time." Ranko told him flatly trying to kick the cats away from her young self but not being able to touch the demons that tormented her. "You mean like that one over there?" Majha pointed to a large white cat with matted fur and its ribs poking through its sides. "F..Frosty?" Ranko looked at the cat with wide open eyes as it reached out to the small boy that was curled into a ball. "Look at the other cats Ranko what do you see different about them then the cats you use to play with." Ranko glared at this man why would she want to look at the torturers of her dreams, but Majha turned her to face the cats. Ranko looked at the cats her eyes narrowed and filled with rage, pain, and fear while her younger self was mauled by the horde of cats. She refused to see anything but the torture of herself at the paws of the cats. Her tears began to fall as Ranma-chibi screamed out in pain and terror, a scream she mimicked. Majha put a hand on the girls shoulder and forced her to look at the cats. "Look at them Ranko they are just as much a victim as you were! Would your mother's cat have ever attacked you the way you thought he did that day. Look child, look as the cats fight amongst themselves to reach you! Why would they do that Ranma? Why?" Ranko turned at the mention of her former name and she stared at the man rage filling her eyes. Majha was unaffected as he turned her to face the scene in front of her. She watched as Frosty lashed out at her small body, she watched as he pulled away a piece of fish sausage. It barely registered that the cat tried very hard not to harm her smaller self. She watched as a larger cat charged him and slashed his eyes out then ran away with the meat. Ranko began to get sick to her stomach and she turned from that site. She turned to see another cat being jumped by three others as it dragged away a large piece of fish. Ranko saw the string still around the fish. She saw where the cat had been able to chew it free from the child without harm to him. She watched as the three cats clawed the smaller orange tabby to death to claim the prize. She watched in horror as they then turned on each other to have the meat all to themselves. She watched as light came into the pit and her old father pulled her from it. Her small body clawed and scratched with deep wounds. She and Majha watched as Genma gave Ranma-chibi superficial medical treatment. All the while berating the boy for not learning the technique. "Well boy I see we are going to have to do this again until you can learn the Neko-ken!" He told his son while bandaging his wounds. "NO! Poppa I don't wanna learn it! I don't wanna go back in there with the c..ca..cats" The little boy told him, Genma rolled his eyes, then glared down at his son. "You _will_ learn it and _you_ will overcome this stupid fear of cats at the same time. You will go into that pit everyday until you learn the Neko-ken, or you are not my son!" Genma glared at his son with rage, Ranma-chibi cringed from his father. The observers watched as the next day Genma bound his son in fish products and threw him into the pit. They watched the torture of Ranma-chibi and the mutilation of him and the cats as they felines tried to get a share of the food. Ranko slowly began to understand what Majha had been telling her. She not only felt the pain and terror of her younger self. She also felt rage and horror at what happened to the cats in that pit, cats that belonged to children who loved them never knowing what torture they were being put through. She and the Smilod watched for almost a month as Genma tossed his son into the pit, they watched as Genma stole more cats to replenish those that died in the pit. Ranko began to cry not only for herself but for the lives of those poor animals that never asked to be a part of this monstrosity. She watched as finally she learned the Neko-ken, she watched with sardonic glee as she attacked Genma. She watched as the old woman brought her younger self out of the stupid technique. She watched as the old woman gave him over to his father. Ranko watched as her fear of cats turned to pity and as her anger at Genma turned to a burning rage. Her white aura formed around her and Majha watched as a reddish black streak formed it was almost as thick as the bright blue one. He then spotted another streak forming one a brownish yellow. He stood agape as he marveled at the level this child had attained in the art. Ranko turned to the cat man her eyes filling with hatred and guilt. She turned back and watched as her father carted her younger self off, for more training. Her tears flowed down her face as she felt a piece of her die. Granted it was a part of her she kept a tight control on but the Neko-ken was still a part of her. "You knew I would lose the Neko-ken didn't you?" She asked with an accusatory voice. "Yes it was necessary, child. The Neko-ken was never meant for humans, it would have eventually taken complete control and you would never have returned then. As it is now you retain the speed, agility and strength it gave you, but all other benefits are gone." Ranko looked up at him with narrowed eyes as she thought about what he told her. "What other benefits?" She asked curiosity seeping into her face. "Is it really that important to know Ranko? You no longer have access to them and they can not be taught to you without you going cat again to use them. "No I guess not." Ranko conceded as she and Majha walked away from the memory and headed back to the waking world. When Ranko opened her eyes the first two things she saw was a worried blue duck and Kiri. She smiled at her friends and slowly sat up. She saw the saber-toothed tiger man staring at her with a warm smile. She looked around and found he had brought her to the waterfall where she liked to play with the dragon Faeries. "How do you feel Ranko?" He asked her his voice deep and soothing. "Exhausted!" He smiled down at her and held his hand out to help her up. She took it this time without hesitation, his smile grew larger. Together they walked back to her family. Cerulean and Kiri close on their heels. Ranko walked slowly and unsure of herself. When she stopped all together. Majha turned and looked at her an eyebrow arched. "Will the Neko-ken ever come back?" She asked as she thought about how out of control her cat side could be come, and she feared for the safety of her family. "It is possible, but only if you try to isolate your self from cats, the fear will build again. You need to go slow though don't go running into pile of cats. I think your training with the Caiteny will help to strengthen your new feelings for cats. Then when you return to earth it would a good idea to maybe visit a pet store and play with some of the kittens there." Majha explained to her. "The more your realize that the cats in the pit with you were forced into the role they played the harder it will be for the Neko-ken to rise in you again." Ranko lowered her head as she thought about this, while Kiri and Cerulean looked on with curiosity. Ranko nodded then turned and continued to walk back toward her family. Majha followed her a smile upon his lips. His smile faded as he thought about Genma Saotome and the punishment he will request that the Caiteny merit out to him. As Ranko cleared the trees and entered the training ground a blue and black blur grabbed her into a tight embrace. She smiled as she looked into the face of her new poppa. He looked her over for any injuries then held her in a tight embrace. "It has been three days since you took her! You could have told us it would take this long!" He told his friend angrily, Ranko looked at her poppa with surprise. "I am sure Romj told you that it could have been longer. The fear the Neko-ken embedded in Ranko was deep and took viewing the entire memory several times before she relinquished it. Nodoka was next to her husband prying her daughter from his grasp as she wanted to see her as well. Micca was there and while Nodoka held her daughter he latched on too. Happy she had returned and was cured. Raist come up and placed his hand on Ranko's shoulder to let her know he was there as well. /*\*/*\ Ukyo rose the next morning more exhausted then when she went to sleep. Her tears still flowing down her face. She looked off into the horizon and watched the sun as it rose. She then buried her face in her hands and cried even harder. "Oh Ranchan I am so sorry! How could he do that to you!" Ukyo cried the Faeries landing near her to comfort her. Her emotions were in turmoil as she remembered her dream from last night. She lived through many of the memories her Ranchan had over the few years. She lived through what happen when she nearly died in the Faerie realm, she relived Herb, saw the Saffron incident for the first time. The one that really tore at her was the Neko-ken. [Oh, Ranchan my sweet Ranchan! I am so sorry, for what that bastard did to you and for what I did!] Ukyo cried even more as she sat on the futon, staring out over Nerima. Sitting on her roof and looking up at the rising sun she realized that if she _had_ gone with Ranma, then she would have been thrown into that pit as well. She shuddered as she remembered all the horrors that Ranchan and the cats went through. She could not see the man who spoke to her Ranchan in the dream but she knew he was not human. She didn't know if she liked him for forcing her Ranchan to go through that torture but she found she couldn't hate because he did it to help her overcome that stupid training. She wanted to hate the cats she wanted to destroy them as they had destroyed Ranchan but like Ranchan she realized they were victims of Genma as well. Ukyo's tears streamed in torrents down her face as remembered the horrors of that pit and that those memories would be with her for the rest of her life. While she picked up her sleeping materials her hatred for Genma began to intensify a hundred fold. She would not lash out at the panda man as that might upset her Ranchan even though Genma deserved it. She would let his punishment from Raist have to satisfy her for now. She and the Faeries headed down into her shop. She needed to get ready for Nodoka Aurora's visit. She began to hum the little tune the sprite always used to lift her spirits and soon the little sprite was playing along with her. She went to the kitchen and made herself and the Faeries some breakfast. She was glad that they liked her okonomiyaki. After she cleaned up the dishes she and her Faeries went shopping Ukyo decided she needed to get an extra special outfit for her meeting today. She blushed as she remembered Mous..Micca's comment about how nice she looked in the red cotton kimono she now wore while cooking. She went upstairs and retrieved her wallet and as she left the shop in her red kimono she strapped her battle spatula on her back and put on the harnesses of her throwing spatulas. /*\*/*\ Ukyo returned to her restaurant two hours later, she was happy with her purchases and ran upstairs to get ready as she didn't know what time to expect the mother of her Ranchan. The Faeries did everything they could do to help her get ready. While Ukyo got ready she suddenly stopped and sat down on her bed. The Faeries flying around her with a little bit of worry. She looked up at her new little friends with a sad smile. "I just realized something, one of these days you are going to have to go back to Kasumi and then I will be alone again." She told the little people as they hovered around her, tears starting to fall. The little Faeries knew that was correct that eventually they would have to return to Kasumi but they didn't want to think about it right now and they let Ukyo know that as long as she needed them they would stay with her. She looked up and smiled sadly at them. She held out her hand palm up and the little people landed on it. She was able to get all five of the little Faeries in one hand and she smiled at how small they were, but also knew they were extremely powerful for their size. The little sprite started to play the melody she loved to hear and she let its soft soothing strains wash over her. Ukyo placed them all on her bed as she prepared for her guest. The first order of business was a quick shower. Once she was finished she did her hair. She brushed it out and let it hang loosely down her back. Several of the pixies flew up and placed a circlet of cherry blossoms with pink and white ribbons down the back on her head. She turned and smiled at them. Then she finished getting dressed. /*\*/*\ "Well Nodoka your new home is complete and you and your family can now move into the Valley of Aurora Borealis. Nodoka smiled at her queen. The people of the realm had started calling the Aurora Valley that while the house was being built. She could see why as an effect similar to the Northern Lights of earth had begun to form over the valley. It glowed brighter as citizens of Illondra began to request the right to become a part of the new clan. There were now thirty families living in the valley and as each new member took up residence the lights would glow brighter. Nodoka took some of the reward money given for destroying Blackfire and had smaller versions of the Aurora Coat of Arms made. She then handed them to every man, woman and child that received the right to call themselves members of the Aurora Clan. They were nice little fobs that were worn on their belts. "Yes it will be nice to move in but it is getting close to the time I must return to earth with the alliance between your kingdom and the Amazons and I really don't want to leave Ranko alone again not after last time." She said with a sad frown, Queen Titiana felt a bit hurt but understood. "She and Micca can stay here with her brother, Cerulean and Kiri I don't think any would be stupid enough to try to hurt her again." Queen Titiana offered, Nodoka smiled at her fondly. "Yes I am sure they won't, but I would like her and Micca to stay at the new house so they can get use to it. I just don't think two dragons would make good babysitters." Nodoka said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I am afraid I will have to agree with my wife on this. Once we move in it will be important that they get a since of belonging and leaving them here at the palace for more then a year won't accomplish that." Seran put in while wrapping his arms around his wife. "Then maybe we can help with that!" They all turn to face two wood elves that smiled when they caught site of Ranko and who recognized them. "GRAMMA NAJA! GRAMPA EJIEN!" The Sylph screamed while making her patented attempt at a Ranko hug.