Ranma 1/2:
Ranma No More
Alternate History
By:  Dani Yanega
yanega@mindspring.com (please respond to this e-mail address)



Chapter Two


The guide and Genma are ushered into the Amazon village by one of
the guards.  As Genma looks around.  In the center of the village
he sees a tournament is in progress.  A young purple hair girl of
sixteen is fighting a mammoth of a woman twice her age.  The girl
carries two mace type weapons; she feints with one giving her the
opening she needs to knock the woman off the log.  Then Genma
spots a banquet table laden with dozens of different kinds of
delectable foods although to Genma all food is delectable.  His
mouth starts to salivate, as he runs straight for the food.  He
reaches his grubby hand out for a large roast, duck, when a
gnarled staff comes down hard on his wrist.

"OOOwwww!"

Screams the overgrown martial artist rubbing his throbbing wrist,
he looks around for his attacker.

<"Who are you and what are you doing here?">

Asks a two foot high old woman.  She is wearing green robes that
covers her whole body, her eyes are as black and cold as onyx.
She has long white hair that pools on the ground at her feet.  She
then jumps to the top of the walking stick to look Genma direct in
the eyes.

                         \*/*\*/

Genma turns to face the voice and sees a woman, at least he thinks
it's a woman perched on top a five-foot long cane.  Her age, he
could not guess, but a walking mummy comes to mind.  The guide
runs up to the ancient woman fear and anger showing on his face.

<"Elder, I am sorry, I brought him here.  I did not know he would
be so rude.">

The Elder glares at Genma, who shrinks away slightly from her, as
a memory of an equally as old and small man appear in his mind.

<"Why did you bring him here, Ta Nge.">

Genma looks lost while his head moves back and forth between the
guide and old woman as they talk.

<"He and his son were just cursed at Jusenkyo, but something went
wrong with the boy, Elder Ku Lon.  Something went _very_ wrong!">

Ku Lon looks intrigued, and waves to the guard that brought them
into the village, while still eyeing the fat martial artist with
undisguised disgust and suspicion.

<"Come you can tell me what happen.  Guard, escort _this_ to the
guesthouse feed him and keep him _contained_.">

She finishes, pointing at Genma.  The guard motions Genma to
follow, he looks nervously at the guard then to the guide.  Ku Lon
rolls her eyes as Ta Nge talks with Genma.

"Is ok Mr. Customer they take you get food, and allow you rest
here.  I talk with Elder Ku Lon about problem with other Mr.
Customer."

He finishes pointing to Ku Lon.  Genma finally getting into an
area he is comfortable with 'chauvinism', he stares hard at the
old woman balancing on the staff, regarding Genma as nothing more
then dirt beneath her staff.

"Cologne?  How can these _weak women_ help my boy?"

His disgust at having to ask a woman for help is evident on his
face and in the tone of his voice, Ta Nge looks horror stricken at
his reply.  Genma's eyes widen as the old woman disappears in a
flurry of motion, he then cowers as he feels her staff come down
hard on his head.  He then feels points on his legs being touched.
He collapses in a heap, as he loses the use of his legs.  He looks
up to see Ku Lon balancing on her staff, glaring down at him.

"We know more about Jusenkyo than anyone living, so show respect
when addressing us, _male_."

Ku Lon angrily spits at him, waving the guard to take him away.
Ta Nge watches as Genma is dragged away by the collar of his gi,
by the guard.

Ku Lon leads the guide to her home.  As they settle in, her great
granddaughter joins them with a tray of tea.  She is the young
winner of the tournament.  The girl has long flowing purple hair
going down to the small of her back, with two little ponytails on
each side of her head.  She stands about 5'8", and is very
shapely. Her eyes are a unique color of red-purple; she is wearing
a silk Chinese pantsuit with matching slippers, pink in color.

<"Now please, Ta Nge, tell me what happen.">

Ku Lon said handing Ta Nge a cup of tea.  He slowly takes a sip of
tea, gathering his thoughts.  He looks sadly up at the old woman
and her granddaughter.

<"It is as it always is Elder, they did not listen.">

Shaking his head, Ta Nge sighs deeply and drinks a little more of
the relaxing brew.

<"They fought over the springs.">

She states, nodding her head, the guide sips his tea and nods in
return.  Her granddaughter rolls her eyes at the stupidity of
males.

<"It is what happened after the young Mr. Customer came out of the
spring that brings us here.">

He took another sip of tea. Ku Lon and her granddaughter look on
expectantly waiting for Ta Nge to continue.  When she could
contain her curiosity no longer.

<"Which spring did he fall into to?">

Asks the purple hair girl, excitedly,  Ku Lon glares at her, while
Ta Nge just looks at her over the rim of his teacup.

<"Granddaughter you are here to learn not interrupt.">

The young girl hangs her head in shame.

<"Sorry Great Grandmother, I just want to help.">

Reaching over and patting the young girls arm.

<"I know child, I know, please go on Ta Nge.  Xian Pu is just
excited, she won the tournament today.">

Ku Lon finishes smiling proudly at Xian Pu.  The guide nods
congratulations at her, as she beams back at him full of pride.

                         /*\*/*\

Ryoga chases after his gender-shifting enemy.  He sees her in the
distance and tries to keep her in his sights.  He knows that if he
loses sight of her he will be lost.  She stops at the base of a
mountain and is about to start her climb when Ryoga calls to her.
As he gets nearer her location, he is gasping for air.

"Saotome, wait!  You owe me!"

Ranma turns to face her one time friend her eyes glowing again the
fiery lavender.  Ryoga stops dead, breathing heavily, fear in his
heart.  Ranma walks toward him, when she is but inches from him
she gently lays her small delicate hand upon his shoulder.  Ryoga
tries to scream but he has no voice as his brain is sifted
through.  His memories flashing through his mind, memories he
needed to remember, memories he never wanted to have.  Just as
soon as it starts, it ends.  Ryoga falls to his knees. Ranma leans
down and whispers in his ear.

"He is not your enemy Ryoga, he waited for you for three days.  He
would have waited forever, because he didn't want to leave his
friend, when he has none.  Go from here Ryoga it is a dangerous
place."

 Ranma turns and starts her climb.  Ryoga blinks and rises shakily
to his feet, he watches as Ranma disappears up the mountain, by
jumping from ledge to ledge like a gazelle.  He stumbles to the
base of the mountain and starts up after the red head.  He moves
quickly to keep up with her, as she climbs rapidly, it is getting
harder to keep her in sight.  Ryoga pants while he speeds up his
ascent.

They climb for hours, finally, when dusk arrives, they reach a
plateau large enough to camp on for the night.  As Ryoga crawls
onto the ledge he looks back down the mountain all he can see is
the mist of the valley.  Still panting he looks around the small
plateau he sees Ranma building a fire.  Setting a pot of water to
boil, she digs through her backpack and pulls out a couple of
instant ramen packets.  Ryoga sits down next to the fire, and
searches through his backpack and pulls out some freeze-dried
meat, to add to the ramen.  The plateau is small with a few
scattering of bushes and trees.  Coming from a crack in the side
of the mountain is a small fountain of running water.

When the ramen finishes cooking Ranma dishes out some for Ryoga
and herself.  They eat quietly for awhile, until Ranma breaks the
uneasy silence.

"Why did you follow me Ryoga, I won't fight you if that is why
your here, you can go ahead and kill me now, I am dead anyway."

Ryoga looks at the red head, first with guilt, then confusion
while shaking his head no.

"Then why?  What is happening doesn't concern you, and staying in
this area any longer will increase your chance to receive a
curse?"

Ryoga slowly chews the food still in his mouth, his mind in
turmoil.  Ranma watches him as he sorts through his thoughts.

[Why _did_ I follow her?  Why _didn't_ I just leave after what
happen?]

Ryoga swallows and then looks into the crystal blue eyes of Ranma
Saotome with determination, he tells her.

"You said it at the base of the mountain Ranma, we're friends and
you're in trouble, I want to help, I need to help.  What happen
back there at...at..."

"Jusenkyo."

"Yeah, Jusenkyo."

Ranma sighs she could sense the change in Ryoga's emotions from
the rage and hatred he felt when he entered Jusenkyo, to confusion
at the base of this mountain to uneasy friendship in front of the
campfire.  Something she had not been able to do before Jusenkyo.
What has happened to her?

"Why do you need to climb this mountain?"

Ryoga's question breaks into Ranma's thoughts.

"I don't know exactly, but I need to get to a plateau higher up."

"Why won't you change back, I saw the guide offer you a way to
become male again?"

"I..I'm not sure, but I have this feeling, my knowledge of where I
need to go is stronger in this form.  I also sense if I go where
this feeling leads me, I will find answers and help.  So I am
going."

Ranma finishes with a shrug, as Ryoga watches her small elfin face
for any signs of deceit.

"As for what happened I don't know for sure.  When the old man
knocked me into the spring..."

Ranma shudders in remembrance. Ryoga tries to imagine how it must
feel to suddenly change from what you know to the unknown.  He
shudders as, Ranma sighs and continues her explanation.

"I could feel my body shift and tingle with the change.  I went
into shock, when I realized I was a girl.  Growing up I had it
drummed into me to be a '_Man above Men_' and now I was a girl.
When I crawled out I couldn't look at the old man.  I knew there
would be disappointment on his face.  That was when I began to
feel this pain in the back of my mind.  I was being successful in
keeping it down until the old man punched me."

Ranma looks blankly out over the valley, the setting sun casting a
rainbow of color across the sky.  Ryoga watches his companion,
then clears his throat, bringing Ranma out of her deep
contemplation.

"Sorry, when he hit me and started spouting his usual speech of
girls being weak, something exploded in my mind.  It was like a
screaming banshee, tearing through my mind, ripping it apart as if
looking for something.  It sifted through all my memories, making
me live through them again.  That is how I recognized you, I
wouldn't have if it weren't for that happening.  Then I felt the
old fool kick me, what ever was in my head got so angry it
exploded.  The rest is kinda hazy like a dream, until I got here."

Ranma takes a deep breath, then a small bite of her ramen, Ryoga
watches her sadly.

"That must have been when the red aura formed around you, and
knocked your dad into the Spring of Drowned Panda."

Muses Ryoga.  Ranma looks up at Ryoga with some confusion.

"Red aura?  Spring of Drowned Panda?"

"Yeah it formed around you just after your old man kicked you.  It
knocked the guide off his feet.  He almost fell into a spring, and
it threw your dad into the panda spring."

Ranma thought for a minute, then her eyes got wide.  As fear and
remembrance slowly creeps across her face, then she gasps...

"I remember a woman's voice in my head, she called me great
grandson, and said I was safe now.  Then I got off the ground,
but..."

She pauses and gulps, then stares horror stricken at the lost boy.

"But Ryoga it wasn't me, it wasn't me that told pop all that about
not being his son anymore and when I read his mind like I did
yours it was her, from the spring.  She is the one leading me up
the mountain, but _who_ is she?"

Ranma asks with confusion, fear, and anger passing across her pale
face, but not expecting an answer.  Ryoga feeling pity for the
small girl decides a change of subject might be the best tactic at
this point.

"Ranma why don't we start getting ready for bed.  If you want to
reach the top tomorrow we will need to get up early."

He hopes this will distract the changed boy away from the myriad
of emotions that he sees building in her.  She pauses and Ryoga
breathes a sigh of relief as he watches her calm.  She whispers...

"Alright."

Ryoga sets up his two-man tent and offers half of it to Ranma.
She isn't sure at first, but decides to go ahead and share the
tent.  Since it is cold at that altitude, they are staying fully
clothed for additional heat.  Ranma takes her sleeping bag and
spreads it out in the tent.  She and Ryoga then crawl into the
tent to settle into sleep, after the day's events Ranma begins to
fall asleep quickly.  As she starts to dose she looks at Ryoga,

"Thanks, man."

She then rolls over and goes to sleep.  Ryoga lays there for a few
minutes wondering what is happening.  He came seeking revenge and
now, he is in a tentative friendship with his mortal nemesis.  His
exhaustion from the climb starts to over take him and he is soon
asleep.

If he had stayed awake a few minutes longer, he would have seen
the red glow forming around Ranma.

                         /*\*/*\

Inside Ranma's subconscious, a lot is going on.  Ranma in male
form looks around the blackness of his mind.  He can hear the
yowling of the Neko-ken he keeps locked away, he looks frantically
around fearful it has escaped.

"The Neko-ken is still locked up where you put him Great
Grandson."

Ranma spins around to face where the voice is coming from taking a
ready stance, out of the darkness steps his female form.  Dressed
as he was in a red Chinese satin shirt, black cotton Kung Fu pants
tied at the ankles and waist, plus black Kung Fu slippers.
Wearing a loving smile, she walks up to Ranma and places her hand
gently on his cheek.

"You make me proud of my line grandson although I can not say the
same of your father.  At least he is _not_ of my blood."

Ranma stares at his female body standing before him, his eyes wide
with confusion and wonder.

"Who are you?  What do you want with me?"

She smiles at him then sits and offers the space next to her for
him to join her.  When he sits down, she begins.

"Well the fact that I am here tells me you are my descendant, and
with way too many greats to count.  So I will either call you
grandson or great grandson."

She smiles sweetly as shock appears on his face.

"But wh..wh..who are you?"

"I was once called Ra Koh, 1500 years ago I was a member of
Joketsuzoku a tribe of Chinese Amazons, I was the village
sorceress."

Ranma looks at her skeptically.  She laughs, her laughter is like
a soft lullaby.  She sighs as she shakes her head.

"You do not believe I am a sorceress, while you carry a gender
changing curse?"

She asks while raising an eyebrow. Ranma looks a little sheepish
at her.

"Sorry."

"Sorry, _what_!"

She responds with a curt tone, Ranma's head snaps up looking at
the cute red head in front of him.  Her arms crossed over her
chest and her eyes narrow menacingly at him.

"S.S.Sorry Great Grandmother?"

She nods and smiles at him, and Ranma sighs with relief.

"I was killed in that spring 1500 years ago.  I was near Jusenkyo
gathering some herbs for a healing potion, for one of the village
healers.  When I was attacked by the Musk.  There was a small
advance guard of twenty or so.  They told me they planned on using
me to create a drowned girl spring so they would be able to always
have wives."

Ra Koh shudders with the memory.

"I fought but there were too many, I always felt my magic would be
enough, it should have been enough, but it wasn't.  If I was
better at my martial arts, I might have survived."

The tears start to roll down her cheeks and Ranma never being
taught how to handle girls, but hating when they cry reaches over
taking hold of his great grandmother in a loving embrace until she
takes control again.

"Thank you, grandson."

She says as she pulls away from him wiping her eyes.  Ranma keeps
her in a loose embrace, he likes how it feels to give comfort, and
to have someone let him.

"Grandmother, if I am descended from you how did my family end up
in Japan?"

"I am not sure but I believe after my death your great grandfather
who was of Japanese decent may have taken our children and went
back home."

Ra Koh got a sad wistful look on her face.  Ranma watches her as
he gently caresses her back while tightening his hug a little.

"I never got to see my children grow up, I had them when I was
quite young.  Back then we were married by age thirteen.  I had
triplets, girls when I was fourteen.  They were beautiful with
coppery red hear and beautiful blue eyes much like yours."

She sighs heavily as a single tear rolls down her cheek.  Ranma
reaches up and gently wipes it a way.  As he quietly asks her.

"What was his clan name, grandmother?"

She looks at him confused for a moment then nods in understanding.

"You are no longer Saotome Ranma, but you are now Takashi Ranma."

Ranma thought for a moment then smiles and looks at his
grandmother.

"Takashi Ranma, I like it!"

He exclaims as his grandmother smiles back.

"Uh, umm grandmother how come you're here now?  I mean how come
your spirit didn't enter the others that must have fallen in your
pool?"

"Well..."

She takes a deep breath to gather her thoughts, Ranma is still
embracing her.  It is as if he lets go she will disappear and he
does not want that to happen.

"I think it is because you are of my blood and when you fell into
the pool I was set free, and joined with you."

She then looks sadly at her grandson.  Ranma does something he
would never have done before Jusenkyo, he notices the change in
his grandmother, and becomes apprehensive.

"What is it grandmother?"

"Ranma we can not stay like this, of two minds we will go insane
if we do."

Ranma pulls away slightly and looks at her fear clearly showing in
his eyes.

"Wh..what should we do."

"We need to merge our souls.  Now don't look so frightened, since
this is your body you will still be the dominant personality, I
will be the enhancement."

She smirks at his confusion.

"Enhancement?  What do you mean?"

"Well I am sure you have noticed a change in your speech and
attitude, already.  Haven't you?"

Ranma thought about it for a second, remembering small changes in
his behavior since he fell into the Nyanniichuan.

"Yeah, I have."

"Well that's me, when we merge I will bring my magic, martial arts
knowledge and good manners, but mostly I will change your archaic
attitude towards women, this will help you to become the well
rounded individual you would have been if you stayed with your
mother."

Ranma thought about it, then looks at his grandmother.  Then looks
a little sadly.

"What do I bring?"

"Well, skill in the Art for one, knowledge of this world today not
to mention the two bodies you now have."

"But I don't want to be cursed!  Mom will kill me if I turn into a
girl."

Ranma looks at her with fear, and shudders as he thinks about the
promise to commit seppuku.  Ra Koh snorts.

"I wouldn't believe everything in his mind although she might be
upset, if she does try to force you to commit seppuku then we will
stop her and make her see reason, else you are a Takashi now, so
the pledge has been fulfilled."

Ranma sighs deeply, as Ra Koh pats his shoulder tenderly.

"When do we merge and how?"

"Well I think now would be best, this way you can turn back to
your male form and still find my laboratory."

Ranma looks up at his grandmother.

"Laboratory?"

"Yes where I work on my spells, study scrolls of martial arts
techniques, there is one I learned which will come in handy since
we need to carry all my spell books, scrolls and equipment back
with us."

"HUH!?!?!"

She smiles at his look of dread, then pats his hand.

"Don't worry grandson you will be fine."

He looks at her sadly for a moment then lowers his head.

"Grandmother is there another way other then merging?"

She looks at him disappointingly.

"Why?"

He could hear the hurt in her voice and looks up at her.

"I..I don't want to lose you, it is like I have a friend with me
all the time now, I..sounds selfish, don't it?"

She smiles sadly at her lonely great grandchild.

"Don't worry Ranma, we can still have these little visits.  While
we are awake we will be one person, if you wish to talk like this
just meditate and we will be able to talk."

Ranma smiles broadly at her.

"What do I have to do?"

She stands and takes his hand, he stands as well.  She grasps both
hands in hers intertwining their fingers.  Then she summons her
energies both her Ki and magical energies.  Ranma watches as first
a blue aura surrounds his grandmother then it changes to purple as
a red one mixes with it.  Ranma calls up his battle aura as if by
instinct.  He is then surrounded by a bright blue aura.  As they
stare into each other's eyes the auras start to merge as they
blend.  Where they touch the purple becomes a darker purplish blue
until, finally, the purplish blue light surrounded them both.
They can hear the Neko-Ken howling in fear and anger.  Ranma
shudders at the memories of the Cat Fist training.  His
grandmother's grasp tightens giving him the strength to ignore
those memories.  The light around them becomes darker and darker
until it was almost as black as their surroundings.  Suddenly the
dark purple light shatters leaving only Ranma standing alone,
glowing a medium purple color.  He falls to the ground in his mind
unconscious.

In the tent the red glow around Ranma-chan follows along with the
change in color until it finally rests at the medium purple, then
fades completely.  Ryoga never wakes up.

                         /*\*/*\

The next morning Ryoga wakes to the sound of fists punching wood.
He gets out of the tent and looks around, a little way from the
campsite he sees Ranma-chan practicing, she is punching a tree
trunk until the tree snaps in half.  She then starts her kata.
She is poetry in motion, fluid and graceful, yet powerful and
unyielding.  He gasps when she leaps into the air thirty feet and
just hangs suspended kicking and punching an imaginary opponent.
Then she lands gently, not even disturbing the loose dirt on the
ground.  As she finishes her kata she opens her eyes, Ryoga gasps
even louder, where once had been ice blue eyes are now eyes the
color of crystal amethyst.  Ranma hears the gasp and turns to face
her friend with a warm smile.

"Good morning Ryoga, there is some ramen on the fire help
yourself.  We need to get going as soon as you finish."

She then sits in the middle of the clearing and starts to
meditate.  Her aura springs to life surrounding her in the now
purple color.  Ryoga eats the ramen and watches, as Ranma's aura
fades just after it appears.  Then Ranma starts pulling things out
of thin air.  Rocks, sticks, and branches, when she looks
satisfied she stands up and starts collecting her belongings.
Ryoga watches with his mouth agape, while her things disappear
into thin air.

"Are you done, I am going to leave you if you don't finish soon."

This snaps Ryoga out of his stupor, he did not want to be left on
the mountain alone.  He downs the rest of his ramen and washes out
the bowl then starts packing his backpack and taking down his
tent.  Ranma douses the fire and makes sure no embers were left
alight.  As she stands something sparkling catches her eye she
walks over to it and finds a white crystal with streaks of red,
blue, yellow, green, orange, and purple running through it.  It is
the size of a goose's egg, she feels she should know what it is
but couldn't put a finger on it.  She decides to check her books
when they get to her lab.  She pockets the stone in her new
dimensional space smiling ruefully.  She was going to like having
a dimensional storage space.  She continues to look around in case
there was anything else that might be interesting.  There was
nothing, but she did pick up several large pieces of flint plus a
couple of smooth oval stones for strikers, then places them in her
storage dimension as well.  She returns to Ryoga who is just
putting his pack on.

"Well, let's go, we should be there by this evening if we move
fast and don't stop for a rest."

Ryoga looks at her then up the mountain with dread.