Ranma 1/2: Ranma No More Alternate History By: Dani Yanega yanega@mindspring.com (please respond to this e-mail address) Chapter Fifteen Ranma flutters her eyes open, as the shaking of her body seems to get more aggressive. She looks around it is well past midnight if her readings of the stars are correct, and she was still being shaken. "Ok, ok, I'm awake." She sits up slowly, rubbing her head. She has a huge headache. As her head clears, she begins to look around. She is still at the base of the mountain where her lab is; she vaguely remembers the ceremony to make Ryoga her soul mate. She looks down at the palm of her left hand and gasps at what she sees. "It shocked me too." She snaps her head up and sees Ryoga kneeling next to her with his left hand held up palm out. In the center of his palm is the image of a white tiger with gold strips superimposed over the same Tao symbol which adorns his forehead. White on the left gold on the right the exact opposite of Ranma's. The image on her palm was the same except for the reverse of the color. A gold tiger with white strips over a Tao symbol of gold on the left and white on the right. "I..I think we better talk to great grandmother." Ranma states as she gets into a lotus potion. Ryoga nods and sits down in front of her, like they have done before. He takes her hands in his, as they touch it is like electricity flowing from their hands to the other. They look up at each other as they pull their hands away. Ranma states the obvious. "Oook, something has happened again, lets try it one more time." Ryoga again nods his ascent, this time though when the jolt comes they are ready for it, and ignore it as they hold hands. Inside Ranma's mind Male Ranma and Ryoga wait for Ra Koh. "I see something else has happened to us great grandson." The boys turn to look at Ra Koh and gasp as she steps from the darkness tears streaming down her cheeks. /*\*/*\ The Amazons are finally done cleaning the stores and upper floors. They have each picked out the office they were going to use for their private chambers. They decided that since the third floor contains mostly conference rooms they would make that the community living space. One conference room was to be set up as a living room, another was going to be the library, and the largest was designated as the training room. Also there is a small conference room, which will be Ku Lon's office. The other two floors were all office space each floor has about ten, offices which are 20'x15'. Each floor also has one public style bathroom which they plan to have remodeled. While the women set out their sleeping bags for the night. Xian Pu starts looking for her great grandmother, she is no where to be seen. <"Has anyone seen great grandmother?"> <"Yes, she said she needed some air and that she would be back soon."> Che Ri responds, to the question. /*\*/*\ Ra Koh steps closer to the boys, Ranma reaches out to touch her and his hand passes through her. Ra Koh's tears are matched by Ranma's own, as he looks at his transparent grandmother. "W..wh..what is happening to you, y.y.you promised you would stay with me, p.please don't leave me grandmother." Ra Koh looks at him with sad eyes, she takes a deep breath before answering. "I am not leaving you grandson, it seems that what ever is happening to us is drawing our souls closer together. I feel the next encounter with this force..." she holds up her hand to show them the matching image to Ranma's. "Will see us completely merged as one person. You will no longer be Ranma but a whole new person, whether you will be female or male is not yet known." She finishes shaking her head. "Well by Amazon law and decree she is female." All three spin around to find Ku Lon standing behind them balancing on her staff. /*\*/*\ Ku Lon stepped out of the 'Joketsuzoku Village', she will have to order the signs tomorrow. She looks up to the sky, and sighs, the stars are not as visible in the city she is going to miss that. She turns to reenter the building when she feels it. Such power, and great nephew is there. She runs toward the power signature she is sensing. While she pogoes on her staff to her destination, she begins to increase her speed. She keeps moving faster and faster until she is a blur to anyone watching her. She heads into the woods near her complex, heading straight for the mountain. She smiles she should have know great grandmother would want another mountain laboratory. At the speed she is going it only takes her an hour to reach the clearing. Where she sees Ranma and Ryoga in deep meditation holding hands as she approaches she sees the Tao Symbol glowing on Ranma's forehead and assumes it is on Ryoga's as well since a golden white light is shining under his bandana. She also sees the same light coming from each of their left hands although she can't see the symbol she is sure it is there. Ku Lon steps forward and she places her hand upon the symbol on Ranma and begins to meditate. The light coming from Ranma slowly surrounds Ku Lon. When Ku Lon opens her eyes she is surrounded by darkness. She hears voices and goes towards them. When gets nearer she sees that Ryoga, Ranma and Ranma's female side which she assumes is Ra Koh are talking. She is shocked at the fact that they have the appearance of cats. Then she remembers the Neko-Ken and tries to sense its whereabouts. The Neko-Ken is no longer here. She sees Ra Koh holds up her hand tears coming from both Ranma and Ra Koh, Ku Lon goes wide eyed as she sees the image glowing on her hand. She hears Ra Koh talking to Ranma. "I am not leaving you grandson, it seems that what ever has been happening to us is drawing our souls closer together. I feel the next encounter with this force..." She holds up her hand to show them the matching image to Ranma's. "Will see us completely merged as one person. You will no longer be Ranma but a whole new person, whether you will be female or male is not yet known." She finishes shaking her head. Ku Lon takes this as her cue, to reply. "Well by Amazon law and decree she is female." She smiles as they all turn to look at her with shock upon their faces as she is standing behind them balancing upon her staff. "H...How did you get in here?" Stutters Ranma, as his great grandmother smiles proudly and lovingly at the abilities of her great granddaughter. "It is simple grandson, if I am not mistaken the symbol on your forehead was probably glowing." She looks to Ku Lon for affirmation and receives a nod. "All she had to do is touch it and go into meditation as you and Ryoga do, however, I don't think it would have worked if it wasn't for the fact that the two of you are related." Ra Koh steps forward and tries to touch her great granddaughter but her substance is faded to the point where she is little more than a ghost. Tears roll down her cheeks as she looks at another of her descendants. Ku Lon watches as her great grandmother tries to touch her and is shocked to see her hand pass through her. "What has happened? Why is she not more solid." Ranma lowers his head and whispers. "We don't know." Ku Lon looks at the deep sadness on everyone's faces she gets off her cane and sits. "Tell me what has happened since you left us, tell me _everything_ Ranma." They sit and Ranma and Ryoga tell Ku Lon everything including the fact that Ryoga knows Amazon techniques and that he is Ranma's soul mate. Ku Lon could not be too angry for they had been able to find an obscure law and use it effectively to protect his friend from the outsider laws. She has Ranma and Ryoga show her their palms with the images. She studied them but could make nothing of it. She then asks them to demonstrate their shape shifting. She marvels at the swiftness of the change. Then she has them flare their auras. For the most part Ranma's is still purple, Ryoga's is still bright forest green. They both still had the flashing golden white light in them but now, the bonding of their souls, has manifested with flashes of bright forest green in Ranma's and flashes of purple in Ryoga's. While they were doing this Ra Koh and Ku Lon are whispering to each other. Ranma and Ryoga wait as they finish. Then Ku Lon looks to Ranma, as he asks her a question. "What did you mean when you said I am already _female_?" Ra Koh winces, as she looks to Ku Lon to explain it to him. "Oh, thank you great grandmother." She says sarcastically as she turns to Ranma. "You child are unique, in all the history of Jusenkyo, no one has ever awaken a spirit of the spring." "Yeah my life's been full of unique happenings, the Neko-Ken..." Ku Lon holds up her hand to stop him, and she continues. "You are an Amazon by your birth right Ranma, but as a male you are not permitted to have the knowledge of magic you do, by rights you should have been killed. Two things saved you, your curse and the fact that you and the soul of an Amazon warrior had melded. Therefore, the counsel declared you female to protect Ra Koh. I must admit to you that I wanted to find a way to save you, so I am the one who pushed for your gender switch." Ranma stands up and turns his back to Ku Lon and Ra Koh. Ra Koh rises and goes to him. "I wish I could hold you my grandson, I am sorry I did not know they would do this." Ranma looks at his great grandmother eyes cold with anger, then he turns to face Ku Lon. "You do realize you have signed my death warrant don't you." Ku Lon raises an eyebrow. Then her eyes widen with remembrance. "The seppuku pack with your mother." Ranma nods. "Grandson how do you feel?" Ranma looks at Ra Koh with anger mixed with confusion. "Huh?" "What I mean is do you feel like Saotome Ranma, in here anymore?" She finishes as she points to his heart. Ranma thinks for a moment. He has not had time to reflect on the last set of changes that have happened to him since Ryoga became his soul mate. He looks at his left palm, and stares intensely at it, it seems as if the golden tiger is looking back at him smiling. He watches for a few more minutes, then he feels the empathic bond between himself and Ryoga for the first time. He looks up and into the face of his friend. "I have changed, and if the monks keep doing what they have been I will change again, but no I am no longer Ranma Saotome nor am I Ranma Takashi, I am...I don't know who I am any longer." Ranma falls to his knees, his head bowed, his arms laying limp at his side. Ku Lon walks up to Ranma her long hair dragging behind her on the ground of Ranma's mind. "Great nephew, chances are these monks will come back for some reason you and Ryoga are important to them, and they want you and Ra Koh fully integrated. I know this is going to be hard for you child, but you are no longer a man nor are you a woman. But you need to know who you are becoming, and who you will become when the monks finish what they are doing and child they will finish." Ranma looks at Ku Lon with a lonely lost expression. "What am I to do Aunt Ku Lon, I have no family any longer, I am dust." Ranma lowers his head as the depression fills him. Ryoga walks over to Ranma and puts a hand on his shoulder, turning Ranma quickly to face him. "No, Ranma you are not dust you are a culmination of Ranma Takashi, and Ra Koh, you are neither, you are both. You need to learn who you are. You are not alone in this you have me, and you have your Amazon family." Ranma looks at his friend and soul mate, with tears, and a wry smile "Hey, quit using your empathic link against me!" Ryoga smiles back, shaking his head. "Nope ain't gonna, man I can get to like this." "Come children it is time we return to the 'Joketsuzoku Village'." Both boys look up at her with suspicion. She let out a hearty laugh. "It is the new complex we Amazons own in the business district outside of Tokyo. Come it is also your new home." They look to Ra Koh. "Grandmother what is going to happen to you? I don't want to lose you, I love you and I need you." Ra Koh looks up into her great grandson's amethyst eyes. "Don't worry grandson we will eventually not be able to speak this way but I will always be a part of you, just a more conscious part." Ranma leans forward and gently kisses her on the forehead right on the Tao symbol. The symbol flares knocking Ku Lon and Ryoga out of Ranma's mind when they woke a few minutes later, Ranma is floating four feet off the ground glowing the golden white light. In the forest a shadow watches and smiles, in a whisper it states "It is complete."