Ranma 1/2 : Timelines by Mark Latus A fanfic in 5 parts People who don't belong in the regular Ranmaverse and where they came from: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ryoga 1/2 Timeline Ryoga Hibiki - aka Ryoga 1/2, Ryoga-chan. Has same curse as Ranma, uses the name Yuriko in his cursed form. Engaged to the Nabiki of his world and would rather be back there with her than stuck in this universe. This is his third encounter with alternate worlds and that's three too many. Currently claiming to be Ryoga's cousin Yuriko Hibiki while in female form. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ryoga/Kodachi Timeline Ryoga Hibiki - aka Ryoga-K. Has the standard P-chan curse and is engaged to the Kodachi of his world. Lost a lot of his left arm in his previous adventure on an alternate world and really doesn't want to be here. Owns several prosthetics and is currently using the alias of Ryo Hibiki, Ryoga's other cousin (Yuriko's brother). Only known Ryoga with a sense of direction. Yohko Mano - Best ninja assassin in the "Order of the Purple Striped Dragon" which isn't saying much. Long ago the Mano clan was taken seriously in the days when they were Devil Hunters. But her ancestors sealed the demons' gateways permanently and their skills deteriorated from lack of use. Yohko dreams of somehow restoring the clan's glory days and carries their sacred Devil Hunter ring. Keiichi - Briefly a member of Yohko's ninjas before resigning having got Morisato tired of constant pummelings from the group's former target, Ryoga Hibiki. Currently attending Technical University which is where he met his strange girlfriend Belldandy. Belldandy - Member of the Norse Pantheon and Goddess of the Past. Due to Keiichi's hasty wish when he met her the two of them are now bound to be together by magic. Not that either of them mind. Currently Keiichi is the only one aware of her divine status. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guyver-Ryoga timeline Tatewaki Kuno - aka Guyver-Kuno, The Black Thunder. Has the incredible power of the alien battlesuit known of the Guyver but remains an idiot which limits its effectiveness. Has grudges against both the Ranma Saotome and Ryoga Hibiki of his world. The latter of these possess the only other Guyver suit. He is the only one of the six unaware he has switched worlds. He is also unaware that his Guyver symbiote is becoming intelligent. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 5 : "This is all your fault!" "I DID WHAT YESTERDAY!?" Nabiki avoided wincing at Akane's bellow and ostentatiously glanced down at her notebook. "Well let's see ... Ryoga dropped by for a visit and asked to see you. You suddenly proclaimed him the one true love of your life then jumped on him and tried to rip his clothes off. Ranma broke in on you and demanded you tell him it was a joke. You broke your engagement and told him to get lost. Ranma lost it and tried to kill Ryoga. Showing a lot more commonsense than he has before Ryoga got out of here fast. Incidentally that rug in the middle of your bedroom is to cover the planks we put over the hole Ranma made. They're probably secure but you might want to stay off that piece of floor. Anyway Ranma went in pursuit but must have lost him as Ryoga was still healthy when he met Ukyou. Shortly after this Kuno showed up in a very strange suit of armour and went hunting Ranma. Later on Shampoo, Ukyou and Kodachi dropped by to check if it was true you and Ranma were through. You confirmed it and they all went looking for him. There were reports of a major rooftop battle but no clear winner showed up here so I guess it was a draw. Ranma and Ryoga are both still out there somewhere. So they could show up anytime. Other than that it was a fairly quiet day." Akane just stared at her. "You really don't remember any off this?" "This can't be happening. I'm still asleep and dreaming .... OW!" "Well you didn't wake up so I guess you're stuck with this reality. I'd say this is going to be a rotten day. We could claim it was a very tasteless joke ... better not though. Ukyou and the others might want refunds. Then there's how Ryoga's going to feel when you tell him you didn't mean any of it ..." Akane tried to think, "Shampoo and the others must have been overjoyed to hear me say the engagement was over. Ryoga ... how did he react?" "A combination of amazement and shock I'd say." Akane breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god. So when I tell him I didn't know what I was doing he should be relieved." She missed Nabiki's skeptical expression. "As for everyone else I'll tell them ..." "...That you're madly in love with Ranma and yesterday was just a fit of temporary insanity?" "WHAT! Are you out of your mind Nabiki? I am not madly in love with Ranma. He's a jerk, he always insults me, he eats like a pig, he's lazy, he's good for nothing ..." "So why do you want him back?" "Uhhhhh ... Family pride. The heads of the Tendo and Saotome families made a pact to join our clans by marriage. It's a matter of honor ... right Daddy?" Soun had stopped crying temporarily and been listening to all this. He wiped his eyes and hugged Akane. "Oh my little girl's going through with the marriage! I'm so happy!" He started crying again, possibly from happiness, perhaps just from hysteria. Akane pulled free before her clothes got soaked through. "I just said I'd renew the engagement. I didn't say I'd marry him!" Soun kept crying but the tenor changed. Akane sighed and asked "How did he ever manage to deal with life before he had us to look out for him?" "Please calm down father." As always Kasumi appeared to be the only one unconcerned by recent events. "Akane has said she'll renew the engagement and that's the important thing." "Yes you're right of course." The waterfall of tears shut off instantaneously. "Akane find Ranma and explain things to him. Saotome how about a game of shogi?" The panda grunted assent and the two of them headed for their gameboard. Akane sighed. "Ok so that calms them down. But what happened to me yesterday? And where is Ranma anyway?" "The answer's the same, I don't know. But all Ranma's stuff is here so he'll be back for it. Even if it's only to pick up supplies before heading back to China. So wait here and he'll show up eventually." Nabiki paused as something occurred to her. "Hopefully he won't be carrying what's left of Ryoga with him." Akane winced. Whatever had got into her yesterday had caused a lot of trouble for a good friend. She hoped Ryoga would be willing to forgive her. At a hotel across town Ryoga-K was waiting for Yohko to finish in the bathroom. She seemed to be feeling a lot better and her hair covered the bruise. So they could pay a visit to Akane, break her heart and hopefully be back to their own world before noon. Near the TV van they'd appropriated Ryoga 1/2 was doing some stretches to loosen up his muscles. Last night he'd pitched his tent outside it, hung up his "Semicrazed martial artist, do not disturb" sign and spent a night unmolested by the police. He definitely felt stiff this morning. He must be getting soft from too much indoor living. Spending too many nights under the Tendo's roof was erasing his taste for the outdoors life. Though considering where he got to spend the nights that was fine with him. The door opened and Keiichi exited. Belldandy and Keiichi had spent the night inside though Ryoga didn't think anything had happened. Morisato seemed to be as shy as he'd been. As for Belldandy ... Ryoga had to admit he couldn't figure her out at all. In some ways she seemed like Kasumi, calm considerate, kind ... yet there was something else inside her. Something that had emerged after Happosai attacked her. Not that he blamed her. In fact the way the old pervert acted when he was in his Ryoga-chan form made him want to mash the little ... Ryoga took a deep breath. While he thought a lot more than he used to it didn't change the fact he still had a rotten temper. Without Nabiki around to keep him from blowing his stack he might wind up backslidding. He considered searching his pack for his copy of "Controlling your Temper" but remembered he'd forcefed it to Kuno after an attempted grope. A curse like his (and Ranma's) definitely gave you a new perspective on the way guys treat girls. Anyway the question was what now? With all Ranma's would-be fiancees aware of the breakup they'd all be competing for him. Which would mean once again Ranma could avoid making a choice. Damn. If Ukyou had been the only one who'd known, she could have caught him in the rebound. Now ... Now what? Let's see ... somehow take Kodachi and Shampoo out of the picture. How? They weren't pushovers back home and there was no reason to think they'd be any easier in this world. Also challenging Shampoo would mean fighting Mousse as well. On top of which Ranma was still looking to cripple Ryoga Hibiki and was unlikely to listen to the alternate universe explanation before attacking. So he'd be spending his stay as Yuriko and his female form just wasn't as tough. Which reminded Ryoga he'd better change form before Ranma showed up unexpectedly. One thing Ryoga had learned was that the least likely yet most inconvenient events were, in fact, what would probably happen. Sometimes he felt as if he lived in a slapstick comedy with a bit of pathos thrown in. Dismissing this ludicrous thought Ryoga poured cold water over his head and felt the familiar shift. Belldandy emerged from the van looking as if she'd spent the night in a luxury hotel. Not a hair out of place. "Good morning Ryoga ... excuse me, Yuriko." A delicious scent rose from the tray she carried. "This was the best I could manage for breakfast." She sounded apologetic despite how good it looked. Ryoga-chan considered asking how she'd prepared a meal like that without access to a kitchen but decided she'd probably hate the answer. Inquiring too closely into Belldandy seemed ... inappropriate. So she just thanked her and ate. "So what do we do now?" Keiichi's question jolted Ryoga-chan out of her introspection. "I'm not sure. Somehow we have to get Ukyou's rivals out of the way. I think once we do that the situation stabilises, the Ranma-Akane-Ryoga triangle is permanently broken and we all get to go home." This would take some planning. Belldandy frowned slightly. "If you will forgive my interruption there may be a more immediate worry. Your other self is planning to destroy Akane and Ryoga's happiness. Shouldn't we prevent this?" "Good point Belldandy." Keiichi looked at Ryoga-chan. "So what is he likely to do?" Ryoga-chan tried to think. Ryoga-K has Yohko on his side and that's it. Unlike me he doesn't have a useful cursed form to hide behind. Besides Ranma knows P-chan is Ryoga's cursed form so that wouldn't help him. If Ranma sees any black piglets wearing bandannas it's pork chop time. Impersonating the Ryoga who belongs here is impossible for him. Unless he's got something to distract people from the prostetic! Say he's wearing a glove over that hand and no one looks too closely because of the girl hanging all over him. All Akane sees is Ryoga messing around with another girl. Matter of fact he rubs her nose in it by showing up at her home with his new girlfriend! Ryoga nodded. He could actually see that happening. Which meant they had to preempt his other self. "Better eat up. We need to pay a quick visit to the Tendos. Keiichi I really hope you can find our way back there." Not long afterwards Ryoga-chan and Keiichi were on their way. Belldandy told them she'd catch up to them in a minute. As soon as they were out of sight she closed her eyes and summoned power. She chanted a few words of old Norse then gestured at the van. It vanished in a burst of light. Belldandy nodded. Good, now the owners had their property back. At least she hoped they did, technology wasn't her strong point. In San Francisco the secretary of WFRZ TV's news division reported that the missing van was back. It was in fact parked in front of her in the lobby. As this was the tenth floor no one took her seriously at first. Back in Japan Ryoga-chan was eyeing the door of the Tendo Dojo. She uncapped her thermos and said, "Ok here's the plan. I go in there as Ryoga, warn Akane that my cousin Ryo, a notorious practical joker, is looking to cause trouble for us. I tell her how to distinguish him from me then get out fast before things get too intense." "How?" "You two go in with me. You were with my cousin Yuriko but she got lost. Then you ran into me and the three of us are trying to find her." "Will they believe that?' "They know the Hibiki sense of direction. They'll believe it!" The hot water returned Ryoga to his real form. He took a deep breath and hoped that for once things would go smoothly. A dumpster near Ukyou's restaurant exploded. A black armoured figure strode out and announced, "Your vile tricks will not help you Hibiki. I shall destroy you and your master in the place you lair!" Guyver-Kuno headed toward the Tendo dojo. Inside his head his symbiote sighed. It had had absolutely no success either communicating with Kuno or taking control. Shutting down the Guyver transformation while the host was unconscious seemed to be the only thing it could actually do. "YOU KNOW I SPENT ALL NIGHT WATCHING YOUR DREAMS ABOUT THOSE GIRLS. THEY WERE FAIRLY REPREHENSIBLE!" Kuno felt that annoying buzz again but ignored it. The Guyver unit sighed, "I CAN SEE THIS RELATIONSHIP IS SOMETHING WE BOTH NEED TO WORK ON!" Again there was no response. In her room over her restaurant Ukyou had heard the explosion but couldn't summon the strength to investigate. She'd lie here and heal. Later on she'd go see Ranma, for now she just had to hope her rivals were in the same sort of shape. They were. Neither Shampoo or Kodachi was in any shape to go anywhere right now.. Outside Ukyou's window Ryoga Hibiki wandered past. This place looked almost familiar. He wasn't seeing English (ok, or French) streetsigns anymore so maybe he'd made it out of Canada. Back at the Tendo Dojo Kasumi had just answered the door. Ryoga and two people she didn't know were outside. "Morning Kasumi. I was wondering if I could see Akane briefly? Oh these are my cousin Yuriko's friends Belldandy and Keiichi." From a hiding place nearby Ranma watched Ryoga. Not just yet, not until he was with Akane. "Good morning, nice to meet you." After an exchange of greetings Kasumi said,"Actually they were just talking about you Ryoga. I'm sure they'll want to see you. Please come in." The trio entered, removed their shoes and followed Kasumi to the main room. Nabiki and Akane were sitting there talking. "Ryoga dropped by to see you Akane." Akane tensed. This should be good, Nabiki thought. What she said was, "You can handle this Sis." She stood up, stepped back and joined Kasumi. She recognised the guy and the girl from last night and nodded a greeting. Ryoga walked to Akane's side and knelt down next to her. Akane began to panic, what was she going to say to him? How could she explain it when she didn't know what happened herself? "Akane ...", he began. Then a new voice cut in. "I see lover boy finally made it back!" Ranma stood by the doorway to the garden. He didn't look like he was in a good mood. Akane heard Ryoga mutter something and surge upward into a defensive stance. Remembering what Nabiki had told her Akane quickly stood up between them. "Ranma wait. It's a misunderstanding ..." "Yeah and you're the one who's making it. You really think this creep is a nice guy don't you? You've called me a pervert for a fraction of what he's got away with. Well you can relax Akane I'm not here to beat him to a pulp." Akane relaxed a little. Ranma produced a bucket of water. "I don't have too. You'll be happy to do it for me in a few seconds." Akane turned to ask Ryoga what Ranma was talking about then saw Ranma's arm swing in the corner of her eye. She instinctively dropped down. Ryoga tried to dodge but the water drenched him. The results surprised everyone. Especially Ranma, he'd been expecting P-chan. The wet girl looked around at the astonished faces before speaking. "There is a very simple explanation for this ..." "Yo Akane!" The second Ryoga and the girl clinging to him landed the same place Ranma had arrived. He stepped inside, his left arm (with glove) around Yohko, then stopped dead at the sight of Ryoga-chan. She continued, "... a simple explanation which has just got a lot more complicated ..." "Excuse me could your direct me to the Tendo Dojo?" The third Ryoga stepped into the room then realized where he was. "I made it!" "... forget the explanation. Of course he turns up now. It's the worst possible moment so he has to be here. It's cosmically inevitable!" Nearby Xerxes nodded in agreement. Ryoga was staring at the other Ryoga with his arm around that girl he'd met yesterday. Everyone else was staring at the two Ryogas and the girl who'd been Ryoga when she arrived. "Why are you here?" Ryoga-K made a last ditch effort to salvage the situation. "I could ask you the same thing imposter! I just came so Akane could meet my new girlfriend ... HEY!" His glove and sleeve were shredded by a bandanna thrown by Ryoga-chan. Exposing the artificial nature of the limb. She looked at him. "Forget it 'Ryo'. Nobody's buying that act." "You moron! What are you doing here?" "Preventing you from causing any trouble." "You stupid ... You're trapping us here forever!" His battle aura flared and Yohko stepped away from him in a hurry. "You're the one doing that. I'm the one who's going to solve this mess!" "As if a guy who'd pick Nabiki is any kind of judge. But you're not really a guy are you?" Ryoga-chan's eye's narrowed. "What did you say?" "Are you deaf? Or did you lose your hearing along with your manhood?" Ryoga-chan's temper flared. Beating her other self to a unrecognisable pulp seemed like a good idea. "I'm not taking this from anyone stupid enough to sleep with Kodachi!" On the sidelines Nabiki asked, "Is anyone following this?" No one answered. Ryoga took a step toward his two counterparts. "Errr ...." Both turned to him and snarled, "STAY OUT OF THIS!" Ryoga stepped back in a hurry. One factor that seems to be common to all known Ryogas is the extremely foul temper. The smarter versions seem to have longer fuses but when they blow ... well it's unhealthy to be nearby. Ryoga-chan looked at her detestable counterpart and snarled, "It's lucky for you I don't fight useless cripples!" Ryoga-K's response was to wrench off his everyday prosthetic, drop his pack, reach inside then slam his battle arm into place. Sunlight glinted off the spikes. "It's lucky for you I don't fight girls. Or you'd be in a lot of trouble sissy boy!" Ryoga-chan ripped the top from her thermos and emptied it over herself. "Then you don't have a problem anymore!" Oblivious to the spectators the two Ryogas glared at each other watching for an opening. Somebody coughed and they launched themselves at each other. As everyone else watched the battle (ducking the occasional chi sphere) Nabiki slid to Ryoga's side. At least that's who she assumed he was. Anyway time to get a few answers. "Ryoga about your cousins Ryo and Yuriko ..." "Who?" "Those two guys ... or whatever." "They aren't my cousins. I don't have any cousins by those names. Who they are and why they're pretending to be me ..." "Pretending?" "It was one of them who came here yesterday ... at least I think it was, maybe there's more of them running around." Nabiki made a note reading, "Poss. clones?" and settled back to wait for the fight to end. Both Ryogas were looking battered. Ryoga-K decided to get really nasty and slid the Wolverine style blades out of his left hand. He charged in ducking under Ryoga 1/2's punch. As he swung the blades he saw the Shishi Houkoudan sphere Ryoga 1/2 had held concealed in his other hand. It wasn't fully generated but it was sufficent to slam Ryoga-K to the other end of the room. He tried to get up and failed. Ryoga 1/2 smiled, the fight was over. He felt a faint sting and looked down to see a cut in his shirt. There was a faint red line along his chest. It seemed Ryoga-K had got a bit closer than he'd thought with his blades. Still it wasn't a problem. Then his knees buckled. Ryoga 1/2 slumped over feeling his limbs become stiff and uncooperative. Ryoga-K opened an eye and muttered, "Number 2 paralysing agent." Ryoga tried to swear as he remembered his counterpart telling him about the poison tanks in the arm. Which meant you could coat the blades with the toxin of choice. All right it was only a scratch so it shouldn't be fully effective. He still had a little movement. His other self must have an antidote which he'd take. Just as soon as he'd pulled off Ryoga-K's prosthetic and beat him with it. He began crawling towards his foe. Ryoga-K tried to lever himself upright, felt something twist in his ribs and slumped back. OK he'd have to handle things from floor level. He began crawling to meet his enemy. While they were too caught up in the fight to notice the spectators the spectators certainly noticed them. Nabiki shook her head and said, "This is getting a bit ridiculous." Akane glanced around and saw that Ranma and Ryoga were still trying to figure this out. Belldandy, Keiichi and Yohko were arguing over what to do. She sighed. "I'll break it up." The Ryogas had almost reached each over by now. Then the wall behind them exploded and they were flung across the room to bounce off the far wall and land behind their audience. Guyver-Kuno strode in, "This is your day of reckoning Saotome!" Almost everyone stood paralysed except for Yohko. She knew what this thing was, it was a real live demon! Her prayers were answered! She stepped forward to confront it. This was her moment ... except she couldn't remember the stupid speech! What a time to get stagefright! Stall. "Hold it creature of darkness ..." Wait! She thought she remembered it. "I hold no enmity against those forced into evil acts (what did that mean anyway?) But for those vile beings who toy with the hearts and souls of men ... since the time of the ancient gods we have been your destroyers. Now the whatever generation of Devil Hunter Yohko is here! ..." Was that it or was there a bit more? "... uhhh so on behalf of the moon I will punish you." Wrong! Screw it. Yohko focussed on the ring. It apparently decided that the Guyver's alien nature was close enough to serve. All her clothing disintergrated and Yohko became the centre of attention for every male in the room. With the exception of Ryogas K and 1/2 who hurt to much to pay any attention. Yohko screamed and tried to shield herself with her hands. Grandma hadn't mentioned this part! Then red lights appeared and surged around her. She found herself wearing a red outfit with a ying/yang symbol on the front and a heavily slit skirt. Not too shabby. Now this was more like it. "SoulSword appear!" Just like that she was holding the sword. The demon hadn't moved. She charged it. Kuno had frozen when Yohko's clothing disappeared. In fact the Guyver suit was currently cleaning up a major nosebleed before he wound up drowning inside the helmet. His symbiote partner tried to break though his lust induced paralysis. "ENEMY APPROACHING WITH WEAPON OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN. CANNOT DETERMINE COMPOSITION OF THE BLADE. DAMAGE CAPABILITY UNKNOWN. OFFENSIVE/ DEFENSIVE RESPONSE REQUIRED ... HELLO! WE ARE IN DANGER HERE! STOP FANTASISING YOU MORON!" Yohko's first strike was off and just grazed his chest on the downstroke. Kuno's martial arts reflexes belatedly kicked in and he unsheaved the sonic swords. He swung his right arm up to block Yohko's next strike. The blades locked but neither broke. Kuno was very surprised. Until now he'd never found anything he couldn't cut. He blocked her next strike and continued fighting defensively. Possibly he'd have been able to fight more agressively if he hadn't felt that it would be a terrible waste. Meanwhile Ranma and Ryoga were mopping up their own nosebleeds and trying to work out what the hell was going on. Keiichi's own flush of embarrasment had faded. Belldandy had turned her back on the fight to see if the other two Ryogas needed help. Then disaster struck. Kuno caught the soulsword again but this time swept his arm sideways. The blade pulled out of Yohko's grasp and flew across the room. Straight for Belldandy's back! Keiichi reacted without thinking. His own training was sufficent to get him between the sword and Belldandy. There was a horrible noise and the point emerged from his back as the hilt hit his ribcage and stopped. Belldandy turned in time to see him fall and screamed. Keiichi didn't hit the floor. He froze before impact, so did the blood pouring from the wound. Time stopped around him as Belldandy cast a stasis spell. Instantly she knew Kuno was responsible. She looked at him and her eyes blazed. Many people have made the mistake of thinking Belldandy is a wimp. They were talking about the Belldandy of a slightly different continuum but there was no personality difference between them. At any rate those who say this are misjudging Belldandy because of her cheerful disposition. They forget two things. First when Urd messed around with Keiichi's mind with a love potion (during a visit to the beach) Belldandy came close to taking out her own sister. In fact if Urd hadn't been family and Keiichi hadn't recovered she'd have been in real trouble. Second Belldandy is a member of the Norse pantheon of gods and goddesses. It was from the ancient norsemen that we derived the concept of the berserkers. Terrible warriors who fight fearlessly with all their strength uncaring of their own injuries. Connoisseurs of combat judge the sight of a berserker warrior to be an incredible one. Though a sight best viewed from a safe distance. When the berserker in question is a goddess what constitutes a safe distance is debatable. However putting several oceans and continents between you is a good start. Almost everyone was now exiting the Tendo home as quickly as possible. While they might not have known what Belldandy was they recognised her power. It is a little known fact of human evolution that there is a part of our hindbrains that recognises divine displeasure. This is a leftover from millenia ago when dieties walking the Earth were far more commonplace. This part of the mind senses godly wrath and screams, "FIRE AND BRIMESTONE COMING! HAUL ASS OUTTA HERE!" To ignore such a deeply hardwired voice requires incredible stupidity or incredible singlemindedness. Or a combination of the two. "Ah fair maiden ..." The house was deserted except for Kuno, Belldandy and the timefrozen Keiichi. "...Truly you are exquisite in your anger ..." As Kuno continued his attempted pickup line his symbiote compared their power to the being they faced ("OH SHIT!") and calculated the best tactical response ("RUN YOU MORON!!!"). "...You are indeed beautiful ..." It seemed impossible anyone could ignore the rage in Belldandy's face. "DON'TSAYIT!!PLEASEDON'TSAYIT!!!BEGFORGIVENESS IDON'TWANNADIE!!!" "...I will date with thee!" The Guyver unit felt a strange resignation. "GOODBYE LIFE." The sound and fury that followed were truly indescribable. 200 km away they felt the ground shake. 100 km away they thought the second Kanto quake had started. In Nerima they thought World War III had begun. Ten blocks away they thought it was the end of the world. Everyone at ground zero knew it was the end of the world. Ranma Saotome's first coherent thought was that his back hurt. Something very heavy was pressing against it. The light was almost nonexistant but he seemed to be in a pocket of debris. His arms were locked against the floor of the pocket. Probably that and his back were all that kept the junk above him from caving inward. There was someone sprawled between his hands. Akane! She lay still. For a few heartstopping minutes he couldn't tell if she was breathing. He relaxed slightly when he saw her chest rise and fall. "Akane can you hear me? WAKE UP BAKA! You have to find a way out of here before my back gives out!" She didn't move. "Akane if this is an act your timing stinks!" No reaction. "Wake up you dumb ... please Akane you have to be all right! Look I don't care if you love Ryoga as long as you're Ok. Just open your eyes please!" Nothing happened and he felt something shift above him. All this junk could come crashing down on them anytime. "Akane, I don't understand what's going on but ... look I shouldn't have tried to make you love me by destroying my rival but I couldn't think of anything else to do. I don't know how to tell you how I feel ..." The noise from above intensified. "This could be the last chance I get. Akane maybe you don't love me but I ... I ... I lo..." Daylight broke through and the weight was gone. Ranma turned to look up into Ryoga's face. "Ryoga?" "Sort of ... I'm not the one you know but ... oh hell Akane!" With his arms free Ranma was able to reach down to her. The pulse was strong and there were no visible injuries beyond a nasty bump on the head. "I think she's just unconscious." Please let that be all it is. "OK get her out of this hole then help me dig everyone else out." Without waiting for a reply Ryoga 1/2 began casting around for signs of other survivors. There was nothing but debris as far as he could see. Yet despite that people kept emerging from the rubble. Very weird. He'd been sure he was going to die. He spotted a Ryoga with a missing arm standing on the lip of the crater and walked over to join him. Without turning around Ryoga-K said, "I think this used to be where the Tendo house stood." Ryoga 1/2 gazed into the crater. At the bottom Belldandy surrounded by some sort of aura seemed to be praying over Keiichi. The Soulsword slid free and turned into a sphere of energy. It shot away and returned to the ring on Yohko's hand. She'd just dug her way out from under what had been the garden wall. Keiichi's blood had stopped flowing. Belldandy seemed to be giving him her full attention. Ryoga 1/2 shook his head. "What I don't understand is why we aren't dead." Ryoga-K shrugged. "Doesn't make any sense does it? Only thing I can figure is that Kuno was her only real target. Whatever she did was intended to only wipe him out. Everyone else got a miraculous escape." He gestured at the crater walls. They were peppered with a very fine spray of black armour fragments. Something occurred to Ryoga 1/2. "Aren't we supposed to be trying to kill each other?" Ryoga-K shrugged. "We can if you like but I'm feeling very outclassed right now." "Good point." "Besides my battle arm's buried under the rubble somewhere." "If it makes you feel any better I still feel a bit weak from that poison." There was a cough behind them and they turned to see Nabiki, Ranma supporting a dazed Akane, Soun, Genma (Panda form), Kasumi (looking completely unruffled) and Ryoga. Yohko stood off to the side, she looked and felt triumphant. She'd done it, the Soulsword was hers! Now she was free to do whatever she chose. The hell with Grandma! Just let the old bat try to push her around again. Nabiki took the initiative. "I was just wondering if you two could explain what's been going on around here!" "Well ...." "Actually if you mean what Belldandy just did ... frankly I have no idea." All around he could see people emerging from the rubbe that had been their homes. "Maybe Xerxes knows, I don't. She's not even from my world." "Taking my name in vain?" A slim young man suddenly popped up from behind a piece of roof. "Who the hell are you?" He smiled. "Right I looked different last time we met. How about this." An image appeared over his features. An old white bearded patriach. "Xerxes!" "That's right. New body. Just decided to say bye before I headed home." Ryoga 1/2 tried to work this out. "Headed home? You mean we did it?" "Did what?" "Prevent the ... (he remembered the people who were present) ... you know the terrible disaster in the future." "Oh that! I made that up." "WHAT!" That was from Ryoga-K "I made it up. I was joking." "JOKING!" The two Ryogas stared at each other. "You mean this whole disaster happened for nothing." Xerxes grinned. "You've got it. I was just having a little fun and you fell for it hook, line and sinker." Ryoga-K snarled and raised his hand. Xerxes waved a finger and the chi sphere vanished. "Now, now. Try and be a good sport." "You dragged us out of our own worlds, drop us here and tell us it's vital to change things before disaster strikes if we ever want to go home! Now you say it's all a game!" "That's right. It was a lot of fun watching you but I have to be going." "Don't leave just yet young man!" The newcomer looked like an old monk. Except that just by looking at him you could feel the unmistakeable aura of power. Xerxes looked at him sourly, "Hello dad!" Xerxes guardian shook his head. "I look away for an instant and you slip away and cause trouble. I thought I could trust you at least a little." "It's not my fault you're a lousy judge of character." He sighed. "I suppose. But you are not getting away from this scot free mister." "Yeah, yeah. Do your worst. Let's have the responsibility lecture again." The guardian shook his head. "I think it's time for something a little more severe. Try going back to Overspace." Xerxes shrugged. Then frowned. His consciousness couldn't disengage from this body. In fact his powers seemed to have shut down. "What have you done to me?" "I've temporarily locked you in that body and blocked your powers." He turned to Ryoga 1/2 and Ryoga-K. "Gentlemen your tormenter is now merely human so you might want to ahhh ... discuss things with him. By the way he's immortal so you don't have to be gentle." Ryoga-K smiled, Ryoga 1/2 cracked his knuckles. Both started forward. Xerxes tried not to panic. "Maybe I am only human for now but I built this body to be a fighting machine!" Ryoga-K's Shishi Houkoudan technique generated another chi sphere. Xerxes automatically ordered it to dissipate. It didn't and he hit the ground stunned. The two Ryogas closed in. Xerxes guardian wrapped a forceshield around the three and opaqued it to prevent anyone from being disturbed or trying to interfere. He looked around at the devastation and addressed the spectators. "First thing's first. Since this all occurred as a result of Xerxes's intervention I am permitted to restore what was lost." Suddenly Ranma and Co. found themselves inside the Tendo home again. A glance out the window showed that Nerima was back. Belldandy stood by a fully restored Keiichi. The Walker gave her a respectful nod, one paranormal entity to another then sat down, and spoke. "I have reviewed recent events and I can tell you how the confusion arouse." "That's wonderful. Would you like some tea." Kasumi was the only one present not staring bugeyed at the stranger. To be polite he told her, "That would be lovely. Where to begin ... perhaps I should skip ahead to the love potion Xerxes stole." Inside the forceshield the pummeling continued unabated. At the conclusion of the stranger's tale Akane leaned over to Ryoga. "So I was under the influence of this love potion. That explains everything. I hope I didn't shock you yesterday." She completely missed the glassy look on Ryoga's face as his heart broke yet again. "No, no not at all. I should have realized you didn't mean it." Ranma had his normal complacent smirk. "I knew it all along. After all even a macho tomboy chick like you wouldn't be stupid enough to ditch me ..." Akane creamed him with the table. "Ranma you moronic ..." Nabiki sighed. "I guess they're back to normal. I know three other girls who won't be happy to hear this." "Far as I'm concerned they can have him." Nabiki grinned. Yup, everything was back to normal. "Excuse me please." The Walker got up and strolled out to the garden. The forceshield he'd created vanished and he saw two tired yet contented Ryogas and a very mangled Xerxes. He snapped his fingers and Xerxes vanished. "Nicely done. That should keep him traumatised for a few centuries." "Uhm where did he go?" "I dropped him in a black hole. It'll take him a couple of millenia to get out by which time you'll have gone the way of all flesh. So you don't have to worry about him seeking revenge." "Uh, right." "Excuse me but what exactly is going on anyway?" He explained how Xerxes was basically a kid with a rotten sense of humor. It was a quicker explanation than the others had received as they knew a lot more of the background. He concluded, "... so you shouldn't blame yourselves for being fooled. Xerxes has had a lot of practice." Ryoga 1/2 nodded then looked up to see they had an audience. Everyone (except the other three who didn't belong) seemed to be looking from them to Ryoga. Akane shook her head. "Amazing, another two Ryogas and one of them has a Jusenkyo curse." Ryoga 1/2 looked at the guardian who winked. "That's me. Same spring as Ranma. Uh look not to seem rude but can we go home now." The others added their agreement. The guardian nodded. "Of course. In fact I will see to it that you don't leave your home dimensions again. It will be a simply matter to lock you there." "Any side effects?" "An inability to interdimensionally travel. Nothing else." "Then go ahead. I am tired of bouncing from one reality to another." Ryoga-K looked at the guardian and asked, "Uh look you can restore destroyed things right?" He nodded. "Well, could I have my arm back?" "I am sorry but that didn't happen because of Walker intervention. Our laws don't permit me to change that. This is the best I can do." The missing prosthetics appeared. "Oh well I guess it was too much to hope for." "I am sorry. If you'll say your goodbyes I'll send you home." As they did this Ryoga 1/2 noticed Nabiki studying him then glancing at his morose counterpart. She must be remembering what Ryoga-K had said about him and her counterpart. She shook her head in disbelief and muttered, "My other self must be out of her mind." Then the Walker raised a hand and Ryoga, Belldandy, Keiichi, Yohko and Ryoga vanished. So did the Walker but he hadn't gone far. There was one last job to do. Ryoga said something about a training trip and walked away. Akane started towards him but Ranma stopped her. "I think he needs some time to himself. Meeting other versions of yourself has got to be one hell of a shock." But not nearly as bad as getting your hopes raised and destroyed. Funny. Not long ago he'd have killed Ryoga himself, now he felt sorry for him. Maybe Ryoga had finally got the message. Several kilometers away the Guyver control medallion was embedded in the side of a skyscraper. It was running over its very limited options. It had managed to halt the reconstruction program that would have recreated Kuno's body. However without that program it was stuck permanently in the side of this building. Also it was cramped with Kuno's mind (such as it was) stored besides it. So it could spend the rest of its existence in the side of a building or as part of Tatewaki Kuno. Which was worse? It didn't sense the Walker materialise next to it. He studied the situation for a few seconds then gave into a compassionate impulse. Both Kuno and his symbiote were amazed to suddenly materialise fully restored, back to being human and inside their home. Kodachi looked up from her book (101 uses for Amanita Phalloides fungus) and asked, "So how'd it go this time brother dear?" "Once more the sorcerer tricked me. The coward used women to fight his battles ..." He paused to remember the nude Yohko then went on, "But Saotome shall learn that the Black Thunder does not cease his efforts ..." "OH SHUT UP!" "That was rude sister!" Kodachi frowned. "What was?" "Telling me to shut up." "I didn't. You never listen." "HEY! YOU HEARD ME!" "Are you practising ventriloquism?" "What are you talking about Tati?" "Don't call me that! I distinctly heard a voice." "YOU CAN HEAR ME. EXCELLENT. THIS IS YOUR GUYVER UNIT SPEAKING ..." "Impossible, you have never addressed me before ..." "IT USED TO BE I COULDN'T. WELL ... THERE'S A FEW THINGS I WANT TO DISCUSS WITH YOU. LET'S START WITH YOUR OBSESSION WITH THOSE GIRLS ..." "That is none of your concern parasite!" "WE'RE JOINED TOGETHER. PROBABLY FOREVER. THAT MAKES IT MY BUSINESS. NOW THEN ..." Kodachi watched her brother shouting at himself. She wasn't sure what was going on but it promised to be entertaining. Meanwhile on another world Ryoga 1/2 was studying his surroundings. It appeared to be the Tendo house but was it the right world? Then he found his arms full of Nabiki and stopped worrying about it. He'd tell her later about his latest and hopefully last alternate world adventure. Akane watched the two of them and sighed. She heard Kasumi from behind her. "How nice, Ryoga's back. That'll cheer Nabiki up." "Looks like it already has." Wonder what happened this time? "Now if only you and Ranma could get along like that." Kasumi paused then said, "Well maybe not quite that intensely ..." Akane steered her sister away, "Let's leave them alone. I'll show you the best way to hit Ranma or something." "I was wondering where you get those mallets." Leaving that world we turn to our last Ryoga. Tatewaki and Kodachi's earnest discussion was interupted by the sudden appearance of Ryoga and three other people. Ryoga looked around, he was back in the Kuno mansion. From the way Kodi was looking at him he was in the right world. Then her gaze fixed on Yohko. "You're that ninja girl I threw out of the window, aren't you?" Her gaze turned to her brother. In terror he stammered, "I didn't hire her! It's a mistake! The contract is cancelled!" Yohko nodded. "That's the truth. The four of us were grabbed by this troublemaker called Xerxes ..." She trailed off and studied Kuno thoughtfully. Rich, not bad looking ... maybe. Belldandy had crossed to a large mirror. She reached towards it and Keiichi caught her hand. "Belldandy ..." She stroked his cheek. "Keiichi it's a little late to convince Ryoga that I'm a simple exchange student." She touched the mirror and its surface rippled like water. "It has been a fascinating experience meeting you but if you'll forgive me it's not one I want to repeat." Holding Keiichi's hand she stepped into the mirror. The surface shifted and they could see two figures inside it heading toward some sort of doorway. Then it clouded, cleared and all they saw were reflections. Yohko shrugged then concentrated. The soulsword reappeared. She studied it then made it disappear. "It's all mine. No more abiding by Grandma's stupid rules! You!" She pointed at Kuno, he looked puzzled. "You'll do!" She kicked his feet out from under him and caught him as he fell. With an armlock around his neck she asked Ryoga, "Where's his bedroom?" "Up the stairs, third door on your right!" "Thanks! Good luck explaining this mess." She headed for the stairs dragging Kuno behind her. Kodachi looked at Ryoga. "You've been keeping some strange company since you vanished." "That is an understatement. However I've been promised that was my last mysterious disappearance." "I hope so. It was a little inconvenient for me." "Sorry about that. We could switch to more mundane games. Anyway want the explanation now?" "Actually I was thinking more of picking up where we left off." "Well if that's want you want ..." He swept Kodachi up and headed for her room. "Is the arm ok?" She stopped her mock struggles long enough to say, "Yes I gave it a complete overhaul. I was sure you'd be back." Ryoga wondered briefly if he ought to try and save Tatewaki then gave up and turned his attention to Kodachi. Before we have to switch to an R rating let's cut back to Ranma and Akane back on the world Xerxes was playing games. Ranma and Akane were sitting quietly on the porch. From inside came the murmur of the TV. Experts were discussing the mass hysteria that had made people think Nerima had been destroyed. For a change they weren't fighting. Akane was remembering the way Ranma had acted while she'd been under the influence of the love potion. Did he really care or was it just possessiveness? Ranma seemed locked in his own thoughts. Perhaps she should just ask. "Ranma ..." Three heavily bandaged shapes dropped into the garden. Ukyou, Shampoo, and Kodachi all glared at Akane. "What is this?" "Tomboy give up on Shampoo's husband!" "Ranma darling why are you sitting with this creature?" Before he could answer Nabiki's voice drifted from inside. "Akane was affected by a love potion yesterday. It wore off so everything's back to normal!" "What!" "What!" "What!" There was an ominous silence. Broken by Ukyou asking, "Why are you sitting so close to Akane, Ranma?" "Uhhh!" Suddenly all hell broke loose outside as the standard, "take out Akane and my other rivals" pattern began. Inside Nabiki nodded. "Everything really is back to normal." Kasumi smiled, "That's a relief isn't it." Mr Saotome grunted assent and Daddy nodded. It may be chaos but at least it was familiar chaos. Outside the melee continued. As for Ryoga; "Hey watch it!" Ryoga stopped in his tracks, "What's wrong?" "That pasture is full of man eating Yaks!" "Man eating ... ? Where am I?" "Welcome to Nepal." "Oh ... uhhh I didn't know yaks were carnivorous." "Lots of people don't. We lose quite a few tourists that way. But we generally list them as having fallen of Everest. It's for the benefit of the next of kin. 'Died trying to conquer Mount Everest' has a certain grandeur. It definitely sounds better on a tombstone that 'Devoured by yaks'." Ryoga was studying the clustered herd. It looked like they were all chewing on something. "Hey, they've got someone!" His new friend nodded. "Yes. One of your countrymen actually. He staggered into the village this morning covered in Yeti bites and clutching a torn piece of cloth he claimed was the mountain goddess's brassiere. That was somewhat sacreligious but we figured it was just senility caused by his advanced age. So we felt sorry for him and tried to patch him up. Then he jumped my sister and the other girls who were nursing him and our sympathy disappeared. We whacked him over the head and threw him to the yaks." He studied Ryoga and his eyes narrowed. "Planning to rescue him?" Having recognised the small figure Ryoga shook his head. "No. Women across Japan will rejoice once he's digested. Mind if I watch? Maybe it'll cheer me up." "Feel free. Actually I'm a little worried, it shouldn't be taking this long. Maybe he's too old, tough and gamey for the yaks to get serious about chewing him up." "Figures. Happosai always gets these lucky escapes." Ryoga leaned on the fence and felt his familiar depression return. That and the inevitable sense that his latest broken heart was somehow Ranma's fault. As soon as he got back to Japan he'd have to challenge him again. In a black hole near the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy a battered Xerxes worked out how long it would take him to break free with the form he was shackled to. At length he sighed and said, "Some people have no appreciation for the struggling artist." "You've got that right junior!", his guardian thought. A couple of millenia at best. Such a brief period of peace and quiet. Ah well, it would have to do. For now it was happy and that was the important thing. Life continued to roll on throughout the Omniverse but for this story it is definitely ... THE END ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Afterword : I think that's my first Ranma story where no one got killed or seriously injured. Almost no one anyway. Keiichi got better and Happosai and Xerxes had it coming. Anyway that's my last Ranma piece for a while. "Ryoga : Futureshock" is now on hold until further notice. Next up are two BGC pieces. "Libel" and "Hurricane Season." After that I'll be concentrating on stories with my own characters the DKR. Check out "Sailor Moon : Refugees" if you've never heard of them and are at all interested. Mark Latus. April 5 '96