(Music Fades in)

(Opening Credits Roll)

"The Lament"

Opening Theme to
With Wings to Carry Them

When she looks into the sky,
She sees the dreams of things undone,
When she looks into my eyes,
I can see what has just begun.

To travel under distant sun,
To lands far and near,
I would travel them all for you,
All just to have you here.

I see the sunset one more time,
Going down over one more town,
I am alone as I think of you,
And I shed a tear as the sun goes down.

I only wish for this journey to end,
That I may go home,
To see my love just once again,
And to never again be alone,
I only wish for this journey to end,
That we would be home,
So I can see my love once again,
And know that I am not alone.

(Instrumental Section)

I only wish for this journey to end,
That I may go home,
To see my love just once again,
And to never again be alone,
I only wish for this journey to end,
That we would be home,
So I can see my love just once again,
And know that I am not alone.

(Music Fades)

(Title Fades in)

It was dark. Not the kind of dark that’s warm and inviting. The kind of dark you used to find monsters and oni in. Demons and other such creatures. I look around. Since it’s dark I can’t see a whole lot. I know I’m standing, but that’s about all. I can’t even see what I’m wearing. I begin to panic, partly because I know what’s going to happen next and partly because it gets stifling hot at this point. As if on cue, the heat begins to rise. I fall a short distance off of some unseen, unknown cliff and I land on my back. Always on my back. Always injuring my back in the same spot.

I really start to panic now. I can’t move my arms or legs. They’re stiff, as if they haven’t moved in a year. To my right she comes. Walking slowly and deliberately. She is casually carrying a mallet in her right hand and she stops just to the right of the altar that I now occupy.

Her face is impassive. I can’t read any emotions on it. Short, dark hair blends into the darkness behind her. She shakes her head and looks up as the third person enters from the other side of the altar. He’s an evil looking fiend. Wearing a yellow and black battered outfit, he looks even more like oni that she does, especially with that tooth...I shudder. Both are unsympathetic. He shakes his head and both of them turn to the foot of the altar as another figure comes into view.

At first, I almost recognize the human outline coming towards me, but then something happens. The outline enlarges and misshapes itself into something huge and horrible. It isn’t until the last moment that I realize that it’s a panda. I never realize it until too late. Pandas aren’t carnivores...

Nako awoke and tried to breathe through his nose. That generally did wonders to calm him. He was glad that he didn’t live with anyone. These constant nightmares would have driven them nuts by now.

Nako looked at the clock. Six in the morning. Late enough to start the day at least.

He got up.

There it was again, Nako thought, the same noise and...

He looked at his watch.

At the same time too, he concluded.

Nako looked out the window onto the commons. The professor was boring him to tears and even with the strange noises, he’d be happier. At least they weren’t trying to teach him Linear Algebra. This line of thought worried Nako. It had been about a month since the accident, and while the doctors said that there wasn’t any brain damage, Nako still felt...different.

Like the noises. He knew that they weren’t merely "occasionally reoccurring" rustles of wind. They were voices. Male, female and differing in age as well. Somehow he could tell. They also seemed familiar. Maybe not familiar, but at least not hostile. He could tell that too. He’d been hearing these noises for the past week and he was beginning to wonder.

Also like the hair. He used to have thin brownish hair. Now, in a matter of weeks, it had grown so massively that he had to put it into a braided pigtail. Why this particular hairstyle? This also was a mystery, but it just seemed right.

His class let out and Nako walked to his other class in the Language building across campus.

As he crossed the field to his next class, he heard a noise behind him. Was it them? Was it the creatures that haunted his dreams? Nako turned slowly. There was a little rustling near the bush and he could have sworn he saw a...panda? This was bad. Nako turned back and hurried to class.

It had been almost two months since his accident. First it was the nightmares, then these auditory hallucinations. Perhaps his knock on the noggin affected him more than he thought. Perhaps it was making him schizo, or even paranoid. No, he quelched that line of thought. Unproductive.

And since when did Nako Hiroyama ever worry about being productive?

Since the accident, that’s when.

Nako hurried to class.

Nako sat down at the table. It gave him little solace during the day to have to face this kind of meal. Perhaps tonight would be different. There was something in the air. Nako then noticed that it landed on his rice. Well, that put him off eating. A shadow passed in front of him and Nako looked up. There was a strange person standing in front of him across the table. The stranger smiled and asked if he could have a seat. He seemed harmless enough, odd with the bandanas and that fang sticking out, but harmless all the same.

The stranger asked if he had seen a young girl come through this way. He was apparently lost and she was part of a group that he was in. Nako told him no. This person intrigued Nako and he didn’t know why.

"Yeah, we got separated on the circular stairs out there," The stranger said, pointing towards the stairway.

Nako didn’t have the heart to tell him that those stairs didn’t curve. Somehow, this person was someone that Nako could talk to.

"My name’s Nako Hiroyama," Nako said.

"Ryouga. Ryouga Hibiki."

Ryouga smiled and looked across the cafeteria. Something snapped him back to attention and he looked intently at Nako.

"Your name...was Nako? Have you had an accident recently?" Ryouga asked, leaning across the table.

"Why yes. It was about a month ago. I was working on a painting job and the ladder came out from under me. I fell back and smacked my head pretty good. It seems to be healing rather well though. How did you know?" Nako asked.

"It’s because you’re the one we’ve been looking for," A voice said from behind Ryouga.

"Akane! Where have you been? I thought I’d...Nako?" Ryouga asked, turning back to Nako.

It was her. From the dream. She was there in the flesh. She is quite...cute. Nah, more than cute, but really less than stunning. Nako didn’t know what to say, or even what to think. His first reaction was that of curiosity. She was from the dream, he realized that Ryouga was as well. That left only one part to be fulfilled. The creature. The panda. Nako relaxed slightly. No way a panda could ever get into the cafeteria without him noticing it.

The second reaction was fear. If Akane and Ryouga did exist, then that meant the dream was more than a dream, and he wanted to live. Panic crept into his mind. The panda would be next and then...and then...

Somewhere behind Akane, a waitress crashed into something and splashed drinks and deserts all over the place. Nako thought he heard an animal grunt and from behind Akane rose the most horrific sight Nako had ever seen.

It was mostly white and round and large. It had black splotches all over it and it was pawing the air wanting...him. Nako’s heart raced into his throat. He managed a scream before losing it completely. Nako threw himself into a backward flip from where he was sitting and raced into the hallway. Away from the horror. Away from the dream. Away from the panda.

Akane turned around as the door swung in the breeze that followed Nako’s departure. Genma was standing there with chocolate pudding all over him. It was almost funny to see him floundering around, looking for a towel.

"Dammit. He’s getting away. I could have gotten him all-"

"Oh, shut up Ryouga. It was lucky we found you at all. Let’s get after him before we lose him completely. Hey Dad, you coming?" She asked, turning to Genma.

Genma stood up and put his glasses back on.

"Right behind you."

They broke out from the hall just in time to see some papers fly upwards from somewhere across the quad. They headed out at top speed, Akane leading the way. Ryouga just looked after her. She had come so far in the past month. Ranma had died protecting her and somewhere, deep inside, she couldn’t give him up. Ryouga snorted, neither could he. In his last days, Ranma had shown Ryouga a level of maturity and friendship that he never thought possible. Akane thought that Cologne and Happosai’s plan about Ranma’s soul would actually work. Having seen Nako, now Ryouga wasn’t so sure.

There! Nako had stopped and was watching the cafeteria from across the quad. Now was his chance. He had to take him out, but not hurt him.

"Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ryouga shouted.

He thrust his finger into the soft ground near Nako. The ground welled up and exploded in a shower of dirt, sod and pieces of bush. Ryouga looked around. Nako was headed out again away from them. How could he keep up this level of energy? It was unreal. Ryouga started off again.

Akane stopped in the middle of the grassy field.

"Clear out!" She shouted, "This’ll stop him!"

She formed her arms into a downward pointing triangle and concentrated. Opening her hands, she threw her arms upward with a shout.

"Hiryu Shotsen Ha!"

A gale force whirlwind whipped out from her position and quickly overtook Nako. For his part, it didn’t look like he resisted it, probably for the best. Nako was flung into a group of nearby cherry trees and landed with a crack.

"We wanted him STOPPED - not DAMAGED!" Genma said to Akane.

"Sorry," She said, "I guess I still need control."

The blackness was almost a welcome friend. Especially since there were no dreams to go with it. Nako found himself regaining consciousness bit by bit. Someone was wiping his forehead. Nako forced his eyes open and looked into one of the most truly angelic faces he’d ever seen.

"Who’re you?" He gurgled.

"Kasumi Tendo," She said, smiling at him.

"Where-?" Nako mumbled.

"I think I can answer that," A voice said from his right.

He turned to see who it was. It was the girl from last night. Akane. Nako snapped to attention.

"Nonono, wait a minute Nako. Please wait. Let me explain. My name is Akane Tendo and this is the Tendo family training hall in Nerima district. I’m sorry for, well, for kidnapping you like this, but we really have no other option," She said, almost sadly.

Nako calmed himself down, but felt he needed to be ready, just in case that damned panda showed up.

"How did I get to Nerima?" He asked, looking around.

"We brought you here to give back the soul of my dead husband," Akane said.

Nako looked at her incredulously. Soul? She did say soul.

"How would I-" He started.

"Hey, I heard you got a piece of Ranma," A voice said from the other room.

"In here Sukido," Kasumi said.

Nako turned to the doorway as Sukido walked in. For some reason, another unreasoning fear broke inside of Nako. He felt his heart race. It was a fight or flight response, but why? This man? What did he have to do with it? Nako barely remained cognizant as he threw himself at Sukido with a howling roar.

Sukido stepped back and tried to defend himself as Nako attacked. A spin kick followed by several heavy blows coursed into Sukido like a tide. Perhaps if he’d been at one hundred percent, then maybe he could have taken this assault, but now? He had just gotten out of the wheelchair and still had a broken arm. He was in no shape to fight. Especially this crazed monster. Sukido backpedaled as best as he could.

Wincing from a hit to his arm, it was all he could do to just watch as a killing blow was about to come down. Akane jumped between them at this chance. She closed her eyes as she knew that this would probably hurt.

All stopped in that moment. Akane protecting Sukido and Nako trying very hard to kill him. Nako pulled his punch and Akane felt only wind. She also felt Sukido move from behind her. She opened her eyes as Sukido powered up his good fist. There was a thundering crack as Sukido blew Nako into the koi pond. The rest of the family rush in at the commotion to find Nako floating amongst the koi.

"Yep, it’s Ranma," Nabiki quipped.

"Will you all please just leave and let my daughter-in-law and myself handle this," Nodoka said to Genma.

Soun looked at her questioningly, but she returned his stare with one that asked him not to question. Genma closed his eyes and nodded. Sometimes, she could be even more formidable than the Master. She also had it in her mind that the attack on Sukido had been all Ranma’s soul speaking out. Sukido and the demon were one of the last things Ranma saw, so naturally there would be some hatred on some level.

The others had filed out and left just the parents. Tofu had taken Sukido back to the clinic to make sure that Nako hadn’t damaged anything further.

Genma nodded again and walked out with a Soun that was on the verge of sobbing. Again.

Nodoka sighed and turned to Nako. He had been staring into the koi pond ever since they had dragged him out. She knew he was sorry for the attack, but also that he didn’t really know why he did it.

"It’s his soul inside of you, you know," She said.

He shook his head.

"That’s not rational. Or logical. I’m sorry, but that’s not something that I can accept. I mean, that would mean that everyone-"

"No! I told you already that Ranma Saotome was a very special boy-no, man-who led a very special life. His death was one that only he could die," Nodoka caught herself and looked to Akane, "My how strange that sounds."

Akane nodded and walked to Nako.

"If you’ll come over here, this may answer some things for you," Akane said.

Nako got up and followed Nodoka and Akane to the small shrine in the corner of the yard. It was rather large for a Shinto shrine that you’d find in a home, probably a family shrine. A cold feeling ran up Nako’s spine as he got closer. Akane walked to the opposite side of the small building and Nako heard the crank of a handle.

The sides began to rise and Nako saw that there was an altar inside. At this point, visions of pandas and Akanes and Ryougas and sacrifices and-

He checked that thought. They had plenty of time to kill him earlier and from the way Sukido fought, they could more than take him out.

Perhaps this was a secret society of ninja? Nah-too damned silly.

Nodoka and Akane entered the shrine and looked back to Nako. They motioned for him to enter and he walked under the eave. There was a smell in the tomb. Not rot, much to his surprise, but another smell, almost like...anticipation.

Nako noticed the body on the altar. This was a family shrine.

"Nako, please meet my son, Ranma Saotome."

Nako walked up to the altar and examined Saotome. He was about Nako’s height. Better build. Black hair and almost a sad expression on his face. Like he was in pain.

"You see, the two families, the Saotomes and the Tendos were joined by agreement of the marriage between Ranma and myself. Of course, I objected to it at first, but then I grew to love him and there was a point were I would have died for him," Akane explained.

"He sacrificed himself to save me during the attack by a demon that Ryouga released," Akane said, standing next to Ranma, "No, he didn’t release it on purpose, but it did attack me. Then Ranma died trying to protect...trying to protect me..."

Nako looked up and saw that Akane was trying to stifle tears. Nodoka noticed it as well and went to her. Nodoka continued.

"The demon split my son’s soul into six parts and sent them across the world. Apparently, into the bodies of people who have had severe head trauma at the exact time of his...death. This is where you come in Nako. You even look like Ranma in a way. There is a distinct chance that you may carry part of his soul," Nodoka said.

"I don’t know. This is crazy. Even if I did get his soul, how am I supposed to give it back to him? It’s not like I can just say Ranma, here’s your soul."

"Please," Akane said quietly, "Please help us. I’ve never told anyone this and only Nabiki knows."

"About two months ago, I did something incredibly stupid. Everyone had gone to sleep and I had snuck three bottles of sake into my room. I drank until I couldn’t drink anymore. I then remembered that Tendo family tanto that Mom gave to me to keep from when I was little. It was the only thing that would relieve the unbelievable pain."

Akane backed up from Nodoka, who simply gaped at her daughter-in-law. This revelation must have been hard on her. For her part, Nodoka just stood there. If Nabiki knew, why didn’t she tell anyone? Why-

"I had the knife in my hands and everything. I couldn’t do it though. It had been three years since I met Ranma and that was the date that I chose to end it on. I would meet Ranma finally again and we would at least be together. But I couldn’t do it, I was too afraid that Cologne and Tofu and Happosai were right," Akane continued, sobbing as she went, "Nabiki burst into my room and kept me from doing anything else. She reminded me how much Ranma loved me and how much I should cherish and remember him. Through the alcohol, her voice was clear enough to say that if Nabiki of all people could remember and love Ranma, then I could do no less."

That’s why Nabiki never said anything, Nodoka thought.

"So please help me," Akane pleaded to Nako, "Even if nothing seems to happen, at least touch him and try."

Nako looked into her eyes and said that even if he didn’t believe in all this, she did. And one touch wouldn’t hurt him any. Nako reached up and touched Ranma’s face.

The ground rushed up to greet Nako as a flash of light and pain wash through him.

What the Hell was that? He asked himself.

Akane and Nodoka were helping him up.

Memories. He could remember. Nako remembered the first time Ranma met Akane. Ranma was...female? The mix-up in the bathroom. The days afterward. Ryouga. Ukyou. Shampoo. And later, Saffron and the fight in Jusenkyo. All these memories that were not his own came flooding back into his head. In that instant, he knew without any doubt, that he was no longer just Nako Hiroyama. He was somehow also Ranma Saotome. Nako looked to Akane. He knew the memories that surrounded the girl who Ranma risked everything for, but Nako didn’t know any of the emotions. It was like having a picture on your television, but no sound. Only half-answers came up and even more questions. It was obvious that she was telling the truth and that he would have to do the only thing he could.

"I’ll help you anyway I can," Nako said to her.

There was a noise from behind them. Nabiki had come into the yard.

"Akane, it’s a call from Shampoo and Mousse in America. Come quick."

Akane rushed inside and Soun handed the phone to her.

Nako stood at the doorway. He was still trying to sort out the images running rampant in his head. He looked to his right. It was Sukido. He felt so bad for attacking him, but now realized why he did it. Ranma still associated the demon with Sukido. Nako guessed he took control.

"Sukido, please let me apologize for-"

"Please no. I understand completely. They told me all about it. Sorry for having to blow you into the pond," Sukido said, smiling.

Nako laughed slightly. It was better. Nodoka touched Nako on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah," He said, nodding, "I’ve just been recalling the dream that I’ve been having for the past month. Ryouga, Akane and a panda sacrifice me on that altar out there. The one that Ranma is on? It’s the same one. And I’ve been trying to figure out what it all means."

"It’s really simple actually," A beautiful young lady in a black and gold dress said from behind Sukido, "Your inner psyche has been having a...a conversation with Ranma’s soul. Ranma has been through many things that normal people would find hard to believe and so the dream is just your mind trying to work out the details of someone else’s life."

"And why is that correct Kodachi?" Another young man said from her right.

"Because, brother dear, I am the one taking Psychology as a major in college. How about your major?" She said.

Her brother just seemed to chew on that thought.

Akane came rushing back out.

"They’ve found one!" She shouted, "In California. Her name is Narma Ikeda and Shampoo says she looks exactly like Ranma’s girl-type!"

Nodoka looked at Genma, who coughed and walked to Akane.

"I knew that loaning to computer geeks would come in handy one day," Nabiki said.

"Shampoo and Mousse are on their way to check out a candidate in...well, that’s a funny name. Who would name a province ‘Hello’?" Akane asked.

"It’s in English, so I don’t think that’s what it means Akane," Genma said, looking at the information she had written down.

"Will you go with them?" Sukido asked to Nako.

Nako turned to him.

"I can do no less than help any way I can."

Nodoka looked back to Ranma, still sleeping on his alter.

The search is on my son.

(Closing Music Begins)

(End Credits Roll)

"Can’t Stop Me"

Ending Theme for
With Wings to Carry Them

You left me on that day,
Gone but not forgotten,
Nothing but for me to say,
I love you...

Now I search the land,
For the parts of your soul,
To once again have your hand,
To be mine forever!

Can’t Stop Me
(Can’t stop me in this fight)
Just Can’t Stop Me
(Can’t stop when I know I’m right)
No Can’t Stop Me
(Can’t stop this love tonight)
(Single voice): You can’t stop me.

You know I won’t give up on you,
Until you’re whole again,
To the end I’ll see this through,
For my love for you.

Can’t Stop Me
(Can’t stop me in this fight)
Just Can’t Stop Me
(Can’t stop when I know I’m right)
No Can’t Stop Me
(Can’t stop this love tonight)
Can’t Stop Me
(Can’t stop me in this fight)
Just Can’t Stop Me
(Can’t stop when I know I’m right)
No Can’t Stop Me
(Can’t stop this love tonight)
(Single voice): You can’t stop me.

(Music Ends)

(Credits Fade)