A few small revisions...

	(Scene:  Scott's apartment.  Scott is trying to watch "Lois and 
Clark" while Ranma and Akane play Doom on his computer.)

Ranma:  Ahgh!  Giant smiley face!  Use the @Bap Stick!

Akane:  Right! (Punches buttons furiously.)

Computer:  @BAP @BAP @BAP!!!  WHOORWhoorwhoor...

Ranma:  Dang!  Isn't there anything that can take out the giant smiley 
face?  

Akane:  Let's stop now.  Three solid hours of mindless violence is a bit 
much. 

Ranma:  Besides, Scott should finish another chapter of "Worse."  Better 
the one where I'm stuck in a world where I was born female than the one 
where I don't actually appear at all.

	(Scott seats himself at the keyboard.)

Scott:  Actually, people seem to like "Twilight Existence."  But yes, 
Worse is due again.  Now, where were we? 

Akane:  Ranma had just found a little black pig chewing on her 
newly-discovered little brother Hikaru. 

Ranma:  Who has the Drowned Girl curse.  I recognized the pig as P-chan, 
took him to the bath, pushed him in and he became Ryouga.

Akane:  Good thing for him I'll forget the next time we're in a 
regular-continuity story.  Anyhow, in this world Ryouga is your fiance, 
so things could get a little sticky.

Ranma:  Did you have to say "sticky"?

				WORSE
			by Scott K. Jamison
			(standard disclaimer)
	 	Chapter Six:  In Which Ryouga Explains a Little

	There was a long silence, broken only by the lapping of water 
against the side of the tub.  
	Ryouga managed to get the towel secured around his waist and 
relaxed a bit.
	"Ryouga, what--um, how..." began Ranma, though she was sure she 
already knew some of the answers. 
	"I suppose you want to know how come I changed into a pig."
	Ranma nodded.
	"In my wanderings,looking for a fabled monk who could lift my curse 
of directionlessness, I went to China, and stumbled across a place known as 
Jyuusenkyo, the Valley of Cursed Springs."
	"I've...heard of it."
	"Really?  I hadn't.  I found out from some old guy who stopped me 
just before I started walking through there.  He told me anyone who fell 
into one of those pools turned into whatever had drowned there.  I didn't 
really believe him, but took the long way around, just in case.
	"Unfortunately, you know me and directions.  I soon found myself 
on the edge of a cliff overlooking some of the pools.  I was looking for 
a safe way down when suddenly this giant panda came out of nowhere and 
knocked me off balance.  I might still have saved myself if the screaming 
girl with a really long braid hadn't been chasing after him.  She used my 
head as a stepping stone, and I plunged to my doom, the Spring of Drowned 
Black Pig."
	"Poor Ryouga."  She meant it too.  Poor guy just couldn't catch a 
break in any world, it seemed. 
	"So there I was, dazed and confused (When are you not? thought 
Ranma) half-drowned and wondering why I couldn't stand up.  Then this 
amazingly huge panda walking on its hind legs came by and scooped me up.  
As soon as it had me in the air, I realized it was the same panda from 
before, but it hadn't grown, I'd shrunk!
	"It took me into a hut, where the old guy who had warned me away 
tried to cook me!  I'm just lucky they like their boiled pork really 
fresh in that province."
	"That's awful!" said Ranma, pretending she hadn't heard most of 
this story before.  Fortunately, even the worst acting usually fooled 
Ryouga. 
	"Somehow I got my clothes back, and then I was traveling again.  
It was hell!  I couldn't go a day without getting splashing with cold 
water, which activates the curse, and as a pig I got even more lost 
because I was too low to the ground to read signs.  The first time I 
recognized my surroundings was a few days ago at Furinkan." 
	"Oh yeah.  You never did find the shower, did you?"
	"Uh, no.  Then tonight I lost my umbrella and the rain took my 
humanity away.  I was feeling pretty down until suddenly I saw the girl 
with the long braid, the one that condemned me to this living nightmare.  
I followed her here, and chose my moment to strike."
	"Forgot you aren't exactly the most threatening pig on Earth, 
huh?" 
	Ryouga laughed in embarrassment.  "Guess I did.  Wait a minute.  
If this is your apartment, then what was she...you never told me you had 
a sister!"
	"I don't.  That was my brother Hikaru."
	Ryouga smirked.  "Oh, come on.  I saw her b--br--"  His smile 
faded into shock as he thought about bare female skin. 
	"He was at Jyuusenkyo too.  Spring of Drowned Girl."
	"Oh.  Then the panda was..."
	"My father."
	"This must be very confusing for you."
	"You don't know the half of it." affirmed Ranma. 
	"It certainly makes things more difficult.  I have to get revenge 
for what she, er, he did to me, but I can't hurt my fiancee's brother, 
that wouldn't be right." 
	"About this fiancee thing, I--"
	"Dear, are you almost done in there?  Your father and brother 
need to use the bathroom."
	"Yeah, Mom, I'll be out in a minute!"  Ranma tugged Ryouga out of 
the tub while motioning for silence. 
	"Sorry about this."  And she sprayed him with cold water. 
	The lost boy reverted to his pig form, and Ranma picked him up. 
	Panda-Genma loomed in the doorway.  Evidently he hadn't quite 
managed to miss the rain.  Ranma edged around him and ran into Hikaru, 
who glared at the pig.
	"That thing better stay away from me if it doesn't wanna be pork 
chops." 
	"Bwee!  Bwee!" snarled P-chan. 
	"I wouldn't threaten him if I were you, Hikaru.  What goes around 
comes around.  Learned that the hard way."  Ranma knew how dangerous a 
martial artist Ryouga was, and had no intention of letting her brother 
fight him. 
	"So this is Akane's pet P-chan, hm?" asked Nodoka.  "I don't 
believe I've seen it before." 
	"He's new.  Gets lost a lot."
	"Well, just make sure it's back at the dojo tomorrow, dear.  This 
apartment building doesn't allow pets, and after what the Tenants' 
Committee did to the nice young lady with the penguin..."
	"And what about the giant panda, Mom?"
	"I don't see any giant panda, do you?"
	"Oh.  Right."  We can only hope any panda sightings are put down 
to drunkenness or mass hysteria, thought Ranma.
	She toted P-chan into her room and set him on the bed.  "Now what 
am I going to do with you?  We never got to the really important 
questions." 
	The pig looked at her quizzically.  "Bwee?" 
	"I'm certainly not going to ask them while you can't talk back.  
No peeking while I change."  P-chan turned his back as Ranma prepared for 
bed.  She folded a blanket and set it in a corner.
	"'Night, Ryouga."
	Sleep did not come immediately.  I, this body, was in love with 
Ryouga.  She could not quite get her mind around it.  She tried to 
imagine herself kissing Ryouga, touching his unclad body.  Nothing but 
repulsion.  Ranma even tried recalling his feelings during the fishing 
rod incident back in the real world.  Still just the faint nausea he 
normally felt when remembering it. 
	Fleeing, her memory called up the image of Akane in the tub.  So 
pretty but out of reach now.  Loath as Ranma normally was to admit any 
sort of feelings for her, Akane seemed far preferable as a lover than 
Ryouga. 
	Ever since Kunou had first come on to the "pig-tailed girl" and 
the rather disturbing dream afterwards, Ranma had feared that his female 
form would affect his mind and make him want boys.  But here she was in a 
body that was permanently female, had *always* been female, and Ranma was 
no more interested in boys than he'd ever been. 
	Short-term, this was good.  She didn't have to worry about 
unwanted "girl feelings" confusing her motivations.  Any concessions she 
made to this form would just be an act to make things easier, not a 
horrible slipping away of masculinity. 
	The long-term was going to be a problem, though.  She certainly 
didn't want to marry Kunou or Ryouga, let alone Mousse or Tsubasa.  The 
thought disgusted her, and it wouldn't be fair to them either. 
	And the other major option wasn't really all that appealing 
either.  Ranma thought of girls loving that way as weird (probably 
something Genma had taught him early, his father had all sorts of 
opinions that didn't match normal people's, and while she could probably 
overcome  that conditioning, her choice of partners would be relatively 
limited.  She didn't think Akane, for all her protestations of hating 
boys, would really be interested.  No question, she had to get back to 
the real world or his real body, and soon.  Akane...I want Akane...
	Getting a little too heated there.  Even after all this time, 
Ranma was still uncomfortable with the female sexual response.  She 
forced herself to concentrate on a complex kata, and then to sleep. 
	The next morning, Akane was of course surprised to see the pig in 
Ranma's arms. 
	"Look Akane, I found P-chan!"
	"P...chan?"
	"Your little pet pig!  The one that gets lost all the time."  
Ranma shot a "trust me" glance to her friend, who responded with a 
"you're up to something, aren't you?" gaze.
	As Hikaru broke off to head to Wushu, Ranma whispered, "Play 
along at school.  I'll explain at the dojo.  Promise."
	Similar to how it had been in the real world, the girls at school 
"oohed" and "awwed" over the cute piglet.  Ranma fought down a flash of 
jealousy towards Ryouga. Still no sign of Kunou.
	Much as she might regret it, Ranma had to know.  So at lunch she 
called the Kunou estate. 
	"Kunou residence.  Who is calling, please?"
	"Sasuke?  That you?"  Ranma hadn't been on very good terms with 
the diminuitive ninja in the real world, but at least he wasn't quite as 
loopy as his employers. 
	"Mistress Saotome!  This is a surprise."
	"To me too.  Look, Upperclassman Kunou hasn't been in school the 
last three days.  Do you know what's going on?" 
	"From what we've been able to gather, you made a rather 
impressive showing against the young master on Friday."
	"Um yeah, I didn't break anything important, did I?"
	"No, but apparently Master Kunou was so stunned that he failed to 
eat carefully at dinner." 
	"Kodachi got him good, huh?"
	"I'm afraid so.  But he should be back at school Friday.  The 
young master will be so pleased you called!" 
	"No!  I mean, it's not necessary to tell him it was me, just say 
some of his friends were concerned or something."
	"I think I understand.  `Friends' it is.  Good day." 
	On the way to the dojo, Ranma told Akane about Kunou, and they 
picked up a "Get Well" card, signing it "your friends at school."
	"No need to let him think we're getting soft." joked Akane. 
	Once at the Tendou home, Akane exploded. 
	"Now will you *please* tell me what is going on with that stupid 
pig!  I hate it when you make decisions about me without consulting me!" 
	Ouch.  I really should know better, reflected Ranma.  She's been 
the "prize" in way too many of my duels, and she never appreciates it. 
	"I'm sorry, Akane.  I had to come up with something to keep 
people, like my mother, from getting suspicious.  Your dad got some old 
clothes he won't miss?"
	"Yes, but why--"
	"It'll be better if I show you."
	They laid the clothes in the change room, then Ranma tossed 
P-chan into the tub and closed the door. 
	"We should wait outside."
	There was some splashing and then a confused murmur.
	"Are you decent yet?" called Ranma. 
	"I can't find--"  Akane looked startled by the male voice. 
	"Oh, come on!  There's only the one door!"  Ranma rolled her 
eyes. 
	"Oh.  Right."
	"Who's...How?" asked Akane. 
	"Wait for it." advised Ranma. 
	The door opened, and Ryouga stepped out in Mr. Tendou's old gi.  
It didn't fit very well.
	"um..."
	"Akane, I believe you already know Ryouga Hibiki?"
	"Yes, but--"
	"Spring of Drowned Pig."
	"Oh my goodness."
	"Sorry about this." mumbled Ryouga.
	"I recognized him by the bandana, and came up with the P-chan 
story to cover for him."
	"Thanks, I guess.  Ranma, there's so much we need to catch up 
on." 
	"No kidding.  Just stay right there while we change and we'll 
talk during sparring practice."
	Akane put on her white gi and Ranma donned the red and black 
Chinese outfit she'd gotten the day before.  It made her feel almost 
normal.  Akane (it still took some getting used to to see her in long 
hair) asked "You don't remember loving Ryouga, do you?" 
	Ranma froze.  Oh, yeah, I told her about the "mixed-up memories." 
	"No.  Is it really that obvious?"
	"Pretty much.  I remember how your face would brighten every time 
you thought of him, and when he actually showed up, you were happy for 
days.  Now you're holding him at arm's length, barely looking at him." 
	"Most of the memories I have of Ryouga are of his curse (that's 
how I really knew him, the bandana was just the clincher) and his 
fighting skills.  He loved...someone else."
	"That's so sad.  You two are the most romantic couple I know, 
like the Star Festival lovers who can meet but once a year."
	Ranma winced.  "Let's hope this passes, and I can get back to 
normal."  There.  Good ambiguous phrase.  Maybe thinking things out 
wasn't so tough after all.  She'd have to be very careful with Ryouga 
though; he'd always had a heart of glass. 
	Amazingly, he was still in the same spot they'd left him in.  He 
described some of the cities he'd seen on his journeys as they led him 
over to the training hall. 
	Hikaru was already there, doing warm-up exercises.  "Hi Sis, hey 
matching outfits!  Yo Akane.  Who's the doofus?"
	"Miserable little..." mumbled Ryouga. 
	Ranma put a hand on his arm.  "Calm, now."
	"Ryouga, this is my little brother Hikaru Saotome.  Hikaru, this 
is Ryouga Hibiki." 
	"I am Ranma's betrothed."  He bowed, and Ranma slapped her 
forehead. 
	"Be--that means like engaged?  But I thought your fiance was 
named Kunou."  Thank you oh so much, little brother, thought Ranma. 
	"Shall I never hear the end of this accursed Kunou?  If only I 
could manage to meet him, I would end his claims on Ranma forever!" 
	"That's nice of you to say, but there's something I want to take 
care of first.  Hikaru, you probably don't remember this, but you've met 
Ryouga before." 
	"I woulda thought I'd remember someone that dresses that badly."  
	"Those are my father's clothes, he's just borrowing them, okay?" 
snapped Akane. 
	"Anyhow, when you were in China, you accidentally pushed Ryouga 
off a cliff, and caused him grievous injury."
	"Oh come on!"
	"Because of you I have seen hell!"
	"Calm down, Ryouga.  Hikaru, you were chasing Pops at the time, 
and he was a little hairier than normal, does that refresh your memory?" 
	Hikaru frowned, then snapped his fingers.  "That was *you*?" 
	"Indeed."
	"Now, Hikaru, what do you say to someone you've accidentally 
hurt?" 
	"Eh...he doesn't look too hurt to me."
	"Hikaruuu..."
	"Do I hafta?"
	"I want no bad blood between you two."
	"Er--"
	"You have had enough time to say farewell.  I claim my bride 
now!"  That was a new voice.  Everyone turned to look.  there was a young 
man in white robes standing in the doorway.  Mousse! 
	"Bride?" asked Akane.  This attracted Mousse's attention, and he 
sent a chain from his sleeve to wrap around her. 
	"Hey!"  Mousse reeled her in.  He wasn't using his glasses at the 
moment. 
	"The boat is waiting, Ranma.  And now we must depart."
	"Wait, Mousse!  She's not--"
	"I'm not--"
	"Silence!  This is your only warning."  He leapt up and back 
carrying Akane out of sight.

		To Be Continued...

	Elements of this chapter were rewritten in response to the 
discussion of "Thy Outward Part."

SKJAM!
"Are you lonely, just like me?"