Well I finally finished extending this chapter to the size that I wanted it 
to go. Now on to the next one. C&C is always welcome.

Enjoy

Different Paths Chapter 1

Note: There is a prologue
-----------------------------------------------------
It was hard after Ranma left. Father slipped into
another depression, so did Akane. All of Ranma's
friends started to disappear. The Amazons left first,
then Ukyo vanished, even the Kuno siblings left town,
and no one has seen poor Ryoga in months. Even
Ranma's father has returned to his wife, in shame.
Nerima is now a very dull and empty place, without
fights or magically cursed people. Children go to
school, parents go to work, and life goes on without
massive collateral damage.

These days, my sisters are rarely home, and when they
are, I only see them during meals. Akane comes home
late from study sessions with friends or training at
other dojos. I have to clean our dojo once a week to
prevent dust from covering everything. Nabiki
graduated and is going to a nearby college. Akane
will most likely join her there after she graduates.
Genma drops by every few weeks to play a game of
shoji with father.

With all the peace and quiet, I'm starting to loose
my mind. The house isn't ever damaged, so I don't
spend all my time cleaning. I only feed myself and
father regularly, Akane and Nabiki are rarely home to
eat with us. I'm thinking of adding a rock garden
around the koi pond. It will take months to properly
create, but it will give me something to do. An old
Tai-Chi instructor has offered to teach me what he
knows. He's old and just sits and watches as I
practice. I think it's out of pity, everyone in town
is extra nice when I go to market. They all seem to
know that I am lonely, even more so when Doctor Tofu
left to teach in a far away town.

I just wish something would happen. Life is so dull
and predicable, it's hard to cope sometimes. Maybe
the Kami will hear my plea for something interesting
to happen, that some adventure comes to someone
around here. It would give me something to do at
least.

- Excerpts from Kasumi Tendo's Diaries.

An Anime Junky Confederation production:
Different Paths Chapter 1
By: Numair
"Things will never be the same."

Tendo Dojo

It was the start of another gloriously dull day for
Kasumi Tendo. Awaking early, as she has been doing
for years, she quietly slipped into her daily
routine.
She wasn't even completely awake, she didn't need to
be. She washed, dressed and prepared the bath for
both her sisters. Then down to the kitchen to make
breakfast. Akane and Nabiki ate quickly and quietly
before slipping out the door to school. It wasn't
until noon that Soun got out of bed, which was
normal. Kasumi finished the cleaning by then and when
he had taken a bath, dressed, and took up his vigil
overlooking the back yard, Kasumi had his first meal
in front of his cushion.

After he finished his food, Kasumi cleaned the few
dishes she used and checked to make sure the house
was in order: Kitchen cleaned, bathroom scrubbed,
house dusted, floors swept and moped, rooms picked
up, windows washed. She sighed and picked up the book
she was currently reading, "Mathematical principals
of the early 1800's" and sat down in a chair under
the tree in the back yard she had specifically put
there to read in.

She looked out across the rock garden she had put in
recently and knew it was going to be another boring
day. When her father rose to do some stretches,
Kasumi put down her book. He did this every day at
the same time, automatically, and was Kasumi's
signals to go start the afternoon tea. By the time he
finished stretching, father would want something to
drink. This happened every day, except on days that
Genma came over. On those days she would need two
cups instead of just one.

Kasumi had just taken the water off the stove when
the doorbell shattered the silence of the house.
Kasumi was startled and almost dropped the kettle of
hot water on her feet.

Kasumi recovered her composure and placed the kettle
on one of the unused burners. She wiped her hands and
went to the door

"Strange" she thought to herself, "Mr. Shima isn't
coming over today and no one ever uses the door bell
anymore. I wonder who it could be."

A smile came to Kasumi's face, something unexpected
had finally happened. It was so rare that Kasumi had
to remind herself not to run to the door to see who
it was.

*****
Nearby

In a dark, deserted alleyway, there was a flash of
light as a blue portal sprung into existence. It
silently hung there while two figures stepped through
the portal. Once they were through, the portal shrunk
and disappeared.

One figure, wearing a beat up cloak, pulled out a
pipe shaped object and read over the holographic
display that was projected. It showed a lot of
complex information that after a few moments of
review, the man nodded and put the device away.

The second figure looked around. "Okay Ranma, you
sure we got the right dimension? It looks just like
the place we left only a few moments ago."

The other man turned. "Yep, this is it. That is
assuming the scanning equipment was accurate. I'll
know in a few days for sure." Ranma started walking
out of the alleyway, the other man followed.

"How will you know for sure in a few days? Doesn't
your little gadget tell you that this is the right
place?"

Ranma smiled, "It tells me that I should be at the
right dimension, but I could have messed up the scan,
or it wasn't as accurate as I thought. If I was only
slightly off, we could have completely missed my
timeline. You see..." Ranma looked over to his
companion, debating for a second before quickly
saying, "Never mind, just trust me on this. I know
what I'm doing."

Kenchi smiled and put his hands in his pockets,
"That's what I'm afraid of Ranma."

********
Tendo Dojo

Kasumi paused in front of the mirror by the front
door. She didn't know who was at the door and was
exited that someone, anyone would come around to
break the monotony of every day life. Checking her
clothes for dust and neatening out her hair, Kasumi
giggled quietly in anticipation. She then turned to
the door and opened it to see whom it was.

Outside stood two men. She at least assumed the one
in the beat up cloak with the hood up was a man. The
other looked normal enough, with a simple shirt and
jacket. She bowed and introduced herself, like any
good host would do.

The hooded one just quietly stood there as his friend
bowed back to Kasumi saying, "Good afternoon Tendo-
san, my name is Kenchi Kashita. I have traveled far
and I am wondering if there is a boy by the name of
Ranma Saotome currently living here."

Kasumi's heart sank, but she tried not to show it.
This was going to be only a short interruption. "I'm
sorry Kashita-san, Ranma has not lived here for quite
some time. He disappeared a few years ago. It was
very sudden and he did not leave any information on
where he went."

Kenchi looked back to his friend and smiled as the
hooded one pulled back the hood hiding his face. Even
after all these years Kasumi knew that face in an
instant.

"Well that's relief," the once hooded one said, "I
would have hated to come to the wrong place." He
smiled at Kasumi, who stood gaping, pointing a finger
at him, trying to talk. "Hi Kasumi... It's good to
see you again."

"Ra.. Ra.. Ran.." Kasumi finally got over the initial
shock and rushed forward to sweep Ranma up in a hug.
"Ranma!! You finally came back!!" She hugged as hard
as she could, worried that if she let go, he would
float away.

Ranma chuckled and gently pulled Kasumi off of him.
"Of course I'm back, this is my home after all. There
isn't a force in all existence that could keep me
away forever."

Kasumi grabbed Ranma's hand and stared to drag him
into the house. "Then come in both of you and you can
tell me where you've been all this time. Everyone is
going to be so surprised to see you!"

Both the men entered and took a moment to take off
their shoes and backpacks. Kasumi took this moment to
really look Ranma, and see how much he had changed.
She was surprised by what she saw: older, taller,
with eyes that showed great wisdom. The cocky, young
boy from before has been transformed into a handsome
young man. She was so happy that Ranma could
disappear this very instant and she would be content
for weeks, but he didn't. It wasn't a dream, Ranma
was really here.

Ranma felt Kasumi's gaze upon him. He was shocked to
see an almost unchanged woman at the door. He would
think that Kasumi would have changed more in the
years he was gone. As she led them to the dining
room, she walked with more grace and balance then he
remembered. She must have picked up martial arts
again. That hug at the door could have really hurt if
she gave it to him before he started this trip.

Kenchi on the other hand just saw a pretty woman who
seemed very nice. Just on the walk here, he saw very
little technology, and what little he did see was so
outdated, it belonged in a museum. "Oh well," Kenchi
thought, "I'll just follow the shepard around for
while until I find something better to do."


Soun Tendo was a man lost from time. To him, days had
no meaning. He would have wasted away, if not for his
oldest daughter. He was observing the back yard
again, waiting for his tea. With all the time he sat
here, he knew every blade of grass, every rock, and
every bird that gently landed to look for food. If he
had the artistic ability, he would have been able to
paint an exact copy of the yard from memory.

Every day he would sit here, looking at nothing,
letting his mind wander. Ranma was gone, probably for
good, his daughters didn't practice the art. There
was nothing left to live for, the Anything Goes would
die here, without anyone to continue the legacy.
Uniting the school was his last wish in life, and
now, not only were the branches not joined, but the
art would also die with this generation.

So here he sat, on a well-used cushion, slowly
waiting for death to release him from this life. His
spirit broken and his resolve shattered, there was
nothing left of Soun Tendo.

That is, until Kasumi said, "Father, we have
visitors."

"Vis.. it.. ors?" He slowly asked. It had been so
long since he had said anything even when Genma came
around he was silent. "Who.. who.. is it?" He droned
on, years of training kept him mouth moving while his
mind was still clouded.

"Who do you think? I haven't been gone that long have
I?" These words broke through the cloud that shrouded
Soun's mind. He knew that voice, one that brought
back memories of happier times. Times full of
excitement, adventure, and hope.

Soun blinked as his mind cleared of the fog that has
held it for such a long time. He turned as his eyes
focused, his mind stared recognizing objects and
people. As his eyes settled on the man standing
behind him, memory raced through his skull. Here was
the one who held all his hopes and dreams, who he
gambled all on and lost. Tears started to leak from
his eyes as he realized that the game might not be
over just yet.

"Ranma?" He asked, hoping that he wasn't delusional.

The man just grinned and raised a hand to scratch the
back of his head. "Sorry about this."

Soun smiled, his first in a long while, and sprung
off the cushion, enveloping Ranma in a massive hug.
"RANMA!! IT REALLY IS YOU!!" It was if the dam has
burst and Soun started to literally cry rivers.
"WAAAAHHH I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU! WHERE HAVE YOU
BEEN?"

Ranma tried to gently untangle from Soun. "Uhh.. It's
nice to see you too Mr. Tendo. Can you please let me
go?" Soun just kept wailing and hung on.

Kasumi smiled and excused herself, "I'll go get the
tea ready. Come inside when father calms down." She
turned to go then stopped and looked at Kenchi, "Why
don't you come help me carry the tray Kashita-san. We
should give them a moment of privacy."

Kenchi, silent through all of this, just followed
after Kasumi. "What a strange man." Kenchi thought,
"He never would have guessed that Ranma grew up
around such strange people. I didn't really know what
to make of him at first." Kenchi paused outside the
kitchen, thinking about the past.

********

It was during a supply run. Kenchi was coming back
from a friend who dealt with salvaged equipment. He
had a few new toys in the back of his hover van and
was returning to his hidden workshop. He always
checked everything out there before coming back to
the main hideout to show everyone.

He was happily humming one of his favorite tunes,
driving carefully as to not attract the patrolling
hunters high above. There seemed to be fewer out
today then normal. He wouldn't have to worry about
being followed that much.

As he drove, he didn't notice the slight bending of
air around his truck, but he did notice that he
suddenly felt a hunter. It was dangerously close.
Kenchi was looking around for it as something slammed
into the side of his van, violently pushing it into
the nearby wall.

Kenchi unhooked his safety harness and started to
quickly crawl from the wreckage. His van was now
scrap metal and if what hit him was a hunter, he
wanted to be as far from here as possible. As he left
the driving compartment, strong hands lifted him into
the air and Kenchi saw the ground rush below him as
he flew from the wreckage.

When he touched down, Kenchi immediately tried to
run, but someone had a strong grasp on his arm. When
he turned, a man with black hair and a pigtail put a
finger to his lips to tell him to be quiet.

"It's alright," The man whispered, "It won't see us
until I want it to see us. BY the way, sorry about
the van."

"Who cares about the van!?!" Kenchi whispered back,
"That hunter is still alive and will be coming after
us as soon as it gets out of the wreckage!" As the
words left his mouth, the hunter kicked what was left
of the van off of him and stood up.

Kenchi rarely saw a hunter up close. Ever since he
was a kid, he could sense when a hunter was near and
usually ran and hid. Kenchi watched, both fascinated
and terrorized, as the hunter shook out its bat like
wings, adjusted it's battle armor and looked around.
Hunters were ruthless killers with long, metallic
claws and a wolf like snout with, razor sharp teeth.

It slowly scanned the area, cybernetic eyes scanning
multiple frequencies and large ears listening for any
sound given away by its prey. As it's eyes passed
over Kenchi, he stopped breathing and felt his heart
pound in his ears. Fortunately, it looked past them
oblivious to their position.

"Stay here," The man said as he seemed to become a
blur that streaked towards the hunter. Kenchi heard
multiple banging noises as if someone was striking
metal and a howl of pain as the hunter flew back into
the wall behind it.

Kenchi watched in awe as the hunter rose, growling,
and attacked the man, it's claws blurring as it
struck. The man started to twist and turn around the
hunters' claw swipes. After a few moments of dodging,
the man went on the offensive, every strike sounded
like a hammer hitting an anvil. The hunters' chest
plate started to dent inwards as green blood escaped
from the cracks.

"The man may be able to take on one," Kenchi thought,
"but where there is one, there are always more." He
started to creep away, better to escape while he
still could.

He didn't get far. After a few blocks, Kenchi ran
headfirst into an invisible wall. The air bent around
him and then pushed him back. He few back and landed
heavily on his back. Kenchi groaned and sat up,
pulling out his scanning goggles.

"Hmm.." He thought as he looked over the readout.
"Well there is definitely a barrier there. All my
scans bounce off the energy field. I'm still getting
signals from outside so this must be a one-way
barrier. If I can disable the power source I can get
out." Kenchi started to look around, hoping to find a
power source.

As he scanned the area he felt a taping on his
shoulder. Kenchi turned and saw the pig-tailed man
behind him. "I thought I told you to stay put? There
might have been another one caught in my little
trap."

Kenchi was first surprised then amazed that he was
able to first sneak up on him, and then trick his
scanners as to thinking there was nothing there.
"What's with this barrier? No discernable power
source, completely transparent, no energy spikes when
something hits it, and I bet it just shows up as a
dead spot on the outside. The best that I have still
have a tint and take a visible emitter to project,
and mine are better then Midgrams!"

The man just smiled and started walking back to where
he was fighting. "Give me a few moments to look at
what's left of our friend here and I'll answer your
question."

Kenchi ran to catch up with the man, falling into
step beside him. "I should introduce myself, my
name's Kenchi Kashita. I'm a mechanic by trade. Who
might you be? Slayer of hunters."

The man smiled, "The name's Ranma Saotome, of the
Saotome School of anything goes martial arts. I'm a
wandering martial artist by trade. It's nice to meet
you. So what were you doing driving around in a
deserted part of the city? It's why I chose this
place to catch one of these, hunters you called them.
What a stupid name."

"I was coming back from a friends' shop with some new
equipment. It's probably all ruined now." Kenchi
sighed, "I'm gonna get so chewed out when I get back
to the workshop."

Ranma perked up at the word 'workshop'. "A workshop
you say? Hey, how about I make you a deal? I'm from
out of town, if you give me a place to look over our
very dead friend and I'll replace what you lost. I'll
even throw in one of my field generators since you
seemed so interested in it."

Even with such a tempting offer, Kenchi had to pause
and ask, "Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't, but this way you can get to know my
charming personality and quick wit." Ranma chuckled
at his own joke, "Besides, if I wanted to kill you we
wouldn't be having such a nice conversation. So cheer
up, it's hard to focus with such unhappy people
around."

Kenchi didn't agree, but was more confused by his
cheerful honesty. It was uncommon to find many honest
people these days, especially in such a close
proximity to a hunter.

"So do we have a deal Kashita-san. Kashita-san are
you going to help with the tea?"

*******

Kenchi shook his head to clear his mind of the
flashback. "What was that?"

Kasumi looked out the kitchen door, "I asked if you
were going to help with the tea. When you didn't
answer I feared you might have gotten lost, it
wouldn't have been the first time one of Ranma's
friends had trouble finding his way around."

"Umm... No, I was just reminiscing about my past. I'm
sorry to have worried you." He wasn't sure how to
take the 'lost' comment. He was only a few steps
inside. "What do you need me to help you with?"

Kasumi ushered Kenchi into the kitchen and went over
to the stove to get the kettle. "Tell me. Are you
good friends with Ranma?" Kasumi took the kettle and
carefully filled the teapot with water.

"Why do you ask?"

Kasumi just smiled again and put the kettle back on
the stove. "I'm just curious what Ranma has been up
for such a long time. I would have expected him to
come back alone, but I am happy that he was able to
make friends on his journey."

Kenchi just sighed and picked up the tray. "You
should talk to Ranma about that. I've only known him
for a little bit under a year." He turned to leave,
"You should go get him before he gets soaked by your
fathers' tears."

"Of course," Kasumi said, "we wouldn't want to have
to put on another kettle now would we."

Kenchi just shrugged, missing the joke and Kasumi's
knowing smile. Thoughts on his recently killed
friends.

*******

"So what have I missed since I disappeared?" Ranma
asked once everyone was kneeling around the table.
Kasumi sat across from Ranma, and Soun from Kenchi.
"Everything looks just like it did when I left. Well
except the rock garden, it's a nice touch."

Kasumi blushed slightly at the compliment "Without
you or your friends around to redecorate the house, I
found I had a lot of free time. I had to find
something to do during the day."

"So how did everyone take my sudden disappearance? I
really didn't expect to leave so suddenly, but I
wasn't asked."

Soun set down his tea suddenly. "Ranma. What happened
that day? Why did you leave?" He eyes started to leak
tears again. Soun tried to stay calm, and was barely
able to keep a hold of them.

Ranma looked to Kenchi, his face set behind an
emotionless mask. "You must first understand that it
wasn't my choice to leave." He slowly put down his
cup as sadness filled his face. "I didn't know what
was happening. One moment, I'm practicing in the
Dojo, the next I'm not. I was transported off this
planet and to another one. It took me quite some time
to find my way back."

Kasumi was confused; she always knew when someone was
keeping something from them. As far back as she could
remember, she could tell when someone, anyone was
lying or saying a half-truth. Nabiki was always
trying to slip half-truths by her when they were
younger. Ranma never told half-truths, he definitely
never lied, but now he was trying to pull a fast one.
His sadness was genuine, but what he said was not the
entire story. Father seemed to accept this answer so
Kasumi decided to ask him later in private about it.

"So where did you meet your nice friend here Ranma?
Is he an alien from another planet?" Kasumi asked
sweetly, she would see how far Ranma was willing to
stretch the truth. He might slip up and give a clue
to what really happened.

"I guess you could say that Kasumi." Ranma said. "His
home was destroyed and had nowhere else to go. So I
offered to take him with me."

"It really wasn't that hard of a choice." Kenchi said
bitterly, his friends' faces in his mind's eyes. "I
had nothing left, neither friends nor family. It was
either stay and die, or leave and live. I decided to
live."

Kasumi reached over had placed her hands comfortingly
on Kenchi's. "I'm so sorry Kenchi. I know it's hard
to loose someone you care for, but everyone close to
you? If you ever need someone to talk to, I'd be
happy to help out."

Kenchi just looked at Kasumi's hand. Emotions slowly
tumbling over him as he sat there. He slowly raised
his eyes to Ranma and his sadness turned to rage.
Ranma had betrayed them, and here he was, washing his
hands of guilt. Not taking responsibility for his
part in all this. "Please excuse me." He said quickly
as he stood up and ran to the front door.

Kasumi started to stand up chase after him, but Ranma
stopped her. "Kasumi, I think it would be best if we
gave Kenchi some time to be alone before we talk to
him again." They head the front door open and close
quickly and the sound of running feet, going off into
the distance. "He is unhappy that I did not help when
his friends were killed. Sit and I will explain."

Kasumi studied Ranma for a moment before sitting back
down. Ranma stared as soon as she sat down. "I met
Kenchi and his friends quite sometime ago. They were
fighting against a villain that held control over
most of their world. When his friends were attacked,
I was away, unable to help. I promised to help them
in their cause and he feels that I betrayed them by
no being there to make good on my promise. Don't
worry, I will go find him when everything is settled
here." Ranma picked up his tea again and changed the
subject. "How about we get back to bringing me up to
speed on what happened as I was gone."

"You should really talk to Akane about all of this. I
only know bits and pieces of what happened." Kasumi
said, picking back up her tea. "When you left, no one
was really worried. We all figured that you would be
back in a couple of days at most, not years."

"So how long have I been gone for Kasumi? The days
blurred together after a few months."

"About two years now. Akane is in the middle of her
last year at Furinkan and Nabiki is in college now.
The biggest change has been that almost everyone is
gone now." Kasumi took a sip of her tea and put it
down so she could count on her hands. "The Cat Cafe
shut down and Shampoo left. Ukyou left soon after,
but left her shop open with Kontasu running it. I
think that eventually closed as well. The Kuno
siblings left to study abroad, at least that's what
the rumors said. Tofu-sensei left to follow a
teaching position at a university." She paused
thinking then went on. "And no-one has seen poor
Ryoga since you left." She counted again to make sure
she didn't miss anyone.

"What about pops? Where'd that idiot panda run off
to?"

"He went back with your mother." Soun supplied. "I
play shogi with him every once in a while. Does he
know you are back?"

"I'll track him and mom down in a few days."

"Have you thought about the pledge to unite the
schools? Your engagement still stands, you still are
honor bound to marry a Tendo and produce an heir to
pass the art on to." Soun's brain has finally woken
up.

Silence hung across the table as Ranma slowly drained
his tea mug. He took a moment to prepare himself
before answering. "I have thought of the pledge, and
I sorry to say that I can not fulfill my part. I'm
sterile."

Silence again as settled upon the table, and was
broken as Kasumi's and Soun's cups slipped from their
hands and crashed onto the table. Kasumi was the
first to recover. "St.. Sterile? How? When?"

"It's one of the many scars I received during my
travels. You have no idea what horrors I have seen in
my time. Now I can put all that behind me and try to
live a normal life." Ranma sat there, nervously
shuffling.

Soun, still with tears, asked quietly, "So the Art is
dead. Without an heir to follow after you and Akane,
there is no way to continue on."

"I'm sorry Soun," Ranma stated, "we can only hope
that one of you daughters marries and has a child. If
not, I will find an apprentice to pass my knowledge
on to. It's the only way."

Ranma didn't see the tears that slowly fell from
Kasumi's eyes. She knew that he was talking about
Akane and Nabiki. They were to only ones who would
become mothers in this family. The best she could
ever be is an aunt, which is assuming one of her
sisters married.

She quickly stood turning to go into the kitchen.
"Akane will be coming home soon and I should start
dinner. The guest bedroom is still open if you wish
to use it." She left before either Ranma or Soun
could comment.

"Well that could have gone better." Ranma thought. He
didn't really want to put the Tendo's in this
position, but he didn't have a choice. If they knew
what he really was, and the real reason why he
couldn't have children, he would loose his only home.
Some things were better kept secret.

Wetness broke Ranma's train of thought. The spilled
tea had finally registered. "Let me go get some
towels to clean this up." Ranma stood and went in
search of towels. As he walked, he looked around the
house. While it looked just as he remembered, it
didn't the same. "I guess it was too much to hope
for."

Ranma found the towels and was just about done
cleaning up the mess when he heard a familiar voice
from the front door call out. "I'm home!"

"Akane." Ranma said, it was time to face the music.


*******

Akane was in a good mood.

As she walked home, there was a smile on her face,
and a spring in her step. She hummed a happy tune and
she almost skipped down the road. Everything was
finally working out.

It stared with a letter from the Osaka University of
Art informing her that they have accepted her request
from enrollment in their school. The next day, she
received a notice that she had won a scholarship for
the performing arts. She was quickly on her way to
becoming an actor.

She smiled as she remembered when she told her friend
Yoshiaki that she was accepted, he told her that we
just got his acceptance letter as well. It was then
that he asked to take her out for dinner to
celebrate. It would be the first date that she had in
years. Life was good.

Akane smiled as she came in the front door, planning
what she would do over the weekend. She called out
"I'm home" and went to remove her shoes. It was then
she spotted the packs stacked neatly by the door. "We
must have visitors." She thought as she turned to go
see who it could be.

As she came into the living room, she began to ask,
"Hey Kasumi, do we have..." She trailed off as she
realized who the man standing nervously in front of
her was. Whatever she was going to say was dropped so
her mind could go into shock.

"Ranma?" She asked unbelieving.

"Hey Tomboy." He said quietly.

All the time since he arrived that faithful day,
raced through her mind. The fights, the arguing, the
secret glances, the jealousy, the love, the chaos all
came rushing back. The pain when he left, and the
depression that followed. Akane's emotions swirled
around until her old friend came back to her. Rage.

In a flash, faster then any normal human could track,
Akane charged Ranma and punched him in the face
screaming, "YOU JERK!" Ranma took the full brunt of
the attack and flew across the room and plowed head
first into the wall shared with the kitchen. He hit
with enough force to crash through the wall and slide
across the floor into the counter that Kasumi was
slowly preparing dinner at.

As Ranma laid there, slight dazed, Akane's yelling
slowly filter through his ringing head. ".. got my
life back together and you now come back! Stay away
from me Ranma, I never what to speak to you again! I
HATE YOU!" With that, Akane fled to her room.

"I take it Akane is home." Kasumi said as Ranma sat
up and rubbed his face. She didn't notice that the
air around Ranma shimmered as he stood. She was
preoccupied with other things.

Ranma got up and moved to stand next to Kasumi. "So I
take it Akane didn't take my leaving so well?" He
watched as Kasumi quietly kept cutting vegetables.
"Would you like so help with that Kasumi? I bet no-
one has been helping you with it." When Kasumi didn't
answer, Ranma took the knife from her hands and
picked her up and sat her down on a nearby stool.
"Sit Kasumi, I'll handle this."

Kasumi sat and watched as Ranma took over her work.
"You broke her heart you know." Kasumi said sadly. "I
think in a way you broke everyone's heart. As far as
we knew, you had run away from everyone. You were the
glue that held everyone together, so when you left,
everything fell apart." Kasumi fell quiet when she
realized that Ranma had stopped working and was
standing in front of her.

Ranma reached out and gently cupped the side of
Kasumi's face. "There's more then that, isn't there
Kasumi? You don't need to say anything right now if
you don't want to. What's important is that I'm back
and I can start mending what is broken." He slowly
released her and gave her a gentle hug. "Don't cry
Kasumi, everything will work out eventually." She
didn't even realize that she was crying.

Ranma then let go and walked out of the room. Kasumi
looked over and saw that the cut vegetables neatly
cut and separated. She raised a hand to feel where
Ranma had held her face. "Oh Ranma." She stated to
the empty room, "It's nice to have you back."

*******

*Knock* *Knock*

"Go away Ranma!"

*Knock* *Knock*

"Go away Ranma! I mean it!"

*Knock* *Knock*

"Damn-it Ranma! I don't want to talk to you ever
again! Go annoy someone else!"

Ranma sighed and lowered his hand from the door. He
checked the handle and found it unlocked, he turned
it slowly and cracked the door open. "Akane, we need
to talk." Ranma felt something hit the door, probably
a book. "We can have this conversation privately, or
do you want the entire town to hear?"

>From inside he heard. "Fine! If it will make you
leave me alone, let's talk." Ranma stepped into the
room and closed the door behind him. As soon as he
was in the room, Akane attacked.

This time he was ready for her and jerked his head
out of the way of the oncoming fist. Ranma's hands
blurred and Akane found herself sitting against the
door, unable to move.

Ranma moved to the middle of the room and turned to
face her. "I'm sorry about paralyzing you, but this
is kinda important." Ranma took a deep breath before
going on. "I know that you think I left by choice,
but I didn't. I was taken from here against my will
by a bunch of people who didn't quite understand what
they were doing. I've taken all this time to finally
find a way home. In my journey I was stuck by an
illness that made me unable to have children. That
and your reaction to me basically makes our father's
pledge pointless. I am not here to mess up your life
or force you to do something you don't want to. I
just wanted to come home. I'm sorry I put you through
this."

Ranma let the words sink in and for Akane to regain
control of her body. Her mouth recovered first. "Well
it's a little late for that. You have no idea what
kinds of hell you put me through. It took me almost a
whole year to get over you. I had to convince myself
you weren't coming back so I could move on. Every day
I had to constantly remind myself that you weren't
here. How do I know you just didn't run off? I have
to trust that you aren't lying to me?"

Ranma silently started taking off his clothes.

"Gah! Ranma! You pervert! Don't you dare come near
me!" Akane yelled, looking away.

Ranma just sighed again, "Akane, you said you wanted
proof so here it is. Look at me Akane, and don't
blink."

When Akane finally turned her head the air around
Ranma shimmered and Ranma skin changed. Black, tattoo
like lines covered his body. These lines bent and
curved, making wield shapes and lines. Between the
lines, Ranma's skin was covered with hundreds of
scars of differing sizes. Some scars covered other
scars and a few look poorly healed.

"Look at me Akane. This is why I can't have children,
this is the burden of my travels. I hide behind a
disguise spell so people don't know my past." The
black lines covered parts of his face and were
probably under his hair. "What I faced would have
killed most people, and I barely survived it. These
black lines are a spell that holds my body together,
without them I would have died long ago."

As Akane looked on in shock, Ranma dressed quickly.
The air shimmered around him and his skin looked once
again undamaged. "Feel glad that the only wounds you
had were on the inside. Good night Akane." Ranma
walked to the window, opened it and jumped out into
the night.

Akane just stared after, wondering what could have
happened to Ranma to cause such wounds.

*******

Ranma left the Tendo compound and hopped to the
nearest roof. As he ran from roof to roof, the air
around him shimmed as Ranma let go of the disguise
spell. When he was far enough away, he sat down and
cried.

For all her faults, he still loved her. Ranma had
known that it was unlikely that she would welcome him
back, but it didn't hurt any less. He knew that Akane
would never love him again, and he didn't show her
the worse of what happened while he was away.

Ranma looked around to make sure no one was watching
and stated to change again. His face grew a snout,
dark fur grew all over his body, his fingers turned
to claws, and his ears changed to that of a cat's. He
stood and stretched, relishing in the strength and
power that come from this form.

This was the true legacy of the Neko-ken training. It
was designed to create half demon fighters. The
"training" was just a binding ritual that gives the
practitioner the spirit of a demon. It's a small,
almost insignificant spirit, but as the practitioner
uses the neko-ken, the spirit grows.

To prevent the spirit from completely taking over,
Ranma had to cast a spell to keep his humanity
intact. It was a painful ritual to bind the spell to
him in the form of the black tattoos. These tattoos
were magically burned into his flesh without any
painkillers while he was still conscious.

Ranma was a Hanyou, a half-breed. If he were to try
and have a child, the mother would die painfully as
the demon child slowly drained away her life energy.
Unless the mother had strong divine, or mystical
powers, any child born from Ranma would hill her.
Ranma was not ready to kill someone that he loved.
Not after the last time.

Ranma pushed the dark thoughts of past friends and
lovers away. He needed to find Kenchi; his demon form
would be the best way to find him. Taking in deep
breaths, Ranma searched for Kenchi's sent. Dinner
would be done soon and Kenchi would feel better after
he ate and had some rest. It had been a bad week for
him.

******

On a small ledge under a bridge that crossed the
drainage river, Kenchi sat. He knew that Ranma would
be along shortly to bring him back. He would try to
inspire him to let go of the past and move on.

As if on cue, Ranma sat down next to Kenchi. He
looked over to Ranma's blue eyes and wondered how he
was going to start.

"I see you found 'the spot'." Ranma said quietly,
trying to start a conversation. Kenchi didn't reply
and just started across the water. "I used to come
here all the time after having a fight with Akane. It
was the perfect place to be alone and think. I'm
sorry to disturb you here, but Kasumi will have
dinner done soon and you'll feel better after you eat
something."

They both sat, listening to the flowing water. "Do
you even know why I left Ranma?"

"You are unhappy that I am editing out large parts of
what really happened when we met. Mainly the
'betraying you all to Midgram'. For not being there
to die with your friends." Kenchi didn't answer.

"Well I'll have you know that Acchika ordered me
away. She knew all about where I was from and what I
was doing. She knew more then anyone else did, and
she hid the truth from us all."

"Don't try to shift the blame here Ranma." Kenchi
snarled, "Acchika was like a mother to all of us. She
was the heart of the resistance, she wouldn't betray
us."

"And she didn't Kenchi. She knew that it was a
hopeless fight. That Midgram was closing in on them.
She decided to try one last thing before I moved as
many as possible off that timeline. Gram just got the
drop on her before she could execute her part of it."

"So what was her final plan?" Kenchi looked to Ranma.

Ranma looked down sadly, "Operation homecoming. I
would deliver a bomb inside the equipment that I
borrowed from Gram. It was supposed to knock out
their sensors as we escaped from that dimension. To
make a portal last long enough to transport everyone,
I would have to drain the entire city of its energy.
We hoped that it would hurt Gram enough so he
couldn't come after us."

Kenchi studied Ranma. He had a hunch that Ranma
wasn't telling him something, something really
important. "So is that it? Doesn't sound like one of
Acchika's plans. She was dead set on destroying Gram,
she would have at least tried something more
effective then a simple bomb."

Ranma inspected his hands and Kenchi saw that he was
trying hard not to cry. There was more to this plan.
"I knew it Ranma! What are you hiding from me?"

Slowly, Ranma replied, "How many people have you
killed in your lifetime Kenchi? Before I left here, I
had only ever killed one person, and I was in self
defense."

"What kind of question is that?"

"Operation Homecoming had a second part. The bomb and
following power loss would blackout the sensors so we
could fire a high-speed rocket into the sun. By the
time everyone left and the portal closed the missile
would have run its course. The sun would collapse in
on itself and the resulting shock wave would destroy
the entire solar system. We hoped that would be
enough to kill Gram."

Kenchi was stunned; he couldn't believe what Ranma
was telling him. "You mean to say that Acchika was
willing to kill every living thing to defeat Gram?!?
That's crazy!"

Ranma looked at Kenchi, "Do you even realize how
dangerous Gram is? Gram is a demon that travels the
galaxy draining every world he came across of its
energy. He had left countless dead worlds in his wake
and yours was next! This was the only way that had a
chance of totally destroying him."

Kenchi looked at Ranma with a horrified look, "You
didn't actually fire the weapon did you? You said it
your self that Acchika's part failed."

Ranma looked at his hands again. "It was my
responsibility to destroy the sun, and I did it. The
blood of your entire world stains my hands, and I
don't even know if it made a difference. Gram could
have survived and moved on to another world." Ranma
was crying in earnest now. "All those people, killed
because it 'might' stop Gram. I am a martial artist
damn-it! I am supposed to protect the weak, the
unaware, the ignorant, those who cannot protect
themselves, and I killed them. It went against
everything I believe in, and I'd do it again if I
were in that situation again. That's what scares me
the most."

Kenchi watched as Ranma took back control of his body
and slowly stopped crying. "I had no idea Ranma, I'm
sorry that I thought you were trying to avoid the
blame."

Ranma wiped his eyes "It's alright Kenchi. I'll deal
with it somehow, just as you will deal with your own
problems." Ranma stood and dusted himself off. "Now
let's get back to the Tendo's and have dinner. I've
waited years to taste Kasumi's cooking again."

Kenchi just smiled and stood. "We shouldn't make your
stomach wait then. Let's go."

Ranma smiled back and both of them walk away felling
a little better then they did when they sat down.

End of Chapter 1

-----------------------------------------------------

Authors' notes:
Well I finally finished chapter 1. It's only been
what? 3 years? As I write other chapters I'll get
around to revising this one more. My first
responsibility as a writer is to actually finish a
story. Hope you all enjoyed this and will continue
reading when I get around to writing the next
chapter.


Check out previous chapters at:
http://ajchome.freehosting.net/fics/DIFF.HTML

Contact the author at:
MSN E-mail or IM � numair42@hotmail.com
Yahoo IM � Numair042
AOL IM � Numair42
ICQ IM - 212049653

Comment about the story or just chat, can't assure
that I will reply but will do my best.


Revision history
Original (1a): March 2002
Extended to full chapter: October 31, 2005  3AM



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