Nabiki was just about to start the video when an unwelcome guest crashed in. The bone-chilling laugh immediately allowed them to identify who it was. "So, all of the low-born harridans who futilely pursue my darling Ranma have gathered together to gloat of your treachery," the leotard-clad lunatic proclaimed. "I demand to know where you are hiding my Ranma at once!" Nabiki sighed as a four-way battle ensued between the fiancées and the delusional nut job. They would have to wait for the mentally infirm to be run off before continuing. "Who was that?" Nodoka asked. "Kodachi Kuno," Nabiki answered. "She's the sister of Tatewaki Kuno and fancies herself in the running for Ranma's affections. However, she's as delusional as her older brother and wants to kill Ranma's girl side, while wanting to date Ranma's boy side. Her brother is worse. He wants to date Ranma's girl side and Akane at the same time while accusing Ranma's boy side of being a foul sorcerer that holds his loves in thrall. Neither of them realizes that boy-type Ranma and girl-type Ranma are the same person in spite of seeing the change happen on several occasions. The Kuno family is both filthy rich and certifiably crazy and Ranma wants nothing to do with either of them." "Indeed?" Nodoka asked, shaking her head in dismay. Shortly afterward, Ukyo, Shampoo, and Akane returned and they began the next episode. (oO\O/Oo) Alarm klaxons began to sound in the Central Dogma control center. Techs immediately began typing furiously on their terminals as they worked to determine the situation. "Report," Gendo Ikari said calmly from behind his steepled hands in his command balcony. "Sir, we have a pattern blue incoming. It's already breached the outer defenses," Aoba reported. Just then, the angel fired a beam of some kind, causing a huge cross-shaped explosion. "Oh my god!" Hyuga exclaimed. "It just penetrated 18 layers of armor in one shot!" "We'll never get the Eva's to the surface to engage it in time," Misato declared. "Have Unit's 01 and 02 deployed inside the geofront." "Yes, Ma'am," Hyuga acknowledged. Behind his hands, Gendo grinned evilly. It was time the boy was taken down a few pegs. Glancing down at a button on his terminal, he would wait until the time was right to initiate his plan. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Gendo?" Fuyutsuki asked quietly. "What if the boy freezes up? That will leave the Second Child out there alone with no backup." "Or it could make the boy even more effective," Gendo pointed out. "Anyway, I need to see the effect it has and it may give me more control of the boy. God knows we have precious little of that at the moment. That fool, Genma, managed to give him a serious disregard for authority." (oO\O/Oo) "Are you ready for this, Variable-chan?" Asuka asked, taking a few practice swipes with her naginata and checking that her spears were within easy reach. "You know it," Ranma said. "Asuka...be careful. I got a bad feeling about this one." "You worry too much, Liebling," Asuka said. "We can handle it." "I know, but this angel feels really strong," Ranma cautioned. "Please just be careful." "Okay, if it will make you feel better," Asuka said. Any further discussion was cut off by an explosion from the ceiling of the geofront, followed by what looked like a cross between a headless Pillsbury doughboy and an English bulldog, only three times as ugly, floating down through the hole. "Engaging target," Asuka announced and let fly with a spear. The oversized spear flew true towards the angel and looked like it was going to score a direct hit. However at the last second, it slammed into a really strong AT field and was stopped dead. Ranma and Asuka both began launching spears at the angel in an effort to overwhelm its AT field as it drifted to the floor of the Geo-front. The effort seemed futile as the thing reached the ground unscathed. Suddenly, Asuka heard Ranma scream over the comm and saw Unit 01 fall to the ground in fetal position with its arms over its head. "Ranma!" Asuka yelled urgently. "Ranma what's wrong?" Asuka was caught up in what was happening to Ranma and failed to notice the angel's arms unfold like accordion paper. The angel lashed out at her. Fortunately, Ranma's training held. Asuka sensed the attack just in time to twist her torso, causing the angel's arms to pass to either side of her. Had she not twisted, they would have sliced off her arms. She wasn't out of the woods yet though because the flat, paper-like arms swiftly curled around her Eva and threw Unit 02 across the geofront, crashing through trees and structures as Asuka screamed. When she finally came to a stop, she heard...a cat? (oO\O/Oo) "Dr. Akagi! Ranma's sync ratio is fluctuating wildly!" Maya called out from her monitor. "His brain waves are completely erratic! Heart rate is racing!" "What's causing it? Is the angel attacking him somehow?" Ritsuko demanded. "I don't know, Ma'am, but his sync ratio appears to be spiking incredibly high!" Maya announced. Up on the command balcony, Gendo removed his finger from the button and grinned wickedly. "I hope you know what you're doing," Fuyutsuki said softly. (oO\O/Oo) Ranma had thrown his last spear as the angel settled to the ground. Suddenly, his view was filled with the most terrifying sight imaginable. Horrible demons were attacking him, frothing and spitting at him from all sides with gleaming fangs and razor sharp claws. Ranma screamed in terror and curled up into a ball, unable to escape the onslaught as the demons tore into his flesh just like they did back in the pit. Finally, the terror became too much and Ranma's world went dark. (oO\O/Oo) Asuka struggled to get to her feet just in time to see Ranma's Eva get up on all fours with its back arched unnaturally. It appeared to be hissing and growling like a cat as it faced off with the angel. She could do nothing but watch in shock as the strange scene unfolded before her. The angel lashed out its arms at the oddly behaving Eva only to have the Eva bounce away from the attack with a disturbing nimbleness. The Eva then batted a hand at the ribbon-like arm closest to it and a length of the arm fell away, sliced off cleanly. Sensing a new level of threat, the angel began to flail about wildly as Unit 01 bounced around the area like some mad superball. The Eva's evasions carried it steadily closer to the flailing angel and soon huge gashes began to open up on the angel's body. It tried to fire its energy beam at Unit 01, but the Eva was far too fast to be hit like that. The Eva just continued to bounce around and slash at the angel with half-seen reddish claws that appeared to be made from its AT field. It quickly became clear to Asuka that the cat-like Eva was toying with the angel, like a cat does with a mouse. Soon the angel was covered in shallow gashes and streaked red with its own blood. Its ribbon arms were ragged shreds as it struggled to regenerate itself. It was then that the Eva tired of its game and moved in for the kill. The end came swiftly as the AT claws gutted the angel and knocked it to the ground. It was an anti-climax compared to what came afterwards. Asuka felt like vomiting as the Eva began to eat the angel. (oO\O/Oo) There were several faces tinged with green in the control center and several of the techs turned away from the grisly scene. "I-it's eating the angel?" Misato asked in dismay. "She's taking the angel's S2 organ into herself," Ritsuko said. "My god," Maya gasped. "Ranma's sync ratio is over 400 percent!" As the various parties looked on, the Eva finished eating and sat back on its haunches, roaring its dominance over its domain. Feeling restrained, it began clawing at the armor plates covering it, causing huge slabs of the stuff to fall away. "My god, she's breaking free," Ritsuko whispered. "Breaking free? What do you mean?" Misato asked. "That's not just armor," Ritsuko said. "Those are restraints that allow us to control the Eva." Unit 01 roared once again and then paused as if sniffing the air. Looking around it spotted Unit 02 standing some distance away. With a roar, it bounded toward the red Eva. "Oh my god! Asuka!" Misato shouted in panic. The red Eva stood frozen as Unit 01 barreled into it knocking it on its butt. What happened then would have been comical if it hadn't been so bizarre. Unit 01 appeared to nuzzle Unit 02's face before curling up in an impossibly small ball on Unit 02's legs and settling down like a cat in a persons lap. "Asuka, are you okay?" Misato called. "I-I think its p-purring," Asuka reported, obviously shaken and confused about what was happening. "I-is Ranma okay?" (oO\O/Oo) Several hours later, Unit 01 was back in its cage, swathed in huge bandages that were more necessary to cover the true nature of the Eva than for any injury. As yet, they hadn't been able to get the entry plug out and the techs were working hard to reestablish communication with the Eva's systems. "I've got video from the inside of the entry plug, Ma'am," a tech reported to Ritsuko. "Let's take a look," Ritsuko instructed. A window opened up on the large monitor in front of them. It showed a scene that made everyone gasp. In the dim red emergency lighting of the entry plug, an empty plug suit floated in the LCL. "Dr. Akagi, what does it mean?" Maya asked. "I was afraid of something like this," Ritsuko sighed. "This isn't the first time this has happened when the sync ratio has gone over 400 percent." "You mean this has happened before?" Maya gasped. "How did they get the pilot back?" "They didn't," Ritsuko said softly. "Yui Ikari is still in there somewhere, part of Unit 01." "You mean, we've lost Ranma?" Maya asked, stunned by the revelation. "I didn't say that," Ritsuko said. "They weren't able to get the other pilot back, but I have all their data to work with and I will get Ranma back." "O-okay, but I sure don't envy you having to tell Asuka and Misato about this," Maya said. Ritsuko put her face in her hands and groaned tiredly. (oO\O/Oo) "WHAT!" Asuka shrieked. "He can’t be missing! He just can't be! Do you hear me? Ranma is not missing!" Ritsuko sighed. This was going to be as bad as she expected. Then she blinked in surprise as two slim hands grabbed hold of the lapels of her lab coat and she found herself pulled eye to crimson eye with the last person she expected to freak out about this. "You will get my Ranma back, Dr. Akagi," Rei said in a glacial voice that sent chills down Ritsuko's spine. "Am I making myself clear? Failure is not an option. Is that understood?" Ritsuko was shocked at the cold certainty in the petite, blue-haired girl's voice. She was amazed at how intimidated she was by the teen. Wisely, she nodded emphatically. "Rei, it's not Ritsuko's fault," Misato said. "Put her down. I'm sure she will work as hard as possible to get Ranma back. He was...is her friend too. Right, Ritsuko?" 'Geez, even Misato sounds menacing,' Ritsuko thought to herself as Rei released her before resuming her position beside Asuka and pulling the now crying redhead into a comforting hug. "That's right, Misato," Ritsuko said. "I know you all care for Ranma. I do too. I will get him back. I promise." "So how did this happen, Ritsuko? What happened to Ranma that started this whole thing?" Misato asked. "What I'm about to tell you goes no further than us," Ritsuko said seriously. "You have to promise me none of you will take any action on what you're about to hear. I mean it. If you do anything out of the ordinary, we may never get Ranma back. Understood?" Ritsuko was clearly very serious and also very angry. The three other women nodded in agreement. "I managed to retrieve the data recorder from the fight," Ritsuko said. "Someone apparently induced the Nekoken during the battle." Misato and Asuka gasped. "Someone?" Rei asked dispassionately. "I began to dig into the computers," Ritsuko said. "He was good at covering his tracks, but not as good as I am. Luckily, he trusts me enough that he assumed I wouldn't have an issue with it." "Who did it?" Misato growled. "It was Commander Ikari," Ritsuko stated. "He sent a signal during the battle that activated the program. Ranma's display was suddenly filled with cats acting angry and aggressive. Ranma had no way to escape and his mind snapped. He went into the berserker condition the Nekoken training induces and his feral mind had no buffer between himself and the Eva. I believe it was then that he was absorbed into the Eva and the Eva began acting like a cat." Ritsuko looked at the girls. It would have been funny had the situation not been so serious. They were both beyond angry, but they were still like polar opposites. Rei was sitting there, her crimson eyes alight with cold fury while Asuka's blue eyes burned with a fiery rage. Misato also looked mad enough to spit nails, but not nearly as angry as the girls. "Ranma was correct," Rei said. One could almost hear the derision and disgust in her tone, but not quite. "The Commander is a terrible man." "A terrible man?" Asuka spat. There was no missing her feelings on the matter. "He's a no-good, back-stabbing bastard! He's a miserable piece of filth is what he is. He could have gotten us both killed! As it is he got Ranma absorbed into his Eva!" "No arguments here," Misato agreed. "So what do we do about this?" "Nothing," Ritsuko said emphatically. "If any of you do anything, the Commander will have you eliminated, even you Rei, and I may not be allowed to try and retrieve Ranma. We'll just watch him closely and work on getting Ranma back. Otherwise, we can't let on what we know." "This SUCKS!" Asuka shouted then visibly calmed herself. The others agreed silently. (oO\O/Oo) Ranma was sitting on a rock beside a waterfall in an idyllic forest of massive, ancient trees. He had been walking for what seemed like hours before he found this spot and he decided to pause for rest. He had no idea where he was or how he got here. Suddenly, a woman appeared before him. She sported a familiar dark complexion and vertically-slitted eyes, like those of a furry demon from hell. "Bastet-sama? Where am I? What happened?" Ranma asked. "Greetings, my blessed one," Bastet smiled kindly. "Currently you are absorbed in your Evangelion after Gendo Ikari induced the Nekoken in you. Don't worry, your cat-side defeated the angel and your beloveds are safe." "So how do I get back?" Ranma asked. "As you know, at this point in Shinji's story, he was tempted to join with his Evangelion and escape his reality," Bastet explained. "However, I've co-opted this time to present you with an opportunity." "What opportunity?" Ranma asked hesitantly. "Are you going to send me home?" Bastet smiled at the obvious reluctance on Ranma's part to return to his own reality. "Not as yet, Blessed One," the goddess answered. "Instead, I want to give you a chance to overcome your greatest weakness. I want to give you the chance to master the Nekoken." "B-but how?" Ranma asked fearfully. "You must overcome your fear and prove your dominance over the cat spirit inside you," Bastet explained. The goddess gestured expansively to the forest around them. "Somewhere out there is your cat spirit. You must hunt it down and subdue it. If you win, the Nekoken will be yours to command and you will be returned to Tokyo 3." "Will I still be afraid of c-c-cats?" Ranma asked. "Cats do not fear other cats," Bastet laughed in amusement. "Unless the other cat is bigger and more dominant than they are. You will be the biggest and strongest cat of all so you will have no fear." "You mean I'm going to turn into a c-c-cat?" Ranma exclaimed. "Not per se," Bastet explained. "You will become more cat-like mentally, more territorial and protective of those you consider as belonging to your pride. You will likely be a bit more aggressive when threatened and more playful and affectionate with those you love. You will also have the abilities of the Nekoken, the increased agility and reflexes, all the time. You'll be able to form the claws at will and your senses will be heightened greatly. You'll even find your night vision is far more acute." "That doesn't sound too bad," Ranma said. "But how will I overcome the fear?" "That I cannot tell you," Bastet said. "You must do that on your own. I will, however, say this, if you do not overcome it and the cat spirit achieves dominance, you will remain trapped in the Nekoken inside the Evangelion unable to return. The girls will miss you." Bastet winked at him and vanished. Ranma looked around nervously at the trees surrounding him. Somewhere out there was his worst fear personified. All he had to do is find it and defeat it. The pigtailed martial artist shuddered at the thought. How was he supposed to beat something that the mere sight of sent him screaming in abject terror? Then something Bastet said hit him. If he didn't win, then Rei and Asuka would be hurt. Not only that, they would probably be killed. Ranma realized he wasn't just facing this for himself; he had to succeed for the girls he loved. How could he not defeat his fears with the girls' lives hanging in the balance? Resolve filled him as he stood up and made his way into the forest. (oO\O/Oo) "Oh, man," Ranma complained after having wandered around searching for some sign of his adversary for what seemed like days. "How the heck am I supposed to find the thing?" As if in answer to his question, a deer suddenly burst from the trees and ran past him at top speed. Moments later, the object of Ranma's quest appeared from where the deer had come from. It instantly spotted Ranma and froze, looking at him warily. Ranma also froze, trembling in terror. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. Before him, tail lashing agitatedly from side to side, crouched an absolutely gigantic, brown and black tabby cat. It regarded him with vertically-slitted blue eyes and emitted a low rumbling growl. The furry demon had to weigh every bit as much as Ranma did and was sized proportionately. Ranma gulped, trying desperately to quell his fear by grasping onto thoughts of Rei and Asuka, counter-balancing his fear of the cat with his fear of them dying because he was too weak to protect them. "I-I don't suppose you want to just give up quietly?" Ranma stammered. Another low growl was his answer. "I d-didn't think so," Ranma said, steeling himself and falling into a loose stance. The cat saw this and laid its ears back against its head. It hissed threateningly at him and gathered itself, all the while tail lashing from side to side. Ranma quivered in dread at the sight. "Let's get this over with," Ranma said nervously. Suddenly, the cat sprang. Ranma nearly peed himself but managed to leap to the side and land a quick kick to the cat's ribs. The cat whirled around with amazing agility and lashed out at Ranma with wickedly sharp claws. Ranma narrowly avoided them and the battle raged on. (oO\O/Oo) "This had better work, Ritsuko," Misato growled as she stood in the control room flanked by Rei and Asuka. It had been a month since Ranma had been absorbed into the Eva and it had taken them that long to prepare for the recovery procedure they were about to perform. Now everything was ready and Ritsuko prayed that it worked. She was deeply afraid that if they failed, the three females behind her would do something stupidly rash like flay the skin from Gendo Ikari's hide. "Start the procedure," Ritsuko commanded. "Yes, Ma'am," Maya said. "Starting stage one of the recovery procedure now." The techs monitoring the various readings began to call out reports. Things were going as expected for this stage of the process. Ritsuko gave the order to start stage two. As stage two began to be implemented, things began to go wrong. "It's not working," Maya called out. "His ego border seems to be trapped in a loop and is spinning out of control." "The radiation bombardment is being trapped. Pressure in the plug is rising!" a tech called out. "Shut it down now!" Ritsuko ordered. "I can't! It’s not responding," Maya said. "Pressure in the plug is continuing to rise!" the tech said. "What does that mean?" Misato demanded. "It means we failed," Ritsuko said. "Plug pressure critical! The plug is going to be forced open!" the tech reported moments before the main hatch burst open, spilling the LCL inside it over the floor. "NOOOO!" Asuka screamed, running from the room with Rei and Misato just behind her. She reached the Eva cage and fell to her knees before Ranma's empty plug suit. The redhead scooped it up and held it to her, sobbing uncontrollably. Misato knelt in front of her, also sobbing as she hugged the German girl. Rei stood before Unit 01 staring at it. "Why won't you give him back?" she asked softly. "We need him with us. Please give him back." (oO\O/Oo) Ranma stood breathing heavily and dripping blood from various slashes that covered his torso. The battle had raged for days but now, at last, he stood over his adversary. The cat's fur was matted with blood, its ears notched and torn, claws broken. It had finally surrendered to him and was currently stretched out on its back with its throat and belly exposed in a posture of submission. It was then that Ranma realized that the fear was gone. He no longer quaked in terror in the presence of the cat. He could even say the word without stuttering in dread. Then, all around him, he heard the sound of women weeping. Amidst this, he heard a soft voice pleading. "Why won't you give him back?" the voice said. It sounded like Rei. "We need him with us. Please give him back." Suddenly, Ranma felt a strange tugging sensation and he blacked out. (oO\O/Oo) Suddenly, with a wet flop, Ranma's unconscious naked body fell on the gantry in a pool of LCL before Rei. "Ranma!" Rei exclaimed, instantly kneeling and pulling him into her lap. Misato and Asuka looked up in surprise, hardly daring to hope. They saw Rei holding Ranma and practically teleported over to them. Asuka was practically lying on top of him as she tried to embrace as much of him as she could. Misato claimed a hand and was grinning like a maniac as she watched Rei pillow Ranma's head in her lap and stroke his hair. Ranma's eyes flickered open and he looked around. "Rei? Asuka? Misato? W-what's going on?" Ranma asked groggily. "We almost lost you again, Idioten!" Asuka sobbed in relief. (oO\O/Oo) "How is he?" Misato asked Ritsuko. "It’s the strangest thing I've ever seen," Ritsuko said. "Physically, he's more than healthy as always, but he's different now. Somehow, when his body reformed, there were some changes. His canines are slightly longer than normal, for instance, and his irises are slightly oval shaped, suggestive of a cat's eye. It gets more prominent when exposed to a bright light." "What does that mean?" Misato asked. "Well, while he was inside the Eva, he claimed he was forced to face his fears and master the Nekoken. He believes it's a manifestation of the feline traits that became part of him when he mastered the technique," Ritsuko answered. "What do you think?" Misato asked. "I checked his DNA and it's the same as before," Ritsuko said. "I really can't think of a better explanation than that. I'm not too concerned about it. The new features aren't really noticeable unless you look closely. He still looks perfectly human." "Is that all?" Misato inquired. "His hearing seems to be much more acute and he says his sense of smell is much better than before," Ritsuko explained. "He also claims that his personality might become more cat-like." "Great," Misato drawled. "If he starts spraying the furniture, I'm having him neutered." Ritsuko snickered. "Asuka and Rei may do very bad things to you if you did," the blonde pointed out. "Anyway, I find the whole thing fascinating. I'm very interested to see these cat-like personality traits when they manifest." "I'm not surprised," Misato said dryly. "Being our resident cat freak and all. Just don't get caught 'petting' him or there may be a 'cat' fight." "That was bad, Misato, even for you," Ritsuko groaned. Misato snickered. "When are you releasing him?" Misato asked. "He can go home tonight," Ritsuko said. "Good," Misato nodded. "Good thing I have a date tonight or the yowling and purring that happens when the girls get their tomcat home might keep me up all night." Ritsuko slapped her hand to her face and shook her head in dismay at the lame 'cat' euphemisms. Apparently, Misato was going to be unbearable to be around for a while. She briefly wondered if it would be celebrated as a public service if she brained the purple-haired twit before she cracked any more goofy cat jokes. (oO\O/Oo) "SEELE won't be happy to hear about what happened with Unit 01," Kaji drawled. "What will you tell them?" "It doesn't matter," Gendo said. "It's not as if we could have anticipated what happened. It was completely unforeseen and we were in no way responsible. We have frozen Unit 01 for the time being and it will remain frozen pending further orders from SEELE." "I'm sure SEELE will be pleased to hear it," Kaji said. "You are fortunate that Unit 02 only suffered minor damage since Unit 00 is still being repaired. At least you're not completely vulnerable." "Unit 00 will be back to operational readiness within a week," Fuyutsuki said. "We will be ready for the next attack." "I certainly hope so," Kaji said as he left. (oO\O/Oo) Ranma sat on the couch at the Katsuragi asylum sandwiched between two affectionate girls. Asuka giggled as Ranma actually began to purr as one of them played with his hair and the other rubbed his belly. "Variable-chan, promise you won’t ever leave us," Asuka said softly. The purring stopped and they felt Ranma tense. "I-I-I promise I won’t ever leave either of you of my own free will," Ranma stammered. "Ranma, what is wrong?" Rei said, picking up on Ranma's conflicted state. The pigtailed martial artist was silent for several minutes before giving both girls an affectionate squeeze. "I guess you both deserve to know the truth," Ranma said. "Please believe me when I say I love you both more than anything or anyone I have ever loved. Hell, I'd give up the art for you two if I had to." Both girls looked at him curiously, confused about where this was going but thrilled that he would put them before his beloved art. "The truth is, I am not from this reality," Ranma said nervously. "What are you talking about, Variable-chan?" Asuka demanded. "I know it's hard to believe, but I was sent here by a goddess to give me a break from the pressures I was being put under back where I came from," Ranma explained. "You were sent here on vacation?" Asuka blinked incredulously. "I know you've told me about your life before you came here, but coming here where you are fighting for your life against angels is supposed to be a vacation? What kind of insane life did you have before?" "Believe me, it has been a vacation," Ranma said ruefully. "Back where I came from I had no real friends, just people that wanted to use me to make their own dreams come true. Even my parents were like that. My pop was out to live a life of leisure off of my blood and sweat. I had to hide from my own mother who hasn't seen her son in 11 years so she wouldn't find out about my curse and demand I commit seppuku for not being a man among men, thanks to a contract my pop made with her when he took me on a ten year martial arts training trip. The contract said he would make me a man among men or we'd both commit seppuku. He got me to sign it by telling me I was finger painting. I was 6 at the time." "What kind of idioten would do something like that?" Asuka demanded. "And what kind of pathetic excuse for a mother would make her own child commit seppuku just because they didn't live up to her standards?" "Apparently, mine," Ranma said sadly. "But that's not all. Thanks to my father's lack of honor and integrity, he sold my hand in marriage every time he got the chance. When I left, I had three girls after me with legitimate claims and who knows how many more that just hadn't found me yet. I can't marry any of them with out someone losing their honor and starting a blood feud. I lived with one of them. She was the one that was constantly accusing me of being a womanizing pervert and hitting me with a mallet." "You're kidding," Asuka said as Rei listened passively. "No, I'm not," Ranma shook his head. "And it still gets worse. Each of the girls actively pursuing me came with her own jealous suitor. None of the guys understand that I'm not interested in the girl they want and they constantly attack me thinking that if they beat me they will get the girl they are after. Some of them are almost as powerful as I am. There's barely a day that goes by that I'm not randomly attacked by a jealous suitor, someone my pop ripped off, or just some bizarre martial artist that wants to test their skill against the best." Asuka and Rei struggled to comprehend what that sort of life would be like, but Ranma went on. "Then where I go to school, there's a freakin' insane upperclassmen that thinks because he comes from a Samurai family and has a ton of money that every girl wants him. He firmly believes that the fiancée I live with and my female side are in love with him and the only thing keeping them from running to his arms is that my boy side has them under an evil spell that makes them act like they hate him. He has an equally insane sister that wants my guy side and hates my girl side. I haven't been able to convince either of them that my girl side and boy side are the same person." "That's just crazy," Asuka stammered. "Does it get any worse?" "That’s about it, aside from none of them give a damn about what I want or what my dreams might be," Ranma sighed, "and they all use my honor against me. Do you believe me?" "That story is too crazy for you to have made it up," Asuka said. "And then there's your curse. I suppose it's no harder to believe that than the curse. But why are you telling us this?" "Because when this is all over and my job here is done, I might get pulled back to my reality," Ranma said somberly. "I don't want to. I want to stay here with you two, but the choice may not be mine." "What is your job here?" Rei asked. Ranma looked at Rei. "I was sent here to stop Gendo Ikari and SEELE from wiping out everyone on the planet when they try to initiate the Third Impact," Ranma said. He watched as Rei's eyes widened. "I know what they have planned and I need your help to stop it. I never counted on falling in love with you both, but you're the only girls I've ever met that wanted me for who I am and not because of some stupid obligation." Both Rei and Asuka were looking at Ranma with confusion in their eyes. They didn't know how to take what they had just been told. Ranma sighed sadly. "I'm really sorry," Ranma said. "I never meant to hurt either of you. It's just that when I came here I didn't think there was any chance I'd be going back. It wasn't until after we were already involved that the goddess responsible for my being here contacted me. It wasn't until then that I even had a clue why I was here. The first time she talked to me was when I was trapped inside the 12th angel. Most recently, she contacted me again when I was absorbed into Unit 01. She never said if I was going to be returned, but I think it could be a possibility. "Anyway, I really do love you both more than life itself, but I can understand if you hate me after what I've just told you. I think I need to go to bed now. Goodnight." Ranma swiftly stood up and headed for his room before they could see the tears running down his face. Rei and Asuka looked at each other, stunned by what they had been told. (oO\O/Oo) "What have you found out?" the old woman asked as she sat on a park bench with her small dog. "I've found a credible source of information that pretty much spelled out the whole plan," Kaji said. "He is working from the inside to stop them, but he made contact with me to request our help when the time comes. It's all detailed on the disk." "How reliable is your source?" the old woman asked. "From what I've been able to confirm, he's completely reliable," Kaji said. "Very well, I will pass the data on to those who will make a decision," the old woman said. "My source requests a decision on whether help will be rendered be made soon as he is unsure of the timetable," Kaji said. "As soon as they decide, contact me and I'll pass on the information." "Understood," the old woman said as she stood and walked off with her dog. (oO\O/Oo) Ranma had been laying on his bed for a good fifteen minutes, tears flowing down his face from the emotional pain he was in. He knew he had lost the two people he loved the most, just as he had lost everything else in his life that he really cared about. Suddenly he was ripped from his self-pity by his door slamming open. Asuka stalked in followed less aggressively, but with a similar look of resolve, by Rei. Ranma quickly wiped the tears away in a futile effort to hide them. "What do you think you're doing?" Asuka demanded. "Um...going to bed?" Ranma said. "Without us?" Asuka demanded. "I...um...didn't think you would want me with you after I told you what I did," Ranma answered. "Idioten!" Asuka snapped. "Do you think we're so shallow that we'd stop loving you because of that?" "B-but I might get taken from you," Ranma hedged. "Then it is important that we have as much time as we can together," Rei said. Ranma didn't know what to say. He nearly sobbed in relief that they still wanted to be with him. Fortunately, he didn't need to say anything as he was pulled up and dragged to the girls' bedroom where a splash of water was applied before the girls got frisky. (oO\O/Oo) "That was so beautiful," Kasumi said tearfully when Nabiki stopped the tape. "I'm so happy for Ranma. I really hope Bastet-sama allows him to stay with those two." The fiancées and Nodoka said nothing as they looked down in shame. Nabiki could almost feel sorry for them, but she felt Ranma was spot on with his assessment of them. "Foolish boy," Genma moaned. "How could he disrespect his father so? And crying like a simpering little girl over those stupid girls. It's shameful!" "Saotome," Nabiki growled. "You're about two more words away from having a cold-water experience. Those casts will feel awfully tight on your panda form I bet." Genma paled and snapped his mouth shut. Cologne just shook her head at the stupid male's antics. It was males like him that validated the Amazon way of life.
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