Dual Destinies
 
 The characters depicted in this story are not mine. Ranma 1/2 and all 
related characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I have written 
Dual Destinies purely for entertainment.
 
                                  Chapter 3
                                Ranma 1 Plus 1
 
     Ranma awoke with a dizzy feeling as he found himself lying on a 
stone table. He looked around and saw that he was still in the Realm of 
Infinity. Sitting up, he looked to his left and saw Taron and Soren 
standing beside him. Each of the twins had a small smile as they gazed 
at him. Taron then raised an arm and pointed to Ranma's right. Ranma 
turned his head and his eyes widened as he saw what was lying beside 
him on another table.
     The figure that was lying on the table had a lean and finely muscled 
body. He was wearing a red Chinese style shirt, black pants and Kung fu 
shoes. His raven hair was done up in a pigtail. The person opened his 
eyes and sat up. He turned his head and met the shocked eyes of a 
person who was an exact replica of him!
     The two Ranmas stared in silence, neither one was able to tear his 
eyes away from the other. Each one thought he was looking at a mirror. 
The two looked each other's face over, taking every little detail.
Neither one could see the slightest difference in the other's 
appearance. It was if someone had made a mold of Ranma.
     "No way!" The first Ranma said in a quiet whisper.
     "It can't be!" Ranma number two remarked.
     "You're my brother?!" Both said at the same time.
     The two turned their heads to the other set of twins with looks of 
shock and confusion. "What did you do?" They both demanded.
     Taron and Soren gave the two a look of sympathy. Nodding his head 
to Soren, Taron waited for his brother to explain.
     "As Taron had said, Ranma… and Ranma," Soren began. "We have 
eliminated your curse. By using our energies, we were successful in 
splitting your two forms, while keeping one soul in each body. Then, it 
was a simple matter to transform the female half into a male body that 
was identical to the uncursed half. We already knew that neither of you 
wanted to spend your lives as a female, so we thought it would be better 
to have both of you as boys. Besides, that is what you were supposed to 
have become when you were born."
     The Ranma that was further away interrupted, "So, what you're saying 
is that we're no longer cursed? Neither one of us?"
     "That's right." Taron somehow made a bucket of water appear in his 
hand and used it to douse the two of them.
     The two Ranmas flinched as they felt the cold water splash the two 
of them. They waited in fearful silence for the transformation to take 
place. When nothing happened, they opened their eyes and looked at 
themselves. They then looked at each other and finally at Taron and 
Soren, both of them were smiling.
     "All right!!!" The two Ranmas shouted as they both leapt off the 
tables. They began shouting and jumping for joy as they celebrated their 
freedom from a curse that had plagued them for almost a year. They 
repeatedly sang, "Never gonna be a girl again!" After five or so minutes, 
the two brothers pounded each other on the back as each congratulated 
the other on their achievement.
     "Settle down boys, settle down!" Soren called out. As soon as the 
boys calmed down and faced him and his twin, Soren continued. "We 
are both very pleased that the two of you are cured, but there are some 
things that we must tell you. There are many consequences to be 
considered now that the two of you are here. You two must understand 
these things. First of all, let me do something in order to avoid 
confusion." He raised his hand and pointed a finger at the Ranma on his 
right. Instantly, the shirt turned from red to blue. "For now, I'll call you 
Ranma Blue, and the other Ranma Red."
     The two martial artists looked at each other and then shrugged. 
Ranma Red decided to ask the first question, "So which of us was the 
original Ranma and which was the brother?"
     Taron gave the two of them a knowing smile, "Actually, since your 
souls have been combined until now, the two of you ARE THE REAL 
RANMA SAOTOME. You both have the same memories, experiences, 
and skills. You will discover that each of you possesses the same 
abilities, especially your martial arts. There is only ONE difference 
between the two of you right now. And that is a subject in which we 
must discuss with you."
     "What's that?" Said the new twins.
     Taron spoke to Ranma Blue. "Ranma Blue, I know that this is a very 
personal question, but who is the girl that you love and want to marry? 
Please be honest with me."
     Ranma Blue became silent as he thought for a while. He had never 
been very good at expressing any tender feelings, especially toward 
girls. It was made even more difficult since he was being asked such a 
personal question from a near total stranger. However, this person and 
his brother had freed him from a curse that had caused him no end of 
trouble. Somehow, Ranma Blue knew he could trust them both. He 
closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he prepared to give his 
answer. Suddenly, his face brightened as he declared confidently, 
"That's easy! Ukyo Kuonji!" He then became surprised at his answer. 
"Hey! Why did I say that? Aren't I supposed to marry Akane?"
     "You spoke from your heart Ranma Blue. In the Realm of Infinity, 
emotions are hard to hide, and love is the most powerful emotion of all. 
You have just told me whom you truly love, although I already knew." 
Taron smiled at bit as he observed the slight shock on the martial 
artist's face.
     "Now it's your turn Ranma Red." Soren said. "Who is the girl that 
you most want as your wife?"
     Ranma Red smiled as he was confident that he would say Akane. In 
fact, in his mind, he was thinking, Akane Tendo. However, after taking a 
deep breath, he replied, "Who else, but Shampoo of course!" The 
pigtailed boy also became shocked as he heard those words from his 
own mouth.
     "What's wrong with us Taron?" Ranma Blue asked.
     "Yeah, I thought that we were in love with Akane!" Ranma Red said. 
He was once again surprised at his words. The fact that he openly 
admitted it left him totally stunned. He looked at his new sibling. 
Ranma Blue nodded with wide eyes as he too realized that he feeling 
the same thing.
     Taron gave them a look of sympathy. "Both of you were in love with 
Akane Tendo. However, just remember, you were in a unique situation. 
Since there were two souls inhabiting the same person, you had also 
developed special feelings toward those other girls. One soul had 
become attached to Ukyo Kuonji, probably because she was your 
childhood friend. The other soul had begun to respond to Shampoo, 
ever since she had started to treat Ranma as a person and not as some 
prize. It was due to this conflict, that you had a hard time of choosing 
which girl to marry." Taron noticed the shocked looks on the newly 
created twins and nodded. "We understand your confusion. This must be 
very unnerving to you both, but it's the truth." 
     "That's right." Soren added. "The both of you did develop some 
strong feelings for Akane in the beginning. Probably because of that 
first time you met her. She was the only one that showed that she cared 
about you. Never mind the fact that she thought you were a girl at the 
time. But later on, her temper and her abusive attitude toward you had 
worn those feelings down. She never believed you when you told her 
the truth. She would always blame you when something goes wrong, 
even if it wasn't your fault. She was always suspicious of you. She kept 
on saying that she didn't want to marry you, yet she became violent 
whenever another girl showed interest in you. Despite all of this, she 
still had a place in your hearts."
     Both Ranmas nodded as the listened.
     "Of course," Taron said, "You could have been a lot more nicer to 
her. You could have complimented her a bit more, instead of throwing 
insults. However, the fact of the matter is that the relationship between 
you and Akane was just too unstable. When I brought you here, your 
feelings for Akane had dwindled down to almost nothing. The love that 
you had for both Ukyo and Shampoo were far stronger at the time."
     "Yes, and when we separated the two souls, the love for Ukyo and 
Shampoo remained intact. However, the love that you both shared for 
Akane was permanently lost. I'm afraid there's no going back now." 
Soren gave each boy a sympathetic eye.
     Taron nodded. "What my brother is telling you is correct. Once you 
two return to the real world, Ranma Red will forever be in love with 
Shampoo, while Ranma Blue will always be devoted to Ukyo. In a way, 
we have solved your indecision to pick a fiancée. I'm very sorry for 
this, but it was necessary that we have our chosen champions."
     "Hold on a minute!" Ranma Red said. "You're telling us that we each 
had some love for Shampoo and Ukyo that we didn't know about?"
     "That's about the size of it. Think back for a minute, Ranma Red." 
Soren commented. "Back to the time when Shampoo almost gave you 
that love potion. Then think back to the times afterward."
     Ranma Red became silent when he began recalling those events. He 
was more than a little surprised after seeing Shampoo throw away 
probably the best chance she had of snaring him. He was badly injured 
and hungry at the time. It would have been a simple matter to just give 
him that love potion. Instead, she chose to respect his wishes and not 
subject him to the potion. In fact, she had become angry with herself 
for even attempting the act. Ranma Red could recall her sadness and 
anguish of almost succeeding in her scheme. He then started to 
remember what had happened afterward.
     The purple-haired Amazon had undergone a radical change in her 
personality. She was no longer after Ranma with her usual, uninhibited, 
yet determined and single-minded attitude. She actually listened to what 
he had to say to her. She didn't use any drugs or magical items to bend 
him to her will. She respected his wishes whenever he asked her to 
leave. Most surprisingly was, she did not try to pick any fights with 
Akane of Ukyo in her quest to catch Ranma as her husband. Shampoo 
was no longer the fierce, woman-warrior out to snag her trophy. 
Instead, she had become someone who wanted to start over with her 
relationship with Ranma. A more meaningful and fulfilling relationship, 
based on trust, respect and… love.
     It was at that time that Ranma Red made another startling realization. 
Ever since Shampoo had kissed him out of thanks for her rescue from 
the Ghost Cat, the pigtailed martial artist had found himself thinking of 
her more often. He had chided himself for having such thoughts, since 
he was engaged to someone else, albeit unwillingly. He couldn't keep 
the image of her being locked in that cage. Seeing her desperation and 
sadness had shaken him to his soul. Since that time, Shampoo's image 
had become a frequent memory. Even now, Ranma Red summoned up 
an image of Shampoo. He could see her in all her glory. Long, thick 
tresses of purple hair. A slim, yet voluptuous, athletic figure. Violet 
eyes that seemed to dance with fire and passion, and yet seemed playful 
at the same time. She was… cute.
     Shaking his head, Ranma Red tried to think of Akane, but for the life 
of him, he couldn't bring up an image of her. When he finally managed 
to form some kind of picture, he saw an enraged and short-tempered 
girl, full of violent tendencies. Soon he saw a scene of rage and 
frustration as she whipped out her hammer and smashed him into the 
next month. He then compared it to Shampoo's treatment of him. It was 
obvious that the Tendo girl's treatment of him was far less than 
desirable. Wincing at the reverie, he then closed his eyes and searched 
the innermost recesses of his soul. When he had looked into every 
nook and cranny of his inner being, he saw nothing but images of 
Shampoo. He opened his eyes, looked at Soren and said in a quiet 
voice, "It's true… I …love… Shampoo."
     Soren nodded as he said with sympathy. "We thought so. Ever since 
Shampoo had come into your life, you had some attraction toward her. 
Not very much, but enough to hold your interest. However, it wasn't as 
large as your mutual love with your brother for Akane. Now that you 
have been separated, you are no longer in conflict. Her new attitude has 
strengthened your attraction toward her and has now made you 
permanently bonded to her. Akane is no longer the mainstay for your 
feelings."
     Ranma Red could only nod as he looked to his new brother.
     Ranma Blue was also in a bit of a shock at his new feelings toward 
Ukyo, his long-time childhood friend. As Soren had asked Ranma Red 
to think back, Ranma Blue also decided to take a walk down memory 
lane. His first memories were of course when he and Ukyo were six 
years old. He could see themselves as playful, carefree individuals, not 
worrying about fiancées, engagements or anything else, besides 
enjoying each other's company. He then saw the sadness and anger in 
his playmate as he unknowingly abandoned her.
     He remembered seeing her again after ten long years. He 
remembered her frustration and rage at him for abandoning her, a 
decade before. How could he have been so blind as to not know she was 
girl? He also saw her undergo a complete reversal when he said 
truthfully that she was cute. As time went on, Ukyo once again became 
his best friend. He could confide in her, trust her with all of his secrets. 
She was great cook and did not lose her temper as often as Akane. Like 
his brother, Ranma Blue found it easy to summon up an image of his 
Ucchan, but had extreme difficulty in creating an image of his supposed 
fiancée. 
     He could see Ukyo's long, dark brown hair and the white ribbon that 
she always wore. She really was cute and with a very deep blush, he 
recalled how shapely she was when he grabbed her that one time. He 
could only see her smiling, laughing and full of life as she happily 
served him his favorite okonomiyaki. Then he saw the image of how 
distraught she was when she finally opened up her feelings toward him. 
When she had told him that she loved him, Ranma Blue had become 
shaken to the core. Here was someone that he had known only as a 
close friend that wanted to become something more. As he considered 
about it, he couldn't help but think that life without Ukyo would be 
empty. If he got along so well with someone like that, then why not let 
it develop into love? What was holding him back?
     Ranma Blue had the answer. Akane Tendo was the reason. He also 
had feelings of love for her. Strange that he was now admitting it, if 
only to himself. Now that he was no longer sharing the same body with 
his twin, he felt as if a great burden had been lifted. He was no longer 
torn between choosing one of the three girls. Although he was still very 
nervous about settling on one fiancée, he was now heading on a single 
path, instead of being stuck at a crossroads.
     "You're right." Ranma Blue said in a whisper. "I love Ucchan."
     Taron nodded to him and responded, "I see that the both of you have 
come to terms with your feelings." He noticed the looks of guilt, which 
flashed across each Ranma. "You needn't feel like you're betraying 
Akane. The person who loved Akane no longer exists."
     Both twins became shocked when they heard this revelation.
     Soren said quickly, "Oh don't be alarmed! What my brother meant 
was that you two still ARE Ranma Saotome. That hasn't changed. 
However, you will begin to discover that as you continue with your 
lives, you are going to undergo certain personality adjustments."
     "What kind of adjustments?" Ranma Blue queried.
     "Just remember, with two souls inhabiting the same body, you were 
prone to making bad errors in judgement. Both souls were competing 
for control and had usually come up with poor results. Your constant 
insults toward Akane and your inability to pick a fiancée are good 
examples. You tended to jump into situations where caution was 
required and whenever a cure for your Jusenkyo curse seemed possible, 
you were willing to do just about anything. I'm sure you remember that 
DATE you had with Kuno when you wanted that magic sword?"
     Both Ranmas shuddered at the memory.
     "Exactly!" Taron affirmed. "Now that each of you have your own 
body to inhabit, you will now be able to make better judgements for 
yourselves. Furthermore, you will no longer inhibited when it comes to 
showing your true feelings toward Ukyo and Shampoo. Do you 
understand what we are telling you?"
     For a long while, no one spoke. Finally, the Ranma twins said in the 
same voice, "Yes."
     Nodding his head, Taron then said, "Now that those explanations are 
out of the way, I must inform you that time is limited and we must 
begin your training. I will ask you two again. Will you help us and 
become our champions?"
     Both Ranmas looked at each other and then looked at Taron and 
Soren. There was another long silence as they considered their options. 
Finally, they each gave them a slight nod.
     The two brothers smiled at their new champions. They both raised 
their arms and sent another flash of white light at them. The Saotome 
brothers were gone in an instant.
 
To be continued…
 
AUTHOR'S NOTES
     When I decided to create the Ranma twins, I was inspired by the 
Mirrors Multiplied and Stellarcraft stories to hook up the Ranmas with 
the two other females of the Ranmaverse love triangles. The Akane and 
Ranma idea was too much of a recurring theme in most of the fan 
fictions I have read. Ukyo and Shampoo were always depicted as bitter 
rivals in the anime and manga. They would fight each other and it would 
always result in Akane getting the prize, Ranma. Not this time. As Taron 
had said, I have resolved the fiancée issue with TWO winners instead of 
one. This development will have serious repercussions later on.
     This will be the final rewrite for Chapter Three. I felt as if I needed 
to explain in better detail why Ukyo and Shampoo had become the loves 
of the Ranma twins. Thanks to all of my readers who have made those 
suggestions to me.