Dual Destinies
 
Ranma 1/2 and all the other characters that are mentioned either 
belong to their respective creators or are totally made up. Don't 
bother suing me since after expenses, my paycheck couldn't cover 
the cost of a newspaper.
 
 Chapter 30
 Resurrection!
 
 Deep within the confines of a broom closet in the Masaki 
household, a certified 'mad' scientist was cackling over her latest 
experiment. In the vast laboratory that was occupying a section of 
subspace within the tiny closet, she was now checking over the 
readouts of a monitor that was hooked up to a pair of large glass 
cylinders that were the sizes of phone booths.
 Within each cylinder was a large, featureless, pulsating mass of 
protoplasm. The masses were currently suspended within a 
bubbling mixture of nutrient fluids and were being bombarded 
with various energies. When the masses had received a specific 
amount of power, the greatest scientific genius in the universe 
Washu smiled as she pushed a few key controls on her 
holographic console. This caused another machine to suddenly 
appear. She then took out the small disk that the Masaki twins had 
given her and inserted it into a small slot. A few more commands 
were typed in and the final ingredients were added to the 
biological soup. A pair of grappling arms swung in from above and 
grasped the two bottles that were resting on a nearby lab table. The 
contents of each bottle were poured into a separate cylinder and 
then Washu set the high-tech blenders to mix.
 "I am such a genius!" 
 
 In the backyard of the Masaki house, Ranma Red was getting 
quite a workout as he sparred with Tenchi's grandfather Yosho. 
The aged but still formidable Jurai warrior began showing him the 
intricacies of Juraian swordplay and the mystic twin was hard-
pressed to keep up with him. Their energy blades clashed together 
dozens of times within the first few seconds of their match. As 
they battled, they engaged in conversation.
 "Well, I must say that you do have some considerable talent 
young man!" Yosho ducked a slash, then made a counter thrust.
 "Thanks!" Ranma Red backstepped and twisted to one side. 
"When I grabbed the Light Star Blade, it transferred all the 
knowledge and experiences of the previous champions." Ranma 
then did a feint, hoping to lure his opponent closer.
 "Hmmm. Tell me Ranma Red, did you have any visions of some 
people you've never seen before? Does the name Tsunami ring a 
bell?" Yosho backed off then made an upswing toward the twin's 
head.
 Ranma paused for a brief moment before answering. "Hey! 
Come to think of it, that name does seem familiar! I think I heard 
that name when the sword began transferring its knowledge to 
me!"
 "That's not very surprising Ranma Red." Yosho continued to 
press his attack. "The Light Star Blade was forged on Jurai."
 "Really?" Ranma Red ducked a swing, then parried his next 
attack.
 "Indeed. About ten thousand years ago, a master craftsman took 
a small branch of our mightiest spaceship tree Tsunami and used it 
to create the sword. He was contacted by Kami-sama and Tsunami 
graciously donated a branch."
 "So this sword was made by your people?"
 "That's right. This information had been passed down through 
Jurai's royal family for generations. No else knew that a second 
Master Key had been created. The Light Star Blade has bonded 
itself to you. You are bonded to your twin. As such, you and your 
brother now have access to the power of Jurai's royal family, just 
as Tenchi does."
 "But why?"
 "Well, if Earth is conquered by the Dark World, then what's to 
stop them from going on to conquer the rest of the universe?"
 "You know about the Dark World?"
 "I know all about the Legend of the Chosen Twins. When Kami-
sama contacted us and commissioned that a second Master Key be 
made, we were told of the importance of such an undertaking. The 
Dark World could have invaded our universe at any given place, 
but they chose Earth for a reason. You don't know it but this planet 
happens to be one of the key junctions of dimensional interface."
 "Dimensional interface?"
 "That's right. It is in this particular location in which the space-
time continuum can be manipulated. All reality and physical laws 
can be altered here, since it is such a rich source of ambient and 
spiritual energies. Alternative dimensions use this place as a 
reference point and diverge from every event that occurs on this 
world. No matter where you go in this universe or any other 
dimension, you'll always find some link to this world. Earth can be 
considered the hub of a giant wheel, in which the spokes are the 
diverging timelines of itself and other worlds as well."
 "So that old belief that the Earth is the center of the universe is 
true?"
 "Not quite. You could think of Earth as the center of one wheel 
in a vast collection. Each world is its own hub with divergent lines 
streaming out. Each wheel inevitably connects with another. One 
wheel may turn the other, thereby affecting the two and more. If 
one wheel were to be removed or destroyed, the resulting chain 
reaction would be felt by others. Earth's position within Reality's 
Great Machinery is a delicate one. Several hundred other worlds 
are also in the same position. Take out these pieces and you may 
drastically upset the entire workings of the multiverse. Earth was 
chosen because it was the closest to the Dark World in the space-
time continuum."
 Ranma Red pondered Yosho's words as they continued to spar. 
As they increased their pace, he began to realize the incredible 
responsibility of his role as one of the Chosen Twins. They 
weren't fighting just to save the Earth! They were fighting to save 
all reality!
 As the two continued to battle, inside the living room, several 
members of the Masaki family were getting to know their 
relatives and their otherworldly guests.
 "So you're a princess of Jurai?" Nodaka asked.
 "Yes Nodoka-san. My sister and I are the first princesses of our 
homeworld. Mind you though, we are only members of one of 
many branches. Lord Tenchi is the direct descendant of the main 
family and is next in line for the throne of Jurai."
 "You're royalty?" Nabiki asked with interest.
 Tenchi laughed nervously as he scratched his head. "Well, you 
could say that."
 "Meow!"
 Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Ryo-oh-
ki pad into the living room. The three former Tendo sisters 
suddenly became pale as they saw the cabbit make its way to 
where Ranma Blue was sitting with his wife, Ukyo.
 "Ranma! Watch out!" Nabiki cried out, as she knew that 
anything that remotely looked like a cat would send him into the 
dreaded Neko-Ken. She and her sisters began inching away as 
Nodoka, Tenchi, Sasami, Ayeka and Ryoko looked in confusion. 
Cologne braced herself. Ukyo also flinched when she saw the 
strange catlike creature approach them, then remembered herself. 
Shampoo became a bit apprehensive, but calmed herself down.
 Ranma Blue gazed down at the cute sometime spaceship, then 
bent down to pick her up. He then began stroking behind her large, 
floppy ears, which elicited a pleased purr from the cabbit. "So 
what's the big deal?"
 The three sisters stared in amazement at Ranma Blue calmly 
holding Ryo-oh-ki in his arms. They had expected him to be 
freaking out but there was no sign of the Cat Fist madness in his 
eyes.
 "Why Ranma Blue! However are you doing that?" Cologne 
asked.
 "Oh, didn't we tell you? My brother and I aren't afraid of cats 
anymore. Soren and Taron cleared us of the Neko Ken."
 "Neko-Ken?" Sasami repeated.
 "You're cleared of it?" Akane asked.
 "Yep! Soren used his magical skills to remove the Neko-Ken 
from our minds."
 "Oh right! I remember them telling us about that when they 
removed my cat curse." Shampoo said.
 "Your cat curse?" Kasumi inquired.
 Shampoo smiled happily. "That's right! My darling doesn't 
change into a girl and isn't afraid of cats, and I don't change into 
one!"
 "Neko-Ken? Change into a girl? Change into a cat? What are 
you guys talking about?" Ryoko queried.
 Ranma Blue gave a short laugh as he replied, "It's a LONG 
story!"
 Several hours would pass as Ranma Blue told the details of his 
shared life with Ranma Red. Sometime in the middle of the 
narration, his twin and Yosho entered the home and the other twin 
assisted in the storytelling. After a long and detailed account of 
the past, Ranma Blue wrapped it all up.
 "That's… almost unbelievable!" Tenchi remarked as the story 
was finished. "Your father actually engaged you to that many 
girls?"
 Ranma Red nodded as he held Shampoo in his arms. "That's 
right. He'd sell us off to anyone who could feed his fat stomach. 
Heck, what we've told you are only the fiancées that we know 
about. Kami-sama only knows how many more are still out there. "
 "He wouldn't face the consequences of his crimes, and we'd 
usually end up paying for them." Ranma Blue added. "But that's 
over and done now. We're married and there's nothing that stupid 
panda can do about it! He's going to have to clean up his own 
messes!" He leaned over and kissed Ukyo. His brother followed 
suit and kissed Shampoo.
 Nodoka nodded as her face took on a stern look. "And if I ever 
catch that man, he'll be committing seppuku!"
 Akane looked wistfully at the twins and their spouses then 
shook her head sadly. <That could have been me!> She fought 
back the tears and then sighed. It was then that she saw Washu 
approach them.
 The greatest scientific genius in the universe cleared her voice, 
getting the attention of all those present. "Excuse me you two, 
but… they're ready."
 "Who's ready?" Kasumi asked.
 Both twins disengaged themselves from their wives and stood 
up. Ranma Blue addressed the group while setting down Ryo-oh-
ki. "The reason why we came here in the first place. We have to 
take care of something. Please don't wait up for us at dinner. This 
is going to take a while. We'll give you all an explanation later." 
He turned to Washu. "Lead the way."
 Deep within the laboratory, the two cylinders had stopped their 
mixing and energy saturation and were now put on standby. Within 
each tube was a naked humanoid figure that was suspended in a 
thick, viscous liquid. Tiny bubbles floated around each body as a 
monitor displayed their vital functions and energy readings. 
Except for the quiet hum of background machinery, all was silent.
 Washu led the twins to the tanks and the three of them gazed 
upon the figures in the glass casings. Washu looked down at the 
monitor and nodded as the readouts gave her the current status of 
the two subjects.
 "Vital functions are ready to activate the moment the bodies 
receive their spiritual energies. Let me tell you, this wouldn't have 
been possible without the information you gave me. Cloning 
perfect replicas of the original bodies without any samples wasn't 
easy! It's a good thing that disk contained the schematics I needed 
to create these copies. By the way, are you sure that you don't 
want me to correct those deficiencies?"
 Ranma Red shook his head. "No. The bodies must be exactly as 
they were before they got altered. Otherwise, we run the risk of 
complications. I've never tried a soul transfer before and even 
though the Light Star Blade has explained it to me in detail, I'm 
little more than nervous about this. Ready bro?" Ranma Red turned 
to his brother.
 "Let's do it."
 Washu nodded as she took her place behind the console. "Now 
remember. I'll be feeding energy into the bodies to keep them 
functioning. The waters that contained their souls have already 
been added to the nutrient gel. However, since they happen to be a 
product of magic and elemental power, I'm going to need the both 
of you to make this work. Are you ready?"
 Both twins nodded and began powering up their auras. Washu 
took a deep breath and threw the switch.
 The rest of the Masaki family and the guests were still 
wondering what was going on in Washu's lab when they became 
startled at a bright flash of white light that came from the door of 
the broom closet. The another series of lights were emitted, this 
time they were red and blue. This symphony of brilliance went on 
for a full minute and lit up the entire house like an Aurora 
Borealis. Ryoko and Ayeka quickly went to Tenchi's side to 
protect him while the rest of the Masaki clan crowded behind 
them. Then as suddenly as it began, the light show stopped. There 
was an ominous silence that filled the air and no one spoke. Then a 
cackle was heard from the closet. The laughter was so chilling that 
it made most of the family's hair stand on end. The residents of 
the house recognized the voice as Washu's.
 "HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! IT'S ALIVE! ALIVE!!!"
  Then there was another moment of silence before that same 
voice said in an embarrassed tone, "Sorry! I've always wanted to 
say that!"
 Everyone in the room had a large sweat drop on the backs of 
their heads.
 "They're alive?"
 "That's right Akane. Mousse and Ryoga are now resting in their 
stasis tanks for now. Washu says that they'll be back on their feet 
by tomorrow." Ranma Red hugged his wife, who was crying a bit at 
the return of an unwanted, yet not totally disliked former suitor.
  "But… I thought it was impossible to bring them back!" Akane 
remarked.
 "Well, the way we figure it," Ranma Blue replied. "When the 
Mark of the Demon altered their bodies, it amplified their curses. 
When their bodies were destroyed, their link to Jusenkyo 
remained. Their souls became one with the power of Jusenkyo and 
each were put into their own springs. I sensed their spiritual 
energies when I got Storm Striker."
 "But if their bodies were destroyed, how can they be alive 
now?"
 "The disk we got from Kami-sama contained all the genetic 
codes that he used to create them in the first place." Ranma Red 
replied. "We didn't think of that since we thought Ryoga and 
Mousse had died when they committed suicide. It never occurred 
to us to ask Kami-sama what those two were made of."
 "That's right!" Washu said with pride. "And you have me to thank 
for making all this possible! My cloning techniques are far more 
advanced than Earth's so it was NO problem to create new bodies 
from some spare protoplasm I had lying around! It's a good thing 
these two had that disk! Anyway, the boys managed to use their 
magic and elemental powers to merge the souls with their bodies. 
Of course, they had to also merge the Jusenkyo waters with them 
as well. Ryoga still has the Curse of the Drowned Pig, while 
Mousse turns into a duck with cold water! Oh well! Two out of 
three isn't bad!"
 Ranma Red and his brother smiled as he said, "Miss Washu, on 
behalf of all of us, we thank you."
 "Oh please! Call me LITTLE WASHU!"
 "Uh… sure, Little Washu. You are after all the greatest 
scientific genius in the galaxy."
 "IN THE UNIVERSE!" Washu corrected as her two puppets 
appeared on her shoulders.
 "WASHU IS A GENIUS!"
 "HOORAY FOR WASHU!"
 ["Indeed"]
 The people looked around for the source of the voice then 
were a little startled when Taron and Soren appeared. 
 "Well now. It's been quite a while since I have seen the two of 
you." Yosho remarked as he bowed to the newcomers.
 "Hello you handsome devils!" Washu greeted. "Have you two 
finally agreed to be my guinea pigs?"
 "You know each other?" Ranma Blue asked.
 "Oh yes. I met Soren and Taron some thirty years back and they 
told me to expect Tenchi's twin cousins would come to our home 
during the time of the Final Contract Renewal. That's why I wasn't 
too surprised when you two showed up."
 "I met these rascals a few years before I was sealed up in that 
shrine for seven hundred years. They told me that I would play an 
important part in the Final Contract Renewal. Guess I already 
filled my part."
 "That you did Washu, and we thank you." Soren said.
 "Oh come on now! Call me little Washu!"
 "You still haven't changed!" Taron remarked.
 "You knew this would happen?!" Ranma Red said with 
confusion.
 "Actually, no." Soren replied. "We only carry out the wishes of 
Kami-sama. He doesn't tell us what will happen and only he knows 
what path you must take. We only follow his orders and give the 
necessary nudges and pushes to fulfill your destinies. Trust us, 
Kami-sama knows best and will not let the Earth or all of reality 
be destroyed."
 "That's right." Taron agreed. "All the events that have gotten us 
to this point have been Kami-sama's plan to win the Contract. And 
now that you have completed your final trials, you two are now 
ready to face the challenges of the Dark World.
 "Final trials?" Ranma Blue asked in confusion.
 Soren nodded. "Bringing back Ryoga and Mousse, despite the 
fact that they were your hated rivals, proves that you have the 
compassion and the sense of responsibility you will need when 
you go up against Sharoka! The strength of your powers is nothing 
if your hearts do not have equal amounts of courage, virtue and 
honor!"
 "Prepare yourselves, Ranma Red and Ranma Blue! For 
tomorrow, you shall face your DUAL DESTINIES!"
 
To be continued…
 
Author's notes
 Whew! With all the other fanfics I have, I was quite surprised 
that I was able to continue writing this! I know that it sounds a bit 
corny at the end, but that's life! This story is now picking up speed 
as the First Dark World Challenge for the fate of the universe 
begins. We shall finally meet with Sharoka and Akane will 
confront Ryoga about deceiving her. This is what the twins have 
been training for! The battle royal will start in Chapter 31!