Chapter 6: Ranma Saotome
Sacrifices Must Be Made
                  
                

        'Unclean... I'm Unclean... all these years, and pop's never told me...' 
Ranma shook his head sadly, walking down the forest path.  In two days, he
and Shampoo, the girl he had LEAST wanted to marry (well, Kodachi might
have been worse, but Ranma rarely thought of her and marriage together- it
was too frightening an idea even for him), would be husband and wife.  And
if he did anything about it, he would basically be dead to his world-
practically unable to live in Japan, in fact.  'I wish... I wish I had
married Akane earlier- during the first wedding attempt.  If I had, then
Shampoo and the old Ghoul would have both been forced to give up.  Marrying
Akane wouldn't have been so bad... I can even accept, now that it's too
late, of course, that I do love her.  Now, though, Akane doesn't care.  She
wouldn't even listen to me when I tried to tell her why I was forced to
marry Shampoo- I even would have told her about that damn proof that
Cologne had, if she had let me.  I wish she would let me explain- maybe
together we could have figured something out.  I wish I had been able to
tell her I loved her before it was too late.  I wish I wasn't Unclean.'

        "MOST OF ALL, I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO MARRY SHAMPOO!"  He shouted at
the top of his lungs.  Ah, that felt good.

        "Sorry, can't do that one," a voice behind him said.  Ranma spun- he
hadn't heard anyone approaching him- who was that?  Ranma looked around,
and saw... well, maybe a faint outline of someone.  It was hard to tell
though.  "Other people's granted wishes cannot be directly reversed."

        "Who said that?"  he asked, amazed.  Few people could escape detection
from him for long, if he was REALLY looking for them.  "Who's there?"  

        "I am," said a voice coming from the outline.

        Ranma blinked.  "Well, who are you?" he asked.

        "I am..." the figure seemed to brighten to near visibility, but Ranma
still couldn't distinguish a single feature.  "Well, I am a caretaker of
destiny, and destiny has been circumvented.  I'm here to... well, minimize
the damage."

        Ranma frowned.  "Okay, you're a caretaker of destiny.  What do I have to
do with all of this?"

        The caretaker, if it had had a face, would have frowned right then. 
"Well, YOUR destiny was the one most affected.  Actually, everyone's was,
but yours was the most affected.  Gosunkugi was doomed to summon a demon
which would kill him in another year, Akane's mother returning hasn't
changed the future at all, and Ryouga was going to be split from P-Chan
anyway, by wandering to and falling in the Spring of Drowned Twins next
year, despite his wish.  Oh, and Mousse would have been killed by Cologne
if he hadn't made his wish when he had- he was becoming much too much of an
obstacle.  As it is, he was the one who warned me of your situation. 
Remember to thank him for getting me here for you."

        Ranma blinked at that- it almost sounded like this person was saying
Mousse hadn't died the way things had turned out. 

        "No, YOU have been forced to make a decision now.  Ranma, you can choose
to be returned to your old path of destiny, if you want.  It will be hard, and
you will have to make many sacrifices, but it can be done.  And on that path,
you and Akane will marry and be in love- truly in love- for the rest of your
relatively long lives. It will mean that you will have to reveal ALL of your
secrets to Akane, that you will ultimately lose Ukyou as a friend, and that
Shampoo will... well, it will be worse than death for her.  OR, you can take the
path that has been set for you now.  On that path, you and Shampoo will marry,
and you will grow to love her, to some extent- though never to the point that
you loved Akane.  And Akane will wither away, unwilling to love anyone again.
However, you will retain Ukyou as your friend, and your life will also be long
and satisfying, and the only sacrifice you will make is Akane.  Which do you
want?"

        Ranma was astounded.  Here he was, being told to pick his future- and he
was even told the consequences of his choices.  "Well," he began. "Assuming
you're really who you say you are, what will you do when I DO pick my path?"

        The spirit laughed.  "Well, unlike most of the others, you can't deal
with this situation yourself.  That was another reason I chose to visit you this
time.  I won't be able to DO anything, though- I can affect nothing of the
physical world.  I CAN, however, advise you on what to do."

        Ranma frowned.  "And if I pick a path, and refuse to take your advice?"

        "That is your choice, but it will make things much more harder for you."

        Ranma sighed.  'Enough stalling,' he told himself.  'Weren't you just
wishing you could have told Akane you loved her, before you were taken away
from her?  It is my time to be decisive.'  He fixed his gaze at the form,
right where he figured the eyes were.  "One more question:  will Akane be
hurt if I choose the first path?"

        "Well... yes, but less than she would if you chose the second."  The
apparition sighed.  "That's what happens when a demon like Happosai makes a
wish:  Everyone else affected by that wish- all those who saw Happosai's
summoned demon- are granted a wish.  And those wishes typically play havoc
with destiny.  I can tell you now, if you don't want more problems, you
warn Ukyou not to make a wish that involves you.  It will... well, you will
fix your own destiny, but it will hurt her even worse."

        Ranma sighed.  There was only one choice to make- he was just delaying
what he wanted.  "I choose to marry Akane- as much as I've fought against
it, she's the one I love... more than life itself- more than my own comfort
or peace of mind.  Akane must be protected.  And if it takes losing Ukyou
and hurting others... well, sacrifices must be made."

        The apparition solidified into human form.  Though the features were still indistinct, there was a badge plainly visible on his pocked.  'Kami of the
True Fiancee # 116- Desix.'  Desix had been crossed out, and in its place
was the word 'Desaix.'  The apparition gestured to a path in the woods
Ranma hadn't seen before.  "Okay, the first step is to find something you
can make a wish with...

*       *       *       *       *

        Ranma was amazed at the item he possessed.  It looked exactly like the
medallion that had been found clenched in the hands of Mousse's body, and
its powers were apparently the same.  It would focus Ranma's wish enough
for it to actually manifest itself.  Now, to do what Desaix had asked of
him, and hire Nabiki to come up with a wish for him.

        Nabiki came down and sat in the restaurant next to him, her face cold
and angry.  She, as the others, had been angry when Ranma had agreed to marry
Shampoo.

        "Nabiki," Ranma said slowly.  "Thank you for coming.  I know you- and
pretty much everyone else- hates me right now..."  He shook his head.  "I
didn't want to marry Shampoo, but nothing can change that now.  My fate, in
that regard, is sealed."

        "Oh?"  Nabiki accused.

        "Cologne has... blackmail material on me.  Stuff even YOU wouldn't use
because it's too damaging.  There's NO way to get rid of the material in
time to stop the wedding... and there are other reasons I know the wedding
will happen as well.  But... I don't love Shampoo.  In fact, right now, I
want her dead.  Killing her, though, would only prompt Cologne to release
the blackmail material she has gathered.  I DO love your little sister,
though..."  Such an admission stunned Nabiki, but all that showed in her
face was a raised eyebrow.  "And want to find a way around all of this."

        Nabiki frowned.  "I need to know what the blackmail material is before I
can help you.  In fact, if you don't tell me what it is, I won't even
listen to you any more- I need to be sure it isn't too petty for a valid
excuse."

        Ranma nodded.  "He said you would..."

        Nabiki blinked.  "He?"

        Ranma's eyes widened.  He hadn't meant to say that out loud!  "Er...
I'll explain later."  Ranma hesitated, noticing Nabiki was getting a little
ticked at the delay.  However, gathering comfort from Desaix's assurances
that Nabiki wouldn't hold it against him.  "Okay, Nabiki... Cologne has
documented proof- a LOT of copies of it- that my father's ancestors are...
Unclean."

        Now it was Nabiki's turn for her eyes to widen.  "Good gods..."

        "Now do you understand why I had no choice?"

        Nabiki knew that Ranma had been right when he said that it was too
damaging even for her to touch.  However, that he admitted it to her said
something- it said that he trusted her, for one thing.  For another, it said
that he REALLY needed her help.  Nabiki, herself, didn't care about all of this
nonsense about ancestors being unclean, but she couldn't let it get out in the
open- for Akane's sake.  She knew that the girl loved Ranma more than she would
ever admit, so something which would hurt Ranma this much would hurt Akane as
well.  Nabiki nodded.

		"Good. Now, on to what I need you for.  One of the other reasons I can't
stop Shampoo is that... she won her marriage to me by making a wish, which was
granted, on a device similar to this one."  He held out the medallion, which
Nabiki recognized instantly as the same thing that Mousse had held in death.  "I
have a few hundred gods in heaven, trying to help me out, but they are bound by
their own laws- which read a wish granted cannot be taken back.  Shampoo, I
think, wished to marry me."

        "And what do you want me to do?"

        Ranma sighed.  "I need to be able to talk to Akane without interruption-
and I need to be able to communicate to her well enough that we can form a
plan to stop Shampoo.  The person I was talking to was very clear on these
points- I need you to help me make the wish, and Akane to make the plans. 
I could change that, but it would hurt Akane more, and I asked him
specifically for the path which hurt her the least."

        Nabiki was a little awed that Ranma had asked for such a thing.  She'd
always thought he had some kind of attraction to her little sister, but one
that strong was far beyond her abilities to guess at.  "Okay... so you need
to be able to talk to Akane uninterrupted... hmm..."  She considered things
carefully.  "I suppose these wishes will do anything in their power to
backfire?"

        Ranma nodded- if he had understood Desaix correctly, that was a
good way of putting things.

        "Well... hmm... it would need to be something simple, yet direct.
Here..."  She pulled a napkin from the dispenser, and wrote a phrase on it.
"There you go.  But Ranma..."

        He looked at Nabiki curiously.  "Yes?"

        "I want that wishing stone when you're done with it."

        Ranma nodded.  "Consider it payment for helping me now."

        Nabiki clucked, but considering he was doing this for her sister...

*       *       *       *       *

        Ranma held the medallion and concentrated.  He had memorized the words
Nabiki had written, and so now was the time to say them.  "I wish I could
communicate to Akane all my thoughts, all my feeling, and all my emotions,
whenever I want to or need to."

        Somewhere up in heaven, a god with a misspelled name tag smiled.  The
floodgates were about to open- Nabiki had no idea what she had done. 
Desaix hadn't really been trying to put Ranma and Akane together THIS time
(though he had in the past, and would many times in the future) but what he
said was true- the gift, and curse, of the wish Ranma had made had been
JUST what he was going for.  Of course, the fact that it DID bring the two
of them together was a pleasant bonus, indeed.

*       *       *       *       *

        Akane had been crying during all the waking hours since she had realized
Ranma was lost.  Things would never be the same- Ranma wasn't in love with
her.  Her mother had tried to calm her, as had Kasumi, but this was as bad-
no, this was WORSE than when her mother had first died.  What could she do
now?

        Suddenly, she felt something in her head- or, more accurately, connected
to the inside of her thoughts.  What?!

        'Akane,' Ranma's voice said.  'It's me, Ranma.  Sorry about this...'

        "No way," Akane said aloud.  She was getting delusional- and all about
some silly boy, too.

        'No, Akane, you aren't delusional.  This really is Ranma talking... er,
thinking to you.  I... made a wish.  On a wishing stone...'  She felt that
connection surge for a second, latching on to a specific memory of hers. 
'Similar to this one- the one which brought back your mother.  It was meant
to give me a chance to explain why I had to marry Shampoo without getting
killed by you, and to ask you for your help in breaking that marriage when
it's done, but it seems to have backfired a bit and allowed me to talk to
you through our minds.'

        Akane frowned.  'If this isn't a delusion,' she thought, trying to keep
from speaking and making the others in the house think she was insane
(which she very probably was, she felt).  'Then if you really CAN tell me
why you need to do marry Shampoo... DO SO!'

        Akane felt a portion of her being grabbed and tugged.  'Okay,' Ranma's
voice said.  'As much as I hate to do it, here's a guided tour of my mind.'

        And suddenly, Akane saw it all.  All of Ranma's memories, all of his
thoughts, all of his... emotions.  She was shocked at the depth of his love
for her, and at the hatred he had for himself for being unable to tell her
or show her.  She was shocked at how fragile his psyche really was...

        And then she saw it.  At first she was frightened- Cologne possessed the
ability to show Ranma's family as Unclean?!  But then, she realized she
didn't care.  She, too, loved him- she had known that, even if she refused
to admit it very often- and wouldn't care if he, himself, was one of the
Unclean.  She WANTED him despite it all.

        Then she saw other things, not really related, that Ranma had been
trying to shield her from.  Ryouga was P-Chan at one time?!  The gods themselves
were helping the two of them sort out their problems with destiny?  And...
taking the path which held her meant extreme sacrifice...

        It was too much.  All too much.  Akane passed out- in body.  In mind,
though, she stumbled and recovered.  And she and Ranma, after conversing
some more, started planning.

*       *       *       *       *

        Akane was sitting in Ucchan's, eating an Okonomiyaki.  It was the day of
Ranma's wedding with Shampoo, and it was going to happen.  Akane saw that
it was unavoidable- and the plan the two of them had come up with would
mean that Ranma and Shampoo would stay married for at least a week.  But
now was the time to stop Ukyou from doing something rash- Desaix had warned
Ranma that Ukyou might die if she interfered.  And Akane, despite the fact
she ALSO knew Ukyou and Ranma would hurt each other a lot in the future,
couldn't let her die.

        "How can you be so calm!?"  Ukyou accused her.  "Today, you and I are
LOSING Ranma.  Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?"

        Akane sighed, and opened up to let Ranma speak through her.  "Ucchan,"
Akane began.  "I'm afraid the wedding cannot be stopped.  They will be
married- it would be suicide to try and stop it.  But there is an option
we've been planning."

        Ukyou blinked- when did Akane start calling her Ucchan?

        "In one week, a package will arrive.  When it does, I- uh, Ranma
will be able to exchange it in return for the blackmail material Cologne
holds on him.  When that is gone, Ranma can divorce Shampoo.  But until
then, we can't.  Sacrifices must be made."  Akane's body regained its
control, and she felt Ranma lower the link they had to the barest minimum.
"Sacrifices like... having Ranma lose his virginity before either of us
have a chance at him, and sacrifices like destroying Shampoo's life- which
I am willing to do, right now, but I might regret it five or ten years from
now."  She sighed.  "If I didn't know what the blackmail was that was
binding Ranma, I'd probably agree to go bomb her wedding much like you
bombed mine.  But..."

        Ukyou drew her eyebrows together in thought.  "You know what the
blackmail is?  Well... what is it?"

        Akane looked at Ukyou.  "Not Genma's fault, but his grandparents', or
possibly even great grandparents' fault.  It is dangerous to ALL of Ranma's
family, and was shared with me in confidence."  Akane checked something
with Ranma, and then sighed again.  "It's dangerous- even Nabiki wouldn't
touch it.  If it were to fall into the wrong hands, Ranma would be
forbidden to marry any of us..."  She shook her head.  "He only told me
because he needed help with his plan, and I don't think he'd tell you since
you aren't part of it.  Sorry- I'd tell you if I could."

        Ukyou nodded.  She wasn't surprised at that, just saddened.

        Akane frowned in distaste for a brief second, a look of sheer disgust
crossing her face.  Ukyou noticed this and blinked.  "Something wrong with
the food?" she asked.

        "Huh?  Oh, sorry, Ukyou.  No, the food's fine.  I just... realized, the
wedding just started.  And, given the shotgun nature of this wedding, I
suspect that it's probably almost done already."  Akane was beginning to
wonder exactly how much unpleasantness this new connection would cause for
the next week.

        Ukyou snorted.  "Yeah, I suppose it is..."

        Through their connection, Ranma and Akane congratulated each other.
Ukyou had accepted he would be married to Shampoo, so now their plan was set...

*       *       *       *       *

        Akane lay awake most of the night, trying to drive a very apologetic
Ranma from her head.  She wasn't mad at him- they had expected this, and they
both knew of ALL of the other's feelings in the matter, but still... she
didn't like feeling Ranma have sex with Shampoo.

        If there was any consolation at all, it was in that Ranma would have
experience doing this sort of thing when the two of them really were
married.  Akane now shook herself for suggesting that he try various things
with the Chinese girl, because it would be that much better for the two of
them when THEIR time came... The moment he felt her reluctance, however, he
froze and went like a statue in Shampoo's arms.  There was a certain
satisfaction in that Shampoo would get nothing enjoyable from her marriage
bet, but she still hated the idea of Ranma and Shampoo together.

        'Sorry, Akane,' he thought to her.  'I guess it just went wrong, like
everything else has in my life.  I wish...'

        'Ranma,' Akane thought back, interrupting.  'For one thing, we've BOTH
used up our one wish.  This only hurts in the short run, Ranma.  Remember that.
And remember that I love you, despite all of this...'

*       *       *       *       *

        Five days later, a certain device arrived from Herb's kingdom, on loan
(terms negotiated by Nabiki) to Akane Tendou for the necessary amount of
time.  The next day, Shampoo was locked as a cat by the Musk Dynasty's form
locking bucket.  Shampoo was captured and locked away, and not released
back to Cologne until ALL the evidence against Ranma's ancestors was
destroyed, and Cologne signed an agreement to leave Japan with Shampoo,
never to return.  Then, after getting Ranma a legal divorce (thus ensuring
that Shampoo's wish would remain fulfilled in that she HAD been legally
married to her, which a simple annulment would not do) the cat was returned to
her.

        Ranma wondered whether Shampoo would ever become human again.