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All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.

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Coutuva.



Goodbye Is Not Forever - Part Seven
------------------------------------------------------------------




        The small beach was silent, except for the sound of
approaching footfalls.  Ranma blinked out of her mindless stare
across the still water, and greeted Nabiki's hesitant approach 
with a frown.
        "You...  Doing any better?"
        She huffed.  "I dunno.  I'm...  Kinda numb," she
confessed, her voice flat.
        "I was worried about you - especially after you got sick
so many times.  What the hell did they do to you, anyway?"
        "I...  I can't talk about it," she bit off, even the
thought reigniting her anger.  "Nabs...  Would you get Himiko to
come over here, and then give us about two minutes?  I gotta set
something straight," she requested, lowering her eyes.
        Nabiki frowned.  "Okay..." she finally sighed, then
stepped up close.
        Ranma felt a hand land on her shoulder, and looked up to
see Nabiki kneel down, her eyes soft, yet earnest.
        "I don't give a shit what happened to you -- it won't
make me think any less of you," she assured, then leaned in and
planted a kiss on her forehead.
        Ranma felt her chest tighten.  "Thanks, Nabs.  I guess...
I needed to hear that."
        "Yeah, I know," the girl winked, then rose and sauntered
away.
        Ranma watched her walk away, then smirked.  "Where did
you come from, lady?" she whispered, shaking her head slowly.





	"I want you to promise me something before we go any
further," Ranma commanded, making certain her tone conveyed her
seriousness.
	Himiko nodded.  "What?"
	"Absolutely *nobody* is to know what happened to me.  Not
now, not ever.  Not even in your time.  I want you to swear
it - on your honour."
	"Hai.  I swear it," the woman responded, with no
hesitation.  "I don't have to guess why, though, do I?  It...
Must have been gruesome."
	Ranma shook her head.  "Iya.  Tell you the truth, I was
expecting *what* happened - but no way was I expecting the
*how*," she spat, her fist clenching.  "And how did they keep me
in my girl form so long?"
	"I...  Don't know the details, but it was done with the
implant.  Somehow, they figured out a way to get them to
override the curse."
	"Kuso - well, that don't matter anyway.  It's what else
they did with them that makes me so goddamned sick."
        "There was a twofold purpose for that.  They were testing
the first generation 'programming' implants, and..."
	"I don't give a shit.  They destroyed my life, and they
interfered with that Hadridge guy's life.  Somebody bought 
themselves a ticket to the Dark Realm, and I'm gonna make sure 
it gets punched," she growled, her aura flaring.
	"Oh, it will.  When I get back, they'll all be thrown
in prison."
	"Not good enough.  I figure they owe us exactly what
they took from us -- even trade," she snarled back, her narrowed
eyes meeting Himiko's directly.  "And somebody is going to
answer for taking my daughter from me - I swore that on my life,
and I'm not going to rest until they do."
	"Hey, whoa there, Ranma...  Do you realize what you're
saying?  To do that, you'd..." Himiko started to protest, only
to be cut off by a panicked shout from Nabiki.
	"This thing's beeping again!"
	"Kuso!  Your aura flare -- I'll bet that thing felt it!"
Himiko blurted, jumping to her feet.  "C'mon Ranma!  We have to
get out of here!" she urged, grabbing Ranma's arm.
	She yanked it back.  "Iya.  This ends now.  I'm getting
fed up with wasting all my time running -- I got more important
things to do," she shot back, her face grim and hands already
glowing.
	"But, Ranma..."
	"If you got one, get Nabs some kind of weapon.  This
chick's going down - and for once, she ain't getting back up.
Go!" she commanded, rising to her feet and turning to face the
approaching enemy.
	"A-ano...  Maaa!" Himiko cursed, then turned and ran
toward the car.
	Ranma looked up into the sky and set herself, focusing
on the incoming force.  As she gauged its building intensity,
she realized she'd have to let her quarry step into the open
again, or she'd be wasting what was going to be a one-shot
effort.
	Back at the car, Himiko dove into the open cabin and
powered it up.  She then leaned out the door and tossed Nabiki
her hand-held weapon.
	"Nabiki!  Take this, and try to hit it in the head!
Anything else won't stop it!" she shouted, above the increasing
thunderous din.
	"If you say so!" Nabiki shouted back, scrambling to
catch the wild toss.
	"There's only one button!" Himiko countered, then
lifted the car off as its door hissed closed.
	"Sure," Nabiki responded, looking over the audio
cassette sized device for the button in question.
	Ranma watched the luminescent ball sweep over the
treeline and cross the surface of the lake, then correct and
head directly toward her.  She tensed as she waited for the
inevitable blast, and picked her touchdown point.
	At the same time, she caught a glimpse of the car
sideslipping out to her right, and attempting to line up its
weapons.
	She allowed herself a thin smile.
	In front of her, the ball abruptly flared, and a solid
shaft of energy tore away from it, headed directly toward her.
She sprang to the side, but not far enough to avoid the 'wash'.
Her descent thrown, she landed hard on her shoulder and rolled
into the scrub.
	Springing back to her feet, she regained her focus just
in time to see another burst coming, and took to the air again.
	She also noted that her opponent was still airborne out
over the water.
	"Musta figured it out," she thought, just as the burst
seared the air a few yards behind her.  The concussion sent her
out into the water, and as she splashed down, the ball shot
toward her.
	Two thin red beams hit the water between them, blasting
a huge wave over both Ranma and the approaching ball.  The ball
blew through it effortlessly, but Ranma chose to dive under
it, and then use it to propel herself toward shore.
	As she scrambled up to the beach, her adversary spotted
her, and unleashed another blast.  Just as she dove aside, Ranma
saw the ball flicker after the shot.
	She smiled - but not for long.  The ball cut loose
another blast, this time following it with a close second.  She
almost twisted herself into a pretzel to avoid falling into
the second shot, which felt more than twice as strong as the
first.
	The concussion still knocked her aside, and she landed
harder than she wanted to amoung a stand of trees.  A stand of
trees that quickly became a memory as another shot tore through
the debris-filled air.
	She launched herself straight up and rolled back toward
the center of the beach, this time riding the concussion.
	Just as she touched down, another red beam sliced the
air from behind her, and punched into the ball near the girl's
shoulder.  Even as the girl reacted to the near miss, two more
punched through, and the ball itself began to flicker
violently.  A third attempt, which narrowly missed the top of
the girl's head, seemed to make the ball dim - then falter.
	"Yesss!" Ranma exulted, and planted her feet.  She
closed her eyes and pulled up everything she could muster, the
act making her skin start to tingle.  Her teeth grit, she
swung her arms into position and met the heels of her hands.
	"This...  Is for all the marbles," she grimaced, and
drew a long, deep breath.  Her eyes snapped open to mark her
target, then narrowed as she found its center.
	"MOUKO...  TAKA...  BISHA...  ICHIDAN!!"
	The horrific blast exploded away from her hands in
silence, followed a heartbeat later by a thundering boom.  It
shot across the water and collided head-on with the faltering
ball, and they both disappeared in a blinding flash.
	Then the shockwave hit.
	Ranma, already on her butt several meters back from her
launch point, was blown rolling by the wall of compressed air,
debris and water.  Nabiki was thrown to the ground, and Himiko
just barely managed to outrun it.
	The ball, meantime, had disappeared.
	Debris raining to the ground around her, Nabiki picked
herself up amid a painful groan, and looked around for Ranma.
What she found elicited a shocked gasp.
	She broke into an open run to the partially buried,
splayed form that lay unmoving on the ground.  She dug through
the mess in a panic, then gasped again as she discovered
Ranma's male form among the remains.
	Frantic, she checked for obvious injuries and pulled
him to a clearer spot, then listened for a heartbeat.  She sank
back to her knees when she heard a strong, steady rhythm.
	"Is he okay?" Himiko called out, as the car settled
to a hover a few feet away.
	"Hai...  I think so.  She's probably just wiped out,"
Nabiki responded, at which Himiko puffed a sigh of relief.
"Any sign of our friend?"
	Himiko didn't answer.
        "Hey!  Snap out of it!  Did you see what happened to
that 'thing?"
        Himiko jolted out of her mindless gape, her cheeks lit.
"Ahhh...  Haven't looked yet.  Here, take these blankets so he
can cover up -- I'll go have a look," she flustered, as she
tossed the bundle.
	"Sure..." Nabiki responded, a frown growing on her face.
	"Uhhhnnnn...." Ranma chimed in, the conversation finally
dragging him out of his daze.  "Kuso...  That *hurt*," he
groaned, trying to raise an arm.
	"I'm not surprised -- you took the brunt of it.  Not a
smart move, Saotome," she chided, opening a blanket out over him.
	"It's not like I had a choice," he grumbled, then his
eyes widened.  "Am I a guy?"
	"Hai.  And you look real sweet in what's left of my
dress."
        "Thanks, Nabs.  Anyway, did we get her?" he huffed back,
gingerly pushing himself up.
	"Don't know.  Himiko's checking right now, and..." she
began, but didn't get to finish.
	A shocked shriek startled them both into looking down
toward the car, which was hovering at an angle about six meters
out into the lake.  Himiko was leaned out the open door, one
hand over her mouth and the other pointing down at the water.
	Ranma exchanged a blink with Nabiki, then tried to get
up.  When he found out he was too weak, Nabiki gave him a lift
and helped him hobble to the water's edge.
	Unable to see anything, they started into the water,
plowing through the layer of debris.
        Nabiki smiled.  "At least you're lighter this way," she
quipped, then glanced over the rest of her.  "And much better 
dressed, too."
        Ranma rolled her eyes, then redirected her attention to
the car.  "What is it, Himiko-san?" she called out, startling
the woman.
	"Ah -- uhm...  I found her..." she babbled, at which
Ranma frowned.  She didn't like the way she'd said it.
	A few moments of laborious sloshing later, she found
out why.
	A couple of meters away but still unmistakable, she saw
a female form face up in the water.  As the silent body swung
around in the gentle breeze, she got an even better look - and
felt her heart stop.




	All she could do was kneel beside the stilled form, her
hand automatically combing out the girl's matted red hair.  The
turbulent state of her heart, mind and emotions had her so
completely paralyzed, she couldn't even think.
	"She's...  Only unconscious, Ranma.  She's still
dangerous."
	"I don't think she heard you," Nabiki commented, sadly.
"Kuso, I can't even imagine what she must be going through."
	"Hai...  I'm shocked, too.  I had no idea that it was
her daughter all along," Himiko puffed, her head slowly shaking.
"Now I'm glad I'm such a lousy shot."
	"Yeah.  Me, too.  I'd never have been able to live that
down," Nabiki seconded, settling heavily to the sand.
	"I still can't believe it, though.  I was certain they'd
sent a clone.  Killing off the original just doesn't make any
sense."
	Nabiki sputtered.  "A -- A clone?  You mean they can do 
that?"
	"Hai.  They can, but it's illegal.  So illegal that it's
the only other capitol crime still on the books - not that such
a thing would matter to them."
	"Why?  I'd have thought they'd try to patent the 
process."
	Himiko huffed.  "They did.  It set off a huge debate, 
and hundreds of lawsuits.  As it stands now, clones aren't 
considered to be real people, just copies of an original.  You
can probably guess what that means."
	"Huhn.  Well, I got the impression they were pretty
damned callous.  This doesn't surprise me at all - it's a great
way to tie up all the loose ends," Nabiki huffed, disgustedly.
	"Huh.  That's true.  Cold, calculated, but true.  Kuso,
I'm going to shred their damned files when I get back.  If there's
one piece of solid evidence left, I'm going to priority email it
to every human rights group, judge, lawyer and reporter I can
find," Himiko glowered, her fist clenching in her lap.
	"Have fun.  I'd love to be there to see it," Nabiki
smirked, as her gaze returned to Ranma.  After a contemplative
moment, she rose from her cross-legged seat and stepped over to
the still catatonic redhead.  "Ranma?  Hey, Ranma...  We have to
deal with some things, here," she attempted, then huffed at the
lack of any response.
        Himiko could only shrug.
        She looked back at Ranma, then puffed a heavy sigh.  "I
hate to do this, but..." she resigned, then hauled off and
delivered a roundhouse slap to the redhead's face.
	"Hey!  Whadja do that for?" Ranma snapped, shooting back
an angry glare.
	"Sorry, Ranma...  But we still have a problem here.  She's
only unconscious, and if she wakes up..."
	Ranma opened her mouth to object, but clamped it shut
again.  "Hai..." she finally acquiesced, with a sad look down at
her mirror image.  Abruptly, an idea struck her.
	"Himiko-san -- would that 'cap' thing work on her?"
	Himiko blinked, then shook her head.  "Iya...  It's only
meant to interfere with the type you have - I don't know for sure
what type she has, but I know it's much different."
	"Kuso...  Is there anything we can do?" she huffed, her
hand seeking her daughter's.
	"The only thing that would be guaranteed is to have it
removed and totally destroyed.  As long as it functions, it could
still control her."
	"Oh yeah?" Nabiki broke in, a smirk growing on her face.
	"Nabs?"
	"Let's bring her to Tofuu.  If it's not in too deep, he
should be able to pull it out."
	"But he's not that kind of Doctor - what happens if he
screws it up?"
	"Have you ever known him to?  He's more careful than
Kasumi," Nabiki dismissed, returning a knowing wink.
	"Yeah...  I guess he's about our only chance."
	"Hey, you two -- you realize who you're talking about,
here?  This girl is packing enough power to flatten half of Tokyo!
And you want to bring her into town?"
	"I don't care!" Ranma snapped, her heart starting to pound
in her chest as she glared at Himiko.  "She's my daughter, dammit!
I just found her, and I'm not going to leave her like this!  And
I'm sure as hell not going to let you or anyone else kill her!"
she yelled, her aura shimmering.
	In her anger, she didn't notice her daughter's face twitch.
	Himiko, meantime, panicked.  "Iya, Ranma!  I don't want to
kill her!  I didn't know who she was until the same time you did!
I'm just afraid that if she regains consciousness, she'll try to
kill you again!"
	Ranma didn't get the chance to respond.
        Suddenly, a brilliant flare erupted beside her, the force
throwing herself, Himiko and Nabiki aside like so much flotsam.
Before she could even pick herself up out of the dirt, the flare
formed into the familiar ball and shot off into the sky.
        Ranma felt her heart land in the pit of her stomach.
"Chikusho...  We were so close!" she cursed, driving her fist into
the earth.
        "Ranma!" Nabiki shouted, redirecting her skyward stare.
        "What?"
        "We've got a big problem!" Nabiki answered, her voice
fearful.  That was when Ranma noticed that she was kneeling beside
Himiko - who wasn't moving.
        "Kuso," she spat, then leapt to the scene.  "What
happened?"
        "Not sure.  Looks like a dislocated shoulder - probably
from getting thrown.  And she took a hell of a crack on the
noggin, too," she explained, pointing to a large abraded bruise
purpling on the woman's temple.
        "Maaa!  Well, I can fix the shoulder, but I don't like her
being knocked out.  She breathing okay?" she asked, leaning in to
listen.
        "As far as I can tell.  So what do we do?"
        Ranma frowned.  "Give her a few minutes - no more.  If she
doesn't wake up, you're gonna have to try flying us back to town
so we can get help."
        "M-Me?"
        "You."
        "Oh, joy."




====================================================================
END - Goodbye Is Not Forever - Part 7   A Ranma1/2 Fanfic by Coutuva

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coutuva@vecdev.com