A New Perspective

By Youko Rayah

PROLOG:

Ranma walked at a leisurely stroll. He had the day off from his training with his adopted father, and he was on his way to meet with Kai. The two had grown close in the months following his departure from Nerima, and in all honesty, it was the first stable relationship he had ever been in. He and Kai were going to a movie he had heard about. One based on an American comic called "Blade". It was supposed to be very good.

The night was quiet, and the local street thugs steered clear of him, due to the confident way he walked. As he reflected on this, his mind turned to a conversation he had once had with Bra.

'If you're walking at night and you're alone, walk with confidence. Walk like you OWN the street. Believe it or not, gangs and street punks will leave you alone more often then not. I know you can protect your self, Brally-chan, but even so, it's a good practice to have.' (1)

He smiled at the memory. The youngest child of the crown prince was a truly gentle girl, and she had the rare power to heal just by touch alone. And while not a fighter like the others, she could hold her own against any human opponent.

As the theater drew near, Ranma spotted Kai at the entrance. Smiling, he waved to her. They met at the ticket booth and Ranma paid for both. They had time before the movie would start, so they got drinks and snacks. After that, they found two seats in the back of the theater, and settled in.

The movie was great, Ranma enjoyed it immensely. The best thing about it though, was when Blade set the vampire on fire, and Kai latched onto his arm and leaned into him.

-Amazing- he thought. -She can face demons, sorcerers, alien invasions, and pissed off gods, but she can't handle an animatronic prop being set on fire in a movie.-

Kai didn't let go until they left the theater.

When they left, Ranma ducked into the restroom, and Kai waited outside for him. As he was washing his hands, he heard her scream and bolted outside. He saw her on the sidewalk. There was a creature, -demon- his mind screamed, choking her. Her Ki felt so weak, he feared she was dying.

"Let her GO!" he screamed as he launched at the beast.

It turned to face his rush and lashed out at him. Ranma ducked under the claw and countered. The twin nightsticks Bulma had gotten for him came into play. As he turned aside another viscous swipe, he jabbed the creature in the gut with the other stick.

They traded blows for several moments, and Ranma knew the demon was to strong for him to beat. It had the advantage of size, strength, and endurance. It was like fighting Ryouga, but worse. He couldn't last much longer.

The beast had been steadily advancing, forcing him to back away, herding the youth towards the fallen Demi- Sayain- jin. When he was all but on top of her, he felt it, the gathering of her power. -What ever you're planning, Kai-chan, do it quick!- he thought in near panic as the beast turned aside another attack.

As if sensing his thoughts, Kai reached up with cupped hands and fired off and attack.

"RYU SHI KEN!!!" (2)

The arc of power hammered into the beast at the same moment that Ranma's focused Ki burst slipped through it's defenses. The combined force of the two attacks burned into the creature, ripping into it's body, vaporizing it's insides. The backwash of power caught them both, incasing them in a shock wave of light and sound. Then all was darkness for them both.

Author's note:

1. I got this from my Neechan. She's never been bothered at night, even when she walks alone. This is one of her philosophies
2. Umm I think this means Fierce/Roaring-Dragon-Fist/Strike, but I'm just guessing here.

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A New Perspective

By Youko Rayah

He came awake in stages, gradually and painfully. His head hurt, like he had been out in the hot sun to long, and he felt… empty. Like he had fought Ryouga and Taro and now had no Ki left. He was also hungry, a point punctuated by his growling stomach.

"I think he's waking up," came a voice that sounded like Akane.

"what happened?" he asked in a groggy voice.

"You look like you were in a fight," came Dr. Tofu's voice.

Carefully sitting up, Ranma considered his surroundings. He was in Dr. Tofu's clinic. Akane was there and so was Ukyo. They looked just like he remembered them. His gaze swept the room, and he felt a chill run through his spine.

"Where's Kai?"

"Who?" Akane asked.

"We were attacked by… something. Kai was hurt. She's slightly taller than me, black hair, white bangs. Dressed in black jeans and a pail blue top."

"She's in the other room, Ranma. She has some cuts, and some slight bruising around her neck, but nothing serous."

Ranma paused and scanned for her Ki. What he found, or rather didn't find, disturbed him. Kai's power was so low, she might as well have been human instead of a Demi- Sayain- jin.

"I need to see her, sensei. I HAVE to be sure she's OK. I gave my word to her mother." Which was true. He had given his word to Chichi to protect her daughter, no matter what. Never mind that Kai was twice as strong as him, and had enough skill and training to fight and defeat a god.

Tofu nodded, and Ukyo and Akane glared, wondering who this girl was. Maybe another fiancée?

Dr. Tofu supported the shaky Martial Artist to the next room. There on the cot lay Son Kai, only daughter of Son Goku and Son Chichi. She was pail and drawn. Her cheeks were sunken in, and her breathing was shallow. Ranma knew the signs. Her Ki was so heavily depleted, her body was burning what little fat she had to restore it.

"Not good," he murmured. "Sensei, can you set up an IV with some kind of sugar in it or something? Her Ki is WAY to far down, and she metabolizing her body fat to replace it, like a starving person."

Tofu looked at Ranma in surprise. From what the girl had looked like when Akane and Ukyo had brought the two in, Ranma was right. She WAS wasting away. The question was, how could Ranma know this with out knowing how long he was out for, and what her Ki should 'feel' like.

They set up the nutrient drip IV and left her to rest. Then Akane turned to Ranma and asked, "What I want to know, is what you're doing back so soon."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked in surprise. This was not the response he had expected from his former fiancée.

"You and your father told us you wouldn't be back from you're training trip until tomorrow."

At this time, Ranma got a bad feeling. He had left Nerima and all the chaos of his old life behind almost a year ago when it became apparent that the Sayain jin DNA, from the blood transfusion Vegita gave him, had bonded with his own. The new DNA was replacing parts of his old DNA, and making him into a Demi-Sayain. Just like Kai.

Leaving hadn't been a hard decision. His father had been a spineless coward. He had three boys trying to kill him (one of whom was always trying to get into his girl sides pants). Three girls had been after him (three trying to jump his bones and one always beating the hell out of him), along with an ancient pervert trying to molest his girl half and a mother looking for a reason to kill him… No leaving hadn't been a hard choice.

"Akane, I hate to say this but, I have no idea what you're talking about. I left almost a year ago. I moved out of the Dojo, and left Tokyo. I've been living with Bulma-san and Vegita-san for ten months."

"Ranma, what the hell are babbling about? You only left two weeks ago!" Nods from the doctor and Ukyo confirmed this.

Looking at all them in bewilderment, Ranma wondered just what the hell was going on. It couldn't be a joke, Tofu sensei wouldn't do that. His musings were cut short by someone entering the clinic. Ranma turned and came face to face with himself.

In perfect unison, the two cried out, "What the HELL?!"

Coming next: An explanation to this new twist as Kai regains conciseness. What will the warriors of Nerima think? What will his mother say?

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A New Perspective

By Youko Rayah

"Who the hell are you?!"

Ranma sighed and muttered under his breath, "Kai-chan, what HAVE you gotten us into?"

The other Ranma, the one local to the world the two were now in, began to glow as he readied a Ki attack. "I want answers!"

"Yeah! How can there be two Ranmas?" Ukyo asked in angry confusion. "It doesn't make sense."

"Look, it's a long story. Kai must have brought us here. My girlfriend Kai, and I were on a date to a movie. When we left the theater, we were attacked and Kai was hurt. I kept it busy, and Kai hit it with some new attack of hers and the next thing I know, I'm waking up here," Ryu-Ranma (as we'll call him to avoid confusion) murmured.

"She's been hopping dimensions for years. When she threw that attack, she must have been using it as a cover for our getaway."

"You expect me to believe that?" Ranma demanded.

"Will you be able to get back?" Akane asked, throwing a glare at the local Ranma. "Home I mean."

"I think so. Kai brought us here, and even if she didn't, she should be able to get us to the Interspace Ways. From there, we'll be able to find our way home."

"And you can believe what you like Ranma," Ryu-Ranma growled at his counterpart. "I really don't care. My main concern now is Kai's health. Her Ki is WAY to low for that little fight. For that matter, so is mine. What ever that thing was, it stole some of our Ki, and that could be very bad in the long run."

The local Ranma glared at Ryu-Ranma. Was he telling the truth? Or was this some kind of a hoax? Could he be trusted?

Closing his eyes, Ranma took a deep breath. His instances told him what he needed to know. Ryu-Ranma was telling the truth. There was no deception in his voice, eyes, or presence. Ranma relaxed his stance, he nodded. "Alright, what can we do to help?"

"Hmm. Is there an ancient amazon named Cologne here? She would know more about Ki than I do, I haven't learned the finer points of reading Ki from my sensei's yet."

"Who are you studying under?" Dr. Tofu asked.

"Kai's father, Goku for one. Also Master Roshi, Vegita-tosan, Piccolo-san, and Kami-sama on occasion."

"Kami-sama?!" they cried.

"Yep. He let me do a three month long training session in his palace," Ryu-Ranma answered. "I sparred with Cham- Neechan and Piccolo-san there."

At this time, a large and slightly damp panda walked in. It froze and stared at the two Ranmas standing before him. It quickly pulled out a sign that read, <Who the heck are YOU?>

Ryu-Ranma looked at the Panda with cool contempt. "Hello Genma. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ranma Vegita Briefs, Prince of the Sayain-jin, and royal son to His Majesty Crown Prince Vegita of the Sayain Empire."

Genma looked like a deer caught in a pair of headlights, that or a gaping fish. A PRINCE! And he looked just like his son! This couldn't be!

Akane looked just as stunned. "You're a PRINCE? How?"

"After saving Princess Chemise's life, His majesty adopted me. I've been training under his guidance and the guidance of the Z-Sensei for the past ten months."

By this time, Genma had recovered from his understandable shock and started to plot and plan. If he had two Ranmas, than he could have one marry Akane, and the other marry Ukyo, and family honor would be satisfied!

Ryu-Ranma's eyes narrowed and he asked in a dangerously calm voice, "What are you plotting, old man?"

Genma twitched and held up a sign, <What makes you think I'm plotting anything?>

"For the record, Genma," Ryu-Ranma growled. "As soon as Kai is strong enough to open a gate home, We're leaving. I have NO intention of marrying either Akane OR Ukyo. I love Kai, and we WILL decide our OWN lives. Is that clear?"

Another sign came out. <Respect your elders boy! I can still defeat you!>

"No you can't. I've been trained in the Kami Sennin School of Martial Arts. I've also been trained by Kami-Sama himself. Do you honestly think you can top that given my talent for learning and mastering techniques in mere days, as opposed to years?"

Nervously, Genma shifted. This second Ranma had a deadly calm, and the power he was radiating was enough to make his teeth hurt! How had this boy become so powerful?

With a final glare, Ryu-Ranma returned to Kai's side. He felt the increase in her still dangerously low Ki, and it indicated that she was regaining conciseness. Taking her hand in his larger one, He watched her face intently.

Her brow furrowed, and her eyes moved behind her eyelids. With a pained whimper, indicating just how badly hurt head hurt, Kai regained conciseness.

"What hit me?" she whispered.

Ryu-Ranma smiled and replied, "Something big and ugly. How do you feel?"

"Tired. Like I just went five rounds with Vegita-san. Where are we?"

"You look like it," Ryu-Ranma joked. "But seriously Kai-chan, I don't think you're going to like what I have to say on where we are."

Kai looked at him for a moment, then groaned. "Please tell me that we aren’t in the Shattered Lands (1). I don’t want to be stuck here during High Tide(2)."

"No, I think we're in a parrillel of you world. That or the past."

"Time travel, ow, head hurts…"

Ryu-Ranma smiled wearrily at his beloved. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But a Parallel world is our best bet. According to the callender on the wall," Ryu-Ranma said with a gesture to the object in question, "It's the same date here as where we started out from. Just a day later, which stands to reason concidering we were out all night.. And there's already a Ranma here."

"Ho boy. This could get ugly. Please tell me a fight hasn't broken out."

"Everything is fine, Kai-chan. Just rest and get your strength back. Then we'll go home."

The Demi- Sayain closed her eyes, allowing sleep to reclaim her. Ryu-Ranma breathed a sigh of releaf. Kai was going to be alright. She had been lucid, and had known who she was, as well as who he was. She would hopefully recover soon.