Hi again. Here I go with part three.I get a lot done when there is nothing to
do, hence all these parts so quick. Oh well, it's the best way to do things. I
hope I haven't offended any Mamoru fans. I love him to death, but Usa needs to be
with other people so Ni can have him and I can clone him. We're gonna start our
own cloning business with help from Washu, who'll use our invention for her own
purposes. We're trying to get Ann to invest in out little project, too. Oops,
I've said to much, this is all top secret. Heh heh heh. Uh, ok. On with part three!


Soulmate
Part Three


______________________________________________________

    "Shouldn't you be getting ready?"
    "Huh? For what?" Ranma asked lazily,
slouching on the couch in front of the TV.
    Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "You promised to train Dr. Tofu's niece today, or did you
forget? No, of course not, how could anyone forget something involving money? What are
you thinking, you baka? This could be serious dough!"
    "Please. This girl is probably some fat, ugly chick who needs to know how to fight
just so she won't get picked on and doesn't realize she can just sit on her enemies."
    "You're such a jerk," Akane muttered, appalled by his words. "You shouldn't be so
mean. You don't know she's ugly."
    "Her uncle said she was sweet. What other proof do you need?"
    "Ha!" Nabiki rubbed her hands together. 
"Easy money. Anything I can do to help, you just let me know."
    "You are both utterly hopeless." Akane
said, fighting not to smile at the predictability of it all. The front door bell
rang and Kasumi, who'd been silent all this time, got up to get it.
    "Hello?" They heard her ask from the other room. "Can I help you?"
    "Um, I hope so," replied a sweet voice. 
"I'm looking for Ranma Saotome."
    "You're Dr. Tofu's niece?!" Kasumi sounded
surprised, which was odd.
    "Yes." The girl's tone showed she was embarrassed. "Is Ranma here?"
    "Follow me." Kasumi stepped back into the living room, an odd expression
on her face. "Ranma, your trainee is here."
    Ranma managed to sit up just as the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen walked into the
room.
    "Ranma Saotome?" she asked.
    "Y..yeah."
    She stuck out her hand for a shake. "I'm Usagi Tsukino. It's nice to meet you."
    "Um..ah..oh...um..." Ranma stuttered, then forced himself to close his mouth and quit
drooling. "Likewise." He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was so gorgeous, so perfect. So...
he couldn't think of the right word.
    Akane noticed the way her fiancee was staring at the new girl, but didn't feel the
usual urge to kill them both she usually experienced when another girl caught his
attention, or he caught hers. Instead she felt an odd warmth for the girl, a kind of instant
friendship. It was almost like they'd all been waiting for her to show up. She stepped forward
and took the girl's still-outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake.
    "Hi, I'm Akane Tendo."
    "Hi, Akane-chan." Usagi replied, smiling warmly. At first Akane didn't notice the
nickname, but when she did, she smiled. 
    "Have you been to Nermia before?"
    "Only when I was little."
    "I'll have to show you around then! Are you going to go to our school?"
    "I think so."
    Ranma stared. Akane and Usagi were so comfortable. They'd just met and Usagi had
called Akane "chan" already and they were making plans for shopping. Ranma felt
jealous. Not because he thought Usagi liked Akane in any other way than as a friend, but
that Akane could be close to her so soon and he hadn't even spoken five eligible words.
    "Um, don't you think we should get started with the training?"
    Usagi turned to him and smiled her wonderful smile. "I wanted to talk to
you first, Ranma. You see, I need to warn you. I have experience fighting, a
lot actually." For a moment, her eyes took on a sad look, but then it was
gone. "But that doesn't make me any good. In fact, I'm a weak, klutzy
crybaby and it's gonna take a lot of work for me to get anywhere. You're
gonna need a lot of patience. A part of me knows I can fight." Her eyes, as
well as her voice got sad again. "I just don't know if I'll be able to."
    "O...k."
    "I'm a very odd person, Ranma. I've had so many weird things happen to me,
it isn't even funny. I'm not normal, and you'll probably find that out before
long. In fact, I should just tell you, but I'm afraid to because hardly anyone
knows it all. Most of my life is a big secret I've never even considered telling
and..." she lowered her eyes. "I guess old habits die hard."
    "Is it...important? To your training, I mean."
    "I think so, but I'm not sure. Here's the thing." She hesitated. "If anything
weird happens while we're training, I'll explain it to you. I promise, and you can
hold me to that, but you have to go hard on me. Any abilities I have will only be
shown when I'm pressed, at least until I'm used to them."
    "How do you know you have this...uh, locked inside you?"
    She looked away. "I'll explain if anything happens. I'm ready to unleash
it all, even though it won't be as useful here as it would in Juuban..." Her head
shot back up and she quickly wiped tears from her eyes. "Can we get started now?"
______________________________________________________

    Usagi hit the ground again for the fourth time in two minutes. Ranma was
doing as she'd asked, not training her gently, and although she sensed he was
holding back, despite how strong he was already being, she was scolding herself
for ever asking him to give her a rough time.
     She 
stood, but was soon knocked down again.
 she thought, feeling
disgusted at herself.
    Ranma raised an eyebrow as Usagi got up again. "Maybe we should go a
bit slower."
    "No, I won't give up yet."
    "Well, how 'bout a break then?"
    She shook her head while reaching behind her and pulling her golden hair
into a low ponytail. Ranma noted with surprise she wasn't even breathing hard
after a workout that could make anyone who had never trained much faint.
    "Okay now, again."
    "I'm afraid I'll hurt you." he
admitted. "Come on, at least a little break?"
    "You're not tired, unless holding
back wears you out." 
    "How'd you know....nevermind. Hey, I may not be tired, but you've gotta
be after that."
    "That? Pshhh, that was nothing. I'm not even sore."
    "What?"
    She began to count on her fingers. "Number one, I'm a klutz. I fall down
all the time. I inflict worse pain on myself every day than you have in these
short minutes."
    "But the..."
    "Number two, I was late for school everyday back home, forcing me to run
the full three miles six times a week, and sometimes I had to run longer after
school to get to the shrine where my friends were. A shrine which, by the
way, has a lot of stairs."
    "Ok, falling is covered, not tired is covered, but I kicked and punched
you several times, and those things can hurt no matter what."
    "Third and lastly, I've been in hundreds of fights."
    "You?" Ranma was beginning to feel severely annoyed with her games and
half-told information. "You couldn't survive a real fight."
    "Prove it then. Attack me for real!"

    Ranma growled and forgot his 'no fighting girls' rule entirely. He leapt
forward, ready to punch Usagi, but suddenly she wasn't there anymore. She
was behind him. He spun, lifting his leg to kick her, and this time, saw her dodge.
She jumped up and flipped away, then stood in a ready position, waiting.
    "Come on, Ranma, prove it," she taunted, an angry look in her eyes.
Something pale and yellow was flashing on her forehead. "You know, you sound
like everyone else always did. I don't know why everyone thought I couldn't
do anything. I mean, sure I messed up a lot, but did they ever stop to find
out why?" She attacked then, and the yellow on her forehead got darker.
Ranma could make out a crescent moon now, formed by the gold.
   "Even Mamoru. That jerk, he never tried to see what I could do on my own.
He thought I was stupid." She kicked and Ranma stumbled a little, amazed by
the change in her. "Well, guess what, I'm not."
    "Is this the weird stuff you were talking about earlier?"
    "He never knew it, but his own guards taught me.  The only reason I
couldn't do it on Earth was because they held me back. They wouldn't let
me remember how. They wouldn't help me." She abruptly stopped her attack
and grabbed Ranma by the front of his shirt. She had tears running down her
cheeks. "But you have. Thank you."
She released him and stepped back, wiping her tears with one hand, and
the sweat beads on her forehead with the other.
    "What?"
    "I can explain everything now." And she did. As Ranma stared on in
shock, she told him about her life in the Silver Millennium, and the
battle that caused her and her senshis' deaths. She spoke quietly,
her eyes sad, but otherwise betraying no emotion. Neither of them had
noticed that everyone else had crept outside during the fight and were
staring at her as well. She didn't say much in the way of her feelings
of her old friends or lover, but sounded angry at herself when she
did. She told about being reborn on Earth, meeting everyone again,
her numerous fights and problems, and as she finally got toward the
present, she faltered.
    "Then my family and I took a vacation, and when we came back...
um, everything was different."
    "You're leaving something out." Ranma said knowingly.
    "I...It isn't anything.... important." she stammered.
    "You said you'd explain everything."
    "If it isn't important, you don't need to know." she said, trying to keep
from getting angry.
    Ranma sucked in his breath through his teeth.  "Fine, but you're being stupid. It's no big deal to tell-"
    "Then why do you want to know?" she challenged, voice rising. Out of
the corner of her eye she saw a panda hold up a sign that said {Uh oh} and
duck into the house. 
    "I knew training you would be a mistake. I've got enough stupid girls
around me as it is! I mean, you didn't even realize he was cheating? How dumb
is that?"
    Usagi gasped, eyes wide. "You've gone too far, Ranma Saotome," she said
in a low voice.
    "Usagi-chan!" Akane ran up and grabbed her new friend's arm. "No, you
two don't need to fight. He didn't mean it. He's always saying stuff like that.
He can't communicate with someone unless he insults them first."
    "Macho chick, stay out of this." 
    "See? I told you. Come on, Kasumi's making tea. Wouldn't that be nice? He
didn't mean anything by that, he's just a baka. That's all. Usagi?"
    Usagi glanced over at Akane, sensing a true friend in her. "Okay,
Akane-chan," she said, suddenly smiling. The two turned and walked
back toward the house. "Where'd you get that outfit by the way?"
    Ryoga watched until they were both inside, then went over to where Ranma
was still standing.
    "Cute girl."
    "She's stupid." Ranma muttered, looking away from the house.
    "You just don't know when to shut up, that's all. You wouldn't want her
to know every detail about your life, would you? She might forgive you, if
you ask."
    "Stupid," he mumbled again.
    Ryoga shrugged and left, finding Usagi at the front door, about to leave.
    "You're not staying? Kasumi makes good tea, and there's usually snacks,
too," he said without thinking.
    She turned and smiled. "Maybe some other time."
    "Is it because of what Ranma said?"
    "No, I'm already over that," she said happily.
    "What?"
    "Life is too important to hold grudges."
    "Even-"
    "I forgive Rei and Mamoru, too."
She shrugged. "Who am I to stand in the way of love?"
    "Right. Hey, do you think Ranma's cute?"
    "Why?" she asked suspiciously peering at him.
    Ryoga gave a little laugh. "I'm kinda in love with his fiancee and...."
    Off in the shadows, Ranma watched the two talking with growing jealousy.
He couldn't hear a word they were saying, but he still didn't want Usagi around
Ryoga. , he
thought, grabbing a convenient pail of cold water and creeping forward. 
"Ha, Ryoga! Usagi! Check this out!" He flung the very cold water at the two, then
stood back in shock as he noticed, Ryoga wasn't the only one who'd
changed.

To be continued...