> "You want the cure for the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion? You
>don't expect me to just hand it over to you, do you?" the old lady
>stared at the man without a name.
> "Well, what do you want for it?" he asked, pulling out his
>wallet.
> Cologne walked over to Ranma-chan. "I want you to ask for
>Shampoo's hand in marriage…son-in-law…"
> "Ok," the man said.
> Ryoko-hawk gave him a piercing stare.
> "Excellent! I'll make the…"
> "NO! I didn't say that!" Ranma-chan blurted out, running after
>the lady.
> When Ranma-chan and Cologne left the room, he shook his head
>and pulled out a plastic sphere. He also pulled out a lighter from
>his coat. Intrigued, Ryoko-hawk flew over to were he was. He
>flicked the lighter on and held the flame to the sphere.
> "Geez. Now I've seen everything!" he muttered to himself.
> "Chikree?" Ryoko-hawk asked.
>"Never mind…" he said. "I'm guessing hot water turns you back,
>right?"
> "Chikree," Ryoko-hawk nodded.
> "Ok, this should be hot enough in a minute or two…"
> "CHIKREE!" Ryoko-hawk chirped out as she flew over to her pile
>of clothes.
> "Oh right…" the man said, getting up and walking over to the
>clothes.
>"Chikree chikree…" Ryoko-hawk poked at the clothes.
> "Just a second…" The man thought for a moment. "I got it…"
> "Chikree?"
>"Just hop on top of those clothes…" he said, pointing to the heap.
>"Chik…" Ryoko-hawk hopped on top of the pile.
> "Now…um…" the man stopped just as he was about to say
>something, then widened his eyes as if something just dawned on him.
> Without saying a word, he took off his coat and laid it over
>Ryoko-hawk and the clothes. "Don't move…" he said.
> He heated up the sphere again and then put away the lighter.
>He pulled out one of his smaller knifes and poked the sphere.
>Lifting up the coat just slightly, he poured out the contents on
>Ryoko-hawk. From under the coat, a human figure popped up, legs
>sticking out from under the coat.
> "Turn away!" Ryoko commanded.
> "Oh, yes…" he said, turning around.
> Behind him, Ryoko put back on her clothes, then tapped him on
>the shoulder.
> "Are you…"
> He was silenced when Ryoko gave him a light punch to his arm.
>He almost fell over, but regained his balance.
> "Ow! Wa…"
> "Look what you just did!" Ryoko said, silencing him.
> "What did I do? Turn you…" he started.
> "No! Saying that Ranma could marry Shampoo! Now Cologne's
>going to start…"
> "If that's the only way to get me back to…"
> "There's always more than one answer to every question. Ranma
>doesn't…"
> "I can SEE he doesn't want to…"
> "There you go again! I said I didn't need your attitude!"
>Ryoko started walking away from the man.
> "But I need to get back to…"
> "And that too! You're always thinking about yourself! Try
>thinking about others for just once in your life!" Ryoko turned to
>the man as she said this.
> "I did…once…" the man said, then stormed out of the restaurant.
>
> *She doesn't know. How could she know. I just need some fresh
>air…*
> He stormed out of the restaurant and jumped to the roof of a
>nearby building.
>
> "Where'd he go?" Ranma asked, walking up to Ryoko in his boy
>form once more.
> "Oh…he just needed some time to himself," she answered.
> "Well, I got out of marring Shampoo, but now we have to win a
>contest," Ranma said.
> "When is the contest?" Ryoko asked Ranma.
> "First thing tomorrow…" he answered.
> When the restaurant closed, the man without a name returned.
>The three of them slept on the floor of the restaurant that
>night…one of the conditions for entering the contest, Cologne had
>said.
>
> *Where am I?*
> A man dressed all in black stood in a vast prairie. He walked
>towards the setting sun. When the sun had set, he turned and saw
>the sun rise.
> *What the…*
> The sun didn't rise fully. It rose just for a few minutes,
>just long enough to see the red horizon, then it began setting. He
>turned around and saw that the same thing happened. The sun rose
>for a few minutes, still under the horizon, then it set again. He
>turned once more and the same thing happened.
> *This can't be happening…*
> He ran. He ran as fast as he could, but he wouldn't move from
>the spot. He slowly tired and sat on the grass…
> …but now it wasn't grass! He felt a hard, cold surface. He
>stood to see what he sat on. When he turned around, he saw a piece
>of cement in the grass.
> *This wasn't here before…*
> The cement slab shot up, along with thousands of others. He
>looked at the cement slab and saw that it was a tombstone. Not
>wanting to read it, but unable to look away, he saw who's tombstone
>it was.
> *Pat…*
> On the tombstone it said:
>
> R.I.P.
> Pat Reston
> 1974-1994
>"Killed because she loved."
>
> *No…Pat…no…*
> He fell to his knees and started to cry.
>"HAHAHA!" came a cackly laugh from the shadows.
> He looked up, and saw all the tombstones fly up into the air.
>They began circling him. He read another tombstone.
> "Yoshinori…yatta yatta…Killed because he worked…"
> *No…this isn't possible…*
> "But it is possible!" came the same cackly laugh. "Everyone
>you've killed. Here. My field of the dead! HAHAHA!"
> "Who are you!?"
> "Who am I?" the voice answered. "You ask of my name and you
>don't even know your own? HAHAHA!"
> "Why are you doing this!?"
> "HAHA! Ours is not to question why. Ours is but to do
>and…DIE!"
> When the voice shouted out the 'DIE!' part, all the tombstones
>flung themselves at the man in black.
> "NO!"
> "Wake up…"
> *That voice…it's so familiar…*
> "Pat?"
> "Wake up…"
> "PAT!"
>He opened his eyes and saw the figure of the one in the tombstone.
>Pat. They were in a dark room. He kneed on the ground, Pat just a
>few feet from him.
> "Time to wake up now…" the figure said, fading into the
>darkness.
> "No! Don't go Pat! Don't…" he put his hands to his face as he
>cried.
>
> "Wake up!" Ryoko said, shaking the man in black.
> "Don't go Pat! No! Don't…" the man looked up with tear filled
>eyes, then closed them and turned away.
> "Are you all right?" Ryoko asked.
> "Who's Pat?" Ranma said, standing behind Ryoko.
> "Pat…" the man whispered.
>
> "Wake up!"
> "Don't go Pat! No! Don't…" he opened his eyes and saw the
>blurry image of Ryoko shaking him.
> *It was only a dream…*
> He could feel the cold sweat on his brow. He closed his eyes
>and turned away.
> "Are you all right?" Ryoko asked.
> *No…*
> "Who's Pat?" came the voice of Ranma.
> "Pat…" he whispered to himself.
> "We heard you yelling out that name. When we looked at you,
>you were tossing and turning and sweating like crazy…" Ryoko stated.
> "She's…she's nobody…" he answered, then stood up and walked
>away.
> *Pat…*
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