Exhausted, Ranma made his way to the edge of the dam and peered over the 
side. Seeing his enemy's broken body lying far below, he slumped to his knees. 
He felt numb, and was lost in his thoughts for a long moment, until he heard 
someone cough next to him. 
    Glancing over, he saw that Akane was coming around. She blinked several 
times, then sat up groggily. 
    "Wha ... Ruh ... Ranma? What happened?" Looking around, she saw Mana and 
Yuta's bodies lying nearby, and immediately covered her face. 
    "Ranma ... I ... that girl, she ... it's my fault!!" She began sobbing 
uncontrollably. "It's my fault she's dead!!! If I hadn't stopped her, then..." 
    His feeling of numbness faded, and Ranma's heart began to ache at Akane's 
grief. He reached out to comfort her, but was interrupted by a voice. 
    "So ... where is that guy, anyway?" Looking over his shoulder, Ranma saw 
Ryoga crouched nearby, staring at him with an unreadable expression. In all the 
confusion, Ranma had forgotten he was there. Then he remembered Ukyo, Mousse 
and Kodachi, and looked around to find them. Uk-Chan and Kodachi were lying at 
the edge of the dam near the water, apparently unconscious. Mousse -- or 
rather, Mu-Mu-Chan -- had just climbed out of the water, and was pruning his 
feathers. 
    "Ranma." Ryoga's voice again interrupted Ranma's thoughts. "What happened 
to Tatsunada Fushin?" At Ryoga's question, Akane stopped crying and looked 
around in apprehension. 
    "...Oh." The sound of his own voice also reminded Ranma that he was a girl 
at the moment. Shaking his head to clear it, he pointed to the canal below 
them. "He's down there." 
    Akane and Ryoga looked over the side, and both were visibly shaken by what 
they saw. Akane turned back to Ranma. 
    "Ranma ... did you...?" She sounded almost afraid of the answer. 
    "I..." Ranma's voice trailed off. "...I didn't mean to ... I didn't have 
any choice...!" 
    Ryoga and Akane both stared at Ranma for a long moment. He couldn't think 
of any further answer for them; there was no way to defend himself when he 
already stood convicted in his own mind. But suddenly, Ryoga spoke. 
    "Hey, look!" Ranma and Akane looked where he was pointing, and were amazed 
to see Yuta getting back up. 
    "But ... but, he was dead!" Akane stated. "I KNOW he was!" 
    Yuta noticed their reaction, and grinned halfheartedly. "Yeah, you're 
right." 
    "But how--?!" Ranma stammered. 
    "Well, you see," Yuta explained as he stood, "Mana and I have also eaten 
the flesh of the mermaid." He looked at Akane. "She'll come back to life, too," 
he told her. 
    "So, that means ... that you can't be killed?" Ryoga asked. 
    "Not through the usual ways," Yuta replied. "If our heads were lopped off, 
or our bodies completely burned, we'd stay dead. That's why were trying to 
decapitate Tatsunada Fushin ... it's the only way someone like him can be 
stopped." 
    "You mean, he ain't dead yet?!" Ranma exclaimed, whirling around to look 
back down at the body. 
    And, to his horror, Fushin was looking back at him. As Ranma watched, his 
enemy's body seemed to repair itself before his eyes, and he stood up. Through 
the entire process, his eyes never left Ranma's. 
    "You're full of surprises, Ranma-Chan," he hollered up at them. "But I told 
you, I can match you no matter what you do." 
    "TAKE COVER!!" Yuta shouted. 
    Fushin's face twisted with rage. He paused for a moment, gathering his 
strength, and then released it in one terrible blast. 
    "GEKIDO SHIUTEN HA!!!" 
    A dark cyclone gathered around him, and then blasted upward at the dam. 
Nearby buildings were torn completely apart; it was a miracle the dam itself 
held. Ranma could think of only one way to avoid the destructive blast. 
    "HOLD ON!!!" Grabbing Akane, he leaped out and away from the dam. 
    "ARE YOU CRAZY??!" Akane yelled as they rode the edge of the cyclone. 
    "TRUST ME!!" Ranma responded, and they rode the funnel's edge down to a 
surprisingly soft landing in the canal below. The deadly winds quickly 
subsided, and Ranma and Akane turned to face Tatsunada Fushin, who stood just a 
few meters away. 
    Ranma and Fushin immediately faced off, but Akane stepped in front of 
Ranma. "Would you stop it already?!" she hollered at Fushin. "You've each 
survived each other's strongest attacks! This fight will never end!!" 
    "Time ... will ... tell," Fushin hissed angrily. But then he abruptly 
stopped, and looked at Ranma. 
    "'Strongest attacks'? You mean that's all you have in you, Saotome?" He 
laughed. "A very impressive arsenal, but..." He turned halfway around, coiling 
as if to throw a Chi blast at them. "...Try this." 
    Ranma and Akane tensed ... and Fushin let loose. 
    "KAMEHAME HA!!!!" 
    A bolt of energy flared out from Fushin's hands, screaming toward Akane and 
Ranma. Grabbing Akane, Ranma jumped as high as he could and managed to clear 
the wave of destruction. They landed behind Fushin, who whirled around for 
another shot. 
    But, as Ranma turned around to try for a shot of his own, there was a 
tremendous rumbling sound. At first he thought it was an earthquake, but then 
realized... 
    "You busted the dam, stupid!!!" Ranma yelled as the concrete structure 
crumbled, and millions of gallons of water came crashing down on them like an 
immense tidal wave. Ranma grabbed Akane's arm and, with as much strength as he 
could muster in his girl-form, flung her out of the water's path. Then the wave 
struck, and he and Fushin disappeared beneath the rushing water and were washed 
away. 

    Ranma was completely disoriented by the force of the river he now found 
himself in, and it was all he could do to keep his head above water. He knew 
they were travelling very quickly, and hoped they wouldn't be washed out to 
sea. Because there was nothing he could do to stop himself, let alone the 
water's course. 
    After several minutes (each second of which seemed like an hour to Ranma), 
the river struck a barrier and ceased its forward motion. As soon as Ranma 
could get his bearings, he looked around. There was another dam in the water's 
path which was holding it back, though the water level was rising quickly. 
Swimming to the side of the canal, Ranma climbed onto a low platform just above 
the rising water. Then he scanned the water for any signs of his enemy. 
    There was quite a bit of debris from the dam floating around, and Ranma 
spotted a couple of Ukyo's mini-spatulas, as well as one of Kodachi's gym 
clubs. "Hope they got out okay," he muttered to himself. Continuing his search, 
he was surprised to see Mu-Mu-Chan floating calmly along in the current. Then 
Ranma heard a high-pitched squeal, barely audible over the roaring water. 
    Looking around, Ranma spotted P-Chan across the way, perched atop a 
floating object. Looking closer, he realized the floating object was Mana! 
    "Aw, geez ... even if she can't drown, I gotta make sure she's okay," Ranma 
told himself as he dove back into the water. He reached the floating girl 
within seconds, and P-Chan hopped onto his head. 
    "Hey, watch it, ya little creep!" Ranma barked as he turned the girl over 
(she'd been floating face-down). "Uh ... hey, Miss, are you okay?" 
    There was no response, and Ranma sighed. "I guess she's still dead." He 
gingerly lifted her shirt, and saw that her ghastly wound had disappeared. 
"She'll probably come around any time now..." he muttered, and P-Chan squeeked 
in agreement. Mu-Mu-Chan had also swam over to them, and Ranma glanced around 
to try to figure out a way to get all of them out of this canal. 
    As he did so, a log floated past them and Ranma noticed an object hanging 
from its side. As the log drew near, he grabbed the item and examined it. 
    "Hey, wait a second ... isn't this Fushin's headband?!" he asked P-Chan, 
who nodded rapidly. "But where the heck is HE??" Ranma scanned the water, his 
adrenalin level rising as he realized that his enemy could still be lurking 
nearby. However, he saw no other sign of him -- no body, no nothing. 
    Then the log turned around and looked at Ranma. 
    Ranma blinked, then dove to the side as the creature lunged toward him, 
revealing a gaping maw filled with very sharp-looking teeth. "What the hell?! 
Is that a crocodile??!" Ranma exclaimed as he pitched P-Chan up onto the bank. 
Then he dove out of the way as the croc lunged at him again, but found himself 
up against the dam. The croc came around a third time, and Ranma leaped out of 
the water and kicked off from the dam, landing back in the water behind the 
large reptile. "Geez, what gives with this thing?!" he wondered aloud. 
    As if responding to his question, the crocodile dove beneath the water, 
then erupted back up like a torpedo, aiming straight at Ranma. 
    "YAAAH!! This is no ordinary croc!" he screeched, barely avoiding its 
snapping jaws. It came right back up again, and Ranma found himself backed into 
a corner. 
    As the crocodile descended on Ranma, Mana suddenly dove in front of him and 
wedged Kodachi's gym club into its gaping maw. The croc splashed back down in 
front of Ranma, and he knocked it off course with a punch to the head. The 
crocodile wheeled around, thrashing in the water to try to knock the club 
loose. Then its back arched violently, and Ranma saw a trio of daggers 
protruding from its neck. Looking up, he saw Mu-Mu-Chan perched on the dam 
preparing another volley. 
    And then the floodgates opened, and Ranma grabbed hold of Mana and the 
platform and hung on for dear life as the water rushed out past them. The 
crocodile was immediately sucked into one of the gates but, to Ranma's 
amazement, it threw out its front legs and hung on to the sides, as if refusing 
to go. The club in its mouth finally gave way, and despite the rushing waters 
it turned its head to look straight at Ranma. 
    And it stared at him with a level of hatred and malice in its eyes that no 
animal could ever possess... 
    ...And suddenly Ranma understood. 
    And then the crocodile's strength finally gave out, and it was washed 
through the floodgate and out of sight. Out of sight and out to sea, Ranma 
added silently. 


Epilogue: 

    The night sky over Nerima was exceptionally clear, providing a view of 
every star in the sky. Such views had, for centuries, inspired men to try to 
reach those stars, and to speculate endlessly as to what sort of worlds may 
revolve around them. 
    But Ranma's thoughts were elsewhere as he lay on the roof of the Tendo 
house, gazing upward. He thought of training with his father in the yard below; 
of chasing P-Chan around the house; of enjoying Kasumi's wonderful food over a 
(relatively) peaceful family dinner. And he thought of what it might have been 
like to have had all these things taken from him. 
    He decided he'd rather not find out. 
    Ranma's musings were interrupted by a voice. "Hey, what're you doing out 
there?" Akane asked from her window, where she stood holding P-Chan. 
    Ranma shrugged. "I dunno, just thinkin', I guess." 
    "About what?" Akane asked. 
    "Y'know ... stuff," Ranma answered. 
    Akane sighed in exasperation, then spoke up again. "I wish Yuta and Mana 
hadn't left right away," she said. "I never got a chance to thank them for what 
they did for us." 
    "They ran off sayin' somethin' about finding the 'lost souls', whatever 
that meant," Ranma replied. 
    "Oh, well." Akane sighed. "I guess it's just a good thing that everybody 
came through that mess in one piece, even Happosai ... and especially P-Chan!" 
She hugged the black piglet, who returned her affection enthusiastically. "He 
was the real hero of that whole situation, you know." 
    Ranma nearly fell off the roof. "What the heck did that little runt ever 
do???" he demanded. "The only thing I can remember is him sitting on my head 
while I was tryin' t'fight that crocodile!" 
    "I'll have you know he protected me from that monster that came into my 
room!" Akane barked at Ranma, then went back to cuddling P-Chan. "I was so 
worried about you..." she told the pig, "...But you turned up again, safe and 
sound. I'm so happy!" 
    "I'm gonna be sick," Ranma muttered.
    "Shut up, Ranma!" Akane snapped. "At least TRY to control your JEALOUSY." 
    "Oh, yeah, I'm about as jealous of P-Chan as I am of a pork egg roll," 
Ranma shot back. "Except I'd rather be wrapped up in cabbage, than have YOU 
wrapped around me!" 
    "That does it! I'm coming out there!!" Akane hollered, climbing out the 
window. But she stopped abruptly on her way out. "Hey, wait a second..." she 
said, the anger having vanished from her voice. "Ranma, did you see these 
scratches on the windowsill?" 
    "Scratches?" Ranma repeated. "Must be from when that monster climbed in 
there the other night." 
    Akane shook her head. "No way, I would've seen it before now." 
    "Well, what's it look like?" Ranma asked. 
    "...I can't really see it," Akane answered. "The light's bad." 
    "Here, lemme look," Ranma said, moving over to the window. "Hey, it's 
kanji!" he exclaimed. "Bring your lamp over here, Akane." 
    She did so, and Ranma quickly deciphered the symbols carved into the wood. 
    When he'd finished, his heart nearly stopped. 
    "So..." Akane prompted, noting Ranma's silence. "...What does it say, 
Ranma?" 
    Ranma could only shake his head in disbelief. 
    "C'mon, Ranma!" Akane repeated, unnerved by his silence. "What does it 
say?! Tell me!" 
    After a long moment, Ranma looked up at her and spoke. "It ... it says..." 

    "...'Time will tell'..." 



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
Ranma 1/2: The Sands of Time 
Written by Corey Smith 


Author's notes: 
    Well, here it is ... my second fanfic. In case you're wondering, the first 
one was a Bubblegum Crisis story entitled "Berserk", and can be found on the 
web page "Anything-Goes Martial Arts!" which belongs to my friend Andrew Fors. 
It can be found at http://pages.prodigy.com/NCHT29C and is a really cool page. 
That story was written nearly two years ago and I have yet to recieve any 
feedback on it, and it's slowly driving me toward suicide so if you read it, 
please tell me what you think! Incidentally, "Sands of Time" was nearly twice 
as long as "Berserk" but took me a fraction of the time to write ... guess I'm 
getting faster. But, back to the subject at hand. 
    I've been a Ranma addict since 1994, and so I don't really know why it took 
me this long to sit down and write a story. I can say that I only recently 
became aware of the tremendous amount of fanfiction in existence, and after 
reading some outstanding fan-written Ranma stories, was inspired to try my hand 
at it. I'd like to pay particular homage to the creative genius who calls 
himself Benares, as his work inspired me more than any other's (Benares-sama, 
if you read this, PLEASE tell me what you think!!). The idea of a Ranma-Mermaid 
crossover was one I hadn't seen used by anyone, so I decided to try it. I think 
it turned out fairly well, but I guess I'm not the final judge here. 
    Special thanks are due to Mike Hunter for extensive creative input, and 
especially for linguistic assistance where necessary (such as Tatsunada 
Fushin's special attacks). He also deserves credit for suggesting several small 
scenes including Mousse and Ryoga outside the Tendos' gate, Soun and Genma at 
the hospital, Fushin using the Kamehame Ha wave, and occasional bits of Kuno 
dialogue, as well as general Shampoo research (plus anything else I missed). 
Thanks also to my other readers-in-progress, particularly Aaron Whiteside for 
other creative input. It makes things much easier. 
    Future projects ... well, I have quite a few ideas. Further Ranma stories 
are likely to focus on Ryoga, Ukyo, Nabiki, or Kuno (as they're my favorite 
characters; could you tell?). I may turn to video game-related topics as well, 
such as Phantasy Star or even Sonic The Hedgehog (don't worry, it would be VERY 
different from the Archie comics). A return trip to MegaTokyo is always 
possible, particularly with a new series(!) on the horizon. And eventually all 
will see my own original story, Burning Road. 
    But, it's noon and I've been up since yesterday, so I'll break this 
rambling train of thought. If you read this story, please drop me a line and 
let me know what you think; comments, suggestions and general praise (I hope) 
is greatly desired, and no topic is too small. Also tell me what you'd like to 
see next! My brand-new e-mail address is masterwork@juno.com (but if it's not 
working, send comments to the Anything-Goes Martial Arts! page). I'll respond 
to those who mail me, when and if possible. 

    Corey Smith      11-14-1996