Elessar was an Elfinn, ancient and grizzled, a collector of 
toys and games.  He especially prized ones which could bring him 
new experiences.  Today, however, he frowned as he stared at one 
of his oldest, but most inscrutable possessions.  It was old, older 
than him, and that couldn't be said of many things in the world.  It 
was indestructible, made of Cuendillar, and unique, for he had 
never found another one, never found anyone who knew exactly 
what it was, never even found a hint of where it originated.  

	Its heart was a white tube from which protruded three bars, 
each of which supported an eight by eight grid of red and blue 
squares.  The tube was about two feet tall with four protruding 
bars at its base as supports so it stood up on its own.  If you 
touched the top of the tube with a thread of spirit, spectral pieces 
appeared on the board.  

	By various experiments, he had discovered hand gestures 
that would move the blue pieces (How it perceived the gestures, 
he had no idea).  The red pieces would then make a move on their 
own; he guessed that the game, whatever its name was, had some 
way of making decisions as to which ones to move.  Slowly, over 
years, he had managed to piece together the rules; he liked games 
of strategy and he liked puzzles.  He liked to make things move at 
his command.  

       The game played a piece of music if you won, different each 
time, always different; if it had ever repeated itself, Elessar had 
forgotten.  Some of the tunes he knew, others he did not.  At least 
he assumed it happened when you won; one of the problems of 
dealing with the game was that sometimes it seemed to decide he 
had lost when he was fairly sure he had won under similar 
conditions.  Part of the problem was that you couldn't play the 
same game twice; the game would change its own actions even if 
you didn't; it seemed to learn from its mistakes, although 
sometimes it made new ones and apparently unlearned things.

        Some things he knew for sure.  There were seven different 
standard configurations of the game, and it cycled through them.  
You played out the first one, then the second, then the third, etc., 
whether you won or lost.  Usually you lost; the game seemed 
rigged in its own favor, although he attributed that to the game 
knowing the rules and him not knowing them for sure.  Also, the 
rules seemed to be somewhat different with each configuration.  

        There was one constant; each piece on the board was linked 
to a twinned piece.  When you moved one, you had to move the 
other.  One of the twins was powerful on the top board, the other 
would be powerful on the bottom board.  They were usually 
equally powerful in the middle, and very weak if they went to the 
other piece's homeground.  Red and Blue each had identical 
pieces to start with, but if you could trap a piece long enough, you 
could turn it into one of yours.  Some pieces could move through 
all three boards; others could only move between two, and some 
could only move between boards if they reached one of the four 
squares on each of the boards which were marked with a little 
spectral pillar when the game was active; they were portal stones, 
he knew now.   His theory was that the same society that had 
created the portal stones had created this game.  

	One of the things that had slowed his learning process was 
that he couldn't channel.  He was grateful for this, but it also 
meant that he needed someone to channel for him to play, for the 
game only continued as long as spirit Power was fed into it.  

	He had cajoled the Council into giving him access to the two 
channelers it had acquired some time back; if he could finish 
learning the game, then he could teach others and let them play.  
New experiences and the promise of such were a valuable 
commodity in their society.  

	One of them was watching avidly, studying the game as 
much as he was.  The other, who was actually stuck doing the 
channeling, was bored out of her skull.  Both wore collars which 
prevented them channeling unless he willed it; he would not have 
his head exploded like Shalin the thrice cursed.  The interested 
one, who was very short with dark brown hair gathered back into 
a bun, said, "So you always have to play the blue side?"

	"Yes.  But both sides are identical, just as each of the blue 
pieces has a twin.  So effectively, there's four versions of each 
piece.  Basically, you have 64 pieces total; 16 kinds of pieces, 
with each player having two of each kind."  Elessar stared at the 
board for a moment.  "Watch, Polgara."  

	That wasn't her birth name; the Council of the Elfinn had 
renamed her that after she fell into their hands.  It amused them 
greatly, but baffled her both as to their choice of it and why they 
found it funny.  Then again, they called her companion Rita, 
which made just as little sense.  Polgara glanced over at Rita, who 
was probably fantasizing about revenge again.  "I am watching."

	He raised his left hand and she memorized the gesture.  His 
index finger was curled to touch his palm, while his pinky stuck 
up in the air and the ring and middle fingers pointed roughly 
parallel to the ground and the thumb stuck off to one side.  When 
he did this, a woman riding a wolf moved onto a portal stone 
space and jumped from the bottom board to the top one, while its 
parallel piece moved three spaces diagonally across the middle 
board.  

	Polgara frowned.  "Why didn't you send the piece to the top 
board that would be strongest there?  Either of them could have 
been moved to the top."

	A red catapult slid across the bottom board, then its 
counterpart slid four squares to the right on the middle board.  
Another gesture from Elessar sent the wolfrider back through the 
portal stone and down to the bottom board.  Its counterpart moved 
back to where it had started from.  "Now I can move up to four 
pieces from the bottom to the top without having to obey their 
normal movement rules, although I have to do it within the next 
six turns."  He laughed.  "The rules are incredibly complex, but 
you will have plenty of time to learn them, Polgara.  While you 
dwell here, you will not age.  And if I can teach you, then I can 
teach anyone.; it will take time, but that is something you have 
more than enough of now."

	"What, you plan to make me be a human battery for this 
thing?"  Rita said, outraged.  She was beautiful, graceful, and 
generally in a bad mood, with long black hair, a slender figure, 
and a foul attitude.

	"If you prefer to go back to slowly breaking down rocks into 
smaller rocks for Rimmisa, I can arrange that,"  Elessar said.

	"Hmm.  If one piece gets turned by the other player, does it 
turn both pieces?"  Polgara asked.

	"It becomes much easier to turn the other one.  But it doesn't 
happen automatically.  However, the two pieces still have to move 
at the same time, so you can no longer move either until one 
player controls both.  And, oddly, you can only kill a piece if the 
same player controls both.  However, killing one won't kill the 
other, but it can sometimes turn the other one to your side, 
depending on where on the field the twin is.  It can make things 
complex in the endgame."

	Polgara was quite used to complex endgames.  She was still 
trying to figure out if she had won the last one she had played 
through.

************

Parallel Lives #1:
Book One:  For Remembrance Lost

Games People Play

A Wheel of Time / Ranma 1 / 2  crossover, 

by John Biles

Other chapters available at
http://www.thekeep.org/~wombat/PL/


************

	Ranma-chan lay on her bed in the suite she shared with 
Ukyou.  Her skin was still tender from being healed; Alyssa had 
put her back together again quite well.  She was mostly naked 
except for her pants; she was waiting for water to warm up.

	"You should have channeled this hot,"  Ukyou said,  who 
was also waiting for hot water, since he was in his boy body.  
"This fireplace loses all the heat somehow.  Or something."  He 
put more wood on the fire.  

	There was a knock on the door.  "Come in!"  Ranma shouted, 
then coughed. 

	"Ranchan, you're..."  Ukyou started to say.

	Alyssa walked in, then started at the sight of Ranma-chan 
half-naked.  "I'm sorry, were you two about to..."

	"No!"  Ranma-chan shouted.  "We don't have sex like 
this!  I'm a guy!"

	Alyssa shuddered slightly.  She and Kaneda hadn't done it 
like that either, but she suspected he wanted to.  It's not like I 
haven't seen Ranko with her top off, she thought.  I just..I can't 
quite think of her as a guy.  Not after all we went through together 
at the Tower.  "Need hot water?"

	"Yeah.  I'm feeling too wiped out to channel.  Damn Ryouga.  
If I blew up everything every time I got bad news, Tokyo would 
be in rubble."  Ranma-chan rolled over on one side to face the 
water pot.

	It was simplicity itself for Alyssa to heat the water.  "I'm 
surprised you...spend so much time in girl form if you...don't like 
it."

	Ukyou doused himself and became herself, then she passed 
the water to Ranma-chan, who didn't bother getting off the bed 
first.  "Hey!  We have to sleep on that, you know!"

	Ranma sighed.  "Dammit.  Can you dry this, Alyssa?"

	Alyssa experimented a bit, nearly setting the bed on fire, but 
soon it was dry and warm.  "I came by to...see if you were okay."  
Noticing Ukyou was giving her an odd look, she wilted slightly.  

        "I'm fine.  You're a damn good healer,"  Ranma said.  "A lot 
better than me.  I'm mostly good at blowing things up.  And from 
what I heard, you did a lot of building Castle Mist."

        She blushed a little, taking a chair and sitting down.  "I just 
linked with Kaneda and he drew on my power."

	"You gotta stop being so modest,"  Ranma said.  "If you're 
good at something, be proud of it."  She had successfully 
distracted herself to this point from thinking about how she 
had...lost Akane to Alyssa, but now it all came back to her.  What 
does Akane see in Alyssa, he wondered.  How could she love two 
people who...I mean, I'm nothing like Alyssa.  She's just so...I 
mean, Gosunkugi could push Alyssa around.  Does Akane want 
someone she can push around?  The thought bothered Ranma.  It 
didn't ring true to him.  She could have had a lot of wimpy people 
if she wanted them.  There had to be something...He had to 
understand why Akane loved Alyssa.  He had to.  If he didn't 
understand that, he would never...really be able to accept her 
choice.  

	He looked over at Ukyou, and wondered again if he had 
made the right decision.  Being with Ukyou felt good.  In a lot of 
ways it felt better than when he had been engaged to Akane.  They 
didn't have stupid fights.  Well, not as many stupid fights, and he 
usually understood afterwards why they fought.  But it wasn't the 
same either.  Do I love you enough to marry you, Ucchan?  He 
wasn't sure.  Making love to her had been wonderful, although 
clumsy.  But there was more to relationships than that.  Do we 
share the same dreams?  He had the impression Ukyou wanted to 
settle down, while he wasn't so sure he wanted to do that.  And 
more importantly, there was the whole problem of channeling.  It 
hadn't just been ta'veren effects that made him swear the oath of 
the Hall.  It wasn't just the fact that he hadn't been ready to leave 
Akane, or that she had asked him.  It was that he was increasingly 
sure he wasn't going to be able to live outside this universe for 
very long.  If you couldn't reach the Source, you died unless you 
found something else to fill your life.  Maybe his martial arts 
could fill that hole.  Maybe I'm just being a coward, he thought.  
The idea galled him.  But whether he could or not... he didn't want 
to stop channeling.  It was... wonderful.  And useful.  But...it 
bound him to his girl form.  If he wanted to channel, he had to be 
a girl.  It made it attractive, and to him, that was an argument 
against it, but...

        Ukyou nodded.  "Take pride in what you can do, Alyssa."

	She laughed faintly.  "I may be the only modest Aes Sedai in 
the entire Pattern.  If...if we can call ourselves that.  I never even 
took the Accepted test."

	"We're the Hall of the Servants,"  Ranma said.  "We're the 
REAL Aes Sedai, not these obnoxious people who know nothing 
while we know everything,"  He made a dismissive gesture at 
some invisible target of his contempt.  "You know more about the 
Age of Legends in your toe than the entire brown Ajah knows in 
their entire library."  He stood up and stretched.  "I wish Siuan 
Sanche was here.  I'd string her up with her own fishing nets and 
give HER a lecture for once."  

	"She meant well,"  Alyssa said.  "I hope she didn't die in 
the...whatever happened to the Tower.  There's been rumors of a 
coup or a civil war or something, and she was deposed.  Elaida is 
the Amyrlin now."

	Ranma gagged, while Ukyou tried to pretend she understood 
any of this.  "ELAIDA?"

	"All the Blues were driven out and there's rumors of there 
being two Amyrlins now or something."  Alyssa thought hard.  
"Rand thinks Egwene is the Rebel Amyrlin."

	Switching from gagging to shock, Ranma said, "EGWENE?" 
At least it wasn't Nynaeve, he thought.  She'd braid everyone's 
hair and...a memory of her arguing with Egwene about whether 
Egwene should have her hair braided brought on by Nynaeave 
spotting Ranma's hairstyle made him laugh.  "You're joking."

	"Nope.  There's some Aes Sedai she sent to help him.  Or 
something."  She knew there were some Aes Sedai sworn to serve 
Rand and some others who were being punished for having tried 
to haul him off to the Tower to be stilled, but she wasn't perfectly 
clear on what was happening.  "I dunno why they made Egwene 
Amyrlin, though.  I mean, she had a lot of potential, but..."

        Ranma sat back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.  
"Egwene the Amyrlin.  I wonder what she'll think of us...the Hall 
of the Servants, I mean."

        "Either laugh or be mad," Alyssa said.  "And you know how 
she gets when she's angry."

        "Don't remind me,"  Ranma said, laughing.  He and Alyssa 
launched off into a line of reminiscence that left Ukyou utterly 
confused.
  
************

       "So you're going to Caemlyn tomorrow?"  Kaneda asked 
Rand.

       Rand nodded.  "Once I settle that, I'm going to take you and 
some people of your choice to Tear.  I can think of a few good 
questions we can try to get the Snakes to answer.  We need to 
know about your ...power...before we make a general 
announcement, but if I don't go soothe the Andorians..."

       "I understand,"  Kaneda said.  They were in Rand's 
apartments, basically alone, although several Maidens of the 
Spear were just outside the door.  "Are there really three women 
after you?"

        Rand blinked.  "Uh...er..."  he blushed, turning red and losing 
his composure.  Usually, he had the attitude of a haughty lord, 
born to command; it reminded Kaneda of Cologne or Mikado or 
even Kunou a little.  Now, he looked like Ranma right before he 
got socked one for saying something stupid.  "Um...well, there 
was..uh...and she...and..."

	"Well, my old fiancee had four women after him.  I told you 
all about Nerima, right?"

	Rand nodded.  "It's hard for me to believe, but yes, you told 
me.  Ranko...Ranma, just seems so natural as a woman, but I can 
see..."

	Kaneda laughed.  "If you say something like that in front of 
her, even being the Dragon Reborn and ta'veren won't save you 
from a beating.  And I'm really a woman, even though you've 
mostly seen me in my boy body."  She had transformed in private 
to prove it to him; he'd likely have heard the rumors from her 
followers soon enough, anyway.

	"Anyway, why do you ask?"

	"Do they get along?"  Kaneda asked.

	Rand stared at the floor, perhaps in the hope of finding the 
best way to win Tarmon Gaidon written on it by a passing scholar.  
"None of them have ever been in my presence all at the same 
time.  Umm...I mean, no two of them...Although Elayne and 
Aviendha are probably in the same place, I think.  Elayne should 
be on her way to Caemlyn by now.  I wish she'd hurry up and 
arrive before the nobles finally spontaneously combust.  They're 
better off away from me; it's too dangerous to be near me."  He 
frowned.  "Why do you ask?"

	"I...I find myself...I have romantic problems.  They're not the 
same as yours, but..."  Kaneda stared at the ground, also 
apparently searching for universal wisdom in the weave of the 
rug.  "How do you know if you really love someone?  Or what to 
do if you...love two people?"

	"Well, if you're Aiel and male, you marry both of them."  
Kaneda started, and Rand laughed.  "I'm not saying you should do 
that, although it might come down to that for me, although I 
really...I shouldn't marry anyone.  I have nothing to offer a bride 
but trouble and the prospect of my death.  My blood spilled on the 
rocks of Shaol Ghul..."  His voice turned more sombre.  "But then 
I'm with one of them and I just...I thought I could be strong, that I 
could stand alone, that I could send them away for their own 
good, but...well, none of them really take no for an answer, 
although Elayne...Well, really, I don't understand how any of 
them think, except sometimes I can make myself believe I 
understand Min."  He looked over at Kaneda.  "Am I rambling?"

	"I don't understand women either, and I am one,"  Kaneda 
said, laughing.  "Or men.  Or myself."

	"I wish I didn't understand myself,"  Rand said quietly.  "I 
suppose you're thinking about Ranko and Alyssa."

	Kaneda nearly jumped out of his skin.  "Uh...yeah."

	"Ranko is from your homeland, right?"

	Kaneda nodded quietly.

	"I was in love with a girl from my homeland.  We grew up 
together, and everyone, including us, thought we'd be married one 
day.  But we fought a lot; it wasn't ALWAYS my fault."  He 
laughed.  "Not that either of us would ever admit we were the 
wrong one.  But then our lives changed and the Pattern pulled us 
apart.  It wasn't exactly that we stopped loving each other; it was 
more like the way our lives were going, we could never be 
together, and we recognized it.  I thought...I thought it wasn't safe 
for me to love anyone, and Egwene...I'm not sure what motivated 
her, but she actually initiated the...umm...I'm not sure what word 
to use for it.  Sometimes...Sometimes I think she traded me to 
Elayne, but..."

	Kaneda interrupted.  "My parents arranged Ranko and I's 
engagement.  We fought like mad weasels all the time.  Over 
whether I could cook, who was better looking, who fought better, 
who liked who and went where with who when and...God, we had 
some incredibly STUPID fights.  And we wouldn't even admit we 
liked each other but...I mean, we've risked our lives for each other.  
We just couldn't...get past our pride.  But now...I thought she was 
dead.  I feel in love with someone else and...It's not just that I love 
Alyssa, although that drives Ranma nuts, I'm sure.  It's that I can't 
go back to my old life.  I can't be just Akane anymore.  She's part 
of me, but I can't go back to being a schoolgirl looking forward to 
one day running a martial arts school."  He paused for breath, 
waiting to see if Rand was going to say something.

        Rand didn't say anything, just listened quietly, so Kaneda 
continued.  "I'm a girl named Akane, but I'm also a boy named 
Kaneda, and Kaneda is...I've killed people."  His voice dropped 
lower.  "I don't think Ranko's ever killed another human.  
Certainly not as many as I've had to.  I dropped a mountainside on 
an army of Whitecloaks and killed fifty or more.  The first time I 
really used the One Power."  The guilt was muted now, but it still 
stabbed at him.  "And I know that if I stay, I'll have to kill again.  
Tarmon Gaidon is coming.  It's not going to be the Last Tennis 
Tournament; it's going to be a war and that means death.  And I 
can't go back; I need the Source to live."

	"I understand,"  Rand said, his voice compassionate.  "I've 
killed too.  And sent people to die.  So much blood on my 
hands..."  He shook his head.  "Ranko might understand better 
than you think.  She's been part of killing as well.  We fought 
Bel'al and Ishmael together at Tear."  He paused.  "Should I call 
her..him...Ranko or Ranma?"

	"Ranma's his real name.  He took the name Ranko to hide 
from his mother."  Rand blinked at Kaneda, who continued.  
"Long story.  Anyway, also, Rank...Ranma can't handle that I 
like...that I could love a girl.  Romantically and ...  Ranma hates 
his curse.  Totally.  I used to hate mine, but now, I like it.  I don't 
want a cure.  I'm comfortable with what I am, but Ranma hates his 
curse, and doesn't want to love a boy.  Which I am, sometimes.  
But I'm not going to give it up.  And Alyssa doesn't care."  He 
paused.  "At least, I think she doesn't."

	Rand cocked his head, thinking, then said, "You were 
originally a girl, right?"

	"Right."

	"Then why do you channel Saidin?  Only men can channel 
Saidin.  It's...built into our nature.  Our soul.  Or can you channel 
both sides because of your curse?"

	Kaneda frowned.  "Not as far as I know... Maybe... Umm... I 
should have Alyssa try to help me figure out if I could."

	"And Ranko is a boy, but channels in girl form...does 
Ranko's warder channel?"

	"Nope.  But she can get into that world of dreams place."  
Kaneda said.  "What are you getting at?"

	"I'm not sure.  I thought for a moment maybe your curse gave 
the recipient the ability to channel.  Are there many channelers in 
your world?"

	"There aren't ANY as far as I know.  Ranma says you can't 
touch the Source or even sense it in our world."

	"Like a stedding."

	Kaneda nodded, shifting a bit in his seat.  "Our world's magic 
doesn't work like that.  You have to find magic places or magical 
items or spend years studying spells which usually don't even 
work.  We both had some skill with using chi, but that's different.  
It's not just knowing how to use chi; Ukyou would be a good 
channeler if that was it.  I mean, for why Ranma and I channel and 
she doesn't or why we do it in our curse bodies."

	"Ukyou's better off not being able to channel in her cursed 
form,"  Rand said.  "So how does she fit into...you and Ranma's 
situation?"

        "She's one of my old rivals.  There were four of us.  She was 
a childhood friend of Ranma's."  Kaneda paused.  "This is going 
to be a long tale."

         "We still have  an hour or two before I must sleep,"  Rand 
said.  

	"Okay, here we go..."

************

	Min was reading a book, 'Swords of the North', a 'historical' 
romance about doomed love in the last years of the Trolloc Wars.  
The author had clearly never seen a Trolloc, but it was enjoyable 
anyway.  She had just gotten to where the heroine was trying to 
escape her house, which was on fire, when there was a knock on 
the door.

	"Come in."  It's probably Rand, she thought.  Come to make 
sure I'm okay.

	It was Ranma.  Min knew about Ranma's curse now, but had 
not actually SEEN Ranko's boy form before, and she hadn't 
known about the curse for very long.  It still seemed strange to 
her.  He was clad in a simple white tunic and the black satin pants 
he favored.  "Hey, you okay?"

	"You got hurt worse than me,"  Min said.  "I'm fine.  Just a 
little tired."  She got off the bed and went over to a chair, pulling 
another one by the fire for Ranma.  

	"I shoulda made you stay back at the palace."

	Min threw back her head and laughed.  "Been taking lessons 
from Rand, I see."

	Ranma blinked.  "Huh?"

	"Men are all alike, sometimes,"  Min said, smiling.  "So 
where's Ukyou?"

	"She and Alyssa are talking about something or another.  
Some girl stuff thing I'm not privy to, but which is apparently my 
fault.  Or something."  He sighed, turning to face the fire.  "I was 
just trying to convince Alyssa to take more pride in herself.  I 
just...she's so...I mean, I ought to be glad she's not snotty like most 
Aes Sedai, but..."

	"It aggravates you that you lost Kaneda to someone who isn't 
like you,"  Min finished for him.

	Ranma's eyes widened.  "You read minds?"

	"No, but I'm not blind.  Unlike you and Rand."  She laughed 
faintly.  "He couldn't even tell how I felt even after I started sitting 
in his lap every day and kissing him.  I could hardly believe it.  I 
mean...it doesn't get more blatant than that."

	Ranma put his hands behind his head and leaned back in the 
chair a little.  "Yes it does.  Shampoo used to climb naked into the 
bathtub with me.  THAT was more blatant."

	"An old girlfriend?"

	"Wanna-be girlfriend.  You see, she came from this crazy 
Amazon village where if you beat one of them in combat, you had 
to marry them.  The Amazons have all sorts of crazy laws."

	It wouldn't surprise me if the Aiel had a law like that, Min 
thought.  "The Aiel are worse.  You can end up being someone's 
servant for a year for mentioning their mother-in-law.  Or 
something like that."

	Ranma boggled.  "Did all those white robed Aiel do that?"
      
	"I hope not.  So she wanted to marry you because you beat 
her in a fight?"

	"I...ummm...accidentally ate the prize at a tournament she 
had just won.  Me and Pop.  So I had to fight her.  And because I 
won, she thought I had to marry her.  The only reason she isn't 
here trying to get me to marry her is that she can't cross 
dimensions.  I hope."

	"So why didn't you want to marry her?  Was she ugly?  
Mean?"

	"She thinks using mind-control drugs on people is okay.  
And killing her enemies.  And I don't want to live in some 
backwards village in the middle of nowhere ruled by women who 
live by a bunch of totally psychotic rules.  She's too ruthless 
and...I just didn't love her.  I didn't hate her, and sometimes she 
can be nice, but...I couldn't marry Shampoo.  Plus, she turns into 
a...a...c...c...cat."

	Min's eyes widened.  "I can see your problem.  You'd 
probably accidentally kill her."

	"Yeah, if someone hadn't snapped me out of it, I could have 
killed everyone in the Tower.  Well, I guess they would have just 
bound me with air, but..."

        "So how did you keep your secret in the Tower, anyway?  Or 
did Siuan Sanche know?"

        "She knew.  Almost no one else did, and since even I don't 
get accidentally splashed with hot water much...as long as I 
bathed in secret, I was okay."  Ranma sighed.  "Even you and 
Egwene and Alyssa and Nynaeve and Elayne didn't find out.  It 
was really hard when I was with the two Es and Nyn.  I should 
have told you guys, but...I was afraid of what everyone would 
think and...I was afraid of the Reds."

	"Well, I never would have guessed you were male.  I just 
thought you were kinda like me; a bit on the mannish side,"  Min 
said.  "In fact, I thought you were more feminine than me."

	Ranma laughed nervously.  "I'm a good actor."  He stared at 
the fire again.  "I just wish...I wish I knew what Kane...Akane sees 
in Alyssa.  But I just can't...I mean..."

	"You can't just ask,"  Min said.

	"Exactly.  I mean, Akane used to not even like girls.  Well, 
not romantically.  You know what I mean."  Min nodded 
affirmatively, so Ranma continued.  "I think it had to do with him 
being stuck as a boy for so long."

	"Stuck as a boy?"

	"Okay, this is what happened..."

*********

	Kaneda finished explaining, then said, "So what do you 
think?"

	"Does Ranma love Ukyou?"

	"I don't know.  I mean, I know he likes her and they've...slept 
together and he said they've decided to try and make their 
engagement work, but..."

	"You think he picked Ukyou because he couldn't have you."  
Rand congratulated himself on his perceptiveness.  Normally, he 
didn't understand much about this sort of thing, but somehow he 
was just making all the right deductions.  Maybe it was because of 
how thoroughly Kaneda explained things.  Or another ta'veren 
effect.  Or having Merana around had rubbed off on him.  Ahh, 
there's an idea.  Perhaps she can help them settle this.  She seems 
to have a good grasp on how people think.

	"I just...I just...I wish I could just stop...how I feel about 
Ranma, but I can't, and I'm afraid it's going to...lead to trouble.  
Do you think I did the right thing?"

	"So why do you love Alyssa?"  I wish Mat or Perrin was 
here, Rand thought.  He knows more about this sort of thing than I 
do.  Or Nynaeve.  She used to counsel people about love.  I think.  

	"Because she's so caring.  When I was lonely and alone, she 
reached out to me and comforted me.  After I came here, I thought 
all my friends were dead.  And while my followers were friendly, 
they all...They all kept a distance.  Like I was a god instead of a 
human being like them.  But Alyssa was different.  She talked to 
me and listened and tried to cheer me up and...she treated me like 
a human being.  And I needed that.  Desperately.  It's lonely, 
being in charge, sometimes."

	Rand nodded.  "I know.  Light, I know."

	"And I don't have to compete with her, either.  Ranma and I 
always fought over who was better at things, and it was usually 
him.  Alyssa's better than me at a lot of the same things that 
Ranma was, except for fighting, but...we don't fight about it.  It's 
just a totally different kind of relationship than Ranma and I had."

	"So why do you love Ranma?"  It does sound totally 
different, Rand thought.  Then again, Aviendha and Elayne and 
Min don't have a whole lot in common.  Other than being able to 
confuse me, Rand thought.  

	"It's like...like wrestling with the Source.  We'd try to destroy 
each other, but then...we'd join as one and be more powerful than 
either of us was apart.  We pushed each other to...get better.  And 
Ranma is brave and loyal and always fought to defend me.  Deep 
down, I knew I could count on him when it was really important.  
And he's...he's got integrity.  He could have had as much sex as he 
wanted from Shampoo and Kodachi and probably Ukyou, but he 
didn't, because he...because he wouldn't take advantage of the 
situtation and I think...because he loved me too.  And even when I 
attacked him, he was too gentle to hurt me back.  Ranma doesn't 
pick fights with people.  Except for Ryouga.  He and Ranma 
fought even more than Ranma and I did.  He got in other fights, 
but it was the ones with Ryouga that were usually his fault.  So, 
you see, what I see in Ranma isn't what I see in Alyssa and..."

	"So which one do you love more?"

	Kaneda fidgeted in his chair.  "Well, it varies.  For one thing, 
it varies if I'm male or female.  When I'm a girl, I think I love 
Ranma more, and when I'm a boy, I love Alyssa more, but...that's 
starting to change.  They both change sex and now my boy body 
is starting to want Ranma's girl body and my girl body wants 
Alyssa's boy body and...yeesh, I must sound like a pervert."

	Rand agreed, but had enough politeness not to say that.  "But 
Ranma doesn't like your boy body."  Just when I thought my life 
couldn't get any farther away from what it used to be, he thought, 
I have a discussion like this.

	"Yeah."

	"Does Alyssa?"

	"I'm not sure.  I don't want to press her...I didn't start liking 
girls for months after I started changing."  Kaneda sighed.  "But I 
don't want to have to be a boy all the time for her.  I'm Akane too, 
not just Kaneda."

	Rand thought for a minute.  Maybe I should have him talk to 
a...no, sending him to a Wise One probably wouldn't be wise.  I 
just...I don't know what to say.   "Well, whichever one can love 
you however you are is best, I think.  Other than that, I just...I 
have no idea what to tell you."  Mat would probably know how to 
handle this, Rand thought.  He understands women.

	"Well, thanks for listening."  Kaneda yawned.  "I'd best get 
some sleep.  I'm ready to go to Tear whenever you want me to 
go."

        "The sooner the better."

************

	"So you think she wants you to be a boy and a girl.  For her."  
Min stared thoughtfully at the fire.  

	"And I'm just a boy.  Who sometimes turns into a girl."

	"But if you stop turning into a girl, you'll die 
because you can't touch the Source.  Or if you go back to your 
world."

	Ranma's eyes widened.  "Uh...yeah.  There's got to be SOME 
way to get around that."

	"Well, it didn't kill Siuan Sanche or Leane as far as I could 
tell, but you have to find some kind of overriding goal.  They both 
wanted to get even; that kept them alive."  She thought for a 
moment.  "But you love Akane, even though she turns into a boy."

	Ranma blushed a bit.  "I just...yeah.  But I also, I mean...I 
think I...I care about Ukyou too.  Sometimes I wish I could..."  He 
fell silent.  "It's weird.  Ukyou and I never used to fight, but now 
that we're together, we've started having these fights.  I 
mean...does that mean we shouldn't be together?"

	"Rand and I have had fights that would break the world if 
words could smash things.  Every love affair has epic fights; it's if 
you don't care about what each other says that you have to worry.  
I suspect it's because you have to deal with things together you 
didn't have to deal with before, like what you're going to do in the 
long term."

	Ranma nodded.  "Ukyou wants to go home to Nerima, but I 
can't."

	"Because Akane is here?"

	"Because I might die.  Because I'm...I'm needed here.  My 
life didn't have much purpose except to cause stupid fights back 
home, but here, it means something when I fight.  And 
channeling...it's just so...wonderful.  And useful.  And...so Ukyou 
and I had a big fight about it.  I won, but...I don't think she feels as 
useful here as I do."

	"Then make her feel useful.  If she can travel in dreams like 
you said, then she ought to be learning about that.  I think the 
Wise Ones could teach her."  Min paused.  "Although their 
teaching methods get kind of...forceful."

	"It can't be worse than the Tower.  I'll talk to her about it."

	An idea popped into Min's head.  "So what does Ukyou think 
about...your girl body?"

	"Ucchan's not like that," was Ranma's somewhat frantic 
response.  "I...think."  I hope, he thought.  I just...I can't do that.  
Even if I wanted to, because of my wish.  

         Min yawned.  "I think I need to sleep, Ranma.  Are you 
going to be around tomorrow?"

	"I'm going to Tear with Akane, whenever she goes."  Ranma 
said.  "I'll probably go see if I can find anyone I know from the 
Tower hanging around here.  And get a feel for how the city is 
laid out and stuff."

	"I think I want to properly meet Ukyou and see what's she 
like.  Will you introduce us tomorrow?  So I can drag her off for a 
while?"

	"Sure thing."

************

	'Rita' laughed to herself in her sleep.  While she had long 
been expert in the ways of Tel'aran'rhiod, it was not easy to slip 
into it from the lands of the two tribes of 'finn, the Aelfinn and 
Elfinn.  Not if they didn't want you to, but she knew more about 
Dreaming and Tel'aran'rhiod in her toe than most of the so-called 
experts of the days of her youth had in their entire soul.  It helped 
that she was not seeking out the dreams of those who dwelt within 
the world of her birth, but those in another world, one of the many 
worlds of if.

	She had stumbled into the wrong mind the first time, nearly 
ended up the plaything of a deranged child who she was now sure 
was Graendal's twin.  The girl had possessed almost all of 
Graendal's flaws and none of her strengths, except for 
determination.  She had the spark, but in her world, it would never 
awaken, for which Rita was thankful.  Dark and stained as her 
own soul was, she still had enough compassion to be glad the mad 
girl did not possess the Power.

	Not that the person she sought was much better.  It disturbed 
her to see how twisted the dreams of her own parallel was, and for 
a moment she faltered.  The creepy laughter, the sleeping bodies 
everywhere, the crocodile eating some mallet-bearing girl over 
and over, the surreal wedding in which Rita wasn't entirely sure 
that the groom was alive...while Rita felt herself liberated from 
the shackles of morality, she was quite sure she wasn't a raving 
lunatic like this woman was.  

	Her mind was weak in some ways, stone cold iron in others.  
It would be easy to nudge her in the proper directions, but very 
hard if it ever became necessary to use her in certain ways; 
ideally, that would not be a problem.  And if it was...well, Rita 
would look for another tool.  But using this one, that would please 
her sense of aesthetics much more.

************

	Kaneda sat in his new quarters in Cairhien with his 'council'.  
"So what's the damage?" he asked.

	Vanin stroked his scraggly black beard which he had grown 
to hide his scarred, ugly chin, then said, "About fifty percent of 
those who dwelt in Castle Mist have either gone over to the Lord 
Dragon's service or departed for greener pastures.  Many of them 
either felt betrayed by your revelation or feared it was infectious.  
And some of them didn't want to be around a lot of male 
channelers."  He looked a little nervous himself.  

	"Most of those were people who joined us later; almost no 
one who came out of Amadicia and Tarabon with us has left.  We 
can still muster fifty men and women you've trained to some 
degree in fighting and most of whom have other skills as well, 
another fifty or so children, and eighteen Aes Sedai, counting 
yourself and Alyssa Sedai."  He paused.  "Nineteen if we count 
Ranko Sedai."  He glanced over at Alain and Mai, who could now 
count themselves among that number.

	Mai said, "Ranko Sedai swore the oath as well.  It's 
nineteen."  She turned to Kaneda.  "What exactly happened with 
her, anyway?  There was some kind of explosion or something 
and...well, I've heard a lot of crazy rumors."

	Kaneda tried to figure out how to explain about Ryouga 
without explaining about Ryouga.

************

	"She's WHAT?"  Soun said, boggling.

	Supressing a twinge of irritation and the vague impulse to 
bounce the D-hopper off his head, Kasumi repeated herself.  
"Ranma and Akane and Ukyou are all staying in the other world a 
few more months to wrap up loose ends and such.  Akane wanted 
to make sure her followers got to safety."

	Confused, Genma said, "Followers?"  He and Soun had been 
playing shogi when Kasumi had popped out of nowhere and made 
her announcement.  Dr. Tofu had come by a little earlier to 
announce there had been setbacks, but they shouldn't worry.  He 
had seemed more nervous than usual, but they were used to 
setbacks in their lives.  Genma's whole life seemed like one big 
setback to him at times.

	"She became Daimyo of Castle Mist in her boy form,"  
Kasumi explained.  "She took her followers to swear fealty to the 
Dragon, who is sort of like a Shogun, I think.  She couldn't leave 
until that was all taken care of, and Ranma decided to stay with 
her, and Ukyou stayed with Ranma.  And Ryouga was there, but 
he got lost."

	Soun blinked.  "Akane became a Daimyo?  In a few hours?"

	Kasumi frowned slightly.  "You were aware that she got split 
in half and half of her, her boyside, was trapped in this other 
universe?"

	"I had noticed she had been acting nicer the last few days.  Is 
she going to be back to being cranky again?"

	Kasumi's frown deepened.  "She was dying because she was 
split in half."

	"She seemed much nicer than usual,"  Genma helpfully 
pointed out.  "We want to know if that's going to continue."

	Trying to tamp down her swelling anger, Kasumi said, "Not 
unless you start DESERVING good treatment."

	"Can you cook us dinner, Kasumi?  We haven't eaten while 
you've been gone.  Not that you've been gone very long."

         Not even a question as to how I've been doing, she thought, 
shaking a little.  I've been through HELL and they don't care.  
They don't even care what Akane's been through.  I nearly...I...The 
impact of what she had done earlier, what she had wanted to do, 
hit her.  She'd managed to hold off thoughts of what she had gone 
through after her talk with Perrin; she hadn't wanted to think about 
it, better to focus on the future, not the past, but now...fear and 
guilt and anger and tears all chased each other around in her head.  
I...I should go see Dr. Tofu, she thought.  "Cook it yourself."  She 
ran out, half storming, half fleeing.

	Soun blinked.  "What's with her?"

	Having taken advantage of the distraction to turn the shogi 
board around, Genma said, "Beats me."

************

	Dr. Tofu sat by the spell circle, pouring over his books, 
trying to figure out what had gone wrong.  He was frantic; 
something horrible might have happened to Kasumi, and if that 
was the case...certainly it would have odd psychological effects; 
the spell was intended to reunite a person's halves; what it would 
do to someone who wasn't split...or was she?  Akane had become 
eerily Kasumi-like when she was split into halves.  What if 
Kasumi had repressed some side of herself and now had been 
forcibly reunited with it?  It would be traumatic to say the least.

	Running feet and sobs drew him out of himself, and he fell 
out of his chair as Kasumi crashed into him.  She was crying and 
almost screaming, making odd animal noises of fear; her body 
pressed to his, her arms gripping him as if he was an amulet of 
protection against a cruel world.  "Help me...help me...I don't 
know what to do, why am I so angry, why is my father such an 
idiot, no one cares, and I just...I can't stand it!  I wanted to kill 
her!  Am I going to go mad?  How do I fight it, help me Doctor 
Tofu!"

	Only her need saved him from himself.  His brain tried to 
fuzz out, but she needed him, needed him desperately.  Struggling, 
he fought off the mental fog that normally clouded him, ignored 
his love for her because he loved her.  He made soothing noises 
and patted her back until she fell silent, reduced to sobs, then 
pulled both her and him to their feet.  "This is all my fault, 
Kasumi.  I don't know what happened, but I messed up the rite 
myself.  I should have controlled myself, but I just...I messed up."

	She pulled back, leaning against his desk, rubbing her eyes.  
Her golden eyes.  He blinked.  They were blue before, he thought.  
Right?  "Kasumi...your eyes haven't always been golden, have 
they?"

	Her eyes widened.  "You noticed.  Father and Mr. Saotome 
didn't notice.  Or didn't care.  It's not..I'm not really going to go 
mad, am I?"

	Bits of a half-remembered story floated through his head.  
Silver eyes to see the wind.  Red eyes to master fire.  Golden eyes 
to...no, it was all jumbled up.  Wait...ahh, golden eyes were the 
mark of someone who could talk to animals.  "You hear animals 
talking to you?"
   
	Her eyes widened.  "You...you've heard of this?  I talked...to 
some...wolves, and then I..."

	He racked his brain, but could remember little of what 
happened to such people.  "Vaguely.  I have some books I can 
study to learn more, I think.  Is anything else wrong?"

	She shook her head.  "I just...I feel so...What I wanted to do 
was wrong.  I feel dirty."

	His brain started to try to fuzz over again.  He fought it off.  
"I'm not a confessor.  Maybe you should talk to a priest for that, 
but...you've been through a lot.  And you didn't actually DO 
anything bad, did you?"

	"The wolves I called...ate someone who had hurt me.  But I 
didn't do anything myself."  Kasumi's face clouded with anger for 
a moment, then guilt returned.  "I just...wanted to."

	The shock of hearing that drove away his brain fuzz.  "Tell 
me what he or she did to you."

	By the time Kasumi finished, Dr. Tofu wanted to do much 
worse than eating to Karla.  He was trembling more than her.  
How could anyone do something like that to Kasumi?  No wonder 
Kasumi was feeling so bad.  "I...I'd be as mad as you if that 
happened to me," he said.  "I'm almost that mad just hearing about 
it."

	"There has to be something I can do...to atone."

	"I know a good buddhist priest,"  Dr. Tofu said.  "I'm sure he 
can help you find a way to atone.  If you want to.  I just...I'm..."  
Nervously, he took her hand.  "I still think you're a good person.  
No one could go through what you did and not want to really hurt 
the person who did that to you."

	"But I...she..."  Kasumi stared at the ground.  "I just...Perrin 
said...some of the people who go through this lose themselves to 
the Wolf and the wolves wanted...they..."  She shuddered.  They're 
not like nice dogs at all.  But Scruffy was my friend.  He liked me 
and...The tears started to come again.  Doctor Tofu held her while 
they lasted.

************

	"So you're one of the mysterious men in Ranko's life?"  Min 
asked.  She was quite curious about Ukyou; Ranko had told her a 
million stories that had never quite made sense about her fiancee 
problems.  He was certainly handsome, although too androgynous 
for her tastes.  Because he was really a woman, Min reminded 
herself.  

	Ukyou sized Min up with an odd look.  Men had given her 
many kinds of looks in her life from good to bad, but this one was 
unique.  She looked like someone sizing up a potential rival; men 
had seen Min as many different things, but never a rival.  Does 
she think I'm after Ranko? Min wondered.  She had to force 
herself to think of Ukyou as a woman, just as she kept thinking of 
Ranma as Ranko.

	"THE...man in her life,"  Ukyou said.  "And the woman."  He 
shifted a bit, looking like someone on the verge of springing into 
action.  Or perhaps spontaneously combusting.  "The only other 
sort of real fiancee Ranko had was Kaneda, and that's over."  His 
voice was emphatic, but a little strained.  "We've been engaged 
since we were six."  His voice softened, turning a little wistful.  
"It's been an uphill road."

	"I guess you weren't too pleased when she got dragged off to 
the Tower,"  Min said.  "Although she did really well there; 
everyone was impressed at how she could see just about any 
weave and duplicate it instantly.  Her and Nyneave and Elayne 
and Egwene spent all their time showing off and getting in trouble 
for it.  Then they all ran off together."  She sighed.  "I wish they'd 
taken me with them."

       "Why?"  Ukyou asked, his voice sounding like someone 
pretending to be casual.  

       "I got stuck in the middle  of a civil war in the Tower and I 
hated being there anyway.  Aes Sedai don't treat people who can't 
channel very well.  My talent helped, but..."

	Ukyou leaned over the balcony and looked out across the 
countryside, staring at the endless Aiel and refugee camps.  They 
were up on a palace balcony, where Min had dragged Ukyou off 
to. "Talent?"

	"Didn't Ranko tell you?"  Ukyou shook her head no.  "I can 
see auras sometimes that can tell me things about people or their 
future."

	Ukyou turned to face Min.  "Do I have one?"

        "Not everyone does, but Aes Sedai and their warders do."  
She stared at Ukyou, rubbed her eyes, then got a confused look on 
her face.  "Weird."

        "Like what?"

	"You in a wedding dress."  When she said that, Ukyou, much 
to her surprise, suddenly smiled brightly and began jumping up 
and down, apparently for joy.  "Some chubby woman in a filmy 
dress forcing you to cook for her.  You smashing a statue.  You 
running away from a giant head.  You playing some kind of giant 
game with a woman in brown robes with Ranko and Kaneda 
and..."  Now Min's eyes widened.  

	"And?  And?"  Ukyou asked.  "Ryouga?  Perrin?  Faile?  
Mousse?  Shampoo?"

	"Rand."  She turned on one heel.  "I've got to tell 
Rand!"

	Ukyou grabbed her shoulder.  "Didn't he pop over to 
Caemlyn to go browbeat the nobles again?"

	She frowned.  "Yes.  I should have gone with him."

	"Well, you wouldn't have seen this if you went, now would 
you?"  Ukyou asked.

	Min frowned.  "He gets these fits where he thinks he can best 
protect me by not taking me places, but I can't help him if I'm not 
there."

	Ukyou sighed.  "Ranko's exactly the same way.  I'm 
supposed to be her warder and future...husband, but...I mean, isn't 
a warder's job to PROTECT he...his Aes Sedai?  Not her protect 
him?"  His voice sounded odd, like he kept stumbling over what 
he was saying.

	Min looked at the giant spatula on Ukyou's back.  "Are those 
common as weapons where you come from?"

	Ukyou grinned.  "Not very, but I've seen a lot weirder.  
Mousse once attacked Ranko with a giant wooden duck."

	Min boggled.  "A...giant wooden duck?"

	"Mousse uses a hidden weapons style."  He pulled his giant 
spatula off his back and twirled it around far more nimbly than 
any huge six foot hunk of metal should be swung about.  "I wish 
he was here; I'd give you a demonstration of my skills by 
stomping on him."

	Min tried to figure out how giant wooden ducks fit into a 
'hidden weapons' style and failed.  "Well, I do knife fighting, but I 
don't think I'd want to take on you with a knife against that.  But I 
know some Aiel who might be willing to spar with you."

	Ukyou grinned.  "I hear they're good."

	"The best."

	"If I had any money, I'd bet you I could beat one in five 
minutes."

	Min grinned.  "You can just owe me a favor if you don't."

        "Fair enough."

**********

	Elessar examined the location of the pieces on the board.  
"So, Polgara.  Do you think I should move my Priest to the middle 
board or take the Farmer with it on the top board?"

	She stared at it and frowned.  "He can reach the last rank and 
be promoted if you don't take it."

	He shook his head.  "See my Mayor?"  He pointed to a tiny 
figure of a man in ceremonial robes holding a key.  "If he moves 
forward, the Mayor can take him.  Then..."

	"Then his Top board Aes Sedai will move to your final row 
at that corner and be promoted to Queen.  And the Queen has 
more range than the Mayor, which will have to leave or die,"  
Polgara said.

	Rita laughed.  "But if you don't move the Priest to the middle 
row and protect your King, one of his Dragons will take your 
King, turning it and paralyzing your other King, which will wreck 
you on the bottom board.  Why did you move it to the middle 
board, anyway?"

	"To protect it from attack."

	"It can't get out by itself.  Seemed like a foolish strategy to 
me.  Why protect something by making it less able to protect 
itself?  It can only move one space per turn in the middle.  Why 
put it where it is weaker?"

	"Because its enemies will be weaker as well.  I'm hoping I 
can lure both of his Dragons into the middle world.  Sometimes it 
is worth weakening one of your own pieces in order to lure your 
opponent's pieces into following to where they are weaker."

	Polgara frowned.  "Even if it puts one where it can't get out 
under its own power?"

	Elessar gestured and moved the Priest to the middle World.  
His opponent's Dragon retreated, and he moved it back.  "As long 
as I still have my last Wolfrider, I can get him out."

        The Top board Queen darted across the board, killing 
Elessar's last Wolfrider.

	"You were saying?"

**********

        "You would dance the spears with me?"  Bain asked Ukyou.  
Chiad stood nearby, grinning in amusement.  

       "Just a friendly match.  I need a good workout.  Nothing 
lethal."  Ukyou said.  

	Bain nodded.  "With or without weapons?"  The Maiden of 
the Spear fingered her knife idly.  

	"I'm not much good without a weapon, so with."  
Ukyou said.

	They faced off in the courtyard, soon attracting a crowd of 
on-lookers; Aiel, Cairhiennin, and others.  The two combatants 
circled warily, sizing each other up, then Ukyou switched her 
mega-spatula to her left hand and unleashed three mini-spats in a 
row at Bain, who dodged by rolling to one side, followed by a 
charge and vault with her spear that sent her feet into Ukyou's 
chest.  Ukyou fell backwards, rolling and keeping her grip on her 
mega-spatula, though it wasn't easy.  

	Ukyou jumped to his feet, then advanced, trying to feel out 
Bain's defenses with a series of attacks.  He frowned a little when 
he couldn't find any blatant weaknesses, however it was also 
obvious that Bain didn't have the speed to keep this up forever, 
although she did have a lot of stamina.  He settled into a steady 
series of attacks to wear her out; this was a mistake.  Falling into 
too predictable a rhythm, Bain was able to slip in and prick 
Ukyou's chest with her spear.  

	This proved, however, to be Bain's downfall.  Ukyou 
managed to grab the end of the spear and a brief tug-of-war 
proved that Ukyou was substantially stronger than Bain, although 
Bain was quite muscular.  Her spear soon went flying into the 
crowd.  "Yield?"

	"You dance well.  But I am not yet finished."  She dropped 
into a ready stance that reminded Ukyou of Ranma.  When Bain 
flipped Ukyou across the courtyard at the start of Ukyou's next 
attack sequence, he almost landed on top of three people who had 
to scamper out of the way.  

	Time to show off, Ukyou thought.  He charged foward, and 
Bain moved into her combat stance again.  Then he leaped high 
into the air, his muscles effortlessly sending him over two dozen 
feet into the air with the help of his chi, a trick he had learned long 
ago.  Murmering ran through the crowd, and just for a second, he 
could see shock on Bain's face.  His rise and fall was slower than 
it should have been, and his speed heightened.  He unleashed a 
barrage of mini-spats at Bain, who rolled and dodged, but ended 
up pinned to the ground by three of them.

	It didn't hold her more than the few seconds it took for her to 
tear her clothing loose, but that was enough; Ukyou was back 
down on the ground with his spatula to her nose.  "Yield?"

	She rolled away from him and stood up.  "I had heard rumors 
of the preternatural fighting skills of your tribe, but I had not 
believed them.  Are all of Kaneda's men and women this good?"  
Bain was smiling as much as any Aiel ever did.

	"I'm one of the best,"  Ukyou said.  "Ranko's better."

	Bain blinked.  "Ranko Sedai?"

	"Just about everyone learns to fight this way back in my 
homeland."

	"It must be an interesting place,"  Bain said quietly.  

	"Indeed, it must."  Rand said.  Ukyou nearly jumped out of 
her skin, and Min ran over to him.  "An impressive display, 
although I only caught the end.  And none of it through 
channeling."

	More whispers ran through the mob.  Min ignored them and 
said to Rand.  "Ukyou had a...I mean, I had a vision when I was 
looking at Ukyou.  It went like this..."

***********
       
	Rand, Min, a small army of maidens, Kaneda, Alyssa, 
Ranma, and Ukyou stood in the room full of now clean and shiny 
ter'angreals in a basement room in the Stone.  "Remember, three 
questions, and don't ask anything touching on the Shadow," Rand 
said.  "And nothing too frivolous, although I'm not sure what 
counts as frivolous."  He looked over at Min.  "Are you going in 
too?"

	"Not yet.  I don't have three questions worth asking.  Yet.  
One question..." she trailed off.  "But not three."

	"Well, I'm going to ask about that vision you had, Min,"  
Ukyou said.  

	"I'm going to find out if it's a good idea to go back to the 
Foxes and find out if they can do anything else about the Taint,"  
Kaneda said.

	"I'm going to find out what I need to do to prepare myself for 
the future,"  Alyssa said.

	"I'm gonna...umm...straighten some things out,"  
Ranma said.  He sprinted off through the twisted arch before 
anyone could ask him what.

	Ukyou frowned after him.  "Ranchan no baka," she muttered, 
following him.

	"Can we all go in at once?"  Alyssa asked.

	"Hmm...Well, more than one ta'veren at once is bad, but 
since...I think it will be okay."

************

	Ranma stepped into the center of a round hall with a ceiling 
shrouded in darkness, supported by spiraled yellow columns that 
rose up into the shadows.  Spheres that he assumed were probably 
lightbulbs shone atop coiled white metal stands, lighting the room 
with a soft glow.  Probably flourescent, he thought.  I wonder 
where they got them.  White and yellow stripes spiraled on the 
floor towards the distant walls.  A tall, thin, barefoot man stood 
nearby, clad in strips of yellow cloth.  He looked almost human, 
but his body was sinuous and too thin for its height, and his eyes 
had slitted pupils like a snake.  "Good.  You have brought no 
lamps, no iron, no music."

	"Right.  I'm just here for the questions."  

         The walk that followed was long and confusing; Ranma did 
his best to memorize the path through endless round doors, curved 
hallways and archways.  Everything was curved and rounded; 
apparently they hadn't invented the angle yet.  A huge doorway 
led into a room paved with red and white tiles in a spiral.  The 
Snakes seemed to love spirals.  Three of them sat on cross-legged 
atop three thick, coiled pedestals.  He wasn't sure if they were 
male or female.  His skin crawled as he looked at them and idle 
thoughts of past experiences kept drifting to the surface of his 
mind for no particular reason.

	"Do I..."  No, don't ask any unnecesary questions.  "I'm 
ready."

	"We seem to have more visitors of late than in times past," 
one of them said in the Old Tongue.  The speaker might have been 
female.  If the Snakes had such distinctions.  "Ask and we shall 
answer."  They looked a little tense.   

	Ranma gulped and tried to get his mind straight.  
"What...How can I return to my own world to live there without 
dying from being cut off from touching the Source?"

	"Find something to give your life meaning.  Do not simply 
sit and wait for death," the first of the Snakes said.  Ranma 
guessed he was a male.

	"Why does...Why does Akane love Alyssa now?  
What...changed her?"  Ranma's skin was crawling worse now, and 
he shifted back and forth on his feet.  Am I nervous or am I 
getting sick, he wondered.

	There was an awful silence, and Ranma began to worry, 
though he did his best not to show it.  

	The Snakes began to whisper in hissing voices to each other, 
ignoring Ranma, apparently.

	Finally, Ranma said, "I'd like an answer to my question."

	"Foolish visitor, frivolous questions are forbidden.  Those 
who would waste our wisdom on such things merit punishment."

	"What?  It's important to ME!" he shouted.

	And then he felt a strange tearing inside, and his stomach 
turned horribly queasy, and his breakfast came up as he staggered.  
The tearing was not a physical tearing, but he could feel his chi 
had been massively disturbed.  "What the fuck was that?  What 
did you do to me?"

	"The changes made to the nature of your curse have been 
removed.  Since you hate the idea of desiring men so much, you 
will be punished by having to deal with it."

	"Hey!  I paid for that!"

	"Think carefully before asking a third question," the third 
Snake said sharply.

	"Damnit, you people all cheat!"

	"If you were not willing to abide by the ancient covenant, 
you should not have come.  Your love life is not something the 
fate of the world or nations or even significant groups of people 
revolves around, and therefore is frivolous."

	"You could have just said no!"

	"Ask your third question," the Snake said.

	Ranma fumed, then got hold of himself.  He thought 
carefully, trying to remember what he had planned.  Can't afford 
to waste my questions, he thought.  "Should I...no wait, that would 
be frivolous," he said.  Dammit, dammit, dammit.  

	The Snakes waited.

	"How..."  Wait, what if asking how to cure my curse is 
frivolous too?  For that matter, given my price I paid to the 
Foxes...dammit.  Now I'm paranoid.  "So, non-frivolous questions 
impact the fate of nations," he said.  I need some clarification.

	"What is frivolous for one may not be for another.  Personal 
questions are not always frivolous."

	Ranma sighed, and then an idea struck him.  "Should I stay 
in this world and help prepare for Tarmon Gai'don or should I 
return to my own world?"

	 "You should stay, if you wish to help the world survive."

	Ranma nodded.  Best to make sure, he thought.  "I guess I go 
now?"

	"Yes, you may leave," the Snakes said.  

	The strange feeling of rustling did not cease until he left their 
realm completely, feeling very disgruntled, but at least the 
lingering nausea faded.


*************

	Kaneda stood before the Snakes.  I wonder what Ranma 
asked them.  Probably where he could find a cure.  "For my first 
question, what are the full consequences of my ability to protect 
people from the taint?  Why didn't the ancient Aes Sedai go to the 
Foxes?"

	"The more people are shielded from the Taint, the worse it 
becomes for those not protected.  They will go mad faster and die 
faster.  Secondly, it attracts the Dark One's attention to you.  He 
won't know exactly what he is feeling, but eventually, something 
will come to investigate.  Thirdly, if you are balefired, the Taint 
you've been blocking will flood into the victims, depending on 
how powerful the balefire was.  To answer your second question, 
the Foxes simply weren't powerful enough to protect a majority of 
channelers.  They could and did save a few, but in the anarchy of 
the collapse of the Age of Legends, it was hardly noticed."

	He thought hard.  No questions touching the Shadow.  Too 
many things he wanted to ask touched the Shadow.  He hadn't 
been sure that they could even answer the first question; 
apparently the Taint wasn't close enough to the Shadow to count.  
Or something.  Or maybe the old lore was incorrect.  And 
relationship questions would likely be regarded as frivolous.  
Even though he wanted some advice on that.  

	"Do relationship questions count as frivolous?"

	"They often do, unless larger issues are involved."

	"Alright, then I'll ask about something else," Kaneda said.

	"You've asked three questions already," the third Snake said.  
"Time for you to go."

	Dammit, Kaneda thought.  Well, I got the most important 
answer I needed.  

***********

	Alyssa stood nervously before the Snakes.  She felt 
goosebumpy.  "How can I best prepare for Tarmon Gaidon?"  I'll 
get this one out of the way first, she thought.  Since Kaneda 
recommended I ask.  

        "Practice your channeling skills and work on ways to fight 
other channelers, as you will likely fight many of them," the first 
Snake said.

	"Heal the shattered lands, that the eagle might once more 
spread its wings and fly," the second Snake said.
 
	"Share your wisdom freely with others, that the Light might 
gather strength from you."

	The third was pretty obvious to her, and the first, she 
understood, but not the second.  "What are the shattered lands?"

	"The lands of the Red Eagle," the first said.

	"The land which was betrayed," the second said.

	"The land of your birth."

	She nodded.  Ghealdan.  It was in a huge mess from what 
she'd heard; she hoped her parents hadn't gotten hurt in the 
anarchy.  I should visit them, she thought.

	Alright, one more question, she thought.  I want to ask about 
me and Kaneda, but what if they count that as frivolous?  She 
didn't relish finding out how frivolous questions were punished.  
Ahah, she thought.  "What do I most need to know that I haven't 
thought to ask about?"

	"Beware jealousies and the jealous, for they may work your 
destruction and that of those you care about."

	She nodded.  That made sense.  "Thank you."

	The first Snake nodded, and then she was escorted out.  

**********

	"What exactly is the meaning of the vision Min had about me 
and Ranma and Akane and so on?"  Ukyou asked.  Think clearly, 
she thought. Only three questions, so don't waste them.

	"You will have to play against Mesaana in a game of 'War of 
the Wheel' in Tel'aran'rhiod in order to save Rand 
and her other captives from her."

	What the hell is War of the Wheel?  Ukyou frowned.  "But I 
don't know how to play it!"

	Silence.  

	Okay, that wasn't a question.  "Okay, how do I learn to play 
War of the Wheel well enough to beat Mesaana?"

	"You must rescue Moraine, who can teach you how to play 
it.  Your past self knew, and in fact, beat Mesaana eight times.  
Once you have been reminded, it will all come back to you."

	"Okay, how do I rescue Moraine?"

	"You will need music, iron, and fire to defeat the Foxes and 
rescue her."  The Snake sounded as if he was being forced to 
discuss something obscene.    "To get in, since you have already 
used the front door, you must find the Tower of Ghenjei in 
Tel'aran'rhiod and defeat its guardians.  Then you must find 
Moraine and get her out of the Tower and back into the physical 
world, which will take a channeler."

       Feh, I'm out of questions, and I could keep this up all day, she 
thought.  "Ummm...thank you."  She rubbed her arms.  I wish I 
could ask why I feel so...my arms feel funny.

       "Good day."

 ****************

        After watching Ranma mope around for the rest of the day, 
Ukyou finally got her chance to corner him and find out why 
when they both went to bed.  He lay on his back, staring at the 
ceiling.  She cuddled up to him, resting her head on his chest, 
hoping he would reciprocate.  He did, wrapping his arms around 
her, although he continued to stare at the ceiling instead of her.  
"Ranchan, what's on your mind?"

        "Damn Snakes,"  was his reply, his voice getting more 
vehement.  "They cheat."

	"They didn't seem to cheat me," Ukyou said.  "Did they not 
tell you what you wanted to know or was it all bad or what?"

	"Well, it wasn't ALL bad.  We could go back to our world 
eventually, without me dying.  I just would have to be really 
dedicated to something.  Like my martial arts."  His voice perked 
up a bit.  "So once we kick the Dark One's ass, we can go home."

	Ukyou frowned.  "That's going to be years, Ranchan."

	"I never liked high school, anyway.  We'll only miss a few 
months back there, anyway.  I mean...it takes a month here for a 
day to pass back home.  And the Snakes told me I should stay.  
Plus...Akane's right.  We're important here."  He smiled a bit.  
"Didn't you ever dream about being a hero, Ucchan?"

	She sighed.  "I was too busy dreaming about killing you, then 
about marrying you, Ranchan."  Well, I'll get my 
chance...Rescuing Moraine and all that...playing a game I don't 
even know...I'd like to be a live heroine, not a dead one.  "Ack...I 
should have asked about that statue I'm supposed to dispose of.  I 
know it's in some castle somewhere, although I suppose the Foxes 
won't be too happy with me anyway after we save Moraine."

	"I expect they're gonna be pissed."

	"Yeah.  Do you know anything about them, Ranchan?  With 
all your Age of Legends knowledge in your head?"

	"It doesn't seem to have been standard training," Ranma 
replied, sighing.  

	"So what's eating you?" Ukyou asked.

	"Nothing," Ranma said.

	She frowned.  "Ranchan, I can feel your emotions.  I know 
something is bothering you."

	"Stupid Snakes," Ranma muttered.  "My life's all fucked up."

	"Ranchan, what happened?" Ukyou pleaded.

	"Nothing," Ranma insisted again.

	Ukyou sighed.  "Fine.  Don't tell me.  But if something bites 
us on the ass because you wouldn't talk about it, I'm going to beat 
you up."  She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

	Ranma stared at the ceiling as well, and eventually, they 
drifted off to sleep.  

************

	Kaneda finished changing into his nightclothes.  Alyssa was 
sitting on the bed in her nightgown, which was made of rough, but 
modest and warm wool.  He often wondered why she slept in 
wool; it tended to be too warm and itchy for him at night.  I ought 
to make her some linen pajamas, he thought.  

	As he walked over, he noticed she was staring at the wall 
without moving.  At first, he thought she might have fallen asleep 
sitting up; she'd done that once at Castle Mist after a hard day's 
work.  "You alive there?"

	She started to a degree that was rather silly for someone who 
knew another person was in the room.  "Oh, I kinda drifted off, 
thinking."

	He sat down by her, putting an arm around her.  "About 
what?"

	"Trying to figure out why I still think of Ranko...Ranma as a 
girl.  And why..."  She stared at her hands.  "Do you think she and 
Ukyou...I mean he and Ukyou...umm...Ranko was half-naked 
when I went to see them and..."

	Kaneda's eyes widened.  "Were they making out like that?"  
Surely not, he thought.  

	She shook her head.  "No, she was just waiting for hot water.  
I think.  Although she denied it so hard, that I got kinda 
suspicious.  Like maybe she was thinking about it, but didn't want 
anyone to know."

	"She's always been like that.  So was I, until I came here."  
He leaned over and kissed Alyssa on the cheek.  "But then you 
corrupted me."  Alyssa blushed bright red, and Kaneda laughed.  
"Just teasing you, dear.  I think it was because of how I was split 
in half.  I'm pretty sure Ranma and Ukyou don't use their other 
forms for..."  Now he blushed a bit.  "Anyway, don't worry about 
it."

	"Ukyou really loves her a lot.  Him."  Alyssa said.  "But I'm 
not sure if she...he...really loves Ukyou.  I mean...I think she's..."

	"Jealous of you?"  Kaneda asked.  

	Alyssa laughed nervously.  "No one's ever been jealous of 
me before.  I don't know what to do.  I mean...Ranko is my friend.  
I like her.  Him.  And she helped me a lot in the Tower.  I just..."  
She made a face, closing her eyes for a moment, then said to 
Kaneda, "Why did you pick me over her?"

	"I had given up on Ranma because I thought he was dead.  
And then I fell in love with you.  I love you, Alyssa.  And I wasn't 
going to dump you for my old...for Ranma.  Maybe if we'd had 
the same kind of relationship that you and I have, it would have 
been different.  It wasn't an easy decision, but..."  He took her chin 
with his fingers and turned her to face him.  "I had to choose 
someone.  I couldn't let it drag on, not like Ranma always did.  Or 
like..."  I'd best not violate Rand's confiding in me, he thought.  
"Other people I've known.  I couldn't be with both of you, so I 
chose you because we'd made a real...a real commitment to each 
other.  Of our own choice."  And because Ranma can't accept my 
boy side, he thought.  Of course, whether Alyssa can accept my 
girl side...

        "But why do you love me?"  Her voice was worried.  

	"Because you are kind and loving and gentle.  Because when 
I was alone, you gave me the love I needed desperately.  You 
soothe my fears and take away my pain.  And because you treated 
me as a human being.  I needed someone to love me, not the Lord 
Dragon or Lord Kaneda or Lord Whatever."  He smiled at her.  
"Being beautiful doesn't hurt either.  Or smart.  I'm not much of a 
thinker, and neither is Ranko, which is one reason we got in so 
much trouble."

	"You're not stupid!"

	"I'm not stupid, but I tend to act before I think.  Often 
without thinking.  You, on the other hand, spend too much time 
thinking before acting, so between us, we can think and act."

	"That's true," Alyssa said.  "You'll always be my strength, 
won't you?"

	"Yes.  And you will always rein me in when I need reining, 
won't you?"

	"Always."

	"I think I'm going to have to go to Ghealdan at some point 
and help fix my homeland," Alyssa said.  "If I understand what 
the Snakes told me."

	"I will help you if I can," Kaneda said.  "Dammit, I wanted to 
ask how to cure the taint, but they ended up counting a 
clarification question as one of my questions and other one got 
counted double."

	"Well, they didn't cheat me any, but I think Ranko wasn't 
very happy with it, either."

	"They probably told her she has to kiss some guy to save the 
world," Kaneda said.

	"You think so?"

	"Probably not," Kaneda said.  "Maybe she'll have to marry 
Kodachi or something."

	"Kodachi?" Alyssa asked.

	"Okay, let me tell you all about the lunatics," Kaneda began.

	This took quite a while.

************

	Cologne stared at the Amazon Edition of the I Ching again.  
The omens were not good, for the pattern 'Great-Grandmother 
falls down the stairs' had come up.  She would be staying away 
from the basement for a while.  That wasn't all, though.  Mousse 
had reported that Ranma, Ukyou, and Akane had gone into Dr. 
Tofu's and vanished.  Something strange was going on.

	"Shampoo, you do this," she said to Shampoo, who sat 
nearby.  "Ask where Ranma and the others have gone."

	Shampoo cast the coins and Cologne consulted the I Ching.  
It was the pattern 'Wheel of Time Keeps On Turning'.  "I was 
afraid this would happen," Cologne said.

        "What is it, Great-Grandmother?  Is Airen in danger?"  
Shampoo looked worried.

	"Grave danger."  She got up and walked over to a nearby 
dresser-drawers, pulling a box of jewelry off the top of it, then 
rummaging through it.  Three items came out.  One was a small 
figurine of an amazon standing on a rock holding a sword aloft.  
Tiny flames burned along the blade, and the figure was carved 
from a white soapy substance.  The second was a ring of white 
gold, a serpent eating its tail with tiny gemstone eyes, one a ruby, 
the other an amethyst.  The third was an earring of some painted 
metal, one side embossed with a white tear shaped, curved flame, 
the other with a black flame opposed to it in such a way that 
together they almost formed  a circle.    "Do you want to help him, 
Shampoo?"  She knew Shampoo would say yes.  Shampoo could 
be lead by the nose very easily if you knew how, and Cologne 
knew how; she had made sure of it.  

	"Yes.  Shampoo would do anything for her airen!"

	Cologne smiled faintly, then handed the three items to 
Shampoo.  "Wear the ring and the earring.  Put the figurine where 
you will NOT lose it.  You will need it in the other world because 
it will help you draw upon more magic there."

	 Shampoo blinked.  "Draw upon magic?"

	"I am sorry Shampoo.  We do not have time for me to 
explain everything.  I thought I would have more time to prepare, 
but I was mistaken.  You will be able to be a sorceress there, I 
believe.  If I am wrong, then it will be a VERY valuable trade 
item.  It is a thing called an angreal.  You must arm yourself and 
travel to the place on this map," she pulled a map out of the top 
drawer of the dresser drawers," and touch the pillar there with the 
earring.  It will take you to that world.  Once there, you must find 
a woman named Amys.  She can help you."

	Shampoo nodded.  "Shampoo is going to another world?  
Does it have Amazons?"

	"No.  But there are similar nations.  I wish I could go with 
you, but I cannot.  I will try to come to you in your dreams, if I 
can.  It is not easy.  If I survive."

	Shampoo frowned.  "Survive what, Great-Grandmother?"

	"I have to kill Kodachi now, before it's too late."


End Part 7