This area is literally Somewhere Else than where you are, should you be in any timeline, as it is the Main office of keeping timelines from crossing, contaminating one another, or supplanting one another.
The beings here are tireless, faceless (except for the upper management), Mostly identical, and.. Well, so official and order-obsessed it makes Dilbert's world look as chaotic as Ranma's worst nightmares. Or L-Sama's planner book, whatever.
As a result, when it does happen that a crossing of realities occurred, these guys mostly shuffle papers, try the same stunt a few thousand times, then buck it up the line until someone with a brain fixes matters.
You can just *imagine* how they're taking THIS one....
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"BOB! You Nimcompoop! How'd you blow Bob's fix on Bob's problem with that Mihoshi managing to hit Bob's world, granting wishes? There was a tight 'kill effect' menat to make it all a dream when she crossed out of Bob's jurisdiction!"
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I know. It's confusing.
Tough. The guy doing the yelling is named Bob as well.
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"Don't even get me *started* Bob, it's a Mihoshi! She never crossed a border or a barrier, she just.. got there!" Bob sighed as Bob went puce. Can no Bobs ever learn until they actually face this mess? Thinking back on it, while dodging a few paper footballs flicked at him by Bob, Bob, and Bob, Bob decided probably *not*.
Bob nodded firmly, "Then the only thing to do is form a action commitee to decide when to convene in choosing a time to settle this!"
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No, he's NOT kidding.
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Whilst Bobbing for Paperwork went on, Roberts, the manager for this 100,000-strong flock of Bobs, simply grinned and kept watching the fun as he chatted in conference call. "No, Uatu, they *still* don't get it. These guys honestly can't concieve of disorder or change even having a place in realities at ALL, just like when you helped us out with that Timequake mess. Give my regards to Immortus, would you? Thanks.. Me? I'm just watching, and blocking that maniac Toltiir from adding to the mix. This one's doing just *fine* on its own.. Right! Do lunch in a century? You're on! Later."
'Hanging up' his end (telepathic in nature, it was more breaking off the concept-flow, but that's just semantics) Uatu the Watcher showed no outward sign of his contentedness, but if he had, it would have been a sigh and something like "At least SOMEone there knows enough to actually see what they're supposed to be watching over! Feh."
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Mean while, back in the actual dimension we started this in...
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Ranma went to bed. In the Dojo. There was a simple reason for this, if you think of his views and powers now that Jean Grey's totality was copied over and applied to him as a addition, or a completion as he tends to think of it.
The reason? Oh yes. He was trying to NOT read the thoughts and dreams of Genma Saotome. Contact in bed asleep? It'd happen, then Ranma would throw up or kill him, in the slim chance it wasn't both at once.
Thus he thought to himself as he settled in for some sleep. Sleep was a favored activity for Ranma, and deep, for the same reason he loved food so dearly. He never got enough as a kid, unless he fought for it, and the demands placed on him now require he get a lot of it.
He tossed and turned maybe twice, then he was gone, off to the Land of Nod. Instead of the Cats, or the various Dojos and monasteries he'd trained in, this dream was in..
"Oh, Here again. Please Kami, just.. no Saffron, Please?" Yup, Ranma Saotome was dreaming of Jusenkyo, Valley of the Accursed pools (and Training Ground).
"Nah! Just visiting the place of your re-difining mo- Moment! That's it!" Ranma looked, and found himself lookign back. This him was cockier that Ranma himself felt, but the look in his eyes indicated he was a bit lost.. Ranma knew that look, from his own face in the mirror most of the time since he was a little boy trashed trained by his father.
He replied plainly "Okaaaay. I'm guessing you're Ranma-as-I-Was, that about sum it up? I gotta ask here, why bother? I'm NOT split-personality, you know, I'm just.. me."
The Previous Ranma 'just scratched behind his head, then said "It's not that, but I think this whole deal's just your mind letting itself know it's okay with that. Jean's over the next rise by Nyannichuan, playing with ..with Neko. Ya can ask her if ya like."
As he looked at the image of his past self, Ranma blinked.. "I'm not scared? Guess I'll head over there then."
So he did, as his Past image of himself flowed away unseen back into him, its final seperate duty fulfilled. Just as predicted, Jean and a huge cat something like a Tiger and something like a Lion with red and black stripes alternating on otherwise white fur were playfully springing at each other on the posts over the Pools.
Jean drew up a eyebrow, as Ranma got involved, a bit nervous at first. "Jeez, Main Me, chill out, as the kids say! Not like your own dreams would have you hit any pool but the one we did."
Ranma was too thrilled to play withg a cat without freaking to respond at first, as they leaped from pole to pole like grasshoppers on Steroids and Crystal Meth. Then he said "That ain't it. I'm just surprised to see Me, is all. I'm really not.."
The Neko Meowed and split before Ranma could say the word, RedStripe flowing into 'Jean' and BlackStripe into Ranma, rendeing them both Cat-folk. "Umm, No. You're not splitting apart, any more than anyone else, and in fact a lot LESS. But let's face it, Me, *both* halves of you have compartmentalised in the mental dept. for over a decade, several in the Grey case."
Ranma winced as he tasted the memory of that horrid carwreck that claimed the life of that girl, then stood stock still.. long enough to get knocked into (as predicted) Pool of Young Girl. Ranma stayed a guy, tho, as he was too distracted to play out changing in this dream. "I got it! You're saying I can kick out any section and talk it out, like now, if I'm deep enough in my own mind?"
The fading Jean's voice remained behind as it comfimed "You got it, Ranma, that was one of the exercises Charles taught me when i was getting over feeling.. you know. So just remember, when it comes to your mind, Me, No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!"
Ranma just groaned, finding humor in how he even teases himself with brainbenders like that, then rose, walking into the next dreams, in search of his new life.. from the inside out.
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(Posted Thu, 23 Oct 2003 05:56)
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