Okay, so I've become fairly obsessed with this story. I was intrigued from the cold open and couldn't put it aside, even though these types of stories - that is to say, 1.) Ranma finding a cure, and 2.) Ranma being split into two different people - are normally not my cup of tea. But I just don't know, man. The emotional rawness and honesty is just THERE in a way you don't normally see in fanfiction. Female-Ranma's relationship with Hiroshi and Daisuke is fascinating, her confession of love to Akane and subsequent last-ditch attempt at physical affection in the furo was agonizing, and her rapidly-becoming-weird relationship with Ryouga is kind of a nail-biter (another pet peeve of mine is when people break him up from Akari, but it was forgivable in this case, since it fit the devastating tone of the overall piece). On paper, you seemed to be doing everything "wrong" according to my own personal criteria, but somehow, the story is more than the sum of these parts and I am in love with... well, whatever it is you're doing here. Keep it the eff up. My heart breaks a little more for Ranma with each chapter, and I'm genuinely worried about her. This is a terribly tragic, sad little shell of a human, whose situation is made all the more depressing when you realize the cocky, happy-go-lucky dope she was borne from. You don't get good, thorough character studies in "Ranma" fanfiction nearly enough, but this is one of the very best I've encountered.

One more thing: I think you could've safely filed this one away in the 'Supernatural' genre rather than the slightly more basic 'Humor' and 'Drama' categories, and I really wish you would have, because I've recently been exhausting that corner of the site and I could've found this gem a lot sooner. :P

I do think that many characters in this last chapter have taken a hairpin turn from their canon representations that is somewhat jarring - Gosunkugi being a total heel to Akane out of spite? Nabiki having ANY knowledge of martial arts? Kuno assaulting her? - but I'm intrigued to see how you're going to spin it. And I desperately want to see how the prologue ends up coming about and how it ends up being resolved. I'm really heartened to see that you've been updating recently, so the only thing I can do at this point is add my own humble entreaty that you CONTINUE-CONTINUE-CONTINUE to the pile of other ones you've already received. You are quite a writer.

Drama is all well and good, but this take on Gosunkugi isn't remotely plausible. And Kuno's reaction at the end strains credulity right to the breaking point. (No, not that Breaking Point.)

Oh wow. Can't wait for the next one! Keep up the magnificent work!

An equivalent actor in Japanese culture/history would be the samurai Musashibo Benkei.

Benkei is said to have stood guard at a bridge while his lord commited Seppuku. He slayed over 300 men. Taking countless arrows, he died standing up and only fell long after the battle had passed.

Well, this has turned real serious real fast. I'm surprised Ranma and Akane would move that fast, but then you've been implying they have, and they wouldn't be paranoid enough to keep a watch out, now that things seem to be going their way. It turns out that the physical threats were not the worst ones.

On the subject of the reviews, I don't think that Akane is showing herself to be a lesbian or bisexual. Rather, she's showing herself to be in love with both sides of Ranma, and considering what that means to her. Maybe she does seem more attracted to women than in the canon, which is good for her, but even if she didn't, it would still be an issue she would have to face.

To refuse to face it means running the risk of making a commitment to Ranma, and then abandoning him because his curse gets locked. And that's true of any of his fiancées, not just Akane. At least here Akane realized that was exactly what she was doing, abandoning the girl Ranma, and decided that she couldn't go through with it.

Good two chapters!

Ah the classic story of women being just a blink away from lesbian relations. Yep just cant help it. Hopefully it will get you more reviews though the males may be too busy wanking to do so. To really hit all the stereotypes of old Ranma fanfiction you should also include a harem. It'd an old strategy for reviews that works, go for it

... I am quite sure Akane is not a bisexual.
This just got too weird. Dropping now.

Very nice chapter. Akane questioning whether it was fair that she stuck to the obvious choice, and admitting that to Ranma-chan was very nice. Honestly, I don't see either Ranma or Akane being able to "cheat", even with a person that was the same until a divergence that split them apart, but I like that she was able to reach out to Ranma-chan, especially after her confession last chapter that she feels like an "imposter" took her place. I'm sure she knows it's more complicated than that, to quote the chapter title, but neither is she the imposter.

Ranma's talk with Ukyo was refreshing too. Leaps and bounds ahead of anything the canon Ranma could ever have done, but both of these Ranmas have had to let go of their defense mechanisms. Because they aren't working any more.

Very nice, the plot unravels:)

I didn't know you had updated! I hadn't read this story in ages! Awesome chapters by the way. I read all the chapters again. It was time well spent :)

Well this was an interesting chapter.

I was not expecting Akane to have such serious second thoughts on rejecting Ran-chan. What a mess the three have got themselves in to.

How is this going to end up? Will Akane try being with Ranma *and* Ran-chan? I mean, this is one of the few times I can think of in a fanfic where a "Threesome" Pairing is mildly justified at this point. But that would lead to a-whole-nother pile of problems and drama. I'm eagerly awaiting to see how this goes. Will it end in a relationship? Just friends for real, having settled things? I don't think it's going to end particularly badly, since this story is very much about moving on from hardship.

It's nice to see Ukyo again too! Since, you know, she's listed as a character on the story but has hardly appeared.

The fact that Ranma-kun can say something like "she hasn't wronged you like I have" means that, on some level, he still doesn't truly get it. Everything he ever did until the moment they split, Ranma-chan did too. Everything he thought and felt, so did she. His sins and his triumphs are hers as well.

You know, the whole premise of the story is just incredibly sad when you really dig into it. What an awful situation. Almost everyone involved is hurt by this on some level, though of course Ranma-chan's pain is, like, exponentially greater. I'd give her a hug if I could.

I like that you got the action started in the prologue. Very good choice, grabs the audience attention immediately.

You know, I think that the Junsenkyo curse wasn't the only curse split off onto Ranma.

Clearly Ranma was cursed to have no luck whatsoever with love.