Subject: [FFML] [REFUGE] [Ranma] Miss/Fortune -- Intro by Brian Randall
From: "David A. Tatum" <desaix@sysnet.net>
Date: 7/1/2001, 2:52 PM
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The FFML Refugee List


Miss/Fortune

Intro

Disclaimer: Takahashi created the paints, I used my own easel.

Note: Divergence, takes place in... volume 23. As a side, we have
questioned, and found that the following labels all apply to this fic...
On second thought, that's an awful lot of labels. Tell you what. This
story has dark scenes. It contains scenes that are sexual in nature. It
contains foul language. If you aren't in the kind of mood that you think
you can read this comfortably, by all means, delete it. That being
said... the divergences will become apparent as necessary.

I haven't considered this before, seriously... but there is music that
happens to perfectly compliment the tone of most of this story: Megumi
Hayashibara -- November Rain. I _highly_ suggest that you listen to this
song while reading this story. I'm rambling. Enjoy, please.


"Thy unnatural love be the root of thine despair." --unknown

"The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right." --
William Safire


Akane woke in her bedroom. She blinked, staring at the ceiling, trying
to place an odd sense of... wrong-ness... about the situation.

Sitting up slowly, she choked down the urge to retch, instinctively
slapping her hand over her mouth. After a moment, the wave of nausea
left, and she was able to stand unsteadily, wondering at the
slightly-too-large pajamas she was clad in. She stared at them for a
moment, confused, until she recognized them.

They were Ranma's.

Spinning around quickly to stare at the bed in bewilderment revealed
that she was alone, but... something nagged at the back of her mind.
Something was... wrong. She shuddered, not recognizing the sensation,
and grabbed an outfit from her dresser before creeping downstairs.

Her eldest sister was conversing in low tones with someone in the living
room, but Akane silently slid her bare feet across the floor, focusing
on not being seen. There was a trick to it -- it never seemed to work on
Ranma -- and it was to not think about it. But... that nagging sensation
distracted her, causing her heart to quicken with worry until she was
afraid that its thumping would give her away. Something was off, and
until she could place it, she wanted to avoid confronting anyone.

Once in the changing room, she shucked Ranma's pajamas, and stuffed them
into the hamper. Shivering slightly from the cold that seeped into her
feet from the tile, she hurried into the furo, relieved to find it
empty.

It was full, seemingly just used. She frowned slightly, then scrubbed
herself off and slipped into its comforting warmth. Luxuriating in the
heat, she felt muscles she hadn't even known were tensed relax. The
water soaked into her, leaving her feeling refreshed in the wake of its
soothing embrace.

Not wanting to be in the furo too long, she gave in to her urge to
hurry, and began to dress quickly, pausing only to examine her
reflection. Everything about her face was the way it should have been,
save... something seemed off. Her hair was the correct length, her eyes
were the same color, her nose was the same shape. She smiled nervously,
and that too, was the same. But something nagged that she wasn't looking
at her own face in the mirror, somehow. She blinked, seeing a faint, but
recent scar across her neck.

Leaning close to the mirror, she craned her neck, trying to get a better
view. It wouldn't have been noticed if she wasn't paying such close
attention, but... She grimaced, wondering where it had come from. It ran
from a point directly over her clavicle, to a straight line towards her
jugular for an inch, then sharply veered off in a curving arc across her
collarbone for another two inches.

Frowning, she tore her attention away from the faint scar, and glanced
down, seeing a red, discolored patch of skin above one breast. It felt
smooth, like the rest of her skin, and didn't react like a burn, but the
nagging sensation reassured her that it was the key, somehow. Whatever
had gone wrong was linked to that odd, misshapen splotch. Her hands
roamed across her torso, searching for sensitive points, or bruises, or
faint abrasions, or... anything. She noted with some surprise that her
proportions seemed... off. While not hugely, her bust had increased a
small bit, and her figure had filled out very slightly.

That kind of growth was not an overnight development, and she was
certain that she hadn't been that size and shape yesterday. She
shivered, worried, then buttoned her shirt up all the way, and finished
dressing.

After she hesitantly tiptoed out of the bathroom and towards the faint
voices of her sisters, she paused on the threshold of entering the
family area. The atmosphere in the next room was subdued, as both of
Akane's elder sisters fell silent, Kasumi not meeting Akane's eyes, and
Nabiki openly glowering from her seat at the table.

Her father and Mr. Saotome were both conspicuously absent, and Ranma sat
at the table, seeming to radiate an aura of discontent and malice.
Swallowing nervously, Akane entered and sat down at her place, smiling
tentatively at Ranma as Kasumi drifted away from the table and into the
kitchen.

He stared blankly forward, not meeting her gaze. Features frozen in a
scowl, he instead looked directly out the open screens, focused on the
pond. Akane flinched back from Ranma's demeanor, already feeling off,
and confused from the reactions of her family as her smile slipped.

Ranma's expression never wavered as he studied a single point over the
pond, unblinking, and ate his breakfast with a slow and mechanical
precision. Once done, he neatly stacked his dishes, rose from the table
with methodical grace, each motion seeming to be metered and measured,
then spun on one heel to march into the kitchen. Akane stared after him,
dimly hearing Kasumi's subdued words of thanks, and a noncommittal grunt
in response from Ranma.

The sounds of the kitchen door opening and then closing softly reached
her, and she turned to Nabiki nervously. Nabiki climbed to her feet,
clenched her hands in fists, shook her head once at Akane, then turned
away and stalked out across the backyard to the dojo.

Akane, not understanding what was going on, lowered her face to her
hands and began to sob. Kasumi strode back into the room, clicked her
tongue, and set a tray with a tea service on the table near Akane
carefully. The smaller girl found herself being held by her older sister
and rocked slowly, until she calmed down enough to ask, "Big sister?
What... what's going on?"

The elder sister smiled sadly at this, then gently lifted Akane from her
lap, and sat her on a cushion. "Well..." she began thoughtfully. "What's
the last thing you remember, Akane?"

Shifting her feet uncomfortably, Akane responded, "I was walking home
from school, after Ranma and I got into an argument... we went home
separately... then I woke up. Why? What happened?"

Kasumi sighed sadly, and poured a cup of tea. "I'm afraid that a bit
more happened than that, Akane..." she raised her eyes to meet her
younger sister's as she spoke, adding enough force to her words to worry
Akane. "And I doubt that you're going to like much of what happened."

Akane nodded slowly, then sipped her tea, feeling herself become calm
again after a mouthful of the nurturing brew. She took a breath in
preparation of asking a question, but froze, as Ranma strode in from the
yard, with Nabiki dogging his heels. The middle Tendo begged, "Ranma?
Please? Will you talk to me?"

Ranma froze on the threshold of the family room. His standard Chinese
clothing seemed oddly formal, somehow. Lowering his head, he sighed,
then looked up and turned to face Nabiki, who had halted nervously
behind him. His voice was soft, carrying with it subtle undertones of
bitterness and anger. "Kumon Ryu is in town again. I'd like to say
hello." He turned his back to Nabiki, facing Akane again, and some of
the anger seemed to leak out of his eyes, before building back
full-force. "I have no time for... that."

Nabiki stared after Ranma as he methodically marched forward, leaving
the Tendo home through the front door. Her eyes held undisguised
longing, which twisted to anger when she turned to face Akane. Fists
trembling, she tore her gaze from her younger sister and turned to
Kasumi as she spat, "He was doing _much_ better until she showed up
again."

Kasumi stared into the depths of her teacup, seeming not to hear her
younger sister's words, as Nabiki stomped up the stairs, and to her
room.

Swallowing nervously, Akane looked up to Kasumi. The eldest sister
sighed, closing her eyes. "Oh dear. This is going to be difficult... I
think... perhaps we should wait until Ranma returns." She nodded
decisively, announcing, "I will have to invite Shampoo over for tea."

Akane nodded unsteadily in response, still not understanding, but
desperately hopeful that balance could be restored to her life. What was
wrong with Nabiki? And more importantly, what was wrong with Ranma?

***

Later that evening, Ranma returned, saying nothing, and immediately
striding to the dojo before anyone could speak to him. Akane shadowed
her older sister nervously, desperate for comfort and needing to
understand. She had even helped her sister bake, but was too distracted
to offer any clever substitutions or enhancements.

Swallowing nervously, she moved towards the dojo, only to be halted by a
disapproving noise from Kasumi. Reluctantly, the nervous girl returned
to the comforting presence of her sister, despite her worry for Ranma.
And that nagging sensation told her that Ranma was awfully important,
just now...

Her reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door. Kasumi was absorbed
in checking the cookies, so Akane nervously crept to the door. That
nagging feeling told her she would be best off with Kasumi, or even
better, Ranma... but she had to answer the door. And why was she so
nervous, anyway? So what if Daddy and Mr. Saotome had vanished, and
everyone refused to explain where they had gone? So what if Ranma had
suddenly transformed into a cold, angry man who ignored everything that
wasn't shoved into his face? So what if... one of her older sisters...
treated her like a monster...

Bolstering her courage, she quashed down her fear, and marched
purposefully to the door. It opened easily, revealing a single figure,
briefly back-lit against the bright light of the street. Akane blinked,
staring at the woman before her.

Shampoo fidgeted, then smiled slowly, extending a hand towards Akane.
Akane stared at it dumbly for a moment, before something kicked her mind
enough to return the handshake. Once Akane lowered her hand, she found
herself caught in a crushing embrace, as the amazon gave her a firm hug.
"Is... It is good to see you back, Akane."

Akane made a choking noise, confused and even more alarmed, as she was
released from the hug. She stared, flabbergasted at the woman before
her. Shampoo looked exactly the same, as had everyone else, initially...
but her demeanor was different. She seemed calm, and her eyes held a
hint of sadness when she looked at Akane. Looked at her... almost
condescendingly.

Too stunned to be offended, the girl gestured the Amazon into the house,
as Shampoo bowed, then walked directly to the dinner table. After a
moment of hesitation, Akane closed and latched the door, then sat down
in her normal spot. Kasumi swept out of the kitchen, bearing yet another
tray of tea, and a small platter of cookies.

She set them down at the table, then poured a cup for Shampoo. The
Amazon gratefully accepted, frowning after sipping it. "Is... Ranma..."
the Amazon trailed off, looking at Kasumi intently.

Kasumi sighed, and shook her head, then turned to Akane. In the same
voice that she had used to inform her smaller sister that she wasn't
going to school that day, she asked, "Could you please fetch Ranma from
the dojo?"

Akane was halfway across the yard before she realized that it was a
request, but something about her older sister's tone brooked no
failure... She shook her head, creeping quietly to the dojo. The door
facing the koi pond was open, revealing Ranma blurring through a complex
kata repeatedly. She knelt carefully, just inside the door, the nagging
voice telling her to be quiet and watch.

He gave no sign of noting her presence, simply melting from one stance
to another, his glistening skin covered in sweat. She blinked at that.
Ranma never removed his shirt _and_ his tank top in practice. But there
he was, wearing nothing more than his Chinese pants, and shifting from
form to form.

Several prominent, new scars were visible across his body. A long,
jagged tear seemed to have run from one hip, all the way up to a
shoulder, though it began below the line of Ranma's pants, so she
couldn't be certain. When he briefly turned around, Akane was startled
to see a nearly mirroring scar on the opposite side, as though something
had torn completely through him. The skin on his back was largely
discolored, as though some terrible fire had burned him.

Her turned again, and the girl noticed a series of small slashed scars
covering his arms and torso. Many appeared to continue below his waist.
She marveled briefly, that for all of the scars, they seemed to simply
lie on the surface like a tattoo, instead of knotting and mutilating his
flesh. The long, jagged scar on his back, by all rights, should have
risen in a low, gruesome ridge... it appeared as though whatever had cut
him had ripped deeply into his flesh, before he had gotten away.

She paused for a moment, ignoring his scars, and instead admiring the
simple purity of his art. It _was_ an art, too. Not just a way to fight,
but a real, beautiful, art. She sighed longingly, wondering at the
distance between them, and he abruptly snapped out of his kata, staring
motionlessly at the wall before him.

Grumbling, he turned, gathered his towel, and slung it across his
shoulder. Shaking his head, he turned back to face Akane, who felt oddly
vulnerable from her position on the floor. She shrank back, not knowing
why she would be afraid, and the anger melted from Ranma's face again.
He groaned, "Let's get inside, Akane-san."

Akane flinched at that, hearing nothing but polite respect in his voice.
She swallowed nervously, as he continued staring at her. After
collecting herself, she asked in a quavering voice, "R... Ranma...
What's going on here?"

His expression soured again, and he removed a small compact from his
pocket thoughtfully. "I... a lot has happened, Akane-san. We've...
missed out on quite a lot." Dropping his eyes from her face, he studied
the compact, flipping it over and catching it in one hand distractedly.

She shook her head slowly. Was he rejecting her? What was this? It was
as though she had ended up in some twisted reflection of her own
reality... no, wait, it was because-

The thought cut off with frightening suddenness. She swallowed
nervously, pleading, "Don't call me Akane-san... please, Ranma..."

He recoiled from the pain in her voice, and dropped his head. "I'm
sorry. Of course, Akane. Let's go into the house, we have a lot to
discuss." He flipped the compact one last time before snapping it out of
the air and absently tucking it into a pocket, then strode towards the
house.

After she followed him inside, Ranma motioned her to sit at the table,
trudging towards the furo. He paused for a heartbeat, calling out over
his shoulder, "I'll be back shortly."

Shampoo's smile took on a slightly strained quality, as she set her
teacup down. She turned to Akane, who sat near her older sister
nervously, and gave the girl a reassuring smile. The nagging voice in
the back of her head warned her that she wasn't going to like what
happened next.

***

Ranma emerged from the furo shortly after, somber, damp, and female. She
was wearing a tank top, and her normal pants, but Akane picked up the
differences immediately.

She was taller. Not much, but obviously some. Her hair was the same, but
she had lost what little baby-fat, she had once had, giving way to firm,
sleek, musculature. Her bust had shrunken slightly, an indication of
just how much Ranma must have been training. Oddly enough, her scars
were invisible, as far as Akane could see. She was tempted to remove
Ranma's tank top to peek, but the nervous tension of the situation kept
her in check, and she knew that it was a wildly inappropriate gesture
anyway.

Then it made sense to Akane, as some of the loose pieces snapped
themselves into place, completing the puzzle. Ranma was older. So was
her own reflection in the mirror when she had checked earlier.

She almost asked why Ranma had trained so much, and to ask what had
happened, how much time she had missed, why... But she bit back the
question. Ranma had trained, in order to take on-

Akane rubbed her temples worriedly. The odd flashes of memory were
cutting off too suddenly to make any sense, but at the same time...
Ranma sat down opposite Akane and Kasumi, leaving Shampoo to her left,
and an empty space where Akane's father normally sat.

The pigtailed redhead sighed, staring down into the cup of tea that had
seemed to materialize after Kasumi observed her sitting down.

Swallowing nervously, Akane asked, "Ranma... why are you a girl?"

The redhead winced, then shook her head, saying nothing. Shampoo cleared
her throat nervously, glancing between Ranma and Akane, then leaned
close to the dark haired girl and whispered, "Because Ranma says men
don't cry." In a louder voice, she addressed everyone, "The formula 110
is wearing off slowly." She frowned, staring at her hands as they lay on
the table before her. "I didn't use much."

Akane gulped, realizing that whatever she was going to hear would be
very unpleasant.

Ranma rocked back on her ankles, staring at the ceiling. "Oh... let's
see. What can I tell you... this... all began... about seven months ago,
I think."

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

Akane growled at Ranma, too busy chatting with Ukyou to notice Akane's
growing displeasure. Akane finally snapped, and smacked Ranma on the
back of the head with her hand. It wasn't hard, but it got his
attention, and he turned around, confused. "What was that for?"

She snorted, irritated, but not truly angry, "You weren't even paying
attention to my question!"

Ranma blinked, mystified, then scowled. "I don't know what you're
talking about... uncute-"

Akane cut him off with a glare, then stomped away, leaving Ranma alone
with Ukyou. He adopted a hurt expression, and turned to Ukyou,
plaintively whining, "What did I say?"

Ukyou gazed after Akane thoughtfully, then shrugged. "Don't know,
Ranchan." She shook her head, clearing a stray thought, and turned to
face Ranma. "Why don't you come with me, and grab an okonomiyaki?"

Thoughts of chasing after Akane were abolished by the thought of free
food, and Ranma's face lit up. "Sure thing, Ucchan!" Still, at the back
of Ranma's mind, he felt a nervous, worrisome tugging... as though he
were forgetting something.

***

As the pair of schoolgirls walked down the road, Sayuri looked at Akane
thoughtfully, sighing, "I wish I had a guy like Ranma for my fiance."

Akane ignored the faint heat that began to creep up her face, staring
resolutely at the road ahead of her. After a moment, she admitted, "He
can be nice sometimes... but sometimes he's such a jerk!"

The other girl shrugged, swinging her schoolbag in front of her, and
staring off into space. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Sayuri
piped up, "It could be worse. He means well, you know. And he's always
rescuing you, like when that monster abducted you last week."

Fighting back the inevitable return of her blush, Akane sighed, "I...
guess."

Sayuri smirked, and shook her head knowingly. Turning towards another
street, she waved cheerfully to her friend, saying, "Talk to you
tomorrow, then. See you later, Akane!"

Akane smiled back, and returned the wave as she increased her pace
towards her home, calling back, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Ryouga lurked behind the wall that Akane was rushing towards, heart
beating furiously, as he chanted to himself, 'I mustn't run away!' over
and over. The litany ran through his head, reminding him briefly of a
cartoon that he had seen somewhere. He pushed the thought away, and
focused himself, hunkering down. The patter of Akane's feet drew nearer,
drowned out by the dull thudding of his heart. He trembled, causing the
toy fishing rod in his hands to shake as well.

'Come on, Hibiki Ryouga,' he thought. 'Calm down! Pull yourself
together!' His heart seemed to pick up its pace, as he wrestled with
himself. 'This toy might do the trick.' He stared at the swinging
suction cup hanging at the end of the line, quivering in time with his
heart. 'And if not...' he reasoned, 'too bad! Here it goes!' At that, he
cast out the rod, with a cry of, "Haaa!" The line flew, and he felt it
catch something.

Swallowing nervously, he thought to himself, 'The line went taught! I
caught her!'

He yanked on the pole, hearing a shout of, "Tendo Akane!" Sparing no
attention to the source of the yell, he looked up, seeing a startled
Akane fly towards him, pulled by the suction cup.


----------------
Author's Notes:

The title is a clever double... or maybe triple... it's... you know.
Clever. Or something.

Miss - Fortune: A lucky hit... kind of. Also, Lady Luck.

Misfortune: an unlucky... not funny? Drat. Well, it's not a funny story,
either.


--
Haiku of my lament:

Forgive my spelling,
my U.S. education,
is the source of blame.

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