Yes, The Final Version. And just watch, I'm gonna end up doing RM's
thing and post it several times because people suddenly find flaws in here...
This is what I'm going to send to be added to the remailer. And I'll
send it to Megazone after his rest. 80 hours a week? Hiya!
Rob "This is the sound of 212 letters landing on me from this
weekend. 'Oh Goddess! NO!!! <CRUSH!>'" Orick
(somewhere in a courthouse)
Judge: Allegra Octavia. You stand accused of organizing an revolution to
over throw the authors on the Ranma 1/2 ML. Ho do you plead?
Allegra: Go to hell! The revolution is still being fought. I have no
time for this! (escapes back into the fight)
-------------------------------
Author's Foreword: The last time I wrote a story was over two years ago for
English class. This was before I knew what Ranma 1/2 was. (There
was a time when I didn't know what Ranma was? Wow, it has been a long
time.) By the way, I'm Robert Orick and I was convinced by people on
the Net who liked my humorous writings on certain homepages and
Mailing Lists to write a story. If you've seen my sign-ins, you'll
know that I am Rob "This space for rent" Orick. If you don't know me,
waahh!! :( Let's start this story, already. By the way, I don't think
this story will be very funny, but I gotta start somewhere...
Comments and criticizism is welcome.
Forgive my grammar. I could've sworn I had that under control...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Seven years ago...]
[In China's Mt. Quanjing region, in the Bayankala range in the Qinghai
Province of China, lies the legendary training ground of cursed springs,
Jusenkyo.]
The sun broke over the mountains and bathed the valley with it's
radiance. The sight was made magnificent by the reflections made by the many
springs that gave this training ground its name. A man paused in his journey
to take in the sight and wondered how something so beautiful could have so
many tragic stories associated with it. He was a Chinese man in his
mid-twenties wearing a brown set of clothes with matching hat adorned with a
red five-pointed star in the front. He looked to his right and smiled as he
saw the plume of smoke rising from the other side of the hill. With an amused
sigh, he continued his trek to meet up with the owner of that campfire.
A fire burned cheerfully about three meters from one of the springs.
By the bright light of the fire, a figure in a grey cloak sat with its back
to the fire, the opening for its face bathed in shadows as it studied the
undisturbed surface of the pool. It seemed to be lost in thought as the man
approached it.
"Nihao, Jusenkyo Guide," the figure by the fire stated without moving
to look at him.
"Ah, sir, here you be," the guide replied as he neared the fire. This
stranger had come to Jusenkyo and asked for a tour just two days ago. The
stranger seemed genuinely curious about the springs and paid more attention
than any other visitor to these springs. The guide had no problems about
taking this job since the stranger had paid him quite a reasonable sum for his
time and trouble. The stranger always camped here and waited for him. The
first day was eerie, but the guide got use to it.
(A very strange one, he is. He always knows when I'm approaching him.
And he is always camped here.)
"Do you know the story behind this spring?" the stranger asked.
"Ah, yes... this spring of drowned..." the guide began.
"No. I know what spring this is," the stranger interrupted without
raising his voice. "Do you know the story behind this spring?"
"Well, sir, it very tragic story. Many year ago..." the guide told
the story as he had heard it from the guide that had come before him. The
stranger listened intently, nodding his head whenever the guide would ask if
a part was clear and understandable, his back always to the fire so it can
look upon the spring and the bamboo poles in it.
"And that, sir, is story," the guide finished.
"You have part of it right."
"Huh? Uh, sir, what you mean?"
The stranger's hands reached up and moved back the hood of his cloak
from his head. His shoulder-length, dark brown hair and his short growth of
beard was disheveled in appearance, but he smoothed them out with his
hands as he turned his head to look at the Jusenkyo guide next to him. His
brown eyes gazed at the guide and he gave the guide a tired smiled as he
talked to him.
"Would you like to hear the full story of this spring?"
"What say you, sir? You say you know whole story?" the guide asked
while the man nodded his head.
"Please, sir, tell."
"<Many years ago, near here were many different tribes. One of them
was the tribe of Chinese Amazons...>" the man started, in perfect Chinese.
The guide's startled look at the fact that this man knew Chinese all
along started to fade to black as a steady drum beat started up...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Many years ago...]
The scattered fires marked the dark valley with islands of light and
heat. For the figures wrapped in cloaks and blankets, these flames were a
blessing.
--------========--------========--------
{The letters light up slowly like newly lit fires.}
[This Space For Rent Production]
--------========--------========--------
One patch of darkness flitted from fire to fire, yet attracted no
attention from the vigilant eyes of those who tended the flames and watched
for intruders.
--------========--------========--------
[A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction By Rob Orick]
--------========--------========--------
The shadow paused at one small fire tended by a young girl trying to
coax a bigger flame from the meager stores of wood she had. The wind whipped
at the hood of her black cloak to reveal her lavender locks and dark eyes
studying and wondering why the flames were so weak.
--------========--------========--------
[Prelude to the "Rising Star" Storyline]
--------========--------========--------
Two violet eyes shined from the shadow as the flames were reflected
from them. They studied every move the girl made as she tried in vain to keep
the flames from dying on her. As the wind blew harder and treatened to
extinguish the small flame, the girl scrambled to block the wind with her body
and ended up turning her back towards the hiding shadow. The eyes narrowed.
--------========--------========--------
[Special thanks to those who helped pressure me into writing this]
[If you don't like it, I'll point them out so you can beat them]
[Thanks also goes to those who told me to get out more]
[And when I did, they told me to get back in the house]
--------========--------========--------
The flames sputtered out. The girl whispered a vile curse at the
wind. The shadow smiled.
--------========--------========--------
[Very special thanks to Rumiko Takahashi]
[Without her, I would be bored and a little richer]
[(Ask me about my Ranma collection sometime)]
--------========--------========--------
Quickly and silently the shadow swooped down upon the girl, one arm
wrapping around the girl's arms binding her to the shadow's body while the
other clamped shut her mouth before her scream of shock could alert others in
the camp.
--------========--------========--------
[ Twilight ]
[A Legend of Jusenkyo]
--------========--------========--------
"Only the light can keep away the shadowsss that dwell in the dark, my
dear," a low, husky voice hissed into her ear. The girl tensed at the sound.
Her fist curled into fists and her eyes narrowwed in anger. "What ssshall I
do with you, my pretty one? Hmm?"
The girl had decided that she had had enough of this arrogant jerk.
She slammed her right foot against her attacker's shin to free up some space.
She then grabbed the arms that loosened from the shock and threw her weight
forward. The shadow barely stifled its gasp of suprise as it now laided
sprawled out in front of the girl. With a quick move, the girl unsheathed her
dagger and held it to the figure's throat. If it wasn't so dark, the girl
would have seen that the cloth mask had slipped from her attacker's face when
its body struck the ground. The darkness hid the embarrassed smile of a
white-maned girl.
"Er, suprise?" the defeated attacker giggled to the dark visage of her
captor. The victor pressed the knife closer to the loser's throat, than with
a sound of disgust pulled the knife away and offered her hand to the prone
girl.
--------========--------========--------
[Chapter One]
--------========--------========--------
"Perfume, you've got some nerve sneaking around like that," the other
girl reprimanded. "Besides, I thought you were suppose to be scouting ahead
with the other troublemakers."
"Lighten up, Gel. Is that any way to talk to your older sister,"
Perfume dusted herself off. "Besides, I think you need my help..."
"Maybe you should start acting like you're older than me! I could
have killed you!" Gel scolded.
"But, you didn't. And in the end that's all that matters," Perfume
nonchalantly answered.
Ignoring her sister's accussing gaze, Perfume knelt down at the dead
campfire with her body blocking the wind and built a pile of dry grass. She
glanced up at Gel's accusing eyes as she began to strike her dagger across a
flint from her pouch. The sparks catch after a few seconds on the tinder.
As Perfume coaxed the flames higher with larger pieces of firewood, her gaze
remained on her sister's growing frown. When a good sized flame was made,
Perfume confidently stepped away from the fire. The flames leaned in the
wind, but stayed lit.
"Why can't I do that?" Gel exclaimed.
"Well, maybe you are as frigid as the boys say you are. You'll never
catch a husband...," Perfume smiled as outrage spread across her sister's
face. When Gel finally forced herself calm, she looked at her sister in the
way their mother looked at Perfume when she did something really wrong.
"Oooh, she's gonna scold me..., again," Perfume mocked. "You look like
Mom. Are you going to klonk me on top of my head, too?"
"You should be responsible and do as you're told! Why are you here?"
"Two reasons," Perfume held up her hand with two fingers to illustrate
her point. Her face became so serious that Gel had to look again to make sure
this was her sister. "As you know I have been away from home on one of my
many training trips to improve my fighting abilities. But there is one thing
I haven't done to put an end to my last trip. Something you need to help me
with. Something _very_ important to me...," Perfume narrowed her eye's and
studied her sister. Gel grew uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny.
"Er, what do you want from me?" Gel's eyes quickly searched for an
exit. (Why is she looking at me like that?!)
Perfume spread apart her arms, "Well, for starters, you _could_ give
me a hug and say, 'Welcome home, big sister.'"
Gel quickly stepped forward and snapped a kick at Perfume's head.
Perfume caught the foot with her left hand and peered around it to look
inquiringly at the angry girl with the lavender tresses. "I take it that you
don't appreciate my humor."
"Our tribe is at war!" Gel retracted her foot and glared at Perfume.
Perfume just gave her sister a blank expression and blinked. Gel sighed in
resignation and put her arms around the blinking fool. "Welcome home, you
completely worthless excuse for an amazon."
"Not what I was expecting, but it will do," Perfume pulled away and
smiled like a happy idiot.
Gel got annoyed. "Well?"
"'Well' what?"
"WHAT'S THE OTHER REASON, YOU JERK!?" Gel's patience had reached its
end. (Oh what cruel deity wishes to cause me insanity by making this
impossible girl MY sister?)
"*sigh* I got hungry! Come on, how am I suppose to do my job if the
enemy hears my stomach rumbling?" she whined. Her eyes pleading with Gel.
"Grrrr. Oh, alright, already! Stop looking at me like that! Here!"
Gel threw Perfume her pack of rice cakes as she shook her head in disgust.
The pleading-hungry act really got old after the first year.
"Thank you, Gel!! I won't tell Mom," Perfume crammed one into her
mouth, drawing a another look of disgust from her sister.
"But Mother already knows, Daughters."
Perfume choked on her cake as Gel grimaced at the figure entering the
ring of light from the fire. After spitting out the remaining pieces clogging
her breathing passages, Perfume, with gritted teeth, was able to speak to the
figure.
"M-m-mom!! Er, IcanexplainwhyI'mhere,really!!"
--------========--------========--------
Thirty minutes later, a shadow was slinking across the countryside.
It's right hand rubbing the top of its black-clothed head.
"Geez, she didn't need to hit me so hard!" Perfume mumbled. "And she
still hasn't asked me how my training trip went."
Perfume halted to listen to the sound of the wind as it whipped past
her cloaked figure. She tensed for a moment and high jumped into the branches
of a nearby tree.
(The view is nice but it would probably be better if there was a full
moon out instead of that sliver up there,) she thought. Perfume adjusted her
sword and twin bonbori before she sat with her back to the trunk and looked
over the many pools in this area. (What is this placed called? Oh yeah,
Jusenkyo. Big deal. What's so great about this place that I have to watch
over it?)
"'The enemy might find a way to use the magical properties of the
springs against us.'" Perfume mimicked her mother's voice. "What are they
going to do, water us to death? *YAWN* That trip to the camp was more
tiring than I, huh?" Perfume's cocked her head as the sound of someone
stumbling through the underbrush continued. She perched up on her branch and
flipped out her bonbori with a twirl that was more flashy than practical.
With both weapons out, Perfume watched the forest floor.
('If it's the enemy, small numbers get taken out and stay hidden from
larger groups.') Perfume replayed her mother's instructions. There was
definately something moving down there! She had no idea what she was feeling.
(Is this fear or am I actually looking forward to fighting this enemy?
Either way, I will prove myself to be a warrior.) Perfume put both bonbori
in her right hand as she pulled on a simple string necklace until a small,
plain, silver ring rested in her palm. She clutched it in a fist. (I'll make
you proud of me yet, Mom. I promise. *KLONK*)
Perfume grimaced as she remembered the many reprimanding blows she
received from her mother. It hurt more to remember the disapproval in her
mother's eyes whenever Perfume let her nature screw her up.
It's unfortunate that while she was thinking this Perfume didn't
notice the figure trudging its way to stand under her tree and look around.
In fact, she directed her attention back to where the sound originally came
from, and in her frame of reference should still be, while passing one
bonbori back to her left hand, so she completely missed the figure under the
tree. She did notice when the figure spoke.
"<Damn it all! Where the Hell am I now!!!>"
If she was stunned at the fact that this stranger had gotten past her,
she was more stunned when he punched the tree she was in. She completely
freaked out when the tree started to fall. Perfume let out a scream of shock
as she lost her balance and fell as well. Her hands released the twin bonbori
as they flailed to grab onto something in vain. She was too surprised to land
correctly and she knew it.
(Great! Mom's going to give me the biggest klonk in Amazon history!
If I live...)
Perfume closed her eyes because she just didn't want to see the
embarrassment of landing on her head in front of the enemy. Instead of the
hard ground, though, Perfume felt two arms catching her and easing her down.
"Wha...?"
"<Are you okaUGH!>" That was all the stranger got out before Perfume
drove her fist into his mouth.
--------========--------========--------
"<Well, you shouldn't have punched my tree!>" Perfume yelled.
This guy was definately not one of the enemy. He was speaking
Japanese, not Chinese like the enemy and her own people. The stranger was
dressed in thick clothes, obviously for travel: a brownish-yellow shirt with
long sleeves cinched with a black belt, black pants secured around his shins
and ankles with yellow cords, and black shoes. He looked like he was about
her age, 16 or so. He had a huge backpack with a red bamboo umbrella secured
in the straps on top. His hair was a black, unruly mess that had a certain
charm, he did have some longer than usual canines, and his brown eyes were
scouring her with cold fury right now.
(He is kinda cute, though... NO! He knocked me out of my tree! Stay
angry!)
"<In dfin'ht kjnhow yasotu wheore dtkhelrpe!>" he replied.
"<What? I don't understand what your saying!>"
The stranger pulled a cloth, that he wetted from his waterskin, away
from his mouth.
"<I said, 'I didn't know you were there!', you idiot!>" he said
through his swollen lips.
Perfume glared at him. He glared back. She curled her lips into a
scowl. He twisted his lips and winced in pain. She laughed. He glowered at
her.
"<I'm sorry... It's just that you surprised me with the tree,>" her
voice softened. "<You see, my village is at war with another village on the
other side of this mountain range. I thought you might be the enemy. I guess
I was too high-strung...>"
"<War? I haven't heard of any conflicts in Japan, lately.>" he asked.
Perfume wondered why he asked that.
"<Er, this is China...>"
"<WHAT?! But, how? You're speaking flawless Japanese...>"
"<I travel a lot to train, so I learned how to speak most of the
languages, around here.>" she answered proudly. "<Why? Where were you
going?>"
"<Er, nevermind... China, hmm.>"
"<Ah, what's your name? Mine's Perfume.>" she finally asked.
"<Oh, ah, Hitoshi. Hitoshi Hibiki.>" Hitoshi replied. (Perfume?)
*Now using <> on least used language to clear up unnecesssary mess*
"What a stupid name," Perfume bluntly stated.
"No, it's not! It's a good name! 'Perfume,' now that's a stupid
name!!" Hitoshi stood up straight.
"EXCUSE ME?! YOU STUPID, JAPANESE SWINE!!! YOU WOULDN'T KNOW A
GOOD NAME IF IT HIT YOU OVER YOUR BLUNT HEAD!!!" (No one, NO ONE insults my
name!) Perfume clenched her bonbori and glared. Hitoshi turned red with
anger and fired back.
"YOU CHINESE BIMBO!!!" Perfume's eyes blazed.
"SCUM SUCKING PIG!!!" Hitoshi clenched his teeth and exploded.
"NO-GOOD, SUCKER-PUNCHING, BAD-MOUTHING, FREAK OF NATURE!!!!!"
About this time, their individual battle auras became very visible.
Her's blazed with blue fury and his burned green with anger.
Too bad they were paying more attention to their fight than to
a group of brigands that heard the noise and came up the hill. But then
again, maybe it was too bad for the brigands since these two supposedly easy
marks were already enraged and were about to get physically violent...
--------========--------========--------
(Three times, THREE TIMES!! I got caught off guard three times. In
one night too, Mom is going to klonk me so hard I'll be five again!)
This thought ran through Perfume's head as she parried one brigand's
sword, while jumping to avoid another's spear jab. Her night black shirt was
tattered in a few spots from lucky blows during the start of the fight when
she was surprised by the brigands' appearance. Luckily, the injuries were
mere scratches or small bruises, not much to hinder her. That slash across
her chest was annoying, since it did rip through the fabric. A girl has her
modesty, after all.
She could she Hitoshi from the corner of her eye fending off two of
his own with that umbrella of his. If she was keeping score of the body count
she would have realized that his last headbutt had put him ahead by one to
her. Actually, she was paying more attention to how she was landing after her
jump.
(Ah!) Her mind had found a flaw in one of her opponent's attack.
Perfume quickly clamped both her feet on the spear shaft, adding more
weight than the driving weilder could handle. The spear drove itself into the
ground. Her left bonbori parried an overhand sword smash while her right one
flew from her hand and into the surprised face of the spear's owner. The
next sword strike came from the side, just to be blocked and knocked wide by
the left bonbori. This time she was not dodging a spear. She quickly turned
her body to get inside of her attacker's reach as his sword tried to return in
time to catch her. Before the sword could return, Perfume released the move
she had been practicing whenever her mother wasn't around.
"KACHU-TENSHIN-AMUGURIKEN!!!"
"Urgh!!" was all that the sword's owner could say as hundreds of
punches rained down on his body and face.
As her final opponent fell to the ground, Perfume leaned against a
nearby tree to catch her breath. That was fun. She looked up as Hitoshi
flung his final opponent into another nearby tree, splintering it. He placed
his hands on his knees as he breathed hard. He looked over to her and smiled.
"Looks like you got finished first," he breathed with mock sadness.
"Does this happen to every guy who attacks you when you're arguing?" He
indicated the pile of unconscious and injured men.
"You should see what I do to guys who punch down trees while I'm in
them, ...Hibiki..." she curtly replied. "Let's get out of here. If these
jerks are here, there might be more close by."
"Where to?"
"My people's camp, wha...?" Perfume finally noticed a trickle of blood
flowing down Hitoshi's face. She walked over to him to exam the wound on his
forehead.
"What happen? You're bleeding...," her voice softened in concern.
"Oh, I think one of those guys had a helmet on, or something. I hit
him and didn't notice, I guess," Hitoshi shrugged.
Perfume pushed him gently into a sitting position. He tried to resist
at first but slowly gave in when he saw the look of concern on the amazon's
face. Perfume rummaged through her pack and brought out some cloth and a
pouch. She also brought out a larger yellow cloth with black marks.
"Hold still!" Hitoshi squirmed as she washed the wound with water from
her waterskin. When she started to apply some salve from the pouch, he jumped
to his feet.
"OWWWW!!! That burns!!!"
"SIT DOWN!!!" Perfume yelled as she grabbed Hitoshi by the shoulders
and slammed him down.
"Oof!"
"Oops! Sorry 'bout that!"
As he began to complain, he realised that the pain was gone from his
head. Perfume continued her work by placing a pad of white cloth over the
cut. She folded the yellow cloth into a bandana and wrapped it around
Hitoshi's head so it would hold the bandage in place. Finished, Perfume
looked over her handiwork.
"Not bad. I'd say, it's you!"
"What're those black things on it?"
"Um, well, you see," Perfume looked down at her feet and started to
twiddle her fingers unconsciously, "I'm not too good with patterns and this is
how most of my cloth patterns come out... Don't laugh about it. The other
girls tease me enough as it is," she shuffled her feet nervously. "You can
keep it if you want. I don't mind... It's really ugly..."
"Thank you, it's actually lovely..." Hitoshi decided that the girl
deserved a compliment for working so hard. Perfume blushed. Hitoshi glanced
around. "I guess we should be gyaaah...!!"
Perfume snapped her head up at this sound, alarm filled her face.
(What is it?! Was there another fighter we missed?! Is Hitoshi's
injury worse than I thought it was?!) She looked around Hitoshi and didn't
see anything wrong until she looked at his face.
He was staring down at something. She looked down... and saw that the
slashed front of her shirt had opened up. He started to bleed from his nose;
she blushed, closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, kneeled down, and
uppercutted him. In that exact order.
--------========--------========--------
[End Chapter One.]
[To be continued...]
--------========--------========--------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You know the drill. All comments, flames, bomb threats, wedding
proposals, Etc., send them to rgorick@mail.uccs.edu. I'm new at this so don't
let that stop you from ripping me apart and laving my pieces for stary animals
to find. Just remember, this is what I have to say about negative mail:
"I think you should know that I have the reflexes of a cat, and the speed of
a mongoose. Throw it!!! I dare you!" -Ace Ventura, before getting hit
with a spear in the leg.
Based on characters and situations created by Rumiko Takahashi, but, I
didn't use them too much, now did I?(Except for the guide and a place,...and a
tribe, ...Okay, I used more than I thought I did!) Nyah!! :P
If you want more of her stuff, come back for "Rising Star" or go read her
books or watch her anime or play her video games or...
<cut ten minutes of rambling>
...or play with your very own P-chan doll(you'll probably need to make one.).
And that's all I have to say about that, okay?
I'm not finished with this story, yet. If you want more, you're gonna have to
wait a bit. I'm only human, after all!! Geez, people, give me a break!
----------------(Comments from imaginary characters go here)------------------
Virgo: Ignore him and he'll go away.
Allegra: Encourage him and we'll have to hunt you down...
Zodiak: I have nothing to say...
Me: They're just mad because I haven't written "Rising Star," yet.