But first the RL news.  Yesterday, the water heater for my 
apartment building malfunctioned, and the building filled with carbon 
monoxide.  I was at work then, so escaped unharmed, but one man died and 
a lot of people had to go to the hospital.  My prayers go with them 
today.  
	The police had to kick in every door in the building to check for 
victims, so when I got home late last night, I found the accessability of 
my apartment somewhat altered.  Worse, the city inspector came by and 
declared the place unfit for human habitation.  Unless the landlord fixes 
the problems by Tuesday, the building will be condemned, and all of us 
will need a new place to live.  And let me tell you, on my budget, this 
is going to be a problem. 
	So, I may be awfully busy for a while.  This means I'll be 
unsubscribing from the list until further notice.  (you *knew* there was 
a reason I was going on about this!)  I'll still try to check my e-mail 
when I can, so if you really want me to see something, cc: my address,  
majks@cyberx.com or for those of you not completely paperless, my postal 
address, Scott K. Jamison, PO Box 3674, Minneapolis, MN 55403.  I'd 
especially be interested in anything related to the revengfic thread, and 
Zen's "special project"  (Zen knows what that is :-)
	I *will* be back, someday.
	On to the fic part of this, really just a teaser, related to a 
certain idea that's floated around the ML recently.  You'll figure it out 
pretty quickly.


			TWILIGHT EXISTENCE
			by Scott K. Jamison
(Note:  Ranma 1/2 and the related characters created by Rumiko Takahashi, 
no infringement intended.)

	My first clear memory is of Jyuusenkyo.  In fact, you could say I 
was born there, bursting out of a watery womb, a scream coming from my 
lips as I breathed air for the first time.
	Ranma would tell me to cut the poetic crap.
	I hauled myself out of the pool, looking around the valley.  It 
seemed familiar, though I didn't remember being here before.  I shivered 
in the chill morning air.  How had I fallen in there?  I couldn't 
remember.  
	There was a man in a funny-looking uniform shouting in what I 
guessed was Chinese, and some broken Japanese.  Something about tragedy 
and drowning and curses.  Well, yes it would have been tragic if I 
drowned. There was a giant panda chewing on bamboo nearby.  The strange man 
went over to it, and tried to nudge it to walk.  He asked me to help.  
	Not too sure about this, was it a tame panda?  I walked over.  
About halfway there, I had to readjust my wet clothes.  They were awfully 
big on me, and looked like boy's attire.  What was I doing in them?  Come 
to think of it, who was I?  I must have amnesia from the fall, I 
surmised. 
	Either the panda was tame, or it took a liking to me, because it 
nuzzled my face and let me lead it to a hut the uniformed man indicated 
to us.  His speech still didn't make much sense, he was saying something 
about hot water as he set a kettle on to boil.
	As soon as it started steaming, he poured it out on the panda.  
To my utter shock and amazement, the animal shrank and changed into a 
bald middleaged fellow I was sure I'd seen somewhere before.  
	"You see, hot water change to normal.  Now you, young sir."  He 
began pouring the water over me. 
	I blacked out, just as the words "young sir" were registering. 
	When I woke up, the scene had changed.  We were in some Chinese 
village, at least the panda and I were.  The uniformed man was gone.  It 
was raining.  I still had on the same oversized clothes.
	I found a roofed clearing and led the panda in.  Then I 
remembered what hot water had done before.  I managed to wave down a 
passing woman who had a little Japanese, and asked for hot water.  She 
brought some by, and a couple of steamed buns, for which I thanked her.  
I wondered why I was in China if I didn't speak any Chinese. 
	I ate a bun, and poured the hot water on the panda.  It changed 
into the man I'd seen.  Still a bit of a shock.  Somehow, he was pulling 
on clothes, a white martial arts outfit and a bandanna, as well as 
glasses.  To this day, I have not figured out where his clothes come from 
and he won't tell me.
	"Ranma!  Thank heavens!  Now your turn!"  He grabbed for the water.
	"Oh, no, I'm not blacking out again, thank you.  Who's Ranma?  
And who are you?"
	"Ranma Saotome!  Don't you recognize your own father?  The Guide 
warned me, but I didn't believe him!  What a tragedy has befallen my 
son!"  
	So my name was Ranma Saotome.  A boy's name, surely?  And this 
man, Genma, claimed to be my father.  But surely he hadn't said "son"?  
	"Um, Mr. Saotome...Father...don't you mean 'daughter'?  After 
all, I *am* a girl."  I opened my shirt just a bit, to emphasize my 
point.  Not too far, though.  I have my modesty. 
	He stiffened in shock, and looked as though he were about to 
cry.  Then he began to explain.  
	According to him, I'd been born a boy, this "Ranma", and we were 
martial artists on a training journey.  We'd come to this place, 
Jyuusenkyo, the Valley of Cursed Springs, and I'd insisted on sparring 
right there.  In the process, we'd pushed each other into pools that 
things had drowned in a long time ago.  Now whoever fell in took on the 
form and mind of the original victim.  He'd fallen into the Spring of 
Drowned Panda, and I'd fallen into one where a girl had died. 
	Well, that did explain a lot, and I had seen him turn back from a 
panda with my own eyes.  But there were a couple of holes in his story.  
	"But if I have the mind of the girl that drowned, why don't I 
have any of her memories?" 
	"I don't know.  But perhaps it's for the best.  I will still make 
a manly man of you yet, Ranma!"
	That sounded like a truly horrible idea.  I didn't want to be any 
kind of a man!  I was so shocked I didn't realize he'd got hold of the 
hot water.
	The next time I woke up, I was wet again, this seemed to be what 
brought me out, and was walking with the uniformed man (the Guide) and 
the panda towards another village.  The Guide said Joketsuzoku was known 
for its many female warriors.  I didn't like the sound of that.  Combat 
was so unfeminine!
	We stopped to watch some of the women in a tournament.  It looked 
very dangerous.  A purple-haired girl seemed to be winning.  I pitied 
her.  No man would want to marry such a violent woman!  Unfortunately, I 
lost track of the panda, and soon found him gobbling up the feast that 
had been spread for the winner.  I was a little amazed he was eating the 
meat too, I thought pandas were vegetarians...
	The purple-haired girl, her name sounded like Shampoo, was very 
angry.  She barely accepted my apology, and it took most of Father's 
money to pay for the meal.  Of course once it was bought, I had some 
too.  The Guide suggested we wait until outside the village before 
changing Father back.
	He was very angry at what I'd done.
	"You fool!  You should have challenged her in the tournament, 
since the winner got the food."
	"Challenged her?  Father, I don't know any martial arts.  I 
would've gotten creamed!"  
	"...'Don't know any martial arts?'  But surely..."  He grinned 
and swung at me.  I backflipped out of the way.  I was very surprised.  
Apparently my reflexes were quite good. 
	"So you haven't forgotten everything.  Let's see you on the 
offensive.   Attack me!"
	"What?"
	"Attack me!  Make a fist and swing!"
	"I can't do that.  Fighting is unladylike."
	"AAHHGG!  My son has become a wimp!"
	"I'm not your son!  I'm a girl!  Can't you accept that?"
	It seems he couldn't, as I was hit with hot water and blacked out 
again. 
	This time, we were in a coastal city, and many different 
languages reached my ears.  It was my first time in a big city, and I 
drank everything in wide-eyed.  We passed through the market, and I saw 
one vendor had beautiful dresses for sale.  I looked down at the wet baggy 
martial arts outfit I was wearing and sighed.
	"Father," for he was in human form this time, "could you buy me a 
dress?  I need something else to wear."
	He nearly choked on the mango he was eating.  "Ranma!  What would 
you want a dress for?"
	"I want to look pretty for a change.  This outfit is so ugly!" 
	"Ranma, I know it's hard to believe, but after waking up from 
being a panda a few times, I know that you do not want to put yourself 
in an embarrassing  position.  Suppose that I did buy you that dress.  
Then you got splashed with hot water and returned to being a boy.  
You'd die of embarrassment!"
	He did have a point there.  If a girl wears boys' clothes, she's 
making a fashion statement.  If a boy wears girls' clothes, everyone 
thinks he's a pervert.  I tried to hide my disappointment.
	"Besides, we don't have any money for new clothes."
	Maybe so, but I promised myself one day I would wear a pretty 
dress and makeup and jewelry, so there!
	Then he told me we were going back to Japan, to visit his old 
friend Tendou, who had a martial arts dojo.  He mumbled something about 
making an engagement. 
	He must have poured hot water on me while I slept, because the 
next thing I knew, we were in Tokyo, the Nerima part, and it was 
raining.  Father had turned into a panda again, but I had a map in my 
hand, and soon figured out we were only a few blocks from the Tendou 
home.  I pulled him along as best I could. 
	It was a nice big house, surrounded by an actual lawn, and there 
was a training hall on the grounds.  I hoped the Tendous would be the 
forgiving sort.
	Apparently the Tendous were expecting us, because as soon as I 
raised my voice to panda-Father to try and get him through a door, they 
scrambled out to see us.  
	They were:  A man about my father's age, with long hair and a 
thick mustache, in a greenish gi; A very grown-up looking young woman 
in an apron, and her hair in a ponytail, who looked very feminine (I 
liked her already); A slightly younger girl with short hair, in jeans, 
who looked a little sharp-featured; and a long-haired girl in a white 
gi (great, a tomboy.)  They all looked very surprised. 
	"Father, do you know who this is?" asked the eldest.  Mr. Tendou 
(I guessed) shook his head. 
	"Sure, shorty here and a giant panda just happened to wander in 
off the street.  Happens all the time." sniped the short-haired one.  
The tomboy just looked angry.     
	"Pardon me," asked Mr. Tendou, "but who are you?"
	"I'm Ranma Saotome.  Sorry about this."
	"Ranma!  At last you've come!"
	He hugged me really really hard, then pulled back all of a 
sudden.  He looked at me again, more carefully this time.
	The short-haired girl poked me in the breast.  "Dad, Ranma's a 
girl." 
	He collapsed.  
	"Actually, I'd like to be called 'Ranko" instead.  Yes, I'm a 
girl, so you can stop poking me, um, what's your name?"
	"Nabiki Tendou.  This here's my sister Kasumi, the one doing 
first aid on Dad; and she's Akane."  She slid an arm around my shoulder.  
	"Father's trying to marry us to a *girl*?" asked Akane.
	I stopped cold.  Then "engagement" didn't mean "appointment", it 
meant... 
	"We need to have a discussion.  Do you have any hot water handy?" 
	As soon as I got him out of panda form, Genma Saotome was going 
to explain why he'd ruined my life! 

			END FOR NOW

	Time to leave you hanging, though you can send comments to my 
private address.  Hope to be back soon.

SKJAM!
(who wishes that Ranma and Akane really *could* help him out...)