Subject: A Window To The Past Chapter 3
From: "Odie3100" <odie3100@bridge.net>
Date: 12/18/1996, 11:56 AM
To:

(Author's notes following the story)

 -----------------------------------------------------------------
 Ranma 1/2 and all Characters contained
 herein are property of Rumiko Takahashi......
 so don't try any funny stuff, got it?
  ----------------------------------------------------------------


(From Chapter 2......)



	Nabiki was turning onto another street when a man in a cloak sped by her,
carrying a strange looking sword in his hand, almost knocking her over. She
watched as he disappeared into the distance, headed in the direction of her
home. She had a disturbing thought, but shook it off. <Nah, that's too
weird, even for our family.....> She continued walking.


	The man came to a screeching halt, and read the sign in front of him. This
was the place. <I found you....after all this searching....I've finally
found you.> Allowing himself a small feeling of triumph, he bent over in
exhaustion for a minute, and quickly straightened up again. He wasn't home
free just yet. He had yet to meet with the one they called Saotome. He
sheathed his sword and reached out to knock on the front gate.


<Saotome Ranma, I'm coming......are you ready?>







                               ***************************
  		        A Window To the Past
  		       ***************************	
  		        
  
  	                       By: Andres Odella
  
  
  
  --------------
  Chapter 3: Awareness.......
  --------------





	Ranma walked up the short flight of stairs to the second floor, making
slight thumping sounds as he walked, which were sounding vaguely like the
one's coming from Ranma's chest. 

<Almost there,> he thought to himself. He reached Akane's bedroom door and
stopped.

	Akane had been lying in bed awake, thinking of all the things that had
happened to her today, when she heard soft footfalls from the stair case.
Even being so sift, there was no mistake that those feet belonged to Ranma.
Her heart raced a little as she heard them come closer to her room, finally
stopping right outside her door. She sat up and anxiously awaited his
knock.

< He came.....he actually came up here.....I wonder what he's going to
say.....>

	The suspence was tearing at Akane. She wanted to fling the door open at
run into his ar......and listen to what he wanted to say to her. An
uncomfortable pause settled.

<What is he waiting for, an invitation?,> Akane angrily thought.

	Finding himself in front of Akane's bedroom door, Ranma began to sweat.
Where just a few minutes before he had been full of confidence and energy,
he was now feeling extremely nervous and began doubting his desicion to try
to talk to Akane.

<What if she's still mad at me? What if I say something stupid?>

	A new surge of adrenaline swept through his mind, sweeping aside his
doubts. No, he was sure he was doing the right thing. He cleared his throat
softly and remembered exactly what he had planned to say to Akane. He
stepped forward and knocked on the door.

*THOCK THOCK---THWOCK*

<Huh? What was that? I only knocked twice,> Ranma thought. Ranma looked
around to see if someone else had knocked.

	Akane blinked at what she heard. She could have sworn that the knocking
sounded like it had come from outside......she went over to her window and
took a look. She spied a little boy with what looked to be a large scabberd
almost as
as long as his legs dangling from his waist. He was wrapped in a too-long
cloak that hid his face.

<Hmm, a visitor......I think I'll go greet him...this'll be a good way to
open this stupid door and see what Ranma wants....>  She grinned to herself
and walked over to her door, grabbing the handle-


<Enough waiting, I'm opening this door myself.> With that, Ranma reached
for the handle-

-and opening it towards her, walked out the door-

-but watched it open away from him-

*CRASH*  "OOF!!"

-and Akane ran directly into his outstretched arms, sending Ranma sprawling
to the floor, with her lying right on top of him, her face pressed against
his wildly thumping chest.

<Oh jeez, now what am I do to get outta this one?>

	Akane lay very still against him for a few seconds, letting all the
different emotions sort themselves out. She could, of course, send Ranma
flyintg into the stratosphere, but didn't. She could just call him a jerk
and pervert,  but she didn't. Instead she decided to let herself enjoy this
moment of closeness to him, and     said nothing.

	Ranma was a bit bewildered. Akane hadn't smacked him, whacked him, or
cursed him yet. In fact, he felt her....snuggle? him a little. A feeling of
relief passed through him, which was soon replaced by a feeling of.......he
couldn't bring himself  to think it, much less say it. He just felt it.

	He gazed down upon her smiling face, her eyes closed. Sometimes,     when
she wasn't so angry, she could look so.....beautiful. He watched her and   
  felt a lump form in his throat. There was something he wanted to do,
something he
had to do. It was the right time for it. Without thinking he brought his
hand down to her face and softly stroked her cheek, enjoying the warmth he
felt in her.

	Akane had been laying very still, feeling Ranma's body tense up at first,
then relax and soften up. His heart calmed a little and no longer thumped
away in her ear.

	She hoped nothing would break this spell she was under....but then she  
felt a hand touch her face. The hand was large and rough, and she knew who
it
belonged to. Her own heart fluttered a bit as the large hand rubbed her
cheek in a gentle way, making her even more happy.She heard his voice call
out to her.


"A..Akane....I....."

	Akane looked up and caught his expressive gaze. His large eyes shined in
the dim hallway light, silently calling her, and she wanted to obey.

	His hand moved from her cheek to her chin, and gently tugged her face
towards his. 

<Finally.>

She closed her eyes again, and Ranma did likewise. He leaned down to press
his lips against hers-


*THWOCK THWOCK*


	And just as quickly as it had formed, the spell was broken. They both
opened their eyes at the persistant rapping on the front gate, and Akane
jumped up in a start. Ranma did likewise and backed away from her. She
stared at him for a few seconds, feeling the tears coming back to her eyes
once more, and then ran off down the stairs, intent on doing something,
anything that would make her forget about what had just occured.

	Ranma took a half-step towards her, and then stopped. She was already
gone. He let his head and shoulders slump noticably and walked back to his
room in silence, where he sat quietly, thinking about what might have been.


***********

	
	Akane tore through the living room and ran out the front entrance,
startling Kasumi who was busy cleaning the kitchen.

<Oh my, I wonder what's happened to her now? I guess Ranma didn't do so
well with her......>

	She put down her broom and slowly followed her little sister, intent on
seeing where she was going.

	With a loud crash the two wooden gates exploded from their hinges and 
flew off in no particular directions. Luckily the little boy was standing
off to the side  of   the gates waiting to be let in and was not caught by
the flying debris or the running Akane that followed. She did not look
back. Running was the only thing     on her mind. No  apparent destination,
just run.

<Run.>

	Anything to get her mind off.....

<Ranma,> her mind quietly whispered. Clenching her fists tightly and
momentarily closeing her eyes, she took a sharp corner and went.


*******


	The little boy stared at the rapidly fading girl, and just shook his head.
It seemed to him that this place lived up to the reputation it had earned,
which was to say, a house of madness. He turened and peered through the now
bare gate. A young woman wearing a placid smile was waling towards him.

"Hello, little boy," she greeted him, "can I help you?"

	For a split second his eyes raged in anger.

"I AM NOT A-" HE gritted his teeth and remembered his current state.
Forcing a smile, he replied in his best 'innocent little child' voice.

"Hi lady! My name's, uh....Ramen! Yeah, Ramen!" <Aw, crap, of all the
stupid names in the world......>

"Oh my, what a cute name." <Ramen? Not quite....> "Excuse me, but did you
see a young lady run by here?"

"Yeah. She looked like she was in a hurry to get someplace."

	Kasumi stared off into the distance, thinking of Akane. <Oh, dear, I hope
she doesn't do anything rash.....> Kasumi blinked at looked down. She had
momentarily forgotten the little boy was even there. 

"I'm sorry, were you looking for someone?"

	He remembered his plan and answered.

"Yes, ma'sm. I'm looking for the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial
Arts. My parents want me to train there." He grinned to himself.

<Oh good, finally a student. Father will be so pleased!> She beamed at him.

"Well then, this is the place you are looking for, although I don't know if
Father and Mr. Tendo are teaching anymore. Please, come in."

	She took him by his small hand and led him towards the house. He   flushed
tremendously, enjoying the feel of her soft palm.

<I may be nothing but a child for the moment, but I haven't
forgotten......maybe when this is over.....> He glanced up at her, briefly
feeling a pang of emotion, then shook his head. Those familiar dark
thoughts returned to him, consuming his mind with nothing but hatred.

<NO,> he thought, <she is one of _them_....and they will _all_ pay....>
Still, as they entered the home together, he stole a final quick glance at
her.

<If only...............>


**********


	The two horsemen rode furiously, kicking up a great cloud of dust along
the dirt road. By his calculations, they were at least a day behind
schedule, and   not making up any ground on thier quarry. He noticed his
horse and his charge's     panting heavily. They had been riding for three
days straight without respite. The elder thought it was time for a break.

"Halt!," he called out, and the other rider pulled up in unison with him.

"What is it now?," said the younger of the two, the look of anxiety written
all over his face.

	The elder patted his steed on the side of it 's head, and it responded by
neighing softly and nuzzling his hand.

"The horses need to replenish their energy.....and so do we," he grinned.

	The younger one frowned in disgust, then softened his features.

"Of course, you're right. You're _always_ right. But that doesn't mean I
have to like it." He looked off into the distance.

	The elder smiled. His charge reminded him so much of himself in his
younger days.

<You would think after eight hundred and fifty years he'd grow up a
little.....>

	They dismounted and stood off to the side. The horses shimmered brightly,
then disappeared. The younger frowned even harder at that.

"That's another thing. How come they get to return and we don't? Stuck
here, on this pile of rock, trapped in this....this....this _flesh_." He
angrily grabbed a flap of loose skin on his arm and pinched it, looking
sickened. "Yech."

	The elder raised an eyebrow at his charge's outburst and responded.

"Hmmm.....how quickly you forget where you came from. How can you despise
what you once were?" He narrowed his eyes at the other and paused for
effect. "We have strict orders not to return until we apprehend the escapee
and have him. As if you couldn't tell, this is a sort of a test for you and
I. You wouldn't want to fail-"

	The harsh words had the desired effect on the younger as he panicked   
and grew wide-eyed.

	"N-no no! I didn't mean it like that! I would never dream of
disobeying....." He began sweating profusely, and the elder chuckled out
loud.

"Oh, come now, have some dignity. I know your intentions, but you must
learn to hold your tongue and channel your energy properly. Were you
unworthy and without ability, I do not think _he_ would have chosen you for
such an important mission."

	The younger's face relaxed somewhat. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just so
antsy to catch this thing and go home already. I miss my....." His words
faltered as he thought of his wife, who no doubt awaited his return with
baited breath.  The elder smiled again as he caught the faraway look in his
  charge's eyes.


<Ah, young love. Married only a couple hundred years, and he thirsts for
her like a dehydrated man looking for a drink.> That thought brought back
memories of his own wife. It seemed like only a millenia ago they had
met. His own wife was on extended leave for seventy-four years on a very
special mission of her own. Eighteen of those years had already passed, but
it did little to soothe his disturbed mind as he counted away the days
until
she returned to him.

<Ah well, she will return to me soon enough.....>

	He had considered looking for her solid form, and even once asked
permission to carry out his search. He was told not to worry, that time
passes quickly, and to be patient. In other words, drop it. So he did. But
he still missed her.

<Bah, enough of this melancholy.....we should relax ourselves.>

	He looked over at his charge. He was fast asleep at the base of a large
tree at the side of the road, tossing and turning and mumbling to himself.
Even in  his sleep he was restless.

<I suppose I could join him, even if just for a bit. So much for the
schedule.>

	Lying down next to his companion, he closed his eyes and quickly fell into
a deep slumber.


	
**********

	
	Akane's smooth legs hung over the edge of the canal, her bare toes   
almost touching the water. Here, under the bridge, was where she sought
refuge
during those times she felt unhappy, and this was one of those times.

<Coward......why couldn't he just do it and get it over with?......Oh
Ranma, I've waited so long.......>

	Her eyes fell upon her own reflection, the small ripples slightly
distorting her image. A pang of self-doubt rang throughout her mind.

<Maybe I'm not cute enough for him......maybe he was right about me being a
'macho chick'.....> Those thoughts of rejection almost brought tears to her
eyes again, but she refused to cry. She had gone through more agony in this
one day than the sum of the nearly two years they had spent 'engaged', and
felt she had reached her limit. If, after all this time he still didn't
admit his feelings (if he had any) to her, then he never would.

	An instant before Akane resigned herself to actually losing Ranma, she
heard the sounds of pedaling coming over the bridge, soon followed by
strange quacking.


"Aiya!! I tell you stay home, stipud Mousse! Shampoo take husband delicious
ramen, then he leave stupid pervert girl!!! Shampoo be so happy!!!" The
quacking continued, and the sounds of Shampoo pedaling faded into the
distance. 

	An eerie blue glow flared brightly around Akane. She furrowed her brow and
bit her lip, trembling in rage and anger.

"That......that....BIMBO!! There's NO WAY I'm losing Ranma to her....or
ANYONE ELSE!!!," she yelled at the top of her lungs. She leapt from under
the bridge to find several people who were crossing the bridge look
strangely at her. She blushed heavily, feeling very embarassed. Avoiding
the looks of curiosity, she ran back to the dojo as fast as her legs would
take her.

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

	Kasumi led the small boy to the kitchen and motioned him to sit down on a
stool. She moved away but soon came back with a small bowl of rice and a
glass of water. he placed the two items in front of him and smiled.

"I imagine you must be hungry from your long journey. I took the liberty of
bringing you some food, I hope you like it."

	The small child looked a bit confused, but after a few seconds, he began
eating heartily. <It's been awhile, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt.....>
Kasumi smiled at him as he ate. She decided to sk a few questions while his
guard was momentarily down.

"So how long are you planning on staying with us?"

	The child responded. "Until I become a great martial artist!!," and he
pumped his fist in the air in decidedly youthful exuberance. He felt
foolish having to resort to such amateurish  tricks, but it would make his
job all the easier if he gained their confidence first. These were not the
sort of enemies one confronted head-on, or so he had heard.

"That's very nice, but you should know it takes a long time to become very
good at 
martial arts. It takes many years to reach---"

	He cut her off in mid-sentence. "That doesn't matter to me!! I will try as
long as it takes to reach perfection!!!" <Hmm, maybe I overdid it a
bit.......>

	Kasumi frowned inwardly. Something was not right here. She couldn't
exactly tell what, but she felt a bit uncomfortable about this boy. She
decided to put those feelings aside until she could talk with Nabiki.
Perhaps she, with all her formidable resources, could find out about this
boy's background. She watched as he finished off the rest of the food and
pushed the bowl aside. "Arigato, miss!" He gave her his best smile, which
was not very good. Kasumi smiled backed weakly, her feeling of discomfort
rising even more.

"I'm glad you liked it. You look a bit dirty from your trip, and your
clothes are in tatters. We are going to have to buy you some new things to
wear soon. I think a nice bath would be in order. How does that sound to
you?"

	"A b-bath? Uh, okay!!" <Argh, water!! She'll find out if I don't be
careful!!> She took back the silverware and washed it quickly, then turned
back and took his hand in hers again. Those unique feelings flooded him for
the second time, leaving him slightly giddy. <Such exquisite hands....I
must try to spare this one for me.>

	They walked togerther to the washroom in silence, his thoughts 
consuming him from the inside out.

***********


	Ranma sat in his room, cursing himself for being so stupid. He had dared
to try to kiss Akane, and she had run out on him. After everything was said
and done, she had ultimately refused to touch his lips with hers.

"K....k-kuso!!! How could I have EVER been attracted to that kawaiikunee?
She's practically a man, she's so macho." He mentally kicked himself over
and over, but that did nothing to dispell his feeling of disappointment. He
was _so_ sure she would kiss him....how could he have been so wrong?

	As he sat with his legs crossed, he heard the sounds of pedals rapidly
approaching.

<Pedals? Hmmm.....uh-oh.....Shampoo!!> 


**********


	The wall nearest Ranma crashed inward, and when the dust settled, a very
giddy-looking Shampoo was standing there with a hotbox undoubtably filled
with ramen in one hand, and a quacking duck on her opposite shoulder. Ranma
groaned inwardly. <Great, all I need now is this....>

"Airen! Shampoo bring you lunch!! You eat then we get married, yes?" Her
wide smile and bright eyes soured Ranma more than he thought possible.
Looking at her brought thoughts of Akane to his brain. The duck quacked
loudly in protest, whereupon Shampoo promptly took out the steaming bowl of
ramen and stuffed him in there instead.

"Don't you _ever_ use the door, Shampoo? Walls aren't free you know." He
gave her a half-hearted scowl.

	Shampoo blinked. She obviously had no idea what he meant, and that served
to annoy Ranma some more. She ingored his comment and thrust the ramen in
his face. "Eat ramen, my husband! Shampoo make special for you," she purred

in a sexy voice which Ranma didn't find particularly appealing. He eyed the
bowl
suspiciously, cautiously sniffing it. He had learned through experience not
to trust _anything_ that Shampoo or Cologne cooked, they had used potions
on him so many times.

	A bright idea flashed in his mind. Quicker than the eye could see, he
grabbed Shampoo's hotbox and released Mousse. Before he could peck at
Ranma, he was grabbed by the neck and had some ramen forced down his
throat. Shampoo cried out as Muumuu swallowed the delicious food.

"Aiya! Why Ranma do that? That was special only for Ranma!" Her large
expressive eyes began to water, but Ranma didn't buy it. He had seen this
act too. He waited and watched Muumuu, who was still trying to swallow the
large amount of noodles that were stuck in his narrow neck. He finally
forced it down and relaxed and turned to look at Shampoo.....who he
suddenly flew at, quacking for all he was worth.

	Ranma smirked. He knew it was too good to be true. He smiled to 
himself as he watched Shampoo desperately try to beat Muumuu off her, but
failed.
Muumuu seemed to gravitate towards her, no matter how hard she hit him.

"Another love potion, Shampoo?," he called to her over the fracas. She
couldn't respond as she stumbled out the hole in the wall and moved towards
the pond in an effort to avoid the frantic Muumuu. Ranma took a step
towards her, then stopped. It would serve her right for bothering him. He
stood atthe edge of the gaping hole in the wall and waited for the 
inevitable outcome.. But inexplicably, Shampoo managed to avoid the pond
and staggered towards Ranma, all the while trying to beat Muumuu into
unconsciousness. Finally, with an Amazonian battle cry that seemed 
to shake the neighborhood, Shampoo crashed her hands upon Muumuu's 
chest and knocked him across the yard into the wall, where he slumped down
quietly.

	Brushing her hair back from her face, she turned to look at Ranma once
more.


***********


Akane crossed the bare threshold of the Tendo dojo and noticed bicycle
treads and a large pile of debris near the side of the house. Obviously
Shampoo had chosen the more direct route. Her aura flaring brighter than
the mid-day sun, she ran towards the area, ready to fight, when she heard
two familiar voices involved in an animated discussion.

"........you no eat what Shampoo bring?"


***********


	Ranma was tired. Not just with what had happened today, but with
everything in general. Why couldn't things ever go normally for him? Just
once, that's all he asked.

"I know you spiked that food with some kind of love potion or somethin'
Shampoo. Why don't you just give up already? I ain't gonna marry you!"

"Because Shampoo love Ranma! Shampoo cook Ranma nice food, not like violent
pervert girl."

	Both Ranma and Shampoo swore they heard the sound  of bricks being
crushed, but ignored the sound and continued their argument.

"Maybe you do cook better than Akane, but you think that's gonna make me
marry you? You're nuts!"

"Aiya! Shampoo is more cute than crazy girl too! You give Shampoo chance,
Shampoo show you," she said in a passionate voice. She tried to grab onto
him, but he shoved her away.

"I don't wanna find out, Shampoo. Not now, not ever. Why don't you just go
home?"

	Shampoo felt a stab of pain at her heart. Never had her airen been so
callous towards her. <That ugly girl must've cast a spell on him.>

"Ranma, you no like Shampoo?"

"I uh......er.......well yeah, I do _like_ ya Shampoo, but----"


	A sound of more bricks being crushed was heard, but the two missed it
again. A happy expression crossed Shampoo's face. She was saved!! However
before she became too giddy her fiancee cut her off.

"I don't like you that way, Shampoo. I'm sorry, you're okay and all,
but...but...."

	Shampoo's eyes narrowed to little slits. "But what Ranma? You love other
girl?"

	An opening! If he could make her feel bad enough maybe she would leave him
alone! <Damn I'm good.>

"Y-yeah."

	Shampoo smirked. She didn't believe him for a second. "Who?"

	Ranma gulped some air. <It may be just a trick, but it doesn't make saying
it any easier.>

"First you gotta promise me you won't go crazy and try to kill her or
nothing."

"Shampoo promise." <I no know how grandmother will like this......>

"Okay then, I'll tell you," he replied. He gathered himself, and then
spoke.

"I'm in love with......with..."

<Coward. I know Ranma not say.> A smile of satisfaction spread on her face.



	He spat it out in one quick breath.

"Akane."






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

To be continued In Chapter 4.....

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





----------------------
Author's notes
----------------------


	Good god, that was a _nasty_ case of writer's block. I churned out the
previous three parts in three weeks, took a weekend off to go to AWA (Anime
Weekend Atlanta---go to a con, it's a blast), came back home,
then......nothing. Not even a clue. Since I don't prewrite <don't ask why,
I just can't> it was a bitch waiting for some creative idea to pop into my
head. I spent the time reading other author's fics, trying to psyche myself
up, but nothing worked. Finally after about a month, I got an email from
someone who had just read my fic, liked it, and asked for more. For some
reason, that fired me up again. <The lesson here: a little prodding goes a
long way> So that was 2 weeks ago. Now I'm back in the swing of things and
really cranking up the old cranial cavity, which feels even better after
those hellish finals I took <another lesson: Don't take C++ if you have
trouble locating the volume control on yer speakers ^_^>. I'm planning out
another fic now, a Gundam/Ranma crossover, but that won't happen until this
series is over. I don't even know WHEN this series will end. I'm as
interested as you are <or maybe you're not, that's okay> in seeing what the
hell happens. I don't know what's going on until I start typing anyways. I
know, it's a highly inefficient way to write, but it sure makes for
interesting post-fic fodder, don't ya think?
-------------------





As always........


C&C, ideas, buffalo nickels, matchbooks from various bars for my
collection,
Bingo cards, whatever.... are appreciated. Flames will be read, edited for 
content, and replayed on the WB Network, where it will fit in nicely with
all those other lame shows........


 Thanks,
  
 Andres Odella
  
 odie3100@bridge.net
  







"I have only two things in this world: my balls and my word. And I break
them for no one." -Tony Montana