A simple twist of fate.
     That's all it takes, you know. One simple twist of fate and what 
should have been changes until it no longer is.
     The effects may be small at first, but as the flapping of a 
butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane so to can the smallest of 
things change the entire course of history and overturn the lines of 
destiny.
     And that's just with a small change, say the choice of what to 
eat or which nail to use. There are plenty of bigger changes and their 
effects are, to say the least, profound.
     Of course the biggest change of them all is death, for what is 
death but the biggest change of them all?
     Two such changes, both small things in their way, things which 
are not quite what should be but are close enough are about to occur.
     Why don't we watch these strokes of a butterfly's wings and see 
what chance they make.

		*	*	*

     Two young women stared at the crater before them, watching with 
unseeing eyes as water from the nearby bay rushed in to fill this 
bare expanse.
     All they could do was think was how wrong they had been and 
remember the words they had been told by one who was now gone. 
They could almost hear her words now.
     "When you find the true Messiah . . ."
     One of the women repeated the words to herself, only half 
conscious that she truly uttered them,
     "The true Messiah . . ."
     A gleam of light broke their introspection, drawing their eyes 
away from the churning waters of the crater. As they looked up they 
saw a sparkling rain of light in the distance as butterflies of light 
gently drifted down toward the ground in the hundreds.
     Hope suddenly was born anew in their hearts as in the midst of 
the ethereal butterflies they made out the silhouette of a figure which 
soon resolved itself into the figure of a girl, her uniform tattered and 
torn, holding another in her arms.
     The pair rushed formed to relieve the blonde haired girl of the 
battered form she carried, but they slowed and stopped as they saw 
her face.
     They stood there and watched as, with eyes filled with sorrow 
and streaming tears, the sailor suited girl placed the slight figure she 
held on the ground and carefully closed its eyes.
     It was only there she cried out, the sound of her sorrow 
reaching to the heavens as the two tried to comfort her as they too 
cried for the one who had died so that they all could live.

		*	*	*

     Ryoga dove towards the chasm in an act of almost suicidal 
bravery, trying to reach the kettle before it was lost, but even his selfless 
act came too late to do any good.
     Too far away to reach it in time Ranma could only watch in 
horror as the rocks tumbled down in to the newly formed rift, 
covering the precious kettle and sealing it away under tons of stone.
     The bottom dropped out of his world as he saw his only chance to 
restore his manhood become lost beyond hope of recovery.
Seeing the expression on Ranma's face, Herb laughed cruelly at his 
adversary.
     "It seems as if our struggle has gone badly for you," he 
taunted, "You made me shoot too many energy blasts and now the 
mountain itself pays the price for your presumption at defying me!"
     "No," Ranma whispered, trying to deny the truth of his opponents 
words.
     "No!" He screamed, the pain in his voice was enough to make 
everyone pause and look at him, "Nooooo!!!"
     As a wave of dark depression washed over his soul Ranma felt 
something change inside himself. It was as there had been a door 
within him which he had never even knew existed, but he now opened 
wide and in his desperation took what he found within.
     Those watching did not know what was happening, all they heard 
was Ranma screaming as if he had lost his soul. Only Moose was close 
enough to see a symbol made of light flared into sudden life upon 
Ranma's forehead.

<end teaser>

Thanks fot actually reading through this.

This is just a bit of fic I've been toying with rescently and I'm
wondering whether I should continue it. I plan on following the
effects of the changes through, but I haven't got anything more than
an outline done for the plot.

Anybody willing to help me with background information and 
pre-reading? I'll need quite a lot of help since I don't know that 
much SM and I'll need to know quite a bit about it to get this 
finished properly.

- Richard Drysdale (merior@wintermute.co.uk)