<< Very cool.  Looking forward to seeing the continuation.  I take it 
  there's a connection between Ryouga and Paladin?
    ::Blinks:: How'd you figure that one out?
                   Well, saying there's a connection really depends on how you
 mean "connection".  Ryoga and Paladin *aren't* related, which seems the
 obvious thing, but they *are* very good friends.  The Elseworld bit comes in
 when. . .aw, what the heck, sneak preview.
 
 
 -------------------------
 Rising of the Storm, a Sneak Preview!!
 -------------------------
 
    It had been raining, the redheaded girl  noticed as she ran down the
 street.  Her red Chinese silk shirt fluttered in a slight wind, and the pack
 on her shoulders bulged with camping gear.  A heavy load for one of such
 slight frame.
    "No way, pop!" she yelled over her shoulder.  "I'm going back to China!"
    "Growf!" the rather large panda chasing her replied.  It caught her across
 the back with a powerful swipe, sending her skidding into an intersection
 fortunately empty of cars (though crowded with pedestrians, but who ever
 counts a pedestrian as a person?).  The passer-by stopped, stunned by the
 sight before them.
    She spun around to face the charging bear as she slid into the crossroads.
    "So that's the way you wanna play it?! Well fine!"
    As a crowd began to form, girl and panda began to fight.
 *                     *                    *
    Across the street, two teenage boys were eating at a cafe.  One appeared
to be American.
    He had brown hair cut short in the back, with bangs that swept into his
 gray eyes.  A pair of black-rimmed glasses complimented his blue jeans, white
 T-shirt, and black windbreaker.
    His friend also had brown hair, but it was covered by a black and yellow
 bandanna.  Black and yellow seemed to be his colors, as he wore a yellow
shirt and a pair of black pants.
    The American glanced over at the fight across the way.
    "Yo, Ryoga!" he said.  "Check out the fighters."  His friend looked over
to
 where the girl had just laid the panda out on the ground with a powerful
kick.
 Her strident voice carried over to them.
    "I'm going back to China, so suck on that, old man!"
    "So?"  Ryoga asked between bites of hamburger.  "A martial artist girl and
 a martial artist panda.  This is Neri- WHAT THE?!?"
    The panda had just ripped a stop sign out of the ground, and walloped the
 girl across the back of the head with it, rendering her unconsciousness.  It
 then stuck the sign back in the ground, snarled at the crowd (which found
 other things to do), picked up the girl and her pack, and loped off the way
it
 had come.  Ryoga choked on his burger.
    "HEY! Paladin, that panda just kidnapped that chick!"  Then he realized,
 both his erstwhile partner (and his partner's pack) were missing. . .
    "PUT THAT GIRL DOWN, YOU OVERSTUFFED TEDDY BEAR!!"
 ------------------------------------------------------------End sneak
preview.
     What do you think?  It reveals Paladin's relationship with Ryoga, and how
 the two met Ranma and company.  But all else will be revealed later!
                           -Alex Ravenar
                        -The One and Only Deathdancer.
 
  --Freemage >>