Ranma 1/2 fanfiction
by Oska Archer
written on Eudora Light 1.5.4

I was about to write this before just I ran across Eva: Apocrypha, by Tim
Miller, and now that has me thinking feverishly about Unit 04... (have you
seen a picture of it? It's an ugly brute...) Anyway, it threw me right off,
but I think I have my thoughts on track now. We'll see, I suppose.
Ranma 1/2 is copyright blah blah blah...

Untitled
by Oska Archer

"Thank you," spoke the girl to the taxi's driver, as she shuffled out of the
back seat. Her boot-heels made that metallic-pavementy noise as she turned
and leaned back into the car to collect a flat box-like package rapped in a
navy scarfe. The white kanji printed on it meant 'like'.
        "Ah, Ojousan," said the driver, looking over his shoulder, "this is
too much."
        The girl paused in straightening up and smiled at him. "Please keep
the change."
        The door shut soundly and the car accelerated away. The young girl
turned to examine the short path leading to the house's front door, bordered
by a few plant boxes and pots of small bamboo fronds and flowers, which
swayed in the inconstant breeze. Her russet shoulder-length hair swayed as
well; she wore a big thick black coat against the chilly weather, the ankles
of her stockings visible beneath the hem. Her blue eyes descended, reading
the house's sign:
                Musabetsu Kakutou  Saotome Doujou
        She walked up and slid the door open. Stepping in, "Gomen kudasa--"
she began, then was startled by a furry blur leaping past her. As the animal
scooted down the hall and out of sight, and the girl began realising what
had happened, she also had a sudden 'feeling'. Her right arm shot out to
catch the little Hina Matsuri doll that had been knocked off of the cabinet
by the door.
        "Maki-chan!" called a woman who had just entered the hall, half in
surprise and half in delight. Her blue hair was kept up in a braid, and a
white apron covered the front of her dress. She seemed to have aged well.
        The girl replaced the statue before beginning to take off her coat.
"Good morning, Obaasan. I think Kuchan knocked this off." She unzipped her
boots, "Ojamashimasu.." and stepped into some slippers on the floor-boards.
        "Oh, thank you, Maki-chan. Its so good to see you! How's school in
the country?"
        "Oh, I love it." She smiled brightly. They walked into the living
room, removing their slippers to step onto the tatami. "There're such lovely
veiws and there's still plenty of snow from last week, even in this nicer
weather. It's like all the students at school feel free to be themselves,
not like the city school I had to go to..." She put the package on the table.
        "Well you should fit right in, Maki. You've always been an
individual - it runs in the family, I think..." The grandmother paused in
leaving the room. "Did you come to see Ranma?"
        "Well, yes..."
        "I was about to make tea, but I remembered that he is about to leave
for a meeting or something. I think you had better hurry, or you'll miss him."
        The girl turned. "Is he in the back yard?"
        "Yes. Hurry now. We'll have tea and catch up on everything
afterwards." The old lady smiled as the girl exited the room and closed the
paper door.

She opened one of the back doors and realised that she should have gone back
to get her coat. Moving out and closing the door, she caught the eye of the
man standing in the center of the yard. He wore navy kung fu pants and a
matching top with grey toggles and bright white cuffs. His deep,
wrinkle-lined blue eyes looked out under the still thick, though greying (in
a dignified way) head of hair, most of which flowed back into a neat plait.
        "Ah, Makiko," Ranma said, and smiled. She put on some out-door
sandals and came out to join him. "How are you?"
        "Very well. Also rested - I slept on the train the whole way."
        "Mmm," said Ranma, and turned to his original position. He towered
over the girl by almost two heads. "I'm sorry, Makiko. I don't have much
time, I need to get to a duel in a few minutes."
        "So. Bad timing, huh?" She glanced around at the ground of the yard,
saying, "Well, I only really have one piece of important news. Ukyou-bachan
is getting better, Ojiisan. She's even been getting out of bed for a while
each day, all this week. Kon-ojisan is taking very, very good care of her,
but he still makes enough time available for my training."
        A certain strain, hardly noticeable until now, slipped from Ranma's
expression. Then he sighed in relief. "I'm glad. I hope you've been helping,
they've been very kind to let you live with them."
        Makiko nods. "Of course."
        "And don't let up in your training. Be sure to do everything Konatsu
tells you - even fetching water from the mountains. Authentic ninjutsu can
be very important to Musabetsu kakutou. I'm afraid we'll have to talk more
later."
        "That's alright, Ojiisan. I'll come back after visiting Okaasan and
Otousan," she replied. She looked around again. "The spirals look just about
right."
        "Yep. You had better go back to the verandah."
        Makiko trotted back and turned to watch from in front of the doors.
Ranma slipped into a lower stance, his knees bending and hands held loosely.
There was a little wind, and he looked like he was about to move, when
something funny happened.
        It began raining.
        Makiko giggled as the young red-headed girl looked up at the heavens
in annoyance. "Go get him, Ojiichan!" She called.
        Ranma shook his head and proceded without further delay. After a
second in which Makiko could feel the spiritual energy coalesce about her
grandfather, Ranma thrust her fist up.
        "HIRYUU SHOTEN HA!"
        As the hurricane boomed into existence, Ranma leaped up and was
gone, flying inside the eye. The full body of it hung and twisted loudly
above, while the small, virtually harmless tip snaked around in the yard
then began to move in an easterly direction. The neighbour's fence rattled a
little as the vortex set off.
        "Maki-chan," the grandmother called, openning the door, "Oh, there
he goes. Such a convenient way to travel. Come in, its raining. Do you want
to eat the okonomiyaki now?"
        Makiko stepped into her slippers. "I'd like to save some for
Ojiisan. Its already cold, after all."

End

I never wanted to write another Ranma 1/2 fanfic again. But I had to get
this out of my system. I guess it was mainly an excercise in continuity and
cultural correctness (nothing to do with political correctness). That and
the Hiryuu Shoten Ha will always be the best thing from Ranma 1/2.

Oska Archer (archer@senet.com.au) 12 Feb, 11:41 pm
Oskar Archer	Operative of the Adelaide Japanese Animation Society
KittyKon/Serumu @ #AJAS @ DALnet and Flappy to his friends 9_9
Part-time Devil's Advocate - 'worse pay, better hours'
http://www.senet.com.au/~archer for `The EETF VEHICLE Karma`
"Hey, do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?"
	- Hyuga to Misato as they stand in front of the bandaged head
	of Unit 01 in episode 20.