Okie....hope here's the final revision of this...
Anyways...<gets onto his knees> I'm litterally begging for ANY kind of
C&C...
Or if liked this enough that you could give me some pointers (ie help...or
better yet...become one of my PreReaders...God knows that I need as much
help as I can since I'm gonna cram as many Series as I can muster into
this....)
Or just send me some positive e-Mail....(i don't take to Flames to
well...^_-;;;)

Anyways!! ON WITH THE SHOW!!!


* * * * * * * * *

Author's Foreword: Before you guys find out later.this is NOT an `actual'
self insertion fic! The character David KnightHawk is a character name that
I
commonly use in my Rifts games, both playing it and being a GameMaster.
(Even though I do use my own personality characteristics within the
character
to add some spice to the mix. <sheepish grin> But that is mostly because of
the
game right? Right? <BIG sweatdrop>)

Special thanx go out to my Preaders: To Rabbit, for his inexhaustible ideas
that he pummeled into me to keep this going, and to Talis, for pointing out
all
the many holes in my work to make this consistant and whole.

Inspired by the greats of BubbleGum Zone's Bert Van Vliet, Twisted Path's
Twister aka Darren Steffler, and last, certainly not least the authors of
the
FanFiction Mailing List (you know who you are!! Admit it!! ^_^).

* * * * * * * * *

Chapter One: End of the Beginning

Today was your typical morning in the Nerima District of Tokyo...all
is right with the world...

Ranma-chan, seen jogging down the streets, seems to be pushing
herself fairly hard. Runs into one very familiar to one such as herself.
"Yo..", Ranma said in shock of seeing her iinazuke, Akane doing the
same thing. Akane was about to answer when a voice rang out into the early
morning light..
"You...", she was a tall woman, about 6 foot 1 inches with what
seems to be pure silver for hair, wearing what seems to be some sort of body
armor, not unlike Herb's, but still quite menacing looking otherwise,"You're
Ranma Saotome, am I correct?" Stating that as she pointed a finger at the
buxom red-head.
"Don't tell me she's one of your fiances, Ranma!!!", shouted Akane,
reaching behind herself ready to pull out `Mallet-Sama' from its Hyper-
Dimensional pocket.
"No...I am afraid that I am not....but I have been watching your `cute'
antics for quite some time now.", said the silver-haired woman with a sly
grin.
"Hey Akane!", yelled a male voice off in the distance, "I overslept a
bit.", Ryouga looking sheepish,looking to the sky, "To find you so soon...it
must be my lucky day!" he beamed, then he notices Ranma-chan standing
nearby with a smug expression.
Now Ranma-Chan pipes up,"Good to see you aren't lonely or
nothin'!", she stated matter-of-factly. Akane was about to retort when she
heard a loud cough near her.
"Excuse me. I do believe that I was talking to her before you
came....", The silver-haired woman stopped short when she saw the expression
on Akane's face, who's ready to pound on something...preferably a certain
`someone.'
Seeing this, Ranma tried to calm Akane down,"Jeez, Akane! All she
wants to do is talk right? It's not like she took a sample of that toxic
waste you
call cooking!", realizing a little too late she groaned and slapped her
forehead.
"*RANMA*!!! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU SAID
TO AKANE!!!", yelled Ryouga as he charged Ranma-chan with his depleted-
uranium umbrella...
Ranma-chan jumped back and took a combat stance and saw a _BIG_
jet-black metallic hand slighty crunch the end of Ryouga's umbrella. Then it
ripped the umbrella out of his hands and proceeded to reduce it to mear
tooth-
picks with what seems to be near effortless.
Ryouga, stunned as he watched his favorite umbrella smashed to bits,
charged the now visible interloper; a huge <ie. about 8-9 feet tall>, all
jet-
black...machine...mecha, with a lone, glowing red eye. He succeeded in
landing one powerful hailmaker to its `jaw', which didn't move it an inch.
But
Ryouga on the otherhand, was jumping up and down, holding his swelling
hand.  Ryouga tried to charge it again, but achiving only to get his arms
pinned
behind his back.
<CLONG!!!> The sound of Mallet-Sama connecting rang out into the
entire Nerima ward. "LET HIM GO NOW!!!!!", yelled Akane. In a fit of rage,
she failed to notice another Mech walk behind her.
<BiZZZZZZZZZZZzzaaaaaaap!!!> Lightning coursed through Akane
when she tried to confront it and she collapsed to the ground without so
much
as a wimper.
Ranma watched this go on with a near unshakable
facefault,'Jeez...what is that thing made of??? And HOW did that other one
zap Akane like that without a fight???', she thought. He shook his head
clear
of cobwebs and looked over to the woman, who's looks can give Ms. Hinako
Minomiya a run for her money.
"OK!! Enough already! I want to know what the hell you want with
me!!!", Ranma said taking a combat stance,"And don't tell me that you swore
revenge on me or nothin', `cause I have enough troubles already!!!"
"Tsk, Tsk...I was hoping to at least talk to you in a civil manner, but I
will try anyway to at least explain why I am here.", she paused a few
seconds
to let a certain red-head to calm down, but failing that, she
continuues,"For
starters, my name is Mai Nakajiima, and I am here to grant you abilities and
train you in ways that you can never imagine that can increase your already
formidable fighting power hundred-fold. Possibly even more"
Ranma then proceeded to relax a little, apparently intrigued by such
an offer,"Two questions...One: Why ME? And Two: What's the catch?", he
said, remembering all the times that Nabiki conned him into something.
"HEY! Will someone tell this thing to let me go!!!", screamed
Ryouga, with both his arms pinned behind his back.
Shaking her head and chuckling a little bit, "Alright...let him go..",
she was cut off with a loud clang of metal as she said that, seeing him
trying to
knock out one of her greatest creations, but he is on the ground, holding
his
swelling right foot, showing that he didn't do quite as well as he has
hoped.
Ranma stood there agape as she saw this machine take a hit from one of the
strongest martial-artists he has known and shrugged it off like it was
nothing.
"Now...", said Mai, walking a little closer to Ranma,"...Before we
were so rudely interupted...", she stopped as a sort of small craft floated
above
them,and smiled. "Ah! Good! Let's talk someplace a bit more private before
we get anymore interuptions." said as she punched a button on what looks
like
to be a long type of wristwatch, and both Ranma and Mai floated up into the
air!
"AhhhhhAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" was all that Ranma-chan was able to
get out as she tumbled in mid-air, and then, both Mai and Ranma-chan
disappeared into the craft.
"Come Back you COWARD!!!!", Ryouga yelled from the pavement
of the street, since he is not able to get onto his feet at the moment. And
when
he is able to the craft sped off in an easterly direction. He proceeded to
crawl
over to the crumbled Akane and gingerly picked her up off the concrete, not
able to lift her completely off the ground at the moment. "A-Akane?", was
all
that he could studder out.
"Ahhhhhhhummmmmm", Akane groaned as she came too. Tried to
stand up, but started to sway a little, clasping her hand to her head,"What
the
hell hit me?", she then collapsed again to the ground with a thud.
"AKANE!!!", filled with renewed vigor, he climbed to his feet,
picked her up, completely this time, and started to walk to the Tendo Dojo.


* * * * * * * * *
Ranma �: Rifts Asunder
By
KnightHawk aka David Snider

Standard Disclaimer: The works od Ranma � and Rifts are products of there
original owners, but the events described are mine.
* * * * * * * * *


Ranma-chan landed with a thud to the unrelenting metal floor of the
shuttle craft, not quite able to keep her balance in the antigravity beam
that
originally carried them aloft. Groaning with a headache, she lifted her head
to
look around to her current surroundings. Ranma's eye's widened as she gazed
upon numerous super-tech controls and other doo-dads that she only saw on
some Sci-Fi TV shows and manga.
Ranma's awe inspired gaze soo fell upon a pair of golden hued, very
shapely calves. Shifting her eyes up and up, Ranma couldn't help but feel
the
stirring of more carnal things in his mind as his eyes traveled up.
"Finished undressing me with your eyes?" Mai asked with no small
amount of humor. Ranma-chan instantly flushed a bright red and averted her
oculars somewhere less interesting. Mai snorted softly, "You know..." she
said
to him, trying to get his attention back and hunching onto her heels to get
closer to him, "...You aren't the first to think of such carnal things about
me."
She succeeded in making Ranma-chan flush even redder, even if that were
possible. Seeing that Ranma is not speaking, Mai shattered the silence,
"Before we were so rudely interupted...I was just about to offer you a
choice
that one at your world will never get, even in a thousand lifetimes." Ranma-
chan instantly back to her feet, insatibly curious at such an offer.
Trying to keep other emotions down, also still wary of being conned,
"So what are you offering anyway?" she asked Mai plainly. She gestured for
Ranma to come with her and sit down when Ranma caught view of the main
veiwing area of this seemingly small ship, watching the vanishing horizon.
Crossing her legs when she sat down, "To answer your question...I
will say now that this is no simple choice and you MUST think it over, for
you
WILL be away from your friends and family for many years." Ranma-chan
raised her eyebrow and looked her one over, waved for Mai to continue, "I
would like a good friend of mine to train you in the `Four Dragon Elemental'
style..." trailing off as Ranma hit the floor face-first, "Something wrong,
Ranma?" Mai finished, more than a little curious as to why that would
happen.
Trying to get air back into her lungs, "You said the `Four Dragon
Elemental' style, right??" she managed to gasp out, Mai nodded. Getting back
into the chair, leaning back, `Kami-sama...the style of legend in all
martial
arts...' Ranma-chan was about to answer yes instantly, but she then
remembered that Mai has mentioned that he would be away for many years.
Ranma slumped into the chair as realization struck.
"I take it that you have friends and family that will miss you if you
are to take up on my offer?" Mai chimed in. The red-head rested her chin
into
her hand with the elbow on the chair-arm and nodded glumly.
Standing up from her own seat, "Well...Would it influence your
decision that the place that we are going to is in another dimension?"
padding
around to behind Ranm-chan's seat, "And add on top of that we can get back
almost like you have never left?" Mai asked, leaning onto the back of Ranma-
chan's seat.
Just staring into space, Ranma-chan turned to face Mai in her chair,
"Can I have some hot water, please?" she asked her, still quite stunned from
the offer.
Raising an eyebrow to such a request, Mai complied when she
snapped her fingers to the open air, "Hot Water!" she called out to nothing
but
open air.
The door hissed open as a strange looking, floating orb, for lack of
better description, came through the door with a kettle hanging under it.
The
orb floated over to Ranma-chan, who wordlessly thanked it and poured the
water over her self. Mai's eyes widened as he saw Ranma change from a she
to a he but quickly kept her own composure at the change. Ranma turned the
chair to face Mai, "I would be a liar to say that I didn't want this
opportunity.but I think that we should leave now." he said thoughtfully, he
then noticed the sudden change in emotion on Mai's face, "You have just seen
the effects of one of the Jusenkyo's curses." he trailed off, putting his
hand
back to his chin, elbow back onto the arm of the chair.
Nodding with some measure of underatanding, "I see." Mai looking
the now male Ranma one over, "I believe that I also know the reason why you
want to leave now."
Ranma looked up, "You do? Do you also know of the troubles that I
am having right now?"
Mai nodded, "Yes I do know of the `fiance' difficulties.and that you
want to go to train on something that you have a say in doing." sitting back
down in her own chair, "This curse is a new one to the likes of myself.it
is.intriguing to say the least, I believe I can pull a few markers to see if
you
can be rid of it, or something." trailing off as she went into thought.
Perking up instantly when he heard the last statement, "You can help
me get rid of this girl body?!?!?" he asked hopefully.
Mai nodded again, "I _THINK_ so.don't get your hopes up too
soon.we have much to dicuss."
Confused, "What is there to discuss?" Ranma asked.
Shaking her head and chuckling, "Ranma.Ranma.You should
know that you cannot get something for nothing.I'm talking about a contract
to complete this deal, namely after I help you with this curse of yours."
Trailing off again as Ranma groaned, "Don't worry.This is mostly in your
benefit, all that I would want is the collective fighting knowledge of the
`Four
Dragons' for my own fighters."
Ranma looked to her as if she is nuts beyond all reason, "How could
you get the `knowledge' from me." looking her down dubiously, "Without
training your own fighters.?"
Mai started laughing while he talked, "My dear Ranma.my fighters
are mere machine! Nothing more.nothing less." Holding up her hand, while
she chuckled a bit more, "I have technology that can read the knowledge and
experiences of a human, selectively mind you.since I don't want to know
anything else other than the fighting skills." She finished, the look of
steel
hardening her face.
The look on her face made Ranma gulp for some reason, like he
shouldn't mess with this woman, many times more than even the likes of
Nabiki. He nodded as he digested everything that he told her, "Ok.I'll
deal." he said simply.
She clapped he hands, "Good!" Mai exclaimed as she rose to her feet.
Walking to the door, "Come this way.we need to go over the specifics of the
deal before we do anything." pausing as the door hissed open, "The world to
where you are to train in is a long ways away."

* * * * * * * * *

Head spinning from all the information that he has received, Ranma
walked into the forward viewing compartment again. Padding over to the
window and placing his hand to the window, 'I think I should as least tell
someone that I am going on a long training trip...' he thought glumly as he
gazed upon the blue-green orb below him. His thoughts soon shifted to Akane,
Uuchan and Shampoo, about how much he is going to miss the hectic life that
he led so far, namely the 'Fianc�e' troubles.
He inwardly snorted and slid his hands into his pant pockets, 'Who
would have thought that I would miss it...' his thoughts derailed slightly
as the
Isle of Japan turned into view.
The sun coming over into the horizon, 'At least this will give me
some time to myself...to decide.' he finished, his high strung honor kicking
him in full force, resting his arm upon the glass, then his head upon his
arm.
He never paid any attention to the hissing of the door, lost in his own
thoughts. Feeling a presence come over to his side, he turned slowly to face
Mai, then back out the window. Crossing her arms, Mai looked to where he is
watching, "Lovely...isn't it?" she said to him softly.
Glancing over to her then back, "Hmm" was all that he said, trying
not to show any kind emotion to betray his thoughts.
Breaking the silence, still staring out to where he is looking, "I
believe that you should write a letter or something to minimize the hassle
of
you going away to train." she purposely let it hang when Ranma's head
snapped over to her, the light of recognition in his eyes.
Then they drooped, "Yeah.but I can't really think of anything to
write to explain it to them."
Mai arched her brow, "I really don't want to lose a highly profitable
investment.So, I will help you compose a letter, then we will head out to
where you are to train," gesturing back into the ship, "Sound good?" Ranma
nodded, his own confidence rebuilding as he walked out of the lounge area.

* * * * * * * * *

Back at the Tendo Dojo.
The sound of pained wailing erupted from within as one of the
residents came back home. "Akane!!!" cried Soun as Ryouga carried her in.
Ryouga privately thanked his lucky stars that he got Akane home within an
hour or two while she lain unconscious in his arms. Kasumi, being the ever
prepared, has already gotten the house medical kit. She guided Ryouga up to
Akane's room, where he took great pains in settling her into bed as gently
as
possible.
As he arched back up, Ryouga met face to face with the tear-filled
face of Soun, "What happened to my daughter??" he hissed into Ryouga's
face.
As if answering, Ryouga opened his mouth, everyone heard the sound
of something like a massive jet engine dying down and a thunk of something
VERY heavy landing outside.
Both Soun and Ryouga turned their eyes toward outside. Both looked
at the mammoth gleaming silver visage out there. To Ryouga, it looked like
on
of the things that held him down and could have beaten him to death if given
half a chance. Still having the same female-type figure about it but with
what
looked like a massive jet-pack, its wings.jets.what ever they are snapping
back into place behind its back. Soun noticed that it held a rolled and
elegantly
tied parchment within it hand. Interest and curiosity piqued, he ran
downstairs
to where the `thing' was waiting.at least it looked like it was waiting
anyway. Ryouga, well, he just backed away toward the wall, mumbling
something about, `Its going to get us...Its going to kill us...'
As soon as he gotten there, his friend, Genma at his side with him, he
watched in sheer horror that Kasumi has already walked up to it. But before
he
could cry out to get her away, the `thing' already handed the parchment to
her
and slightly bowed away.
Then, it took a few steps back, `wings' snapping back into place and
before the turbine whine could reach ear-drum exploding magnitude, it shot
off to the sky.
Kasumi looked curiously to the rolled parchment as she turned
around, as if almost afraid of opening it. She then caught sight of her
father
and friend staring at her, jaws akimbo. Padding over to them, she held out
the
parchment to them. Sound reached to it with a shaking hand, gently grasping
it. Turning back into the house, he slid the ribbon off of the paper,
unrolled it,
then scanned over what it contains.
Aura flaring, the Demon-Head threatening to posses him, "WHAT!!"
he bellowed at the top of his lungs, "HOW *DARE* he do this!!" Standing
some distance away, Genma sweated in fear that the `Head' will turn to him,
but soon curiosity gnawed at him. Wanting to take a look at the parchment,
he
tip-toed over to Soun and looked over his shoulder to the letter.
Written in elegant script, `OyaJi, Tendo-San.I'm writing this letter
for that an incredible opportunity has availed itself to me for training and
that I
will be gone for a few months, from what Mai has told me anyway. I didn't
want the hassle of everyone telling me that I should stay to marry them or
anything of that crap, I realized that I need time to myself.but I probably
will
marry in due time, to someone of my own choice. Not Yours oyaji or anyone
for that matter! I'll miss everyone.Signed: Ranma Saotome.'
Going back onto his feet completely again, Genma pushed his glasses
back up to the bridge of his nose, "My son didn't write that letter." he
said
calmly, only to jump out of his skin when Soun turned on him.
"Then who did?!?" he screamed, his dreams of joining the two dojos
flying out the windows to the heavens above, dropping the parchment in the
process.
While her Father screamed at Genma, Nabiki padded over to the
document, picked it up and read it over herself. Eyebrow arching
inquisitively,
"It says right here, daddy, that Mai Nakajiima of the Miki-Moto Corporation
has written this for Ranma." she trailed off, noticing that they aren't
listening
to her, babbling about that there dojos aren't going to be joined again.
Looking
at the paper again, "Maybe another fianc� that Mr. Saotome forgot to tell us
about.again." She added as she pondered the paper and walked away.

* * * * * * * * *