Authors Notes:
This is just a rough draft and my experiment with writing an S.I. fic. 

What it is, to be like you
By Kahlil Noriega

Standard Disclaimer:
All characters and settings belong to the creators of Ranma 1/2, except
Ranka who is my own creation and character.


Chapter 3 - The Third Day


Darkness...

All she could see was darkness... 

She could hear her hollow footsteps ring through the empty and narrow
corridor she walked in... 

So empty, she thought as she stepped on a glowing circular light on the
floor which hi-lighted her childish features from below. The circular
lights, she saw, ran parallel with the walls in a straight line, with no
end in sight... 

Somewhere, a silent and cold breeze blew by; and she felt it crawl
underneath her skin as she shivered in the dark. And she rubbed her arms to
warm them, while her eyes kept darting from wall to wall, afraid of what
the shadows contained...

"Mama..." she heard herself whisper in the dark. Desperately not to be
alone...

No reply came, only the emptiness of the hall returned her frightened cry.

"Where are you? Mama!" she called out.

"I'm scared..." she heard her voice say, a child weeping in the darkness;
alone and afraid, standing in a long and narrow hall and still no reply
came...

"Mama..."she whispered again... 

And shivered as she felt the cold touch of the wind on her skin.


*click*click*click* 


She froze at the sound of footsteps behind her, slow and steady it came to
her as a cold chill ran up her spine. She moved on, walking silently in the
dark...


*Thump*


"Mama..." she heard herself whisper, as the sounds of huge doors that
banged open in the darkness reverberated within the darkened halls she
walked in...

"Mama, please..."


*click*click*click*


"Mama..." She whispered again, turning around to face the hall behind her
back, waiting...

She could hear sounds, mechanical sounds she thought; clanking in the
darkness as it grew stronger and felt terribly closer. She saw the brief
glint of metal shining in the dark as the object moved in the shadows made
by the glowing circles on the floor... 

She ran...

Afraid of the monster in the dark...

Her footsteps rang loud and clear as she ran, the lights on the floor
danced around her as tears streaked down from her eyes as she labored for
breath. While the sounds of the machine follwed her from behind...

"Mama..." she heard herself whisper breathlessly in the dark. Unshed tears
streaming down her young cheeks as she ran.

Silence greeted her cry, accompanied by the dull rumbling noise of the
machines coming closer...

She stole a brief glance behind her, darkness was all that she could see...


*Bump* 


"Ahh - Oww..." she cried as she staggered back and fell on the floor. Pain,
was all that she could feel, and fear. Slowly, she turned her eyes up to
see, and her shot open... her mother? Her face, she saw, was shrouded in
darkness, but her arms were open and were calling out to her. She got up
and ran to them. Encircling her small arms around her mothers thighs as she
buried her face, weeping into her skirt as the noise behind her grew
stronger, louder and closer...

"Mama, I'm scared...there's something moving in the dark."

And there was, moving in the dark, the brief glint of metal, the single
sharp red eye and the noise it made, it wanted her, thirsted for her.
Ranka, could feel its desire for her as she tightened her grip on her
mother's thighs and buried her head deeper within the folds of her mother's
dress.

"Mama? Please, don't let the bad men get me..."

Her mother just looked down at her, her eyes covered in darkness as she
looked down at the child embracing her legs. She placed a comforting hand
on the child's shoulders, and the child shivered at the touch, feeling her
cold touch, yet the child refused to let go...

"Don't worry, my child, I'm here..." her mother answered softly. 

"I'm scared mama..." she cried in her skirt.

"Don't be frightened, my child. They won't hurt you..." 

"Mama..." She heard her self say as she turned to look up at her mother's
eyes but couldn't find them in the dark... 

"Soon, it will be over. There is nothing to fear..." Her mother whispered
faintly, coldly...

"Mama...Ahhh!" She gasped as she heard it.

Footsteps, getting closer, louder. She refused to look, tightening her
hold, hoping, praying...couldn't look, musn't look...she closed her eyes
tight...

"Mama, please...arghhh-aahhh" she cried as she felt her body tighten in a
vice like grip, and all she could do was cry out in pain...

As the red eye watched her pain...


***


"Uhhhuhh..." 

Ranka opened her eyes and found herself on her side on top of her bed in
her room. Head lying on top of her left arm as the other lay in front of
her on top of the bed as she stared at the blank and empty wall before her.


Leaning on her left elbow, she rubbed her head with her other hand; feeling
the pain of her headache and clenched her teeth in a grimace. She felt like
she wanted to topple over, but slowly, determinedly she pushed herself to
sit upright as the pain in her head subsided.

"Just a dream..." she tried to tell herself. 

"It was just a dream..."

Ranka was still dressed in the uniform Ukyou lent her. She didn't realise
that she had fallen asleep, while crying the other day.  

It was still dark outside, she saw; night had finally arrived. Yet she
didn't feel like sleeping as sat there, leaning on the wall behind her,
silently thinking...


***


The first few minutes seemed unreal like it were all some sort of crazy
dream. Touching and feeling, it was all real she thought; no matter how
much she tried to deny it that this was was all just a dream. She felt
anger, rage, lost and finally self-loathing, the last feeling took up most
of the morning she remembered before she finally accepted though a bit
resigned. 

Yet the feeling of lost, remained, and it would be a long time before she
got over it...

She remembered looking through 'her' stuff, she half wanted to cry then and
curse the fates. Why couldn't she have been given a male body instead? But
no, and somehow she felt that the fates where laughing at 'her' misery...

She remembered looking through her drawers, then the window, looking for
things that might shed some answers. But it wasn't that easy. No clues at
all...

Stepping outside, taking in the view of the city from her high perch on top
of a five story apartment building. The sun was setting then, like it
always had. Oranges and red, bright yellows and gold, the almost empty
streets at that time, and the fear she had felt when she had crossed them. 

She remembered seeing the school, Furinkan, so familiar; yet foreign, now
that she stood in its almost empty yard. She could still feel their stares
on her skin as she entered the building. Registering, she had a hard time
doing that, but she got in. Somehow...

After that, she began to explore her immediate surroundings, the shops and
streets, the parks...all that. To forget? Maybe, she wasn't sure... 

And it was time to go back home...

"But this isn't my home..."

And she remembered crying that night...


***


It was still dark outside she thought, though not as dark as it was before;
it would be morning soon. And somehow she wished it would never come.
Another day, she wanted to go home...

"No, I mustn't cry..." she stated, holding back the tears before they shed
as she got up and off of the bed. Steadying herself with her hands on the
wall as she stood up. Her head was still a little fuzzy as she leaned her
back on the wall... 

She felt like throwing up as her body began sending unfamiliar and painful
sensations to her mind. She denied herself the luxury of emptying her
stomach then as she staggered over to her desk; and opened her drawer and
glaced inside at its meager contents. 

Inside were a few bills and coins, she would need to get a job soon she
thought. And she sighed in resignation as she began to prepare for
school...

It would be a long day after all...


***


Walking to school quietly, both hands clutching her bag tightly over her
chest; Ranka stared at the ground blankly as the clouds drifted slowly
overhead. She ignored the stares she drew as the cars on the streets
quickly passed by as the light of the morning sun, glinted brightly on the
glass of the tall buildings she passed by.  

Stopping at an intersection, she noticed a mother holding her child's hand
as they walked pass the streets and surounding shops. She looked at them
longingly, remembering her own mother before snapping out of her brief
trance as she crossed the street...

She also noticed a group of guys looking at her and she quickly shied away
to avoid them. Passing between them as they parted before her, she could
still feel their stares behind her and it creeped her even more. She felt
sick to her stomach as she ran...


***

 
Leaning on a wall, she tried to gather her strength and breath before she
finally composed herself to walk steady and slowly then stopped.
 
She noticed a wanted poster on a nearby shop, a restaurant she thought.  It
said that this restaurant needed a new waitress. And she considered the
poster briefly, it paid well and could cover most of her expenses, but it
wasn't enough...

A friendly voice called out from behind her, startling her as she pressed
herself back onto the window of the shop. Before she turned her eyes up to
look at a bearded middle aged man standing before her in mild shock and an
apologetic smile. 

"I'm sorry if I startled you, miss." he said apologetically as he smiled.
Something about the man, and his smile made her relax a bit as he began to
apologise for sneaking up behind her and startling her.

He then asked her if she was interested for the job to which she replied
that she was. He was happy to hear that she was interested. 

"Well I'm glad to know that. Having such a pretty waitress I'm sure I'll
draw more customers in!" 

Ranka grimaced a little at the idea of attracting more men. And if she
could, she'd avoid them entirely, but something in the man's smile made her
smile too as she gave her thanks. Telling him that she'll think about it
first.

"Fine, fine, take all the time you need. But not too much though..." he
said smiling. 

Ranka returned his smile and nodded her head, glad at the prospect of
finding a new job so quickly as she left promising to return once she
thought about it as she waved good bye.


***


School was its usual mess. And she smiled at the familiarity of it all, it
brought an almost welcome distraction. As always, Ranma got what he
'deserved', and she smiled. It was even better watching the anime, and she
had to admit Akane was kinda cute when she was angry. And she smiled.

Then came the lectures, surprisingly she found them to be interesting and
sometimes funny. Even the usual hormonal boy trouble mildly lowered her
spirits.

That's why she found herself sitting on top of the roof of the school
building. Looking at the setting sun in the horizon, sinking over the city.
It might not be so bad after all she thought...

~ To be continued...


Explanations:

Anyway, I hope you like the story so far. Sorry about the ending of this
chapter, if it was kinda too quick a finish or something. 

Anyway, if there's anything you wish to say to me about this fic or any
other work I've done, please tell me. Even a short reply would be nice. In
fact, I implore you to do so. Please send all C&C, MST or even flames to
the address below or to the FFML if you feel bold enough to do so.

E-mail: Becknkal@addax.bc.ca

And if you're curious as to what other stories I've done. Please don't
hesitate to visit my sister's Web Page at:

The anything goes Ranma 1/2 fanfic page
http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/temple/9371

Anyway, that's that for my rant. ^_^

Sincerely
~ Kahlil Noriega