- Ranma - A time for threads -
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^

I was wondering when I saw you go,
am I the one that you knew so long ago?
Am I the one that said hello?

Am I the one that defeated you so easy?
Can you be sure that that was me?

Am I the same as the one that was then?
Am I the one from way back when?

                ...Does it even matter?

^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^

There was a bright ligth.
Then there was nothing.

(I wonder what happened?)

Ranma tried to look around but found that she/he couldn't move.
It was in fact a bit more than that.
She felt like he didn't have a body and she didn't have a mind.

Everything was a mess!
After the last time that green boy had shot at her she had been here as 
well.
He had been trapped, 
then as now, 
but then he had felt an opening, 
something to hold onto that involved moving, 
that involved feeling.
She had felt herself on the other side and had gone to her "other".

(What the HELL is going on!)

He desperetly tried to move her/his hands.
(they had to be tied down)
She tried to scream for help but it didn't work.

Suddenly he/she felt it.
The rift was opening again.

-I can MOVE!

--

As the light subsided it revealed the tendo living room.
At the table was Akane, Genma and Soun 

-...go away! Iruka completed halfheartedly.

-Wha... what happened? Ranma asked

The boy beside her jumped to and clamped his hands over her mouth.

-Shh! He waved a finger in front of his mouth.
-They're not yours.

She furrowed her brows (What DOES he mean)
He drew his hands across his face.
-To be ignored by those you watch is imperative when you want to know 
what's going on.
He winced, and drew a fist in front of his face at himself after he had 
said it. But afterwards he began to stare intently at the people sitting 
by the table.

--

-Are you sure of this? Soun carefully sat his arms down on the table.

-I'm perfectly sure, Genma assured, on my word the boy will be here 
before one week has gone by. He looked as solemn as if he was taking an 
oath.
(Knowing Genma this meant absolutely nothing)

Akane looked on the two with little hidden disgust.
-I WON'T! She screamed. 
-I REFUSE TO MARRY THAT IDIOT!

A white light went through the room and some scuttling could be heard in 
the corner, Akane, who was still angry, ignored it.

As did Genma and Soun.
-Akane! Soun exlaimed horrified.
-Ranma and you are destined to be together! Genma proclaimed.

-There is no way that you can force me to marry him, NO WAY!
She glared at her father.
Soun glared back.
Genma fanned the air frantically in an effort to cool down the 
situation.

After a little while, Kasumi came in with the food.
-Does anybody know where Nabiki is? She asked.

-I don't know, she hasn't come back after school. Akane answered, 
tearing her eyes off of her dad.

Kasumi put the food on the table and looked at a corner of the room.
She squinted a bit and stepped sideways, a few paces.
Before anyone sitting at the table could comment on her odd behaviour, 
her face cleared up and she smiled. 
-Hi Ranma! She said and waved.

Everybodys eyes turned towards the corner.

--

-Dammit Tsubasa, it's not as if it was hard or anything!
 All you had to to do was tie the knots properly!
Nabiki whirled around and started pacing the other way.

She looked around the room and settled her eyes on a cactus that stood 
to the left of her. She turned to face it and said promptly:

-If he want's any retribution, I WON'T stand in his way! Since he was 
seeking Ranma, I don't think that you will look very pretty after that.

She started pacing away from the cactus again.
-If you want to continue as my employe I want you to clean this mess up!

She walked back to the cactus.
-Diety knows what this guy is capable of, if he draws any connection to 
me in any manner�

Nabiki seemed to pale when she said those words. Howewer, since Nabiki 
is Nabiki and Nabiki isn't afraid of any loony that comes after Ranma, 
it must have been a trick of the light.

In any case, she quickly resumed full colour again. She sat down on a 
chair disguise that Tsubasa had left in the middle of the walkway. She 
closed her eyes and breathed out deeply.

-Let's see, she tapped her forefinger on her lips lightly, if he's a 
friend of Ranmas he must want some information on her. Hmmm. But he did 
get out of those knots and there was no water around� 

-Oh well, he was your pupy anyway. She said with a resigned finality.

She stood upp and raptly tapped on the cardboard cactus that she had 
beside her.
-Tsubasa? Are you listening to me?

The cactus didn't respond.
-Hmm...
Nabiki wandered around in Tsubasas warehouse/closet, looking 
disinterestedly at the various costumes that he had made.

She sat down on a table and took out her pen and ledger.
Looking over it, she began to mumble.

-...Three thousand... ...rocket launcher to his head... ...five yen 
left... ...make Ranma angry at him... ...truck costume needs paying... 
...hmm... ...date with ukyou... ...totalling in *BAAM*

She slammed the ledger on the table as hard as she could.
-This is it Tsubasa! I'm going to eat now, be ready when I get back!
She walked out of the warehouse/closet and headed home.

>From inside the cactus, the snoring seased and a voice mumbled sleepily 
inside it.
-Nabiki I'm sorry, I'll get him, I promise. I'll get him for you. 
After that, the snooring sounded again.

--

Outside, Ranma and her companion where catching their breaths.
-What did you do man? It felt like a Tarou just divekicked me in the 
stomach!

The boy waved his hands mysteriously.
-Magic!
It would have made a nice effect if not for the fact that he was puffing 
and heaving so much. As it was, all it DID was look funny.
Wich is why Ranma immediately broke into laughter.

-Ha ha ha, Yeah right. Come along.
She took him by his waist and jumped away on the roofs towards Uchans.

--

Nodoka looked worriedly at the clock.
-She hasnt returned yet. 

Nodoka stirred the noodles. She was standing in a room full of cutlery, 
pots, pans, drawers, foodstuffs and other somesuch. She took hold of 
some paprika and sprinkled it onto the noodles she was cooking.

*groink*

The noise came from doorway! She pooked her head outside the kitchen 
door to get a good look. (Nobody there?) Her face slumped somewhat. 
(Where is Ukyou? At least she should be here by now) Dragging herself 
back to the stove, she surveyed the the food carfully. 

(The noodles are doing nicely, the fish is coming along well and the 
rice cookies are waiting to be made) Nodoka picked up the rice and 
started rolling it in her hands.

Again she looked at the watch, 6 pm, she rolled the rest of the cookies 
quickly. (They should be home NOW!)

Nodoka put the last ricecookie down carefully. She made her way to the 
kitchen door and looked around. The dining room was empty. She walked 
through it. The hallway was empty as well. (Strange?) She looked around 
in the Foy�e. (No clothes, no shoes, their umbrellas arn't here) She 
walked back to through the dining room to the kitchen.

After making sure that the noodles were doing well on the stove, she 
made her way to the door.

-I hope something bad hasn't happened!

--

-Let go of me!

*Swoosh*

-Let go!

*Thunk*

-Raannnnmmmaaa!

*pat,pat,pat*

-Hnn?

*Swoosh*

-LET GO!

-Mrmblmmhhm.

-AAAAHHH!

*Splash*

--

In a kitchen somewhere in the neghbourhood, a dog was trying to heat a 
kettle of water. The dog was female and very agitated.

-Grrr woof!

(Why is it that everything you try to do is so very hard when you are an 
animal?) She finally got the stove to work. She jumped down of the stool 
and started searching around in the restaurant. (I wonder where it is?) 
She trotted over to one of the rooms and walked in through the doorway.

It was a bit dark but she soon found the lightswitch. (Another storage 
room? If I didn't know better I'd say that I'd turned into Ryouga) She 
looked around in the room, trying to find something familiar. (Nope this 
isn't it. What is that?) She stopped at a jadegreen object that was 
clenched inbetween bag of flour and a red rock. 

-Bwee?

She jumped too and looked behind her. All she saw was P-chan with a blue 
ribbon on him. (Oh yeah, it's only Ryo-chan) She breathed out, a bit 
relieved, she was getting very edgy. (I don't think I'm cut out to 
explore how alternate versions of me have it) She eased away from the 
jade object wich, by now was glowing ominously. (Where am I, really?)

--

-RANMA YOU ARE AN IDIOT, YOU KNOW THAT?

Ranma dove down from the roof she was sitting on. She made a backflip 
and landed on her feet. 

-You told me to let go, so I let go. She shrugged. (what was this idiot 
going on about? If he didn't want to be let down, he should have said 
so) She walked over to the pond and helped him up.

-You would think that the curse would catch on sooner or later, but it 
all just keeps going. I still get splashed wherever I go. Iruka sounded 
very agitated. 

-Curse?

-Yes a curse! Iruka took of his shirt and squeezed all the water out of 
it. Ranmas jaw dropped. Iruka had small pulsating lines of purple 
running up and down his skin, right ontop of his veins. She could feel 
the power flow in them. For some reason she wanted to be very close to 
this guy.

As Iruka stopped wringing the water out of his shirt, he turned back 
towards Ranma.
-You know turning into an animal and such. It's very inconvenient.

Ranma blinked and knocked herself in the head. (What's with me today, 
first I don't recognise my room, then I spill all my guts to Ryo-chan, 
then I get myself a (^-.-^) as a pet and now I'm falling for a guy! I 
knew that pretending to be a girl wasn't a good idea.)

-Wait a moment! If you have a curse like me, then why didn't you turn 
into something?

-Ooh that was nothing, I put a stop to my curse years ago.
Iruka waved his hands nonchalantly in the air, wiggling his fingers at 
the same time.

*glomp*

-Please, oh please. You gotta undo my curse, you gotta.

Iruka bigsweated and gulped.
-But if I do that, how can you marry Kuno?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              ---
  Can you see the red thread,
  the yellow or the blue?

  Can you see the green one
  inbetween the two?

  Take a look at all of it.
  Can you see it too?

  It all forms a tapestry.
  A tapestry for you

              <Dewin Duvae>
              ---

Authors notes: Scarry huh? If anyone can tell me what Nodoka is doing in 
the kitchen, feel free to do so, I need the help.
Yes, I am a coward for not continuing on about Hayai, but it was TIME to 
look at the other side. Besides this way Akane will be even MORE furious 
when Ranma shows up.

Now may I present the guest of the day.
*Tada*

-Miaou, nya nyaaa nyyyaa nya nayy nnnya nyyaa nya nya nyyyaaa nnnya 
nyyaaa nnnyyyaaa nnyaaa nnyyaaa nnnya nyaaa nyyyaa nyaa miaou!

Errr, well...
A BIG APPLAUSE FOR OUR GUEST!

dewin@hotmail.com
(If anyone can translate this gibberish, please send me a copy)


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