Trevor Laughlin wrote:

Some may have seen this before. Ch2 (next message) is new

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Ranma 1/2: Stranger in a stranger land.
by Trevor Laughlin

Based on the works and characters of Rumico Takahashi

An attempt in 'not-so creative' writing.

And so it begins
Opening Scene:

Thursday, during the school year, late spring.
A cab pulls up to the Japanese boarding house. A young western man in his mid teens
wearing jeans and a white dress shirt exits the cab. Assorted duffle bags and suitcases
accompany him to the doorway. A large, overly friendly white dog greets him with a
flying tackle. -Woof!-

Ken: Whoa there big fellah!
Dropping a duffle bag and bracing for the slobbering impact of the white mogul.

Ken: (pinned on the ground and currently being licked into the concrete) My. You are the
friendly sort aren't you.

Female voice from above: Actually he only does that to people he likes usually. Consider
that a stamp of approval, licked and all (the voice giggles). Come here Suichiro.

Suichiro gets off the boy and walks to his mistress' side.
     The lick-wified youth gets up and we finally get our first good look at him. He
sports light brown hair with a parting through the middle and brown eyes behind square,
black rimmed glasses. He is clean shaven and he stands about 5'10.

Ken: Auntie Karrini-san I presume? (said in conveniently good Japanese)

Karrini: Welcome to Maison Ikoku Urdly-san. I....

Ken: <interrupting> Please, NOT Urdly san. Ken. Just 'Ken' if you don't mind Auntie
Karrini. (under his breath) I can't STAND that last name. Gee I hope this isn't  a cultural
thing.

Karrini: Ok, Ken. Welcome to Japan. Is this your first visit here? You Japanese is very
good. (escorting him inside and carrying some of the lighter bags herself leaving him the
trunk to pull on his own)

     Ken tries his hand at the task of moving the trunk and talking at the same time.
Pushing, -grunt- "Well, yes. *groan* Sort of. *urp*. I mean." giving up with no success.
Pulling: "You see *Hurg!*. I had some *grunt* practice *pant-pant* speaking in Little
Tokyo back home, (resting against the trunks side sweating) but that's not the same, is
it?" His futile struggles do not budge the trunk on inch.
Karrini smiling at his struggle puts down the bags and comes to the young man's aid.
She gives him a warm motherly smile and offers him a hand up.

Karrini gives the trunk a quick heave-to and carries it inside with no effort at all. Ken
stares, eyes bugged out, mouth agape, blushing in astonishment. His head quickly falls
to his chest and into his hand in shame. A little anime octopus pops onto his head
carrying a "How embarrassing sign." In his embarrassment, he fails to notice the dog,
Suichiro, pointing and laughing at him.

Karrini (from inside the boarding house) "No, nothing's ever easy the first time round.
That's what your mother told me in high school and it's still true today."

As Ken goes to pick up his bags, Suichiro resumes normal 'dog-like' behaviour before
anyone can notice. Still, Ken gives the dog an accusing stare just to make sure and
charges inside with his bags.

Scene: backing away from the house, we hear Ken and Karrini-san talking.

Karrini: "The tenants are out today so we can get you packed in and ready for school
tomorrow."

Ken: "SCHOOL?! Already! But I just got here."

Karrini: "Oh, come on. It's a nice school just down the road. Furenken High. You'll like it
there. I've heard it's a nice quiet school.

Ken (fading): My pen pall said there would be days like this.

Scene:    Fade to black- cut to tomorrow, Friday, morning after hearing the now
infamous words of Kuno: " I love you both, I would date with thee!" (enter comical chase
music as Tatewaki Kuno chases the elusive pig tailed girl and Akane Tendo for the
umpteenth time).

     Ken is peacefully cycling down from Maison Ikoku to school. Today, he wears a
zip-up yellow sweatshirt, a white T-shirt, jeans and a blue baseball hat. His route today
happens to be part of the typical route from the Tendo dojo to Furenken. As he near the
street near the waterway two coloured streaks, one red (Ran-chan) and one light blue
(Akane) zip across his path kicking up clouds of dust in their wake.
     Ken screeches to a halt. A figure lands in front of him and poses dramatically
(Kuno, of course) followed by a flash of blue light and the sound of rolling thunder. His
wooden sword is drawn and he is garbed in his traditional blue outfit.

Ken: *Blink-blink*

Kuno: I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furenken High will have of what I would
claim as mine own. (charges off in pursuit after the two dust trails).

Sasuke (following moments later with the lighting equipment and the thunder
machine),speaking to Ken : Um,... I'm with him (to Kuno). Master Kuno, wait for me, this
equipment is heavy, *THUD*. (as a 250 watt speaker falls over and crushes Sasuke.

Ken: *Blink-blink* Ooooh Kaaaay. Right. Off to school.

     He continues cycling towards school with an overtly stiff posture and a wary
expression on his face.

Ken (thoughts): Well, I guess even Japan has to have it's share of weirdness.

     This thought barely said, a bicycle bell rings out. Birds take to the air and squawk
out in protest as Shampoo rides along an overhead power line to fulfil an early morning
delivery.

Ken: *Blink* (Silence. His head turns to follow the phenomenon).

     <C-R-A-S-H!> Ken finds himself face first into a concrete pole. His front tire is
ruined and his face is in much the same state. His body is contorted into  a state that
would make a yoga master flinch.

Blink. Blink.

And _I_ was accused of overusing cliches...

Oh well... I'll just stop wondering and go back to writing my own fic
full of clich�s ^_^

Deedo