This a revision of a fanfic I sent out in October some time.  I lost
interest in it for a while but the muse came back with so...



Shadowstryker's Journeys: A shedding of Shadow, a shed of light

By

Shadowstryker

Ranma1/2 is copyright by Rumiko Takahashi, Shadow AKA Shadowstryker is
my creation, if you want to use him, ask me, I'll probable say sure.

Send me C&C I beg you, just send privately unless you feel the whole
list would profit.

Shadow is an abbreviation of Shadowstryker, I just don't want to write
the entire thing out.

This story is set during volume 36.  Nodoka found out about the curses
that morning.
***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************

1st Contact: Nodoka Saotome
Tendo Ancestral Home & Dojo, Nerima Ward, Tokyo, Japan

	Three figures were in the darkened dojo; two on their knees, head
bowed, tanto at their hearts (one had what looked like chains wrapped
around his legs); the other stood above them, katana held at the ready.  
The two kneeling were going to commit seppeku, the one standing, their
second.  In ten seconds, noon exactly, they'd take their lives, the
katana
welding figure acting as the second, until her job down, then, she'd
take
her own life.

6...5...4...3...2..."STOP!"

	And that's what happened; time stopped, and everything came to a
halt, except Nodoka, for that was who the third was, spun around to look
at
the voice, the light that was streaming into the dojo from the, now
open,
door revealing her face.

	"Who are you to interfere with a matter of family honor?" Nodoka
hissed angrily at the figure who was silhouetted in the door, the glare
from the light hiding the figure's identity.

	"I have been known by many names throughout the ages.  But, the name
I like is Shadow." The figure said, stepping into the dojo letting his
face
be seen.  He stood about 6'2, had thick long brown hair done in a
ponytail,
and wore a black wool cloak.

	"Why do you interrupt in a matter of honor?" Nodoka asked angrily.

	"Really? it's a matter of honor?" Shadow asked sarcastically. "I
only see two people about to die because you saw so." Shadow said,
looking
pointedly at the sword clasped in the red haired woman's grip.  "So why
are
they dying?  Is it because your only son is also your only daughter?"

	"No.  I can look past that, for it is only a curse, it doesn't
affect the mind." Nodoka replied hauntingly.  "The real reason is
because
he's a coward!" Nodoka said, the last yelled.

	"Oh?  I know all about his life, just like I know all about yours,
your husband's, the Tendo's, the young couple that just moved in next
door.
I'm an Avatar of the Four.  As a result, I try to set fate, destiny,
luck
and death , right." Shadow replied

	"I know the hardships he's faced and overcome, and he has overcome
them all, from the simplest to the most complex." Shadow said, his anger
increasing. "I couldn't tell you a moment when he hasn't risked life and
limb, for himself, Akane, and for those he doesn't and will never know."
Shadow said, overcoming his brief moment of anger.

	"So you say he isn't a coward?" Nodoka demanded, then went on before
she got a reply. "Look at him!" She shouted pointing at Ranma with her
sword, "He won't even look his own mother in the eye's!"

	Shadow sighed and looked at Nodoka, then the sword.  "It's that
sword he's afraid of.  If you stopped carrying it around, he wouldn't be
fearful." Shadow tilted his head as he thought of something. "I, myself
am leery of that sword. We'll just get rid of it, for now." With that
said, he snapped his fingers, causing the sword to vanish.

	What'd you do!?" Nodoka almost shouted, in shock fear, confusion,
and a plethora of other emotions.

	"Don't worry, you'll get the sword back when we're done." Shadow
replied.  "Now, where were we?  Oh yeah; what do you mean he's a
coward?"

	"He's supposed to be a man amongst men, and I get a coward!"
Nodoka shouted angrily.

	"Like I said at first, I work for the Four, and one of them is
Death.  Ranma isn't supposed to die yet, but if you give me good enough
reason, I _might_ allow him to pass on.  However, _you_ won't be, I'll 
make you live with your decision until you're old and gray and die from
age." Shadow answered looking at redhead with calm amusement.

	"But, he's supposed to be honorable."

"Oh, he is, he is." Shadow responded mysteriously.  "If you want, I can
show you the honorable things he's done."

"Huh?  What are you talking about?" Nodoka inquired, confused.

Shadow grinned at Nodoka's confused look and waved his right hand in the
air in a �go away� gesture.

Reality started smearing, the colors become pastels, and perception
shifted.  Nodoka vaguely noticed that she and Shadow were the only two
that looked �normal�.  As suddenly as the �smearing� begin it ended.
Reality suddenly jolted back into sharp relief; Nodoka stumbled as her 
sense of reality and perception shifted back sharply.

Nodoka looked around and saw that she was in a forest clearing; a
mountain formation behind her, and a Hydra like beast.  She saw Ryouga
dressed in drag, Ranma in his female form, an unconscious boy lying on
the
ground, an old man watching Ranma and Ryouga battle the creature and
Akane
trying to get what looked like moss off of one of the  monster's seven
head.  
This entire picture was frozen in time as Nodoka looked on.  "Wh-where
are
we?" Nodoka asked, finally getting her voice back.

	"We're at a point in Ranma's life where he had to make a couple of
tough decisions." Shadow answered, looking at the figures frozen in
time.

	"We went back in time?" Nodoka asked shakily.  At Shadow's nod she
asked, "How?  How is it possible?"

	"Like I've already stated, I work for the Four.  And two of them
happen to be Fate and Destiny; to better serve them I was given the
ability
to travel the time stream." Shadow answered, under his breath he added,
"Pisses the hell out of Pluto, too."

	"Anyway, back to the reason why I brought you here." Shadow said,
waving at the frozen figures, who started moving again. "Oh yeah, in
case
you need to know, to them we aren't here, we don't exist." Nodoka just
nodded dumbly as she watched events unfold.

	What happened was a recount of Ranma's battling with the Yamata
no Orchi, Shadow prompting Nodoka; the two unknown watchers followed
Ranma.  They saw the after events of the battle, concluding on the
confrontation with Ranma and Akane.

	Stopping time again, Shadow turned to Nodoka, and said, "That is
what you want, he was willing to let his fiancee marry this other guy
because she seemed to want to.  Yet he fought for the guy's life knowing
that he might lose Akane to him." Shadow, waved his hand again and the 
scene changed again, to after Ranma's fight with Herb.

	Unfreezing time, the two watched Ranma unlock Mousse and Ryouga
from their cursed forms.  Stopping time yet again, Shadow said, "And
here
he uses a magic artifact to unlock Mousse and Ryouga from their cursed
forms."  Waving his hand, the scene started shifting again. "Ryouga and
Mousse are sworn enemies of Ranma, on more than one occasion they've
both
swore they'd kill him."

	As Shadow finished, reality also finished smearing and gave a jolt
as it snapped back to show Ranma in female form and Akane sitting on the
steps overlooking the Tendo's koi pond.  Wordless, Shadow snapped his
fingers.

	"Ranma, why do you let this continue?  Your mother wouldn't kill
you, she wouldn't hold you to that oath, no mother could." Akane said as
time started flowing again.

	Ranma snorted, "You kidding me!  First is that katana, I'm afraid
of it, I truly am." Ranma said quietly, "Second is that every time I've
tried, Pops has stopped me."

	A snap of the fingers and the two unnoticeable time travelers were
back in the dojo where the trip had started.

	Looking at Nodoka, Shadow finished his little speech on Ranma's
honor. "At one time he saved a guy who might've won Akane, in the other,
he helped two people who, in the state they were in, wouldn't be able to
attack him.  Those two, after they got back, kept trying to kill Ranma.
And in even another he admitted that he was afraid this katana and the
only
thing holding him from telling you was his father."

	"But why does he fear me than?  And being afraid of the family
sword?  Neither is manly!"

	"He fears you because you judge him unmanly, dishonorable.  And
being afraid isn't unmanly, not being able to admit them is what is.
Stop judging him.  Start teaching him honorable ways, and no, peeping 
isn't very honorable."

	The two stood in eerie silence, Shadow calmly watching emotions
play across Nodoka's face, while Nodoka thought about what had been
said.
Her emotions warred inside her; her anger at the interruption, her
sadness
at her son's fear, her fear that Shadowstryker was right, but most of
all
her confusion at not knowing what emotion should win.

	They stood like that for over half an hour, until finally: "If what
you say is true, how do I correct what I've done?"  Nodoka asked, tears
streaking her face.

	"You don't.  _You_ can't do anything, _all_ you can do is stop two
needless deaths, and stop carrying your sword around." Shadow said,
snapping
his fingers, the sword appearing in his hand. "The rest, Ranma is going
to
have to do.  It may take a couple of months, maybe even years, but only
Ranma can do it." Then, he handed the sword to Nodoka.  "Give your son a
chance, and don't push him.  You'll only push him away."

	With that said, Shadow turned and walked towards the door, his body
becoming transparent, then disappearing before he stepped out of the
shadows cast by the dojo.

	Nodoka was staring at the spot that Shadow had disappeared with
tears, the sword slipping from her boneless hand and clattered to the
floor.  "Mom, why'd you drop your sword?" She heard behind her, whirling
she saw Ranma looking up at her tear streaked face with confusion.

	"I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry."

* * * * *

	Shadow flickered into sight just as he passed through the main
door to the Tendo residence and leaned heavily against the wall
bordering
the estate.  Stopping time is _very_ energy consuming, but several times
and almost right after each other can kill someone.

"The Norns are going to be pissed at me." Shadow muttered, "Not to
mention
Death.  I had to suck a lot of power from her to keep pissing with
time."
 Sighing he looked at his watch and shuddered, he still had to find
Hibiki.

I'm hoping this is the final version, the second part to the story will
come
sometime this o next week.

Shadowstryker
http://ww.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/4829

Q: What's the death rate around here?
A: Oh, about one per person