Miko warily presents:

Justice For The Unfortunate
an off-the-top-of-my-head production

(otherwise known as:  I can resist writing up stupid viruses, but I
can't resist writing another justice/misfortune spamfic!  Give in to the
temptation!  Wriiiiite!)  ^_^

Inspired by... well, Grayson Towler's story, really, but also Justice
and Misfortune and all that silly commentary as well.



The wind did not howl nor whip about, nor did snow drift down from the
night sky.  No chill seeped through his thin coat to bite at his limbs.
This was all well and good, for this was not a lost, forsaken land, and
Hikaru Gosunkuji was not a hardy man.

Hikaru looked about warily -- both because he was on a dangerous and
secret mission for justice, and because he was just a wary guy in
general.  When Hikaru climbed into bed to sleep each night, he did so
warily.  Not that being wary had ever helped him any.

It was the middle of the night, and he was in an unfamiliar part of
Tokyo.  He was close to the bay -- the salty seaweed smell of the ocean
was in the air -- and he was surrounded by ancient, run-down warehouses.
The whole area was thick with odd, inky-black shadows and things that
creaked in the night.  Terror gripped Hikaru's heart -- not just his
usual uneasy fear, but serious, I'm-about-to-die terror.  And yet, in a
way, he also felt comfort.  After all, who expected to find justice on a
sunny Sunday afternoon, when birds were singing and children were
laughing?  Certainly not Hikaru Gosunkuji!

Hikaru sought justice.  He sought relief for the pain that gnawed at his
gut.  For every time he'd been shown up by the others at school; for
every time people had made fun of him, and called him weird; for every
time he'd lacked the nerve to ask Akane out; and mostly, for every time
Akane had spoken to the hated Ranma Saotome.  They were mostly words of
anger that she spoke, he admitted it, but at least she acknowledged
Ranma's existence.

If only... if only Akane would speak to him.  Words of anger, words of
sorrow, words... any words at all.

Hikaru formed his hands into fists, or, at least, made a reasonably
valiant attempt to do so.  It was all so unfair!  Why couldn't fate
smile on Hikaru Gosunkuji at least once?

And the old woman had said that he could find true justice, here, among
the warped, worn boards and rusting metal of this warehouse district.
She'd said a good many other things besides -- things about voudou
curses, zombies, and fate.  It might have made more sense if she were
black, and spoke with a Haitian accent, but Hikaru was a desperate man.
He was willing to believe anyone who offered him hope.

So long as that hope didn't involve him actually asking Akane for a
date, of course.

Hikaru paused.  Ahead, there was a tiny convenience store, set on the
corner of an otherwise deserted street.  One lone, flickering street
light illuminated the corner.  This, then, was where she'd said to come.
This was where you found justice, always assuming you didn't want to
climb the Himalayas, or wander through the desert of central Australia,
or something equally foolhardy.

The door creaked loudly as Hikaru pushed it open.  Inside, the place was
cluttered and filthy -- what kind of person shopped in a place like
this, anyway?  And there, sitting behind the counter....

It was the same old woman whom he'd met in the park.

"Ah," she said, "well met, stranger!  Do you come seeking justice?"

"I'm not exactly a stranger..." Hikaru began.  The woman slammed her
hand down on the counter with loud smack.  Hikaru jumped three feet,
leaving his shoes behind.

"I SAID, DO YOU COME SEEKING JUSTICE?"

"Um, w-w-well," Hikaru stammered, "a-actually... yes.  Yes, I seek
justice."

"Very well," the woman replied.  "State that which you seek, and pass
through the gate of justice!"

With a sweep of her hand, she indicated the back doorway, which appeared
to lead to the warehouse.  A crude sign was nailed above it, with the
word "JUSTICE" scrawled upon it.

"That's it?" Hikaru asked.  "I just walk through here, and...."

"STATE THAT WHICH YOU SEEK," the woman intoned loudly, "AND PASS THROUGH
THE GATE OF JUSTICE!"

Hikaru nodded, and stepped forward.  He summoned all of his courage.
"I... seek... that is, I... I wish I had Akane... and... she's so
beautiful, her body and... well...that she were mine...."

His voice trailed off.  That seemed to be about as much as he could
manage for a stated goal.

Hikaru walked through the door, and found himself underwater.  He
swallowed a mouthful, startled.  He struggled to the surface.  He saw
sunlight, and strange trees, and bamboo poles, and many, many more
pools.  A fat Chinese man in a rumpled brown Mao suit  was standing over
him, saying something about a spring called "Akanenichuan".  And then,
Hikaru looked down....

--------

Hikaru walked through the door, and found himself in a funeral parlour.
Before him was an open casket, with the hated Ranma Saotome standing
somberly next to it.  Hikaru took three steps forward, and saw:  Akane
lay in the casket, unmoving.  Dead.

Ranma turned to look at Hikaru.  "Well," he said, "a deal's a deal."  He
indicated the casket, and its contents, with his hand.  "She's all
yours, Gosunkuji."

-------

Hikaru walked through the door, and found himself in a bedroom.  It was
not familiar, and yet, he knew that it was his bedroom.  THEIR bedroom,
in fact.

Akane lay on the bed.  Her hands were tied to the bedpost.

"You can have my body," Akane said, "but know this, Hikaru Gosunkuji:  I
will hate you, with every ounce of my being, until the day I see you rot
in hell!  Is that understood, you sick pervert?  I WOULD GLADLY SEE YOU
DIE IN A THOUSAND PAINFUL WAYS!!!"

-------

Hikaru did not step through the door.

For a moment, he digested the images that flooded his mind.  Justice.
It was what he sought, was it not?  A braver soul would throw caution to
the wind, take the plunge, and brave the consequences.  Someone like
Ranma, or Shampoo, or Ryoga, or Mousse, or Ukyo.

They would not hesitate.  Why should he?

"Well?" the old woman said.  "Do you not seek justice, young man?"

"Ah," Hikaru said, "I... I think I'll take a rain check...."

FINI




Miko!

On the field, Kasumi and Akane were sitting up. Their father hovered
over them, tears rolling down his cheeks and dripping from his chin.
"Kasumi!" He exclaimed. "My poor Kasumi! Tell them you'll forfeit!
Please!"
"Dad?" Akane asked. She glanced over at Kasumi, and froze.
The person next to her wasn't Kasumi. It was a young girl with short,
dark hair in a page cut. She wore a light yellow dress, and she was
looking very confused.
Akane glanced down at herself. She was wearing a red silk Chinese-style
top, and black pants. Her chest was flat and muscular. She reached
behind her head, and found the pigtail that she knew was there.
She glanced back at the girl next to her... at herself... at Kasumi, in
her body.
With Akane's voice, Kasumi said, "Oh, my!"
(Ranma 1/2:  Monkey Head Butting)

Nausicaa@sprynet.com  Belldandy@angelic.com
Anime RPG at http://come.to/akane/
Fan Fiction at http://listen.to/bell/