Ranma � and all of its characters and situations are property of Rumiko
Takahashi.
Spawn and all of its characters and situations are property of Todd McFarlane.
Light.
A blinding light, like the first that any living being experiences, but
different somehow.
For the brief five seconds that he experienced it, it seemed like an
eternity, but it was over as soon as it started, and he was left alone.
There have been few who have had the misfortune to experience the
sensation he was feeling now. However, fate had decided the outcome of the
future for the unfortunate ones.
Just goes to show, even fate can make mistakes sometimes...
Ranma �: A Life Once Lived
Prologue: Memories & Misgivings (Rewrite, Take One)
Had he been able to remember much, he would have immediately known where
he was, and where he was going, but such was not the case.
He began by groggily shaking his head, trying desperately to clear his
thoughts, and get some kind of indication of whom he was, and what he was
doing there.
Somewhere, deep inside his subconscious, a spark formed. The spark gave
way to a larger one, and another one, even larger. Eventually, the spark
had grown into a flame, allowing access to hidden memories.
Few memories had escaped before the flame died. Mostly it was a jumble, an
inane patchwork of several events. Remembrance of some sort of training.
Yes. That�s it. He was starting to remember.
He was a martial artist. That much was certain. He could feel himself
throwing punches and kicks at foes twice, sometimes three times as skilled
as he was. Another memory flooded into his mind. It was brief, but he could
catch a glimpse of a face in his mind.
The face was female, that much was certain. Lavender hair both flowing
down beyond her shoulders, and cut above her neck. The two images were the
same, if not for different hairstyles.
Piercing brown eyes and a fair, sleek complexion. To him, the face was
beautiful, even though he had trouble admitting such a thing, even in his
mind.
He tried desperately to remember more, clenching his fists and banging
them against his head in frustration. Then something else came.
Akane. A name. HER name. For some unexplainable reason, the name meant
nothing, and everything. What was certain, however, was that somehow, deep
inside his person, he knew he loved her.
He managed to open his eyes. Though it was dark, it was hard to keep them
open for too long, as if the night were blinding him. After his eyes
adjusted, he started to try and get a bearing of where he was, hoping for
more memories.
He was on a rooftop. Where, he had no clue. Below him on the ground,
several forms seemed to call out at him. He knew what they were immediately.
The soccer field was foremost in sight. The goal posts on either side
standing in a fashion that he could envision with his eyes closed. An
outdoor basketball court a little further in the distance, but still
discernable from his viewpoint. A certain hesitation befell him as he spied
the swimming pool.
Without warning, another memory came into his mind. Another person. A
martial artist, wearing a red Chinese-style shirt with wooden ties, wearing
an unmistakable pigtail. Although the martial artist was female, he felt no
feelings toward her. She was beautiful to say the least, but he felt no
better of her than he was of himself.
Then it hit him. That WAS he. The thought came out of nowhere, catching
him off guard. He shook his head. That couldn�t be right, he was a man.
Wasn�t he?
Yes. He could distinctly remember being a man, from the jumble of memories
he had received earlier. Yes. He was a man.
And a woman. He was both, he realized, after he received another jumble of
memories. Memories including a long valley, with hundreds of small
spring-like pools. Bamboo poles stuck out of them like a pincushion. He
gasped as he recalled his curse.
He ran further along the rooftop, until he reached a structure near the
front entrance. A closer examination revealed it to be a clock of rather
large proportions. As he perched himself on top of it, he noticed something.
It felt like a part of him at first, even if a little alien, but the
unmistakable form of a blood red cloak fluttering in the wind around him
was surprising, to say the least. Looking himself over, he discovered
several things of difference. His hands were molded into deformed claw-like
appendages, and several chains decorated his body like a sadistic Christmas
tree.
He was on the verge of panic after this development, went another
patchwork of memories invaded his mind. Unlike the other memories, which he
had tried to pull out, this one just seemed to come in, uninvited. He
involuntarily gasped as the memory ran itself through in his mind.
-A L O L-
�Do you love her?�, the darkness asked.
�Yes. Of course.�
�You would like to see her again, I assume,� it asked again
Hesitation. �Yes.�
The darkness laughed. A dark, bone-chilling laugh that would strike fear
into the hearts of all mankind.
�Then go, my Hellspawn!�, it cried as it revealed its true form.
The scream would have shattered eardrums for miles around. The demon
seemed to derive pleasure from it, stretching its lips to form a wide,
toothy smile as it continued to laugh.
-A L O L-
Deep in the Nerima night, a lone figure atop a high school screamed in
utter anguish at his memories.
Authors Notes:
Well, I figured it was high past time I do this, I had plans to rewrite it
from the beginning a while ago, but I never got around to it until now...
The original version of the prologue is still available at my web page (see
below) as well as the rest of the original story (up to chapter eight)..
Anyways, give me some C&C on this, compare it to the original, flame me,
whatever... I'll probably have The Chapter One rewrite out when I get
around to it (I've still got other fics I'm working on)... Anyways, be sure
to email me... ttyl...
-------------------------
| The TydRipper | "Abandon all hope, ye who enter
| | here."
| Master of the Tides, | - Dante's Inferno; Canto 3:9
| Keeper of the Old Way,| "What really interests me is
| Writer of the Fanfic, | whether or not God had any choice
| Baka to the end... | In the Creation of the Universe."
------------------------- - Albert Einstein
Questions? Comments? Flames? Email Me.
~ The TydRipper
Whose Many projects include:
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ICQ UIN: 32976386
[In the year 1999 and seven months,
the great King of terror will come from the sky.
It will bring to life the King of the Mongols.
Before and after, Mars reigns happily.]
Nostradamus - Century 10: Quatrain 72