Hello, what's up? What's down? Just before I go offline for awhile, I've decided to send you the very first draft of Eternal Blue-Chapter One. I've put the story through a massive revision.
I like the story better as a straight-up Ranma story, than as a crossover with Tenchi Muyo. It's so much easier to write. Also, without Tenchi Muyo, there's at least fifteen characters less to worry about. Also, blah, blah, blah, I could list a hundred reasons.
I like crossovers, but this story isn't meant to be one.
Please, send me your opinions. I'm looking forward to reading them. No flames though.
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-- File: eternalblue1.txt
Eternal Blue
By Silentnova
All characters, with exceptions, are the creations
and property of Rumiko Takahashi. The author is
writing this story with neither intentions of
profit nor designs for acclaim. Please, do not sue
this poor author.
Criticisms & comments are said to be appreciated
and even rumoured to be used. Please, I can be
reached at [Silentnova@go.com] if you have anything
to add to the story.
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Chapter One
The Debate of Fate
Sir Ranma Saotome, alone, stood in a small,
derelict hut. "The son of Lord Genma Saotome.
Knight of King Arthur Helena of Atlantis." he
muttered. "Actually, Knight of the late, King
Arthur Helena."
His eyes glanced about the hut. The hut had no
walls. It had no windows. It had very little left.
The only remaining reminder it was ever a hut, was
its skeleton frame, which held up the tattered
roof, which protected the bare wooden floor.
There was very little left of the hut to protect
Ranma from the cold rain. What little roof there
was, hung over the front doorframe.
Moving under the doorframe, Ranma saw the lake
outside the hut. It was Atlantis Lake. Its waters
jutted onto the shore, pushing and taking away
whatever may have laid there.
"Long live the King." Ranma bitterly muttered. "May
he rest in peace."
A small wind picked up the rain, bringing it to
Ranma and past Ranma. A small wind picked up the
lake, bringing it onto the shore with a relentless
ferocity.
The leaves of trees, overlooking the lake, near the
hut, shook faster and faster, telling him the wind
was growing stronger and swifter with each passing
moment.
"The bastard, Iago Heep. It's his fault the king is
dead." Ranma struck the door-frame. "His fault!" He
struck the frame again. "-His- fault!" It was his
last strike, but the frame had a nasty surprise for
him. Clutching his hand, which was bleeding from a
cut, Ranma looked over the lake.
Across the lake, stood a mountain. The rain clouds
hid everything about it, except which was below the
clouds. Around the mountain, stood other mountains.
Across the mountains, called the Atlas Mountains,
far beyond the border of the Kingdom of Atlantis,
was an empire, led by an old man with an aged face.
Though old, Emperor Ashley Buckingham, a mountain
of a man, was dangerous to the person with an
undisciplined eye.
"I hope Babel doesn't attack now." Ranma looked at
his hand. The bleeding hadn't stopped. "I don't
think we could defend against them without a
leader." The bleeding stopped.
The direction of the wind switched. "Why do I even
care? Atlantis is beaten now. The king is dead, and
the country's going to lose the Ageless War."
A war between Atlantis and Babel. It was older than
memory. Its reasons for continuing thousands of
years were forgotten long before Ranma's birth.
"Who ever thought the war'd be lost so easily?"
He grimaced. "Why do I even care? I could leave,
and look for her..." He referred to his twin
sister, lost long ago when he was only five years
old and his family was living in the city of
Odessa, a broken city.
"It's my duty to care. It's my fate to care,
forever." He stepped from under the doorframe to
under the clouded sky.
Ranma opened his hand and looked at his palm. "For
King and country." It began to hurt again. Bringing
his other, unhurt hand up, he gripped its hurt
twin. "Heal." he whispered. A magical glow grew
from his unhurt hand and enveloped its brother.
"That feels a little better." He flexed the hand,
loosening it.
The wind changed speed again. The rain, which it
carried, pelted his face fast enough to sting.
"Ouch. Damn it! When's Cecil going to get here?" he
asked. The wind didn't answer.
Cecil Kuroda Saotome, Ranma's adopted brother, did
though, "Right now, actually."
Beside him stood Billy van Burace Saotome, another
of Ranma's adopted brothers. He looked small beside
Cecil, but he was taller than Ranma. "We just
decided to take a spin over here, because Mom asked
us to come."
Ranma smirked and turned about. His brothers stood
under the doorframe. "Then you guys really didn't
decide to come here, did you?"
Billy tapped his ears. "Actually, we could've just
decided not to listen to Ma. We could've just
listened to our consciences and left you here,
forever." He turned around. "Perhaps it would've
been better for you all." he whispered, not loud
enough for either Ranma or Cecil to hear.
"What do our consciences have to do with anything?"
Cecil frowned.
"Nothing, or maybe everything. Who knows?" He
walked through the derelict house and through the
back doorframe.
"We better hurry. Father wants to speak with you
about something urgent." Strangely, with the end of
Cecil's words, the end of the wind and rain also
stopped. "An entire Babel army is coming towards
Atlantis, led by the genius Admiral, Mattiu
McDohl."
Ranma sighed. "Then we've already lost, haven't
we?"
Shrugging, Cecil turned to the lake. "Maybe, I just
hope everything turns out alright."
Laughing, Ranma began to follow Billy. "It's our
duty to make sure everything turns out alright."
After turning from Cecil, Ranma wondered, 'Am I
really serious? Or am I...' He shook his head. 'I
shouldn't worry. Or I'll become like Pop.'
Behind him, Ranma was sure Cecil was watching him
pass through the back doorframe, with a curious
eye. An eye for the future, an eye for the past,
and an eye of the past, filled with hope for the
future. He could only hope, the future was a gentle
wind. One warm and friendly wind, to remind him of
his sister.
End Chapter One
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