On Sun, 4 Nov 2001, Adrian Tymes wrote:

helfgott@socrates.Berkeley.EDU wrote:

Ranma has to save Akane... from Akane.

I know this isn't what you meant, but...

A surprising fic for you to write, even if I don't necessarily agree with
the ending as being particularly realistic.  I'd have thought you'd
writing something like this.

--

Ranma knew something was wrong when he finished the Jump.  Perhaps he
should have waited for a day to "purify" himself, as Cologne had
recommended, rather than just activate the artifact immediately. The risk
that Akane would hurt herself had weighed too heavily on his mind to allow
this.  Perhaps it was Kodachi's last ditch attempt to capitalize on
Akane's mistake by, and to leave her stranded in the alternate world, one
which she was a "fulcrum" (whatever that meant).  Striking the pendant he
used to make the Jump could certainly not have been productive.  Or
perhaps Cologne's information was just wrong.  After all, she HAD mistaken
that pendant of Bust Enlargement for the World Jumping one at first.

What a fiasco THAT turned out to be...

But in any case, according to what Cologne had said, Akane was in real
danger.  When she had fought with Shampoo in the Nekohauten, and
accidentally triggered the necklace, she would have flung herself into
universe where everything was centered around its own version of Akane.
Should anything happen to that Akane, that universe would end...as well as
everything within it.

However, Ranma had expected to land in the same location, at the same time
in this new world, for that was how Cologne had explained what would
happen.  Yet rather than appearing in the Nekohauten in the middle of the
day, he was in Nerima's park sometime late at night.

A quick glance at a discarded paper on a nearby bench established that it
was still the same day, only many hours later.  That meant that Akane
would have been here for many hours.  This was bad...he'd assumed that he
would be able to just find her right away, and rescue her before she got
herself in trouble in this world.  The difference in times meant that she
could be anywhere by now.

"Think," he impatiently commanded himself.  "What if you were in Akane's
shoes?  What if you were a real girl who landed in another world?  What if
you were loud and uncute and...oh no!"

---

"It's almost done...please don't cry."

Akane was having so much fun!  Although she was confused as to how she'd
gone from fighting with Shampoo to falling into an abandoned warehouse,
she wouldn't let it faze her.  Nor would she let this sudden new family
that was living where her house was this morning disturb her either.
She'd gotten used to strange events happening to her for years, and while
she didn't particularly like it, she'd bear it until Ranma came along and
she could vent at him.

Thankfully, the Takako family, who was living in what she could have sworn
was once her home, was nice enough to allow her to stay the night when
they realized that she had nowhere else.  Mr. Takako, who somehow reminded
her of her own father, had mentioned that they needed a sitter for their
baby Akkan, as their own sitter had just called in sick.  And Mrs. Takako,
who's presence seemed to give Akane a faint sense of longing, offered to
escort her to the police tomorrow, who would surely be able to help.

"Waaaaah!"

But while it was nice to have people trust you to mind their house after
being called a kitched destroyer for so long was gratifying, when the baby
started to cry, she was at a loss as to what to do, due to lack of
experience.  Perhaps Akkan was hungry?

Akane was in the midst of extending a spoon towards the baby, when a blur
shot through the window.  Screaming, and trying to protect the child she
was charged to take care of, Akane lashed out blindly at the man who had
grabbed her with one hand and was grasping some woman's necklace with the
other.  And then, there was a flash and she knew nothing more...

---

Ranma slowly woke, nursing his bruised head.  Unprepared to block, he had
taken the full force of the blow, but had completed the chant that would
bring both himself and Akane back home.  Hopefully, it had worked.

"Ranma?  You awake?"  The question was worded with a heavily accent in
Chinese, and with a start he abruptly sat up.  He had not realized that he
wasn't alone. He was in Shampoo's room in the Nekohauten, and by the looks
of it, she had been keeping watch over him while he was recovering.
Realizing the situation he was in, and Akane's potential for
misunderstanding, he quickly thanked her and dashed out the door before
she could speak much more.

The shouts that Akane was making proved his worst fears.  "...ampoo the
only one to watch him?  And it's not my fault I hit him!  He just grabbed
me out of nowhere!  What was that all for, anyway?"

"Foolish girl!  Haven't you understood a word I was saying?  You must have
been placing yourself in danger."

Ranma spoke, at this point, making his presence known.  "She was about to
feed herself some of her own cooking."  Gasps were made at this
announcement.

"Akane, how could you?!"  "Ranma saved you from a horrible fate you were
about to place upon yourself."  Kodachi cursed bitterly under her breath.
So close to eliminating a rival, and yet all her effort for nothing.

Akane paid attention to none of this, though, instead focusing her
attentions on Ranma.  "And what is THAT supposed to mean?" she asked, a
dangerous tone entering her voice.

Oblivious to the dangers, Ranma explained.  "Well, if you'd fed what you
normally cook to someone that young, who knows what woulda happened?  You
coulda killed her...urk!".

Cologne sighed.  She hoped that Shampoo wouldn't insist on keeping watch
over Ranma again.  A young girl needs her sleep, after all.

---

...or something like that.  Probably without the liberal hand I took at
characterisation, or improbable deduction that Ranma makes.  (Ah well,
haven't done this in quite awhile, so I guess some practice would be in
order).  Certainly, not something as dark as what you'd actually written.
^_^;;;

-Natsume Ranma Ranma
-------
The sardines weren't worth the trouble.  A few more shots, then
Ryoga-san would overheat and explode.  Ducking around a corner,
I managed to lose him as I entered the ramshackle residence of
my Anime supplier.

One look at his face and I knew that I had been betrayed.  "Tell me,"
I insisted.  He refused, so I slammed him against the wall.
"Last chance.  Where can Ranma-Ranma find good fanfics?"
"Try Jason Liao," he whispered, before he slumped to the floor.
I heard the sounds of a door splintering as I left through the
window, one step ahead of Tendo Heavy Industries...


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