[FFML] [fanfiction][Ranma]The Long Road Home, chapter 1

Okay, I have no idea how to lable this one. It's kinda a fusion (in
concept) with a particular series of novels, but has little in common
beyond that concept. Plus there are several cameo's that'll appear
later, so...

Oh well, something will come to me.

Thanks go to Mark and Robert for helping make this worthy of posting.

Disclaimer: Ranma characters belong to Takahashi, any cameo's belong to
their respective owners. Idea this is based on novels writting by Joel
Rosenburg (enough of a hint?)

The Long Road Home
By Andrew Wilson

Chapter 1: It's Just a Game...Isn't It?

The Magus (that was how he though of himself, anyway) starred down at
the pages before him. Disbelief overrode any other emotion on his face.

*It could work!* he said to himself. The Deighton Theorem, while
flawed, did contain the key. The preliminary experiments had worked
perfectly, and now he had the complete version read to go. And he also
had the perfect delivery method.

*That fool Saotome, he can't escape this. Nothing can go wrong!*

*******

Ranma Saotome sneezed, then glared at the other figure sitting at the
table. "Why me?"

Nabiki shrugged. "Hey, not my idea. He invited you. And since our
father's are out of town, and anything involving you always has more
people showing up than his house can fit, I volunteered."

Ranma grunted. After Pantyhose Taro had dumped Happosai into the ocean,
his father and Mr. Tendo had gone to Kyoto to see an old friend and
'inspect his dojo.' More likely, they were 'inspecting' the liquor
supply there. "What about that third guy in the group?"

Nabiki shook her head. "I don't want to go there, and neither do you."

Ranma sighed. "I can't believe you play this kid's game."

Nabiki smirked. "'Kid's game'? That's like comparing Ghost in the Shell
to...What's the American anime character? The rabbit that eats the
carrots all the time?"

"Bugs Bunny," Ranma answered with a groan. He could already see that he
would lose this argument.

"Yeah, that's him. Really, Saotome, try relaxing a bit, you might enjoy
it."

"Enjoy what?" Akane asked as she entered the room.

"Nothing," Nabiki explained with a smile. "Just a little something Ranma
and I are doing tonight."

Akane glared at Ranma.

*******

*Why me?* Ranma asked himself as he nursed the bump on his head. Nabiki
had waited until after Akane had lost her temper to explain the planned
activity to her. By the time Ranma was able to retrieve enough ice for
his head, not only had Akane demanded to be included, but Ukyo had shown
up and refused to be left out. Ranma warily eyed the walls for any
cracks that would signify Shampoo's entrance.

Ranma turned his attention to the figure seated next to Nabiki. "So why
are you here, Kuno?"

Tatewaki Kuno gave a self-satisfied snort before answering. "I often
partake of these intellectual simulations. The better to exorcize the
stresses of life, which better allows me to plan for the emancipation of
my twin loves from your foul clutches."

"He's actually very good," Nabiki commented. "Really getting into the
game. The sign of a master player."

"Anything he can do, I can do better!" Ranma, Ukyo, and Akane all looked
at each other in shock. They had all said the same thing, at the same
time.

"Good," Nabiki said with a smirk, "then you'll stop complaining."

The three martial artists slumped in defeat and settled in their
chairs. They knew when they'd been beaten

"I made some snacks for you," Kasumi said as she entered the room with a
pair of laden trays of food. After setting one down at each end of the
table, she glanced at the books, papers, pencils, and dice scattered
about. "Is this one of those games you play, Nabiki?"

Nabiki nodded. "Yeah. But Gos wanted me to invite Ranma, so we decided
to hold it here. You know how things tend to snowball around this
bunch."

"Gos?" Ranma asked. "Gosunkugi?"

Kuno nodded. "Yes, the underclassman has been a part of this for the
past few months."

"We were searching for players," Nabiki explained, "he asked. He wanted
to take a shot at the game master's chair."

"You do this a lot?" Ukyo, still uncomfortable, asked.

Nabiki smiled in a way that sent chills down the spines of everyone
present.

Kuno seemed unaffected. "She is typically the one in the role of game
master."

"Messing with player's minds is fun," Nabiki said in a tone that was
half laughter.

"It sounds like fun," Kasumi commented. "May I join in as well?"

Akane had been taking a drink of water when the question was asked. The
resulting spit take was perfectly aimed to soak Ranma. The now-redhead
gave a tired sigh and stood. Her intent might have been to get hot
water, but she never got the chance.

"Pigtailed girl!" Kuno exclaimed as he leapt over the table. Ranma
deftly knocked the kendoist over her head, out the door, and into the
yard. A hollow sounding thump echoed as Kuno's head struck one of the
stones rimming the pond, followed by a splash as the rest of him hit the
water.

"When he wakes up," Ranma said, "tell him I was a hallucination. I'm
getting some hot water."

Nabiki held up her hand. "What's it worth to you, Saotome? My memory is
pretty good at times. And after you ravished the 'pigtailed girl' on
the table..."

"Enough," Ranma sighed. "What do you want this time?"

Nabiki smiled again. This time it was a look that Ranma had long ago
associated with the middle Tendo sister's love of mischief. "Not money.
You'll go along with whatever Gos or I decide tonight, for the purposes
of the game. Alright?"

Ranma nodded. On her way to the kitchen, she wondered just what Nabiki
was planning.

*******

By the time Ranma (male once again) returned to the table, Kasumi was
seated between Ukyo and Akane, Kuno had dried off and was seated again,
and Gosunkugi had arrived. Ranma almost missed his classmate since the
thin teen was hunched over behind a decorated cardboard screen.

"Ah, Saotome," Gosunkugi said after a moment, when he finally noticed
Ranma was at the table. To Ranma, he seemed nervous, though that might
have been because he was between the two best martial artists at
Furinkan high school (Ranma on the left, Kuno on the right). "We're
ready to begin."

"Did you take my advice, Gos?" Nabiki asked.

Gosunkugi nodded. "Yes, I brought several extra pre-made characters."

Nabiki held out her hand. "I'll pass them out, get everything ready."

"What's going on?" Ranma asked as Nabiki received a short stack of
papers from Gosunkugi.

"Simple," Nabiki said, "we agreed that taking you though the character
creation process would be too frustrating and take forever to explain.
So I just told Gos to make up a few extra characters for the people who
want to play to use."

"So it's like parts in a play?" Akane asked.

Nabiki nodded as she shuffled though the papers. "Yep, though you have
to fill in a little information. Sex, appearance, that sort of thing.
The first one goes to...Akane."

Akane took the paper handed to her and began to read it. "What the heck
is a Mind Mage?" After a few seconds, a thoughtful expression appeared
on her face. "This sounds interesting."

As Nabiki looked though the stack, Kuno drew a damp piece of paper from
his robes. A pained look came over his face as he examined the smeared
ink. "My noble paladin, destroyed by a mere splashing of water. A great
tragedy has been visited upon us, for tonight a new world shall weep for
the lack of such-"

Nabiki interrupted uno's rant by slapping another character sheet to his
chest. "Try this, you're up for a challenge."

"Challenge?" Kuno asked as he examined the sheet. "You wish me to play
the thief? A rogue? A pickpocket? In short, a peasant thug? Yes, this
shall indeed be a challenge to my skill. But I shall prevail!"

Nabiki rolled her eyes as she handed the next sheet to Ukyo. The chef
skimmed over it for a moment. "A bard?"

"Jack of all trades," Gos replied timidly. "Does a little of everything,
but that's her main profession."

Ukyo shook her head, but decided not to complain (after all, Akane
hadn't, and she needed to show Ranma that she was better than the Tendo
daughter).

"So what do I get?" Ranma asked. "The warrior, right?"

"Nope," Nabiki stated. "That's my character. You're the wizard."

Ranma's face fell. "A wizard? I get a sword, right? Like the
characters on Slayers?"

Nabiki's smile grew as she handed over the sheet. "Nope. In fact, you'd
die pretty quickly if you ever tried to fight someone instead of
blasting them with magic."

Ranma stood. "No way I'm doin-"

"You agreed," Nabiki said simply.

Ranma sat back down and grumbled as he read over his character.

"What about me?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki did a double take as she glanced over at her sister. "You're
right. Kuno losing his character distracted me, sorry. Gos, you got
another one?"

Gosunkugi looked over his material. "Um, I think so. Ah, here it is.
URK!"

"What?" Nabiki asked. When the GM didn't reply, Nabiki plucked the
sheet from his paralyzed fingers. "Yeah, this'll work. Kasumi, you can
play...the...assassin?" Nabiki trailed off as what she was handing to
her sister dawned on her.

Kasumi smiled. "Oh my, this should be interesting."

Immpressed mumbles, expressions of interest, congratulations about
accepting such a challenge. All of those things were not heard.
Instead, everyone at the table stared in shock at Kasumi, known to be
the kindest, most gentle person in the entire Nerima ward (she'd have
the Japanese title if it wasn't for rumors coming from Okayama and
Nekomi) willingly and cheerfully accept the role of a cold-blooded
killer.

"Tsk, tsk. This selection is all wrong. For one thing, the armor is
much too bulky to be used by someone with stealth in mind. Leather
clothing? I think someone's been watching that strange American show
far to much. And this weapon selection..."

Nabiki was the first to snap out of her shocked trance. "Um, sis? What
makes you say that?"

Kasumi smiled. "You don't think the only books I read are trashy romance
novels, do you?"

Nabiki looked confused. "But that's all I found last time I searched
your-never mind."

Kasumi hummed merrily as she made the appropriate marks on her character
sheet.

Everyone else had shaken off their shock (mostly by trying their best to
ignore what Kasumi was working on), and were ready to play by the time
she was finished.

Ranma noticed that Gosunkugi had become increasingly nervous the longer
he sat at the table. As time went on, his sweating, wide-eyed stares
around the table, and repeated dry-washing of his hands looked less and
less like intimidation and more like genuine fear. Either the teen was
more nervous than Ranma would think, or he was up to something that he
wasn't sure about. Given Gosunkugi's track record, Ranma didn't see a
reason to be nervous either way.

"Each of you," the black-clad boy began, his words sounding like he was
reading off a script, "being young but experienced members of your
chosen professions, is in your home, study, or sanctuary, resting and
recovering from a long day of work at your chosen vocation, or waking up
to begin the same. Without fanfare or warning, you are wrenched from
your homes in a blinding flash of light. When the light fades, you find
yourself on a hilltop with five strangers. You see a city in the
distance, a large body of water beyond that, and a trio of boxes between
you and a small glade of trees off in the direction of the mid-morning
sun. Beyond the glade, mountains rise in the distance, with the sun
only a few degrees above them."

Nabiki was opening her mouth to say something when the world was washed
away in a flash of light.

Ranma leapt to his feet before the light even began to fade. His
journey to a standing position was interrupted as his slippered feet
caught on his cloak and sent him crashing to the sod-covered ground.

*Wait a minute. Grass? Cloak?*

Ranma glanced down at himself, and saw that he was clad in an outfit of
deep blue, with a slightly lighter cloak. His sleeves flared out, as
though to be used as storage space. Strange runic symbols marched
silver lines along the seams of his outfit. Those observations had a
moment to take hold before a burning pain shot though his entire being,
drowning out all other sensations.

*******

Ranma was brought back to consciousness by a hand gently shaking his
shoulder. Gradually, he was able to force himself to think. He
couldn't feel any pain, but it seemed like whatever caused him to pass
out was being kept in check rather than the cause being gone.

"Come on, Ranchan," Ukyo's voice pleaded through the mental haze, "wake
up."

"I'm awake, Uccahn," Ranma groaned as he opened his eyes.

Bright sunlight stabbed into his eyes, causing him to squeeze them shut
again to give his eyes a chance to adapt. That action took longer than
he was used to, but he didn't linger on that when he opened them and
glanced around.

He saw it all. The glade, the hilltop where other figures were in
various states of awareness, the port city on the coast a few miles
away...

"Yep," Ukyo confirmed, "it's exactly how he described it, though it was
a little dry as just words."

Ranma's attention was brought back to his old friend. She was dressed
in colorful outfit of various shades of blue and green. Unlike Ukyo's
normal clothing, though, this set left no doubt as to the sex of the
wearer. A glaring note was the presence of a sword and quiver full of
arrows on her belt. The top of an unstrung bow shared space with the
neck of some kind of mandolin above her left shoulder. The low-cut
neckline of her tunic had enough teasing potential to qualify as one of
Nabiki's outfits, and allowed the display of a sapphire pendant on a
silver chain around Ukyo's neck. Ranma glanced upward, and saw that his
friend's face was largely unchanged. It did have an unidentifiable
quality, though, as though the lines of her face were a bit more
strictly defined. The big change, of course, were...

"Yeah," Ukyo said, "I noticed them, so you can stop staring." She tried
brushing her hair over her ears to conceal them, but it didn't stop the
points from poking up and out.

"Anyone else have that happen?" Ranma asked when he was actually able to
think.

"Well..." Ukyo began before she was cut of.

"You could say that," a deep, but somehow familiar voice said from
behind the pair.

Ranma spun around, and his jaw dropped to the ground. The figure
standing there could have been Nabiki, if she had been squashed down
like in a fun house mirror. Ranma estimated that the middle Tendo
sister had lost about a foot in height, and had almost that much added
to the breadth of her shoulders. Added to that about half again her
previous weight in muscle mass, and Nabiki definitely looked like
someone who could arm-wrestle Ryoga...and win. She was wearing armor
made from a combination of chainmail and strategically placed metal
plates, and had a huge, wicked looking axe strapped to her back.

"Whoever did this," she continued, in a rumbling voice several octaves
lower than her normal, "had better have their will up to date."

"There is no mystery," a squeaky voice said from behind Nabiki.
Previously hidden by her bulk, a three-foot Kuno stepped out from behind
Nabiki to face Ranma. Instead of his antiquated samurai attire, Kuno
was wearing simple looking wool and leather clothing, though Ranma saw
the openings for several hidden pockets here and there. "This black
sorcery," Kuno proclaimed in a voice that sounded like he'd been
breathing helium, "could only have been brought about by the foul
Saotome. Have at thee, villain!"

Kuno pulled a dagger from his belt and flourished it like his typical
bokken. With a wordless shout, he charged at Ranma. Ranma scrambled to
his feet as a dozen options sped though his mind. The list grew shorter
every step Kuno took toward him, and when it was time to move Ranma had
decided on his course of action. He would sidestep the attack, using
Kuno's own momentum to send the pint-sized swordsman over his leg and
down to the grass. He noted briefly that Kuno didn't seem to be moving
with any of the skill he possessed before.

Ranma found himself in a similar situation an instant later. As he
tried to twist out of the way of the strike, his body refused to respond
in the way he wanted or with the speed he needed. Kuno's dagger was
headed straight for his kidney and he would not be able to get out of
the way.

And inch away from impact, the runes on Ranma's sleeves lit up. Kuno's
dagger hit a barrier as unyielding as a stone wall and was pushed away.
Already off-balance, he was sent into a tumble that ended a few yards
away next to one of the smaller oaks in the glade.

Ranma starred at his clothing. He slapped himself on the arm and
received no response save a sore spot on his arm. "Weird," he commented.

Nabiki and Ukyo were busy glancing between the pair. Ukyo's wide-eyed
expression was a mixture of shock and disbelief, while Nabiki had her
typical calculating gaze, though now it seemed even colder than usual.

Kuno stood and dusted himself off. "Your foul sorcery will not save you
this time, demon! The vengeance of Heaven is-" A long, slim knife
appearing at his throat cut off Kuno's rant with a quiet 'eep.'

The knife was held by a slender hand sheathed in black cloth, which was
in term attached to a similarly clad arm, which disappeared behind the
oak Kuno was sanding beside. There were few shadows on the ground or
among the trees, but somehow the person behind the tree found and
exploited them perfectly.

"None of that," Kasumi's voice said quietly enough that Ranma just
barely made out the words.

Kuno sheathed his own knife in response and backed away from the tree as
the knife was removed from his throat. As he scurried backwards, Kasumi
flowed - there was no other way to describe the grace with which she was
moving - from behind the tree and over to the group. The eldest Tendo
sister was unchanged in appearance, but her style of dress was altered
enough to put everyone on edge. Gone was the conservative dress and
apron she typically wore. Instead, her form was sheathed from neck
downward in body-hugging black silk. Her tunic's collar flared upward
into a deep hood that cloaked her face in shadow. A matte-black belt
and pair of bandoleers held a collection of pouches and some tools. The
knife she had been holding disappeared up her sleeve, and Ranma saw that
she had no other visible weapon except a device on her left wrist that
was probably some kind of crossbow.

"I'm glad I made those corrections," Kasumi commented with a smile that
was visible though the hood's shadows, "silk is much more comfortable
than leather."

"Where's Akane?" Ranma asked. Nabiki remained silent, either from shock
or from calculating potential profits.

"I don't think she's woken up yet," Ukyo pointed over to a form huddled
on the ground. "It might have something to do with the transition. I
know it did for me."

"Me too," Ranma said as he went over to Akane. Her clothing had also
changed. She was now wearing a loose tunic and baggy pantaloons, with
some kind of halter top under the tunic, which had no fasteners besides
being tucked in the belt. A large-bladed spear lay untouched on the
ground.

"Akane?" Ranma whispered as he gently shook her shoulder. When he shook
again her eyes flew open. Ranma noticed a pained and almost manic look
in her eyes before they flashed with light and the world once again
dropped away.

*******

nodaddynomorecatsithurtsdaddyithurtsmommywheresmommywhydowehavetogowhataboutUcchanwhycantwetakehimwithus

*******

Ukyo heard Ranma shout something and suddenly stop. As she looked over,
she saw Akane and Ranma locking stares.

*What's that idiot doing?* She asked herself, not sure which of the pair
deserved the title more.

*******

IcantgopopsIhavetosayIpromisedRyogaIdbehereforhischallengeletgoIhavetostayhegetslostsoheslatehthatsall

*******

"Akane?" Kasumi asked as she and Nabiki approached the pair. "Ranma?"

"Oh shit," Nabiki breathed. She pointed to where Ranma's hand gripped
Akane's shoulder, with Akane's hand gripping his in turn. Blood was
beginning to flow down and off Ranma's wrist from her fingernails.

*******

whydpopshavetobringusherewhoarethesepeoplewhatdotheywantfrommeImnotreadytogetmarreidwherespopswhosshe

FriendhaventhadafriendinsolongwhatdoesfriendmeanwhydoesntshelikeboysImaboysowhyisshebeingnicetomeahthisbathfeelsgoodbutIgottafinpopsbettergetdressedhuhAkanewhyisshesoshockedohshewasnakedtooIguessshewasntexpectingtofindmeinhere

*******

"Get them apart!" Kasumi ordered when she saw blood begin to leak from
Akane's nose and the corners of her eyes. Nabiki saw no reason to argue
and used her newly acquired strength to pry the two apart.

Ranma flopped to the ground and lay still. The steady rhythm of his
breathing was the only sign of life.

Akane, on the other hand, landed and immediately shot up to her knees.
Her back arched back as her hands went to the sides of her head. Sparks
seemed to dance in and around her eyes as she began to scream. As
though mimicking the pain she was in, a cloud of lighting raged around
her. Nabiki was thrown back by the first bolts, and Kasumi had to duck
quickly to avoid a similar fate.

The next set of bolts struck the three boxes. Everyone was knocked back
by three huge balls of flame that burst out of the wood. Akane was
closest to the explosion, and was sent flying. Kuno had been moving
towards her to 'offer assistance' and provided a method of breaking her
fall as they both crashed to the ground unconscious. With Akane out,
the storm disappeared without a trace.

End Chapter 1