Explanatory intro: Hiya, this is drew. What you are about to read is the
first part of a seven part series. Each part of the series was written
by a different author in a progressive story fashion. Each part also
features a different day of the week-as there were 7 of us ^_^. The
authors are: myself, Andrew Huang, Blade, SKJAM!, Robert Morrison,
Richard Lawson, and Epsilon. It's been quite fun to work on this
project, even though it also involved a bit of work. After each part
there is a small bio about each author. If you have any questions feel
free to e-mail me or anyone you choose. Hope you enjoy the story, and
now, on with the show...


The Week Love Came to Town


Part 1:     Mondays Lead to Madness
                       or
          The Things We Do for a Letter


by Andrew Eoff

It was at this moment that the sun chose to slowly rise over Nerima's
horizon. Being a little tired, it decided that this morning it would
take its own sweet time. Besides, Mondays rarely led to anything
eventful...

***

The noble Kuno Tatewaki slowly opened one eye. He was greatly pleased to
note that the beautiful Tendo Akane had been the first person to grace
his countenance this morning. He allowed the other eye to open and
focused both of them on the large picture of his love attached to the
far wall. Fate had indeed been kind. Was it not right that today should
be spent basking in the glow of this fierce, yet wondrous creature? He
risked a glance at the equally large photo of his other true love the
pig-tailed girl. Ahh, how could he deny her the blessings of his
courtship? His brain momentarily locked up as both beauties vied for a
place foremost in his affections. No, he thought, fate had decreed Tendo
Akane's place this fine Monday, and who was he to deny fate? Happy to
have made his choice, he prepared to arise and begin the day's labors of
wooing the beautiful Akane.

---

Elsewhere in Nerima, thoughts not nearly as noble were beginning to
percolate to the surface of someone else's mind. Saotome Ranma was in
the middle of a conversation with two of his friends when Akane suddenly
burst into the room.

"R-ranma!" Akane sobbed. "It's P-p-chan." she hysterically continued.

"What are you babbling about Akane? What about that stupid pig?"

"P-chan is R-ryouga!" she wailed. Ranma merely smiled and said...

At that particular moment Genma doused his son with a particularly cold
bucket of water. The now female Ranma suddenly yelled, "Oi old man!
Whatcha go and do that for? I was in the middle of my favorite dream!"

Genma merely responded, "That would explain the large smile on your
face. Dreaming of your iinazuke Ranma my boy? You make your father
proud, now prepare for this morning's practice." And with that Genma
tossed Ranma out the window towards the pond.

---

Elsewhere in the Tendo home, the occupant of the room whose door was
guarded by a duck bearing the name Akane was also enjoying her favorite
dream.

"Akane, I was so wrong! You aren't a lousy cook, in fact I think..." the
dream-Ranma was interrupted at that moment by the real Ranma's noisy
landing outside and his subsequent noisy disapproval at his method of
arriving there. Akane, realizing why she had started awake, vowed to get
Ranma for ruining her dream. Ooooh, she thought to herself. That noisy
baka can't even let me be a good cook in my dreams. He's going to pay
for this. A slightly malevolent smile found its way to her face as she
prepared for another typical day at the Tendo home.

***

The stage, being nearly set, requires the morning thoughts of but one
more soul. However, this morning, his thoughts are not at all peaceful.
The former Emperor Sanzenin was restlessly dreaming. In his dream 999
girls were laughing at him. He recognized the face of each: they were
the girls he had graced with his special greeting. However, they seemed
to find amusement, not passion, in his kiss. It had something to do with
the last girl he had kissed. That red-head. She was the cause of all
this. When he had lost to her in the Charlotte Cup match, things had
begun to fall apart. No longer was he able to maintain his hold over
women. The face of the red-haired girl loomed large in his dream, and he
was suddenly awake, covered in sweat. Mikado shook his head, trying once
again to rid it of the pain he found there. He couldn't believe his
failure. How could this happen to him? He who had kissed 999 women.
Surely there was one yet who would receive his greeting? His thoughts
once again drifted to the one called Akane. He had a feeling she was the
key to this mess. If he could get her to kiss him, perhaps...his
thoughts began to flow from there.

***

Kuno and his faithful servant Sasuke made their way to the fabled
antique store where they had purchased many an item. The most memorable
of which was a certain egg. It had been reported as the progeny of a
Phoenix. Kuno had deemed such an item as a vital necessity and had been
delighted to make it part of his collection. This morning, however, his
thoughts were centered on the lovely Tendo Akane. He had decided it was
time to show more of his true feelings for her. A gift would suit
nicely. "Ah, Sasuke," Kuno began, "to find a worthy gift for my
beautiful love. Is it not a befitting task for this glorious morning?"
Sasuke merely nodded and soothed his master's ego. Kuno continued to wax
poetic until they reached their destination.

The store had undergone few changes. The money that Kuno had spent had
been wisely reinvested in other arcane possessions. The shop owner was
no fool and he occasionally hoped to earn more of the young nobleman's
money. It appeared that this morning he would be in luck.

As Kuno entered the store, he stepped up to the shopkeeper and began,
"Behold shopkeeper, I, the noble Kuno Tatewaki seek a gift for my
beloved. But no mere trifle will suffice. Nay, she must have only the
finest this shop can offer. A gift that will show her the esteem within
which I view her."

As he finished the shopkeeper, replied, "So, you seek a present for your
girl friend eh?"

Kuno looked down in indignation and replied, "Nay! I seek an object
worthy of being bestowed upon the goddess of beauty herself. Can you
provide such as this?" Kuno looked down at the shopkeeper with a look
suggesting the need for complete compliance with his wishes.

The owner merely nodded and began to shuffle off to the section in which
he kept those sorts of items. Kuno began to look at the various trinkets
and items the old man was peddling. His eyes passed over such items as
jewelry, fine clothing, perfumes, a yellowed piece of paper...paper?
What sort of gift was this? "Shopkeeper, what is this piece of paper
before mine eyes? What manner of rare gift could it be?"

"Ahhh, that is indeed something special, not that I believe in it mind
you." he began. "It is the love letter," he started.

"A love letter?" Kuno interrupted.

"No, not a love letter. THE love letter." the shopkeeper continued, a
bit of annoyance creeping in his voice from being interrupted. "Not that
I believe a word of the legend mind you, but that is The love letter.
The very first one. It was written for Izanami by Izanagi(*). Legend has
it that if someone gives this letter to another person, the recipient
will fall madly in love with the giver. It is very ancient and very
powerful, not that I believe in it mind you. But, you must be careful,
if the letter is then taken from the person, the spell is broken. Also,
the letter must be properly..."

At this moment, Kuno could no longer contain himself. The idea that if
he gave this letter to his beloved Akane she would return his affection
was too much for his simple mind to bear. Laughing maniacally, he
smacked the store's owner with a wad of bills and yelled "SOLD!" as
Sasuke waved a sign showing hearts and wedding cakes in the background.

***

For Ranma, the morning routine held few surprises. After placing the old
man in the pond a few times, they made their way in for breakfast. Ranma
surveyed the table and suddenly noticed a slight difference. His normal
place had some strange monstrosity set in front of it, while the other
places had a normal breakfast. "What gives?" he started, until Akane
interrupted him.

"I made your breakfast myself this morning Ranma. I figured after such a
'horrific' drop from your window this morning, that you'd need something
nice to cheer you up." she beamed.

Ranma, for his part, was debating between a sudden fainting spell
brought on from training, or simple flight. When Akane noticed the large
sweat drop formed on his brow however, such thoughts were interrupted.

"You will eat your breakfast Ranma. Don't even try and get out of it. I
made this just for you. Kasumi didn't even help." Her smile took on a
slightly forced look, but she had managed to corner Ranma by the table
while she was talking.

Sensing no quick way out, Ranma decided to try reason. "Aw, come on
Akane. Isn't one shock enough this morning? You don't wanna try and kill
me with your cooking too?"

Akane quickly landed her fist in Ranma's face and merely replied, "You
will eat my cooking!" She accentuated each word of the sentence with
another blow to Ranma's head. Ranma, now sitting in front of Akane's
'breakfast', wondered what he had done to deserve this fate this
morning. Surely, nothing else could go wrong. He stared at a mouthful of
Akane's meal and hoped Kasumi had the family stomach pump ready.

***

As Kuno made his way back to the mansion, he discussed this morning's
fortune with Sasuke. "Ah, Sasuke. Have not the gods themselves smiled
favorably upon I, the noble Tatewaki? To think that I would be in the
possession of The Love letter, written by the gods themselves. And that
such letter will allow me to capture the heart of the active and
astounding Tendo Akane." It was at this moment that the equally lovely
pig tailed girl found her way into Kuno's brain. The picture of her
stopped him in his tracks. The pig tailed one! How could he deny her the
opportunity of falling in love with him? He had the means of freeing her
from that vile sorcerer Saotome. What was he to do? Which should he
choose? Which was more deserving? Which did he love best? 

Sasuke, noticing the glint in his master's eye had removed himself a
good several paces when Kuno suddenly yelled, "I would have them BOTH!!!
Aarrgh! Whatever shall one such as I do? I cannot leave one behind while
the other follows." His lament continued as he made his way home. Surely
he would arrive upon a solution there.

***

Sanzenin wandered around, pondering his situation. Surely there was some
way out of the trap he now found himself in. He had decided that Akane
was indeed the key. Her involvement, as well that of the vile Saotome,
was necessary to restore his former glory. Ah, but how to go about
issuing the challenge? No mere letter would suffice. He remembered the
refreshing change Saotome had used. A fish sausage, now there was
innovation. But how to implement his own style of innovation? What
manner of challenge would help restore the glory of the Golden Pair, and
more importantly, recrown Emperor Sanzenin? As he thought, long and
hard, an idea came to him. He began to smile at its simplicity. He
laughed at its ingenuity. He had it! A love letter. What better way to
restore his glory than through a love letter challenge. Ah, yes, this
was surely the way to proceed. He began his preparations.

***

Kuno found himself in a quandary. Here, in his hands, he had the key
that would unlock the hearts of both his beloveds. But how to use it?
This gift was true torture. To have something so dear, and yet not be
able to use it... He slammed his fist into the wall yet again. Surely,
he thought, there must be a way to implement this most divine of
presents. Surely there was a way he could win his loves. But how? The
shopkeeper had said the letter could not be destroyed, it could not be
torn, it could not even truly be lost, for it would eventually find its
way back. He had been cautioned then, for the old man had warned it
would most likely surface at exactly the wrong time and place. If he
could not divide this letter between the two women most deserving, he
needed a plan that would ensure that the most deserving received it. But
how to go about creating such a plan?

The problem made his head hurt.

---

Ranma looked up from the floor. He was unsure how he had come to be
here. The last thing he remembered was...breakfast. Oh yeah, it all came
back to him in a rush that sent him straight to the bathroom. Akane's
cooking, he muttered, as he left the bathroom. There had to be some way
to avoid it. Once he regained some semblance of health, he walked into
the living room. He noticed Kasumi in the background, going about her
normal cleaning routine. He then saw his father engaged in yet another
game of Shogi with Tendo-san. The rest of the house was quiet. Perhaps
Akane and Nabiki had gone to class. Great, he thought to himself, a
chance to relax for a change. Things couldn't be better, he thought as
he went to the kitchen to look for some real food.

***

Kuno smiled in a sort of gleeful manner. He had it. A method that would
ensure that his gift would be bestowed upon the proper woman. He sent
for Sasuke and began to instruct him.

---

The afternoon was shaping up to be pretty normal, Ranma mused. Once
Akane had returned from school things had resumed their normal
confrontational pace. Ranma, trying to get a bit of peace, decided to
check the mail. He was unaware of Sasuke, who had planted his Master's
gift and was hidden, left to make sure it found its way into the proper
hands.

Kuno had decided to let fate handle the matter, and so had addressed the
letter to both loves. Figuring the more worthy would find it, open it
and then come to him, realizing her newly found passion, he was happy.
The shopkeeper had said that addressing the letter would serve the same
purpose as hand delivery, provided the correct person was the first to
open it. Sasuke, aware that things were never that easy, merely frowned
upon realizing who was checking the mail. He had taken the liberty of
removing the only other piece of correspondence, some sort of letter
from a Sanzenin Mikado. His master had been quite clear in desiring no
obstacles in the path of his plan. Seeing Saotome take the letter, he
went to warn Kuno that things were indeed taking a rather different
turn.

Ranma merely looked at the envelope. It was addressed to the Lovely
Tendo Akane or the Equally Fair Pig-tailed Girl. Well, he thought, that
left no doubts as to who it was from. Not seeing the pig-tailed girl
anywhere near by, he decided it was time for him to return a certain
favor to a certain kawaikune tomboy he knew. He quickly removed the
letter from the envelope, a large smile growing on his face.

---

"Oh Akane" Ranma called, "Hey Akane!" Where is that tomboy? he wondered.
She was never anywhere he wanted her to be. Just at that moment, Akane
came up behind him and yelled, "What?!"

After Ranma rubbed his head where he'd hit it on the ceiling, he turned
to Akane. "I've got something here for you. It's a letter." he smiled,
thinking, this is gonna be great. He hadn't looked at it, but knowing
the usual contents of one of Kuno's letters, he felt relatively secure. 
Akane took the letter from a strangely smiling Ranma and began to read
it. Ranma wasn't sure what was going on, but this was not the usual
reaction Akane gave to one of Kuno's letters. First off, she was smiling
way too much. Second, upon finishing the letter, she placed it inside
her gi, next to her... that thought was quickly interrupted as Akane
launched herself at Ranma yelling "I LOVE YOU TOO!"  What was that?

---

At that moment, Ryouga happened to be wandering behind the Tendo Dojo,
lost as usual. However, he managed to hear Akane yelling, "I love you!
You're so wonderful! I always knew you were my best friend." Ah, Akane,
he thought. No matter where I go, I hear the beautiful sounds of your
voice. How I wish I were hearing you say those things to me now in
person. At just that moment, however, Akane yelled, "Ranma, you're
simply the most perfect person I know!" Those words smashed through
Ryouga's heart as he realized two things, one Ranma had done something
to Akane, and therefore must pay, and two, he was standing right behind
a rapidly approaching Ranma.

---

Kuno charged over to the Tendo dwelling, righteous anger welling from
every pore of his being. How dare that foul Saotome ruin his plan! He
smiled evilly as he saw Ranma ahead of him trapped on one side by a
depressed looking Ryouga, and on the other by a love struck Akane. Ah
the vengeance of heaven shall be mine, he thought as he raised his
bokken.

                                      End Part 1



Author's notes: All characters created by Rumiko Takahashi. No credit is
claimed by this author whatsoever.

[*] Izanagi and Izanami are the two deities responsible for creating
Japan (according to Japanese mythology). For more details look in a book
called the Kojiki. Oh, the bit about the love letter is completely made
up.

Well, let me explain a few things. My name is Andrew Eoff, and I've
written a couple fanfics: You Say It's Her Birthday, Akane Remembered,
and the new Transitions series (well, maybe series). I came up with the
idea to do a progressive Ranma story and to that end you have just read
the first part. Thanks go to Blade for helpful ideas in the preliminary
stages and the rest of the authors involved. Thanks also go to my wife
for her patience and her love of the series. I hope this story captures
some of the feel of the series. My Ranma 1/2 web site is located at
http://www.itsnet.com/~eoff/ranma.html Enjoy! Ja mata.

drew
gambatte ne