[Original][R ½][X-Over]  As yet untitled...

Authors Note: This is my first attempt at a fanfict.  The subject isn't
wrong, it is an original/Ranma crossover, with the slight problem that I
haven't finished the original story yet (I keep telling myself that I'll
get around to it sometime soon, so if you want to know the background that
leads up to this you have three options, 1: live with it and go on, 2:
e-mail me with questions, 3: tell me to get off my lazy rear and finish the
story!).  Skip to a section at the end to get a brief intro to the various
abilities picked up by my friends and myself.

Anyway, here's the story, questions/c&c/MST/flames to magius@iastate.edu

WARNING: SELF INSERTION FIC!!! Author has chosen to insert himself into
this piece of fiction.  So if this is a problem for you, don't read any
farther!

By the way, after the prelude it becomes a little more standard, so if
you're disgusted by the prelude, at least read a little further before
judging the story!

DISCLAIMER: Some characters below owned by some people that aren't me.
Characters used without permission.  Please don't sue me!  All characters
are fictional <G> any semblance between these fictional characters and real
people are purely circumstantial.  Please don't sue me!

Prelude:   An old friend...


My life was just starting to get back to normal.  I was settling in nicely
at collage, and my previous adventures were beginning to settle back into
the deep recesses of my mind.  It was my freshman year at collage, and
between the various skills that I had picked up, and a little bit of luck
(always the factor that seems to affect me the most, usually for the worst,
but not always), I was doing exceptionally well in my classes.

Indeed, I thought that all of my life was finally in order, when one day on
the way back from an exam (who would have ever thought that they'd give
tests at 8:00 at night?) I saw someone that I didn't quite expect to see
again (at least not in this life).

I had finished my test early, and was walking back to my dorm, when a dark
figure moved out from the shadows.  Slightly more than moved, in fact, the
figure jumped from the shadows and straight at me.

My reflexes took over (fortunately, for I had yet to realize that the
figure was there), I dove to the side, just being missed by a black bladed
sword.  It suddenly clicked in my mind who I was up against, and I paused
to in confusion "Um, aren't you dead?"  I addressed the figure.

The figure's voice was a raspy whistle.  He laughed and said "In a manner
of speaking, you could say that I was, but that was a little boring, and we
have unfinished business.  You left me to die, and I am going to kill you
for that."  He then advanced on me with the black bladed sword at the ready. 

Still confused, but not quite suicidal, I summoned my sword, and in a dull
glimmer of light, the blade appeared in my hand.  I held it defensively in
front of me.  I was a bit out of practice (its been at least four months
from the last time I had even held the sword), I was clearly outclassed by
the strange shadowy opponent, and was forced to stay on a complete
defensive level.

Slowly I was forced back out of the open, and into a shadowy ally.  I felt
some strange force in this ally, but was a little too busy too figure out
what it meant.  

I managed to fend off a few more attacks, trying to find a way to get out
of this alive.  In desperation, I felt for nearby magic (most places on
Earth have no significant magic, so I'm usually out of luck), and luckily I
found a slight magic force mixed with the strange force.  With no other
options, I pulled as much of the energy into me as I could gather, and held
up my hand.

A bright flash flew from my hand, and I dove forward, trying to score a
hit.  The shadowy figure recovered almost instantly, and brought his sword
up to defend himself.  Just at that moment something happened that
surprised us both.

>From the center of the alley, a black void sprung up, just then I realized
what the force that I drew must have been, but it was too late to worry
about now.

I dropped my sword and dove down trying to lower my center of gravity.  The
shadowy figure was pulled from his feet, and drew into the void.  My sword
followed him close behind, and soon after, I was dragged into the void.



Chapter 1: Introductions

I flew through the void for a short time, and on the other end, it opened
into empty air.  High empty air.  I looked down, and saw my sword falling
under me, it stabbed point down into one of several large rocks.  Fortune
smiled on me, as I landed in the pond next to these rocks, and was less
injured than hitting the ground would have left me.

When my head reached the surface of the water, I was greeted by the one of
the strangest sights that I have seen in my short (but event filled) life.
A boy with black hair, tied off into a ponytail was fighting another guy.
The other guy was armed with what seemed to be a wooden sword, but as they
fought, the wooden sword cut through fences, trees, and even rock.  In the
entrance to a house in the yard, sat a girl with short hair.  She
apparently had noticed my arrival (the other too seemed to engaged in their
struggle to bother with me).

Unseen to me, the black shadowy figure melted away from the scene of the
battle.

As I was climbing out of the pond, the guy with the wooden sword noticed my
sword stuck into one of the rocks.  He started towards it, breaking off his
fight with the other boy.

"Ah, the legendary Masemune, called forth from the heavens so that I might
smite you.  I Kuno Tatewaki shall remove it from its prison in stone, and
finish you once and for all foul Saotome!"

I frowned for a second at my ring, was its magical translator failing?  I'd
have to remember to check it later, I can't believe that anyone would
really speak like that.  But for now, I had to claim my sword back.  I
pulled myself out of the pond, and grabbed the sword, moments before this
Kuno person.  I eased the sword from the stone (hehe) and held it down
behind me.

"Kuno" looked at me and said, "What foul magic is this?  Saotome, though
hast resourted to a new low, summoning a water demon from the watery abyss
to steal from my grasp the sword that is rightfully mine.  Foul water
demon, release you tainted grasp from my blade!  I demand that you turn it
over to me, or suffer the wrath of Kuno Tatewaki!"

I was about to say something, when the young man with the black ponytail
hit Kuno from the side, and knocked him far into the sky.

"Uh, thanks," I managed.  

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" The young man asked, still in a
ready fighting position (something that I really wasn't in the mood for at
the moment).  Fortunately for me, the young girl with the short hair got
there.

"Ranma no BAKA!" she yelled, hitting the young man from behind (violent
neighborhood, this isn't looking good).  "You could at least see what he
wants before attacking him!"

"I didn't attack him," "Ranma" said, almost backing away, but then he
turned to me and said, "But this kawiikune does have a point, who are you,
and what are you doing here?"

I really need to check that ring, that's twice in two sentences, but I can
work on that later, "My name is "Kurt Montgomery, and-"

"Are you here for a duel?" Ranma broke in.

"Uh, no, I'm-"

"Have I offended your honor?  Destroyed you home?  Killed your dog?"
Obsessed Ranma

"No, I'm not here for a fight-"

"You're not engaged to me are you?"

"WHAT?!?"

"Just checking, hmm I know, you have a curse, and it's my fault, right?"

"Not that I kno-"

"Are you a demon from Hell?  A god?  Some powerful warrior to attack earth
or kidnap my friends?"

"Not really, I'm just-"

Fortunately, the girl with short black hair broke in "Ranma, maybe if you'd
give him a chance to answer..." She smiled at me and said, "you look like
you could use some freshening up, please feel free to use our bathroom."

She led me to a small room, and said, "the bath is just though there, I'll
have Kasumi find you some clothes to wear."

"Thank you," I said.

This gave me the chance to think a little about what had transpired.  Where
I was wasn't that important.  But, what had happened to my "friend"?  And
what was with the people here?  Why couldn't I ever go someplace normal
when I happened to change dimension?  Was this even a different dimension?

After a quick shower (I didn't feel like a bath a the moment), I thought
that perhaps a slightly higher level of  "battle gear" would be better
suited for wherever it was that I'm at.  I rubbed the stone slightly
thinking of what I had available.  No need to pull out all my tricks, but
better safe than sorry.

First some clothes.  I retrieved a simple button-down deep-red shirt, and
leather pants.  Thinking of what I had seen as the "norm" around here, I
also added a few weapons.  Gleaming silver bracers appeared on both of my
arms, crafted sliver outlining several light blue stones, power running
through them.  On the left arm, a small crafted dagger with a ruby hilt set
in gold appeared in a hidden sheath.

Almost as an after thought, I summoned my armor, a sleek midnight-blue
cloak, which shifted forms to become a slight cape, traveling the length of
my arms and chest in the deep blue.

I looked in the mirror, boy did I look silly, the outfit looked much better
with a beard.  Oh well, it would have to do for now.  I looked at my sword,
and sent it off to it's waiting place, until I needed it again.  I had
plenty of ways to deal with any threats for now.

I walked out of the bathroom, and heard several voices talking, one of them
belonged to "Ranma", the other was a good deal older.

"Alright pops, what did you do this time?  It's a guy, so it can't be
another engagement, right!"  Ranma said.

"Show some respect boy!  I would never engage you to another man!"  The
older voice said.

"Then what is it?  Did you rob this guy's parents?  Train him in unbeatable
techniques?  Offer him my first-born? What?"

"I really can't remember ever meeting a 'Kurt Montgomery,'" The older voice
said.  "I'm sure I'd remember anyone with the name Kurt, it's not normal,
sounds like a Gajin name to me."

I didn't feel like waiting much longer, so I made my appearance.  "I'm not
sure what a 'Gajin' name is, but I wouldn't doubt that you had ever heard
it before, I'm not from around here."  I said walking in.

The man Ranma was addressing was a much older man (easily matching the
description "pops") slightly balding, wearing a white karate-style uniform.
 He looked slightly embarrassed by being caught discussing me, so I found
it safe to assume that "gajin" isn't a compliment.

"My name is Kurt Montgomery, I don't believe that we've been formally
introduced."  I said with a slight bowing of my head to the two of them.

The boy turned to face me, "I'm Saotome Ranma, heir to the Saotome school
of Indiscriminate Grappling." (yes, I know that it usually is 'Anything
Goes Martial Arts' but this sounds so much cooler <G>)

The older man rose and bowed as he introduced himself, "I am Saotome Genma,
Ranma's father". 

Ranma turned to me and said, "Now that we've been introduced, do you think
that you might explain what it is that you're doing here?"

I sighed, and said, "I hope you're not in a hurry, this might take a
while."  And began to tell my tale.



Chapter 2: A tale of the past.

I sat down next to Genma and Ranma, and began my story.  I told them a
little about my distant past, growing up and such, but skipped on to the
fateful day.  Neither asked for explanation of what Boy Scouts was, I
almost wondered what the translator was telling them, but it's not
important.  I told them of how I found myself in a strange abandoned city,
and of finding the dark corridor in the basement of a house.

"The corridor had a cold, inhuman feeling to it, I'm still not sure why I
kept going down it.  But I reached the end of the corridor, and found a
door.  I opened the door, and found a circular room.  In the center of the
room was a glowing gem, pulsing with light.  I don't know how I knew, but I
could sense that the gem was evil.

"I tried to look away, but my gaze was locked on the gem.  It seemed to be
pulling in my very soul.  It took all the will I could muster, and even
then, it felt like I tore apart myself when I pulled away.  I ran down the
corridor, never looking back at that glowing gem.

"What I didn't find out until later was, part of my soul literally was torn
from me.  Some part of my spirit knew that that gem was powerful, and
fought to stay behind.  It won in its own right, and part of me stayed with
that gems evil influence.  The gem gave power to that part of my soul, and
although the ghostly spirit had no physical form, it gained power.  Part of
that power was that it could possess a body, take it over, and use it to
its own end.  From that day on, it has been using other people's bodies to
try and capture me, it seems to think that it will gain unlimited power by
possessing me.  And that's why I here, I followed it."  (well that's almost
true, I did follow it, but not by any choice of mine!).

Ranma seemed lost in thought, thinking over what I had told him, but Genma
spoke up immediately, "Well, don't worry, I know that Ranma will help you
track down this spirit before it can cause any harm!"

This broke Ranma out of his thoughts, "What!  No, I'm not getting involved
here, I've got enough-"

"Ranma!  Its every martial artist's duty to help those in need!"

I broke in before the argument could come to blows (and from what I had
seen so far in this world, they were about 3.2 seconds from breaking
something) "Umm, I appreciate the offer, but I really don't think that it
would be necessary.  I mean, I'm sure that Ranma means well, but I doubt
that he'd be much help."

I realized that that was a mistake as soon as I said it.  Violence flashed
over Ranma's face, but he seemed to catch it, and the violence was replaced
with a grin. "Perhaps you're right, but would you mind sparring with me
before you go off to fight evil spirits?  I always wanted to know what it
would be like to fight one of the great masters."

Warning sensors were going off in my brain, everything about this seemed
wrong.  "I'm really not a violent person, I'm sure your very skilled," I
began.

"Oh please, I really would like a chance to test my skills, you can always
go easy on me."  The grin on Ranma's face screamed at me to walk away, but
the stupid male ego section of my brain said that I could take him.

"Alright, but we'll keep this from getting too rough, okay?"

"Sure," he began, and lunged at me, throwing me out the door, back into the
yard by the pool.

My reflexes kicked in, and I rolled out as I landed, so I wasn't seriously
hurt.  The fact that Ranma could throw me that far without seriously
straining something doubled the red-alert going off.  Mentally I willed the
metal bracers that I wore to put up their invisible force around me (one of
the many uses that they have), feeling slightly more confident, I stepped
into a basic defensive stance.

Ranma flew out of the house in a jump-kick, I sidestepped it, but almost as
soon as I realized he had flown past me, he kicked me in the back of the
head.  At that point I knew that I was seriously outclassed here.  If I
hadn't had the shield up, that kick would have definitely knocked me out
and quite possibly killed me.  As it was, I was knocked over, and barely
managed to regain my footing as Ranma closed again.

Ranma jumped at me, and I managed to trip him.  In the brief respite that
this offered, I looked Ranma over.  My trip knocked him from his feet, but
he just rolled though it, and sprang to his feet.  The speed he moved at
was completely inhuman.  I'm fast.  Some minor surgery on my nervous system
made me even faster, but I could barely keep up with Ranma's movements.  He
came at me with a quick exchange, I batted aside his punches, but then he
did something surprising, he did a flip-kick, and landed ten feet away.  In
his flip-kick he hit me at least a half-dozen times.  Again I was fortunate
for my shielding, because I wouldn't have taken a hit like that and still
been able to fight without it.  Even as it was, I doubted the wisdom in
continuing this fight.

Ranma stayed waiting several feet from me, allowing me to catch my breath,
I suppose.  Not that he had anything to worry about in this fight.

I tried desperately to think of some way to at least slow down this inhuman
fighter.  Ranma looked at me, and apparently decided that I wasn't going to
attack, so he jumped at me again.  I dodged out of the way.  This fight was
really getting pathetic.  At this time, the girl with the short hair that I
saw earlier came out into the yard and saw the fight.  She ran at Ranma,
and a hammer appeared out of nowhere, "Ranma, how dare you pick on a guest
like that?" She yelled as she hit Ranma.  Ranma's response was lost as he
flew up into the air and out of sight.

Genma walked outside and asked me, "still think that Ranma wouldn't be any
help?" He was chuckling.

Somehow the humor was lost on me.

END for now



Short history of my past:

In another universe, a slightly insane wizard took it upon himself to
explore different dimensions.  During one experiment, the barrier between
our dimension (Earth) and this one was torn.  Several dozen people
disappeared from what they were doing in their various lives, and were
brought to the wizards dimension (to apparently random places in the
dimension).  Among the people brought to this dimension were a few of my
friends and myself.   I met up with my friends, and we had a few adventures
together, before finding our way home (where this story picks up).
Fortunately for us, the great gods of convince (more specifically the gods
Plot Hole, and Authors Right), decided that time runs differently on other
planes, so the months we spent in other dimensions barely affected the time
on Earth, and we were able to pick up where we left off.

Me:  I was busily working at scout camp, when suddenly the floor of my
cabin dropped into nowhere, taking me with it.  I ended up in an abandoned
city, and spent several months wandering around, trying to piece together
what happened.  In my various travels, I learned enough skills to survive
the encounters I met, and no small amount of magic.  Unfortunately, the
magic that I learned was dependent on the world surrounding me, and is all
but useless in a low-magic world (read Earth, and the Earth that Ranma &
Co. Live on).  On my travels trying to get home, I ended up in a highly
advanced world, and was given some slight surgery (a little speed
enhancement, bringing me up to just slightly superhuman reflexes).

Jason:   A kindred spirit to myself, Jason is a slightly rash person, who
is a great friend once you know him, but he tends to over-react to insults,
which lands him in trouble quite often.  He happened to learn a strange
type of magic, it draws its power from him, so he can use it anywhere, but
it tends to be unpredictable in result (he never bothered to learn enough
about how the magic works, so its pretty much random).

Carly:  My SO, wasn't brought to the other dimension, but did believe me
when I told her about it (or at least humored me about it).  I gave her a
present that would allow her to come visit me from time to time, and that's
how she arrived here.