"Two Figures in the Sun"
                   Another attempt at a Ranma 1/2 Fic
                     (It's so ordinary... until it isn't..)
                     by Kevin "SailorTerra" Callahan

***

 Ranma Saotome sat at a little ramen place about two blocks from the
Tendo Dojo, picking at a bowl of ramen with his chopsticks.  He wasn't 
hungry, just extremely bored. Besides, he had a few yen lying around, and 
they would have been Nabiki's anyway at some point in time. Sighing, Ranma 
pushed back his chair and got up. Ranma turned and started down the block
towards the Tendo Dojo.

 Had Ranma turned at the end of the block and continued on that
route to the dojo, he might have avoided one of the figures that was coming
down the opposite way, as well as the water that a maid poured out into the
street. However, he avoided neither the water nor the figure, and he would
regret his discion not 5 minutes later.

 Cursing as he(she) felt the water cascade down her body, the now 
female Ranma walked just a bit faster, eager to get to the dojo in order to
change into dry clothes. She was noticed by a boy, no older than 14, 
walking the other direction. His eyebrow shot up and a look of knowing came
over him.

 "Saotome Ranma-sama!!!" he shouted at the redheaded martial artist
coming towards him. At first the "-sama" threw her off, but she realized
her name had been called. "Now, I don't have to find the Tendo Dojo 
myself!" her cried in happy delight.

 Ranma fixated on the boy, but continued walking, for the boy had
stepped into synch with her. "And who are you?" she asked in a slightly
suspicious tone. Anyone who knew her name (and usually condition) was 
either an enemy or a fi-

 "We're going to get married!" The boy shouted, as if announcing 
that the invitations had already been sent. Ranma almost cringed, but she
sighed instead, far too used to the goings-on of her father. Her old man
probably skipped a bill and used her for payment while she wasn't looking.

 Scrutinizing the boy, she found a possible way out, "Aren't I 
little old for you?" The boy shook his head dramatically.

 "No, silly Ran-chan," Ranma gritted her teeth, but let him
continue undisturbed, "We're not getting married yet, because Mother needs
to train you how to be a proper bride before we are. The training will
take years, and that's why I was sent to get you now."

 Ranma began her counter-statement, but noticed how close they were
to the dojo and changed the topic instead. "Well, look, here we are, the
Tendo Dojo. Now, let's straighten this thing out." Stomping through the
door and up to her father, Ranma shouted "OK, DAD, Who the heck is this!?"
She pointed to the boy. 

 The panda turned to his offspring and held up a sign. [Why should
I know who this is?] He scanned the boy and shrugged, going back to his game
of Go with Soun Tendo. The boy responded by setting what appeared to be a
receipt in front of the panda. [Oh, yes uhm... OK, well... Keep her.]

 "DAD!" 

 The boy sat. "I planned on keeping her anyway, but now she must go 
back to the hills with me to be taught how to be a bride by Mother."

 Finally realizing what was going on, Soun Tendo looked up. "Hey wait 
just a minute Saotome, Ranma's promised to Akane. You know that!"

 Ranma clenched her fists "Forget about the damn tomboy and get me 
outta this mess!!!!" As if on cue the aforementioned tomboy came out of the
kitchen and headed for Ranma with a mallet.

 Chasing him around, Akane cried, "Who you calling a tomboy??? You
stupid inconsiderate jerk!!!!!!" Promptly hitting him, she dismissed the 
mallet to disappear from which it came. She wiped her hands, "hrmphed" and 
headed back towards the kitchen. Ranma lie semi-conscious  on the floor 
muttering something about certain girls and their hammers.

 "Sooooooo...." said the boy, "When's Ran-chan coming with me back to
the hill country? You do have to pay your debt to my family for the ten bowls
of Ramen you ate." The boy gestured to the bill. "Either pay the money or
relinquish the girl to be my bride."

 The panda held up a sign reading [Where's Nabiki? She has that kind
of money.] He looked in several directions for the girl.

 Soun shook his head, "Nope, sorry, you will not take my daughter's
money in order to pay for your dishonorable debt. We need that money... with
my wife being gone and all..." His eyes began to well up with tears, but 
Kasumi had heard where his statements were going and had come out to give 
him a hug. "Ah, thank you Kasumi, you're such a good daughter..."

 [Soun, either the debt gets paid or Ranma doesn't marry Akane. Which
would you rather have?] read the most recent sign the Panda put up. He sat his
glare on Soun and awaited the inevitable response.

 "Nabiki!!!!!" Soun's voice cried.

 "Yes, father?" came the businesswoman's voice as she stepped out from
behind a door. Soun pointed to the bill. Reading it, she "uh-huh"'ed several
times. "So then either Mr. Saotome's bill is paid or Ranma becomes a bride
for yet another person? And this means that you'll obviously want me to pay 
the bill like a good daughter in order to make sure Ranma marries Akane... 
OK, but," a dangerous smile crossed her face, "what's in it for me?"

 Despite the sitting positions of most of the occupants of the room, a
fairly loud pratfall followed Nabiki's statement. Soun jumped up, tears 
streaming down his eyes "Nabiki, the Tendo family honor is at stake here! That
should be enough!!" "Hrumph"'ing Nabiki sat down a stack of Yen and wordlessly
made her exit.

 The boy happily scooped up the money. Ranma turned and walked towards
him as he went through the door, "I trust, then, that this matter of me being
your bride... is uhm settled." The boy nodded.

 "Yes, Mother will be pleased, she never wanted to train you anyway, 
but figured your father would never pay his debt with money. So I suppose this
is good--"

 "HITOMI!!" A shadow fell over the boy and Ranma. "So THIS is that 
tramp your mother wanted you to marry!!! Face the consequences of Hotaru 
Mayazaki!!!" The shadow jumped down off the building it was standing on to
reveal it's true form. A blonde haired girl in brown school fuku landed in
front of the pair. "So this is the infamous Saotome Ranma? It will be a
pleasure to stomp you into the ground for stealing my Hitomi-chan!"

 Ranma waved her hands in the air, "No no, you misunderstand, the debt
is paid and--"

 "SILENCE." She pulled a kitana out of seemingly nowhere and brandished
it before Ranma. "Now, this won't take long so kindly sit still while I kill
you. You will now suffer the consequences of incurring Hotaru Mayazaki's
wrath."

 "I don't think so!" Ranma turned to run, but Hotaru had already 
anticipated that move and was there by the time Ranma finished turning. She 
was obviously faster then Ranma. Most of her attacks would be useless... 
unless. Of course, that was it! If she could lure Hotaru into a spiral she 
could use the Heaven Blast of the Dragon. She was out of practice of course, 
but this opponent wouldn't even be aware of what she was doing into too late 
and then Ranma would defeat the new threat. 

 Ranma backpedaled, crying challenges. "Come and get me you bimbo!
Come on, you can catch me." The redhead continued backing up, around and 
around further taunting the blonde who was following slashing wildly. "Ha,
you can't catch me!" Then Ranma just stopped. The blonde slashed down and 
Ranma ducked allowing all his fear to permeate the atmosphere. The air around
the two combatants swirled and churned heaving everything towards the sky.

 Upwards and upwards the ground and the three people flew, continuing
around in what appeared to be a mad tornado traveling through Tokyo. Gravel
and rocks and sharp currents of air tore at their clothes and at their flesh.
Two howled out in pain though they couldn't hear their own voices. One floated
aimlessly dead or unconscious.  

 The battle was forgotten as the two still awake clutched with all 
their will to life and limb. They would hardly succumb to each other, why 
succumb now to the fickleness of nature? More pain followed as the group was 
slammed into a wall they couldn't see. Prickling was all they felt before 
blackness won the battle with their individual will.

 The churning mass of air dissolved and left the trio sprawled across 
the beach in horrid positions the human body was never meant to be in. Ranma 
recovered first, crawling about the sand to find the others. Looking south-
westward he saw the blonde clutching the broken body of Hitomi, crying gently 
on his now bear and bloodied chest. No one heard the sobs uttered, the couple 
was simply too far away. As the sun set, they were black against the huge and 
glorious yellowish-red orb.

 Two figures in the Sun.

***

Now you understand, don't you? 
I thought so. OK not much to put here except the usual. 
Mail me at Kionon@hotmail.com and tell me what you think.
Comments, flames, C&C are encouraged.

I had just reread/rewatched all the Ranma 1/2 I had and decided to write a
short Ranma fanfic. Nothing big, just y'know, something.

"Life is a fanfic if you just read it correctly." - Me :P

Kevin Callahan
Bizarro Fanfic Writer