Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Shadowran ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Ranma ran through the dirty streets in his borrowed Renraku Red Samurai uniform, trying to remember where it all went wrong. Seeing a dark, empty office complex, he threw a quick skill-reinforced kick and ducked inside. When he was sure he was safe, he dug the mirror and its fragments from his hip pocket and cursed the memory that brought him here…

"RANMA!" Akane Tendo roared, "How dare you flirt with those hussies! I swear, how I wound up engaged to a pervert like you, I'll never understand…" Her rant would have continued, except two things decided to interrupt. The first, at least for her, was a negligible threat…

Letting loose with his fearsome war cry, the first interruption came bounding over a far wall in the Tendo yard. "SWEETO!" SPLASH! "Now, Ranma-chan, you wouldn't deny an old man his fun, would you?"

Of course, since Ranma was cursed to become a rather buxom young woman when splashed with cold water, until he, now she, found some warm water to reverse the curse and change back into a guy, the threat was enormous. "Get offa there Happi!" Ranma-chan bellowed, "I don't got time to play right now, I need to get out and get Akane her birthday present!"

Grandfather Happosai, or Happi, was a little reluctant to let him go. As the Grandmaster of the Anything Goes Martial Art, he had a reputation to keep and all, so he let her go under a condition or two… "Oh, alright. But when you get back, I want you to model some pieces from my collection!" the old geezer martial artist chortled. "Of course, as it will be a special occasion, I shall have to liberate more of my silky darlings! Genma! Soun! It's time for a training trip!"

Upon hearing this, the fathers of Ranma and Akane, Genma and Soun, both Masters of the Art as well, cowered. It would be fairer to say, though, that Genma activated his curse and played the part of an overweight panda. "Nothing to see here, just a cute, cuddly panda!" was what Genma's sign said. `Someone should let you know you aren't cute, old friend,' Soun mentally remarked as he faced the terrible wrath of the diminutive pervert. "Oh, thank you Master, for letting him go. Do you think we could maybe stay out of Juuban or Tomobiki this time? I've still got scorch marks from all of those lightning bolts that oni tossed at us," Soun asked the little lecher.

Now, the second interruption was a little more…problematic. You see, in this whole scene, Akane's birthday was being ignored as they all focused on Ranma. She, being the "darling" of her father's eye, got a little frustrated at this and brutally smashed Ranma-chan towards the front gate with a right cross. "You'd better come straight back, Ranma, or else…" She let the threat trail off as she noticed Happosai grab her chest…

"Ah! Get off me pervert! Help me Ranma!" Akane just screamed as Happosai groped and fondled her chest. "Sorry, Akane, but I'll be right back!" Ranma-chan yelled as she sprinted for the rooftops, thanking whatever Gods that had been listening to her prayers…

Meanwhile, in the Nerima Shopping District, a new magic shop had opened its doors that same day. "Shadows of the Future. Proprietors H. Quinn and D. Zahn," said Ranma-chan as she read the sign out loud. "I hope they have some hot water, and maybe something to help Akane cook…" She walked into the shop and started to look around. She found several computer chips on cooking, some supposedly "magical" foci, and a scroll covered in written symbols.

While she was browsing, one of the proprietors had started following her around the store. Now, normally, a tall gentleman wearing blue jeans and a black leather jacket inside such a place would be looked at with curiosity or even suspicion, especially if their face had been painted white with red diamonds over the eyes and mouth. However, this gentleman was not like the usual gaijin that unfortunately got caught up in the Nerima Martial Arts scene. Turning his piercing blue eyes toward the young woman that had entered the shop, he sauntered over with a casual air and started in on a typical sales pitch.

"Ah, yes, that spell focus is perfect for summoning an Earth elemental," Mr. Quinn drolled thoughtfully as he pulled a strand of dark hair behind a pointed ear, "though that scroll would fix a broken artifact quite easily. And you can't go wrong with cooking skillchips either, though not many people can take advantage of these, yet."

"Who're you, and why is your face like that?" asked Ranma-chan, "And could I get a cup of hot water, please?" she batted her eyes cutely as she performed her "Cute Girl" attack. "Of course, oh, where are my manners! My name is Harley Quinn, or Harlequin as my friends know me. Now, as for my face, well, it's a tattoo that symbolizes a past…failure on my part to complete an important task. Now, follow me, and I'll get you your water," explained the shopkeeper.

After showing Harlequin her curse, Ranma continued shopping, not noticing Mr. Quinn make some gestures in the air. He did notice, however, the energy in the air change, which caused Ranma's danger sense to perk up and force him to make a decision. "Ah…I'll get this scroll, and maybe these skillchip things, too," explained Ranma as he handed Mr. Quinn his money. Then, noticing the time, Ranma sprinted back to the Tendo home, leaving a bemused shopkeeper in his wake.

"Dunkelzahn, old friend," mused Harlequin, "I think we may have found the means to complete our experiment."

"Indeed, Harlequin, but you must be careful. The Chaos magic here is barely enough to sustain my link, and that boy is the reason the energy is being produced," Dunkelzahn cautioned as they watched Ranma head home.

Instead of going through the house, Ranma jumped through the open guest room window, and pulled out the ancient Nanban Mirror he and his friends had inadvertently broken. Placing it on his lap, Ranma pulled out the scroll, which had rewritten itself into a readable text.

"…and finally, after preparation, the wielder must say these three words: Klaatu, Verada, Nikto to complete the ceremony," said Ranma as he studied his new acquisition. "Now I'll be able to stop myself from getting this stupid curse!" crowed Ranma as he started the ceremony. After a few minutes, he was ready to say the words. "Klaatu, Verada, Nik-*ACHOO!*" sneezed Ranma as the mirror glowed with an internal light.

Now the mirror was whole, and all Ranma had to do was shed a tear and make his wish. He accomplished this by sneaking into the kitchen and grabbing an onion, cutting it up, and crying on the mirror. His wish was fairly simple, though: "I wish I could go back two years to the Cursed Springs and stop myself from falling in."

However, the failure to say the correct words would be his undoing, for no sooner had he finished his wish, than the mirror started to glow brighter. The rapid build up of energy proved too much for the old mirrored glass; it had cracked and spiderwebbed within the frame, causing Ranma to panic strategically set the mirror down and hide. The spell still completed itself, and with a muttered curse of "Damn painted salesmen," Ranma and the mirror disappeared from the room.