Disclaimer: I do not, and unfortunately will never own Ranma ½. The story, and characters all belong to a wonderful woman named Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing that I own would have to be myself, and hopefully some part of the plot used for this fan fiction.
...With the amount of fan fiction floating around the Internet these days, I highly doubt it.
Anyway, just to let you readers (that is, if anyone actually reads this..) know... This is the first chapter, and I'm sorry if it's kinda long... But that's better than it being too short, right?
Also, it's in first person. Meaning: It's being told from my point of view.
This is only for the first chapter, though... So don't worry... Much.
For the next chapter (Which I've already started! Hah!) the story will be told in third person.
I just thought that it might be a neat idea to start off this way. ...Yes, I'm an idiot. I know.
...Are you sure that there's no possibility of me owning Ranma ½?
...No?
Well, damn.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
Have you ever wished for something?
Honestly, take a moment to think about it. Have you ever just made a wish, without ever thinking of the consequences?
Next time you feel the sudden desire to make a wish, Stop.
Think.
I'm not joking. Think about what could happen if your wish ever came true. Thinking of the good should be easy, but try to concentrate on the bad. What could happen if your wish did not come out as planned? Or had some sort of unexpected flaw that you had accidentally overlooked?
For example, say... You decided to wish for a pet. ...Don't look at me like that. I'm pretty sure that everyone at some point in their life has wished for a pet.
Think about that pet. How would you care for it? Would you be able to spend time with it? Did you ever think of what you might have to give up in order to keep the pet? What about if it ever got sick, and/or, God forbid, actually die?
This is merely one of many examples, but I think that it's enough to get my point across.
Why do I rant on about this, you ask?
I do this because... sometimes I think back and wonder what could have happened if someone had taken the time to explain this to me. Something besides the age-old 'Be careful what you wish for' crap that people normally brush off.
'Why'?
...Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to tell you...
I was just sitting at the computer in the basement, surfing a few of my favorite anime sites. I had some random j-pop music playing in the background as I fiddled around, mindlessly humming along to the beat. ...All in all, I was bored, but content.
Of course, it couldn't possibly stay that way.
A sudden loud crash from upstairs made me break away from my happy boredom. I looked towards the staircase as I heard the door slam, and a multitude of loud voices trample through my kitchen and into the living room. I couldn't stop the slight twitch in my left eye as the noise increased, with various screams and explosions to be heard from the television in the living room.
I let my face fall into my hands as a loud groan escaped my lips. Why? Why did he always have to bring his idiotic little friends over?
I straightened myself, and then shouted towards the staircase at the top of my lungs. "ROBBIE!! DOES MOM EVEN KNOW THAT YOU HAVE FRIENDS OVER?"
I waited a few moments for a response before my brother opened the door, with two other boys looking over his shoulder. I could still hear the ruckus in the living room, so I knew that there had to be more.
My brother looked down at me, his face twisted into a smirk as his friends looked on. "I told Dad, he said that he didn't care!" I just stared at him blankly. Riiiight. Like I'm going to believe that. "Robbie, just how many people do you have over?"
He glared, "None of your business, bitch!" I gaped at him, "Excuse me? ..What did you just call me?"
"I called you a bitch!" He practically screamed, his snotty little friends laughing behind them.
I got up from the desk in a rage, placing my hands on my hips as a glared up at him. "ROBERT! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!"
He stuck his tongue out at me, "Fuck you! I can say whatever I want!" He then proceeded to flip me off, laughing along with the brats upstairs.
I was steaming. "Robbie..." I managed to growl out, my nails biting into my palms. Why the hell did he insist on doing this whenever there was company in the house?! Little bastard probably thought it would make him look cool in front of his friends.
"Oooo! Look, she's getting mad now! Grrrrr!" He exclaimed, using his finger to make little horns at the side of his head. One of the boys behind him began to make snorting noises while the other started mooing.
I twitched slightly, but didn't lash out. "Whatcha gonna to do? Huh? Can't hurt me or you'll get in shit later!" He laughed at me for a few moments, then slammed the door.
I breathed in, and then released the breath after a few seconds. I trembled slightly as I kept holding my breath and releasing it. I sat back down at the computer, struggling to keep myself there. After all, I would have hell to pay if I followed my current desires.
Desires that included beating my 'adorable' little brother over the head with the dining room table and burying the bloody remains somewhere in the backyard.
Best to not be tempted.
I tried to re-focus my attention on the computer, hoping that I would be able to go kill something in one of the many online games that I played...
No such luck. Every single game... Was offline? How? I tried to wrap my brain around the sheer amount of bad luck that was required to have all of my games out of service at the exact same time. Fortunately, I was saved from puzzling over that little fact when I heard the phone ring.
Picking it up, I tried to assume a a cheerful voice. "Hello?"
"Finally! Do you have any idea of how long I've been calling?!"
"Eh?" I blinked. "Who is this?"
"It's Nicole, you dumb ass! Get Mom on the phone, NOW!"
I winced at the sheer volume coming out of the receiver, "What? Why?"
"Because I'm down by the lake, and my... friend needs somewhere to spend the night!"
"Nicole! What the hell are you doing down there, at this time of night?!"
"None of your business! Now get Mom!"
"Umm... Nicole, Mom's not even home..."
"Well, where the fuck is she?"
"I haven't seen her all day! How the hell should I know? Maybe she just went out, or something.."
"Whatever. I'll just go somewhere else."
"Wait, Nicole! Can you at least give me the cell number? If i don't have one, mom will--"
"Just... Fuck off, okay?! Fat nosy whore."
"What the fuck?! Nicole--"
Before I could even finish my sentence, the dial-tone rang in my ears. I slammed the phone down as a rather vicious growling noise came out from the back of my throat.
I tried to do the breathing again, but it didn't work to it's usual full effects. To make up for it, I let my forehead fall to the cool desk beneath it. The cold metal beneath my flushed skin more than made up for the slight pain that the impact caused. I breathed in, and then finally released it as I slowly calmed down. Peace. Tranquility. Peace...
A much louder crash from upstairs forced me to sigh and abandon my mini-mantra. I raised my head to look at the monitor in front of me with lazy half-lidded eyes. I scanned through a few fanfics, naming off my first impressions of them in my mind.
Mary Sue, Gary Stu, Stupid, Mary Sue, Oh-my-god-learn-how-to-type...
...Another Mary-Sue... Gah... So many...
I honestly didn't mind reading Mary Sues, as long as they were well written... But some of these... They're just too unrealistic!
...I mean really, 'I fall into their world and, like, totally become friends with everyone! Everyone loves my good looks and anyone who doesn't is just jealous, and I get all of these, like, awesomely convenient amazing and extremely overpowered super powers without doing anything to actually earn them! Like, ohmygosh, I find my true love and he, like, automatically loves me! We move into a fairy castle and then--'
Okay, thats more than enough. God, I think I just gave myself a cavity...
Though, I had to admit. I really wouldn't mind it so much if it was actually happening to me. Well, besides the whole ruining-characters-lives thing, or the whole idea of having to be perfect.
...It would actually be kinda cool to be able to magically change my clothes into whatever I wanted...
Much to the shock of many at school, I was actually very good with clothing design. I even had a small book that I usually use to quickly sketch new ideas whenever they came to me.
I couldn't help but think about my very, very tiny wardrobe at that moment. To be completely honest, it didn't even count as a wardrobe. Nothing more than a few pairs of pants and t-shirts. Some of the pants were so worn out, that I had to be careful to not accidentally embarrass myself in public.
I brightened up a little at the realization that my birthday would be coming up soon, but then frowned. Yay. More t-shirts, and random articles of ugly clothing that are an attempt to make me look skinny.
Oh, the absolute joy.
I continued along this path of thought, before giving up. Depressing over things never helped.
My eyes strayed over to my little sketchbook, and before I knew it I was flipping through the pages. I could try to come up with something new... It might help me cheer up.
My thoughts were abruptly halted by yet another loud crash from upstairs. I couldn't help but let out a groan as I leaned back into the chair, glaring at the ceiling.
Why did I have to put up with all of this, anyway?
I slowly closed my eyes and tried my best to blank the noise out. I've been so stressed lately... All over what some people might call nothing. It was kind of silly, I guess.
But I just can't take it anymore.
The warm family moments that we had, while enjoyable, were few and... quite far in between. I just didn't understand my family at times. Sure.. I loved them. They were my family, after all... But sometimes, it just feels like I'm a burden. A really big, fat burden that no one should have to carry.
I sighed softly, a small frown forming on my face.
I wish...
I wish that I could just... get away for a while.
So my family wouldn't have to deal with my moods.
So I could stop all of these nasty feelings about them.
So that I can take the time to really appreciate the few, yet wonderful things that we do together.
Somewhere that I could help people.
Somewhere that I could be myself.
A loud beep suddenly made me open my eyes wide, and with a rather undignified squeal I flipped completely out of my chair. I ended up landing in an extremely painful position but I managed to slowly get back into the chair and shake my head in an attempt to clear it before looking around.
The basement light had been turned off, and the door leading upstairs was tightly closed... I suddenly realized in utter joy, and slight suspicion, that there wasn't any noise. I immediately checked the glowing screen in front of me, and blinked at the elapsed time.
It was exactly midnight.
I glazed at the computer monitor, raising an eyebrow in utter confusion. Since when was I ever on MSN? I barely even used the stupid thing anymore... I glanced down to the one minimized chat window.
Slightly curious, I clicked on the little window. Who the heck would want to chat with me at this time of night? I couldn't help but squint at the unfamiliar letters that made up the persons name. Was that supposed to be Japanese, or something?
I paused for a moment before typing in 'Hello? Who is this?' in the chat box and hitting enter. Glancing towards the bottom of the chat window, I saw that whoever this was supposed to be was currently writing a message.
"'Congratulations! Have a nice trip!' ...What the hell?" I blinked and stared at the screen in front of me in a rather stupid manner. "Did I accidentally sign up for something?"
Unfortunately, I didn't had the time to ponder on this, as something seemed to have reached out from the computer monitor and decided that it would be a fabulous idea to grab the front of my t-shirt.
...Wait, what?
I looked down to see a pair of beautiful, well manicured hands covered in glittering jewelry holding the front and collar of my shirt. I jerked and grabbed the hands, struggling in an attempt remove them from my person.
I heard the door slam open from upstairs and tried to scream, but I had been pulled through the monitor before I could even open my mouth.
I gotta say... No matter your upbringing, no one likes to wake up on hard pavement. No one.
I groaned and slowly sat up, cradling my head in my hands. After taking a few moments to gather all of my senses, I shakily stood up and looked around. In the darkness ahead of me I could see a jungle gym and swing set, as well as a small fountain. There was also a rather large group of trees with a few benches and lampposts scattered randomly throughout the small dirt pathway that circled the entire area.
I was in... A park?
I slowly walked over to a nearby bench and tried to make myself a little more comfortable. My hands were shaking, but something was definitely pressing into my palm. I loosened my grip and brought my hand closer to my face, my eyes squinting as I tried to see what I had been hanging onto so desperately in the darkness.
My eyes widened as I recognized it as one of the rings from... whatever it was that had grabbed me. It looked to be made of some kind of clear white crystal that practically glowed with it's own light. I stared at it in utter awe for a few moments, as I had never seen a piece of jewelry that could ever come close to it's beauty.
I honestly couldn't help myself as I slid it onto the middle finger of my right hand.
Surprisingly, nothing supernatural, or anything of the sort happened... And I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Oh well... At least it was pretty.
It was then that I noticed something rather frightening.
With the dim lighting, my hands looked... Unnatural. I quickly stood up and moved closer to the light from the lamppost, keeping my hands near my face as I examined them. They were completely smooth. No natural creases, no palm lines, no tiny freckles... As I peered even closer, I could see the faint black line that seemed to outline my hands.
With a sudden flash of panic I rushed over to the fountain, leaning down so close to the water that my face was almost touching it.
My... Face...
I stared in shock and ran my still unnatural looking hand against my now equally unnatural looking face. I knew I was still me, but... Not completely.
My entire body seemed to be thinly outlined in black, with my heavy-lidded light blue eyes looking almost exaggerated with the thicker outline of black around them. ...I'm also guessing that the few curved lines that were sprouting off of my eyes were supposed to be my eyelashes. I also sported my usual two tiny beauty marks beside my left eye.
Other than that, my face looked rather under detailed and almost painfully... blank. Where were my tiny imperfections? My little scars from all the times that I had gotten chicken pox as a child? Heck, at this point I would have been happy to see ACNE.
Though, I guess most anime characters didn't really have to worry about that...
I tilted my chin up, and couldn't help but grin at the rather... ugly but barely noticeable scar under my chin. At least that one hadn't disappeared. I've had that scar for most of my life, ever since I had fallen into the pool and cracked my jaw off the bottom as a toddler. It would just feel weird if I didn't have it.
Feeling slightly reassured, I moved away from the fountain a little so that I could see more of myself. I began to make a mental list of what I first noticed.
"Number One: I obviously seem to be some sort of... Anime character version of myself.
Number Two: My dyed blond hair doesn't appear to have any roots. That's a good thing. I highly doubt that I can even afford hair dye. Oh well, looks like this is now my 'natural' hair color.
Number Three: My body hasn't really altered at all. Who said fat chicks can't look good?
Number Four: ..."
I cut my mental list short as I gazed at what I was wearing. An old white t-shirt with a newly ripped collar as well as my comfy pair of white and blue checkered shorts. Not to mention the fact that I was barefoot.
I slapped my palm to my face and groaned, wishing that there was some way for me to change my clothes into something a little bit more suitable. The ring on my middle finger glowed, and I let out a startled shriek as my clothes shifted around me. I blinked and gazed blankly at my reflection for a moment, only to have my face light up with a huge smile a few seconds later.
I was now wearing a simple pair of black pants and a matching mini jacket, with a white tank top underneath it. Still smiling, I thought up a pair of heeled boots and a few silver bracelets to go with it.
Mary Sue-ish power or not, that was fucking AWESOME.
With a little twirl, I confidently walked away from the fountain and down the pathway.
The sun had already come up, and I was still wandering the streets of this strange city. After looking at all of the signs, and then realizing that I didn't have a chance in hell of reading them, I guessed that I was somewhere in either China or Japan.
I didn't pay much attention to the people walking all around me, as they seemed to either stare at me strangely or completely ignore my presence. I'm a little sad to say that ignoring me is a rather hard thing to do. After all, I'm guessing that these people weren't used to seeing a woman of my size, who obviously lacked any kind of Asian heritage.
After a while of wandering I decided to enter one of the many shops. I made my way to the rather elderly looking man at the counter, hoping that he might have some kind of experience with English-speaking tourists.
"Um... Excuse me?"
The man looked up from the magazine he was reading, "Yes? How may I help you?"
With his rather indifferent gaze, I couldn't help but smile nervously. "Could you possibly... Tell me where I am?"
He stared at me blankly. "You're kidding, right?"
I shook my head. "Unfortunately, no."
"You're in Nerima." He glanced over me curiously.
"J-japan?"
"How could you not know you were in Japan, when you're speaking such excellent Japanese?"
At this, I couldn't help but gape in shock. The storekeeper was looking at me in an odd fashion, and after a moment or two he started waving his hand in front of my shocked face.
"Are you alright?" He resorted to snapping his fingers to finally bring me back into focus.
I was feeling a huge mix of emotions at that moment, making me feel like I couldn't breathe.
Could I really be..?
Clearing my throat as casually as I could, I smiled and asked what the year was. He gave me the same strange look from earlier before pointing to the small calendar beside him. I squinted at it, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't read it.
I looked back to the storekeeper and shrugged, an embarrassed smile forming on my face. He had gone back to reading his magazine and looked up when I turned towards him. "Well? What do you want?"
"Um... I can't read it."
The old man sighed and glanced at the calendar, "It's August 14, 1987" He gave me a blank, uncaring stare. "Will that be all, or are you actually going to buy something?"
I chuckled nervously, "Um.. No thanks, I'm good. ...Thank you for your help...?" With that, I turned and rushed out of there as fast as my heeled boots could carry me.
Before I had walked out the door, I saw a younger man come out the back door. "What was that about, Grandfather?" I heard a snort and the old man grumbling to himself. "Just some damn foreigner. Couldn't even read. I swear, they get stupider every..." The door closed before I could hear the rest of what was obviously turning into a rather racist conversation.
After glaring back at the man through the store window, I stalked off.
The storekeeper's words made my ears burn for the next few hours. I wasn't that much out of place...
...Or was I?
My last few attempts at using the ring to wish up something else useful, like say... money, were complete failures. I grumbled a little about it, but... I guess it couldn't be helped.
Maybe this was a way for me to become more independent?
By this time, I had made it back to the park and slumped into the nearest bench. Well, so far this had been just peachy. I dropped my head into my hands as I tried to recall some of the facts.
Well... I have no money, that's for sure.
I haven't even been BORN yet, so that means that I have no form of identification whatsoever.
I'm an anime character and apparently in Nerima, of all possible places.
I don't know any sort of martial arts, or fighting techniques... Which means that if I accidentally say something offensive to one of the martial artists here, I'm probably going to get the shit knocked out of me.
...Unless they decide to not hurt me because I'm a girl.
I can change my clothes at will... Which is still pretty kick ass, even though it sounds stupid and Mary Sue-ish.
There seems to be no possible language barrier. I hear everything in English, even though people say that they are talking in Japanese.
Problem is, I can't read anything but English.
I can't even get a real JOB. There are some pretty fucked up people here. Yes, I'm not Japanese. Yes, I can apparently speak the language. Nope, can't read a damn thing.
'Sorry, no positions are available', my fat white ass.
I'm also ...alone, I guess. This is the first time that I actually noticed...
I miss my friends.
...I want my mom.
After a few more moments, I made myself a little more comfortable on the bench. I gazed up into the surprisingly clear sky, silently hoping that I would have the answer to all of my problems fall from the stars and straight into my lap. I sighed again, letting my eyelids droop as sleep began to slowly creep up on me.
"What am I going to do..?"
Well, what did you think?
Good?
Bad?
Holy-shit-learn-how-to-freaking-type?
Review and tell me!
Shifta Shi-Chan(aka Ashley)
xoxoxo
