Ranma ½ is the property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Prologue:
The Watcher, the Hunter, and the Manipulator
It had been a very profitable day. Nabiki Tendo wondered why it hasn't occurred to her sooner to place her bets on the speed of the fights rather than the winner. Every one at school knew who would inevitably win. He always won the fights no matter new techniques his opponents tried. Today was different, she had placed open bets on the time it took the cross dresser to overcome his opponents. Unfortunately, a student from her class won the bet, but only one. 23,000 yen was still pretty good money for one fight.
This should keep us afloat for the next week, she thought, wincing at the unwanted memories of the expenses Ranma and his father, Genma, tallied up for her family. If not for the money she makes off of her sister's unwanted (not so sure of that) Fiancé selling photos of his cursed form and the betting pools on the fight between him and his rivals, the family would be out of a home. In her opinion, however, the two ought to just pack up and leave. But until both of the father's can successfully marry their children off…
With that thought, her mind wandered back to the day of the wedding. It failed, and now she is not so sure if it was what she wanted. The sight of her sister afterwards told her that it was a very bad idea from the start.
Blowing up the wedding was never part of the plan. Disrupt, yes; blow up, no.
Walking home from school, Nabiki Tendo contemplated the future of her family and its two guests. Suddenly she stopped, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. She casually turned around while scanning her surroundings, feeling the eyes that were watching, the same eyes that have watched her for the past week. Raised in the house of a martial artist and her own natural instincts for business told her that much.
Some one is watching me
She continued on her way, determined to put an end to a week long feeling of being stalked. There was nothing that she could do, but who said she would do it alone?
Brian Steinback lowered the binoculars and turned to the man beside him.
"Are you sure she is the one?" he asked the local. The man merely nodded in answer, still looking at the retreating figure of the young woman. Steinback raised the binoculars again. She was young and attractive, plus the suspicion of the gift gave her a more alluring quality. He thought of the dossier he read a while back.
Manipulator extraordinaire; able to turn a profit in ten minutes flat; spy network that covers nearly half of Tokyo; rumored to have half of Tokyo indebted to her; also rumored to have ice in her blood. That last one has to be false.
Everything pointed to the potential possibility that this girl was a psychic. While Steinback was a skeptic on most things, being a member of the Society did not call for stupid induced blindness. He had seen work of those supposed psychic, and also seen what they could become. This young psychic is his newest case. But the other subject of interest…
"And the boy…?" he asked, turning back to the man.
"No, nothing unusual," the local said," jumping through windows three stories high, fighting his numerous rivals, changing into a girl now and then…no, nothing unusual."
"Welcome to Nerima," Steinback thought. When he had first learned the man's account of the things that had happen at this area Steinback practically begged the Elders to let him investigate. Fortunately for him a local agent had gathered information on the area. Unfortunately, the agent had suffered a gruesome death. Apparently the object of interest took an instant dislike to being watched. The Nerima ward had been left as a side note for the further study. Sung Ikowo was the local with whom the previous agent spoke. The Elders filled the vacant field with another agent and allowed Steinback to investigate Nerima.
He was grateful for the Elders' decision. The first week on the job, and his interest was being hunted.
Cursing, he scanned the building across from him. Easily he spotted his enemies. Whatever they were doing in Japan did not include just mere observation. They had found easy prey and were ready to play with it.
Steinback has only been here for the past two days now...But if Ikowo is right, that prey will not be easy at all…
Randy "Slick" Richard gave no sign that he was being watched, and he could care less.With no idea on which group it could be, Randy wasn't going to worry. Let them stay content in the shadows.
He turned to the men beside him. "We have a new toy to play with."
The four men with him chuckled with hungry anticipation. He chuckled with them, delighting in the sense of camaraderie that comes in finding others of kindred spirit. Looking back through the window, he smiled at the delicious morsel that would provide entertainment for some time to come. The men with him were the most dangerous of the Institute of Paranormal Studies, as they must handle the important task of acquiring subjects for their boss. They were task to find anyone that looks suspicious enough to be out of the ordinary. If the subjects they captured were not up to par, what's to stop them from having a little fun? Yet fun has been a little hard to come by and Richard hopes that this girl would not be needed.
Author's Notes: Ok, those who have read the originals, I apologize for the late update. School and work have stalled me. Now impending fatherhood has brought a lot of things into perspective: like finishing my project. In response to constructive criticism, I merge my first two chapters together.