[Ranma] - [Different][Alternate][Language]
***********************************************************************
losers.com
Chapter I
FFML Draft (public) v0.1
A Ranma 1/2 Fan-Fiction
-= By Gendou Knepper =-
Ranma 1/2 characters & situations created and copyright by:
Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan/Kitty/Fuji/Viz/etc.
Other copyrights are owned by the respective copyright owners.
All copy-written material is used without permission.
All other material is (c)2000 Gendou Knepper
***********************************************************************
=======================================================================
Friday Night
=======================================================================
[THORNS03 HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THORNS03: Hi guys.
MAGE21: Hey Thorns.
DONALD_DUCK: Greetings, Thorns.
QUEEN: hi thorns!
HANDSOME: yo thorns
MAGE21: Back to what I was saying before - loving someone just isn't enough to
base a relationship on. You have to like them as well. And the feelings have
to be mutual.
HANDSOME: never mutual for you huh nerd
QUEEN: mage - i dunno. if you luv someone, shouldnt they luv you back?
DONALD_DUCK: That would be nice, but it hardly ever works that way in
the real world.
QUEEN: it makes me sad.
THORNS03: My school is an all girls school. At least I don't worry about boys
there.
HANDSOME: WHAT WRONG WITH BOYS SISTER
MAGE21: Turn off the capslock, Handsome.
HANDSOME: back off nerd
QUEEN: pleez dont fight.
THORNS03: Handsome - there's nothing wrong with boys per se, but they are a
distraction. My brother is obsessed with girls at his school, and his grades
are suffering for it. I'm glad I don't have to worry about such things. At
least until after school. G
BIGGUY17: What were we discussing again?
DONALD_DUCK: The same thing we do every night. Our love lives.
MAGE21: Or lack thereof.
HANDSOME: speak for yerself nerd
MAGE21: Whatever.
BIGGUY17: I have a girlfriend. She's the best cook in the world.
[THIEF HAS ENTERED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THIEF: hey guys.
MAGE21: Hey Thief.
THORNS03: Welcome back.
DONALD_DUCK: Greetings Thief.
QUEEN: hi thief.
HANDSOME: yo
BIGGUY17: Have we met?
THIEF: bigguy - yes, we've met.
DONALD_DUCK: BigGuy was just telling us about his girlfriend.
BIGGUY17: I was?
MAGE21: sigh Never mind. If you don't want to tell us about your girlfriend,
you don't have to.
BIGGUY17: I have a girlfriend?
HANDSOME: moron
[HAPPYDAY HAS ENTERED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
HAPPYDAY: Anyone wanna cyber?
THORNS03: WHAT?
DONALD_DUCK: Who is this moron?
HAPPYDAY: Any pretty ladies want to get it on?
DONALD_DUCK: Mage . . .
MAGE21: I'm on it.
[MAGE21 HAS KICKED HAPPYDAY FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THIEF: i thought this was a private channel?
MAGE21: It is, but they're doing maintainence tonight, so some of the
safeguards are down.
DONALD_DUCK: Let's hope he doesn't come back.
THORNS03: Hear hear.
THIEF: so where were we?
HANDSOME: whatabout what we discussed the othernight about getting revenge on
people who steal our love and all i like revenge
MAGE21: Surprise, surprise.
HANDSOME: bite me nerd
DONALD_DUCK: That guy I was telling you guys about? The one who keeps stealing
my girl away from me? He was in here today again.
THIEF: you should just tell him off once and for all.
THORNS03: I agree. You need to discuss this with him.
QUEEN: you don't need to be mean about it, just let him know how you feel about
him stealing your girlfriend.
DONALD_DUCK: I wish she were my girlfriend. I've loved her for so long. sigh
MAGE21: Hang in there man, she'll come around.
HANDSOME: if she dont just call me and i'll beat the guy up for ya
BIGGUY17: Does she know how to cook?
DONALD_DUCK: Yeah, she's a really good cook.
QUEEN: wierd. the one i love is a chef.
THORNS03: Maybe there's a connection.
MAGE21: Well, the one I love can't cook at all.
[BANDANNAMAN HAS ENTERED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
BANDANNAMAN: Is this the martial-arts channel?
DONALD_DUCK: NO! For the last time, that's #martialarts !!!
BANDANNAMAN: Oops. Sorry.
[BANDANNAMAN HAS LEFT LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
MAGE21: That's, what, three times he's been in here tonight?
THORNS03: Four. Remember when he was looking for the Expedia website?
THIEF: he was looking for a website in a chat room?
THORNS03: Yup. G
THIEF: rotflmao!
QUEEN: some people shouldn't be allowed to have computers.
MAGE21: No kidding.
HANDSOME: some cause theyre stupid and some cause they spend too much time on
em, right nerd?
MAGE21: I wouldn't know.
HANDSOME: yeh right
QUEEN: stop it.
MAGE21: Well, it's 9pm, and I have to get up early.
THIEF: it's friday night - where do you have to be tomorrow?
MAGE21: It's nothing, really, I just need to get up early.
THIEF: ok.
DONALD_DUCK: Thorns - Did you take your medicine?
THORNS03: Yes. Thanks for reminding me though.
MAGE21: Are they helping any?
THORNS03: Some. I'm still depressed a lot, though, but that's just a side
effect from the OTHER pills I'm taking.
HANDSOME: regular pharmacy aintcha?
DONALD_DUCK: Be nice, Handsome.
THIEF: what are the other pills for?
THORNS03: Lithium. The school shrink says I'm bi-polar. Explains what
happened last year, anyway.
BIGGUY17: What happened last year?
THORNS03: I kind of ruined a special event for the guy I like, and he's never
forgiven me for it. That's when I decided to get help.
BIGGUY17: Oh. Sorry.
THORNS03: No, it's okay. The doctor says I'm supposed to talk about it anyway.
Supposed to be good for me or something. :-/
DONALD_DUCK: I did some research on BPD, BTW. Turns out there are several
herbs that can help it, and might not have the side effects you're experiencing
with the lithium.
THORNS03: Can you e-mail me the links?
DONALD_DUCK: Done. :)
THORNS03: Thanks.
MAGE21: I'm outta here. See you tomorrow night guys.
[MAGE21 HAS LEFT LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THIEF: whos got operator now?
DONALD_DUCK: Me.
HANDSOME: thorns - speaking of mental illness, hows yer brother?
THORNS03: He's doing better, but he's still obsessing over those girls from his
school.
DONALD_DUCK: What, and the rest of us aren't obsessed with someone? :)
QUEEN: maybe obsessed is too strong a word?
HANDSOME: i'm obsessed, but i just want to kill the old freak, not marry him.
BIGGUY17: What were we talking about again?
THIEF: sigh
HANDSOME: no kidding bigguy you need that gecko balboa stuff
DONALD_DUCK: Ginkgo Biloba?
HANDSOME: whatever
QUEEN: do any of you ever wonder what the rest of us look like in the real
world?
DONALD_DUCK: Sometimes.
THORNS03: Do any of you ever wonder if you couldn't do better in life than with
the person you're in love with?
BIGGUY17: I'm in love?
DONALD_DUCK: Thorns - Honestly? I try not to think about that. I love her.
With all my heart, soul and mind, and if I do see faults, I forget them
immediately, because they aren't her. She's perfect.
THIEF: aren't you blinding yourself to reality then?
DONALD_DUCK: Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe whatever faults I see are a result of
that moron who hangs around her all the time.
THORNS03: Maybe she loves the moron.
DONALD_DUCK: She says she does, but I don't believe it. I think she's
convinced herself that she does because her grandmother told her she does.
QUEEN: that grandma sounds creepy.
DONALD_DUCK: She's nuts, no doubt ab##%!($$@~
[DONALD_DUCK HAS LEFT LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[OPERATOR HAS LEFT CHANNEL]
[CLOSING CHANNEL]
[SERVER HAS KICKED THORNS03 FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[SERVER HAS KICKED QUEEN FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[SERVER HAS KICKED THIEF FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[SERVER HAS KICKED BIGGUY17 FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[SERVER HAS KICKED HANDSOME FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
=======================================================================
The girl stared at the screen for a moment before logging off of the
server. She retrieved her e-mail and read through it for a few minutes in
silence. She briefly considered going to the herbal site Donald_Duck had sent
her, but she decided against it. She sighed and began logging off her network.
After shutting down the computer, she sat there for a few moments. She picked
up a medicine bottle sitting next to the monitor and rattled it in her hand
absently.
'Almost time for a refill,' she thought to herself. She frowned to
herself slightly as she thought about the medicine she was taking. She sighed
again. 'Maybe I'll spend some time in the greenhouse tonight. I can gather
some flowers for my darling Ra-' She mentally blocked that line of thinking.
'No, not a healthy thought. He is - she is? Hm. *They* are not mine. Not
now,' she thought sadly, 'and probably not ever.'
"Sister, are you awake?" Her brother's voice intruded on her melancholy
thoughts.
"Yes brother. Come in." As the door opened, she slid the bottle of pills
under her pillow. She looked up and smiled. "What is it?"
"I need your advice, sister. I am at a crossroads in my relationship with
my two loves, and . . . " He stopped when the girl raised her hand.
"Brother, I have told you, I am not involving myself in your
relationship." She paused for a moment before continuing. "It's not healthy,"
she whispered, disturbed by her brother's behaviour. He had gotten better since
she...since her other persona...had stopped spiking his food with various mind-
altering chemicals. Unfortunately, there were lingering side-effects, and one
of them was that her brother was convinced he loved and was loved by two women,
both of whom in reality despised him.
Her brother gazed at her impassively for a moment before nodding and
leaving the room. She stared after him for a few moments, then got up and
closed the door and locked it. She walked over to her closet and began to
undress for the night. After placing her school uniform in the laundry hamper,
she opened the closet.
'Well, I have enough leotards to last me well nigh forever,' she thought
to herself. Pushing them aside, she reached for a nightgown in the back of the
closet. After slipping it on, she walked to her bed and sat down. She blinked
back her tears as she thought about the man she had loved, still loved, probably
would keep on loving. The man who would never love her back. She laid back on
the bed and curled up, sniffling softly.
'I need to move on,' she thought, 'I need to get over him.' As she
considered the ways to do this, a thought struck her. 'Maybe I can, and I can
help someone else who needs it as well.' She nodded slowly as she considered the
possibilities. She finally decided on a plan that might work. With that
thought firmly in mind, she drifted off to sleep.
=======================================================================
Saturday Night
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TO: DONALD_DUCK@NEWCHINA.COM
FROM: THORNS03@HOTLINK.NET
CC:
BC:
SUBJECT: Re: Herbal Substitutes for chemical imbalances
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is some information I found on the web for herbal
substitutes for the chemicals found in lithium pills.
There's not a lot out there about holistically treating
bi-polar disorder, but with your interest in botany I
thought these might be of interest, if not of some help.
Donald_Duck,
Hi! Thanks for the information you sent. I
appreciate your support. I was really not sure if I
wanted to tell anyone about my problem. But I'm glad
I did. You've been a lot of help.
I was wondering, have you ever considered meeting
someone from the chatroom in the real world? I know
you and I share some common interests in medicinal uses
of plants and such, so I was hoping we could maybe
get together sometime.
I mean, I don't know where you live or anything,
but if we live near each other, maybe we can get together.
It's up to you. I'm sorry if I seem pushy or anything.
I'm really not trying to be.
Thanks again for all your help!
Thorns03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
=======================================================================
The boy stared at the screen in front of him for a moment. He grunted
slightly as he considered what the message said. He knew Thorns03 was a girl,
and that was the part that worried him.
'Is she asking me out on a date?' he wondered. He was a little frightened
at the possibility. He didn't want to say no, not only because of his natural
curiosity at meeting someone from the chatroom, but also because he was afraid
it might hurt her feelings. The boy considered himself to be fairly sensitive
to women's feelings, for the most part. It was a survival skill from his
earliest upbringing.
'What if she needs a real person to talk to, and I'm not there," he
thought, 'and what if that drives her away from the healthy strides she's made
since she started taking her medicine.'
He sighed. 'Too many what-ifs. I need to consider this more,' he thought.
He closed his e-mail client and opened up his chat client.
=======================================================================
[DONALD_DUCK HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
DONALD_DUCK: Hey people.
MAGE21: Hi Donald.
THIEF: hey duckboy.
DONALD_DUCK: glares at THIEF
THIEF: grins
MAGE21: Grow up, you two. Hey, has anyone heard from BIGPIG34 lately?
THIEF: she said she was looking for her boyfriend this week.
DONALD_DUCK: How long can that take?
MAGE21: A while, I guess. I haven't heard from her since Wednesday.
THIEF: she's a chatbuddy with queen, right?
MAGE21: Seems to be.
[BIGGUY17 HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
BIGGUY17: Hi.
[HANDSOME HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
HANDSOME: yo
MAGE21: Hi guys.
THIEF: hey guys.
DONALD_DUCK: Hi.
HANDSOME: so wassup?
THIEF: we were discussing BIGPIG34.
HANDSOME: what about her?
DONALD_DUCK: No one has heard from her in a while.
MAGE21: I hope she's okay.
[QUEEN HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
QUEEN: hi friends.
MAGE21: Hey kiddo.
HANDSOME: sup beautiful
THIEF: hey queen.
BIGGUY17: Are you my girlfriend?
DONALD_DUCK: Hi Queen.
THIEF: have you heard from BIGPIG34?
QUEEN: no, she was going to look for her boyfriend last I knew.
DONALD_DUCK: Mage was a little worried about her.
MAGE21: Well, it's just that I hadn't heard from her.
THIEF: so how are things at work, queen?
QUEEN: ok, i guess. it was very busy, but it usually is on the weekends.
[THORNS03 HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THORNS03: Hi guys!
HANDSOME: yo thorny
DONALD_DUCK: Greetings.
THIEF: hi thorns
MAGE21: Hey Thorns.
QUEEN: hiya!
BIGGUY17: Uhm, are YOU my girlfriend?
THORNS03 Uhm, no BigGuy, I'm not. But thanks for asking.
BIGGUY17: Ok.
[BANDANNAMAN HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
BANDANNAMAN: WHERE ON THE WEB AM I NOW???
MAGE21: In a private channel.
[MAGE21 HAS KICKED BANDANNAMAN FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
MAGE21: Sorry. Safeguards are still down until Monday or so.
THORNS03: So, what were we discussing?
[BIGPIG34 HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
BIGPIG34: Hi guys!
MAGE21: BigPig! We were wondering about where you'd been off to!
HANDSOME: yeah its all nerdly could talk about
MAGE21: Cut it out, Handsome.
QUEEN: so, didya find him?
BIGPIG34: No. He's always running off, and I suspect it's because of this other
girl he likes. He always denies it, of course, but I can see it in his eyes.
THORNS03: I don't want to be rude, but are you sure he likes you?
BIGPIG34: Yes, I am, and I know we're meant to be together.
THIEF: you know this for a fact?
BIGPIG34: Do you believe in magic?
MAGE21: Fate or magic?
BIGPIG34: Magic. Real magic. Like people turning into animals.
MAGE21: Yeah, sure.
DONALD_DUCK: Not to be impertinent, but why do you ask?
BIGPIG34: Curiousity?
DONALD_DUCK: Well, ok. Yes, I most certainly believe in magic.
THIEF: Maybe. Depends. I guess.
HANDSOME: definitely hehehe at least i should
BIGGUY17: What were we discussing?
BIGPIG34: Magic.
BIGGUY17: I've seen magic before. And big pigs too. Plus other big animals.
THORNS03: You know, when I was, hm, 'not well', I didn't believe in magic, but
now I do.
HANDSOME: so when you wer nuts you didnt but now that yer sane you do
QUEEN: i do believe in some magic.
BIGPIG34: Well, I've seen some strange things, particularly around my boyfriend
and his friends.
THIEF: like?
BIGPIG34: Well, have you heard any of the reports coming out of Nerima
district?
DONALD_DUCK: I live in Nerima.
THORNS03: So do I.
HANDSOME: what reports?
QUEEN: i live in nerima too.
THIEF: no, i haven't heard the reports.
BIGGUY17: What's Nerima?
THIEF: it's a ward of tokyo.
BIGGUY17: Oh. I think my girlfriend lives there.
HANDSOME: heh no doubt
BIGPIG34: My boyfriend can shapeshift.
THIEF: yeah, right.
BIGPIG34: It's true!
QUEEN: i've heard of such things.
HANDSOME: yeh me too heh heh heh
MAGE21: Shapeshifting? Really? Amazing. He must be a skilled magician.
THORNS03: Bigpig - Does he truly practice the black arts?
DONALD_DUCK: Not all magic is black.
BIGPIG34: He's not a magician. It's a blessing he recieved.
MAGE21: I'd like that blessing. Imagine being able to become anyone or
anything you wanted.
THIEF: that would be useful.
BIGPIG34: Actually, he can only change into one form. And it requires certain
mitigating circumstances.
MAGE21: This is fascinating. Like a werewolf? Full moon and all?
BIGPIG34: Not exactly.
BIGGUY17: What were we discussing again?
QUEEN: werewolves and changelings and magic.
BIGGUY17: I know a magician. He lives with my girlfriend.
HANDSOME: dude yer wierd
MAGE21: I've always been fascinated with magic. Unfortunately, I have no skill
at it.
DONALD_DUCK: I have the skills for it, but my culture forbids people like
myself from practicing it.
MAGE21: Is it a religious taboo?
DONALD_DUCK: No, strictly cultural. I'm actually from a small village in
northern China.
HANDSOME: im from china too but i thought you were in nerima
DONALD_DUCK: I work at a restaurant there.
HANDSOME: heckuva commute from china
DONALD_DUCK: I live in the restaurant as well as working there.
MAGE21: Even if you are unable to practice magecraft, are you forbidden from
training in it.
DONALD_DUCK: Once, long ago, I lost a serious challenge. I was sent away from
my village in disgrace and told not to come back until I could prove my worth as
a warrior. Well, due to a serious physical infirmity, I would never be on an
even footing with the other warriors.
MAGE21: Is it because of that handicap that you cannot practice magic?
DONALD_DUCK: No. Even a blind, crippled old woman may practice magics in my
village. But no man may ever know the secrets of sorcery.
QUEEN: just because your a man you cant be a magician?
DONALD_DUCK: Because I am a man, I can never allow anyone to know that I am
already a skilled mage.
MAGE21: You already *are* a skilled mage? Wow!
QUEEN: thats so sad for you, donald duck.
MAGE21: So what happened when you left? Were you already practicing then?
DONALD_DUCK: No. I met an old man deep in the woods outside my village, and he
led me to an ancient conclave of mages.
MAGE21: That is so cool.
HANDSOME: hey mikey nerd boy likes it
DONALD_DUCK: Anyway, this group was made up of men who had fled my village to
escape persecution for practicing magic.
THIEF: whoa.
MAGE21: So they trained you??
DONALD_DUCK: Yes. I became very powerful in the arts. I eventually returned
to my village and proved myself worthy to live there again, using a variant form
of martial-arts. But I am still disgraced. And now I must hide my skills.
Which means that when that moron comes around to steal my beloved, I must stand
aside, or face his bullying. Even when I stand up to him, he defeats me easily,
since he's an extremely powerful martial-artist. But I must carry on, for the
sake of my wonderful beloved. She is the only thing that makes any of this
worthwhile.
QUEEN: thats so romantic sigh
BIGPIG34: Wow. I wish my boyfriend felt like that about me.
THORNS03: It really is sweet, Donald_Duck.
HANDSOME: oh gods im gonna hurl
MAGE21: Shut up, Handsome.
HANDSOME: make me nerd boy
QUEEN: STOP IT BOTH OF YOU JUST STOP IT
MAGE21: Queen - Sorry.
QUEEN: you should be
HANDSOME: hmph whatever
DONALD_DUCK: Well, it's getting late. I'd better go. I have an early morning.
MAGE21: Hey, it's only 11pm.
DONALD_DUCK: Heh. Well, that's not what you said yesterday.
MAGE21: grin
THIEF: See you later, duckman.
QUEEN: bye ducky
HANDSOME: later don
BIGGUY17: Do I know this guy?
THORNS03: Goodbye, Donald_Duck.
BIGPIG34: Bye-bye Donald!!
DONALD_DUCK: Bye.
[DONALD_DUCK HAS LEFT LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
=======================================================================
The boy stared at the screen for another moment before closing the chat
client. He sighed. What to do, what to do. 'So Thorns is from Nerima as
well, huh?' he thought, 'Well then, I guess there's nothing for it but to meet
her.'
He groaned, leaning back in his chair. 'I hope my beloved doesn't take it
the wrong way,' he thought, an image of his lavender-haired beauty floating to
the surface of his thoughts.
He pushed his glasses up onto his nose and clicked on the icon for his e-
mail client. Silently, grimly, he began to compose his reply to Thorns' query.
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TO: THORNS03@HOTLINK.NET
FROM:DONALD_DUCK@NEWCHINA.COM
CC:
BC:
SUBJECT: Getting together
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Donald_Duck,
Hey Thorns,
Hi! Thanks for the information you sent. I
appreciate your support. I was really not sure if I
wanted to tell anyone about my problem. But I'm glad
I did. You've been a lot of help.
I'm glad to be of assistance.
I was wondering, have you ever considered meeting
someone from the chatroom in the real world? I know
you and I share some common interests in medicinal uses
of plants and such, so I was hoping we could maybe
get together sometime.
I think I'd like that.
I mean, I don't know where you live or anything,
but if we live near each other, maybe we can get together.
It's up to you. I'm sorry if I seem pushy or anything.
I'm really not trying to be.
No, not at all. I'm glad you asked.
I know you live in Nerima district as well.
Are you familiar with 'Okonomiyaki Ucchan's' on Kei Street?
It's pretty popular with the students in the area, and I thought we could meet
there Monday afternoon. I can take a break after 3pm, and we could meet there
for an early dinner around 4:30. I'll be wearing black pants and a white shirt.
I'll have a red carnation in my breast pocket. I'll try to sit in a rear booth.
Thanks again for all your help!
Anytime. Seriously. You know that, right?
Thorns03
Donald_Duck
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
=======================================================================
The girl read the e-mail quietly. Finally, she closed the window without
replying to the message. 'So,' she thought, 'I'm finally going to meet
Donald_Duck in the flesh.' She sighed. Shutting down the PC, she stood and
walked to the window. Looking out at the expansive ancestral grounds, she
wondered briefly what he would be like. 'I wonder if he's anything like my
darling Ranma-sa-'
She cut that thought off. Best not to try and imagine what he was like.
After all, she would know day-after-tomorrow, wouldn't she? She walked to her
closet and examined her school uniform. 'Hm. I imagine I shall have to take
something with me to change into after class.' She chose a simple pastel-yellow
blouse and a dark-blue skirt with a tiny pink flower print. She laid them,
along with a pastel-yellow hair ribbon, into her gym bag. She would change
after gym, that being the last class of the day.
Dressing for bed quickly, she climbed into her bed and snuggled down under
the warm covers. She sighed contentedly.
'I hope it doesn't rain Monday,' she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
=======================================================================
'I hope it doesn't rain Monday,' he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
=======================================================================
Monday Afternoon
=======================================================================
"Gods, why me?" the boy moaned. He wiped his fogged glasses gingerly,
trying not to smudge them too badly in the process. The rain had hit suddenly,
and he had had just enough warning to get under an awning before it had started
coming down in earnest. 'Wouldn't do to have my curse activated on my way to a
da-' he paused in thought, 'on my way to meet someone,' he corrected mentally.
He sighed. Reaching out into the air, he pulled an umbrella from that
metaphysical realm known colloquially as Hammerspace(tm). Opening it carefully,
he stepped out into the rain and proceeded down the street toward his
rendezvous.
-=-=-=-=-=-
There was a gentle chiming as he pushed open the door to 'Okonomiyaki
Ucchan's.' He held it open for a moment while he closed the umbrella outside and
shook it off, careful not to splash himself in the process. Placing the
umbrella into a rack by the door, he stepped up to the counter.
"Hey Mousse-honey," Ukyou said. She smiled as she looked Mousse over
carefully. "Aren't you dressed up. What brings you to this fine
establishment." She handed Mousse a napkin, which he used to wipe off his
glasses. With his glasses still in his hand, he turned toward another customer.
"Hello Kuonji Ukyou." He tried to focus on the blur in front of him.
"I'm meeting someone," he finally replied. Ukyou frowned slightly and gently
tugged on his sleeve, pulling him around to face her.
"I'm over here, Mousse." She smiled at his confusion, then went on. "So,
anyone I know?" Mouse slipped his glasses on and shook his head.
"Probably not," he replied. "I met her on the internet."
"Ooh, a girl." Ukyou grinned knowingly. "Does Shampoo know?"
"No. And I hope she doesn't find out. I would never cheat on my beloved
Shampoo. This girl and I are just friends."
"So what's her name?" Ukyou flipped the okonomiyaki she was cooking, then
proceeded to add toppings to another one before handing it to her
waitress/waiter, Konatsu. The male kunoichi took the order to one of the far
tables, mincing silently in his long formal kimono.
"I only know her by her screen name - Thorns03," he admitted. Ukyou
looked at him curiously.
"And you agreed to meet her?" she asked. She looked thoughtful for a
moment, then frowned. "She might be much older, you know. Can't be too sure on
the internet these days." Mousse shook his head again.
"No, she goes to a girl's school in the area," he replied. Ukyou
shrugged, still frowning.
"So she says." Ukyou flipped the okonomiyaki again.
Mousse winced. "I'll believe her word until something is otherwise
proven," he stated. Ukyou smiled at that, nodding in agreement.
"Good idea. I'm really wary of the whole Internet thing. Konatsu loves
it. He's on there almost every night, but I just don't care for it that much."
She began adding toppings to the okonomiyaki, then put it on a plate.
Carefully, she pushed it across the grill to the customer Mousse had mistaken
for her earlier. The man smiled and nodded.
"Well, I'd better sit down. I told her I'd be in the back." He smiled
slightly and walked toward the back, nodding to Konatsu in passing. He chose
the seat furthest back and sat down facing the door. Mousse checked the watch on
his wrist. He was only a few minutes early, it seemed. Reaching into midair,
he surreptitiously summoned a red carnation. He hoped she would recognize him,
since he had no idea what she would be wearing.
=======================================================================
At that moment, the girl was walking toward the restaurant, carefully
avoiding the rain by staying under the awnings in front of the stores. She
checked her hair ribbon and adjusted it. Instead of her usual high ponytail,
she had loosely tied her hair with the pale ribbon, setting it just below her
neck. Opening her umbrella, she stepped out into the rain. She considered
running to the restaurant, as it was just across the street, but she decided
against it. Too much risk of stomping in a mud puddle and soaking her long
skirt. She started across the street at a leisurely pace.
-=-=-=-=-=-
There was a gentle chiming as she pushed open the door to 'Okonomiyaki
Ucchan's.' She held it open for a moment while she closed the umbrella outside
and shook it off, careful not to splash herself in the process. Placing the
umbrella into a rack by the door, she glanced around the place. Her eyes met
Ukyou's almost immediately.
"Kunou Kodachi," Ukyou hissed, "as I live and breathe. What are you doing
in my restaurant?" She motioned to Konatsu, who, turning, spotted Kodachi. He
leaped onto the counter and went into an immediate defensive stance. A few of
the regulars at 'Ucchan's' also saw Kodachi walk in. They stood as one and
moved quietly toward the exits, leaving payment on the counter as they left.
Other customers, seeing this, quickly followed suit. Soon, the place was almost
empty.
Kodachi felt like crying. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She knew
it was her own fault - her behaviour in the past would frighten anyone - but she
had hoped to avoid anything like this. She shot Ukyou a pleading look. "I'm
just here to meet a friend, Kuonji-san. I don't want any trouble."
"Well, sugar, after scaring off all of my customers, it looks like you
already have trouble." Ukyou reached for her battle spatula behind the counter.
Konatsu, seeing that things were under control, at least for the time being,
sprung vertically into the rafters, then exited out a small window at the top.
'Good, he's going for help,' Ukyou thought. Suddenly, one of the few remaining
customers stood up and spoke.
"Ukyou, what's going on? Is something the matter?"
Kodachi stared at the man. She felt like she had seen him before. He was
tall, very tall, and broad-chested. His long, dark hair hung in two shining
curtains on either side of his face. His blue-green eyes sparkled in the
artificial lighting of the restaurant, and his noble features held a stern cast.
A pair of thick glasses were set on his forehead, giving him the look of an
intellectual. She was taken with him immediately. She was so focused, in fact,
upon his face, that she almost missed what he was wearing.
Black pants. White shirt. Red carnation.
"Donald Duck?" she whispered. His head snapped around at the sound of her
voice. He peered at her blindly for moment.
"Thorns?" he murmured. He reached up and lowered his glasses onto his
face.
Kodachi blinked. 'With his glasses on, he looks just like...'
"Mousse?" she gasped in shock. He blinked at her, then started.
"Kunou Kodachi?" he yelped. They stared at each other in shock.
"Wha...wha...you...you're Thorns?" He sounded shocked, but not angry.
"Yes. And I'm to take it that you are Donald Duck?" she asked levelly.
He nodded slowly. She smiled at him. Without a sound, he moved forward,
walking until he was standing just in front of her. Looking down into her eyes,
he made a strange gesture with his hand. Suddenly, a bouquet of yellow roses
was in his hand.
"Uhm, these are for you," he said, flushing slightly. She smiled shyly
and took them, not meeting his eyes.
Mousse was in mild shock. Kunou Kodachi was Thorns. Thorns was his
friend. Therefore, Kunou Kodachi was his friend. This was an interesting
development, to be sure. He looked her over carefully.
She was a relatively tall girl, slender yet muscular in the way that
dancers and gymnasts often are. Her dark hair was brushed back and tied just
below her neck with a pale yellow ribbon. Her hands played nervously with her
skirt for moment. Then she looked up and he met her eyes. Her eyes were a
deep, dusky violet, the shade of the sky just after sun has disappeared over the
horizon. He found himself lost in them for an all too brief moment.
"Mousse? Mousse, honey, you okay?" Ukyou's concerned voice broke into
his reverie. "She hasn't drugged you or anything, right?"
"What?" he heard himself say. He looked away from Kodachi reluctantly.
He'd never felt that . . . connection with anyone before. "No, I'm fine, Ukyou.
Just fine." He glanced at Kodachi for a moment before continuing. "I apologize
for any inconvenience I may have caused you, Kuonji-san." He bowed low, then
turned to Kodachi. "Perhaps we should eat somewhere a little more . . . quiet?"
Kodachi nodded, grateful for the excuse to leave a rather embarrassing
situation. She gently took Mousse's proffered arm and they left together,
stopping only to recover their umbrellas.
Ukyou stared after the pair in shock. Placing her hand over her still-
racing heart, she murmured, "Who ever would have thought it?"
================================================================================
================================================================================
=====================================================
Authors Notes:
Ok, first off, I know 'Ucchan's' doesn't have booths. However, in most of
my fics, I use it as a neutral ground / meeting place (better than the
Nekohanten) and booths make sense. It's not canon, so consider it an aspect of
being in an alternaverse. :-)
I know that the format of this fic will turn a lot of people off. To
those of you who made it this far, thank you. Your comments and criticism are
most appreciated and are what makes a work like this even possible.
Finally, PLEASE let me know what you think of this. I've got a couple
more chapters written, but I figured I'd better see if anyone would even read it
before posting them.
Thanks in advance for your critiques. I need all the help I can get to
keep my feeble skills going.
=======================================================================
***********************************************************************
losers.com
Chapter I
FFML Draft (public) v0.1
A Ranma 1/2 Fan-Fiction
-= By Gendou Knepper =-
Ranma 1/2 characters & situations created and copyright by:
Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan/Kitty/Fuji/Viz/etc.
Other copyrights are owned by the respective copyright owners.
All copy-written material is used without permission.
All other material is (c)2000 Gendou Knepper
***********************************************************************
=======================================================================
Friday Night
=======================================================================
[THORNS03 HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THORNS03: Hi guys.
MAGE21: Hey Thorns.
DONALD_DUCK: Greetings, Thorns.
QUEEN: hi thorns!
HANDSOME: yo thorns
MAGE21: Back to what I was saying before - loving someone just isn't enough to
base a relationship on. You have to like them as well. And the feelings have
to be mutual.
HANDSOME: never mutual for you huh nerd
QUEEN: mage - i dunno. if you luv someone, shouldnt they luv you back?
DONALD_DUCK: That would be nice, but it hardly ever works that way in
the real world.
QUEEN: it makes me sad.
THORNS03: My school is an all girls school. At least I don't worry about boys
there.
HANDSOME: WHAT WRONG WITH BOYS SISTER
MAGE21: Turn off the capslock, Handsome.
HANDSOME: back off nerd
QUEEN: pleez dont fight.
THORNS03: Handsome - there's nothing wrong with boys per se, but they are a
distraction. My brother is obsessed with girls at his school, and his grades
are suffering for it. I'm glad I don't have to worry about such things. At
least until after school. G
BIGGUY17: What were we discussing again?
DONALD_DUCK: The same thing we do every night. Our love lives.
MAGE21: Or lack thereof.
HANDSOME: speak for yerself nerd
MAGE21: Whatever.
BIGGUY17: I have a girlfriend. She's the best cook in the world.
[THIEF HAS ENTERED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THIEF: hey guys.
MAGE21: Hey Thief.
THORNS03: Welcome back.
DONALD_DUCK: Greetings Thief.
QUEEN: hi thief.
HANDSOME: yo
BIGGUY17: Have we met?
THIEF: bigguy - yes, we've met.
DONALD_DUCK: BigGuy was just telling us about his girlfriend.
BIGGUY17: I was?
MAGE21: sigh Never mind. If you don't want to tell us about your girlfriend,
you don't have to.
BIGGUY17: I have a girlfriend?
HANDSOME: moron
[HAPPYDAY HAS ENTERED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
HAPPYDAY: Anyone wanna cyber?
THORNS03: WHAT?
DONALD_DUCK: Who is this moron?
HAPPYDAY: Any pretty ladies want to get it on?
DONALD_DUCK: Mage . . .
MAGE21: I'm on it.
[MAGE21 HAS KICKED HAPPYDAY FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THIEF: i thought this was a private channel?
MAGE21: It is, but they're doing maintainence tonight, so some of the
safeguards are down.
DONALD_DUCK: Let's hope he doesn't come back.
THORNS03: Hear hear.
THIEF: so where were we?
HANDSOME: whatabout what we discussed the othernight about getting revenge on
people who steal our love and all i like revenge
MAGE21: Surprise, surprise.
HANDSOME: bite me nerd
DONALD_DUCK: That guy I was telling you guys about? The one who keeps stealing
my girl away from me? He was in here today again.
THIEF: you should just tell him off once and for all.
THORNS03: I agree. You need to discuss this with him.
QUEEN: you don't need to be mean about it, just let him know how you feel about
him stealing your girlfriend.
DONALD_DUCK: I wish she were my girlfriend. I've loved her for so long. sigh
MAGE21: Hang in there man, she'll come around.
HANDSOME: if she dont just call me and i'll beat the guy up for ya
BIGGUY17: Does she know how to cook?
DONALD_DUCK: Yeah, she's a really good cook.
QUEEN: wierd. the one i love is a chef.
THORNS03: Maybe there's a connection.
MAGE21: Well, the one I love can't cook at all.
[BANDANNAMAN HAS ENTERED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
BANDANNAMAN: Is this the martial-arts channel?
DONALD_DUCK: NO! For the last time, that's #martialarts !!!
BANDANNAMAN: Oops. Sorry.
[BANDANNAMAN HAS LEFT LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
MAGE21: That's, what, three times he's been in here tonight?
THORNS03: Four. Remember when he was looking for the Expedia website?
THIEF: he was looking for a website in a chat room?
THORNS03: Yup. G
THIEF: rotflmao!
QUEEN: some people shouldn't be allowed to have computers.
MAGE21: No kidding.
HANDSOME: some cause theyre stupid and some cause they spend too much time on
em, right nerd?
MAGE21: I wouldn't know.
HANDSOME: yeh right
QUEEN: stop it.
MAGE21: Well, it's 9pm, and I have to get up early.
THIEF: it's friday night - where do you have to be tomorrow?
MAGE21: It's nothing, really, I just need to get up early.
THIEF: ok.
DONALD_DUCK: Thorns - Did you take your medicine?
THORNS03: Yes. Thanks for reminding me though.
MAGE21: Are they helping any?
THORNS03: Some. I'm still depressed a lot, though, but that's just a side
effect from the OTHER pills I'm taking.
HANDSOME: regular pharmacy aintcha?
DONALD_DUCK: Be nice, Handsome.
THIEF: what are the other pills for?
THORNS03: Lithium. The school shrink says I'm bi-polar. Explains what
happened last year, anyway.
BIGGUY17: What happened last year?
THORNS03: I kind of ruined a special event for the guy I like, and he's never
forgiven me for it. That's when I decided to get help.
BIGGUY17: Oh. Sorry.
THORNS03: No, it's okay. The doctor says I'm supposed to talk about it anyway.
Supposed to be good for me or something. :-/
DONALD_DUCK: I did some research on BPD, BTW. Turns out there are several
herbs that can help it, and might not have the side effects you're experiencing
with the lithium.
THORNS03: Can you e-mail me the links?
DONALD_DUCK: Done. :)
THORNS03: Thanks.
MAGE21: I'm outta here. See you tomorrow night guys.
[MAGE21 HAS LEFT LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THIEF: whos got operator now?
DONALD_DUCK: Me.
HANDSOME: thorns - speaking of mental illness, hows yer brother?
THORNS03: He's doing better, but he's still obsessing over those girls from his
school.
DONALD_DUCK: What, and the rest of us aren't obsessed with someone? :)
QUEEN: maybe obsessed is too strong a word?
HANDSOME: i'm obsessed, but i just want to kill the old freak, not marry him.
BIGGUY17: What were we talking about again?
THIEF: sigh
HANDSOME: no kidding bigguy you need that gecko balboa stuff
DONALD_DUCK: Ginkgo Biloba?
HANDSOME: whatever
QUEEN: do any of you ever wonder what the rest of us look like in the real
world?
DONALD_DUCK: Sometimes.
THORNS03: Do any of you ever wonder if you couldn't do better in life than with
the person you're in love with?
BIGGUY17: I'm in love?
DONALD_DUCK: Thorns - Honestly? I try not to think about that. I love her.
With all my heart, soul and mind, and if I do see faults, I forget them
immediately, because they aren't her. She's perfect.
THIEF: aren't you blinding yourself to reality then?
DONALD_DUCK: Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe whatever faults I see are a result of
that moron who hangs around her all the time.
THORNS03: Maybe she loves the moron.
DONALD_DUCK: She says she does, but I don't believe it. I think she's
convinced herself that she does because her grandmother told her she does.
QUEEN: that grandma sounds creepy.
DONALD_DUCK: She's nuts, no doubt ab##%!($$@~
[DONALD_DUCK HAS LEFT LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[OPERATOR HAS LEFT CHANNEL]
[CLOSING CHANNEL]
[SERVER HAS KICKED THORNS03 FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[SERVER HAS KICKED QUEEN FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[SERVER HAS KICKED THIEF FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[SERVER HAS KICKED BIGGUY17 FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
[SERVER HAS KICKED HANDSOME FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
=======================================================================
The girl stared at the screen for a moment before logging off of the
server. She retrieved her e-mail and read through it for a few minutes in
silence. She briefly considered going to the herbal site Donald_Duck had sent
her, but she decided against it. She sighed and began logging off her network.
After shutting down the computer, she sat there for a few moments. She picked
up a medicine bottle sitting next to the monitor and rattled it in her hand
absently.
'Almost time for a refill,' she thought to herself. She frowned to
herself slightly as she thought about the medicine she was taking. She sighed
again. 'Maybe I'll spend some time in the greenhouse tonight. I can gather
some flowers for my darling Ra-' She mentally blocked that line of thinking.
'No, not a healthy thought. He is - she is? Hm. *They* are not mine. Not
now,' she thought sadly, 'and probably not ever.'
"Sister, are you awake?" Her brother's voice intruded on her melancholy
thoughts.
"Yes brother. Come in." As the door opened, she slid the bottle of pills
under her pillow. She looked up and smiled. "What is it?"
"I need your advice, sister. I am at a crossroads in my relationship with
my two loves, and . . . " He stopped when the girl raised her hand.
"Brother, I have told you, I am not involving myself in your
relationship." She paused for a moment before continuing. "It's not healthy,"
she whispered, disturbed by her brother's behaviour. He had gotten better since
she...since her other persona...had stopped spiking his food with various mind-
altering chemicals. Unfortunately, there were lingering side-effects, and one
of them was that her brother was convinced he loved and was loved by two women,
both of whom in reality despised him.
Her brother gazed at her impassively for a moment before nodding and
leaving the room. She stared after him for a few moments, then got up and
closed the door and locked it. She walked over to her closet and began to
undress for the night. After placing her school uniform in the laundry hamper,
she opened the closet.
'Well, I have enough leotards to last me well nigh forever,' she thought
to herself. Pushing them aside, she reached for a nightgown in the back of the
closet. After slipping it on, she walked to her bed and sat down. She blinked
back her tears as she thought about the man she had loved, still loved, probably
would keep on loving. The man who would never love her back. She laid back on
the bed and curled up, sniffling softly.
'I need to move on,' she thought, 'I need to get over him.' As she
considered the ways to do this, a thought struck her. 'Maybe I can, and I can
help someone else who needs it as well.' She nodded slowly as she considered the
possibilities. She finally decided on a plan that might work. With that
thought firmly in mind, she drifted off to sleep.
=======================================================================
Saturday Night
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TO: DONALD_DUCK@NEWCHINA.COM
FROM: THORNS03@HOTLINK.NET
CC:
BC:
SUBJECT: Re: Herbal Substitutes for chemical imbalances
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is some information I found on the web for herbal
substitutes for the chemicals found in lithium pills.
There's not a lot out there about holistically treating
bi-polar disorder, but with your interest in botany I
thought these might be of interest, if not of some help.
Donald_Duck,
Hi! Thanks for the information you sent. I
appreciate your support. I was really not sure if I
wanted to tell anyone about my problem. But I'm glad
I did. You've been a lot of help.
I was wondering, have you ever considered meeting
someone from the chatroom in the real world? I know
you and I share some common interests in medicinal uses
of plants and such, so I was hoping we could maybe
get together sometime.
I mean, I don't know where you live or anything,
but if we live near each other, maybe we can get together.
It's up to you. I'm sorry if I seem pushy or anything.
I'm really not trying to be.
Thanks again for all your help!
Thorns03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
=======================================================================
The boy stared at the screen in front of him for a moment. He grunted
slightly as he considered what the message said. He knew Thorns03 was a girl,
and that was the part that worried him.
'Is she asking me out on a date?' he wondered. He was a little frightened
at the possibility. He didn't want to say no, not only because of his natural
curiosity at meeting someone from the chatroom, but also because he was afraid
it might hurt her feelings. The boy considered himself to be fairly sensitive
to women's feelings, for the most part. It was a survival skill from his
earliest upbringing.
'What if she needs a real person to talk to, and I'm not there," he
thought, 'and what if that drives her away from the healthy strides she's made
since she started taking her medicine.'
He sighed. 'Too many what-ifs. I need to consider this more,' he thought.
He closed his e-mail client and opened up his chat client.
=======================================================================
[DONALD_DUCK HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
DONALD_DUCK: Hey people.
MAGE21: Hi Donald.
THIEF: hey duckboy.
DONALD_DUCK: glares at THIEF
THIEF: grins
MAGE21: Grow up, you two. Hey, has anyone heard from BIGPIG34 lately?
THIEF: she said she was looking for her boyfriend this week.
DONALD_DUCK: How long can that take?
MAGE21: A while, I guess. I haven't heard from her since Wednesday.
THIEF: she's a chatbuddy with queen, right?
MAGE21: Seems to be.
[BIGGUY17 HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
BIGGUY17: Hi.
[HANDSOME HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
HANDSOME: yo
MAGE21: Hi guys.
THIEF: hey guys.
DONALD_DUCK: Hi.
HANDSOME: so wassup?
THIEF: we were discussing BIGPIG34.
HANDSOME: what about her?
DONALD_DUCK: No one has heard from her in a while.
MAGE21: I hope she's okay.
[QUEEN HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
QUEEN: hi friends.
MAGE21: Hey kiddo.
HANDSOME: sup beautiful
THIEF: hey queen.
BIGGUY17: Are you my girlfriend?
DONALD_DUCK: Hi Queen.
THIEF: have you heard from BIGPIG34?
QUEEN: no, she was going to look for her boyfriend last I knew.
DONALD_DUCK: Mage was a little worried about her.
MAGE21: Well, it's just that I hadn't heard from her.
THIEF: so how are things at work, queen?
QUEEN: ok, i guess. it was very busy, but it usually is on the weekends.
[THORNS03 HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
THORNS03: Hi guys!
HANDSOME: yo thorny
DONALD_DUCK: Greetings.
THIEF: hi thorns
MAGE21: Hey Thorns.
QUEEN: hiya!
BIGGUY17: Uhm, are YOU my girlfriend?
THORNS03 Uhm, no BigGuy, I'm not. But thanks for asking.
BIGGUY17: Ok.
[BANDANNAMAN HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
BANDANNAMAN: WHERE ON THE WEB AM I NOW???
MAGE21: In a private channel.
[MAGE21 HAS KICKED BANDANNAMAN FROM LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
MAGE21: Sorry. Safeguards are still down until Monday or so.
THORNS03: So, what were we discussing?
[BIGPIG34 HAS JOINED LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
BIGPIG34: Hi guys!
MAGE21: BigPig! We were wondering about where you'd been off to!
HANDSOME: yeah its all nerdly could talk about
MAGE21: Cut it out, Handsome.
QUEEN: so, didya find him?
BIGPIG34: No. He's always running off, and I suspect it's because of this other
girl he likes. He always denies it, of course, but I can see it in his eyes.
THORNS03: I don't want to be rude, but are you sure he likes you?
BIGPIG34: Yes, I am, and I know we're meant to be together.
THIEF: you know this for a fact?
BIGPIG34: Do you believe in magic?
MAGE21: Fate or magic?
BIGPIG34: Magic. Real magic. Like people turning into animals.
MAGE21: Yeah, sure.
DONALD_DUCK: Not to be impertinent, but why do you ask?
BIGPIG34: Curiousity?
DONALD_DUCK: Well, ok. Yes, I most certainly believe in magic.
THIEF: Maybe. Depends. I guess.
HANDSOME: definitely hehehe at least i should
BIGGUY17: What were we discussing?
BIGPIG34: Magic.
BIGGUY17: I've seen magic before. And big pigs too. Plus other big animals.
THORNS03: You know, when I was, hm, 'not well', I didn't believe in magic, but
now I do.
HANDSOME: so when you wer nuts you didnt but now that yer sane you do
QUEEN: i do believe in some magic.
BIGPIG34: Well, I've seen some strange things, particularly around my boyfriend
and his friends.
THIEF: like?
BIGPIG34: Well, have you heard any of the reports coming out of Nerima
district?
DONALD_DUCK: I live in Nerima.
THORNS03: So do I.
HANDSOME: what reports?
QUEEN: i live in nerima too.
THIEF: no, i haven't heard the reports.
BIGGUY17: What's Nerima?
THIEF: it's a ward of tokyo.
BIGGUY17: Oh. I think my girlfriend lives there.
HANDSOME: heh no doubt
BIGPIG34: My boyfriend can shapeshift.
THIEF: yeah, right.
BIGPIG34: It's true!
QUEEN: i've heard of such things.
HANDSOME: yeh me too heh heh heh
MAGE21: Shapeshifting? Really? Amazing. He must be a skilled magician.
THORNS03: Bigpig - Does he truly practice the black arts?
DONALD_DUCK: Not all magic is black.
BIGPIG34: He's not a magician. It's a blessing he recieved.
MAGE21: I'd like that blessing. Imagine being able to become anyone or
anything you wanted.
THIEF: that would be useful.
BIGPIG34: Actually, he can only change into one form. And it requires certain
mitigating circumstances.
MAGE21: This is fascinating. Like a werewolf? Full moon and all?
BIGPIG34: Not exactly.
BIGGUY17: What were we discussing again?
QUEEN: werewolves and changelings and magic.
BIGGUY17: I know a magician. He lives with my girlfriend.
HANDSOME: dude yer wierd
MAGE21: I've always been fascinated with magic. Unfortunately, I have no skill
at it.
DONALD_DUCK: I have the skills for it, but my culture forbids people like
myself from practicing it.
MAGE21: Is it a religious taboo?
DONALD_DUCK: No, strictly cultural. I'm actually from a small village in
northern China.
HANDSOME: im from china too but i thought you were in nerima
DONALD_DUCK: I work at a restaurant there.
HANDSOME: heckuva commute from china
DONALD_DUCK: I live in the restaurant as well as working there.
MAGE21: Even if you are unable to practice magecraft, are you forbidden from
training in it.
DONALD_DUCK: Once, long ago, I lost a serious challenge. I was sent away from
my village in disgrace and told not to come back until I could prove my worth as
a warrior. Well, due to a serious physical infirmity, I would never be on an
even footing with the other warriors.
MAGE21: Is it because of that handicap that you cannot practice magic?
DONALD_DUCK: No. Even a blind, crippled old woman may practice magics in my
village. But no man may ever know the secrets of sorcery.
QUEEN: just because your a man you cant be a magician?
DONALD_DUCK: Because I am a man, I can never allow anyone to know that I am
already a skilled mage.
MAGE21: You already *are* a skilled mage? Wow!
QUEEN: thats so sad for you, donald duck.
MAGE21: So what happened when you left? Were you already practicing then?
DONALD_DUCK: No. I met an old man deep in the woods outside my village, and he
led me to an ancient conclave of mages.
MAGE21: That is so cool.
HANDSOME: hey mikey nerd boy likes it
DONALD_DUCK: Anyway, this group was made up of men who had fled my village to
escape persecution for practicing magic.
THIEF: whoa.
MAGE21: So they trained you??
DONALD_DUCK: Yes. I became very powerful in the arts. I eventually returned
to my village and proved myself worthy to live there again, using a variant form
of martial-arts. But I am still disgraced. And now I must hide my skills.
Which means that when that moron comes around to steal my beloved, I must stand
aside, or face his bullying. Even when I stand up to him, he defeats me easily,
since he's an extremely powerful martial-artist. But I must carry on, for the
sake of my wonderful beloved. She is the only thing that makes any of this
worthwhile.
QUEEN: thats so romantic sigh
BIGPIG34: Wow. I wish my boyfriend felt like that about me.
THORNS03: It really is sweet, Donald_Duck.
HANDSOME: oh gods im gonna hurl
MAGE21: Shut up, Handsome.
HANDSOME: make me nerd boy
QUEEN: STOP IT BOTH OF YOU JUST STOP IT
MAGE21: Queen - Sorry.
QUEEN: you should be
HANDSOME: hmph whatever
DONALD_DUCK: Well, it's getting late. I'd better go. I have an early morning.
MAGE21: Hey, it's only 11pm.
DONALD_DUCK: Heh. Well, that's not what you said yesterday.
MAGE21: grin
THIEF: See you later, duckman.
QUEEN: bye ducky
HANDSOME: later don
BIGGUY17: Do I know this guy?
THORNS03: Goodbye, Donald_Duck.
BIGPIG34: Bye-bye Donald!!
DONALD_DUCK: Bye.
[DONALD_DUCK HAS LEFT LOVE_JAPAN(private)]
=======================================================================
The boy stared at the screen for another moment before closing the chat
client. He sighed. What to do, what to do. 'So Thorns is from Nerima as
well, huh?' he thought, 'Well then, I guess there's nothing for it but to meet
her.'
He groaned, leaning back in his chair. 'I hope my beloved doesn't take it
the wrong way,' he thought, an image of his lavender-haired beauty floating to
the surface of his thoughts.
He pushed his glasses up onto his nose and clicked on the icon for his e-
mail client. Silently, grimly, he began to compose his reply to Thorns' query.
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TO: THORNS03@HOTLINK.NET
FROM:DONALD_DUCK@NEWCHINA.COM
CC:
BC:
SUBJECT: Getting together
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Donald_Duck,
Hey Thorns,
Hi! Thanks for the information you sent. I
appreciate your support. I was really not sure if I
wanted to tell anyone about my problem. But I'm glad
I did. You've been a lot of help.
I'm glad to be of assistance.
I was wondering, have you ever considered meeting
someone from the chatroom in the real world? I know
you and I share some common interests in medicinal uses
of plants and such, so I was hoping we could maybe
get together sometime.
I think I'd like that.
I mean, I don't know where you live or anything,
but if we live near each other, maybe we can get together.
It's up to you. I'm sorry if I seem pushy or anything.
I'm really not trying to be.
No, not at all. I'm glad you asked.
I know you live in Nerima district as well.
Are you familiar with 'Okonomiyaki Ucchan's' on Kei Street?
It's pretty popular with the students in the area, and I thought we could meet
there Monday afternoon. I can take a break after 3pm, and we could meet there
for an early dinner around 4:30. I'll be wearing black pants and a white shirt.
I'll have a red carnation in my breast pocket. I'll try to sit in a rear booth.
Thanks again for all your help!
Anytime. Seriously. You know that, right?
Thorns03
Donald_Duck
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
=======================================================================
The girl read the e-mail quietly. Finally, she closed the window without
replying to the message. 'So,' she thought, 'I'm finally going to meet
Donald_Duck in the flesh.' She sighed. Shutting down the PC, she stood and
walked to the window. Looking out at the expansive ancestral grounds, she
wondered briefly what he would be like. 'I wonder if he's anything like my
darling Ranma-sa-'
She cut that thought off. Best not to try and imagine what he was like.
After all, she would know day-after-tomorrow, wouldn't she? She walked to her
closet and examined her school uniform. 'Hm. I imagine I shall have to take
something with me to change into after class.' She chose a simple pastel-yellow
blouse and a dark-blue skirt with a tiny pink flower print. She laid them,
along with a pastel-yellow hair ribbon, into her gym bag. She would change
after gym, that being the last class of the day.
Dressing for bed quickly, she climbed into her bed and snuggled down under
the warm covers. She sighed contentedly.
'I hope it doesn't rain Monday,' she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
=======================================================================
'I hope it doesn't rain Monday,' he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
=======================================================================
Monday Afternoon
=======================================================================
"Gods, why me?" the boy moaned. He wiped his fogged glasses gingerly,
trying not to smudge them too badly in the process. The rain had hit suddenly,
and he had had just enough warning to get under an awning before it had started
coming down in earnest. 'Wouldn't do to have my curse activated on my way to a
da-' he paused in thought, 'on my way to meet someone,' he corrected mentally.
He sighed. Reaching out into the air, he pulled an umbrella from that
metaphysical realm known colloquially as Hammerspace(tm). Opening it carefully,
he stepped out into the rain and proceeded down the street toward his
rendezvous.
-=-=-=-=-=-
There was a gentle chiming as he pushed open the door to 'Okonomiyaki
Ucchan's.' He held it open for a moment while he closed the umbrella outside and
shook it off, careful not to splash himself in the process. Placing the
umbrella into a rack by the door, he stepped up to the counter.
"Hey Mousse-honey," Ukyou said. She smiled as she looked Mousse over
carefully. "Aren't you dressed up. What brings you to this fine
establishment." She handed Mousse a napkin, which he used to wipe off his
glasses. With his glasses still in his hand, he turned toward another customer.
"Hello Kuonji Ukyou." He tried to focus on the blur in front of him.
"I'm meeting someone," he finally replied. Ukyou frowned slightly and gently
tugged on his sleeve, pulling him around to face her.
"I'm over here, Mousse." She smiled at his confusion, then went on. "So,
anyone I know?" Mouse slipped his glasses on and shook his head.
"Probably not," he replied. "I met her on the internet."
"Ooh, a girl." Ukyou grinned knowingly. "Does Shampoo know?"
"No. And I hope she doesn't find out. I would never cheat on my beloved
Shampoo. This girl and I are just friends."
"So what's her name?" Ukyou flipped the okonomiyaki she was cooking, then
proceeded to add toppings to another one before handing it to her
waitress/waiter, Konatsu. The male kunoichi took the order to one of the far
tables, mincing silently in his long formal kimono.
"I only know her by her screen name - Thorns03," he admitted. Ukyou
looked at him curiously.
"And you agreed to meet her?" she asked. She looked thoughtful for a
moment, then frowned. "She might be much older, you know. Can't be too sure on
the internet these days." Mousse shook his head again.
"No, she goes to a girl's school in the area," he replied. Ukyou
shrugged, still frowning.
"So she says." Ukyou flipped the okonomiyaki again.
Mousse winced. "I'll believe her word until something is otherwise
proven," he stated. Ukyou smiled at that, nodding in agreement.
"Good idea. I'm really wary of the whole Internet thing. Konatsu loves
it. He's on there almost every night, but I just don't care for it that much."
She began adding toppings to the okonomiyaki, then put it on a plate.
Carefully, she pushed it across the grill to the customer Mousse had mistaken
for her earlier. The man smiled and nodded.
"Well, I'd better sit down. I told her I'd be in the back." He smiled
slightly and walked toward the back, nodding to Konatsu in passing. He chose
the seat furthest back and sat down facing the door. Mousse checked the watch on
his wrist. He was only a few minutes early, it seemed. Reaching into midair,
he surreptitiously summoned a red carnation. He hoped she would recognize him,
since he had no idea what she would be wearing.
=======================================================================
At that moment, the girl was walking toward the restaurant, carefully
avoiding the rain by staying under the awnings in front of the stores. She
checked her hair ribbon and adjusted it. Instead of her usual high ponytail,
she had loosely tied her hair with the pale ribbon, setting it just below her
neck. Opening her umbrella, she stepped out into the rain. She considered
running to the restaurant, as it was just across the street, but she decided
against it. Too much risk of stomping in a mud puddle and soaking her long
skirt. She started across the street at a leisurely pace.
-=-=-=-=-=-
There was a gentle chiming as she pushed open the door to 'Okonomiyaki
Ucchan's.' She held it open for a moment while she closed the umbrella outside
and shook it off, careful not to splash herself in the process. Placing the
umbrella into a rack by the door, she glanced around the place. Her eyes met
Ukyou's almost immediately.
"Kunou Kodachi," Ukyou hissed, "as I live and breathe. What are you doing
in my restaurant?" She motioned to Konatsu, who, turning, spotted Kodachi. He
leaped onto the counter and went into an immediate defensive stance. A few of
the regulars at 'Ucchan's' also saw Kodachi walk in. They stood as one and
moved quietly toward the exits, leaving payment on the counter as they left.
Other customers, seeing this, quickly followed suit. Soon, the place was almost
empty.
Kodachi felt like crying. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She knew
it was her own fault - her behaviour in the past would frighten anyone - but she
had hoped to avoid anything like this. She shot Ukyou a pleading look. "I'm
just here to meet a friend, Kuonji-san. I don't want any trouble."
"Well, sugar, after scaring off all of my customers, it looks like you
already have trouble." Ukyou reached for her battle spatula behind the counter.
Konatsu, seeing that things were under control, at least for the time being,
sprung vertically into the rafters, then exited out a small window at the top.
'Good, he's going for help,' Ukyou thought. Suddenly, one of the few remaining
customers stood up and spoke.
"Ukyou, what's going on? Is something the matter?"
Kodachi stared at the man. She felt like she had seen him before. He was
tall, very tall, and broad-chested. His long, dark hair hung in two shining
curtains on either side of his face. His blue-green eyes sparkled in the
artificial lighting of the restaurant, and his noble features held a stern cast.
A pair of thick glasses were set on his forehead, giving him the look of an
intellectual. She was taken with him immediately. She was so focused, in fact,
upon his face, that she almost missed what he was wearing.
Black pants. White shirt. Red carnation.
"Donald Duck?" she whispered. His head snapped around at the sound of her
voice. He peered at her blindly for moment.
"Thorns?" he murmured. He reached up and lowered his glasses onto his
face.
Kodachi blinked. 'With his glasses on, he looks just like...'
"Mousse?" she gasped in shock. He blinked at her, then started.
"Kunou Kodachi?" he yelped. They stared at each other in shock.
"Wha...wha...you...you're Thorns?" He sounded shocked, but not angry.
"Yes. And I'm to take it that you are Donald Duck?" she asked levelly.
He nodded slowly. She smiled at him. Without a sound, he moved forward,
walking until he was standing just in front of her. Looking down into her eyes,
he made a strange gesture with his hand. Suddenly, a bouquet of yellow roses
was in his hand.
"Uhm, these are for you," he said, flushing slightly. She smiled shyly
and took them, not meeting his eyes.
Mousse was in mild shock. Kunou Kodachi was Thorns. Thorns was his
friend. Therefore, Kunou Kodachi was his friend. This was an interesting
development, to be sure. He looked her over carefully.
She was a relatively tall girl, slender yet muscular in the way that
dancers and gymnasts often are. Her dark hair was brushed back and tied just
below her neck with a pale yellow ribbon. Her hands played nervously with her
skirt for moment. Then she looked up and he met her eyes. Her eyes were a
deep, dusky violet, the shade of the sky just after sun has disappeared over the
horizon. He found himself lost in them for an all too brief moment.
"Mousse? Mousse, honey, you okay?" Ukyou's concerned voice broke into
his reverie. "She hasn't drugged you or anything, right?"
"What?" he heard himself say. He looked away from Kodachi reluctantly.
He'd never felt that . . . connection with anyone before. "No, I'm fine, Ukyou.
Just fine." He glanced at Kodachi for a moment before continuing. "I apologize
for any inconvenience I may have caused you, Kuonji-san." He bowed low, then
turned to Kodachi. "Perhaps we should eat somewhere a little more . . . quiet?"
Kodachi nodded, grateful for the excuse to leave a rather embarrassing
situation. She gently took Mousse's proffered arm and they left together,
stopping only to recover their umbrellas.
Ukyou stared after the pair in shock. Placing her hand over her still-
racing heart, she murmured, "Who ever would have thought it?"
================================================================================
================================================================================
=====================================================
Authors Notes:
Ok, first off, I know 'Ucchan's' doesn't have booths. However, in most of
my fics, I use it as a neutral ground / meeting place (better than the
Nekohanten) and booths make sense. It's not canon, so consider it an aspect of
being in an alternaverse. :-)
I know that the format of this fic will turn a lot of people off. To
those of you who made it this far, thank you. Your comments and criticism are
most appreciated and are what makes a work like this even possible.
Finally, PLEASE let me know what you think of this. I've got a couple
more chapters written, but I figured I'd better see if anyone would even read it
before posting them.
Thanks in advance for your critiques. I need all the help I can get to
keep my feeble skills going.
=======================================================================