Out of Time
AN: Here I go again! This is an idea that has been percolating for a while, but I'm not sure how much interest there will be in it. Only one way to find out, eh?
Without further ado, enjoy!
Prologue: In the Blink of an Eye
"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!"
"You left yourself open, Saotome!"
Those were the last things Ranma could remember, as she tried to gather her thoughts. It had been a day in Nerima like any other. Ranma had gotten in a fight with Akane and Mousse, who happened to be passing by on a delivery without his glasses, thought Ranma had insulted Shampoo. To no one's surprise, a fight broke out. Ranma had been handling Mousse easily, aside from a smashed fountain triggering his curse, until Ryoga spotted his rival and decided to jump into the fray. However, as Ranma acknowledged the arrival of the Lost Boy, Mousse took the opportunity to fling a strange, glowing crystal toward them. Ranma had leapt to the side, causing the crystal to strike a wall right next to Ranma and Ryoga.
Then, Ranma was suddenly falling to the floor, and landing on top of the equally confused Ryoga. As her face impacted his chest, for once Ranma was glad her cursed form was shorter than him, as being a few inches taller could have been much more painful or embarrassing.
Ryoga seemed just as confused, but Ranma decided it would be better to being on her feet if he decided to resume the fight, and quickly sprang off him. Not a moment later, Ryoga growled, "Who the hell do you think you're landing on?" Ryoga flipped to a standing position, but before he could attack, another voice drew both of their attention.
"I'd like to know who both of you are, and how you got here!"
As both took in the one who addressed them, they also became aware of their new surroundings. While they had been fighting on the streets of Nerima a moment ago, they were now inside. Judging from the surroundings, they were able to tell they were in a dojo of some sort, given its similarity to the Tendo dojo that they had seen so many times before. The one who had just called out to them was a teenage girl with dark brown hair tied back in a pony tale. Given the karate gi she was wearing and the sweat on her brow, she had been training until a moment ago. Scowling at them, she added, "This is my family's dojo, so if you two don't have a good reason for trespassing, you'll find out the hard way what I've learned about Anything Goes martial arts!"
Needless to say, that sparked Ranma's interest. "'Anything Goes', huh? Funny, I use the same style, myself," Ranma replied. "And I never back down from a fight. 'Course, since you're a girl, I'll go easing on ya, if ya insist on this. As for my name, I'm Saotome Ranma, heir ta the Saotome school of Anything Goes."
The girl's eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing in anger. "That's impossible," she said shortly.
"That's because he's dead, isn't it," Ryoga suddenly spoke up, sounding slightly out of it.
"The hell are ya talking about? I'm right here," Ranma asked in confusion. Ryoga pointed over her shoulder, and Ranma turned to look and her eyes widened, "What the...?"
Against the wall near where they had fallen was a small shrine, which featured three objects prominently. In the center was a dull crystal, flanked on either side by a picture; one of Ranma's male form and one of Ryoga.
"My mother set that up after her fiance and best friend went missing. I don't see why you would care," the young woman said. "Now, I'm not going to ask again. Who are you two, and what are you doing here?"
Ryoga reached out to his own picture and held it up to his face as he turned toward the girl, as he tried to figure out what was going on. "I'm Hibiki Ryoga, and for once Ranma's telling the truth."
"Hey, what d'ya mean 'for once'!?" Ranma protested.
The girl's eyes flicked between Ryoga and the picture her mouth working soundlessly as she slumped to the floor in shock. Turning to Ranma, she asked, "Then... mom's stories... about magic and curses... They're true?"
"I don't know about any stories," Ranma said, "but magic and curses really are a thing, yeah. Where are we, anyway?"
"And who are you?" Ryoga asked, as he examined the crystal in the shrine.
Now looking at the pair with something akin to awe in her eyes, the she replied, "I'm Tendo Ranga, and this is the Tendo dojo."
"Really? Are ya Akane's cousin, or something?" Ranma asked, before adding, "I wonder how we got back here?"
"More importantly, why was there a shrine for us?" Ryoga asked with a frown.
"No, she's my mother," Ranga replied. As the two started at that latest revelation, she continued, "The shrine's because no one's seen either of you since 1993, according to mom's stories."
Ranma and Ryoga shared a look, before Ranma voice the same thought both of them had. "And... how long ago was that?"
"It's been 25 years," she replied. "The year now is 2018."
AN: There we go! Needless to say, this is just a short prologue to set things up and see if anyone is interested.
If you want to help me have more time to write, both existing stories and new ideas like this, consider supporting me. FFN does not allow direct links, but PM me if you are interested. My fanfiction will always be free, but the less time I'm working, then the more time I'm writing!
How will Ranma and Ryoga adjust to suddenly finding themselves in the distant future? What happened to the rest of the world since they vanished? Find out in future chapters of 'Out of Time'!