I do not claim ownership of any characters referred to in this story, Ranma ½ and the Marvel Universe are products of their respective creators and publishers.
The barkeep sent another bottle of sake down in front of the scarlet-haired woman as she stared into space. Her normally expressive cerulean eyes were glazed over and distant, the eyes of a desperate human being. She tipped the bottle pouring some of its contents into the cup on the bar. The young Japanese woman brought the cup to her lips and took a quick, but large, drink, draining half of its contents. The young lady let out a sigh before starting the process of refilling her glass again.
Behind this young woman at the bars entrance a man walked through the worn wooden doors. On his head sat a Stetson hat covering a tangle of dark hair. His hair was thick and at his ears met thick sideburns that almost ran down his entire jaw. He sported a beaten to hell brown leather jacket over a faded black shirt. He shifted through the crowd of rowdy drinkers who filled the room every night. He pulled up a chair and took a seat next to the depressed young woman. If one word were used to describe him, that would be wild.
He turned his eyes towards the red-head and gave a soft grunt. The empty bottles surrounding her tipped him off that she had a problem. Normally he wouldn't stick his nose into other people's business, especially when said person had been drinking. However, for whatever reason, he couldn't leave this young woman alone.
"Excuse me miss," he began, "but do you think you might be going a little hard on the booze?"
The red-headed woman turned her head to him and gave him a drunken glare before snipping back at him. "What business is it of yours if I drink or not! I have every right to indulge myself in sake if I want, especially after today!" She fixed a hurt glare at him once more before turning back to her drink.
"Well, ma'am, I just don't like watching women drink themselves to death. I'm sure there's a reason why you're here but I can tell you from experience that whatever solution you're looking for isn't in here. I don't usually do this, in fact I think this is the first time I have ever tried to consul a girl on anything, but I can see that you really need it." The response he received was biting but informative.
"I just want you to stop talking to me like you know me, because you don't! You can say whatever pretty thing you can think of so you think you helped me and boost your opinion of yourself, but there is nothing you can do to truly help me. The only person who can help me is my father, and he's the one who started this mess in the first place." She finished in a harsh whisper, leaving the inquirer aghast.
Silence fell between the two as the drunken rambling of the other patrons droned on in the background. The wild man's eyes softened as he stared at the woman who a moment ago had bit his head off. He thought about what she had just said to him before he spoke.
"I don't know what your problem is lady, but if I can't solve it for you I can at least get you to talk about it. Talking about it is better than killing brain cells with booze. If you feel like talking I got all the time in the world to listen." Having spoken his peace he turned to the bartender who was growing impatient waiting for the man's drink order. "Jack Daniels, neat."
The woman's gaze drifted to her hands and remained there for a while before she spoke. "If you really want to hear my problems can you at least tell me your name first? Mine's Nodoka."
The wild man's mouth curved upwards and he responded, "Logan."
Done with prologue of first fic that wasn't a one shot. Hopefully it will remain and grow longer as time goes by.