Disclaimer: All anime characters portrayed in this series are owned by their respective creators, as are any original characters that appear. This is a work of fanfiction and is not to be taken literally.

Character Note: I am Rachel, the misplaced author of this fanfiction series. I am sixteen years old, am 165cm tall (5'6"), have semi-long shoulder length dirty blond hair and blue/green eyes.

Character Note2: Crystal is an original character that is based on myself, generally used in fanfiction and in online RPGS. She looks almost exactly like me, except for the scar she bares on her right arm. Don't try to piss her off unless you don't mind dealing with a killer dragon.

Author's Note: While the main world is a crossover of the Ranma 1/2 universe and the Tenchi Muyo universe, some of the stories will take place in other worlds and will involve other characters. The main world is also slightly alternate-universe, so some of the characters might act a little differently than people are used to.

------Key------

"......"-speaking ~......~-thinking *......*-exagerated noises [......]-author's notes

------Introduction------

My name is Rachel, although sometimes I choose to use the name of my character and alternate personallity, Crystal. This is my story, the story of a girl that ended up in their ideal world of anime. Being an anime fanatic from the start and an active role playing nut probably had something to do with what happened. For a long time now I have also had this character that has always really been a part of me, but sometimes I took a little too seriously. When I ended up in the world of anime that exists normally in my imagination, I thought I had really gone crazy, but sometimes the dream world really does become a person's reality...

My mind has always been known to wander. Even at school I would take on the personallity of my character and even feel as if I was in her world. I was acutely aware of the fact that I would suddenly be watching everything that my body was doing from another perspective and that I was acting a lot like my character. I would maintain control of my actions and my thoughts, but it was like some stronger force was at work. I decided not to pay much attention to it, and it passed. I returned to normal every time, but failed to realize that the other personality was really just an extention of myself. It was who I believed I wanted to be when I was being a character in a story rather than real life. I was going to learn the lesson of a lifetime and no one else would ever believe me...

------Taking Role Playing Too Far------

When summer came around I really got into my role playing mode. I would respond to my alias more and more frequently rather than my real name. At times I even wished I could be my character so I could really meet the people that she met and spoke to within my role playing journeys and fanfiction storylines. Well you know that old quote "Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it", in a sense I got what I wanted.

I got off of the computer to get a drink of water, seeing as it is hot at my place during the summer and I didn't feel like getting dehydrated. When I steped out of my room the world around me started spinning rapidly. I couldn't figure out what was going on, but before I could think about it any further I was unconscious.

*~*~*~*~*

When I regained consciousness, I was laying on the floor in a hallway that was certainly not the hallway of my house. In fact it looked strangely like the hallway of the apartment I had always visualized Crystal living in when going through my role playing insanity and fanfiction writing. I tried to get my senses strait, but the fact of the matter was it was the hallway of that apartment. I was sure of it.

The other thing that struck me as odd was the fact that the world suddenly seemed animated. I got up off of the floor and walked down the hallway. I knew my way around the apartment, after all I had designed it with my mind ages ago. I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror and saw my face, but I looked stronger and for some reason I had a strange scar on my right arm. I stared at the mirror for several minutes trying to get everything to register.

"How did this--is this--I'm Crystal?" I asked myself this series of questions while still staring at myself in the mirror.

A voice in my head thought at me ~Well this is what you wanted, isn't it?~

"Of coarse I wanted this!" I stated aloud.

~Well you got it~ thought that voice at me again ~now enjoy your new life.~

"My new life...?" I said, still in shock and total confusion.

There was no response that time and I realized that I was on my own. I was Crystal and as such I lived in an apartment by myself somewhere in Nerima, Japan. I also noted that in the mirror the outfit I was wearing as Crystal looked awesome.

"Enough with a mirror," I stated as I wandered out of the bathroom to take a look at the apartment that I had designed in my mind so many months earlier. It took a while for me to register the fact that I was in fact my favorite original character in what appeared to be the world I always portrayed when writing my fanfictions.

"Time to experiment," I said with a smirk on my face. I held up my right hand an concentrated on one of my favorite little abilities that I had given to Crystal as a character. On cue a small fireball materialized above my hand. I snapped my fingers and the fireball was gone.

"This is too cool," I said to myself. I walked into the living room and took a look at the calander to figure out what time of year it was in this world.

"Ack...Crystal...I've got to go to school!" I shouted. I looked at the clock and decided there was no time like the present, I didn't want to be late.

*~*~*~*~*

I somehow got out of my apartment and made my way to Furinkan High School and to my surprise seemed to know my way. Well of coarse Crystal always managed to get to school on time, but the problem was...

"Crystal is never able to find the apartment after school!" I shouted out loud again.

I clamped my hand over my mouth. I really needed to just chill out and relax, and most importantly stop speaking in the third person. I was Crystal, end of story and I needed to start refering to myself as such or risk looking like an idiot in this world. I went over the character profile I had designed for Crystal and sighed. Well Crystal would be acting a little differently than usual, but in Nerima that wouldn't be a bad thing.

I continued on my way to school and my first encounter with real live anime characters.

*~*~*~*~*

I took a seat in the back corner of the classroom praying that no one would pay attention to me, noting that it was actually Crystal's seat anyway. Then it registered that as Crystal I had no friends and that I was perfectly safe for the moment. I had also realized that I could understand and speak to everyone with ease and it all came naturally. I had been a little worried about that, but my mind obviously took everything into account when creating my ideal world subconsciously.

I let out a sigh and thought ~I really DO have an over active imagination...this shouldn't even be possible according to the standards of normal people, and yet here I am. Maybe I really did lose my mind this time.~ For me it was like a paradise, or so I thought at the time.

*~*~*~*~*

During class things seemed mostly normal, well about as normal as things can be when you happen to be involved with characters from Ranma 1/2 in a place called Nerima. By lunchtime I was thoroughly confused by what was going on and getting a little homesick. It was simple enough for someone like me to find some quiet little area to eat lunch, even if that somewhere was conveniently located in a tree.

"I really should have made this character more cheerful," I said aloud. I seemed to be doing even more talking to myself than I usually did at home.

Then I started hearing voices bellow me. One voice, that I couldn't place, said, "That guy Crystal has been acting kind of strange today."

I sweatdropped, as was standard in an anime based universe. I recognized the basis of this storyline imediately, because I had role played it before. This was the beginning of a storyline in which everyone who didn't actually know Crystal personally [everyone], thought that she was a boy. ~Well if this is how things are going to be, I'll just have to play along~ I thought to myself.

A second voice asked, "And what isn't weird about that guy. He's always by himself being all mysterious and he always disappears before anyone can talk to him."

~And with good reason~ I added mentally.

"I just mean that the guy has been acting weirder than usual," said the first voice. In a matter of minutes the people whose voices I had heard were on their way. It became quiet again.

I finished off my lunch and decided the smart thing to do would be to remain in the tree. Curiousity got the better of me and I climbed down to take a look around at my surroundings. If I was going to be in this world for a while it would be wise for me to do some exploring so I could easily find my way around. Strange how that was exactly how the role playing game had started...

*~*~*~*~*

"How on earth did I end up in here?" I asked myself out loud. This was getting silly and I knew it, but I still felt like going along with the storyline that I knew was happening.

On cue, Ranma entered chasing after a certain little black piglet who goes by the name P-chan or in the case of what Ranma was shouting, "Ryoga get back here!"

I had wandered into the boys locker room, go figure and that was exactly what was supposed to have happened. Now the storyline was taking full flight and there was nothing I could do, but do my best to go with the program. Of coarse I was in no way as serious as Crystal in real life, but I certainly had put some of myself into the character. This wouldn't be too hard.

There were several indignant squeels from the direction Ryoga/P-chan had headed, into the showers and then a muffled, "Curse you Ranma Saotome!"

"Serves you right P-chan," said Ranma. "Now why don't you give up on this game of yours and just tell Akane the truth before I decide to?"

Ryoga growled, "You wouldn't dare."

"I might just do that," said Ranma.

This was when I was noticed on the scene, mostly because I just had to ask, "What's going on here?"

Even though both boys thought were unaware of the fact that I was actually a girl, they became embarassed when they saw another person in the locker room [I still couldn't exactly understand how I had gotten in there myself].

"This is just great Ranma! Now he knows my secret!" shouted Ryoga.

Ranma shrugged, "Well that would be your own doing because I didn't say anything about it. You did."

"Eh..." was all I managed to get out.

"Hey that guy is in my class," said Ranma.

It was best to lead them on and let them think I was a guy, after all I was still in that locker room. I merely nodded and then said, "And Ryoga, I already knew about the P-chan thing."

Ryoga couldn't decide whether he should be furious or totally shocked. One thing was certain, he had lost the potential ability to talk.

"How long have you known?" asked Ranma.

I shrugged, "Well if the bandana isn't a dead give-away, I don't know what is. And then there is the matter that anyone who acts that jumpy around cold water is usually cursed."

Ryoga seemed like he had just been caught in jail break. He had however, found his voice, "And you haven't told anyone?"

"Who would believe me," I asked seriously, "the mystery boy in the back of the classroom who almost never speaks in public?" I took that time to snap my fingers, as was a normal thing for me to do in this type of world and materialized Ryoga's clothes out of thin air. "You might want to put these on before you get out of here."

Ryoga took the clothes and nodded, having lost his voice again, mostly in the confusion of my latest trick. I was becoming more and more accustomed to the potential ability to use magic as Crystal. Ranma actually looked as confused as Ryoga.

"I guess I'll be taking my leave," I said and stepped out the door.

*~*~*~*~*

After school I had imediately began my search for my apartment. As I had expected I couldn't find it anywhere. After going around in a circle about eight times, I ended up at Nerima District Park again, signaling that I was still going around in circles.

"This is getting insane," I said to myself as I took a seat by the fountain in the middle of the park. I was not about to go on a wild goose chase looking for a building that seemed to have sprouted wings and flown off somewhere.

That was when I saw Ryoga walking by. I knew what this part of the story implied and I was all for doing something other than searching for an apartment that by all means didn't seem to exist.

"You appear lost Ryoga," I said.

Ryoga stopped in his tracks, recognition dawning on him imediately. He said, "I was just on my way to the Tendo Dojo."

"I could help you get there," I offered, as I had done in a certain role playing game, "everyone at Furinkan knows about you and your sense of direction."

Ryoga shrugged, "And what reason do you have to help me?"

"Who needs a reason?" I asked.

"You aren't like the other people around here are you?" asked Ryoga.

I shook my head, "In fact you could say I'm not exactly from around here. Of coarse even where I do come from, people like me are hard to come by."

"Well then, lead the way," said Ryoga.

And so I did.

*~*~*~*~*

I stood at the door to the Tendo Household with a little black piglet perched on my shoulder. The plan was to return him as P-chan so that nothing would look too suspicious. Of coarse things never seemed to go as planned, as least not as far as Crystal was concerned, and in which case I was now concerned.

It was around this time that Ranma Saotome came flying out of the ceiling and crashed into a wall a short distance behind the two of us. I sighed, things really did seem to be following the same rules as the role playing game I had been involved in. A second later Akane came stormming out, mallet in hand, and prepared to hit Ranma again for whatever it was he had just done or said.

"I don't mean to interupt," I said as if nothing unusual was going on, "but I believe I have something that belongs to you."

After hitting Ranma, now in the other direction, and clear into the Koi pond, Akane took notice of who had been talking to her. I removed Ryoga/P- chan from my shoulder and said, "I saw him at the park so I thought I should return him."

Akane took the little black piglet, "Thanks. Aren't you in my class?"

I nodded. It was gettling closer and closer to the time where my little secret wouldn't be so secret. I remember exactly why I had made Crystal let everyone believe she was a boy and that was the simple matter of 'the less they know about me, the better'. In this world there was no actual need to cover up so much and I was going to clear up the little issue about me being a girl.

Ranma, in girl form, walked back to the front of the Tendo Household and noticed who was there. Of coarse her focus took a different turn, "So are you assisting the pig-headed fool?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I said with a slight shrug of my shoulders giving the indication that I really had no clue what Ranma was talking about.

Akane glared at Ranma, "What ARE you talking about? He just came here to return P-chan."

Ranma shrugged, "Whatever. He doesn't act like any other boys I know."

The role playing game storyline had just shifted and was no longer going the same way it had. Well there was no way for me to go along with something I didn't know so it was time for me to start being myself.

"You've got me Ranma, I'm not a boy and neither are you currently," I said revealing what should have been slightly obvious to those truly paying attention.

And then there was a piercing silence.

*~*~*~*~*

To Be Continued...