DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Ranma ½, Sailor Moon, Oh! My Goddess, or any other property which might show up. What I do own is the Freedom Society and it's world setting. They originate from a long standing Heroes Unlimited campaign that spanned six decades of in-game continuity. A setting and characters which the other former gaming group members gave me permission to use as my own.
Wild Horses Sometimes Breed
by Faerie Knight
Man I'm bored, I think to myself. Been up since five in the morning, mostly cause that's when my alarm went off. I really hate having to take medicine at specific times. My own damn fault though. I could have waited to take the first dose till later in the evening. But nooo, I was impatient. But yeah, I'm bored. Was playing Sonic Unleashed for a while, but after spending two hours trying to defeat a boss I quit for now. Tried writing, but no inspiration at the moment.
So I've just been sitting at the computer reading Ranma ½ fan fictions. Maybe doing that'll inspire me. Or at least make me less bored. It's not working though. When I look at the time, I notice it's almost ten at night. Mentally I shrug to myself. A saucer gets filled with milk and put on the counter. Some might think me nuts, but I leave an offering to the fair folk every so often. With that taken care of, it's off to bed. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to think of something to write.
XxXxX
Everyone agreed that they made a cute couple. Another thing that was agreed upon was that it was a very good idea to avoid the red haired Masaki girl. It was quite clear she was not in a good mood. And the reason she was pissed off? It might have been because the ship's doctor had informed Ranma Masaki her nausea was due to being pregnant. Since the joyous news had been given, Sam Bricklbuster had done her best to avoid her partner. And with good reason too.
It was Sam's fault after all. Attending a funeral for long time friends had been hard on them both. After the ceremony Ranma and Sam had gone bar crawling. They had drowned sorrow in more alcohol then should be legal to consume. The next thing clearly remembered was it being morning. The two had been in the same bed for reasons unknown. The lack of clothing had become rather evident too.
At the time Ranma hadn't really questioned her sore pelvis. Perhaps it was due to the splitting headache. Perhaps it was due to something else, no one could rightly say. That was two months ago. They had decided to leave the Earth. Both Sam and Ranma were spiritually tired. So they had boarded the red head's juraian ship and sought a place to retire, at least for a little while. The bulk of the ship's crew had been picked up during a brief visit to the empire's capital world.
That visit had been insisted upon by Ranma's great grandfather. She didn't know which side of the family though. None of the records for her family were that detailed. It was probably her mother's side though. Visiting Jurai again hadn't been quite as unpleasant as the first visit. The ten hour long wedding however was annoying as hell. Worst of all, she could sense her tree was hiding something important. What that something had been turned out to be the pregnancy.
So here I am, Ranma mused. Here I am, married to Sam and about to settle on a 'primitive' world light years from home. Never would have thought this would happen when I was younger. I'm sorry Akane, but you killed any chance we had together all those years ago. Telling you I'm leaving was the hardest thing I could do. At least we stayed friends.
XxXxX
"Weird dream," I mutter as I wake up.
A quick shower, and then getting dressed. Not much planned for today. Just more reading, writing, and maybe video games. Might watch the new episode of Dream Machines tonight. Or not, it doesn't matter. It's on On Demand too. After mentally reviewing what there is to eat, I sigh. Nothing sounds good. What I want is a hamburger or six. What's in the house is bread, frozen chicken patties, a case of raman, and six cans of mixing chicken.
Looking in my wallet, I find I have about six dollars. My coin purse shows two dollars in quarters, nickles, and dimes. Good enough for me. Just gotta decide where to go. Hmm, micky D's BK, or Arby's? Tough call. Now that I think about it, a roast beef sandwich also sounds delicious. While deciding I check the saucer left out the night before. Milk's gone, that isn't a surprise. Not evaporated either. That would have left a residue. Rinse off the saucer and put in the dish pan for later.
Open the door, and freeze. I'm suppose to be seeing a parking lot just outside the front door. What is there instead is a forest. Poking my head out and looking side to side brings more questions to mind. I can't see the apartment building, anywhere. What the frell? That settles things, not going out for burgers. What if that dream wasn't just a dream? Impossible, I know. But what if I really was talking to some mystery glowing woman?
She'd called me her knight or some such. Ugh, this is getting crazy. Hang on, the shower... Was that blood that washed off? I'd been half asleep at the time. But now that I think about it, the wafer for my colostomy bag does look like it's about to give out. So I go back into the bathroom and get ready to change it. Cut a larger hole in the center of the new wafer, and then peal off the old one. Huh? That's odd, shouldn't my stoma be there? Instead all I see is smooth skin with a bit of shit on it.
Door to an unfamiliar location, bizarre events happening around me, this sounds like one of the avatar rpg games I've joined in the past. And knowing my luck the door will vanish once I leave my apartment. So I clean up and cook a couple chicken patties. It's not what I want, but it's what's available. After breakfast is finished it's time to prepare for a little excursion. I really need more info, and I can't trust finding my apartment again.
XxXxX
There were days when Anna hated her parents. It was hard enough being raised outside of town. Friends were few and they rarely came over. As if that wasn't bad enough, there was the gender identity issues Anna had grown up with. For years she'd been unsure weather she was a boy or girl. For that matter, the question of "Who is your mother" was a difficult one to answer. In all honesty, Anna didn't know which parent was her mother.
To anyone else it's an easy question. But how do you ask two parents of flexible gender which one gave birth to you? So they were 'mom' or 'dad' depending on their current gender. A week ago Anna's 'mom', the one with red hair at least, had told her about when she was born. This was the first time a definitive gender could be assigned to herself. For all her life Anna had experienced an unusual sort of problem. Her gender fluctuated too for unknown reasons.
Unlike her parents, Anna didn't even have a little control. They could use water of various temperatures to trigger the change. But her? No, that would be too easy. It happened seemingly at random. And usually at an embarrassing moment too. The kids in the nearby village called Anna a freak. Some even accused her of being a witch. So yes, there were days she hated them. And today was one of them. Her red haired mother had awoken Anna before the sun was even up for hand to hand training.
After a barely edible meal prepared by her blue haired mother Anna was forced to spend a couple hours studying books which still didn't make any sense. Why they were both currently in their female forms was unknown. Afternoons were usually Anna's to spend as she wanted. But no, not today. Momma Sam had to have a practice session in the other combat style her parents insisted she learn. That was another thing Anna didn't really understand.
When a girl, her red haired mom insisted on using the name 'Ranko'. When male he went by the name of Ranma. Not that it really mattered. All Anna ever called them was 'mom' or 'dad'. They would be mad at her, of course. Instead of washing up for supper, the teenage girl had decided to leave home. She'd hidden a pack with a spare change of cloths near the cabin. A quick trip into town for some travel food, and then Anna would be off to see the world.
Two hours later a well toned young man walked into a nameless village. He was wearing simple tan breaches and a light blue shirt. His hair was an interesting mix of fiery red and a rich blue. The man had a pack slung across one shoulder. As the man neared the town's general store several people crossed the street to avoid him. Once inside he noticed an oddly dressed stranger was also in the store. The stranger was apparently haggling with Tobias, the store's owner.
XxXxX
If I ever get back home, I have ta thank dad. The person thinking this was a middle aged man. His skin was lightly tanned, although it was surprising due to him rarely going outside anymore. His dark brown hair was long and unkept. He was wearing a forest camo jumpsuit with an army green molly utility vest over top of that. A black leather belt was around his waist which had several daggers of various kinds attached by their sheathes. There was also a katana shoved through the belt to secure it.
The various pouches on his vest contained objects deemed useful to have on hand, including a first aid kit. At the man's feet was a molly field pack. This too had several pouches attached to it, which again contained useful things. The side of the pack had a pouch which held what looked to be a water container. A green fabric tube was secured on top of the pack.
His name? The stranger had not given one. The closest was that he'd claimed he'd been declared 'faerie's knight'. Seems odd everyone speaks English, he thought. Or do they? It wasn't his only question. Upon heading out on this most unexpected journey Faerie had put fourteen millennium food bars in one section of his pack. That was a month ago. He'd kept the wrappers and put them back in that section so as to not litter. And surprisingly every time he'd ran out, the next day the fourteen wrappers would be intact once more. Further they would contain another food bar.
While nutritious and filling, the food bars were not exactly satisfying. Oddly enough, after the first time it happened the wrappers said 'Elphame waybread' instead of 'millennium food bar'. Finding this village had been a stroke of luck. His black sneakers had not fared well. So here he was, bartering for some money and trying to determine currency values. That way later Faerie could find a cobbler and get a pair of hiking boots.
Ten copper farthings to a silver crown huh? And ten silver crowns to a gold royal? Sounds like the typical fantasy setting money system. Probably something higher then a royal, but don't need to know about that yet. He put the fifteen farthings he'd just acquired in one of his pouches. This pouch was attached to his belt, and was a forest green leather pouch. Next to this pouch he had a tin tankard hanging from it's belt hook. The man shouldered his pack once more before starting for the door.
"Yello," he called out to the store's newest customer. "Looks like you're traveling too. Mind some company?"
The young man who'd entered blinked a couple times. "I guess?"
"Cool, I'm kinda new to the area. An it's better ta have someone with ya when traveling." Faerie commented.
The other man bought seven days worth of trail bread and a handful of torches. Beyond that he decided nothing else was needed. After that the two of them started to walk. The village was left behind soon. A great big world was laid out ahead of them. Faerie was silent for the rest of the day. While in town he'd learned the name of the world he was on. What the frell am I doing in the 'forgotten realms' setting? This is crazy!
"So, got a name?" He asked his traveling companion.
"Sure, name's Anna Masaki," the teen answered.
"Anna? Isn't that a girl's name?" Before Faerie's eyes his companion's form seemed to melt into a new, smaller shape. "Oh, er... one of your parents wouldn't be a red haired woman who turns into a man with hot water would she?"
XxXxX
In his life Ranma Masaki had been many things. Wandering martial artist, teacher, hero, prince, wife, and mother. All these were terms that applied to him. Sixteen years ago Ranma had settled on this planet with his husband for some much needed rest. Raising their daughter had been a surprising addition to those plans. Then again, being the wife of Samuel Masaki (formerly Bricklbuster) hadn't exactly been part of the plan when they left earth either.
But then nothing in his life had ever gone according to plan. While fast approaching his seventy third birthday, Ranma Masaki still looked to be in his early thirties. His female form still appeared to be around sixteen years old. It had stopped feeling like a curse decades ago. And after giving birth to Anna, acceptance was rather mandatory. Landing on the planet of Abeir-Toril was suppose to be a sort of vacation. Live a normal human lifetime or so away from the chaos and stress the last forty years had consisted of.
Instead they had settled on a world populated by magic and monsters. One where the human race was constantly under assault by one dark force or another. This world had actual gods. Not like Bast and her kin. But real gods formed from the fabric of reality. Some were 'good', some weren't. And some seemed to be rather indifferent on the issue. The Masaki couple seemed to gravitate towards trouble. A fact which was made apparent when they built a cabin near a small village a few days travel from Shadowdale.
It was a nice place. Quiet, most of the time. There was a large population of 'adventurers' passing through at times. Plenty of work for mercenaries too every so often. And one of the residents was rather good company. The man was powerful as all get out. He made Saffron seem like a candle in comparison. And was older then most people Ranma had met. Looked his age too with that long flowing white beard.
"Hey Sam, gonna head out for a few days and visit the old coot. Since Anna decided to take off, was hoping he'd keep an eye on her."
