"It seems forever, since I got stuck here.It's kinda strange, different from what I'm used ta. I wish, I…no, that sort of thing put me here in the first place. Wishes, what good are they when everything just gets taken away?Hn, someone else to talk to would be nice right about now though. I wonder how you guys are doing; even notice yet that I'm not there? Probably, Heh…bet you're all going crazy right now, tearin' up the place and all. H-Hold up, I…I can feel someone nearby. Gods,there really is somebody out there. Maybe they can get me outta here…
A Ranma Nibunnoichi Fan fiction by S³
Flinging branches left and right, she continued her frantic flight through the underbrush. How she wished it was aft summer, when the leaves were fallen and the ground was bare.Vines kept snaring her tender feet, and roots all but leapt out of the ground to trip her. The girl knew she was faster than her pursuers, but they would catch her soon if she could not get out of the trees. Behind her, she could hear their angry shouts, a bevy of mocking curses. It wouldn't be too long before they caught up.Tired, sore and winded, yes, it wouldn't be very long at all.
There it was, only a hundred meters ahead lay a break in the trees, her salvation. Fear and hope renewed her resolve, gave her a focus to keep going.From the sound of it, the men chasing her saw the opening as well. They were surely gaining, the knife that whipped past her ear was all the proof she needed. Nearly stumbling again, she burst into a clearing, hoping, praying there would be something, anything to throw them off her trail. That was when she saw it, not too far off, but still some ways yet.
Hiding inside the old stone abbey had seemed a novel idea at the time, but that was before she found out that being inside was almost as frightening as being chased by slavers. The whole place was decrepit and covered in cobwebs.Thankfully there wasn't too much in the way of dust on the floor, or her footprints would leave a clear trail.At the moment, a small crawlspace underneath a large wooden staircase was her sanctuary. There wasn't a very good view of the hallway, but then that just meant they couldn't see the spot easily.
The girl could, however, hear muffled voices and footfalls, echoing through the cold corridors. Huddled in the dark, as it was, it was hard to tell if they were getting closer, or moving farther away. Thought it was already mid summer, it felt much colder here in the confines of the abandoned abbey. After a few minutes the heavy footsteps of the men faded, and only muted snippets of conversation made it to her ears. Deciding that it was foolish to remain in one place too long, she quietly scooted over to the edge of the stairs.
The corridor was empty, as she hoped.Letting out a breath, the girl attempted to calm herself down. The question now was which way to go? Canting her head, she gave the staircase a once over. The wood didn't look all that sturdy; it was probably best not to chance it. Since the men seemed to be further off toward the western wing of the abbey, it was prudent to head in the opposite direction.
Two minutes later, she was still walking along the corridor. Even this far inside, it wasn't too terribly dark. The light was due in part to the skylights that were placed periodically into the high walls illuminating what they could. In the wake of her footsteps, motes of dust were lifted into the air to ride the shafts of sunlight back to the floor. Not too much later, the girl became more and more certain that she would have trouble finding her way out, if she had to go back the way she came. Twist after turn of side passages had left her hopelessly confused. On top of that, having lost one shoe in her frantic flight through the forest, she was walking with a slight limp that was starting to ache something fierce.
Almost spent, the girl slumped up against the large oaken door that barred her path forward. There had been a few other doorways, all of which were either locked or missing from the frame. But, this was the first that was not off to the side of the corridor. She had rounded the corner, and nearly smacked straight into it. It was large and obviously heavy from the size of the slabs of wood that framed it. In her frustration she had all but worn herself out, pushing futilely at the impassive barrier. Not until she leaned against the door, did it mean anything to her that she could see the hinges on this side.
When the door began to yield, she nearly cried out for joy. It was still hard work, and took some time to wrest the door open enough to squeeze through the crack. Now that she was on the other side, she didn't feel very overjoyed anymore. It was a dead end, nothing more than some sort of study. At least that's what she thought it was, what with all the bookshelves lining the walls. Another of the skylights lit this room up as well. Looking back at the heavy door, she quickly pulled it closed.There really was not much sense in back tracking at this point, so she settled down to rest in a large chair that sat in the corner.
Putting the worn and faded picture back into my pocket, I pressed up against the walls of my prison, staring out at the young girl that I had sensed a few minutes ago. "Hey, you--uh, girl. Get me outta here! C'mon--no, don't go ta sleep--Hey!" Pounding on the wall, I tried to get her attention.
To have someone so close, but not even aware that I was there was maddening. Not about to give up when freedom was only steps away, I gave it another shot, "Hey! Hey!I know you can hear me, just stand back up and walk over here. It's not that hard. Get up offa that lazy butt and let me out!"Frustrated, I slammed my whole weight into the wall, not that it would do much of anything…
Blinking awake, the girl stifled a yawn. Bolting upright, her eyes searched the room. She had definitely not meant to fall asleep. Not when people were after her. Judging by the color of the sky that she could see through the hole in the ceiling, it had been more than just a little nap. It was almost dark outside, that wasn't a good thing. But, on the somewhat bright side, it had been long enough that those men may have decided to give up. Getting to her feet, she shivered. With the sun so far down, the cooler temperature inside was dropping even further.
Slowly, she turned around to face the room. It felt like there was someone watching her, like there was someone else in the room. She was about to pass if off as nervousness, when her eyes lit upon a full-length mirror resting up against the corner of one of the bookcases. Something seemed off about it, sure she could see her reflection in the silver specked surface, but it was hazy. Stepping up to the mirror, she wiped at the coat up dust that had accrued over time.
Once the dust was wiped away, she was able to get a look at how disheveled she had become. A futile attempt to straighten out her wrinkled and torn dress was met with a frown. To say nothing of her hair, it was just a tangled mess at this point. Shrugging, she hopefully would have time to deal with that later, if she got out of this place and back home. Just as she was about to turn away from the mirror and take a peek out the door, a second reflection caught her eye. There was a man right behind her!
Whirling about with the intention of flailing away, she only thrashed about for a second until she noticed she was alone. Breathing hard, the girl took another look at the mirror. As before, there was another reflection in the mirror aside from her own. At least that's what she thought at first. Upon closer inspection, he appeared to be faint, almost faded away. This was almost too much for her at this point, was he some sort of spirit?
Finally, I thought she was going to leave before she noticed me. I wanted to laugh when she spun around and started throwing her arms around, no technique at all. Luckily she didn't freak out too much, and when she stopped she turned back ta take another look at me. I must've still freaked her out at that point, since all the blood rushed out of her face. It would do me no good if she fainted now of all times. Maybe she thought I was a ghost, or something else. I'm still not all that sure what kind of place I'm in. I just know that I've been here for a long time, and getting out to get some food is soundin' real good right about now.
Ok, her just standing there and gapin' at me is wearing on my nerves. I tried smiling, you know; ta get her calmed down and all. It's not working yet. Mouthing the words 'help me,' and 'let me out' weren't doing much either.This could get old real fast here. Racking my brain for the next thing, I got an idea. I mimed a punch at the wall in front of me, hoping she might get the hint this time.After a few slow swings, she perked up. I think she understood, but I can't be sure with women. With my luck, she thinks I want her to hit 'me'.
All right, she walked away for a second, scratch that, here she comes with a chair, she's goingto--yep, I should step back I think. The chick is up and swinging the chair straight at the wall. I wanted to leap up and down for joy when the wall shattered as she hit it. This has got to be one of my better days I just know it. Before I knew what the hell I was doing, I found myself giving her a hug of appreciation.
When my brain registered what my hands were doin' I let go and awaited the haymaker that was sure to come. Course, after a few pain-free seconds, I cracked open an eye to see her just standing there.
Come to think of it, she is a little bumped and bruised, missin' a shoe even. Hell, she looks like I feel,just too damn tired of it all.Maybe she knows where to get some food."Uh, yea--thanks and all, you know, for getting me out. Name's Saotome Ranma, nice ta meetcha I would'a bowed, but my back was killing me from sitting down for so long. There is only so much one can do in a room that is only a few feet wide in any direction. It wasn't until now, when her reply sounded an awful lot like gibberish,that I realized there was gonna be a problem.
Once the Spirit of the mirror started beckoning to her, she grew unsure of what to do. He looked sad at first, but soon began smiling. It was enough to entice her to take a few steps closer. Then, he did something odd; he slowly pointed his arm at her. He did this thing more than one time, going a little
faster after each swing. It didn't take her too long to grasp the intent of the spirit. He wanted her to hit the mirror. Surely that would cut her arm if she used her hand as he was intending! Casting a glance around, she spotted a smaller chair and went to pick it up. That would do nicely to break the mirror…
Now, there they stood. The Spirit had just grabbed her and then suddenly let go. At the moment she was a little confused as to what was going on. The mirror was broken and there was a small room on the other side. That alone unnerved her; it was a standing mirror and wasn't affixed to the wall. If she wanted, she could lean around and look at the backside of the mirror.This whole experience was simply more than a young girl was used to. It all went downhill from there; the Spirit started talking rapidly to her in an odd tongue, certainly nothing like her own language.
"You're free now, Spirit. I'm sorry, but I cannot understand what you say; do you not speak Altian?" She tried to ask, though judging by the Spirit's face he could not. At a loss for what to do, she walked back over to the large chair in the corner and sat down. Despite the rest she had gotten, her body was still very much sore, especially her feet. The Spirit righted the chair that she had used to break the mirror, but did not sit down. Instead, he walked around the small room, which was still much bigger than the one he had been imprisoned in.
After walking the length of the room a few times, the Spirit moved over to the door. Seeing that he was intent on opening it, the girl rushed over to stop him, crying out, "No, wait! They might be out there, we have to be careful." The Spirit looked at her strangely, before nudging her out of the way. "Please, we must be sure they aren't in the hallway first," she hoped the desperation in her voice would be enough, as he couldn't understand the words themselves.
What is with this girl? She finishes talking and just sits in the corner. I took a look around the room;first good look since I got here, it was nothin' special in my book. Kinda dirty though, lemme tell ya
Anyways, I fix up the chair, in case I wanted to sit too. Yea right, like I hadn't had enough of that to last a lifetime. I decided this was fun and all, but I want to really stretch, get the blood pumpin', that kind of thing. So what does this girl do when I go ta open the door? She babbles at me some more,looking all scared or somethin'. That caught my interest.
I managed to calm her down after a few seconds, well, not really. I'm terrible at that sort of thing; I just sorta nudged her to the side, and tried the door. Maybe there was some big monster out there; I really wanted to see what I could still do. The door pushed open pretty easily, which surprised the girl for some reason, 'cuz she looked at me with this really freaked out expression. I just shrugged, figuring it was better than trying to talk. She didn't know what I was saying anyway.
I wish she hadn't taken that nap earlier we would have better light to see. From the look of it, the sun just went down a few minutes ago. Don't get me wrong, doesn't bother me much, but the girl nearly flipped out when the last bit of sunlight faded. I wish she'd stop babbling at me, it's getting on my nerves, though she is keeping it around a whisper. Did I mention how clingy she started to get? A few minutes ago, after we got outta the small hallway, she just about choked me ta death when a bird flew by one o' those holes in the roof.
You have no idea how glad I am to be out of that place. Once we got out into the open, the girl seemed to relax. Sure, she still looked a little out of it, but she stopped bein' all fidgety. This was all that mattered to me; it meant she wouldn't crush my ribs anymore. I got enough of that action back home--home, now that's something I love to dwell on. I still have no real clue where I am. Sure, I've traveled a bit, but never really left Asia. That building looked nothing like what I'd seen before.
Glass Memorial - Chapter 1
The way I figure it, I'm stuck in some kinda other dimension or somethin'. I mean, I've been following this worn out chick for the past hour and everything she says sounds too strange. She might have been
givin' me her life story for all I knew. I'm no great student or nuthin', but I'd like to think I know a regular language from a weird one. I heard from my pops once about some people in Africa that talk by clickin' their tongues, but that wouldn't be half as odd as what she's doin'. I tried to tell her my name a few times. That didn't work out at all.
On top of everything, the girl will not quiet down. I can tell she's exhausted, but she keeps talking and talking. Not only that but she stops to stare at me every few minutes. I hope we get to wherever it is we are headed soon. The exercise is great, but the company sure sucks. Not that I can complain really. Not when I just spent what felt like a lifetime crammed in what could've passed for a closet. I think I kinda understand what the old pervert went through when pops and Mr. Tendou trapped him in that cave.
About ten kilometers from the torn up building she got even more animated which I didn't think was possible. The forest was starting to thin out too. I just hope this means we're gettin' close to wherever she's leadin' me.
Well, by the flicker of light up ahead, I guess we've come upon some kinda village or something. I didn't bother trying to ask the girl, since she all but broke out into a full sprint once the lights came into sight. Maybe she could set me up with a bed and some food. It hurts to think of the last time I actually had a meal, decent or otherwise. Not wanting my meal ticket to get out of sight, I picked up the pace some, just enough to keep an eye on her retreating form. It was pretty easy, especially when the girl was silhouetted by the lights ahead.
She almost cried out for joy when the lights of her hometown penetrated the thinning forest. If she was lucky her father wouldn't tan her hide for being gone so long and worrying everyone. Of course, once she told of what had happened, that would be a different story all together. Everyone knew the bandit gangs were getting bolder with the festival season approaching.
The fact that her father was the leader of the town militia would not go unnoticed. She knew him well, and after this, he'd be out for blood. That the bandit's were dabbling in slave trading would only count further against them. After tonight, the town's guard would be out in force, possibly going as far as sending out patrols to dispatch the bandits. They would pay for trying to abduct cute young girls!
As she anxiously ran toward the town, she glanced over her shoulder once she remembered her companion. Whatever was she going to say to her father about the Spirit she'd set free? She actually began to doubt whether or not to even bring him into town. Despite the fact that she felt he was harmless, who really knew how to deal with the Spirits?
The old tales always portrayed the Spirit folk as being fair to look upon, but possessing of strange whims and powerful magiks. As she watched him catch back up to her, she marveled that whatever he was, he most certainly possessed a fair countenance; smooth features and eyes that bore a curious slant. There was no mistaking that he was of some unearthly realm. The only thing that threw off her impression was that he was barely taller than her.
She was used to all of the boys in the area looking down on her when they spoke. That was a welcome change. Now, only if the two of them could actually hold a conversation. His tongue was strange, so unlike her own. She'd tried to make heads or tails of it over the journey home, but it had been to no avail. Likewise, it seemed the Spirit was unable to grasp her speech. All considered it had made for a lonely walk.
Oh, she'd made pleasant conversation, talking about how she'd ended up in the company of the slavers, and her subsequent flight that ended in the old monastery. It had helped to put the whole day's events into perspective, if only for her. For his part, the Spirit had remained attentive, or so it has seemed at the time. Thinking back, he'd probably been bored near to tears. But, that was behind them now.
Shaking her head to reorient her thoughts, she noticed that they were almost at the town gate. She would have to decide quickly what to do about him. To let him in would seem the thing to do, but she wanted to be sure first. There had been nothing on the way back to indicate that there was any malicious intent. If he had wanted, he could have had his way with her back in the secluded confines of the ruins. What could he hope to gain by waiting until she was back in a well protected area?
The dilemma settled; she approached the gates, calling out to Jek, who was probably standing watch as usual. When her call was answered in kind, she stepped out into the halo of the lamps so Jek could see it was really her. Naturally, all of the guards knew full well the sound of her voice, and the gates were already being unlocked even as she began to come into the light. She 'tisked' to herself, father would have to have a word with them again. What if someone had been using her to get inside? But, that was for another time. She had many questions weighing heavily on her mind. And, what would become of her pigtailed savior?
I followed close behind the girl as we both passed through a huge gate, leadin' into what looked like some sorta village. From what little I could see the place was probably pretty small. Keeping one eye on her, the arrival of a couple a' brawny guys caught the rest of my attention.
First, I thought they were spoilin' for a fight. I know I was ready to get the kinks out of my system. But, as soon as the girl began chatterin', they seemed to settle a bit. Damn, oh well. They seemed to know the girl anyway. Not that it helped me relax any. When you can't understand what people are sayin', it tends to bug ya for awhile.
It didn't take long for them to catch up or whatever, and soon everyone was lookin at me. I thought I was used to bein the center of attention all the time, but I guess not. They looked like they were expectin me ta do somethin. My confusion musta been showing on my face, cuz they quit staring and started talkin again. Since they seemed to be busy, I figured I would take the chance to check the rest of the place out. Maybe I would get lucky and run across something ta eat.
From outside, the place had looked pretty big. But, now that I could see it all up real close, there wasn't much ta look at. A bunch'a homes, and a shop or two. I didn't see too many people outside, but I guess it was getting sorta late. About the only real interestin place I could see without gettin too far away from the girl, was a big building towards the center of town. It was hard to see much with the bad lighting, so I didn't get too good of a look. If I had ta guess I'd say the place was a town hall, or a temple--somethin like that.
Bout right then, a delicious scent caught my attention. Dinner was bein' served. All of the sudden, my stomach started growling like crazy, loud enough for everyone standing around ta hear. I rubbed the back of my head and tried to laugh it off, who knows maybe no one noticed. Of course, my luck must just not be that great. As soon as I'd stopped chuckling, the girl I'd followed here was all but in my face, looking at me kinda funny.
Shouting out more of that gibberish they called a language, she made a grab for my hand and tried to haul me off. Aside from the big guys she'd been talkin to, the rest of the place looked pretty harmless, and the girl, well, there wasn't much muscle to her, not like back home anyway. But, she had work muscle at the very least. It was a sure bet life wasn't easy in a small town like this. Figuring I didn't really have anywhere else to go, I let her drag me along.
We ended up stopping in front of one of the bigger houses, one with a big wooden badge hanging to the left side of the door. The girl said a few words and held up her hand at my chest then she pretty much ran to the door. She looked back at me once before going inside. From her expression, it was hard to tell just what she was thinkin, but she probably wanted me to wait.
So I did. In the meantime, I battled with my stomach to keep it from wakin the neighbors
--