Frost fills the sky over Ten Mile lake...
Silken threads anxious of youth...
Looking at the moon and feeling lonely...
Envious of lovers, not of immortality...
Envious of love, not of immortailty...

- excerpt from the movie "A Chinese Ghost Story"




A raven, a tiny insignificant dot against a restless burning sky; cold, and as
unforgiving as the winds that bore its wings; while beneath it, churned the sea.

Enticing like a lover, foaming at the mouth and tossing in a sheet of blue green
waves that reached for the sky. The sea beckoned the raven, that it dive so that
the sea might grasp the other in an unyielding embrace...

Untouched, the raven flew on. Pass the burning ball that is the sun; its warm
light reflecting off the raven's feathers like water spurning the touch of oil.
Eyes darting, seeking, like the pulsing flashes of a camera it sought and
yearned for the sight of land. The land of its destination; and the fulfillment
of a promise a hundred years due, on the distant shores of China...

And with a shriek, the raven reveled in the wind. Its voice carried in the
shadows of the forests, through grasslands and myriad farm fields. To White
Mountain in the far north looking like a jagged teeth tearing the sky open,
blanketed in snow and echoing the ravens call to the valley beyond the western
hills and the mouth of the Chuzen river.

Golden wheat, like a sea, flooded the valley, rustling and swaying with each
passage of the breeze. And farther still, the raven flew on until finally it
reached a small hill with a pocket full of leafless trees with straggly and
wispy branches on the top; and flanked on either side by tall dry grass as the
raven slowly circled above it and scanned the far skies for something still
unseen, before it finally glided down and perched on a low branch that
overlooked an old abandoned mountain road.

A road, parting a sea of grass freely swaying with the passage of the wind, its
path, brown and dry as scorched soil would be under the heat of a blazing sun
and slowly worn away by the wind and the rain. The road was littered with an
assortment of stones and pebbles both large and small as well as an assortment
of withered leaves that tumbled and danced in the breeze. This road led to the
mountains in the horizon, and beyond it a fertile valley of lush forest trees
and a small town beyond that; the sky above was empty except for a few patches
of slow drifting clouds, and the raven settled down on it's perch...

The stranger, like an apparition, seemingly rose from the bottom of the ground
as he rounded the hill on slow sure purposeful strides. His image was obscured
by the heat of the sun, making him look blurry to the beholder, and only when he
got stepped close enough to the tree was the raven then able to see the man
clearly; for this much it knew from previous contact with its cold hard master.

Calm and composed, the raven gave a sudden squawk of displeasure for the
intrusion of the stranger to its domain.

The stranger, the raven saw was a scholarly man who wore a cloth cap, tied in
such a way that it formed a rectangle above the forehead and continued that
shape onwards to the top and down the back of his head and pass his shoulders.
The stranger also wore a blue long-sleeved heavy-cloth robe that fit snugly on
his strong well-muscled chest; tied at the waist by a long piece of white cloth
with the remainder of the strip clothe belt hanging loosely at his side. A loose
fitting pair of gray pants and black shoes completed his dress, all of this was
covered by a light coating of dust, which indicated hard travel done by this
unusual stranger. A small bamboo rectangular-framed pack hung limply behind him
as he held on to his long wooden walking staff.

The man paused once he reached the top of the hill to wipe away the sweat that
built up on his forehead. His pigtail peeked out when it tore lose of the cover
given by the cloth cap as the stranger gave a sigh of contentment and leaned
comfortably on his staff as he surveyed the surrounding countryside before him.

Empty of life, save for the birds of the sky and the animals of the field, he
thought sadly. Not a single person to be seen - he was alone, and he sighed
another sigh, not out of tiredness, but of longing. For his journey on the road,
as he saw it was going to an end. Staring at the long winding dirt road that
lead to the foot of the mountains, Ranma stood in quiet contemplation of the
journey ahead of him as the raven on its high perch, cold as the night that was
steadfast approaching; launched itself in the air in a flurry of feathers,
cutting through Ranma's reverie as he gazed up at the disappearing form of the
black bird, in the slowly darkening sky. Its feathers falling on him like a slow
black rain...

His attention quickly changed as he felt the bite of the wind, cold and restless
around him as he and turned around to look at the storm clouds slowly
approaching.

"It's going to get dark soon." Ranma voiced his thoughts, suddenly weary.

"A storm is coming..." Ranma whispered to himself as he turned his back from the
slowly darkening clouds.

And with that final thought locked in his head, Ranma ran to reach the mountains
just as the first black feather landed on the ground, accompanied by the thunder
of the coming storm.




A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic - A Chinese Ghost Story
By Kahlil Noriega



Chapter 1 - Braving the Storm





Storm clouds covered the sun in the horizon, bathed in crimson and chaotic gray,
it sang like a wounded animal from a fray, absorbing what little light the sun
had left to shed, before the halo of the moon comes to bring the sun to its
weary end.

It is still raining in the mountains, not as hard as it was a few hours ago and
the sun was still a few hours away from setting, though the sun could hardly be
seen with storm clouds covering most of the sky.

The ground, still filled with moisture from the rain, was soft and slowly
growing colder as thin tendrils of mist slowly rose from the ground to play in
the suns dying light; darting in between the trees, rocks, and branches;
blanketing the ground in soft sheet of white. Plants and grass swayed equally
alike with the tap; tap, tapping of the rain and the passage of the wind.

From a roadway at the base of the mountain border, one could see the whole
valley stretched out from left to right. The trees, strong and sturdy, covered
the vast undergrowth in a vale of green tender leaves. And even then, this
canopy housed various birds and animals that considered it home.

In this field of mammoth trees, the inn at the base of the mountain valley
situated in a small clearing of its own by the road side, stood out like an eye
sore against a backdrop of trees that it is easy enough to discern certain
features for the inn itself wasn't far away from where one could see it from the
mountain road. With its hanging windows, that remained attach by a single hinge,
to the wide open doors that let some of the rain in. Its hard wood paneled walls
painted in deep shades of brown, and green where moss had found itself a home.
It is almost quite surprising that someone actually lives there for it was quite
run down as the smoke coming out of the chimney said as much as the aroma of
cooking food did. There was also a small pen for livestock at the back of the
inn as well as a broken down wagon cart with its huge wheels lying down beside
it and covered by dust, weeds and dirt.

***

From a distance, on a cliff looking over the inn and the mountain road, one
could see a running form emerging from the forest edge. Her clothes, one could
tell was female, was wet and disheveled, and clung tightly on her slight small
frame as the sounds of splattering water echoed in the cold wind. The mild
rumbles of thunder swallowed up most of the sounds of her footfalls on the
puddles as much as, by the rain's continuous drumming that followed after.

Running to escape the rain, Ranma clung hard to her cloth cap as it danced about
in the rushing wind as she awkwardly ran with her wooden staff towards the
nearby inn.

***

The inn, like so many of it's patrons was dirty and in dire need of repair. Its
creaking wooden floors mimicked the sounds of mice that freely roamed the inns
dusty interior. While the stench of aged old liquor and rotting meat mixed in
with the sweat of its various patrons wafted freely outside through the myriad
holes in the inns' walls as dirt and grime settled over the many tables and
benches that lined it. A small counter was tucked into a corner of the inn
beside the main doors on the right-hand side. The wall behind it held an
assortment of plates, cups and saucers, some were even chipped and cracked from
use as much as it was old and dusty. An old graying man stood behind this
counter, worn and as bald as the inn he owned. Wearing only a dull blue Chinese
robe over his gray pants and a piece of black clothe tied around his waist,
which served as a belt. White socks, a black round Chinese cap and a pair of
black shoes completed his attire as well as his remarkably long snow white beard
that hung over his chest like a bib which he adoringly groomed in his hand like
wringing a piece of clothe.

After adjusting his black Chinese cap over his head, he surveyed the inns' dimly
lighted interior. Giving only a hint of a nod to what he was thinking as his
hand slowly rubbed his chin. Calling a waiter to his side, a young man of twelve
to fourteen years or so, he asked the lad to light a few more candles on various
tables to illuminate the place a bit more for it was getting dark outside and it
seemed that the storm would not yet pass. Only when the boy left to do his
chores did the old man noticed the boy. Sporting a close crop of black hair and
brown eyes with a medium sized built. The old man thought that the boy really
looked out of place in the inn with its gruff old waiters that seldom smiled.
The boy would be a poor substitute indeed for a guard if ever a fight broke out,
which it often did when a few men got a little too much to drink. He thought
then that he really should talk to the lad about his job here, yet shoved the
thought quickly aside as he greeted a customer about to leave the inn. There
would be enough time for that later he thought musingly as he moved to take the
orders of another customer.

Waiters clothed in dull white shirts and gray pants freely circulated among its'
many customers, while taking orders and giving them their respective meals.
Always busy serving a variety of farmers that worked and toiled the fields all
day to a group of town drunkards' bent on drowning their problems in ale. And
even on occasion, a merchant or two would join in from a hard day's worth of
trading in the market. While travelers in their dirt, covered robes would
sometimes chat and speak of their grand tales to the folks inside the inn. And
through it all, the waiters kept to themselves looking quietly at their
customers with dull lifeless eyes. The laughter and the noise of the many
patrons washing pass them, even though their talk was clearly audible from
outside. So, they were quite surprised when a sudden hush settled over in the
inns large interior. As all eyes were suddenly glued and focused on the new
arrival standing by the door.

Her figure, carved and outlined by the flashes of lightning outside was enough
to catch most of the Patrons eyes that it remained glued to the door as the
light behind her dimmed. Yet, the vision of her standing there by the doorway,
still remained in their thoughts and strengthened when lightning flashed again.
And they yearned even more for her soft sensual curves that her clothes poorly
hid, wet from the rain and clinging on her skin. The heat of their desire, plain
and visible to see, their lust devouring this scene from which this girl walked
out like some fantasy.

***

Ranma walked in, oblivious of the hush and stares of the inns numerous patrons
as she casually seated herself on a nearby wooden bench by the doors light. The
light from the candle on top of the table cast shadows and hi-lights on her skin
with its flickering luminous glow and reflecting in her eyes making them shine
even in the darkness.

Laying down her bamboo pack and staff gently beside her on the bench, Ranma
pulled out a piece of white cloth from her bag and gently applied it on her cold
wet body then on her face, her neck, down the slope where her tunic met and
covered her the top of her cleavage, her arms, and finally her hands before
discarding the piece of clothe on top of her bamboo pack. Her robe, damp and
heavy with rainwater had one side draping her shoulder, exposing pale white
flesh and a generous view of her ample cleavage as candlelight freely danced on
her smooth skin. And more than one patron licked and rubbed their lips hungrily.

Finding solace from the heat of the candle, Ranma relaxed and sighed with
contentment as she felt the heat of the candle wash some of the coldness of the
rain away. Its gentle warmth brought a slight smile to her face as she lifted
her arms to undo her pigtail and let loose in the process, a cascade of long red
hair that fell to the length of her back, which she gently gathered in her arms.
Picking up again the piece of white cloth on top of her bag, she gently applied
it on her fiery hair, drying it with slow soft strokes as though caressing a
kitten in her hand. The men surrounding her couldn't believe their eyes as they
kept thinking of the luck that brought them such a goddess in there midst.

Piercing blue eyes shined in the darkness and the gloom of the inn's interior
looked out from an oval face framed by hair the color of fire, excited their
loins, while pale virgin lips slowly ignited the fires of lust in the room. Her
clothes clung to her body with every breath and drawing each time a few more,
appreciative eyes.

Recollecting herself, Ranma quickly adjusted her garments, pulling her soaked
robes closer to her as she felt a slight chill run up her spine from the cold
water the robe retained. The feeling passed quickly though, as her eyes settled
on the presence of a young waiter slowly walking towards her.

"Mistress." the young waiter said nervously. "Mistress, I've brought you some
hot tea. It- it must be terribly cold outside. Here please take it- on the
house. I swear..." This he said in a soft rush as he gently lowered a cup of
steaming tea he carried on a tray on top of the table.

Ranma smiled at the generous offering the young man gave her as the young man
took that as acknowledgement enough and turned to leave her to her own business.
Beaming as he passed the old man on his way to the kitchen to attend to his
chores. Blushing and stealing brief glances here and there as went as Ranma saw
him off. Though he looked no older than she did, she thought that it must have
been hard for the boy to work in such a place.

Not so long ago, he had also been an eager lad, innocent to the world around
him, that he dedicated his life to the pursuit of knowledge. Where his peers had
sought enlightenment in the martial arts, Ranma had immersed himself in his
studies, thus he was on this journey, after the rain clears and much needed
rest, he'd go west.

Ranma smiled as her thoughts slowly brought to mind other events in her life
before her accidental dip in that Jusenkyo pool as a ghost of a frown passed her
lips.

"You're really pretty!" said suddenly by a rough bearded man. The stench and
sight of him was enough to cut through Ranma's reverie a bit short just as much
as he rudely seated himself on the bench opposite from hers as he took her hand
to caress as he continued to stare at her with a toothless grin. Cold black eyes
peeked out from behind unruly long hair, held back by a thin piece of red cloth
that covered most of his forehead. His expression showed utter delight for the
smoothness of her skin. While his friends, a group of four or five men watched
the confrontation from a secluded corner of the inn. Wearing an assortment of
smirks and grins. Their manner as well as looks matched the man seated before
her. One of the men in the corner she saw wore an open grin, his scar crossing
the length of his face on his left cheek. He wore a tattered dull green jade-
breastplate over brown and torn robes as he absently toyed with the knife in his
hand and showing no concern at all what so ever, with what he was doing. The
others wore the same, though some brandished swords while another had an axe
strapped behind his back. Yet, all had the same filthy minds in their heads.

"Please leave me alone." Ranma said pulling her hand free only to be taken
forcefully back again and her along with it as she faced the man directly before
her, their faces, only inches apart. Ranma's piercing blue eyes filled with
contempt and hatred was focused on the object of her disdain as she tried to
keep calm as she thought of a way to get out of here.

"Why don't you join me and my friends over there..." The man offered still
grinning, pointing to a rough bunch of guys who all had wicked smiles on their
faces, some of the men lifting cups in her direction. Ranma felt sick in her
stomach.

"No." Ranma said with finality and irritating the man used to having his
'requests' unquestioned.

"I know your kind..." he hissed at her; at the same time slamming down a bunch
of coins as he drew her face in closer to him for a kiss.

A slap rewarded him for his troubles as Ranma stood up to leave. The thought of
what the man had said to her still lingering in her mind. Damn the man for
thinking me of that! She thought.

The leader still shocked by the slap took a while to recover, but when he did
suddenly stood up in a blind fury flipped the table before him to crash on the
far wall.

"NO ONE DEFIES ME WENCH!" the leader shouted as his men drew up beside him to
confront Ranma.

"Master, please..." the young waiter, said as he drew up beside the man,
deliberately placing himself between them. "There is no need for all of this -
Argghh!"

"SHUT UP!" the leader screamed as he batted the helpless waiter aside with a
backhanded fist to the face. The waiter caught by surprise took the full blow
and crumpled down on the floor in pain. The leader paid the waiter no mind as
stalked forward over the waiters crumpled body as advanced towards his prize.

"Why are you doing this?!" Ranma asked as she felt the hard wood wall press
along her spine. She didn't realize she was backing away from the approaching
form of the man till it was finally to late. Grinning, the 'leader' leaned his
body against hers; trapping her with his body as stretched his arms on either
side to rest comfortably on the unyielding wall. Ranma hastily turned her face
away from him as the leader's friends joined in for a viewing circle around them
to watch the proceedings.

"I don't know why." The man replied courtly in her ear as he continued to stare
hungrily at her cheek as he enjoyed the feel of her body so close to his. "But I
do know this..." he hissed breathily in her ear. "You're going to pleasure me
all night..."

The leader smiled a toothless grin at his own reply as barked a laugh at his
mates who later joined in.

Repulsed, Ranma turned her head to face him as the man lowered his face to steal
a kiss with lips puckered up and eyes closed. Ranma outraged by his reply gave
no hesitation as she deliberately kneed the man in the groin. The leader folded
quickly enough in pain as his hands groped desperately at its source. Agony
masked the man's face as Ranma shoved pass him and right into the waiting arms
of one of the leaders men.

The leader, unable to tolerate the pain, collapsed and whimpered on the floor
before her with eyes full of hate as he rolled from side to side to relieve the
pain. Desperately, she struggled to free herself from her captors' grip, who
only laughed at her pitiful struggles to escape him.

"You're a feisty one aren't you!" the man holding Ranma said. Clearly enjoying
her struggle as he encircled a meaty arm around her waist to hold her better.

"Let her GO!" A hard voice suddenly shouted from the back of the inn. Its call
answered by several other voices though not as vocally as the first had been.
Its abrupt call took the attention of the leaders men off of Ranma as they all
looked for the source.

"What'd you say?" the scarred man threatened. Brandishing his knives in his
hands as he looked upon his audience who all tuned in on the knives he held.
Those men forced under the scarred man's stare, fidgeted under the scrutiny, as
fear of their own lives melted what little bravery they had.

"I said, what did YOU say!" the scarred man shouted again, picking at random.

"He said... let her... go..." replied a fat man slowly rising from his seat.
Fear clearly etched on his bloated face as sweat trickled down a bloated face as
he swallowed a small lump forming in his throat.

"Why don't he just try..." The man holding the knife said. His obvious threat
strengthened by his companions that joined him as they all looked at the
merchant who slowly cowered in the darkness again. While the rest of the inns
patrons just stood there in silence, watching. The old man at the counter could
do little in anyway to help, as he felt resigned to his fate as an observer.

The leader, recovering from Ranma's blow stood up, yet the pain in his groin
made the attempt feeble, he still managed to stand with a little help from his
followers. Anger plainly masked his face as he stared down at Ranma with pure
hatred.

"You BITCH!!" he spat as he slapped Ranma across the face as she staggered from
the force of the blow to fall on the floor before him. A thin trail of blood
seeped out from the side of her mouth as she felt her cheek burn with pain. Her
mind seemingly knocked out of place made her dizzy that she failed to see the
leader pull out a knife and level it before him.

"NOOOOO!" the young boy screamed as he tackled the leader from behind.
Encircling his arms around the leaders' waist as he pulled them both down to the
floor a small distance away from Ranma. His battle cry was quickly swallowed by
the noise and shouts of the leaders men as each sprung to the aide of their
fallen leader to gang up on the boy, lifting him up as he struggled to break
free. And it was utter chaos then, as several waiters joined in to take up the
slack in the fighting. All the while, the men left Ranma alone on the floor.

"RUN MISTRESS! RUunnnnnnnn! Aargghhh!" the young boy screamed, coughing out
blood as the scarred man pulled out his bloody knife from the lads' back.

"No..." Ranma begged it not to be true as she saw the hideous smile on the
scarred mans lips as he slowly advanced on her.

"Run..." came the gurgling reply a small smile forming on his lips as the young
man slowly fell over and toppled on the ground, eyes glazing and looking far off
at nothing.

Nothing needed to be said, Ranma ran for the door and into the shadows of the
night. Her mind racing with her heart, making her hear the young mans plea,
begging her to run. To run, to run as a fawn might run from a hungry bear. Fear
pushing, urging, demanding that she leave everything else and flee, into the
cold night she ran, the clouds dry except for their ceaseless rumbling.

"AFTER HER YOU FOOLS'! DON'T LET HER ESCAPE!" the leader screamed at his men
when he saw Ranma escape through the doors of the inn. The men when they
realized their prey had escaped, quickly disengaged themselves and ran after her
to pursue her in the darkness.

The old man, weak and beaten, hefted the head of the young lad in his arms, as
they lay there on the bloody floor. Tears streaked both his eyes as he turned to
look at the congregation of silent folk that witnessed the murder of the boy as
they cowered in the darkness.

***

Somewhere, inside the forest...

"Damn it! Lost her again..." a young man said upon landing on a limb of a nearby
tree. Frustration and anger clearly etched his young face as he cursed the rain
and his luck, for again his prey has escaped him. White bandannas danced in the
wind accompanied by long strips of clothe wrapped around the sleeves of his
forearms. His circular straw woven hat hung limply behind him from a string
around his neck even as he adjusted his footing on the branch of the tree.

Squatting down, with one knee balanced precariously on the limb, he held out his
bamboo umbrella in front of him, before he drove the tip of it through bark and
branch for added support. The wind was cold at this height, and strong even
though the storm had passed hours ago. Smoothing out loose strands of hair that
covered his eyes, he surveyed the scene below him. Exploring and memorizing
every minute detail even though the moons' light afforded little as it played
shadows in the trees and bushes, this only made the young man more careful.

"I'll get you... someday..." he promised to no one as he smiled one of his
toothy grins, playing on a memory only he could see; that he was so sure of
himself, it surprised even him.

"But first, I need to find my way baacc...huh?"

Ryouga paused as the sounds of frantic running accompanied by the not so subtle
shouts and screams of men shattered the stillness of the forest. Severing all
thoughts as caution and irritation emerged instantly, who could be so stupid to
wander into this forest at night he thought. Guess I should warn them that this
forest is haunted...

Leaping from his perch, he scanned the forest from the air; the need for action
was unbearable as he readily jumped from tree to tree. Instinctively, he hurried
his pace.

***

"When I find that girl, I SWEAR, she will be sorry she ever tried to cross me
THIS I PROMISE!"

"Boss, what if we don't find her?"

"I don't care if you trip on your face trying! JUST FIND HER! She will warm our
bodies till the night is over."

And with this thought firmly lodged in the men's minds, they ran like eager
wolves in a hunt.

***

Ranma felt her heart beat. A furious drumming that rang in her ears as the need
for air came in short desperate gulps. Muscles too tired from running, strained
with fatigue as exhaustion and pain took its toll on her weary body. Her vision
limited by the darkness and as well as the slowly forming fog creeping on the
forests' floor slowed her pace significantly. The fear of the men chasing her as
well as the fear of tripping or breaking a leg would only ensure her greatest
fears. The wind gave no comfort either; her clothes chilled her with its wetness
as much as the shouts and curses brought on by her pursuers, growing stronger
and audible by the minute. Her fear of what they would do to her when they
finally caught her spurred her even more to run.

The wind swiftly passed by Ranma's sleek form as she dodged pass trees, roots
and branches. Sweat stung her eyes making it hard to see the uneven path through
the forest. She began to falter under the agony and strain of sore muscles.
Delirious from the pain, her mind briefly wandered from the trail, and she
looked back and lost her footing when she tripped on an exposed root in her
sprint.

Rolling and tumbling pass shrubs and soil; she skidded to a stop in a small
clearing. Pain dulled her senses even further as she desperately tried to get up
but was unable to as a searing pain shot up from her ankle and she whimpered in
terrible pain. In her feverish mind, she knew she had to go on even if it meant
that she had to drag herself on the ground. The sounds of pursuit were getting
closer and closer, and as she lay defenseless on the ground, she despaired as
the thought of the wolves feasting on her naked flesh. Her vision began dim and
her mind felt cloudy as she wavered in and out of consciousness as the extent of
her wounds took its toll on her body as she caught the shreds of a high-pitched
scream and the sounds of metal scrapping upon metal before she finally slipped
into the waiting arms of darkness.




-End Chapter One: Braving the Storm-

Next Chapter: Lotus Temple




Gallery:
http://www.geocities.com/soul_fate/pictures/Ranko.jpg




Authors note:


This is a Revised Version of a fanfic I did 3 years ago, for this version, I
edited out most of the description as most of my readers found it annoying to
read through a lot of text. :) Anyway, I just hope you enjoyed the story and
that chapters 2-4 are also under revision, but for those who are a little
impatient, one can find those chapters at my site.

I got this Ranma 1/2 fanfic inspiration from the movie "A Chinese Ghost Story"
and as much as I would like to stick to the original story. I must differ from
it because of the characters "changes" and besides I can't duplicate such a
great story. To all those who haven't seen the movie, Watch it! It is a GREAT
film. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this.


Character Backgrounds: (If you were wondering...a little explanation.)

Ranma/Ranko:

Ranma is a traveling scholar, a learned man/woman. Who writes and composes poems
and stories, which he/she sells in the towns he passes by for a living. Much of
his past will be revealed in upcoming chapters. But as we all know, the real
Ranma can be such a jerk sometimes; this Ranma will be much gentler.


Ryouga:

Ryouga in this story is a wandering Taoist monk who fights to keep both the
spirit world and the mortal world separate and from destroying each other. He,
like Ryouga is pretty gullible and innocent to the world.

Anyway, all comments/flames are welcome.


Disclaimer:
All characters and rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi to whom none of this would
be possible and to the creators of the movie "A Chinese Ghost Story" to which I
based this fanfic from.