timelines3

Chapter #3

Nerima District, 1900's-

Ranma huffed and puffed as he ran deeper into the dense forest. He could no longer hear the rushing of cars on the busy streets or see the tall buildings of the developed city. He stopped, dropping to his hands on his knees leaning over to catch his exhausted breath. Perceiving that no one had followed, he let out a sigh of relief and a tired smirk.

Finding a clearing, he sat down and took off his shirt to let the cool air hit his hot body. Chuckling he fell on his bare back letting the grass tickle him. "Not even a guy like Ryoga could stumble upon this kind of place all the time!" He watched the sunlight filter down through the unmoving trees above. All was quiet except the twitter of a songbird among the boughs. "I really wonder if Ryoga has ever stumbled upon a place like this!"

Ranma listened a little longer to the sweet melody of the bird before he dozed off to sleep.

Akane pushed her way through the thick foliage of a nearby forest. She had separated from the rest of the girls over an hour ago. Her cute face hardened at the thought. *What do Shampoo, Kodachi, and Ukyo think they're gonna accomplish anyway? That Ranma! Always fooling around with their hearts it's no wonder why they think he's in love with them. As if!* The blue-haired girl continued to make a path of broken sticks and tromped undergrowth in her wake.

*Honestly, Ranma!* She thought to herself, "Just how far off did you wander into these woods?* She then stopped as she recalled how she got her information~

As the girl squad barreled on, Akane stopped short after she noticed she was standing ontop of Ryoga. She quickly jumped off as he started to move again. "Oh Ryoga! What are you doing down there?" She bent down and helped him up. He was covered with shoe-shaped prints from head to toe.

Ryoga wobbly stood but soon regained his composure. He looked at Akane and immediately looked wobbly again. "H-Hey, Akane!" He irked out. Akane just smiled. Ryoga was so sweet. She couldn't imagine why Ranma didn't get along with him. "I was just-a-just going for a walk when I saw Ranma in a predicament with Kuno here."

Akane looked up with mild concern. "Was he? He's all right, isn't he?"

Ryoga pointed to a large crater caused by Kuno's head. "Yeah, I guess you could say I helped him out a little." He coyly started rubbing the back of his neck.

She smiled pleasantly but then got back to business. She abruptly wanted to end the conversation. "So where did Ranma go?"

A sweat drop appeared on Ryoga's head. "He-ah-he went that way." He pointed to the general direction on the woods. That was probably the best he could do.

Akane nodded and graciously replied, "Thanks Ryoga. Something's come up. I need to talk to him as soon as possible. Come over later, ok?"

Ryoga's face lit up bright red at the last comment. "Oh! Of course! I was planning to drop by anyway! Hahahaha!" He then continued to vigorously rub the back of this neck.~

A sweat drop of her own now formed itself on Akane's forehead as she pushed past more trees. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to ask Ryoga for directions. But he seemed pretty confident...sort of.

Kyoto, mid 1800's-

Wham-whap-whap-bam! Kenshin was able to pull out his sword in time to meet his aggressor. At the time of the chief's attack, the rest of the congregation was prompted to join in. Luckily, Sanosuke was there to keep them in line.

Most of the men huddled in a tight circle around Sanosuke. He eyed the group carefully. "Which one of you wants to go first?" He slapped his hands together startling the people around him.

One burly officer had had enough of this ruffian. He charged head on towards Sanosuke with intent to badly maim. His quick movement was the straw that broke the camel's back. The rest of the officers went in for the kill. Sanosuke stood upright, completely relaxed, yet had an air of mild amusement.

Shwap-twang-swup! The chief officer was in lock with the legendary Hitokiri Battousai. Their katanas crossed in both a block and a strike, it seemed as though the chief would have the upper hand in sheer strength. He smiled through his beard and gave a hearty chuckle before the two broke away. His grisly voice spat, "Come on now, I thought you had something to offer!" Kenshin slowly moved around him in a circle, not bothered at all by his rude comment. "But it's time I put you in your place, swordsman! RAAAA!"

He shot after Kenshin with sword in the air ready to make the final shot. Kenshin's meek manner suddenly turned to grim death. The chief was no match for the quickness of the Battousai! Kenshin whirled past the man with his sakubattou extended. He stopped five feet from passing the stiff man. He closed his blue eyes and sheathed his sword out of feeling. The man behind him fell with a thump, six bruising slashes covered his battered body though no blood was spilt.

Sanosuke gave a swift kick to the stomach of his last opposing officer. He looked disappointed and disgusted at the same time. "You all should go back home. Have your mommy spar with you till you can put up a better front." He spat at the last comment upon the burly man that had once attacked him. Now, he was lying with his broken face in the dirt. "One elbow and he was down! And I thought you were a tough guy."

A crunch of leaves made Sanosuke turn around. Kenshin stood behind him, victorious and humble as ever. Sanosuke bent to the side to see around his friend and asked, "I guess you finished your little dual over there?" Kenshin said nothing but nodded as he proceeded to Sanosuke's battle ground.

He looked slightly uneasy at the mess that Sano had left the officers in but sighed, "You do have a way with people, don't you?"

Sanosuke perked up and retorted, "Hey, none of them are dead and none of them are bleeding that badly. I think I did alright. They got off easily for what they did to Kaoru." He shrugged and shook out his fists. Kenshin turned to walk back to make sure Kaoru was all right.

Two sets of footsteps rushed through the forest. Each step was accompanied by a huff and a gasp for more energy. *I must get over there! I have got to warn Kenshin and Sanosuke!*

Nerima, 1900's-

Past the green bushes, Akane could see something in the distance. "Ranma?" she whispered to herself. His red shirt had caught her eye, but what was he doing lying in the grass, topless? *He looks okay. Maybe he's taking a nap?* She slowed her steps and moved slowly over the forest floor so as not to make a noise. He was pretty handsome when he wasn't making fun of her.

Kyoto, mid 1800's-

Conversation remained light as Kenshin and Sanosuke made their way back to camp. They had taken their time to unarm all the guns so as not to have the same meaningless mistake repeated. The police officers would wake on their own in due time and by then, their pick nick would probably be over.

All of a sudden, the silence was shattered by the desperate cries of Kaoru, "Kenshin! Watch out behind you!"

Sanosuke turned to the call, "Kaoru?" But Kenshin's firm had jerked him to the other direction. A band of about seventy men covered the forest. All of them police officers.

One of them stood forward with a rifle in hand pointed straight at the two. He bellowed out a threat, "A scout here has told us you plebeians ambushed police unit 12! Just a glance at the camp proves you both guilty for assaulting multiple governmental officers. Men, kill them any way you wish!" A wave to men bowled towards them while the leader still kept the cold barrel of the gun pointed straight at them.

"Kenshin," Sanosuke said hastily, "What do we do?"

Kenshin did not look at him, but the oncoming attack. "We fight."

Sanosuke was separated trying to fend for his own in the mist of a crowd. He hit hard every time he swung, but there were five more to replace every one he took down. He glanced over the bobbing heads to see Kenshin standing alone and immersed in an angry horde. "KENSHIN!"

Kaoru screamed at the sidelines knowing she was helpless. Her outburst caught the attention of two officers as they made their way towards her. She faltered back putting her delicate hands out in defense. "No! Stay back! Or else!"

"Or else what lady?" inquired one. "You'll slap me?"

Kaoru grabbed a fallen stick from the ground. She held it in position. "I am Kaoru Kamiya of the Kamiya dojo!"

An upper cut and a roundhouse kick simultaneously landed on Sanosuke's body. His one good eye could see his ally in a loosing battle over the way. But then he saw why. "Kenshin!" he screamed, "Kenshin! Draw your sword! Do it!" Slam! A vicious strike thrust Sanosuke into the ground. His mind reeling he thought, *Kenshin's gonna get killed! I gotta-* but he stopped in mid moment as the area where Kenshin stood suddenly light up.

A furious glow surrounded Kenshin scaring the attackers away for the time. "Is this some new technique?" Sanosuke soon decided against the notion. Kenshin's face looked just as surprised and confused! Then, in a quick burst of motion, the light shattered tearing a dark whole into the side of the air. Kenshin's visage turned to panic as he found himself being sucked in. Sanosuke took alarm but could do nothing but watch while he could.

Kenshin gasped at the black hole that suddenly appeared before him. Had the blinding light not been enough, now this rip in space was pulling him in! Determined not to be taken by this, this, thing he firmly planted his feet into the ground, wedged his sakubattou into the soil, and held firm. He grunted as he tried to even stand much less get out of the way. The very earth beneath him began to give way. Kenshin screamed as he was slowly overtaken.

Then, the grass under his sword was sucked in. Kenshin gasped as he found his arms disappearing into the abyss, yet, he could still feel his hands desperately clutching his sword hilt on the inside of the whole.

Sanosuke lunged forward to help his friend while the frightened officers left him unguarded. He ran with the heavy winds blowing into the hole. His heat pounded furiously as he thought in despair,* I'm not going to make it!* Try as he might he couldn't reach Kenshin in time but to just see his head start to go into the hole. "Kenshin! Hold on!!!" Unexpectedly, a new and brighter sphere of light was emitted from the hole. Sanosuke covered his eyes to avoid destroying his sight.

Kenshin could feel the rest of his body being pulled in. He tried to open his eyes, but the abyss had him, and in it shone like the sun.

Then, all of the sudden, it exploded.

Nerima, 1900's-

Akane was almost upon the same clearing as Ranma was now. *Just a little closer*, she thought.

Ranma's dream was abruptly broken. His senses told him something was very, very wrong. He bolted up and put his shirt back on. He looked around cautiously. There was no sound. He listened closer. The bird had left. The wind no longer blew. The insects did not seem to chirp. Snap! He whirled around in a fighting stance. Akane stood but twenty feet away looking curious.

Ranma dropped his guard and relaxed. He smiled and asked in a perky tone, "Akane! What are you doing out here?"

She smiled back and folded her hands. " I, uh, just wanted to know if you were ok. I had found Ryoga and he told me you had got into a fight. Besides, I wanted to make sure you weren't having a party with the girl squad without me.

Ranma looked taken aback and retorted, "Hey, I don't want anything to do with those crazy girls. I can't help it if people just can't leave a good lookin' guy like me alone."

Akane face faulted. * How can anyone be so conceited?* She then thought of how Shampoo, Kodachi, and Kuno think of themselves and decided it must be normal. She quickly got over his last statement. She looked grimly at Ranma.

The martial artist noticed the sudden change in her visage. His face took on a had expression itself. He asked in monotone, "Akane, what's up?"

She looked down, unfolded her hands and said, "Ranma, we have a problem. I was at the dojo when Dad-"

A bright light ignited behind Akane. The two teens jumped to turned towards it. Ranma's eyes narrowed. * This is it; this is what I felt earlier!* He headed for Akane with his arms out and shouted, "Akane! Watch out! That thing is dangerous!" Akane was too shocked to move as the light condensed to the size of a pin and broke apart leaving a tremendous and ominous hole. It picked up winds which became gusts pulling the screaming Akane inside.

She planted her feet into the ground but couldn't escape. "Ranma! Help me!" Her usually bright eyes were filled with terror and anxiety.

Ranma leapt forward and knocked her out to the way. She landed with a thump on the ground some ways away. She looked up only to see Ranma caught within the hole. She began to run after but he shouted, "No! Stop! This thing will suck you in too! Get outta here, stupid!" At that point, that was all she could do. A moment later, all but Ranma's left arm was in the hole. Akane's eyes welled up but she could do nothing. Then, at the worst of it all, a bright light engulfed Ranma. There was a burst of sound and light, and then there was nothing.

"aaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaa!!!!!!!" Ranma flipped and flailed through the dimension he was sent to. It had no rhyme or reason, it was merely mist, darkness, and a few streaks of iridescent light. Now that the blinding light was past him, only a grim future lay ahead. He couldn't help but scream as he reeled out of control through the space. There was no one there to hear him anyway.

He tilted his head up during a breather. * What the heck is that?!* he frantically thought. It was another source of light-much like the one he'd left. "The light at the end of the tunnel! Maybe I'll live through this yet!" He smirked and tried his best to steer himself in route for the blip of light in the dimness. * Besides, what would Akane do without me?* this made smirk crack into a full grin.

But then, out of the void, he saw yet another object. He tried to focus on it, but it too, was swirling out of the control-straight for him! Ranma resumed yelling frantically and prepared for collision. The approaching figure, though not shrieking, also looked on the verge of utter panic. It spotted Ranma and as it came closer tried to redirect its path to no avail. Ranma put his arms out in a futile attempt not to be crushed in impact. They suddenly hit but the other figure used its hands as a cushion and bounced off of Ranma unharmed.

Ranma didn't have time to look back to the mysterious stranger before her was hurled into the guiding sphere of light he'd tried so desperately to get to. He crossed his arms to shield his deep blue eyes and fell in.