Welcome to my first published writing. I am probably not going to update very often but here is the story. Let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own either the Ranma or Slayers characters.
Chapter 1: Who?!?!
Nabiki was not having a good day. It had been three months since the failed wedding. Ranma had disappeared a week ago, and not she could find any trace of him. She was sitting there eating her lunch, and brooding to herself when her cell phone rang. She answered it thinking to herself that this had better be important.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Nabiki Tendo?" Came the reply from the other end.
"Yes, That would be me." She answered, wondering why the voice sounded almost familiar.
"I know where Ranma has been. If you would be kind enough to meet me after school, I can fill you in." came the reply in that strangely familiar voice.
Nabiki was now beside herself with excitement, "Just tell me where to meet you and I will be there." Nabiki was now grinning a little (a sight that scared the rest of the students around her). Things were starting to look up a little bit.
"You know the little cafe by the train station?"
"Yes, that little American place?" Nabiki replied.
"Yep, that's the place. Just come straight there after school and I will tell you what I can." came the reply.
"I'll be there," replied Nabiki, "Just one more thing. What's your name?"
"Good. Oh and my name is Ranko Inverse. See you there." Click
Nabiki sat there for a moment just staring at her phone in shock. Ranko Inverse, she thought. Well this should be interesting. With that thought the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.
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Later as Nabiki left the school and headed to the train station she was wondering about that name Ranko Inverse. Ranko was the name that Ranma used sometimes while in girl form, but she had never heard the name Inverse before. Lost in thought she continued walking. Suddenly she looked up smelling something. Sure enough it was the cafe. The smell of American food was hard to miss.
Walking in the door she went to the counter and waved one of the waiters over.
"I am here to meet with Ranko Inverse. Is she here yet?" she asked him.
"Sure came in earlier, told me that someone would be meeting her here. She is in the booth in the back corner."
"Thanks." Nabiki replied already heading to the booth in question.
As she approached the booth she noticed it's current occupant looking up at her with a familiar pair of blue eyes set in an almost familiar face framed by a slightly lighter shock of red hair that cascaded down past her shoulders unbound.
The girl smiled at her and motioned for her to sit down.
"I can imagine that you are wondering just exactly who I am and if I am Ranma. Correct?" Ranko asked.
Nabiki nodded in reply still a little taken aback at how much this girl in front of her reminded her of Ranma-chan.
"Well, first things first. Why don't you order yourself something to eat, my treat, and then after the food comes I will tell you what I know. Ok?" Ranko continued.
"Ok," Nabiki replied her curiosity peaked. "But I need to know. Are you Ranma?"
"Nope," Ranko replied. "But, I am related."
Nabiki, even more curious after that answer, called the waiter over and both of them ordered. The waiter left and both girls sat looking at each other in silence. Nabiki with her speculative gaze and Ranko looking back with a curious smirk.
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Ranko spoke again after the food came and Nabiki had started eating.
"First of all, ground rules for this conversation." She said pulling out a gold coin. "If you sit there and listen without interrupting, you will get this and four more like it"
Nabiki nodded and continued eating her eyes never leaving the coin that Ranko had in her hand and was playing with. She thought to herself that anybody willing to give her money along with information that she would have gladly paid for was worth listening to.
"Well," Ranko continued, "First of all, to you and everybody else around here Ranma has only been missing for a week. Right?"
Nabiki nodded affirmatively.
"Well, this may come to you as a shock then but for Ranma it has been twenty-two years since he has seen any of you." Ranko waited a moment for that to sink in then continued. "The night that Ranma disappeared, he was walking along feeling very depressed. He had just found out about an hour earlier that Akane had known about the Nanichuan before the wedding and had not told him about it. And on top that, she and the rest of the finance's had gone back to their old antics earlier that day, and his depression was understandable. As he continued walking along he wished to himself that he could go somewhere that he was needed, appreciated and would be treated like a person instead of the object that he thought everyone else viewed him as.
"Somebody apparently heard that wish, because Ranma suddenly noticed that the sidewalk that he had been walking along had vanished. He looked up just in time to jump up and catch a familiar looking redhead.
End Chapter 1
Well here is the beginning to the story. Let me know what you think.
Eric (Ghent) Jones ghent879 at yahoo.com
c&c, flames comments and suggestions welcome.