Once more, I'll trust you: The rewrite

Author notes:

For the readers of the first fic:

First I'd like to thank all of the reviewers for their support when I first started writing Once more Trust. I apologize for the long wait but at the time I wasn't in the right state of mind to continue the fiction realistically. This fiction will be basically the same as the previous but a lot of the wording will change to adapt to my growth as a writer. The storyline and main plot will also change a bit though it's still mostly the same, I suggest you read it again just for kicks :)

First time readers:

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I really appreciate it. I'd like to apologize for the billions of clichés I've used in this fic but I wouldn't have it any other way. :P

Please R & R.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2, nor do I take any repsonsibility for the OOC acting in my story. So, if you so much as blink at me... I'll slap you upside the head.

Prologue

I find it hard to understand why people act the way they do... When they insult me, I try to figure out the reason for their actions by being empathic to their situation. Most of the time I realize they only say these things because they find themselves amused but my reactions, not because they really want to be utterly cruel... and when they are utterly and completely cruel, it's usually because of jealousy of some sort.

What makes a person evil? Does it have to do with their situation as they grew up? If a person's actions really does depend on his or her past, is there really such a thing as true evil? This of course doesn't discount for the fact that a lot of evils are committed when people don't stop to think of what they are doing. Which mainly states the reason for my own mistakes... The evils I've committed...

My sister hates my attitude towards the world. She tells me to stop questioning everything and instead concentrate on living because living is what's important... but for me, questioning things is what makes my life worth living. Curiosity's only human nature, isn't it?...why and how one person interacts with another and the reactions stemming from the interactions makes me so excited... Questions whirl inside my head, do we really have souls? And if so, how would not having a soul influence our daily lives? How would we be different?

I suppose all this interest in human nature stems from a certain pain I felt in my life... A pain we're all familiar with, a pain called lost love... rejection.... and betrayal. This pain drove me to become the being I am today... I try to listen to what people have to say, I try to comfort them when they feel bad, I try to be loyal and kind...I don't want them to feel the pain I felt during my life... even though I know it's a lost cause sometimes having a goal to work for is all we need to make a difference.

The real problem comes when someone wants to get to know me... You know... get me to tell them about myself... Coming closer to the true person that's hiding away from the world... latching onto my heart and becoming one of the few that's actually able to hurt me... I don't want to be hurt again... I can't stand placing my trust in someone and then having it broken.

So here I am in college now...alone... My social skills are almost zero and my friends rare... Trying to make it through the year without placing myself in harms way...

I was walking the mile to my car after I'd finished a written test that evening. The sun was already gone over the horizon and campus was dark and almost empty. The after-five students were milling around the cafeteria for some dinner before the late classes. The walk took me all the way across campus... since I was first year we weren't allowed to park our cars on campus. I'd parked it just outside one of the gates that opened into the club district in town.

My mind whirled with almost incoherent thoughts as the black night wrapped itself around my form making me almost invisible to the others around. The people became less and less as I reached the outskirts of the campus and I tiredly whished I could disappear from this world... thinking about the test I'd just written made my stomach churn... 'In a stressful situation the factual part of your brain thrives above the logical part. So logical thinking could be almost impossible if you had a time limit. Damn I hate my life.', I thought with a tired sigh... at least that's the way it worked for me... I wearily pulled out my student card to swipe at the gates and make my exit into the streets. I had to swipe at least twice before the green light blinked and unlocked the turning gate so I could exit.

The streets outside were better lit than the campus itself so I could easily find my way around. I idly adjusted the strap of my pack. It was starting to cut into my shoulder... A breath of night air brought forth a cool relaxing feeling inside me. I imagined having a girlfriend with me...I'd have taken her out on the town that night since it was Friday. But I didn't have one...My sister told me it's because I scare people away with my, 'Don't fuck with me' expression, so that must be why I'm still single. I thought of myself as quite handsome, I mean, the dark brown hair coupled with my stormy gray-green eyes made quite an impression. I was, of course, tall...Just tall enough, a smidgen below too tall. Lucky for me I was well built too... I didn't want to look like those skinny towers that always walked around campus. I had muscle on me, all natural of course since I didn't even bother to do any exercises. I always told my mother that walking across campus with a tone of books on my shoulders was enough to keep me fit.

As I entered the club district I noticed the flashing lights of club signs. A few people moved around in the street, still buying some things at the 'open till late' shops that were nearby. The location was pretty good since most of the people liked buying supplies and books before stuffing them in the boot of their cars and running off to drink themselves into a delirious stupor.

I ignored the drunken women that walked by me... their sickly laughter ringing through the cold night air. I figure they'd probably wake up in some gutter the next morning, having slept in their own puke... not the kind of people I like to mix with...Not that I mix with many people.

As I pulled out my car-keys from my pocket, I suddenly saw a flash of gray hair out of the corner of my eye. When I turned I saw an old man, about in his eighties disappear around a corner. He was terribly out of place around here...This was a place for people between eighteen and thirty, what the hell was he doing here?...Something that I could only describe as curiosity compelled me to follow the man...As I reached the corner I was surprised to see it going into an alleyway. There aren't many alleys in this part of town for safety's sake. I walked down the alley trying to figure out where the man had gone. Then I saw that there was a shop there with a glowing sign said 'Misc'. As I looked in the window I saw some small jade dragons and ornamental knives. I walked up to the door and pushed it open with a glance at the open sign. A small bell went off as I came inside...I was surprised at what I saw...it looked like some kind of Chinese antiquities shop. The place was utterly beautiful. It had an air of age to it that dated back millions of years. It was like all the technology in the world was excluded from this space and disappeared the moment I'd stepped through the door.

I had vaguely nostalgic feeling, stemming from the times I'd rummage through my grandmother's attic, looking for picture of my ancestors or some odd toy to play with. After she'd died a few year back the feeling had been lost to me as all her things had been divided up between my aunts and uncles. Never again was I able to feel so... so... at home?

I walked through the shop looking at the various things from perfectly formed urns to intricate and detailed statuettes. I stopped when my eyes locked onto a beautiful Japanese Katana...The dragons cut into the handle seemed almost alive...I was completely in awe by the work of art. I've always had a thing for weapons but this sword looked like something out of a dream. I idly took it out of its glass case and held it in my hand, drawing it from its sheath. I gaped at the perfect blade. The balance in the sword was absolutely perfect... not like those stupid ornamental swords you got in some of the shops around town... and it's blade was razor sharp... the metal appeared to have an odd purple sheen to it as I gazed at the sword. Suddenly I jumped when the old man's reflection appeared in the blade. I whirled around, sheathing the sword in the process.

The man appeared to be of eastern origin, though I couldn't quite place from exactly where. I bowed slightly in greeting since it seemed to be the right thing to do... He bowed as well..."Welcome to my shop young man...You know.... You're the first visitor we've had for quite some time...", he said, nodding his head as if agreeing with himself. "Are you interested in that katana?", he asked in true salesman style. "Oh, this? Yeah, I guess." "Ahh...It's a very old sword, that it is. Some say it has a strange powers that only the pure of heart can wield.", said the old man sagely. "Um...yeah... oookaayy... so, how much?" I asked, thinking about how much money I had in my wallet. Normally I draw my entire month's allowance at the beginning of the month to save some money on the bank costs, but it certainly wasn't enough to buy such an exquisite piece. Imagine my surprise when he quoted the exact amount I had in my pocket... I hurriedly pulled it out, without even thinking of why the man was selling it to me so cheap...all I knew was I had a wonderful sword and at a great bargain too. He quickly counter out the money.

"Well... thank you sir...", he said as he ushered me out of the shop. As I was pushed out the door I felt disorientated for a second. I quickly turned to ask him for a receipt but stopped wide eyed as I was staring at a wall. I looked at the sword in my hand and shrugged, dismissing it as just one of those things you shouldn't dwell on and walked towards my car...as I got there I suddenly felt like I could be sick... someone had spilled their guts all over my front window. "Shit!", I cried. "Damn, I wish my life could be different.", I mumbled. My eyes widened in surprise as I suddenly tingled all over, like there were a million spiders crawling all over my skin and then I noticed the sword I was holding glowing a bright white...I gulped. "Oh, shit.", was all that came out before there was a flash and the world disappeared around me.