Ling-Lin: Ladies and gentlemen, I got an announcement to make. When I first thought of this story, I thought of it as a Ranma/Akane thing. And it still is. BUT there isn't that much romance going on. In fact I'm not sure if there is going to be any. But if there is, I'll warn you. In other words I'm saying that all the Ranma/Akane haters out there won't suffer from anything and that I WILL warn you if anything is coming. Also if I decide to write a small romance chapter with them you don't have to read it I promise you won't miss a thing. Besides Ranma is not my only main character. There are others and the romance part will be left to one of them. So please enjoy. You won't die from it. I promise.

Chapter 3

File # 3

Something is wrong

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

--English Proverb

Nerima, Japan

Saotome Ranma felt a presence beside him as he slept. Yet, when he opened his eyes and looked, there was no one there. Odd, maybe I was just dreaming it. Speaking of dreams, he had a strange one before he woke.

dream

He stood in the middle of a field dotted with red flowers he had never seen before. Upon further inspection of them, he could see the flowers were burning in a peaceful sort of way. It seemed impossible for Ranma to stand in the middle of them and not get burned, he knew he was in a dream somehow, but it still seemed odd. Ranma had looked around the field of burning flowers searching for some other type of life. He didn't see any. Instead he found himself staring up the most beautiful tree he had ever seen, he wasn't much of a nature boy, but he couldn't help feeling in awe of this awesome tree. It was hard to describe, but what could be said of it was that it had red coloring like apples growing on its branches. That's what he thought before he got close enough to see what they were. They were rubies, actual rubies. Stunned, Ranma looked closer and saw that the rubies seemed to have fire inside.

"Where am I?" He gasped.

"You're in my place." answered an unexpected voice

Ranma jumped in fright and grabbed the tree's trunk like a cat. He looked where the voice had come from. Sitting on a boulder was a man. He looked young, but he had an aura that indicated that there was more than what the eye could see. Ranma could not help staring at the man, well, it was hard not to with the way this seemingly young person looked. He had red eyes, as in red completely, no white to be seen. His long hair tied in a ponytail was like fire, blue on the roots, then turning green, then yellow, then orange and finally red. His skin was tan and he wore an odd sort of mix of armor with interesting details, his physique was about the same as Ranma's. He was smiling at Ranma in a mischievous sort of way.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked.

"Someone." Was the answer.

"What, no name?" Ranma asked annoyed

"I do have one, but I don't think you need it yet." The young man said

"Feh, then don't bother asking mine then, because I'm not giving it!" Ranma told him getting off the tree.

"I don't need to. I already know your name." he told him simply.

"How come?" Ranma asked surprised yet defiantly.

"Well, I know you since before you were even thought of."

"What? What are you talking about! You're just trying to confuse me!"

"That's not really hard now, is it?"

"HEY!!" Ranma clenched his fists and glared at the stranger.

The fiery young man laughed a fun laugh. He looked at Ranma's angry face with amusement and… is that fondness? Ranma thought freaking out. The other man noticing this, laughed again. He shook his head still chuckling and stood up. He walked towards Ranma and the other moved back.

"Relax Ranma, I'm not going to do anything…odd" he chuckled. "I have a wife anyway and you're not my type besides." The man laughed again at Ranma's face, harder this time. "You have way too many suitors to your male and female form to add me to your list. No no, I just wanted to meet you before all of it started again."

"Started? Again? What are you talking about?" Ranma was now really feeling confused. How does he know about my curse? And my name.

"You'll see." The man said. He turned around and started to walk away from Ranma.

"Hey! Wait! Who are you? At least give me a clue. Are you real? Do you really exist? What's going to happen?" Ranma bombarded him with questions.

The young man turned his head to look at Ranma with one red eye. "I am someone who watches over you. If you want a clue I'll give the words 'fire' and 'skill'. Yes, I am real, I do exist. But I am not seen often in the flesh. You will find me someday or I will find you." With that, he disappeared.

end of dream

Ranma laid there thinking of what the man had said and the clues that he gave him. Fire and skill? How am I supposed to know anything with that? He kept thinking about it when his stomach growled. He then decided to get up and go eat breakfast. For the thousand time Ranma was glad he could go eat breakfast with his mother there without having to change into a girl. He used to have to do that all the time since his mother came to Nerima one day and didn't know of Ranma's or his father's curse.

It was a stupid thing really. For some reason his crazy ass parents decided when he was around four years old, to sign a contract saying that if Saotome Genma did not make their son a man among men when Ranma was of an age, then he and Genma would have to commit suicide. So when his mother finally caught up to them in Nerima with a katana, he and his father had to hide behind their curse, since Ranma's curse didn't exactly allow him to be 'a man among men'. It was really kind of frustrating having your mother, who you hadn't really known, right there and not be able to do a damn thing about it.

It was some sort of miracle, when his mother finally found out about it, she had also known about his 'fiancés'. That of course made Nodoka think that her son was a man among men and that there was no reason to commit seppuku. If only his 'fiancés' hadn't destroyed his mother's house, then he would have been living somewhere that wasn't in the Tondou's house. Oh well, it wasn't like he wasn't used to it anyway.

Getting to the dinning area, Ranma was greeted by the cheerful good morning and smile of his mother, the off hand good morning from Nabiki reading, the polite one from Kasumi who was serving, the grunt from Mr. Tendo reading the paper and the usual but not so hated anymore "good morning bakka" from Akane. It was something she just said out of habit, but they really didn't hate each other like they used to. Not that they didn't fight anymore, it was just not so constant. Ranma sat on his usual place and noticed for the first time that his father wasn't there.

"Hey, where's pops?" he asked.

"Oh, he just went outside for a walk." His mother answered him.

"Before breakfast?! For what?" Ranma asked again.

"He said he needed to clear his head." Nodoka answered.

"Why?" Akane asked. "That's odd of him, especially before breakfast."

"True." Said Kasumi, while she handed out the meal. "Hope he's feeling alright." She continued worriedly.

"I'm sure he's fine." Soun said to his daughter reaching out to get the bowl she handed to him. "Besides, I doubt he's not going to come back to eat breakfast. He is Genma after all." He finished with a chuckle, but Ranma could see that he was kind of worried. He turned to look at his mother and saw that she was also worried. Something was up.

The rest of breakfast was eaten in silence, everyone thinking of their own things. Ranma was thinking of the young man in his dream when he was interrupted by Akane telling him to get ready fast or they were going to be late for school. He had no choice but to swallow the rest of his food up and run upstairs to take a shower and get ready. When he was finally done, they were already running late and there was still no sign of Genma.

"Ah! Ranma! Why is it that you always make us late?!" Akane scorned Ranma while she ran as fast as she could towards school.

"Well, if someone would wake me up, then I would probably get ready in time!" Ranma threw back at her while he also ran on top of the fence on the side of the road.

"Get an alarm clock!"

"I don't feel like it!"

"Ranmaaaaa!"

"Akaneeeee!" he mimicked her with her own name.

They kept running sending occasional remarks to each other. Ranma in one brief moment of silence saw something that caught his attention and made him stop. At the distance he saw someone dressed completely in a black coat and hooded. The figure was standing on something that he couldn't make out, whoever it was also seemed to be looking his way. Ranma thought the figure smiled at him and then disappeared. Staring at the spot where the person had been standing, he wondered if he didn't just imagine it, he was still kind of sleepy.

"Ranma, what are you doing? We are already late as it is!" Akane called out to him. Seeing his stunned face she frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Didn't…didn't you see that?" Ranma asked still staring at the place.

"See what, Ranma?" Akane asked him in return turning to look at where Ranma was staring.

"Uh…nothing. Never mind. Let's go."

"Okay." Akane said. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, let's go."

Five minutes later, they finally got to school, it was just in time since the bell rang just as they got there. Sitting in class, Ranma wasn't paying attention, not that that was a new thing. He was looking out the window wondering whether he had imagined it or not. Stranger things had happened to him before, but still, it didn't stop from being surprising. He kept looking out the window and failed to dodge the board's eraser coming towards him thrown by his teacher Miss Hinako.

"Pay attention Saotome!"

During lunch break, Ranma decided to sit with Akane who, strangely, was eating with Ukyo. They were talking passively as if they were best friends or something. Ukyo and Akane occasionally talked to him, but he was otherwise all but invisible. Odd from Ukyo. He was so bored. He had nothing to do but sit there and daydream of being asleep in his bed. Then at the entrance of the school, Ranma saw a familiar figure.

"Ha! That baka seems to have found his way back or should I say lost his way back." Ranma said amused.

"Are you talking about Ryouga?" Ukyo said turning around to look. Sure enough, it was Ryouga. He had spotted them and was coming towards them.

"Hey, Akane." Ryouga said smiling warmly at her. "Hello Ukyo." He said with another nice smile. "Ranma." He said simply at him.

"Hello Ryouga! It's so nice to see you!" Akane said happily.

"Yeah, care to join us." Ukyo said with another smile towards him. For some reason Ranma always thought they made a good couple. Too bad they were too fixated on him or Akane to notice it.

"Hey P-chan! Long time no see!" Ranma said mockingly to Ryouga.

"Who's P-chan?" Ryouga said coldly and with a glare.

"Yeah, who is P-chan? I always wondered." Ranma continued to bother with an annoying smile towards Ryouga.

"Ranma, what on earth are you talking about?" Akane said frowning at Ranma.

"Nothing, nothing." Ranma said still smiling at Ryouga who was still glaring.

It seemed to Ranma that the day was going fast or was somehow being cut, since after that the conversation changed to something else and he also noticed suddenly that upperclassman Kuno was there out of no where trying to convince Akane to go out on a date with him with his usual Shakespearian annoyance. Then he saw that Shampoo was there with Mousse delivering some food to someone in the school. Suddenly they were also standing in the same place they were. It occurred to Ranma that they had said something to him, but he couldn't recall what that was. There was Happosai running away from the girls room with he's usual stolen panties bag on his back. Kodachi was also there looking for her brother and had obviously spotted Ranma. She seemed to have said something to him but he couldn't hear what it was.

What's going on? Why is everything going so fast? Why is everyone gathering here where I am? Why do I feel something's wrong? I can't hear anything. Are they talking to me? Am I answering? Why can't I hear anything? WHAT'S GOING ON?!!!

Suddenly, Ranma saw him. Or her? Whoever it was! The same person in black that he had seen earlier. That person was standing in the middle of the place looking at him, this time he was sure that whoever it was, was smiling at him. He or she looked towards the people standing around Ranma and shook his or her head. Ranma knew that something was definitely wrong. The day was a strange one and it was not going on normally. Something was definitely not right.

"Ranma? Ranma! Ranma what's going on?!"

"Are you alright?"

"Hey, man. Wake up! What's up with you?

"Are you sick? You need anything?"

"HEY! RANMA! WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?!!!" yelled Ryouga slapping Ranma's face.

Ranma finally reacted to the voices. It seemed whatever temporary deafness had come over him was gone. And so was the figure in black. What the hell?

"Hey, Ranma!" Ryouga said again noticing that Ranma had finally heard him. "What is it?"

Ranma turned his head to look at the people gathered around him. They were all looking at him with questioning frowns or worried faces. Ryouga crouching right in front of him was looking at him waiting for an answer.

"Wha-what happened?" Ranma directed his question at Ryouga.

"We were all talking to you and you didn't answer any of us." Ryouga told him "You were just staring into space with a weird expression on your face."

"You looked freaked." Mousse said. "Like you'd seen a ghost or something."

"You look too pale!" Shampoo said, her face looked afraid.

"Did you see something Saotome?" Kuno asked him

Is it me or are they actually being nice? "I-I saw a-a person, all dressed in black. He or she was looking at me. Whoever it was gave me the feeling that he knew something I didn't. I couldn't hear nothing. I felt…lost. Like I was missing something." He said. He looked at everyone who turned to look at each other or where Ranma had been staring off to. Ryouga frowned at him.

"Do you think it's another one of those guys who you pissed off in the past and now is looking for revenge?" he asked Ranma.

"I doubt I would forget that I made someone like that mad. I mean honestly, something like that is not a thing that even I would forget." Ranma stood up. "I saw him –or her- on the way here. He was standing on something I couldn't make out." He looked at the others.

"Maybe it's just another one of those guys who wants to bother us again and chose you as his or her focal point." Ukyo said with a shrug. "Whoever it is I'm sure we'll beat him up like always."

"Hahahahaha!" Kodachi gave her usual laugh "That is true! But it will be my darling Ranma who gives the last hit!"

"How do you know that sister!" Kuno said. "I, the great Tatewaki Kuno could be the one who gives the last hit!"

"Keep dreaming you jackass!" Ryouga scorned him.

"Don't talk to me that way! You fool!"

"I talk to you however the hell I want!"

Ranma ignored the fight from the rest of his 'friends' and looked back at where he saw the cloaked being. Whatever it was, it was really getting him nervous. The usual enemies he had weren't like this. They didn't just show up and scare the crap out of him. He wondered whether this had something to do with his dream. It all started with it after all.

"So what do you think Ranma?" Akane asked standing beside him.

"I don't know, what I do know that this day is weird." He answered

"What do you mean weird?" Akane asked again

"Well, first I wake up and I remember this weird dream I had. Then pops goes out for a 'walk' before he eats anything, after that I saw that same weird…guy, appear when we were running to school. Then I remember sitting in class and suddenly I'm not sitting in class, I'm in lunch break. Then these guys," he turns around to look at his 'friends' that had stopped fighting and were now listening to Ranma, "just suddenly come together in this particular place where I happen to be. The day is not moving normally."

"Since when is your life ever normal Ranma?" said Nabiki who saw them all standing there and decided to see what was going on.

"Now ain't that something to boost my mood up." Ranma said glaring slightly at Nabiki.

"Sorry hun, it's just true." She said matter-of-factly.

"So, now what?" Mousse said. "You going to investigate or something Saotome?"

"Ha! Investigate? Why the hell would I do that? It's going to come right at me, I look for it or not. It's just how life likes being a bitch with me. Anyways, I'm too tiered right now." Ranma said punctuating his statement with a yawn.

"Tiered from what? You slept like a log Ranma, and woke up late, for that matter." Akane said.

"I don't know I feel like I didn't sleep at all." Ranma said.

"Well, you better wake up, it's coming for you." Said a voice from behind the group. It had a deep British accent and was definitely male. They all turned fast and were in their fighting positions in a hart beat.

It was the cloaked figure, he was standing not far from them looking at them calmly as if they were just looking at him normally. His face was still covered by his hood and he had a presence about him that radiated danger. All that they could make out of his appearance besides what he wore, was that he was probably athletic since the coat wasn't exactly loose nor was it too tight either.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Ranma said angrily in his fighting position. "I can hit you now and make you wish you never messed with my day."

"You can try. But all that you'll get will be a headache and a bruise since you'll be sailing right through me. You see I'm not really here, if I was, I would actually try and help you." The man said.

"Help? From what?" Ranma asked. God I seem to be asking too many questions lately. The man smiled slightly and shook his head.

"It's coming for you."

Ling-Lin: Done! Hoped you liked it and I also hope that it wasn't a bit rushed. Anyways, next chapter will finally have some action. But I'm warning you, I'm not sure whether my writing battle scenes are any good.