S-CRY-ed Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Gray Skies ❯ Ch2 ( Chapter 2 )

“Noo! Ranma!” Akane slammed her fists on the asphalt in a futile attempt to get at her fiancé and sister.

 

“Hahahaha… They are long gone, you fool!” Gosunkugi laughed as the girl started crying, helpless to save her friends. “Their bodies were torn apart! Hahahaha!”

 

“You despicable monster,” Kuno spat out. “With the righteous blade of Clan Kuno, your disgusting being shall perish. So says I, Blue Thunder of the Rising Sun!” He took his bokken by the hilt and pulled on it as if unsheathing another sword. To Gosunkugi and Akane's great surprise, he did just that, and the silver blade glowed with a holy white light.

 

“Hmph, a magical blade, will not be enough to defeat me,” the possessed sorcerer spat out. “You will perish as easily as your friends did!”

 

“Akane Tendo,” Kuno said. “I would ask you to leave this to me and get to safety, but to do so at this point would be denying you your revenge.” Akane looked up as the tears coursed down her face at the samurai wannabe standing before them. “We can not afford to hold ourselves in check. That creature is not the boy we knew any longer. I fear that his essence has been eroded away so that the true monster can take his body.” Akane slowly stood up and nodded at that.

 

“You're right,” She said as she shakily stood up to face the monster. “He has to be destroyed.” Kuno nodded at that, satisfied that they had an understanding and both turned to face the floating monster.

 

“You are deluding yourselves. If Saotome could not defeat me, then the two of you, who are merely fodder compared to him, have no hope of survival.”

 

“The Kuno Clan blade was forged especially to defeat evils such as yours,” the boy spat as his blade's silver aura grew brighter. “Have at thee, cretin!” The two charged as one, Kuno with his blade held back, and Akane a glowing bonfire of sickly green energy. Kuno swung upwards with his sword, releasing a white wave of energy that shot at the demon. The monster snorted and held up a hand, summoning a black portal that swallowed the attack as it had Ranma's, before vanishing. With another gesture, the second, larger portal appeared.

 

“Hmph, fool. The Kuno Clan blade can not be destroyed by it's own power.” Kuno calmly held up his sword, and as the incredibly large crescent of energy flew at them, his sword absorbed it, and its aura grew visibly larger, as if the sword he held was a Zanbatou.

 

“You insolent mortal! You were planning that!” The purple creature screamed in anger. “I will eradicate you!”

 

“Abominable Devil, your death was assured the moment you took up arms against me!” Kuno said just as Akane leapt up at the monster, her fist glowing with green and red energy. Gosunkugi, or what was left of him, looked up at her in surprise as she hovered in the air just over him for a moment.

 

“Die!” the girl shrieked as she slammed her fist into its face, sending it flying down into the ground almost mach speed. The monster crashed into the street, crushing the pavement beneath him as he dug a crater. The sorrow-powered girl fell back down to the ground with a look of absolute hatred on her face, and a steady stream of tears flowing down her cheeks.

 

Gosunkugi growled and stood up, unhurt by the ordeal. The red book had followed him down to the ground.

 

“I underestimated you pests, but no more,” the monster spat as it raised a hand. Large chunks of concrete and asphalt broke off of the street and flew at both Kuno and Akane with the intent to crush them both, but the martial artists dodged. He raised his other hand and Akane barely dodged the lightning bolt that followed. Without pause, the demon raised both arms into the air and both were covered in swirling fire. He lowered them and pointed at the sword wielding teen, shooting off an intense, concentrated beam of fire at him. Kuno jumped to the side, and started running when he realized that the dark creature was still pumping the beam with energy and following him with the attack. As he ran, Akane noticed the ground where the beam of fire had hit was a bright, red-orange color, and that the street was melting.

 

“That would have vaporized Kuno,” She realized with dread. Finally, the demon stopped as it realized it would not hit them with such a slow moving attack and snarled at them.

 

“Impertinent humans, brace yourselves for ultimate power!” he bellowed as he was suddenly surrounded by a corona of black energy.

 

 

----

 

Disclaimer: None of the series, characters, or locations mentioned in this story are owned by the author of this story unless stated otherwise.

 

 

 

GRAY SKIES

 

-Chapter 2: Somewhere, Sometime-

 

----

 

As Nabiki slowly woke, she found herself in a strange bed, in a strange room, with Saotome sleeping in a chair in a position that would have been best suited for watching her. She quickly realized her state of dress, and was already mentally calculating how much money the pig-tailed wonder owed her for whatever jollies he'd gotten out of her.

 

Then, the previous day came back to her all at once in a flash; Gosunkugi, a hellish blue world, some odd wilderness, biting wet coldness. It was then that Nabiki realized that Ranma had probably saved her life. She knew enough about first aid to know that people suffering from Hypothermia, which it might have looked like to Ranma, needed to be warmed up and insulated. Her clothes, wet and cold as they were, would have been counter productive to getting her body temperature back to normal, and Ranma had undressed her out of necessity to save her.

 

As she looked around, she was able to see that they were in some sort of abandoned place; the walls had a few holes that no one even bothered to cover up, the window was boarded up, and the only light bulb in the room was hanging from the ceiling by its wire. There was nothing to cover it either, so anyone reaching up high enough would have been able to get the bulb out with minimal effort. She noticed a large cardboard box next to Ranma, filled to the brim with clothes. A quick glance at the red haired girl told her that she was wearing clothes that had come out of the box. The Tendo girl snorted at her choice of clothing; it was the same color scheme as before, and very unoriginal. The girl slowly sat up as she realized that Ranma wasn't going to wake up all of a sudden.

 

“Hmm…” An evil smirk settled on her face as she toyed with the idea of getting up and getting dressed without sending the neo-girl out of the room.

 

In the end, she'd decided to do just that. She took her time through the ordeal; at first looking for her own clothes, only to be disappointed when she realized they would not function well enough at all, and then when going through the box to look for something that would work for her. Most of the clothes, she'd noticed, were new, with the tags and stickers still on them. The box had been labled `Hurricane Relief', but there were no real major `Hurricanes' that had happened recently. Though it had been done with a permanent marker, the ink had long since faded out, which told her it had to have been old.

 

None of the clothes resembled anything she could recognize as being fashionable in the past, however. The clothes were all fairly plain, too - none of them had any elaborate company designs or expensive logos. Most of the pants were casual jeans and skirts, and the shirts were all incredibly conservative. The undergarments were at the bottom, she noticed, and just as conservative as the other clothes. She settled on a simple white t-shirt and some slightly oversized blue jeans with a sigh; she'd have to get something else as soon as possible. The only pants that could be called shorts weren't at all like what she usually wore and went all the way down to her shins. They looked incredibly awkward and she wasn't even going to try wearing them.

 

As she checked the pig-tailed martial artist before leaving the room, she realized that the red head had slept through it all. Slightly annoyed, the girl took the dragon's whisker out of her hair and put it in her pocket. From what she knew, Ranma couldn't turn back into a male without it or he'd go bald. She didn't really stop to think about how long it had been since he'd had the dragon's whisker soup at this point, though, and decided to explore whatever dump Ranma had found. There was a hallway just outside the room, and at the end of the hall she could see the top of some stairs. As she looked into the first rooms she came across, however, she was surprised when she heard the sound of a door shutting in the distance.

 

A quick glance in the direction she'd heard it from told her that it had come from downstairs. Her mind went into overdrive as she started to consider possible situations; Ranma might have found an oft used abandoned shelter, or been taken in by someone else already using it. As she noiselessly crept down the stairs to get a look at whoever else was in there, she was surprised at the sight of a little girl standing at the base of the stairs with her back turned. The child was staring off into space with her hands at her sides and as Nabiki peered closer she realized there was a rainbow colored aura surrounding the girl like a second skin. It was very thin and hardly noticeable, but definitely there. Deciding not to think much of it, though, she cleared her throat, which startled the child and caused her to turn around.

 

“Excuse me, but can you tell me where we are?” Nabiki asked as she crossed her arms. “I noticed that this place isn't exactly up to date on maintenance, and I don't think anything like it would be found in the middle of a big district or anything,” The child blinked up at her.

 

“Oh, you're Ranma-chan's friend,” the girl said as if suddenly realizing something. “Um, well this place is called the lost ground…” She tilted her head to the side. “I'm not sure what you mean when you say district, though…” The girl said, sounding a little lost. “Sorry…”

 

“Oh, that's okay,” Nabiki sighed. Apparently they were in some rural community that had probably once been connected to society. `I don't figure she'll know where Nerima is either. At least we're still in Japan. I can't think of any other countries where everything is marked in Japanese,' She thought sourly. `When we get back to Nerima, Gosunkugi will pay…' “Say, little girl, can you tell me what prefecture we're in, at least?” Ranma asked.

 

“Prefecture?” The girl asked. “Um, I guess you could call it the Kana…kawa…I forgot, but no one has called the Lost Ground a prefecture for years.” She tilted her head the other way. “I'm not sure…”

 

“Ugh,” Nabiki closed her eyes, miffed at the quality of education kids got on the countryside. “Okay, sure. Thanks, little girl,” She said.

 

“My name is Yuta Kanami,” the girl said with a slightly put off look. “Ranma-chan told me your name last night, but I think I forgot it…” She looked apologetic at that point.

 

“Ranma-chan, huh… listen, when… she wakes up, tell her I want to speak with her and Ryouga,” She said. She paused for a moment and then looked at the girl again. “Do you have a telephone I can use?”

 

“Telephone..?” The girl had a blank look on her face as she considered the word.

 

“Nevermind,” Nabiki said shaking her head. `Man, definition of country bumpkin.'

 

-

 

Ranma blinked several times as she slowly regained her senses. There was an irritating, cold and somewhat itchy sensation on the side of her mouth that she immediately recognized as partially dried up drool. The girl slowly sat up and wiped her mouth off as she looked around in confusion.

 

“I must have fallen asleep. Oh well, she still hasn't…” Ranma looked down and noticed that Nabiki was not present in the bed. “…Uh…”

 

“Ranma-chan, are you awake yet?” Ranma instantly recognized the young girl's voice from the night before and turned around, looking at the door.

 

“Oh, hey there…”

 

“…Ano, Ranma-chan… Your hair is all messed up. You might want to go look in the mirror,” The younger girl said. “Breakfast should be ready in half an hour. That other neesan is already awake and waiting for you and someone called `Ryouga' downstairs,”

 

“Oh, thanks,” Ranma called back as the girl left. “Wait, so Nabiki woke up? That means…” Ranma recalled the girl's state as she had been put in bed and her face turned red. “Uh, Happosai in a thong, Cologne wearing a- Okay, that's enough, it worked already,” Ranma said as her face twisted up. She looked down at the sleeping piglet by her feet and sighed.

 

“It's time to wake up, Ryouga.” She kicked the thing harshly and was rewarded with a surprised, indignant squeal. “Come on, it's time for breakfast.” She reached down and grabbed the pig, holding it level with her face, and licking her lips. The pig quickly woke up at the mention of breakfast and what she was doing with her mouth and immediately began to struggle and squirm in her grasp. “Oh cut it out, I'm only kidding,” She laughed as it glared at her and she walked out of the room.

 

-

 

Ranma stared at the mirror with a frown on her face. Her hair was a complete mess, with odd ends pointing out every which way. It looked like Nabiki had thought it might be funny to take her hair out its pigtail. Ranma shrugged; she didn't really need the dragon's whisker anymore, and that had been the only reason she'd worn her hair in a braid anyway. It would be nice to go around without it for once, but she was attached to the braid and would probably put it back in later. It did serve to keep her hair out of the way in a fight, so there was a practical usage too.

 

She looked down at the pig on the ground and noticed it was looking at her impatiently.

 

“Oh yeah. Hot water.” She turned the water faucet on, and was relieved when the water temperature slowly rose to a fairly warm temperature. Before splashing herself, she looked in the mirror and frowned. “Hmm. This would be awkward. I'd hate to explain something like this if we're going to leave right away…” The girl looked down at the pig, who was staring back up at her in apparent confusion. “Although they're waiting for you to show up, it would be weird if you were already in the house…” The girl's eyes lit up and she nodded to herself. “If I leave you at the door, can you promise not to try and go anywhere? Just knock on the door after I go back inside,” Ranma said as she looked down at the pig. Understanding dawned on the small animal and it nodded back at her.

 

“Right, I'll try and find you something to wear…” The pig was confused again, and she could tell she had to explain. “Our clothes are torn up beyond belief, Porky. There's no way they can be saved now. I think I saw something you might like, though. There was a pink shirt in there for men— Oww! You little-!” As soon as she had started on about the pink shirt, the thing bit her ankle. “I was only joking you idiot!” The pig gave her a look that could have been interpreted as `Yeah Right'. “Geez, wait here you little bastard…”

 

-

 

Nabiki sat in a chair that had controls on the side, and could rotate, raise, and lower. It was obviously holdover from when the clinic was operational. The girl had one leg over the other, her arms were crossed over her chest, and there was a pensive frown on her face. Although the place figuratively reeked of disuse and neglect, it was fairly clean, and had been fashioned into a quaint little home. Although it was slightly unnerving to have vines coming out of the air-vent, and a tree growing inside the room she was in, the only person Nabiki had seen all morning was the little girl, and she hadn't asked about that yet. Ranma walked into the room with most of the tangles brushed out of her hair, and looked at the other girl with a frown.

 

“Why'd you take the dragon's whisker?” She asked with a frown. Nabiki smirked at that.

 

“No reason,” She shrugged.

 

“Can I have it back, then?” the red-head asked. Needed it or not, the thing was valuable.

 

“Sure, later,” the older girl said offhandedly. “For now, where's Ryouga?”

 

“He should be here soon. I switched him back and dropped him at the door so we wouldn't have to explain anything,” the girl huffed. “We should be getting ready to leave. Why are you just sitting around?”

 

“We're staying here,” the other girl snorted.

 

“What?” Ranma recoiled. “Why?”

 

“We don't even know where we are,” Nabiki reminded her, gesturing the whole building with her arms. “The smartest thing to do would be take that kid up on her hospitality as long as possible. We're going to need to find out the nearest major city go there, and then somehow get to Nerima. We might even be on another island, for all we know.”

 

“Well…”

 

“For all of that, we're going to need money, too,” Nabiki said. “Now, I could get that on my own from bank accounts, but it won't be easy without the proper identification, and would take a while. Our families could wire us money, too, but that might not be easy either.”

 

“Hmm…” Ranma frowned at that. “Well, okay. I guess we'll stay here. But you know how hard that'll be for Ryouga.”

 

“Ryouga travels all the time. As soon as he gets something approaching a travel pack, he'll be fine on his own. He might even make it back to Nerima before us the way he goes around.”

 

“…Yeah…” Ranma sighed. “Whatever. That guy did say we could stay here for as long as we needed.”

 

“Guy?” Nabiki asked. “What guy?”

 

“Kazuma. Didn't you meet him already?” Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“No. I didn't see anyone but the girl.”

 

“Oh, well he must already be out looking for information then,” the red head said thoughtfully. “He said he would last night.” There was a loud banging sound from far off and both girls turned and blinked. “Must be Ryouga.” The red head turned around and walked out of the room into the foyer in time to see Kanami open the door and look up at the strange boy wearing a bandana. He was also wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. As he looked down at the girl, he blinked.

 

“Oh, um, Is… Er, is Ranma here?” He asked nervously.

 

“Oh yes, come in. You must be her friend,” the girl said. Ryouga didn't answer that, instead settling for silence as he followed the girl into the clinic. “She's just upstairs…” The girl blinked as she noticed Ranma standing at one of the other doors. “Oh, there she is. Good morning, Ranma-chan!” the girl said pleasantly. “You look better.”

 

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Ranma said. She looked at Ryouga and sighed; now that it was looking like they'd stay, her plans to stay a girl and not explain Ryouga's curse had gone to waste, and looked to be doing more harm than not. “Um, Kanami-chan, I was talking with Nabiki, and she said that we would take up Kazuma's offer…”

 

“Oh, you will?” The girl smiled. “That's good, it's always good to have more people around the house to help around.”

 

“Um…” Ranma blinked and turned around, as if making sure someone else had heard that. “Yeah, help around. Say, did Kazuma already leave?” She asked.

 

“Yes, Kimishima-san came early and picked him up. They're always gone this early, and tend not to get back until late at night,” The girl sighed. “They did say they would be looking for information on Nerima this time, though, so maybe they're being useful for once…”

 

“Being useful for once?” Ranma asked curiously.

 

“I'll explain it while we eat, breakfast is almost ready,” the younger girl promised.

 

“Okay,” Ranma nodded and turned back around to go into the room. Ryouga followed her wordlessly, and the two looked at Nabiki.

 

“You heard that, Nabiki? She thinks you're going to be useful around the house,” Ranma said cheerfully.

 

“I've done chores before, Saotome,” Nabiki said, raising an eyebrow. “I'll be lenient this time, and let that slide,” she said lazily as she leaned back into the chair more. “If anything, I seem to recall the ones who never did any chores at my house…”

 

“Heheh, okay, you got me,” Ranma said half-heartedly. “Breakfast is almost ready, let's go eat,” the girl said as she turned around and walked out of the house.

 

-

 

Nabiki looked in confusion at the food that was set on the western table before them. It was a completely western arrangement; there were two over-easy eggs on each plate, two strips of bacon, and hashbrowns. Both Ranma and Ryouga took it in stride, although the lost boy didn't eat his bacon and it was lost to Ranma, but it struck the young woman as odd that in a rural Japanese community they would prefer western food. She slowly began to eat it, deciding not to waste it or let it get cold, but resolved to ask the little girl about it. Not only that, but the girl was a moderately good cook, not as good as Kasumi but far, far better than anything Akane could have ever hoped to make.

 

When they finished, it was Ranma who spoke up first.

 

“That was good, Kanami-chan,” she started, “Where did you learn to cook? Did Kazuma teach you?” The girl giggled at that and shook her head as she gathered the dishes.

 

“The women at the farm all taught me what I know,”

 

“Farm?” Ranma asked. Kanami nodded.

 

“In the day, I go there and help out with the chores, and in return they give us food. Kazu-kun does work, but it doesn't get him paid much. He's so lazy…” The girl sighed.

 

“How old is this Kazuma guy?” Nabiki asked.

 

“Kazu-kun is 16,”

 

“Ah.” Nabiki nodded. Most guys that age couldn't find really good high paying jobs. He was probably working hard, but the girl just didn't understand. `Oh well, he sees her as a little sister. Ungrateful or not, he'll probably do whatever he can to support her.' She frowned and looked away far into space. `I certainly know how that feels…' “When do you go to this farm?” Nabiki asked.

 

“Usually after breakfast, and they let me leave in the afternoon,” the girl said. “But Kazu-kun usually gets home late, so we almost never play together anymore…” A lonely look had crept onto the girl's face as she talked. The three teens shared an uncomfortable look as the girl stood up and walked over to the sink, and began to wash the dishes.

 

“Um, why don't you let me handle that,” Ranma said as she stood up.

 

“Ranma, don't you have water allergies or something?” Nabiki asked as she did the same. “I can spare a few minutes of my time to take care of some plates.” Ranma and Ryouga gawked at her, and she scowled at that. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

 

“Oh… No… nothing…” Ranma looked away, and Ryouga looked everywhere but at the girl as he whistled noisily. Nabiki rolled her eyes and moved over to take over for the small child.

 

“Thank you,” Kanami said gratefully as she watched the older girl work.

 

“Oh no, it's no problem…” Nabiki lied as she scrubbed.

 

“So…” Kanami went back over to the table and sat down again. “I've told you about me. What about you guys? Where are you from? What do you do?” she asked curiously.

 

“Ryouga and I practice martial arts,” Ranma said casually. Talking about herself was easy.

 

“That's right, you haven't said much,” Kanami said as she looked at Ryouga. Ryouga noticed that and then purposely clenched his mouth shut as they locked eyes in a battle of wills. The girl continued to stare into his eyes, and when he finally blinked, he sighed, and the girl cheered.

 

“I'm Ryouga,” the boy said. “I like to travel.” Ranma and Nabiki snorted at that and the boy grit his teeth. “I'm a better martial artist than Ranma.”

 

“You wanna bet?” the red head asked with a frown.

 

“Aw, come on now, let's not fight,” Kanami said with a smile on her face. “If Ryouga thinks he's better, then he thinks he's better,” she said. Ranma snorted and crossed her arms. “Don't be immature now, you two…”

 

“I'm not immature, I just don't like when Ryouga tells lies like that,” Ranma snorted.

 

“Who's lying?” the fanged boy asked dangerously, as he sat straight up.

 

“You are, bacon bits.”

 

“Come on, you two…” Kanami said nervously.

 

“Don't do that here, you idiots,” Nabiki said as she walked back over to the table, drying her hands off with a towel. “This place isn't used to what you two can throw around.”

 

“Hmph,” Ranma said as she allowed the situation to diffuse. “So then, Kanami-chan, you said you go to a farm after you eat?”

 

“Oh yes, that's right,” the girl said as she looked around. “It must be late, they'll wonder about me.”

 

“We'll go with you,” Ranma told her. “Then they'll understand why.”

 

“Er…” Nabiki suddenly looked incredibly nervous. `Be a farmhand? No… way…' “Kanami-chan…” The girl started amiably. “Is there anything that needs to be done around the…house?” she asked.

 

“Actually, since we're not here for much, it doesn't get that messed up,” Kanami said. “If you don't want to come, I understand,” the girl said not unkindly.

 

“Oh, really? Err, yeah, thank you…” Nabiki blinked in surprise at having been figured out so quickly by a child.

 

“Hmph,” Ryouga snorted. “Well, you don't need to worry about us. Ranma and I will definitely help you out,” He said.

 

“Darn straight,” The red head said with a nod. “Nabiki can do whatever she wants. We'll be better off without her.” The middle Tendo girl glared as the three stood.

 

“Really, it's okay!” Kanami said timidly as she held her hands up in a warding gesture. The older girl's frown didn't dissolve, however.

 

“Let's go, then,” Ryouga said as he started walking towards one of the doors.

 

“The exit's not that way,” Kanami said as he stopped at the door. She walked to the only other door in the room. “We can get out through here, there's a back door.” The girl opened it and walked out, with the two teens right behind her. Ranma shut the door behind herself noisily.

 

Nabiki, with the frown still on her face, walked out of the kitchen.

 

-

 

Ranma and Ryouga took in the scenery as they walked along the dirt path with Kanami leading the way. The road was lined with plains on either side, and Ranma found herself wondering where they were going.

 

“Say, Kanami-chan, why didn't we use the street in front of your house?” The red head asked.

 

“Huh, oh it's faster to go this way. Look, we're almost there!” The girl said cheerfully as she pointed into the distance, as they crested over a hill. Both teens looked up and noticed a group of buildings one might associate with a farm, one in particular with a large fenced up area and many animals grazing in the fenced up area. They could see a number of people in the distance, although at the distance they were at they were all indistinguishable from one another.

 

“Oh…”

 

---

 

Nabiki stood in the room where she'd been sitting earlier. There were several things all around the clinic that she could tell had gone unused for years. Tons of boxes had been packed, and there was nothing here that she could tell was expensive, or something that could be taken with them. Kanami and whoever that Kazuma guy was were nice for letting them stay, but Nabiki wasn't going to let useful things just sit around when they could be used, or sold. She quickly made the decision to take whatever they weren't using (maybe even ask for it later). It may not have been the most honest way to gather money up, but it would be easier than messing with any sort of bank.

 

The first box she checked out was more clothes. The second and third ones were full of medical books, and the one after those was halfway full with maps or something similar. After resolving to look at the maps later, she checked a fifth and final box, and found some strange, flat… things, inside. After pulling one out, she looked at it in mild curiosity.

 

After finding two things that resembled a switch, she found she was able to open it. The thing had been folded shut, and a plastic casing that appeared to be metallic, but wasn't. Inside, she saw a large dark, blank, plastic screen, and under that on the bottom half she recognized something that resembled a keyboard. Every hiragana was presented on the thing, as well as small representations of romaji.

 

“It's a computer.” She realized at once. “But it's so small.” And indeed, the thing she was looking at was thin, and made of plastic. Not only that, but there didn't appear to be any sort of data storage device in sight, as there was no bulky computer tower or anything resembling it nearby. Although it struck the girl as odd that a computer would consist of only a keyboard and a screen, both of which were permanently connected, she shrugged it off. There was a button with the universal symbol for power on the corner of the thing, above the keyboard, and she pressed that.

 

Nothing major happened, but a small light lit up above the keyboard, and as she looked at it she saw that it resembled a battery. “Batteries are dead…” She frowned and looked inside the box again. There were several power cords, but they didn't look like the usual power cords at all. They were much thinner and had a strange box in the middle of the wire that she recognized as a surge suppressor. As she read the label, she tilted her head in confusion.

 

“I guess I have to find a power outlet.” The girl looked around and found one in the room she was in before going over and plugging the computer into it. After setting the thing aside while it's batteries charged up, she walked back over to the boxes and rummaged through the one with maps. As she pulled one out, she blinked at the cover.

 

“Kanagawa prefecture; 2008-2009?” She studied the cover carefully before opening the thing and looking at it.

 

---

 

Ranma fidgeted as three of the farmhands scrutinized both her and the bandana-clad boy on her side.

 

“They're guests staying at my house,” The small child said cheerfully in way of explanation. “Their friend collapsed last night in the rain, and Kazu-kun rescued her. They're here to pay us back for our help.”

 

“That worthless husband of yours? Saved someone?” The older, heavyset woman asked with surprise evident in her voice and face. Ranma and Ryouga blinked at that and then looked at each other in confusion. Kanami giggled at that.

 

“Kazu-kun saved them,” She nodded.

 

“Well then, if they're here to repay you for that, they can stay,” the same woman said. The younger, much thinner woman to her side nodded her agreement.

 

“We rarely hear good things about that Kazuma boy, and he never shows up.” she said. “But since you're here, you can definitely pick up his slack.”

 

“Wait.” The final examiner, an older man with a pickaxe slung over his shoulder spoke up for the first time. “You people ain't Alter Users, are ya?” He asked suspiciously. Ranma and Ryouga only looked more confused at that, but Kanami spoke up for them.

 

“They haven't done anything but help me and be polite since they showed up,” Kanami said sincerely.

 

“Well, them alter users ain't nuthin' but' trouble,” the old man grumbled. “Tearin' up the country side, thievin' an' harassin' us like they own us,” He turned his head and spat. “HOLY too. They try ta fight fire with fire, and all it does is burn everyone else. As long as you don't mean us any trouble, I ain't got any problem with ya'll stayin'. Make yerselves useful.” He turned around and stalked off, leaving Ranma and Ryouga even more confused.

 

“Right, well they need a few more guys up at the construction site,” the overweight woman said authoritatively. “And we can always use more girls for the house chores,”

 

“Er, actually, I'm better doing… men's work,” Ranma said suddenly.

 

“Nonsense,” The first woman said as she took her by the arm and led her away. Ryouga snickered as Ranma continued, unsuccessfully, to try and deter the other woman.

 

“I'll show you where the men are working,” the skinny woman said as she turned around. “They'll tell you what to do.”

 

“Uh, okay,” Ryouga nodded as he followed her. He looked back to see Kanami waving at him and waved back before turning back around to notice that the woman was gone. “Uh…” He turned around again, but Kanami was gone as well. He sighed and hunched over. “Oh boy…”

 

---

 

Kazuma sat in the passenger seat of his friend's car as they made their way back to the clinic.

 

“So did you find out anything about that Nerima place today?” The boy asked casually.

 

“You mean while you were working?” the driver asked as he glanced at the other teen. “Not really, no. It was surprising too, because the people I asked usually know that kind of stuff. Some of them owe me a few favors, so they said they'd try to go deeper than what they usually know.”

 

“`The people you asked', huh…” Kazuma snorted. “I don't have to guess what people those were. You sure those favors are owed to you? I'm the one who usually does all of the work.”

 

“And I'm your agent,” The driver said cheerfully. “We're a wonderful team.”

 

“Right, whatever.” Kazuma looked out the side at the scenery that rolled by. “We're almost there. But what about those people? I'm sure that other lady already woke up.”

 

“Yeah, you're probably right. I hope we can convince them to stay. They might want to leave.” The car jumped over a particularly high bump in the ground, and the car swayed a bit before stopping in front of the clinic. Kazuma immediately opened the door and started walking towards the clinic just as Kimishima killed the engine. The brunette opened the door and walked in without even knocking.

 

“Yo Kanami!” the teen called out. “You back yet?” When he received no answer, he started walking to a different room just as Kimishima walked in and shut the door behind him. “Ranma! You here?!” He called out as he walked into the room with the electrical-swivel chair.

 

“You must be Kazuma.” came a voice from the side. Kazuma's head whipped to the side and he noticed the girl from the previous day was sitting in the chair.

 

“Oh, and you're Ranma's friend,” the boy nodded. “I guess it's cool that you got better.” The girl raised an eyebrow at that.

 

“You guess?”

 

“Err, well…” He shrugged. “Sorta?”

 

“Hmm…” She looked him over and tilted her head as another man walked in behind him. “And who are you?” The man looked at her and smiled.

 

“Oh, you got better! I'm so relieved!” He said with a smile. “My name is Kimishima Kunihiko, it's a pleasure to meet you miss…”

 

“Tendo Nabiki,” the girl said with a neutral look. The man called Kimishima visibly faltered at that.

 

“I-I'm sorry?” He asked.

 

“I'm not going to say it again,” The girl said. “Unless you're willing to pay me. I don't do much for free, and someone else has used up all of my generosity for today.”

 

“Don't do much for free?” Kazuma blinked. “Okay lady, whatever. Kimishima, I'm gonna go down to the farm and get Kanami and I'm sure Ranma's with her. I'll be back in twenty minutes or so.” He waved casually as he walked back towards the front door.

 

“Okay, later Kazuma,” the other man said offhandedly as he turned back to face Nabiki. “So your name is Nabiki Tendo, huh?” He asked. `I know I've heard that name before…' the young man said as he narrowed his eyes. Nabiki just stared at him with a seemingly casual look on her face, but the man could tell she was watching him just as carefully. An invisible spark ignited between them, and both broke out into predatory grins. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Tendo-san.”

 

“I assure you, the pleasure is all mine, Kimishima-san,” the young woman intoned.

 

---

 

Kazuma jogged along the dirt path that led to the farm. It was a quick trip from the clinic to the farm, and as in good a shape as he was, moving at his speed would get him there in less than five minutes, while walking back with Kanami always took much longer. Although he encouraged the girl to run back with him, she wasn't quite as fit as he was and would tire much quicker. Because of that, he resolved after a while to start teaching her how to fight, even though working at the farm helped to build her upper body strength, and she was already somewhat strong for a girl her age.

 

The farm was soon in view, which alerted him to how close he was to the girl. The girl usually waited for him near some huge boulders that were a little off the path. He took a left and soon came upon a rock formation that was familiar to him. Ranma and Kanami were playing some sort of game that involved one chasing the other, and sitting on one of the large rocks was a boy clad in all black with a yellow bandana in his hair. `Wonder who that is.' He watched the other teen for a long enough moment to see what he was looking at. Off in the distance, one could easily see large, ruined buildings that were covered with moss and other plant growth.

 

Not stopping to think why the boy would be staring at the ruined buildings, he started walking over to join them. “Yo! Kanami!” The two girls turned at his voice and looked at him. He waved and the younger girl ran over to him, jumping up and hugging him.

 

“Kazu-kun! You're back!”

 

“Oi, haven't I told you not to call me that?” He grumbled as he ruffled her hair without really looking at her. Ranma was walking up towards him, pulling on the new guy by his arm. “Ranma, who's this guy?”

 

“This is Ryouga. He's my friend, but we got separated last night. He found your place this morning though,” the girl said.

 

“Hello,” Ryouga said warmly. “I understand you've agreed to provide accommodations for my friends?” He asked.

 

“Yeah, that's right,” Kazuma nodded with a grin. “So you guys came to help Kanami at the farm?” When both teens nodded, he laughed. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her, I had to go to work. Oh yeah,” He turned and looked at Ranma with a blank look. “Kimishima and I couldn't find anything about Nerima. It was surprising.”

 

“You couldn't?” Ranma asked, sounding somewhat surprised. “Oh well, I guess…” `This place isn't exactly up to date. They probably don't know or care about anything that doesn't really affect them…' She shrugged.

 

“Say, Kazuma-san,” Ryouga started up. “I was wondering if you could tell me about those buildings over there?” Kazuma blinked when the boy pointed over to the abandoned buildings. Ranma followed their gazes and blinked. “This whole place has seemed pretty strange…”

 

“Hey, I hadn't noticed those. What happened there?”

 

“Eh?” Kazuma blinked. “What, don't you guys know? Those places…” Kazuma suddenly had a look of realization. “You guys don't know about the Lost Ground, huh?” He shook his head. “Heh, I'd forgotten about that.” `Man, city kids at their worst. If they're this dumb, then I'm glad I was born here,' he mentally snorted. “Uh, anyway, I'll explain it on the way back. Come on, let's go.” He turned back towards the clinic and started walking. Kanami fell into step beside him, and the two teens kept just behind him. “Okay, the best place to start is twenty two years ago…”

 

“Twenty two years?”

 

“Yeah,” Kazuma nodded. “Originally, this place used to be called Kanagawa prefecture. But there was a huge earthquake. The biggest one ever, I think. I donno cause I haven't seen most of the world, but I think it's the biggest one. It was the first, anyway.” He pointed into the horizon, and from where they were, Ranma and Ryouga could see the huge spiked rocks in the distance, the ones that Ranma had originally labeled mountains.

 

“Eh? Kanagawa prefecture?” Ranma and Ryouga shared a surprised look. “Wait, so this is Kanagawa prefecture?”

 

“That can't be, Kanagawa is all city.”

 

“What?” Kazuma asked as he looked at them. “Listen, Kanagawa has been like this,” He said gesturing the open area around them, “For more than twenty years now. There's a city, and an under developed area, but not much more.”

 

“But that's—”

 

“Let him finish, Ranma,” Ryouga interrupted. Ranma looked like she wanted to say something else, but frowned and stopped. The lost boy nodded at the person who was escorting them. “Please, continue.”

 

“…Anyway, like I was sayin', the place hasn't changed much in so long.”

 

“Twenty two years, you say…” Ryouga nodded. “So that earthquake caused those mountains?”

 

“You can say that,” Kazuma shrugged. “Anyway, a lotta people used to live here, but they all left because of the earthquake. Some people stayed. That's it, really.”

 

“You forgot the Alter Users, Kazu-kun,” the girl said from her place beside the boy.

 

“That's right, that old guy said something about alter users. What the heck are those, anyway?” Ranma demanded.

 

“Alter Users…” Kazuma trailed off. “Heh. What's an alter user?” He grinned, although from behind him, neither teen could see it. “An alter user is someone born with a special ability. I donno how it works, and I don't care. It's random, though. They started appearing after the earthquake, so everyone thinks that it might have something to do with it.”

 

“Special abilities?” Ryouga asked. “What kind of special abilities?”

 

“Well…” Kazuma tilted his head. “It depends on the person. I've seen some that are really weird. And then there have been a few cool ones two. But the coolest one I've seen so far belongs to the strongest guy in the world. Heh.”

 

“Strongest guy in the world?” Ranma snorted. “I know the strongest guy in the world, and he ain't no alter user.” She said with a smirk.

 

“Eh?” Kazuma asked as he looked at her. “But non-alter users just can't compare to alter users. There's just too big a difference in power.”

 

“Heh, I've heard all that before,” Ranma said, waving it off. “Besides, what did that old guy say, anyway? That they terrorize people? If that's what Alters do, then they're just a bunch of bullies.”

 

“Not all Alter Users are like that,” Kanami said quietly. Everyone looked at her.

 

“What, do you know an Alter User, Kanami-chan?” Ranma asked.

 

“…” The girl was quiet for a moment, before answering with a hesitant, “…No.”

 

“Well, I happen to know a couple,” Kazuma said off handedly as he looked ahead again. Kanami looked up at him with surprise.

 

“Kazu-kun knows alter users?” she asked, confused.

 

“Well, I've dealt with them before… My line of work is kinda rough…” The girl accepted that and faced forward again.

 

“Kinda rough… What kind of work do you do, Kazuma-san?” Ryouga asked.

 

“Kazuma is fine,” The brunette responded. “Anyway…uh, Kimishima gives me all sorts of odd jobs.”

 

“So you work for him?” Ranko asked. Ryouga frowned as he remembered the green haired man from the day before, who'd commented on cooking pork or something.

 

“No, we're partners, but he's the one who finds work for me. We're…” He glanced down at the girl by his side. “…freelancers.”

 

“More like freeloaders,” the girl from his side said cheerfully. Kazuma sighed.

 

“Yeah, well…we're here!” He said dramatically as he pointed up at the clinic. Ranma and Ryouga looked at him in surprise, as they hadn't noticed. The brunette opened the door and walked into the clinic with the little girl behind him. Ranma and Ryouga shared a look before going in after them.

 

“Yo, Kimishima, did you meet this guy yet?” Kazuma asked. He was standing inside the foyer, and both Nabiki and Kimishima were each sitting on one of two benches across from each other, looking at him. Kimishima glanced at the boy wearing all black and nodded to him.

 

“You must be Ryoga. Tendo-san has told me about you,” He said in a friendly voice.

 

“Err, how much has `Tendo-san' told you about me?” The lost boy asked nervously.

 

“Nothing dangerous,” Nabiki said lazily. “I'm leaving that to you two for once.”

 

“W-what? You didn't tell them about our… water allergies?” Ranma asked surprised.

 

“Repeat performances are 3000 yen, you know that Saotome,” the older girl drawled. “Anyway, I do have something to talk to you guys about.” She stood up and nodded towards Kimishima. “Thanks for the interesting discussion.” She looked back at Ranma. “I'll be waiting in the bedroom,” She said as she started walking towards the stairs.

 

“Right…” Kazuma shook his head. “Anyway, Kanami, it's almost three. You wanna go back outside or somethin'?” The little girl looked up at him and nodded with a smile on her face. “'Kay, let's go…” He turned around and walked between both Ranma and Ryoga, who were standing on each side of the door and Kanami ran after him.

 

“Tendo-san said she had something to tell you guys, right?” Kimishima said as he stood up. “You don't want to keep her waiting too long.”

 

“How would you know about that?” Ranma asked heatedly. Kimishima laughed at that.

 

“Ah, don't worry about that, Ranma-kun.”

 

“E-eh?” Ranma blinked. `I thought she said she didn't tell him…' The young girl watched the other man carefully as he walked out of the house.

 

“I suppose this means I'll see you two tomorrow, then.” He said as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “Take care, all right?”

 

“Yeah, sure…” Ranma said distractedly.

 

“You too,” Ryoga said with a polite nod. Kimishima chuckled and walked outside.

 

“Hey! Kazuma! Kanami-chan! I'm going home!” He shut the door behind himself at that point.

 

“Well, let's go see Nabiki,” Ryoga said with a sigh. “I'm sure it's important. Probably related to our getting home.”

 

“Yeah, you're right.” The red head said with a nod as she took him by the arm and started leading him away. “I've got to tell them about the whole curse thing soon though, if we're gonna be here for a while…” She finished just as they reached the top of the stairs. After walking to the end of the hall where they'd spent the night, they found Nabiki waiting for them on the bed, with her arms crossed, and one leg crossed over the other.

 

“You came,” She said calmly.

 

“Well yeah,” Ranma responded with a frown. “What were you expecting? A no show?”

 

“Hmmm,” The Tendo girl shrugged with her usual dangerous smile and Ranma flinched. She'd be paying for that in spades later. “Anyway, I had an interesting conversation with Kimishima-san,” she said. “Do you two know what alter users are?” She asked.

 

“We heard about them from Kazuma,” Ranma supplied. “They're supposed to be really strong. Is that what you talked about?”

 

“Partially.” The girl nodded. She gestured over to the corner, and when both boys turned their heads, they saw the two chairs that had been there the night before. In each chair was a book with a spiral binder. As the two teens walked over to get their chairs, they noticed that the things were maps. They pulled the chairs closer to the bed and then each sat down, picking up a map. “According to Kimishima-san, Alter Users have been around for over twenty years. Not only that, but they started appearing after the great upheaval that earned this place's name, the Lost Ground.” Ranma and Ranko both nodded at that.

 

“Kazuma-san told us that too,” Ryoga said. “We were also told that Alter Users have been tearing up the country side, and they… well, most of them, anyway, abuse their power. Kanami told us there were some who didn't but she couldn't say anything else,” the boy shrugged.

 

“That's part of what I heard as well. Did he tell you about the major factions of Alter Users?” She asked.

 

“Well, no, he didn't say anything about factions,” Ryoga said. “Does this go deeper than a bunch of people who started appearing in this area years ago?”

 

“Much.” The girl nodded. Her tone and posture were very serious, and both Ranma and Ryoga braced themselves for whatever the girl would be telling them. “I have been putting things together, and it's a little sketchy, but I've been able to formulate a hypothesis,” the girl started.

 

“That being…” Ryoga prompted.

 

“That being, that we are in the future.” The girl said simply. Both of the younger teens stared at her, one in confusion, and another one with sudden dawning comprehension.

 

“That would explain why Kazuma said this was Kanagawa Prefecture,” the boy said as he looked down at the map in his hands and looked for the year. “So, does that mean this is 2009?”

 

“Later than that,” The girl said. “I didn't ask Kimishima what year it was, because I didn't want to sound crazy. But I did ask about the maps. `What's wrong with the year?' He commented offhand about how old they were.”

 

“Wait, wait,” Ranma said as she looked down at her map. “The future? How the hell did that happen?”

 

“When Gosunkugi did whatever he did to us, of course,” Nabiki said. “It sent us, at the very least, forty years into the future.”

 

“Why forty years?” Ryoga asked.

 

“Those maps. They were made in 2008. It says so in all of the appropriate places,” She said. Ryoga opened the book and started looking around. He nodded several times and started going through the pages. “This place hadn't been inhabited by anyone before Kazuma and Kanami showed up, from what Kimishima knows. It was abandoned when the floods and upheaval occurred.”

 

“Floods?” Ranma asked.

 

“Kazuma didn't tell you about the floods?” Nabiki asked as she looked at them both. They both shook their heads. “Apparently, a year after the Great Upheaval, there were a set of Hyper Hurricanes, which devastated the entire world, killing over sixty percent of the world's population.” She gave pause as both Ranma and Ryouga's faces went pale at the casual mention of how many people had died. After Nabiki decided they'd had enough time to digest that information, she spoke again. “The only real civilized parts are ruled by different city states, with tons of general poverty just lying around outside of them.”

 

“City states?” Ryoga asked with a look of surprise. “There are no major countries left?”

 

“There are. Japan is one of them, but most of the Northern Hemisphere is a ruin.” The girl said. “North America, Northern Europe, and Russia have been practically destroyed. Unfortunately, Japan's cities are all walled up. You need identification to get out, and identification to get in. Many people starve outside of those walls, although there are a few who live like Kazuma and Kanami do, just barely getting by.”

 

“I see…” Ryoga muttered.

 

“ `I see…' my ass!” Ranma snorted. “How can you two just accept this obvious bullshit? It's gotta be a trick, or some magic,”

 

“Some magic,” Ryoga snorted. “Saotome, if it was possible for us to be teleported somewhere else, wouldn't it possible for someone to teleport us somewhen else?”

 

“W-well…” Ranma frowned. “But, what's with all this crap about the end of the world?” she demanded.

 

“No one said the world was ending.” Nabiki said with a shake of her head. “If anything, technology has made leaps and bounds forward. And that's just from what I've been able to see here, stuck in storage for twenty years.” The girl patted the side of the bed and both of them noticed for the first time, a small plastic box. Nabiki undid a switch on the front of the thing, and opened it, revealing that it had been folded in half. Ranma stared at it uncomprehendingly, but Ryoga saw something there.

 

“It looks like a computer monitor and keyboard,” He said. “But what use are those two together by themselves?”

 

“You're about to see,” Nabiki said as she reached up and pressed a round button. The two watched as the screen lit up. After a few moments, some unfamiliar logos showed up, although most of them were made up of English words.

 

“What's Windows Vista?” The lost boy asked.

 

“Apparently, the name of the Operating System,” Nabiki said. “It's completely different from what we're used to.” In under three minutes, the thing's screen had stopped showing signs of movement, and Nabiki took control of it. She touched a small flat indent that was under the keyboard and moved a small cursor across the screen until it stopped above something. Then she tapped the little indent twice, and the screen reacted. “You can access data without inputting long command strings,” she commented off handedly.

 

“Well, this is very different from what they had at school,” Ranma said awkwardly.

 

“That's right, it is.” She moved the cursor until it hovered over an icon and tapped the thing twice again. In less than five seconds, an image appeared on the screen. “This is a digital photograph,” she said. “It's an aerial view of Kanagawa as it was after the upheaval, but before the hurricanes.”

 

“Hey, there's water everywhere,” Ranma said with a frown. “It's an island.”

 

“Which means we can't reach Nerima from here,” Nabiki said with a nod.

 

“Well that sucks. We have to catch a boat or something?”

 

“An airplane would be nicer,” Nabiki remarked as she closed the laptop. “But that's the thing. It all costs money,” She said with a frown. “And we have none.”

 

“What? What about what you said earlier?!” Ranma demanded.

 

“All gone,” Ryoga said with a shake of his head. “There's no way to get any money. Any banks that would have had her money on file are probably long gone,”

 

“And the bastards probably took possession what I had anyway, unless Kasumi did what I told her to if I ever disappeared for longer than a year.”

 

“That's right…” Ranma said suddenly with a pale face. “If we've been gone for forty years… then how has everyone else held up?” She asked quietly.

 

“Who knows? They might be dead from the hurricanes, getting by like these people, or thriving in a city.” She shrugged.

 

“Well, I know nothing's changed for the Amazons,” Ryoga said.

 

“Cologne's probably long dead, though,” Nabiki said. “She was already an old woman. I'll be surprised if I see her again.”

 

“I won't,” Ranma snorted. “The little freak, either. They're both worse than roaches.”

 

“Right, well…” Nabiki sighed. “That's our situation.”

 

“Well…” Ranma continued. “Well, what's our plan? What can we do? We're stranded in the future, away from anything resembling family and friends…”

 

“That happens to me all the time, so I'm not too concerned,” Ryoga said. “Well, maybe the future bit is new…”

 

“Plan, huh…” Nabiki sat there with her eyes narrowed. “I plan on getting into one of those cities, one way or another. What I do from there is none of your business,” she said distantly.

 

“W-what?” Ranma asked. “You mean stay here? In the future?”

 

“Well, unless we can find Gosunkugi, and somehow get him to agree to sending us to the past, I don't think we'll be able to get back,” the girl said pessimistically.

 

“There's got to be a way!” Ranma said angrily. “We can't just accept defeat like that!”

 

“Its not accepting defeat,” Nabiki said as she looked at Ranma with a piercing stare. “Saotome, you did hear what I said about the hurricanes? Starving people, growths in technology, civil unrest? Well then, do you think, that I want to go back forty years, and then live through all of that trouble, when I can stay here… and not?”

 

“It doesn't seem like it'd be easy getting into one of those cities, and even if you did, what would you do from there?” Ryoga asked.

 

“Like I said, none of your business,” the girl said coldly. “You two can go off looking for some way back to the past. I'm going to stay here. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I'm a well-known opportunist. There simply is no other choice.” She was met with silence from Ranma and Ryoga. “Well then, what do you two intend to do? This does, to be honest, end a lot of your problems, Saotome. Your engagements can not be valid anymore, not after you've been gone for forty years.”

 

“Engagements…” Ranma said. “That's right, Akane…”

 

“Akane was sixteen. She probably got over you and married someone else. I'm sure she doesn't regret it either. As far as anyone is concerned, we're long dead. Not to mention, she's at the very least fifty-six now, to boot.”

 

“That… can't be…” Ranma worked her jaw several times, but was unable to say anything as a distant look clouded her eyes.

 

“Ranma…” Ryoga started, but he stopped and looked at Nabiki. “I'll look for a way back.” He said determinedly.

 

“Good luck with that,” Nabiki snorted. The lost boy frowned.

 

“How do you plan on gathering enough money to get to the mainland?”

 

“I talked that over with Kimishima-san,” she said. “Don't be surprised if I'm not here in the morning. He promised to introduce me to some people.”

 

“I see.” The boy nodded. “Well, you have my assistance in whatever you do. I'm certain what we need won't be on this island, anyway.”

 

“Of course.” The girl turned to look at Ranma, but the girl was only staring straight ahead with unseeing eyes. “Let's give Saotome some time to himself.” She said as she stood up and started for the door. Ryoga glanced at the girl and nodded, before standing up and following her out of the room.

 

The room was silent.

 

“Akane…”