Night was falling in Nerima; only the shuffling sounds of someone making their way on top of the Tendo Home could be heard. For one that lived in the area, it could have meant only one of three things. One, that gender-changing boy was ‘thinking’, two, the old fart was off on his nightly run to ‘liberate’ women’s undergarments, or three, it was either someone trying to sneak it to either kidnap or steal something.
And tonight, it was option one, Ranma Saotome.
“Aw, crap...” Ranma groaned as he gently sat down on the roof of the Tendo Dojo. First Aid Kit beside him, he gently took out a roll of medical tape and started to wrap his left hand up in the length of bandage. Great. This WOULD be the week Dr. Tofu went to that medical convention at that place in Chiyodaku. Because that ward contained the Imperial Palace within its borders, security all around was freaking tight to keep out all the riff-raff.
Rolling his eyes, Ranma snorted as he took out a band aid and placed it over the small cut across his nose. “Pfft! The way they act around there, you’d think they were preparing for a monster attack or alien invasion.”
Shaking his head of such thoughts, Ranma placed some gauze on his cheek and grabbed a handful of band aids as he considered his real problems, namely the trouble that today had wielded. The pigtailed wonder boy couldn’t believe what had happened, but yet in away he wasn’t all that surprised. He knew today was going to be bad when nothing happened to him all morning; (karma had a way of biting his ass if he had a decent bit of luck for too long).
It was lunch when everything went to hell in a hand basket. Shampoo had showed up once more, her delivery bicycle somehow locking onto his face with the front-tire, as always. It was amazing and aggravating how that stupid contraption of metal and rubber tires could always slam into him. It had to be an Amazon technique.
And then upon her landing, the bubbly Amazon took her bike off of him and went to being her usual possessive self as he expected, but what the hell made her go an pick a fight with Ukyo as soon as she saw her? Usually the two had some verbal spat before weapons and blows were traded.
However as he was watching them fight for no real reason, (but he was pretty sure it was over him) whom should appear but Akane? And she had immediately jumped to the conclusion that Ranma had been flirting with the two girls! In a heartbeat, Ranma gained more frequent flyer miles via Air Akane of Mallet-sama Expressways.
His eye twitching, Ranma snorted in disgust. “Uncute tomboy...”
*WHAP*!
“OW!” Ranma shouted in pain as he fell back to the roof on his back. Slowly, he raised his right hand to his head and pulled the metal first aide kit off from his face. “Why does this keep happening to me?” Ranma growled irritably. Nothing ever seemed to go right around him when there was too much metal. It was either being attracted to him and he was getting slammed by it, (like Shampoo’s bike) having it bend and break around him, (like water pipes which suddenly burst) and sometimes having it just repel him for no reason, (like when he lost his footing while walking along a metal fence).
Sitting back up, Ranma shook his head. “You know,” He spoke up, as if talking to the offending first aide, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say my problem isn’t from Jusenkyo, but from freaking metal.”
“Well, it’s possibly half-and-half. Nowadays there are quite a bit of particles of metal in water these days...” A male voice spoke up.
Nodding his head slowly, Ranma agreed, “Yeah, with my luck, it would be bo-”
Stopping suddenly, Ranma turned his head to look up at the roof. He saw a shadowed individual standing there, arms crossed over his chest. The man was simple baggy pants with heart-shaped kneepads over them, pointed shoes, and a leather vest and arm-bracers, everything topped off with large jewelry. Three sets of gold necklaces handing down to his chest, five gemmed rings on each finger, a gold-chain belt keeping his pants up, circlet across his forehead, and a gold earring in each ear. Besides the gaudy amount of jewelry, nearly the entire outfit was colored in earth tones; lots of browns, tans, and some hints of dark green.
But what bothered Ranma most was that he couldn’t see this man’s face at all. Sure, he could see circlet and locks of gelled-back blonde hair with loose bangs on the man’s head no problem, but Ranma could not get a good look at his face. It was as if the shadows were bending the laws of light and converging strictly at his face.
That alone was enough to not make Ranma trust the guy. He’d seen too much weird shit in his life to recognize when there was an obvious threat in his midst. After all, so far all those whom dressed so exotically had come to Nerima came for only one reason, in Ranma’s opinion. And that was to make his life hell!
Standing up, Ranma turned to face the possible-opponent completely. “Okay, I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what you want, and I’m gonna be honest and tell ya that I don’t care!” Ranma was slinking into a basic karate stance. Sure, it wasn’t as good as the Saotome Lazy-Man stance, but he wanted to show an obvious threat to this person to make him clear off. “Now get the hell outta here. I’ve had a very bad day, and I’m about ready to just kick some butt to at least forget my own troubles for awhile.”
The form stood there, chuckling a little. That just made Ranma tense up a bit more. “I’m not here to fight with you, Ranma Saotome. I’m only here to offer to be your friend.”
Ranma raised an eyebrow slowly. “Friend?” He repeated, as if the word itself was distasteful. “Listen, creep. I’ve had it up to here with so-called ‘friends’, and it’s been nothing but a waste of time. After all, every time someone offers to be my friend, it’s only because they want something from me.”
Again, the figure chuckled. “I’d be lying if I said there was nothing I needed of you, Saotome. But I am willing to make your help worthwhile...” He held out his left hand to the side completely, and a hawk came into view, a ball of crystal held in its talons. Dropping the ball into the man’s hand, the shadowed individual grabbed it tightly as the hawk then perched on his left shoulder.
“Nice animal trick,” Ranma admitted before taking a step towards the man in jewelry. “Now leave before you get... Hurt?”
The pigtailed martial artist stared in shock as he saw an image come to the Crystal Ball...
(------)
“Oh! Is too, too bad!” The Jusenkyo Guide exclaimed as he watched the customer with the pigtail surface from the body of water. “Honored customer fall into Yasnichuuan, Spring of Drowned Girl. There very tragic story of young girl, who fall into spring, one thousand, five hundred year ago. Legend say, that now whoever fall into spring, take the body of a young girl.”
Blinking her eyes once, twice, Ranma-chan gulped as she looked down at the front of her gi. Pulling it open, her ponytail stood up as she saw she had BREAST!!! “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”
(------)
Ranma stood there twitching as the image faded back away, leaving it a normal crystal. Trembling a little, the martial artist was mentally telling himself he wasn’t nervous as he looked up at the shadowed face of the individual. “...Who are you?”
“This was a vision from you heart...” The man spoke slowly. “It is the pain you hide, but clearly there. My power only makes it visible.” The man then stood up straight, looking back at Ranma. “Why don’t we become friends, Ranma Saotome? I am looking for people who have abilities like you.”
Ranma frowned a little as he stared at the man, almost afraid to take his eyes off him for fear of what he might do if given the slightest edge. “You’re looking for people with Jusenkyo Curses?”
Shaking his head once, twice, the man responded, “No. Neither am I looking for people with martial arts skills. The power I seek if that of what I call ‘Stands’.”
It was then that Ranma could hear voices. Voices which originated from the Crystal ball yet were all too clearly heard, and all too familiar.
“Pervert!”
“Foolish boy!”
“Jerk!”
“Sniveling girl!”
“Baka!”
“Foul Sorcerer!”
“You! I KILL!”
“Hentai!”
“Big baby!”
“Cross-dresser!”
“Idiot!”
“Femboy!”
“Weakling!”
“Prepare to die!”
“Little girl!”
“Coward!”
“Freak!”
Ranma’s fist tightened as his body started to tremble. He was getting angry... Becoming aggravated, as he tried to keep back the sudden shame that these words were making them feel. It wasn’t true! None of it was! Why did they keep calling him such things!?
“Do you hear it?” The man asked. “That is the agony held inside your heart. The image in the globe is what pains you, is it not?” The man’s left arm dropped to his side, still holding onto the crystal ball, while his right arm now reached out to Ranma. “Work with me! Let me take your pain from you! I have my own problems and can never step into the sun. Lend me your power, and I shall bare your pain for you.”
Ranma thought about it for a moment, considering what he saw... Heard... And how he genuinely felt. Looking back up at the shadowed individual, he asked, “I still don’t trust you completely... But...” He gulped and licked dried lips. “Who are you?”
It was then Ranma could see a smile on the man’s features, two incisors protruding from his top lips. “My name is Dio. Dio Brando. So what do you say, Ranma Saotome? You help me, and I’ll help you.”
Finally, Ranma nodded his head. “What do I gotta do?”
“Not much. I just need you to help me with someone,” Dio answered as he flicked his wrist something just flying off and hitting Ranma into the forehead.
A scream echoed throughout Nerima for a few seconds before complete silence. It didn’t take long before someone came up to the roof, knowing that the Tendo Dojo was the source of the commotion...
Yet, the only thing that was found on the roof was an Egyptian Tarot Card, one which was of the set consisted of the Pillar Gods of Egypt.
‘BASTET’.
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(Posted Wed, 05 Apr 2006 21:59)
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