Email C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com Find this and my other stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000 Before you read this, you should go back and read "Transistions". DISCLAIMER: I don't create and I don't own any of these characters (except for Kenji and some of the bad guys). They are properties of the wonderfully brilliant mind of Rumiko Takahashi-sama. Please don't sue me as my net worth is actually quite pitiful. This is just for fun and not-for-profit so don't go changing or selling this or else I'll sick C- ko on you! Ok, without further ado, on with the show! (commercial free!) -------------------------------------------------------------- Change. History has seen many changes since the beginning of time. Man eventually took notice this phenomenon. He realized how events could change the course of history, and how to shape them. But mostly, he realized how little control he had over the course of human existance and development. In time, man came to label 'it' many things: Fate, Destiny, even Irony. All speak of things that happen, that no one can seem to predict or control. For the most part, we humans seem to be in control of our lives. Then something happens and, like a pebble dropped in a pond, events ripple outward and consume us. This singular event that begats all others, is sometimes known as the Winds of Change. It blows into our lives at various points without regard for anyone, and seemingly without any rhyme or reason. Some learn to adapt and deal with it; some don't. 17 years ago, the Winds of Change blew and two children were born to two different sets of parents. One, a boy, was named Ranma. The other, a girl, was named Akane. Events spiralled out from there, until a year ago when the two met face-to-face and were engaged by their loving fathers. The two went on to attract and influence numerous other individuals over the course of a year, and change their lives in many ways. For some reason, the Winds saw fit to interfere with their life on countless occasions in that year, almost as if it enjoyed playing with them. Maybe it is was just whim, or maybe it liked the way they could affect change more than most others the Wind had encountered. Or maybe it was because they seemed so much like another couple it had encountered centuries earlier. Whatever the case, it seemed that, though Ranma and Akane changed multiple lives, they were unable to change their own. Until the Wind took pity on them and confronted them with a kami of heat and light. The ripples spreading from that have only begun to be felt. But one thing is certain: things have changed. Events have been set in motion. Nothing will ever be the same. Because now, the Winds of Change are blowing once more... Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Winds of Change Chapter 1 It was a typical morning as the sun gradually rose over the Nerima ward of Tokyo, Japan. All across town birds chirped and people awoke, preparing to face the day. Smells of breakfast drifted through the morning air and a feeling of happiness generally prevailed over the town's citizens. For Akane Tendo, a typical morning meant a nice soak in the furo after her morning jog around the neihborhood. In fact, she had just washed down and was easing herself into the hot water, when another voice disturbed her. "Ack! I'm sorry Akane, I didn't know anyone was in here!" Akane looked up to see Ranma's naked female form backpedal out of the bathroom and into the changing room. A month or two ago she might have visited some form of painful punishment on him, but things had changed. That, and the water felt too good to leave now. If things had gone the way their parents had wanted, she would've been Ranma's wife for a week now, and he could've joined her in the bath. Her cheeks colored slightly at that. "Are you in there, Akane?" came the voice of Nabiki from the changing room. "Yes, but you can come in, oneechan," Akane replied. "What, didn't you want Ranma-kun to join you?" Nabiki asked as she entered the bathroom. Akane colored some more as she stared at her smirking older sister. "Nabiki!" The middle Tendo sister broke down laughing. "Oh you should see your face! You didn't even deny it!" Akane's feeling's were torn between embarassment and anger. She went with the more familiar and easier to deal with emotion. "NABIKI!" Nabiki backed off, even as she sat down on the stool and began to scrub off. "Gomen. It was my fault. I suggested to Ranma's mother that he needed a bath, and that you were in here. She figured it was a good idea for her manly son." Akane was aghast. "You didn't!?" Her sister merely nodded and Akane settled back into the tub, sighing. After a moment, she said, "I just don't know what to do with him anymore. I want him, but how do I get him? I can't go after like the other girls' do." "Ranma's a unique individual," Nabiki replied, slipping into the furo. "You'll figure out something." "I guess." She frowned. "I just want to know why the pervert was trying to kiss poor Ryoga-kun yesterday!" The sisters shared a good laugh over that. When they eventually exited the bath, they found Ranma-onna sitting in the hall. Apparently, his mother was still insistant on him taking a bath. Ranma tried to apologize to Akane again, but she cut him off. "Next time you want to see me naked," she said as she walked back to her room. "Just ask." Ranma's eyes bulged and he face-faulted, hard, while the two sisters walked away, laughing. After he managed to pick himself off the floor, he realized he'd been teased. "I ain't ever gonna understand women," she said quietly to herself as she entered the bath. The family eventually gathered downstairs for breakfast and began to eat a delicious breakfast made by both the Saotome matriarch and the eldest Tendo daughter. Yep, just a typical morning in the Tendo Dojo... almost. A short ways across town, someone else was just starting the day. Kuonji Ukyo had risen an hour ago and was now opening her restaurant, Okonomiyaki Ucchan's. After putting out the sign, Ukyo gazed up in the sky and took a deep breath. "It's going to be a good day!" she said to no one in particular. In fact, she said it more to convince herself of that. After gazing around at the empty streets, she turned around and headed back inside. Konatsu was already up and setting up the tables. Ukyo frowned. Even though she knew he was raised only by females, she wished he would start wearing male clothes. The demure pink floral kimono did not work for him at all. she thought to herself, She sighed. [Yeah, just 'cause he likes you and wants to be with you] another voice inside her replied. [Isn't it because you like him? So, when are you gonna admit your feelings for him?] "Konatsu-kun, when you finish sweeping, go into the back room and start bringing out the ingredients," Ukyo told him. "I want to start whipping up some okonomiyaki as soon as the grill warms up." Konatsu bowed. "Right away, Ukyo-sama." After he left, Ukyo started up the grill. Some of her regular customers would be coming in soon, and she wanted to be ready. Ukyo sighed. She still felt pangs of guilt over what she tried to do at his and Akane's attempted wedding. She was convinced that it was just their parents forcing them to wed, that Ranma didn't really love Akane. So, she helped Shampoo break it up by throwing explosive okonomiyaki around. After that, it finally hit her that they did love each other even if they didn't admit it to anyone, including themselves. A singular tear fell from her eye. Though she done stuff in the past to try and break the two up, she never wanted to hurt anybody, let alone... kill... someone. A few more tears trickled down her face. "Are you ok, Ukyo-sama?" Konatsu was looking at her from the doorway to the storeroom. Ukyo quickly dried the few tears. She had already cried enough and it was time to get on with her life. "I'm fine," she lied. "Thanks." She put on a smile as Konatsu brought out the ingredients and her first customer of the day walked in. "Welcome to Ucchan's, Watanbe-san!" she greeted him with a smile. "What can I get you?" Just another normal morning at Ucchan's, or at least one that wanted to be. Fast forward a short distance across town, another restaurant was opening for business. A lovely young girl with long purple hair was coming downstairs to begin the day's preparations when a voice called from upstairs. "Shampoo, when you let Mousse out, have him start cleaning the dining room," Shampoo's great-grandmother, Cologne, instructed her. "Yes, great-grandmother!" she answered. She proceed to the kitchen where a sleepy duck wearing coke bottle glasses was waking up in a cage. "Good morning Mousse, sleep well?" The duck shook it's sleepyness off and quacked happily at the girl. "Calm down or Shampoo no let you out." The duck quieted. With a click, she opened the lock and the duck stepped out. As she filled a cup with hot water from the sink, she relayed her great-grandmother's instructions. The duck quacked affirmative. Shampoo dumped the contents of the cup on the duck. She turned away as a naked man appeared in the duck's place and quickly dressed in his blue trousers and white robe. The duck-now-man known as Mousse attempted to show his appreciation. "Shampoo, seeing your face in the morning strengthens me to face the day!" he spouted while hugging a house plant. Shampoo scowled. "Stupid Mousse. Put glasses on and get to work!" "Huh, Shampoo?" he slipped his glasses down from his head and backed away from the plant. "Oops, sorry Shampoo, allow me to make it up to you!" He was about to advance on the real Shampoo, but was stopped when something struck his head. "If you don't get to work, Mr. part-time, today's customers will trying our new duck ramen," Cologne threatened while removing her staff from his head. Mousse bowed his head and left the kitchen to begin his cleaning and setup. Back in the kitchen, Cologne turned to Shampoo after Mousse was out of earshot. "So great-granddaughter, how went yesterday's attempts to win son-in-law?" Shampoo sighed. "Took Shampoo several hours to mix the potion and give to Airen. After Ranma eat, something go wrong." Cologne rasied an eyebrow while she helped to prepare the kitchen. "And what was that? The kissing potion should have made him want to kiss the first person to say his name. After his other fiancees see him kiss you, they would've eventually dumped him leaving son-in-law for you." Shampoo shook her head. "That what Shampoo thought too, but Ranma no kiss Shampoo when she say name." She thought for a second. "Stupid pig-boy interfere before Shampoo have time to say words. He yell `Ranma prepare to die' or something like that." The Amazon matriarch sighed. Her great-granddaughter may have been one of the most promising warriors of the Joketsuzoku, but she still had so much to learn. She had hoped that time away from the village would help teach her the ideas that Cologne had seemed unable to teach her back home. If only she could take a more direct approach with Shampoo, but Amazon law forbade it. When her great-granddaughter turned 16, Cologne could no longer teach her anything unless Shampoo asked for it. It was the Amazon way for individual Amazons to find their own way. Then Ranma had come and Cologne saw an opportunity for the greatest teacher to guide her great-granddaughter: Life. Unfortunately, Shampoo seemed to ignore anything that wasn't in her own view of a perfect life with Ranma. Oh sure, Cologne would've liked Ranma to marry Shampoo and return to the Amazon village; she knew he would sire strong children. However, Ranma's defeat of Shampoo was tenous at best. She grimaced when she learned it was an accident. That, and she had seen Ranma had made his choice in the young Tendo girl. It actually wasn't a bad choice either. Despite having less combat skill than those around her, Akane had shown a tenacity for throwing herself in harm's way for others, particularly Ranma. the elder Amazon thought to herself. She chuckled softly. "Well, you have some time to think up something else," Cologne said at last. "Let's get ready for the morning crowd." Shampoo nodded. A normal morning at the Nekohanten. Sensing a pattern yet? Somewhere in Los Angeles, the passerby's ignored the young man in the yellow shirt and black pants, with a yellow and black striped bandanna tied around his head. They even ignored the fact he was holding bamboo umbrella. After all, people in Los Angeles had seen everything. They would've continued to ignore him if he hadn't suddenly shouted in Japanese at the top of his lungs. "WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW!?" he cried. Guess it's a typical morning for Ryoga, too. In a lone farmhouse somewhere else in Japan, however, things were not so normal. There, a young boy began tossing and turning in his sleep in the pre-dawn hours. He became more and more uncomfortable as the seconds passed, until he suddenly bolted awake with fear and sat upright. He froze in horror at the sight before him, fear filling him. The house was on fire and almost everything around him was burning. Regaining his senses, the youth quickly jumped out of bed and put some pants on. He braced, then flung his body against the door; once, twice, breaking it down on the third try. He ran down the hall to his sister's room and repeated the procedure to break down her door. "Yuri!" he screamed in fear as he saw his sister's bed ablaze with a human shaped bundle underneath the sheets. "No!" He tried to get in, but the flames were too much. He had to get his parents, they could fix this. They would make it all better! At least, that's what his mind was telling him, trying goad him into action. He sprinted back into the hall to his parents room and cried out. "Mama! Papa! Yuri's in trouble!" But there came no answer. He was about to try and break down their door when part of the ceiling above collapsed and knocked him back onto his butt. Some of the wall came with it and he was given a view of the inside. His insides went cold. The bed was amass of flames and two bodies could still be seen underneath the burning covers, flames devouring a visible arm. A beam from the ceiling also laid across the bed, pinning the two underneath. All the boy could do was sit there, frozen in fright. his insides screamed. Tears flew down his cheeks. The boy sat there and sobbed. There was soon nowhere to go. The flames approached him, the air heated to higher temperatures, and smoke filled the hallway. The boy began to cough violently as pure oxygen became increasingly rare. In contrast to the hellish orange and red flames, a blue glowing form materialized before the boy. It slowly formed features that marked him as an older man, dressed in a blue-ish robe with gray hair and beard. The boy screamed and tried to back up, but he was already against a wall. The old one looked around and fear crossed his face. "No! I'm too late!" "W-hhoo ar-are you?" the boy stammered. "Stay away!" The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't have time to explain. But you must get out of here. You must survive!" "Wh-what about... my mom and dad? And my sister! I won't leave without them!" "There is nothing you nor I can do for them." The man's face dropped. "It's too late for them, I'm sorry. I can get you out of here but we must hurry. And you must trust me. Do you?" The youth didn't know why, but he did and nodded so. "Good, now just relax and close your eyes." The boy hesitated at first, but then did as he was told, tears still streaking down his face. The man stretched out his hand and placed it on the boy's forehead. the man thought. The blue glow surrounding the man spread to the boy and enveloped him. It grew into a sphere and the boy disappeared within. The sphere then shrunk until it was no bigger than the man's hand. "Now, go to those who can protect you until the prohesy can be fulfilled!" With that, the man wound up like a baseball pitcher and threw the sphere up, out of the house. "There, it's done." Immediately afterward, a fireball burst into the house and exploded, coalescing into another man. This one did not appear as old as the first one, and was bald. Flames enveloped him, but he was left unharmed. "Where is he!?" The old one smiled. "Not here." The fiery one fumed. "What have you done with him! I demand to know!" "He's somewhere out of your reach right now, and I suggest you do not go after him." "Don't tell me what I should do! I should kill you right now!" "You know you won't, because you know what would happen if you did." This seemed to make the fire guy even angrier. "I will find him! And when I do, your life WILL end!" With that, the burning one exploded and a small fireball streaked out of the house.