Another fic in progress.....
I hate me. I start up new fanfic projects like mushrooms sprout wildly in a forest....
Oh well.
++++++++++++
Huddled alone in an unremarkable corner of a dank forest, a
young man sat and let his mind wander freely. The muscles
around his bright blue eyes twitched, but slacked, even as
a slight grimace tugged at the corners of his mouth. Knees
unconsciously drew closer to his chest as unwanted memories
beckoned. He reached out to adjust his warrior's braid so
it wouldn't catch on the stump of the old tree he leaned
against, but came away with nothing.
He let out a long overdue sigh at that.
His name was once Ranma Saotome, the only son and heir to
Genma and Nodoka Saotome. Now he was merely "Ranma, the
cursed boy wandering the country side." Bereft of proper
traveling papers and the benefit of his family name, which
he had to cast aside for the sake of his clan.
His mother and father were both unaware of that when he had
departed the family compound two summers ago on a supposed
hunting trip, but leaving his severed warrior's braid and
pair of custom blades - "Kanshou" and "Bakuya" - would
sufficiently get the message across as to his intentions.
His hand strayed to the hilt of the simple footman's blade
he carried at his side now. He had procured it from one of
the guards on duty when he left and though he received an
odd look for his request they did not deny the wishes of
the clan head's son.
A phantom burning sensation that ran the length of his
chest from the front of his left shoulder to the tip of his
right hip begged for attention. Ranma knew there was no
mark there, save what was left from... training, but still,
he rubbed the flat of his hand along its length to soothe
the persistent ache. It served as a stark reminder as to
why he was where he was.
Were he still at his village, right now he's be
participating in his coming of age ceremony and formally
meeting his betrothed for the first time before taking her
in wedlock. With the high social standing the Saotome name
afforded, his parents would have had a bevy of eligible
maidens to choose from, along with the assorted dowries to
enhance or detract from their selection.
There were many attractive girls being considered and he
was fine with any decision his parents meted out as long as
it wasn't to the Kuno family's Kodachi. The girl had cruel
eyes and though she was rich in wealth, she was poor in
matters of the heart and spirit.
Ranma roused himself from his musings as an unnatural
stillness settled over the forest. A feeling of dread
anticipation stirred before a familiar ghostly voice
whispered in his ears a warning. He pitched himself
forward into a diving roll as two steel bolts bit into the
space where his head had just rested.
He was pressed flat behind a large rock and tried to spot
his assailant - assailants, he corrected, catching at least
two separate flickers in his periphery. The shadows of the
forest betrayed nothing further though, not even a hint of
where they were hiding.
A tingle on the edge of his extra senses was the only
warning he had before the very boulder that shielded him
turned traitor as two stone spikes jutted out, scoring
injury to both his left thigh and shoulder.
'Shit!' Ranma mentally cursed, squeezing the deeper wound
on his shoulder as he could feel the blood flowing down his
sleeve and forearm.
The sound of the rustling undergrowth directly to his left
and the fact that his hiding place was now his enemy sent
him on a dash for the deeper woods. It was foolish, he
knew, but he needed space. Ranma threw three daggers
without even a glance to see if they'd struck home, focused
solely on running.
He did his best to avoid the shuriken, kunai, and throwing
bolts that burst out of the fauna, but couldn't avoid
clipping the tripwire as he entered the forest cover.
Ranma knew he was in trouble when the familiar hiss of an
explosive note sounded.
A bright flash and deafening roar soon followed and his
body was flung violently through the air before darkness,
fire, and smoke consumed him.
Oh well.
++++++++++++
Huddled alone in an unremarkable corner of a dank forest, a
young man sat and let his mind wander freely. The muscles
around his bright blue eyes twitched, but slacked, even as
a slight grimace tugged at the corners of his mouth. Knees
unconsciously drew closer to his chest as unwanted memories
beckoned. He reached out to adjust his warrior's braid so
it wouldn't catch on the stump of the old tree he leaned
against, but came away with nothing.
He let out a long overdue sigh at that.
His name was once Ranma Saotome, the only son and heir to
Genma and Nodoka Saotome. Now he was merely "Ranma, the
cursed boy wandering the country side." Bereft of proper
traveling papers and the benefit of his family name, which
he had to cast aside for the sake of his clan.
His mother and father were both unaware of that when he had
departed the family compound two summers ago on a supposed
hunting trip, but leaving his severed warrior's braid and
pair of custom blades - "Kanshou" and "Bakuya" - would
sufficiently get the message across as to his intentions.
His hand strayed to the hilt of the simple footman's blade
he carried at his side now. He had procured it from one of
the guards on duty when he left and though he received an
odd look for his request they did not deny the wishes of
the clan head's son.
A phantom burning sensation that ran the length of his
chest from the front of his left shoulder to the tip of his
right hip begged for attention. Ranma knew there was no
mark there, save what was left from... training, but still,
he rubbed the flat of his hand along its length to soothe
the persistent ache. It served as a stark reminder as to
why he was where he was.
Were he still at his village, right now he's be
participating in his coming of age ceremony and formally
meeting his betrothed for the first time before taking her
in wedlock. With the high social standing the Saotome name
afforded, his parents would have had a bevy of eligible
maidens to choose from, along with the assorted dowries to
enhance or detract from their selection.
There were many attractive girls being considered and he
was fine with any decision his parents meted out as long as
it wasn't to the Kuno family's Kodachi. The girl had cruel
eyes and though she was rich in wealth, she was poor in
matters of the heart and spirit.
Ranma roused himself from his musings as an unnatural
stillness settled over the forest. A feeling of dread
anticipation stirred before a familiar ghostly voice
whispered in his ears a warning. He pitched himself
forward into a diving roll as two steel bolts bit into the
space where his head had just rested.
He was pressed flat behind a large rock and tried to spot
his assailant - assailants, he corrected, catching at least
two separate flickers in his periphery. The shadows of the
forest betrayed nothing further though, not even a hint of
where they were hiding.
A tingle on the edge of his extra senses was the only
warning he had before the very boulder that shielded him
turned traitor as two stone spikes jutted out, scoring
injury to both his left thigh and shoulder.
'Shit!' Ranma mentally cursed, squeezing the deeper wound
on his shoulder as he could feel the blood flowing down his
sleeve and forearm.
The sound of the rustling undergrowth directly to his left
and the fact that his hiding place was now his enemy sent
him on a dash for the deeper woods. It was foolish, he
knew, but he needed space. Ranma threw three daggers
without even a glance to see if they'd struck home, focused
solely on running.
He did his best to avoid the shuriken, kunai, and throwing
bolts that burst out of the fauna, but couldn't avoid
clipping the tripwire as he entered the forest cover.
Ranma knew he was in trouble when the familiar hiss of an
explosive note sounded.
A bright flash and deafening roar soon followed and his
body was flung violently through the air before darkness,
fire, and smoke consumed him.