I know there have been people asking about how Alternate Landings 
is coming...let's just say the original plaotline was trashed for 
several reasons.  I'm re-starting the series...hopefully I'll have it 
back to the original name in a while...but for now, here it is.

Any harsh remarks and such should be mailed directly to me.  Any 
constructive criticisms should be sent to the list.  I will respond 
to as many as I can while I can...as I forsee losing my internet 
account for a while.

Now...without further ado...

Deja-vu

"Leave me alone!" I shout, as I run from my father.  *He
doesn't care that I've gotten this curse, just wants to keep his
"precious" honor intact.  As if he had any honor to begin with!* I run
down the street, shouting back at him, "It's your fault that I got
this damn curse to begin with, and now I CAN'T EVEN GET RID OF IT!!!"
I slow down as I try to keep from crying.  It isn't manly. *Not that
"manly" can even apply to me anymore.* "I hate you!" I scream, as I
start getting back up to speed, "I hate you for taking me to China
without being able to speak Chinese!  I hate what you did to me!  I
hate you!"  I can't help it.  The tears are coming, whether I want
them or not.  *Damn this rain* I think, as I stop and look at myself,
*Damn it for changing my father into his cursed form...*  That's as
far as I get before something hits me in back of my head, and the
world goes black.

*****

Akane wakes up from a deep slumber.

Now normally, anyone waking from a deep slumber wouldn't consider this
a bad thing...but then, this is Akane.  And Akane also usually sleeps
lightly.  *Something's going to happen today...I'm sure of it...*

*****

Akane is in the dojo, smashing bricks, when she hears a click from the
doorway, *Why did I know that was going to happen?*

Nabiki calls out, "Akane, Father wants to see us in the living 
room..."

*****

Father is sitting across the table from us, and he says to us, "Oh,
how I've longed for this day.  The family of my good friend Genma
Saotome will be joined with ours this very day.

I tune out my father as he rants.  He's just talking about some stupid
arranged marriage, anyways...  Although...how do I know this person
I...one of us is supposed to be engaged to  is even...wait...I...I
know what's going to happen...they...they're coming right about...

A knock at the front door confirms my suspicions. *Wait...how did I
know they'd be here now?  How is that possible?*  Father and Nabiki
rush to the door while Kasumi and I take our time.

Nabiki comes back to Kasumi and me, Father walking silently beside
her.  I look behind them to see what the problem is...sure that I'll
see a panda and a teenage girl...when something goes wrong.

Walking towards us is an old man...in about his early forties, with a
young child draped over his shoulder.  He sets the child down, and the
child introduces...herself *at least that part didn't change*

"My name is Ranma Saotome....sorry about this..."  The little girl
looks down at the floor, and the man towering above her looks down at
the ground in shame.

Father looks at the girl for a second, before demanding of the older
man, "You said Ranma was sixteen years old!  How could you betray me
like this?"  I see tears welling up in Ranma's eyes, and I know it's
time for me to say something.

"Father," I said, "Ranma's not a boy...she's a girl."  Even as I say
that I know that it's not true.  I know that underneath the childlike
exterior there's a boy...a man hiding underneath.  Fortunately for me,
Father takes the hint and faints.

*****

Kasumi tends to father for about an hour before he finally wakes up
again.  He turns to the bald man, "Saotome!  You told me you had a
son!  Why did you hand me this deception?"  The one called Saotome
starts to open his mouth, before Father speaks again, "No, Genma, I
don't want to hear it.  Leave, now.  Don't come back.  You promised
that our families would be joined, and you can't even hold up your end
of the bargain.  Leave.  Now."

Genma looks as if he wants to protest, but then he nods and stands up.
 He motions to the girl, but she stays sitting there.  "Come, Ranma.
We are not wanted here."

The girl looks up at her father, then back down.  She looks as if to
be about five or six years old, but she stays and refuses her father. 
I...I can't help but feel something for her.  Even knowing that she's
a guy inside.

"Father!"  I speak up, "Father...let...please let Ranma stay, at
least.  Maybe we can join the families in some other way..."  Father
looks at me as if I were betraying him to the hounds, but then his
features soften.  "Please..."

Father nods, "You have asked, and it shall be done.  The girl may
stay, to join our family, even as Genma must leave.  He has brought
disgrace to us today, but he may be able to repair it some other way."
 Father turns to Ranma, saying in a formal tone, "Ranma, would you
accept me as your father?  In place of marrying into my family, we
could adopt you, keeping our honor from stain."

Ranma looks scared.  Her entire body is practically shaking with fear,
but her voice is calm and steady as she replies in an equally formal
tone, "I...I would accept you as my foster father...in place of my
own, to keep honor intact."  I'm sure Father is very startled about
the formality in her tone, but he doesn't question it.

Father turns to Genma one last time, "You may visit your daughter once
a week, but please keep them short.  We cannot train her properly if
you are here too often."  Genma's face is quivering from repressed
words that I can see want to get out...but he remains silent.  After
about two minutes of standing like that, Genma nods to my father, and
strides out of the house.  I breathe a sigh of relief, as I knew one
disaster had been avoided.  Father turns to me, "As you asked for
this, you shall also be in charge of her.  Ranma is your
responsibility now."  With that, Father went upstairs...presumably to
mother's shrine to pray for guidance.

I turn to Ranma, and I see the pain in her eyes.  She just watched her
only family for...how many years?...walk out of the house...and
possibly her life.  I take her by one hand, and pull her towards the
dojo.  "Come with me, Ranma...we must talk..."

*****

We walk into the dojo, and I pull the door shut behind us.  I turn to
Ranma, "Ranma," I say, "I...know everything...I know about the
curse..."

Ranma shakes her head, "No...no you don't."  She seemed very certain
about this.

"How can you be sure, Ranma?  I..I remember everything as if it
happened before..."

Ranma lowers her head, "It did happen before...Akane, but things are
different now...things aren't as they used to be..."

"Wh...what do you mean?"  I ask, startled.

"Akane...From my memory, about one month ago, I was living here, with
you and your sisters...and I had four fiancee.  You...you were one of
them...you were the one I loved."  Ranma breathes in deeply, as if to
calm herself, "Things are different now.  I..I wished for things to be
different...without all my fiancees...without all my enemies.  My new
curse took care of a lot of that..."  She breathes in deeply. 
"Akane...Wh...when I'm in my cursed form, everyone who knew me
forgets...it's as if my curse is re-writing my history.  My
father...my father barely even knew my name in the last two days.  He
only remembered me after a quick thunderstorm that changed me to
my...my cursed form."

That brought me up short, "Your cursed form?  Ranma...tell me..."

I can see the tears in Ranma's eyes welling up, "Akane, this...this is
ME now...I wasn't born male this time..."  The tears start flowing,
and I walk up to her, hold her close to help stop them, "I..I didn't
mean for this to happen..."

*****

Well...this series used to be called Alternate Landings...maybe it
still will...just not now...

I await the flames!

Shadow Dancer                    Niko Neko
Shadow-Chan                      Niko-Chan
ShadowChan@cybergal..com         NikoNeko@netcom.ca
*********************************************************************
Imagination is a Pegasus,        Of all the animals in the world,
Wild and Free,                   I wish I were a duck,
Never to be tethered,            I'd swim along the river shore,
Tamed by you or me.              And watch the people...fish.
(c) Mar 29, 1997, Shadow Dancer  (c) I don't know who, I don't know when