Well Y2K decided to hit me early, hehe. Okay, really it was just bad luck. My car died, and I've been stuck at my parent's house since Christmas waiting on repairs. Lucky for me, I've had new chapters of A Change Of Scene, Hearts Of Ice, Lines Of Destiny and Girl Days (among other nifty things) to keep me busy. I've also completed Chapter 9 (very rough mind you) of Muyami Academy, which is off to my prereaders and can be found on my web page at http://members.xoom.com/bellchan/
In the meantime, since I didn't want to clutter the FFML with an annoying status report, I've cooked up one of my silly spamfics to drop on everyone. Hope you enjoy it!
Jusenkyo Map 2000
Mark Allen Davis / Miko
(Dec 31, 1999)
Ranma stared at the computer screen and read the e-mail displayed there for the tenth time. He felt like jumping about and screaming at the top of his lungs, but something inside held him back. He'd been burned far too often and now kept his hope carefully caged, even when good fortune threatened to smash the bars and let it soar free.
"I thought you might be interested," Nabiki said with a characteristic half-smile. "It's not every day you get a letter from the Jusenkyo Guides."
"I prayed that the flooding would eventually recede," Ranma said, "but I didn't dare to hope...." He paused. "Nabiki, can you print this map out? Please?"
Nabiki smiled sweetly. "Why, of course, Ranma! For a 1,000 yen fee...."
***
Mousse carefully set his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and studied the map silently.
He glanced across the valley, filled with its many pools. Haste and lack of forethought had always been his undoing, but this time, he was going to get everything right. Once he was a man again, and rid of the curse forever, he could concentrate solely and completely on winning Shampoo's hand.
Briefly, he wondered again why she had run ahead without him. Did she really not want to travel with him? Did she hate him so much?
But then, he realized that she probably wanted to be whole and cured, and waiting for him when he climbed out of the nannichuan pool... yes, of course that was it. She really was thinking of him, after all, he reasoned.
He wove his way between the pools, taking each step on the marshy land in between with great care. He continued to study the map. As he grew nearer and nearer to his goal, the excitement inside him grew greater and greater, threatening to burst out like an overripe grape.
His concentration was so great that at first he did not notice the voices coming from up ahead. When he finally noticed, he adjusted his glasses and stared in to the distance.
Two very familiar men were standing by one of the pools.
"Ranma? Ryoga?" he called out.
The two boys turned to greet him.
"Mousse!" Ranma said. "We were just about to jump." He paused, then said, "After all these years, maybe it's best that we all do it together."
Mousse nodded, and took his place beside his two fiercest opponents. "On the count of three," Ranma said. "One, two...."
As the three leaped forward, they heard a familiar voice carry across the valley.
"Aiya! Ranma! No jump in that one!"
***
"Oh! Very bad!" The fat man in the rumpled suit began to sweat. "Daughter," he called out, "you e-mail maps already to list of customer that fall in cursed spring?"
Plum walked into the room carrying a stack of folded towels, which she set on the table. Her father was in the corner, bent over his old computer, which he'd been fussing with since the day it had arrived.
"Yes, Father," she said. "I sent each person on the list a copy of our new, computerized map, giving them directions to whichever pool they needed to cure their curse. Why? Is there something wrong?"
"Oh, very bad," the old guide replied. He removed his cap and rubbed the sweat from his brow. Oh, this very, very tragic thing what happen here. We must please warn all customer of very bad danger if they use map!"
Plum's face grew worried. She moved behind her father and leaned over his shoulder, studying the computer screen. Her eyes grew very wide.
"Father," she said, "this map is labeled wrong. That's not the nannichuan" Her father nodded, and pulled up another map. "Nor is that the Nyanichuan," Plum continued. "What's going on Father? If all of the maps I sent out were like this, then everyone is being directed to the wrong pool...."
Her father nodded sadly. "Is very, very tragic story," he said. "Map program not Y2K compliant...."
***
At the Tendo house, there was a knock on the door. Kasumi answered it.
"Oh, my!" she exclaimed, as the door slid open. "Is something wrong? You don't need to knock to enter your own house!"
The girl glared at Kasumi, but said nothing. She removed her shoes and stepped into the hallway.
Then Kasumi blinked, and stared at the person coming up the walkway. She placed her hand to her mouth, then glance behind to see the first girl disappear into the living room.
"Good evening, Miss Kasumi," the second girl said. She bowed, removed her shoes, and headed inside.
A third girl came through the gates, heading for the front door. Behind her, a fourth girl appeared.
"Oh, my!" Kasumi exclaimed, stumbling back. "I feel a little faint...."
From the back door that led to the dojo, a voice called out. "Kasumi? Who's at the front door?"
Kasumi grabbed the small table nearby to steady herself. "Akane," she called out, her voice weak, "I think you'd better come see for yourself...."
Several moments later, the entire family was gathered in the dining room, along with the four girls who had just arrived. Soun's mouth was open in astonishment. Likewise, Akane stared in dazed confusion. Even the normally unflappable Nabiki and the normally oblivious Kasumi were having a hard time taking it all in.
One of the four girls stepped forward. "Um," she said. "This is Mousse, Shampoo, and Ryoga Hibiki." She indicated the other three. "And I'm... um... Ranma Saotome.
"Sorry about this," she added, her voice dropping.
Many weird things had happened at the Tendo Dojo, but seeing five identical Akanes in one room was an entirely new experience.
"The Akanenichuan, I assume," Nabiki said. The others nodded.
"Ranma," Akane said, "please tell me that your father didn't...."
There was a knock on the door.
Ranma sighed. "Sorry Akane, but... I'm afraid he did."
FINI