All C&C welcome. (Unless you start insulting me and
say I should never write fanfiction again.) If you were
to write something like that... well... I could get
violent. But, other than that... I should be fine :)
----------------------
THE GAME
By: Angela Jewell
----------------------
Based on the trilogy, The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith
Ranma 1/2 is the property and creation of Rumiko Takahashi, and
whoever else owns it. I'm not making any money off of this so don't sue me.
Besides, good luck if you tried. I'm broke.
***
Volume 1:
Spellbound
***
CONFUSED
My knees start to shake,
when you're in sight.
My mind's filled with wonder,
my heart with fright.
When will this feeling stop?
When did it start?
How can I listen to my mind,
Without breaking my heart?
I'm so confused.
What should I do?
I can't think of anything,
except of you.
Should I ignore you?
Or just give it time?
I can't think straight,
my heart controls my mind!
-Unknown
***
Chapter 3
***
Akane couldn't breathe.
The small paper doll that stared back at her was the boy from the Game's Galore store. She was sure of it.
The small picture was almost an exact replica. Every little detail of his face was drawn perfectly, capturing his features exactly as they had appeared. His
hair was even the exact same color: silvery-white with blue shadows. The artist
had even managed to capture his dark eyelashes, and stunning blue eyes.
The portrait was so lifelike it almost seemed like the eyes might blink at
any minute, or the lips speak.
And it radiated danger and menace.
"What do you mean you know this guy?" Nabiki asked skeptically, her
eyebrows raised. "Did you get hit in the head when you were out?"
"No! Of course not!" Akane yelled defensively. "And I'm not
crazy so don't even bother suggesting it."
"Um... what do you mean he sold you this game?" Ranma
asked, confused.
"What part of, 'he sold me this game' didn't you understand?"
Ranma glared at Akane, turning his back to her. "Jeez." he
muttered. "I just wanted to make sure I heard you correctly. No need to bite my head off."
"Well, you heard me correctly." Akane said softly. "The boy that
sold me this game looked exactly like this-- this Shadow Man character."
"So?" Nabiki shrugged. "Maybe the boy that sold you the game modeled
for the picture. A friend of his might have invented the game."
"Or maybe he just has some weird fixation with this particular game."
Ukyo shrugged. "He might have just bleached his hair and dressed up to look
like the game character. People do that all the time."
Akane's expression became thoughtful.
Those were both fairly logical reasons. Nabiki's theory would even explain why the box was blank: Maybe it wasn't even a real, mass-produced game at all.
"Well... maybe." Akane replied, still not completely convinced.
Both of those theories still didn't explain the weird feelings she had
about the game whenever she touched it, or the feelings of dread that
rushed through her veins when she thought about the boy who sold it to
her.
She realized it didn't matter how much she argued, they would play
the game whether she wanted them to or not. That was just the way they
were. Once they had their minds set on something they were immovable.
"Since Akane done whining, we play Game now, yes?" Shampoo asked
hopefully.
Everyone looked expectantly at Akane waiting for her decision. Not that
it mattered. They'd play the game whether she did or not.
Akane smiled. There was no way she was going to give them the
satisfaction.
"I'm game." she replied confidently, shoving all her fears and doubts to
the back of her mind. "When do we start?"
Nabiki stood up and dimmed the lights. "Why not start now?"
"Um... Nabiki?" Kasumi asked quietly. "How are we suppose to play
the game in the dark?"
"Relax sis. This is just to get the right atmosphere for when we take our
oaths."
"Um... what oath?" Ryoga asked wearily.
"The oath of the game." Ukyo said, her voice sinister. "It says here that
we each have to swear that we're playing this game of our own free will, and that
the game is real." Ukyo turned the lid of the box around for them all to see.
On the inside of the cover, above the printed instructions, was a large symbol.
It was like a squared-off U, the two uneven horns of the letter pointing downward.
It was deeply impressed in the cover and colored-- as well as Akane could tell
in the dim light-- rusty red.
Ukyo continued to read the instructions. "It says, 'There is a Shadow
World, like our own but different, existing alongside ours but never touching.
Some people call it the world of dreams, but it is as real as anything else...' and
then it says that entering the Shadow World can be dangerous, so you play at
your own risk." Ukyo grinned, the whites of her eyes shining like smoky pearls. "Actually, it says that the game can be hazardous to your life. You have to swear you understand that."
"I'm not sure I like this game anymore." Kasumi said.
"Come on, Kasumi." Nabiki coaxed. "Live life dangerously for once."
"Well... I don't know." Kasumi replied with uncertainty, brushing her
bangs out of her eyes. "Is it getting warm in here?"
"Oh, just swear already!" Ukyo whined. "Let's get this thing over
with so we can get on to the good stuff. I, Ukyo Kuonji, swear I understand
this game might kill me before I get a chance to open my own chain of
restaurants all over Japan."
"Now you." Ukyo replied, nudging Ryoga with her foot. "Swear."
Ryoga nodded his head, a bored expression on his face. "Alright.
I swear." he shrugged.
"Me three." Nabiki announced. "What about you Ranma?"
"No problem." Ranma replied, slamming his fist into the table with a
determined expression on his face. "I swear that I understand the rules, and
vow to kick this Shadow dude's butt!"
"Shampoo swear too!" The beautiful amazon giggled.
Kasumi sighed. "Well... I guess I will too."
Ranma stood up and leaned over Akane. "How about it Akane? I
swore-- do you?"
Normally Akane would have jabbed an elbow upward into his ribs, but
at the moment all she could manage was a colorless smile. They all wanted to
do it... so how could she say no?
"I swear," she said and was embarrassed when her voice cracked.
Ukyo and Shampoo cheered while Nabiki threw the cover into the
air happily.
Akane caught the lid of the box in her hands, a surprised look on her
face. For just an instant the upside-down U looked as if it were printed in
red foil. It almost appeared to be written in blood.
A second later the symbol began to flash or almost glow. Akane couldn't
tell which.
I will not burn this game, I will not burn this game, she repeated over and
over to herself.
I will not burn this game.
Akane felt the strong urge to grab the box and get rid of it anyway. But she
knew that would be ridiculous. They wouldn't understand.
Everyone kneeled around the large table.
"Okay," said Nabiki. "All the dolls are in the parlor, right?"
Kasumi nodded. "Yes. I placed them all in there after we finished
putting the paper house together."
"Good. Then somebody's got to turn a card. Who wants to go first?"
"I will." Akane replied, feeling that if she was going to do this, she might as well do it thoroughly. Akane tentatively reached out and took the top card. It was glossy white and seemed to shine, just like the game box. She turned it over in
her hands and began to read: " 'You have all gathered with your friends in this
room to begin the Game.' "
There was a pause.
"Sort of like an anticlimax," Ukyo murmured. "Ok, who's next?"
"Me," said Ranma. He leaned over Akane and took a card. He
read, " 'Each of you has a secret you would rather die than reveal.' "
Akane stirred uneasily.
It was just a coincidence. These were preprinted cards.
"My turn," Kasumi announced, reaching for a card. She read,
" 'You hear the sound of footsteps from one of the rooms above.' " she
frowned. "But there isn't anyone upstairs..."
Ranma laughed. "We're not in this house remember. We're in that
house."
Kasumi blinked, her large brown eyes traveling over the familiar walls
of the Tendo living room. Then she looked at the Victorian paper house,
with the seven paper dolls neatly arranged in the parlor. "Oh!"
She was just putting the card back when they all heard the noise
from above.
Footsteps.
A quick light patter, like a child running on a wooden floor.
Kasumi shrieked and looked in terror at the ceiling.
Shampoo, Ryoga, and Ukyo jumped up, their eyes blazing. Ukyo's hand
was wrapped firmly around the handle of her giant spatula, while Ryoga's
hand closed tightly around the handle of his umbrella. Nabiki stiffened,
looking around in surprise. But Ranma burst out laughing.
"Jeez, you guys, It's probably just some squirrels running around in the
attic or something, right Akane?"
Akane's stomach was knotted. Her voice wavered slightly as she said,
"Yes, but--"
"But nothing. Somebody else take a card." Ranma said.
Nobody did.
"All right, I'll do it myself." he replied. "This one's yours Ryoga."
Flipping over a card, Ranma began to read it. " 'You go to the door to get
some air, but it seems to be stuck.' " Ranma glanced around the group.
"Oh, come on. It's a game."
"Stranger things have been known to happen." Nabiki reminded him.
Ranma sighed in frustration. "Well... this is different. Here, look."
He stood up in a fluid motion and went to the sliding door that looked out
on the Tendo's backyard. Akane saw his fingers moving, flipping the locks on
the handle. A sense of dread overwhelmed her.
"Ranma, don't!" Before she knew what she was doing, she jumped up
and took his arm. If he didn't try the door-- if he didn't try it-- then the card
couldn't come true.
Ranma was jerking at the handle, ignoring her. "There's something wrong
with it. There must be another lock or something."
"It's stuck," Ryoga said, running a hand through his rumpled dark hair.
"Don't be stupid." Ukyo snapped. "Things like that don't just happen!
This-- it's just some game."
Ukyo grabbed another card from the pile, hoping to prove her point.
" 'Someone in this room will do something unexpected.' " she read aloud.
Ukyo smiled and placed the card back on the pile. "You see! It's just a
game."
Shampoo's eyes were glittering. Her hand darted out and she took a card.
" 'None of the doors or windows in the house will open.' " she read.
The words were pronounced in perfect Japanese.
"What the-- " Nabiki and Ukyo stammered in surprise.
"Hey, Shampoo? When did you learn to speak Japanese?" Ryoga
asked.
Ranma was oblivious to everything around him and continued yanking
furiously at the door.
It wouldn't budge.
Akane caught his arm again. She was trembling all over with a sense of
danger.
"Take another card," Nabiki said softly.
"No!" Akane yelled.
"This is ridiculous." Ukyo muttered.
Nabiki was taking the card herself.
"No," Akane yelled again. She had to stop this, but she couldn't let go
of Ranma. "Nabiki, please! Don't read it!"
" 'You hear a clock strike nine,' " Nabiki read softly.
"Akane... there aren't any clocks that strike in this house, right?" Ukyo
asked, looking expectantly at Akane. "Right?"
Akane shook her head, her throat clogged. Every inch of her skin seemed
to be raw, waiting, listening.
Clear and sweet, the chimes rang out. The chimes of the clock at the
game store, the clock she couldn't see. It seemed to be coming from far above.
It began to strike the hour.
One. Two. Three. Four.
"Oh, God," Ukyo whispered.
Five. Six. Seven.
At nine, Akane thought. See you later-- at nine.
Eight...
"Ranma," Akane whispered. The muscles in his arm were hard under
her hand.
Now, too late, he turned towards her.
Nine.
Then the wind came.
T * * * G
Akane woke up on the floor, her head pounding.
It was like the only other time she had ever fainted, when she had been
home sick with the flu. She'd jumped out of bed suddenly to tell Nabiki to turn
down her radio-- and the next thing she knew she was waking up with
her head in the wastebasket. Lying on the carpeted floor of her room, she had
known that time had passed, without being sure how she knew it. This was the
same.
Painfully, Akane lifted her head and blinked to bring the far walls into
focus.
Unfortunately, it didn't work. Something was different. Wrong.
She wasn't sure what had happened, but she wasn't in her house anymore. The walls around her were paneled with dark wood, and an Oriental screen
stood in front of it. Heavy velvet curtains obscured the windows, and a brass candlestick was attached to the wall. Akane had never seen any of those things before.
Where am I?
She knew it was the oldest question in the book, but she really didn't
know. She wasn't sure where she was or how she had gotten there, but she
knew that whatever was going on, was all wrong.
Things like this didn't just happen.
Akane released a strangled sob.
It had happened anyway.
For the first time Akane looked at the floor. They were all lying there,
Ryoga, Shampoo, Ukyo, Nabiki, and Kasumi. Ranma was lying against the
wall-- where the door to her backyard should have been. None of them were
awake or conscious.
Akane made her way towards Ranma, intent on waking him up. He'd
know what to do. Ranma always knew what to do.
"Ranma?" Akane asked, shaking him awake. "Come on, Ranma. Wake
up."
Groaning, Ranma opened his eyes. "Jeez, Akane. Can't you let a guy
sleep?" he muttered.
Akane fought back the urge to hit him. The last thing she wanted was
for Ranma to be knocked into unconscious again. Although the thought of
shutting him up was tempting. "Well, sorry for trying to help! I just thought
you might want to wake up and explain what's going on!"
Ranma glanced around the room confused. "What the hell happened?"
"I don't know," Akane said in a small voice. "But we're not in the living
room anymore."
Ranma scowled. "Don't be stupid. We can't be anywhere else. Everything's fine."
Ranma stood up, rubbing the back of his head. Akane glanced around
the room, sighing in relief as everyone began to come too. Shampoo
was rubbing the back of her neck, looking around with quick, alert movements.
She reached down and pulled a groaning Ukyo to her feet.
Kasumi was looking around the room in a daze, sitting next to a
strange table that sat in the center of the room. Ryoga looked lost and
confused, totally unlike Nabiki who looked calm and collected, not a trace
of worry apparent on her face.
Nobody said a word. They all looked around stupidly, trying to make
sense of their surroundings.
They were standing in a Victorian parlor, lushly carpeted, furnished
with Gothic Revival tables and chairs. A green lamp with a silk fringe hung
from the ceiling. It looked like the perfect place to hold a seance.
And Akane recognized it.
It was the paper house. They were inside it...
Akane's hands came slowly up to cover her mouth. Her heart had
begun a deep, sick pounding, and she felt like she couldn't breathe.
This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. A small
part of her brain insisted, the words repeated over and over again in her mind.
"Oh my God," Ukyo whispered. Then with gathering force. "Oh, my
God, oh, my God-"
Shampoo ignored her as she headed towards a nearby wall, her fingers
lightly running over a candlestick. A second later, without hesitation, she reached up and stuck her fingers in the candle's flame.
"Shampoo!" Ranma rapped out.
"Flame is real," Shampoo said, looking at her fingertips. "It burn."
"Of course it's not real!" Nabiki said, finally trusting herself to speak.
"This is all some kind of illusion-- like virtual reality."
Shampoo's eyes flashed. "Is no virtual reality! Is real! Touch flame!"
"Just calm down you guys." Ranma said, moving away from the wall
he was leaning against. He looked angry, which Akane knew meant he was
feeling uncertain about something.
"Okay," Ranma said, "we're not in the living room. We've been-- moved
somehow. Someone's playing a joke on us. But we don't have to stand around
like idiots and take it."
"What do you suggest we do?" Kasumi asked timidly. "Father will be
so worried when he gets home and we're not there."
Ranma strode over to the parlor doorway which led to a dimly lit
hall. "We can't worry about that now, Kasumi." he replied. "We have to figure
out a way to get out of here first. Me and Ryoga will scout around; you girls
stay here and keep your eyes open."
Akane threw him a scornful look. "Don't think you can get rid of me that
easily Ranma! I'm coming with you."
Ranma sighed in frustration. "Look Akane, I need you guys to stay here
and watch Kasumi and Nabiki, alright? They don't know martial arts as well as
you guys do, so if something were to happen I want to make sure they'd be
safe."
"Gee, Ranma," Nabiki teased. "I didn't know you cared!"
"Shouldn't we all stay together?" Ryoga asked.
"Oh, what's the difference?" Nabiki said. "It's not really happening
anyway. We're not here."
"Then what is it?" Kasumi asked. "Where are we?"
"In the game."
The voice came from the corner of the room, from the shadow behind
the Oriental screen. It was a voice that didn't belong to any of the group, but
one that was familiar to Akane. She'd only heard it once before, but she
couldn't mistake it. Like water running over rocks, it was full of elemental
music.
Every head turned.
The boy stepped out of the shadows.
He was just as beautiful as he had been in the store. But here, against
the backdrop of this quaint and fussy room, he looked even more exotic.
His hair shone in the dimness like mountain snow. He was wearing a black
vest that showed the smooth, hard muscles of his bare arms, and pants that
looked like snakeskin. His eyes were heavy-lidded, shielded by long lashes.
And he was smiling.
Kasumi gasped. "The picture. The paper doll in the box. It's him--"
"The Shadow Man," Ukyo said hoarsely.
"Don't make me laugh," Ranma said. Lip curled, he looked the
apparition up and down. "Who the hell are you? What do you want?"
The boy in black took another step forward. Akane could see the
impossible daylight color of his eyes now, although he wasn't looking at her.
His gaze swept over the others, and Akane could see it affect them, like
a wave of cold air that caused them to draw together. She could see each of
them reacting as they looked into his face and saw-- something there.
Something that caused their eyes to go wide and suspicion to turn to fear.
"Why don't you call me Gabriel?"
"Is that your name?" Ryoga asked.
"It's as good as anything else."
"We no afraid of you!" Shampoo said suddenly, stepping forward.
"Um... Shampoo." Kasumi laughed nervously. "Please speak for yourself.
I'm terrified."
"We want to know what's going on!" Ranma demanded angrily.
"By letting us go now, you might be able to avoid a law suit." Nabiki
added.
"Yeah! We didn't do anything to you! Why don't you just let us
go!" Ryoga yelled.
Gabriel smirked. "Now, why would I do a stupid thing like that after I went through all the trouble of bringing you here?"
Only Akane stayed back, not moving, not speaking. Her sense of dread
was getting stronger all the time. She was remembering a look like a
starving tiger's.
"At least tell us what we're doing here." Ukyo said.
"Playing the game."
They all stared at him.
"You agreed to play. You read the rules."
"What? Playing? You mean--"
"Don't listen to him, Ryoga." Ranma interrupted. "We're not going to
play his stupid game."
"I mean," the boy in black said to Ryoga, "that you all swore you
were playing of your own free will and that you knew the Game was real.
You invoked the rune Uruz." He sketched a shape in the air with his finger,
an inverted U. Akane noticed that the snake tattoo she'd seen on his
wrist in the store earlier had vanished. "You pierced the veil between the
worlds."
Ukyo laughed, a sharp false sound like glass shattering.
Nabiki breathed, "This is nuts."
Shampoo's expression said she agreed.
"Um... excuse me but... what's a rune?" Kasumi asked confused.
Gabriel's lip quirked and he lowered his voice. "It's magic," he
said. "A mystical letter from an ancient alphabet. In this case designed
to let you walk between worlds. If you don't understand it, then you
shouldn't be messing with it."
"We didn't mean to mess with anything." Kasumi whispered. "It's all
a mistake."
The fear in the room had heightened. Akane could feel the tension,
and unease that surrounded them.
"No mistake. You chose to play the Game," the boy said again. "Now
you play until you win-- or I do."
"But why?" Kasumi asked, her voice low. "What do you want from
us? We don't have anything you could want."
"Oh, but you do." Gabriel smiled, then looked past her. Past all of them,
to the one person who hadn't said a word since he'd entered the room. To
Akane.
"Every game has a prize," he said.
Akane met the impossibly blue eyes and knew she'd been right.
They stood for a moment, looking at each other.
Gabriel's smile deepened. Ranma looked back and forth between them.
Understanding slowly dawned on his face.
"No..." he whispered.
"Every game has a prize," the boy repeated. "Winner take all."
***
End of Chapter 3
***
Authors Notes
_____________
Questions? Comments? Flames?
Um... don't bother with the Flames though, I'll just ignore them. I'm
not very good with insults.
Now to give credit where credit is due: Thanks go to Rumiko
Takahashi, (for creating the Ranmaverse and all the wonderful characters in
it) and to L.J. Smith (for being one of my favorite authors and for writing so
many wonderful books!)
Um... Chapter 4 coming eventually. I'm going to try writing another
chapter for my other stories too. Can't forget about them. Even though
this one's a lot more fun to write:)
Ja!
____________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"Believe in miracles
but don’t depend on them"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
T * * * G
My email/ ICQ:
jewellangela@hotmail.com
26382915
Homepage:
http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/ranma/Game.html
http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/ranma/index.html
T * * * G
CHAPTER 4