Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma ½ belong to Rumiko Takahashi
Ranma ½
Tears of Anger
By Acetalon
Chapter 3: New Start, same greetings

	Ranma woke up with a start.  His dreams had painfully reminded
him of the events that had brought him there, the last image being
Kasumi with a stunned look after seeing everyone fall out of Nabiki's
room.  Ranma didn't think that she would betray his feelings and
convince him to spill his innermost secrets to everyone in Nerima, but
that didn't make it hurt any less. "What would have happened if I had
stayed?" he asked himself while making some breakfast.  The answer
wasn't hard to find.  "I would have hurt everyone again, maybe even
seriously hurt them.  That's the reason I left."  He shook his head to
clear it of the dream and decided it was time to go.  He packed up his
bedroll and left the forest.



	Meanwhile, somewhere much farther away, a certain special girl
was still in bed, dreaming about having a friend, someone who she could
share similar problems with and wouldn't cringe when she talked to
them.  Someone close to her own age who would care about her feelings.



	"Time to leave the past exactly where it is, in the past,"
declared Ranma.  He had decided that although the forest would have
been a good place to train, he wanted to go to someplace where he could
meet people and talk to them.  A place to make some friends.  REAL
friends, not people who would act sweet one moment then try to drug you
or kill you the next.

	"No more drugs, no more paralysis powder, and no more crazy
wanna be kendo masters!" Ranma thought with happiness while laughing
out loud, feeling like he was on top of the world.  Nothing could faze
him at that moment.  He walked on the road, not caring where fate led
him.  He probably would not have been so care-free if he knew that he
was unknowingly following directions from the same person in a
different guise each time.



	The cloaked figure looked at Ranma in loathing, watching as he
took the well-worn path to a place the the figure wanted him to go.
"Soon, boy, you shall cease to exist and the future will be secure.
But first I shall have a bit of fun."  It would be a while before
Ranma would reach the destination the hooded figure wanted, but he
would get there to be sure. The hood rustled, then fell to the ground
as he person under it disapeared without so much as a wisp of smoke.


	Ranma learned something while he traveled: Don't trust everyone
who gives directions.

	"Make a left at the fork in the road, then make a right, then
a left again."

	"What?  You were told to make a left and then a right?  That's
wrong.  Take the second right then go take the marked path."

	"Climb the mountain over there, then turn right."

	"...This is starting to get to me," commented Ranma when he
saw the same camping spot he was in a week before.


	Hotaru was studying and ignored the stares that everyone gave
her every day.  She concentrated fully on the work before her and what
the teacher was saying, although that was usual.  Ever since the day
she decided to help someone the whole school turned against her.  From
that day on, she was treated like a ticking bomb.  Everyone was afraid
and anyone who got too close would get hurt. Any normal person would
probably never go to school from the depression but Hotaru was a strong
girl (strong in character, not body) and told herself that it would not
bother her.  Its been a while since she last spoke to anyone but her
father.  There was so much in her life that had taken a bad turn it
was so hard to bear.  This wouldn't faze her.  She wouldn't give them
the satisfaction of seeing her cry.  They would all laugh at her
instead of avoid her.  And loneliness is easier to take than scorn.


	Ramna stopped just in time as the edge of the cliff suddenly
popped up.  He looking down upon the vast city underneath him.  After
travelling for a week he decided that he would look for a place to stay.
When by yourself, there isn't much that you can do about conversation
unless your prone to talking to yourself.  After following the
directions of several unhelpful people by the road, he came across a
signpost.  There where two roads, the left road to a long stretch of
road heading out to nowhere and the right which led to a place called
Juuban.  Following the right path had brought him to the cliff that he
nearly fell down as it ended abruptly.

	"Stupid road, leading me straight off a cliff.  Easy enough to
kill myself," he grumbled.  Despite his annoyance at the road ending,
he had to admit it was quite a sight.  All the buildings being so small
and all, stretching as far as the eye could see.  Looking down, he saw
It was a total dead-end.  "Follow the road to Juuban" the old man had
said.  "Screw the old man, and screw the road," he thought and decided
that it didn't matter that there wasn't a path, he'd get down by
himself and leaped off the cliff.


	A resounding boom went through a portion of the town.  People
looked up alarmed as a cloud of dust rose from the park.  When no
screaming, maniacal laughing, or loud speeches could be heard, everyone
calmly went about their business like it didn't even occur.  Except one
person who was inches away from where the cloudy figure in the dust
landed.


	Hotaru backed away from the dust cloud into the bench she was
sitting on, more because if she started breathing in the dust she
would start coughing and it would just become worse.  Watching the
cloud disperse she saw a tallish person get off the ground and attempt
to brush off gravel from their shirt.  Her heart gave a jump as that
very person looked at her and started walking towards her.

	Ranma got up and started coughing.  The concrete here was
pretty weak compared to Nerima.  It wouldn't have budged if he was back
home and made a landing like that.   Brushing himself off he looked
around.  He had landed in a park, almost totally empty, since most
people at that time were either just getting home from school or still
working.  There was one person there, a girl.  From the looks of the
gravel on her clothes it looked like she was pretty close to his
landing point.  Deciding to introduce himself, he walked over to her
and offered his hand to help pull her up.  He then said the very words
that had brought him trouble from the very beginning.

	"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."


Authors notes: Writers block is killing me.  I think I'll need to put
in some more dialogue later on.  But I thought it turned out pretty
well, other than the fact that it's too short.  In the next chapter
fight scenes between the Senshi and the evil guys will start.  How'd
you like the way Ranma meets Hotaru?  Questions and Comments always
wanted and appreciated.

Need to reach me?
E-mail me at:
Ace_talon@hotmail.com

or, better yet, go to the fanfic forum at:
http://www.delphi.com/ranma_fanfics/start/