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

***

I am afraid,

there is no where to turn,

I am surrounded

by your ignorance.

Surrounded by so many,

I still can't get away from

my own loneliness,

my sorrow.

I reach out,

I yell and scream

yet, from the hundreds

that are listening

there is no responce.

- Ivanna K

***

Chapter 1

***

Akane glanced over her shoulder, checking to see if she was still

being followed. Unfortunately, they were still right behind her, matching

her pace step by step. Whenever she slowed down to look in a store window,

they slowed down too, pretending to take an interest in whatever they were

supposedly looking at.

There were only two of them, but they both looked dangerous. One

was dressed in a black t-shirt and leather vest, a black bandanna tied

tightly around his head covering what little hair he had. The other wore a

long flannel shirt, black-and-blue-plaid, which was unbuttoned, and appeared

not to have been washed for months.

Akane quickened her pace, silently praying the men would get tired

of following her and leave her alone. Although she realized that wasn't very

realistic. Normally, she would just stop running and confront them, but she

didn't have any time. The party was in an hour.

Besides, as much as she hated to admit it, she probably wouldn't be

able to take them both at the same time anyway. She hadn't been doing as

much training as she would have liked. She had to practically beg Ranma to

help her practice when she did have some free time.

None of her friends could understand why she continued to practice

martial arts anyway. They figured, why bother? Ranma always protected her

when she needed it. Ranma's multiple fiancées thought the same way, only

for different reasons.

They just didn't think she was any good.

Which was totally untrue. She was good... just not as good as most

of the other martial artists that had followed Ranma to Nerima.

Akane glanced up at the sky, grumbling to herself as she spotted

rain clouds. Just her luck, that was exactly what she needed. Rain.

Today was Ranma's birthday and her family was making a big

production out of it. Apparently, they thought it was going to be his last

birthday as an unmarried man.

Whatever that meant. Akane had no intention of letting that happen.

Nabiki had taken it upon herself to organize the party, inviting

all of Ranma's multiple fiancée's and rivals. Probably part of some

elaborate joke, or money making scheme she had been working on for weeks.

To top it off, Nabiki had put her in charge of the entertainment.

Entertainment? How was she suppose to come up with something that would

entertain a group of martial artists?

It's one thing to entertain people you can't stand, but quite

another when the people you can't stand are trying to steal your fiancée or

kill him. Not that she could really blame them for the latter...

"Stupid Ranma." Akane grumbled. "The least he could have done was

help me pick out a stupid game for his dumb party."

The footsteps began to grow closer, interrupting Akane's train of

thought. How could she be thinking of a party at a time like this?

The two guys were still right behind her, quickening their pace.

Apparently they had abandoned the concept of keeping a low profile.

They must have gotten tired of playing cat and mouse.

Akane's head was telling her to keep walking and pretend nothing

was wrong. As long as she didn't look behind her and didn't panic everything

would be fine.

Yeah right. Akane took off in a run.

She had to get to the store...

The footsteps behind her rang in her ears.

... and fast.

Akane looked around frantically, searching for a place to hide. An

unlocked door or even an open window would be helpful.

The first thing she saw was a small building that stood off to her

left, part of it hidden by shadows.

Akane sighed in relief.

Running towards it, she grabbed the doorknob quickly in her hands

and began to frantically turn it.

Just her luck.

It was locked.

Didn't people trust anyone anymore?

Akane sprinted away from the door and took off running, hesitant to

stay in one place for too long.

The footsteps were gaining. The sound of their shoes hitting

the pavement, ringing in her ears. It reminded her of a hammer pounding

on concrete. She tried her hardest to block it out, but nothing seemed to

work.

Then suddenly, without warning, the pounding stopped.

Akane glanced around in surprise, realizing with a start that

the two men were gone.

What was going on?

Akane decided the best thing to do was to keep running.

She knew she couldn't have lost the men so easily; they probably

knew their way around this place better than she did. They probably

just took some short cut or something, hoping to cut her off.

Akane began to slow down, her legs feeling like rubber beneath her.

She couldn't understand why she was becoming so tired. She was a martial

artist who jogged regularly. She wasn't suppose to get exhausted after only

five minutes!

Akane turned left into the first narrow alleyway she came to, hoping

for a chance to rest and catch her breath, but after three minutes of

constant running she came to a complete stop.

It was a dead end.

After several seconds of stunned silence, Akane began to laugh.

This was all really funny, and strange in a way. Strange because,

out of all the times she had been here, she couldn't remember a wall being

down this alley and funny because she didn't believe this day could get

any worse.

Akane continued to stare straight ahead, captivated by the huge

wall in front of her.

Normally, she wouldn't be so impressed with a wall, but this one

was different. A strange painted mural covered it completely. Not a single

space left uncolored.

But that wasn't all... the painting itself was strange... parts of

it almost appeared... well... real. Almost three-dimensional.

Akane glanced once more over her shoulder, sighing in relief when

she didn't find any sign of the men who had been following her.

"Hi." A voice spoke up, startling her. "Do you need some help?"

Akane looked around quickly, surprised. Actually, shocked would

have been a better word. The only thing that had been behind her was the

huge mural...

With agonizing slowness, Akane turned around to face the man that

stood before her... and lost her breath.

All she saw were eyes.

Blue eyes.

Except they weren't just blue. They were a shade Akane couldn't

describe, let alone imagine existing. They were beautiful.

Akane had seen a blue like that only once before in her life. When

her mother had still been alive, she had woken Akane up early one morning,

and told her to look out the bedroom window. Her eyes sparkling and

shining with excitement.

They had been staying at her grandfather's house at the time.

Akane had nodded sleepily, not fully understanding what was going

on.

Lifting her head to gaze out her window, she had caught a glimpse

of an unbelievable, luminous color. A beautiful shade of blue she had never

seen before. It had appeared at the precise instant of dawn, and a second

later it had vanished, returning to the ordinary blue of the sky.

That was the last time she had seen her mother.

The next day, she had mysteriously disappeared, leaving not a

trace of evidence behind. The Nerima police were at a loss, and had no idea

what had happened. A week later they called off the search.

She was never found.

Every night after that, Akane would get up right before dawn and

look out her window, hoping to catch sight of that beautiful shade of blue

her mother had shown her.

She never saw it again.

Until now.

No boy should have eyes as blue as that.

His eyes were surrounded by lashes so heavy they seemed to weigh

his eyelids down. What was more, the boy had white hair. True white! The

color of frost or tendrils of mist. He was beautiful in an exotic, uncanny

way. It was almost as if he had stepped out of another world.

No matter how strangely beautiful his hair or dark eyelashes made

him appear, Akane still found herself being drawn to his eyes.

She knew it was rude to stare... but she couldn't help herself.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't look away. They were

like the blue at the core of a flame, or like a mile-deep lake set in a

glacier.

Heat rose to Akane's cheeks. She couldn't believe she was making

such a fuss over some boy.

The moment he turned away from her, it was as if the spell was

broken. Akane sighed in relief, using the opportunity to view him

objectively from a distance.

He was around her age. Lean, elegant, and extremely handsome.

Although... handsome didn't do him justice. He was beautiful.

There was also an unmistakable air of danger around him that was

impossible to miss, especially since he was dressed entirely in black.

Something else caught her eye. He was standing in a doorway that

was attached to the wall.

Akane stared in surprise, unable to believe it. That meant that the

mural hadn't been three-dimensional after all. There was actually a door

built into the wall!

"Would you like to come in? Have a look around?" The boy asked,

his tone polite but indifferent.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I still have to get to the game store. I'm

already late as it is."

"You're looking for games?" he asked casually.

"Um... yeah." Akane replied uneasily.

The boy disappeared inside the door, returning a moment later with

a large sign in his hands. Akane tried not to laugh as she read the words

printed on the large sleek surface. 'Welcome to Games Galore, not your

average gaming store.' The words were even in fancy calligraphy.

"You sell games? Really?" Akane asked, unable to contain her

surprise.

"Yeah." the boy replied, shrugging his shoulders. "We just opened

up. I just had the sign redone. Would you like to come in and have a look

around? You might find something you like."

Akane hesitated a moment, unsure whether or not she should enter

the store. There was something strange about all of this. For one thing, it

wasn't a very common place for a store to be located. Who ever heard of a

store being hidden by a large mural? Or at a dead end, no less! She

doubted they got much business. Second, there was something unnerving about

the boy. Something she couldn't put her finger on...

"Well? Are you coming in or not?" The boy asked impatiently, hanging

the sign above the door.

"Yeah, sure." Akane sighed, ignoring the whispers of doubt that

plagued her mind. Besides, it would give her a chance to catch her breath.

She was still tired from running from those two guys.

Akane followed the boy through the door, gasping when she set foot

inside. All around her were games. Shelves full. She never realized so many

games existed.

She only recognized a few of them, like the mahogany mah-jongg

table with ivory tiles spilled carelessly on the green felt top. The rest

eluded her. One game was a narrow case covered with hieroglyphics, and

another, a red box with a gold star of David in the center. There were dice

everywhere, all different shapes and sizes. Some of the dice were

twelve-sided, some shaped like pyramids, and some ordinary cubical ones,

made of odd material.

"So, what exactly are you looking for?" the strange boy asked.

"I want to buy a game," she said, her voice loud and distinct. "For

a party-- for my fiancée."

He didn't even blink at the word fiancée. "Anything in particular?"

he asked.

"Well..."

"How about the Egyptian Game of the Dead?" he asked, nodding towards

the case with the hieroglyphics. "Or maybe you'd like to cast the ruins." He

picked up a leather cup and shook it suggestively. The sound resembled

rattling bones.

"No. Nothing like that." Akane said, beginning to feel distinctly

unnerved. She couldn't quite explain it, but something about this guy sent

shivers down her spine.

"Well... there's always the ancient Tibetan game of goats and

tigers." He replied, gesturing to a curiously carved bronze board with tiny

figurines on it. "The fierce tigers stalk the innocent little goats, and

the innocent goats try to run from the tigers. It's for two players."

There was something in the way he said the words that made Akane's

skin crawl. It helped remind her that those guys might still be outside,

waiting for her to leave the store. "Um... no thank you. I was hoping for a

game that a lot of people can play. All at once. You know, like Balderdash,

Picture Pursuit, or even Monopoly. But since you don't have anything like

that..."

"I see." he replied, looking sideways at her and smiling. "That

kind of game." The smile unnerved Akane more than anything.

'OK. I think it's time to go' she told herself nervously. Suddenly,

she didn't mind facing those two guys outside again. She just wanted to get

out of the store as quickly as possible. "Thanks anyway." She replied,

turning towards the door.

"Mystery," he said, his voice low and compelling. Akane hesitated

for a moment, despite her anxiousness to leave. What in the world was he

talking about?

"Danger. Seduction. Fear." Akane turned back around to face him.

There was something mesmerizing about his voice. It was like water running

over rocks. Soft and soothing. "Secrets revealed. Desires unveiled." He

smiled at her, pronouncing the last word distinctly. "Temptation."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, tensed and ready to fight

if he took one step towards her.

There was definitely something wrong with this guy.

"The game, of course. That's what you want isn't it? Something that

will catch all of your friends' attention. Something... special?"

Akane stiffened. "I-- I think I'd better be going..."

"We do have something like that." he said, ignoring her comment.

'Now's your chance,' she told herself when he disappeared through a

door in the back room. 'He's gone. Run.'

Akane found herself reluctant to leave, even though her head was

screaming at her to get out of there. She hated to admit it, but she was

curious about what game the boy had in mind. What kind of game could do

everything he had just described?

Danger. Seduction. Fear. It was sure to catch the attention of

everyone at the party. Even Shampoo and Ukyo wouldn't be able to complain

about it being stupid and boring.

Akane felt her face growing hot at the thought of secrets and

desires being revealed. Not that she was worried. She didn't have any

secrets or hidden desires. It's just a stupid game anyway, she reminded

herself. It's not like it can really do any of that stuff.

"I think," the boy said, walking out of the storage room and coming

to stand beside her. "That this is what you're looking for."

Akane glanced skeptically at what he was holding, then up at his

face.

"You've got to be kidding." she said.

The box was about the size and shape of a Monopoly game. It was

white and glossy and didn't have a single word or phrase printed on it.

There was nothing special about it. It was just a plain white box.

Akane looked again, but this time harder.

There was something about it... the more she looked at it,

the more she felt... she couldn't describe it... it almost seemed to

glow...

"Could- could I look at it?" she asked shyly, her eyes wide and

curious. She could actually care less about seeing it. She wanted to touch

it. See if it were real. Feel its weight against her hand, and its sharp

corners pressed against her palms. She knew it was silly, but...

The boy tilted the box between his own hands, gazing at its glossy

top. Akane noticed that there wasn't a single fingerprint on the shiny

surface, not even a smudge. She also noticed that he had a snake tattooed

on his right wrist.

"Well..." he said. "I don't know. On second thought, I'm not sure

if I can sell it to you at all. "

"What?" Akane yelled angrily, snapping out of her daze. "Why not?"

"Because it's special." he replied with a smile. "I can't let it go

to just anyone, or for any reason. Maybe if you explained what it was

for..."

"I already told you." she replied through clenched teeth. "It's for

my fiancée's birthday party."

"Ah. I see." he replied, tapping his fingers on the box. "Who's all

going to be at this little 'party'?"

Akane found herself growing angrier. She didn't have to tell him

anything. It was none of his business. Glancing once more at the box, Akane

found herself almost mesmerized by it. If only she could get her hands on

it...

"Just some close friends." Akane lied, her eyes glued to the box.

It's not like she could really say what they were to her. She didn't think

he would appreciate all the colorful adjectives she could use to describe

them. Besides, she couldn't tell him the truth. She didn't have the time nor

desire to explain her life story to a complete stranger. She just wanted to

buy the game and get out of there as quickly as possible. Hopefully, the

party wouldn't start without her.

He tilted his head to one side. Light flashing off the earring he

was wearing. Whether it was a dagger or a snake she couldn't tell. "So?" he

prompted. Obviously unimpressed with her explanation.

"So I need something for us to do. You can't just get a group of

people together and throw a bag of chips at them and expect them to have a

good time."

"You can't?" he laughed.

"No! Of course not." she replied indignantely. "There has to be

something to do, or else everyone will die of boredom."

"Die?" he asked, laughing. "Isn't that a bit... extreme?"

Akane found herself growing angrier by the second. This guy was

almost as frustrating as Ranma.

"And your fiancée cares what game you choose?" he asked skeptically.

"No. That jerk could care less." Akane muttered under her breath.

"But the rest of the guests will. Especially my sister."

"Your fiancée sounds like a real winner." he joked.

"Hey!" Akane replied defensively, being angered by the boy's words

for some reason. "Ranma may not be the greatest fiancée in the world, but...

well..."

Akane paused, uncertain of what to say. Telling the boy that

Ranma was a perverted jerk who changed into a girl, might not be the

best thing to say in his defense. "Look, are you going to sell me the game

or not?"

"Gee. Don't rack your brain thinking of all his good points." the

boy laughed. Akane felt her face flush and her fists clench. She desperately

wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, but held back. Now was not the time

to let her anger get the better of her.

"Here." he replied, holding the box out to her, his voice

surprisingly gently.

Akane blushed, embarrassed by her earlier thoughts. "Thanks." she

replied taking the box from his outstretched hands. It was cool and smooth,

and weighed just enough to be intriguing. There was a quality about it that

Akane couldn't quite explain. A sort of electrical current that ran up her

fingers as she held it.

"We're closing." the boy said briskly. "You gonna buy it or what?"

"Yeah." Akane replied, tearing her eyes away from the box. There

was no way she wasn't going to buy it. "How much?"

"Twenty dollars."

Akane handed him the money, glad to be done with the whole thing.

The boy hit a key on an old brass cash register, opening up the

small drawer where the money was kept. Akane gasped in surprise. The cash

drawer was filled with all sorts of odd-looking money, all jumbled together.

There were square coins, coins with holes in the center, and crumpled bills

in various shapes and colors.

The sooner she was out of there, the better. She'd have to remember

never to go shopping in this district again.

The boy looked up from the cash register, met her eyes and smiled.

"Enjoy." he said. His heavy lashes drooped as if at a private joke.

From somewhere in the store a loud chime rang out signaling the

hour. Akane glanced down at her watch and stiffened in horror.

Eight o'clock-- it couldn't be! The party was suppose to start at

Seven-thirty. There was no way she could have been in the store for over

an hour.

But she had.

Akane began to panic. She was already a half-hour late! And it

would take another fifteen minutes just to get home again.

Nabiki was going to be mad.

"Thank you. I have to go." Akane replied distracted, heading for

the door. "See you later."

The words had left her mouth automatically. She hadn't meant

anything by it, she didn't even expected him to answer back. But he did. He

muttered something that sounded like, 'at nine', although that couldn't

have been right. He must have said, 'that's fine.'

When she looked back, he was standing half in shadow, a small glass

lamp throwing colored strips on his hair. For just a second she thought she

saw something in his eyes... a hungry look. Like a starving lion about to

go hunting. It gave Akane the chills. She needed to get out of there, and

fast.

Without bothering to look back, Akane opened the door and stepped

out of the store, sighing with relief as she closed the door behind her. It

felt so good to be out of there.

Unfortunately, her happiness was cut short when she heard the

distinctive sound of thunder. A second later, the rain clouds opened and it

began to pour.

Akane sighed in defeat. It was as if the clouds had waited for her

to appear before they decided to open. That in itself was strange... that

sort of thing usually only happened to Ranma.

So far, it had been a very interesting day.

She couldn't wait to tell everyone at home about this. Well, anyone

who would care to listen. She knew Ryoga would. That is, if he had managed

to find the dojo in time for the party. Akane stepped away from the wall,

her arms cradling the box against her chest. That was when she saw them.

The two men that had been following her earlier.

They had been hiding in the shadows of the alleyway, apparently

waiting for her. Akane mentally berated herself; she should have realized

they wouldn't disappear so easily.

The two men walked slowly towards her, creepy expressions on their

faces. She noticed that the boy wearing the flannel shirt had a long scar

along his left cheek. She tried not to think about all the possible ways he

could have acquired that.

Akane automatically stepped backwards, reaching behind her for the

doorknob. Where was it? Her hands continued to search the wall, sliding

over nothing but the smooth, painted surface. Maybe... if she threw the box

at them, she could distract them and run. Maybe they would be curious about

the game and turn their attention on that instead of her. AND WHERE WAS

THAT STUPID DOORKNOB?

The men continued to advance closer.

Akane stopped searching for the doorknob, a part of her mind

insisting it was a waste of time to look for something that wasn't there.

With both hands, she lifted the box to throw it, but unfortunately,

it didn't quite work out that way. Her hands refused to let go of the box!

She wasn't quite sure what happened after that. One moment they

were slowly advancing towards her, and the next... they just turned and

ran!

The man wearing the flannel shirt was in the lead.

Something had terrified them, that was the only explanation she

could think of.

She had no idea what. They didn't look like the kind of men who would be

scared off easily. Akane glanced at the box clutched tightly in her hands.

"Just great," she mumbled to herself, disgusted. "I value some game

more than my own life." Walking quickly, she headed for home, trying in vain

to put all other thoughts out of her mind.

She never turned around to see how she could have possibly missed

the doorknob.

At the time she simply forgot.

***

End of Chapter 1

***

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.

And yes... I do know I used American money instead of Japanese, but

I'm not sure how much 20 dollars would be in Japanese... if anyone knows,

could you please tell me?

Also, in case anyone's wondering, I do plan on revising all these

chapters. For one thing, my overuse of internal dialogue drives me crazy!!

However, I'm not sure yet if I'll do that before or after I finish the first

volume (SPELLBOUND). If I get writers block or something, or just get stuck

on a chapter, then I'll probably tackle it then...

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

creating so many awesome stories. If you haven't read them, read them

now!!! I recommend THE SECRET CIRCLE, and NIGHT WORLD!! VAMPRIRE DIARIES

Ja!

____________

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Telling the truth and making someone cry

is just as bad as telling

a lie and making someone smile"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

T * * * G

MY E-MAIL/ ICQ:

26382915

HOMEPAGE:

.com/ak2/ranma/

.

T * * * G