Ranma 1/2 used without permission
Spiderman used without permission
C&C is, as always, welcome and appreciated

Amazing Spiderman Issue Two: Along Came a Spiderman...

==================================

        Hikaru Gosunkugi awoke to the sound of a disgustingly
happy bluebird outside his window. Prying open one eye, he cast a
baleful glare at the chirping animal, wishing that it would shut
up and let him sleep.
        After a few moments the bird seemed to get the hint,
flying off to who knew where to do what birds do all day. The
disturbance gone, Gosunkugi settled back down for another forty
winks or so. He barely got past three when the alarm clock beside
his bed announced that it was time to rise and shine.
        "Aw, crap," he croaked, his throat dry and scratchy.
Stretching the muscles in his back, Gosunkugi reluctantly rose
from beneath the sheets. After another good stretch, he made his
way out of the impossibly neat room and into the hall beyond.
        Closing the bathroom door, Gosunkugi took a good look at
himself in the mirror. The reflection that stared back at him was
the same as the one yesterday. And the day before that. And the
day before that. A pale, thin face with large owl-eyes ringed
with dark circles. Hardly the most attractive of men, he noticed.
        He stuck the toothbrush in his mouth and contemplated the
events of the previous day as he scrubbed his teeth. Part of him
insisted that it was only a stupid dream, brought on by too many
mangas and voodoo texts. Gosunkugi was tempted to believe that.
After all, what normal person could possibly stick to walls the
way he did?
        But it wasn' t a dream. He DID leap ten meters with no
effort. He DID cling to that wall like a spider. And he DID bend
that steel pipe into a pretzel. Spitting the paste into the sink,
he looked at his reflection once again. The face was still the
same, but was beginning to change a little. His reflection didn't
quite resemble the boy whose father worried that he was gay. The
boy whom everyone either rejected or ignored. Something was
definitely happening to Hikaru Gosunkugi, and it scared the hell
out of him.

========================================

        The early morning sun glared down on the surface below,
causing the people going about their daily lives to squint in
order to see. Gosunkugi stepped out of the door to the apartment
complex he and his parents called home. It wasn't a bad part of
town, home to mainly salarymen like his father who chose the
locale due to its close proximity to Tokyo proper.
        The trip to Furinkan wasn't strenuous, thirty minutes by
foot and he was there. He never used the train; he usually never
had the money. Even when he did, the train wouldn't put him close
enough to the school to be convenient.
        There weren't many people on the streets at eight a.m.
The workaday types hopped the subways around five a.m., and the
rest wouldn't come out in force until ten or so. As Gosunkugi
looked around, he noticed that he had a good deal of space to
himself.
        He recalled again what he did the day before, and decide
to give it another shot. Casting another glance about, he ducked
into a nearby alley. he backed to one side of the narrow space
and looked up the length of the opposite wall.
        The wall seemed to stretch to the sky, dwarfing the
small-fry who wanted to scale it. Gosunkugi took deep breaths in
an effort to calm his jumpy nerves. What if he couldn't do it
again? What if that amazing agility was only a twenty-four hour
fluke? He could likely end up with a smashed face when he jumped
at the wall. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he made a
leap of faith.

        And quite a leap it was. Gosunkugi easily landed halfway
up the wall, adhereing to its surface as snugly as the day
before. He paused for a moment, a smile spreading across his lips
for the first time in what felt like years. Still smiling,
Gosunkugi made his way up the wall with no effort. Gosunkugi soon
found himself on the roof overlooking the ward below him. Maybe
it was time to see what he could really do.
        With a running start, Gosunkugi leapt off the far edge of
the building. He sailed through the air, tucking himself into a
ball. Three somersaults later, he landed on the roof of the next
building with balletic grace. Without even slowing, he continued
to the edge of the current roof.
        This is incredible! Gosunkugi mentally shouted as he
leapt again in a swan dive. He flew in a perfect ballistic arc,
grabbing the ledge of the next roof with his hands. His momentum
carried him forward as he performed a handspring off of the
ledge. After two more somersaults, he sailed off the far edge and
into space.
        Coming out of his roll, he landed on a nearby wall, hands
and feet clinging easily to the surface. Looking around,
Gosunkugi realized that he had covered more than half the
distance between his parent's apartment and Furinkan.
        "Five minutes?!" he exclaimed once he had checked his
watch. Ordinarily, getting as far as he did would take fifteen
minutes at least. Gosunkugi turned around, crouching on the side
of the tall building. Looking to his left, he saw more buildings
across the wide street far below. Curious, he leapt into space.
        Gosunkugi had severely mis-judged the distance and his
own thrust. He started to scream as he began shedding altitude at
an alarming rate, plummeting to the pavement four stories below.
His panicked screams grabbed the attention of the people on the
ground, causing them to look up and point at the young man whom
they thought to be commiting suicide.
        His heart caught in his throat when his rapid descent
abruptly changed course to the left. Stunned, he looked up to
find a long cord in his left hand. The cord was an off-white
color, and felt like silk in his hand.
        Unconsciously, Gosunkugi pulled his legs perpendicular to
his torso, forming his body into an "L" shape. The wind tore at
his face and clothes as he swung on the line he held, dipping
toward the pavement before arcing back up and toward the building
the cord had anchored itself to.
        What, he thought, the HELL just happened? Where had
that... thing come from? Hands shaking, Gosunkugi undid the
clasps on the right sleeve of his uniform jacket. After rolling
the sleeve up, he repeated the procedure with the shirt beneath.
        "NOOOOO!" he screamed as he saw the strange thing on his
forearm. On the underside was a dark growth, protruding form the
surface of the skin. On examining the area, he found a small hole
in one end. Curious, he reached his arm out and pictured what
happened to save him from a fate as road pizza.
        Another long cord fired from the growth, stretching
across the gap between the buildings on each side of the street.
Gosunkugi grabbed the cord, testing its strength. If he didn't
know better, he could swear it was spider's webbing. Only strong
enough to support a human.
        A quick check revealed another growth on his left arm,
identical to the one on his right. As he remained adhered to the
vertical surface, he considered seeing a doctor about those
tumors, perhaps tell him about the spider bite, and the effects
it had on him.
        The sound of a window opening above his head jerked him
out of his reverie. Without bothering to look up, he released his
grip on the wall. Gosunkugi swung across the gap, closing fast on
the other building. Before he hit, he fired another long web from
his left arm, attaching it to another farher down the way.
Releasing the right web, he began to swing toward the next
building.
        After a rough start, Gosunkugi began to get the hang of
swinging through the concrete canyons of Tokyo. As the wind
ripped at him, a strange feeling of power and freedom swelled up
inside. Never in his entire seventeen years had he ever felt so
alive.

====================================

        Gosunkugi walked toward the entrance of Furinkan High, a
spring in his step that had been absent nearly every other time
he had taken this walk. Whatever worries he had about the two
things on his arms had disappeared once he got the hang of
swinging through the city. The spinarettes he had developed only
served to make him even more agile than before. They didn't hurt
or itch, so he really didn't see the need to worry.
        What he did need to worry about, though, was someone
recognizing him were he to try it again. He was fortunate that
nobody got a good look at his face this time, but he had a
feeling luck like that wouldn't hold for very long.
        As he entered the building, his thoughts turned to Akane
Tendo. He almost lost himself in a pink haze as her lovely face
filled his vision. The deep brown eyes that a man could drown in,
perfect lips parted in speech..
        "Gosunkugi," came her voice, soft as silk. "Gosunkugi."
His brain nearly exploded at the sound of her voice.
        "GOSUNKUGI!" He nearly leapt out of his skin when the
shout pierced hs fantasy. The pink haze surrounding Akane
vanished, replaced with the interior of Furinkan High. Her
blissful smile was replaced with a puzzled frown as she looked at
him. "What in the world are you doing?"
        His senses returned enough to alert him that he was only
a scant meter away from Akane. His brain threatened to go back on
vacation at the thought of being so near her.
        "Uh...that is... I mean... uh...." he stuttered as he
struggled to keep his head out of the clouds.
        "What a weirdo," Akane said as she brushed past him.
Gosunkugi nearly lost his balance as the joy welled up inside him
again.
        "She... TOUCHED me...." he muttered, lost in his own
perfect world. He made his way absently to his first class, pure
bliss written all over his face.

=====================================

        The courtyard of Furinkan High was filled with students
enjoying the sunshine and their lunch. Hikaru Gosunkugi was out
there, for once, enjoying the sun as well.
        His confidence had been slowly building as the day wore
on and on endlessly. Once his mind returned to normal operating
temperature, he began to wonder if his newfound abilities were
not just a gift, but a sign from the Kami that his time had come.
That he could finally ask Akane out, and get Ranma out of the
picture.
        He had considered taking Ranma on right then and there,
but common sense had taken over, reminding him that it was a bad
idea. He didn't yet know enough about his powers to risk losing
to Ranma and humiliating himself in front of Akane...again.
        Once that thought set in, even more invaded to rain on
his parade. Even if he DID beat Ranma, and Akane DID go out with
him once, how would he pay for their date? With his charm? He had
very little money to speak of, and when you got ganged up on
every day at lunch for what little you carried, saving up became
quite a chore.

        A strange tingling sensation grew at the base of his
skull, causing Gosunkugi to go rigid. He had absolutely no idea
what the feeling was, or where it came from, but his every sense
went on high alert. He could almost feel danger in the air.
Something was happening; a threat was nearby that was aimed at
him.
        He looked about, trying to get a glimpse of anything
amiss. Seeing everything to be normal, he almost relaxed until he
saw them. Keiichi, Gan, and Morita strode side by side through
the other students. The tingling sensation grew in intensity when
he saw them, and Gosunkugi knew who they were after.
        Gosunkugi almost prepared to fight; he knew he could take
them. But he couldn't risk anyone finding out about his new
powers. He wasn't ready yet. He also wasn't about to let those
three neanderthals get the better of him again.
        Gosunkugi began to run into the sparse trees at the edge
of the courtyard. The sounds of thudding footsteps behind him
gave warning of their pursuit, and sent Gosunkugi running even
faster.
        Coming to a clear spot near the pool, he turned his head
to get a bead on the three chasing him. They were no longer
behind him, but that would soon change. Looking about, he saw
that he had no place to hide until he gazed upward.
        Not wasting a second, Gosunkugi clambered up the surface
of Furinkan's back wall. Remaining between the windows, he
reached the rooftop in little over a second. As he turned to look
out over the back courtyard, he caught sight of the three goons
chasing him. He watched as they ran directly beneath him, not
even thinking to look up.
        Gosunkugi fumed as they disappeared around a bend. Every
day those three terrorized him and several others. Every day they
beat the snot out of someone, whether they surrendered their
money and dignity or not. Those who managed to escape once got it
twice as bad the next day. Gosunkugi, himself, had been
hospitalized by them once, as a lesson to others they oppressed.
        Gosunkugi swore to himself that this would be the LAST
day they hurt anyone. They would make a nice test of his powers.
A very nice test...

======================================

        Night descended on Nerima Ward, as it had for millenia
beyond counting. As streetlamps flickered to life, and windows
began to glow in the buildings, one light alone shone in the
apartment occupied by the Gosunkugi family.
        Hikaru Gosunkugi stood over the old silk-screen press his
mother had bought him for his tenth birthday. Before he began to
experiment with voodoo and magic, his main love was art. He still
doodled from time to time, though he had set it aside to pursue
Akane Tendo.
        His mother had bought him the silk-screen press when she
saw the designs he had painted on some of her napkins. She had
thought to get him to put some of his art on shirts for the
family, and perhaps to sell once in a while. Of course, this was
before she had more or less given up on him along with his
father.

        On his way home, he had stopped by a novelty clothing
shop. It had taken him a few minutes, but he found what he was
looking for. He had managed to bring just enough yen to cover the
cost of the full body stocking and full head mask. The clerk took
one look at him, and didn't ask any questions, probably figuring
him for one of those Goth weirdos.
        Once he arrived home, finding it empty as usual, he
pulled out the silk-screen press and some of his paints. Pulling
a design from his old art portfolios, he began to make his
costume. The mask was first, being the smallest. The body
stocking took considerably longer, and used up a good deal of his
paints. It was finally ready, however, just as soon as it dried.

        An hour later, he donned the form-fitting costume. It
didn't exactly flatter his musculature, since he had none to
speak of. However, it would have to do. Turning off the lights,
he crawled out of the window to his bedroom. Gosunkugi fired a
web into the darkness beyond. When he felt it connect, he
released his grip on the wall and swung out into the night.

============================

        Hope you all enjoy this!

Jed