In the large kitchen of Sebastian's home, Angus is quietly
restoring order. The home movie projection screen is rolled up
and lying in the corner, and Angus is just packing up the
projector, when the door slams open.
Sebastian: Stop! Everything back! We need the screen.
Angus: [jumps] Whoa! What's up?
Sebastian: [waves a huge reel of film] He's done another one.
Angus: [groans] *Another*? But he's already done one epilogue
and two side stories. I thought we were *done*, when you
didn't C&C them.
Sebastian: [looks to the ground, embarrassed] I didn't have the
time... [looks up again] But this one is different -
this time we're gonna *take* the time!
Angus: What's so special about this one?
Sebastian: [grins] Wait till you see it. Now get going.
Angus: But I just put the screen *away*. I bruised both my
thumbs and squeezed...
Sebastian: Oh, now, Come *on*. It's not as if it's hard work or
anything. I'll get Jennifur and then we'll start.
As he leaves the room, the home movie screen in the background
begins too glow evilly and dark maniacal laughter can *almost* be
heard.
Angus: [quietly] That screen *hates* me.
Some time later, Jennifur and Sebastian are sitting in the
darkened room on their places before the screen, while a rather
battered-looking Angus starts the projector. Angus limps over to
his chair, while flickering numbers start counting down on the
The film starts.
: Subject: [FFML] [FF] The Dying of the Rose
Angus: "Rose"? Oh! It's the *Kodachi* fic? What did you do to
that poor chap?
Sebastian: Me?? Nothing! He wrote it of his own free will.
: I swore off writing Ranma fanfics, only because I want to move on to my
: original work, that has a one-in-a-million chance of being published.
: That is better than the zero-in-a-million chance I have of getting paid
: for these Ranma stories.
:
: This time, it was Sebastian Weinberg who did this to me.
Angus: "Nothing", eh?
Sebastian: Um...
: He commented
: how unsatisfied he was with Kodachi's treatment in "Thy Inward Love" -
: carted off to a mental hospital and never heard from again, safely out
: of everyone's lives.
Angus: Sounds like serious coercion to me. Using an author's
insecurity about his fanfics to coax another one out of
him. You're evil.
Sebastian: Oh, shut up already. We'll miss the beginning.
: BTW, "Tekima" is a name I made up all by myself. There was some logic
: to its creation, which I'll be happy to share with anyone who asks. If
: someone knows Japanese and finds that "Tekima" is some sort of horrible
: insult, I'd appreciate being told this. :)
Angus: Doesn't one Kanji reading of "Teki" mean "enemy"?
Sebastian: Are you trying to be negative on purpose, Angus? If
you don't want to watch, just say so, and we'll manage
without you - but don't spoil it for *us*.
Angus: I'm *not*...
: Kodachi shifted in her seat. The silence was quite uncomfortable.
Sebastian: Shhhh! It's starting!
: Part of her quailed at the thought. However much she had hated
: the place, it had been her home for eight years.
Sebastian: That would make her 25 years old.
Angus: How d'ya know?
Sebastian: She was of Ranma's age (i.e. sixteen) when the manga
started and was committed to the sanatorium during
_Thy Inward Love_, which takes place after Volume 38.
I *think* Richard said somewhere that he considered
that to be at least a year later.
Jennifur: Myow!
Sebastian: Oh yes, that's where it was.
Angus: But didn't he say that he'd leave _Needs and Desires_ out
of continuity and we should forget about it?
Sebastian: Oh no, he won't. At least not if he knows what's good
for him.
: Kodachi had snorted at the woman. "And the drugs I have to take?
: Aren't they, in effect, crutches? How wide do they make the
: beam?"
:
: The woman was well used to her barbs. "That is a good analogy,
Sebastian: It is, at that. The "balancing beam" image, that is.
Angus: And it's nice to see, that Kodachi isn't a brainwashed,
happy zombie after her treatment.
: "Stop it, Kodachi!" Her mother grabbed her arm and literally
: dragged her away from the controls. "You stupid girl!" Kodachi
: was slapped across the face. "You know you aren't supposed to play
: with that!" Another slap, harder. Kodachi cried out as loud as
: she could, hoping that Mother would stop. Sometimes it worked.
: Sometimes it only made her angrier.
Angus: Ye gods!
Jennifur: Myow.
Sebastian: [snorts in agreement] Heh, yes, "Love and Guidance"
indeed. Brrr.
: While Tatewaki didn't actually smile, his face softened a little,
: became less stern. "Nabiki's doing. She thought that the mansion
: was due for a makeover, as she put it." Tatewaki turned to look
: at the mansion, and his voice turned sad and angry at the same
: time. "I told her she could burn it to the ground and rebuild it
: if she wanted to. She told me that the cost-to-benefit ration
: made such a measure unwise."
:
: Kodachi laughed, and Tatewaki looked at her with surprise. They
: smiled at each other, sharing a complete understanding of how
: little they cared for the household of their youth.
Jennifur: MyoohOhoHOHOhoHohOoOhoHOhoooow?
Angus: Nah, somehow I can't picture her lapsing back into her old
laugh, here.
Sebastian: I think Richard didn't describe her laugh any further
for a reason.
: Mother's peculiar sense of honor wouldn't allow her to follow
: Kodachi inside her room. Kodachi would always have to come out
: eventually, and the longer she made Mother wait, the worse the
: punishment was. Still, sometimes it had been worth the extra
: beatings to be able to find some peace here.
Sebastian: Again, we learn how her mother contributed to the
scarring of her young mind... But what about her
father?
Angus: Yeah, you're right. It's that old "Tell me about your
mother" clichee, isn't it?
Jennifur: Myow.
Sebastian: Oh. Yes, I think you may have a point there.
Angus: Woss she mean, "preliminary environmental definitions"?
And all that stuff about "redundancy"?
Sebastian: She says, we already *know* their father is mad - no
need to detail it again. Her mother is completely
unknown to us, so he has to show more of her, to give
us a complete picture.
Angus: I don't know. I still think we should see a *little* more
of their father's role in their traumatic upbringing.
Sebastian: Remember that we're seeing this through Kodachi's
eyes. In _TIL_ she seemed more traumatized by her
mother's madness and death, than her father's. It's
only logical that her mother would figure more largely
in her flashbacks.
Angus: Nah, you're just rationalizing, now. After all, it's
Richard, who wrote her that way in _TIL_.
Sebastian: Now come *on*; Stop inferring things. It's perfectly
allright to say that Kodachi was more influenced by
her mother's mental state. It may be a clichee, but
sometimes it just *is* the mother's "fault".
Angus: Say, Sebastian, why're you getting so defensive? Do you
have *problems* with your mother? [grins smugly]
Sebastian: [reaches over to strangle him] Aaaargh! That's *it*!
Jennifur: Myow!!
Angus & Sebastian: Ooops. Sorry, Jennifur!
They sit back down and watch quietly.
: She picked one rose and put it in her hair before walking outside
: again. She looked up at the overcast sky. Somehow, it matched
: her mood. She felt a storm coming.
Angus: Awww, no! Is she lapsing back *already*?
Sebastian: Heh heh heh, I feel a plot point coming on.
Jennifur: Myow?
Sebastian: Shhhhh! Don't tell!
: One of the biggest regrets she had about the eight years lost to
: her was the opportunity to start her own family. While she had no
: desire to inflict upon a child the kind of mothering she would
: have been capable of during those eight years, she still wished
: she could go back in time and be as she was at this moment.
:
: Kodachi sighed; who was to say she would be a good parent now?
Sebastian: Hey, pretty good self-reflexion here. Very few
"normal" people manage to be this objective about
themselves.
Angus: Yeah, perhaps an eight year stay in a sanatorium should be
made mandatory. [laughs]
Sebastian: I'm not so sure whether that's as funny as you think...
: Kodachi wondered if she should do something. If she tried to
: intervene, all that was likely to happen was that the nearby
: parents would see her as a threat to their children, ignoring the
: minor injustice taking place in the sandbox. The last thing
: Kodachi needed right now was to be seen as a child molester.
:
: All that was just an excuse, Kodachi realized. She was as
: powerless to stop the big boy as she had been powerless to stop
: her mother.
Sebastian: That first paragraph is a pretty good description of
the uneasy rationalization for remaining inactive in
the face of injustice.
Angus: It sure made *me* feel uneasy.
: The big boy got up, angry. He swung his fist at the smaller boy.
: The smaller boy leaned back, let the fist swing by him, then
: reached out with his leg to cut the big boy's legs out from
: underneath him.
Angus: Ha! Betcha 50 ecu, that I know who the boy is!
Sebastian: And you'd win that bet, if I were stupid enough to
accept. It's obvious who he is.
: A woman's voice floated from somewhere to Kodachi's right.
: "Tekima, stop playing with your friends and come over here. We're
: going home."
:
: The boy brightened immediately. "Yes, Daddy." He ran off.
:
: Kodachi sighed. Why couldn't she have had someone like that when
: she was growing up?
Sebastian: Heh heh. I like the way how it takes Kodachi a while
to notice this.
Angus: Notice what?
Sebastian: Oh, never mind.
: The boy had joined a woman and a baby. The baby was being placed
: carefully in a stroller. The woman was wearing a loose-fitting
: shirt and slacks. Her short red hair was being tossed slightly by
: the wind. She straightened, and Kodachi got a good look at her
:
: Ranma.
Angus: What? You mean that was *Ranma's* child?
Sebastian: [incredulous] Of course! Who else? He was so
obviously "Ranma-teki"
Angus: I thought he was Ryouga's.
Sebastian: ...
: The silence had dragged on while Ranma looked down at the baby.
: Finally, she looked back over at Akane. "I'm getting that feeling
: again."
:
: "No!" Akane's retort was sharp, and punctuated by a slap on the
: table. "Not now! We've got another baby we have to take care of.
: Doesn't it ever let up?"
Sebastian: Ah, that would be the curse. I can't say often enough
how much I love Richard's innovation of making the
inability to acquire a cure *and* all the whackiness
and unlikely adventures *part* of the curse.
Angus: Hmm. There also may be a possible link to Ranma's sense
of danger, that often warns him before something happens.
Perhaps that was the curse, all along.
: Akane's voice lost all of its anger and became sad and loving.
: "Ranma, I never want you to be unhappy. I would hate to keep you
: from what you do best. You are the one man in the world, I think,
: that could do the things you're asked to do. You've helped so
: many people, made the world a better place in so many little ways.
: It's selfish of me, I know, to want more of you for myself.
: Forgive me if I act a little jealous of the rest of the world?"
:
: Ranma laughed softly. "Akane, there's nothing to forgive. There
: is one thing I want you to understand: no matter how much I enjoy
: going out and taking part in all sorts of strange and dangerous
: stuff, my greatest joy can always be found here, with you and the
: kids. Ain't nothing out there that could ever make me give up the
: life I have here."
Angus: <sniff>
Sebastian: <sniff>
Jennifur: Myow.
Sebastian: No, that's the *good* part about it. Think back to
the Manga: No matter how cosmic the battles got,
Ranma was never involved in anything other that his
own or his friends problems. When Richard spoke of
greater destiny in _TIL_, I thought it was logical,
but didn't look forward to seeing it. Now we find out
that this destiny was not so different than what he
always did: getting involved and helping on a very
close and personal level, intervening in situations
that nobody else could have rescued. I *like* that.
Angus: Uh huh. I couldn't imagine Ranma fighting wars with
intergalactic overlords or saving the world - except in
his own "Oops, the guy I just beat up would have conquered
the world otherwise. Oh, well."-way.
Jennifur: [changing topics] Myow?
Sebastian: Huh? [thinks for a moment] You're right! Hey
Richard - how come the baby doesn't have a name?
They're talking about "The Baby" this, "The Baby"
that, but never mention a name. C'mon, get with the
program and let the kid have one.
Angus: I hear "Miyabi" is all the rage, these days.
: There had been a lot of subtle emotional undertones. Akane was
: still an angry person, first and foremost, but she had tempered
: the anger with love. At least with Ranma, she set aside enough of
: her anger to listen to him and understand.
:
: Ranma, who had always seemed impatience personified, had slowed
: down and carefully explained herself to Akane. She had been open
: and honest with her feelings. Her love for Akane had come
: through strongly as well. The years had changed Akane and Ranma,
: and for the better.
Sebastian: You know, this is *exactly* what I hoped for in this
fic. I just *knew* Richard could pull it off. God,
do I love this.
: The boy's face brightened. "Oh yeah! You're my crazy aunt!"
:
: Kodachi laughed. She noticed that it sounded a lot like her old,
: maniacal laugh, and stopped before it went on too long. "Yes,
: that's right. I was crazy. I'm all better now."
Angus: Oh yeah, that's what they *all* say.
Sebastian: That reminded me of a quote I once heard: "When in a
state of mental distress it is important to try not to
scream or laugh, in case you find yourself unable to
stop."
: She recognized Ranma's Kachuu Tenshin Amiguriken tecnhique.
: Tekima was not nearly that fast, although she could see tremendous
: potential. Kodachi had developed a speed technique of her own
: involving clubs, the Senju Konbo. Although she wasn't as fast as
: Ranma, she could still move very quickly when she needed to.
Angus: Isn't that the one where she used twenty clubs? That's
not a technique, that's cheating!
Sebastian: Is it? Just try to hold twenty clubs at once and
strike with them fast enough that the onlookers don't
notice - then we'll talk again.
Angus: Uh...
Jennifur: <snicker>
: Kodachi smiled at him. "Tekima-chan, I am bigger, stronger,
: faster, and more experienced than you are. Don't lose hope. I
: have no doubt that, in time, you'll be able to beat me easily."
Sebastian: The whole match between Kodachi and Tekima was pretty
cool and well choreographed. I liked it!
: A plan sprung to her mind.
:
: Swear Tekima to secrecy. Go home. Her knowledge of drugs and
: chemistry had only increased inside the hospital. Make a sleeping
: powder, one gentle enough for a six-year-old. Make ready to leave
: the country - maybe to the US, or Australia. Come back to the
: Tendo Dojo. Take Tekima. Flee before Ranma knew what was going
: on. Live a long and happy life, raising Tekima as her own son.
: Tekima would soon learn to forget Ranma and Akane and turn all his
: devotion to Kodachi. Kodachi would make a home for herself as
: full of love as the Tendo home was.
Angus: ...and Kodachi the Black Rose rides again! <shudder>
: Kodachi smiled weakly at Tekima. "It's because I love you so
: much, Tekima. I have to tell you, I'll need to get your parent's
: permission. It's not likely that they'll let me teach you. I was
: very mean to them a long time ago, before you were born. I was
: sick then, and I was sick for a long time. I'm mostly better, but
: it will be a long time, if ever, before they trust me. So I was
: crying, because I might not ever see you again."
Jennifur: Myow.
Sebastian: Yes, touching is the word.
Angus: <sniff>
: Tekima grinned and looked behind her. "'Cuz Daddy was watching us
: all the time. He wouldn't let nobody do nothing mean to me."
Angus: Ba-BOOM!
Sebastian: Ooopsie.
Jennifur: <snicker>
: Ranma's voice, male this time, called from somewhere behind her.
: "Go back to the house and wash up, Tekima. I'll have dinner ready
: in a while. Help Mommy watch over your sister."
Sebastian: You'll notice, of course that he said *he* would have
dinner ready, even though Akane took off work today.
Angus: It *could*, of course, just be his turn. But I think we
all know what it means...
Sebastian & Angus: Akane still can't cook!
: Kodachi fought the irrational impulses that washed over her. I
: will not call him Ranma-sama. I will not call him Ranma-sama. I
: will not fall at his feet and worship him and beg him to be mine.
Angus: Oh, I know that. I do it all the time: "I will not take
another chocolate. I will not take another chocolate."
But then I get this flash of self-realization and say
"Hey, I'm lying to myself! Of *course* I will take
another chocolate!" And then I do.
Jennifur and Sebastian look at each other.
Sebastian: That explains a lot.
: "You... you cut your hair." It was the only thing she could think
: of to say.
:
: Ranma's voice was disturbingly quiet. "It was cut against my
: will."
Jennifur: Myow.
Sebastian: Yes, I particularly liked that he doesn't belabor the
point, but just lets the readers come to their own
conclusions. Very nice hint at Ranma's adventures in
the past eight years.
Angus: While we are talking of belaboring a point: I think
Jennifur perfectly summarized that already, Sebastian.
"Way cool!" says it all.
: She looked down at her feet, ashamed, before forcing herself to
: look up at Ranma again. "I still hadn't given up on you. I heard
: you, though, with your wife. It was obvious that you two are so
: much in love." Kodachi sagged a little. "It was obvious eight
: years ago. Obvious to everyone except a certain group of
: teenagers who had trouble perceiving reality correctly. For
: everyone else, it was just stubborness and immaturity. For me, it
: was a disease."
Sebastian: That's why she couldn't be with the others at the end
of _TIL_. The other fiances just needed to realize
the truth - she needed therapy.
Angus: I've got something else. She says that she didn't see how
much the two loved each other, back then. I think it was
just the oposite: She was the only of the girls who knew
full well that Ranma didn't love her - she just didn't
give a damn.
Sebastian: Oh, well, that's open to interpretation. I mostly
agree with you there, but Richard's version is no less
valid.
: She felt the tears flowing down her face and ignored them, intent
: on Ranma's reaction.
Angus: Is it just me, or did her soliloquy take quite long?
Sebastian: Hmm, yes, a bit. Ranma must have become more patient
than we expected. Still, I wouldn't want to miss any
part of her speech. Perhaps Richard could interject a
few reaction shots of Ranma in-between.
Jennifur: Myow.
Sebastian: Or non-reaction shots, yeah.
: Kodachi stared up at him, barely able to breath for fear that she
: would discover that what she had heard was not true. "What about
: Akane?"
:
: Ranma's eyes widened, and he grimaced; he hadn't thought about
: that. Typical of him.
Angus: Waahaha! Tells you something about Ranma, when he has to
learn responsibility from a just-released former nutcase.
Sebastian: [chuckles] True, true.
: "Of course! You're my - " He stopped, and a puzzled look came
: over him. "What do you call your wife's sister's husband's
: sister?"
:
: Kodachi laughed, and there was no trace of madness in it. "How
: about your friend?"
:
: Ranma grinned at her. "That'll do."
Angus: Awww. <sniffle>
Sebastian: [dabs at eyes with tissue] That was heartwarming.
Jennifur: <sigh>
: She finally found her brother in what appeared to be his study,
: talking on the phone to Nabiki. He raised his eyebrows at her and
: inidicated a chair. She sat and listened, not so much to the
: words as to the love behind them.
Sebastian: *Nice* phrasing.
Angus: It's "indicated", by the way.
Sebastian: Shut up. We'll do that separately.
: Kodachi watched him struggle with himself. She saw him
: considering lying to her, not telling her anything, yelling at
: her. When he did speak, she knew he spoke the truth. "Mother
: believed in Budo, up to the very end. She despised herself
: because she could not live up to it. She hated herself for what
: she did to us, and for what she did to the family harmony. In the
: end, she thought the only way she could bring peace to the family
: was to end her life. I keep the blade to remind myself how
: important harmony is, to yourself, and to your family. Peace
: starts from within yourself and spreads to the others around you."
: He looked grim. "The day I can do no more than bring pain to the
: family is the day I use that blade myself."
Angus: Wow, that's *so* like Kunou.
Sebastian: Yes, Nabiki might have helped him out of madness, but
apparently she didn't cure his tendency to get things
royally wrong.
: Before he could act on it, Kodachi put the handle into his hands.
: "Listen to me, Brother. The day you cannot find peace from within
: is the day you look to others for help. Did you not once tell me,
: on the day of your wedding which I could not attend, that Nabiki
: helped you fight the madness within you, and kept it from claiming
: your soul?"
: Kodachi stepped closer to him, filled with an intense desire to
: make him understand. "I, too, could not ask for help. I did not
: even acknowledge that I needed help. I nearly destroyed several
: lives. Fortunately, one person cared enough about me to get help
: for me. I hated him for it. It took me years to forgive him for
: bringing me to those who could treat my illness. Now, at last, I
: have come to understand that there is nothing to forgive. It was
: an act of kindness and love."
:
: She stepped back and bowed deeply to him. "Thank you, Tatewaki,
: for saving my life." She straightened and shot him a look of
: warning. "But never, ever consider taking your own life to
: assuage your honor. There are too many people around you who
: love you, who would be hurt by your absence. Look to them, and let
: them give you strength as you have given your strength to others."
Angus: Wow!
Jennifur: My*w!
Sebastian: Jennifur! Language!
Angus: Shut up, she's right. Wow, that Kodachi has become quite
a woman, eh? I'm beginning to understand what Seamus sees
in her.
Sebastian: Heh, I think the things Seamus likes about her, are
exactly those she got rid of in the hospital.
: "I knew that you had changed, dear Sister. I just
: didn't realize how much."
:
: Kodachi raised an eyebrow. "How would you know?
: Kodachi reached up and touched the rose. She had forgotten that
: she had put it there hours ago. "How does that make me any
: different?"
: Kodachi frowned, then reached up and took the rose out of her
: hair. She held it in front of her and looked at it.
:
: It looked back at her, blushing. Red.
Angus: Oh *man*!
: She looked up at Tatewaki in surprise. He nodded. "I knew, when
: you walked in, that Kodachi the Black Rose was no more."
Sebastian: Ha! I was right! When she picked a rose, but Richard
didn't do as much as acknowledge the color, I thought
so. *Very* neat - This revelation spans an arc back
to the beginning and gives a great finish to the whole
fic. Love it!
: The Black Rose was dead. She wasn't sure what the new foliage was
: going to turn out to be, but she knew that, no matter what, it was
: going to be full of the colors of life.
The fic ends and the screen fades to black. The three watchers
stay seated and mull the story over in their brains, until their
emotions slowly settle down. Finally the reel runs out and screen
flashes white again with the light of the projector, while the
loose end of celluloid clacketyclacketyclacks on the spool.
Slowly they get up and stretch.
Sebastian: Well, that was it, I think. Richard said he would
*definitely* work on something un-copyrighted by
others, now.
Angus: That means...
Sebastian: That means you can take down the screen now.
Angus: <wince>!
I hope you enjoyed this as much as we did. :)
Sebastian