Disclaimer:      The characters and situations of Ranma 1/2 are owned by
Rumiko Takahashi and are used in this fanfic without permission.
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5:28 AM


Muddled sounds.
A dull glow.


As he became increasingly aware the muddled sounds distinguished
themselves as the chirping of birds, the dull glow; a single shaft of
light that peered through the drawn curtains of his dim room and
reflected off the wall.


5:31 AM


He was awake. By reflex he looked at his alarm clock across the room. 29
more minutes - almost a half hour before he had to get up and start his
routine. He might as well try and get more sleep.



5:35 AM


He opened his eyes.


With sleep not forthcoming he started to contemplate his day.

A routine, set as much by circumstances as it was by design.

�What have I done to myself?�

Under normal circumstances he could very quickly dismiss such thoughts.
Slipping into a more stoic mode of thinking was as easy for him as it
was for most people to change their clothing.

But by some quirk of fate he was given an extra 30 minutes to his day.
So he let the feeling grow, allowing himself this one boon as _true_ men
were not supposed to be slave to their emotions.

It was strong.
Painful even.
Incredibly so.

It wasn't something he could easily categorize as any single emotion,
but he knew the conglomerates.


Frustration
Depression
Pain

 He felt...ugly.

He was unloved, perhaps...unlovable.



5:40 AM


It wasn�t fair.
Circumstances set him apart from those closest to him.
His father.
Even his�.mother.

Yet he must be strong, for those around him who couldn�t be.

But it hurt so much.

The pain came from deep within his chest and radiated outwards to his
very fingertips. It was no wonder that ancient peoples believed that the
heart was the seat of the soul.

It was as if his whole body was experiencing the wracking sobs that his
eyes could not portray.



5:47 AM


He wasn�t as dense as everyone thought he was.
He did have eyes that could see and ears that heard.

He knew the jokes, the whispers, he felt the hints of derision in their
voices.

A joke.
An embarrassment.
A laughingstock.

He knew that was what he was.

But it was a role he had to play. He could not blame them for not
understanding.


5:53 AM

Sometimes he wished that he knew the truth. His place in the world
seemed to be something that has always been predefined.

5:55 AM


Yet truth was something infinitely definable for each and every man. The
design can be changed. As time passes, it should be changed. Maybe it
was time.


5:57 AM

Perhaps it wasn't too late.


5:58 AM


Maybe.


5:59 AM


He got up and quickly hit the button on the alarm before it could go
off. He took pride in his timely actions. To allow such an artificial
noise to assault his noble ears would be a travesty.

The birds seem to chirp even louder as he rose � no doubt announcing his
arrival to the day.

And today would be especially great, as he was doubtless to finally
attain that which he had fought for - for so long.

Whilst wiping the sleep from his eyes and stretching out his taut back,
he took a quick look at the handsome, regal visage in the looking glass.
He sighed as he steeled himself to deal with the vagaries of everyday
life.

And with brisk movement and efficiency of motion, Tatewaki Kuno started
his day.