Well, contrary to what some people seem to think, this fanfic is NOT dead. 
It is very much alive.  But because of rumours that it was, I decided to
write this (short) chapter for people to enjoy.

By the way, I find it odd that people are complaining about the lack of
non-Ranma fanfics being the reason there's not enough c&c, and then when I
DO post a non-Ranma fanfic (my Patlabor fanfic, Patlabor: Personal Files,
Episode 08), it's totally ignored and I don't get one single FFML C&C from
it- just two of my prereaders (which isn't even all of them).  In contrast,
I usually get five or six pieces of c&c on each Ranma fanfic or chapter of
a fanfic I post...

Ah, well... I'm not going to stop writing anything, regardless...
Chapter 2

Tylor hummed as he walked home, considering the Admiral's words. 
'Terrorists?  Ridiculous- I haven't heard of any terrorist activities.  I
suppose there might be some I haven't heard of- perhaps most of the strikes
have been against the Raalgon or something- but it certainly doesn't seem
as serious as he's making it out to be.'  Smiling slightly, he spoke his
last thought aloud.  "It certainly isn't as important to me as Yuriko and
our baby...."  He wasn't really talking to anyone, himself, but he did want
to hear it spoken aloud again- THEIR baby.  The ever-present smile on his
face grew considerably.

That smile fell a bit when an explosion that must have been centered only a
few blocks away from him shook the ground, causing him to stumble.

"What was that- an earthquake?" someone, who had obviously not been
involved in the war- or at least who had never been in a ship that had been
fired upon- shouted.

Tylor, who had been involved in some of the most vicious combat in all of
history (even if he almost never fired a shot), knew immediately what it
was.  Staring ahead, he knew exactly where the bomb had exploded.

"No... YURIKO!"  He gasped, staring at his apartment building.  A whole
side of it was missing, and the floor where their room used to be was on
fire.  Without knowing what he was doing, he rushed into the building.  He
started to run towards the elevators, when he saw their doors lying several
yards in front of the elevator shafts and flames coming from them.  "Damn-
of course the elevators wouldn't be working.  Where are the stairs?"

His voice reached one pair of highly relieved ears.  "T-tylor..." Yuriko
called hoarsely.

"Yuriko!" he cried gratefully, looking around for her.  Finally, he saw
movement- a hand waving from underneath one of the fallen elevator doors. 
He choked on his own bile, but then ran over and, with surprising strength,
lifted the door off of Yuriko's body.  "You're alive!"

Alive she was, but she certainly wasn't in good shape.  Tylor surveyed her
visible injuries with concern.  Half of her shirt was torn off, and burns
had blistered her left arm.  Her right leg was bent in an odd angle.  A
metal fragment had pierced her in the left shoulder, but only a little
blood had seeped through that wound- a bad sign, as Tylor recalled from his
own injuries, because it meant she was probably bleeding internally.  She
WAS bleeding badly from a nasty cut over her left eye, but that almost
seemed minor compared to the other injuries he'd seen on her.  If he'd
cared to notice, her face was also streaked with soot and dirt, but that
seemed very unimportant.

"How bad is is?" Yuriko croaked out as the faint sound of sirens started
approaching.

Tylor wasn't one to lie- unless he was asked if he was telling the truth. 
He didn't this time, either.  "Bad.  Don't move- don't even try to talk. 
But don't fall asleep either- you've got a head wound."

A smile cracked Yuriko's lips.  "So serious, Tylor... one might even think
you were responsible enough to care."

He wanted to reach out and cradle her in his arms, but he was so terrified
he would make her injuries worse that he could hardly breath.  "Hush...
don't waste your energy."

Yuriko smiled weakly.  "You can't tell me that... tournabout is fair play,
after all.  You kept talking when you were hurt.  You even sang with me."

Tylor's eyes watered.  "Do... do you want me to sing for you?"

"I love you, Captain Justy Ueki Tylor," she gasped.  The sirens stopped
outside the hotel, and emergency personnel started rushing in, some
carrying fire hoses.  "I always will."

"I love you, too," Tylor whispered, tears dripping off his cheeks.

*	*	*	*	*

Someone was shaking him gently.  That wasn't right- Yuriko knew the only
real ways to wake him up, and this wasn't one of them.  Why was she trying
to wake him up this way?

"Captain Tylor?" a voice asked.  "Captain Tylor, are you awake?  We have
some news..."

Suddenly, it all came back to him.  The explosion, digging her out from
under the rubble, the emergency medical technitions taking her away, him
riding with them in order to hold Yuriko's hand, waiting for hours as she
went through emergency surgery, the word that the 'People Against the
Raalgon Alliance' had claimed responsibility for the bombing, and then
still more hours waiting for word on her condition....

'Damn, it wasn't a nightmare,' he thought.

"Captain Tylor?"

"Yes?" his haunted voice said as he opened his eyes.

"We have some news.  Ms. Star has stabilized- for the moment- but she's
still in serious condition.  She should improve, however, and may even be
up to talking to you soon."

Tylor let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.  "And... our
baby?"

"It's alive," the doctor sighed.  "And if Ms. Star fully recovers, it
should stay that way.  Emphasis on SHOULD... Ms. Star has recieved a severe
shock to her system, and that may hinder its development, especially at
this stage.  However, I'm not an expert in this area- perhaps you should
talk to one of our prenatal care physicians."

"I think I will, doctor... what did you say your name was?"

"Desaix, Captain Tylor.  Nicolas Desaix."  An orderly ran up to the doctor
and whispered something in his ear.  "Ah, good.  Captain Tylor, it appears
your Ms. Star is waking up- would you like to go see her?"

In answer, Tylor stood up and grabbed the doctor, storming towards Yuriko's
room.

*	*	*	*	*

Yuriko felt as if her eyelids were made out of lead, but opened them
anyway.  Tylor was staring down at her, bags under his eyes and concern
written all over his face- and all she could focus on was his face- the
rest of the world was too fuzzy still.  He looked like he hadn't slept in
days.  She tried to reach out and hug him, but her arms were too heavy to
lift and something was attached to them.

Oh, yeah... the explosion.  She must be in the hospital.

"Tylor..."  She smiled.  "What are you doing here?  I would have thought
you'd be out having fun right now," she joked.

Tylor smiled as well, but it was forced.  "There wasn't anything else to
do, I guess."

"So... what happened?"

Something Yuriko had only seen on Tylor once- and then only in jest-
flashed in his eyes.  To her astonishment, the man who could always flow
with the breeze, the most fearless man she had ever met, was angry.  Very
angry.

"Some terrorist group by the name of the 'People Against the Raalgon
Alliance' placed a bomb at our apartment, claiming they were trying to
strike at me as the 'symbol of the cursed peace.'"

"They were targeting you?" Yuriko said.  She wasn't as surprised as she
thought she should be- perhaps because everyone on both sides of the war
had been trying to kill Tylor at one time or another.  Still, this meant
that the man she cared about was in danger, and she wasn't able to be there
and look after him.  "Is anyone doing anything about it?"

Tylor paused for a long moment.  He turned.  "Dr. Desaix, could you please
leave us for a moment?  I have something private to tell her?"

"Of course," the doctor, who Yuriko hadn't even realized was there,
answered.  A few seconds later, the door clicked to indicate it had been
shut, and Tylor's face was once more in her vision.

"Yuriko... before the bombing took place, Admiral Mifune offered me command
of Earth's contribution to an anti-terrorist task force.  I told him I
would talk to you first- I didn't want to be seperated from you, and I
didn't think you'd want to take an assignment while you were pregnant.  But
if the terrorists are going to be targetting me anyway, then..."  He
paused.  He didn't want to say this.

"Then?" 

Tylor sighed.  "If I stay around you, you AND our child are going to be in
serious danger from these people... you've already taken a serious shock to
your system, and the doctor said he was worried that it might affect the
baby.  I can't risk that again..."

Yuriko started to panic.  "Wh... what are you saying?"

Pulling together all his determination, Tylor looked into her eyes.  "I
promised to take responsibility for our child.  It would be very
irresponsible of me to put him into deathly danger before he was even born,
so... I'm taking the assignment."

"But... I want you here!" Yuriko cried.

"I know... I want to be with you, myself.  But it isn't safe... if you were
able to move right now, it would be a different story- I'd still take the
assignment, but I'd bring you with me aboard the ship and keep you safe
there.  But you can't move right now, and won't be able to for some time,
so..."

"So you need to go, while I have to stay."  She sniffed.  "It still isn't
fair."

Tylor's eyes flashed again.  "You're right- it isn't fair.  We should have
been left in peace... but we weren't, so now we have to deal with it."  He
kissed her on the forehead gently.  "We've still got some time... let's
make the most of it."

"That sounds so... final."

Tylor smiled.  "It isn't... when you're feeling healthy enough, I'll come
back as soon as I can and pick you up.  Then we can be together, and to
hell with what the rest of the universe says."

*	*	*	*	*

"Ah, Captain Tylor," Fuji said, greeting him as he arrived at headquarters.
 Mifune also arose next to him.  "Glad to see you came despite the tragedy
with Commander Star."

"It is because of that tragedy I am here.  If the terrorists are targetting
me, then she won't be safe with me near her."

Mifune and Fuji looked at each other.  "So... what are you saying?" Fuji
asked.

"I'm taking the assignment.  Put me in that task force."

Mifune nodded.  "I will do it right away, Tylor.  The timetable for
launching the force has been moved up, however, and the ship we were
building for you is not completed.  However, your crew has been
reassembled- with the exception of Commander Star- and we have secured a
ship which can temporarily serve as your flagship.  I'll draft your orders
and send you to her right away.  The task force moves out for the rendevous
with Dom's squadron in four hours- I want you on board your new command in
three."

Tylor nodded.  "Will do, sir- what's her name?"

"The Tsunami- an old destroyer of the same class as your old Soyokaze, but
refitted for more powerful shields and weapons.  It'll just be a temporary
command, so don't worry about the lack of creature comforts- we'll send
your new ship out as soon as it's complete."  Mifune paused.  "I know you
wish that the Soyokaze was still around, but the damage done to it by that
last battle was way too severe for us to restore her..."

Tylor nodded.  "That's perfectly okay.  I don't think I'd be in the mood to
command the Soyokaze right now... the Tsunami will be perfectly fine."

Mifune blinked, not quite understanding that statement.

Fuji, on the other hand, was grinning.  'Everything is going according to
plan.  I knew a hit on his apartment would scare him into accepting the
assignment... too bad about Ms. Star, but it couldn't be helped....'

*	*	*	*	*

"I'm sorry, Yuriko," Tylor said, looking at his watch.  "Mifune only gave
me an hour in which I could visit, so I have to go."

Yuriko nodded from her hospital bed.  "I understand... be careful."

"I will."  He looked over at her.  "I've arranged for the nurses to install
a communications system in this room so that you and I can talk from time
to time-"

"Every night?"

"Every night we're in range, yeah," Tylor said.

"Tylor..." Yuriko hesitated.  "Don't forget what you are, okay?"

Tylor smiled slightly, but something flashed in his eyes.  "I won't
forget... but these terrorists are keeping us from doing what we want... so
I'm going to take this seriously, okay?"

Yuriko's eyes widened.  "Tylor..."

He cut her off with a kiss.  "Next time I kiss you, it'll be on the deck of
the Tsunami.  Bye, Yuriko...  I love you."

Before she could say anything in response, he was out the door.

'Fight seriously?  The TSUNAMI?  Oh, god, Tylor... what are you thinking of
doing?'

*	*	*	*	*

 "It's nice to see you back with us, Tylor, sir" Yumi said.

"We're always happy to be under your command, Tylor, sir," Emi agreed.

"Right?" they chorused to each other before breaking off into giggles.

"It's good to see you two again, too," Tylor answered.  "This time, though,
you two will actually have to do some work- at least until Yuriko gets
better, I've gotta be a bit more serious than usual... to make up for her
not being here, of course."

The two girls looked at each other in concern.  Everyone from the Soyokaze
knew how much Yuriko and the captain loved each other, and everyone also
knew that Yuriko had been injured recently in one of the terrorist attacks.
 This reaction from Tylor, however, was completely unexpected.  Tylor being
serious?  It was completely unheard of.  Still, he was their captain.  They
had all wronged him more than once, and he constantly forgave them all. 
True, he was a bit... annoying... at times, but that was what made him who
he was.  If he acted a little different right now, well, they would forgive
him.  After all, having your lover caught in an explosion meant for you was
a bit stressful, and perhaps the stress was getting to him.

"Strap in, Tylor, sir," Yumi said.

"We need to get going or else we'll be late," Emi added.

"Of course, with us flying, you won't be late," Yumi continued.

"Right?" they said to each other again, giggling.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
                     desaix@sysnet.net
    http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872
                           fanfics available at 
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