Happy Thanksgiving in advance to those who aren't going
to be around to read this.
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The Wheel of Fire, #25: Reflections
Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYAhotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko
Takahashi. And all that other good stuff. Proper
licenses belong to respective properties and
characters. The manga has precedence over material in
the anime.
This file can be freely distributed so long as it
appears in its complete form and proper credit given.
No part may be reproduced for monetary gain without
permission from the author.
Fanart can be found at:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/fanart/index.html
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For several long moments Joseph Nakamura, priest of
Saint Hebereke and acting head of the Church, stood
silently over the dais below the altar dedicated to the
saint. Smoke rose from the shallow bowl before him,
strangely howling hauntingly, as if demons were being
exorcised.
In a sense, that may as well be the case.
Nakamura stared down at the bowl resting on the dais,
at the smoking mess burning without embers. It was to
the careful instruction of Lord Senryu Amakusa that the
three godly gymnastic weapons were to be destroyed on
the eve of the sacrifice.
The equation hardly called for the weapons
specifically, he knew, but it was Amakusa's girlfriend,
Asuka, who suggested it, citing that in addition to
serving the goals of the saint it also hampered the
threat present in former student Kodachi Kuno.
"It's done," the priest said aloud.
Turning in place, Nakamura faced the black-suited man
standing behind him. "Prepare the sacrifice
immediately."
Spencer bowed. "As you wish."
The paladin hardly had to wait to be dismissed, as he
turned on his heels and walked out of the great hall.
Nakamura nodded approvingly to himself. "It's almost
ready," he said. "We have the blessings of the people.
We have unleashed the pure essences of the god
artifacts. And now, all that need be done is to finish
the job."
His eyes glowed a harsh crimson.
* * * * *
In the case of Senryu Amakusa:
I wasn't sure how long I'd been lying on this cold
stone slab, but the wracking in my body was quite
familiar. It was the same kind of feeling I felt about
thirty years ago, in my youthful years.
Of course, anyone that looked at me thought I was
only thirty years old. An American named Dick Clark, I
believe, was also praised for his youthfulness, despite
being in his sixties or so. I imagine that many fifty-
year-olds would be envious if they knew I shared their
age range.
But... it was almost thirty years ago that I founded
the Church of Saint Hebereke, the year after being
touched by the saint. Thirty years... quite a long
time, and quite a lifetime ago.
Even though in those times the memories of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki were fading away, people still remembered
what happened, with a certain bitterness. I hardly
understood at that time, but I knew of the devastation
brought about by Allied Force's weapons, for my family
lived in Nagasaki when the atom bomb was dropped.
Since that day the family was terribly off, and I had
no certain path to walk. It was this uncertainty that
got me into a lot of trouble in the years following, as
a teenager without aim.
Thirty years ago it was one of those troubles that
nearly killed me. A couple of friends and I went out
into the mountains to camp out for a while-- a poor
excuse to get out of our parents' hairs. Unfortunately
for us, the drinks proved to be far too strong for our
blood. I don't remember how I got there, but I found
myself bleeding to death at the foot of a cliff, barely
able to move. I had no idea what happened to the others
or where they were.
I probably lay there, dying, for at least two hours
when delirium overcame me. I remember wishing I didn't
want to die, wishing for the kami to spare me.
Of course, with the fall of all things traditional,
relying on kami became a joke. But, I was delirious.
What wasn't a delirium was a golden light I saw. At
least, I believe it wasn't delirium. I saw a golden
face, vaguely smiling down upon me, urging me to get
up and move on.
The golden light enveloped me, giving me the
strength to lift myself up. I felt invigored by the
golden light. I found the strength to deliver myself
to safety.
It turned out that my friends were looking for me,
so when search parties found me one of them said,
"Thank God."
If it hadn't been an act of God that saved me, then
what else could it have been?
After I recovered weeks later I returned to where I
touched God, and eventually found a hidden shrine in
one of the caves in the cliff. Dedicated to some
unnamed spirit, I assumed, but a statue there did
resemble that of the savior.
Thereafter I dubbed him Saint Hebereke. It seemed
strangely appropriate, considering the circumstances of
our encounter.
From that day forward I created what stands today in
the name of the saint. Since that day I became Senryu
Amakusa, discarding my previous name. I felt the golden
warmness of the saint day after day, encouraging me to
go on in his name.
But, today, I no longer feel that warmness. The saint
has abandoned me.
The poison racking my body seems to have opened my
eyes: I remember everything perfectly, and quite
frankly, it doesn't make sense anymore. I had to
gather a number of followers for the saint, but could I
have not been content with my own pet god? Was I really
ever cut out for becoming a religious leader? For what
reason did I attempt to gather fighters and weapons,
when there was nothing to fear?
And why must we sacrifice someone to the saint?
I tried to move my arm, but something jingled,
echoing in the dry background of the empty chamber.
When I lifted my head to see what was the matter I
found I was inhibited in that action as well. I felt
the colder iron that kept me on the stone table, and
realized that I was now a prisoner.
It had to be Joseph. He was the first true follower
of the saint's vision, and I did place him in charge
while I recovered. It HAD to be him!
To think that my mad words forced a good man to do
the unthinkable.... What beast of man am I?
In the case of Asuka Saginomiya:
All I asked for was the best boyfriend in the entire
world-- was that asking for too much?
Sure, scant months after we agreed to renew our duel
in five years I found the perfect man: Senryu Amakusa.
The features! The charisma! The power! Had I found him
sooner Kodachi Kuno would have been shamed under my
greatness!
I hardly bothered with the business of petty people,
but during a tantalizing... visit, to Kodachi's school
I saw that man. I saw him, and I knew I wanted him. I
was even so surprised that Kodachi hardly knew he
existed!
Presenting myself splendidly before the man he was
immediately smitten by my natural beauty! To say that
Senryu was enchanted by me would do injustice to our
encounter. We found ample time to get to know each
other over the course of a scant few weeks.
And then, just when I thought I knew the man, Senryu
brought me into his Inner Circle.
To say I was surprised would be an understatement.
All along, existing under the premises that the school
stood upon was a hidden complex, probably designed
long before the school was built. Senryu displayed this
all for my eyes, but when I thought this was the most
enchantment that was in store for me....
Senryu elaborated upon a plan-- a plan that would
increase the power of his church many times. He wished
to control the future of Japan, and the means by which
he wished to do so was through the minds of students,
starting with those attending his private school.
To become involved in determining the future of this
country... how could I refuse? Particularly if the fate
of Kodachi was also in my hands-- a suitable bonus
upon bonuses!
Much of what transpired thereafter seems quite foggy,
to say the least. I certainly remember engineering the
chain of events that would remove Kodachi from the
school forever-- a plan that seemed to please Senryu
greatly. I determined that, in order to gain more
control over students' minds, placing them within a
single pecking order was required. Since conformity to
one mind was the idea, and since I knew Kodachi's
mannerisms, I knew she would be revolted enough to
depart. Dashing her educational gravy train was a great
satisfaction.
However, the night after Kodachi left the school for
good I had a nightmare. A man appeared in my dreams,
whispering words I cannot remember even now. In
hindsight, after that night for some reason Senryu
elaborated further upon his goals: a revival of the
saint himself. It had nothing to do with manipulating
student minds from the start; all Senryu wanted was the
universal worship from the masses-- that was how he
wanted to control the country, not through minds, but
through hearts and souls.
In hindsight, such an idea seems ludicrous, but for
some unfathomable reason I agreed with it. I actually
went along with it!
But, after awakening in Kodachi's very home it seems
I came to my senses, for though I recalled everything
that transpired during this... fugue, I hardly
remembered why I did some of those acts. One thing was
for certain, it had much to do with that tramp of a
girl with too much hair.
To this moment I wonder what Senryu is up to, and
whether or not he is succeeding in his mad scheme.
In the case of Chikatomo Hisho:
My dad wanted to name me Chika, and my mom wanted to
name me Tomo. That was the most absurd way to get a
name, but if I had the choice back then I would've
sided with Dad. After all, he's the one that's still
with me, after that two-time loser mother jumped ship.
These days, since Dad remarried, I've used Mother's
revolting name as my alias. My step-brother, Shion,
suggested using an alias as I was getting myself into
his kind of business; it was for the benefit of
remaining virtually anonymous (of course he pointed
out that 'Tomo' could easily get traced back to me with
little effort). Shion was the one that introduced me to
the 'mercenary' concept, after all, being a mercenary
himself.
They called him 'Warlock' for the amazing things he
could do. If you needed to trace a Swiss bank account,
he could do it. If you wanted to doctor a resume, and
back it up with external physical evidence, then you
went to 'Warlock.' If you needed to disappear, or even
erase yourself, he was your man. The only catch was the
price-- such demanding services never came cheap, but
you certainly couldn't complain about the quality.
He was the faceless one that could do whatever he
wanted, and was known only to be the one at the other
computer monitor. Indeed, perhaps what he did was
truly magic.
I remember the first time I caught Shion in his
'Warlock' act in his room, not long after Dad married
his mom. I was a single child, and so was he; Dad
suggested I should get to know Shion; after all, we
were now 'brother and sister,' and we should get along
as such. Well, I wasn't too thrilled with the idea at
first, but after barging into Shion's room
unannounced... well, to say the least, changed my
life forever.
Until that moment I had no idea that Shion had a
computer, much less a network connection. After I
coerced him a bit he admitted to being a digital
bigshot-- otherwise a techno-geek, a hacker. He often
did small favors for people he didn't even know for
money, and it surprised me how much work he put in just
to hide his identity.
Shion recognized that I had some talent, and taught
me the ropes... starting with his computer. I learned
quite a bit about how things worked from him, and how
to get things to work in my favor. It also kick-
started my interest in media arts, strangely enough.
One of my first 'tests' was wiring a hidden camera.
Shion often pointed out the obvious places, and made
a few helpful suggestions here or there. Eventually, I
could make such decisions on my own. In fact, I got so
good at it that I wired Shion's room without him
realizing it.
Of course, after he figured it out (which hardly took
long, as I made the mistake of wiring the camera
directly to his computer) he offered to teach me
everything else if I'd stop bugging his room.
That time was the moment 'Tomo' was born. 'He' was a
mercenary of a different sorts-- one that was clearly
localized in Tokyo, yet extremely effective and quick.
Where 'Warlock' excelled in the digital world 'Tomo'
did in the real world.
Eventually I had enough money to build my own lab,
which I take great pride in. The incredible network of
information I hold over Tokyo is... well...
unbelievable. If I paid close scrutiny to every
monitor I had in my office I'd be the information
broker in no time (but then, I've got better things to
do than that, like doing my homework and learning tea
ceremony-- yuck).
Of course, that pales in comparison to what Shion
can do, since he practically owns the information net.
Well, he could if he wanted to, but he's just in it for
the money, and would rather make a real life for
himself other than being a professional hacker for the
rest of his life.
Not long ago I met Kodachi Kuno in a cooking class at
school. I'm not sure how she figured it out, but she
knew that I was talented. Heck, she might have known
that I'm 'Tomo,' but whatever the reason Kodachi asked
me to doctor some photos for her-- the initial set
being her brother and some strange girl in the same
picture. Scandalous was the key.
The second set was full of pictures of Kodachi's
brother's head on a pig. I hardly asked questions
about that, but I got paid well. It was the start of
quite a friendship, though; Kodachi never gets boring,
always finding something interesting to do or talk
about, even if they were odd at times. Her brother,
Tatewaki, was pretty good-looking, too, although I'm
certain he hadn't thought of me.
Between that and the other odd jobs I somehow got the
attentions of one Yakuza gang; the contact was a girl
named 'Black Widow.' She claimed she's heard of 'Tomo'
from reputation, and wanted some information that could
be used against her enemies. Needless to say, she
paid well, but eventually I somehow pissed her off.
Of course, after I figured out who 'Black Widow'
really was, I got back at her.
Shion constantly berated me over those times, with
many 'I told you so' remarks and all that. Heck, I'm
still trying to get the hang of it, but I'm certainly
getting better at it than Nabiki Tendo. That girl is
still in her infant steps, much like I was before.
I'm certain that when he gets out of college
'Warlock' may leave the scene for good in favor of a
real job. When that time comes, 'Tomo' is on his own.
I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet.
In the case of Nabiki Tendo:
If anyone asked, I'd tell them it was for the money.
Of course, that just wasn't the case, but I let
anybody believe what they wanted, so long as it served
my ends.
As I watched Ranma and the others fight out in the
front yard, I took hold of my sister, Akane, holding a
kettle of hot water. She wanted to give it to Ranma,
who was in girl form, I knew, but what she didn't
seem to understand was that she'd get in the way in
the process.
I doubt that Akane appreciated anything I did that
could be viewed as protecting her; after all, I wasn't
a martial artist, she was. Being pestered by a non-
fighter was probably insulting to her-- yeah, that
would be Akane, all right. Any little thing could set
her off, the headstrong girl.
She certainly believes I don't have a heart, after
the kinds of things I did a while back. I think it was
back when I dissolved our little singing group; for
some reason I think Akane truly believed she could make
a life out of that. Well, if I know how idols work, I'd
say that it's not a long-term career.
It certainly wasn't one I wanted to be stuck in,
which is why I dissolved it.
Popular theory said it was money, of course; they can
believe what they want, but becoming a professional
idol was an invitation for social suicide. The bright
lights and all were fleeting indeed; does anyone wonder
why there are so many idols around? Fans do get tired
of one, then go on to the other.
So it was better to dissolve at the height of our
popularity, rather than die a slow and painful death.
It wasn't pretty, the night we held our last live
concert. Three of Ranma's friends came by and trashed
the place in the middle of the concert... but it wasn't
entirely unexpected. Needless to say, they were pretty
mad at me, but they weren't MY friends. Well, one of
them got killed the next day, but if she was still mad
at me then it's not my problem; she can carry her hate
all the way to Hell.
At least I can still make money off our popularity by
selling recordings of Kasumi's voice. For some reason
stupids would pay to listen to her speak about
nothing-- but it was a constant source of income.
Not long ago I decided I needed some insurance in
case Ranma or Akane ever got in the way of things; I
needed solid evidence of their love. The idea was to
keep them out of my way while I had physical proof of
something they didn't want to get out. Knowing the two
they were pretty secretive about their personal lives.
On the side I could get them to admit their feelings
and relationship publicly, which would be good, too.
After checking a few places, calling in a few small
favors, I was directed to the best information network
in Japan, one run by a guy named Tomo. Actually, I
looked this guy up long before I dissolved our singing
group, and we sort of had a little disagreement, but
we patched things up over the phone. Not surprisingly,
he was disguising his voice through some kind of
scrambler, but it was obviously a guy. He was also
somewhat reluctant to help me this time around, because
of the last job I gave him.
That time? Oh, it's just that he somehow got me on
one of the job videos I paid for. He thinks I'm some
big-time Yakuza boss, so of course he was worried.
It wasn't long before Tomo came up with something,
but when I reviewed the tapes the contents weren't
exactly what I expected. So I destroyed the tapes, and
drew up another plan.
Sometimes I wonder if Tomo altered the tapes, but
there's no way to find out unless I found his office.
In the end I went ahead with my scheme anyway, even
without the physical evidence to back it up. This was,
of course, all operating under the assumption that Tomo
indeed altered the tapes; I refuse to believe that
Ranma and Akane did nothing while alone. They didn't
like to appear too close, but I know better.
Maybe I can't get them to do what I want, but I can
get them to admit their lives to everyone else. I
passed a rumor to Kodachi Kuno that Ranma and Akane...
well... did it. Well, when it finally hits the ears of
the couple in question, I expect some hefty explaining
coming around.
After that I called in a few more favors and got the
name of another, different guy, named Warlock. It was
obviously not his real name, of course, since Warlock
was reputed to have done illegal jobs in the past. I
tried to coerce him into digging into the identity of
Tomo (so I could get the master tapes), but he refused
my offer.
Instead, after that weird priestess showed up at my
house for dinner I asked him to look her up. I wonder
how long it'll take before I get a response?
In the case of Nagi Tachibana:
I should have died.
No, not the previous duel with Tatewaki, I meant
long before that, back during the fall of the
Tokugawa Shogunate.
There really isn't much to say about myself. I was
a member of the feared group of swordsmen, the
Shinsengumi, the men of justice. It hardly meant a
thing, however, when the rebellion was in full swing.
I was good, very good, but there was a man that was
even better, and he was serving the other side. And if
history had its way I would've been just another
dead man at the hands of Battousai.
For some reason or another, which I never truly
found out for certain, I didn't die because a man in
midnight robes rescued me. He brought me to the
hidden shrine to a monstrous eight-headed dragon, which
he called the Orochi. It was supposed to be the same
Orochi mentioned in the ancient legends.
So I was rescued from death by a cult-- the man's
name was Puerile, the leader of the cult. He told me a
great many things, about the greatness of Orochi and
his plan for a New Order-- returning the planet back to
its roots. Puerile made many points, citing the mark
of the beginning of the end of Japan if mankind
continued on its destructive course.
As a samurai I should have fallen on my sword, to die
with honor, but Puerile's words enticed me...
enchanted me. The rebellion, I knew, would spell the
end of Japan, so I agreed to become a part of Orochi's
grand scheme. Only afterward I would be granted the
honors of death, for I must repay the kindness Puerile
showed to me.
I served quietly in the cult for many years, and I
realized that my blood had been replaced with Orochi
blood. Puerile explained that it gave me the strength
of the dragons, but also had the quirky side effect of
extending lifespans.
Eventually, I became a member of the honored Eight
Assassins, a coveted position within the cult. It
occurred after the unfortunate death of Puerile,
however, at the hands of a lesser Assassin, Warmage.
As a member of the Eight Assassins I became the
User of Earth power, a very powerful aspect of the
eightfold dragon. A new blade was forged for my hands
alone, the Earth Dragon Sword. It was said to have
been bathed in the Earth Dragon's essence, which is why
it was so strongly attuned to the earth element.
I also fell in love. It was the last place I
expected to find a wife, but the female assassin
known as Lash I found attractive. Not in the physical
sense, mind you, for she was quite unattractive,
sporting numerous scars and bursted bulges here and
there. It could be an inner beauty, I suppose, or a
common interest. Lash was brought into the cult after
working in a whore house; she, too, hated this world
and wished to help shape the future. Though we could
not have children, she filled my days with fond
memories (barring her fetish of self-inflicted
torture, which was probably a psychological problem).
Warmage was a foolish leader, as he was the one that
lead to the Assassins' destruction at the hands of
eight rival warriors outside the cult. I expected to
perish, but somehow I survived, minus my left arm. And
yet, my dear Lash had not survived. The only thing that
kept me going was the desire for revenge.
In a desperate bid to regain Orochi's favor Warmage
decided to summon Nemesis, the god of vengeance. I took
this last battle as an opportunity to rematch Tatewaki,
who had beaten me earlier with a surprising skill.
To say the least it was an even match-- no, more than
even. I ended the battle by throwing myself into the
jaws of the earth itself, taking Tatewaki with me.
But no. Death was not there to meet me, but the
waters below. It was a direct current to the ocean, it
turned out, and when I came to I had washed ashore at
the feet of a man.
Later this man, my rescuer, turned out to be none
other than Senryu Amakusa himself, the founder of the
popular cult of Saint Hebereke, an open cult, so to
speak. I hated the man, but I was in his debt, and I
was obligated to serve him before I could kill myself.
But now, the time has come. Once again, I found
myself before the man who humbled me twice, Tatewaki
Kuno. I could bear the shame of living no longer, and
it was to his surprise that when I drew my blade, the
Earth Dragon Sword, I handed it to him.
I asked him to assist in my ritual suicide.
Miranda and Spencer were shocked, to say the least.
Those two expected me to challenge and duel Tatewaki
again-- they were mistaken. I only lived this long to
repay the favor of Amakusa's, and if Spencer were smart
enough he'd take advantage of the confusion to carry
out the job.
The battle that had hardly begun had frozen, and all
eyes were on Tatewaki. He dropped his bokken, and
accepted the Earth Dragon Sword wordlessly.
Smiling, standing on my knees, I thanked him, and ran
my artificial arm's blade through my stomach.
I was unsure as to what Tatewaki was doing at the
moment, but the only response I needed was the
enveloping blackness.
In the case of Tatewaki Kuno:
I held the bloodied sword of my foe outward, and felt
the urge to throw the despicable weapon away.
The deed having been done, I had no idea what to
think or feel. I resisted the urge to look down upon
the severed head of Nagi, a formidable opponent who
died with honor.
Honor. What does it mean now?
Many a time I shouted the words, "Prepare to die!"
and yet, in none of those instances have I ever carried
out such words. But today, Tatewaki Kuno has killed a
man.
Samurai. Honor. Dignity. Code of Warrior.
'Tis one thing when read in stories of the past. 'The
Tale of Genji,' for instance-- many a noble warrior
met his end in the myriad passages. The stain of blood
does blanket the victor, if not physical, but mental.
No story prepares for this.
I wanted to throw the sword away. I wanted to laugh,
but I knew it to be hollow. I had no idea what to do,
what to say, or what the consequence of my action
would be.
The man I fought valiantly in the past was slain
by my hand, through no skill of my own.
For many years I yearned for the feeling that ran
through the blood of a warrior, as in the stories I
read and memorized by heart. Many a time I had ample
opportunity to feed a blade the blood of my enemy.
Many a time I failed, but today Fate has shown me a
reason why.
I killed a good man.
It had no meaning.
Honor means nothing.
To think I held such a noble code in high esteem!
What good was it now?
I heard the voice of little Kodachi, but I could
not discern the words. She was getting closer, I
could tell, but she wisely kept her distance.
All eyes were waiting for a reaction from one
Tatewaki Kuno, who slayed a good man.
"It means nothing," I said.
"What means nothing?" she asked.
"To be a samurai... to slice and kill... and to
survive," I replied. "Honor... warrior ways... it all
means nothing!"
I still felt the dreadful blade in my death grip
as I started to run.
"Brother!" Kodachi yelled.
No, I could not stop; I WOULD NOT stop! There was no
place I needed to be, save away from others.
So I ran into the cold night. I had no idea when
I could no longer hear Sister's voice any longer, but
I kept running nonetheless.
My life, my dreams, my desires... all mean nothing.
In the case of Kodachi Kuno:
Brother was running off into the night, all alone.
For the moment, the world around me seemed to
vanish altogether, and there was only me, Brother, and
the corpse of the one-armed man who had spared me the
other day. What was it that drove Brother to murder
that man?
He was running with surprising speed, still holding
on to the sword the man gave him. I, too, was running,
supposedly just as fast, but Brother was making it to
the end of existence faster than I.
Brother ran the dark tunnel that was my existence,
running to the light, and I could not stop him.
"Wait!" I screamed. "Come back!"
At that moment I shed all false pretenses; this had
nothing to do with sibling rivalries anymore. It was
about someone you love being hurt.
I could not stand to see him hurt so, but what
could I do to help?
No, such thoughts were not circulating in my mind;
all there was left was blood instinct.
Somewhere along the way, I ran into a stumbling
block, and Tacchi was gone forever.
"Don't you go anywhere!" snarled Miranda, who
somehow managed to get ahead of me in time to stop me.
I hardly understood what this girl, being of the
same age as I, wished with me. From the first day we
attended school together Miranda was always the
competitive one, flaunting all her goodness to me at
every opportunity she got.
If anything, she appeared quite insecure.
Miranda balled her rubber gloved-hands into fists,
then tossed her mane of hair over her shoulders. "I've
been waiting a long time for this!"
"Oh, really?"
"Ever since you came to school that day you proved
yourself the best in everything you did," the other
girl accused. "From day one you were made the captain
of the rhythmic gymnastics team! From day one you
became Miss Popularity, as all the girls looked up to
you. But, *I* am better!"
"There is ego for you," I snorted.
"However," Miranda said, raising her index finger,
"there is one thing you are no good at all!"
"What would that be, pray tell?"
"I'm a better fighter!"
I could tell where this was going, therefore I
snapped out my ribbon. "This should prove an amusing
little exercise!" So I laughed.
Easily I avoided Miranda's booted kicks, as she was
too slow to match me. Already I could tell the girl
was sweating.
"Your skill is lacking, as usual," I taunted.
"Oh, no, that was only a warm-up!" Miranda shot
back.
She was smiling at me, perhaps because she had an
ace up her sleeve.
Spreading her feet apart, standing as if she were
bracing herself, Miranda cupped her hands together. I
saw a glowing ball of energy forming within those
cupped hands, and it was then I knew I was outmatched.
Somewhere along the line Miranda must have decided
to take her little beef to an entirely new level.
While the art was only a means to an end in my
sophisticated life, the plebian was obsessed enough
to pull this stunt!
"SHISHI SENKO!!" the plebian shouted, throwing an
energy bolt.
The bolt was surprisingly quick, as it nearly got
me. Yet, being who I am, I was not satisfied with
being a target for an enemy I hardly acknowledge.
I leaped up and onto a nearby wall. "Shouting out
the name of attacks... ha-hah!" I laughed. "Truly, it
is out of style. But then, you were always one step
behind."
Only anger registered in Miranda's features. "Shut
the hell up and fight me!"
"You can come up with more play tricks if you wish,
but a fight is denied!"
Miranda snarled, clenching her fists. I could even
hear the rubber gloves squeaking from where I was.
"Fine, then! Don't fight back! I'll just kill you
as you are!"
She arced her arm behind her. Then, as throwing a
discus, the plebian threw another energy bolt.
"SHISHI SENKO!!"
This time I stepped to the side, and watched as the
energy disc flew by.
"Hah! Was that the best you ca...."
My words cut short, I screamed in pain as I felt a
great force pummel me from behind. Without time to
recover I fell to the sidewalk face-first-- it was
quite painful.
The only possible reason why this could have
occurred was that I underestimated Miranda greatly.
"The great thing about my Shishi Senko," she told
me, "is plasticity! You didn't think it'd come back in
this direction, did you?"
I refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing
that I was completely surprised. I tried to get up,
but I felt the heavy weight of Miranda's boot on my
back.
With that avenue exhausted, I tried to find where I
lost my ribbon, but it was conveniently out of my
reach.
"Now," the plebian said, "who's the better warrior?
Say it!"
What a humiliating way to lose.
In the case of Ayame Mishima:
When the boss went after her brother, I didn't know
what to do. After all, she was the boss, and I really
couldn't do much myself.
I tried to look away from the beheaded sword guy, as
the blood... well... grossed me out. Instead I looked
toward that guy Ranma... well, now he was a girl, and
he turns into a girl when splashed with cold water....
"Well?" she asked.
I looked around, and during all the confusion the
other two attackers were gone. "Damn," I spat.
"That's no way for a girl to talk," someone said,
but I hardly listened.
Miranda was gone, and so was Kodachi.
Of course, knowing the rebel, she's probably going
after the boss.
I made up my mind, and went out in the direction I
thought Kodachi went, the same direction her hunky
brother went.
As soon as I'd left I heard a couple gunshots;
most likely that priestess with the shotgun and the
guy with the pistol. Ignoring the commotion, I set out
on my little search for the boss.
Kodachi was a year older-- my sempai. She was the
boss of the rhythmic gymnastics team for the second
year in a row when I joined up, and boy, was she good.
So whip-thin that I looked fat in comparison, and I
knew I wasn't fat. Well, not THAT fat.
Okay, so I was the snot-nosed newbie of the group,
but that hardly made me any less able than the other
girls. Momma said that Saint Hebereke's girl's school
was one of the best in the country, and that I should
be proud I got to go there. But then, the first day of
practice those girls made me very unwelcome.
My head was filled with all these silly dreams, you
know. I wanted to be the best in Japan-- who didn't?
I mean, my junior high coach said I was bound for a
whole bunch of good things, and I took it to heart.
Well, on that first day all dreams were shot down.
They didn't call it 'hazing,' but it certainly felt
like it. They probably did it because I had all these
airs, made myself self-important to a group of vets.
I was the newbie; a smart-ass newbie at that.
Maybe I was lucky, that I went to an all-girls
school. I mean, I didn't have to chase after the girls
in my underpants through the halls or anything (as the
others keep telling me happens in other schools... oh,
gossip is cool, especially when it betters ourselves).
Oh no, I had to put up with worse stuff than that;
maybe I wasn't lucky (but I wouldn't want boys staring
at me like that, either).
One of my first lessons as part of the team was the
deflation of my own personal ego over the team's
work. Yeah, the team counts more than the person, as
they kept telling me, but I was still all that. So
what they did was this: they passed around rumors
suggesting I was a lesbian.
It doesn't sound bad on paper, but it wasn't very
funny, because any girl who heard that in school kept
badgering me about it in their own ways. Some took the
effort to walk around me, as if I had some infectious
disease. And I even got love notes (though later I
found out the girls did it just to enhance the
effect). All that crap was driving me nuts!
So after a couple weeks of putting up with the false
rumors, and in general feeling totally unwelcomed at
the school, I was going to tell Kodachi that I was
going to quit. Well, the first thing she did was
laugh at me.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
And she answered, "Your ego."
I got my first real lesson then. It was okay to have
an ego, but not so that it screwed up everyone around
you. Actually, what Kodachi told me was that this
little... whatever was primarily there so I could suck
in my pride and grit my teeth-- in other words, to
humiliate me. It worked... sort of, although the
rumors didn't die until a lot later.
For some reason or another the boss decided she
wanted to help train me personally. I think that was
when I started calling her 'boss,' I guess, even
though she was always my boss. She was absolutely
fantastic, and she wanted to train me herself!
Geez, if they hadn't sunken my bloated ego already I
would've been flying.
After that the boss made it a point to teach me
everything she knows about life, and I took it all in
eagerly. I hardly spoke unless spoken to, and as a
bonus I got the respect I deserved, being Kodachi's
left-hand guy (apparently at the time she already had
a right-hand, and I got to know Chika as well-- she's
cool, too, if a bit of a wuss). One thing's for sure,
knowing Kodachi's a pretty interesting thing,
especially after the kinds of stuff she does. I owe a
lot to Kodachi, that's for sure.
So when I found her under the boot of Miranda the
Bitch Queen, the first thing I did was attack.
In the case of Ranma Saotome:
It seemed that at the moment Kodachi's scrubby
lackey left the war really started, y'know.
Well, when Shizuka fired the first shot from her
single-barreled shotgun, I ducked for cover; she
probably saw that Spencer guy, or she was firing at me
again.
No sooner that I finished that thought Spencer
started shooting, too.
"Akane, get down!" I yelled, even though it wasn't
even necessary. Everybody was down on the ground or
hiding except for Shizuka, who was standing out in the
open, reloading her shotgun.
Dammit, that stupid girl!
Getting up at great speed, I ran and tackled the
screwy priestess.
Needless to say, she shoved me off of her and
scrambled for her shotgun. "What the hell are you
thinking?!" she snarled.
"Stay down!" I ordered, even though I knew she
wouldn't listen. Kinda like Akane in that respect.
She leveled the shotgun at my chest. "Get in the way
again and I'll give one to you!"
I pointed to the bullet strap on her barrel. "You've
only three bullets left."
"Four," she corrected, tapping the barrel with her
index finger. "This one's locked and loaded!"
Another shot rang out, and the priestess ducked
instinctively. A moment later Shizuka was already
hunting for the source of the shot.
I watched her lower the shotgun slowly. "He's not
here anymore."
"Huh? How'd you figure that?"
She looked down at me. "Didn't you hear it the first
time? They're not after us."
I got up to my feet. "So what're you sayin'?"
On cue, the answer came in the form of a girl's
scream from the house.
"AKANE!!" I shouted, dashing for the house.
"Wait, you!" Shizuka cried from behind.
I heard her fire her shotgun, and I saw the black-
suited man making his escape, someone trapped in his
arms.
"Ranma!" Akane yelled. "He's got Kasumi!"
I did a double take. "Kasumi?!"
She held out the kettle of hot water for me, which
I gladly accepted. "Somehow that guy snuck in the back
and got her in the kitchen!"
"Damn," I cursed, pouring the hot water over my
head. Tossing the empty kettle aside, I gave myself a
running start to jump over the wall.
As I cleared the wall, out of the corner of my eye I
noticed Shizuka reloading her shotgun. Three more
shots and she's out.
Where the hell was that other girl in the robe,
anyhow?!
Before I could continue my pursuit of the paladin,
a bright flash of light caught my eye. It must've been
that other girl that was with the paladin.
That distraction was pretty much enough to get me to
lose track of the stinkin' Spencer, but I knew where
he was going anyway. So I decided I'd pay this other
person a little visit.
As I rounded the corner I was just in time to see
the rubber girl take out Kodachi's shadow, that Ayame
kid, I guess. Both Kodachi and Ayame were down, lying
in the middle of the street, with that bad girl
standin' over them.
She stared at me with those unnatural red eyes.
"Who're you?" we both asked at the same time.
The girl chuckled to herself. I couldn't see what
was so funny. "Miranda Kusao, of the Mantis Blades
School."
"Ranma Saotome, Saotome School of Anything-Goes
Martial Arts!" I shouted proudly. "You guys're going
to give back Kasumi or else!"
Miranda waved her finger. "I've heard of you, you
know. You're the cocky guy, all right. Kodachi's old
boyfriend."
"I'm not her boyfriend!"
"Doesn't make a difference to me. I've proven all
along which of us was better, and I've won."
"Yeah, well, try ME on for size!"
I rushed in for my attack, and Miranda kept me away
with a simple circular kick. Naturally, I avoided it,
as it's a simple trick and all.... She followed up
with an axe kick, which attacks high, so I raised my
arms up to parry the blow. Catching her leg, I threw
Miranda backward, but somehow she managed to stay on
her feet.
I dodged her gloved fists easily, so I landed a few
good jabs on her. I used to go easy on girls a long
time ago, but after a while I figured out that girls
were pretty good, too.
Miranda leaped back, cupping her hands together.
"SHISHI SENKO!!"
The instant the energy ball formed in her hands I
instinctively drew one of my own. "MOKO TAKABISHA!!"
I have no idea what kind of gas her Shishi Senko
runs on, but it's certainly no Shishi Hokodan, 'cuz
my blast ran her's over like a bullet train. So it was
no surprise that Miranda was blown backward.
Quickly, she got up to her feet. I guess she's still
got some in her. "Dammit!" she cursed. "A blast so
strong...!"
"I hope that wasn't your best shot," I taunted in a
bored tone. "Even Kodachi was more of a challenge than
that."
Miranda growled angrily. "Bastard! Looks like I'm
going to have to go straight for the end!"
She folded her arms under each other. "One of the
secret techniques of the Mantis Blades School!" Both
her gloves glowed faintly.
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"OUGI: SHISHI SENPU RAIZAN!!"
She threw her arms outward, and lightning seemed to
arc from her palms. But, all the same, it was a
pretty lame secret technique.
Walking between the lightning bolts, as if they
weren't there, I reached out and grabbed both her
arms.
She stared at me with scared eyes as I told her,
"Give up. You're so outclassed it's not even funny
anymore."
In the case of Miranda Kusao:
I trained hard for many years for the day that I
would beat Kodachi Kuno.
The first time we met was in grade school, eight or
nine years ago, I think. She was some kind of rich,
spoiled brat, walking through school as if everything
should go her way. Indeed, everything DID go her way,
because her father was very rich.
We shared the same class together, and it made me
hate her even more. When we colored pictures the
teacher always complimented and praised her; when we
went to P.E. she was the star of the gym. I was better
in every way; all I had to do was prove it.
The first time I confronted her about this it was
over our art session. The teacher had left the room
for some reason or another, and all the other kids
were gathered around Kodachi, praising her good work.
My work was just as good, if not better, than hers, so
I made a point to mention it.
All the other kids seemed to be on Kodachi's side,
for they just ridiculed me, taking after the brat's
lead. Crying didn't help matters more, but from that
day I vowed I would become better than her.
This kind of behavior continued on to junior high,
where the stakes were much higher than in grade
school. Although we never shared the same classroom,
everyone in school knew of our little rivalry. The
thing was, though, that Kodachi kept pretending that I
wasn't even a bother to her!
That bitch!
I couldn't believe the kinds of things I came up
with back then; they were so simple and stupid, and
often backfired on me. Like the bucket of water, the
fake love notes, and getting someone to flick up the
skirt of her uniform; somehow Kodachi managed to get
all of those tacked onto me, and everyone hated me for
it. All because she was Miss Popularity, that bitch!
So when I found out she was training in martial
arts I determined that was my best avenue for my
vengeance. Eventually I got myself a sensei who
practiced the Mantis Blades, some obscure art that
relied on many cutting motions. I studied vigorously
under the sensei, even skipping out classes just so I
could get better.
I needed to beat Kodachi.
Enrolling in the girl's school was no simple task,
as my family wasn't so rich, but my superior grades
earned me the privilege, unlike Kodachi. The only
reason I attended the same school as her all this
time was mainly to keep tabs on that bitch, and
whenever she got better I pushed myself twice as
hard. Sensei thought I was pushing myself too hard,
but I hardly listened.
I was so proud when I got the skill of throwing ki
energy, but it turned out Kodachi had gotten even
better still. Learning just one technique wasn't good
enough.
Only recently, when the school changed its
attendance requirements did my training get
interrupted. Amakusa wanted all the girls to worship
Saint Hebereke, something which I flatly refused. But,
a week later that priest, Joseph Nakamura, approached
me with a proposition: he offered me the chance to
confront Kodachi.
How could I refuse? Especially since Kodachi was
commencing a little private war against her old
school! For once, I'd be in the right!
And so today I got my chance; Kodachi was far
weaker than I anticipated, and that was very
disappointing.
But this new martial artist, Ranma Saotome.... I
felt fear as he held my arms tight. I didn't know what
to say or do, for this man... this... whatever, beat
me without breaking a sweat, just as I to Kodachi.
He was that much better than I....
Beating Kodachi put me at the top of the world, but
this man tossed me off to sink into the void.
I blinked the tears out of my eyes, and fear turned
into despair.
Here he was, a specimen of a true martial artist,
and he beat me like it was nothing.
Kodachi's old boyfriend.
"Ah...." I stuttered.
Instead, I shut my eyes tightly, and kicked him
between the legs. Instantly, my arms were free, and
the opportunity presented itself for a counter-
attack, but that was far behind my mind.
I turned and ran. Beating Kodachi meant nothing at
all... nothing at all.
In the case of Shizuka Minazuki:
Tokyo was just too weird for my tastes.
The apprentice emerged just after Ranma left, just
in time to stop me from pursuing him.
"You'll get your time," she said.
Thanatos, the snake wrapped around me, flicked his
forked tongue at me, staring directly at me.
I lowered the shotgun I loved, sagging shoulders.
"I guess you're right," I conceded.
"Let's get inside and wait," the apprentice
suggested.
So we did as she suggested. I can't believe she's
the same person we picked up only about a couple
months ago... I think it was.
It's strange, this city. Sure, every city has its
own little quirks, but the Nerima district of Tokyo
takes the cake. First time I've ever had so many
problems getting a job done.
For some reason the odd familial quirks of the
Tendos and Saotomes bothered me.
I'm a single child, born to a quiet couple living
just outside of Osaka. I don't know why, but they
sent me to live with the priests of the Shrine to the
Four Gods to train as a priestess, something they did
when I was only... four. So all my life I guess my
purpose was to be a priestess-- big fun.
They gave me an education, all right, what I later
figured out was simply better than going to public
schools. I've never been to a public school until
recently, and the idea that you've got to do
frivolous stuff, such as wearing school uniforms,
joining clubs, and janitorial work were all pretty
lame things, I thought. Not only that, but it seemed
that every other guy at school was trying to pick me
up for some reason-- don't they have better things to
do?
They also taught me the stories of the Four Gods,
and all the ceremony junk, too. Evidently, it was
custom for the priests to be divided amongst the four
as was deemed proper. Not surprisingly, I ended up with
the black tortoise. Another big whoop.
Some Chinese guy said that water, the element which
Genbu represented, was the weakest and most
submissive element in existence. Well, taking those
words to heart I wanted to make it the most powerful.
So I trained to become a Demon Hunter, the most
unenviable job a priest can get. Then again, it was
also the least boring; I couldn't stand doing all
those stupid ceremonies.
Thanatos became my partner-- a snake being
traditionally a part of the black tortoise in some
imageries. The first thing I had to learn was to live
in harmony with the snake, and today I'm glad I did;
Thanatos saved me more than once from a lot of
trouble.
I never did ask where in the world they got a boa
constrictor in the middle of Japan, but somehow I
suspect they stole him from the zoo.
As I got older the higher-ups thought I should get
more sociable, so they tried to reintegrate me back
into society. Well, I think blowing people away at
the arcade was fine, but they didn't think so. So
they forced me to get a job.
Mind you, I was only eleven when I got the job, and
they made me do birthday parties. No, not for old
lecherous guys, I meant for kids. Kids were supposed
to test peoples' patience.
Every party was different; the first one was
probably the one that kept me going. I mean, I just
hated the stupid bells I had to wear, but something
about making the kids happy melted me. I never knew
entertaining kids was so fun.
Other than the paychecks and the kids, in the long
run it was probably worth wearing the stupid costumes.
The higher-ups said it was to curb my arrogance; I'm
not so sure that really worked. Now that I'm sixteen
they said that I don't need the job anymore, but I'm
still at it (but not as often as before).
Traditionally, the demon hunter uses ofuda to
battle demons and evil spirits, but when I was
thirteen I found something even better. I just fell in
love with guns after watching some TV and movies, so
I went out and got a shotgun. Needless to say, I hurt
myself a lot with the unexpected kickback, but it did
get the job done. The higher-ups weren't terribly
happy with this, but I still kept the shotgun.
So pretty much everything that's happened to me was
just hunting and parties on the side, until a couple
months ago. We learned of an entity claiming to be
Seiryu who appeared in Tokyo, a being that shouldn't
exist now.
The ultimate goal of the priests of the Four Gods
wished for was to become the Chosen Speaker of their
god, but only the strongest and wisest ever claimed
such an honor, and it was very rare. Since the Chosen
for Seiryu had not been chosen, we knew we had to take
care of the problem.
Problem was, I was the only Demon Hunter they had
left. Nobody else was around to do it because they
were busy, or they weren't stupid enough to
volunteer themselves. The Seiryu guys must've begged
pretty hard, I bet.
That was around the time the apprentice showed up.
While we waited to see how the Seiryu situation played
itself out I got to know this girl, and she seemed
kind of lost, as if looking for a niche to place
herself in. She showed a lot of promise, I knew, but
only a week had passed before it was decided that I'd
be sent to Tokyo to clean up the Seiryu problem.
Sadly, though, they made me leave Thanatos behind
in order to keep a low profile. I left him in the
care of the apprentice, as I knew she'd take good care
of him, and give the two a chance to get to know each
other.
I made my way by train quickly to the other side of
the country, but the night I got into the city one of
the Seiryu spirits must've spotted me, and therefore
attacked me. It was the Soi of the future, and she was
hiding in the body of a homeless man.
The problem was that Soi was exactly as the Chosen
would face her, and I wasn't even ready for that kind
of thing. Soi beat me up soundly until she came up
with the ingenious plan of taking a better body-- my
own. And so the mad spirit tried to possess me.
Blasted spirits. Fighting these turds gives me all
the more reason to hate demon hunting. And I wish
Kyoko was a better cook. Being split down the middle
wasn't very fun, either, and I'm still trying to get
used to having two sets of memories. I can't believe
my other half was such a ditz; could I really be like
that deep down?
* * * * *
"So now what're we going to do?" Ranma asked to
those seated around the table of the Tendo dining
room.
After the battle against Miranda concluded Ranma
returned to the house with both Kodachi and Ayame in
his arms; Nodoka was ecstatic about his manly son, but
Akane just beaned him. He eyed the apprentice, who sat
next to Shizuka, strangely.
"There is no doubt," Kodachi said, pressing a cold
compress to her head, "we must take the battle to the
enemy."
"I thought so, too," Ranma agreed.
"Then we'd better do it quick," suggested Shizuka,
"before something bad happens."
"You said Saint Hebereke was a demon?" Soun asked.
The priestess nodded. "An ancient one, to be sure.
The creature is crafty, but is certainly no god."
"They're going to sacrifice Kasumi to give power to
the demon," the apprentice added.
"But why?" asked Akane.
"They need a pure heart."
"That's Kasumi, all right," Nabiki muttered.
"Now that Miranda and Nagi are gone," continued the
apprentice, "there should be little opposition left.
If we leave now, they may not get a chance to
react."
She directed her attention to Akane. "You'll stay
behind."
"Why?" she asked, anger rising. "Kasumi's my
sister!"
"So what makes you think you can get better results
than Ranma can?" the hooded girl asked.
"But...." Ranma began.
The apprentice seemed to flash with anger. "It
doesn't matter if you two are such a team! If one of
you got pinned down then we're all sunk, because
you'll save each other over the important goal. We
don't need that problem. So it's one or the other."
"That's probably a good idea," agreed Shizuka.
"Kodachi and Ayame should stay, too."
"I've no arguments there," Aya agreed, rubbing her
sore right arm.
Kodachi simply nodded.
"So I guess if Kuno ain't comin' back any time soon,
I guess it's three," Ranma concluded.
"Three?" wondered Akane.
The apprentice raised her hand. "I'm going, and
Shizu's going, too."
"I go, too."
All eyes turned to Shampoo, standing in the doorway,
appearing as if she just came out of the shower.
"Shampoo?" Ranma said.
"I need to atone," the Chinese Amazon announced.
"For what I did just now."
"Ah, just forget about it, you weren't yourself,"
insisted Ranma.
"Still, you're welcome to join us," Shizuka said.
Shampoo nodded silently.
Just as everyone got up to leave Ranma pulled Akane
aside. Before she could say anything he shooshed her.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"It's that girl," Ranma explained. "That hooded
girl that came from nowhere. There's somethin' about
her that... well...."
"She seems to know us a bit much, don't you think?"
Akane finished.
"Yeah. Especially for someone we don't know."
"That could mean anything."
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Call me crazy, but I think
we DO know her."
"But who's left?" asked Akane. "I mean, there isn't
anyone...."
"Ukyo."
Akane blinked. "Ukyo?" she repeated.
Ranma nodded.
She shook her head. "Ranma... when are you going to
stop with those silly ideas? You even fell for what
Miboshi told you!"
"It's NOT silly!" he insisted. "I mean, look at all
the arrows!" He held out an open hand. Balling one
finger, "She knows about our relationship," two,
"according to Shizuka she only came to her shrine only
a couple months back, which is when Ukyo 'died,'"
three, "how else would they have known about Seiryu?"
Akane closed the rest of Ranma's fist. "She also
doesn't like you very much."
"Yeah, yeah, but Ukyo was like that, too, before
she died."
The girl groaned. "Look, let's say you're right;
then what? If she's really Ukyo, then why hasn't she
revealed herself to us? Why keep up the charade?"
"Who knows?" Ranma replied, shrugging. "Probably all
embarrassed or something. Maybe she can't remember.
Either way, I'm going to find out and throw off that
hood of her's."
He produced a fist-sized, thin object from his pants
pocket, and showed it to Akane. "She'll recognize this
in a flash."
Akane picked up the jade-carved earring, shaped in
the form of a four-toed Chinese dragon encircling
some kind of post or stick. Small ruby-like gems
served as its eyes, and the jewelry piece looked
quite expensive indeed. And quite old.
"I'll hang on to it, if you don't mind," she said.
"If you're right, then there's no use getting it all
broken or anything."
"It doesn't look like it breaks, actually," Ranma
insisted. "I've carried it all this time, and there's
not a single scratch on it."
"You're weird."
"I promised I'd hold on to it," he said. "With that
thing I feel like Ukyo's still here. And maybe, just
maybe, it's luck is rubbing off on me."
Kodachi and Ayame stood alone in the back yard, over
the koi pond. As Ayame held the cold compress in place
the Kuno girl held one hand cupped over her ear, and
held a small microphone in place with her other hand.
"Chika?" she whispered.
"What?" came the reply in her ear.
"They came and took what they wanted."
"Then it's time for our secret weapon?"
"Precisely."
"Hang on a sec, I'm getting it ready."
Kodachi listened to the noise in the ear piece for
several moments, discerning the sound of a telephone
and ruffling papers. A rather loud curse betrayed
Chika's disorganization.
"It's done," she said finally.
"Good, we will join you shortly."
"You're not going to stop them?"
"Miranda was much tougher than anticipated. Besides,
I believe it is time to search for Brother. He
vanished without a trace, and we cannot find him."
"I see."
"Very well. Over and out."
------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes
It was the calm before the storm, and before I went
ahead and pulled another large monster I decided that
each of the principal characters needed to reflect on
why they were doing what they were doing as well as
what they're doing. Hidden secrets from the past few
stories revealed! Come one, come all!
Character history notes: Okay, I made Miranda after
I watched the OAV series of Battle Athletes; her
likeness and character were based off the competitive
Mylandah (gee, where do you think I got the name
from, anyway?). Not that the series was any good or
anything, but I was very disappointed how her arc
ended. So I made my own character to compete, a whole
new person to fight Kodachi. And she's good enough to
beat Kodachi, only to have Ranma come in and work her.
No, I'm not kidding; Nagi really is dead this time. I
didn't like how I handled his end back in Nemesis, and
since it was so open-ended (Tatewaki survived) I had
our resident psycho swordsman survive, too. Basically,
he's tired, so I felt this a fitting end for him. Also
gives me some interesting things to do with Tatewaki,
too.
Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOREPLYhotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
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