Okay heres the situation... I found this beginning to a fic on my portable computers hard drive. I haven't done a damn thing to it, I'm simply posting it. Yes it ends rather abruptly, and yes it's short. After finding it I remembered what it was I was going to do with it. It may seem like a bummer fic from what I have written here but I was merely setting the stage for something that was just the opposite! What I'm really asking is does anybody give a rats ass? Actually I just want to know does it sound interesting AT ALL, and would anybody care to see it continued...

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THE FIC (what there is of it anyway)

   The old man sat silently in the dark, large room, attaching himself to the far wall as though he were a mere shadow. In a sense he was. A hint of starlight filtered into the otherwise pure darkness that shrouded the entirety of the room. Not a single sound could be heard in the silence, not even the sound of breathing. He was as much a ghost as those he remembered, and only a promise made to his loved one, now gone, kept him from at last joining his long since departed friends. A chill ran through the room clinging to the old man as though it were death itself come to claim him at last. The old man could only hope. A whimper finally escaped the once proud man's lips echoing within the walls as though to taunt him with his own pain.

    The promise... Why did she have to make me promise..? Why was it so important?

    These thoughts repeated themself over and over in the mans unstable mind as he clung to his one last resolve in life...To live. She had made him promise to live, no matter the cost. So long as he lived on earth, she was happy in the stars above. Her star... The one he named for her so many years ago. The one that shined brightest, it seemed, when she was happiest. The star he had given her... Now the star seemed to twinkle on as though watching him from afar. The one left to ensure he kept his promise.

    The old man reached to dry his face, though he didn't seem to move, his motions were so controled, and so graceful he never seemed to even move to the untrained eye. He was like a cat, something untangible to the modern world. Outdated by technology his arts were considered more of a dead magic than a reality. None practiced it as he once did, none except those few pupils he had once taught before he lost his will to live. They even now persisted in the lost art, begging for his wisdom, only to be turned coldly away. The arts were still practiced as a tactical defense in this age, but never as an art. The knowledge and power he possessed were something unfathomable to most mortals. He was the last of a dying race. The martial artist...

    He could vivedly remember each pasing moment of his life as though it were more a reality than this cold confinement he'd come to finally define as old. Each person's face he'd encountered, each rival's movements, each perfect moment in his life was nothing more than smoke in the mind of a dying man. Yet he wasn't dying, only by heart could one measure the life left in the man, physically he was as fit as the average teenage boy, perhaps even healthier. But not as healthy as he had once been, no, he was weak compared to what he once was. He never thought such an end possible. So long as she was around, it never mattered, never even occured to him that his life would be lived out alone.

    A door to his far left slid open allowing the small glimmer of light from the faint stars outside to shine through causing the room he sat in to illuminate eerily. His eyes followed the intruding light to the door in which it slipped through and finally to lay upon the familiar face of a young girl in her early teens. Almost alone, he thought sadly.

    He silenced his breathing and shrouded himself further within his surroundings. Even in broad daylight, such a trick could hide one in plain sight. The girl's face seemed to narrow as if ready to scold a small child. "Grandfather sensei, you promised you woudn't do this anymore!" she chided. "It's been four month's grandfather, you can't continue to do this to yourself!". She waited as if anticipating a response and after several seconds of silence her face seemed to darken further. She began stomping her way over to where the old man sat only to stop short a few feet from him and peer down into his eyes as if the room were illuminated by large flourescent lights. It never ceased to amaze him. Her ability to find him even when he tried his best tricks was uncanny. He hid from her constantly, ashamed to bring such a burden to his only granddaughter. He had hid from her for an entire month before she miraculously seemed to develop the ability to locate him, and he still wasn't sure how she did it. She had moved in shortly after his wife's death to take care of him. But he didn't need anybody to take care of him. He had been living on his own several times in his life. This was no different than any other. Still even when he refused to show himself early after her arrival she dutifully carried out the daily neccesaties, such as, cooking, cleaning, and shopping, as though she had always been doing it. She reminded him of someone from long ago in that respect.

    The girl reached down and grabbed the old man by the wrist, pulling him to his feet. "Dinner is getting cold because of your antics." He let himself materialize before her and they continued out into the backyard and into the house. She stopped him at the table and let go of his wrist. "Here grandfather sensei, I made your favorite! Sukiaki!"

    The old man looked sadly down at the dish and paused. "Thank you Naomi-chan." he finally said

    "Grandfather, stop it! We all miss grandmother! And I know you most of all do! But that's no excuse to stop living! She is gone grandfather, you are not! Please try to let her rest in peace."

    "You forget your place Naomi-chan, I am still your elder!" He yelled, snapping his chopsticks in two and slamming them on the table. Naomi jumped but otherwise held her ground. The old man stood up and stormed out of the room.

    "Perhaps you should start acting like it, Ranma!" She hissed at his retreating form. The old man wheeled about, rage aparent in his features.

    "You dare defy ME?" He shouted. "I, the master of anything goes martial arts, and your grandfather, will not stand to be insulted in my own home! Blood or no!"

    A tear escaped Naomi's eye as she stood up to face the man face to face. "I have endured your personal torment as if it were my own, grandfather, I have watched you suffer with a bleeding heart and for what? To watch you lapse further into this half death you have created for yourself? I will do whatever is in my power to end your suffering, grandfather! Defiance or no! I love you. You have always been like a second father to me and I cannot bare to watch you stuggle with such misery. I have said nothing of it before in hopes that time would mend your injured heart! But every day you only get worse not better...!"Tears began rolling freely down Naomi's cheeks and she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve. "Dammit!" She cursed in response.

    Ranma's features began to soften. "Brave little Naomi..." He smiled sadly. "You deserve so much better than worrying over a doomed old man." Naomi began to protest but then Ranma held up a hand. "Please Naomi, leave me. Go back to your family. Go back to my son and tell him it was at my request. When Akane died..." He paused at her name. "She took with her my will to live. She knew this was so. That is why she made me promise to continue living at all cost. She felt responsible. I could not bear to live in heaven knowing I brought this upon you as well. Please."

    "Grandfather, no," She choked.

    "Please Naomi-chan, it is what I wish."

    "I won't do it!" She burst into tears and fled from the room.

    Still so young... Even as you try so hard to be a mother to me, you still are so young. Ranma thought to himself as he watched the fourteen year old girl vanish up the stairwell. He turned around and picked his bowl of sukiaki and his broken chopsticks up and walked down the hall to his room. He entered into the large bedroom and still the smell of Akane linger through the air. Oh Akane, He thought sadly. Why did you leave me?

    Ranma was eighty one years old and still had a lot of life ahead of him. If he were, that is, to keep his promise to Akane. He reached over at a bookshelf next to his bed and pulled a large dusty book into his lap. On the front of the book was a picture of Akane and him on their wedding night. He fingered the picture idly remembering how happy he had been. How happy they had both been... He came back to himself, almost as if released from a trance and opened the book. On the first page was a select few pictures of his female form at sixteen he had manged to steal from Nabiki. He looked over them for a moment remembering briefly what it was like at that age. He sighed in response and flipped the page. On the next page were various pictures of those he had once known.

    Ryoga, who after his and Akane's marriage had married a young woman by the name of Akari. They had had a couple of children who return had children, but Ranma couldn't quite remember how many or what their names were. He hadn't seen Ryoga in ten years.

    Shampoo had married Mousse eventually and returned to china. The story on this was sketchy  but apparently Mousse had finally issued a challenge to Shampoo who didn't believe it possible for him to defeat her. As Ranma understood it the battle was brief with Mousse the victor. They had both returned to china afterwords. Three years ago a letter was recieved from an unknown sender relating news of their unforntunate passing away.

    Once Akane and Ranma had finally married, Cologne simply dissappeared, Ranma never heard from her again. Happosai's story was similar though a death certificate was recieved several years ago. Ranma went to visit the grave site just to be sure.

    Nabiki and Kasumi both eventually married as well. Nabiki to Tatewaki Kuno, Kasumi to Dr. Tofu. Ranma and Akane recieved frequent visits from the two couples during holidays and the occasional surprise visit up until a few years back. And had both painfully attended each funeral. Ranma was unsure of any details toward Tatewaki's sister Kodachi.

    Last but not least there was Soun and Genma. Both had happily lived at the dojo with the young couple. Nadoka had finally moved in as well so she could be with her husband. Several years later Nadoka was diagnosed with a rare illness which led to her death after a long and painful four months. Genma dutifully stayed at her side for the first three months wacthing her condition slowly worsen and then disappeared. A dishonor to this day Ranma cursed his father for. Soun lived a good twenty years after to finally die at an age of sixty eight.

    Ranma flipped through a few pages to the more recent material.

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   Okay, was that painful enough? Anyway, ANY sort of comment from 'gosh you suck' to 'man thats great' would be appreciated though the former would crush my tender heart. yeah right....

  For anybody who remembers the treasure hunter series that made it's two chapter debut in january, you may be pleased to know I have just begun working on chapter three... Cross your fingers...

                     -Greg

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