NEEEEEEEEEEED C&C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Chapter 1: Misfortune
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"Quoth the Raven: 'Nevermore'"
-Poe
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Death. Surrounding him was death. As far as the eye could
see, bodies and debris littered the ground.
Young Ranma Saotome thought back to his father's last
words: "Ranma, when this accursed war is over, go to Tokyo,
if it's still there. Find the Tendo family. They'll know
who you are if you tell them your name. Please, son. This
is a matter of family honor."
He started walking in the direction he thought led to base
camp. He looked down and noticed the faces of his friends
among the dead. Tatewaki Kuno, the poetry-spouting
swordsman he'd met just 2 months before. Hikaru Gosunkugi,
the frail boy that had lived longer than anyone expected
him to. Mikado S-something. He wasn't really one of
Ranma's friends, but he was an acquaintance nonetheless.
So much death. And for what? So the Germans could get
back at the allies for World War II? Why the hell did
Japan agree to assist Germany again?
It wasn't his fight, but it was his life. WAS his life.
No more. The war is over. Japan crushed the allies AND
Germany. They had effectively conquered all the world.
But oh, what a price.
As he crested a hill, his eyes fell upon the wreckage of
a city, as if to drive that point home. The backdrop of
death and suffering sharpened the pain that he felt deep
inside.
"Osaka...goodbye. I leave for Tokyo, and for my life"
*****
Decorated more than any other living soldier, the 17-year-
old officer and veteran, Ranma Saotome, walked up the
cracked and broken path to the house. Nerima had been
desicrated by the English firebombs.
Oh, the price of it all.
He knocked on the door, and as it opened, he saw a face
long forgotten.
"Ryoga! You're not dead?"
The other young man, Ryoga, one of Ranma's old platoon
buddies, smiled lopsidedly with his one good eye
sparkling. "Ranma! Who'd have thought I'd see you
again?"
Ranma set down his bag and bowed. "Ryoga, it's good to
see that you're still alive. But what happened to you?"
"I deserted." Ryoga invited Ranma into the house with a
gesture.
"I figured as much. You were always the one with common
sense. I should've followed your lead."
"Where did you see action after I left?"
Ranma stayed outside as he lowered his eyes and said
"Osaka"
Ryoga closed his eye and leaned against the doorjamb.
"So you were the lone survivor of the Osaka front. I
somehow knew it was you. You always managed to avoid
death. Heh. Well, what brings you here?"
Ranma straightened and looked at Ryoga, reminding him why
Ranma refused to die. With his assertive posture and
firm face with a set jaw, he was the quintessence of a
soldier. The formal uniform adorned with medals and
awards didn't hurt, either. "I was told that the Tendos
lived here. I was apparantly misinformed."
Ryoga looked quizzacally at Ranma. "You knew the Tendos?"
"No, but my father said he did. His dying wish was for me
to find the Tendo family. He never said why, but I tried
nonetheless."
Ryoga turned to enter the house. "Come on in, Ranma. I
have much to tell you and even more to hear from you."
Ranma entered after his friend and slipped off his shoes.
Looking around, he surveyed the place. It barely
constituted an abandoned warehouse, with the broken windows,
overturned and dusty furniture, and dark, murky atmosphere,
but it suited Ryoga just fine, so Ranma had no
inhibitions about its comfort. Entering what he assumed
used to be the kitchen, he noticed Ryoga's belongings.
He had set up a cozy little abode in this run-down old
house. He had a refrigerator running off of the
electricity still coursing beneath the walls, a propane
stove for cooking, a bedroll, a lamp and a bookshelf.
"Ryoga, you animal. How'd you get all this stuff?"
Ryoga plopped down onto a chair he pulled out of nowhere.
"I'm resourceful. That, and I had a job for a while."
Motioning for Ranma to sit down in it, he pulled
out another chair.
Ranma was more than happy to oblige his old friend.
"Well, Ryoga, it's good to see you alive and well.
What did you want to tell me?"
Ryoga sat back in his chair and closed his eye. "You
asked about the Tendos? Well, they did live here for
a while. The mother of the family had died when the
children were still young, so Mr. Tendo had to raise
the three daughters on his own. The eldest daughter,
Kasumi, started up a clinic in the dojo when the war
started."
Ranma interjected. "There's a dojo?"
Ryoga leaned foreward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"WAS a dojo. Let me finish. Well, Kasumi couldn't do
it by herself, so she enlisted the help of a Doctor Ono
Tofu. He didn't get drafted because the middle daughter,
Nabiki, was a slimy little wench and she had governmental
contacts. She got him out of it. Anyways, Mr. Tendo and
the youngest daughter, Akane, left for Kyushu just after
the clinic was established, leaving Nabiki to run the
business end of the clinic for Kasumi and Dr. Tofu.
When I deserted, I was wounded. I had been shot in
the leg, and I needed medical attention badly. I
stumbled on this place, and checked myself in. By
that, I mean I passed out and was found by Dr. Tofu.
Anyways, I recouperated, but I had nowhere to go.
I noticed how busy the clinic was, and how little
help they had, so I offered to work for them. They
were more than happy to hire me, but they insisted
on paying me. I worked for them until a few months
ago, when the firebombings picked up. The clinic was
caught by the edge of a blast and it went up in flames.
Just horrible..." Ryoga closed his eye and lowered his
head for a moment.
Ranma took off his officer's cap. "You don't have to
finish if you don't want to. I'd understand."
"No, I can go on." Lifting his head up but not opening
his eye, he continued. "Thankfully, Dr. Tofu and Kasumi
had gone out to get some supplies when the bomb hit.
However, when they got back and saw the fire, Dr. Tofu
insisted on trying to save some of the patients.
Ignoring Kasumi's pleas, he rushed into the burning
building. That's when it collapsed. Everyone inside
died, including Dr. Tofu. Kasumi was devestated. She
had apparantly been in love with him. Nabiki tried to
console her, but Kasumi committed suicide. Horribly
tragic thing, that. Nabiki was destroyed. She didn't
show it, of course, because that was her nature. But
you could tell that she was hurting. She left for Kyushu
to be with her family just recently. She had to clean up
the late clinic's finances before leaving." Looking up,
Ryoga assumed a more relaxed pose. "That's it. I don't
know exactly where the Tendos are, but they're not here.
Sorry. So now it's your turn. How did you manage
to become the lone survivor of the Osaka front?"
Ranma looked to the ceiling, rolling his eyes back
into his head. "I managed to hide underground when
the bombers came. I found an underground bunker,
went to explore it, and then the bombs fell. I was
lucky. That's it."
Mirth was evident on Ryoga's scarred face. "I somehow
find that hard to believe, Ranma."
Ranma was immediately on the offensive. "Now, listen
here, Ryoga. I am not lying! I would have died out
on that battlefield if I had known beforehand! Do
you think, for one second, that I'd run from a fight?
NO! I..."
Ryoga burst out laughing. Gaining his breath back
after 3 minutes of mirth, he looked up to Ranma with
tears streaming down his face and spoke. "I was just
fucking with you, Saotome. That's why I like you.
You're so gullible." Ryoga was then rolling on the
floor in renewed fits of laughter.
Ranma scowled, and then gave in to the humor of the
situation. He needed to laugh. It had been far
too long since he had laughed without abandon.
*****
High above the heads of the laughing friends, the
resistance bomber opened its bay doors.
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Whenever I get around to continuing this, I will.
C&C helps me go faster, though...
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Like I said before, I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED C&C!!!!
Let me reiterate: NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED C&C!
Desperately! PLEASE give me some! I beg of you!!
(Sob Sob) Please......(Sniffle)