Jenny Chan wrote:

Woohoo! A Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran fic!

Not many of those around, nope.

Just an idea that struck me the other day. I'll probably be lucky if

even

five people have seen the series.

Now you only need to find four more!

Got that many now. Surprised me a bit. There's always a chance with the more
obscure series few people know about them or give feedback.

I know you've classified this as a spamfic, but in my very humble opinion,

I

think it makes a very decent short fic, so I'll put in some grammatical
suggestions too.

Well, you can always include grammar comments even in spamfics ^_^. I
labeled this a spamfic since it's essentially a one scene humor piece.

Tsukikage Ran, beautiful maiden, connoisseur of fine sake, aficionado of
elephants, and by chance, wandering samurai, sat back against a tree,

Heh. I wonder if it really is 'by chance'.

Who knows. As someone pointed out, she acts more like a ronin than a
samurai, but that's what everyone calls her, and she never refutes it.

the jug of sake in her hand, it felt right. To prove it fact rather than

opinion, she took another sip. A sip in the sense she only gulped twice
before bringing the nearly empty jug down and wiping her sleeve across

her

lips.

Perhaps: '...another sip; a sip in the sense she only...' (?)

Yeah. Much better.

Myao, far away from the tree and toiling under the bright sun, grunted

non-committally, then returned to her task at hand.

Lightning strikes forbodingly.

Tried to keep things vague so people don't see it coming a mile away.
Originally was going to mention the pit earlier, then thought better of it.

Ran shook her head at her friend's behavior. Myao, as much a country

bumpkin

as the samurai had ever come across, was obsessed. It wasn't as though

Myao

had never been obsessed before. Actually, she was quite obsessive. She

That's putting it rather mildly. ^_^

Yep. But that's what makes her fun.

constant companion behaving in any other way. Nor would she have wanted

a

change in Myao's behavior, though she would never admit such to the

girl.

It

was more fun to complain about it. And it did tend to keep their lives
interesting.

And who's ever heard of a samurai who's not burdened by a sidekick's

antics?

They're best as a team, all right. :)

but Myao was being extraordinarily stubborn this time. Still, perhaps

one

more attempt would be called for.

Considering some of the things Myao's done, that's saying something!

Yes, yes it is.

being told he couldn't have any candy, proved to be quite the comical

sight.

It took everything Ran had not to laugh aloud.

combined with the martial artist's look of

used all grammar comment you mentioned.

able to dispatch any evildoer with a minimum of fuss, and do so with

style

and grace as befitting a young woman of my beauty." Each statement was
punctuated by vigorous arm motions, almost as though she believed she

was

a

bird and could take off if she pumped her appendages fast enough.

Heh! I can so picture her doing that!

She is an excitable lass that tends to leap before she looks.

"Your martial arts are impressive," Ran admitted. Although Myao tended

to

look more like an excited little girl than a beautiful young woman when

she

was beating the crap out of someone. Ran, on the other hand, was all
composure and elegance, like a gentle leaf blowing in the wind when she

went

into battle.

No bias, nope, none at all!

Changed to 'carried by the wind' so it ties better into the title of the
series now.

And Ran has indicated she does have a high opinion of herself now and then.
She doesn't go seeking compliments, but accepts them.

"You're being too harsh on yourself," Ran assured her. "Think about our

last

fight with those opium dealers. You took out at least a dozen of them."

I was going to suggest that maybe the opium dealers wouldn't have been the
best episode to draw from, because of it's more serious undertones, until

I

got further into the fic, and then it made sense. Because Myao's moods are
very volatile, and because of the abundance of fights Ran could have

chosen

from, I wondered if it would be wise to chose this one. But on the other
hand, it's also one of the few times Myao gets a serious, non-SDed fight

in,

so maybe that further supports this decision.

But in any case, the point is rather moot. =P

Actually I didn't intend it to be from the Mei episode, though I can see why
that would be automatically assumed. It was just supposed to be them busting
up another drug ring. No shortage of opium in the Far east, after all And I
don't think Myao had the opportunity to take a hit from a hookah in the Mai
ep. And Myao's temporary 'transendental' state is necessary as to where the
seeds for the Nekoken were planted.

"Fourteen," Myao said.

Ran's eyebrow raised slightly. "It was sixteen."

Nope, don't keep track at all...

Heh. Thought it would be a cute touch. She is good enough to keep track as
well.

"There were two hiding behind a paper wall that tried to ambush me while

I

was fighting that pair of ronin in black. I deflected both of the

ronins'

attacks, then slashed through the wall and got both of the ambushers

with

one stroke. They fell backward into the inn, which is why you didn't

seem

them when you took the headcount."

'see them'    And she's so modest! ^_^

Just factual. :)

Ran took another sip of the sake, finishing the jug. She stared at it
mournfully. "Well, it's not really fair to compare yourself to me.

You're

a

martial artist. I'm a samurai. It's like comparing radishes and

mushrooms."

Hehe! Why is that so much more amusing than apples and oranges?

Not sure how prevelent Apples and oranges were in Japan during the Edo Era.
So I went with two indigineous plants.

Myao shook her head. "The end results are what matters. You got

fourteen.

I

got six. You're better than me. I need to close the gap." She walked

back

and restarted her tying efforts.

It was at about here that I got an inkling of what it was Myao was trying

to

do.

Yeah. She's one of the few people I can see actually coming up with the
technique. The fact that her school is the 'Neko Tekken' only enhances it.

"But there are lots of things you could do," Ran insisted. "You could
practice driving nails into wood with your bare hands, or breaking rocks
with your forehead."

"I can already do those."

Hehe!

Thought it would be a cute touch.

Actually, Myao ramming her head into rocks on a regular basis would go

far

in explaining some of her behavior. "You should try something

different,"

Ran said.

"Ha!" Myao held her hand up triumphantly. "I know why you're so intent

on

stopping me. You're afraid I'll get better than you and you'll be

reduced

to

the role of my sidekick."

A wonderful Myao-ish deduction.

Thought as much. Thanks for thinking so.

"I didn't know what it was at the time!" Myao countered. "Anyway, it was
truly inspirational. It opened my mind to avenues I had never considered
before." Myao's face took on a far off look.

Hahaha!

This I could definitely see.

Ran nodded her head. Now it all made sense. This particularly horrible

idea

was the result of a drug induced hallucination. Ran hadn't realized it,
since Myao frequently had bad ideas. The only thing that marked this as
different was that it was simply the worst.

Aww, that's a little harsh, Ran-chan! Myao's done some truly stupid things
before; this isn't all that bad!

Yes, yes it is. :)

Myao pulled a bottle out of a nearby bag and held it before her

companion.

"I'll give you this sake."

Hehe. Even Myao has the brains to know how to exploit your weakness,
Ran-chan. Maybe you should go visit your local chapter of AA.

Ran would be horrified at the very idea of people discouraging the
consumption of sake. ^_^

Ran snatched it out of her hand, undid the stopper, and took a swig. She
nodded her head in approval. "You make a good argument. Who am I to

stand

in

the way of your attempt to improve yourself? After all, as you have

reminded

me so many times, the path of a martial artist is fraught with peril."

I thought it was really funny to include this quote.

Thanks. Myao is actually the one that coined the phrase; Ran is simply
regurgiating it. ^_^ Myao I can see coining it as well.

"I thought you'd see things my way," Myao grinned. She seemed satisfied

with

her efforts at tying, and threw the coils around her body.

And this cemented the inkling that was stewing from earlier.

Yep. Most would see it coming, by this point.

"I must!" Myao insisted. "It will work. I know it. It's just I've never
undergone anything this rigorous before. I don't know as I'll be able to
maintain my resolve once I'm undergoing the training. That's why I'll

need

I don't know if I'll be able to (?)

Yep. Better.

you to ensure I complete it no matter what. No matter how much I beg, no
matter how much I plead, don't let me stop, even if you have to throw me
back in again and again."

Oh Myao-chan, noooow you've done it.

And again, makes horrifying sense as to why the technique initially has the
information. Myao added the final comments on the second page sometime after
learning firsthand the true terror of the technique. :)

Ran ignored the cries, and shook her head sadly as she read the

appellation

Myao had given to the technique. It was kind of pathetic, considering it

was

so similar to the name of her style of martial arts already. Really,
couldn't she have come up with something more original than the

'Nekoken'?

Have you ever seen a show where you know the punchline before the comedian
says it, and you hold your breathe in anticipation, eyes wide with
excitement, just waiting for that ultimate moment of validation? This was
like that. Yeees! ^_^

Cool. I get split on those things. I've now noticed watching most sit coms I
can see 4/5 of the punchlines coming. Execution is what makes me smile at
it. Also the ones I don't see coming make me smile more for their suprise.
It seems the execution worked for you here. Glad for it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

End notes:
Well, I think it's a distinct possibility. Don't you? ^_^

Indeed I do! ^_^ I always enjoy your fics DB, but this was a Tsukikage Ran
one, and I felt like I had to respond. It was great!

Thanks. I appreciate the C+C. It was all very helpful.

D.B. Sommer

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