Why? Because I'm afraid Foxtrot the Furryous will prod me soon... so,
here's a short piece from the Sig War that will be edited so I can use it
in RS.
"You were my strength when I was weak,
You were my voice when I couldn't speak,
You were my eyes when I couldn't see,
You saw the best there was in me...
You picked me up when I couldn't reach,
You gave me faith 'cause you believed,
I'm everything I am because you loved me..."
-Celine Dion, "Because you loved me"
Jody sat at her brother's desk. She tried to get comfortable, but she
couldn't. It felt... wrong. She was the official leader now and she still
felt out of place. She plucked off her red, wide-brimmed hat and flung it
onto the coat hanger where her coat hung by the door. It was the end of her
first day as the Band leader. It had been the worst day of her life.
"I think they made me the leader just to avoid the responsiblity of
telling Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome what happened to Akane and Ranma..." Then
she thought about Ryoga. (What has happened to that boy? I haven't seen
Hibiki since this chaos started... For that matter, where the Hell are
Shampoo, Mousse, and Ukyo?) "Hell, I'd kiss the Kunos if they showed up!"
Jody glance over her brother's desk stopped at a thick leather-bound
book. She picked it up and leaved through it. It turned out to be a photo
album...
--------========--------========--------
The young woman in the hospital bed attached to respirator and
monitoring equipment is Rumiko Sarugakure. The other one in the chair next
to the bed and holding her hand is Virgo Celestra. Just a few days ago,
Rumiko was struck down in battle. They're martial artists and that's to be
expected. The one who attacked her was their leader, Scorpio Zodiak. That's
not to be expected. The bedside monitor asured Virgo that her friend was
still alive, but it didn't do much to tell her if the occupant of the bed
would recover from her wounds. Virgo squeezes Rumiko's hand again and then
her eyes focus on something beyond the walls of the hospital room...
...She remembered them walking through the park as they watched Ranma
resurface from the lake, dressed up and pretending to be Ryoga's fiancee.
Virgo took a bite from her ice cream cone, Ukyo took a swipe at the bothersome
girl, and Rumiko, who was watching Ukyo's swipe take Ranma's wig off her head,
accidentally bumped into Virgo. Virgo's cone smashed into her face and she
sputtered. Rumiko stopped paying attention to the four on the lake and
laughed. Virgo grabbed Rumiko's elbow and smashed Rumiko's ice cream cone
into her shocked face. As Ryoga ran past, quickly followed by Ranma and
Akane, the two women were grappling with their hands interlocked, their teeth
clenched, their charges forgotten...
...Virgo narrowed her eyes. Rumiko glanced at her and smirked. They
both reached for the agreed upon weapons. Without a word, they sprang
forward, holding their weapons in the ready position. Virgo let her's fly
first, Rumiko was a second later. They both looked over the railing on the
roof of the High School and watched as the first weapon hit the ground next to
the target, a boy wearing a red satin shirt. Ranma looked up, startled at the
weapon that had splatted near him. The second water balloon hit him head-on.
Virgo glowered, Rumiko cheered, and Ranma-chan cursed at them. Virgo looked
over at Rumiko and they both laughed...
...Virgo tugged off Rumiko's shirt and dressed her in her nightgown.
The kunoichi was fast asleep on the floor of her room. Virgo carried the
ninja girl to her futon, and tucked her in. She folded up Rumiko's ninja
outfit and placed them in the closet with her katana. She walked back over to
the kunoichi and removed the mask she forgot to take off and smoothed back her
long, black hair. She shook her head at the thought that she had to look
after someone three years older than her...
Jody Zodiac found Virgo asleep in the chair, still holding Rumiko's
hand. The new leader of the Anything-Goes Martial Band moved her to the
armchair and covered her with a spare blanket. Virgo mummered something in
her sleep. Jody froze at the word, but dismissed it as nothing. When Jody
left, Virgo mummered the word again...
"...oneechan..."
--------========--------========--------
Allegra carefully brought the sodering iron to the damaged wires, but
her hand slipped. She cursed and blew out the small fire that erupted from
the circuitry in her opened up left gauntlet. She put the iron down, took
off her glasses, and picked up her hammer, bashing the stubborn piece of
armor. She clenched her teeth in annoyance and looked over the blueprints of
the suit again. Her eyes became unfocused as she looked past the writing and
remembered...
...Her first trip to Tokyo. She was nine. Six years ago, their
great-grandmother ordered their father to take them on a trip so they can see
him more often. He reluctantly agreed. She had on a small breastplate and
bracers while her twin wore her white-robes. She held her sister's hand as
she peered through the glass counter case. Her eyes were wide as she admired
the four armored woman in the display case. Her father finished his talk with
the store owner and followed his daughter's gaze to the case. It had been
almost two years since his wife had died and Allegra had not spoken, since.
He looked back at her and pondered.
She didn't know it, but when she slept, Scorpio Zodiak was studying
from a book with character sketches and redrawing them on another sheet of
paper. He then would work late into the night. One day, young Allegra Zodiak
found a small, purple hardsuit where her armor use to be. Zodiak watched from
the door as she tramped about her room in her new armor. She was given the
blueprints later and she realised she could improve on the designs as she was
growing up. She hugged her father and told him thank you. He knew he'd given
her a security blanket, but to hear her voice again, he was glad he did it...
Jody pulled the blanket over her neice's shoulder. Allegra had fallen
asleep at the table, pieces of her armor strewn about with scraps of paper
that had been quickly writtened out on how to increase the performance of this
and the resistance of that. Jody unplugged the soddering iron. She kissed
her neice's forehead and turned off the lights.
--------========--------========--------
Musica tried to concentrate on the ingredients, but her mind strayed
off into the past...
...She was seated at the table, happily mixing in a spice to her
potion. The purple haired girl next to her looked at her in contempt. Musica
was a year younger than Shampoo, but she was already starting to get better
than her cousin at memorizing great-grandmother's recipes. Musica dropped a
vial under the table and went to pick it up. Shampoo sprinkled a pinch of red
powder into Musica's bowl. Musica sat back down and added the contents of the
vial. Shampoo ducked while the concoction exploded in Musica's face. Shampoo
laughed as little Musica cried her eyes out. Great-grandmother scolded
Shampoo and tried to calm down the upset, white-robed girl. Musica ran away
crying to her father. When she calmed down, her father washed the smudges
from her face and helped her with the recipe again...
...Musica finished adding the final ingredient and left the kitchen to
allow it to simmer for the rest of the night. Jody watched her other
neice as she blew out the candles on her desk.
--------========--------========--------
...A younger Virgo walked next to a younger Rumiko and Jody. She
looked ahead to Scorpio who lead the way over a red, wooden bridge. She and
Rumiko looked with admiration at the still young man in the grey suit. Jody
glanced at both of them, rolled her eyes, and pushed out with both her hands
at the older girls to each side of her. Virgo and Rumiko swung their arms in
panic in a desperate attempt to regain their balance, but they fell off their
respected sides of the bridge and into the stream below. Scorpio looked back
at the sound of the splashes. Jody continued to cross the bridge, whistling
to herself. As an afterthought, she pushed her brother off the narrow bridge
as well while she walked past him. She looked into the water and stuck out
her tongue. A golden whip wrapped itself around her ankles and another
wrapped itself around her arms. With a startled cry, Jody went flying into
the river. The two girls, one clad in a small, purple hardsuit and the other
in plain white robes, who were playing on the other side of the bridge looked
over the edge to watch the four people splash water at each other...
...Jody stared at the lone cupcake on the table. It had a lone,
burning candle stabbed on it. She had already accepted the fact that her
twentieth birthday would be spent alone, and she regreted it. Her staring
contest with the candle's flame was cut short by the loud knocking on her
apartment door. Numbly, she stood up and answered the door. Two fifteen
year old girls pushed past her and entered her apartment. A pile of boxes
wrapped in bright paper stood at the door and stumbled in as Jody quickly
moved aside.
"What the...?!"
"Happy Birthday, Jody-chan!" Virgo, carrying a cake box, followed the
present ladened Rumiko.
"Er, ah...?? What is this??" Jody was very confused by their
friendly manner towards her. "I just attacked you earlier today!"
"Don't bring that up, Jody," Rumiko finally collapsed by the couch.
"Tonight, we don't remember our... difficulties."
Allegra pulled out a long, thin box. "Here! Open mine first, Aunt
Jody!!"
Musica took out her sister's feet with her staff and stepped over the
prone armored girl. "no, please accept my present first, dear aunt jody..."
Allegra was quick to get to her feet and began to argue with her twin.
Jody still stood at the door, wondering how this was occuring. Virgo put the
cake down on the table and walked over to Jody.
"Close the door, sit down, and be a good little birthday girl... or
I'll hit you." Virgo added a smile at the end as she lead Jody to where the
rest were waiting.
Zodiak watched the door close. He straightened his fedora, tugged at
his overcoat, and walked away smiling...
...Jody closed the album and walked over to the coat stand. She
picked up her coat and hat and left the room, turning off the light...
--------========--------========--------
The next morning, Jody stepped out into the oddly empty street. She
adjusted her red hat, her index finger running down the brim to stop at the
front. She walked down the street a bit and was joined by Virgo, cloaked in a
blue cape, the circlet of her golden hairband and her exposed silver armbands
gleaming in the morning sun. Allegra touched down next to them and turned off
her thruster pack. She nodded to the other two and walked in step with them.
Musica leaned against the motorcycle's sidecar, balancing a helmet on the end
of her staff. She looked up and caught the helmet in her right hand.
--------========--------========--------
..."Do you ever regret it, Scorpio?"
"Regret what?"
"That you were never blessed with a son?" Zodiak stopped weilding
the helmet of the hardsuit and looked up at the old woman on the staff.
"Sometimes..."
"Would you trade your daughters for the chance to have a son?"
"Never..."
"Oh? And why do you answer so quickly?"
"...," Zodiak put the the helmet down and thought over his answer.
"No matter what I want, I don't need. My daughters are more important to
me than for me to waste my time on what could have been." He stared at
the floor and then spoke again. "Is it a sin for a parent to outlive the
child?"
"You still wonder that after two years? ... No, Scorpio Zodiak,
it is not a sin for you to live when Octavia died... If it is, I'll see
you in hell..." Zodiak looked at the old woman and snorted. "The loss
of a child is the greatest suffering a parent can know, that is all..."
"Thank you, Cologne."
"No. Thank you, Zodiak. My granddaughter choose well when she
married you..."
"But she died."
"But she was happy with you... Argue the point and I'll hurt you."
Zodiak stopped remembering the past and looked over Tokyo from the
observation room at the top of the tower. He narrowed his eyes and stepped
into the elevator to meet the Band he knew would come for him.