Foreword: I'm sorry! I just had to write it!! Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko
Takahashi. The Anything-Goes Martial Band and The Clan of the Shadow
Dragon are mine. Kajagua is Panda's, until I steal him...
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A This Space for Rent Production
Ranma 1/2 : Rising Star by Rob Orick
Song Collection
"Where does my heart beat now" by Virgo Celestra
Originally performed by Celine Dion
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The the steady beat of the pouring rain on the roof puntuated at times
by a cranky and drawn out roll of thunder was very relaxing to the young woman
seated by the door. She casually moved a stray strand of pure white hair
behind her left ear as the fingers of her right hand traced over the facets of
the single saphire in the golden partial circle lying on the table before her.
The unbound hair tied back in a pony tail as she took a sip from her tea cup
and continued to stare into the distance, the constant drone of the rain
forming a grey tone to fit her thoughts.
"A yen for your thoughts, child."
Virgo Celestra started slightly, but relaxed as she looked over the
table to the dimunitive old woman and her gnarled wooden staff. She stared at
the her and tried to smile, but she couldn't. She finally lifted up the
broken circlet of gold and presented it to the older woman.
"Cologne... What is this? For as long as I can remember, I've always
had this with me," Virgo blinked her tired eyes at the old amazon.
"It beautiful hairband," answered the purple haired waitress. She was
quickly shooed away to attend to the few other tables in the near empty
restuarant.
"I was told it was given to you as a present."
"By who? And why?"
Cologne smiled. "Don't you know, child?"
Virgo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she yawned. "I
hate riddles," she stared into her tea and inhaled the bitter fragrance.
"Lately, I have these dreams and I can almost see him... One in particular, I
look into his eyes, feel his gentle embrace, and then... this hairband. His
present to me, but I don't remember his face afterwrds..." Virgo looks up, her
face haunted. "I have a dream everynight of a life that can't possible mine!
It's bewildering and frightens me! Am I wrong to go mad over dreams?"
Cologne placed her hand on Virgo's right forearm. "Maybe someone's
trying to tell you something..."
Virgo sighed. "More riddles...," she takes her final sip. "How much
do I owe?"
"Tonight... It's on the house," Cologne squeezed Virgo's shoulder
supportively. "Go home..., child..."
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Outside the restuarant, the rain poured down in a wave. A girl in
white robes and blue pants ran past the Neko Hanten, her green hair a wet
banner behind her. On her staff rode a purple metal helmet. She giggled as
she dodged a kick by an identical girl with blue hair and the rest of the
purple hardsuit, clenching a frilly pink umbrella over her head and pleading
for her helmet.
"Come on, Musica! You know what happens when I get wet!"
"consider this your punishment for teasing me!"
"Get back here, Ranma! Fight like a man!"
"Huh?" Both girls stopped and looked. Too teenage martial artists
can around the corner in a dizzying chase. Ryoga held his umbrella over his
head as he flung his bandanas at Ranma, who also carried an umbrella.
"Come one, Ryoga! It's pouring! We can fight later, man!"
"Shut up!" The bandana flew from his hand. It buzzed past Allegra
and Musica. Ranma turned a corner, Ryoga turned the wrong way. Allegra
realised that the bandana had cut through her umbrella's shaft and she was
being hit by the rain. An empty suit of armor keeled over and Musica sighed
as she started to collect the pieces and the small wiggling form in her
sister's softsuit...
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Virgo stepped out and pulled her umbrella over her head. See watched
the rain and paused... Part of it came back to her and she smiled sadly...
Virgo stepped past Musica as she put the helmet on the reassembled
armor and poured in a kettle of hot water. Virgo's thoughts faded into her
dreams...
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(Quotes = Virgo, {} = scene, *_* = with other singers, ' = background singers)
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"So much to believe in... we were lost in time..."
{A young girl with her white hair in twin buns walks down the stone paved
path in front of an ancient temple. A handsome young man with dark
eyes walks beside her, his left hand holding a cloth wrapped package.
He looks over at her once in a while.}
"Everything I needed, fell into your eyes..."
Allegra and Musica: 'into your eyes...'
{Their eyes meet and she smiles as the youth blushes slightly...}
"Always thought of keeping... your heart next to mine."
{The girl opens the package and hugs the boy tightly as her right hand
clutches the golden hairband as it shines in the sun.}
"But now, that seems so far away..."
{Swords clash and flames lick the walls of the temple.}
"Don't know how love could leave without a trace!"
{The girl screams at the heavens in anguish as she kneels in the ashes of the
battlefield...}
"Where do silent hearts go?"
{Scene returns to the present as Musica and Allegra walk behind Virgo as she
crosses a bridge. The rain runs in rivets down Allegra's helmet and
hardsuit.}
"Where does my heart beat now?
Where is the sun that only echoes through the night?"
{They pass a food stand. Jody stands under the awning and pulls her red
trenchcoat closer to her with her left hand as she keeps her hold on a
newspaper with her right. A shadow blocks the light from the street
lamp and she looks up in annoyance.}
"Where does my heart beat now?
I can't leave without, without feeling it inside!"
{Jody's eyes widen as the figure offers her a rose. She takes it and inhales.
She smiles softly and looks up. Her expression becomes one of
surpriseas she looks for where the rose presenter disappeared to...}
"Where do all the lonely hearts go?"
{Jody sighs in disappointment and goes back to reading, the rose brushing
gently across her lips as she reads...}
"Candle in the water, drifting helplessly..."
{Virgo stops on in the middle of a bridge. Sinae, a pale skinned girl with
long, straight, jet black hair, stands under a black umbrella held by
Bara, another girl with blond short cropped hair. Sinae is dressed in
an elegant and formal dress which hints at her Chinese origin. Bara
is dressed in her usual white tennis outfit with a racket strapped to
her back. Bara stands slightly behind Sinae and makes sure that most
of the umbrella covers her lady. Sinae opens her silver eyes and
looks over the quick moving water.}
"Hiding from the thunder, come and rescue me..."
Sinae 'come and rescue me...'
{An image of a tall knight, his armor gleaming in the light comes to Sinae's
mind... Sinae closes her eyes in sadness.}
"Driven by the hunger... of the endless stream."
{In her mind, she sees herself walking in a faceless crowd and looking back as
the figure in armor fades from her view...}
"I'm searching for the hand that I can hold."
Allegra and Musica: 'Whoa oh oh oh...'
{Sinae turns away from looking back to look at the armored knight standing
before her. He takes her hand into his own...}
"I'm searching for the arms that let me know..."
{Sinae wraps her arms about him, fearing that if she lets go, she will lose
him.}
"Where do silent hearts go?"
{Sinae opens her eyes and continues walking, Bara shadowing her movement to
keep the rain from her lady.}
"Where does my heart beat now?
Where is the sun that only echoes through the night?"
{A pair of reddish brown eyes looks out from the open door at Ucchan's.
Zodiak watches Virgo pass by and follows behind her.}
"Where does my heart beat now?
I can't leave without, without feeling it inside!"
{Zodiak is joined by a man whose appearance seems out bushido. They walk in
silence as they watch Virgo's slow steps down the street.}
"Where do all the lonely hearts go?"
{Virgo pauses and pulls away the umbrella from herself and closes her eyes as
the rain pelts her face.}
"Where do all the lonely hearts go?"
{Virgo stands still as the rain mingles with her tears and washes them away...}
Zodiak & Kajagua: 'Naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa...'
{Zodiak and Kajagua stop by a telephone pole and wait for Virgo to continue.}
"And one flux before all becomes a silence; love still survives..."
{Virgo's eyes snap open and tosses her hairband up into the sky. She twirls
and catches it as it returns...}
"Love still sorvives..."
{Virgo holds the hair band to her heart.}
"Two hearts who needed one another; give them wings to fly-------!"
{She look around and the four following her stop and walk elsewhere...}
"Where does my heart beat now?
Where is the sun that only echoes through the night?"
{Allegra falters her steps a bit and retraces them to a vending machine. She
presses her gauntleted hands and helmeted face to its side and sighs
as a surprised 'Eep!' comes out of the machine.}
"Where does my heart beeat now?
I can't leave without, without feeling it inside! Oh!"
{The rains slows to a soft mist as the clouds spread apart to reveal the
bright stars. Musica looks up at the stars as Virgo slides the golden
hairband behind her ears and back to just past her hairline.}
Zodiak & Kajagua: 'Naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa...'
"I need someone to give my heart to..."
{Virgo walks on down the road with her hands clasped behind her back and the
umbrella hanging in the crook of her left arm.}
Zodiak & Kajagua: 'Naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa...'
"I feel it getting stronger, stronger, STRONGER! Yeah!"
{She looks back and smiles at Zodiak and Kajagua. She arches her eyebrow and
walks on...}
Zodiak & Kajagua: 'Naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa...'
"And I'm feeling it inside... and it needs to last me till the end of time..."
{Virgo gets a wishful look in her eyes as the memories from the dream fade
away from her mind...}
'Naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa... naa naa na naaa...' {The music fades
away...}
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Afterword: Yeah, it's a song that's been in my head for a while. Of course
Virgo will sing it. What do you expect from a group who are called
the Anything-Goes Martial Band? See you around!