Well, here's another one...
Nightelf (nwl9354@tam2000.tamu.edu) presents...
The Circe Project
Part 3
Bubblegum Crisis characters created by Kenichi Sonoda
Ranma 1/2 characters created by Rumiko Takahashi
Nodoka Hibiki created by me, with serious Ranma 1/2 influences.
Song lyrics by Aran Tomoko (easy question of the day: Care to guess which
song?)
As always, don't do anything stupid with this fanfic without the author's
permission. If you want to, ask. I'm not unreasonable...usually.
enjoy...
************************************************************************
Sunset approached over the mountains as the Knightwing cruised
slowly over the Chinese countryside, its light providing a beautiful
sight for Mackie to enjoy. As he looked over the area surrounding the
Jusenkyo laboratory, he'd had scant few sights to enjoy. All he'd seen
was scorched village after scorched village...better living through
Genom. He sat back and sighed, quietly wishing for Linna's return...dead
or alive. At least a body would provide some assurances...
*..beep......beep......beep..*
He reached for a button on the communications panel.
"Hello, Mackie..." Nene appeared on the comm screen, her smiling
face beaming through the cockpit.
"Hello, Nene." Mackie's voice sounded anything but cheerful.
"What's up?"
"Sylia wanted me to check up on you." She tilted her head to the
side and widened her eyes, hope spreading on her face for.... "Any
luck?"
Mackie shook his head slowly. "No signs of life anywhere. I still
have a few places to check out, but I don't have much hope in them. It's
all mountains.
Nene shrugged. "Well...think about this: If you were hiding from
Genom...where would you choose? An open plain...or rugged mountains?"
"Good point."
"Anyway, hurry back home. Priss is performing tonight."
Mackie's eyes lit up. "Really? Cool! I'll see you there." He
suddenly turned a bright shade of red. "Uh...do you know if Nodoka's
coming?"
"I don't know, but I'll be sure to ask her." Nene's smile turned
mischievous. "By the way...I left a little surprise for you beneath the
console. See ya!"
"A surprise?" Mackie reached under the console, a perplexed look on
his face as he stared at the search's results: A thick paper envelope...
pink...scented with Nene's perfume? "Oh my...this couldn't be..."
He opened the envelope, staring at the contents inside: A letter,
and...something...wrapped in opaque white plastic. He read the letter
softly to himself:
Mackie -
I heard that you lost your little "collection" when the Silky Doll
went up, so I thought you might need some help in starting a new
collection. Enjoy!
Nene.
He cautiously ripped open the package. His eyes widened as he
flipped from picture to picture...
"Her" self, unconscious, being undressed by Sylia shortly after
the Jusenkyo raid.
Herself, undressing in the bathroom shortly before a certain hot
shower...
Herself, undressed and gingerly drying herself off after running
out into the rain.
Herself, carefully (some might say provocatively) putting on lace
undergarments shortly before going out to meet Nodoka.
"Nene..." Mackie groaned, tossing the pictures in question in a
trash bin. He sat back, his mind filling with images of revenge. A
cold shower and a visit to the veterinarian...or perhaps a delivery of
milk-bones to ADP headquarters...
Mackie was so absorbed by his thoughts of revenge that he didn't
notice the slightly damaged castle...or the warrior practicing, her
agile moves a graceful ballet against the mountains and sunset.
**************************************************************************
"One minute, Priss."
Priscilla S. Asagiri looked at the stranger in the mirror as the
stage manager made his call. It had been "only" two weeks...two weeks
of losing a friend...and losing herself. She clenched a fist as she
shifted her gaze to her outfit, a standard come-out-and-rock outfit:
black leather bustier, miniskirt, gloves, and thigh-high boots. She
absently fingered the black lace cuff on her left arm...There was one
other noticeable difference about her concert attire: her blond wig was
gone. If she wanted a disguise, she'd take a cold shower.
She opened the door to the room and walked out onto the stage,
making sure to notice the presence of her friends before...A tear
formed in her eye as the crowd roared her return. God, she never
thought she'd live to feel this again...the adrenaline soared through
her, the rush more powerful, more addictive than any drug, firing her
to near oblivion, though it felt different...tempered. No longer was
it a mere explosion within her. It had an edge...a focus. Loss. Pain.
Death. Rebirth. She had run the circle and come back, the blade
forged anew...stronger and sharper than before.
Then the music started.
A familiar chord came from the guitarist, pricking something in the
base of her skull...she let the music flow through her, letting it become
a part of her. The music started meshing, melding with her until the
two were one and inseperable, each molding and shaping the other into
something more powerful than the two. She took a deep breath, opened her
mouth, and let magic happen.
"Arashi no Highway...hasiritsuzuketa...Togireta yume no yukue
sagashite..."
The crowd marveled at the change wrought in the dark angel on
stage. Priss' heart, always shrowded, always hidden, shone through now,
its fire and brilliance tempered by sorrow. No longer was she a simple
retrothrash singer, but a true performer...her words drifted out into the
crowd, its spell-weavings enrapturing all those within the sound of her
voice. She finished the session, thanked everyone, and walked back to
her dressing room.
Thirty minutes later, Leon knocked on her door. "Priss? Priss, are
you in there?"
The voice that answered was far from angelic. "Go away, Leon!"
This was not quite the response that he'd been expecting. She'd
given the performance of a lifetime...and she was crying? "I...I liked
the show. It...It was unbelievable."
"Th-Thanks, Leon."
"Do...Do you want to talk about it?"
"Take it easy on her, Leon." A hand rested gently on his shoulder.
He turned around to face Nene, her sober face indicating her sincerity.
"We lost a good friend...and we're still coping."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Nene? You've known Priss all this
time...and you never told me?"
"Yes."
Priss exited from her dressing room, her eyes red and puffy. A
small, brave smile was fixed on her face.
"Priss...are you okay?" A wave of sadness went through Leon as he
saw the pain in her...
"Yes. It's just..." She rested her head on his chest, her head
turning to face Nene. "I'm so tired. The past two weeks...Linna's
death...our problems..."
"Still, you have to admit what happened to Mackie was funny..."
Nene was desperate to cheer her up.
It worked a little. "Poetic justice..." She raised her head,
locking eyes with Nene.
"Nene, I've decided...we're a family...it's time we admitted that.
Even more so, after Jusenkyo. We need to talk to Sylia about it. She
refuses to admit things have changed so much."
"Are you sure? You saw the look on her face when she thought..."
"Uh...excuse me, but what are you two talking about? Don't tell me
little Nene's a..." Leon didn't finish. He didn't have to.
"Oh my god...you know?" Nene couldn't contain her surprise.
"About Priss? Sure..."
Nene just rolled her eyes. "Oh man...Sylia's gonna kill us when she
finds out..."
"Let her. Things have changed. It's time we changed with them.
Come on, Leon. We need to talk." Priss grabbed Leon's hand and dragged
him out the back door...into the pouring rain.
"Priss?" Leon stared, dumbfounded, at the black cat digging her way
out of Priss' clothes as he absently rubbed the scratch on his hand. Nene
stood at the doorway, afraid to approach, looking at the rain as though it
were battery acid. He picked up the cat, then looked back at Nene,
disbelief wirtten all over his face. His mouth twitched in the attempt to
form words. "How...why..."
Nene cast her eyes to the floor, unable to meet anyone's gaze.
"We...ran into a Genom bioexperiment." She raised her head, comforted by
his compassion for her friend. She smiled weakly. "Bring her inside.
I'll bring her back to herself."
"Priss...ohmygod..." Leon numbly stood, still cradling Priss in his
arms, and walked back inside.
****************************************************************************
Mackie sat in a corner booth of the restaurant, making an intense
study of his soda as he wondered at the changes in his...her...being.
Three months ago, he'd been your average computer geek, lost in his
virtual world of data units, mecha, and Gpegs. Then...then _it_
happened. Life forced change. She changed with it. It had had
some...unexpected side effects. His body was now muscular...developed...
because of her. He had developed a healthy respect for women...their
ideas and feelings...knowing those feelings all too well. He was now far
more of a man than he'd ever been...and far less.
"Yen for your thoughts, kiddo."
He looked up at the source of the voice. An older woman, about 60
physically, though still fit, with gray hair tied back in a bun, laughing
dark eyes, and a warm, friendly smile. A blue okonomiyaki cook's outfit
fit over her slender frame. "Mind if I sit?"
"Go ahead, Ucchan. I can use the company." He then went back to
his intense study of carbonation release.
Ukyou grabbed his hand, trying to get his attention. "So...you want
to tell me what's bugging you?"
Mackie bit his lip for a moment, trying to figure out how to get his
worries across..."What did you think when you found out about Ranma's
curse?"
"Huh?"
He sighed. "I mean...were you repulsed by it, fascinated by it,
indifferent...what?"
"Hmmm...I never really thought of it like that..." Ukyou sighed,
then stared at the scared young man before her. "When I first found out
about Ranma's...other half, I thought it was cool at first. Then...then,
after awhile, I saw how much it was hurting him." She chewed on her
thumbnail for a moment, lost in thought, then continued. "You've heard
about all of Ranma's fiancees, right? Personally, I think the reason
why it continued like it did was because the great Ranma Saotome was
afraid...afraid that Akane wouldn't accept him with his curse. He
loved Akane...but couldn't admit it...even to himself...until that
Mount Phoenix mess, when everyone thought she'd died. That...put
things into perspective for him."
"So...you weren't turned off by it?"
She laughed for a moment. "Turned off? Heck, no...geez, Mackie,
you're as bad as he was. And..." a secretive smile crept up on her
face, "...if you don't watch it, you'll make the same mistake he did."
"Huh?"
"Oh dear...more customers. Konatsu's gonna need help...I'll see
you later, Mackie." She winked once at him. "Oh, and Mackie...good
luck." She then leapt out of the booth and joined her husband
behind the grill, kissing Konatsu on the cheek as she returned.
"What's with her today?" Mackie thought, bewildered at Ukyou's
exit.
Then he saw...
Nodoka stood at the doorway of the restaurant, looking very
different from the martial arts instructor he knew. Her pigtail was
undone, allowing the jet-black hair to flow freely around her. She had
put on some makeup, accentuating her already exquisite features. A
stunning black evening dress flowed over her small frame. The overall
effect was (literally, for Mackie) breathtaking. His jaw dropped to the
floor, the only sound in his ears the thundering of his own heartbeat.
She walked over to him, flashed a warm smile, and said one word:
"Hello..."
"Uh...hello." Somehow, Mackie had found the ability to speak.
"So...mind if I join you?" Those blue eyes seemed to swallow him
whole...
"Um...sure. Take a seat." he stammered, unable to take his eyes off
of her. "So...what are you dressed up for?"
"Do you like it? I...I normally don't dress up like this." She
blushed slightly.
"YES! I mean...you look stunning."
"Thank you, Mackie." She reached across the table and kissed him
seductively on the cheek.
Mackie didn't remember anything after that.
***************************************************************************
The ruins of the Lady's 633 store had been cold for months now, its
fires long since dead, its charcoal gray exterior adding to the skeletal
gloom of MegaTokyo. It stood, untouched from its final position, as
nobody had bothered to claim the property or to repair the damages...
Like a small ghost-town it stood, a reminder that life is fleeting and
short...and often has its surprises. The rain added to the gloom
permeating the atmosphere, giving a solitary message to all who gazed
upon her: Death resided here.
Two figures stood in silence outside the building, their forms
hidden by cloaks blowing in the wind, taking in the the ruins of the
building without a whisper passed. The larger of the two turned to the
other and removed the hood from his cloak, revealing a long, rough face
contorted by sorrow. Tears formed in his sky-blue eyes, only to be
washed away by the rain. His soft baritone voice cracked as he spoke to
his companion, still shielded from the rain:
"Come on. Let's go."
***************************************************************************
Here's the rough draft of Part 3. I had a few problems getting this
thing done...A couple of days ago, I endeavored to type in both parts 3
and 4 together. The system crashed as I was typing in the credits.
To make matters worse, I lost a scene from Part 3 (the original paper
draft...) and pretty much had to redo it from memory.
A rough draft of Part 4 will be posted within 24 hours. The final drafts
of these parts will be the last 'fics I post before leaving for the
summer. As always, C&C are appreciated.
Thanks to Rumiko Takahashi and Kenichi Sonoda...for obvious reasons.
Thanks to my roommate, Doug, for the use of his computer
Thanks to ANOC for the good times and laughs.
Thanks to The Fanfic ML and all those who sent in their comments.
Nicholas W. Leifker
"Nightelf"
May 3, 1996
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nightelf - nwl9354@tam2000.tamu.edu
"Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------