HAHAH! It's over, done! I'm free! This is the last episode of Nameless -
enjoy!
Cameo by CMOT Dibbler, an invention of Terry Prachett.
C&C is good. Very good. Post C&C.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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_ ___.-.__ /_ |
_ / \ _ (___ __) | |
| |\_/ / ` (___ __) |_|
| `--. / /_ .--` '-. =======
`---. |/ ) | .-. ._ \ .---.
.---' / /-. `-. `-' | `' (_.-. |
`----'`-' `---'`---' .'.'
.'.'_
(_____) The Nameless Saga
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Ranma 1/2 and all characters and backstory in this Fanfic are the
creations and property of the illustrious Rumiko Takahashi-sama. Trust us
on that. The Nameless Saga was written by Mike Loader and far too much
coffee.
-----------------------Episode 8 - Hail, Holy Prophet! Finale ------------
(Scene opens on a dank, moss-covered cell beneath the Warlord's
palace. Ryoga, still unconscious, lies slumped against a wall.
Ranma, bruised but awake, is pacing back and forth. Finally Ryoga
groans and begins to stir. Ranma stands over him as his eyes flick
open.)
Ryoga: (weakly) What....where...?
Ranma: (icily) Welcome back, pig-boy. You've really messed things
up this time.
Ryoga: (realizing there he is) They got you too? (starts) Akane!
Where is she?
Ranma: (upset) I think they threw her into a cell down the hall. I
wasn't exactly fully awake while they brought me here. That
Warlord guy mentioned torture....
Ryoga: And you let them take her?
Ranma: (furious) I didn't let anyone do anything! The Warlord blew
the crap out of me with some kind of Ki-blast, and he ignored
everything I threw at him. He must be running on the same stuff
Kasumi and Nabiki are. Damn you, Ryoga! He was about to give us
the Temerrit, and then you were brought in! What the hell did you
do to these people? They made it sound like you had blown up a
temple or something!
Ryoga: (low tone) They think I stole their patron god.
Ranma: Did you?
Ryoga: NO! Well, not really. Sort of.
Ranma: (exasperated) SORT OF? No, Ryoga, you don't "Sort of"
steal something, you either do or you don't!
Ryoga: Well, in that case I did. Steal, that is. Um.
Ranma: How the hell do you steal a god? You mean a statue or
something, right?
Ryoga: Nope. The actual god. Only it wasn't really...
Ranma: Ryoga, please explain it to me before I kill you.
Ryoga: It's a long story.
Ranma: Then start talking.
(Flashback. We see Ryoga walking down a path through a Chinese
forest.)
Ryoga's Voice Over: It happened not long after you knocked me into
the pool at Jusenkyo. I was heading back to Japan, in search of you
and vengeance.
Ryoga: Okay....if this is China, then Japan must be to the west. Not
long now.
(He crosses a bridge over a rushing stream.)
Ryoga: He has ruined my life! Turned me into a freak! I shall wash
away my shame in his blood if it's the last thing I ever do!
(He slams his foot down on the bridge to punctuate his words. The
plank breaks. Ryoga teeters a bit on the edge, then catches his
balance.)
Ryoga: Whew. Close one.
(The bridge collapses.)
Ryoga: I should have knowBwee.....
(The current sweeps P-chan down the river, battering him against
rocks. He fights to stay afloat, but goes beneath the surface
several times and begins to tire.)
P-chan: (thinks) Is this how it ends? My glorious quest for
justice, drowned in some river? The world...is a dark and lo....
(Suddenly, a hawk swoops down and plucks the floundering piglet
out of the river. It soars off towards the mountains.)
P-chan: (thinks) I'm saved! Fortune has finally smiled on me! This
kind, gentle bird will bring me back to it's nest and....
(He suddenly realizes something.)
P-chan: (thinks)....have me for dinner.
(Visions of the hawk feeding its babies bits of piglet flit through
his head.)
P-chan: BWEEEEEE!!!!!
(He bites the hawk on the leg. The hawk give a startled squawk
and drops him. P-chan begins to plummet towards the ground,
which is far below but rapidly getting closer.)
P-chan: (thinks) Could have been pool of drowned panda, or bear,
or eagle, or tiger. But no. It had to be the pool of drowned pig...
(Scene changes to a huge outdoor temple. Thousands of people,
both nobles and commoners, ring an altar bearing strange
markings. Lord Tsung, clad in ceremonial robes and an elaborate,
feathered headdress, stands by the altar, performing a ceremony.)
Tsung: (booming voice) People of Varaiyah! Today is the Day of
Return! After his rest of 1000 years, the most Holy Celestial
Prophet, Ped Xing, shall assume mortal form, and return to us! So
has the Prophet promised, and so has it been written!
(The crowd goes wild with religious fervor. Several light
themselves on fire; others, of a wiser nature, light other people
on fire.)
Tsung: The coming of Ped Xing heralds a new age! For it is written
that as long as the Prophet dwells among us, there shall be peace,
and plenty, and high quality daytime TV!
(The crowd roars, and many of them begin to do the Wave.)
Tsung: Silence! The coming is now at hand!
(The crowd goes silent.)
Tsung: (fervent, solemn tone) Oh most Holy, Prophet and God, great
and ommicient Ped Xing, return to thy faithful servants as thou
hast promised! We beg of thee, in the name of...
(P-chan plummets out of the sky, landing on the headdress.)
Tsung: Urk.
(P-chan bounces off the headdress and lands on the altar. The
crowd is silent for a moment.)
Guy in Crowd 1: You don't think that's...
Guy in Crowd 2: It must be!
Guy in Crowd 1: But a PIG? That's just too ridiculous for words!
Guy in Crowd 3: HERETIC!
(He throws a bucket of lamp oil and a match on GiC1.)
Entire Crowd: HAIL PED XING! HAIL, HOLY PROPHET! HE HAS
RETURNED!
Tsung: (still groggy) Um, yes! Hail, O great one! (drops to his knees
before the altar) What is thy command, O Holy Prophet?
P-chan: (dazed) Bwhee?
Tsung: (booming voice) The Prophet has spoken! Know ye, that his
first command is that a mighty temple be erected for him to
dwell in!
P-chan: (puzzled) Bwee?
Tsung: The Prophet asks for the faithful to contribute funds for
the building!
P-chan: (really confused): Bwee? Bwee?
Tsung: Those who do so shall sit in heaven by His side! So speaks
the most Holy Ped Xing!
(The crowd goes wild.)
Vendor: (to his assistant) Quick, run down to Lui Feng the potter's
and buy all the piggy banks he has in stock!
Assistant: Huh?
Vendor: A little black paint, a plug in the coin slot, and instant
Holy Prophet Ped Xing Collectible Idol! Now hurry!
Assistant: At once, Master Diblah.
(He rushes off. At the altar, Tsung is supervising a group of
saffron-clad priests, who are transfering P-chan from the altar
to a pillowed litter of gold and ivory.)
Tsung: We bear you to Our palace, O Holy One! If you require
anything from this most unworthy of servants, just speak the
word, and it shall be as you will!
P-chan: Bwee. (thinks) They think I'm a god! I've got to get out of
here as soon as possible, or I'll never catch up to that fiend
Saotome!
Tsung: (addressing the crowd) The Holy Prophet Ped Xing goes now
to his palace! Let there be celebrations and rejoicing!
(The crowd thinks this is a pretty good idea, and forms a conga
line. Tsung gestures, and the litter is carried off towards the
palace. Flashback ends, revealing Ranma rolling on the floor,
laughing.)
Ryoga: (glaring at him) Something is amusing?
Ranma: Heheh....you....ha...a god...bwahaha....who would be stupid
enough....haha...to think...
Ryoga: (angry) Well, I mean, I was pretty impressive...
Ranma: Hail, O Holy Prophet P-chan! (he breaks back down into
helpless laughter)
Ryoga: WILL YOU STOP CALLING ME THAT!?!
Ranma: Don't worry, Akane isn't....(he stops laughing) Yeah, um.
Anyway, go on with your flashback.
Ryoga: (Sarcastically) Are you sure? If you want to laugh at my
curse a bit more, I can wait.
Ranma: *sigh* Alright, I'm sorry. Continue, please.
(Flashback resumes. We see P-chan, a crown perched on his head,
sitting on a pillowed divan, surrounded by beautiful women.
Scantily clad ones, too. Tribute is piled all around him, and one of
the women is stroking him and feeding him grapes.)
Ryoga's Voice Over: After three weeks in captivity....
Ranma's Voice Over: Three weeks? What happened to escaping as
soon as possible?
Ryoga's Voice Over: (defensively) I needed time to plan, to think,....
Ranma's Voice Over: To have your widdle tummy rubbed?
Ryoga's Voice Over: Do you want me to tell the story or not?
(We see Tsung and a pair of priests enter. The kneel, and prostrate
themselves before P-chan.)
P-chan: (with air of haughty dignity) Bwee?
Tsung: Good Morning, O Most Holy. We trust your sleep was serene
and undisturbed?
P-chan: (bored air) Bwee.
Tsung: Excellent. We come with more tribute, Holy Prophet. Shall
We put it in with the rest?
P-chan: (motioning with a hoof) Bwee.
Tsung: Very good, Holy One.
(He motions behind him, and a group of burly priests haul in a huge
golden statue of P-chan, his hooves trampling little gold infidels.
They open a door to a side room, filled with treasure, and put the
statue inside.)
Tsung: And now, O Great Ped Xing, we shall leave you to your
handmaidens.
(The priests and he bow deeply and leave. P-chan leans back and
has another grape fed to him.)
Handmaiden 1: Time for a (Chinese phrase), oh Holy One.
P-chan: Bwee?
Handmaiden 2: Good idea! It should relax the Holy Prophet to no
end. Though it always makes me sweat.
Handmaiden 3: But it produces a most delightful sensation, you
must admit.
Handmaiden 2: Oh yes. Nothing in the world feels better.
Handmaiden 1: Bring a basket or something to put our clothing in.
(P-chan's eyes have been getting wider and wider.)
P-chan: (thinks) They say to forgive is divine....who cares about
Saotome anyway!
(The handmaidens begin to remove their clothing. P-chan just
stares.)
Handmaiden 1: Come on, Holy Prophet. Time for a nice, steamy
(Chinese phrase) session.
(She picks him up, and they exit through a door with the phrase
written above it. Below it, in Japanese, is the translation -
"Sauna".)
(Inside, steam obscures our view.)
Handmaiden 1: He jumped out of my hands!
Ryoga: (thinks) Oh no - Steam! Hot water! I've changed back!
Handmaiden 2: Holy Prophet? Are you all right?
Ryoga: Um, uh, "Bwee"!
Handmaiden 3: (uncertainly) The Prophet sounds a bit....different.
Handmaiden 1 Feel around for him, girls.
(There is a brief moment of silence as they search.)
Handmaiden 2: I've got his tail!
Ryoga: (strangled, embarrassed voice) Um, that's not my tail....
(Cut to the room outside the sauna. Amid screams from the sauna,
Ryoga dashes out, grabbing a towel from a rack as he does so.
Racing out the door to the throne room, he collides with Lord
Tsung, knocking him over. )
Ryoga: Sorry!
(He races on. Tsung groggily stands up.)
Tsung: What the....?
(The handmaidens run into the corridor, skidding to a stop before
Tsung.)
Handmaiden 1: Warlord! A man entered the Sauna as we were
giving the Holy Prophet a steam bath!
Tsung: Ped Xing! Where is he?
Handmaiden 3: (tearfully) He's gone!
(Tsung replays the collision in his mind, and focuses on the towel
Ryoga was clutching...)
Tsung: (furious) The foreign devil has abducted the Holy Prophet!
GUARDS! GUARDS!
(End flashback. Ranma is sitting on the floor of the cell, trying
not to laugh as Ryoga finishes.)
Ryoga: I left Varaiyah about five steps ahead of half the army. And
that's the story.
Ranma: Why don't you just tell them the truth? That you were this
Ped Xing guy all along?
Ryoga: Oh, yeah. Right. And of course Tsung wouldn't put us to
death for impersonating a Prophet when he found out. If anything,
I think that might make him more angry than before.
Ranma: (wrinkling his forehead) I see what you mean. Well, that
tears it. We're just gonna have to escape, rescue Akane and the
others, find the Temerrit, and get back to Japan.
Ryoga: (sarcastically) Of course. No problem. And I suppose you're
just going to walk through the walls?
Ranma: (grinning) Nope. But you are!
Ryoga: ....
Ranma: The Bakusaitenketsu, remember?
Ryoga: (excited) Of course! Let's see...
(He stares at the wall for a few seconds.)
Ryoga: The moss is covering the breaking point. Help me clear it
off.
(He goes over and begins to rip handfuls of the moss off. Ranma
gets up and joins him.)
Ranma: Gah! This stuff is sticking to my hands! And it really
stinks!
Ryoga: Keep going. I need to be able to see most of the wall in
order to find the breaking point.
Ranma: Naturally. Of course. *sigh* After I clean the Warlord's
clock I'm gonna ask to use his sink....
(Scene changes to the bridge of the Searose. The door to the
bridge has been securely locked and bolted. Kodachi and Shampoo
sit in the far corner, staring at the door.)
Shampoo: It been 23 hours, Ko-chan. You think it safe to go
outside?
Kodachi: I doubt it. That thing's probably perched above the door,
waiting for us to come out. If only we had some way of talking to
it, to surrender...
Shampoo: (snapping her fingers) Aiyah! We do! I know way to talk
to it!
Kodachi: (looks puzzled) What, do you speak cat?
Shampoo: Something like that. We need hot and cold water.
Kodachi: If you say so, dear. I'll set something on fire to heat the
water....
(Scene changes to the Warlord's private chambers. Ukyo, tied and
bound, is strapped to a chair. Tsung enters.)
Tsung: Hello, my dear. Enjoying your stay?
Ukyo: You beast! Let me go!
Tsung: And deprive Ourself of the pleasure of your company?
Perish the thought.
Ukyo: What are you going to do to me?
Tsung: You will become Our latest concubine.
Ukyo: (defiantly) Never! Ranchan will save me!
Tsung: Hah! He stands no chance against Our power!
Ukyo: I'll never...
(She trails off, looking embarrassed.)
Ukyo: This is rather overused dialogue, isn't it? How am I
supposed to be cowed into submission by lines like that?
Tsung: Um. You have spirit, girl. We like that in a woman.
(He looks hopefully at Ukyo.)
Ukyo: That's as old as the hills. Come on, it sounds like something
out of a B-Movie.
Tsung: (thinking furiously) We will have you, willing or not?
Ukyo: (shaking her head) Trite, tired, overused.
Tsung: In time, you might even learn to love Us?
Ukyo: Not even Saturday morning cartoons would use garbage like
that.
Tsung: Marry me, or I will have you tortured with red-hot pokers
and scalpels, torn limb from limb by a pack of savage, rabid
hyenas, and throw the remains to the palace rats?
Ukyo: (eyes wide) Um, that's, uh, much......better.....
(Scene changes to a view of a wall in a stone corridor.)
Voice: (from behind the wall) BAKUSAITENKETSU!
(The wall shatters, revealing Ranma and Ryoga.)
Ryoga: (elaborate bow) Ladies first.
(Ranma glares at him, but steps over the ex-wall and walks down
the corridor. Ryoga follows)
Ranma: Where do you think they could be?
(A agonized scream rings out. Ranma and Ryoga stop suddenly.)
Ryoga: (horrified) That sounded like...
Ranma: Akane! If those bastards have laid a finger on her, I'll...
(The scream rings out again, the sound of a soul in undescribable
torment.)
Ranma: (running) This way! It came from behind, (skids to a stop)
this door!
Akane: (behind the door) No, God no, no more, please... (screams
again)
Ryoga: (catching up) BAKUSAITENKETSU!
(The door shatters, and Ranma and Ryoga charge through in full
battle mode. Akane has been strapped to a chair, her eyes forced
open, and pointed in the direction of a TV set. A guard freezes,
staring at the new arrivals.)
TV: (singing) "I love you, you love me..."
Ranma: (shocked whisper) "Barney and Friends" reruns. Those
sadistic bastards...
Akane: NO! NO! NOT ANOTHER SING-ALONG! ANYTHING BUT THAT!
(Ryoga tosses a headband into the TV, demolishing it. Akane gives
a sob of relief and faints.)
Guard: Uh, I was just following orders, heheh....
Ranma and Ryoga: (grimly) So are we.
(The close in and beat the stuffing out of the guard. Ranma walks
slowly over to Akane and unties her. She begins to slump out of
the chair, and he gently steadies her, keeping his arm around her
back.)
Akane: (waking) No more...no more....
Ranma: (soothingly) Shh. Its over.
Akane: (horrified whisper) It just kept singing, and dancing, and
oozing saccharine..
Ranma: It's all over.
Ryoga: (coming over) Those scum. I found these in the cabinet by
the VCR. (he gives Ranma a handful of tapes)
Ranma: (reading) "The Power Rangers meet the Smurfs", "Barney's
Fun Indoctrination Session, featuring J. Goebbels", "Sailor Moon"...
What kind of monsters are these people? This is inhuman!
Akane: (shaken, but fully awake) They locked Daddy and Mr.
Saotome in the closet. (points toward a broom closet in the back
of the room)
Ranma: (eyes hard) Right. Ryoga, break it down. And then, we're
gonna have a little chat with the Warlord. A friendly little chat.
(Zoom on the hall outside the Searose's bridge. Felix is clinging to
the ceiling above the door, looking kawaii and vicious at the same
time. The door to the bridge opens, and Shampoo-Neko darts out.)
Felix: (cat-speech) <Hi there. This is my hunting grounds, clear
out.>
Shampoo: <That's what I wanted to ask you about. Could you please
stop trying to kill these people?>
Felix: <They blew the $^#%@&@ out of my old spot. They deserve
whatever they get.>
Shampoo: <You were on the old boat?>
Felix: <Yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I have man-things to eat.>
Shampoo: <Wait! What if we were to drop you off somewhere?
Somewhere with lots of, um, targets?>
Felix: (intrigued) <Like where?>
Shampoo: <Japan, China, Thailand....you name it.>
Felix: <Japan, I think. Okay. Drop me off there, and the rest of the
man-things can live.>
Shampoo: <Deal.>
Felix: <Y'know, dear, that haircut really doesn't look very good on
you. Now there's this little grooming salon down on Sakeda Street
in Kyoto that does this wonderful clip and styling job....>
(Scene changes to the Warlord's throne room. Tsung, a bound Ukyo
by his side, is addressing the usual group of couriers and guards.)
Tsung: ...And so, We are pleased to announce Our engagement to
this beautiful flower of maidenhood.
(The hall politely applauds. Ukyo looks indignant.)
Ukyo: Me? Marry him? No way in hell am I going to...
(Tsung leans over and whispers something to Ukyo, who turns
pale. We catch only a few snatches; ..."red-hot sheep
bladders"..."Fire Ants"....etc.)
Ukyo: (shaken) On the other hand, maybe...
(The doors at the end of the hall shatter open, revealing Ranma,
Ryoga, Soun, Akane, and Genma. None of them look very happy.)
Ukyo: Ranchan! Help!
Tsung: (irritated) Do you know how much it will cost to replace
those doors?
Ranma: Hang on, Ucchan! I'm coming!
Tsung: Haven't we been through this once before? (he stands,
drinks a cup of tea, and goes into a battle posture) If you're going
to break out, We'll just send you straight to the executioner this
time.
(Tsung motions, and a ring of guards close in.)
Ranma: You're gonna pay for what you did to Akane!
Tsung: (raising his hands on high) We think not. CHAO KUNG MING
STRIKE!
(A huge ball of green Ki-energy blasts towards Ranma, who is
thrown back by the impact. Groggily, he stands up. Behind him, the
others are barely holding their own against the guards.)
Tsung: Foolish boy. Have you not seen that your power is as
nothing compared to Us?
Ranma: (grimly) I can still try. MOKO TAKABISHA!
(Ranma's own Ki-blast barely fazes Tsung.)
Ranma: (thinks) This isn't working....time to run for it...
Akane: Ranma! Help!
(He turns to see Akane being held by 3 guards. Soun and Genma are
being overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and Ryoga is fighting off
six at once.)
Ranma: (thinks) I can't leave her...I mean, them. This is it..
Tsung: Your time has come, boy. CHAO KUNG MING STRIKE!
(As the bolt of energy rushes towards him, Ranma throws his
hands in front of him in a attempt to shield himself from the
brunt of it. The Ki hits his hands, and dissipates.)
Ranma: (puzzled) Huh? Why didn't it hurt me?
(He stares at his hands, still smeared with the algae from the cell
wall.)
Ranma: Of course! (turns to Tsung) You're history, pal.
(Ranma charges. Tsung calmly stands his ground.)
Tsung: Haven't you learned by now that you stand no chance of
hurting Us?
Ranma: Things change. TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!
(He punches Tsung, who doesn't even attempt to dodge.)
Tsung: Hah! Your feeble skills are no match....
(Tsung's eyes roll up, and he falls to the ground, unconscious.)
Ranma: (addressing the room) You, guards! Surrender, or the
Warlord dies!
(The guards think this over, and stop fighting. Ranma walks over
and unties Ukyo.)
Ukyo: Ranchan! I knew you'd come for me! I knew...
(She suddenly realizes that she's talking to his back; Ranma has
gone over to check on Akane.)
Ukyo: .....
Ranma: You okay, Akane?
Akane: Fine. What did you do? I mean, he kind of beat the snot out
of you last time...
Ranma: Look. (he holds out his hands) Me and Ryoga had to scrape a
bunch of moss off the cell wall in order to get out, and it kinda
stuck.
Akane: (wrinkling her nose) Ugh. You know, Ranma, that stuff
really stinks...
Ranma: Anyway, when I saw Tsung's Ki-blast disappear when it
touched my hands, I realized what it is.
Akane: (puzzled) What are you talking about?
Ranma: The moss IS the Temerrit! That's why I was able to hit
Tsung; Temerrit is supposed to act as a counteragent to Varaiyah
tea, remember?
Ryoga: (coming over) You mean we were locked in a cell full of
Temerrit?
Ranma: Looks like it. All we have to do is go back down, get some
more, and head back to Japan.
Soun: (happy) My daughters are saved!
Genma: (happy) I'm saved!
Ranma: I'll go get the Temerrit. Ped Xing, you keep an eye on the
Warlord.
Ryoga: (bitterly) I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?
Ranma: You would prefer I call you P-chan?
Ryoga: You know, just when I've forgiven you for making a
horrible, twisted nightmare out of my life, you go and say
something like that. And then I have to try and end your miserable
existence.
Ranma: Yeah, I'm getting tired of beating you up too. Sorry, okay?
Ryoga: (uncertain) Well...okay. You can live. Just keep your hands
off Akane.
Ranma: (rolling his eyes) Oh, thank you ever so much.
(Scene changes to the Tendo living room, four days later. Genma,
Soun, Ranma, Akane, Kasumi, and Nabiki are watching TV.)
TV: ...Dockworkers in Nerima have been off work for the third day
in a row, due to reports of a savage animal of some sort that a
ship let off. Workers described it as a cat of some kind, and we
have in the studio someone who claims to have actually seen it.
Mr. Aikawa, tell us, what kind of cat was it? A tiger? A panther?
Aikawa: No, it was a scruffy white cat.
TV: (laughing) You don't mean a housecat, do you?
Aikawa: Well, yes. Kind of Kawaii, really...
(Ranma, who has been growing pale, turns off the TV.)
Akane: So, have you two been feeling better?
Kasumi: Oh yes! I've been feeling very guilty about what...what I
did, but everyone's been so understanding. (she frowns) But Ryoga
keeps screaming and running in panic every time he sees me.
Funny, I don't remember doing anything to him..
Ranma: At least its been nice and peaceful. Ryoga's too scared to
come near the dojo, I haven't seen Mousse since we left, even...(he
narrows his eyes) ...even Happosai's been absent. Did something
happen to the old Hentai?
Nabiki: (looking embarrassed) Well, um, actually....
Akane: (shocked) Nabiki! You didn't kill him, did you?
Nabiki: Of course not! I, uh, well, I kinda.....
Soun: Kinda what, dear?
Nabiki: Kinda sold him.
(Scene changes to a American cosmetics lab. Happosai has been
stuffed in a cage, next to several monkeys. Two lab techs walk
over.)
Lab tech 1: Got another dose of "Parakeet Green" nail polish for
the new monkey. (frowns) What type does the chart say it is?
Lab tech 2: (reading chart) It's a "Hentai". I think that's a type of
orangutang.
Happosai: Let me out, you sadists!
Lab tech 1: Sounds almost like it's talking, doesn't it? Reminds
me of Japanese.
Lab tech 2: Some imagination you got, Dave. Come on, we have to
cover both eyeballs fully with this stuff.
Happosai: *whimper*
END OF EPISODE 8
FINIS.
___________________
Author's Notes
It's done! Hurray! Now I can toss out the next few ideas!
I originally intended this to be a piece in the classic Ranma
style - fuzzball humor, elements of growth between the cast, and
no serious changes made to the overall Ranmaverse. I kept pretty
much to that credo throughout, and I like to think I did an okay
job.
I had no idea where I was going when I first started this. None
at all. My story concept (such as it was) had been, "What would
happen if Akane cooked with Cologne's spices?". The mention of
"Varaiyah Tea" in episode one had been intended as a one-shot
gag...certainly I never expected it to start dominating the
storyline like it did.
Tsung's two attack forms can be translated as "War God Strike"
and "Wind God gale blast", respectively. Japanese names are from
my own humble knowledge of the culture, supplemented by advice
from Obachan. Thanks go to Mr. the Rutsch, Matt Trotter, and
everyone slse who sent in C&C, Travis Butler; who got Windir and
Frito to do two extremely helpful and entertaining reviews, Felix;
for keeping me on my toes by attempting to remove said toes, the
usual motley crew at the Penspinner and Herald (Mike, who the
*&$%^ are these people?), Mr. Terry Prachett (Grab! Steal! Cameo!),
a whole s--tload of musicians and groups who's stuff helped me
write this, Rumiko Takahashi; who's characters' I've been toying
with, and the rest of the Fanfic ML for simply being alive.
This horror will be redone, worked over, and kicked back out as
The Varaiyah Cycle (Foxtrot likes the new name better, and it's
always wise to listen to Foxtrot) in a month or three. In the
meantime...
Smoke and Mirrors will be released in beta version, along with
the Alpha of part 2.
Follow The Bouncing Ball, a exercise in messing with people's
minds cleverly disguised as a fanfic, should get kicked out
sometime.
One of these days I'll retype the second TFBT story for internet
release.
Til then, keep cranking 'em out, folks. C&C is eagerly craved, as
always.
- M. Loader