>From the Scriviner:
        I've had this idea for months. Which initially started out as a
fairly simple, Ranma cast with superpowers type of story, but I decided to
make it more interesting by melding the Ranma Universe with the Strikeforce
Morituri Universe. To those who aren't familiar with Morituri, I suggest
asking about it at your local comic book store, it was one of the good
series back in the eighties until it got cancelled.
        The premise of Strikeforce Morituri is simple. Aliens land on Earth
and in order to fight them, people are given super powers by the government.
There's a catch though... the people who undergo the Morituri process have
only one year left to live. Keep it in mind. This is not going to be a
particularly happy series. Life has a lot of pain in it. Especially if you
know... you really know that death is coming for you. If you want a comedy
go read one of my other fanfics...
        Once again, as with all of my melds, keep in mind that the character
in the story, while sharing the name and basic world view of the original,
may not necessarily act the way the original would due to the differing
experiences of each. Anyway, enough talk. Please read on...

Death Come Not By Halves.
A Ranma 1/2 / Strikeforce Morituri meld by the Scriviner

Rights belong to the owners. That's all we need to know. Don't sue. No cash.

Prelude: Parting Words. 

	The following is a transcription from the final recorded message left by
Dr. Mamoru Chiba after his vehicle was recovered at the outskirts of the
alien's territory:

<continuous background noise is the muted sound of a car engine>

	Toufuu, I know you will find this, so I at least have the satisfaction of
saying goodbye to you, my friend. I had to get all of this off my chest and
I know you will listen.
	I am going to die in a few hours and this is the happiest I've been in
weeks. I am more than ready to go because there's nothing left for me. They
are all dead. A dozen strangers, my wife... all dead. 
	God help me, I killed them, we killed them.
	I know what you'll say, Toufuu... it wasn't my fault. It none of it was our
fault... we didn't know that our preliminary process would burn them out
within a matter of days. But we didn't have a choice did we? The Horde had
landed and our defenses were being decimated. 

<bitter laughter> 

	We were such desperate fools... grasping at straws. It seemed like such an
elegant solution, didn't it? Use the alien technology to fight them on our
terms. We found a means of giving our volunteers superhuman powers by simply 

<twenty eight words deleted for security purposes>

	 Our Morituri process is both an astounding success and a dismal failure.
It worked, Toufuu. It worked incredibly well. Within several hours of the
process all of our volunteers had acquired superhuman abilities... the very
same powers that killed them within several days. But you know all of this.
	I never should have allowed Usagi to volunteer. I never should have even
let her find out about it. I know what you're going to say. Our screening
process was entirely sight unseen and without names, just the silly code
names our superiors cooked up. 
	I couldn't possibly have known it was her... but it is still my fault. I
hope you understand that. 
	You're probably wondering where I went after the debriefing. You know...
the one where they told us we'd be getting a new batch of volunteers?
Well... I locked myself in my quarters and I got stinking drunk. 
	A couple of hours later... I don't know how long, I eventually found myself
in the lab. I wanted to smash everything. I wanted to destroy all of our
work... I didn't want to be responsible for any more deaths! I think you
might have noticed the shattered test tubes and beakers...
	But I had a better idea.
	I've subjected myself to the process, Toufuu. Usagi was right... it is
exhilarating. As though I've come alive for the very first time. I didn't
bother with any of the preliminary treatments and my lifespan will probably
measure only a few hours instead of days. But I don't care. It will be more
than enough. 
	I am dictating this to you from my car. I am currently driving towards the
alien base and I intend to kill as many of the bastards as I can before I
burn out. I seem to have developed an unusual ability. I can generate
destructive pulses of energy... Interestingly enough, it seems to come
naturally, almost as if I've been doing it all my life...
	I feel sorry for you, Toufuu... you are going to have a dozen eager young
hopefuls all asking for the privilege of allowing them to die... I couldn't
take it any more... I hope you can forgive me, though... but I don't expect
it. Truth to tell, I don't care anymore at this point.

<engine sounds slow to a halt>

	Well... this is as far as the car goes, Toufuu. I'll be leaving this tape
here. I'm going to go see how many of the bastards I can drag to hell with
me. God help you Toufuu. God help you all...

<sound of the car door opening then closing followed immediately by a muted
roar and faint shouting>

<tape is silent for thirty minutes followed by the sound of an massive
explosion in the distance>

<tape ends eight minutes later. No further sounds on recording.>


Chapter I: First Batch

Part I: Departures from the norm...

	Toufuu let the tape play itself out. He'd heard it too many times over the
past week. It wasn't simply the death of his best friend... there would be
even more deaths to follow this. But the sacrifice of a few could help to
save so many lives... if only they didn't have to be so young. 
	Mamoru was right, of course... the optimal age for the subjects for the
subjects was seventeen. Usagi, Rei, Makoto, Ami, Minako... they had all been
in their twenties... they were fortunate to have even survived as long as
they did.
	Even for the new batch of volunteers, all seventeen and under, none of them
would live to see the year out. It wasn't fair. To anyone. He let out a
defeated sigh as he rubbed his temples... damn migraines.
	"Dr. Toufuu? Are you here?" A gentle voice called out in the darkness.
	Toufuu roused himself from his depression a little, "Over here Kasumi."
	He couldn't see her at all, but he could hear her gliding silently through
his room. She'd been here often enough before when the two of them were
working late. She knew where everything was.
	"Toufuu..." she said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You've been
listening to the tape again."
	"Yes."
	"You know this isn't the best thing for you to have on your mind when
you're going to be addressing the Director."
	"I know... it's just..."
	"Shhh... I understand... you don't have to explain anything to me. Just try
to relax a little." She placed a second hand on his other shoulder and
gently began to massage him...
	Toufuu felt the tension drain out of him a little, "Thank you. You always
know what I need."
	Kasumi smiled in the darkness, "That is my power."
	Toufuu relaxed under the continued motions of her fingers. Even his
migraine had retreated and he closed his eyes to savor the sensations. So
little time left... so little...
	"You're thinking how much longer I have left aren't you?" Kasumi asked
quietly as she continued to knead his shoulders...
	Toufuu gave a small chuckle, "Are you sure you're not telepathic?"
	"It's just the way your body tensed up again... and about a dozen other
little things... don't think about that. We all have as much time as we are
given."
	"If you say so. I just... I don't know if I could stand losing you..."
	"It had to be done, Toufuu." Kasumi replied, continuing her motions, "The
computer projections regarding my likely ability were right. Project
Jusenkyo needs me as I am now."
	Toufuu sighed in resignation, "Yes, they do... but..."
	"I'm here for you as well, Toufuu." Kasumi interrupted him, "For as long as
you need me."
	"Thank you."
	"Now... please no more listening to Dr. Chiba's tape?"
	"Alright."
	"And no more of this brooding in the dark?"
	Toufuu smiled slightly, feeling far more relaxed now than he'd been scant
minutes ago, "But if I didn't sit here in the dark, how would you know I
need you to visit me?"
	"I'll know." Kasumi replied, also smiling slightly... she stopped massaging
him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips nearly brushing his ear,
"I'll always know."
	"I love..." Toufuu began to say.
	She kissed him lightly on his cheek, "I know that too..." 

- - -

	In a manor at the outskirts of Tokyo, a young man knelt, praying silently
in darkness broken only by a pair of flickering candles. He was dressed in a
formal kimono before a family shrine which held photos of a man and a woman.
He was severely handsome, his short curled hair held back by a headband.
	"Father. Mother." he said formally, "My sister and I continue to be in
blessed good health. We wish the same and more for yourselves... wherever
you may be. She wished for me to inform you that..." His face hardened even
more as though finding it difficult to speak.
	"My sister intends to inflict the vengeance of the Kuno family upon the
heathen cowards who so brazenly slew you. She informed me that it is her
intention to redress your deaths by sending a hundred of the Horde to their
most deserved doom for each of you. I..." He closed his eyes for a moment...
as if trying to hold back tears.
 	"I... I most desire to join her on her quest... but I have learned that
what she intends to undergo in order to avenge you shall see her dead inside
the year. I have tried most persistently to thwart her from this course of
action but she will not be swayed."
	He heaved a heavy sigh and continued, his voice getting stronger with each
word. "Despite my wishes... my place is here, most honored parents. I must
remain to carry on the proud name and tradition of the Kuno family. Despite
all hindrances which may bar my way. Though the infernal Horde seek to
reduce the rest of this world to naught but smoking ruin, the House of Kuno
shall remain steadfast and vigilant. I most humbly ask both of you to watch
over Kodachi and keep her well... and draw her safely to your bosom when the
time comes." 
	After an immeasurable span of time, he stood finally. His face serene and
composed as he left the family shrine. He walked slowly, his thoughts heavy
in his mind as he reached the front gates of the Kuno estate where his
sister was finally preparing to enter the limo which would take her away.
	"Sister." Tatewaki called to her.
	The girl turned to face him. She was a beautiful young woman, perhaps
sixteen, with long dark hair tied in a ponytail. Her eyes were bright and
cheerful, but there was steel behind that gaze. "Brother... I thought you
didn't wish to see me off." She was surprised. The two of them had not
spoken more than two words to each other since their argument regarding
Kodachi's decision.
	"Surely you could not think that, Kochi..." the man smiled after a few
moments, "We are all that remain of the line of Kuno, dear sister... and now
you go off... in all likelihood to die... I certainly could not allow such a
thing to transpire without my presence."
	The girl looked at the man fondly and put a hand to his cheek, "Tachi...
you phrased that very pompously again... but I understand what you mean."
	The man's serene expression cracked for a moment as he directed a mildly
sour look at the girl, "There is no need to insult me even as you leave, Kochi."
	She gave a slight giggle and pinched him lightly on the cheek, "I couldn't
help it, big brother. You were acting like an arrogant brat again." She
heaved a sigh as she glanced at the limo, "I have to go, Tatewaki... I'll
write... you'll pray for me won't you?"
	"Every day, my sister." Tatewaki replied a stiffly, "Now go, Kodachi Kuno
of the House of Kuno... fulfil your promise to mother and father." His eyes
hardened, "Two hundred of them as retribution."
	Her eyes hardened as well, "Yes, brother dear. Two hundred of them to begin
with."

- - - 

	China is a very large place. Finding one person in China can be likened to
the task of locating a specific needle in a mountain of needles. Of course,
most people who are searching through the aformentioned mountain of needles
don't have the resources or the desperation of the Japanese government. It
only took them a week to locate the man in question somewhere in Central
China, living with the Joketsozoku tribe. The Project's government handlers
weren't sure why he was needed... Oracle claimed that this person was
absolutely essential to the functioning of the first batch of Project
Jusenkyo's volunteers... who were they to argue with the project intuitionist?
	The young man in question stuffed the last of his clothes into the already
overflowing backpack. That was it for his possessions. Not to mention the
various souvenirs his friends here had given him. He swept his small room
one more time to check for anything he had missed and realized that he still
had a framed photo on the crude desk... he's seen it there so often that
he'd started to think of it as part of the room.
	He took the photo in both hands and stared at it, collapsing on the bed as
he did so. It was a photo of a young couple kissing while around them people
in Chinese outfits cheered. The man in the photo was the same as the one who
was now looking at it. A fairly handsome tallish young man of about sixteen
with his hair in a pigtail... The photo had been taken only a few months
ago, on the day he and his father had accidentally stumbled onto the village
during their ten year long martial arts training journey. They'd wandered
into town on the day of the local martial arts tournament and somehow... he
still wasn't clear on how it had happened... He'd found himself challenged
by the local champion. He managed to disarm her and lock her into a fairly
elementary grapple to restrain her... whereupon the other members of the
village had surrounded the two of them... then the next thing he knew, she'd
gotten free, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him!
	Someone in the tribe interestingly enough owned a polaroid and was quick
witted enough to snap a picture of the two of them kissing... it was a
pretty good shot too... he actually looked like he knew what he was doing.
	He smiled briefly at the memory of that... That was his first kiss. Which,
he had to admit, he'd enjoyed immensely. It wasn't until later that he and
his father learned about the Amazon Law that required their members to marry
the men who beat them. The village elder, Cologne, had managed to convince
his father to let him stay in the village for a while so that the two 'young
lovers', (Cologne's exact phrase) could get to know each other better before
the formal marriage ceremony. If you could call laying a fairly sharp dagger
against his father's throat until he agreed, 'convincing'. That was exactly
a week before the first Horde attack on the village.
	Ranma closed his eyes and sighed. He was amazed at the Joketsozoku people.
They were using archaic weaponry to fight off a well armed and obviously
well equipped army of aliens... and they were holding their own, if barely.
It's pretty hard to forget watching someone... somehow... managing to lever
open a tank with a quarterstaff...
	The casualties were already up to fifty, surprisingly small considering how
small the village was, but still far too many... and there would be more if
it didn't end soon. If the people from Japan who were here to pick him up
claimed they had a better way to fight the Horde and it needed him, he was
definitely ready to volunteer. No matter the cost. 
	His door suddenly bursting open snapped him out of his reverie. A beautiful
young girl in an abbreviated cheongsam which did little to hide her figure
strode into the room. She had done her hair up in a pair of buns at the
sides, but most of it fell freely. This was Shampoo... his fiance... of sorts.
	"The people on the helicopter are growing steadily impatient, my beloved."
Shampoo told him in Mandarin.
	"Eager to get rid of me already, Shampoo-chan?" he asked playfully in
Japanese, trying to lighten her mood. He still had trouble with his
pronunciation, but Shampoo understood his language and he understood hers.
	Shampoo wrapped him in her arms with a sober expression, "I could never
possibly be made happy at the thought that you would leave me, Ranma."
	He returned the hug awkwardly. Four months of living in the same house with
her and he was still not used to this sort of intimacy. "I know. But if what
they tell me is true, I'm going to be worth at least a hundred villagers. I
can stop these attacks. Besides... Cologne believed them and you know how
canny your great grandmother is."
	"If they were telling the truth, you'll die!" Shampoo replied fiercely, "I
don't care if they make you more powerful than a dragon, I don't want you to
die!"
	"Shhh..." Ranma soothed her, "Better just me than more of the Joketsozoku.
I'm not going to let more of our people die if I can help it."
	Shampoo looked up at him with surprise, "That is the first time you've
referred to yourself a one of the Jokesozoku..."
	"Um... I did? Er... uh..." Claiming false membership of the Joketsozoku is
grounds for getting your skin peeled off. In strips.
	"You've been honorary Joketsozoku since you became my fiance." Shampoo
continued smiling sadly, "Everyone's considered you a true Joketsozoku since
you first helped repulse the Horde attack. A majority of the elders have
even moved to have you adopted by the tribe even if you don't marry me, but
I had great grandmother veto it because I DID want you to marry me."
	"I hadn't about heard that..." Ranma replied, slightly stunned.
	"You wouldn't have, closed session," Shampoo sighed, "Of course you would
been full and true Joketsozoku already if you'd married me in the first
place and quit all of this nonsense about getting to know each other better."
	"Shampoo-- come on, we've only known each other five months... most of
that's been while we've been fighting the Horde..."
	"Excuses always excuses... now you're going off to die and you're not even
leaving me the honor of a decent legacy or a name..."
	"Shampoo... what are you talking about?" Ranma asked utterly confused.
	Shampoo suddenly shifted to her limited Japanese and grabbed him by the
front of his shirt, "You marry Shampoo and have honeymoon many times before
leave or Shampoo tie you up and hide you under bed until helicopter people
go away!!!"
	Ranma jerked in surprise. She'd always been content to wait before... but
the situation had changed considerably... even so, he shook his head sadly,
"I won't marry you, Shampoo. I really like you and everything... but... I
wasn't ready for marriage before I even found out about this whole Project
Junkeso or something... definitely not now. I'm not going to leave a widow
behind." It took a moment for his brain to realize something, "'Have
honeymoon many times?'" he blushed.
	"Aiyah!" Shampoo continued in Japanese, her fists at her hips, "You so
easily embarrass, husband. It... it... Shampo don't know what she say
anymore..." she settled her head against his chest and murmured in Mandarin,
"I just don't want you to leave."
	"But I have to." He replied after a while.
	"I know. You are thinking of what is best for the village. The mark of a
true Joketsozoku." Shampoo said wistfully.
	"Uh... Thanks." He knew a compliment when he heard it.
	"But I will have one thing from you before you leave, my beloved." Shampoo
told him.
	"Um... this doesn't involve 'honeymoon many times' again, does it?" Ranma
asked nervously. She'd broached the subject before... numerous times. He
always said no... It always made him nervous.
	Shampoo sighed, "I was going to ask for it... but if you won't grant it to
me, then half of a kiss."
	"Half of a--?"
	"A Joketsozoku custom, my love. Performed between lovers who must separate.
It will ensure that the two of us will meet again. I will claim the other
half of the kiss when next we meet." Shampoo finished. 
 	"Ahh... I think I can give you that..." Ranma replied thoughtfully. 
 	"Good." Shampoo shifted to Japanese, "And if you no visit, no call or
write in two week, Shampoo following you! Swim Sea of Japan and run Horde
blockade if have to!"
	Ranma grinned in relief... At least Shampoo hadn't tried harder to stop
him. For that he was grateful. He'd have to remember to call though... if
they let him.
	Shampoo smiled, trying to at least look cheerful, even if she had meant
every word, "Now, kiss Shampoo and go say baibai to everyone or they get mad
at you."

- - - 

	Tsubasa Kurenai stole quietly out of his bedroom, clutching a small duffel
bag. In his hand was a crumpled sheet of paper which told him where
volunteers could report to. He'd been forbidden... forbidden!! To join the
volunteers to fight the Horde, by his parents. 'No son of mine is going to
sully his hands as a common soldier', indeed! Of course, a relatively minor
thing like that wasn't going to stop him! Not a chance. They'd be proud of
him, even if it killed him. Which it probably would at that.
	He shouldered the duffel bag and tried to settle it comfortably. He'd have
a lot of walking to do. Travel between cities was difficult enough because
of the Horde attacks... Japan had been fairly lucky. Only a few Japanese
cities had fallen so far, largely on Hokkaido. Tokyo had been practically
untouched, but occasional battles had managed to take out enough of the
freeways to keep people from travelling between cities easily.
	Tsubasa peered at his reflection in the mirror and thought wryly, "Wow, I
make a really cute girl."
	He did at that. He was wearing one of his younger sister's dresses. That in
combination with the delicate features he'd inherritted from his mother, a
wig he'd swiped from an unused closet, the acting talent and makeup skills
which he'd learned from his father completed the illusion of his being a
rather attractive fourteen year old girl rather than a fragile looking
sixteen year old boy. Just one of the advantages of having parents who were
both actors and who expected their children to follow in their footsteps.
 	He knew this was a somewhat extreme disguise just to dodge the few people
who might recognize him as Tsubasa Kurenai, but he was never one for taking
half measures.
	There were advantages to parents who were both actors. The disadvantages as
well. Neither of his parents regarded the Horde attack as anything more than
yet another minor crisis on a world already rife with them. Nothing to
concern true thespians in the practice of their craft. His father once
berated a producer for stopping the show from going on during opening night
for the petty reason that the theatre had gotten blown up. His mother was
worse. Neither of them could understand that people were dying out there.
All they wanted to do was ACT.
	Well Tsubasa wanted to act too... but not on stage. He refused to waste his
life on something so... so... empty... so hollow. He wanted reality. He
wanted to be something other than that nice Kurenai couple's ungrateful son.
He frowned, although he was able to keep sufficiently in character to make
it into a pretty pout. Even now that still stung. Just because he disagreed
with them on occasion didn't make him an ingrate. 
	He tried to push it out of his thoughts. This was his chance to make a
difference. Maybe even become a hero. He liked that thought.
	Tsubasa managed to make it to the front door of the family apartment
without making excessive noise. It was three in the morning but the Kurenais
were all light sleepers. He eased the front door open then shut it quietly
behind him... out. He heaved a sigh of relief. Whatever it was he was
volunteering for... he was going to show everyone. Tsubasa Kurenai wasn't
someone to be dismissed so lightly.
	"You know..." A voice said from somewhere near his right knee, "If you're
going to sneak out of the house, you could do it a lot better if you didn't
stand there grinning to yourself like some kind of idiot."
	Tsubasa stifled a scream and looked down quickly. He found his sister
huddled near the door, a half-eaten donut in one hand and a cup of tea in
the other. "You took your time, elder brother. Nice outfit. Hey... that
looks like my dress..."
	"What are you doing out here, Asuka?!" Tsubasa demanded in a fierce
whisper. His sister... one year younger than he was and the darling of the
family. Little miss perfect. The two of them looked so much alike that it
was sometimes voiced that perhaps they should've been twins.
	Asuka stood up slowly, stretching her cramped muscles, "Waiting for you. I
knew you were going to volunteer for that thing... mom and dad should've
known better." She took a second look at his clothes and added quietly,
"That IS my dress."
	"Um... what're you talking about, sis... I... um... I was just going for a
walk..." Tsubasa said nervously.
	She sighed, "Oh come on, bro. You don't really expect me to believe you got
into that disguise and brought a stuffed bag with you just so you could have
a little fresh air."
	Tsubasa put the bag down, "I guess the jig is up then, sis. You gonna tell
mom and dad?"
	She nodded, "Yup. As soon as they wake up. I expect you to get some miles
between here and yourself by then."
	"Aren't you going to stop me?" Tsubasa asked.
	Asuka put a hand on her elder brother's shoulder, "Course not. You're the
one who's always talked to me about wanting to get out there... and making a
name for yourself... well, here's your chance. I'm not going to stop you."
	"I... I didn't expect that..." he admitted.
	His sister gave a small sad smile, "Yeah. I just wish you hadn't picked
this stupid Project Jusenkyo thing to do it with..."
	"I thought you weren't going to try and stop me..." Tsubasa frowned.
	"That's not it you, dummy." Asuka replied without much heat, "I know the
two of us have had our differences... and you're a pain in the ass... and a
crossdresser... and an obsessive... and a jerk... and you borrow my clothes
without telling me..."
	"I get the picture, get on with it..." he muttered.
	"What I'm trying to tell you is, you're still my big bro and I'm not sure I
wanna lose you yet." She finished.
	"Awww..." Tsubasa replied and hugged his sister, "That's has got to be the
sweetest thing you've ever said to me... ever."
	Asuka returned the hug and said quietly, "Yeah... I guess. You take care,
big bro, okay? Don't forget your vitamins and stuff..."
	"I will, I will... you don't have to sound like mom."
	Asuka grinned and playfully ruffled his hair, "Hey, I do not... Oh I nearly
forgot. These are for you." As she passed over a plastic bag and a thermos.
"Donuts and tea for your way out."
	"Thanks... You don't know how much I really appreciate this..." Tsubasa
replied, genuinely moved.
	"You'd better appreciate it, buster," She replied, "I'm the one who's going
to be here when mom and dad find out."
	They both shared a quiet laugh over that and shared a last donut before
Tsubasa said, "Well... there's at least one good thing in this for you, sis."
	"What's that?"
	"You finally get my room after all these years." Tsubasa grinned.
	Asuka rolled her eyes and sighed, "Will you just get out of here? Shoo...
get going..."
	As Tsubasa finally reached the elevator at the end of the hall he heard his
sister murmur softly as he waited, "Who knows... I might join up too..."

- - - 

	In the forest of Ryogunzawa, where legends claim monsters roam, mail is
always late. After all, there's only one family that lives within the forest
proper, and it wasn't as if they checked on their mail every day, so the
post master in the village at the borders of the forest, allowed any mail
they got to pile up at the office until one of the Kinos decided to get it.
	At least, that's how it used to be. The old man, Grandpa Kino, as he was
called around here, had gotten into the habit of waiting impatiently every
morning for the new mail to get in. He'd been like this for a while now,
most of the other villagers reflected. Poor old man... left alone to take
care of the forest by his grandson who went off to fight the aliens... Poor,
poor old man...
	Grandpa stood stiffly just outside of the post office. He was leaning
heavily on his staff... he was doing that a lot more than he used to... He
waited impatiently for any word from Shinnosuke. Any word. Foolish boy, he
groused, Doesn't even have time to write to his own grandpa... He amended
that silently... perhaps a little foolish, but a good boy underneath... Shin
had refused to leave because he didn't want to leave his grandpa alone in
the forest... but some things just had to be done. He had a duty to
volunteer. To fight. To protect. Even to the bitter end.
	Their family had been the protectors and caretakers of Ryogunzawa forest
for forty generations now. Once there had been so many of them... now, there
were only two still alive who could claim direct lineage from the first
Kinos who's been given protectorship of the forest. And when the time came,
only Shin would be left. To die. Quietly hiding in the forest while
elsewhere aliens ravaged and pillaged and did other unspeakable horrors to
everyone else... Not if he could help it... 
	"Gramps, you okay?" Sho the postmaster asked, "You look a little strung out..."
	The old man was snapped out of his reverie, "Ahh... think nothing of it
Sho. I'm still in perfect health," he laughed.
	"If you say so, Gramps." Sho replied as he continued to sort through the
few letters which were sent here...
	"Any word from..."
	Sho shook his head sadly, "Fraid not, sir... no letters from Shinnosuke.
Just some junk mail."
	Gramps gave a disgusted snort, "I live in the middle of a damn forest and
these jokers still send me these things... don't they know there's a war
going on?!"
	The postmaster shook his head ruefully, "Well, you gotta admit, Gramps...
we're pretty far off from any military targets... they're likely to overlook
us anyway."
	"Hmmph! It's thinking like that that let this damn war get this far in the
first place. Besides, they're aliens! How are they supposed to know what a
military target is?"
	"Hey, Gramps... sorry... I didn't mean nothin' by it..."
	"No... no... it's alright... just a little upset that's all..."
	"Don't worry too much. Your grandson'll write to you soon enough."
	The old man sighed, "I suppose you're right. I'll head back to the cottage,
I guess."
	"Take care, Gramps... watch out for the traps..." Sho called after him.
	"Hah!" Gramps called back proudly, as he stomped off, "I set most of those
things myself, kid... I know where all of them are!"
	Just because he'd gone off and joined the military was no reason not to
write to his own grandpa... I'm going to give that boy a sincere drubbing
when I see him next, that's what I'm going to do. He sighed again and looked
up into the sky... Shin did have a point, though... it was lonely here
without him...
	He just hoped that when he next saw Shinosuke, it wouldn't be with the two
of them arguing again. It wasn't that the boy was a coward... oh no... Shin
was brave... very brave. It was just that he was too concerned about his
grandpa... and the forest. The old man gave a snort. He was too damn
concerned with what hadn't happened yet, that he couldn't see that if he
didn't take care of the present, they wouldn't have a future. The boy still
had a lot to learn.
	It was perhaps a good hour before he finally made it to the cottage where
he lived. The last remnants of the once huge Kino household... He was very
surprised to find a man in a suit with a very stern bearing in front of the
door.
	"Hey! What are you doing here? Clear out. These woods are dangerous!"
Gramps snapped.
	The man bowed respectfully to him and replied quietly, "I'm sorry for the
intrusion, sir, but I have an important message for you."
	"Wha? You with the military, boy?"
	"I'm afraid so, sir... there's some... bad news about your grandson."
	"Shin-boy?" Gramps asked, breaking into a cold sweat, "What's wrong? He's
not hurt or anything is he..?"
	The man produced a paper which he passed on to the old man, "I'm sorry...
there was an accident during training... I'm afraid your grandson is dead."
	A shock went through the old man's heart... he'd sent his grandson to die.
Uselessly... pointlessly... Shin was gone... he couldn't help... he knew
what the man was saying was true. He didn't know how, but it had to be
true... but he didn't have to believe it... 
	The old man's eyes were already beginning to overflow with tears, "That
can't be right... it can't be... My grandson's got a duty to fulfil... he
can't die during training of all things!! Get out of my forest you lying
bastard! Get out now!" Gramps whipped his staff around and began whirling it
in a complex pattern, threatening the younger man.
	Military type or not, the younger man knew better than to try to stick it
out. He dropped the paper he held and made a dash for the nearest forest
path, narrowly avoiding getting clipped on the ear. Gramps knelt down to
take the paper... he knew what would be on it, but he read it, regardless.
By the time he'd finished his tears began to fall... his sobs... soft to
begin with grew steadily louder...
 	That day in Ryogunzawa where legends claim monsters roam, a low keening
moan of lament could be heard clear to the town in the valley, cutting
through the sounds of everyday life... a cry of grief... of anguish... and
of loss... 

- - -

	The last thing the girl remembered was the wall falling. She had been under
it at the time. She remembered holding someone as it fell... She couldn't
move her arms, now. Or anything else for that matter... This doesn't feel
like heaven, she told herself, I don't think I'm dead. But she felt close to
it... so weak... she opened her eyes, reluctantly.
	She was in a crowded off-white room. Across from her were hospital beds
where people in various states of injury were resting. She found her arms in
casts and immobilized. She was still feeling quite drowsy, but she wasn't
going to let sleep get the better of her. The bed beside her held a young
man, maybe sixteen years old, but it was impossible to tell. He was
obviously in worse shape than she was. His entire body was covered in
bandages, that not even his eyes could be seen. Here and there she could see
nurses and doctors making their rounds, talking to each of the patients in
turn...
	"Hey, you're finally awake. How are you feeling, sugar?" a voice asked
suddenly.
	The girl turned her head slightly to face the voice. It had come from a
young individual dressed in a nurse's aide uniform. By the features, the
girl would guess that the speaker couldn't have been more than seventeen.
The aide's was fairly handsome with long brown hair was tied back and tucked
into a bun to keep it out of the way and the girl could barely make out
'Kuo--' on the nameplate.
	"I... where am I?" The girl asked.
	"Temporary military hospital in Tokyo. They've been moving the really bad
casualties here." The aide replied, 
	"Wasn't I in Osaka?" the girl asked, still somewhat confused...
	The aide looked somewhat worried at the question, "Um... I'm not sure if I
ought to tell you this... 
	"What?"
	"Osaka was destroyed by the Horde..."
	"The what?"
	"The Horde... the aliens..."
	"You're kidding, right?"
	"I'm not kidding... this is full blown war... oh wait," the aide ducked to
the foot of the bed and checked the girl's chart, "No wonder you don't
know... you've been in a coma since the first Horde attack."
	The aide looked around to make sure the two of them weren't observed before
pulling out a handheld TV with earphones. "Here," the aide said, passing it
to the girl, "Turn it to CNN."
	The girl blinked at the small TV, "This gets cable?"
	"Would you just watch?" The aide replied quietly.
	The girl adjusted the set arriving at CNN just in time to see a long slow
camera pan of a devastated landscape with a caption that read 'Rome'... the
gutted ruins of buildings... human bodies littering the area... close to the
horizon, explosions and movement... 
	She looked up at the aide, eyes flashing angrily, "What is this? Some sort
of 'War of the Worlds' routine? A sick joke? Are my arms even really broken?"
	The man in the bed next to her moaned almost inaudibly, but it was enough
to make her tirade run down...
	The aide sighed and said in a concerned, level tone, "I know it's a little
tough to deal with all at once, but this is really happening... aliens have
landed... Europe is mostly gutted. The Americas are alien territory now...
China and Australia have been managing to fight them off, but only barely...
Japan's actually been pretty lucky..."
	"You aren't kidding are you?" the girl said finally, reluctantly, "How long
have I been out?"
	"About five months." The aide replied, rechecking the chart.
	"What about my mom and dad? Where's the rest of my family?" the girl asked
frantically.
	"Sorry. I don't really know." The aide replied, apologetically, "Um...
you're listed as a Jane Doe... they weren't able to find any ID on you. What
is your name?"
	"Mariko Konjou," The girl replied, quickly, "Does that help?"
	"A little... I'll pass it on to the Defense Department. I'm sorry to say
this, but a lot of people died... they might've been among the casualties, I
just thought you ought to be prepared for it just in case..."
	"I... I hope not..." Mariko answered, tears trickling down her cheeks...
	The aide quietly gave Mariko a hug to comfort her... she would've returned
the gesture if she could, but her arms were immobilized. After a few
minutes, Mariko's tears had stopped... the aide's shoulder was soaked.
Mariko said quietly to the aide, "I don't think I got your name..."
	"Ukyou. Ukyou Kuonji." The aide replied, smiling quietly, "Wish we'd met
under better circumstances."

- - -

	Information... this was what she needed to work. Oracle sat at a complex
web of through which information would be passed to her. She would then
evaluate it, collate it, relate it to other information... then pass it on
to others who would act on it. Every day, fifteen hours out of each day. A
normal human would've cracked under the pressure. She wasn't normal anymore.
She couldn't afford to crack.
	The chair was contoured to her body, the multiple banks of monitors arrayed
in front of her, all easily taken in with a single glance. A pair of
keyboards at each hand, on which she typed simultaneously with practiced
ease. She spoke almost continuously into a small headset, while controlling
a fourth interface by her eye movement. If she'd had an extra set of hands,
she would've installed another set of keyboards, but she had to make do with
what she had. That she could handle so much was amazing enough.
	Oracle was a beautiful young woman. About nineteen years old. Her long
brown hair was tied in a ponytail which hung over one shoulder. A very minor
nod to her vanity. If she'd been as practical as she'd often professed,
she'd have gotten a haircut like her younger sister's a long time ago.
	All things are systems. If you can see them, understand them... see how
everything relates to everything else... that is power. That was her power.
She understood it all. There were times when she wished she didn't.
	There had been over a hundred volunteers for the Jusenkyo Project. To be
subjected to the process which would give them the power to fight the
Horde... and to die fighting. Such a choice to make! To choose who would
have the right to die. There were hundreds of factors to be collated in
choosing each one... ranging from ability to integrate within a group,
ability to take orders, intelligence, powers most likely to be developed on
the basis of personality, level of power... in the end she had settled on
five. They would do for a start. More would come later. To close the ranks
of the fallen.
	She ticked off the time mentally. She had two minutes left before her self
imposed five minute break for rest. If she'd been capable of it, she
would've been at work 24 hours a day, but even she had her limits.
	She cocked her head slightly at the sound of a new incoming report... a
project director moving to have her removed from the project and transferred
entirely to the control of the military? She didn't think so... a quick
phone call to his wife and his mistress ought to keep him busy...
	She allowed herself a slight chuckle... there were occasionally times when
her powers had their perks. 
	It was time for her break... she stood up slowly, stretching as she did so.
The occasional crick and pop of bone, testament to how long she'd been in
that position. She removed the headset with a practiced motion and glanced
at the monitor she usually kept on Toufuu... still sleeping. Good.
	Kasumi smiled. There were definitely times when she liked her power.