12TH NIGHT

chapter 1

      by


Ethan "Doshu" Tsai and David "fido" Lindquist
---------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER:Genjiro Furmashita and all associated characters
are the property of Ethan Tsai. I am using them WITH
permission from him.  All Ranma and associated characters
are the property of Rumiko Takashi. I am using them without
permission.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
FORWORD:This fanficion used to belong to another writer. For
various reasons he gave it up and offered it to anyone who wanted
it. And like a idiot I took it. :) So now I mand the helm of this piece
of writing. I will use as much of Ethan's work as I can. (It's the best
way I know how to stay true to his characters.). I would like to
thank Ethan Tsai, Gary Kleppe, Keener and everyone else that
helped me write this fic. C&C and MST's will be appreciated.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1


     Sometimes I wonder just what kind of a life I lead. I never really
gave it much thought until today. I can't believe Ami's a widow now,
and with a daughter no less.  Poor Yukiko won't know about her
father. I was always close to Ami, and now I feel just as close to
Yuki-chan. It hurtso much to see her cry like that.  Yukiko and Ami
deserve better than that, they deserve a lot better.  If I have anything
to say about it, they'll never feel that kind of pain again.
I swear this to you both.
-Excerpt from Genjuro Furimashita's log book.


"Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're gonna
get."
-Forrest Gump

"I hate chocolate."
-Genjuro Furimashita

     Genjuro woke to the sounds of birds chirping faintly in the
background, a gentle breeze rustling his hair, and the loud droning of a
garbage truck.  He groaned and pulled the covers over his head.  Even
though the aroma of breakfast and coffee filled his senses, making his
stomach growl slightly, the warmth of the covers was more alluring.
        "Otoosan, it's time for breakfast!  Wake up!" a voice called.
     Genjuro groaned again as the covers were pulled back.  A hand
gently shook him.
        "Otoosan, it's time for breakfast!  It's going to get cold if
you don't wake up!" Yukiko insisted.
     Genjuro squirmed back towards the covers.
        "It's a weekend for me," he mumbled.
        "But it's Friday!  I have school and you have to go to work!"
     Genjuro tried to ignore her.
        "Okaasan is going to be really angry if you don't wake up."
        "Big deal.  Your mother's not going to do anything," he mumbled.
     Yukiko gave a cute 'harrumph' and turned to leave.  Genjuro
heard her take a few hesitant steps before stopping.
        "Otoosan, is this a gun?!"
     Genjuro shot out of bed, wide awake and unceremoniously
dumped the pistol he'd been cleaning the night before into a
drawer and slammed it shut.
        "Otoosan!" Yukiko exclaimed, and quickly turned away, her
hands over her eyes.
     Genjuro looked at himself, realized he was clad only in his
boxer shorts and quickly ushered his niece out the door.
        "Thanks to you, I'm awake now," he growled in mock
anger.  "Get going!"
        "Hurry up or breakfast will get cold!"
     Genjuro sighed and closed his door.  He was getting too old for
this business.  It was time his sister and her daughter got their
own apartment.  He'd spent the past few weeks searching for
one that they liked, but both insisted on getting one after Ami
got a job.  Neither liked to freeload in the first place, and to
have Genjuro pay for them was out of the question.
     He walked into the western-style bathroom and quickly took a hot
shower.  He looked at himself in the mirror as he combed his hair, a
slight air of disapproval on his face.
     *Still no facial hair,* he mused.  *I'm twenty-seven and I have no
facial hair.*
     Genjuro scoffed at his reflection and quickly dressed, throwing on
a white mock turtleneck shirt and a black suit.  He hastily grabbed a
pair of black socks and made his way to the kitchen.  The odor of
frying eggs and bacon assaulted his senses, making his mouth water
and stomach growl loudly. As he sat down and picked up the morning
paper, his niece put a mug of coffee in front of him.
        "Ohayoo-gozaimasu, Otoosan," she said, giving him a quick peck
on the cheek.
        "Arigatoo," Genjuro replied as he picked up the mug of coffee
and carefully sipped at the hot liquid.
     She sat down across the table from him, setting down a small plate
of eggs, toast, and bacon for herself. The girl frowned in a cute way
as she brushed a stray lock of long brown hair from her face, tucking it
behind an ear gracefully. She pulled slightly on a red ribbon that
bound her long brown hair into a ponytail, tightening the small bow
there. Large, soft brown eyes stared at him for a moment before she
began speaking again.
        "What are you doing today?" she asked politely.
        "Nothing much.  Just business as usual," Genjuro replied
vaguely.
        "You never tell me what you do?  Is it for the government?"
        "You can say that," Genjuro replied with a smile.
        "Yuki-chan, how many times do I have to tell you not to bother
your uncle like that?" a voice admonished from the kitchen.
        "But it so fun to watch Otoosan squirm around, Okaasan!  I
think it's funny," she giggled.
        "Hurry and finish your breakfast, you don't want to be late for
school, do you?" Genjuro asked paternally.
     Yukiko shook her head with a smile and proceeded to devour her
breakfast with vigor.  Genjuro grinned and shook his head as he watched
his niece nearly inhaled her breakfast, grabbed a waiting bento box from
the kitchen and ran out the door.
         "Yuki-chan, your book-bag!" the girl's mother shouted from the
kitchen.
     Yukiko scurried in the door to the apartment with an embarrassed
grin and grabbed the bag by the door before waving and disappearing
again.
         "Ohayoo, otooto," Ami said brightly as she exited the kitchen
carrying Genjuro's breakfast.
         "Ohayoo, oneesan."
     She gracefully placed a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front
of Genjuro.  It was arranged in a slightly less haphazardly way than
Yukiko's breakfast.
         "Aren't you going to eat, Ami?" Genjuro asked as his sister sat
across from him sans breakfast.
     Ami smiled gently.
         "I already ate.  I woke up earlier than you as usual," she said
with a soft laugh.
     Genjuro smiled at his sister as she mimicked her daughter's
movements, brushing a stray lock of her long brown hair back behind an
ear.  She reached behind her to untie the apron strings and place the
apron on the chair next to her.  Ami straightened the white sweater she
wore and brushed a few stray crumbs of toast from her jeans.  She picked
up her cup of tea from the table and delicately took a sip of the liquid
before sighing and placing back on the table.  Genjuro chuckled
inwardly.
     Like mother, like daughter, he thought.  They were so strikingly
similar, the two of them.  The hair, the eyes, the complexion, virtually
everything down to the cute button nose.  The only real remnant of her
father that Yukiko possessed was his constant energy.  Everything she
did was at full strength and top speed.  It was as if Yukiko were
constantly set in overdrive.
          "I'm sorry that Yuki-chan was bothering you about your job
again," Ami said.
     Genjuro waved a hand and set down the morning paper.
         "It's nothing," he said with a smile.  "I'd be curious too.
Here she is, living in a fairly large condominium in a Tokyo high-rise
and she has no idea how I pay for it.  It's only natural she ask
what I do."
         "Are you ever going to tell her?"
         "That I'm yakuza?  No," Genjuro said quietly.  "I think it'd
break her heart.  Its already tough enough that she calls me her
father. I don't want to hurt her if I can help it."
         "I've been meaning to talk to her about that, you know."
         "What?" Genjuro asked curiously.
         "That she call you 'Otoosan.'  I don't think that's right," Ami
said, trying to change the subject.
         "She knows we're not married, and she understands completely
that we're brother and sister.  I don't see what the problem is.  I
don't mind really," Genjuro replied with a hearty chuckle.  "It actually
feels pretty good."
     Ami smiled.
          "You're so good to her.  After David died, it was like she
really lost a big part of her.  She was too young for that sort of
thing. It really changed things when you said that you'd be her
father."
          "I do what I should for my family."
     Ami laughed.
          "Really?  You spoil her rotten and still teach her to be kind
and compassionate. Sometimes I wonder if you're really yakuza."
         "Just because I don't have parts of my fingers missing doesn't
mean I'm not yakuza.  I might not act like yakuza here, but it's all
business when the time comes.  I try to make a very clear
distinction."
     Ami frowned.
         "You've never told me if you've killed anyone before, Genjuro."
     Genjuro sighed. This was a very sensitive point for him.  It came
up infrequently, but when it did, he knew he was walking on
eggshells.
         "I know, Ami.  I think it's best that you don't know.  I don't
want you to think less of me because I've had to do some things-"
        "Did you?  Did you kill anyone in cold blood?"
     Genjuro's lips tightened.
        "Never."
        "You swear to that?"
     Genjuro nodded.
        "I've only had to defend myself.  I've never gone out and
killed anyone in cold blood.  I despise that.  You should know
that Ami."
        "I'm sorry, it's just that I get so worried about you when you
leave. I get anxious that you're going to be sent to do something
stupid and then never come back again."
        "I promise that will never happen."
        "I really wish you'd get out of this business.  I really don't
like it, Genjuro.  You had the marks in school to be a successful
businessman.  What happened?"
        "I just didn't feel like it, you know.  I can't explain it,"
     Genjuro replied with a sigh.
        "I apologize.  I didn't mean to-"
        "Don't apologize, Ami.  I know that it worries you, and I'm
trying to do the best I can.  It's tough to just leave the
business.They don't like it when you do that."
     Ami nodded.
        "I'll be in a position to do what I feel like soon enough.  The
boss wants to move some operations to another location; and if I do
well, he might let me take care of the business there.  If that happens
then you won't have to worry anymore."
        "I hope so."
        "Don't worry about me, Ami.  You should worry about Yuki-chan's
performance in school instead."
        "She's doing fine, Genjuro.  It would help her if you weren't
so
inquisitive about what she was doing in school all the time.  It makes
her nervous," Ami said with a gentle laugh.  She looked at her brother
and sighed.  "What am I going to do about you, niichan?  What would
okaasan think?"
        "If she saw the money I was making-" Genjuro replied with a
chuckle.
       "That's not funny," Ami admonished, cutting him off.  "So where
is your assignment now?"
        "I can't tell you, Ami," Genjuro sighed.
     Ami simply stared at him.
        "Look, we've been over this before," Genjuro pleaded.
     Ami continued to stare sternly, more like a mother than a sister,
concerned for her family. Genjuro closed his eyes and prayed that
nothing would come of him telling her.
        "I'm going to Nerima Ward," Genjuro finally relented.
        "Nerima?!" his sister asked in shock.  "Do you know what
they call that place?  Do you?"
        "Yes, I-"
        "They call that place the Little Devil's Den!" Ami interrupted.
"You could get yourself killed!  Do you know how many fights break
out there daily?  Do you?"
        "Ami, I'll be okay-" Genjuro tried to reassure her.
        "And what do you think you can do against a thousand martial
artists, Genjuro?  They say the best of the best live there. What are
you going to do about it?  I know for a fact you can't fight like a
martial artist, let alone actually fight one," Ami said, concern evident
in her voice.
        "I've got my gun, okay?  I'll have my gun handy," Genjuro
replied quietly, his eyes closed.
        "Will you?  Will you really be okay out there?" she asked.
        "I'll be fine, Ami.  I always end up okay."

      Genjuro stared out the windshield of the BMW, staring at a
cafe.  It was a fairly old one, having been around since Genjuro first
joined the yakuza years ago.  He idly wondering how long it would take
for the other yakuza boss's men to arrive.  Things were becoming tight,
and for unknown reasons, their boss, Osamu Murashima, wanted to buy this
boss's weapons.  Guns were highly illegal and the punishment was severe
if you were indicted for possession, yet Osamu wanted them all the
same. On the other hand, nobody wanted to question Osamu's
decision. He was the yakuza boss, after all, and as such, he gave
the orders.
        "Want a candy-bar, Genjuro?"
     Genjuro looked to the driver's seat at his assigned partner.
        "No thanks."
        "They're really good," his partner said amicably, taking a bite
out of one.  "You sure?"
        "I hate chocolate," Genjuro replied.
        "Oh well.  That's too bad."
        "Is everyone else ready?" His partner nodded.	
        "Everything's ready, Genjuro.  We just wait for them to come and
then it's smooth sailing from there."

     Ranma slowly made his way to school, rubbing his jaw.  The punch
didn't hurt, he'd gotten used to that.  It was Akane's cooking that
really got to him. Despite the thoughts of his fiancee's lack of cooking
skills, Ranma's stomach growled for emphasis.
        "Oh man," he muttered. "Couldn't she waited 'til dinner to cook
somethin'?"
    He then started counting on his fingers, tallying up the events
of the morning.
      "Lessee, I woke up to that tomboy's breakfast," he muttered to
himself then smiled slightly.
      "At least, she fed Ryoga some of that stuff," he chuckled.
He tallied another finger,  "an' then Shampoo, Ukyou and Kodachi
came by," he continued, shuddering slightly.  Then things really
got wild. The usual formalities were exchanged, of course, and
Akane had hit him. Again.
     Ranma closed his eyes and smiled.  At least the morning hadn't
been a total disaster. He'd gotten clear of the fight between his
'fiancees' once it started, so things could have been worse.  Ranma
closed his eyes and strolled the last half-block to school, whistling
a happy tune.  To top it all off, he wasn't late for school while, as
far as he knew, the girls were still arguing or fighting. As far as he
was concerned, today was starting off pretty good.
        "RANMA! PREPARE TO DIE!"
     Ranma stopped and sighed.  *And things were going so well too.*
he thought. He then turned and watched the figure running towards
him.
        "I thought it'd take you a couple of weeks to find me this time,
P-chan." Ranma said smiling, as he watched Ryouga skid to a halt
in front of him, breathing hard. 	
        "I followed some students from your school here," he spat as
Ryoga went into a combat stance.	
           "So what'd I do this time?" Ranma casually asked.	
           "Because of you, Akane's in tears," Ryoga shouted. "You've
upset her by not eating what she made for you!"	
           "Hey lost boy," Ranma replied irritably. "Nobody wants to eat
her food, not even her old man!"
	"BUT SHE MADE IT FOR YOU!!!" Ryoga screamed. "IF
YOU'D EATEN IT, SHE WOULDN'T BE IN TEARS NOW!!" 	
            "It's not my fault she wanted to prove her food isn't
poisonous!" Ranma huffed as he readied himself for the now
unavoidable fight ahead. "No wonder you like her food so much. I
always knew pigs would enjoy eating slop like that."
            "Pig slop?.....PIG SLOP!!" Ryoga roared.	
	"Better keep your voice down, P-chan, " Ranma then
taunted: " You wouldn't want someone to hear you and tell Akane." 	
            "DIE SAOTOME!"
  With that battle cry, Ryoga leapt towards Ranma.


     Genjuro leaned against the side of the wall by the door of the
cafe, watching the transaction take place. He coughed and
subconsciously patted the inside of his suit, just to make sure his
gun was there.The HK Mk23 was still in the holster, ready for
use. Genjirodidn't know why he brought it. Normally, he would of
left it in a special hidden compartment of his car, but this time
he couldn't shake the feeling that it was going to be needed
today. If anything did go wrong though, the pistol was going to help
put a stop to it. So far though, it didn't appear that he'd need
it. Seven men were sitting at various tables in the cafe. Genjuro
leaned against the wall by his partner.  One last member
of their yakuza group stood behind the counter, watching the
deal. He kept his hands below the counter. Genjuro eyed the
six foreigners seated towards the rear of the caf� in the
back.  Three at the trading table, three around them.
        "I've got this bad feeling," Genjuro's partner muttered.
        "Then go see what's wrong," Genjuro replied.
     His partner moved towards one of the tables to talk to another
yakuza. The foreigners looked tense.  Some of the younger
yakuza appeared anxious as well. Genjuro looked at the foreigners
and their briefcases. They looked out of place with the chained
attach� cases on their wrists. It made Genjuro a bit uneasy, but
not wholly nervous. Something gnawed at his stomach, but he
couldn't place it.

     Ranma quickly blocked the punch Ryoga threw at him then
dodged the follow-up kick. *Well, * he thought as he started to
close the distance between himself and Ryoga. * I haven't been to
this part of Nerima in awhile.*
     Their fight had gradually moved from near the school to a empty
lot in the other end of the Nerima district. Suprisingly though, little
damage had been caused by the battle. They even drew a small
crowd of bystanders, watching the fight between the two martial
artists.
     Ranma threw a series of punches at his opponent. Ryoga
blocked most of them except for the last punch. It connected
solidly with Ryoga's jaw, causing him to stagger back a few
steps.  He saw the frustration and anger in Ryoga's face.
           "Come on P-chan," he taunted, as he jumped to avoid
Ryoga's response of a barrage of thrown bandannas. "You can do
better than that."
     Ryoga's angry expression gave way to a look of total
despair. He then cupped his hands in front of him and opened
them to form a 'v' shape. Suddenly Ryoga yelled;
        "SHISHI HODODAN!!"
     He then thrusted his hands forward, a column of blue energy
shot from its center and streamed towards the point where Ranma
was about to land. The energy column struck Ranma just as he
touched the ground. The blast knocked him off is feet and through
a brick wall into a cafe. As Ranma tried to shake the cobwebs
from his mind he muttered,
       "How about that......he did do better."

       "Genjuro, we may have a problem."
     The yakuza leader turned towards the lookout he stationed at
the front door.
       "What is it?" he replied.
       "There is a fight going on next door," the lookout said, "and
a crowd is gathering."
       "Shit," Genjuro cursed, "Get ready to..."
     Before he could finish, the far wall suddenly exploded
inward. Genjuro instinctively flipped a table near him over and
dropped down behind it. Once he secured his position, Genjuro
peeked out from around it to see the damage caused by the
blast. All he could see at first was a teenage boy coughing
and standing amidst the debris and dust. He then saw another
boy march in and start fighting with the first teenager. After
that, he began to make out the other yakuza and
foreigners. Though everyone appeared stunned by the huge
explosion, Genjuro knew that in a few seconds thing were going
to get very deadly.
        "What the ...?" a yakuza said as he slowly rose
to his feet. 	
        "It's a double-cross!" a foreigner shouted as he recovered
from the blast, drawing his gun.  Some of the Yakuza looked back
at the foreigners with a surprised expression. They ignored the two
boys still battling each other. 	
        "What are you trying to pull?"
        "They're not with us! We don't even know who they are!" the
yakuza with the briefcase quickly replied.  "This was not our do-"	
      A gunshot cut off all replies.  People gathered outside the cafe
screamed as the gunshot echoed into the street. Some of the yakuza
and foreigners started overturning tables to use for cover. While others
drew their guns. Even the two boys stopped fighting at the sound and
appeared to stare in shock at the various men pulling their own
weapons.
        "Damn!  These gaijin are trigger-happy," Genjuro hissed as
he frantically pulled his gun out of his holster. He guessed it
would be over in little more than a few seconds. There were seven
foreigners, but with at least four of their contacts in the room.
Genjiro's group had five and only three of them carried guns. The
odds were definitely in the foreigners' favor.
        "What the hell is this shit?!" his partner yelled, drawing
his own pistol.
        "How should I ......." Genjuro started to reply. He was
interrupted by the man who had shot the Yakuza negotiator.
        "Waste them all!" he shouted.
     Then all hell broke loose.

     Ranma and Ryoga both stopped fighting upon hearing the loud
bang.
        "A gunshot?" Ryoga asked as he and Ranma looked towards
the sound's location. They stared at the body sprawled on the cafe
floor. Then they noticed the foreigners, the guns in their hands, and
the fact that some of those weapons were being pointed at them.
        "Oh boy," Ranma whispered, staring at the man who had fired
the shot.
    The man with the still smoking gun then yelled,
        "Waste them all!"
    Both martial artists knew enough from watching subtitled American
movies what that meant as they both dodged the hail of bullets fired at
them. Ranma flipped and landed near a foreigner, punching him
immediately. He crumpled into a heap on the floor as Ranma connected
with a split kick to take out two more. Ryoga had already knocked out
one gunman and was maneuvering to take out another when a bullet
struck him from behind. The impact pitched him forward and caused him
to trip on some of the debris. He fell flat on his face, unmoving.
        "Ryoga!" Ranma shouted as he saw his friend fall. Just then a
man rose up from a overturned table behind Ranma.
        "Who the hell are you?!" he shouted as the man started to point
his gun towards him. Ranma didn't answer with his voice. He kicked the
man with everything he had. The gunman went sailing about ten feet,
right through the glass door and out of the cafe. The martial artist
didn't watch him land, though. With a blur of speed, Ranma ran over,
picked his friend up, and dashed out the opening.

     Genjuro couldn't believe how fast the deal fell apart. He peered
out from his cover and fired off two shots. One of the shots hit a
foreigner between the eyes. The other nailed one of the martial artist
in the back.
         "Ryoga!"
     The yakuza saw the other martial artist land in front of him. He
stood up from his cover again and looked at the boy.
        "Who the hell are you?!" Genjuro finally yelled, bring up his
gun.
     There wasn't a response as the boy kicked Genjuro in the chest,
sending him sprawling into the door and through the glass. Genjuro
scrambled for his gun and aimed, but saw him disappear around the
corner, carrying his friend.  A foreigner suddenly blocked his view,
and Genjuro pumped three rounds into him and scurried backwards
toward the street.  He then saw his partner scramble out towards
the door, only to fall as a bullet pierced his back.  Genjuro crawled
forward through the shattered glass, searching his dead partner's
coat for the keys to the car when automatic gunfire filled the air.
        "Shit!" Genjuro hissed to himself as he grabbed the keys and
rolled away into the street.
        "What am I getting into?" he muttered anxiously as he
scrambled back to the BMW. Things had gone to hell in a proverbial
handbasket. For the life of him, Genjuro couldn't figure out what was
going on. First a double-cross, then the guns coming out so
suddenly. It was all too confusing for him. Something smelled fishy,
but Genjuro didn't have time to mull over it.  Time was a critical
commodity now.  If any word got back to the boss before he could
explain, things would be bad, very bad. Things had taken a dramatic
turn for the worse already, and he feared for his sister and niece's
lives.  As he painfully sped home, the face of the boy burned itself
into his memory.




----------------
End Chapter One

Next Chapter:Is Ryoga dead? How will Ranma explain P-chan's
disappearence if he is? Also Genjuro discovers too late just what
punishment his boss ordered for him. But has Genjuro's boss taken
care of the current problem or created a far more dangerous one?



-- 

David Lindquist
fido@rma.edu
UNKNOWN=You can either be the master of your future or a slave 
to your past. It's your call."