Please C&C, Flame, MST, or anything else you can think of.
My notes are featured at the end of the story, along with
a small apology.
INSERT DISCLAIMER.
Warning: Some dark material may be depicted within the
following chapter. So, if you don't mind a little
darkness, read away! ^_^
----------------------------------
Twilight of the Dead - Series I
A Ranma/Day of the Dead Crossover
----------------------------------
by James Epnett
(The Man With the Machinegun)
=============================
Chapter 6 - The Comeback Kid
=============================
He was tired. Not just tired, but exhausted.
Dirty, exhausted, and emotionally drained. He
would never admit to this, of course, for he knew
that the people around him did, in fact, look up to
him.
Or at least they did. He wasn't so sure
anymore, and slowly, he was beginning not to care.
He wanted to rest, and he wanted to take a long
bath, and he wanted REAL food.
There were too many things that he wanted but
knew he couldn't have. Yet he continued on. He had
to continue going through the motions. It was all he
could do to keep from losing total control.
But he had lost control, on some level. Why
else would he have lashed out, striking someone he
knew he could seriously injure? It didn't make sense
to him.
"Ranma?"
Ranma looked up as his train of thought was
disrupted by the small, soft voice of Sheri.
"Dr. Tofu wishes to speak with you now." Sheri
exited the main room of the Infirmary, out into the
waiting room that Ranma sat silently in.
Ranma simply nodded and stood slowly from his
seat. He walked toward the door into Tofu's office,
watching his feet as he went.
He stopped suddenly as he felt a hand press
down on his shoulder. His eyes darted to his side,
focusing on Sheri.
Sheri smiled as best she could. "I don't blame
you Ranma," she whispered softly. "None of us do...
We know what you're going through -- The stress
you're under..."
Ranma jerked away abruptly, causing Sheri to
stumble in surprise. He looked away from her, at the
far wall. "You don't know anything," he mumbled
harshly before walking into the office.
Sheri watched him go, a shocked, hurt look
painted over her small, soft features.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Tofu looked out the tinted glass window that
was stationed behind his desk in the thick, granite
wall. He let his hands linger on the windowsill and
watched as the first rays of the early morning sun
began to bathe over the horizon, flowing like honey
through the empty, dead streets of Tokyo.
It was rather beautiful, in a morbid fashion.
He knew what danger lurked below -- A danger that
swarmed through the city like a plague of voracious
locusts, destroying anything and anyone. And at that
moment, as the sun began its heavenly assent into
the ocean blue sky, he felt at peace, for the first
time in months. It was little comfort, knowing that
he was safe and warm -- For now.
But it was all he had. It was better than
nothing at all, better than the ultimate fate he
knew he would face if he dare venture into the world
below. For this reason, he could sympathize with
Ranma for not telling anyone of the confirmed human
sighting.
But there was another part of him that he
fought to suppress, a part which he kept buried deep
within him. It was a rage unlike any he had ever
known, and it was unnerving. He felt as though he
would errupt, and the rage would overflow onto those
around him. He couldn't handle that. The thoughts of
what he would be capable of in such a state.... It
was intolerable...
"Doctor?"
"Hmm?" Tofu turned from the window, from his
thought pervaded world, to acknowledge the presence
in his office.
His eyes fell apon Ranma, and for the first
time, he noticed just how worn and tired the
pigtailed martial artist looked.
"You wanted to speak with me?" Ranma asked,
closing the door as he entered the office.
"Yes, Ranma." Tofu turned his chair around and
placed himself in it. "Please, have a seat."
Ranma looked down at the chair and then up at
Tofu. He hesitated for a moment. He really didn't
need any zealous, inspirational speeches right now,
which is what he feared would be on its way. "I'll
stand."
"As you wish." Tofu looked down at his desk as
he adjusted his glasses. "Ranma, I think maybe you
should get some rest."
Ranma blinked. That was it?
"I know you've been under a considerable amount
of stress lately," Tofu continued, "But I assure you
that a full night sleep wont bring about the
destruction of the group. I can handle the Tokyo
Defensive while you sleep."
"I get plenty of rest." Ranma paused, then
continued, "Look, I wanted to apologize to Hiroshi."
He found it harder than he had expected to say that.
"I shouldn't have hit him. Is he okay?"
"He's unconscious right now," replied Tofu as
he finished toying with his glasses. "And he's
suffering from mild concussion. He also needed 14
stitches on his left temple, which I had to do with
normal sewing thread."
Ranma sighed. He wasn't ready for Tofu to begin
complaining about his lack of medical equipment
again. "Please, don't start about your shortage of
medical supplies."
Tofu looked up at Ranma and frowned. "Look,
Ranma, we can only stand so much more of this. I'm
amazed this place has made it the last 9 months.
Hiroshi completely lost it back there, you lost it
back there, I nearly lost it back there. How long do
you think it will be before other people start to
break down like we did?"
"They'll just have to cope," Ranma shot back,
turning toward the door. "I don't have the time to
sit down with each person here and assure them that
everything will be all right because, frankly, I'm
not sure it will be."
"Doctor Tofu!"
Ranma leaped out from in front of the door as
Tora, the man who had been placed as point guard at
the front of the building, exploded into the room.
Tofu rose from his desk quickly. "What is it,
Tora?"
Tora skidded to a halt before Tofu's desk and
leaned forward, resting his hands on its wooden
surface. His chest heaved up and down as he
desperately tried to catch his breath. "Doctor
Tofu... We need you in the First Floor Lobby right
away. Ryoga Hibiki just arrived and he dosen't look
very good."
Ranma's ears perked up and his head snapped
around. "Ryoga?!"
Tora glanced at Ranma and nodded quickly. "Yes
sir. I found him just out side the building, several
feet from the entrance. He just collapsed, sir."
Tofu moved from behind his desk quickly and
scooped up what instruments he needed before passing
Ranma. "We'll talk later. I still have more I want
to say to you, most of it being rather important.
Until then...," Tofu's voice softened a little. "Get
some rest, for all of our sakes."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Daisuke gazed down at the book sitting before
him on his desk. It was an old text book that he had
used back when he was a student at Furinkan High. To
be more precise, it was his Literature book, which
he flipped through idly, looking for any good short
story to pass the time.
He found none. He had already read the majority
of them, and he was getting bored and sleepy. Anger
canceled out his desire to sleep, however.
He shook his head and sighed, wondering how
Hiroshi was doing. He struggled to put it all
together in his mind in a way that would make sense.
WHY had Hiroshi called Ranma a fake? WHY had they
been so angry at each other? WHY had Ranma hit
Hiroshi? WHY?
It exhausted him to even think about it. He was
growing tired of life. He didn't like it in the old,
rundown building that had once been host to one of
the most profitable videogame producers in the
country.
Reaching out to close the book, Daisuke looked
up and out the window at the front of his desk. Warm
beams of sunlight washed over his face. He hadn't
even noticed it had come up. Even worse, that meant
that he had just spent the majority of yet another
night awake. "I need to go for a walk," he decided
aloud.
He stood from his desk and slid the chair in.
Walking over to the entrance of the room, he flipped
off the overhead light and pulled the door shut
behind him.
No sooner had he entered the hall, a dark blue
blur smashed into him, knocking him back against the
wall. He frowned and shook his head a few times.
"Watch where you're going, why don't you..."
He trailed off as he looked up and his eyes
connected with Sheri's. He frowned as he noticed two
wet streaks gleaming down her cheeks. "Sheri? I'm
sorry, I didn't know it was you. W-What's wrong?"
Sheri shook her head slowly and her body jerked
as a sob wrenched from within her. "I... I can't
take it any more...," she mumbled, sniffling. "I
can't..."
Daisuke took a step forward, unsure of himself.
"I... umm... Can I do anything to help...?"
Sheri suddenly tossed her arms around Daisuke's
neck, sobbing loudly as she clung to the teenager.
Daisuke made a startled sound as the girl
clamped down on him, sobbing into his shoulder. He
reached up, awkwardly, and wrapped an arm around
her. "Y-- you're gunna be all right," he whispered.
//I'm not any good at this...\\
"Just..." Sheri choked on her words as she
continued to cry into Daisuke's shoulder. "Just hold
me... please...?"
Daisuke nodded hesitantly and he let his other
arm slip up around her, embracing her gently.
"Oh my..."
Daisuke looked over Sheri's shoulder to see
Kasumi standing behind them, her hand covering her
mouth.
"Are you okay?" Kasumi asked, her voice warm,
motherly. She took a step forward and lowered her
hand from her lips.
Daisuke nodded and whispered, "Yeah, we just
need a moment."
Kasumi nodded. "Well, I'm off to the kitchen to
begin breakfast. If you and Sheri would like to join
Father and I, you're more than welcomed."
"Thank you, Kasumi." Daisuke smiled and watched
the older girl continue down the hall.
"Daisuke...?"
Daisuke tilted his head a little and looked
down at Sheri. "Yeah?"
"Can you walk me to my room?" Sheri looked up
at the older teenager, blinking away what remained
of the small, sparkling tears that lined her eyes.
Daisuke nodded. "Sure."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Moko Takabisha!"
Nothing.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!!!"
Nothing.
"Damn it!"
The large stone pillar that had doubled as a
target shattered into small fragments as Ranma's
fist exploded through its surface. He screamed in
frustration and turned from where the target had
once stood.
//It's no good,\\ he thought, moving slowly
across the makeshift training hall that he and
Konatsu had set up many months earlier.
The room was scattered with many pieces of
equipment designed for physical, aerobic, and even
mental training.
Ranma looked around the room of equipment and
sighed. None of it would help restore him to his
true strength. The one thing he needed to create the
energy needed for his most powerful attack was gone
- Confidence and determination. It had been over 6
months since he had given off one good ki attack. He
and the rest of the people around him were lost, no
matter how he looked at it.
//If we leave, we're as good as dead, but if we
stay, we run the risk of having swarms of those
things tryin' to break in....\\ Ranma shook his head
and abruptly threw himself down on the mat, landing
on his hands and knees. //I can't take it anymore...
I can't make these kind of decisions. I ain't a
leader....\\
"Are you okay, Mr. Saotome?"
Ranma turned his head to see Natsu standing in
the doorway. He nodded quickly and pulled himself up
to his feet. "Yeah, Gramps. Just trainin'."
Natsu nodded and entered the room slowly. He
moved languidly over to one of the old, warn out
chairs that sat in the corner of the room. He pulled
himself up onto the seat and sighed as he looked out
the window next to him. "Having a bit of trouble, I
see."
"Huh? How long were you standin' there?" Ranma
moved slowly over to the table where his tai-chi top
lay. He picked it up and pulled it onto his body
before turning to look at the old man.
"Long enough," Natsu replied, resting his
elbows on his legs. "You were trying to pull of that
attack thing of yours, right?."
Ranma only nodded as he approached a second
chair. "You could say that."
"Well, Ranma..." Natsu paused for a moment,
turning his head to watched Ranma sit next to him.
"I can call you Ranma, can't I?"
Ranma nodded again.
"Well then, Ranma, what seems to be the
problem?
"I don't know." Ranma sighed and hung his head.
"I guess it's the situation. I can't handle it,
Gramps. I can't focus."
"Have you not been getting enough rest?"
"I don't think any of us have," Ranma replied,
fastening the knot cords on his shirt.
Natsu nodded. "Well, maybe you just need a good
nights rest."
Ranma simply nodded and looked out the window.
The sun hung just above the horizon, and its golden
rays bathed his face in warmth. He sighed. "I guess
I should just keep tryin'."
"Well... The only advice I can give you, Ranma,
is don't give up." Natsu looked back toward the
teen. "Just keep at it. Nothing comes easy." With
that, he rose from his seat and started for the
door.
"See ya later, Gramps." Ranma waited for Natsu
to vanish and then looked back at the human shaped
statue he had brought in from elsewhere in the
building to train against.
"Maybe I should just work on some of my other
techniques for now." He nodded to himself and stood.
"Yeah... No point in tying down on one technique."
He moved toward the statue quickly and stood in
front of it for a moment, examining its polished,
marble surface. "Okay... let's see...." He spread
his legs apart into an offensive stance and readied
himself.
He closed his eyes and concentrated. He still
had a few new tricks up his sleeves.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Tora, I need a bottle of antiseptic, quickly!"
"Can't we just take him up to the Infirmary,
sir....?"
"NOW!"
"Sir, yes sir!" Tora turned and bolted toward
the elevator. He pressed the button beside its
double, sliding door and waited. After only a few
moments, the door slid up, and he began his assent.
Dr. Tofu sat on his knees, leaning over his
patient. He reached down and pressed his fingers
against his neck and waited a moment. "Pulse is
weak..."
He leaned further down, over the patient's
lower body. He frowned at the sight. "Multiple
abrasions to the left leg, caused by unknown object
or creature... Possible infection..."
Moving back up, over the patients upper body,
he reached out with both hands and lifted his head
slightly. "Ryoga...? Ryoga, can you hear me?"
Ryoga's eyelids flickered quickly, but did not
open. The teenager groaned, but nothing more.
"At least he's alive," Tofu said, reaching down
to strip the cloth from around the wound on his leg.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"ARGH!!!"
Ranma opened his eyes and sat up. He knew his
kicks were strong, but the statue was stronger.
Normally, he could have shattered it, no problem,
but the technique was more about precision and the
usage of ki energy, not brut strength.
He remembered when he had first thought of the
technique, when he was on a training retreat with
Genma. He had developed the idea so that he could
attempt to finish the old freak with a single
attack, one that didn't take as much time or energy
as the Hiryu Shoten Ha. He had very little time to
work on it, however, before the crisis had started.
Springing to his feet, Ranma turned to face the
statue, which looked as though it were laughing at
him, its lips of marble pulled back in a mocking
smirk.
He screamed and charged.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Daisuke stood silently before Sheri, who sat at
the foot of her bed. He lowered his head as he
spoke, his words soft. "Are you going to be okay,
Sheri?"
The girl nodded and looked up, the last of her
tears streaking down her cheeks. She smiled as well
as she could. "Yes, Daisuke. I... I think I'll be
fine."
"I could stay, if you want." Daisuke reached
out and pulled the chair from her desk up quickly.
He turned the seat so he could face her and sat.
"You don't have to," Sheri replied, reaching up
to wipe her face.
Daisuke smiled. "I don't mind. I don't think I
have anywhere else to go, what with Hiroshi
unconscious and all."
"I'm sorry about your friend." Sheri reached
over to her desk and grabbed a hand full of tissues
from a small box and preceded in cleaning her face.
"I'm... I'm sure Ranma didn't mean to... He's been
under a lot of stress lately."
Daisuke frowned. "And we haven't? That isn't an
excuse, Sheri."
"I know. I just... I don't know, I just can't
blame him. If anything, Hiroshi provoked him with
all that 'fake' business."
Daisuke looked down at his feet and sighed. "I
guess in a way it was Hiroshi's fault... But
still.... I don't know. I just don't want to think
about it right now."
"Okay." Sheri looked up at Daisuke and smiled.
"Will you talk with me for a while?"
"About what?" Daisuke asked, turning his head
to look at Sheri.
"Anything." Sheri looked at Daisuke, gazing
into his eyes pleadingly. "I just need to take my
mind off the past few hours."
Daisuke looked away from her eyes. He felt his
face growing warm suddenly. Why did that happen when
she looked into his eyes? He shook the thought away
quickly. "Okay... Umm... Well, tell me about your
family."
Sheri pulled her legs up onto the bed and
crossed them. She rested her elbows on her knees and
let her chin rest on her fist. "Not really that much
to tell. I didn't exactly live in a happy home."
"Really?" Daisuke looked back toward the girl
and frowned. "What was wrong there?"
"My step-father was a jerk." Sheri shrugged.
"That was the whole problem, really. He and my
brother didn't get along at all, and there were
always these terrible fights and arguments. My
brother was into martial arts, you see. He studied
Ninjutsu. He wasn't very good, but he had only been
studying for about 6 months before I decided to
leave." She paused and adjusted her position on the
bed.
"I was doing pretty good in school, and had
always been interested with the cultures of other
countries, especially Japan. So, last school year,
when my History teacher announced that they would
finally be running a Foreign Exchange program at our
school, I jumped at the chance."
"Just to get away from your home?" asked
Daisuke, leaning back in his seat.
"Not just to get away," replied Sheri, "But
that's partly right. I had to get out for a while. I
had been studying Japanese for a while, so I decided
to come over here, to Japan. Didn't have much time
to enjoy it, though, before all this started."
A rather grim look crossed Daisuke's face and
he leaned forward in his seat. "Sheri.... Do you
know weather or not your family is okay?"
Sheri shook her head and her eyes fell down to
her feet. "No," she choked out. "I don't... I can't
contact them... I've... I've been so worried about
them." She blinked and found warm fluid beginning to
drip from her eyes again. //Not again... Not in
front of Daisuke...\\
She felt her heart jump suddenly as Daisuke's
hand slid over hers, closing around it.
"I'm sorry. I wish there were some way we could
find out." Daisuke squeezed Sheri's hand gently, and
he looked down at his feet for a long moment before
the silence finally caused him to look up.
He eyes met Sheri's, and he realized that she
had been looking at him, smiling. He hadn't expected
a smile, but despite her tears, she had managed a
very small one.
Sheri reached forward and wrapped an arm around
Daisuke, hugging him. She tilted her head and
whispered into his ear, "Thank you, Daisuke."
Daisuke closed his eyes and returned her hug.
"For what?"
"For caring."
"N-No problem." He smiled slightly, and then
felt his face growing warm again. He frowned at
himself. //Why does that keep happening?\\
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Tora looked over the table at Tofu, who
scratched the back of his head and watched the
unconscious figure of Ryoga toss restlessly.
"Is he going to be okay?"
Tofu nodded. "As far as I can tell, yes."
"What was wrong with him?"
Tofu circled the table and stopped next to
Tora. "Well, put simply, he was suffering from a low
lever infection that was well on its way to Lock Jaw
and possibly gangrene. I've given him a tetanus and
penicillin shot, and I've cleaned the wound with
antiseptic and patched it up properly." He paused
and frowned. "I will admit that this really isn't my
field. Before all this started, I was really only a
small-time chiropractor, though most of the
neighborhood came to me for serious medical advice
and help." He paused and looked at Tora. "We can
only wait and hope."
Tora looked up from Ryoga. "You think he's
going to make it?"
Tofu nodded. "Ryoga is a lot tougher than he
looks. He'll pull through." He looked down at Ryoga
and sighed, watching the teenager continue to
tremble and toss in his sleep.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Where on Earth am I!?"
Silence.
"Akari!? Akane!? Ranma!? Doctor Tofu!?
Anybody!!"
Silence. Darkness.
"Please answer me!! Please!!!"
Silence. Darkness. Despair.
"Help me... I don't want to be alone anymore...
I can't make it alone... I know this now..."
Silence. Darkness. Despair. Hopelessness.
"It's so cold here... So dark... I don't want
to be here anymore... Please, someone help me..."
Silence. Darkness. Despair. Hopelessness.
Loneliness. All qualities it fed apon.
As its minions fed apon the flesh, it would
feed apon the emotions, devouring them greedily. And
the victims never knew.
Nor did the ones who served him. They only
answered to the desire HE instilled within their
soulless husks.
This... creature was no different than the rest
he had absorbed.
No, he was wrong. This creature WAS different.
It resisted more, fighting the inevitable. It would
never give up, which would make its death twice as
enjoyable, for him and the festering cadavers that
would help him continue to thrive. After all, they
enjoyed the hunt just as much as any animal, and the
harder the prey struggled, the more satisfying the
rewards.
"Where the hell am I....?! I WANT OUT!!!!"
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Tofu started and looked up from his desk as an
ear piercing scream erupted from within the patient
room. He stood from his desk quickly and hurried
into the main room.
Ryoga's body sat arched upward, his chest
thrust into the air as he continued to scream.
"NOOOO!!! PLEASE!!! SOMEONE HELP ME!!!! PLEASE!!!!"
His voice grew more desperate as his cries continued
to reverberate throughout the room.
Tofu moved over to the table and pushed Ryoga
back down onto the table. "Ryoga! You're safe!" He
reached around quickly and searched out two small
points at the back of Ryoga's neck. He squeezed his
fingers down into these points, and the eternally
lost boy went limp, his body falling back onto the
table.
Tofu sighed and watched for a moment to make
sure his breathing remained regular. As soon as he
realized that it was unchanged, he began back toward
his desk.
But before he had made it very far, something
caught his eye. He did a double take and stopped
walking.
Turning fully around, he walked back to the
table and leaned forward. "What's this?"
Clenched tightly within Ryoga's fist, Tofu
could make out the crumpled edge of what looked like
a sheet of paper.
Reaching out cautiously, Tofu closed his index
finger and thumb on the small paper. He frowned as
he realized Ryoga's grip was much too tight, and he
reached out with his other hand to pry his fist
open.
After a few moments worth of effort, he
succeeded in pulling the slip from within the lost
boy's paw. He stood up straight and began to un-wad
the sheet of paper. He looked down at it and frowned
at the sloppy handwriting that met his eyes. "What a
mess..."
He began back toward his office, letting his
eyes move over the text that was scrawled near the
center of the slip. He moved around the extra chair
in front of his desk and stopped beside his chair.
Before he sat, however, his eyes bulged and he
whispered, "Oh boy..." His glasses slowly began to
fog, and he pulled them off quickly to clean them.
"Dr. Tofu?"
"Y-yes?" Tofu turned quickly to see Kasumi
standing in the door of his office. "What can I do
for you, Kasumi?" He moved quickly toward her.
Kasumi smiled and nodded. "Good morning,
Doctor. I was wondering if you would care to join
father and I for breakfast this morning."
Tofu hesitated for a moment and then smiled.
"No... No thank you, Kasumi. I have something most
important I must do first. Do you know where Ranma
is?"
"I think he went to the Dojo area to train."
Tofu smiled, a brighter smile than he had for
almost three months. "Good! Do me a favor, Kasumi."
Kasumi nodded. "Yes? What is it?"
"Keep your father in the kitchen, until I come
there with Ranma. I may have some good news." With
that, Tofu moved to walk out of the room. He stopped
suddenly and turned to face Kasumi. "Oh, by the way
Kasumi...."
"Yes?" Kasumi tilted her head and smiled at
Tofu.
Tofu leaned forward quickly and pressed his
lips softly against hers.
Kasumi gasped lightly as she felt Tofu's moist,
warm lips pass over hers. She had never been kissed
before, not like that. She wasn't sure how to react.
Slowly her cheeks began to grow warm, and they
flushed with color.
Tofu pulled back and smiled. "I love you, ya
know." He turned and ran from the room quickly,
moving past Ryoga and out into the hall.
Kasumi stared after him, her fingers pressed to
her lips. She blinked and the rose tint of her
cheeks deepened. "Oh my..."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Goddamn it!"
The stone statue exploded as the backside of
Ranma's ankle sliced through it. He landed and
looked up at the destroyed rubble, sweat dripping
from his face, hitting the floor noisily.
He stood slowly, and flinched as the swollen
tissue on his left foot rubbed uncomfortably against
the inside of his shoe. //I can't do it...
WHY can't I do it? It doesn't take me this long to
master such a simple technique...\\
"Ranma?"
"Hmm?" Ranma turned his head and peered toward
the open door.
Tofu stood silently there for a moment, a
large, toothy grin layering his normally grim face.
Ranma turned fully around and crinkled his
brow. "What is it, Dr. Tofu? Has Ryoga recovered?"
"He's stable, yes, but I have something much
more important here!" Tofu moved quickly toward
Ranma, his hand rising from within his pocket. "Can
you guess what I've got here?"
"What is it?" Ranma asked, eyeing the small
slip of white paper in the physician's hand.
"Here. Read this, quickly." Tofu took Ranma's
hand and slapped the small balled up slip into the
pigtailed martial artist's hand.
Ranma eyed it for a moment, and the slowly
began to pull it open. "Hey, it's a letter."
Tofu nodded. "Read it."
Ranma sighed and looked at the top line. "Black
hair, blue eyes...," He paused for a moment and
looked up. "Aw jeez, it's crummy poem!"
"Read it!" Tofu demanded, his smile fading.
"Okay, okay." Ranma frowned. "Jeez..." He
looked down at the letter and began to read.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"IT CAN'T BE!!!"
Sheri looked up in surprise and pulled her arms
quickly from around Daisuke.
Daisuke made a sound of surprise and also
looked up. "What was that?"
"I think it was Ranma," replied Sheri, standing
quickly. She walked briskly to her door and leaned
out into the hallway.
"It came from the training hall, I think."
Daisuke peered over Sheri's shoulder, out into the
empty corridor.
"Mr. Tendou! Mr. Tendou, where are you?!?!"
Sheri eeped in surprise as Ranma cornered
around the edge of the intersecting halls and nearly
knocked her over.
Daisuke grabbed the girl and held her upright.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine." Sheri looked from Daisuke, into the
hall. She watched Ranma move with incredible
dexterity, his feet barely touching the floor as he
made his way toward the lobby.
"What's his rush?"
"I don't know." Sheri shrugged and moved out
into the hall. "Come on, let's follow him."
Daisuke nodded and ran out into the hall,
following Sheri. He looked up and down the hall as
he ran, and noticed Tofu gaining on the both of
them. "Doctor?!"
"Yes, Daisuke?" Tofu moved up next to the
sprinting teen and looked over toward him.
"What's up with Ranma?"
Tofu smiled and sped up a little. "Come on.
Ranma will be on his way to the kitchen right now.
We have to hurry."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Soun looked up groggily from the now empty
plate of rice and beans. He peered across the table
at his 20 year old daughter and watched her for a
moment as she finished off the last of her small
meal.
Kasumi pushed her bowel to the side and smiled
lightly as she looked up at the man who had helped
in bringing her into the world. "Would you like some
more rice, Father?"
Soun rose a hand and waved it. "No, Kasumi.
That was very delicious, but I am quite full." The
ailing Tendou smiled lightly at his daughter and
then said, "I thought Dr. Tofu would be joining us?"
Kasumi shook her head softly and rose from her
seat. "No, he was preoccupied this morning." Her
face suddenly grew warm, and she reached up to run
her fingers over her cheeks.
"Is everything all right, Kasumi?"
"Yes, Father." Kasumi nodded and began to clean
the table of all trash and food serving utensils.
Soun only nodded and leaned back against the
wall, which had served as what should have been the
back of a chair.
Most of what had been left to sit on was
transported to the lobby, and Soun found it quite
irritating. He wasn't as young as he used to be, and
had noticed irritating twinges and spasms in his
lower back.
He would never admit to the validity of Dr.
Tofu's diagnosis, but he knew, deep down, that the
good physician was probably right. After all, he
wouldn't be the only Tendou male to suffer from
acute, disabling arthritis...
He forced the thought away. It was intolerable
to think that, despite all the hard, physical and
mental training, he would become a useless cripple,
unable to support his only remaining daughter. He
wouldn't have it. //I'd rather die protecting you,
Kasumi, than become a burden...\\
"Mr. Tendou!"
"Hmm?" Soun snapped abruptly from his thought
pervaded trance and looked up at the door leading
into the kitchen area.
In the threshold stood Ranma, his never-to-be
son-in law. Soun stood slowly and nodded. "Good
morning, Ranma."
"Mr. Tendou!" Ranma called again, already
standing in front of the aging martial artist.
"You've gotta read this!"
Ranma held the note up and wiggled it in Soun's
face.
"W-where's the fire?"
Kasumi looked toward the door to see a wheezing
Daisuke and a huffing Sheri gazing into the large
room in utter confusion.
"Yeah, Ranma," Sheri added, holding her side.
"What's the rush?"
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"No... R-Ryoga..."
"Ms. Unryuu?"
"RYOGA!"
"Akari! Wake up!"
"Hmm?" Akari Unryuu's eyes opened slowly. Her
vision focused slowly, and she realized where she
was. "Oh!"
Akane sat on her haunches next to the younger
teen, where she had been shaking her lightly. "You
were having a nightmare, Akari."
Miss Hinako stood silently next to the two
girls, looking down at them, her face a blanket of
concern. "Are you okay, Miss Unryuu?"
Akari felt the cold steel wall of the shack on
top of the old skyscraper rub against the bare flesh
on the back of her neck. She reached back and pushed
her hand between the two and began to tenderly
massage her neck. "I must have fallen asleep..."
Akane nodded. "You said you wanted to stay up
here and watch for Ryoga. I came up here to give you
your jacket, and you were asleep. You looked so
exhausted, that I didn't want to wake you."
Akari looked up at Akane and forced a smiled.
"Thanks, Akane."
Returning the smile, Akane reached down and
offered her hand to Akari. "Come on. Breakfast is
ready."
Akari took the raven hair girl's hand and
pulled herself to her feet. "Morning already, huh?"
"Yeah. Sun came up about an hour ago." Akane
moved toward the door but stopped and turned to look
out of the ruins of Tokyo. "Looks so peaceful,
doesn't it."
Akari nodded in agreement. "Yeah... But we know
what it's really like down there, don't we?"
"Yes..." Akane stood in silence for a long
moment. Her mind drifted over all the possibilities
of what could happen if they left the safety of the
old skyscraper in search of the people they all
ached to be with.
"Let's go, ladies." Miss Hinako smiled and
bounced over to the door.
"Okay." Akari turned and followed the other two
females down into the dark belly of the building.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"You remember the rules?"
"Yeah..."
"You got a problem with the rules?"
"Yeah..."
"Then we got a fuckin' problem, don't we?"
Quinn looked away from the small round window
in the wall of the helicopter. His eyes angled on
the bulky form of Johnson, who sat horizontal to
him. "No problem... I follow orders, weather I like
them or not."
Weston glanced into the makeshift rear-view
mirror that he personally installed so he could keep
an eye on his 'crew'.
Johnson smirked. "You're damn right you'll
follow orders, Private."
Quinn frowned and looked back toward the
window. "Yes sir, Lieutenant."
Weston shook his head sadly and returned his
gaze to the ground, which passed by quickly as his
great machine sliced through the chilly morning air.
Quinn sighed and slumped in his seat. So this
is where years of devotion got him. He had always
had such high hopes. After joining the Army, he had
dreamed of, one day, becoming one of finest soldiers
every produced by the US Government.
But he was by no means one of the finest. At
the age of 16, though, it all looked so much more
glamorous. Dreams of becoming a war hero possessed
every fiber of his being.
And now he had been reduced to the level of a
common criminal, sent on a mission designed to
murder and kidnap.
"So.. Quinn..."
Quinn looked from the window, up toward the
front of the helicopter. His eyes focused on the
rear-view mirror, in which he could see Weston
peering back at him. "Yeah?"
"I've been meaning to ask you something."
Quinn sighed. "What?"
"What made you come on this mission?"
Quinn blinked at the suddenness of the
question, and the baffled tone in the teen's voice
didn't help. "What do you mean 'what made me come'?
I was chosen. I had no choice."
"Boy, were you screwed," mumbled Johnson,
stifling a laugh.
Quinn glanced at Johnson, then returned his
attention to Weston. "Why?"
Weston shrugged. "I don't know. You just don't
seem like the type to take on this kind of mission
is all. Not like Farmer John over there."
Johnson grimaced. "Fuck you, pip-squeak."
"You try it!" Weston shot back, snorting in
disgust.
Quinn shook his head. "What do you mean, 'the
type'?"
Weston returned his attention back to Quinn. He
smiled and shook his head. "You just don't seem like
the trigger happy, murdering type. I don't think
Brendan was, either." He paused and grimaced. "And
look where it got him."
"You better watch yourself, Flyboy." Johnson
pulled his 9mm from its holster and began to run a
small white rag over the barrel.
"You better watch yourself, Flyboy," Weston
mocked, making a face in the mirror.
Quinn looked between the two and narrowed his
eyes. "Are you not telling me something?"
"Why would I do a thing like that." Weston
twisted around in his seat and leaned back toward
the lower ranking military man. In a hushed voice,
he whispered, "Just take my advice for what it's
worth - Watch your back."
===================================================================
Notes: Sorry it took me so long to plunk this one out, but
I've been extremely busy lately, so please, stick with me. ^_^
I hope to finish up Series I of Twilight in a few more chapters,
and then I intend to focus on a story called Broken Home (Ranma 1/2)
and Evil Resident (Ranma/Resident Evil), the first of which
will be posted all at once (At least, that's how I intend to
do it as of right now).
After that, I will pick up on Series II of Twilight. So, as always,
please do send C&C so I know what to change, what not to change,
weather you like or hate my work, etc. ^_^ Always good to heat
from everyone.
===================================================================
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