Letters to Home
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
Disclaimer: This fiction is based on characters created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, etc. These characters are not used with permission with the creator/owner.
Note: OK, I've revised this thing and I've tried to incorporate the comments of various people (too many to mention. Thanks to all for the C&C). As I mentioned before, this is an "altaverse/alternate setting fic." Because at least one person didn't realize that this fic was not set in the present, I'll state it explicitly: this fic is set during the time of World War II.
I don't know how to reconcile the fact of military censors with what I want to do with this fic. Thus, I have to assume that these letters slipped through the cracks. A conceit, to be sure, but hopefully, the fic will be good enough that only the most hardened realists out there will find it distracting.
I'm not sure whether to label this fic as a darkfic. This chapter isn't dark, but future chapters will deal with the subject of war and, at times, will be pretty damn blunt about the realities of war. I'm not sure yet how graphic it will be, but I imagine it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think of it as "dark."
Also, I know that Ranma is somewhat OOC. First of all, I'm trying to balance the fact that this Ranma grew up in the 1930s and the attitudes a man growing up in that period would naturally have with the attitudes the "modern" Ranma we all know and love has. What I hope to do is make it essentially the same person raised in a not-too-distant past. I also realize he'll be OOC with regard to his "speech" patterns here. Then again, since these are written letters, and I can't recall ever seeing an example of Ranma's writing in the manga, so maybe it's OK. Let me know.
Again, don't be gentle. If the fic just plain sucks, say so. Just tell me what I can do to fix it.
Well, without further ado:
Letters to Home Part 1
*****
RECRUITMENT
MINISTRY OF WAR
KASUMIGASEKI
TOKYO
September 14, 1941
Saotome Ranma
Tendo-ke
Nerima, Tokyo
You are hereby notified that your country has need of your services in honorable combat against the enemies of Japan. You are ordered to report for duty at 0800 on September 17, 1941 at Akachi Base in Tama City, Tokyo Prefecture.
(signed)
Gen. Matsuda Yoshifune
*****
September 24, 1941
Saotome Genma
Tendo-ke
Nerima, Tokyo
Oyaji,
I've finished my first week of basic training at Akachi Base. It's a grim place compared to Nerima, though it ain't as bad as some of the places we've been. All the buildings are wood, at I think it was built rather quickly. They seem to like to paint things gray here. That makes the place pretty gloomy. It also seems pretty small, considering it's close to Tokyo but still quite a ways from the city itself. Then again, I suppose the idea isn't for us to be comfortable.
As you may have heard, most of the guys in my company are from Nerima. Ryoga and Kuno are here. So are Hiroshi and Daisuke. In fact, I think most of the guys in my class from Furinkan High School are here. It's hard to think of them as soldiers, especially when I think about how less skilled than me they are at fighting. Gosunkugi doesn't seem to be here, though. Probably just as well. He'd probably just get in our way when we get to the war in China.
Anyway, we all arrived at the train station in Tama our first day, and we were met by our drill instructor, Sergeant Suzumoto. He had us fall in right there at the entrance to the train station. Then, right there with all the locals watching, he announced as loud as he could that he had never seen such a miserable lot of children in his whole life. It was a little embarrassing to be included in that group, but I figure he wasn't specifically referring to me. I get the feeling this is standard for drill sergeants. And, frankly, most of the guys from Nerima are a sorry lot. However, if you know anything at all about Kuno, you can probably imagine his reaction to Suzumoto's statement. Kuno's now got latrine duty for the rest of basic training.
Anyway, our drill sergeant assembled us and marched us all over to the base, about 3 miles from the station. I hadn't really been aware of how weak and pathetic the other guys at Furinkan were until that moment. I mean, I knew I was better than them, but I didn't realize how much better. After the 3 miles, and it was flat the whole way, only Ryoga and I weren't panting for breath. To be fair to Kuno, I think he was tired only because he made the march after doing 400 pushups. But the rest of the guys didn't have any excuse. They were just pathetic. Suzumoto beat some of the slower ones to make them go faster.
When we got to the base, they issued rifles, uniforms, and the rest of our gear. Then the next incident occurred. They made everyone but me get a crew cut. They tried to give me a crew cut, too, but they tried to cut of my ponytail, and the dragon whisker with it, and you can guess what happened next. In the end, they decided that, in my case, keeping strictly with the regulations was not as important as keeping me in uniform.
Kuno also reacted badly to the idea of getting his hair cut. I know why, but you may not. It's a long story. Akane can tell you if you really want to know. Anyway, he held off the barbers for three hours with that stick of his. I don't know where Suzumoto went off to while this was happening, but he finally came back and beat Kuno into submission. You know, Suzumoto is pretty good.
You should have seen the look on Suzumoto's face when he found out about my curse. Since everyone in the unit is from Nerima, they all knew, but it was a hell of a shock to our sergeant. He was actually going to put in paperwork to discharge me from the army. I don't like thinking about the shame that would have brought. Fortunately, I was able to prove to him that I could take care of myself by beating Kuno. Funny thing is, he seemed somewhat impressed by that, even though he had no problem beating Kuno himself. But, anyway, they're not going to discharge me and I'll have my chance to fight.
Basic training isn't too bad, though. It's more interesting than school, anyway. The problem I have is with the training itself. Not so much for my sake as for the other guys. They're teaching us how to fight, but it's not what any real martial artist would consider training. Except for getting up early, it's completely different from any of the training we've done. The first thing we have to do when we get up is make our beds and make ourselves presentable! I guess they don't expect us to get attacked in our sleep or anything.
Then there's the training, if you can call it that. Most of it is just marching around all over the place holding our rifles. Even Kuno finds it boring, and that's saying something. But they have us do it all the time. Marching in formation here. Marching in formation there. As if we'd ever march in formation in an actual battle. The one benefit is that its getting most of the guys into better physical shape. As I said before, they really need it.
The combat exercises are no use, either. The first day they issued every soldier an Arisaka rifle, but, since that time, a whole week's gone by and I haven't even fired it yet. All we've done is practicing pointing our rifles! Like that's going to help. And what little bit of hand to hand fighting they've had us practice is useless, too. Mostly its stabbing a bag of sand with a bayonet. We're not even sparring. At least, not as part of basic training. Ryoga and I spar in our spare time to stay in shape. We have called a truce for the duration of our enlistment so our sparring doesn't get out of control. I think the last thing either of us needs is to be thrown in the stockade because we destroyed the camp. But I'm sure if we didn't do this, our skills would just get worse and worse for not using them. I tell you, Oyaji, when I get back, we have got to go on a training mission just so I can get back to where I was when I left. I haven't lost anything yet, but after 6 weeks of this nonsense and a 2 year tour of duty, it might get to the point where you might be able to beat me.
It's really sad. I don't feel bad for me or Ryoga or Kuno. Even though he ain't at my or Ryoga's level, Kuno is a decent martial artist and should be able to handle himself if we ever see any actual fighting. But I admit I worry about Hiroshi and Daisuke. What happens to them, or any of the other soldiers in our platoon, if we do get into a fight? They're not learning anything that could help them in a fight here. They could get killed. I know they're all willing to sacrifice themselves for the Emperor, but, still, I don't like thinking about it. Especially when they could just send me and Ryoga. I'm sure we could take care of things in China. We'll find out in a few weeks. I can't wait to get out there and serve the Emperor. I'll make you proud.
Ranma
*****
October 30, 1941
Saotome Genma
Tendo-ke
Nerima, Tokyo
Oyaji,
Well, basic training is over. I'm just glad its over. It didn't get any better since I last wrote you. After a while, it got really boring. Remember how I said it was more interesting than school? Well, that didn't last long. Especially when I got put on latrine duty with Kuno for a week for insubordination. And, no, it's not what you're thinking. It was totally unfair, and I wasn't insubordinating anyone. And it's bad enough that I got latrine duty, but to have to do it with Kuno was just too much.
We are now part of the 215th infantry regiment of the 55th division. Ryoga, Kuno, Hiroshi, and Daisuke are all in my platoon. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we'll see any combat. Colonel Sakuma told us we're not going to the war in China. Ryoga and I were disappointed because we figured it would be a great opportunity go back to Jusenkyo and cure our curses (don't show Akane this). Actually, most everybody seemed disappointed. Kuno was the most vocal in expressing his outrage at this offense to his honor. I think he's going to be on latrine duty for the rest of the war. None of us can figure out why they drafted us if we're not going to fight in the war. Hopefully, we'll get our chance to prove ourselves soon.
Ranma
*****
November 8, 1941
Saotome Genma
Tendo-ke
Nerima, Tokyo
Oyaji,
They're shipping us out to Indochina. It looks we've been drafted for garrison duty. Just great. The Japanese Army is making history in China and we get to spend the entire war way out in the middle of nowhere. Two years of this nonsense with Kuno. This is going to be awful.
To tell the truth, I can understand why they're doing this. After all, the unit we're replacing had to do garrison duty before us. I guess we'll just have to wait our turn. But none of us is happy about it except for that coward Daisuke. He thinks we're better off not fighting. If, by some miracle, we do fight, I almost hope he's the first one killed for saying such things. Well, I don't really, but I have to wonder what he could be thinking?
In any event, I'm going to ask for a transfer to a unit in China. It's absurd that a soldier of my martial talents should spend his time doing nothing far from the war. I'm just afraid that the war will end before I get a chance to get there.
Ranma
*****
December 10, 1941
Saotome Genma
Tendo-ke
Nerima, Tokyo
Oyaji,
I'm sure by now you've heard about Japan declaring war on the United States and Britain. We're still in Indochina. Apparently, we were drafted in order to maintain the garrison in Indochina while the units that were already here attacked the British in Malaysia. As I said in my last letter, I can understand, but it's so frustrating. It really looked like we were going to have a glorious opportunity to prove ourselves against the Americans, but now that doesn't seem too likely. They've also denied my request for a transfer. I just can't understand it. I just hope we get a chance to serve the Emperor in combat before the war ends. It would be really embarrassing to have to admit that I didn't fight in the war at all. Our only hope is that, since we replaced a garrison unit, so well eventually be replaced by another unit so we can get our chance to fight.
Indochina is the very worst place on the face of the earth. It's even hotter than I imagined it would be, and it's December! I don't want to think about what it'll be like in the summer. And the insects are everywhere. I've never seen anything like it. The barracks are crawling with them. A lot of the soldiers are sick from diseases that no one's ever heard of. It's really nasty here.
The locals are a bunch of ingrates, too. We've liberated them from years of oppression by the French, but you'd never guess it from how they're acting. They seem to resent the fact that we've conscripted a lot of them in order to improve roads, build supply depots, and the like. It's not like we're not paying them, but for some reason they can't understand that both we and they will benefit from cooperation. They're so bad that we've had to discipline some of them. It turns out Kuno is especially good at this. I don't really like having to hurt them, but, in the end, it's for their own good.
Hopefully, I'll be able to take a furlough and visit soon.
Ranma
*****
December 28, 1941
Tendo Akane
Tendo-ke
Nerima, Tokyo
Akane,
I got your letter. I appreciate your concern, but you don't have to worry about me. Yeah, we've all heard about the start of the war with the United States and Britain, but it doesn't look like we're going to fight. We're still in Indochina. We were just drafted in order to maintain the garrison in Indochina while the units that were already here attacked the British. Nothing's happening here, though. But I have to tell you that I hope to be able to fight before the war is over. You know there's no one better than me in a fight, so you don't need to worry about me.
Ryoga and everybody are fine. I'm sure you've been getting letters from Ryoga, so you know how he's doing. Kuno keeps ranting about the time lost that he could be with you. He's actually getting worse. Shortly after we heard about the attack on Hawaii I got splashed. You should have heard the speech Kuno gave about "his" pig-tailed girl coming to see for herself that he was still safe. Then he started crying at the thought of me "coming all the way from Japan the instant his life was in danger." The only danger he's been in is from the "pig-tailed girl." It's also weird that he thinks that the "pig-tailed girl" could have come down from Japan to see him in less than a day, or that nonmilitary personnel would be allowed to come to Indochina. Then again, this is Kuno, so I shouldn't be surprised.
The military sure hasn't been like Nerima. It seemed like not a day could go by without something totally crazy going on there. Here, it's utter boredom. Garrison duty has so far consisted mainly of sitting at my post looking out for an attack that you know will never come. The only relief is we occasionally get to go out on patrol, looking for rebels. We never find any, though. I had always thought the military would be fun, a good chance to prove my martial prowess, but it's turned out that we mostly just stand around. This is just terrible. I miss Nerima. At least there, life was interesting. Here, you're either on duty, which is horribly boring, or you're off duty, which is only marginally better. You just talk to the same guys about the same things. And it turns out you're right. Most of them are perverts. The other soldiers' favorite activity has become splashing me with cold water and leering at me. You'd think it would slow down with all the times I've thrashed them for doing it, but they keep doing it.
I now wish I had gotten that discharge. The shame of it would have stung, but this is almost more than I can bear. And not just to me. Morale here is very low. We all want a chance to fight for the Emperor, but there's no sign that that is ever going to happen.
Well, it was good to hear from you. Maybe I'll get a chance to come home on furlough. I'll write again soon.
Ranma
*****
December 31, 1941
Saotome Genma
Tendo-ke
Nerima, Tokyo
Oyaji,
I just found out that we're shipping out. We're going to Siam. I'm not sure why yet, but I have my hopes. They'll probably simply be dashed, but I'll hold on to them. But don't let on to the others that you know this. Mom and Akane both sounded really worried about me in their letters. I'm disappointed that they seem to have so little faith in me. Besides, even if something did happen to me, it would only be something they should be proud of. You understand. I just want to you know what's happening so, if something does happen, though it won't, it won't be a surprise after my last letter. You know I'll be all right, though, but I may not be able to write to you for a while.
Also, could you do me a favor? I told Akane that I'd write her again soon. Don't get any ideas and start planning a wedding. It isn't like that. However, since I don't know when I'll be able to write again, could you cover for me if she starts to get worried? I don't want anyone worrying about me when there's just no reason for it. Just point out to her how boring garrison duty is and tell her you're sure I haven't written simply because I've had nothing to write about, OK? I'll write to her after seeing some combat and then she'll see she's got nothing to worry about.
Thanks, Ranma
*****
End Part 1
Author's notes: Well, it's gotten a little longer. You'll notice that Ranma's viewpoint is much changed from the previous draft. I think this is more realistic. Please let me know if I'm wrong.
Also, please let me know how the format of this comes out. I wrote this in WordPerfect, but have saved it as a text file and copied it from NotePad to try to get it to look OK when I send it. Let me know.