Apotheosis 3:
Nighthawks at the Diner
Reminds me of a title for a chapter of the Shadow pulps. ^_^
Operator, number, please:
It's been so many years
Will she remember my old voice,
While I fight the tears?
Hello, hello there, is this Martha?
This is old Tom Frost,
And I am calling long distance,
Don't worry 'bout the cost.
'Cause it's been forty years or more,
Now Martha, please recall,
Meet me out for coffee
Where we'll talk about it all.
Tom Waits - Martha
Tom Waits, one of the most depressing man I've ever heard. ^_^
"Shampoo no understand, great-grandmother. Why we close
restaurant?"
We're going to have some plot exposition, dear. So go run along
before you hear the spoilers. ^_^
<snip>
Cologne bit back the angry retort that rose to her lips and
mentally shook herself. "This is all very well, but it's not what I
wanted to talk to you about. You see, I saw Yukana yesterday."
I assume this is Setsuna-chan. ^_^
(Chorus:)
And those were days of roses,
Poetry and prose and Martha
All I had was you and all you had was me.
There was no tomorrows,
We'd packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day.
Tom Waits - ibid.
The cup froze halfway to his lips. "Yukana Takizawa?"
"Yes."
With exaggerated care, he set the cup down untasted. "Where?"
"At one of Ranma's fights. She was watching him."
His cup shattered as his fists clenched, but he paid the
resulting cuts and the stinging alcohol no mind. "That bitch!" he
snarled. "So she thinks she can drag Ranma into her plans, and use
him as she used us? I'll kill her before I let that happen! That
cold-hearted, conniving, lying," his voice broke off as he noticed the
expression on Cologne's face. She seemed to be looking at something
behind him. He grimaced. "Since I didn't hear anyone enter, and I
can't sense anyone but us in the whole restaurant, I'd guess that
means she's standing right behind me."
As always. Whenever it is suitably dramatic, address the room telling
Setsuna-chan to come out or you'll whoop her ass. ^_^
Cologne nodded.
"Very good, Happosai." The low, musical voice caressed his ears
as the tall woman with the dark-green hair took a seat at the table
with them. "I see you haven't lost your touch, even after all these
years. Hello, Ke Lun."
"And I see you're still as beautiful as ever, even after all
these years, my dear Yukana," he said with glacial politeness, his
words belied by the expression of disgust on his face. Her beauty
pulled at him, but his anger was, for the time being, more than
sufficient to overcome his lust.
"You're too kind," she responded imperturbably. "I should tell
you that I go by the name Setsuna Meiou these days. Ah, thank you,
dear," she added, as Cologne wordlessly set a bottle and glass before
her. "You even remembered my fondness for ouzo."
"Setsuna. Is that the only name you're going by?" Cologne asked
suddenly.
Setsuna eyed her with a look that might have been called
uncertain in someone less self-assured. "What do you mean?"
"I've seen pictures in the newspaper recently. Young girls in
short skirts fighting monsters. Outfits similar to those some Japanese
schoolgirls wear. I think the papers called them the 'Sailor Senshi.'"
Cologne paused. "When I first saw them, they reminded me of something,
but I couldn't remember what until I saw you again. Happy," she said,
turning to him, "do you recall the time she magically transformed
herself, during that nasty business with Madame Mandilip's demonic
dolls?"
Haven't read this one. Yet. Or is this an Avenger story?
He looked thoughtful for a moment, then his brow cleared as he
leered at the slightly discomfited woman sitting with them. "How could
I forget? That little peep show was quite a treat, and I have to admit
the skirt really suited you. Good heavens," he said, in a sudden burst
of nostalgia, "that was more than fifty years ago."
"I know," Setsuna grumbled. "You'd have thought at least one of
you would have managed to forget after all that time."
Happosai grinned at her, his ill humor momentarily abated by the
sight of her displeasure. "Not a chance. In fact, it's one of those
memories that I like to pull up at odd moments, to help warm these old
bones."
"What a charming thought," she said, with a slight shudder.
That's what you get for doing the stuff you do, Setsuna-chan.
With an impatient wave, Cologne returned to her question. "So,
are you one of these 'Sailor Senshi'?" she inquired.
Setsuna hesitated. "Yes," she answered slowly, "although so far
I haven't been seen in public, and the others have only met my future
self. As you may have surmised, I am known as Sailor Pluto."
Happosai's anger returned. "How fitting that you should be
associated with the god of the dead." He glared at her. "How many
innocents are you planning to drag into your schemes this time? And
have you told them what their only reward is likely to be?"
Yeah, a utopia. Most likely after a major bloodbath, since we're talking
about Setsuna-chan here. ^_^
"And were you such an innocent when I dragged you in?" she
returned coolly. He flushed, but said nothing. "And do you so much
regret your involvement in Justice, Inc.?"
Aiyah. Avenger time. ^_^
"Justice, Inc. What a laugh!" he sneered. "Where was the justice
in what happened in that last battle? Allard vanished, the Newtons and
Smitty butchered, Mac and Vincent torn to bits, Benson gutted," he
stopped abruptly and looked at Cologne in time to see the anguish that
briefly twisted her features. His anger dwindled rapidly. "I - I'm
sorry, Cologne, I -"
Kent Allard, the Shadow. Newtons and Smitty, from the Avenger, I think,
along with Mac, have to check on the few copies I have. The Shadow's
main agent, Harry Vincent is the Vincent in question, I assume? And
of course, Benson, the Avenger himself. ^_^
Regaining control, she waved a hand dismissively. "It's all
right, I've gotten over it," she lied. "After all, it was a long time
ago."
Happosai paused, his wrath dissipating further as he recalled
the scene almost fifty years before. He and Cologne surrounded by the
dead and the dying, human and inhuman. Richard Benson, the second man
Cologne had ever loved, dying in her arms, his agony made somehow more
unbearable to watch by the fact that his dead-white face never changed
expression. "Why?" the old martial artist said at last, the word both
an accusation and a plea for understanding.
Setsuna sighed. "I could tell you that I didn't know they would
die then, and that would be true. That's not all there is to it,
though."
She paused to marshal her thoughts, then continued. "You both
know that everything I've done has been in the service of a plan I
have spent my life trying to implement. I've been working at this for
longer than you would readily believe, and I still have many years to
go. The fact that I can see the shape of future events has obviously
been a great asset. What I have not been at pains to advertise is that
I'm not always right.
"My worst mistake was my failure for centuries, until shortly
before our first meeting, to recognize the hand of a hidden adversary
at work, disrupting everything I had striven for. I devised a plan to
fight back, and brought you two together in Tibet in time to meet the
Shadow as he fought Shiwan Khan." She frowned. "It was well I did so,
or Kent Allard would have died there, and the Shadow's career would
have been cut short - more evidence of my enemy's tampering."
>From this little fact, I assume you're creating your own Shadow mythos and
history. Extrapolated from both pulp and radio sources. Along with the
smattering of the movie.
Not that I should be pointing fingers, since my Shadow/SM crossover has
tons of modifications. And no, Setsuna isn't really the Shadow in my series.
^_^
<snip really nice stuff>
"Like I said, don't worry," he told her with a grin. "You're
still mighty good-looking and all, but I wouldn't want to get Lao mad
at me." He glanced around. "Where is the old goat, by the way? Are you
meeting him somewhere?"
Happosai as tactful as ever.
She strode down the path in silence for a time, before saying
quietly, "He's dead."
"What? What happened?" asked Happosai with genuine shock and
concern.
She told him the whole story, including her suspicions, and the
journey she had undertaken.
"Damn them," he growled. "They'll pay for this."
"Yes, they will," she replied calmly. "But nothing good will come
of rushing into this. As far as I'm concerned, my revenge won't be
complete unless I'm there to watch the last of them die. Nor would Lao
want you to die avenging him."
"True," Happosai admitted, with a melancholy smile. "I always
told him he was a little too soft for his own good. But he was my
friend - my best friend, from the first day we met when he arrived in
Tokyo looking to join Dr. Sun and his T'ung-meng Hui. I was glad when
I found out the two of you were going to get married - even if you did
have the poor taste to reject me when we first met," he added with a
smirk.
Since you're into the crossover kick, why not throw in Wong Fei Hung
somewhere. ^_^
Before Ke Lun could reply to this gibe, the stillness of the
morning was shattered by the sound of gunfire and an inhuman yowling.
The two martial artists glanced swiftly at each other and then ran
toward the clamor.
Ah, the sound of recognizable .45s. ^_^
They topped a small rise and stopped dead. Before them was a
large clearing and two figures locked in combat.
One was a tall man dressed in black, including a long black
cloak, his features obscured by a black slouch hat, and by the fact
that it was extremely difficult to focus on him. Their eyes kept
shifting away from him, and it was only by dint of concentrated effort
that they could stay focused on him.
Pretty good description. I would have gone the pulpish path, with really
cool adjectives. ^_^
The other was a small, stocky man with a shaved head, dressed in
a simple tunic and pants. There was nothing immediately noteworthy
in his appearance, until he moved. Ke Lun had never seen such speed
and grace before. He attacked the man in black with great slashing
motions of his hands, and although he never seemed to come near him,
great rents opened in the cloaked man's garments. After each attack,
he settled back down on hands and feet, as if he were an animal of
some sort, rather than a man, before leaping in again, giving vent to
shrieking cries of rage that should have come from some great beast.
The man in black was not a particularly poor fighter, but Ke Lun
saw that he was seriously outclassed. Only the fact that he was so
difficult to see was keeping him alive, that and the bullet he had
put into the smaller man's shoulder before his twin pistols had been
knocked from his grasp.
"What the hell is this?" Happosai demanded of her. "The bigger
guy's using a version of an old invisibility technique I've seen
before, though never so well done, but the other one - I've seen
animal styles before, but never like that!"
A very good explanation for the Shadow's seeming ability to disappear
and fade both when in sight and out of it. And that's the Neko-ken, Happy.
"I've only read about it," Ke Lun replied in an urgent undertone,
"but that must be the fabled Neko-ken. The master, or more properly
victim, is possessed by the spirit of a cat-demon. As a result, he
gains great speed and strength, as well as an insatiable thirst for
human blood. Most dangerous of all, though, are the invisible claws he
wields, sharper than any blade forged by mortal hands. I don't know
the particulars of this quarrel, but I think we must intervene. The
man in black may be a friend or a foe, but a master of the Neko-ken in
trance state is an enemy of all who live!"
Ayup. See. ^_^
Without another word they leaped in to join the unequal
battle. Though they had more often fought against each other than
side-by-side, each was familiar enough with the other's style to make
an effective partner. They drove the possessed martial artist back,
always avoiding the deadly claws, but unable, it seemed, to inflict
any significant damage. Ke Lun was beginning to think they might
regret their hasty decision, when two shots rang out. Their opponent
stiffened, then dropped to the ground. Two neat holes had appeared in
the middle of his forehead, but the back of his head was not quite so
tidy - indeed most of it was gone.
The only way to deal with someone who's better at hand-to-hand/close
combat than you. ^_^
Ke Lun looked up to see the man in black holstering the pistols
their intervention had given him time to reclaim. He removed his hat
and inclined his head to them, a gesture seeming almost regal in its
solemnity. "I thank you for your aid. I knew Shiwan Khan wanted me
dead, but I underestimated the resources at his command. In this guise
men call me - the Shadow, though my real name is Kent Allard. I have
dedicated my life to fighting the evil that spawns and employs such
monsters as that."
Aiyah. You really are diverting aren't you? The Shadow wasn't ever this
forthcoming in disguise. Also something about burning eyes and the
hawkish features that have marked the Shadow whatever his disguise.
Also forgot about the signature Shadow laugh. "Cackling mirth that
chilled the bones of everyone in the room", another cool ki technique?
He regarded them calmly with a hooded gaze. "A Miss Takizawa told
me I would be helped by two people who might be willing to assist me
in the future. Having seen you fight, there's no question that you
have the ability to help me. The question is, do you have the desire?
You would accompany me to America as the servants of millionaire
Lamont Cranston, one of my frequent guises - at least that would be
your cover. Your true work would be to aid in my fight against crime.
Will you come with me?"
Of course they will. Setsuna-chan already has tickets. ^_^
Ke Lun and Happosai looked at each other. "It's an easy decision
on my part," Ke Lun said. "I'll be one step closer to locating Lao's
brother, and I certainly have no desire to go back to the village yet.
What about you, Happy?"
Happosai scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Being among millions
of people - millions of women - might be asking for trouble, but it
might also be the best way to handle my curse. Certainly I could steal
underwear for years and barely cause a ripple. And it would give me
time to make some plans for the future. Hmm. Okay, I'll go along. It
might be fun."
And it had indeed been fun, Cologne thought. Sometimes it had
grated, acting the part of a menial, but the men who worked for the
Shadow had quickly come to respect her abilities, and she truly felt
she was doing something useful. And then a few years later she had met
Richard Benson, the Avenger, and fallen in love again.
Oooh, yeah. ^_^
He wasn't the most likely looking swain she had ever had. His
hair was white, and his face was pale and wan, almost ghost-like,
while his expression never changed, was indeed unable to do so after
the tragic loss of his wife and child to a criminal conspiracy
had paralyzed his facial muscles; but he shared the same force of
personality that the Shadow possessed in abundance, while coupling it
with a vulnerability that echoed the ache in her own heart.
They had both been reluctant to rush into another relationship,
both reluctant to open themselves up so soon after the losses they
had suffered. So they had waited while they grew closer, until their
feelings for each other were an open secret to all their comrades in
Justice, Inc. They had waited, in fact, until it was too late - their
first professions of love coming as Richard Benson lay dying on the
field of battle.
Pulpish to the extreme I see. ^_^
Ke Lun's first loss had driven her forth from the village into
the great wide world beyond. Her second loss drove her back home
again, to hide from the world that had deprived her of her second
chance at happiness. Back in the village, she sublimated her grief and
rage into a meticulously planned and executed campaign of revenge. It
took her eight years, but eventually she stood triumphant over the
slowly cooling corpse of the last of the old women who had contrived
her husband's demise. It was supposed to be against the laws of the
village to kill a member of the council, but she had realized what
many another ambitious or driven person had throughout history - the
only real crime was getting caught.
Which has been always the case.
And so the exile had returned full circle to the place of her
birth, taking up the struggle to drag her people kicking and screaming
into the future. She never spoke of the things she'd done and seen
in the world outside - no need to give her opponents any ammunition
to use against her - and as the years went by she thought of those
days less and less. It had come as a great shock to her to encounter
Happosai once again, but they had adhered to a long-ago vow and never
spoke of their years together where anyone else might hear. Even then
they had avoided certain subjects as simply too painful. Now all those
memories came rushing back in a great wave compounded equally of
pleasure and pain.
Aiyah.
<snip>
"Then if you saved Allard by bringing us into the picture, why
did it all go wrong? Why were you unable to prevent their deaths?"
Cologne asked in a tone only partially accusatory.
Because for all her powers, Setsuna ain't an omniscient goddess.
"More tampering, and another error on my part," Setsuna admitted
soberly. "I knew the enemy would react to my efforts at bringing you
two to work together with the Shadow. I countered by giving certain
American government officials the idea of requiring the Shadow to
join forces with the Avenger in an expanded Justice, Inc. It wasn't
hard - they knew and trusted Benson, while the Shadow was a complete
unknown, so with the imminent advent of war they were easily persuaded
that national security demanded a certain level of accountability
>from such a powerful vigilante. And it worked," she reminded them
earnestly. "The Shadow and his men, aided by you two, and the Avenger,
together with his aides, were able to handle anything that the enemy
threw at them. When Justice, Inc. encountered Masado Banzai and Sandra
Willoughby during their fight with their nemesis, Hanoi Xan, head of
the World Crime League, in Burma in '43, it seemed the obvious thing
to do to invite them in, making your little group even stronger. I kept
an eye on you all, but you didn't even need my help.
Okay, Buckaroo Banzai enters the picture. ^_^
"So when we got word in '47 that Shiwan Khan was taking advantage
of the civil war in China to make his final bid for control of all
Asia, I had no compunction in allowing your group to handle it while I
dealt with an invasion from another world."
If I remember correctly, the Shiwan Khan arc of stories in the pulps ended
with good old Shiwan barbecued to a crisp... or was that Dr. Rodil?
As always, I see the evil hand of Reid Carson as he manipulates pulp history
to his will. ^_^ Oh, BTW, thanks for not including Doc Savage into this. Not
that I hate the man, but it would seem incongruent.
Damn, have to go through my Shadow pulps again. ^_^
"An invasion?" a startled Happosai asked. He thought for a
moment, then said, "You mean all those stories about flying saucers
back then were real?"
"Many of them. It took me by surprise at the time, for I didn't
think there were any worlds nearby that would risk the anger of the
forces protecting us. After it was all over, I got rid of most of
the evidence, blurred some memories, and generally made sure that
no one would find any conclusive evidence of what had happened.
Unfortunately, by that time the worst had happened. Unbeknownst to me,
Khan had allied himself with Hanoi Xan, and together they managed to
raise a great army of ghouls. I didn't learn about it until the fight
was over, leaving you two, along with Masado and Sandra, as the sole
survivors.
Setsuna-chan was busy wasn't she?
"Fortunately, you four did survive, or my plans would have been
completely overthrown."
"And then Masado and Sandra died, killed by that bastard Xan,"
Happosai growled. Cologne looked up sharply, seeing the bitterness
etched on his wrinkled face. He had loved Sandra Willoughby, she
recalled, not passionately, as she had loved Richard Benson, but
avuncularly, and Sandra had reciprocated, calling him, "Uncle Happy."
Even in his worst fits of curse-induced lust, he had never bothered
Sandra. "I hope that didn't upset your precious plans."
"I was saddened by their deaths," Setsuna told him seriously.
"Take what comfort you will from knowing that they lived at least ten
years longer than they would have had they not joined Justice, Inc."
Happosai did not look mollified, but Cologne was more interested
in a sudden realization she had come to. "You said that your enemy
had interfered in Tibet, and that the Shadow would have died there?"
Seeing Setsuna's nod, she continued, "Then - considering what we
rescued him from, that would mean this enemy of yours was responsible
for Khan sending a Neko-ken master after Allard?"
Of course. I'm starting to have great suspicions in who the great enemy is.
I'll wait for further chapters to make a good guess. Of course, you can
just say it's the Dark One. ^_^
<snip>
"I know," Cologne said quietly. "That uncertainty is one of
the things that has made me hesitant to help Shampoo any further."
She turned her gaze toward Setsuna. "Perhaps you can resolve the
discrepancy. Were either you or your enemy responsible for Ranma
undergoing the Neko-ken training, with such anomalous results?"
Setsuna shook her head. "It wasn't my idea, and it seems unlikely
to be my enemy. Nor do I know why Ranma's experience has been so
unusual."
You've hinted at Ranma being important to the plans in earlier chapters
also of his anomalous nature. I hope to heaven that this isn't going to the
path I think it's going. But hey the title alone gives me a hint on what's
going to happen.
"But you're still planning on using him," Happosai stated flatly.
"It doesn't really make any difference if it was all your doing, or
this supposed enemy of yours, he's still nothing but a pawn, a tool,
just as we were."
Setsuna slid her glass around the table in a circular motion,
gazing into the swirling liquid. After a time she said evenly, "Yes,
Ranma is my pawn, my tool. If it weren't for my intervention, he would
never even have been born. I don't suggest that he therefore owes me
anything, but the fact is that I need to use him to save more lives
than you can readily imagine. I haven't given him a choice, but I
don't think he'd refuse if I gave him one." She looked up at Happosai
with a raised eyebrow.
Good ole Setsuna-chan. BTW, I noticed that you've bended Ranma
history too. Wasn't Cologne supposed to be 300? Along with Happy?
<snip>
"All right, you win, damn it," Happosai groaned, throwing up his
hands in capitulation. "I should have known. You always did manage to
get your way."
Ayup.
"Not always," Setsuna reminded him wryly. "If that were true, you
would have been off playing cards with Shrevnitz and Marsland, instead
of being home when the Voodoo Master's goons broke in, nearly getting
yourself killed."
Oooh yeah, reminiscing the 1930s. ^_^
"Heh. We got out of it okay, didn't we? I admit Allard was plenty
ticked, though. We really made a mess of his living room."
"I remember who cleaned most of it up, too," Cologne retorted.
"But I think he was more annoyed with you that time he found your
underwear stash."
"Man, what a prude he was," Happosai laughed. "Remember the
time...."
Your Shadow seems to be more human. Kinda like the post Margo Lane
Shadow if anything else.
They talked for hours, recounting old adventures. They relived
their strange encounter with the Crimson Corsair and his Phantom
Fleet. They shuddered once more, remembering Baron Samedi and his
horrific Zombie Plague. They laughed anew at old jokes and puzzled
again over old mysteries.
Didn't hear about those two. Probably forgot. Really have to dig up those
Shadow pulps.
"Speaking of mysteries," Happosai asked, "did you ever figure
out what happened to Benson's brother Jim and that ship of his, the
'Susan Ann'? All we were ever able to get out of the two survivors
was a weird story about some 'Black Wheel', and the whole ship
disappearing."
Setsuna frowned. "The doctor mentioned the name 'Irsuley' after
I convinced him he could tell me the truth. All I know is that it's
the name of one of the realms accessible from Earth. There are a
number of them, some actual physical places much like this world,
while others are more symbolic abstractions than anything else, and
very difficult to describe in any sensible manner. Irsuley is such a
realm. Somehow they must have found a passage through." She knocked
back a healthy draught of her drink, and continued, "For a variety
of reasons, Irsuley is not one of the realms I have ready access
to, but I believe most of the missing people made it there safely.
You remember the doctor had fallen in love with Penny, Jim Benson's
daughter, and was trying to find a way to rejoin her. He disappeared
about a year after I last talked to him, and I was able to find no
trace of him. The odd thing is that a few years later, in 1955, a baby
girl was abandoned on the doorstep of the house that I owned as Yukana
Takizawa. I was completely unable to find her parents or much of
anything else about her; the only interesting thing was that her eyes
were a vivid purple, just as Penny Benson's had been."
Another crossover reference.
"You think she could be Richard's great-niece?" a startled
Cologne asked.
"Certain tests indicated that," Setsuna said idly, studying
the remains of her drink. "I gave her up for adoption to a couple I
knew, and she later died in a fire, but her daughter is still alive.
She's a frail little thing, but doing well enough. I'll introduce you
sometime."
Hotaru Tomoe if my guess is riht. ^_^
They fell silent for a time, a companionable silence this time.
Finally, Happosai spoke. "Those were good times," he said softly. "I
guess I'd forgotten, after what came at the end, but those were in
many ways the happiest days of my life. A lot of fighting, a lot of
fun, and if my curse bothered me too much, all I had to do was fight
with Cologne, or at worst steal some lingerie every few months."
"I thought Inspector Cardona was going to go crazy trying to
catch the 'Silken Specter,'" Cologne reminisced. "I know he suspected
you, or rather 'Hap Sing,' Lamont Cranston's Chinese manservant,
toward the end, but he could never prove anything."
I pity Cardona if he had to deal Happosai. ^_^
"Heh. That twit," Happosai chortled. "It's a good thing we were
there, or the criminals would have had a field day." He paused in
thought. "It really was a good thing we were there, wasn't it? We did
a lot of good.
Well, Cardona wasn't that stupid. A bit thick and bull-headed at times. ^_^
"In memory of those times, I'll go along with you," he said,
turning to Setsuna. "But I'd better warn you, these days it's not easy
for me to do someone a good turn unless there's something to satisfy
my - needs."
The senshi of Time handed him a piece of paper. "I've written
down a general outline here, with a list of the things you'll need."
She smiled slightly. "I don't think you'll have any problem."
After a minute or so his attempts to keep a straight face failed
and he burst into laughter. "It's perfect. Just perfect. I'll do it."
Sobering up, he looked at her curiously. "I don't see what you get out
of it, though."
The satidfaction of doing the right thing? ^_^
"There are some people I want Ranma to meet. This is merely a way
to encourage him to leave the Tendos' house for a while," she said
serenely. "After that, I have some plans to get him headed in the
right direction."
More crossover fun in further chapters. ^_^
<snip a lot of stuff>
The End
A great chapter overall. Fun, too. Keep it up!
**********************************
If you're feeling confused about the background of some of
the events mentioned in this chapter, take a look at the chapter
posted along with this, "Apotheosis 3.5: A Little Background Music,
If You Please."
Be with us next time, as Ranma Saotome drops in on the Masaki
household, in "Apotheosis 4: Ranko Muyo!"
"Ranma 1/2" was created by Rumiko Takahashi, and is copyrighted by
Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, Fuji TV, and Viz Communications (USA).
"Sailor Moon" was created by Naoko Takeuchi, and is copyrighted by
Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, and Toei Animation. "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-oh-ki!"
was created by Kajishima Masaki, and is copyrighted by AIC/Pioneer LDC,
Inc.
Reid Carson
rcarson@rcarson.com
http://www.rcarson.com/rcarson/
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