Wilde Childe
Disclaimer: None of the series I am borrowing from belong to me. I
am not making money off of this work.
This is from the mind of Serafita, brought to you by Tannim Murphy.
I'm using his idea with his permission.
Chapter One
---
The sun was shining brightly, even if there were a few dark clouds
hanging in the horizon. It was a pleasantly warm afternoon during the
summertime in Japan. So far, the weather wasn't exceedingly hot, but
local forecasters predicted this would change.
It was an average day at the Tendo Dojo. Contrary to popular belief,
an average day did not consist of Ranma having to defeat someone in
mortal combat, Akane being kidnapped, or Ranma training in some
esoteric technique to deal with his latest challenger. Nor did it
have Ranma being hit by a mallet, glomped, or subjected to taste
various foodstuffs from several of his fiances (two of which he
enjoyed, the third he subjected himself to reluctantly).
A normal day for the Tendo household was just like a normal day for
any other house on the street. In fact, the craziness that infected
Ranma's life didn't spread as much as most people would think. The
truth was the majority of Ranma's time was devoid of anything
completely odd going on. Sure, the occasional adventure might spring
up now and then, but it would take at least a week, sometimes an
entire month, before anything really exciting would occur in his life
once more.
To pass the time between martial arts and more martial arts, Ranma had
decided to increase his reading ability. Since Ranma felt reading was
like martial arts, in that you had to start at the basics, he decided
that manga were the basic reading tools.
Ranma spent most of his free time 'reading.' Currently, he was almost
finished re-reading his entire collection of Dragonball manga. The
living room was a pretty quiet place if Nabiki wasn't watching TV.
The young martial artist would be able to just relax and let his mind
wander.
From what he remembered, Nabiki wouldn't be watching TV this afternoon
or evening. No, today was his day for the living room. It was his
day to-
Ranma bolted upright as a sudden memory decided to make itself known.
"Ah! I almost forgot!"
Hastily, the pig-tailed martial artist tossed the current manga he was
reading into the stack of manga he had already finished, and bolted
outside as fast as he could. Passing by the side of the house his
room, he tossed the bundle unerringly at the open window to land near
the rest of his belongings. The young man continued without pausing,
leaping over the wall of the compound, his path leading directly
toward the train station.
---
The only warning Ranma had for his first close call was the chime of a
bicycle bell. Fortunately for him, he was currently very wary about
being caught, and it paid off. Leaping off the fence he was running
on at the time, Ranma hid in a nearby bush as quickly as he could.
The young man managed just in time, too, as it turned out.
Shampoo looked around in confusion. "Shampoo could have sworn Airen
was here a moment ago..." she muttered to herself.
Shrugging her shoulders, the purple-haired martial artist pushed the
encounter out of her mind. No doubt it was another one of her
hormone-driven hallucinations. She'd need to take a long bath as soon
as she was off work.
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close. The young man
waited a few more moments, making sure that Shampoo was out of sight.
Standing up, the martial artist started running along the ground at a
slightly different direction Shampoo was going, though still toward
the train station.
---
"Sweet-o! What a haul, what a haul!"
A voice interrupted the relative quiet of the afternoon. Not many
people were around this area during the daytime, which was a great
thing for Ranma, who had to travel in this direction occasionally.
Unfortunately, a certain perverted martial arts master had discovered
this fact as well, and used the opportunity it presented to 'rescue'
any items of lingerie that happened to be within easy reach.
Fearfully, Ranma looked toward the voice only to confirm one of his
worst fears: Happosai was in the area. No nearby bushes to hide in,
Ranma was forced to employ the Umisenken to hide from the other
martial arts master. Ranma tensed as he waited to see if he succeeded
in avoiding detection.
"Yes my sweet pretties, you're going to a glorious place where you'll
be appreciated!" Happosai cheerfully proclaimed to his sack full of
ill-gotten goods. "Now, we've to get some celebratory sake from my
two dim-witted students." The perverted martial artist gleefully
hopped toward the direction Ranma had just come from.
Ranma nearly had a heart attack as Happosai used the fence next to
where he was hiding as a springboard toward his goal. There was a
moment of uncertainty, where Ranma was sure he was spotted; it was not
to be. The old man continued on to his destination.
"That was close," the young martial artist muttered to himself. He
couldn't afford to get in a fight with Happosai right now. He had
more important things to do.
---
Ranma felt immense relief at reaching the train station.
"Thank the Kami. Safe."
Alas, Ranma had spoken too soon. Nabiki Tendo was in the crowd at the
station, apparently looking for someone. Whether by accident or
design, Ranma had enough luck to spot the other girl first. A quick
jump into the nearby bushes allowed Ranma to hide himself from the
mercenary Tendo.
"What is she doing here?!" thought a frantic Ranma. "Is this what she
does with her free time?"
The martial artist couldn't help but notice the predatory look Nabiki
had on her face as she stood in line to purchase a ticket. Ranma
could only guess at the direction she was heading, and for what
nefarious-
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Ranma focused on what was really
important. He had to find a way to take his usual train.
Obviously, buying a ticket was out. He had to revert to more...
outlandish methods. Making his way stealthily, Ranma leaped onto the
top of the overhang that protected people on the platform from rain.
Crouched, he waited there until the time he knew his train would
arrive. Cursing his luck that forced him to take such measures, he
leapt silently to the roof of the vehicle and prepared for a long
trip.
---
Of course, it rained.
The weather people had said there was only a 10 percent chance of
rain. They obviously hadn't taken into account Ranma's curse. The
dark cloud cover had hurried over to Ranma's potion as if eager to
drench the martial artist.
The train's roof wasn't the best surface to cling to at high speeds to
begin with, and the rain making everything slick didn't help either.
The curse changing Ranma from a boy to a girl was a mere irritant as
the young martial artist clung for dear life.
Luckily, as with all things, the train ride ended. It slowly pulled
into Ranma's stop, and the young man-turned-woman was all too happy to
leap onto the overhand that was protecting the waiting people from the
kind of rain that was currently soaking her. Ranma's legs pumped
furiously as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop in an attempt to reach
her destination faster.
"Dammit! I'm gonna be late!" cursed the cursed Ranma.
---
Mentally exhausted, physically weary, and not a little paranoid, Ranma
finally made it to her destination. She might not have had enough
time to find some hot water, but at least she wasn't going to be late.
A bell began to chime in the distance, as if to mock her current train
of thought. It took the martial artist two chimes to realize its
significance. When she did, her eyes widened in shock.
"No!" cried a frantic Ranma as she leapt over the steps leading to the
temple gate on the third chime of the bell.
"No no no no no no!" she chanted to herself as the bell chimed a
fourth, then a fifth time. Pouring on all the speed she could muster,
Ranma dashed toward the closed door of the shrine.
The martial artist nearly broke the sliding door to the shrine as she
exerted her strength to pull it open, and the pig-tailed girl tumbled
into the room as the clock chimed a sixth time. Ranma literally
collapsed to the floor with relief. From her face-down position on
the ground, she thrust a fist triumphantly into the air.
"Yes! Made it!" cried the muffled but obviously happy voice of Ranma.
A feminine voice, full of mischief, reached the ears of the collapsed
martial artist.
"Oooh, you made it on time for once, Ranma. Congratulations," spoke
Hikaru Shidou. Ranma looked up, and she could see the eyes of Hikaru
full of mirth as she giggled at the martial artist's position.
Another voice, definitely male, was heard from Hikaru's right.
"Aw, why did you have to make it on time today, Ranma? You made me
lose my bet," whined Keiichi Morisato overdramatically. Ranma shifted
her head so as to encompass the older boy in her sight.
A voice full of laughter spoke up from further right.
"C'mon, pay up. You owe me a hundred yen," said a smiling Tenchi
Misaki. Ranma had to shift her eyes to the right in order to spot the
deceptively skilled swordsman.
A melodious voice, on Ranma's left, spoke up.
"Your guitar is in the corner, Ranma-kun, where it normally waits for
you," said Hotaru Tomoe shyly. Ranma had to turn her head almost
entirely around to spot the beautiful girl.
"Why can't anyone but me be late for once? Huh?" grumbled Ranma from
her position on the floor. After a moment of self-pity, she got over
herself and flipped up to stand once more. "I don't suppose-"
Ranma was cut off as a douse of hot water was poured onto her.
Turning to spot his benefactor, Ranma gave a bright smile. "Thanks,
Bell."
"You're welcome, Ranma. I saw it was raining, and heated a kettle for
you," replied a smiling Belldandy.
Ranma placed a hand behind his head in his habitual sheepish gesture.
"Sorry for being such a bother."
"Oh, it's no trouble," assured the good-natured goddess. "I was
planning on making tea anyway." She smiled at the assembled group of
people before opening her umbrella and making her way back into the
house part of the temple.
Keiichi pounded randomly on the drum set in front of him impatiently.
"Come on, Ranma. We've got to get some practice in before our gig
tonight."
"Yeah, yeah, hold yer horses." Ranma dismissed Keiichi's impatience
with a casual wave of his hand. "Gimme a sec to tune her up." He
reverently picked up the electric guitar from its pedestal in the
corner of the shrine. Plugging in the instrument, Ranma closed his
eyes as he went through the string of cords, occasionally making a
minute adjustment to the pitch of the metal wire.
The rest of the band were did some last-minute tuning on their own
instruments. Tenchi checked his bass guitar, strumming the extra-long
strings while listening for any imperfection. Hotaru punched a few
keys on her electric keyboard in rapid succession, testing for
flexibility in her fingers. Keiichi continued his slow random drum
beats while Hikaru tuned her own electric guitar. The cacophony of
sound continued a few more moments as the collective waited for Ranma
to finish.
Ranma, satisfied with the sound of his guitar, let off a quick riff to
signal to the rest of the band members that he was ready. The sounds
of various instruments slowly ground to a halt.
Hikaru grinned from her position near her microphone. "Ready guys?"
Keiichi grinned as he raised his drumsticks above his head. "A one, a
two, a one two-"
"Wait, wait wait wait. What song are we doing?" interrupted Ranma.
The rest of the group gave a start at the interruption.
"We were thinking of warming up with 'Cartoon Heroes,'" said Tenchi
sheepishly. "It seems to describe us pretty well."
"That English song by 'water' or whatever we were able to fit guitar
riffs into?"
"That's the one," said Hikaru. "Let's get started already."
Keiichi tried to start a second time. "A one, a two, a one, two,
three, FOUR!"
Hikaru began singing into her microphone after the drummer's intro,
her sweet voice wafting from the speakers. Hotaru's electronic
keyboard making up for the instruments the band didn't have, played
various bells and trumpets throughout the song.
"We are what we're supposed to be, illusions of your fantasy, all dots
and lines that speak and say," everyone joined in, "what we do, is
what you wish to do."
Ranma began to sign alone, deliberately making his voice harsh for his
role in the song.
"We are the color symphony; we do the things you want to see, frame by
frame, to the extreme!"
Hikaru sang alone once more.
"Our friends are so unreasonable, they do the unpredictable, all dots
and lines that speak and say," everyone chorused, "what we do is what
you wish to do."
Ranma once again took the stage as the only person singing.
"It's all an orchestra of strings, doing unbelievable things! Frame
by frame, to the extreme! One by one we're making it fun!"
Everyone began singing.
"We are the Cartoon Heroes, oh-oh-OH! We are the ones who are gonna
last for-e-ver!
We came out of a crazy mind, oh-oh-OH! And walked out on a piece of
pa-per!
"Here comes Spiderman, arachnophobian, welcome to the toon town party!
Here comes Superman, from never never land! Welcome to the toon town
party!"
Hikaru sang alone again.
"We learn to run at speed of light, and to fall down from any height;
it's true but just remember that," everyone sang the last part, "what
we do, is what you just can't do."
Ranma started to sing his part.
"An opera of craziness, a bunch of dots that's chasing us! Frame by
frame, to the extreme! One by one we're making it fun!"
Tenchi, Hotaru, Keiichi, Ranma and Hikaru all joined in together for
the chorus.
"We are the Cartoon Heroes, oh-oh-OH! We are the ones who are gonna
last for-e-ver!
We came out of a crazy mind, oh-oh-OH! And walked out on a piece of
pa-per!
"Here comes Spiderman, arachnophobian, welcome to the toon town party!
Here comes Superman, from never never land! Welcome to the toon town
party!"
Hikaru's sweet voice sang out as everyone else went silent.
"You think we're so mysterious, don't take us all too serious, be
original, and remember that, what we do is what you just can't do."
The three backup singers sang together.
"What we do, is what you just can't do, what we do, is what you just
can't do!
What we do, is what you just can't do, what we do, is what you just
can't do!
Ranma and Hikaru began singing together.
"We are the Cartoon Heroes, oh-oh-OH! We are the ones who are gonna
last for-e-ver!
We came out of a crazy mind, oh-oh-OH! And walked out on a piece of
pa-per!
"There's still more to come! And everyone one will be, welcome at the
toon-"
Tenchi, Hotaru, and Keiichi sang together as they echoed the two lead
singers.
"TOON!"
"-town-"
"TOWN!"
"-paaaarday!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Interrupting the sudden silence following the song, the sound of
clapping erupted from the door of the shrine. Belldandy, Urd, and
Skuld were all there, cheering the band on. Surprised band members
looked up from their instruments to see the trio of goddesses clapping
with abandon.
"That was great you guys!" exclaimed an excited Skuld. "You really
know how to use those instruments I built!"
"You can really kick it into high gear," added Urd with her
contribution. "Now, if only you'd let a goddess like myself to-"
"Not now Urd," Belldandy shushes her sister. "We've had this talk
before. No magic." The blond-haired goddess turned toward the
assembled band members. "That was beautiful music, everyone."
The group turned to grin at each other. After months of practice,
everyone was in sync with each other's harmony. It took a while,
meshing the different styles of everyone, but in the end it created a
sound unlike anything ever heard before.
First up was Ranma, at age 17. Ranma's guitar playing was literally
the fastest on the planet; converting the chestnut fist to his fingers
practically guaranteed him this. It also embodied a wild ferocity
that implied it could not be tamed. Combined with his impassioned
singing, he made up one of the two lead singers.
Next was Hikaru, age 14. Hikaru, the youngest member of the group,
and wasn't as fast as Ranma when it came to playing the guitar; she
made up for that lack in sheer amount of feeling she poured into her
performance. Her music could light fires that burned in people's
hearts. Her ability to amplify her guitar work with her singing voice
made landed her the position of lead singer alongside Ranma.
Following Hikaru was Tenchi, who was the same age as Ranma at 17 years
old. Tenchi, while a tad mellower than his fellow guitarists, was
able to lay solid groundwork with his bass guitar that the rest of the
band could build off of. His tenor singing voice was able to
harmonize the group together, more so than they would have been able
to without his help.
Hotaru was 16 years old. The normally shy girl rounded out the group
with an electronic keyboard. Able to program her keyboard to act for
the instruments the band did not have, she was a valuable addition the
group. Her soft singing voice often provided the backup Hikaru needed
in certain songs, and she even sang by herself occasionally.
And last but not least, Keiichi was the band's oldest member, 25 years
old. Keiichi's solid percussion and voice work served to hold
everything together. Able to adapt to any change at a moments notice,
Keiichi could hammer out a beat with ease. Being the eldest, he also
served as mentor, advisor, and friend to the younger members of the
band.
Ranma grinned in elation as he looked over his fellow sometime
musicians, sometime warriors, and sometimes world-savers. "We're the
best there is," he boasted.
Keiichi beat on his drum set happily. "Now, the real test begins!"
The rest of the band members cheered at this proclamation, for tonight
would be the first night they were to perform together on a real
stage!
---
Author's Notes: Well, here's my first songfic-type-story. O_o This
is the first music-driven fic I've ever started, inspired by the song
mentioned "Cartoon Heroes".
For the Complete Reading Experience, have ready the song "Cartoon
Heroes" by Aqua and listen along with the lyrics as the characters
sing them. Imagine that the different characters are in actuality the
people singing. ^_^
Disclaimer: None of the series I am borrowing from belong to me. I
am not making money off of this work.
This is from the mind of Serafita, brought to you by Tannim Murphy.
I'm using his idea with his permission.
Chapter One
---
The sun was shining brightly, even if there were a few dark clouds
hanging in the horizon. It was a pleasantly warm afternoon during the
summertime in Japan. So far, the weather wasn't exceedingly hot, but
local forecasters predicted this would change.
It was an average day at the Tendo Dojo. Contrary to popular belief,
an average day did not consist of Ranma having to defeat someone in
mortal combat, Akane being kidnapped, or Ranma training in some
esoteric technique to deal with his latest challenger. Nor did it
have Ranma being hit by a mallet, glomped, or subjected to taste
various foodstuffs from several of his fiances (two of which he
enjoyed, the third he subjected himself to reluctantly).
A normal day for the Tendo household was just like a normal day for
any other house on the street. In fact, the craziness that infected
Ranma's life didn't spread as much as most people would think. The
truth was the majority of Ranma's time was devoid of anything
completely odd going on. Sure, the occasional adventure might spring
up now and then, but it would take at least a week, sometimes an
entire month, before anything really exciting would occur in his life
once more.
To pass the time between martial arts and more martial arts, Ranma had
decided to increase his reading ability. Since Ranma felt reading was
like martial arts, in that you had to start at the basics, he decided
that manga were the basic reading tools.
Ranma spent most of his free time 'reading.' Currently, he was almost
finished re-reading his entire collection of Dragonball manga. The
living room was a pretty quiet place if Nabiki wasn't watching TV.
The young martial artist would be able to just relax and let his mind
wander.
From what he remembered, Nabiki wouldn't be watching TV this afternoon
or evening. No, today was his day for the living room. It was his
day to-
Ranma bolted upright as a sudden memory decided to make itself known.
"Ah! I almost forgot!"
Hastily, the pig-tailed martial artist tossed the current manga he was
reading into the stack of manga he had already finished, and bolted
outside as fast as he could. Passing by the side of the house his
room, he tossed the bundle unerringly at the open window to land near
the rest of his belongings. The young man continued without pausing,
leaping over the wall of the compound, his path leading directly
toward the train station.
---
The only warning Ranma had for his first close call was the chime of a
bicycle bell. Fortunately for him, he was currently very wary about
being caught, and it paid off. Leaping off the fence he was running
on at the time, Ranma hid in a nearby bush as quickly as he could.
The young man managed just in time, too, as it turned out.
Shampoo looked around in confusion. "Shampoo could have sworn Airen
was here a moment ago..." she muttered to herself.
Shrugging her shoulders, the purple-haired martial artist pushed the
encounter out of her mind. No doubt it was another one of her
hormone-driven hallucinations. She'd need to take a long bath as soon
as she was off work.
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close. The young man
waited a few more moments, making sure that Shampoo was out of sight.
Standing up, the martial artist started running along the ground at a
slightly different direction Shampoo was going, though still toward
the train station.
---
"Sweet-o! What a haul, what a haul!"
A voice interrupted the relative quiet of the afternoon. Not many
people were around this area during the daytime, which was a great
thing for Ranma, who had to travel in this direction occasionally.
Unfortunately, a certain perverted martial arts master had discovered
this fact as well, and used the opportunity it presented to 'rescue'
any items of lingerie that happened to be within easy reach.
Fearfully, Ranma looked toward the voice only to confirm one of his
worst fears: Happosai was in the area. No nearby bushes to hide in,
Ranma was forced to employ the Umisenken to hide from the other
martial arts master. Ranma tensed as he waited to see if he succeeded
in avoiding detection.
"Yes my sweet pretties, you're going to a glorious place where you'll
be appreciated!" Happosai cheerfully proclaimed to his sack full of
ill-gotten goods. "Now, we've to get some celebratory sake from my
two dim-witted students." The perverted martial artist gleefully
hopped toward the direction Ranma had just come from.
Ranma nearly had a heart attack as Happosai used the fence next to
where he was hiding as a springboard toward his goal. There was a
moment of uncertainty, where Ranma was sure he was spotted; it was not
to be. The old man continued on to his destination.
"That was close," the young martial artist muttered to himself. He
couldn't afford to get in a fight with Happosai right now. He had
more important things to do.
---
Ranma felt immense relief at reaching the train station.
"Thank the Kami. Safe."
Alas, Ranma had spoken too soon. Nabiki Tendo was in the crowd at the
station, apparently looking for someone. Whether by accident or
design, Ranma had enough luck to spot the other girl first. A quick
jump into the nearby bushes allowed Ranma to hide himself from the
mercenary Tendo.
"What is she doing here?!" thought a frantic Ranma. "Is this what she
does with her free time?"
The martial artist couldn't help but notice the predatory look Nabiki
had on her face as she stood in line to purchase a ticket. Ranma
could only guess at the direction she was heading, and for what
nefarious-
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Ranma focused on what was really
important. He had to find a way to take his usual train.
Obviously, buying a ticket was out. He had to revert to more...
outlandish methods. Making his way stealthily, Ranma leaped onto the
top of the overhang that protected people on the platform from rain.
Crouched, he waited there until the time he knew his train would
arrive. Cursing his luck that forced him to take such measures, he
leapt silently to the roof of the vehicle and prepared for a long
trip.
---
Of course, it rained.
The weather people had said there was only a 10 percent chance of
rain. They obviously hadn't taken into account Ranma's curse. The
dark cloud cover had hurried over to Ranma's potion as if eager to
drench the martial artist.
The train's roof wasn't the best surface to cling to at high speeds to
begin with, and the rain making everything slick didn't help either.
The curse changing Ranma from a boy to a girl was a mere irritant as
the young martial artist clung for dear life.
Luckily, as with all things, the train ride ended. It slowly pulled
into Ranma's stop, and the young man-turned-woman was all too happy to
leap onto the overhand that was protecting the waiting people from the
kind of rain that was currently soaking her. Ranma's legs pumped
furiously as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop in an attempt to reach
her destination faster.
"Dammit! I'm gonna be late!" cursed the cursed Ranma.
---
Mentally exhausted, physically weary, and not a little paranoid, Ranma
finally made it to her destination. She might not have had enough
time to find some hot water, but at least she wasn't going to be late.
A bell began to chime in the distance, as if to mock her current train
of thought. It took the martial artist two chimes to realize its
significance. When she did, her eyes widened in shock.
"No!" cried a frantic Ranma as she leapt over the steps leading to the
temple gate on the third chime of the bell.
"No no no no no no!" she chanted to herself as the bell chimed a
fourth, then a fifth time. Pouring on all the speed she could muster,
Ranma dashed toward the closed door of the shrine.
The martial artist nearly broke the sliding door to the shrine as she
exerted her strength to pull it open, and the pig-tailed girl tumbled
into the room as the clock chimed a sixth time. Ranma literally
collapsed to the floor with relief. From her face-down position on
the ground, she thrust a fist triumphantly into the air.
"Yes! Made it!" cried the muffled but obviously happy voice of Ranma.
A feminine voice, full of mischief, reached the ears of the collapsed
martial artist.
"Oooh, you made it on time for once, Ranma. Congratulations," spoke
Hikaru Shidou. Ranma looked up, and she could see the eyes of Hikaru
full of mirth as she giggled at the martial artist's position.
Another voice, definitely male, was heard from Hikaru's right.
"Aw, why did you have to make it on time today, Ranma? You made me
lose my bet," whined Keiichi Morisato overdramatically. Ranma shifted
her head so as to encompass the older boy in her sight.
A voice full of laughter spoke up from further right.
"C'mon, pay up. You owe me a hundred yen," said a smiling Tenchi
Misaki. Ranma had to shift her eyes to the right in order to spot the
deceptively skilled swordsman.
A melodious voice, on Ranma's left, spoke up.
"Your guitar is in the corner, Ranma-kun, where it normally waits for
you," said Hotaru Tomoe shyly. Ranma had to turn her head almost
entirely around to spot the beautiful girl.
"Why can't anyone but me be late for once? Huh?" grumbled Ranma from
her position on the floor. After a moment of self-pity, she got over
herself and flipped up to stand once more. "I don't suppose-"
Ranma was cut off as a douse of hot water was poured onto her.
Turning to spot his benefactor, Ranma gave a bright smile. "Thanks,
Bell."
"You're welcome, Ranma. I saw it was raining, and heated a kettle for
you," replied a smiling Belldandy.
Ranma placed a hand behind his head in his habitual sheepish gesture.
"Sorry for being such a bother."
"Oh, it's no trouble," assured the good-natured goddess. "I was
planning on making tea anyway." She smiled at the assembled group of
people before opening her umbrella and making her way back into the
house part of the temple.
Keiichi pounded randomly on the drum set in front of him impatiently.
"Come on, Ranma. We've got to get some practice in before our gig
tonight."
"Yeah, yeah, hold yer horses." Ranma dismissed Keiichi's impatience
with a casual wave of his hand. "Gimme a sec to tune her up." He
reverently picked up the electric guitar from its pedestal in the
corner of the shrine. Plugging in the instrument, Ranma closed his
eyes as he went through the string of cords, occasionally making a
minute adjustment to the pitch of the metal wire.
The rest of the band were did some last-minute tuning on their own
instruments. Tenchi checked his bass guitar, strumming the extra-long
strings while listening for any imperfection. Hotaru punched a few
keys on her electric keyboard in rapid succession, testing for
flexibility in her fingers. Keiichi continued his slow random drum
beats while Hikaru tuned her own electric guitar. The cacophony of
sound continued a few more moments as the collective waited for Ranma
to finish.
Ranma, satisfied with the sound of his guitar, let off a quick riff to
signal to the rest of the band members that he was ready. The sounds
of various instruments slowly ground to a halt.
Hikaru grinned from her position near her microphone. "Ready guys?"
Keiichi grinned as he raised his drumsticks above his head. "A one, a
two, a one two-"
"Wait, wait wait wait. What song are we doing?" interrupted Ranma.
The rest of the group gave a start at the interruption.
"We were thinking of warming up with 'Cartoon Heroes,'" said Tenchi
sheepishly. "It seems to describe us pretty well."
"That English song by 'water' or whatever we were able to fit guitar
riffs into?"
"That's the one," said Hikaru. "Let's get started already."
Keiichi tried to start a second time. "A one, a two, a one, two,
three, FOUR!"
Hikaru began singing into her microphone after the drummer's intro,
her sweet voice wafting from the speakers. Hotaru's electronic
keyboard making up for the instruments the band didn't have, played
various bells and trumpets throughout the song.
"We are what we're supposed to be, illusions of your fantasy, all dots
and lines that speak and say," everyone joined in, "what we do, is
what you wish to do."
Ranma began to sign alone, deliberately making his voice harsh for his
role in the song.
"We are the color symphony; we do the things you want to see, frame by
frame, to the extreme!"
Hikaru sang alone once more.
"Our friends are so unreasonable, they do the unpredictable, all dots
and lines that speak and say," everyone chorused, "what we do is what
you wish to do."
Ranma once again took the stage as the only person singing.
"It's all an orchestra of strings, doing unbelievable things! Frame
by frame, to the extreme! One by one we're making it fun!"
Everyone began singing.
"We are the Cartoon Heroes, oh-oh-OH! We are the ones who are gonna
last for-e-ver!
We came out of a crazy mind, oh-oh-OH! And walked out on a piece of
pa-per!
"Here comes Spiderman, arachnophobian, welcome to the toon town party!
Here comes Superman, from never never land! Welcome to the toon town
party!"
Hikaru sang alone again.
"We learn to run at speed of light, and to fall down from any height;
it's true but just remember that," everyone sang the last part, "what
we do, is what you just can't do."
Ranma started to sing his part.
"An opera of craziness, a bunch of dots that's chasing us! Frame by
frame, to the extreme! One by one we're making it fun!"
Tenchi, Hotaru, Keiichi, Ranma and Hikaru all joined in together for
the chorus.
"We are the Cartoon Heroes, oh-oh-OH! We are the ones who are gonna
last for-e-ver!
We came out of a crazy mind, oh-oh-OH! And walked out on a piece of
pa-per!
"Here comes Spiderman, arachnophobian, welcome to the toon town party!
Here comes Superman, from never never land! Welcome to the toon town
party!"
Hikaru's sweet voice sang out as everyone else went silent.
"You think we're so mysterious, don't take us all too serious, be
original, and remember that, what we do is what you just can't do."
The three backup singers sang together.
"What we do, is what you just can't do, what we do, is what you just
can't do!
What we do, is what you just can't do, what we do, is what you just
can't do!
Ranma and Hikaru began singing together.
"We are the Cartoon Heroes, oh-oh-OH! We are the ones who are gonna
last for-e-ver!
We came out of a crazy mind, oh-oh-OH! And walked out on a piece of
pa-per!
"There's still more to come! And everyone one will be, welcome at the
toon-"
Tenchi, Hotaru, and Keiichi sang together as they echoed the two lead
singers.
"TOON!"
"-town-"
"TOWN!"
"-paaaarday!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Interrupting the sudden silence following the song, the sound of
clapping erupted from the door of the shrine. Belldandy, Urd, and
Skuld were all there, cheering the band on. Surprised band members
looked up from their instruments to see the trio of goddesses clapping
with abandon.
"That was great you guys!" exclaimed an excited Skuld. "You really
know how to use those instruments I built!"
"You can really kick it into high gear," added Urd with her
contribution. "Now, if only you'd let a goddess like myself to-"
"Not now Urd," Belldandy shushes her sister. "We've had this talk
before. No magic." The blond-haired goddess turned toward the
assembled band members. "That was beautiful music, everyone."
The group turned to grin at each other. After months of practice,
everyone was in sync with each other's harmony. It took a while,
meshing the different styles of everyone, but in the end it created a
sound unlike anything ever heard before.
First up was Ranma, at age 17. Ranma's guitar playing was literally
the fastest on the planet; converting the chestnut fist to his fingers
practically guaranteed him this. It also embodied a wild ferocity
that implied it could not be tamed. Combined with his impassioned
singing, he made up one of the two lead singers.
Next was Hikaru, age 14. Hikaru, the youngest member of the group,
and wasn't as fast as Ranma when it came to playing the guitar; she
made up for that lack in sheer amount of feeling she poured into her
performance. Her music could light fires that burned in people's
hearts. Her ability to amplify her guitar work with her singing voice
made landed her the position of lead singer alongside Ranma.
Following Hikaru was Tenchi, who was the same age as Ranma at 17 years
old. Tenchi, while a tad mellower than his fellow guitarists, was
able to lay solid groundwork with his bass guitar that the rest of the
band could build off of. His tenor singing voice was able to
harmonize the group together, more so than they would have been able
to without his help.
Hotaru was 16 years old. The normally shy girl rounded out the group
with an electronic keyboard. Able to program her keyboard to act for
the instruments the band did not have, she was a valuable addition the
group. Her soft singing voice often provided the backup Hikaru needed
in certain songs, and she even sang by herself occasionally.
And last but not least, Keiichi was the band's oldest member, 25 years
old. Keiichi's solid percussion and voice work served to hold
everything together. Able to adapt to any change at a moments notice,
Keiichi could hammer out a beat with ease. Being the eldest, he also
served as mentor, advisor, and friend to the younger members of the
band.
Ranma grinned in elation as he looked over his fellow sometime
musicians, sometime warriors, and sometimes world-savers. "We're the
best there is," he boasted.
Keiichi beat on his drum set happily. "Now, the real test begins!"
The rest of the band members cheered at this proclamation, for tonight
would be the first night they were to perform together on a real
stage!
---
Author's Notes: Well, here's my first songfic-type-story. O_o This
is the first music-driven fic I've ever started, inspired by the song
mentioned "Cartoon Heroes".
For the Complete Reading Experience, have ready the song "Cartoon
Heroes" by Aqua and listen along with the lyrics as the characters
sing them. Imagine that the different characters are in actuality the
people singing. ^_^
