Debt of Honor
Chapter 6
The Starting of a War
Zhisheng watched in morbid fascination at his television. The scene that was unfolding before his eyes was that of the failed assassination of Taiwanese President Lee. There had been a warning earlier about the scenes being disturbing, and they were right. He watched as one of the assassins was hit in the neck by a bullet and his head snapped roughly to the side as the tendons in his neck were severed.
The Premier was going to be pissed, Zhisheng told himself.
Premier Renyang had called an emergency meeting of the Politburo earlier in the morning. He had obviously received the news of the failed assassination.
He rode in the back of his staff car in silence. He was going over the speech he would be making to the Politburo in a matter of minutes. Zhisheng realized that the speech he would make would either make or break his career and probably determine if he would be killed or not.
Zhisheng did something that he had not done for decades. He prayed. He prayed for his safety. It was an amazing thing for a man to do when he was under the belief that there was no higher power other than the men that sat on the Politburo.
The car stopped in front of the building and Zhisheng stepped from his car. He thanked his driver and made his way inside. He nodded absentmindedly to the guards and entered the Politburo headquarters.
The room was supposed to be filled with China's most powerful men. But at the moment it was filled with a bunch of frightened old men.
Zhisheng took his seat without looking at any of them.
Premier Renyang had already taken his seat and was looking at a television set at the head of the table. The television was showing what Zhisheng had just been watching himself. When Renyang noticed his presence, he shut the television off.
"I trust that you have all seen what is now broadcasting across billions of television sets," Renyang said to the assembled men. He didn't wait for a reply. "I am not going to waist any time debating over whose fault this was, I just want to hear some suggestions on how we may remove all doubt that we were involved."
Zhisheng saw that no one was going to risk the chance of opening his mouth.
"Very well," Renyang said coldly, "I will call on someone to make a suggestion. Zhisheng, give me an idea."
Zhisheng winced as Renyang spoke.
"I have come upon the thought that maybe we should officially condemn the attack and publicly state that we will assist Taiwan in any type of investigation they will wish to start."
Renyang looked at him for a moment and then smiled a little.
"That is a start; do you have any idea on how we may do this as well as explain to the world about the heightened state of our military?"
"Yes," Zhisheng nodded. "I was thinking that we may explain it as tightening our borders to ensure that if any of the assassins attempted to escape Taiwan and come to China, than we would catch them."
The premier grunted and turned to the secretary of the army.
"And how long do you suppose we may have to keep this façade up Wei?"
"I would believe that we should strike as soon as possible but as well give the world the chance to forget about the assassination attempt. But I do believe that if we do strike within the next decade, we will most definitely be fingered for the attempt on Lee's life."
Renyang looked thoughtful for a moment. He turned to the new Finance minister.
"Have you checked on the countries economic state?"
"I did," he said quickly. "It would seem that Jingshu was correct about our country being very close to running itself into a national debt, but I do have confidence that the funds we have now would be enough to carry us through however long the attack on Taiwan would take."
"Good," Renyang said and turned to address the others. "That will be our course of action. We cannot wait for the world to forget about the assassination attempt on Lee. We must act now."
The room was silent as each man contemplated the premier's words. Zhisheng was the first to speak.
"Then you must understand that we will have to break off all of the plans to actually state our condemnation of the attempt on Lee's life. That course of action will almost certainly remove all doubt from the world's mind that we were the one's that staged the attack."
Renyang nodded solemnly. "I understand that, I also understand that once the Americans find out about this, they will put so many sanctions on our country that we would be lucky if one grain of rice left our shores."
"Than maybe we shouldn't be doing this," Zhisheng said gently. He was now under the impression that they were going to go to war, and Renyang was not at all concerned that it may escalate into a nuclear war.
"We have already taken a vote Zhisheng," Renyang replied. "We have decided our course of action, we will reclaim Taiwan."
Zhisheng slowly nodded his head. The premier was right, they had no other choice.
The meeting then changed to military readiness and tactfulness.
Once the meeting was over, only one man had the thought that what they were doing was a mistake, and he was also the only man who had the thought that they had just set in motion the destruction of the country.
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The DCI of the Central Intelligence Agency walked into the Oval office and sat down in front of the president. He did not look at the president but instead handed him a small form.
The president took the form and read it. The form was a TWX delivered from the CIA station in Beijing. It stated that the Chinese government had announced that they ask that the American government not attempt to communicate with them. It also noted that the ambassador and his staff were on their way back to the United States for 'counseling'.
He sighed and looked at the DCI.
"When are John and his staff expected back?"
"In about four hour's sir," the DCI replied.
The president snapped the number 2 HB pencil that he had taken from his desk.
"Don't the dumb sonsofbitches understand that we know what they're up to?" he asked angrily.
"Sir, I believe that they do know, but that they just don't care."
The president shook his head with remorse.
"Is there anything we can do to stop them from attacking Taiwan?"
"Nothing short of actually shooting down whatever planes and ships they send over to Taiwan."
"Goddamnit! I can't do that, if we shoot them first they can say that we started the damn war, and I don't especially feel good about letting them get a shot at one of our ships first."
"I don't think we have any other choice Mr. President, the only thing we can do right now is wait for them to invade Taiwan and then publicly condemn their actions and decide if we will sends troops to defend them."
"I don't have to decide if I'm going to send troops, I'm going to put the entire goddamned army in there once they set one foot over the border."
"We are going to face quite a lot of political heat when you do that," the DCI noted.
"They can fucking impeach me if they want, but I'm not going to be able to call myself the President of the United States of America if I let those bastards take Taiwan. I already know that I've got Canada and Britain on my side, and they are willing to send troops along. So if they aren't very concerned with whatever political heat they'll face, than I'm sure as hell not going to be concerned with what congress thinks."
The DCI held his hands up as if to ward off an incoming attack.
"Hey Bill, I'm on your side here, I want those bastards to be sent home with their tales between their legs as much as you do. But there isn't really anything we can do that will stop them from invading Taiwan."
The president looked at him for a moment and then smiled.
"I'm glad you said that, because I've been talking to the heads of the army and they have a nice little plan about what to do about China. I sure hoe you don't have anything else planned for today Bob, because this is going to take awhile."
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When there was a knock on the door to the guest bedroom inside the Tendo house, the occupants had been asleep. Ryoga Hibiki, a well-muscled handsome man of seventeen, and Akari Unryuu, a black haired, pert-breasted woman of seventeen, were completely naked. During the night, the sheet that had covered them had been kicked to the bottom of the futon, and in her sleep, Akari Unryuu had turned on her side and curled up for warmth. Ryoga Hibiki lay sprawled on his stomach, one hand resting possessively on his fiancées leg.
Ryoga was instantly awake when he heard the knock. He rolled onto his back and quickly got to his feet and grabbed the blanket that was by his feet and covered Akari with it. He smiled as he looked at his soon-to-be wife and marveled over how young she looked. Ryoga quickly donned a shirt and grabbed a pair of his boxers that had been casually tossed aside. He slipped those on and grabbed his pants and then finally, after checking to make sure Akari was covered up, he answered the door.
"What took you so long?" the morning visitor asked.
"I was getting dressed," Ryoga blurted. He blushed when Akane looked past him and saw Akari.
"You're lucky no one else has found out yet," Akane said as she turned around and motioned for him to follow her. She led him into the kitchen.
Akane was wearing her school jumpsuit, which confused Ryoga, because he had thought that Akane and Ranma didn't have school on Sundays.
"I'm just going to make some tea Ryoga, could you go and sit outside by the coy pond while I get it ready?" Akane asked as she retrieved the kettle from underneath the sink.
"Sure," Ryoga said and walked through the living room and plopped down on the steps that led out towards the yard. His breath rolled from his mouth as he breathed. It was already showing signs that it might snow soon and that was a pleasant thought for Ryoga. For once he would be in a warm house surrounded by people he loved, instead of wandering through wilderness with barely enough clothes to keep him from contracting frostbite.
He heard Akane approaching and turned his head to look at her. He smiled as she handed him a small cup of tea.
Akane sat down beside him and took a tiny sip of her tea.
"I want to talk to you about something Ryoga," Akane said, her voice serious.
Ryoga didn't reply but he did take another sip from his teacup.
Akane turned to look at him. She waited until Ryoga had met her eyes.
"I want you to know that I love you and Akari dearly and there is nothing more that I would like then to have you two stay here and live with our entire family, but this house is getting very crowded."
Ryoga nodded his understanding. "Do not worry Akane, I had already been thinking of finding an apartment or house in which Akari and I could live."
Akane looked at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the coy pond.
"I was wondering if you might try and find a house for four," she said quietly.
"What?"
Akane took a deep breath. "Ryoga, you of all people know just what would happen if my parents or Ranma's found out that me and him were having sex. I love my family very much, but I don't want them breathing down our necks every time we try and have some time together."
"Than what you're asking is if I would mind if you and Ranma were to come live with us when we get a new place," Ryoga said. "Akane, I don't think that there would be anything wrong with that. Akari would be overjoyed I'm sure."
Akane smiled at him, and then her features dropped.
"You must think I'm a horrible person."
"Why?" Ryoga asked confused.
"Here I am, not even eighteen and I want to get away form my family as soon as possible."
"Akane," Ryoga said gently. "I've never really had that much of a family, but I do think that I can understand when you say that having some time by yourself with Ranma is not possible when you are living here. I also believe that you are a truly wonderful person for being so considerate of your family. I'm sure that they could use a break from the madness that comes along with all four of us being in the same room together."
Akane laughed and leaned her head onto Ryoga's shoulder. Ryoga calmly wrapped his arm around Akane's shoulder and leaned her against him.
"There is one more thing Ryoga," Akane said. "I want you to start coming to school with Ranma, me, and Akari." She felt Ryoga tense up. "It will be good for you Ryoga, this way you can maybe find out what you really want to be, and now that we've got all that money, we can actually do something about it."
"I understand your concern Akane, but I'm not entirely sure that I'm the right person for school. I don't want to end up being lost and not being able to find my way back here for months, which would be far too much to bear."
"We would be with you all the time Ryoga, I think I can arrange to have you put into all of my classes, along with Akari. That way there will be no chance of you getting lost."
Ryoga was silent for a moment. He took a breath and let it out, evenly.
"Alright, I'll start this Monday."
Akane turned around and wrapped her arms around Ryoga's waist and kissed him almost on the mouth.
"I knew you would!" Akane said. "But you're not going to have to wait until tomorrow to register, I'll take you today."
Ryoga frowned a little and looked at Akane.
"I sort of wanted to go looking at places to live with Akari today," he said.
Akane giggled a little and gave Ryoga an affectionate punch on his chest.
"It will only take a few minutes Ryoga, and I'm sure that they can have you take the placement exams early Monday."
"Oh, okay."
"Do you want to go over now?" Akane asked.
"Sure why not," Ryoga said as he got to his feet.
"Alright, just let me grab you a coat and then we can get going," Akane said.
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Ryoga marveled at how large the school seemed once he was inside. He couldn't imagine what it would be like trying to navigate your way through these hallways, while heading to your next class.
He followed Akane all the way to the front office. He couldn't understand why they called it the front office; it was located in the center of the school.
"You just wait out here Ryoga, it'll only take a few moments," Akane said as she entered the office and closed the door behind her.
Ryoga sat down in one of the chairs that were located along the wall. He looked around the small corner office of the schools secretary and got to his feet. It wouldn't hurt if he had just a small walk around the school.
He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway and turned to go down it. He smiled to himself as the thought of returning to school entered his mind.
School had always been a gamble for Ryoga Hibiki. He loved going to classes and learning new things, but he always ran the risk of getting lost. None of his teachers in junior high were sympathetic towards his problem; they only saw it as an annoyance. His classmates had been the worst; he had been teased and laughed at on a daily basis. It hadn't mattered that he could have beaten the entire school hands-down; all he could do was endure the insults. Ryoga had entertained the thought of getting himself so lost that he would never have to go to school again, but he would always go out there, day after day.
Things had continued that way until halfway through his last year in junior high, when a new student came to the school. His name was Ranma Saotome and he was put into Ryoga's homeroom class. Ranma had given the other students something to talk about for a few days, making Ryoga happy. It was when they were in gym class that Ryoga began to pay attention to Ranma. Ryoga was the best athlete in the school, but when they had started gymnastics, that was when Ryoga really shone. He could handle the ribbon and hoop with exquisite grace. When Ranma had first started he wasn't very good, but after Ranma had watched Ryoga go through a routine, Ryoga learned that Ranma was a very fast learner.
Ranma mimicked Ryoga's routine and put in some of his on twists and jumps. This earned him a round of applause, and some wild cheers. Ranma had come up to him after the class.
"You're pretty good," Ranma had said. Ryoga didn't reply. "Do you study martial arts?"
"Yeah," he had said. "Why, do you?"
"You bet," Ranma had replied proudly. "I'm ere to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."
"How nice for you," he said. His pride had been stinging after seeing Ranma adapt his performance to match his in a matter of moments.
"Do you want to maybe spar after school?" Ranma had asked. Ryoga had noted that there was maybe a little hint of desperation in his voice.
Ryoga had gone to spar with Ranma and Ranma was very good, better than Ryoga.
Ryoga sighed at the memory; it would be nice to go back to school. He found himself praying that he would be accepted to Furinkan High.
Ryoga looked around his surroundings and found he was back at the front of the front office. He laughed a little and went back inside where Akane was just coming out.
"Oh, guess what Ryoga?" she asked playfully.
"What?"
"You got accepted!" Akane said and giggled with surprise when Ryoga wrapped his arms around her and twirled around with her in his arms.
"Thank you Akane!" he said and laughed.
"All you've got to do is pass the entrance exams on Monday and you're in. But don't worry, I'll tutor you tonight."
Ryoga nodded and kissed Akane on the cheek.
"Thank you again Akane."
"It was no problem Ryoga," she said as she led him out of the office. "C'mon, let's go home."
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Ranma watched Akane as she set the plate down in front of him. He looked into her face and saw the look of happiness that one can only display when making food for someone you love. He looked over at the other family members and saw sympathy in their eyes, and pity.
"Go ahead Ranma, I made it," Akane said. She handed Ranma a pair of chopsticks.
"Uh, thanks Akane," Ranma said and looked down at the food. It appeared to be a certain type of curry, but Ranma was a veteran when it came to Akane's food, and he knew that if it looked like one thing, it would almost certainly taste nothing like it.
Akari came into the room with Kasumi and set down the rest of the family's breakfast. She looked over at Ranma and he got the feeling that she was secretly laughing at him.
"Go ahead Ranma, I watched Akane make it, it should be delicious," Akari said and began to serve the others.
Ryoga looked at Ranma in annoyance. He himself was a veteran of Akane's cooking, but that did not give Ranma the right to act like it was a poison.
Ranma cautiously picked up the 'food' with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth. He chewed slowly, aware that everyone was watching him intently, especially Akane. He swallowed and gasped.
"My god, this is normal!" Ranma exclaimed, earning him a glare from Akane and looks of surprise from the rest of his family.
Aside from that tense moment, the meal went along pleasantly enough. Ryoga announced his intentions of returning to school to the congratulations of the others.
Akane made it a point not to tell anyone about looking for a new place to live. She saw that Ryoga was not going to mention it either.
After lunch was finished, Akane and Ryoga dragged Ranma and Akari into the Dojo.
"What the heck do you guys want?" Ranma asked annoyed.
"For once in your life Ranma, try and listen to someone without talking," Ryoga replied, equally irritated.
Akari looked at Ryoga with concern.
"Is something the matter Ryoga?" she asked softly. She didn't like how Ryoga seemed so scared.
"Okay," Akane said, gaining everyone's attention. "I know that Ryoga and Akari are going to be moving out soon, but I wanted to say something first."
Ranma looked at her with surprise and Akane knew that this was the first he had heard about Ryoga and Akari moving out.
"You're moving out Ryoga?" Ranma asked.
"Yeah," Ryoga nodded. "I just kind of thought that the way things were now was not the best way things should go. Akari and I have mooched off of your families enough."
Ranma frowned. "But Ryoga, I sort of liked having you here and you as well Akari. You guys are like family now; you don't have to move out."
Akane heard the sadness in Ranma's voice.
"Don't worry Ranma," Akane said. "What I wanted to say was I want us to move out as well, and move in with Ryoga and Akari. Now that we have all that money we can afford a nice place that could easily fit all of us."
Ranma looked at Akane for a moment and smiled. He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Well, you may be a tomboy, but you certainly have some good ideas," Ranma said happily.
Akane bopped Ranma on the head but did so lightly. "You jerk," she said laughing. She looked over at Akari. "Is this going to be okay with you Akari?"
Akari looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, I just don't know how big our place might be and."
Ryoga saw the troubled look on her face and guessed what was wrong.
"Akari," he said quietly. "They know."
Akari looked at Ryoga in surprise and blushed. She turned her head to look at the ground.
Akane freed herself from Ranma's arms and walked over to Akari and put her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"I don't think there is anything wrong with what has been going on between you and Ryoga. The reason why I want me and Ranma to move in with you two is so he and I can have some time to ourselves."
Akari lifted her head and smiled a little weakly.
"Thank you Akane, I would be honored to have you live with me and Ranma."
Ryoga slapped Ranma's upturned hand and laughed happily.
"Well roomy, let's say we go and get ourselves a house," Ranma said.
"That sounds like an excellent idea roomy," Ryoga replied.
Akane and Akari smiled and shook their heads.
"You see," Akane said to Akari, "this is another reason we need to move in together, I don't think either of us could handle one of them by ourselves."
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Before the four youths left the Tendo house, they encountered Ishii at the front gate.
"Hello," Ishii greeted as they approached. "And where are you four going off to so early in the morning?"
"Actually," Ranma said, "we were just heading off to go have a look at some houses."
"Oh, you're planning on moving?" Ishii asked worriedly.
"Yeah, but were only going to try and find a place downtown," Ryoga said.
"Well, if that's the case, I feel I must tell you that I doubt there is that much downtown that any of you would like," Ishii said.
"We would probably settle for just about anything Ishii, just as long as it's got enough room for the four of us," Ranma told him.
Ishii seemed to brighten up. "Alright, than I would ask that you allow me to become your real estate agent for the day."
Ranma chuckled and so did the others. "You got a deal."
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Ishii drove them to some of the houses for sale. The fact that they were all downtown meant that they had a very crummy look to them.
"Isn't there any places that don't look like they're run-down pieces of crap?" Ranma asked, earning an elbow to the ribs by Akane.
Ishii laughed from the front seat.
"I thought you would never ask," he said and immediately took the next turn-off and sped down the streets.
"Where're we headed?" Ranma asked, regaining his breath.
"You'll see," Ishii said.
They drove out of downtown and into a residential area. The houses were all two stories and had a grand backyard. But none of them had a for sale sign on them.
"Ishii," Ranma said from the back seat. "These houses are really nice, but none of them are for sale."
"Really?" Ishii asked from the front seat. "Well, don't worry about that I'm sure we can persuade some poor businessman out of his house."
Ranma looked over at Ryoga, who was seated in the passenger side, and saw the same confused look that was on his own face.
Ishii finally stopped the car in front of what had to be the biggest house in the entire area. He turned and smiled at his passengers and got out of the car.
The house had been built in the latest renovations that the city of Tokyo had received. It was a western style home with two floors, including a basement. The exterior had been painted with a rustic green, and the roof had a chimney poking out from the far eastern corner. The yard had been styled after a traditional Japanese home and was equipped with a stone walkway and a large coy pond. Banzai trees adorned the other parts of the yard. The house was in impeccable condition, the paint and wood looked as if it had just been laid out the day before.
"Holy shit," Ranma breathed. Ryoga nodded his agreement with Ranma's statement.
"Ishii," Akane said gently, "Whose house is this?"
"Yours, the previous owner of this house was Seiji Inafune," Ishii said quietly.
"What?" the four of them chorused at once.
"This was Seiji's house; he had put some renovations on it before he went to China. This was the house that he lived with his wife, and this is the house in which I was raised. It would be an honor if you would become its next residents. I know that would please my father greatly."
The four young adults looked at Ishii for a moment, and then they enveloped him in a hug.
"It would be a great honor if you would allow us to move into this house. And it would be an even greater honor if you would move in with us as well," Ranma whispered into Ishii's ear.
"I accept," Ishii whispered back.
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Author's Notes: This chapter was released by Mrs. Clark as I had been recalled to the Pentagon when I had planned to release it. She did an exceptional job, as usual, and I want to thank her again.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the story so far and I hope everyone has been reviewing.
Zhisheng watched in morbid fascination at his television. The scene that was unfolding before his eyes was that of the failed assassination of Taiwanese President Lee. There had been a warning earlier about the scenes being disturbing, and they were right. He watched as one of the assassins was hit in the neck by a bullet and his head snapped roughly to the side as the tendons in his neck were severed.
The Premier was going to be pissed, Zhisheng told himself.
Premier Renyang had called an emergency meeting of the Politburo earlier in the morning. He had obviously received the news of the failed assassination.
He rode in the back of his staff car in silence. He was going over the speech he would be making to the Politburo in a matter of minutes. Zhisheng realized that the speech he would make would either make or break his career and probably determine if he would be killed or not.
Zhisheng did something that he had not done for decades. He prayed. He prayed for his safety. It was an amazing thing for a man to do when he was under the belief that there was no higher power other than the men that sat on the Politburo.
The car stopped in front of the building and Zhisheng stepped from his car. He thanked his driver and made his way inside. He nodded absentmindedly to the guards and entered the Politburo headquarters.
The room was supposed to be filled with China's most powerful men. But at the moment it was filled with a bunch of frightened old men.
Zhisheng took his seat without looking at any of them.
Premier Renyang had already taken his seat and was looking at a television set at the head of the table. The television was showing what Zhisheng had just been watching himself. When Renyang noticed his presence, he shut the television off.
"I trust that you have all seen what is now broadcasting across billions of television sets," Renyang said to the assembled men. He didn't wait for a reply. "I am not going to waist any time debating over whose fault this was, I just want to hear some suggestions on how we may remove all doubt that we were involved."
Zhisheng saw that no one was going to risk the chance of opening his mouth.
"Very well," Renyang said coldly, "I will call on someone to make a suggestion. Zhisheng, give me an idea."
Zhisheng winced as Renyang spoke.
"I have come upon the thought that maybe we should officially condemn the attack and publicly state that we will assist Taiwan in any type of investigation they will wish to start."
Renyang looked at him for a moment and then smiled a little.
"That is a start; do you have any idea on how we may do this as well as explain to the world about the heightened state of our military?"
"Yes," Zhisheng nodded. "I was thinking that we may explain it as tightening our borders to ensure that if any of the assassins attempted to escape Taiwan and come to China, than we would catch them."
The premier grunted and turned to the secretary of the army.
"And how long do you suppose we may have to keep this façade up Wei?"
"I would believe that we should strike as soon as possible but as well give the world the chance to forget about the assassination attempt. But I do believe that if we do strike within the next decade, we will most definitely be fingered for the attempt on Lee's life."
Renyang looked thoughtful for a moment. He turned to the new Finance minister.
"Have you checked on the countries economic state?"
"I did," he said quickly. "It would seem that Jingshu was correct about our country being very close to running itself into a national debt, but I do have confidence that the funds we have now would be enough to carry us through however long the attack on Taiwan would take."
"Good," Renyang said and turned to address the others. "That will be our course of action. We cannot wait for the world to forget about the assassination attempt on Lee. We must act now."
The room was silent as each man contemplated the premier's words. Zhisheng was the first to speak.
"Then you must understand that we will have to break off all of the plans to actually state our condemnation of the attempt on Lee's life. That course of action will almost certainly remove all doubt from the world's mind that we were the one's that staged the attack."
Renyang nodded solemnly. "I understand that, I also understand that once the Americans find out about this, they will put so many sanctions on our country that we would be lucky if one grain of rice left our shores."
"Than maybe we shouldn't be doing this," Zhisheng said gently. He was now under the impression that they were going to go to war, and Renyang was not at all concerned that it may escalate into a nuclear war.
"We have already taken a vote Zhisheng," Renyang replied. "We have decided our course of action, we will reclaim Taiwan."
Zhisheng slowly nodded his head. The premier was right, they had no other choice.
The meeting then changed to military readiness and tactfulness.
Once the meeting was over, only one man had the thought that what they were doing was a mistake, and he was also the only man who had the thought that they had just set in motion the destruction of the country.
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The DCI of the Central Intelligence Agency walked into the Oval office and sat down in front of the president. He did not look at the president but instead handed him a small form.
The president took the form and read it. The form was a TWX delivered from the CIA station in Beijing. It stated that the Chinese government had announced that they ask that the American government not attempt to communicate with them. It also noted that the ambassador and his staff were on their way back to the United States for 'counseling'.
He sighed and looked at the DCI.
"When are John and his staff expected back?"
"In about four hour's sir," the DCI replied.
The president snapped the number 2 HB pencil that he had taken from his desk.
"Don't the dumb sonsofbitches understand that we know what they're up to?" he asked angrily.
"Sir, I believe that they do know, but that they just don't care."
The president shook his head with remorse.
"Is there anything we can do to stop them from attacking Taiwan?"
"Nothing short of actually shooting down whatever planes and ships they send over to Taiwan."
"Goddamnit! I can't do that, if we shoot them first they can say that we started the damn war, and I don't especially feel good about letting them get a shot at one of our ships first."
"I don't think we have any other choice Mr. President, the only thing we can do right now is wait for them to invade Taiwan and then publicly condemn their actions and decide if we will sends troops to defend them."
"I don't have to decide if I'm going to send troops, I'm going to put the entire goddamned army in there once they set one foot over the border."
"We are going to face quite a lot of political heat when you do that," the DCI noted.
"They can fucking impeach me if they want, but I'm not going to be able to call myself the President of the United States of America if I let those bastards take Taiwan. I already know that I've got Canada and Britain on my side, and they are willing to send troops along. So if they aren't very concerned with whatever political heat they'll face, than I'm sure as hell not going to be concerned with what congress thinks."
The DCI held his hands up as if to ward off an incoming attack.
"Hey Bill, I'm on your side here, I want those bastards to be sent home with their tales between their legs as much as you do. But there isn't really anything we can do that will stop them from invading Taiwan."
The president looked at him for a moment and then smiled.
"I'm glad you said that, because I've been talking to the heads of the army and they have a nice little plan about what to do about China. I sure hoe you don't have anything else planned for today Bob, because this is going to take awhile."
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When there was a knock on the door to the guest bedroom inside the Tendo house, the occupants had been asleep. Ryoga Hibiki, a well-muscled handsome man of seventeen, and Akari Unryuu, a black haired, pert-breasted woman of seventeen, were completely naked. During the night, the sheet that had covered them had been kicked to the bottom of the futon, and in her sleep, Akari Unryuu had turned on her side and curled up for warmth. Ryoga Hibiki lay sprawled on his stomach, one hand resting possessively on his fiancées leg.
Ryoga was instantly awake when he heard the knock. He rolled onto his back and quickly got to his feet and grabbed the blanket that was by his feet and covered Akari with it. He smiled as he looked at his soon-to-be wife and marveled over how young she looked. Ryoga quickly donned a shirt and grabbed a pair of his boxers that had been casually tossed aside. He slipped those on and grabbed his pants and then finally, after checking to make sure Akari was covered up, he answered the door.
"What took you so long?" the morning visitor asked.
"I was getting dressed," Ryoga blurted. He blushed when Akane looked past him and saw Akari.
"You're lucky no one else has found out yet," Akane said as she turned around and motioned for him to follow her. She led him into the kitchen.
Akane was wearing her school jumpsuit, which confused Ryoga, because he had thought that Akane and Ranma didn't have school on Sundays.
"I'm just going to make some tea Ryoga, could you go and sit outside by the coy pond while I get it ready?" Akane asked as she retrieved the kettle from underneath the sink.
"Sure," Ryoga said and walked through the living room and plopped down on the steps that led out towards the yard. His breath rolled from his mouth as he breathed. It was already showing signs that it might snow soon and that was a pleasant thought for Ryoga. For once he would be in a warm house surrounded by people he loved, instead of wandering through wilderness with barely enough clothes to keep him from contracting frostbite.
He heard Akane approaching and turned his head to look at her. He smiled as she handed him a small cup of tea.
Akane sat down beside him and took a tiny sip of her tea.
"I want to talk to you about something Ryoga," Akane said, her voice serious.
Ryoga didn't reply but he did take another sip from his teacup.
Akane turned to look at him. She waited until Ryoga had met her eyes.
"I want you to know that I love you and Akari dearly and there is nothing more that I would like then to have you two stay here and live with our entire family, but this house is getting very crowded."
Ryoga nodded his understanding. "Do not worry Akane, I had already been thinking of finding an apartment or house in which Akari and I could live."
Akane looked at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the coy pond.
"I was wondering if you might try and find a house for four," she said quietly.
"What?"
Akane took a deep breath. "Ryoga, you of all people know just what would happen if my parents or Ranma's found out that me and him were having sex. I love my family very much, but I don't want them breathing down our necks every time we try and have some time together."
"Than what you're asking is if I would mind if you and Ranma were to come live with us when we get a new place," Ryoga said. "Akane, I don't think that there would be anything wrong with that. Akari would be overjoyed I'm sure."
Akane smiled at him, and then her features dropped.
"You must think I'm a horrible person."
"Why?" Ryoga asked confused.
"Here I am, not even eighteen and I want to get away form my family as soon as possible."
"Akane," Ryoga said gently. "I've never really had that much of a family, but I do think that I can understand when you say that having some time by yourself with Ranma is not possible when you are living here. I also believe that you are a truly wonderful person for being so considerate of your family. I'm sure that they could use a break from the madness that comes along with all four of us being in the same room together."
Akane laughed and leaned her head onto Ryoga's shoulder. Ryoga calmly wrapped his arm around Akane's shoulder and leaned her against him.
"There is one more thing Ryoga," Akane said. "I want you to start coming to school with Ranma, me, and Akari." She felt Ryoga tense up. "It will be good for you Ryoga, this way you can maybe find out what you really want to be, and now that we've got all that money, we can actually do something about it."
"I understand your concern Akane, but I'm not entirely sure that I'm the right person for school. I don't want to end up being lost and not being able to find my way back here for months, which would be far too much to bear."
"We would be with you all the time Ryoga, I think I can arrange to have you put into all of my classes, along with Akari. That way there will be no chance of you getting lost."
Ryoga was silent for a moment. He took a breath and let it out, evenly.
"Alright, I'll start this Monday."
Akane turned around and wrapped her arms around Ryoga's waist and kissed him almost on the mouth.
"I knew you would!" Akane said. "But you're not going to have to wait until tomorrow to register, I'll take you today."
Ryoga frowned a little and looked at Akane.
"I sort of wanted to go looking at places to live with Akari today," he said.
Akane giggled a little and gave Ryoga an affectionate punch on his chest.
"It will only take a few minutes Ryoga, and I'm sure that they can have you take the placement exams early Monday."
"Oh, okay."
"Do you want to go over now?" Akane asked.
"Sure why not," Ryoga said as he got to his feet.
"Alright, just let me grab you a coat and then we can get going," Akane said.
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Ryoga marveled at how large the school seemed once he was inside. He couldn't imagine what it would be like trying to navigate your way through these hallways, while heading to your next class.
He followed Akane all the way to the front office. He couldn't understand why they called it the front office; it was located in the center of the school.
"You just wait out here Ryoga, it'll only take a few moments," Akane said as she entered the office and closed the door behind her.
Ryoga sat down in one of the chairs that were located along the wall. He looked around the small corner office of the schools secretary and got to his feet. It wouldn't hurt if he had just a small walk around the school.
He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway and turned to go down it. He smiled to himself as the thought of returning to school entered his mind.
School had always been a gamble for Ryoga Hibiki. He loved going to classes and learning new things, but he always ran the risk of getting lost. None of his teachers in junior high were sympathetic towards his problem; they only saw it as an annoyance. His classmates had been the worst; he had been teased and laughed at on a daily basis. It hadn't mattered that he could have beaten the entire school hands-down; all he could do was endure the insults. Ryoga had entertained the thought of getting himself so lost that he would never have to go to school again, but he would always go out there, day after day.
Things had continued that way until halfway through his last year in junior high, when a new student came to the school. His name was Ranma Saotome and he was put into Ryoga's homeroom class. Ranma had given the other students something to talk about for a few days, making Ryoga happy. It was when they were in gym class that Ryoga began to pay attention to Ranma. Ryoga was the best athlete in the school, but when they had started gymnastics, that was when Ryoga really shone. He could handle the ribbon and hoop with exquisite grace. When Ranma had first started he wasn't very good, but after Ranma had watched Ryoga go through a routine, Ryoga learned that Ranma was a very fast learner.
Ranma mimicked Ryoga's routine and put in some of his on twists and jumps. This earned him a round of applause, and some wild cheers. Ranma had come up to him after the class.
"You're pretty good," Ranma had said. Ryoga didn't reply. "Do you study martial arts?"
"Yeah," he had said. "Why, do you?"
"You bet," Ranma had replied proudly. "I'm ere to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."
"How nice for you," he said. His pride had been stinging after seeing Ranma adapt his performance to match his in a matter of moments.
"Do you want to maybe spar after school?" Ranma had asked. Ryoga had noted that there was maybe a little hint of desperation in his voice.
Ryoga had gone to spar with Ranma and Ranma was very good, better than Ryoga.
Ryoga sighed at the memory; it would be nice to go back to school. He found himself praying that he would be accepted to Furinkan High.
Ryoga looked around his surroundings and found he was back at the front of the front office. He laughed a little and went back inside where Akane was just coming out.
"Oh, guess what Ryoga?" she asked playfully.
"What?"
"You got accepted!" Akane said and giggled with surprise when Ryoga wrapped his arms around her and twirled around with her in his arms.
"Thank you Akane!" he said and laughed.
"All you've got to do is pass the entrance exams on Monday and you're in. But don't worry, I'll tutor you tonight."
Ryoga nodded and kissed Akane on the cheek.
"Thank you again Akane."
"It was no problem Ryoga," she said as she led him out of the office. "C'mon, let's go home."
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Ranma watched Akane as she set the plate down in front of him. He looked into her face and saw the look of happiness that one can only display when making food for someone you love. He looked over at the other family members and saw sympathy in their eyes, and pity.
"Go ahead Ranma, I made it," Akane said. She handed Ranma a pair of chopsticks.
"Uh, thanks Akane," Ranma said and looked down at the food. It appeared to be a certain type of curry, but Ranma was a veteran when it came to Akane's food, and he knew that if it looked like one thing, it would almost certainly taste nothing like it.
Akari came into the room with Kasumi and set down the rest of the family's breakfast. She looked over at Ranma and he got the feeling that she was secretly laughing at him.
"Go ahead Ranma, I watched Akane make it, it should be delicious," Akari said and began to serve the others.
Ryoga looked at Ranma in annoyance. He himself was a veteran of Akane's cooking, but that did not give Ranma the right to act like it was a poison.
Ranma cautiously picked up the 'food' with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth. He chewed slowly, aware that everyone was watching him intently, especially Akane. He swallowed and gasped.
"My god, this is normal!" Ranma exclaimed, earning him a glare from Akane and looks of surprise from the rest of his family.
Aside from that tense moment, the meal went along pleasantly enough. Ryoga announced his intentions of returning to school to the congratulations of the others.
Akane made it a point not to tell anyone about looking for a new place to live. She saw that Ryoga was not going to mention it either.
After lunch was finished, Akane and Ryoga dragged Ranma and Akari into the Dojo.
"What the heck do you guys want?" Ranma asked annoyed.
"For once in your life Ranma, try and listen to someone without talking," Ryoga replied, equally irritated.
Akari looked at Ryoga with concern.
"Is something the matter Ryoga?" she asked softly. She didn't like how Ryoga seemed so scared.
"Okay," Akane said, gaining everyone's attention. "I know that Ryoga and Akari are going to be moving out soon, but I wanted to say something first."
Ranma looked at her with surprise and Akane knew that this was the first he had heard about Ryoga and Akari moving out.
"You're moving out Ryoga?" Ranma asked.
"Yeah," Ryoga nodded. "I just kind of thought that the way things were now was not the best way things should go. Akari and I have mooched off of your families enough."
Ranma frowned. "But Ryoga, I sort of liked having you here and you as well Akari. You guys are like family now; you don't have to move out."
Akane heard the sadness in Ranma's voice.
"Don't worry Ranma," Akane said. "What I wanted to say was I want us to move out as well, and move in with Ryoga and Akari. Now that we have all that money we can afford a nice place that could easily fit all of us."
Ranma looked at Akane for a moment and smiled. He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Well, you may be a tomboy, but you certainly have some good ideas," Ranma said happily.
Akane bopped Ranma on the head but did so lightly. "You jerk," she said laughing. She looked over at Akari. "Is this going to be okay with you Akari?"
Akari looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, I just don't know how big our place might be and."
Ryoga saw the troubled look on her face and guessed what was wrong.
"Akari," he said quietly. "They know."
Akari looked at Ryoga in surprise and blushed. She turned her head to look at the ground.
Akane freed herself from Ranma's arms and walked over to Akari and put her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"I don't think there is anything wrong with what has been going on between you and Ryoga. The reason why I want me and Ranma to move in with you two is so he and I can have some time to ourselves."
Akari lifted her head and smiled a little weakly.
"Thank you Akane, I would be honored to have you live with me and Ranma."
Ryoga slapped Ranma's upturned hand and laughed happily.
"Well roomy, let's say we go and get ourselves a house," Ranma said.
"That sounds like an excellent idea roomy," Ryoga replied.
Akane and Akari smiled and shook their heads.
"You see," Akane said to Akari, "this is another reason we need to move in together, I don't think either of us could handle one of them by ourselves."
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Before the four youths left the Tendo house, they encountered Ishii at the front gate.
"Hello," Ishii greeted as they approached. "And where are you four going off to so early in the morning?"
"Actually," Ranma said, "we were just heading off to go have a look at some houses."
"Oh, you're planning on moving?" Ishii asked worriedly.
"Yeah, but were only going to try and find a place downtown," Ryoga said.
"Well, if that's the case, I feel I must tell you that I doubt there is that much downtown that any of you would like," Ishii said.
"We would probably settle for just about anything Ishii, just as long as it's got enough room for the four of us," Ranma told him.
Ishii seemed to brighten up. "Alright, than I would ask that you allow me to become your real estate agent for the day."
Ranma chuckled and so did the others. "You got a deal."
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Ishii drove them to some of the houses for sale. The fact that they were all downtown meant that they had a very crummy look to them.
"Isn't there any places that don't look like they're run-down pieces of crap?" Ranma asked, earning an elbow to the ribs by Akane.
Ishii laughed from the front seat.
"I thought you would never ask," he said and immediately took the next turn-off and sped down the streets.
"Where're we headed?" Ranma asked, regaining his breath.
"You'll see," Ishii said.
They drove out of downtown and into a residential area. The houses were all two stories and had a grand backyard. But none of them had a for sale sign on them.
"Ishii," Ranma said from the back seat. "These houses are really nice, but none of them are for sale."
"Really?" Ishii asked from the front seat. "Well, don't worry about that I'm sure we can persuade some poor businessman out of his house."
Ranma looked over at Ryoga, who was seated in the passenger side, and saw the same confused look that was on his own face.
Ishii finally stopped the car in front of what had to be the biggest house in the entire area. He turned and smiled at his passengers and got out of the car.
The house had been built in the latest renovations that the city of Tokyo had received. It was a western style home with two floors, including a basement. The exterior had been painted with a rustic green, and the roof had a chimney poking out from the far eastern corner. The yard had been styled after a traditional Japanese home and was equipped with a stone walkway and a large coy pond. Banzai trees adorned the other parts of the yard. The house was in impeccable condition, the paint and wood looked as if it had just been laid out the day before.
"Holy shit," Ranma breathed. Ryoga nodded his agreement with Ranma's statement.
"Ishii," Akane said gently, "Whose house is this?"
"Yours, the previous owner of this house was Seiji Inafune," Ishii said quietly.
"What?" the four of them chorused at once.
"This was Seiji's house; he had put some renovations on it before he went to China. This was the house that he lived with his wife, and this is the house in which I was raised. It would be an honor if you would become its next residents. I know that would please my father greatly."
The four young adults looked at Ishii for a moment, and then they enveloped him in a hug.
"It would be a great honor if you would allow us to move into this house. And it would be an even greater honor if you would move in with us as well," Ranma whispered into Ishii's ear.
"I accept," Ishii whispered back.
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Author's Notes: This chapter was released by Mrs. Clark as I had been recalled to the Pentagon when I had planned to release it. She did an exceptional job, as usual, and I want to thank her again.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the story so far and I hope everyone has been reviewing.