Passenger
A special Interlude
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction by Selene Starblade Dedicated to those who died on Sept. 11th, 2001, all those who have died since, and all of you out there who have realized that the right thing to do is help people every day, and remember this always and constantly, not just yearly.
No key is necessary for this Interlude.
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Kasumi woke up slowly, and sat up. Something was wrong again. She looked at the clock. It was 4 in the morning. A glance around confirmed what was wrong- Kodora was gone again. She was not sure what could have gotten the smaller girl up at this time- even the other time this had happened, Kodora had woken up at nearly six.
Worried, she got out of bed, donning a modest robe over her equally opaque blue nightgown, and stepped out of her room. She closed the door quietly behind her and looked up and down the hallway.
None of the other bedroom doors were open, so most likely the petite martial artist was somewhere downstairs.
Heading down the stairs, Kasumi began to become puzzled. None of the lights were on, and there was no sound in the house. Where could Kodora have gone?
******
"Damn it!"
Ranma, currently awake and actually not unhappy about it, sighed from within Kodora's head.
*Imooto-chan, relax. You'll never get it if you don't relax.*
Kodora sighed, wiped the sweat from her brow, and took up her stance again.
*I know, Ranma. But I have to get this right. It's the only other way I can think of to make sure I always remember it- you know how my memory works.*
*'Kay, then, but ya gotta relax.*
*Right.*
*Okay, now, concentrate...*
Kodora seemed to draw into herself, spreading her stance. Gradually, she stood with her knees straight out to either side, feet flat on the floor pointing away from her. Her elbows rested on her knees, with her hands, clawlike, palm-out to the sides.
Then, she focused on the memory.
*There... I have it....*
******
It was her semester off between high school and college. It wasn't by choice though. Not even a month ago, she had missed the cut-off date for adding classes, because she'd forgotten it. That had been a row. Her parents had ripped her up one side and down the other over it.
Of course, since she wasn't going to school, she was going to have to get a job. One out of two at least, her mother had said. So, she had gone looking and found one, in a local fast food store.
She was relaxing, not even listening to the radio. Work began at 9:00, so she had an hour and a half before she had to leave. She was already wearing the uniform, black slacks and a black polo with red and green on the collar and sleeve ends. And the little golden 'Arby's' logo on the left breast of the shirt. She had just finished a bowl of cereal and was debating whether to brush her teeth or get something else to eat.
Beedleedleedlee
She blinked, and slid off of the stool. Who on earth would be calling at this hour?? Even telemarketers didn't start THIS early...
Beedleedlee-
Click
"Hello?"
"Oh, you're home."
"...Dad?"
"Turn on the television."
"What? Is something-"
"Just turn it on. I've got to get to work. See you when I get home."
Click
She stared at the phone for an instant, before hanging it up and ducking from the kitchen through her father's office to the living room.
"I wonder what..."
She turned on the television, set to channel 7.
There was fire, and smoke, and...
"I.... know that building..."
They showed the building, part of it not on fire that had been a moment ago. That was shortly fixed by what was definitely a very large passenger airplane.
"Oh, shit.... that's the world trade center..."
She had her shoes and jacket on already, so she simply sat down on the heavy oak coffee table, and stared at the television.
"What on earth..."
It was like watching a train wreck. Actually, she didn't know that, having never seen one. But that was the phrase used.
All the people in the top twenty floors or so... it was horrible.... and the people on the planes...
She sat and watched for half an hour, unable to remove her eyes from the screen, not even putting down the remote.
Then one began to fall...
She hadn't cried more than twice since she was thirteen. After all, if it doesn't do anybody any good, why bother?
She was too shocked to cry.
She looked at her watch.
8:45.
Numbly, she turned off the television, put down the remote, and made sure her nametag was in her pocket.
She left the walkman behind- she couldn't bear the thought of listening to the radio.
***
She stood behind the counter, not even a false smile on her face.
While she had walked to work, the other tower had fallen. She knew, because there was a television in the dining room- it was always on during business hours.
The room was almost empty. Then again, it usually was at that time of day. She wasn't expecting much of a lunch rush, though. It may be San Francisco the restaurant was in, but even across the nation, this wouldn't be something to ignore.
She finally allowed herself to think for a minute. She didn't even last that long before she had to stop.
*I can't think about it... I have to be able to cheer people up...* She thought, wiping tears from her eyes.
It was a slow day for the restaurant.
***
She sat on her bed, finally at home, at five thirty, finally changed out of the uniform.
She remembered every one of them who came in to buy food that day. Some weren't so bad, just the neutral face of someone trying not to care too much, because there was work to be done. They could converse as usual.
Others, some of whom might have had friends who died there, simply looked sad. There was an almost palpable air of depression about them.
She herself had simply existed. Even now she couldn't believe that anyone could order something so unqualifiably evil to be done and live with themself.
She cried a little, but not much. She only wished she could have done more.
******
Kasumi peered into the dark dojo. She noted, to her surprise, that her breath was visible in the blue-green glow.
Kodora stood in the strange stance, totally silent, tears streaming down her face. Then she began to move, keeping her feet out, knees at right angles, calves perpendicular to the floor. She slowly moved her arms. Every motion heightened the blue-green glow of her aura. Her torso twisted one way, then another, touching both hands together to one shin, palms flat, then to the other. She motioned upwards, pushing up with her palms, her aura peaking with the luminescence of a nightlight. Then she put her hands out.
"Twin Towers Falling Kata...." Spoke the quill-haired girl, pausing.
"Buatsui Seishou."(Heavy Spirit Energy) She stated, bringing her hands down slowly, palms-down, collapsing to her knees. The aura flowed out into a plane, and came down slowly, to match her hands. Everywhere it had been, it created a thick, cold fog,glowing a soft blue-green. Kasumi was barely able to make out Kodora as she completed the motion, flattening herself to the floor, then the fog thickened, obscuring everything in the dojo despite the soft glow. Kasumi made her way carefully into the dojo, through the fog, nearly stumbling over the tiny girl, who was curled up on the floor, knees to her chest, crying silently. Kasumi bent down to check on her.
Kodora smiled sadly up at her. "Ohayoo, oneechan. Don't ask... Just... let me tell you a story about something that happened where I came from..."
Kasumi nodded, helping the smaller girl up.
******
Kasumi sat by the table, looking at Kodora through the dim candlelight.
"That's so horrible, Kodora-chan... no wonder you were crying..."
Kodora frowned at Kasumi, an occasional tear still making its way down her cheeks. "No, Kasumi, you don't understand yet..."
Kasumi blinked. "But, I thought it was all those people dying for no reason..."
Kodora shook her head, her quills rattling softly with a sussurating sound.
"It IS that, but there's so much more... you see, after it happened, my father was upset that I didn't seem to be particularly interested in the political effects of the whole thing- he yelled and urged me to look into this. And I found something so much more disturbing..."
Kasumi took a sip of her tea, and waited for her sister to continue.
"Kasumi-oneechan, this sort of thing happens all the time. Not always where everyone can see it. It happens in South America, in Africa, in the Middle East... I looked into it- in terms of human lives, the World Trade Center thing was small compared to most of them.
"And that's what's so horrible about it all. The whole thing could have been so powerful- a wake-up call for all the politicians and all the people who thought the US was all that mattered. A way of saying, 'Hey! Look at all of this out there! Maybe you should do something about it?' You know, get the U.S.A. involved in the outside world in helping, not just in bombing those who are thought to be wrong.
"But that's not what happened. Instead, it became a patriotism thing. Flags ran rampant. Everything was about this horrible attack on the U.S.A., as if things like this only happened once in a century. The president declared war on terrorism. Do you realize how silly that is?
"How do you kill terrorism? What do you shoot at? You can't walk down the street and point terrorists out. The nation started bombing Afghan. Nevermind the Afghanis innocent of any great wrongdoing. As long as terrorists get shot up, who cares?
"That's what makes me so sad about it. Noone woke up. We went from one extreme to the other. Before, you could carry a 12 inch blade on an airplane. What on earth would you want with a hunting knife on an airplane? How many people bring wildebeest they need to skin as carry-on luggage? Then, afterwards, you couldn't carry on a pair of nail clippers or soft plastic knitting needles. Were they afraid people would climb out and slowly file the wings off of the airplane?
"And all the people who could have gone out and done nice things for people, in an attempt to balance it out...
"For me it's been about half a year. I hate to say it, but I seriously doubt that by the time a year has passed, everyone will be anything but numb to the whole thing."
Kodora tossed back her whole mug of tea, ignoring the way it burned her mouth. Kasumi watched, tears standing in her eyes.
Kodora looked at her again, with sad red eyes. "The worst part of all, is... that happened in 2001. Here we are, in 1994. And no matter how hard I try, noone would ever believe me that this will happen. At least, noone important. So all I can do is hope that my being here will have enough of an impact to prevent it. And maybe, just maybe, I can be there on that day. Just in case. If even one more person lives because of me, regardless of if I have to sacrifice myself, it will be worth it. Until then, I can only remember it." She sighed, and shook her head again.
Kasumi put her hand on Kodora's shoulder. "Then, what you were doing in the dojo..."
The small martial artist nodded. "With Ranma's help, I was making a kata to commemorate it. Even if it will never happened, I have to make sure something good comes of it. So I will do what I can to ensure it is remembered. The kata and the technique... if I can manage to create something new in martial arts, a new school, those will be in it. The Twin Towers Falling kata. Still, that isn't all. There's something else, something more concrete."
Kasumi nodded. "What is it, Imootochan?"
Kodora reached back into the black ribbon around her quills. Kasumi blinked, only just noticing that the usual white ribbon was missing. There was a crinkling sound, and Kodora drew forth a small piece of paper, with some writing on it. A Japanese translation rested above each line, rendering it legible in either language. Slowly, quietly, Kasumi read it aloud.
So many people died today But life will still go on Of hope was not a single ray But life will still go on A war begins so far away But life, it still goes on And lives are made, and thrown away And life, it still goes on I always look around and see The hate and strife surrounding me Now all around we're paranoid Where once caution was null and void But hope shines here and sometimes there In people scattered everywhere Unthinking generosity Uncriticizing love Every now and every then Find one who holds above Even their own good another's life And so we find That evil comes and evil goes But life always goes on.
Kasumi nodded slowly, finishing her mug of tea. She looked at Kodora.
"Come on." She said softly, smiling sadly. "I'll wash your back if you wash mine..."
Kodora smiled back, also with a sad quality, as Kasumi handed the paper back.
"Because it's always the small things that matter most, ne, Oneechan?"
"Ee."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Yes, I wrote it.
And I mean it. Forget vengeance. You want to show the terrorists that you're better?
Then love a little, live a little, share a little, give a little.
Because you know...
they wouldn't.
-Selene Starblade
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction by Selene Starblade Dedicated to those who died on Sept. 11th, 2001, all those who have died since, and all of you out there who have realized that the right thing to do is help people every day, and remember this always and constantly, not just yearly.
No key is necessary for this Interlude.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Kasumi woke up slowly, and sat up. Something was wrong again. She looked at the clock. It was 4 in the morning. A glance around confirmed what was wrong- Kodora was gone again. She was not sure what could have gotten the smaller girl up at this time- even the other time this had happened, Kodora had woken up at nearly six.
Worried, she got out of bed, donning a modest robe over her equally opaque blue nightgown, and stepped out of her room. She closed the door quietly behind her and looked up and down the hallway.
None of the other bedroom doors were open, so most likely the petite martial artist was somewhere downstairs.
Heading down the stairs, Kasumi began to become puzzled. None of the lights were on, and there was no sound in the house. Where could Kodora have gone?
******
"Damn it!"
Ranma, currently awake and actually not unhappy about it, sighed from within Kodora's head.
*Imooto-chan, relax. You'll never get it if you don't relax.*
Kodora sighed, wiped the sweat from her brow, and took up her stance again.
*I know, Ranma. But I have to get this right. It's the only other way I can think of to make sure I always remember it- you know how my memory works.*
*'Kay, then, but ya gotta relax.*
*Right.*
*Okay, now, concentrate...*
Kodora seemed to draw into herself, spreading her stance. Gradually, she stood with her knees straight out to either side, feet flat on the floor pointing away from her. Her elbows rested on her knees, with her hands, clawlike, palm-out to the sides.
Then, she focused on the memory.
*There... I have it....*
******
It was her semester off between high school and college. It wasn't by choice though. Not even a month ago, she had missed the cut-off date for adding classes, because she'd forgotten it. That had been a row. Her parents had ripped her up one side and down the other over it.
Of course, since she wasn't going to school, she was going to have to get a job. One out of two at least, her mother had said. So, she had gone looking and found one, in a local fast food store.
She was relaxing, not even listening to the radio. Work began at 9:00, so she had an hour and a half before she had to leave. She was already wearing the uniform, black slacks and a black polo with red and green on the collar and sleeve ends. And the little golden 'Arby's' logo on the left breast of the shirt. She had just finished a bowl of cereal and was debating whether to brush her teeth or get something else to eat.
Beedleedleedlee
She blinked, and slid off of the stool. Who on earth would be calling at this hour?? Even telemarketers didn't start THIS early...
Beedleedlee-
Click
"Hello?"
"Oh, you're home."
"...Dad?"
"Turn on the television."
"What? Is something-"
"Just turn it on. I've got to get to work. See you when I get home."
Click
She stared at the phone for an instant, before hanging it up and ducking from the kitchen through her father's office to the living room.
"I wonder what..."
She turned on the television, set to channel 7.
There was fire, and smoke, and...
"I.... know that building..."
They showed the building, part of it not on fire that had been a moment ago. That was shortly fixed by what was definitely a very large passenger airplane.
"Oh, shit.... that's the world trade center..."
She had her shoes and jacket on already, so she simply sat down on the heavy oak coffee table, and stared at the television.
"What on earth..."
It was like watching a train wreck. Actually, she didn't know that, having never seen one. But that was the phrase used.
All the people in the top twenty floors or so... it was horrible.... and the people on the planes...
She sat and watched for half an hour, unable to remove her eyes from the screen, not even putting down the remote.
Then one began to fall...
She hadn't cried more than twice since she was thirteen. After all, if it doesn't do anybody any good, why bother?
She was too shocked to cry.
She looked at her watch.
8:45.
Numbly, she turned off the television, put down the remote, and made sure her nametag was in her pocket.
She left the walkman behind- she couldn't bear the thought of listening to the radio.
***
She stood behind the counter, not even a false smile on her face.
While she had walked to work, the other tower had fallen. She knew, because there was a television in the dining room- it was always on during business hours.
The room was almost empty. Then again, it usually was at that time of day. She wasn't expecting much of a lunch rush, though. It may be San Francisco the restaurant was in, but even across the nation, this wouldn't be something to ignore.
She finally allowed herself to think for a minute. She didn't even last that long before she had to stop.
*I can't think about it... I have to be able to cheer people up...* She thought, wiping tears from her eyes.
It was a slow day for the restaurant.
***
She sat on her bed, finally at home, at five thirty, finally changed out of the uniform.
She remembered every one of them who came in to buy food that day. Some weren't so bad, just the neutral face of someone trying not to care too much, because there was work to be done. They could converse as usual.
Others, some of whom might have had friends who died there, simply looked sad. There was an almost palpable air of depression about them.
She herself had simply existed. Even now she couldn't believe that anyone could order something so unqualifiably evil to be done and live with themself.
She cried a little, but not much. She only wished she could have done more.
******
Kasumi peered into the dark dojo. She noted, to her surprise, that her breath was visible in the blue-green glow.
Kodora stood in the strange stance, totally silent, tears streaming down her face. Then she began to move, keeping her feet out, knees at right angles, calves perpendicular to the floor. She slowly moved her arms. Every motion heightened the blue-green glow of her aura. Her torso twisted one way, then another, touching both hands together to one shin, palms flat, then to the other. She motioned upwards, pushing up with her palms, her aura peaking with the luminescence of a nightlight. Then she put her hands out.
"Twin Towers Falling Kata...." Spoke the quill-haired girl, pausing.
"Buatsui Seishou."(Heavy Spirit Energy) She stated, bringing her hands down slowly, palms-down, collapsing to her knees. The aura flowed out into a plane, and came down slowly, to match her hands. Everywhere it had been, it created a thick, cold fog,glowing a soft blue-green. Kasumi was barely able to make out Kodora as she completed the motion, flattening herself to the floor, then the fog thickened, obscuring everything in the dojo despite the soft glow. Kasumi made her way carefully into the dojo, through the fog, nearly stumbling over the tiny girl, who was curled up on the floor, knees to her chest, crying silently. Kasumi bent down to check on her.
Kodora smiled sadly up at her. "Ohayoo, oneechan. Don't ask... Just... let me tell you a story about something that happened where I came from..."
Kasumi nodded, helping the smaller girl up.
******
Kasumi sat by the table, looking at Kodora through the dim candlelight.
"That's so horrible, Kodora-chan... no wonder you were crying..."
Kodora frowned at Kasumi, an occasional tear still making its way down her cheeks. "No, Kasumi, you don't understand yet..."
Kasumi blinked. "But, I thought it was all those people dying for no reason..."
Kodora shook her head, her quills rattling softly with a sussurating sound.
"It IS that, but there's so much more... you see, after it happened, my father was upset that I didn't seem to be particularly interested in the political effects of the whole thing- he yelled and urged me to look into this. And I found something so much more disturbing..."
Kasumi took a sip of her tea, and waited for her sister to continue.
"Kasumi-oneechan, this sort of thing happens all the time. Not always where everyone can see it. It happens in South America, in Africa, in the Middle East... I looked into it- in terms of human lives, the World Trade Center thing was small compared to most of them.
"And that's what's so horrible about it all. The whole thing could have been so powerful- a wake-up call for all the politicians and all the people who thought the US was all that mattered. A way of saying, 'Hey! Look at all of this out there! Maybe you should do something about it?' You know, get the U.S.A. involved in the outside world in helping, not just in bombing those who are thought to be wrong.
"But that's not what happened. Instead, it became a patriotism thing. Flags ran rampant. Everything was about this horrible attack on the U.S.A., as if things like this only happened once in a century. The president declared war on terrorism. Do you realize how silly that is?
"How do you kill terrorism? What do you shoot at? You can't walk down the street and point terrorists out. The nation started bombing Afghan. Nevermind the Afghanis innocent of any great wrongdoing. As long as terrorists get shot up, who cares?
"That's what makes me so sad about it. Noone woke up. We went from one extreme to the other. Before, you could carry a 12 inch blade on an airplane. What on earth would you want with a hunting knife on an airplane? How many people bring wildebeest they need to skin as carry-on luggage? Then, afterwards, you couldn't carry on a pair of nail clippers or soft plastic knitting needles. Were they afraid people would climb out and slowly file the wings off of the airplane?
"And all the people who could have gone out and done nice things for people, in an attempt to balance it out...
"For me it's been about half a year. I hate to say it, but I seriously doubt that by the time a year has passed, everyone will be anything but numb to the whole thing."
Kodora tossed back her whole mug of tea, ignoring the way it burned her mouth. Kasumi watched, tears standing in her eyes.
Kodora looked at her again, with sad red eyes. "The worst part of all, is... that happened in 2001. Here we are, in 1994. And no matter how hard I try, noone would ever believe me that this will happen. At least, noone important. So all I can do is hope that my being here will have enough of an impact to prevent it. And maybe, just maybe, I can be there on that day. Just in case. If even one more person lives because of me, regardless of if I have to sacrifice myself, it will be worth it. Until then, I can only remember it." She sighed, and shook her head again.
Kasumi put her hand on Kodora's shoulder. "Then, what you were doing in the dojo..."
The small martial artist nodded. "With Ranma's help, I was making a kata to commemorate it. Even if it will never happened, I have to make sure something good comes of it. So I will do what I can to ensure it is remembered. The kata and the technique... if I can manage to create something new in martial arts, a new school, those will be in it. The Twin Towers Falling kata. Still, that isn't all. There's something else, something more concrete."
Kasumi nodded. "What is it, Imootochan?"
Kodora reached back into the black ribbon around her quills. Kasumi blinked, only just noticing that the usual white ribbon was missing. There was a crinkling sound, and Kodora drew forth a small piece of paper, with some writing on it. A Japanese translation rested above each line, rendering it legible in either language. Slowly, quietly, Kasumi read it aloud.
So many people died today But life will still go on Of hope was not a single ray But life will still go on A war begins so far away But life, it still goes on And lives are made, and thrown away And life, it still goes on I always look around and see The hate and strife surrounding me Now all around we're paranoid Where once caution was null and void But hope shines here and sometimes there In people scattered everywhere Unthinking generosity Uncriticizing love Every now and every then Find one who holds above Even their own good another's life And so we find That evil comes and evil goes But life always goes on.
Kasumi nodded slowly, finishing her mug of tea. She looked at Kodora.
"Come on." She said softly, smiling sadly. "I'll wash your back if you wash mine..."
Kodora smiled back, also with a sad quality, as Kasumi handed the paper back.
"Because it's always the small things that matter most, ne, Oneechan?"
"Ee."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Yes, I wrote it.
And I mean it. Forget vengeance. You want to show the terrorists that you're better?
Then love a little, live a little, share a little, give a little.
Because you know...
they wouldn't.
-Selene Starblade