A/N: Ha! Finally! She updates! I actually started this on Pearl Harbor Day... I wanted to get it done, but I was having a little dilemma I like to refer to as "writer's block". So here 'tis. The next chapter may have a little more... "fluff", but I'm not really that kind of writer, and anyways, I wanted to introduce Ryoga more into the story. As you can tell, relationships are different here because of the situations they grew up in. Anywhoo, on with the show.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranm ½. I do not own the quote taken from "The Octopus" (obviously), nor do I own the Chattanooga Choo Choo... but wouldn't it be swell if I did?

Chapter 7: As Life Goes On

"...but if these are the last words I ever speak to you, listen to them, and remember
them, because I know I speak the truth. Evil is short-lived. Never judge of the whole
round of life by the mere segment you can see. The whole is, in the end, perfect."

Spoken by Vanamee in "The Octopus", Frank Norris

It hurt. She couldn't lie... it hurt like hell. It felt like she had plunged her own trembling hand into the depths of her bosom, and tore her throbbing heart out. It felt like she had torn each fingernail from each slender finger, each toenail from each delicate toe. It felt like so much pain, so much suffering had just begun. But... it would cease. The days would go on, the sun would set, and the next morning, rise in its infinite glory.

Some people say the day you are born is the day you begin to die. Those people are usually the ones without friends, without a job, and without dreams to keep themselves occupied. Some people say you're born to work, live to work, and die working. Again, another eternal pessimist. But if you asked anyone who cared... anyone who could find some splinter of happiness in a world where there was so much misery, you might be told differently. They might tell you that there were some things on this wasted planet worth living for. A lover, maybe, or a cat.

A family who had all but been destroyed, yet still couldn't find it in their god-forsaken pride to stop trying. That was the family she lived in. That was the family she worked so hard to support, so hard to please. No matter what ordeal they put you to, it doesn't matter if you're sent to hell and back, there is always someone out there that feels your pain too. That's what keeps you trying. That's what keeps you alive. And that's why she would continue to care for her baby sisters until the day she died.

"Uhm, is there a Miss Tendo in there?" Ranma whispered to an older female nurse who sat at her make-shift desk tapping a pen idly. She looked up through horn-rimmed glasses, and smiled curiously at him.

"Why, yes Sir. She came in a few hours earlier with another young woman. Long hair, kinda pretty. They both looked terrible. She was supposed to be out by now. Let me go and fetch her." Ranma scratched his head in thought. He cleared his throat.

"Actually, you better not. I was just doin' a check up. There was a disturbance by the guard tower earlier this evening." The nurse stopped tapping her abused pen, and gave Ranma a long, careful once over. She nodded.

"A disturbance, hey? What kind of disturbance, if I may be so bold?" Ranma looked toward the ground, his scuffed shoes resting on an even dirtier wooden floor. He shook his head, and gave the nurse a silencing glare. "I'm sorry Ma'am, but that ain't your business. Have a good night." He began his slow descent toward the door, his unfocussed gaze a sure sign of a wandering mind.

What now? Should he just... leave? He stopped suddenly, turning toward the curious woman on another pen tapping rampage. She was carefully studying a form in front of her as her battered writing utensil continued its glorious march on the desk. She sighed after a long moment of tense silence.

"Can I help you with something Sir? A glass of water perhaps?" Her voice teetered on the edge of arrogant sarcasm. Ranma ignored it, bringing his calloused hand toward the pigtail by the nape of his neck. He spoke slowly, still thoughtful, "On second thought, could you retrieve Miss Tendo and her family and send them to the evening guard post as soon as possible? I would like to speak with them privately." The Secretary remained where she was, watching Ranma expectantly. He cleared his throat audibly, "Er... now, please?"

The woman jumped to attention, pushing the horn-rimmed glasses farther up her nose and huffing. She walked swiftly to the door adjoining the rooms, running a plump hand through her curly orange coif. She hesitated only a moment, sending a disappointed glance toward the handsome young soldier. The rosy blush that accompanied her shocking red lipstick could hardly cover the flush of anger overpowering her features. She opened the rotting door, stepped through in one hurried shuffle, and slammed it behind her.

Ranma stood for a few moments more, his eyes never leaving the door. Now what was he going to do? What was he going to say to them? What was he thinking?

Akane sat beside her sisters in utter silence. Her mind raced in wretched circles as her body sat rigidly in front of the night-watch post. Kasumi sat beside her, a small dirty rag in hand, polishing the bench they sat on idly. Her hands twirled the fabric expertly, while her gaze darted in and out of focus. Nabiki was beside her, her face deliberately kept unreadable, her arms folded before her. Her ragged skirt clung to her shapely legs as she crossed and uncrossed them leisurely.

"Kasumi, I think its clean now." Nabiki spoke irritably. Kasumi halted in her cleaning duties, but her eyes remained on the hand holding the rag. She paused for a moment, no one so much as breathing, before Kasumi resumed her task.

"Just a bit more I think." Nabiki rolled her eyes drastically, and Akane parted her chapped lips. She whispered delicately, "Let her do what she wants, Nabiki. She's just trying to..." Nabiki gave her younger sister a hard look, and Akane met it only for a moment before looking away. Nabiki responded coldly, "To what, Akane? To distract herself? To forget? I've got news for you sis, she can't. You can't. He's dead. Daddy's gone, and it won't just go away."

Akane flushed with anger and shame. "I know that Nabiki, I was there, remember? He died in my goddamned arms for heaven's sake! If any of us should be trying to forget, it should be me! You have no idea what it's like... I keep seeing it. It keeps playing over and over and over, and I can't stop it!"

"You can't forget it, not anymore. So don't -"

"Stop it! Both of you, just stop!" Kasumi screamed, her voice cracking as tears stung her swollen eyes. She choked, "Now... now more than ever. We need each other. We have to... take care of each other from now on." Kasumi was silenced as a new onslaught of sobs overcame her. Nabiki closed her gaping mouth guiltily, and Akane placed a trembling hand upon her suffering sister's shoulder. They remained quiet once more.

There was a polite cough from several feet away. They all turned to the source, only to find a very familiar officer before them. Ranma cleared his throat awkwardly. He began, "I'm very sorry for your... loss. I am deeply grieved that you had to experience something as terrible as this under the supervision of my officers." Nabiki interrupted snidely, "Well, our stay here hasn't exactly been a picnic, you must realize. Besides the obvious, I mean."

"Nabiki!" Kasumi warned. Ranma held his silence. Akane looked away from the man. No, not the man... the boy. He couldn't have been any older than herself. She waited expectantly, looking everywhere besides the sorrowful faces of her company.

"Well, what is it that you want? You're the one who called us here." Akane finally added. Ranma looked toward her in mild surprise, and for a moment, their eyes met. She shivered audibly, the empathetic look in his gaze both angering her, and relieving her. She snapped again, "What?"

His face remained solemn, though the foggy hue of his eyes cleared slightly at her spunky behavior.

"I just wanted to allow you my deepest regrets, and to let the three of you know that - off the record - if you ever need anything, let me know." Nabiki snorted vulgarly.

"How about you let us out of this god-forsaken prison so we can get on with our pathetic lives, that you and your company so graciously interrupted?" Nabiki spat sardonically.

"I thought not." she added as she stood abruptly, pulling Kasumi with her.

"Come on Akane, we're leaving." Akane stood, hesitating as Nabiki strode forcefully toward the rotting shack in which they were to call home. Kasumi followed closely behind, though much less willfully than her younger sister. Akane and Ranma watched them for a moment before Ranma bowed shallowly toward Akane. She waited.

"You should have let me kill myself." Her eyes shone in the moonlight, her gaze was hard. Ranma tilted his head to the side, and a smile flitted across his handsome face. He lifted one calloused hand to pat the top of her frazzled hair, and shook his head.

"Courage comes from being strong when people need you most." He shifted his gaze to the spot where the Tendo sisters had been several moments ago before turning on his heel and walking away from Akane.

"G'night." He called as he flung a lazy hand in the air in a farewell gesture. Akane stood several moments more, planted to her spot. A melody escaped from the direction of his departure as he began whistling. It was slow, almost lazy. It gave her an inexplicable feeling of relaxation, almost like she was home again, watching her father play another game of Go against an imaginary opponent as her mother hustled around in the kitchen nearby, humming the Chattanooga Choo Choo. A calm enveloped her. She shook her head at the ease in which he had turned her emotions against her. She was so simple-minded.

She smiled serenely as she followed her long-departed sisters, humming a slow, lazy tune.

"So I hear there was a bit of a problem over by the east watch tower. Some deranged old man tried to kill the guards or some such." A young man commented in the close confines of the soldiers' quarters. He shuffled through his small hand of cards, grimacing noticeably at the lack of advantage he held.

"I heard somethin' o' that sort too, come to think about it. It might be the start of a big rebellion." The man next to him twanged as he chewed the end of an old cigarette.

"Gee, Andy, maybe you should try an' lay off some of that smoking. It'll kill ya' long before this dam war will." a man across the card table answered to his consistent cigarette chewing. He added, "I mean, who knows where you came up with that dirty old thing you keep sticken' in yer mouth. It's an addiction, that's what 't is. Gimme that." He scolded as he leaned across the table swiftly and deftly caught the stub of nicotine between his fingers as he yanked it from his comrade's mouth.

"Ay, maybe if there's a rebellion, we kin' blow off some o' them traitors' scrabbled little heads." The addict, Andy, added as he replaced the stolen cigarette with his dirty stub of a fingernail.

The first soldier huffed indignantly, "Andy, that ain't no way to talk about anybody! I don't care where the hell they came from, they're American citizens!" He was quite a bit younger than the other five or so crowded around the table. Two or three of them scoffed and snorted.

" You're just a kid... you don't understand anything." A bristly older man rasped. Then another soldier piped up, arguing, "If he's old enough to kill a man, I think he's old enough to make up his own mind, Chip, don't you?"

"Yeah, an' they got a lot of pretty meat with 'em, as it happens. Why, I saw quiet the little lady walking around outside just this morning. There aren't many of 'em walkin' round as yet - they're all too scared to leave their cabins, but this one, she was a real beauty." Most of the men perked up. Ranma snorted in disdain from his leisured sprawl across the room. Men are still men, I suppose. Even in these circumstances.

An unlikely response came from Ryoga, who was carefully looking over his hand.

"I saw her. Man, was she a real ace. Huh, Ranma? Just ask him, I saw him talking to her just a few hours ago. Was she just as pretty close up?" Ranma shook his head at Ryoga's naivety, and was quick to answer.

"I don't know what you're talking about soldier, but what I do here is my own business, not yours." He stood from his lounging position and stretched his arms freely before leaving the room without another word. Ryoga remained silent, watching as he left the room, while several of his friends shrugged easily and returned to their game of poker.

"Read 'em an weep, gentlemen. Four of a kind." Several men surrounding the older man known as Chip, threw down their cards, groaning and cussing.

"I'd like to see someone wipe that smug look off your dam face you cocky bastard, hm? Any takers?" Ryoga drew his attention back to the game for a moment, most of his thoughts being focused on the departed Ranma. He slapped his cards down on the table while his eyes remained on the door.

"Straight flush. Excuse me, buddy." He added to a man sitting behind him as he pushed through the collection of men to get to the door. He left swiftly, following after Ranma.

When he reached him shortly and unexpectedly, it was all Ryoga could do not to crash into him from behind. Ranma yelped, "Hey watch it!" And Ryoga backed off quickly. He stuck a hand behind his head sheepishly before clearing his throat.

"Um, sorry Ranma, I know it's none of my business but... is there - is there something going on here that I should know about? You know, about what happened earlier?" Ranma's angry gaze softened at Ryoga's flustered face. He turned somewhat away from his friend before answering gently.

"She lost her father, Ryoga. And her mother. Both times it was our fault - the Americans' faults. The governments fault. I just thought I could show her a little sympathy, that's all." Ryoga watched Ranma's face as he spoke. After a short pause, he elbowed the pigtailed boy in the ribs and added playfully, "You sure, Ranma? That girl's one fine miss, if I do say so myself. Could there be anything, you know, going on between you?" Ranma's face flushed pink at his insinuation, and he shoved Ryoga away from him.

"N-no! Of course not! With a girl like that? I'd half to be insane! She may look nice on the outside, but man, she's tough. And stubborn too! Hardly a girl at all, if you know what I mean." Ryoga looked amused, and then his expression fell into solemness.

"I guess you'd have to be, after what you say she's been through." The pink hue of Ranma's cheeks vanished, and he was silent. He nodded without a word. Ryoga watched him out of the corner of his eye as they walked in companionable silence back to the soldier's quarters.

"But... since there's obviously nothing going on between you two, then I guess I'm free to go and offer her a friendly lap to cry in..." Ryoga added, looking off toward the small shacks that lined the racetrack the camp was created on.

"You do and I'll break your legs." Ranma answered immediately, a hint of possession in his threat. Ryoga turned to him and smiled, knowing he had caught him in his lie. Ranma growled at the smug grin on Ryoga's face, and he sucker punched him squarely in the face.

"What the hell was that for?" The fanged boy yelled from his sprawled position on the floor. He wiped the dirt from his pants and spread his legs out in front of him, sending a heated glare toward his lead in command.

"A love tap." Ranma shrugged as he continued toward quarters with his hands behind his head, smiling widely.

Just know that I'm working on the next chapter as I speak... but I'd feel oftly special if you sent in a review. Thanks a bunch.