ATTENTION: THIS STORY IS A SEQUEL TO "OFFICER SAOTOME", A FIC I COMPLETED IN 2010.
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Catharsis
Chapter 03 The Only Easy Day...
February [CLASSIFIED], 20XX.
[XX] Kilometers [XXXX] of [XXXXXX]
Hokkaido, Japan.
SODA-POP
FAST Phase, HELL WEEK +1
Day - 021
2011 Hours
"Coxswain! Get your goddamn men in gear!"
Natsumi nodded and swiveled her foot in the sand, pivoting towards the sea. Fear and cold kept her from being reminded of her sand chafed thighs and their open sores. Three inflatable boats faced her, dangling red safety rope holding chemlights on all of them. Two groups of eight weary bodies were lined up next to each Zodiac boat, with seven on the last crew.
"Time for Rock Portage! Our favorite maritime Evolution, isn't it ladies?"
The group convincingly paused for effect with remarkable timing. "Aye, aye, Master Chief!"
They all looked at the chemlights, the dim Hokkaido moon, and the seaside cliff they couldn't see but would soon be securing their boats against. They'd been awake and harassed the past 20 hours straight. They were drained from doing every form of calisthenics known to man. The seawater splashed in choppy rips. The salt water surf hit the beach like frothy ice cubes, ready to lock them into submission.
"Class Leader!. Front and center!"
From the mid boat crew, a soaked green pile of buxom redhead immediately sprinted across the sand and towards the beach, where the Cadre of instructors and their colorful, bright caps stood side by side in their wool-lined, camouflage patterned parkas.
Ranma stopped just short of the glaring Cadre. Her right arm immediately shot up with her flat palm crisply lined up to her eyebrows.
Command Master Chief Ken Kimura flattened his lips and nodded. He saluted her back with lightning efficiency.
"What's the report?"
"24 present and 24 accounted. Three boat, crews reassigned after six D-O-R's, Master Chief." Ranma looked straight through him as he stared right past her.
"Outstanding, Class Leader." He gave her a soft press on the shoulder with his hand. "I've got some news for you." Kimura smacked his lips. "I regret to inform you this, however Chief Petty Officer Tamura has regained consciousness and is stable. His injury is non-life threatening nor will it require emergency medical procedure. He has requested to DOR instead of risking further injury. You can tell his boys with the Special Boarding Unit that he's gonna be alright before we start this evolution."
Ranma eyes shifted. Her chin dropped before she crisply responded. "Aye, aye, Master Chief. I think they'll all want to know."
Master Chief's tough visage faltered. His lips trembled and he looked down at his boats for a second before sharply looking back up at Ranma. "I imagine they would, they lost an outstanding leader. It ain't your crew's fault, so don't dwell on it. As you were, Candidate. Back to your boat crew."
"Aye, aye, Master Chief."
Her body turned away without noise and ran away with footsteps that barely seemed to imprint into the sand. Ranma tried to clear her throat as she shook her head. The faces of her teammates surrounded her before she had a chance to get in her correct position.
"What's the word, Ranko?"
"They say anything about Chief Tamura coming back? He's at least conscious, right?"
"How's Chief Tamura, Class Leader?"
Ranma waved her hands in the air quickly and placed her palms outward, arms outstretched. "Let's just hold it right there!"
Several anxious grumbles and several understanding mumbles and nods emanated.
Ranma cleared her throat. When she swallowed, it felt like a lump of lead, right into the stone cold pit of her soul. "Master Chief has instructed me to tell you that Chief Tamura has regained consciousness. He is expected to make a full recovery and his injuries aren't life threatening. He has decided to DOR instead of risking further injury. As your Class Leader, I humbly ask you do not judge him for it."
One man placed his hand on his forehead and brushed his hat off. "Judge him? Fuck that! We'd never do that!"
Another covered his mouth and looked up. "Bastard that tough decides it wasn't worth pushing, what chance do I have?"
"Oh my god, what a fucking waste!"
One of them burst into tears. "It wasn't his fault. Damnit Chief!"
A couple of the faces there couldn't take it. They slowly backpedaled and found themselves facing each other and then the big brass ship bell hanging out by the Cadre.
"What the-" One of the candidates whistled and had everyone look to where he was pointing. "Hey what the hell are you two doing! We're about to do rock portage!"
"Hey, hey! Guys this ain't the time to quit!"
Ranma yelled at them immediately as well. "Kudo, Morita, Nomura! It wasn't your fault! Get your ass back here now! We're starting the evolution!"
All three men wiped the tears off their face as they grabbed the rope together to ring the bell.
*CLANG*
"Goddamnit we will get through if you try!"
*CLANG*
Miyuki looked down at her feet as the others around her yelled in support. Her eyes only looked back up to see each ring of the clapper.
"We can't have the entire SBU go out!" Ranma stamped her foot. Her features pleaded for help, her eyes watered as a tinge of plunging doom colored the pit of her stomach with the foreboding of doom.
*CLANG*
The entire class erupted in a collective wail. The cadre looked on, showing a subdued mix of reaction. Some, like Sousuke portrayed a wall of granite. Impervious, and unfeeling. Others, like Master Chief Kimura, stood with tight lips and eyes filled with split-second afterthoughts, sparking intense moments of regret.
Natsumi sighed. Her chestnut brown hair matted to her face, she trembled a sigh. "God, please. Five more days."
Ranma defiantly ran towards the men who rang out. The class stood in tired shock as they saw their class leader break protocol. Any break of protocol meant group punishment.
Their senses sharpened instantly to alert shock when they saw that the cadre did nothing to stop her or reprimand her.
"Guys!" Ranma yelped.
"Ranko," one of the hoarsely replied. His throat caught in sync with the tears squeezing their way out of his eyes. "We let him down."
"Please, these guys need you! Who's gonna conquer the sea like a bunch of fuckin' sea commandos?"
One of them continued walking, looking away from their Ranko. "Ranko, please. We couldn't protect one of our own. We slipped and our own Chief is out. I'm no good to these guys."
The last one tenderly laid her hand on Ranma's shoulder. He was older, not much in years, however his eyes spoke of decades beyond. The thumb of his left hand gently swept the side of her cheeks and her bright red hair. She didn't move, and continued to gaze at his eyes with dull intensity, tired. Her eyebrows relaxed in defeat. Her shoulders loosened, ready to listen.
"There comes a time when all of us have to face the truth to our own calling, Ranko." He wiped his nose, smearing off the fine, damp sand that had encrusted his face. "We're strong as a team. With one man down and out, I've just lost the desire to continue. I don't want this. Actually, I don't want this without them. I know I'm not speaking for them…"
Ranma looked over to the other Maritime Special Boarding Unit members. They were already nodding, confirming their teammate's sentiments.
"...But it seems they also feel the same."
She nodded slowly. Her eyes transitioned to each of their eyes. She nodded with more accepting vigor. "I hear you loud and clear."
They all nodded back, a worldless thank you.
"Don't quit, Saotome," one of them encouraged. "You got bigger balls and a meaner swinging dick than all these dicks put together." A smile escaped his lips as he turned to walk away for the last time.
The back of his head never left her sight.
Don't quit she told herself. Ranma Saotome doesn't quit.
But you have, a whisper resonated.
Not fair, her mind reasoned back.
You're right. It wasn't fair...
...but you did it anyway. All of it.
The ocean waves crashed with a tumbling crescendo and she looked up. Her exhausted, vein addled eyes locked on to the blurry streaks shouting out in the pitch black sky. It was a starry, starry night.
It's been a few years hasn't it?
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~A Few Years Ago~
Tokyo, Japan.
Nerima - Tendo Home
1910 Hours
The gate was heavy as usual, however this time it opened with the smooth fluidity of a ball bearing.
"Ryouga! You finally fixed this damn door!"
"Oh, hey," a female voice lyrically called out. "It's Ranma!"
Dressed in comfortable grey slacks and a short sleeve red polo, Ranma strolled in with a couple of handful of shopping bags. He looked over at the young woman quickly walking his way, arms already open wide to receive a hug.
Ranma swung the bags around her and she laughed as they crashed around her back. "How are you, Akane?"
She smoothed down the white and yellow dress she had on as she was released from his hug. Her right hand landed on his left shoulder and squeezed warmly. "Same as last time. How are ya', you jerk?"
He nodded and let out a playful grunt imitating a caveman, as if he was satisfied with the state of things. "I brought some beer, a bunch of good meats for us and then some for when you guys eat later this week, a bunch of fancy fruit from the department store, and a couple bottles of nice booze for your pops when he's hanging out with my pops."
Akane shrugged and shook her head at Ranma, a half cocked smile drawn across her cheek. "To think... you and Ryouga... becoming like your father and my father." She threw her hands in the air, still smiling.
From behind them, a calm fang toothed man clad in a white gi tied with a black belt gently emerged. "Things could be worse. We could be at each other's throats still, yelling and fighting."
Ranma's eyes lifted. "Glad to see you found a sense of humor in that."
Akane looked at him proudly, flashing looks of gratitude at Ranma.
"Progress," Ryouga muttered. "You want to come in?"
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"It's been over four months since then." Ranma gulped some beer. "I haven't heard from her since."
"It was ten days that first time she broke up with you, right?"
Ranma's head stiffly nodded. "Then two weeks next time. Then a month. Now this." He shut his eyes, crinkling his nose, lips pressed. "I keep telling myself Kiyone will back down, just one last time."
He shook his head and then wiped his eyes down from his hand on his brow. "Just one last time."
"Err… what's the leave or situation this time around?"
Ranma looked at him, unsure of how to say what came next. "It's something like under a million light years away or something."
"Uh, that sounds really far away."
"At least three to four months away. She's part of something so much fantastically bigger… my mind can't wrap around it."
"She might be too much like you," Ryouga stated.
Ranma walked up to the koi pond and looked down at his reflection momentarily. "She's much better than me," he finally said, walking back towards the sliding doors of the family room porch.
They sat there together, facing the koi pond. The last pale light of the horizon subdued the entire yard a in a calm, blanket of shadow.
"How's your stomach?"
Ranma winced. His left hand gingerly went over the side of his stomach. "It's completely healed."
"How's Shampoo?"
Ranma took out a pack of cigarettes and lifted the box cover. "Doing fine."
"Akane says you've been visiting her a lot."
"No more than you. She's a person too." Ranma's face grimaced and he spat out on the yard. "We talk all this fuckin' shit growing up like we were going to kill each other or kill someone. As if any of us were ever ready for the real thing. And Mousse… that fuckin' asshole. He runs off to China claiming he failed his one-true-love, when this is the time she needs her fucking friends by the most."
Ryoga shook his head. "So how's she doing?"
Ranma looked at the koi pond. His lips were stiff and eyes were soft, unsure. "Shampoo took it better than most people. It's Cologne I'm more worried about, if I'm honest. Despite the crazy shit we've been through… they didn't need to live a life experiencing that."
Ryouga popped the top of a beer can as he swung his legs on the edge of the family room porch. He handed it over to Ranma who took it in exchange for a freshly lit cigarette that immediately went into Ryouga's lips.
Ranma took a loud slurp of his beer. "Not bad. You said you bought this in Budapest?"
Ryouga nodded, exhaling. "Yep. Got lost and found one of the world's greatest brews, apparently." He offered the lit cigarette back to Ranma.
"No thanks," Ranma said as he fished a cherry red pack of Marlboro Reds from his shirt pocket. "I'll light my own."
"Akane keeps mentioning I've become like her dad," Ryouga said, his voice soft and affectionate. "Started drinking like him." He raised his can. "And smoking like him." The other raised a lit Marlboro.
Ranma shook his head. "Don't be tough on yourself. Think of… think of… ah, nevermind."
"Thanks," Ryouga nodded. He continued to nod for effect. "I know what you mean, you don't have to be scared to say it anymore. I wasn't well. I was sick."
"You weren't sick," Ranma replied, his voice lowered.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You've told me all about coping mechanisms being a useful tool to actually coping. I'm not complaining about that," Ryouga said, thinning his lips to suppress a smile. "The funny thing is, I've come to like it more than I thought."
Ranma nodded quickly in agreement. "Half the world enjoys it. It doesn't make us crazy to enjoy it too."
Ryouga rolled his eyes and shook his head, a belated smile plastered.
"Thanks."
"For what?" Ranma lifted his brows.
"Saying I wasn't sick."
Ranma didn't say anything.
"I really appreciate it," Ryouga sighed. "I don't think I would've ever started recovering unless you had forgiven me as fast as you had."
The pigtailed young man nodded. He took a long slug of his beer. "If you have any thoughts of paying me back, can I ask you again if you could find it in your heart to forgive Nabiki?"
Ryouga stared ahead, his lit cigarette hung between his lips. He slowly dragged it in, enveloping the smoke deep in his lungs. It came out his nostrils in a smooth, jet stream that curled upwards towards the sky.
Ranma continued. "It's not my place to tell you how to feel or lead your life, Ryouga. However I can't in good conscience-"
"She lives next door to you. She's got her life figured out. Isn't that enough?"
"Enough for what?" Ranma frowned. "And you know why I arranged to have her next door to me. Same reason why I still come back for you, for Akane, help pay for Kasumi's university tuition, and hang out with our dads."
Ryouga bristled with an uncomfortable chill up his spine. "The 21st Century Ranma and his people-helping empathy… it still creeps me out man."
Ranma sniffed. "It's part of who I am now. I want to help the people I care about." He paused. His next whisper came out with the husk of defeat, laden with despair. "There's very few people I care about."
"I like the way things are," Ryouga replied flatly.
"I can see why that's comforting Ryouga. And it's ok to feel that way." Ranma nodded in sympathy. "Let me ask you a question, want to know why?"
"Why what?"
"Why it's important to me… to us… to you and especially… your wife." Ranma gulped.
Ryouga regarded him carefully.
"Why?" he gently asked.
"True healing doesn't begin until someone bears witness. It's when others acknowledge and recognize what has happened and learn the truth… that your soul can finally come to a rest."
Ryouga huffed. "I'm impressed. You sound like a bible."
Ranma downed his beer and motioned to Ryouga for another one. He quickly cracked the top open simultaneously as he caught it and chugged it into his mouth.
"Nabiki is Akane's older sister. That's never going to change, Ryouga."
"Kasumi can't exactly be keen either about Nabiki," Ryouga sputtered.
"Says who?" Ranma inquisitively reasoned. "Do you talk to her about it? I know I do, but do you?"
Ryouga quickly shook his head no. "Goddamnit. I can't comfortably talk to anyone but my wife and… you… about important things beyond martial arts."
"Kasumi won't say it out loud, but she's still hurting too," Ranma said. "And I don't think it's for Tofu," he sighed.
Ryouga looked at Ranma, as if he had already known what the pieces would show when put together. "And Akane?"
"You know the answer to that, dumbass," Ranma scowled. "All the sisters need to be reunited. They just stay away out of respect to YOU."
Ryouga fumed. He smacked his lips before slowly starting. "Being given a position of high respect for the first time in my life… I didn't think this would be how it felt."
Ranma regarded his eyes. He saw the regret. "Power just influences things into action… it doesn't necessarily create content and happiness."
"Yeah." Ryouga smacked his lips again. "Yeah," he sighed slowly.
"The only way I know to help Akane is to help you right now, Ryouga. Her happiness is your happiness. It's part of mine too. And she won't ever be happy until her family is happy." He grabbed Ryouga by the shoulder. "That means, you too."
The two continued sitting idly, sipping their drinks. Every few sips, Ranma looked over to Ryouga, who ignored him.
After Ryouga crushed his empty can, he reached for another. It was the last one in the bucket of ice. He snapped the top open with his thumb and drank like he was dousing a fire.
Ryouga closed his eyes and started nodding in agreement.
Ranma looked over. A grateful smile formed on his lips. "Thanks for thinking about giving it a try. I thought tonight of all nights would be worth a shot."
Ryouga snorted. His deep breaths now seemed to be those of relief.
"So, Ranma."
"Yeah, buddy?"
"Who witnesses you?"
Ranma paused, frowning. "Witness me with what?"
"Your healing."
Ranma casually shook his head as if it were a silly question. He continued to drink out of his can.
"Hey, mind if I ask a really personal question?" Ryouga said, the tone in his voice a bit higher than normal. "It's ok if you don't want to."
Ranma shrugged and regarded him coolly. "It's alright, I suppose. You put up with all my questions and attempts to give you therapy."
"..."
He looked at Ryouga, eyes narrowed. "C'mon man, you asked. Spit it out, it's ok."
"How...how do you...well, that is. How do you…"
Ranma continued nodding and sipping.
"Haugh." Ryouga cleared his throat. "What do you- how do you… sleep or deal with it? The fact that you've killed people."
"It was a matter of duty and circumstance," he replied, confidently and quickly.
Ryouga's eyes bulged at the mechanical answer. "No, no. I'm sorry, that was fuckin' weird. "I asked you a serious question, man. How do you deal with it? All those people you killed? How many have you killed?"
"Wha-?" Ranma shook his head annoyed. "What are you talking about?"
"I couldn't live with it. It tore my soul right fucking apart. I thanked everything in heaven and hell that you survived."
Ranma's hand crushed his can just slightly. "I don't think about these things. And neither should you."
Ryouga lifted his hands up. "You're right, I'm sorry I pushed. You said it was ok to ask."
Ranma's face burned in shame. "What good would it be to know something like that." It was a statement, more than a question.
Ryouga squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry, that was a dumb question to ask. Like a kid."
Ranma licked the top of his lips. He drew in a sharp breath. "Ryouga."
"Yeah?" Ryouga lifted his head up. Ranma stared deeply at the koi pond.
"Remember when we were kids? When we'd fight each other and we'd literally declare we'd fight to the death?"
Ryouga blinked. "Yeah, of course I do."
"Ever wonder how many times we said we'd do something crazy... and we don't follow through?"
Ryouga nodded.
"How many things we take for granted?
He nodded again.
"How about when we find out that things aren't quite what they seem?"
"Sure I do."
"Killing is all that confusion and more.. Learning why some people kill, how they do it, why they do it… the more you learn about it, it sinks its hooks deeper in you.."
This time, it was Ryouga's turn to patiently listen.
"I know it's no secret I come to visit you… to help you cope with the trauma. Killing someone is not the glorious achievement we used to brag about. It's hollow, it's empty, and sometimes it even lacks meaning.
"Imagine for a second… that someone… or some group lost complete respect for your in terms of the food chain. They see you as an expendable obstacle, something that represents an immediate reward or benefit. It's not too hard to imagine… after all we were motivated to 'kill' each other with such things in mind.
"However… imagine if it really did happen. Worse yet… you've seen it yourself."
Ryouga gripped his knees with tightly clenched fists.
"They can't be reasoned with. They don't do anything fairly. They'll soon as stab your back, poison your loved ones, and take your children hostage just to get 'something' out of you.
"Such people exist, Ryouga," the words crept out of Ranma's mouse with a hushed strain. "Such people, need to be confronted."
"Does it have to be that way, Ranma?" Ryouga asked, earnestly.
"It is that way," he replied defensively.
Ryouga gulped and looked down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to question the things you've done. Your life is… different from us. We all understand what you had to do for us. And especially for Shampoo and her family."
Ranma sighed. His fingers webbed together and he clutched them sweatily. "You're right, I'm really, really sorry." He pinched the bridge between his eyes. "I just-..."
Upon seeing Ranma's mouth upon but without and words coming out, Ryouga gently waited before replying. "It's alright man. Please. I won't judge you. I swear on my life."
Ranma snorted out his nostrils and shook his head, his body laughing silently to himself. "I wish this was a conversation… that never would've been brought up if we'd just lived normal lives. I wish you guys weren't exposed to such a nightmare."
Ryouga looked at him, and sighed. He shook his head and looked forward, eyes cross and annoyed. "Who doesn't think that?" It was so obvious, as Ryouga expressed by resting his chin on his hand as he sat cross legged.
"I don't think you understand," Ranma silently mouthed. He shut his eyes. "I wish my life were different," he said aloud.
"Don't we all," Ryouga said, crushing his can. He threw away his extinguished cigarette into the empty aluminum beer can. "Time for me to go to sleep. You're welcome to crash here, sleep anywhere you'd like that's open.
Ranma softly nodded, bags under his glazed eyes.
Ryouga frowned. "Can't even say good night, jerk?"
Ranma looked at him with gaunt cheeks and a melancholic gaze of uncertainty. Ryouga froze in his tracks. "Good night, my friend."
"Hey, it was just a joke," Ryouga quickly said, the pit of his stomach clutching at him at Ranma's expression. Ryouga walked away, unsettled.
A few minutes passed, the clouded sky showing promise of clearing up. Ranma slowly paced around. Pausing every few moments, he looked at the sky.
It could look better, he thought.
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Ranma looked carefully at the bottles lined up in front of him. Organized by height, pilfered from the alcohol cabinet meant for his father and Soun, most of them had been presents from either himself or Nabiki, by way of Akane.
He took a large, sloppy swig from a big, apple shaped glass handle of Crown Royal. His other hand took an even larger swig of some Chinese Baijiu, purchased from the Nekohanten.
Once more, he looked up at the stars. Ranma stared straight and took chestful of air in.
The stars wiggled in his sightline. As he tracked left to right, trying to make sense out of being deeply intoxicated, the bright bulbs blurred through the night. It made him pause.
Ranma dug into his pockets and stumbled and dropped something, drunk in his lone state in the middle of the Tendo Yard. Ranma tripped and rolled in trained response, protecting his body from crashing straight on to the ground.
In his current impaired balance however, he continued to roll right into the pond.
A female Ranma gasped at the cold water and rolled out, spilling excess water all over. She wordless huffed for breath and crawled to her phone, flipping through it. She found what she was looking for, and hit the play button on the touchscreen.
In soft, tinny fade, the sound of Don McLean's Vincent played through Ranma's smartphone. She wiped her face and inhaled deeply, listening for a few moments on her knees, drenched in the middle of the garden.
She looked up again at the stars. They were beautiful, her thoughts seemed to mumble as she walked back to grab another bottle to swill out of.
As she continued her silent binge, Ranma finally stopped and she looked back up again. She stared as the song went through its second verse. She clicked the exterior speaker buttons a few notches louder.
Ranma continued to listen, standing and staring at the clear sky. Blurry, burning, and alive in her eyes.
It was when the song came to its final verse, Ranma suddenly dropped her bottle on the ground with a smash. Her eyes started watering and she breathed in shallow huffs. Her phone still in her hand, it started over on repeat.
Her body relaxed, her shoulders sagged, and her hand nearly lost the grip to her phone. As if she had found the answer to something, Ranma stumbled her way into the dojo.
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There it was. The end of the tunnel, the sight of light.
Kasumi looked up from the bouquet of flowers she held in her arms, greeted by the sight of her beaming family.
Her cheeks brightened and her eyes twinkled as she proudly twirled in her graduation cap and gown, her diploma clutched tightly in her left hand.
She savored the moment.
Surrounded by the foot steps on the beautiful university campus, Kasumi started hugging all of her family members. She stopped as she realized someone was missing.
She looked around. He wasn't here?
He'd gotten her tutoring. He'd set up a way for her to take private college exams and get accepted to a school, nearby and convenient. He had refused with great tenacity and protest when any mention was made of paying him back for the cost of the books, let alone the tuition.
She had settled then, nearly two years ago, that he would get the biggest hug she can give when she graduated and he'd be the first person she'd look for.
Wait a second. That didn't make sense.
Two years? Doesn't it take four to graduate?
Kasumi bolted up, a sheen of sweat on her forehead, neck, and forearms. She looked around, pupils accustomed to the darkness of her room. The grand steps of her university's main campus were no longer in her peripheral. It wasn't even the same time of day.
The faint sound of a water splash caused her head to turn towards the window. She mumbled as she got up to see what time it was. Her digital Keroppi clock read 00:56.
She swiveled out of her bed and hit a lamp. Yawning, she put on a house robe that was hanging on her door and donned her slippers. She sat down at her desk for a few moments and rubbed her eyes. She reached for a glass of water on her desk and took a sip.
As she set it down, she heard the light crack of a glass shattering. She looked out the hallway to see if anyone else had noticed the noise. The pitch black answered, no.
Walking down the stairs, she noticed the draft. Wordlessly, her arms cradled across her sleeves she wandered into the living room, seeing a mess of food on scattered plates and an odd collection of open liquor bottles along the open veranda.
Kasumi reached along the walls turn on the lights. She winced as the room illuminated at once. Walking up to close the veranda sliding doors, her foot paused. It felt… wet.
Looking down, Kasumi's mid-sleep stupor stubbornly played tricks with her. She saw small, wet footprints leading away. She rubbed her eyes and followed the tracks. They led to the dojo.
Having come this far, Kasumi scratched the back of her head, yawning. She walked her way to the dojo, noticing the door was wide open from the beginning of the long hallway. She heard a soft melody playing in the background. The lyrics spoke clearer as she came closer.
"~Starry, starry night..."
Tracing the wet steps with her own, Kasumi slowly made her way in, her eyes adjusting to the darkness again. She eventually made her way into the dojo, eyes narrowing to make something out of the darkness.
"~Portraits hung on empty walls…"
She scanned the darkness. She'd been in this dojo countless times. She knew every dimension of it. Every major repair spot. Every rafter that had to be replaced. Every rope that hung-
"~Frameless heads on nameless walls…"
The room froze over. Kasumi looked on and traced the top of one of the rafters to a thin ropeline tied around it. Below it was a short length of something, dangling.
"~With eyes that watch the with eyes that watch the world and can't forget…"
In it was a figure.
"~Like the strangers that you've met…"
Kasumi's eyes bugged out. The pigtail peeked in the lit moonlight, through the dusty windows along the dojo roof. Shoes were placed neatly by the tipped over chair. A golden badge in a flipped open wallet, and holstered pistol neatly piled over some crumpled photos.
"RANMA!"
Everyone in the house jolted awake. They heard the shriek. At first, it just sounded like noise, like a siren in the night or a car alarm that was unattended to.
"RANMA!"
Then Ryouga, Akane, and Soun heard the familiarity of the sound. All too familiar… it sounded like a name.
"RANMA!"
Soun was there first. Kasumi was panic driven in trying to lift a limp, drenched, female Ranma off of the rope tension.
"RANMA!"
Akane came second followed closely with Ryouga nearly slamming her down from behind in surprise. They both looked at Kasumi and Soun.
Akane's hands shot up to her face, and Ryouga gripped the wood beam closest to him, splintering it in pieces. They too joined.
"RANMA!"
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Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, Tenchi, You're Under Arrest, Full Metal Panic, and any other anime/manga characters here who are mentioned by name. Just having fun writing.
Hello, folks! SgtRanma here. I wrote on this one steadily over the last few months as it transformed into something completely different, and far more emotional step forwards into the world of Ranma again.
Basically, I came to the realization that I needed to go back to writing a Ranma fic again, one that we can emotionally relate to (not just by canon, but of course via the circumstances that have brought our characters to this point, in my storyline) instead of just reading cool characters doing cool things in cool ways.
And what you saw ending above, is the result of this huge narrative shift that I decided upon.
I've also wanted to address an important thing to consider for those reading my fics, as they specifically take place many years after the canon manga. People are going to say, "RANMA WOULD NEVER DO THAT" or "THAT'S WAY OUT OF CHARACTER". It's a valid comment, and one that I took seriously to try to better articulate and portray our favorite characters.
I submit anyway though, you'd be 100% right. They are out of character. And that's because it applies to our beloved Nerima residents as teenagers. Here, they are at least 10 years older than their counterparts.
Do you guys remember how different your life was when you were 16, to 21? Let alone 16 to near your 30's? Values, habits, and lifestyles change… which is what I wanted to deeply explore.
Anyways, the above is set up for something I've been secretly been wanting to do for a long time, and struggled a good bit to make it… plausible. The next chapter will fully reveal why things happened the way they happened.
A few notes from earlier in the chapter: Here we can clearly see the contrast in this chapter's POV, as it took place from Ranma's eyes and memories, whereas the last one was clearly aimed at the newbie POV from the Bokuto ladies (Miyuki and Natsumi). When we resume back to finish the training portion, it will go from the perspective of Miyuki, the training Cadre, then finally to Natsumi herself. It will also tie together what happened with Chief Tamura, who isn't an important character per se, however more represents the unifying victim in a chain of events that's important to the training candidates.
You guys should try searching YouTube for rock portage, as done by Navy SEAL trainees. It is one of the gnarliest, scariest looking exercises you can imagine.
To all the readers who left me feedback in the form of reviews, THANK YOU! Your words of encouragement mean more than you'll ever know, and I fully welcome all of your feedback please. I hope to hear from all of you, so drop a comment in the review box!
Finished May 18, 2016.