**Akihabara**
Ran Saotome sighed as she watched her daughter finally shuffle back off to bed. Usually something like this would have been solved with a quiet call to Akane, her daughter’s now ex-girlfriend, (and hadn’t that been a surprise.) However, that was unlikely to happen as Akane was respecting Mayumi’s request not to contact her. Of course, the other part of the problem was that it was Akane’s actions to protect Mayumi that was causing the nightmares. Ran silently shook her head in exasperation at the level of stubbornness as she rinsed the two teacups and shut off the kitchen light. A quick check on her youngest child, Daisuke, who seemed to be solidly asleep, and the mother of four went to her own room and kneeled before the family shrine.
The shrine itself had been a wedding gift from her husband’s mother, a family heirloom of some sort that while it had seen a good bit of travel, evidenced by some dings and scratches to the finish, was still as sturdy as the day it had been turned out by a master craftsman five generations prior. On the small, backpack sized, cabinet was an incense bowl and a series of photographs. On one side of the upper shelf sat his parents wedding photo, matched by her parents on the opposite side. Beneath that and just above the incense bowl was a group photograph of her, her late husband, and all their friends in a frame that had been labeled, “Nerima High School class of 1987, aka The Wrecking Crew.” It was this photo she focused on, thinking back to those heady days when one of their teachers had come to them as a group and explained that she had been using their lives as the source for a manga.
Takahashi-sensei had explained how she had changed things, and played up certain aspects of their lives, exaggerating where necessary to make the story more fantastic and protect the real-life people behind her characters. Ran and her brother had been turned into one character who changed genders with a splash of water, and while other characters were more straightforward things like her father’s lousy parenting skills and her husband’s boorish attitude were portrayed as similar curses that changed their species. Even the exchange student from China had been drug into it, though that had been more about the girl’s one-sided crush on Ran’s brother and habit of preening than anything else. Still, the group of them had earned a reputation around the area for being a bit hard on their surroundings.
One example was the youngest daughter of the family that they had moved in with, (an old friend of their father’s) who had been summarily engaged to Ranma, could, would and did on occasion, pick up small cars and trucks when angered by others at the school and use them as weapons against the people who angered her. Ran and her brother could handle their Akane because they had similar strength, as did Ryoga, Xian Pu, and Ukyo, their core group of friends, but that was because they had all been trained as high level martial artists since they had been small children. It was still hell on the landscape though, and then it seemed that with no warning, high school was over and real life demanded it’s due.
Akane’s older sister Nabiki married money, and their eldest sister settled down to care for their father while Akane and Ranma married and took over the Tendo family’s dojo. Ran helped with the dojo and ended up marrying their friend Ryoga, (something that surprised most of the family) while Xian Pu had returned with her grandmother to China and Ukyo had moved to a different section of Tokyo to teach at a culinary school. The next generation were born, twins first for Ran and Akane both, and then Ran had Mayumi, and then Leviathan attacked Kyushu.
**Nerima, 1997**Six hours before Leviathan’s attack on Kyushu**
“He’s going to attack Kyushu,” Ryoga said to Ranma, Akane, Ran, Tatewaki Kuno, Nabiki and Kodachi. Relations with the Kuno’s were sometimes strained, but since Ran had started working with Nabiki in the stock market and Ryoga was teaching all the girls Rhythmic Gymnastics, (as well as how to use them in the martial arts) things had eased a bit more than they had been right after high school. “If we can get to Kyushu in time, we could help I’m sure.” Ryoga was the dreamer of the group, always thinking big, always pushing forward, it was one of the reasons she loved the lug.
“Sure Ryoga,” Ranma replied almost dismissively, “and since you’ve figured this out, then I’m sure their big brains have also figured it out and ain’t gonna let anyone in there from outside. So how are we going to get there?”
“We have a plane,” Tatewaki commented offhand. “We could fly into Kagoshima or any of a number of airports on the island.”
“And if they deny us landing clearance?” Akane said, either playing devil’s advocate or trying to poke a hole in Kuno-sempai’s ego Ran couldn’t tell. “What are you going to do then?”
“Why parachute in of course,” Tatewaki replied nonchalantly, “I can have Sousuke pack parachutes for whomever wants to go, and then we leave. They can’t stop us once we are on the ground there after all.”
“So, who goes?” Akane asked, “I’m not getting left behind while you men go and fight this thing.”
“Neither am I,” Kodachi, Tatewaki’s sister replied echoing Akane’s response. Her brother started to say something which she shut down just as quickly with a glare and the words, “We are not the last anymore brother.”
“Of course not dear,” Ranma had said drowning out Tatewaki’s sigh and closing the issue, so that was four.
“I’m out,” Ran had answered even as Ryoga had said, “I’m in.”
“Of course you’re in pork but,” Ranma had snarked only to get a glare from his sister.
“Ranma, you will be nice to him,” Ran had growled, “and the lot of you better come back.”
“Yeah yeah sis,” Ranma had answered loftily, “odds are pork but is completely off and nothing will happen. So why don’t we get this ball rolling, eh Kuno.” Them waving as the five of them walked out to one of the Kuno’s cars had been the last time she had seen them alive. All of them cocky, laughing and so sure of themselves.
**Akihabara now**
Ran opened her eyes feeling the tears flowing freely down her face. They had returned in a way, brought back by one who had stayed and fought beside them until the island itself had sank beneath him. One who had also lost family, and while he couldn’t get the closure of knowing how his family had ended, he had at least brought two bodies and hours of their actions back to her and Nabiki.
It was strange to find out how small a world they lived in was, that this stranger had been the relative of a friend, and they had stayed in touch over the years. Now, checking the time, she decided that since he lived in the same city as her daughter’s ex, she was going to ask a favor and see if he couldn’t get the girl to call. Picking up the phone she dialed a long stream of numbers and waited for someone to answer on the other end, “Hello Nemuri-chan,” she said as a young girl answered the phone on the other end, “Could you put your father on please, I need to ask a favor of him.”
“Of course Auntie Ran,” the girl bubbled back, just a second and I’ll go get him.” Ran could hear the phone’s receiver get set down and the girl running off calling “Daddy, Auntie Ran is on the phone for you!”
**
**Brockton Bay**
“I can’t believe that twit,” Vicky grumbled as we left the store, the blonde stalking out like someone had just grabbed her butt. “I mean, it isn’t difficult to for them to just say that they don’t have anything like that in stock currently.”
“Calm down Vicky,” Amy sighed as she tottered along. Somehow Vicky had talked her into a set of two-inch, black, patent leather pumps like what Taylor and I had needed, and now all three of us were learning to walk in the damn things. “Now, where is that shop they suggested we go to?” she asked.
Still grumbling Vicky stepped over to the ad and map board that malls all over, used to guide you where you wanted to go. “It looks like it is in one of the outer areas.” Vicky answered. “Since the clerk said they didn’t open until after four, I would suggest we catch a movie to kill the time and then go see if they have the higher heels like she said they would.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied. “Taylor, what do you think?”
She shrugged, “Alright, but what’s playing?”
**
Two hours later we walked out of the theater, I myself contemplative, Vicky bouncing and the other two somewhere in between. “So how much of that honor stuff is true?” Vicky asked damn near floating through the lobby of the theater toward the exit. She wasn’t actually floating though because I had shut all of our powers down for the afternoon.
“It depended on various things to the point of being subjective to the storyteller’s perspective.” I answered. “First point being that the main character of that movie was Chinese, not Japanese and even though there are surprising similarities between the cultures, they are not the same.”
“Noted,” Vicky replied smiling as she walked backwards toward the exit. “But personal honor was a big deal during the time period for them as well wasn’t it?”
“Honestly,” I answered, “probably no more than it actually was in Europe during the middle ages. The thing is though, we’re talking about something that would have happened sometime in the mid to late eighteen-hundreds going off the American west scenes and the weapons. Probably closer to the century mark than the middle of the century at that. During that time frame there wasn’t any big changes in either country outside the Meiji Restoration, and the level of assassination that started the movie was not something that would have been condoned during that situation.”
Vicky chuckled, “Mister Wolfe is going to love having you in his history class.”
It was at that point we walked through the doors back into the mall to find four men with AK’s staring down the theater patrons. “Alright folks,” one of them said. “I think that’s all of you from that showing, now get your asses to the central court.” He punctuated his order by chambering the assault rifle, a round flying to the floor in waste.
“Fuck!” was all I could say.
**outside**
Brockton Bay Police Lieutenant Martin Riggs looked at the mall in front of him and then at the two sergeants who had been in charge of the scene until his arrival. Detective-Sergeant Josephine Lupo was scowling at the front doors of the mall, the fingers of her right-hand drumming against the grip of her holstered berretta nine-millimeter on her hip. As if to counterpoint the detective, PRT Sergeant Wynonna Earp was leaned almost casually against the front of the PRT Rapid Response van that held the rest of her squad. “Calm down Jo,” Earp said glancing away from the door and at the other sergeant, “stressing is not going to get those people out any faster, and the Protectorate will be here shortly.”
“It’s been twenty minutes already Earp, what’s keeping them?” Lupo growled.
“Looking for Squealer I imagine,” Earp answered calmly. “Report was that she dropped a whole slew of Merchant assholes off and then drove away, her vehicle disappearing under some kind of invisibility cloak. I guess some people might just want to make sure she’s not sitting out here watching and waiting to light the lot of us up when we make our move.”
“I think you’re giving the druggies to much credit,” Lupo snapped out.
“And I think you are not giving them enough.” Earp answered calmly. “Besides we have something else to deal with at the moment. Have either of you heard about a new cape in the area?”
Lupo looked at Riggs who shook his head in response so Lupo answered, “No, why?”
“Cause that’s an awful lot of bugs heading this way,” Earp answered pointing to the mass of insects that were making their way across the parking lot toward them. “Johnson, stand by with your sprayer, we might need you.”
**Inside**Taylor**
Akane cranked my power up to fifteen as we were herded to the central courtyard of the mall by the four merchants with rifles and as we went, I awoke and gathered every insect and spider I could find in my extended range before using them to sweep through the mall in a search. I found Merchants pillaging the various stores and shops, emptying out cash boxes and registers, even cutting into a few safes. The pharmacy over in what some would probably call the geriatric’s wing had been ransacked for both money and pills, and as we could see, everyone that had been inside the mall itself was gathered in the central courtyard under the gaze of Skidmark. The leader of the Merchants sat on some kind of bastard child of a powered wheelchair and throne that had been made of various car parts being welded together. The cape sneered at the crowd as our group was brought in and told to find a place to sit. “Hebert, Takamachi, over here.” I heard someone call out. Looking I found a girl that I vaguely recognized from Winslow, blonde with pink and green streaks running through it, waving at us, so I looked at the others before we headed over.
“Holy shit has your luck turned around Hebert,” she said softly as we sat down near her. “You not only have miss bad ass here, but the Dallon sisters to pal around with as well now. Shit has definitely gotten better for you.”
“And you are?” Vicky asked in a low voice, a single eyebrow lifted.
“Someone who owes Hebert here more than I could probably ever repay because I let certain shit occur to her for the last half year at school.” I lifted an eyebrow at that so she explained, “I just transferred to Winslow this school year, not, I might say, by my choice. But I wasn’t around for last year’s bullying.”
“Alright I can understand that,” I told her waving off the other’s irritation. “Apology accepted, though, I’m sorry to admit, I don’t know your name.”
“Katherine Fleischer,” she answered with a smile, “Most people call me Katie though.”
I watched as the others shook hands with her, and things were fine, at least until she shook hands with Akane which was when both of them went, “Oh shit!”
**
Ran Saotome sighed as she watched her daughter finally shuffle back off to bed. Usually something like this would have been solved with a quiet call to Akane, her daughter’s now ex-girlfriend, (and hadn’t that been a surprise.) However, that was unlikely to happen as Akane was respecting Mayumi’s request not to contact her. Of course, the other part of the problem was that it was Akane’s actions to protect Mayumi that was causing the nightmares. Ran silently shook her head in exasperation at the level of stubbornness as she rinsed the two teacups and shut off the kitchen light. A quick check on her youngest child, Daisuke, who seemed to be solidly asleep, and the mother of four went to her own room and kneeled before the family shrine.
The shrine itself had been a wedding gift from her husband’s mother, a family heirloom of some sort that while it had seen a good bit of travel, evidenced by some dings and scratches to the finish, was still as sturdy as the day it had been turned out by a master craftsman five generations prior. On the small, backpack sized, cabinet was an incense bowl and a series of photographs. On one side of the upper shelf sat his parents wedding photo, matched by her parents on the opposite side. Beneath that and just above the incense bowl was a group photograph of her, her late husband, and all their friends in a frame that had been labeled, “Nerima High School class of 1987, aka The Wrecking Crew.” It was this photo she focused on, thinking back to those heady days when one of their teachers had come to them as a group and explained that she had been using their lives as the source for a manga.
Takahashi-sensei had explained how she had changed things, and played up certain aspects of their lives, exaggerating where necessary to make the story more fantastic and protect the real-life people behind her characters. Ran and her brother had been turned into one character who changed genders with a splash of water, and while other characters were more straightforward things like her father’s lousy parenting skills and her husband’s boorish attitude were portrayed as similar curses that changed their species. Even the exchange student from China had been drug into it, though that had been more about the girl’s one-sided crush on Ran’s brother and habit of preening than anything else. Still, the group of them had earned a reputation around the area for being a bit hard on their surroundings.
One example was the youngest daughter of the family that they had moved in with, (an old friend of their father’s) who had been summarily engaged to Ranma, could, would and did on occasion, pick up small cars and trucks when angered by others at the school and use them as weapons against the people who angered her. Ran and her brother could handle their Akane because they had similar strength, as did Ryoga, Xian Pu, and Ukyo, their core group of friends, but that was because they had all been trained as high level martial artists since they had been small children. It was still hell on the landscape though, and then it seemed that with no warning, high school was over and real life demanded it’s due.
Akane’s older sister Nabiki married money, and their eldest sister settled down to care for their father while Akane and Ranma married and took over the Tendo family’s dojo. Ran helped with the dojo and ended up marrying their friend Ryoga, (something that surprised most of the family) while Xian Pu had returned with her grandmother to China and Ukyo had moved to a different section of Tokyo to teach at a culinary school. The next generation were born, twins first for Ran and Akane both, and then Ran had Mayumi, and then Leviathan attacked Kyushu.
**Nerima, 1997**Six hours before Leviathan’s attack on Kyushu**
“He’s going to attack Kyushu,” Ryoga said to Ranma, Akane, Ran, Tatewaki Kuno, Nabiki and Kodachi. Relations with the Kuno’s were sometimes strained, but since Ran had started working with Nabiki in the stock market and Ryoga was teaching all the girls Rhythmic Gymnastics, (as well as how to use them in the martial arts) things had eased a bit more than they had been right after high school. “If we can get to Kyushu in time, we could help I’m sure.” Ryoga was the dreamer of the group, always thinking big, always pushing forward, it was one of the reasons she loved the lug.
“Sure Ryoga,” Ranma replied almost dismissively, “and since you’ve figured this out, then I’m sure their big brains have also figured it out and ain’t gonna let anyone in there from outside. So how are we going to get there?”
“We have a plane,” Tatewaki commented offhand. “We could fly into Kagoshima or any of a number of airports on the island.”
“And if they deny us landing clearance?” Akane said, either playing devil’s advocate or trying to poke a hole in Kuno-sempai’s ego Ran couldn’t tell. “What are you going to do then?”
“Why parachute in of course,” Tatewaki replied nonchalantly, “I can have Sousuke pack parachutes for whomever wants to go, and then we leave. They can’t stop us once we are on the ground there after all.”
“So, who goes?” Akane asked, “I’m not getting left behind while you men go and fight this thing.”
“Neither am I,” Kodachi, Tatewaki’s sister replied echoing Akane’s response. Her brother started to say something which she shut down just as quickly with a glare and the words, “We are not the last anymore brother.”
“Of course not dear,” Ranma had said drowning out Tatewaki’s sigh and closing the issue, so that was four.
“I’m out,” Ran had answered even as Ryoga had said, “I’m in.”
“Of course you’re in pork but,” Ranma had snarked only to get a glare from his sister.
“Ranma, you will be nice to him,” Ran had growled, “and the lot of you better come back.”
“Yeah yeah sis,” Ranma had answered loftily, “odds are pork but is completely off and nothing will happen. So why don’t we get this ball rolling, eh Kuno.” Them waving as the five of them walked out to one of the Kuno’s cars had been the last time she had seen them alive. All of them cocky, laughing and so sure of themselves.
**Akihabara now**
Ran opened her eyes feeling the tears flowing freely down her face. They had returned in a way, brought back by one who had stayed and fought beside them until the island itself had sank beneath him. One who had also lost family, and while he couldn’t get the closure of knowing how his family had ended, he had at least brought two bodies and hours of their actions back to her and Nabiki.
It was strange to find out how small a world they lived in was, that this stranger had been the relative of a friend, and they had stayed in touch over the years. Now, checking the time, she decided that since he lived in the same city as her daughter’s ex, she was going to ask a favor and see if he couldn’t get the girl to call. Picking up the phone she dialed a long stream of numbers and waited for someone to answer on the other end, “Hello Nemuri-chan,” she said as a young girl answered the phone on the other end, “Could you put your father on please, I need to ask a favor of him.”
“Of course Auntie Ran,” the girl bubbled back, just a second and I’ll go get him.” Ran could hear the phone’s receiver get set down and the girl running off calling “Daddy, Auntie Ran is on the phone for you!”
**
**Brockton Bay**
“I can’t believe that twit,” Vicky grumbled as we left the store, the blonde stalking out like someone had just grabbed her butt. “I mean, it isn’t difficult to for them to just say that they don’t have anything like that in stock currently.”
“Calm down Vicky,” Amy sighed as she tottered along. Somehow Vicky had talked her into a set of two-inch, black, patent leather pumps like what Taylor and I had needed, and now all three of us were learning to walk in the damn things. “Now, where is that shop they suggested we go to?” she asked.
Still grumbling Vicky stepped over to the ad and map board that malls all over, used to guide you where you wanted to go. “It looks like it is in one of the outer areas.” Vicky answered. “Since the clerk said they didn’t open until after four, I would suggest we catch a movie to kill the time and then go see if they have the higher heels like she said they would.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied. “Taylor, what do you think?”
She shrugged, “Alright, but what’s playing?”
**
Two hours later we walked out of the theater, I myself contemplative, Vicky bouncing and the other two somewhere in between. “So how much of that honor stuff is true?” Vicky asked damn near floating through the lobby of the theater toward the exit. She wasn’t actually floating though because I had shut all of our powers down for the afternoon.
“It depended on various things to the point of being subjective to the storyteller’s perspective.” I answered. “First point being that the main character of that movie was Chinese, not Japanese and even though there are surprising similarities between the cultures, they are not the same.”
“Noted,” Vicky replied smiling as she walked backwards toward the exit. “But personal honor was a big deal during the time period for them as well wasn’t it?”
“Honestly,” I answered, “probably no more than it actually was in Europe during the middle ages. The thing is though, we’re talking about something that would have happened sometime in the mid to late eighteen-hundreds going off the American west scenes and the weapons. Probably closer to the century mark than the middle of the century at that. During that time frame there wasn’t any big changes in either country outside the Meiji Restoration, and the level of assassination that started the movie was not something that would have been condoned during that situation.”
Vicky chuckled, “Mister Wolfe is going to love having you in his history class.”
It was at that point we walked through the doors back into the mall to find four men with AK’s staring down the theater patrons. “Alright folks,” one of them said. “I think that’s all of you from that showing, now get your asses to the central court.” He punctuated his order by chambering the assault rifle, a round flying to the floor in waste.
“Fuck!” was all I could say.
**outside**
Brockton Bay Police Lieutenant Martin Riggs looked at the mall in front of him and then at the two sergeants who had been in charge of the scene until his arrival. Detective-Sergeant Josephine Lupo was scowling at the front doors of the mall, the fingers of her right-hand drumming against the grip of her holstered berretta nine-millimeter on her hip. As if to counterpoint the detective, PRT Sergeant Wynonna Earp was leaned almost casually against the front of the PRT Rapid Response van that held the rest of her squad. “Calm down Jo,” Earp said glancing away from the door and at the other sergeant, “stressing is not going to get those people out any faster, and the Protectorate will be here shortly.”
“It’s been twenty minutes already Earp, what’s keeping them?” Lupo growled.
“Looking for Squealer I imagine,” Earp answered calmly. “Report was that she dropped a whole slew of Merchant assholes off and then drove away, her vehicle disappearing under some kind of invisibility cloak. I guess some people might just want to make sure she’s not sitting out here watching and waiting to light the lot of us up when we make our move.”
“I think you’re giving the druggies to much credit,” Lupo snapped out.
“And I think you are not giving them enough.” Earp answered calmly. “Besides we have something else to deal with at the moment. Have either of you heard about a new cape in the area?”
Lupo looked at Riggs who shook his head in response so Lupo answered, “No, why?”
“Cause that’s an awful lot of bugs heading this way,” Earp answered pointing to the mass of insects that were making their way across the parking lot toward them. “Johnson, stand by with your sprayer, we might need you.”
**Inside**Taylor**
Akane cranked my power up to fifteen as we were herded to the central courtyard of the mall by the four merchants with rifles and as we went, I awoke and gathered every insect and spider I could find in my extended range before using them to sweep through the mall in a search. I found Merchants pillaging the various stores and shops, emptying out cash boxes and registers, even cutting into a few safes. The pharmacy over in what some would probably call the geriatric’s wing had been ransacked for both money and pills, and as we could see, everyone that had been inside the mall itself was gathered in the central courtyard under the gaze of Skidmark. The leader of the Merchants sat on some kind of bastard child of a powered wheelchair and throne that had been made of various car parts being welded together. The cape sneered at the crowd as our group was brought in and told to find a place to sit. “Hebert, Takamachi, over here.” I heard someone call out. Looking I found a girl that I vaguely recognized from Winslow, blonde with pink and green streaks running through it, waving at us, so I looked at the others before we headed over.
“Holy shit has your luck turned around Hebert,” she said softly as we sat down near her. “You not only have miss bad ass here, but the Dallon sisters to pal around with as well now. Shit has definitely gotten better for you.”
“And you are?” Vicky asked in a low voice, a single eyebrow lifted.
“Someone who owes Hebert here more than I could probably ever repay because I let certain shit occur to her for the last half year at school.” I lifted an eyebrow at that so she explained, “I just transferred to Winslow this school year, not, I might say, by my choice. But I wasn’t around for last year’s bullying.”
“Alright I can understand that,” I told her waving off the other’s irritation. “Apology accepted, though, I’m sorry to admit, I don’t know your name.”
“Katherine Fleischer,” she answered with a smile, “Most people call me Katie though.”
I watched as the others shook hands with her, and things were fine, at least until she shook hands with Akane which was when both of them went, “Oh shit!”
**
Wolf wins every fight but the one where he dies, fangs locked around the throat of his opponent.
Currently writing BROBd
Currently writing BROBd