[FFML] [Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper Morituri Chapter 36 - And Thou Singing Beside Me in the Wilderness

[Daniel Jess Gibson]

[Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper Morituri Chapter 36 -
And Thou Singing Beside Me in the Wilderness

Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters from Ranma 1 / 2, Neon Genesis
Evangelion, Ah My Goddess, or the Lovecraft Cycle involved in these
stories.

C&C , MSTs are welcome
E-mail: dan_s.comments@worldnet.att.net
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ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Ranma/Sic-Semper-Morituri/

http://www.cs.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/ftp/archive/anime-fan-works/Ranma/type/Sic-Se
mper-Morituri
(these are the original versions)

What has gone before:
About Book 11 of the Tankoubon Manga, Akane and Soun Tendo throw
Ranma out of the house. Nabiki, in the guise of a wish, follows him.
They meet EVA pilots Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Soryu Langley and
Jeffrey Davis.
All of the pilots react to the disaster surrounding the destruction
of Cthugha and his cult in there own ways. Nabiki retreats, Asuka
investigates, Jeff attacks the SEELE supporters, Ranma seeks a decisive
battle and is frustrated in this end, Rei and Shinji try to support
Nabiki.
One of the SEELE members is killed in Osaka, and Natsumi Matsuda
witnesses the entire event, Jeff and Misato are sent to investigate.
Asuka takes Ranma to Tokyo University, meeting Belldandy and Keiichi.
Then they return to enjoy the carnival set up on the school grounds. The
arrival of an assassin of Nyarlathotep's cult spoils everyone's evening as
it attacks the pilots and senior staff, Asuka in Unit 02 destroys him. In
the aftermath, Ranma, Rei and Asuka, make efforts to draw Nabiki out of
her shell.
The S2 engines are tested, and NERV Tokyo vanishes. Nabiki and Rei
escape and land outside Roswell, NM., they must deal with the aftermath
and loss at NERV Las Vegas. NERV Tokyo, in the Great White Space, becomes
the battle ground between the crew and alien invaders. With the base is
the Outer God Ghroth, on the Outer God's surface is the device that
brought the base there, the trapped and intermixed spirits of the victims
of Angel Malaise, including Toji's sister. Ghroth awakens and takes
revenge on the Pilots and especially Nyarlathotep. The NERV crew develops
a plan to return them home.
Toji visits an unusual woman's kitchen, and gets a commission. The
other pilots all suffer nightmares. Rei summons the Meliorist and the
Scholarly Dragon to effect a rescue. She also contacts another self who
just died. Shinji escapes on his own, the Scholarly Dragon helps Asuka
escape, Ranma has to rescue himself from his nightmare.
With the return of NERV Tokyo, everyone is celebrating, except Asuka
who realizes their enemies are taking a direct interest in the pilots.
Nabiki and Rei are returned to Tokyo separately, Rei by express, Nabiki
aboard the Spruce Goose with cargo for the EVAs.
Shinji, Asuka, Toji and Hikari meet with Yumiwashi.
Rei locates and confronts Jeff on the anniversary of Samuel's death.
She remembers her feeling on the death of Yui Ikari, and how she arranged
Naoko Akagi's death. Jeff wants to be left alone, Rei decides he needs to
talk about events, and doesn't take no for an answer. Including revealing
how he killed her years earlier in Boston.
At the welcome home party for Nabiki and Rei, the Azores mission is
revealed. Ranma will move in with Asuka and Sammi.
Three shoggoths, once fragments of Ritsuko, fight and are defeated by
Ritsuko, Ranma and Jeff. But only by combining, there are some
side-effects as the trio's personalities temporarily bleed into each
other. Among them: Jeff, under the influence of Ranma, confronts
Belldandy, sending her in to a tizzy, then her sisters, Keiichi managed to
defuse it. Ranko, under the influence of the others, gives Jeff the
passionate kiss from the bet he made with Asuka. Then Asuka and Jeff
tickle Nabiki remorselessly. Rei begins calling Asuka mein Grosse {Groáe}
Feldmarschall. All the pilots are giddy from recent events.
Jeff gives Asuka the blade to a sabre-halberd, and asks her to teach
Ranma to use his sword.
All the others pack up for their moves, either to new quarters or
aboard the carrier.
Asuka begins teaching Ranma about swordsmanship. Jeff teaches Nabiki
shooting a pistol.
To help Misato and Hiro's relationship, Asuka, Rei and Shinji throw
together a Sunday in the park picnic. Asuka invites Keiichi, Belldandy
and Megumi. Megumi volunteers her services and Belldandy's as caterers.

Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your
enemies.
The Seventy-Sixth Rule of Acquisition, Star trek: Deep Space Nine -
The Homecoming

It's Food too Fine For Angels
July 13, 1947
Ranma let Asuka mold and shape his hands on the hilt of the blade.
Then she tapped his wrist, elbow and shoulder, gauging what his reaction
was at each point, "Loose, loose, loose. Good." Asuka walked around his
back then to the blade, tapped the flat.
Ranma let the blade move slightly, then got it into position. Asuka
seemed pleased he'd learned the lesson quickly, he just waited for the
commentary he knew was coming.
"Feel the difference?" Asuka asked. Ranma could find none of the
condescension in her tone and stance that he would have expected.
"Yeah." It felt looser and more solid at the same time. There was
no harm in admitting it was different, he'd even go so far as to say it
was a lot better. He'd also learned not to _say_ that. Unless he had a
question, she expected 'yes', 'no', or a short answer. That suited him
fine too.
"I learned the sword from Masters, a lot of them."
Ranma didn't think she was proud of that, he would have been ecstatic
to have studied under a lot of experts. He wondered why she wasn't.
"I've taught a lot of people the use of the sword. Most of them are
still alive. Those that aren't, better swordsmanship wouldn't have saved
them," Asuka said.
"Then why don't _you_ use a sword? Like Raccoon?"
"I never said I could use one properly in combat. I said I know and
can teach how they _should_ be used. I can do all the necessary moves in
training. I know by sight and instinct if a stance, a grip or a move is
right or wrong," Asuka told him as she picked up her weapon, "But in a
real fight, something invariably goes wrong."
Ranma could hardly believe his ears. 'I am Langley hear me roar'
_CAN'T_ do something?
"Now, the best work on the use of the sword is the Fechtbuch 1467 by
Fechtmeisters Talhoffer and Ott," she told him as she walked around him in
a circle, the haft of her weapon tapping down to emphasize her points,
"Raccoon swears by Sir William Hope and Sir Donald McBane, so we'll cover
them as well. The high guard position the latter two favor is useful for
shorter weapons, not as much for a sabre-halberd. You'll probably enjoy
the Highlanders' more confrontational methods, although they still require
a great deal of sophistication." As she came around Ranma's front, she
demonstrated the stance, the weapon held high, point aimed at the ground.
Ranma had never seen a stance like that, the reverse yes, but never one
that extreme. She kept walking and talked, circling him.
"But first, we'll start with each stance, each stroke, and their
names. YOU DO NOT SHOUT THEM OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT!" she added,
loudly, right in his face. With his ears still ringing, she continued,
"After you've learned them, we'll start combining them together,
transitioning one to the other, including recovery and riposte. That flow
you're so enamored of - comes later, much later."
She waited for him to nod, then she stepped up to him, got nose to
nose with him. He could tell she was angry, he could practically see the
blue of her eyes boiling. "You will _not_ use your martial arts unless
you or I would be seriously wounded. A scratch or bruise is insufficient.
I want your word, or no lessons." The calm, measured tone was more
threatening than her shouting.
"You have my word," Ranma said, gulped.
Toji's right, she _is_ scary like this, he thought.
"May I ask why?" he asked in what he hoped, prayed, she would think
was a respectful tone.
"Because you must learn these completely new techniques, mastering
them independently, before you begin mixing them with your other
techniques. You may very well figure out a better way to do something,
but you will learn the entirety of the basics I am teaching you, before
you try to move to the advanced class. If you get an inspiration, write -
it - down. If you're going to pass on your art to others, you'll have to
learn that too. Consider it an incentive."
Ranma nodded, it made sense. He prepared himself for a long, hard
grind. He was surprised by the way Asuka was acting. She was as 'fierce'
as always, but not as harsh as he expected.
"Now, this is the first Talhoffer stance." She held her weapon
perpendicular to the ground. He duplicated it easily, looked for nuances,
things a regular person might have missed.
----------------------------------------
Asuka carefully leaned her sabre-halberd on the wall, she realized
she'd have to . . . no, she could hire someone to make a stand for it.
She'd ask Spineless to see if his fan club had any decent wood workers.
She pushed her abused muscles to get her into a hot tub first. The
lesson had gone surprisingly well, except how out of shape she was. It
had been a long time since she had used her sabre-halberd, or a sword, or
any large hand weapon in the Waking World. Her entire body ached from the
strain. It had been quite a challenge towards the end, not to get
snappish with Horseface, who was doing what she wanted.
She knew she had to get into that tub soon, or she'd be in agony the
rest of the day. It was going to be bad enough to be on her best behavior
with everything else that needed doing today.
The knock on the door was decidedly _not_ welcome. "Yes," she said.
The door opened.
More Horseface is _not_ what I need, she looked at the redhead
sheepishly entering her room.
"Uh, I thought you were hurting, so I uh . . . well, when Raccoon and
Nab-chan over did their training I . . . uh, well - "
"What?" she shouted. Unfortunately this drew Sammi immediately.
"Uh, work the soreness out of the muscles," Horseface offered.
"I neither need nor want a massage - "
Especially one from _you_, she didn't add, Especially with Sammi
there ready to laugh herself silly.
"Thank you," she added with what little grace she had left, then went
into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She'd heard about that
from Raccoon and Ice Princess, but there was no way she was letting
Horseface touch her that way. The very thought was revolting. She ran
the water as hot as she could stand as she took off her sweaty clothes.
It was nearly all water from the hot tap. She shoved that worry aside,
she had enough to worry about already. Her body screamed in protest as
she climbed in, but soon the waters did their work.
----------------------------------------
Skuld and Keiichi stood outside the temple watching the last of the
preparations. Megumi and her friends were working under Belldandy's
direction. He smiled when Belldandy, once again, insisted that she could
do it, and none of Megumi's team would hear of it, again. He doubted
she'd ever had to lead and direct 25 people, even finding a job for Sora,
whom they couldn't trust near the food preparation. It was like someone
juggling flaming chainsaws.
"That's . . . scary," Skuld commented.
Keiichi agreed. "Have you talked to Sentaro? He might want to meet
the pilots."
Skuld turned on him, ready for a fight. "You'd think we were going
on a date!"
"No, but all of them are excited about meeting the pilots," he told
her nervously, pointing to Megumi's group, "Wouldn't your friend?"
Skuld's rage drained away. He barely heard her 'no' as she turned
back to the final preparations.
He glanced around, wondering whom he could send, or if he should go
himself. The idea of leaving it to Tamiya or Ootaki was too terrible to
consider, Urd . . . That idea is only slightly less horrible, he thought.
"Don't you want to go with?" Keiichi asked.
"I hate you!" Skuld stormed off.
He did note she was headed for the garage, where her bike was.
Keiichi just shook his head and looked back at the girls marching through
the temple with all the food and preparations.
Poor Belldandy, he watched her trying to manage the group, Like
shoveling confetti in a hurricane, but she's managing. He knew enough to
stay _completely_ out of everyones' way, but close enough to be called on
for help.
He just hoped she wouldn't feel it was necessary, after working
all-night, that she would also have to act as host. He wondered if any of
the pilots were strong willed enough to insist she didn't. Then he
chuckled, it would be interesting to see. Especially if the one who
scared her was the one who did the insisting.
----------------------------------------
Ut Quod Ali Cibus Est Aliis Fuat Acre Venenum [What is food to one, is to
others bitter poison]
Usagi looked at the other girls scattered around the outside rock
garden in their fancy clothes. She was glad she'd convinced them that
midnight meetings were both melodramatic, and foolish. Anyone could do
the rituals at midnight, to do them on a sunny Sunday morning was a sign
of true commitment. It wasn't as if the ritual had to be melodramatic.
She could have done it during lunch between the soup and the entree, but
people expected a certain thrill, so there had to be secret codes and
passwords, the candles of all colors and the incense. So they dressed up,
they looked like pretty flowers among the carefully raked stones and other
Zen accouterments.
Daddy's tacky beliefs, she chuckled to herself, At least _I'm_
putting them to good use. She still wished it was all over,so they could
have their tea party, before they went to the ballfield. Usagi sometimes
worried that they were more worshipful of the trappings, than the correct
object of their devotions.
She'd detected no repercussions about the fluff and filigree, and
she'd been able to keep the others on track for the most part, so she let
it pass. She returned her attention to the matter at hand. The proposed
'ceremonial robes' were definitely not her style. They were fine over
those tacky, old-fashioned kimonos, but they wrinkled her tea dress
something awful. Her daddy and mommy had searched so hard to get decent
ones, so she wasn't going to have hers ruined. She was the leader, if the
others needed such trappings, her austerity would separate her further.
Place her above them.
The girl was trembling as she approached the large stone, some might
insist it was an altar, but Usagi knew They were everywhere, no place need
be more sacred than any other. Besides, Usagi knew, an altar implied a
sacrifice, nothing was sacrificed here, everything was gained. 'Limitless
vistas, if that's what you wanted, a degree of control over your life and
surroundings if that is all you desire.' It sounded simple, but it drew
certain girls like flies, Usagi's suggestion that boys, and even adults,
be made the offer had been roundly rejected. She personally thought that
was cruel, but she didn't want to shatter the fellowship. Eventually she
could foster forward thinking in others, she had plans to advance that
too. Planning was also why she was the leader. The others thought she
had her position from getting there first, but she had it because they
underestimated her, her `friends` and her enemies.
"She knows?" Usagi asked Tomoe, the girl's escort and sponsor. Usagi
knew she was beautiful, it wasn't only her parents who commented on her
grace and flawless skin. But Tomoe looked like a porcelain doll crafted
by an ancient master, soft brown eyes and a willowy grace, that combined
to make her seem too delicate to be alive. All over a spirit as brutal as
a sledgehammer.
"Some," Tomoe said, "I told her everything she needed."
Usagi wished she could divest herself of Tomoe, the girl liked
scaring people a little too much for Usagi's tastes. Unfortunately,
Tomoe's instincts on whom to include and who to exclude had been flawless.
It was not Usagi's job to question divine wisdom, or where it chose to
earth itself. Right thinking girls had been added, they had disregarded
those too squeamish or too rigid. Usagi glared at Tomoe, flipped her
silken hair out of her face. Tomoe contemptuously duplicated the gesture
and shrugged, unfortunately Tomoe knew how important she was. Usagi
hadn't yet discovered a way to explain how unimportant she was.
"She exaggerates," Usagi said soothingly.
"My par-rents are horrible!" the girl burst out, "They want to s-send
me to mar-ry some relative in the country, on a farm! And he's so
_old_!_"
"So you understand what we'll do, what you have to give us, and what
you get in return?"
"My parents and my brothers can't push me around anymore!" the girl
was practically in tears.
Usagi wouldn't have thought her a good candidate, but Tomoe's
judgment had been flawless. Usagi almost wished the girl would turn out
badly, merely to tarnish Tomoe's aura of perfection, and to give her the
tool to oust her once and for all. But Usagi knew that was both unworthy
and beneath her. If Tomoe ever truly became a problem, there were ways to
deal with her. Usagi was the leader because she _was_ the strongest, the
most capable and had received the greatest blessings, and even Tomoe knew
that.
The girl laid her hand on the stone, "I'm ready." She squeezed her
eyes shut.
"You're right-handed, aren't you?" Usagi asked, silently urging Tomoe
to have a little patience.
"Yes, of course!"
"Left hand," Usagi said.
The girl embarrassedly switched hands. Tomoe grinned, this was her
favorite part.
"Ia! Ia! In Shub-Niggurath Sho'mat Intigua! Ia! Ia! Inacta Per
Sonen!"
The girls rarely saw or felt the knife. Usagi believed in mercy for
those who truly believed.
----------------------------------------
Shinji bumped into Rei-chan again, he apologized, she smiled. They
returned to work. Asuka would skin them alive if they didn't get this
food ready, or if they were late, or if they didn't bring Misato and Hiro
or . . .
"Rei-chan, no matter what we do, Asuka will be mad, right?" Shinji
thought he was on the brink of a true epiphany, a revelation that would
shake the very foundations of his worldview.
"Yes."
He suddenly felt the tension drain out of him. "If she'll be mad no
matter what, then we're doing this for the others, not for her, right?"
"Of course," Rei-chan said, stared at him, then she smiled for a
whole second and went back to work. Shinji wondered why Rei-chan had come
here to cook, Misato's kitchen was kinda of crowded, amply proven when
Rei-chan brushed into him again. However, he wasn't going to send her
away, he'd seen her kitchen.
He shrugged, and continued to work, they had to have this all done by
the time Hiro made it here. Shinji still didn't know who was, or how they
were, going to wake Misato.
----------------------------------------
Toji glanced into the kitchen, where Natsumi, Yumi' and Hikari were
all chattering away like long-lost sisters, his feeling of doom had
increased after they chased him out and started talking, and giggling.
Yumi' had known him and Kensuke longer than Natsumi and Hikari had, that
made him feel even worse. So he sat with Kensuke at the dining room
table, and did whatever menial task they assigned them. He prayed nobody
mentioned his piloting an EVA. He'd never survive if Kensuke found out
about that. For one thing, he'd never be able to explain why he _NEVER_
wanted to do it again.
"Why are we doing this?" Kensuke asked him.
Toji sighed, "Because both Sour Kraut and ole' Shinji asked us," he
told Kensuke.
And because Sour Kraut, Ole' Shinji, _and_ Ayanami-san told me if you
and I didn't come, they'd tell you all about me piloting an EVA, Toji
thought morosely, he was doomed, he knew it. It was only a matter of
time.
"You want to tell Sour Kraut 'no'?" Toji asked.
Kensuke paled, shook his head and went back to making mochi.
I'm doomed, Toji thought again.
"No, 'Suke, not like that." Toji stood to show him _again_ how to
wrap the things correctly.
----------------------------------------
"It rises from the grave!" Sammi announced as Asuka slouched into the
dining room.
Asuka felt logy, she'd fallen asleep in the tub and they'd left her
in there. She felt like a walking prune. She growled at Sammi and
Horseface, and dropped into a chair. "Thank you for cooking," she managed
before she put her head on the table. She wanted nothing else more than
more sleep, which she couldn't have.
"Megorofeld-chan is too kind," Sammi said.
"Misato, can't you pick one mispronunciation and stick with it?"
Asuka mumbled, "Okay, what does that mean?"
"Mein liebling Grosse Feldmarschall," Sammi told her. [My sweetie
Grand Field Marshall]
Asuka growled, "I should thank you. Living with you two, and not
murdering you in your beds, if that doesn't get me into Heaven, nothing
will."
"Well, it could also mean you're in Hell right now, or the Purgatory
rapid processing center," Sammi suggested happily.
"Horseface?" Asuka turned her attention to the other inhabitant of
the room. "Aren't you going to say something stupid too? It's your
turn."
"Ah, you look nice," Horseface told her.
Why does God hate me? Asuka put her head back down on the table.
----------------------------------------
The girls all wore gloves, ladies wore gloves after all. Tomoe led
the slightly stunned new member into the tea room to meet the other girls.
Usagi smiled as she saw the other girl clenching and unclenching her left
hand. This was natural, everybody did it, Usagi herself had. Tomoe had
even cried, until the ritual was over. Usagi shook her head, nothing was
lost, everything was gained. She didn't know how many times she'd have to
repeat herself before people started to believe her.
The socializing would continue for an hour, Usagi's mother wouldn't
mind, she didn't mind much of what her beloved daughter and her charming
friends did. After all, she was so proud of her little girl. 'Such a
leader would certainly find a powerful husband.' Usagi left the silly
woman a few of her illusions, she did owe her mother some kindness.
After the socializing was done, the executive committee had some real
business to attend to. Usagi watched the new girl, she'd have to learn
her name eventually, but only those likely to advance were of any real
interest to her anymore. It wasn't as if anyone else really mattered
anyway.
----------------------------------------
"This is a disaster!" Harumi-the-beautiful-pig-face announced in her
nasal voice, which was not at all pretty, always the theatrical
complainer, shaking the knickknacks on their shelves, "Some of these . . .
people - will never be up to our standard, and we're going to be flooded
with them!"
Usagi simply glanced around the western-style parlor, watching the
lines of battle being drawn, before she moved in.
"Eighty-five is hardly 'flooded'," that was Tomoe, always ready to
placate and start a fight, usually both simultaneously.
"Some of them are 3rd years, like us," Yuki commented, "Isn't that a
cause for alarm?" Yuki was as cold as her snowy name, and her white hair,
even Usagi didn't know if it was a affectation or natural. She did envy
the girl her figure, it would be years before she filled out that way,
Yuki could pass as eighteen, if she wanted, and she had on occasion.
"What, you believe the rumors that they actually ran their school?"
Tomoe asked and laughed. How such a graceless boor could have such a
delicate laugh always amazed Usagi. "They were figureheads for this Tendo
Nabiki, and she's going to be gone for another month at least," Tomoe
explained, "They'll know their place by the time she gets back. If she
wants to be part of our organization, she can come to us."
"Don't _assume_ she will be a problem," Usagi added, "She may be
reasonable."
"She's a pilot!" Yuki said, as if it had a bad taste.
"We all know what _that_ means!" Harumi raised her voice along with
the level of panic in the room, and shook the plaster, "There are rumors
that she had other at her school killed! Others like _US_!"
"Because they were interfering with NERV," Usagi's voice cut through
the babble, "What an advantage, if we could bring them into the fold."
"Ask a pilot to join . . . us?" Harumi sounded like she'd give
herself a stroke, or was trying to shatter all the glass in the room.
"Why not?" Usagi asked, "Surely the pilots must have likely
candidates, someone who wants to make a difference, someone who wants to
master her own future."
"It's too dangerous," Harumi insisted, in a whisper this time. Yuki
nodded, along with five other girls. Tomoe looked neutral, as did the
other three members. Usagi was alone.
Usagi was also the leader. "Tomoe, scout them out. Find one, the
most likely. If we can have one in our pocket, the rest will be
neutralized."
The others looked at each other, they had their orders, now they
would have to act. There was other business to take care of.
"What of the potential new recruits?" Usagi asked, "I take it you all
have candidates to propose from the new crop of students."
The clamoring for this or that girl began. Usagi leaned back, sipped
her tea and let the others argue about minor details. It let them believe
they were contributing.
----------------------------------------
Women and Wine Should Life Employ
"Incoming," Asuka told Horseface as a familiar figure streaked across
the ball park calling his name. She managed to pull the tray of rolls out
of his hands before Mirei slammed into him and practically knocked him
over.
"You came, you came, you really came!" the girl hadn't crushed the
life out of Horseface the way Ice Princess had. Instead she took his
hands, backed away a pace, and danced around him.
"Careful," Asuka warned, "Don't turn it into a rain dance."
"Don't mind her," Horseface said, "She hasn't beaten anything up
lately, so she's out of sorts."
"Horseface why don't you go and help Mirei and her mom unload?" Asuka
suggested, she was almost at the picnic tables, she could get help from
the other girls there to set out what she had brought. The quantity of
food available impressed her, she hoped the quality was up to her,
Spineless's and Hikari's standards.
"Don't you need my - " Horseface held up his hands. "Right 'When you
need my help you'll be a week dead'."
"A month Horseface, a month, go."
She watched the pair head off. The girls at the tables all stood,
bowed to her. She stifled the urge to tell them to knock it off. "I've
got more stuff in the jeep." Her eyes fell on two guys, big and dumb
enough they could be NERV security. "You and you, come with me." When
they didn't move she decided to be merciful and assume they weren't really
being insolent. "I need help with some lifting, you two boys look
healthy, you will help me." She spotted Wondergirl arriving from the
other direction with Spineless. "Or else."
The one with the glasses scoffed, "Or else what?"
Asuka nodded to Wondergirl, who picked the boy up over her head, then
set him down, hard.
"Let us all just enjoy the day, without dwelling on 'or else',
agreed?" she asked, smiled. She had their enthusiastic cooperation. She
knew that leaving the girls with Wondergirl and Spineless wasn't precisely
fair, but she figured Tomiyo and that little demonstration could keep them
out of trouble for a little while. She also didn't want her stomach doing
flip flops as Spineless met his fanclub.
----------------------------------------
Rei was confused and a little frightened. This girl closed in on
Shinji-kun and began telling him how happy she was that he could come,
even as he took a step back. Tomiyo-san took no action at this
near-assault. Rei was even more frightened when this Megumi dragged her
to meet all the others in their group, introducing them by name and what
position they played on their softball team. Rei decided an experiment
was in order, to disrupt the fear she and Shinji-kun felt on being
completely and closely surrounded, she hoped Megumi's English was good.
"This is Sora, she plays First Base," Megumi said.
"Who," Rei replied.
"What?" Megumi said.
"What is on Second, you said she played First."
"Yes, Sora here plays First."
"Who."
"Sora here."
"Who is on First," Rei replied.
The mousy girl started giggling, she pointed at her friend, "I'll
tell you who's pitching."
"Who is playing First," Rei reiterated. Megumi seemed completely
lost.
"Who's in the outfield?" Shinji-kun asked.
"Who is playing First," her giggles spoiled Sora's frustrated shout.
"What's the name of your outfielder?"
"What is playing Second," Sora told them.
"Who's playing Second?" Shinji-kun asked, feigning his own confusion.
Megumi kept looking at the trio as if they'd completely lost their minds.
The others had also drawn back, Rei wondered if it was more from the
change in the initially mousy Sora, or the odd conversation.
"Who is playing First!" Sora shouted, flapping her arms.
"Just tell me the name of the Left Fielder," Rei said.
"Why," Sora said.
"Because," Rei replied.
"She's the Center Fielder."
"Sora!" Megumi seemed alarmed by all of this, "What's gotten into
you?"
"What is on Second," Sora said desperately, "_I'm_ playing first!"
"Who is on Second?" Megumi asked.
"Who is on First," Rei and Sora shouted at her.
"I don't know," Shinji-kun supplied.
"Third Base!" all three shouted. Megumi started backing up, very
carefully, with a wild-eyed expression.
"I think I'll go help Miss Langley," Megumi managed before she turned
and ran away.
"I haven't heard that routine since before the war," Sora said,
laughing slightly, "It was how I memorized the positions."
"There is no right field position," Rei reminded her.
"I'm glad you invited us, and I should thank Langley-san for the new
equipment we will be able to purchase. I also think we'd better explain
it to Captain Megumi," she said.
Rei and Shinji-kun followed the girl to the jeep. "We call her,
Megorofeld-chan," Shinji-kun told her.
"You pilots have pet names for each other, that's so neat," Sora told
them.
Rei considered that, `pet` connotated affection, she wondered how
much of the names 'Mein Grosse Feldmarschall' were affection and how much
were something else.
----------------------------------------
Tomoe was getting worried, "Would you look at them?" She pointed to
the crowd that was assembling outside the left foul line.
"All we're doing is playing softball," Usagi told her, "We have
nothing to worry about." She looked over the girls assembling and
practicing before the game proper.
"But can't you feel them?" Tomoe hissed.
While it did Usagi's heart good that the normally implacable Tomoe
was acting more like a frightened rabbit, she had to calm the girl down.
"They have been around us before and felt nothing amiss. The detection
goes only one way. We feel them, they do not feel us. If that wasn't
true, they would have acted before now."
Tomoe nodded and returned to the batting practice, giving pointers to
the new girls. Including one who kept looking at the assembled group as
intently as Tomoe had. Usagi filed this information away and continued
with the warm-ups. For the first few games, she'd have to decide which
girls were on which teams. Her team would of course win the tournament,
but there was no need to be blatant about it, and lacking skilled
opponents dulled the instincts and competitive edge they all needed.
Better that they fought it out here, rather than in the council chambers
or at the worship services.
She picked out four of the pilots easily enough, each had a coterie.
What disturbed her was that she was getting nine `readings` two of the
pilots were supposed to be out of the country, which left five. Who were
the others?
She put that mystery aside. She had weeks before school started
again to solve it. The simplest answer was that there were other pilots
who didn't know they were.
----------------------------------------
Many Companions for Food and Drink
Asuka watched her plan unfold to perfection. Misato arrived with
Hiro on her arm. Misato saw Kaji arrive and immediately snuggled up
against Hiro, smiling at Kaji. Asuka only smiled at him too. She had
work to do. She wondered if Yumi really thought she was well hidden in
the forest, spying on Curly and Hikari. Natsumi had brought the third
stooge, Kensuke, with her, dragooning them to help was easy. The two
burly college students were very compliant after Wondergirl's little
demonstration.
Asuka glanced up, not a cloud in the sky, so Horseface ought to stay
dry and male the whole day, she'd explained about staying away from the
drink dispensers. Most of the rest of the food wasn't wet enough to
trigger his change. Wondergirl had already managed to weird out Megumi,
which was fine. If Megumi got too affectionate with Spineless, Wondergirl
might take offense. Asuka doubted Wondergirl could just tell the girl to
leave him alone. Asuka didn't want to get a good look at a jealous
Wondergirl, there were things man wasn't meant to know.
Ah, here comes Belldandy and Dishwater, Asuka thought as she hurried
over to greet them. Their harried expression's source also came into
view. A twelve-year-old girl, who was yammering at them nonstop, even the
boy with her seemed less than enchanted by it.
"Ah, Belldandy!" Asuka said chirpily, "You look so young to be a
mother! What's your daughter's name?" Asuka grinned like a politician at
the girls, both of whom looked like they'd just eaten a large amount of
Misato's cooking.
"I'm not a kid," the youngster announced, Dishwater tried to placate
her, unsuccessfully. She stuck her tongue out at him, which gave Asuka
her opening. She used to _hate_ when her uncle did this, but it taught
her to quit sticking her tongue where greasy-fingered old men could grab
it.
"Please lower your voice," Asuka said reasonably to the girl who was
shocked that someone had actually laid hands on her person.
I should have smeared something unpleasant on my fingers first, Asuka
lamented her lack of planning.
"Your sister and her boyfriend just want a quiet day in the park, I'm
sure you'll find someone closer to your own age or maturity to talk to, so
you don't have to spend time with them," Asuka said quietly and firmly,
"If you don't want to behave as an adult, then we cannot very well treat
you as one, correct?"
"Crrct," the girl managed, still shocked at Asuka's effrontery.
Glancing at her captured tongue, then at Asuka.
Asuka released her, she knew the girl was plotting some 'Dire
Revenge!'. When I have to worry about some twelve-year-old kid, Asuka
thought, I'll be ready for them to put me in a hole and throw dirt on me.
"You build things?" Asuka asked Dishwater.
"Yeah, It's kind - " he said nervously, as if Asuka would hit him for
the wrong answer.
"Good, excellent," Asuka said as she dragged him along, "If you can,
maybe you can explain that after you take something apart, there are ways
to put it back together." Asuka headed for Spineless and Wondergirl, she
figured you put the quiet ones together, and everyone else would leave
them alone, and she could see to that.
"Keiichi," Belldandy called.
The change that came over Wondergirl amazed Asuka. So there is
someone Wondergirl doesn't like, she thought then glanced at Wondergirl's
target, Belldandy, Well, what do you know? Little Miss Happy doesn't like
Wondergirl either. Well, I'll let Wondergirl and Dishwater talk.
"Don't worry she won't eat him," Asuka said, then turned on
Dishwater, "You aren't a vegetable, are you?"
"Nn - No!" he insisted shakily as she released him.
"Then you're safe, Wondergirl, he's an engineer, they aren't good to
eat. If you have to nibble, that's what Spineless is for, he'll enjoy
it."
Asuka wasn't sure which one of the four blushed more. Asuka dragged
Belldandy after her, "I need your help getting Megumi out of a tree."
"What?" Belldandy asked.
"What's playing on Second," Asuka said, saw the incomprehension,
"Don't worry, I'll explain it on the way, I just - "
'Kaji, Darling!' sounded across the park, Asuka flinched as if hit on
the head with a stick.
"My sister," Belldandy explained. The white-haired, darker-skinned
woman had latched onto Kaji, who didn't seem to be having any problem with
this new arrival draping herself over him. The woman wore a little more
than Misato usually did, but her costume managed to show more.
Asuka glanced around to take inventory, or damage reports, as the
case might be. Misato and Hiro, if anything, Misato seems more interested
in Hiro than before and he's paying attention to _her_, that is good.
Hikari looks ready to belt Curly for staring, not good, Asuka thought as
she looked around, Spineless and Wondergirl are talking with Dishwater.
Belldandy's mouthy sister and her date are with Horseface, she looks
bored, that really breaks my heart. Natsumi and - Kensuke - where are
those two? They can't have sneaked off into the bushes . . . or did they?
"Have you ever considered becoming an only child?" Asuka asked.
"No," Belldandy didn't seem to get the joke.
Great _another_ Wondergirl, Asuka thought as she tried to spot
Megumi.
----------------------------------------
Belldandy was very nervous. Keiichi and Megumi seemed to be having a
wonderful time talking to - that girl. Asuka had been displaced from her
place as host by the arrival of Admiral Simson, his wife and several other
couples. The Admiral had revealed that - that girl - had invited them so
''Megorofeld-chan' could enjoy herself talking with other technical
people'.
Belldandy thought the only one more shocked by - that girl's -
behavior had been Asuka herself. The Navy people had brought tubs of ice
and bottles of cola. The wives circulated providing drinks and making
sure everyone had food. The men had set up a charcoal grill downwind of
the group, and were grilling steaks and fish. The smell sharpened
everyones' appetite.
She looked at Keiichi, and even Skuld was starting to enter into the
conversations about building things, materials, methods of joining them,
and so on. At the moment they were arguing welding versus riveting. That
girl - sat quietly, absorbing it all, as her kind always did, watching,
examining, analyzing everything. Occasionally she would ask a question,
and the conversation would head off on another path.
Belldandy sighed, Sentaro, Skuld's friend was with Ranma, Tamiya,
Ootaki, and Ranma's guard, Sammi. That was something else she couldn't
believe. Why did NERV tolerate such a creature among them? Yet all the
pilots seemed to care for her, and she cared right back. Belldandy was
confused, the pilot who had confronted her had to know, the Admiral in
charge of the American oversight of NERV was familiar enough they could
invite him to a picnic. Surely someone had said something!
"Belldandy," Keiichi called and waved to her, "Asuka-san just had a
good idea. She suggested you could teach, Rei-san to cook, they have a
big kitchen at Asuka-san's home. You could take Sora-san, and give her
the lesson's you've been talking about."
Everyone was chattering about what a splendid solution this was.
Belldandy noted that there were only two who seemed terrified by this
idea, herself, and - that girl.
Belldandy stared at Keiichi, who was silently urging her to accept.
She saw - that girl's - paramour urging her to do the same, with much the
same expression.
"You can let Horseface chaperone," Asuka added.
"Hey _I_ know how to cook!" Ranma approached.
"Yeah, but it's _boring_!_ You need to learn how to spice things up
without becoming . . . " Asuka pointed at Misato-san.
"Hey, my cooking's not that bad!" Misato shouted from where she and
Hiro were sitting.
"Her cooking - " Asuka whispered to the group.
"MISS LANGLEY!" Admiral Simson said sternly, marching over wearing a
furious expression, "That - is - a - military _secret_!_" Somehow the
apron and chef's hat reduced the effectiveness of any threat.
Asuka hid her smile while she cowered and nodded, "I apologize,
Admiral. I lost my head."
"Don't give me any ideas!" the Admiral turned and returned to the
grill. Ignoring the giggling and laughter following him.
"Please, Asuka-chan, please, don't challenge her to a contest!"
Asuka's friend Hikari was bowing low, "I don't know how you survived your
last, and only defeat."
"Don't look at me," Toji added, "Raccoon said he'd make my sister
into soup if I talked."
"He said he'd make you 'eat cream of sister soup'," that girl
corrected.
"This I _have_ to hear!" Megumi said, supported by a dozen of the
others.
"Well, Wondergirl, you want to tell it, or should I?" Asuka asked.
"Mein Grosse Feldmarschall is too kind," that girl told Asuka, who
looked sour.
----------------------------------------
Usagi glanced over at the knot of the pilots and their hangers on.
They were all finally distracted, now she could test their reaction. She
was glad Yuki was coming up to bat, the girl was one of the best hitters,
not a powerhouse like Tomoe, but a sniper. Yuki caught Usagi's look, she
knew not to take advantage of the pitch Usagi was throwing. It was a
pitch most ball players dream of getting, and Yuki had to taint the hit
with magic and bat it foul.
She hit the ball exactly where it had to go and put the force of a
cannonball behind it. In a few seconds, they'd know what the powers of
the pilots were like. Usagi turned as fast as she could so she could
watch.
----------------------------------------
The air had suddenly taken on a foul taste to Belldandy. It took her
a moment to realize it wasn't any of their group. Then she saw the ball.
She wasn't sure who it would hit, but the group was so tightly packed it
would probably hit several of them, injuring them severely. She was
stricken with a moment's indecision, if she revealed who and what she was
in front of all these witnesses . . .
As she reached her decision to act, the others were already taking
action. Sammi was running to intercept it, shouting a warning. Ranma was
moving as well. A field of shifting phase space, invisible to the mortal
eye, formed in front of the group. The barrier solidified. Belldandy
felt the strength of it, even artillery wouldn't penetrate that barrier.
She watched Ranma grab the upper edge of the barrier to vault over
it. He clipped someone's drink on the way out. Belldandy watched him
change to her, even as she caught the projectile and hurled it back onto
the field. Ranma continued his/her retreat from the scene. Asuka and the
other girl pilot charged after the now girl, through the vanishing
barrier. That girl made a considerably greater turn of speed than Asuka.
Sammi followed in their wake. The guards had dropped their genial
attitude as they took up stations near their charges. Erin was racing
after Asuka, Tomiyo moved implacably next to Shinji.
Usagi and several others were running towards them, they slowed as
they approached. "Is everyone all right?!" she asked, her voice filled
with concern, "We're so sorry, we just . . . " She saw further words were
useless. She and the others wisely backed away.
Belldandy noted the change of the entire NERV group. They had been
laughing and happy only moments earlier. Now they were alert and on edge,
even Ootaki and Tamiya were silent, watching, not daring to move.
Belldandy thought moving, or even speaking was a poor idea. She glanced
at Skuld who seemed frightened, then at Urd, her chosen date was ignoring
her, he was intent on scanning his surroundings. Belldandy glanced
around, she realized the other thing that was bothering her, a few of the
NERV and Navy people were looking in the direction of the ball players or
where Ranma had disappeared into the trees. The rest were looking
everywhere else. Even the sky didn't escape a close inspection. There
was danger, and they were expecting more. For a few minutes no one spoke,
the NERV and Navy people kept looking around. Even Shinji, `Spineless` as
Asuka called him, looked ready for a fight.
The entire atmosphere had changed. The children who had been so
happy that others could accept them and their associates, were suddenly
what they truly were: soldiers. It saddened her that it had happened, she
wished she could have prevented it, she liked seeing Keiichi and his
friends enjoying themselves, now they were slightly terrified.
Everyone relaxed some as Ranma reappeared, back as a male, the
bandaging on his head was extensive, and there was a great deal of blood
on it. Belldandy realized that none of it was his. He leaned heavily on
Asuka and that girl, the two of them looked like they'd methodically kill
anything that got close to their charge. Sammi, his guard, loomed behind
them, like an angry thunderhead.
Or thunder god, Belldandy mentally amended.
Mirei had walked away from the other players when Usagi returned.
She approached Ranma carefully, bowed slightly to his protectors. "Is he
all right? I'm sure . . . "
"Head wounds bleed a great deal," that girl told Mirei as they
approached.
"Considering he had enough to turn his hair red . . . " Asuka said,
fixed on one of the Navy personnel, "Dr. Chambers."
"Let me get my bag from the car," the man replied, "Sit him down,
keep him warm."
"I'm fine!" Ranma insisted. Belldandy suspected that was the truth,
his transformation was a secret, they were covering for it.
"Then why didn't you remember you're allowed to use your hands in
softball," Asuka said angrily, "This isn't football."
Megumi had one of the blankets some of the girls had been sitting on.
She walked carefully, handing it to Asuka and the other girl, then she
retreated out of range as Asuka and that girl wrapped it around Ranma.
The mood was broken, Belldandy felt the people around her. There was
a watchful waiting as Dr. Chambers returned, performed a few minor tests
and pronounced Ranma fit. Although he should return home to rest.
"I don't want to ruin the day," he protested weakly, then looked at
his three stern escorts. "Well, if I have to sit around, at least Ranko
can take my place." He turned to Mirei, "You won't mind will you?"
"No," the girl replied, "Be well." With that Sammi picked Ranma up
easily and walked to her car, Dr. Chambers following along.
----------------------------------------
Few Companions For Serious Business
Rei caught `Megorofeld`'s sleeve and glanced at Admiral Simson. She
was having some difficulty thinking of her with the new appellation, she
had been the Second because she was, she was Mein Grosse Feldmarschall,
because Mein Grosse Sergeant, while more accurate, didn't contain the
gentle sting of Mein Grosse Feldmarschall's names for the others. This
new name was merely a random label, it didn't feel right. Mein Grosse
Feldmarschall didn't nod, she just headed in that direction. Rei felt the
stares of the three on her the entire time. She didn't care, she'd felt
something before the ball, and they hadn't.
"The ball was aimed," Rei quietly said to the Admiral without
preamble.
"Anyone else I'd ask if they were sure," Admiral Simson seemed to be
concentrating on the grilling steaks, "By whom?"
"I do not know," Rei told him truthfully. She doubted any of the
three would have done it. If she thought they had, she would have
denounced them, and they would have the EVAs to deal with. Shinji-kun or
Keiichi had been the primary target, after that it would have been random
chance. The Fourth had complained about how hard the blow had been. She
knew his blows could penetrate plate steel or concrete. For him to call a
blow 'hard' would make it the equivalent of a cannon round.
"Horseface may laugh it off," Mein Grosse Feldmarschall said, "But
catching that ball hurt him. No way a batted softball could do that."
"Intentional?" Simson asked.
"No way of finding out," Mein Grosse Feldmarschall said, "Short of
interrogating the whole team and assuming whoever used them didn't cover
their tracks."
"Let _me_ worry about that," Simson said. He looked at the two
girls. "Anything else?"
"I have no other comments," Rei said, the smell of cooking meat was
beginning to nauseate her.
"Me neither."
"Do we go or stay?" Simson asked. Rei knew this was a test.
Rei considered, she had been enjoying herself, "Remaining where an
attack occurred is foolish." She noted that Mein Grosse Feldmarschall and
Admiral Simson shared a smile.
"I'll stay behind with some of the Navy folks," Simson said, "I don't
want these steaks to go to waste, but I think you pilots need to get to
safety."
Rei agreed with the logic. She wished it were different, but with
the two alternates unavailable, they couldn't afford the loss of even a
single pilot for any length of time.
----------------------------------------
Belldandy watched the various groups pack up and leave. The pilots
and their guards left first, leaving behind everything except their
immediate personal possessions. The NERV personnel and their friends left
next, taking what the pilots had left.
"It's not fair," Megumi commented as the junior high team packed up
and left.
Belldandy agreed. She suspected the NERV pilots had realized the
truth and were fleeing.
"We can meet them again later," Belldandy told her. The Navy people
cooked the last of the food they had brought, and withdrew. There were
many leftovers, but most of the participants had lost their appetites.
Belldandy waited with Keiichi, Megumi and Urd. Skuld and Sentaro had
left on their bicycles a few minutes earlier.
"That's not the point," Megumi replied, "One batted ball and they
have to leave."
"It was aimed," Urd told her, she sounded angry, "Right at Keiichi or
Shinji."
Megumi opened her mouth to protest, then shut it. There were a lot
of stories about the pilots and the creatures they faced. Belldandy
suspected that Megumi was assuming that one of those monsters had made
itself known.
"It's still not fair," Megumi said angrily as she surveyed the food
left behind, she'd divide it up among the girls. Nobody felt like playing
their regular Sunday game, not after what happened.
----------------------------------------
"I told you they'd flee," Usagi told the others of the committee as
they reassembled outside where they kept their sporting equipment in the
school's gymnasium.
"Cowards." Tomoe had gotten it wrong again, while she stacked the
bats in the closet.
"They didn't know where the attack came from," Yuki warned, "They
knew it was more than an errant fly ball."
"And what happened after?" Usagi asked. The others didn't seem to
know. Saotome's hair had changed color, and he'd run off. He'd caught
the ball and thrown it back, so the idea he'd been bleeding didn't wash.
It was another thing to investigate.
"Their guards are pathetic, none of them noticed anything," Harumi
announced.
Usagi glanced at Tomoe, who nodded perhaps a millimeter. If Harumi
was happy, she'd gotten something wrong.
"So do we keep testing them?" Yuki asked.
"Of course," Usagi told the others, "Until school starts. Then we
can adjust things. We also have seen their inner circle and can
concentrate on them. If we break them, we can have our pick of which we
want, if any."
There were concerned murmurs again, but Usagi was more interested in
the speed with which Saotome and his guard moved, and what had Saotome
pulled himself over. She hadn't determined where the other targets were.
Her sense of nine targets hadn't diminished, and the NERV people and the
others left in a clump, so she couldn't determine who were the individual
targets. Some had remained after NERV and the Navy left, so perhaps some
of the college-aged were potential pilots as well. She decided she didn't
need that complication yet, so she shelved any plan she might have to
involve them.
"All is going as is necessary," Usagi announced to calm the growing
tumult, "All praise our Beneficent Lord."
'Ia! Ia! In Shub-Niggurath Sho'mat Intigua! Ia! Ia! Inacta Per
Sonen!' was dutifully intoned by all. But she knew time would tell.
----------------------------------------
Shinji was dreading the rest of the day. Kaji had decided to
accompany them back to Misato's place. He couldn't figure out why Misato
hadn't said no. Tomiyo had set Shinji in the front passenger seat, then
sat between Hiro and Kaji. Shinji thought the man deserved a medal. If
Kaji thought his intense questioning of Hiro, in that snide tone, was
making points with Misato, he should have paid attention to the way her
driving deteriorated as the drive home continued. Shinji wasn't sure if
his knuckles were whiter than Misato's. He knew enough not to say
anything to her while she was in this kind of mood.
The walk from the garage to Misato's apartment was a moment of peace,
which would be over too soon.
"So, what did you do during the war?" Kaji sounded like Asuka, when
she was setting you up. Misato helped herself to a beer, as an
afterthought she took a second can. Shinji didn't know why she frowned so
much at the can opener.
"I was in radio-intercept," Hiro said as he stood at the dining room
table, holding the chair out for Misato.
"That sounds really dangerous," Kaji said, taking a chair, until
Misato's under the table kick knocked it out from under him.
"You should really be more careful," Misato said to the man sitting
on the floor.
Shinji glanced at Tomiyo. They both would remain standing, in the
kitchen.
"It was, when the Chindits found us," Hiro said without ceremony, as
he sat opposite Misato.
"British jungle troops," Tomiyo explained to Shinji.
Shinji nodded. "Hiro-san, is that when . . . uh . . . "
Hiro smiled, the scar accentuating it. "When I got my permanently
sunny disposition?" he chuckled at Shinji's answering smile, "No, I had an
encounter with a Gurkha, several actually."
"Why didn't you just shoot him?" Kaji asked, smiling all the time.
"I noticed that Tomiyo and the other guards carry .45 autos, if I had
.. . . " Hiro said, "The Nambu doesn't do it. I did shoot him, he died of
the gunshot. That's why I have this, instead of a place at the Yasukuni
Shrine. However, he didn't die immediately. I heard you were in Berlin
most of the war. Very dangerous posting."
You've been asking for it, Shinji thought, he'd seen this kind of
contest earlier, when Ranma had been challenging Asuka and Raccoon. One
of them would set him up, the other would knock him out of the park.
"There were dangers," Kaji said, a touch defensively.
"Yes, I'm sure," Hiro said, "Air raids, advancing Russian troops,
very dangerous. Fighter-bombers, naval gunfire, tropical disease, bad
water, they can't really compare."
Shinji caught Misato smiling behind her can of beer.
"I'll take the perils of Berlin nightlife over running into angry
Gurkhas," Tomiyo said.
"I thought martial artists were brave, fearless even," Hiro said with
mock shock.
"Where is it written that martial artists have to be stupid, blind to
the obvious, or otherwise intellectually impaired?" Tomiyo asked.
"Wasn't that on the walls of the Shaolin Temple?" Kaji quipped.
"That's why they knocked it down," Tomiyo said, "Kempo gives a
balance, its practitioners are calm, self-possessed."
"So you can't be overly emotional, no crybabies or maniacs or
sex-fiends?" Kaji teased.
"Any member of my school like that, I'd throw them out," Tomiyo said,
"Probably through a garbage grinder." Tomiyo smiled. "Miss Tendo and
Saotome-san are good examples of the student my art attracts."
Kaji-san, Shinji thought, Now they'll be working together. Shinji
glanced at Penpen who stared back. Shinji had the feeling the battle was
going to go on for a while. He'd seen his fellow pilots do this, but they
were smart enough to give up a bad situation, he had a feeling the
'adults' weren't.
----------------------------------------
Ranko heard Asuka walking towards the apartment, she wondered what
Asuka's attitude would be when the door opened.
"Sorry, we canceled," Asuka said, "Security concerns, I made your
apologies to Mirei." She stared at him. "Did I forget something
Horseface, like my face?"
Ill-concealed anger, Ranko thought, At who?
"I need your help with an experiment," Ranko said to Asuka.
Good, that's got her attention, she thought.
"Experiment, you?" Asuka said, "This I have to hear. What's the
experiment?"
"Back in April, Nab-chan tried to give me a wash and trim - "
"Your hair exploded," Asuka interrupted, "And you want to really ruin
the rest of today. Thank, Horseface, you don't know how wonderful that
makes me feel."
"There was something in my pigtail, it controlled the effect," Ranko
doggedly continued her explanation, "I wanted to know if Ranko has the
same effect. I figured with you and Sammi, you'd figure out a safe way to
do this."
Asuka sighed. That worried Ranko, Asuka looked extremely tired for a
moment, but she looked up with determination. "I think we can use the
staircase as a target." She glanced over to Sammi. "We should also have
some hot water, so we can see if the effect on Ranma continues."
Sammi nodded.
"But I want to wash up first, and get some clean clothes," Asuka told
them as she headed off.
Once Asuka had closed the door to her room, Ranko turned to Sammi.
"I think she's really feeling bad about . . . about things falling apart."
"She's been trying too hard," Sammi replied, "It all worked, it just
didn't work perfectly."
"If I hadn't changed," Ranko said. She couldn't get the image of
Rei, slicing her own palm to provide the blood for the bandage, out of her
mind. Rei didn't wince or cry out, she just did it without anyone asking.
Rei saw the need and did it.
"You did nothing wrong," Sammi assured her. "Would you have
preferred having that ball really clobber one of the others?"
"No, of course not!" Ranko quietly told her, "I just wish it hadn't
screwed up her plan."
"I think she'll survive," Sammi replied.
"_She'll_ survive, I'm the one who messed things up. If I'd watched
what was in the way . . . "
"The only one blaming you is you, Horseface," Asuka said as she
marched out of her room, she had a small bin with combs, brushes and
several shampoos in it. "If we're going to do this, we're going to do
this."
Ranko wasn't sure which worried her more, that Asuka was being sort
of nice, or that if she refused, she'd be facing an angry Asuka. She
simply gave in and headed up the stairs.
----------------------------------------
Who Is Not Thursday's Child
Shinji watched Tomiyo suddenly tense up, the man headed towards the
glass doors of the patio. Shinji glanced at the three `adults` still
sniping at each other. Misato had turned sideways so Kaji couldn't get at
her legs with his feet. Shinji wondered if she realized she was
displaying them to Hiro, and he kept glancing at them.
Shinji saw Tomiyo nodding at him, he slipped past the argument
without being embroiled in it. On the patio, Rei waited for him. Tomiyo
closed the door behind them, sealing away the growing sounds of bickering.
Shinji was embarrassed by the way he could edit out Tomiyo's
existence from his mind. He shouldn't do that to people, but he couldn't
talk with Rei-chan if someone was watching them, and Tomiyo had explained
that he `really wasn't there.` He understood Tomiyo was watching out for
threats, not watching them. It still didn't feel right.
"Are you all right?" he noted how embarrassed she looked.
"I am sorry her plans went awry," Rei-chan said softly.
"We can try again later. It's just one day." He glanced out at the
clouds rolling in. "It would have started raining anyway."
"Have you considered children?" Rei-chan asked.
Shinji froze, he knew Rei-chan often jumped between points without
touching the intervening thoughts, he'd have to discover what she meant.
"You mean like at the orphanage, or having my own family?" he asked
as he led her to the chairs on the patio.
"Offspring of your own. Is it critical they must be of your genetic
heritage?" she asked.
"I think I'm too young to be a father," Shinji said, "I have thought
I wouldn't want to have children when we might die or lose the war. But
people still have children, despite those monsters."
Rei-chan was twisting her skirt in her hands, Shinji had never seen
her this nervous.
"Do you want children? You seem to like being with the children at
the orphanage. Real kids are a lot of work." Shinji doubted that was the
right thing to say, but he couldn't figure out what had disturbed
Rei-chan.
"I have considered it. You are correct," she said sadly, "Until we
end the war, concrete plans are unwise. Still . . . " She seemed to be
searching for the words. "Not considering the possibility seems a
betrayal of any relationship."
"I . . . I'll consider it," Shinji said. He couldn't bring himself
to ask if she wanted to have children with him, by birth or adoption. It
seemed too big a thought to have, until they knew they'd survive.
"Thank you. If you could ask the others, I would welcome their
comments." She stood up and headed for the door.
"We can talk about it tomorrow," he offered as Tomiyo opened the door
for her. Shinji stood to follow her.
"Thank you." She removed her shoes and walked through the living
room. Misato and Kaji were staring at her. "You have not considered
children," she told them as she walked by.
Kaji and Misato blushed furiously. "I just met the lady," Hiro told
Rei, who nodded as she put her shoes back on.
"So, how do you like children?" Hiro asked Misato, "And don't talk
about cooking." Misato blushed even more.
"I'm sure Shinji will get her trained," Tomiyo added as he followed
Shinji towards the door.
Shinji blushed, when he reached the door to the hallway outside,
Rei-chan was gone. Shinji wondered if she ran, once she was outside, or
if she jumped over the edge and caught another railing on the way down.
----------------------------------------
"Ready?" Asuka asked as she unwrapped the binding on Horseface's
pigtail, with the possibly exploding hair dangling over the spiral
staircase and the girl herself lying on the floor near the stairwell.
Asuka felt the sliver of something in Horseface's hair, she gripped it
tightly, keeping it where it was.
"I'm ready for whatever happens," Sammi crouched on the other side of
the supine girl.
"Horseface, don't move, don't panic," Asuka said as soothingly as she
could, "We've got things under control."
"Yeah, okay," Horseface didn't sound confident, but she didn't move
either.
Asuka moved the sliver out of the mass of hair. She wouldn't tell
Horseface exactly when it cleared, it was always possible that Horseface
triggered the change herself. The sliver came out, Asuka kept agitating
the hair with her other hand. She made sure she had a solid grip on the
white sliver, "Okay, it's coming out. I don't see any change." She
paused, looked for any change while she moved her hand through Horseface's
hair.
"Okay," Asuka said, "It's out." She braced for any change, ready to
thrust it back in.
"I don't feel anything," Horseface sounded scared, she licked her
lips and lay still. She glanced at Asuka, then at Sammi.
"Okay, Sammi." Asuka looked at the other woman. "The water."
Sammi carefully, almost fearfully, put Horseface's hand in the mug of
hot water. Horseface changed, the hair went from red to black. Asuka
braced herself for any other changes.
There was no other change. Asuka sat back, let out a long breath.
She looked down at the item in her hand. A small white sliver, she ran a
finger over the rough surface. It looked and felt almost like the
vibrissa of a dragon. "Here." She handed it to Horseface. "I don't
think you have to worry about it any more."
"Thanks, Asuka, I don't - " Horseface said.
"Then don't say anything, Horseface." She gestured to the tub she'd
brought in earlier, "I was going to offer to give you a wash. I'm afraid
I'm too tired. If you want, I'll do it tomorrow. But not tonight."
Horseface made a noise as he sat up, then fell silent.
Asuka felt the tension drain out of her, leaving only exhaustion.
She headed downstairs to her room. She hoped she'd get there before she
fell asleep.
----------------------------------------
"What did I do wrong?" Ranma asked Sammi as he sat there. Asuka
seemed too tired to be really angry with him.
The woman smiled patted his head. "You didn't do anything. She was
trying so hard. She's just depressed, getting depressed is tiring. And
_no_ you didn't do anything wrong catching that ball. The alternative was
letting someone get hurt, and even if it missed completely, we still would
have packed up and left," she told him, "You want me to give you a wash
and a trim?"
Ranma considered, "When she said she'd do it tomorrow, did she mean
she wanted to do it, or that she was hoping you'd do it tonight?"
"I don't think she meant either," Sammi told him, "I think you're
overthinking this. I bet you never expected to be accused of _that_._"
She was a little worried that he didn't respond. She hugged him, wished
she could do more, take away the pain the two pilots felt. She released
him quickly when Ranma didn't react. "Are you okay?"
"I guess I'm tired too," Ranma said quietly. He stared at the item
in his hand. "Seems like a little thing to cause all these problems," he
said as he walked down the stairs and to his room.
Sammi when back to the kitchen, poured herself a cup of cold tea.
She felt the bitter liquid passing over her tongue without really tasting
it. She listened carefully as both of her charges washed up and went to
bed.
----------------------------------------
Asuka,
Sorry I haven't written, but I've been on a `secret` mission for the
NERV command. Incommunicado in _Boston_ of all places. According to the
Security agents, you know about what I was working on, from two of the
other pilots. Be careful, you may find your big old friend isn't the
newest and the best.
Forgive me, but one of them might be mine, and I'll need every
advantage I can get to catch up to my, sempai, is that the word? You've
got to teach them German, my Japanese will make me sound like some bubbly
bimbo. 'Monster is too dangerous, running away now please.'
'I'd hate to sounding like idiot like that.'
Fortunately I was able to meet `Raccoon's` parents. Harvard is even
bigger than Berlin Polytechnical! They speak German, it was so wonderful
being able to argue with people about Goethe and Liszt, they were all
wrong of course, but at least they were wrong in an intelligent sort of
way.
But nothing matches being back in Germany again!
I actually got a leave, since my family is in the Soviet sector, I
went down to your ancestral home in Rottweil and met with your
grandmother. She's still fit and healthy, and
----------------------------------------
Asuka put the letter aside. Carefully replacing it in the envelope,
instead of tearing it into a thousand pieces. She did it for two reasons,
one it was the proper reaction for a 'well-brought up lady' as Omama's
voice now teased her, and two, she knew if she shredded it, she would
spend the next two weeks piecing it back together again. [Granny]
She knew Anna hadn't meant anything bad about mentioning Rottweil and
Asuka's grandmother, but sometimes she could be as accidentally dense as
Horseface when it came to bringing up painful memories.
Asuka remembered the old woman. She'd never been beautiful, she was
a relentless taskmaster, and aside from a ruthless mastery of chess, she
wasn't very bright. She was also going deaf, so she tended to assume
since she couldn't hear herself, nobody else could hear her either.
For all that, she was also the only one at her mother's funeral who
didn't insist on saying something stupid to Asuka. She'd stood there,
holding Asuka's hand, not insisting she should cry or mouthing useless
platitudes. She was the only one who understood that Asuka thought the
EVA accident killed her mother, not the suicide later.
They'd walked and talked a lot the week before and after the funeral.
Asuka getting lessons on the proper technique to paint and plaster, and
Omama would talk about der kleiner Glšhwšrmchen [the little firefly] her
crazy son had brought into the house. She wanted to be a scientist, she
wanted to be a teacher. And until grossmutter dragged her away from all
the `intellectuals` tramping mud all over her parlor, and into the
kitchen, where _no_one_ challenged 'der Grossmutter', did Omama finally
get out that the woman wanted children too. Then Omama could tolerate her
little quirks, as long as she agreed to teach her children practical
things.
Asuka tried not to cry, as she remembered the lessons on astronomy
and celestial navigation, the math drills, sometimes applied to running a
household, all the thing Mutti and Omama thought a well-brought-up lady
should know. [Mommy Granny] Especially languages. German, English, our
Italian allies, our Japanese allies, 'she likes science': Latin, Greek,
'she wants to be a knight, let her read Don Quixote': Spanish, and others.
Asuka slipped out of her inside shoes and crawled into bed, pulling
the sheet and the blankets over her. That was the other thing that had
bothered her. Ever since the fight with Cthugha, she'd been cold, not
uncomfortably, but she noticed it. Even standing out in the sun running
around, she noticed the cold. Until her confrontation with Ghroth, she'd
ignored it as nerves. Now she knew different, Anna's letter just drove it
all home. Anna, her friend and confidant here and in the Dreamlands . . .
she could go home, she could go to Asuka's home.
Asuka couldn't. Not ever.
There was no use crying about it. If she kept piloting, she'd become
a monster. If she quit piloting, their enemies would destroy the world.
The irony of it was particularly bitter. The whole world looked at
Germany and Japan as monsters, despite the monstrous things the Allies,
especially the Russians, did. So she could continue protecting these -
her - people and the world, and eventually live up to everyones'
expectations. Or she could quit, turn her back on everything she believed
in, betray everyone and die as a human being, accused of being a coward
until the world burned around her.
There was no one to talk to about this. Sammi hadn't and wouldn't
understand, and might report it. Horseface didn't understand the simplest
philosophical questions. Spineless . . . forget that, same with
Wondergirl. They either wouldn't understand, wouldn't be able to
communicate answers, or become so frightened they'd be of no use for
anything.
So, when am I going to have to sleep on a pile of coins, like a
dragon, for fear of setting my bedding on fire? Asuka wondered, Damn you
Raccoon, you've always got the answers! she mentally cursed her old
friend, When I need them . . . where are you? Out of reach.
----------------------------------------
Ranma was in his dream dojo, he wasn't sulking. Ranma Saotome
doesn't sulk. He was just . . . Meditating, yeah, I'm meditating on the
fragility of relationships. Yeah, that's what I'm doing. He didn't
really believe it either.
"If you're going to sulk, I'm not going to bother," the voice sounded
like Asuka's, but a little older, maybe Misato's age.
"Who are . . wait - the Meliorist, Asuka's dreamself," Ranma said.
She looked and sounded different than she had in his nightmare. There
she'd been armed and armored, so much so he'd almost thought of her as a
walking suit of plate armor. The young woman with the gentle tone, the
simple dress, and hair in a bun, looked more like Asuka the Librarian than
Asuka the Barbarian.
"Well, I'm Asuka's identity in the Dreamlands," the Meliorist
corrected. She gestured with her hand. "If you are going to use that pig
sticker in dreams, with any style or grace, you're going to have to
practice here too."
"You're doing this because you feel sorry for me?" Ranma asked.
"I wouldn't waste my time. Your lover ran off. It ever occur to
you, you were thought of as a student first and foremost?"
"Nabiki's not my lover!" Ranma shouted as he shot to his feet.
"Who said 'Nabiki'? I said 'your lover'."
"Raccoon isn't my lover!" Ranma insisted, vaguely horrified by the
suggestion, "We're guys!" He shook his head when 'the other' implied that
wasn't _always_ true. The last thing he needed was a rebellion inside his
own head while he was in dreams.
"Funny, I didn't say 'Raccoon' either. You jumped to both
conclusions on your own. You need to learn to either keep your mouth
shut, or actually tell those people how you feel. Even if you don't know
how you feel, tell them that."
Ranma hung his head.
"So, you want to sit here and mope, or you want to learn something?"
"What could you - " Ranma was flat on his back, the axe-bladed
naginata against his throat, the woman in full battle armor.
"Maybe you _aren't_ worth my time. What say I save you a very short
life of disappointments, and have you banished from dreams forever?"
"I'm not - AH!" Ranma touched his neck, looked at the blood on his
hand. "You cut me!"
"I nicked you," the Meliorist told him, "If you don't start paying
attention, I'll nick something else." She smiled at him.
Ranma was both furious and frightened, he hadn't even seen her move
and change when she knocked him down, and he'd barely seen her move when
she cut him. He knew the others could manipulate dreams to move faster
than he could, but he could almost feel it when they did it. He hadn't
felt anything.
The nick had quit bleeding, she let Ranma stand up. "Okay, I guess
you can teach me somethin'."
"How gracious of you, letting me save your life. I am truly
honored."
Ranma resented this treatment. "What is your problem?!"
"I have better things to do than deal with a little boy who thinks he
can fight."
"Hey! I _can_ fight."
"You don't fight, except occasionally in the EVA, you call that
jumping around 'fighting'? That's dancing, it may look pretty, but anyone
who could really use a sword or a rifle could take you apart. And you
live the rest of your life by the same stupid philosophy. You dance
around everything, trying to make sure it doesn't touch you, and when it
does . . . you _still_ try to act like it doesn't. That's an effective
way to hurt people, you really want to do that to your friends and family,
your 'they-aren't-my-lovers-just-friends'? A man, a _real_ man, or a real
woman for that matter, closes with life's problems and engages them."
She pointed at the sword and scabbard on the floor. "That metal
thing isn't a meat cleaver, or a knife, or a club. It's a sword, and you
don't impress anyone. Even ole' Spineless knows how easy it is to make
you run away."
Ranma felt his anger rising. "You want to take me on."
"Oh, I'm so scared," the woman sneered and returned to her Asuka the
Librarian guise, "If you were any threat to me, you'd be dead. You don't
hit girls, remember?" She turned around. "Since this _is_ a waste of my
time . . . "
"_COWARD_!_" Ranma bellowed his strongest insult.
"If you think that's supposed to hurt me," the Meliorist said as she
kept walking, "You don't understand soldiers."
Ranma ran after her, he knew she was manipulating him, but the skill
she'd shown . . . he _had_ to learn it.
----------------------------------------
Another Such Victory, and We Are Ruined
The white wall seemed to go on forever, vanishing to a point at the
horizon in both directions. It was some 30+ meters tall, topped with the
alternating stone teeth pattern of European castles. Someone or some
force had shorn the fields and hills surrounding the place of trees,
shrubs, any large growth.
"We grew up here," the Meliorist told him, she was back in full
armor, unlike the previous times, she had a sword on her hip, and a
crossbow. She looked around the place with both longing and loathing.
"Davis, Anna and me, the siege of El Nureenen's fortress. Nearly 40 years
it seemed."
"You could just walk in, even I can see openings in the wall." Ranma
felt something about this place, something ground into the soil, the very
air, especially the building. Something unpleasant. Not exactly like the
things they fought, it was foreign and abhorrent but in a different way.
"It's a maze in there, and it constantly changed. We sent entire
battalions in, and lost everyone in them. There were only 60 people who
could navigate through that mess, and that scared the Hell out of the rest
of us. There were sorties of things coming out of there too. Zombies,
giants, made-things, all we had to beat them were our swords and lances,
the mages often couldn't affect them, and the dragons were usually
elsewhere."
She paused, stared at him. "You think you can beat someone who lived
through that for 40 years? I doubt you can, for all your tricks, you're
no match for a real expert."
"Without your dream powers? Yeah," Ranma told her, "I could beat you
easy!"
"I don't think so, if it means I cut off your hand, your ear or your
balls, tough luck, are you willing to risk that?"
Ranma wasn't.
"Then you learn from the beginning," the Meliorist handed him a
forearm-long, straight, double-edged knife with a plain handguard. From
somewhere, she also produced two shields that were as tall as he was.
"The Roman gladius and scutum were paired weapons. The gladius was often
shorter than the weapons of the barbarians. But the combination allowed
the Romans to create the greatest empire the world has ever known."
"What about China?" Ranma tested the heft and balance of the blade
and shield.
The Meliorist snorted, "Which one? They keep destroying their
history so the newest one's the first. They invented movable type and an
accurate water clock, decades later, they thought the Europeans invented
them. That's no empire, that's an insane asylum. Nero only burned down
the city itself, the mobs only burned the Library of Alexandria, not the
entire empire." She grabbed his arm and adjusted his elbow and wrist.
"From the beginning, the Romans favored the underarm thrust, to pierce the
vitals and kill their foes. I shove a chunk of steel in your guts and all
your bouncing around means nothing, it just means you'll die harder. Are
you sure you're up to this? After all, you can go back to your safe,
little world of punches and kicks, depending on the others to protect you
from real enemies."
Ranma wanted to defend his Martial Arts skills, but he'd seen too
many things that were immune to `normal` attacks, although somehow 'the
other' in his head had gotten around that. But against anything except
ordinary humans and vehicles, his skills didn't measure up. If he had to
bow to a new sensei and a new philosophy, to get the skills he needed, he
would. The 'Black Belt' of Karate and Judo wasn't an end, it was the
point where real learning started. He had to admit, when it came to
killing monsters, anyone who survived a month in this place had one.
"Okay, let's see what you can teach me."
"All right, supposedly you can learn fast, so we'll start on the
basics, if you decide to add any of your fancy stuff, I'll beat you so
hard your Waking self won't be able to sit for a year. If you think I'm
joking, try me."
"Yes, ma'am." It seemed like the best thing to say.
"All right, all this is theory, skull work we call it," she
explained, "You'll learn the various weapons, tactics, the reasons for
them and the attitudes that changed. Do you know why the rights of way
rules for the foil and the epee are so different?"
"I don't even know what you said," Ranma admitted.
"That's what I'm going to teach you. Now you may only wake with some
of this knowledge in the Waking world, that's why we'll go over things a
few times on different sessions."
Ranma nodded. She demonstrated an extremely simple maneuver, and for
the next twenty minutes he repeated the same move he'd mastered the third
time he'd done it. He guessed she was seeing if he would keep his word,
not to use any 'fancy stuff', it was also really boring, but he did it.
"Drop the sword, pick up the shield. This is all defense, get the
shield in the way of the blade without completely blocking your vision.
It's a lot harder than it sounds, later we'll work on attacking with just
the shield, then we'll work on the combination of sword and shield. This
is an art a lot older and more basic than _any_ you've learned. But it
gave the Zulus the advantage over the Xhosa and it let them defeat a
British army at Isandlwana in January 1879. When you've got an art that
beats trained and disciplined riflemen, that's something."
That got Ranma's immediate attention. "Raccoon said rifles trump
_any_ Martial Art!"
"One on one, they do, five thousand Zulus against some twelve hundred
British troops, eight hundred of them regular riflemen, that's where
victory comes. You might not carry the day, you might not even survive."
She gestured at the walls. "We learned that here." Now she stared at
him. "Something you still haven't learned. The victory of the group is
the victory of the one, and rarely vice versa. Don't feel bad, our
glorious commander Major Katsuragi doesn't know that either. She's got
less excuse than you do."
"Your Waking world counterpart doesn't know that either," Ranma
complained.
"She's a 14-year-old who's had to be ten times as good as everyone
else, just to be considered their equal. You're a boy, well trained in
the martial arts, I bet _no_one_ ever told you 'You are silly to want to
be a knight or warrior'."
Ranma nodded.
"Besides, do you measure yourself by the people you're as bad as, or
those better? And you just _hate_ it when someone shows you up, don't
you?"
Ranma frowned at the twinkle in her eye. Asuka had been manipulating
him, like everybody else. "Better," he growled.
"Then you have a long way to go. Now, defend yourself, take the
blow, then assess the situation, stay upright, no fancy stuff."
Ranma deflected the sword stroke, nearly got knocked down by the
shield shove as he lost 'situational awareness', a fancy phrase for
knowing who, what, where and how all around you.
The fighting was brutal, except when the Meliorist called a break, he
kept expecting an ambush attack while he was resting. Using just the
shield was emotionally rather than physically exhausting. The tales of
battles fought on the ground around them also sapped both his strength and
his confidence. It explained Raccoon and Asuka's poorly concealed
contempt. The death and destruction they'd seen here dwarfed the disaster
of the battle against Cthugha. The pair and the rest of the army that
fought here had been through so many desperate fights, Ranma's Martial
Arts boasting must have seemed naive and amusing to them, at first. Then
it would have rankled, irritated them as much as the treatment the
Meliorist had given him.
But he was ignorant that didn't make him stupid. Not listening to
all the subtle hints that maybe his fellow pilots weren't completely
ignorant of the realities of war, made him seem stupid.
He knew fighting, knew it better than they did. They knew war, knew
it better than he did. Worst of all, for him, they were fighting a war,
and he wasn't doing all he could, he'd been denying them _his_ skills. He
hadn't really understood . . . he wasn't wrong, just ignorant.
After one particularly punishing session, after Ranma got his head to
quit ringing, he'd tried to include some of the Martial Arts Style in his
use of the shield. It had taken the Meliorist about six seconds to yank
the shield out of his hand and clobber him with the flat of the blade.
She'd backed off once she'd made sure he both remembered and couldn't sit
down. Then she called a pause and left him to consider his mistake. It
wasn't that she was faster, she wasn't.
She's still better, he thought as he put his hands on his head, to
keep them from touching the more tender spot, She's better, a lot better.
I could have beat her in a standard fight. But the combination of the
sword and shield gave her the advantage. In a week, I'll beat her easy,
he thought, the painful throbbing at both ends reminded him that he was
not the expert.
Why do people keep having to beat me over the head to get me to
believe that? Ranma wondered, the coincidence was clear, but until she'd
clobbered him, he'd ignored it, It was the same way with Rei he wondered
why that was.
"So what can I teach you? Or the others?" Ranma asked when his
brains finally descrambled, he wasn't even going to _try_ to sit down. He
remembered his discussion with Asuka, what had started him `moping`.
----------------------------------------
"So what do you want in return?" Ranma had asked as they had stood a
top the roof, the morning's lesson complete.
"A hot bath. You touch me, I'm going to scream in agony, then stab
you in the heart," Asuka had replied, gestured with her sabre-halberd.
"That isn't what I was talking about." He had taken a stance.
"Martial Arts."
Asuka had frowned, "Okay, for ten minutes I'm going to try to punch
your lights out. After that, you have one hour to teach me something that
will have a positive effect on my next attempt to punch your lights out."
"That's impossible!" Ranma had shouted, "There's no way I can do
that."
"Then drop the subject, and quit wasting my time and yours." Asuka
had turned and walked away.
----------------------------------------
Ranma let out a long breath, and glanced at the Meliorist. It hurt,
Martial Arts was his life. It couldn't save him, and the people around
him thought it was a joke. Good enough for Ranma, who already wasted all
those years, while they were learning something useful.
"I don't suppose I could trade lessons with you?" he asked
despondently of the Meliorist.
"What take 10 years to learn to breathe, and then learn the stance of
the purple kraken dance? No thanks."
Ranma frowned. "I _do_ know how to fight."
"But not how to teach," the Meliorist replied, "I could teach
Spineless or Wondergirl these same techniques, it might take a week, but I
could do it. You weren't teaching those classes, Ice Princess and Ritsuko
were. You don't know how to tailor the lessons to the audience or the
student. Until you master that, your friends won't know how much you
know. I bet you don't even know Asuka and Raccoon's real capabilities."
"Pretty pathetic," Ranma replied.
"Details, not opinion. Besides they'd shoot a real enemy, not fist
fight or kick them."
Ranma considered. He'd taken the rejections very personally, but he
wasn't offering them something they wanted, and he hadn't bothered to
convince them they needed it. "So what rank are they?"
"Pankration doesn't have a belt system, but I know Raccoon has yellow
gloves in - "
"Yellow!" Ranma laughed, "I didn' know he was that bad!"
"Yellow gloves are as high as you can go in Savate, without fighting
in tournaments, and you're first awarded them at the equivalent of blue or
a brown belt, but he's a fully trained, competent teacher in both arts,
that makes him at least a black belt doesn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess." Ranma didn't like that comparison, if you measured
belt standing by how well you could teach, he'd barely be a blue belt. If
the stories from Asuka and Raccoon, that he was supposed to take over a
dojo . . . that made it really pathetic. Made _him_ really pathetic.
"Thinking is the only real martial art, situational awareness trumps
all your fancy moves if you aren't paying attention," the Meliorist
reminded him, "We'll start with the attacks, the shield isn't just for
blocking."
That sounded good to Ranma. He hated standing there, braced to take
the blows. That was a whole other art unto itself, one he still hadn't
mastered, while every instinct was to dodge, to discard the heavy object
and let his agility defend him. "You aren't mad that I used the 'fancy
stuff'?"
"That you broke your word, that you can be easily goaded into being
stupid . . . why would I be mad?" she asked sweetly, "Are you mad your
stupidity and impatience makes you an oathbreaker?"
Ranma ground his teeth, that it was partially true made it worse.
That the Meliorist, like the others, didn't expect any better of him made
it almost intolerable. His Honor was just about all he had, if everyone
assumed he wouldn't keep his word when there was trouble. . . .
But that wasn't what she was teaching, neither dodging physically,
nor breaking his oaths.
He learned over the next painful hour, both physical pain and
humiliation, that you could do a lot of things with a shield, besides bash
with it. Prying, feints, all manner of 'dishonorable' tricks, even
crawling under it to hold out and await rescue. Locking shield to shield
to form a shield wall or a tortoise. These last two were diagramed and
discussed during the breaks. It was a huge amount of information to
absorb. He was definitely feeling tired when the Meliorist called the
final halt.
"No more training, you've had enough."
For once, Ranma had to agree.
"Something else you need to see," the Meliorist told him, "If you
want to understand your fellow pilots."
Ranma fell in behind her as they walked up a long slope towards the
distant tree line. As they broke through the thin screen of trees, Ranma
initially thought it was some kind of farm field with weird plants, all in
straight rows. Then he realized they were grave markers, some crosses,
many other kinds, a grave yard.
They had approached from one corner, it stretched out as far as he
could see.
"Seven hundred thousand," the Meliorist said, "The `acceptable` loss
rate of any military operation, a battle, is between 10 - 25%, one-in-ten
to one-in-four. We came under that by a wide margin. Our personal units
managed to keep the loss rate down to as low as 2% per engagement, but
after skirmish after battle after bloodbath, the replacements started
outnumbering the veterans. They were as well trained as the vets, they
died a lot more, until they got as experienced as the vets. But none of
that helped the other units. Kids like you who had dreamy ideas about the
`nobility` of battle, about covering their name with glory." She stooped
down, picked up a handful of earth, let it trickle through her fingers.
"I don't call this glory, but that's what we covered them with." She
turned, stared at Ranma while brushing off her hands. "You're full of
hope, full of self-confidence, this isn't meant to take that away, just to
make you think about what you're basing it on. And to remind you that
others have seen more, maybe _too_ much. They soldier on, not for honor,
not for glory, not even because they gave their word, but because it _has_
to be done, and they're the best to do it, or they're the only ones who
can do it. That doesn't make them supermen, but it doesn't make them
fools either. If you expect the respect you think you're entitled to,
understand how they had to earn the respect they have."
She looked out across the field, the sun was setting. The yard fell
into silhouette, Ranma could see how far the graves extended.
"It wasn't easy, and as bad as you think your cause is, it is a
picnic compared to this. Compared to remembering this."
----------------------------------------
To Be Alone Is the Fate of All Great Minds
July 14, 1947
Asuka barely looked at him during breakfast, never said a word, not
to him, not to Sammi. She just ate, did the dishes and returned to her
room. Ranma let her alone, he didn't want to start a fight, nor did he
want to intrude. He had enough to think about himself. He went to the
roof to do some practice with Kempo, rather than Asuka's lesson. His
katas came with some difficulty. He kept wondering which or what of his
techniques he could teach Asuka, Rei and Shinji. Raccoon could wait, he
wouldn't see him again for over a month. The earlier lessons with Rei and
Shinji generally had Rit-chan and Nab-chan slowing him down, making him
wait for them. He _hated_ it, it felt like swimming through mud.
As he went through the katas, he began to add bits of the lessons
Asuka's counterpart, the Meliorist, had pounded into his head, sometimes
literally. He didn't dare use anything Asuka had taught him. He wondered
at the slowness with which the others learned what was easy and obvious to
him, and how they thought he was stupid for not instantly grasping what
was obvious to them. Then he considered the graveyard. Even with his
enhanced vision, the twilight had hidden the far side of it from him. He
saw the edge of the forest, but not the markers themselves.
How many friends, how many coworkers, how many comrades-in-arms . . .
how many lovers lay buried there? the thought disturbed the flow of his
practice, he stopped, stood there considering, And how much of that makes
them think I'm arrogant? The expression on Nab-chan's and Raccoon's faces
when he stormed in bragging, the day after Hiroko's death. That image
would be burned into his mind forever. It wasn't resignation or anger, as
he'd assumed at the time, the experience just hurt too much to look at.
He had been stupid, and arrogant, especially, he'd been callous.
"That's a lot worse."
Later, when he'd finished, he went inside. He realized there was
nothing to do. No school, no tests with Rit-chan, no wondering what
Nab-chan was going to do next. He could have gone back upstairs, cleared
his mind and run through the katas again, or called Shinji or Rei and
scheduled a practice, but if they hadn't shown up on their own, they
probably didn't want to deal with it, with him.
Sammi was working on some paperwork. He found Asuka in her bedroom,
lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
"You want something Horseface?" she asked, there was no bite to the
insult, she sounded bored more than anything else.
"I just thought you might want to, you know, do something."
"I am doing something, I'm thinking. And I've already spent a great
deal of time with you, I'd like a break."
"If I'm so much trouble!" Ranma asked angrily, "Why are you
bothering?"
"Because you're my responsibility. I take my responsibilities
seriously."
"Is that all I am?" he couldn't figure out why being dismissed like
that made him so frustrated.
She looked over at him. "Yes, Saotome, you are. You may have the
makings of a great pilot, but you ought to have 'The War Department
regrets to inform you that your son is dead because he was stupid' stamped
on your forehead for convenience. You have no regard for your enemies,
and anyone lacking that is wide open to bad luck, good planning, or even
approximately equal skill. You haven't got enough brains, no, enough
common sense to be scared, and fear is what keeps you awake, aware . . .
and alive. So go meditate on how you're better than us non-martial
artists, leave me to figure out how to keep you alive."
Ranma managed not to slam the door as he left her room, it took real
effort.
I'm as good as she is, why should I take it personally? She's just
being nasty. He knew it wasn't strictly true, but it made him feel
better. He had to admit, it bugged him to be treated as weak, or as
someone's project, and he had no idea why. Shinji was a lot weaker, yet
nobody begrudged him his position. They didn't resent or hate 'having' to
look out for `Spineless`, they just realized they had to.
Maybe that's it, he thought as he returned to his, no Raccoon's,
room, he was only borrowing it. I owe them, they'll never ask to be
repaid, and there seems to be nothing I can offer as repayment. Ranma had
to admit that rankled. An unacknowledged debt he wasn't even trying to
repay. A debt of honor in every sense of the word, but only to him, a
simple duty to Asuka.
"You're overanalyzing," Sammi told him as she entered.
"Oh?" Ranma asked, he couldn't figure out how she could always sneak
up on him whenever she wanted to.
"You always overanalyze. You work so hard at thinking, you assume
all the answers have to be hard." Sammi did a fast leg sweep that Ranma
easily dodged. "How many actions was that?"
"One for you, one for me," Ranma answered.
"And that's your problem, sit." She pointed at the bed, as she sat
in the room's only chair. "You can't break things into pieces, you try to
deal with the whole thing all at once. That's not possible, that's also
why you can't explain things to the others. You don't understand
something until you get all of it, then it all becomes perfectly obvious,
you even get insights others miss. The rest of us don't work that way, we
learn and understand each bit, how they connect with other bits comes
slowly."
"How does that help?" Ranma asked.
"You have to learn to break stuff down into pieces, so other people
can understand, and so you can understand." Sammi sat back. "Let's start
with Asuka, yesterday and this morning she was practicing with you, at
breakfast she barely says a whole sentence to you. Do you know why?"
"She's just bein' snarky," Ranma replied, laid down on the bed.
"And why is she 'bein' snarky'? And for the record, so are you."
"Asuka's always in a bad mood," Ranma replied.
"That's a symptom, what's the _cause_?_" Sammi asked.
Ranma shrugged, he had a lot of answers, chief among them was Asuka's
a girl, who could fathom girls? Even when he _was_ a girl, he didn't
understand girls.
"Try this one, she's alone in an alien place. She isn't Japanese, or
American, she's German. That means she has no place to go. If `Raccoon`
gets homesick, he can walk onto the Naval Base and he's surrounded by
Americans, he might as well _be_ back in America. Asuka can't do that.
Now the only two people who could give her any taste of home, the two who
spoke German, are both gone. I don't think you really understand what
it's like to be completely alone in a room full of people. She's gaijin,
no matter how good and `Japanese` her manners are, and they're a lot
better than yours, she's still one of 'them'," Sammi said the last with
distaste and sinister overtones.
Ranma frowned at that. "So, everybody gets lonely."
"Like you are now?" Sammi asked.
Ranma frowned again.
"As bad as it is for you, she's felt that way for months, maybe
years. She was never a person. Like Rei, and Raccoon, and maybe you too,
she was part of or completely, a weapon. She was the PILOT OF UNIT 02,
Volkshero of das Reich, und der Paladin of das Vaterland. The fact she's
also a Hell of a scientist and a topnotch engineer, pafgh, unimportant,
she's a girl after all. After a while, she came to believe it. Then they
lost the war. So the girl whom they proclaimed as the ultimate expression
of Aryan superiority, suddenly has to prove it. Prove it to the whole
world that sees Germany as a land of mad butchers who toss anyone who
isn't a Nazi into a prison camp or an oven. You're Japanese, the other
Axis power. However, you and the others grew up in obscurity, so you can
walk down the street and people don't stare at you like you don't belong
in this country, let alone among the living. She can't. If you're lucky,
you'll never learn what that's like."
Ranma fidgeted. He always felt a little outside, but that's because
he was a Martial Artist, he was better, not worse.
"Just something to think about." Sammi stood up, patted his shoulder
before she left.
Ranma pulled the pillow over his face, he wasn't sure if he wanted to
smother himself to make it all go away, or if he wanted to privately
scream his frustration.


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[ClassicDrogn]

Well, I finally got to reading this. Sailor Shubby-chan was fun (Wah,
you made Hotaru the evillest one! But then, she spends most of the
first season she appears possessed by eee-vil, so I suppose that kind
of makes sense), but the rest was pretty much one long slam on
Ranma... Unfortunately, with the way your universe works (that is,
with the one thing he's ever been good at essentially useless except
against the popcorn mooks - That doesn't say very complimentary
things about Saffron, either, in terms of his god status, nor
whatzername who fell in Spring of Drowned Ashura, come to think of
it) and the hardness of the Soatome cranium it takes that kind of
relentless grinding to get him to make the needed changes. I agree
with him about the unfairness of being considered a chore for being
on the less effective end of the scale where no one begrudges Shinji
of it, but Shinji doesn't go about proclaiming himself the best and
expecting to be treated like it, either. Hmmm... now how to get Ranma
to do a merge with Shinji - a bit of cross-contamination there would
be just what the doctor ordered for both of them.

Presumably, next chapter will focus on the expeditionary force, since
this one covered things at home, then? Lord Kinbote awaits, in his
fiery den! ...or something. Yeah, definitely 'or something.' It can't
go any worse than Bell teaching Rei how to cook.

- CD, Ia, Ia ptang! Lemurs ptang! Frink frink, Ia!

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[Daniel Jess Gibson]

----- Original Message -----
From: "ClassicDrogn" <kaiju_jutsu@worldconquer.org>
To: <ffml@anifics.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 2:05 AM
Subject: [FFML] Re: [Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper
Morituri Chapter 36 - And Thou Singing Beside Me in the Wilderness


>
> Well, I finally got to reading this. Sailor Shubby-chan was fun (Wah, you
made Hotaru the evillest one! But then, she spends most of the first season
she appears possessed by eee-vil, so I suppose that kind of makes sense),

I didn't intend to make them the Sailor Scouts, I know too little about
them. I can only think that it's a result of arguments about evil Sailor
Scouts and a fascist Crystal Tokyo . . . from about six months ago. I don't
know why my mind dredged it up. I mean who's in charge, me or the
characters?

(in unison) WE ARE STUPID! GET BACK TO WRITING!

grumble, grumble

but the rest was pretty much one long slam on Ranma... Unfortunately, with
the way your universe works (that is, with the one thing he's ever been good
at essentially useless except against the popcorn mooks - That doesn't say
very complimentary things about Saffron, either, in terms of his god status,
nor whatzername who fell in Spring of Drowned Ashura, come to think of it)
and the hardness of the Soatome cranium it takes that kind of relentless
grinding to get him to make the needed changes. I agree with him about the
unfairness of being considered a chore for being on the less effective end
of the scale where no one begrudges Shinji of it, but Shinji doesn't go
about proclaiming himself the best and expecting to be treated like it,
either. Hmmm... now how to get Ranma to do a merge with Shinji - a bit of
cross-contamination there would be just what the doctor ordered for both of
them.

Ranma isn't living up to his potential, his main use would be as a
teacher, rather than as a combatant. But as has been discussed, there's no
evidence he's any good at teaching.
As for Saffron and Rogue/Ashura, I'm not sure they'd do well against
canonic Rei (III). The NGE universe operates on a different power level
than the Ranmaverse. Like comparing Ranma and Dragonball Z.

> Presumably, next chapter will focus on the expeditionary force, since this
one covered things at home, then? Lord Kinbote awaits, in his fiery den!
....or something. Yeah, definitely 'or something.' It can't go any worse
than Bell teaching Rei how to cook.

Who told you Misato is going to be helping?

> - CD, Ia, Ia ptang! Lemurs ptang! Frink frink, Ia!

Ah yes, the cry of the Dreadeded Hello Kitty Cult

Daniel


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[Daniel Jess Gibson]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Claude Angers" <yotsuya@aei.ca>
To: "Daniel Jess Gibson" <dan_s.comments@worldnet.att.net>;
<ffml@fanfics.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 3:34 AM
Subject: Re: [FFML] Re: [Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper
Morituri Chapter 36 - And Thou Singing Beside Me in the Wilderness


> Daniel Jess Gibson wrote:
>
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "ClassicDrogn" <kaiju_jutsu@worldconquer.org>
> >To: <ffml@anifics.com>
> >Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 2:05 AM
> >Subject: [FFML] Re: [Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper
> >Morituri Chapter 36 - And Thou Singing Beside Me in the Wilderness
> >
> >>Well, I finally got to reading this. Sailor Shubby-chan was fun (Wah,
you made Hotaru the evillest one! But then, she spends most of the first
season she appears possessed by eee-vil, so I suppose that kind of makes
sense),
> >
> > I didn't intend to make them the Sailor Scouts, I know too little
about them. I can only think that it's a result of arguments about evil
Sailor Scouts and a fascist Crystal Tokyo . . . from about six months ago.
I don't know why my mind dredged it up. I mean who's in charge, me or the
characters?
> >
> >(in unison) WE ARE STUPID! GET BACK TO WRITING!
> >
> > grumble, grumble
> >

[snip]
> > Ranma isn't living up to his potential, his main use would be as a
> >teacher, rather than as a combatant. But as has been discussed, there's
no
> >evidence he's any good at teaching.
> > As for Saffron and Rogue/Ashura, I'm not sure they'd do well against
> >canonic Rei (III). The NGE universe operates on a different power level
> >than the Ranmaverse. Like comparing Ranma and Dragonball Z.
> >
> >
> Not to start a 'this character is stronger than that one' pissing contest,
but in the Jusendo story arc, when Ranma threw a 2 or 3 ton boulder at
Saffron and when the later was stunned by the impact, Mousse and Ryouga were
appaled by how weak he could take a blow, stating they'd received much
larger boulders thrown by Ranma with much less result.

> Of course, your 'fic is using a Ranma plucked from earlier in the series,
made younger and with his memory mostly erased. Before he learned the Moko
Takabisha, the yamasenken/umisenken sealed techniques, and in fact, probably
before he learned the Hiryu Shoten Ha.

> Canonic Rei was inhumanly strong in NGE, but not on those kinds of levels.
A 3 ton boulder thrown at her wouldn't have bounced off her head making her
say 'Ow!'... It would have crushed her into a bloody paste.

> On the other hand, the angels, the EVAs, and the mythos creatures truly
are on a completely other scale.. most of them literally so, often with
immunities to normal (as opposed to magical) attacks, making Ranma's power
levels pretty useless.

I was considering Rei's ability to generate an AT field, Rei III
generated the strongest field they'd ever detected. Considering that the
14th Angel withstood a contact N2 mine blast, I am assuming that Rei is well
into the Dragonball Z power levels. That's why I put Rei as more powerful
than any of Ranma's opponents.

Daniel


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