[Ranma][Fanfic] Borrowed Time - part 2
Nicholas Leifker
Leifker presents...
The morning light shone down on Ranma Saotome, glistening
against his midnight-black hair and shadowing the muscles of his
torso into sharp relief. He stood in a ready martial-arts stance,
his blue eyes seeming to stare right through the stone fence and to
the world beyond. A tiny scowl formed on his face, a moment before
he became a blur of motion, his hands carving poetry into the air
around him.
Martial arts was his life and career, and had been his only
comfort for much of his eighteen years of life. Fathers, friends,
and fiancees might try to influence his actions, water may come to
wash his manhood away, but the Art... that was his, and it would
always stay with him. Whenever he felt like the world was getting
out of hand, he would come back here, to his spiritual home, and take
shelter in an intricate kata. He performed an aerial kick, a feral
grin painted on his face.
Not that he needed much shelter anymore, of course. After he
and Akane had worked out their arguments and differences, things had
settled into a semblance of the word 'peace'. He wasn't sure it was,
as he had been given very little experience with the state of being,
but it sure felt like it. Ryouga had found himself a life with
Akari, the Kunous rarely came around anymore... heck, even Ukyou
seemed to have the fight taken out of her. He had finally succeeded
in building a shelter beyond his Art, using something he had once
found uncomfortable: love.
Ranma punched twice, then sweep-kicked an imaginary adversary,
glorying in the control his body offered. There were rumblings in
the distance of his mind, troubles that threatened to bring it all
crashing down, and he needed to think. Shampoo was coming over, and
her tone was... strange. She had apparently left the Nekohanten for
awhile (the caller ID told him as much), and wished to talk with the
entire clan. He hoped that fact was a good sign, but it still
brought with it problems. Shampoo was never one to give up; neither
was her great-grandmother. Something was building, and Ranma didn't
like it one bit. He leapt from the kick and moved back closer to the
pond, stopping his kata.
Truth to tell, because of all that had happened to him, his life
was... interesting, to say the least. While he frowned on the
tactics the other fiancees used in their endeavors, he did enjoy
their company and friendship, even if they wanted more from the
relationship. He so rarely had companions his own age while he was
on the road; it was still a treat for him to be able to see a
friendly face every day. Unfortunately, he feared that the bonds
would not last beyond the engagements, and he would have to deal with
mortal enemies from then on.
Ranma whispered a small prayer, wiped the sweat from his brow,
and walked back into the house. Shampoo would be coming shortly, and
he had to get ready.
*********************************************************************
Leifker presents...
Borrowed Time
Part two of four
A work of anime fanfiction by Nicholas Leifker
All Ranma 1/2 characters created by Rumiko Takahashi. All rights
reserved. I ask that you not do anything with any part of this work
without the author's permission.
Leifker's: Serving top-quality fanfiction since 1996. ^_^
*********************************************************************
Shampoo knew what the words 'on trial' meant.
She just never thought she'd know what it felt like.
The warrior sat on one side of the low table in the main living
room, her eyes cast to the floor. In front of her was a tribunal of
sorts, as all of the members of the Tendou household bore their eyes
into her, some accusingly, others with less venom. The pregnant
silence was broken by Kasumi, the only one of the group smiling.
"So... what brings you to the dojo?"
Shampoo blinked, and looked up at the housewoman. Although
Kasumi's face didn't show it, her eyes held a wisdom, an
understanding of what Shampoo was going through. At the moment, she
was the only one on Shampoo's side, and they both knew it.
Shampoo hoped that would change with her next statement.
"Shampoo wish to discuss terms of breaking engagement."
For a second - one agonizing second - she could hear the crowd
around her blink. Then the reactions came, one by one. The foolish
old men started to dance, their celebrations drowning out Kasumi's
gracious comments and Ranma's questions. Ranma clobbered his father
to get him to shut up, and turned back to Shampoo.
"Shampoo... what's going on?" The tone held urgent concern, as
Ranma rubbed Akane's hand in his own.
Shampoo looked Ranma in the eye. It was hard to say goodbye...
but she would not cry. "Shampoo wish to renounce claim of marriage
on Ranma... in exchange for shelter and protection."
Akane still glared at Shampoo, her eyes accusatory. "Why should
we let you in? You've broken into our house on numerous occasions,
wiped my memories, tried to feed who knows what kind of potions to
Ranma... Why should we trust you?"
Shampoo mustered what control she could to meet Akane's gaze.
"If you no help Shampoo, Shampoo die. That simple."
The purple haired woman relaxed her stance at Akane's reaction,
and sighed. "Shampoo no bring Amazon law book. Book state that if
warrior refuse to uphold tradition by enforcing law, then warrior
fall under punishment of law. Shampoo no can marry Ranma, and no
want kill Ranma. So, Amazons kill Shampoo."
Ranma opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Akane.
"So you're telling me that, because you didn't marry Ranma, that
the other Amazons are going to come after you? That's crazy!"
"That law," Shampoo replied softly.
Akane relaxed slightly, then shook her head. "I'm sorry,
Shampoo, but I have to say no. I... No offense, but I can't trust
you under this roof. You've done too much."
Ranma tried to interrupt. "But Akane, I -"
"No buts, Ranma!" Akane positively snarled at Ranma. "For the
first time in our lives, we're free. We don't have our fathers
breathing down our necks, we don't have everyone trying to fight us
over one thing or another... we're free. And I don't want to lose
that."
While Ranma searched for an answer, Shampoo slowly walked away
from the table and out the door. It seemed that she'd tried to woo
Ranma one too many times, and was paying the -
"She can stay in my room."
Everyone turned around at Kasumi's words. Her smile was gone,
replaced by a concerned gaze.
"No, Kasumi! You've seen what she can -"
"Akane, may I speak to you in private?" The group swallowed at
the look Kasumi gave Akane. Akane followed Kasumi out of the room,
steam rising from her hair.
For a full two minutes, an awful silence held the remaining
people in place. No one dared move; even breathing seemed a
violation. It was an awful feeling, Shampoo thought, like waiting
for an execution.
After what seemed an eternity, the two women came back out.
Kasumi was smiling, which seemed a good sign. Akane grudgingly
walked over to Shampoo, and glared.
"Shampoo, we accept your offer, under three conditions."
Shampoo tried to speak, but still felt it inappropriate.
Somehow, it had worked, and she still didn't know how to respond.
"One: You will earn your keep around here. You will help Kasumi
with the chores, or you will get a job to help support the family.
In exchange for this help, you will be staying in Kasumi's room, both
for your protection and ours. Make no mistake, she's about the only
reason why I'm accepting this, and doing anything while she's around
would be a bad idea."
Shampoo nodded. She wasn't going to mess this up.
"Two: You will not cause anyone in this family harm in any way.
If you try to poison us, hypnotize us, or anything like that, it
won't be the Amazons you have to worry about. If someone does come
after you like you say and you know who it is, you will tell us
EVERYTHING you know about this person, so that we can better defend
ourselves."
Another nod came from Shampoo. This time, the faintest traces
of a smile appeared on her face.
"And three: Ranma is my fiance. You will not interfere with
that engagement in any way. If you so much as touch Ranma, I _will_
kill you." Akane eyed her adversary warily, and stuck out her hand.
"Do you accept these conditions?"
Shampoo looked at the hand for a moment. Accepting the hand
meant that she could never go back. Ranma would be lost to her
forever, and the coming days would be a fight for her life, as her
former sisters would come after her one-by-one. She would have to
learn what it means to _go_on_, and put her past life behind her.
She grasped Akane's hand, and gave a slow smile. "Shampoo
accept."
*********************************************************************
Shampoo walked slowly away from the dojo, her eyes glancing
around to the nearby roofs and walls. She had never had much
experience with paranoia, but the recent events were starting to
teach her. She growled and forced her attentions forward, increasing
the pace of her step as she did so.
The shops and restaurants of Tokyo looked different from this
side of life. Most of Shampoo's teenage life was spent at top speed,
rushing to get from one order to another. She didn't bother to look
at the local populace; the Amazons taught her that most outsiders
were weak and contemptible, and should not be bothered with.
Now, she got a better idea. She stifled a giggle as a woman
tried to keep two of her children in line, one arm holding onto each
of them. The welcoming calls from the vendors made her turn her
head, and she delighted in their friendly smiles and cheerful eyes.
Occasionally a man in a suit would hurry by, grab some quick food to
eat, and head back to his place of origin without a second thought.
Shampoo looked at these people from human eyes for the first time,
and decided that maybe they weren't quite as bad as her elders said.
She smiled, and walked into a restaurant that was at least familiar
to her.
"Irrashai ma... What do you want, Shampoo?"
"Hello, Spatula Girl." Shampoo's smile widened. "How you
today?"
Ukyou glared at her evenly. "I *was* fine... Now care to tell
me what you're doing here?"
The former Amazon walked up to the grill and sat down. "Shampoo
look for job."
Ukyou looked at her as though she'd grown cat ears. "You're
looking for a job? Here? What makes you think I'd even consider
hiring you?"
Shampoo snuck a glance over to Konatsu, quietly wiping up
tables. "School break end next week. Pervert boy have trouble with
business, yes?"
"That's not the point, Shampoo, and you know it. Why would I
consider hiring someone who's still going after Ran... after Ranma?"
"That exactly it." Shampoo's smile faded, to form a long scowl.
"Shampoo live at dojo now, but not as Ranma's airen. Shampoo
condemned by Amazon tribe. Tribe say, 'Marry Ranma, or kill Ranma'.
Shampoo no can marry Ranma, no can kill Ranma. Shampoo live at dojo
under protection, but have to support own way."
"Waitasec." Ukyou waved a hand in the air. "You're telling me
that you've been condemned by your tribe because you haven't killed
or married Ranma? That's nuts!"
Shampoo shrugged. "That tribe law. No can let man cheat on
wife. Wife must kill man as example to others. It no make sense -
not to outsider. But... it law."
"So now your tribe's going to be hunting you down to kill you,
and you went to Ranma for help."
"Is true. Can call Ranma up, if like. Even got approval from
Not-nice Girl, even if was stubborn about it."
Ukyou sighed. Part of her wanted to help, but... "Shampoo, I'm
sorry. Right now I can't afford any more help. I'm trying to pay
Konatsu what I can, and it's probably lower than anyone else's pay
rate in town."
Shampoo nodded sadly, and began to walk away. "Understand.
Thanks, Spatula Girl." She was halfway to the door when a hand
grabbed her by the arm.
"What... you aren't going to eat anything? If you're going to
be living like a refugee, you might as well have something to eat."
Ukyou smiled, and put another okonomiyaki on the grill. "Besides,
you can tell me what's been happening."
Shampoo looked over at the grill, her mouth watering. "Okay.
Shampoo accept."
*********************************************************************
Cologne watched from the rooftops of the dojo, her passionless
eyes locked on the purple-haired figure below. The girl was humming
a soft tune to herself, barely heard on the wind, a lullaby she'd
sung to the child when she was an infant. She could see the spring
in the child's step, and the enthusiasm she had on leaving the
healer's abode.
Surprisingly happy for a dead woman, Cologne thought.
Unable to help it, the old crone smiled. Shampoo had learned
her lessons well - almost too well. She knew not only how to fight,
but how to *survive*. There was a subtle difference; true survival
required much better skills than the average Amazon was capable of.
The former required discipline; the latter required strategy.
Truth? Shampoo was the best Amazon of her generation, bar none.
None of the youngsters in the tribe showed even a glimmer of the
skill she did. At the same time, Ranma was the best *warrior* of
that generation. None of the warriors they were sending would stand
a chance if they faced Ranma one-on-one.
And, as a result of the laws designed to ensure Amazon survival,
the tribe had made enemies of them both, and sought to kill them.
There were times when she wondered if the ancient ones had used too
much opium back then, and this time was one of them.
She kept her eyes on her great-granddaughter for as long as she
could, cherishing the sight of the girl in sunlight. Tomorrow,
Mousse would come back to Japan, and bring some of her fellow
tribeswomen with him.
The moment that they arrived, Shampoo would cease to be an
Amazon. She would become one of the hunted, an enemy of the tribe to
be killed. When that moment came, Cologne would not be able to show
any love for her flesh and blood again.
*********************************************************************
Shampoo whistled softly as she entered the Tendou home. After
her visit to Ukyou, she had stopped by Dr. Tofu's clinic, to see if
she could get her old job back. To her surprise, the doctor had
accepted, at a rate slightly higher than what she had received
before. She didn't know if it would be enough to appease the Tendous
but, if not, she had other ideas to help. She took off her shoes,
and padded over to the living area.
In the middle of the backyard porch, two figures sat quietly,
their forms silhouetted by the setting sun. Their eyes focused down
on an old wooden board between them, the playing field where go
marbles rested and challenged for supremacy. The bandanna-clad man
would occasionally pick up a white stone and place it on the table,
then stare almost-gloatingly at his friend. This friend would then
stroke his mustache, pick up his own stone, and lay a counter to the
first man's move that left him sputtering for control. The first
man's frustration increased as the game wore on, his brow becoming
increasingly furrowed and his mannerisms more furtive, until the
second man merely smiled after a particularly cunning move.
"Admit it, Saotome. You can't win."
Genma Saotome squinted at the black-dominated board, and shook
his head. "True enough, Tendou... true enough. Another game?"
"Of course." Soun smiled, and began picking up the pieces.
"Um... pardon." Shampoo coughed to get their attention.
The two stared at her curiously. "What is it, Shampoo?" Soun
asked her.
Shampoo walked over to their board, then pointed to the dojo
outside. "Shampoo wonder. This dojo, right?"
The fathers beamed. "Of course!"
Shampoo frowned. "Then why there no students?"
She regretted the question the moment she saw their reactions.
Soun began to weep bitterly, while Genma put his hand on his friend's
shoulder for support.
"Shampoo... I'll talk to you about it in a minute. Okay?"
The former Amazon nodded. "Shampoo go to dojo. Talk there?"
Genma blinked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. In fact,
that would be perfect." He motioned for Shampoo to leave while he
tended to his friend.
Shampoo walked out of the house and toward the dojo. Truth to
tell, she never liked the Tendo training hall very much - the air
smelled of death, and she preferred the outdoors for training anyway.
The walls were mostly barren in the place, as though ghosts spoke to
the warriors from the other side.
She paused for a moment as her eyes drifted to the one
noticeable feature - the 'iroha' sign on the opposite wall.
Something made her smile at the word, as it referred to something she
had forgotten in her madness.
Once upon a time, she had actually viewed her tribe as a good
thing, a bastion of feminine strength in the face of Confucian ideals
and womanhood's passivity. To those ends, she saw the rules as
necessary to the life of the tribe. A man who disobeyed his wife
deserved to die, as his disobedience could not be tolerated in a
woman-dominated environment. A man strong enough to defeat an Amazon
had to be caught, as his strength was a boon to the tribe. In other
words, what the tribe wanted, it got, because it had to survive as a
place where women were strong and not submissive to their husbands.
That changed when she came to Japan. Here she found a second
bastion, one even more amazing than the one she left - one where
women and men were equals on the battlefield, and oftentimes the
women were winning. Even the seemingly-passive Kasumi was
frighteningly powerful; her own father would not challenge her if she
desired something in their family. This 'Nerima' was a place where
women were strong, without the crutch of Amazon law.
Ironically, the call to subservience to another power did not
come from these Japanese... but from her own tribe. They called her
to be subservient to their law, and to give her life as punishment.
She was raised better than that. Her basic law, her 'iroha',
was one where she was strong and feminine above all else. Nobody
would take that away, especially not the people who had given the
lesson to her.
"So... what do you think of our dojo?"
She turned around, expecting to see Genma standing there. She
didn't expect to see Soun, still puffy-eyed from his crying session.
"It okay. Prefer outdoors, though." She idly fingered the
paper of the sign.
Soun walked over to her, a sad smile on his face. "I'm sorry
for my reaction before. I... what you asked touched an old wound."
His hand reached up to the sign, his fingers hovering over the
brushstrokes. "Once, I was just like you kids. I had dreams and
hopes for the future. I had a lovely wife, easily my equal in the
Art, and far more intelligent than I could ever hope to be. We
taught classes in here together, raised our children in the Art, and
dreamed of a day when we wouldn't have to teach any more. She, along
with our children, was the only joy that I would ever need."
Shampoo looked up at the older man. He was having trouble
breathing, the result of powerful emotions. "One day, after our last
teaching class, I noticed my wife was exhausted. I asked her what
was wrong. She said that it was nothing, that she probably just had
the flu.
"We found out two weeks later, after the 'flu' didn't go away.
She had ovarian cancer, in an advanced stage. I... the doctors tried
everything they could... but..." Gentle tears, a far cry from the
torrents of sobs he normally let out, rolled down his cheek. He let
out a deep breath, and gave a sick, faltering smile.
"When everything had settled down, I resumed classes. We had a
lot of bills to pay, after all. I tried to teach just like before,
with a gentle, patient hand... but it felt so empty in the dojo. It
wasn't fun anymore. Each day of teaching was an agony for me. I
would sleepwalk through the day, and cry myself to sleep at night.
"After the bills were paid, I let the last class run its course,
and stopped taking new students. I started focusing on training
Akane, as she had shown an enthusiasm for the Art, but decided not to
teach anyone else again."
He turned to face Shampoo, a sad, yet determined, look in his
eyes. "My dreams have nothing to do with me anymore, Shampoo. I
want to live long enough to see Akane and Ranma enjoy what I had for
those few short years. I want to see Nabiki go off to college and
get a successful job. I want to see Kasumi and Ono get married next
summer, and have beautiful children together. I am an old man, and I
don't give a damn about anything else anymore."
The older man's dark eyes bore into Shampoo's. "I apologize for
my rudeness at times, Shampoo, but I must protect my family. If you
harm any one of my children, including Ranma or Ono, there will be no
safe place on Earth for you."
Shampoo swallowed. "You know they come here eventually, yes?"
Soun nodded. "I know. I have faced you and your
great-grandmother enough to know the trials we have in store. Such
trials are a martial artist's duty. Besides, we knew this day would
come."
"You know?"
The patriarch of the Tendou clan gave a bitter chuckle. "I knew
from the moment you returned to Japan. Your tribe would not give up,
and we would not give up. In the end, such things lead to bloodshed.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and let out a long sigh. "What
must we do to be ready for them?"
Shampoo took a deep breath. "Be ready for surprise. Also, no
one go alone. They ambush and kidnap, if let them."
The pursing of Soun's lips let her know his anger. "They would
resort to such dishonorable techniques?"
Shampoo shook her head. "They not dishonorable. They
misguided. Like Shampoo was."
"But you aren't now?"
She shrugged. "Shampoo not know. All Shampoo know is that she
no want kill anyone."
"Death is never a pleasant experience, especially when it
happens to the young." Soun turned away, and started to walk toward
the door. "I'll let the others know what you told me."
"Wait."
"What is it, Shampoo?" Soun turned back around.
"Have question. Can Shampoo start teaching class?"
Soun Tendou stood there for a moment, simply gaping at her. An
eyebrow arched curiously on his forehead, as he looked at her with an
appraising stare.
"Tell you what, Shampoo. I've got a better idea. Come on
inside and we'll discuss it."
*********************************************************************
Cologne sipped her tea in silence, and looked morosely at the
walls around her. She had kept the restaurant closed today, partly
in reverence for the visitors coming, partly in mourning. Right now
she preferred the solitude of empty tables and darkened rooms to the
happy, jovial people around her.
Death had a solitude all its own - a silence that spoke of
tragedy and pain, of hopes and generations destroyed. Strange that
it took her a century to find such a truth. She knew everything that
could be known about her tribe's history, wisdom, and sciences, yet
nowhere in its texts did it mention the tragedy of death, or the
scars put on the world with such killing. Despite this wisdom, or
the position she held as village elder, there was nothing she could
do. She had killed others who had defiled their wisdom, and her
child would soon be among their number.
There was a knock at the door. She didn't bother to open it;
Mousse had a key if they needed to get in, and she didn't feel like
moving. She took one last sip from her cup, and set it down on the
table.
The restaurant's door flew open. How arrogant, Cologne thought;
they came in like warriors, ready to pillage what they could. She
looked at the half-dozen women who stepped inside, purposely ignoring
the silly man coming in behind them.
"Greetings, Elder." A broad-shouldered warrior - Lan Yap,
Cologne remembered - stepped forward, and bowed slightly to the old
woman. "We have come for Shan Pu. Where is she?"
Cologne sighed. "She has defied us. She seeks to avoid
punishment."
Lan Yap's eyes narrowed. "She seeks to run?"
Cologne almost laughed. "She's not running. If you wish to
face her, she is at the Tendou home."
The other warriors blinked. "She wishes to meet us in combat?"
"Does anyone wish to fight?" Cologne shook her head. "No. She
wishes to go on with her life, if she can. You may try to defeat
her... but you may find it more difficult than you think."
"I... see." The giantess held out a hand to the crone. "Will
you join us in the hunt, then?"
Cologne's eyes closed in mild frustration. "Not this time, Lan
Yap. However, I will give you this warning: make sure you know which
person you're trying to kill. If you kill the wrong person in these
parts, you will cease to be hunters... and become the hunted."
The laugh coming from the others sent fury down Cologne's spine,
a cold, liquid anger. "Don't worry, Elder. We can handle any
obstacles that come our way."
A second later, Cologne brushed some dust from her cane, while
standing over Lan Yap's prone form. "Listen to me, Lan Yap. Shampoo
said the same thing when she left. The warriors here are just as
good, and just as loyal to each other." Cologne looked over to the
others. "Do your duty. But do it carefully. If any of the others
around her die, than so will all of you."
The other girls, seeing the harsh look in Cologne's eyes, nodded
hastily. "Understood, Elder. Will you lead us to the hunted?"
Cologne pointed to Mousse, who chose that moment to cower in the
corner. "This idiot will lead you to the place. I'm out of this."
"Come on, you." The women dragged their unconscious leader and
their guide out of the restaurant, leaving Cologne alone once more.
Which was precisely the way she wanted it to be.
*********************************************************************
Akane had learned to dread the words "family meeting".
The first time she heard the words was a tear-filled night, one
where the rain seemed to come down forever. She had been a child of
eight then, and couldn't even understand the concept of death. Her
first lesson in mortality began that night as she cried in her
mother's lap, asking why Mommy had to go to the hospital, and that
she didn't want to lose her. She never forgot her mother's soothing
touch that night, even after her mother's face faded from memory.
Years later, another family meeting was called, on a day when
the showers were intermittent and kept her from enjoying the outside.
This one had started out innocuous enough; two of Father's old
friends were coming over. That soon changed, though, when the
sisters heard *why* Genma and Ranma Saotome were coming over.
At any rate, especially with what had happened in the most
recent family meeting, Akane had reason to distrust what was about to
happen. Family meetings were called when someone was up to
something, and that usually put her on her guard. She walked in the
living room, and took a moment to look around.
Father was, as usual, at the head of the table, his stern face
calmly gazing back at her. The Saotomes were at one side of the
table, while Ranma was at another, his eyes almost *asking* her to be
by his side. Shampoo leaned against one wall, while Kasumi flittered
to and fro, making sure there was enough tea and snacks at the table.
If Kasumi was concerned that much about the snacks, this was not
going to be a good meeting. She sat down next to Ranma, trying to
forget her anxieties in his arms.
"Ranma, Akane... I have a question for you. I hope you will
consider how important it is to your parents before you answer, and
how much we dream of you saying yes."
Ranma shivered next to her. "You haven't rented another banquet
hall again, have you?"
Soun held up his hand defensively. "No, no, nothing like that.
What we were wondering is... would the two of you, with Shampoo's
help, be willing to teach a class here at the dojo."
Silence hung around Akane for a few seconds as she contemplated
her father's offer. Sure, she wanted to teach in a dojo... but now?
So soon? She coughed once, and tried to find her voice.
"Er, Dad... isn't it a bit early? I mean, Ranma and I are going
to be gone in six months."
Her father nodded. "We are aware of your situation, Akane. We
just want to give you a taste of what it's like to teach before you
go off to college."
"But what about the class? I mean... who will continue it once
it starts?"
A stern nod came in reply. "Shampoo will, if she is still
here... as will Genma and I."
Akane heard a gasp from behind her - Kasumi's, most likely.
"Father, does this mean..."
The smile the girls received in response spoke volumes. "Yes,
Kasumi. I don't know if I'll be able to, but I've been idle for too
long. I have to try."
Kasumi smiled, and sat down at the opposite end of the table.
"Good for you, Father! It's time we had students at the dojo again."
"But Dad, it's been -" Akane's words stopped at a gentle squeeze
from her fiance. He could feel the heat of his breath against her
ear, and a deep-throated whisper play like a cello.
"Akane... I think we should do it. Together."
She looked back at him, mildly surprised. There was a glow to
his eyes, one she rarely saw except when some challenge was placed in
front of him. She knew that this was a challenge for him, like
facing against a top martial artist like Cologne or Saffron, but
better; this was what he wanted to do with his life. Moreover, he
wanted her to share in it, as partners... as equals. She bit her lip
in anticipation, and turned to their parents.
"Okay, Dad... what do you have planned?"
*********************************************************************
Mai Lin leapt to the roof of a nearby house, her battle senses on
full alert. She glanced around for any witnesses, then silently lay her
longbow and quiver next to her, in a way so that they wouldn't slip.
After getting into a proper crouch position, she picked up two arrows and
the bow, and readied them for use.
There were times when she wondered why she had been chosen for
this mission. She was only sixteen, still a youngster by much of the
tribe, and yet they had given her this 'honor'. Of course, at the
time, it had seemed a routine assignment: give an Amazon an honorable
death. Nobody had expected the warrior to resist, let alone resist
in such a suicidal manner.
She looked around. The other warriors were all in place; two
were posted at each gate, to make sure that anyone who tried to leave
was killed. They would have posted two snipers, but Lan Yap had been
stupid enough to disobey the elder, and was still recovering under
that fool Mousse's care.
No matter, she decided. One would be enough.
She put the arrow into position, pulling it back into firing
position. The sniper's position was a strange one, she decided, not
for everyone. A sniper could see all and know all, but could never
be a part of the world below - not until the world below was scarred
forever. If she had known what a human target was like from the
other end of the arrow, she would have specialized in swordplay.
Still, there was no time for regrets. She could clearly see Sh-
the target, casually talking with her warders. She looked like she
was honestly enjoying herself - there was a smile on her face, and
her movements were pleasantly animated.
Foolish warrior. The land had clearly left her soft, and dulled
her battle skills. In other words, she was going to pay for her
folly - pay dearly. Mai Lin watched as the arrowtip pointed just
above the target's heart. Her fingers extended, and she heard the
whisper of arrowflight. Instinctively, she brought the second arrow
in her hand into position, and had it ready.
The time for regrets was over. The hunt had begun.
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Thanks to Gaffney, Lawson, Weinberg, and Reeves for their help and
comments with this. It may be awhile before the next part arrives; I have
a design project to work on for the next month or so.
Peace, everyone.
Nicholas Leifker
nwl...@unix.tamu.edu
http://people.tamu.edu/~nwl9354
March 11, 1998