Reincarnated DRAFT
THE M.L.O.
The Men's Liberation Organization
Disclaimer: The characters herein belong to their respective copyright
holders. They are used without permission.
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Mission 1: Pre-emptive strike
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Congratulations!
Dear Shop Owner:
Your okonomiyaki shop, Ucchan's, has been selected by The Tokyo League
of Commerce, The T.L.C., as business of the year! Your entrepreneurial
skill and devotion has made Ucchan's stand out above all other
businesses in your category. As this year's winner, we would like you to
visit our San Francisco affiliate, all expenses paid, to deliver a
speech to the local Japanese business community and be awarded your
prize of 1,000,000 yen. A representative of the T.L.C. will visit you
soon with further details. Again, congratulations and enjoy San
Francisco!
Sincerely,
Aeka Jurai Masaki,
Pres. of The T.L.C.
Ukyou read the letter a second time to be sure she hadn't misunderstood
something. The way it sounded, she had just won a million-yen and a free
trip to the US. She wasn't all that interested in seeing San Francisco,
but if she had to go there to collect her million, so be it!
"Wait a minute! I wonder if Ran-chan will be okay if I leave for a
couple of days," Ukyou wondered aloud. Pacing back and forth in her
empty restaurant, she thought about her predicament...
<>
"Wow Ucchan! What is this, your 200th restaurant?" Ranma asked with
stars alight in his eyes.
Ucchan gave a light laugh. "Actually Ran-chan, it's my 212th. I have
restaurants all over Japan now. I'm even looking into going
international."
"Really?" There was awe in Ranma's voice.
"That's right! And now that I'm a success," she said getting down on one
knee, "Why don't we get married?"
A lone tear ran down Ranma's face. "Of course I'll marry you! I was just
waiting for your business to take off. Now we'll never have to worry
about money! You can over see the restaurants, and I can raise and train
our family!" He took Ukyou's hand and raised her off the floor. Taking
her in his arms, he looked deeply into her eyes. "I love you, Ukyou."
Ukyou's eyes gently closed as she felt Ranma's firm hands support her
back and slowly lean her back. "I love you too, Ranma," she whispered,
waiting for his lips to touch hers.
...And then she woke up.
<>
Shaking herself free of her fantasy, Ukyou jumped up and down in
excitement. "I'll do it! With the money I've won, I'll make Ucchan's the
best in the world. Ranma will surely see I'm better than Akane then!"
Racing up the stairway to her room, she paused and looked down on the
restaurant. There was a slight look of worry on her face. "Nothing I'll
happen. Shampoo will keep Ranma and Akane from doing anything stupid."
Smiling again, Ukyou ran to her room to pack.
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Letter of Challenge
You and your grandmother are a disgrace to all strong women everywhere.
Your constant defeats at the hands of a mere man and your total failure
in gaining him for a husband are just some of the evidence of your
incompetence. I could have Ranma Saotome wrapped around my little finger
in a second. Personally, I think you should leave men to real women and
stick with your present occupation of lapdog... I mean waitress.
Signed,
Ryoko Hakubi Masaki
The T.L.C. GANG
If you have any honor at all, you can find me at the following location
in Okayama...
The letter lasted all of two seconds before Shampoo ripped it to shreds.
How dare someone insult her and her great grandmother in such a manner?
She would teach this Ryoko who was the real woman if she had to crawl
all the way to Okayama on broken glass!
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Dear Mr. Kuno,
You don't know me, but I know you. I have seen you many times and can
not stop thinking about you. I realize that I am a stranger to you and
that you probably have hundreds of girls write to you, but please
listen. I simply must see you! If you refuse me, I'll simply die!
Please, please have enough room in your heart for me! I won't take up
much room =) and I'm not the possessive type. Please meet me at the
following location in Sendai.
Waiting for you with T.L.C.,
Lum Moroboshi
P.S.
Here is a picture of me.
Kuno's hands clutched the picture tightly and his mind memorized every
centimeter of the lovely green haired lass, before he tucked the picture
and letter into his kimono for latter use. Bring the back of his hand to
rest against his forehead, Kuno shook his head in shame and sighed.
"Like the lovely Calypso tempting Odysseus, you, green haired nymph, try
and tempt me from loves. Unlike Odysseus, however, my noble heart is
boundless, as is my charity. I will meet with you, fair child of the
woods. Let it be known that I, Tatewaki Kuno, would sooner fall on my
sword then break the heart of a maiden. I go anon," he said quickly
running to his room to prepare himself and add Lum's picture to his wall
of lust... of love.
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Mrs. Kodachi Kuno,
It has come to our understanding that you, much like ourselves, are a
lover of flowers. Recently, a member of our little group ran across a
particular breed of bloom that has confounded us as to its genus. The
natives of the area of Osumi-Shoto where the flower was found call it
the Moon Drop Bloom and claim that it is the primary ingredient in some
sort of love potion. Of course we are inclined to disbelieve such rumor,
but perhaps you could provide some insight to that as well. Find
enclosed a picture of the Moon Drop flower and information on
transportation to Osumi-Shoto, at our expense.
Yours Truly,
Yurika Misumaru,
T.L.C. Coordinator.
The only evidence that she was ever in her room was the Kodachi shaped
clouded that lingered for a few moments before dispersing.
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The HOTTEST WOMEN!
THE SKIMPIEST BATHING SUITS!
IT'S ALL HERE AT BABEFEST sponsored by the T.L.C.
Happosai! You lucky bastard!
Your name has been randomly chosen as a judge for our Babe of the
Century contest. We need you to use you HANDS ON skill to help us choose
the Babe of the Century. Events include a wet T-shirt contest, a no
T-shirt contest, lingerie, and swimsuit competition. Come on out to
Uwajima and check out the hard bodies. Enclosed is a group shot of our
contestants for this year, an airline ticket, information on your free
hotel accommodations and expense money.
See You There,
Chocolate Misu
"Hotcha! Whip me, beat me, call me stupid! Finally, the moment I have
waited all my life for has arrived.All my training, all my toil has been
to work up to this moment!" Happosai proclaimed from on top of Soun's
head. He bounced down to the table and off to his little corner of the
house where he kept his things.
Soun's gaze followed his master as he left the room. Genma, who had
joined Soun for at the table, watched Happosai leave also. With a
puzzled expression on his face, Genma asked, "What's with him, Tendo? I
haven't seen him this excited since Nabiki got the boy to pose for those
bunny photos."
"Don't know, Saotome. He just got some sort of letter in the mail and
just started laughing."
Happosai rushed back into the room, dressed in shorts, a Hawaiian shirt
and his bag of silken treasures slung over his shoulders. Pausing for a
moment, he addressed his two students.
"I'm leaving town for a while. If you don't here from me in a couple of
days, assume I've died and gone to Heaven."
That said he was out the door.
Slowly, both Genma and Soun stood and walked to the door. Their eyes
followed their master as he happily bounced down the street and out of
sight.
"You don't suppose..." Soun began.
"...That he is finally leaving!' Genma finished.
Before the two could break out into a chorus of "Happy Happy Joy Joy"
three young teenage girls in varying school uniforms walked up to them
and handed Soun a letter.
"What's this?" Soun asked, looking at the trio in front of him.
"A letter, duh!" One of them mocked.
"Miaka!" The blonde with rabbit ear hairdo hissed under her breath.
"What?" Miaka asked.
"Shut up, and let me do the talking," the blonde chastised.
"You! Who would listen to a bubble head like you, Usagi!" Miaka shot
back.
"Why don't you both shut up!" The third girl said with her hands on her
hips. She turned to address Soun. "Hi, My name is Momiji. Don't mind
them, they're having man trouble."
"Like you're not!" Miaka and Usagi chorused.
"Just read the letter," Momiji said to Mr. Tendo before turning to glare
at her companions. The three girls headed back towards the street, still
arguing. "I'm not having man trouble. He... he's just confused."
"Yeah, about in which direction to run away from you!"
"Shut up, you flat-chested jack rabbit."
"Who's flat-chested?"
"Miaka."
"How did MY chest become the topic of YOUR conversation!"
As the three girls walked through the gates of the Tendo Dojo and out
of view, large sweat drops formed on the heads of Soun and Genma.
Shrugging, Soun opened the envelope and read the letter inside.
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To Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome,
It has come to our attention that you wish to have your families merged
through the marriage of Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome. We too, would
very much like to see these two young people form an everlasting bond of
tender love and care. To that end, we have removed those individuals
seen as an impediment to our joint goal, from the Tokyo area for a short
time. Now would be the perfect opportunity to join your schools. We
realize that planning a wedding in such a short amount of time is
difficult, therefore we hope you accept our wedding gift of five million
yen.
Sincerely,
Belldandy,
Founder of The T.L.C.
A rousing chorus of "Happy Happy Joy Joy" could be heard for blocks.
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Two figures made their way home in the twilight of a warm June evening.
One verily dancing her way, the gentle breeze and events of the morrow
making both her feet and heart light. Her smile, though slight,
nonetheless radiated with the joy of a woman in love, mimicking the
twinkling light of the starry-filled sky. A gust of wind flittered
through her short black hair, caressing her cheek and causing a giggle
to rise from her throat. She tried her best to suppress it, but failed
in the end. She was just TOO happy.
The polar opposite of this beautiful scene was somberly walking a few
paces behind and several feet up. His steps showed none of the vibrancy
or youth they normally did. Instead, his feet shuffled along as if laden
with ball and chain. He had the look of a man condemned; a pall of
invariable doom covered his face. He moved as though the life was being
slowly drained from his body. He could not help but feel that by this
time tomorrow, he would be but a shell, a shadow of what he once was.
His life irrevocably changed. He was not yet seventeen. A lone tear,
shrouded in the darkness of the blackening evening, ran unchecked down
his cheek. He had neither the will, nor the strength to stop it, no
matter how unmanly it looked.
Finally the silence between them was broken, as the girl twirled to face
her companion, her sun yellow dress dancing in her wake. Though on the
inside she was flying among the clouds, her outside demeanor remained
guarded.
"Tomorrow," she said facing him and walking backwards.
"Yeah, tomorrow," came his lifeless reply. 'Tomorrow, it all ends.'
"Who'd thought, huh?" She asked turning around to face forward.
"Yeah," he repeated. 'I know *I* was totally clueless.'
"I guess the second times the charm."
"Yeah, second times the charm," he parroted. 'It is REALLY going to
happen this time,' he thought to himself in disbelief.
"Ranma," her voice was soft, like the petals of a flower, it pierced
through his melancholy. "Ranma, you do want this, right? I mean... you
do want to?"
Her voice had been quiet, as if saying a prayer. He knew that now was
not the time for a flippant response. But what would be his response? He
knew in his heart of hearts that it would never be "no", but was it
"yes".
Akane felt the conflict with in him and understood. She had felt it too
for a time, but no longer. She would become the wife of Ranma Saotome.
It was what she desired. It was what she needed to happen. Tomorrow it
would. She would see to it. Not that she had much to worry about. It was
all a twist of fate really. The amazons had left for some unknown
reason. Cologne and Shampoo feeling secure, in that Ukyou would never
allow anything to happen.
As it happened, Ukyo too was away, a business convention or some such.
Akane didn't quite remember what the note on the door of the restaurant
had said, she just knew Ukyou was gone. She had probably been counting
on Shampoo being the element of chaos.
Of course there were others, but these were the main two. The rest could
be... dealt with. When her father and Mr. Saotome had shown up at the
school and pulled them from class, for some reason Akane knew. She knew
exactly why they were there. Akane chalked it all up to destiny.
So, whether he liked it or not, tomorrow it would happen. She was sure
he was just having cold feet. She came to a stop and faced him again.
"Ranma?"
Tomorrow, she would show him both compassion and passion. Tonight, she
had to know what it was he was feeling. She watched him squirm, trying
to answer her. She was willing to wait.
In the dark, she could not see his blush. At least he could be thankful
for that.
"Akane, C'mon!"
"I want to know, Ranma."
>From his perch on the fence he looked down at the uncute sexless tomboy
in front of him or so he tried to picture her in his mind. He had fought
for her. Watched her almost die. Almost died himself. Why did this seem
so much harder? 'Just call her uncute or ugly or something,' his mind
yelled at him, but for some reason he couldn't today.
Behind a nearby trash bin, a large brown mouse shook the hands of a
well-tanned white haired woman, who only a little over an apple tall. No
matter how good a martial artist Ranma was, he was two thousand years to
young to resists the prodding's of the goddess of love.
"Akane, You know I..."
He paused. She stared.
"You know that I lo..."
He paused. She smiled encouragingly.
He took a breath, and prepared to take the plunge.
"You know that, I..."
It was then that the sound of tires screeching against the road caught
both of their attention. A black sport utility vehicle had just rounded
a corner, barely keeping from turning over. It was barreling down the
street towards them. It's headlights turned off, only its parking lights
provided any illumination.
Akane was frightened somewhat, not that she admitted it. Ranma was glad
for the reprieve, but his attitude quickly changed, as the SUV crossed
to their side of the street, slowed then finally stopped beside them.
Slowly, the driver's black tinted window came down, and a face wearing
dark sunglasses, eerily illuminated by the instrument panel, stared at
the couple.
Ranma jumped down from the fence he had been walking on and stood
defiantly between Akane and the stranger.
"What do you want!" He asked in a threatening tone.
The man in the SUV turned to face someone in the passenger's seat,
saying something Akane and Ranma couldn't hear. They were able to catch
one more detail about the driver however: his ponytail. The driver
turned back to the couple, and then to a photograph he held in his hand.
He then looked at Ranma directly.
"I said what do you want!"
"What does any man want?" the driver answered back cryptically. The
window rolled back up, and the SUV sped away, still with its lights off.
As it passed a street light however, Akane was able to make out
something else quite strange about the wraith vehicle.
"How can he drive in the dark, with sunglasses on, and without any
lights?"
Akane said tapping Ranma on the shoulder. "And what does M.L.O. mean?"
"Huh?" Ranma, who had been eyeing the SUV's departure carefully, finally
broke his surveillance and faced Akane. "M.L.O.?"
"Yeah, the English letters were on rear plates. Weird, huh?"
"You said it Akane, weird."
They continued on their way back to the dojo in silence, each one
thinking about the encounter they just had. They were just outside its
gates when Akane broke the silence again.
"OH, PLEASE don't let anything weird happen tomorrow."
This brought Ranma crashing back to the reality of it all. Tomorrow he
would be married to Akane, with no Ukyou or Shampoo to save him.
Completely abandoned in his time of need, and with no one to turn to,
Ranma looked up at the night sky and said an unspoken prayer.
Fully expecting a denial in the former of righteous thunder, he was
quite surprised when a falling star shot through the skies. He followed
its trajectory for awhile until, it passed the horizon.
"WHAT IS THAT?"
The spell broken, Ranma turned to see what Akane was talking about.
Across the street, directly opposite the dojo, a symbol had been painted
on the concrete wall. It was directly under a street light so it was
easy to make out. It consisted of a red circle, in it was a rather
muscular arm in silhouette, arched slightly at the elbow and raised
defiantly towards the heavens. In the palm of his hand, gripped tightly,
no triumphantly, was what looked like a remote to a TV.
"What the heck is that's suppose to mean?" Akane said looking back at
Ranma, before heading into the house. She had a wedding to prepare for.
As for Ranma, he stayed transfixed, looking at the writing on the wall.
He knew, he didn't know how he knew, but he knew.
"SALVATION"
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C&C always welcomed
Thank you X-ile for your input on Kodachi.
Working version of the first ten pages or so of People's Prince part VI
is up on my page. Warning: it is subject to heavy revision at a mere
whim, and is no where near being finished. Sorry.
Balance of Power part II has also been revised and is no where near
finished.
Putting On Heir part II (lime) is about twelve pages long, lots more to
go.
Not too sure of what story to work on, so I bounce around from one to
the next. Input is appreciated.
damien_searight@msn.com
ICQ: 24113246
Webpage: http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/Damien_S/damiens1.htm