Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½. I only own Shangri-La Lee, or La-Lee, as she is known by some. I also do not own the song below the story; I just got the idea from it. "I’ll Hold On to the Wings of The Eagles": Reflections of Tatewaki Kunou By Aislinn J. Lujan I am Tatewaki "Blue Thunder" Kunou, age 17, hailing from Furinkan High School. My assignment in English class was to write about a significant event that changed my life. My esteemed sensei has advised me not to write about neither the lovely Akane Tendo nor my "Osagi no Onna." "Think of it as a challenge," she said. Challenge, she says. My whole life has one big challenge. As I thought on my life, one very painful event stood apart from the rest. What is this painful event that has nothing to do with my two beloveds? As you may or may not have guessed, my mother does not live with my sister and I. She had divorced my dishonorable father, but since my father was very rich, he was given custody of my sister and I. You may think this was the point where I changed, but truth be told, that wasn’t it. If you want understand, let me start at the beginning, a little bit before this sad event. I remember my cousin La-lee, who was younger than me, but because she was tall and wise beyond her years, she seemed older. She used to tell my sister and I the most exciting and fascinating stories. She used to visit quite often, but ran way when her parents divorced (Does it not seem to you that all of the women on my mother’s side, the Kino* side, seem to have extremely abysmal taste in men? My poor sister, methinks she may suffer from the same affliction). I, being the pragmatic child I was, refused to believe that these stories, entertaining as they were, had any worth or value beyond entertainment. She would say to me, in her sad and serious way, "You never know, Tacchi, you never truly know when you need a little fantasy to soften the rough blow of reality." I never had such problems. Not at that time, anyways. That would not come until my 8th grade year. I had been talking with Nabiki, who was a friend of mine at the time. We had been enjoying each others company as of late, and I wanted to (as my other classmates call it) "make my bid." I often wondered what would happen if I made the bid before The Incident. Would my life have been different then? But it is too late and too petty to be wondering about something like that now. But I was going to "make my bid" at the fair that night. I arrived at my house and heard a scream. It might have been my sister screaming at a servant, but I had a feeling that it was something more serious. I was right. I ran all over the house, trying to locate my sister. I finally found her in father’s room. The sight that greeted me was sickening, to say the least. My father, on top of my sister, and she was all of ten. La-lee had once told me the story of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where this one man used a potion to become someone else. At that moment, I had no need of such potion. In that one instant I became a different child then the one I was. It is hard to describe, the feeling. It is like the real me is staring out from the inside, and another me takes over. I had become a samurai knight. I ran to the yard to get my wooden bokken. It has never left my side since. I ran back to my room, and the first words from my mouth were not my own. "Dishonorable rouge! Unhand the fair maiden that you have taken in unholy embrace!" I proceeded to give "Daddy" the worst beating I had ever given anyone in my life. He didn’t die from it, but I bet that for the five weeks in the hospital, he wished he had. He left for an extended business trip to an island named Ha-wa-ee. I had hoped his plane would crash on the way there, but no such luck is in my stars. After that, I had grabbed my sister and held her to me. She cried on my shoulder for some time. Then I looked her in the face and kissed her. On the lips. It was the first romantic and passionate kiss that either of had received. When my sanity came back (or what little there was, in any case), I pushed her away from me. I couldn’t risk myself becoming my father, so I have been pushing her away ever since. That evening, I took her to the fair. I had felt bad for pushing her away, so it was the least I could do. I let my sister go on the ride while I watched her. I few minute later I heard a scream, and the samurai knight resurfaced. I ran to the place where I had heard the scream. There was this little girl with long hair, no older than my sister. These punks were playing keep away with a doll. I dispatched of them and returned them. When I tried to kiss her, she kicked me. She was incredibly strong for her age. This was the moment I had met my beloved Akane Tendo. I chased after her ever since. Before I end this essay, you are probably wondering how exactly it changed my life. Well, I can’t love anyone any more, at least without the love of a hero. As a regular guy, I can’t love. Also, I can no long handle painful news. My mind is blown and I forget immediately, although some part of me does remember. I have lost half my life because I can’t stand the pain. I can only stand it if I write it down, and then I forget it easily. I am not even sure if the samurai part of me even realized that my reasonable side has a journal. I need help, and I might harm my friends, family, and others if I don’t get it soon. Nabiki wiped a tear from her eye and sighed. She had offered to grade papers in the hopes that she could blackmail some of the students. She had seen Kunou’s essay and had rubbed her hands as she read it, hoping to milk him for what it was worth. However, after reading it, she didn’t have the heart to do it. "Nabiki Tendo, hast thou finished grading the papers?" "Huh, umm, yes, Kunou-baby. You got an A." "Thank you. Ummm, Nabiki?...." "Yes?" she asked concerned. "Urrr, I forgot. Have a good day." "Okay. Umm, Kunou baby?" "Yes, Nabiki Tendo?" "Never mind." As he shrugged and walked away, she sighed again, staring at his back. "Sometimes I wonder too, Tacchi-kun. Sometimes I wonder, too." Chad Kroeger (feat. Josey Scott) - Hero I am so high, I can hear heaven I am so high, I can hear heaven Whoa, but heaven...no, heaven don't hear me And they say That a hero could save us I'm not gonna stand here and wait I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles Watch as we all fly away Someone told me Love would all save us But, how can that be Look what love gave us A world full of killing And blood spilling That world never came And they say That a hero could save us I'm not gonna stand here and wait I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles Watch as we all fly away Now that the world isn't ending It's love that I'm sending to you It’s isn’t the love of a hero And that's why I fear it won't do And they say That a hero could save us I'm not gonna stand here and wait I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles Watch as we all fly away [Repeat 3x] And they're watching us They're watching us As we all fly away *Kino is Sailor Jupiter’s Japanese Surname. Her full name is Makoto Kino, or in the proper Japanese way, Kino Makoto. (Speaking of which, for the non-scripted fanfics, I am going to write the names in the American form rather than the Japanese form. It’s less of a hassle). To my boyfriend, JAM, I am truly sorry, but come on, admit it, she always falls for guys who are "just like her ex", one way or the other, and no matter who broke up with whom, you kind of figure that there is a reason. Thanks to "Dragon-Lady", and my loving boyfriend.