* FEY: la belle dame sans larmes *
A Tale of Jusenkyo

[begun] 06/02/01
[ended] xx/xx/01

***
[Red Side: 1998]
Tendo Nabiki

*** Rejoined channel #skeptics
*** Topic is 'I want to believe.'
*** Set by GrassyKnoll on Oct 29 10:18:32

<nabs> found some more docs on the topic
<Xman> Oh?
<nabs> the stronger he gets, the stronger the influence of the
summerlands in the outside world
<nabs> he's a gate
<Xman> The stronger he gets in martial arts?
<nabs> that isnt really martial arts anymore
<nabs> that's magic

---

"The gates to the Country of a Thousand Summers are numerous, and they
appear as they will wherever they wish."

-- Shinto manuscript, circa 1670.

---

<Xman> Is your sister well?
<nabs> she's worried about him
<nabs> his 'friends' are pissing him off too much
<Xman> I suppose that he'll get even stronger if this goes on.
<nabs> probably

---

"In the western mountains, they speak of a pass marked on no map, and
seen by no living man. Through it is the trail to the country known in
the tales of our fathers as the 'Land of Summer,' or the 'Soft
Lands.'"

---

<Xman> Any signs of change from her, though?
<nabs> my sis? no. i doubt the influence on her is as strong as it is
on him
<nabs> not by a lot. he's high fey at the least
<Xman> How far is he along?
<nabs> he beat the phoenix back in '85, but thats old news

---

"It is said that, in that place, the descendants of the wise folk of
Kun Lun live still. The legends are not but mere words, but pages of
history. The creatures of yore are alive . . . "

---

<nabs> new news ...
<Xman> Yes?
<nabs> well ... his hair is beginning to turn colors, and his face is
changing slightly
<nabs> hope this doesn't continue
<nabs> the old witch says that when his powers get to the max, the
sleeping fey will awake
<nabs> then, supposedly, there's gonna be hell on earth
<nabs> not sure if i can trust her, but what she sez feels pretty
sound

---

"Once touched by the magics of that place, one is bound to it forever
. . . Those bound are known as the 'Inhuman,' -- the Fei Ren Rei. They
are also known as the 'Children of Summer' . . ."

-- excerpt from Folks Legends of Xi Ning, Transliterated and compiled
by James Carter-Chen, 1982. The original manuscript appeared in a
traditional almanac published in 1923. Author unknown.

---

<Xman> Does your sister know yet?
<nabs> no
<nabs> is there any way to make them normal?
<Xman> If they're fey, then they were fated to become fey from the
moment they were born. That's the way is works
<nabs> ...
<nabs> this is going to be painful, isn't it, fox?
<Xman> Nothing we can do about it.
<Xman> I'm sorry.
Quits: nabs (nabs@ppt0945.nexusnet.co.jp) (QUIT: Connection reset by
peer.)

---

"Do not eat of the fruits in the Summerlands, for if you do, you shall
not be able to leave."

-- Irish folklore.

---

<Xman> I hate this.

***

F those+who+are+fated+to+die
= * la belle | a tale . . .
E * dame | of . . .
= * sans larmes | jusenkyo . . .
Y those+who+are+fated+to+cry

by SeventhOne

***

"I met a lady in the meads
Full beautiful, a faery's child;
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild."

-- John Keats

---

fey adj 1: slightly insane [syn: touched (p)] 2: suggestive of an elf
in strangeness and otherworldliness; "thunderbolts quivered with elfin
flares of heat lightning"; "the fey quality was there, the ability to
see the moon at midday"- John Mason Brown [syn: elfin]

-- WordNet 1.6. Copyright the Princeton University, 1997.

***
[Blue Side: 2084]
Yoshimitsu Takeshi

< . . . announced at 10:55 this morning that they will attempt to
initiate peace talks with Councilman Herb of the United Federation of
Qing-Hai. Beijing officials believe that this is in the best interest
of civilians living in the area around UFQH. In the other news, Prime
Minister Abiko . . . >

I hit the radio again, trying to clear the static. Didn't work very
well the first time, but it cleared up a bit after a few harder hits.

You know, the noise does sound kinda like the cicada after awhile.
Always present, and always loud. Eventually, you just don't notice it
anymore.

< . . . Fey sightings in the Greater Tokyo area. Witnesses say that .
. . >

Dunno, I don't notice a lot of things. The tatami's gotten quite a bit
blacker since I moved here, but it's not as if I ever actually see it
getting black. Tried to clean it up a few weeks ago, but I didn't know
how.

Tanaka-san hasn't gotten back to me about that yet. Hope she does
soon.

God, the fucking sky. The fucking beautiful sky . . .

I like that window. I really do. Got Shiro-san to come up here from
the town and help me with the carpentry and everything. It took a bit
of work, but the result was a hell of a lot better than the dinky
little window Tanaka-san's husband put in back when they were building
the house. The view's excellent, but . . .

< . . . Yokohama Hourly, on FM 97.8. Information provided by the
Central News Network and Denzu Incorporated. Additional funding from
Anaheim Electronics. Now for a brief . . . >

Well, that's my opinion.

Tanaka-san says it's pretty plain. She's right, of course. You can't
see anything but sea and the hills descending to the beach. They say
the water used to be lower, but that's before I was born. You can
still see the tops of the buildings in the water.

Early in the evening, the lights in the sunken city turn on. Don't
have any idea how that works, but I do know that the electric lines
are still powered by the generator out east in old Shinjuku. It's . .
. it's like looking at stars, you know?

And if that ain't worth it, the sky is.

< . . . Watanabe Shinichi Productions! The newest motion picture,
featuring the leading actress, Ayanami . . . >

Back when in Yokohama, I never looked at the sky. Life's way too busy
for anyone to have that kinda time. Then . . . well, then . . . umm, I
got a bit of money after my father died. Never really knew him too
well, but I can't say I was happy.

I put some of the stuff in the stocks, and I'm making a bit each
quarter. The rest is in the bank. It's a living of sorts. Not a very
good one, but enough to get by if you're living on minimal expenses.

5:44 PM.

Wonder if that girl'll be there again?

***
[Red Side: 2025]
Saotome Ranma

"Hello," he said.

. . . tori yo . . . kumo yo . . . ima, oshiete . . .
<birds . . . clouds . . . please tell me now>

"I've come to say goodbye, child."

. . . nami yo . . . kage yo . . . ima, kotaete . . .
<waves . . . shadows . . . please answer me>

"I know," he said.

. . . tooku . . . tooku . . . haruka, tooku . . .
<far . . . far . . . far in the distance>

He put a flower into the holder before the gravestone, and looked at
the speaker.

. . . tabi no hate ni nani ga aru no?>
<what is at the end of my journey?>

"It's coming for me soon," he said.

. . . yami yo . . . ame yo . . . ima, oshiete . . .
<darkness . . . rain . . . please tell me now>

The speaker nodded, unable to meet him with her eyes.

. . . tsuki yo . . . kaze yo . . . ima, kotaete . . .
<moon . . . wind . . . please answer me>

"If you wish," she offered hesitantly, "you can come back with me."

. . . tori yo . . . kumo yo . . . ima, oshiete . . .
<birds . . . clouds . . . please tell me now>

"No," he said. "This is where I belong."

. . . nami yo . . . kage yo . . . ima, kotaete . . .
<waves . . . shadows . . . please answer me>

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I . . . "

. . . tooku . . . tooku . . . haruka, tooku . . .
<far . . . far . . . far in the distance>

"Yes, Cologne," he said, cutting her off.

. . . tabi no hate ni nani ga aru no?
<what is at the end of my journey?>

"I'm sorry about this," she said. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have . . .
"

. . . tooku . . . tooku . . . haruka, tooku . . .
<far . . . far . . . far in the distance>

A raindrop wet the gravel, followed by another, and another, and
another . . .

. . . tabi no hate ni nani ga aru no?
<what is at the end of my journey?>

" . . . my grandchild . . . "

***
[Blue Side: 2084]
Yoshimitsu Takeshi

Hmm, on with the radio. Keeps me a little company, this does. Now,
markers, pad . . . there.

< . . . states that the PRC hopes to earn the support of President
Jack Lysias. As of this morning, Washington hasn't made a public
reply. Experts believe that . . . >

I have this odd habit.

Like, every now and then, I write down the little stray thoughts that
go through my head. I don't really keep a diary. Tried to do one when
I was in junior high, but . . . it's really just a burden. Not a good
thing at all. Instead, I just keep a notebook, and I add dates when I
remember to.

There's little sketches in it, and stuff. I'm pretty good at doing
that. I use ballpoint pen and notebook paper, and maybe some markers
if I happen to be carrying them. If not, I sketch first and color
later. Nothing really big and artsy, and most drawings aren't any
wider than my finger.

< . . . sightings have ceased in the Greater Tokyo Area. Spokesman
Urameshi Yuusuke of the JSDF indicates that a curfew might be enforced
in the next few days. There are suspicions of terrorist . . . >

Content-wise, the drawings aren't really very special. I just take
down a few of the things I notice here and there. Maybe the way some
grass looks, or the folds in the sleeves of somebody's clothing.
Depends on what I happen to feel like doing at the moment.

I'm afraid of showing my notebook to people, because I'm afraid
they'll say I'm shallow. It's a form of denial, since I know I am.
Some people seem to like what I've done in it, though . . .

Tanaka-san thinks that my drawings are cute. She magnets them to her
refrigerator door when I give them to her. I'm under the distinct
impression that she's trying to marry me off to her daughter, who I
haven't met yet. Don't know what the girl looks like. She's around two
years younger than me, and she works in Yokohama. Heard she was
pretty, but I haven't met her myself.

< . . . Enix-produced Dragon Quest XXXV will be released on December
13th . . . >

Then again . . .

. . . You can't really trust Tanaka-san's idea of "pretty." She thinks
that most things are "pretty," but can't understand why I like the
view from my window. She's not that bad a person.

5:52 PM, on the pier, drawing another sunset. Using blues today,
though I wonder if I can produce a blue sunset. It's . . . well,
definitely not natural, for one. Sunsets are red and orange and
golden, and blue only appears at the rim of the sky . . . When the sky
turns blue, it's not sunset anymore. It's night.

The girl I'm waiting for still isn't here yet, but I think she'll
come. Wanna do a portrait of her sometime, if she stays long enough
for me to do one. Red hair. Probably part gaijin. She seems to travel
around a lot.

I think she's Fey.

< . . . commemoration of the soldiers who died in the Great War of
'27, the Japanese Veterans Society will be holding a dinner at the
Yokohama Landmark Tower on November 1, the anniversary of the end of
the Fey . . . >

Horrible word, that. Heard they're shape-sifting monsters, and that
they can dodge bullets and whatnot. Some of them are probably out
there killing people right now.

But . . .

Am I scared?

Nah.

I dunno if she's really Fey or not, but it doesn't really matter if
she is. She's just a little girl . . . couldn't be any older than
sixteen. What harm could she do?

She's pretty . . . frighteningly so, if that's possible. The kind of
grace she possesses is . . . well, inhuman's the best word. She comes
and leaves without a sound, and unless I happen to be looking in her
direction, I don't notice her till she's almost right next to me.

< . . . found dead in his home early this morning. Investigators say
that this crime may have some relationship with Ikari's actions during
his term as the Minister of Education . . . >

Ahh, she can kill me before I notice it. Heh.

Ain't exaggerating one bit . . . though I get the feeling I sound like
one of those horrible Gaijin novels they used to sell in town. Ha-ru-
ku-en, was it? Dunno.

All this could be just me reading too much into something simple. Like
I said, I don't notice a lot of things. I might be overreacting, and
she could just be some perfectly normal girl, traveling with her
parents.

(Or all of this could just be me getting infatuated with a minor, and
going through the processes of self-doubt, guilt, and whatever else
human psychology has to throw at me.)

< . . . JASA hopes to hurl a new climate research satellite into orbit
over Nemesis' north and south poles, and another to a soft landing in
the Nemesian antarctic. Dr. Meiou . . . >

Still . . .

I don't really care if my suspicions are right or not. The stuff they
say about the Fey don't really seem all that real to me. Haven't seen
a real Fey for myself, but I do know that they exist. There's reports
about them on the radio all the time, about how dangerous they are and
how we should report them in if we see one of them . . .

Doesn't feel real to me. It's like people talking about the war
between the PRC and the UFQH. It's distant, remote. Doesn't touch on
anyone's lives around here. And so what if the Chinese soldiers are
fighting the Fey army night and day? Do we feel pain? Do we die?

No.

Course, it's cruel to say that, but it's the truth. The farther things
are from you, the less real they are. And . . .

< . . . a remake of their twentieth century hit, Tokimeki Memorial . .
. >

Gods.

"How you doing, Yoshimitsu?"

"Er, hi."

The closer things are to you, the more real they are.

***
[Red Side: 2024]
Saotome Ranma

He pushed the wheelchair forward, careful of the bumps in the path. It
was dark, but the fireflies lit the surrounding grass like stars,
turning the field into a dim reflection of the skies above.

"Ranma?"

He halted his push.

"Yes?"

She looked up at him.

"Am I still beautiful?"

He reached down and brushed aside her white hair, touched her face . .
. felt the smoothness of the skin. She still looked as she had, back
when they were children, for she too had been touched by Jusenkyo . .
.

Her youth, though, was only in outwards appearance.

"Ranma?"

He looked down at his own braid, hanging in front of his shoulder.
Once, it had been fully black . . .

"Yes," he said. "Yes you are, Akane."

***
[Blue Side: 2084]
Yoshimitsu Takeshi

Turned the radio off. It's great company, but now ain't the time.

Definitely not.

"Yeah, those guys were huge. No match for my superior martial arts
skills, though." She's laughing, and I nod.

I can't help but wonder if I'm becoming a disgusting old man. Can't
sit next to her for a minute without noticing just how perky she is.
I'm only twenty-two, dammit.

Seriously . . . I'm just hoping I'll be able to control myself. Don't
really fancy being thought of as a cradle robber.

"Just love summer," she said, leaning back against the concrete block.
Her breasts . . .

No bra. She doesn't seem to realize exactly how female she is. Doesn't
detract much from her attractiveness. It emphasizes it. Wish it
didn't, just slightly. Any more and I'm willing to bet that I'd
alienate her with my raging hormones. Really don't want that to
happen. Really don't.

I haven't talked with that many girls. Women? Talk to them all the
time. Girls, though . . . especially the kind within the age range I'd
accept as reasonably close to my own, and potentially approachable . .
. haven't talked with too many of them.

None of the ones I did talk to were quite this open. It's one of the
reasons I'm still a virgin.

"You've been coming down here every day for almost two weeks," I said.
"I haven't asked where you're from yet."

She smiles that smile of hers again, and says, "Oh, here and there."

6:25 PM. The lights in the water begin to turn on.

***
[Red Side: 2027]
Saotome Ranma

< . . . has temporarily lifted regulations on the distribution of
firearms all over the country. Civilians are generally encouraged to
remain within their district evacuation shelters for the duration of
the . . . >

Watch his face (her face).

< . . . gathering of Fey within the Nerima district of Tokyo. As of
11:30 last night, all streets and trains accessing the area have been
. . . >

See the eyes, reddened from fall of tears.

< . . . that the Fey have the ability to disguise themselves as normal
human beings. No admittance to the shelters should be granted by any
officer, except under the condition that authorized personnel . . . >

Watch as the stones thrown by his townsmen (her townsmen) tear through
his clothing (her clothing), scratch his skin (her skin). Watch as the
lines of blood form. Watch as his black (her red) hair blows in the
autumn winds.

< . . . civilians living within districts still designated green
should report any suspicious or . . . >

The townsmen speak. Some scream. You are no man, they say. You have
never been, and you shall never be, and you do not belong.

< . . . international news, outbreaks of violence have occurred in
major cities all around the world. The United Nations has agreed to
provide remedial Fey elimination units to the countries . . . >

There are shots, and gravestones are shattered. He (she) does not move
from where he stands (she stands).

< . . . cult suicides in western Nevada. Associated sources say that
members view the coming of the Fey as a sign of the . . . >

These are the Fey. They are the mighty. They are the great. They are
the unaging . . . They are those who are forever on the outside. They
hail from the Summerlands, long chased off the maps by the explorers
and the cartographers. They do not belong . . .

< . . . the Fey-controlled United Federation of Qing-Hai has declared
independence from the PRC. Councilman Saffron . . . >

"Yes, Akane . . . yes . . . "

It is the year of the Great War.

***
[Blue Side: 2084]
Yoshimitsu Takeshi

"Am I beautiful?" she asks me.

I look at her a bit, since she'd gone silent as the sun started
setting, and the lights in the sea turned on. Her face is illuminated
from below, and she's not smiling anymore. Expression's peaceful . . .
a bit less energetic than I'd seen her in the past two weeks or so . .
. a whole lot more thoughtful.

Thinking about her past, maybe?

"No," I say. 'Beautiful' has implications of maturity, though she is.

Her expression becomes a little dejected.

"But you're pretty and you're cute, and that's enough," I say, and she
giggles. "Why do you wanna know?"

"Nuthin," she says, smiling. "I'm just getting a little deja vu."

6:43 PM. I look back out into the glowing sea. There's a breeze
building, and our clothes flap a bit.

"Helped Miss Habuki with her kid the other day," she says. "Kyotaro's
real stubborn if you try to give him stuff to eat. Give him anything
he doesn't like, and he spits it right back out."

She loosens the ribbon her ponytail, and lets her hair blow back.

"Not good with children?" I ask.

"Nope. Never really been around them a lot. Wish I had, 'cause I
really like kids. I used to have a . . . "

She trails off, and I decide not to push it.

"Being a single mother isn't easy," I say.

She nods, as if eager to change topics. It doesn't really show up on
her face, but I think she's kinda relieved. What'd she used to have? A
brother? A sister? A friend with a kid? Or . . .

Nah, she's way too young for that.

"You rooming with Miss Habuki?" I ask. "Hadn't heard you mention it
before."

"Yeah, I am. She's an alcoholic, you know?"

Didn't know that . . . It does kinda fit Miss Habuki's personality,
now that I think of it. She's not that old . . . thirty-something,
maybe . . . (Heard that Kyotaro's father ran off with another woman .
. . rumors are evil, evil things . . . ) Real loud, and she has this
nasty temper. Nice sense of humor, though. Basically a good person . .
.

But . . .

"Does she . . . you know? Hit him?" I ask.

"Nah, don't worry about that," she says. "Miss Habuki's afraid she'll
hurt him. Treats him like a little prince."

I chuckle a bit, feeling a bit dumb.

"I think she spoils him too much," she says. "If I had a . . . "

Second time. Her face is downwards, and I can't see her eyes. Not
good.

"Something wrong?" I ask.

She shakes her head, and now I'm really worried. If you're alright,
you don't just shake your head when someone asks you what's wrong.
Ain't good at all.

"You haven't told me where you're from yet," I say, trying to change
the topic again. Don't wanna see her like this.

She mumbles something in reply, and it drowns in the sound of the
waves rolling in.

"'Scuse?" I ask.

"Family's from Tokyo," she says. "Nerima, though I haven't actually
lived there myself. It's gone now. Used to live with a relative in a
town near Hakone, but she died a while ago, and I've been traveling
since. I have a relative who lives near here . . . forgotten the
address."

Ahh . . .

Sounds like she's making bits of it up, though that part about the
relative in Hakone . . . that part's probably true. A grandmother or
an aunt, maybe? Someone really close . . .

Another wave.

"It's that time of the year again," she says.

***
[Red Side: 2028]
Tendo Nabiki

"Hello," he said, silhouetted against the skies. "Haven't seen you in
awhile."

---

samhain n : the day upon which the Summerlands is closest to reality
[syn: Samhain, Feast of All Saints, All Saints' Day, Allhallows]

-- WordNet 2.8. Copyright the Princeton University, 2019.

---

"Is that . . . Fox?" she asked. "I thought you were . . . "

---

"They ain't human. They're monsters . . . Werewolves, demons, vampires
. . . that kinda thing. They're creatures from fantasy novels, and
they shouldn't exist. By all rights, they can't exist. Wooden
marionettes shouldn't be able to walk or talk or . . . or eat human
flesh . . . Floating balls of energy shouldn't be smart enough to
*want* to kill. The existence of the Fey is . . . It's all just so
irrational . . . "

-- Interview with Lt. Jonathan S. MacHine of the UNFEU-0936, 2027.

---

"Been kept in a freezer somewhere on Mars, I think. They seem have a
thing for Haagan Daaz."

---

"Reports from officers witnessing this phenomenon seem to confirm the
aforementioned theory: Fey units possess the ability to enter 'safe
areas' inaccessible to humans under normal conditions. Researchers
have dubbed the phenomenon the Summerlands Effect . . ."

-- UNFEU General Brief 1138-2, 2027. Designation: Analysis of Target
MO.

---

"Why are you here?" she asked, a bit of anger in her voice. "Why now,
after all this time?"

"Your brother-in-law. You know? Cute little girl, pigtail, martial
arts? I wanted to talk about him."

---

"If I may have your attention, ladies and gentlemen. Today is October
31st, 2027. It's currently 7:05 PM, and in a little less than five
hours, it'll be November 1st, the day of the Samhain. The moment the
second hand reaches the twelve on the clock, we'll be able to breach
Fey security and access the Summerlands for twenty-four hours. As
human beings, it's our duty to wipe the Fey from the face of our
planet, and when the moment comes, we begin what'll hopefully be . . .
"

-- Partial recording of a speech given by a senior officer in the
UNFEU, 2027. He refers to the Samhain Counter.

---

"He's . . . gone," she said. "He left after . . . after she . . . "

---

"The Fey are simply those who have been touched by magic. They are not
limited as we are, and they are not human. There is no need to treat
them as humans, for they are not real."

-- A page in an otherwise blank notebook, found in a store in downtown
London, 2027. Author unknown.

---

He let her embrace him, let her cry into the cloth of his coat.

---

"While the area the Chinese Fey refer to as Jusenkyo (CHN-QH-0098) is
currently obscured from human observation by Summerlands Effect, the
capture of Subject 2308 has confirmed its existence. It is postulated
that certain mechanisms still active at the above location were once
used to purify semi-Fey of their humanity . . . <text illegible> . . .
rituals related to these mechanisms aid the creation of the beings
tentatively known as the High Fey. The original (more natural) forms
of the semi-Fey that make contact with the mechanisms at Jusenkyo are
eventually lost, replaced by a random morphic template entirely
unnatural in nature."

-- UNFEU General Brief 3562-6, 2027. Designation: Jusenkyo.

---

" . . . watched him tear himself up. I hated it . . . hated it . . . "

---

"Studies show that, between 1985 and the beginning of the Great War,
known instances of Fey activity in the Asian region rose steadily. The
number of recorded events influenced by Fey involvement in Japan alone
increased exponentially with each of the years during the period. It
has been speculated that the 1985 Explosion of Upper Qing-Hai (often
compared with the 1908 Tunguska Explosion) is somehow related to the
start of this trend, but no correlation has been confirmed as of yet."

---

" . . . He can't die . . . that's what killed him . . ."

---

"Even at the turn of the century, public knowledge of the existence of
the Fey was kept at a minimum, as governments around the world were
concerned that revealing this information would result in mass
hysteria. As a consequence, it was not until 2021 that the public was
made aware of the Fey. Access to the information continued to be
limited to the scientific community."

---

" . . . he can't follow her . . . he cried for . . . he cried for so
long . . . "

---

"By 2025, Fey activity had spread across the globe. The increased
numbers of malevolent encounters with these beings encouraged a sense
of fear and paranoia in the general populace. Combined with the stress
associated the economic depression that had plagued the world market
since the 1990's, the popular insecurity bred social decay."

---

"I'm here for you," he said. "I won't leave again."

---

"On November 1st, 2026, Fey-related violence escalated to a level
never seen before. Finally given an excuse to release its hatred and
anger on a common enemy, humanity declared war on the Fey . . . "

-- Introduction of 'A Brief History of the Great War,' by Michael A.
Gallahan, 2028.

***

akane dies
people change
fusion of the forms
different for different people
jusenkyo is cruel
hold me
dream
great war, outbreak of violence
cologne died, i can't cry anymore

***

Disclaimer:
Grats to people who finished reading the fic. It's horrible, writing,
I know . . . If the authors of the stuff I'm basing this fic on knew
that I was mangling their stuff, I'd be dead and buried somewhere.
Don't tell them, m'kay? Thanks to all the people in the void who
helped.

chadjill@ms3.hinet.net

humans under normal conditions. Researchers
have dubbed the phenomenon the Summerlands
Effect . . ."

-- UNFEU General Brief 1138-2, 2027.
Designation: Analysis of Target MO.

---

"Your brother-in-law. You know? Cute little girl,
pigtail, martial arts? I wanted to talk about him."

---

"While the area the Chinese Fey refer to as
Jusenkyo (CHN-QH-0098) is currently obscured
from human observation by Summerlands
Effect, the capture of Subject 2308 has
confirmed its existence. It is postulated that
certain mechanisms still active at the above
location were once used to purify semi-Fey of
their humanity . . . <text illegible> . . . rituals
related to these mechanisms aid the creation of
the beings tentatively known as the High Fey.
The original (more natural) forms of the
semi-Fey that make contact with the
mechanisms at Jusenkyo are eventually lost,
replaced by a random morphic template entirely
unnatural in nature."

-- UNFEU General Brief 3562-6, 2027.
Designation: Jusenkyo.

---

"He's . . . gone," she said. "He left after . . . after
she . . . "

---

"The Fey are simply those who have been
touched by magic. They are not limited as we
are, and they are not human. There is no need to
treat them as humans, for they are not real. They
are born of the imaginations of mortals, and
they are mere constructs of fiction."

-- A page in an otherwise blank notebook, found
in a store in downtown London, 2027. Author
unknown.

---

He let her embrace him, let her cry into the cloth
of his coat.

---

"Folklore scholars have studied both Aztec
mythology and European folklore (e.g., the
German Die Weisse Frau, the White Lady) in
order to pinpoint the origin of the legendary La
Llorona (the Wailing Woman, or the Weeping
Woman). Various Aztec goddesses have been
proposed as the original model. The most
frequently mentioned is Cihuacoatl (Snake
Woman). Dressed in white and her entire body
chalked in white, she broke the silence of the
night with her wails of despair in anticipation of
war. She carried an empty cradle. Inside it was a
sacrificial knife . . . "

-- Folktales from the Los Angeles Mexican
Barrios of Canta Ranas, La Mision, and La
Colonia - Introduction, by Alfred Avila. 1996.

---

" . . . watched him tear himself up. I hated it . . .
hated it . . . "

---

"Studies show that, between 1985 and the
beginning of the Great War, known instances of
Fey activity in the Asian region rose steadily.
The number of recorded events influenced by
Fey involvement in Japan alone increased
exponentially with each of the years during the
period. It has been speculated that the 1985
Explosion of Upper Qing-Hai (often compared
with the 1908 Tunguska Explosion) is somehow
related to the start of this trend, but no
correlation has been confirmed as of yet."

---

" . . . He can't die . . . that's what killed him . . ."

---

"Even at the turn of the century, public
knowledge of the existence of the Fey was kept
at a minimum, as governments around the world
were concerned that revealing this information
would result in mass hysteria. As a consequence,
it was not until 2021 that the public was made
aware of the Fey. Access to the information
continued to be limited to the scientific
community."

---

" . . . he can't follow her . . . he cried for . . . he
cried for so long . . . "

---

"By 2025, Fey activity had spread across the
globe. The increased numbers of malevolent
encounters with these beings encouraged a sense
of fear and paranoia in the general populace.
Combined with the stress associated the
economic depression that had plagued the world
market since the 1990's, the popular insecurity
bred social decay."

---

"I'm here for you," he said. "I won't leave again."

---

"On November 1st, 2026, Fey-related violence
escalated to a level never seen before. Finally
given an excuse to release its hatred and anger
on a common enemy, humanity declared war . . . "

-- Introduction of 'A Brief History of the Great
War,' by Michael A. Gallahan, 2028.

***
[Blue Side: 2084]
Yoshimitsu Takeshi

Found a box of books hidden in the shelves
while I was cleaning my room several months
ago. Really well-preserved antique stuff,
probably a bit less than a century old.

I originally thought it was Tanaka-san's, but she
said she'd never read anything like it. Could be
the property of the previous tenant . . . Dunno for
sure, as I've never met her myself.

Eighty or so years ago, I gather, this particular
type of book was quite popular among the
Japanese teens and adults. (A *lot* of volumes
in that box . . .) Shoujo manga, they called it.
Semi-repetitive romantic plots, and really, really
cutesy art. Lost popularity big-time after the war.

There was this one . . . scene . . . in one of the
books I flipped through. Didn't read through it
entirely, because I was afraid the book would fall
apart. There's this boy in it, sitting next to a girl
on a bench in the park, and there's some kana
written at the side:

doki-doki, doki-doki . . .

I don't think the author intended for the scene to
reflect real life. But . . .

Fact is, the scene's accurate. *Damn* accurate,
even.

She's leaning back now, supporting her torso
from behind with her arms and staring straight
up into the stars. They're strewn about the sky
likes drops of dew on some invisible spider's
web, glowing in the moonlight. Behind the moon
there's a shadow that barely fails to blend in with
the blackness of the night: Nemesis.

"Once upon a time," she says, "I lost someone."

She kicks her legs against the cement of the pier
a few times, and I look at her. She continues
staring upwards, unblinking, as if holding back
tears. The reflection of the moon is there again,
wading in the surface of her eyes.

"I cried," she says. "I cried for weeks. Didn't eat
very much, and I slept only a little."

She sniffles, but no tears fall.

"I spent almost every waking moment crying.
My eyes hurt like hell, but I didn't stop . . .
couldn't."

There's a pause, and I wait for her to continue,
but she's silent.

"What happened?" I ask. Tell me your story, tell
me why you've lost your smile.

She sits up, slouching her shoulders forward.

"The anniversary of her death is in a few days,"
she says.

***
[Red Side: 2026]
Saotome Ranma

Such is the tale of the La Llorona, as blue fades
to red, and red to nothing . . .

---

UNGEHIRN: Unofficial Status Report

Report Date: October 31, 2026
Subject Acquired On: June 13, 2022
Subject Designation: 2308
Alias: Saotome Genma
Sex: M
Age: 83 (approx.)
Associated Area of Operation:
CHN-QH-0098

---

In their dreams, the sleeping ones saw the lovers
leaving their home for a new place, where
familiar faces did not wander, and the memories
of pain did not haunt the streets. The faces of the
ones they had thought their friends had contorted
into masks of anger and envy over the years they
had spent together, and finally, the lovers could
bear it no more.

---

Notes:
"The current institution received the subject
from Research Division 157 of the UNFEU on
October 23. While many of the details
concerning the tests previously executed on the
subject have not been disclosed to this
institution, the UNFEU has presented a censored
informative folio for our viewing . . . "

---

In the new place, no faces met them, and streets
existed only as paths amidst the woods and
fields. The lovers were happy, and they spent
their days in the bliss of each other's company.
Together they grew old.

---

". . . the subject was acquired by the Kanagawa
branch of the UNFEU on June 13, 2022. The
method of capture is not specified in the folio,
though it is mentioned that the subject was
moving west at the time of capture . . . "

---

At the end of the summer of their lives, the girl
was still girl, but had hair of purest white, and
the heart of a woman who has known love. The
boy was no longer a boy, but a young girl with
the heart of a tired old man.

---

" . . . is noted that the humanoid appearance of
the subject is intimately related to certain parties
or mechanisms residing within the restricted area
referred to by the UNFEU as Jusenkyo. As
further information concerning this area has not
been released, the current institution refrains
from speculating . . . "

---

When summer came to pass, the girl smiled and
said to the boy, I love you . . . I hope that we will
meet again, sometime, somewhere . . .

---


" . . . a classic example of morphic fusion,
wherein physical traits of the Ailuropoda
melanoleuca (commonly known as the Giant
Panda) are combined with the more sapient traits
of the human species . . . "

---

She smiled, and then she was gone.

---

" . . . further analysis reveals that, contradicting
the hypothesis presented by Dr. Fuyutsuki
Kozou, no conflict arises of the interaction
between the two gene sets during cellular
replication. The process by which this . . . "

---

The boy cried.

---

". . . while there is no official method of
differentiating the various species commonly
classified as 'Fey,' the name Fatum hominis has
been proposed as a general term for the more
humanoid creatures recently sighted. Based on
observations, the subject appears to fall under
the 'subspecies' known currently as the Fatum
hominis altus . . . "

---

Why? he asked. Why does it have to be this
way? What have I done wrong, that I must be
punished so?

---

" . . . on records from the UNFEU, human traits
decrease significantly at the end of October each
year. Inversely, strength, speed, and access to
abilities thought physically impossible increase
exponentially. The current institution believes
that the subject's modifications have a definite
relationship with some yearly cycle that
governs . . . "

---

In their dreams, the sleeping ones knew pain.
Unable to sleep in the heat of the Samhain, they
woke, and sought to exert their pain as
vengeance.

---

" . . . sedation necessary for the safety of the
subject's attendants. The subject has
demonstrated severe negative psychological
reactions to his confinement, and has more than
once expressed that he must find his son
before . . . "

---

And the sleeping ones stalked . . .

***
[Blue Side: 2084]
Yoshimitsu Takeshi

< . . . Look at me, what do you see?
Am I real, or just a dream . . . >

She presses her cheek into my shoulder, and
shifts her weight slightly so that she's leaning
against me.

< . . . Am I something that you need,
Or just an image of me?>

"I received a letter a this morning," she says.

< . . . And if you stare into the fire too long
Is the flame as strong?>

I feel a warmth through my shirt, and in my ears
her voice is at once soft and heavy, pounding
into my chest with each heartbeat. With her
touch, what lust I had withered and died, and I'm
left with only a deep . . . sympathy.

< . . . Or if you're lost inside a fantasy
Does it end up real?>

I can't understand why . . .

< . . . So if you think that you're in love with me
Or is it just the whole idea . . . >

"Another one of my friends is dead," she says.
"In China. Her name's Gu Long . . ."

< . . . You must be sure that every single thing
Is what you believe in . . . >

I want to . . . do something for her . . . but, I
can't . . . can't think of anything appropriate.
Maybe . . .

< . . . If every drop of rain stayed in the sky
Would the world just die?>

"I can't cry anymore," she says. "She's dead, and
I can't."

< . . . Or earth revolved around a different sun
Would our lives have begun?>

The breeze grows stronger, and a wave crashes
against a rock a distance away. Foam is washed
back into the sea as water from the spray drips
off the stony surface.

< . . . So if you think that your in love with me
Can you still be free?>

"Can you . . . hold me?" she asks.

< . . . For on the surface of most everything
Something hides within.>

I nod, and I wrap my arm around her . . .

***
[Magenta Side: 2084]
Epilogue

In the man's room, curtains billow out above a
messy desk. Atop a pile of papers, there's a
drawing of a young girl with red hair and a
ponytail, smiling. There are words written beside
the drawing.

"When I awoke," they say, "she was gone. I had
been dreaming, and my eyes were wet. The
dream is already forgotten, but this smile
remains. I hope to remember it forever . . . ceux
qui sont destines pour mourir . . . "

***

Notes/Disclaimer:
Grats to people who finished reading the fic. It's
horrible writing, I know . . . If the authors of the
stuff I'm basing this fic on knew that I was
mangling their stuff, I'd be dead and buried
somewhere. Don't tell them, m'kay? Thanks to
everyone on the FFIRC who helped me with the
details. Really appreciate it. :)

By the way, if you can count the cameos, you're
damn good.

Credits:

Tenchi Muyo belongs to Masaki Kajishima.
Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi.
Excel Saga belongs to Koshi Rikudo.
Compass Points belongs to Brian Randall.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou belongs to Hitoshi Ashinano.
Gundam belongs to Bandai.
Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to GAINAX.
The X-Files belongs to Chris Carter.
WordNet belongs to the Princeton University.
La Belle Dame sans Merci belongs to John Keats.
Slayers belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi.
Sandman belongs to Neil Gaiman.
Controversial Jack belongs to Yves Belanger.
Yuyu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.
Dragon Quest belongs to ENIX.
Tokimeki Memorial belongs to Konami.
"Second Mars Probe" article belongs to Frank D. Roylance.
Just Won't Die belongs to Jeff Wong.
She's Just Like Lightning belongs to Colleen Leah Morgan.
mIRC belongs to Khaled Mardam-Bey.
Independence Day belongs to Roland Emmerich
'Folktales from the Los Angeles Mexican Barrios of Canta Ranas, La
Mision, and La Colonia' belongs to Alfred Avila
Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Destiny's Child belongs to Fire.
Original concepts belong to Nanashi (chadjill@ms3.hinet.net)

***

Info:

Since it's been requested, I'll give a little background on this
story.

You may note that I goofed once in the fic. Akane died in 2026, but I
had Ranma visiting her grave in 2025. Sorry about that!! ^_^;;

The Summerlands:

Since I can't explain it better myself . . .

Page 59 of Stardust, by Neil Gaiman.

"A question like 'How big is Faerie?' does not admit of a simple
answer."
"Faerie, after all, is not one land, one principality or dominion.
Maps of Faerie are unreliable, and may not be depended upon."
"We talk of kings and queens of Faerie as we would speak of the kings
and queens of England. But Faerie is bigger than England, as it is
bigger than the world (for, since the dawn of time, each land that has
been forced off the map by explorers and the brave going out and
proving it wasn't there has taken refuge in the Faerie; so it is now,
by the time we come to writing of it, a most huge place indeed,
containing every manner of landscape and terrain). Here, truly, there
be Dragons. Also gryphons, wyverns, hippogriffs, basilisks, and
hydras. There are all manner of more familiar animals as well, cats
affectionate and aloof, dogs noble and cowardly, wolves and foxes,
eagles and bears."

A human may enter into the valley of Jusenkyo without ever seeing a
thing, but for the Fey, it is the valley of cursed springs. Farther
west, across the mountains, there are lands forgotten even by the
people of Jusenkyo.

As Jusenkyo exists on the edge of the Summerlands, some of the
villages around it exist in the real world.

Jusenkyo itself is not truly a "cursed place," though it may seem that
way to many. Indeed, it's quite the opposite. The springs have a
"purifying" quality that removes "humanity" and "mortality" from those
bathed in its waters. That is, they remove the realness from a minor
Fey, replacing it with the magic of unreality. Those who survive the
process of purification are stuck forever in their "cursed forms," and
are technically extremely powerful constructs of magic . . . the
process takes many years to complete, depending on the amount of
contact the "cursed ones" have with water. Each bath ushers the
process along.

The Fey who fall into uncursed springs and survive undergo a
purification process not involving an alternate form. The minor Fey,
who have their identities founded in their humanity, do not survive
purification. Akane falls under both these categories.

Minor Fey and High Fey are different in that, while the minor Fey are
more "real" and more "human" (if not directly influenced by an outside
power, most live and die in the manner of normal humans) . . . the
High Fey are the Fey purified of their realness. Jusenkyo is not the
only mechanism of purification in the world. There are many, and not
all of them involve water (or take long extents of time to work).

For the minor Fey, the Samhain is just another day of the year. Magics
are stronger in lands outside of the Summerlands on this day, but it
is not a day of significance. For the minor Fey approaching the powers
of the High Fey, though, each Samhain robs them of a bit more of their
humanity. The "robbing" process increases in speed as they near the
status of the High Fey. When they have matured, the High Fey (and many
of the higher-powered minor Fey) are walking pieces of the
Summerlands, influencing the areas around them with unreality. This
best explains Ranma's "chaotic presence" in Nerima.

The minor Fey are influenced by the stronger emotions and intents of
the High Fey (High Fey can also influence other High Fey, but to a
lesser extent). All Fey are, to an extent, sympathetically linked. In
the lands outside the Summerlands, a great many minor Fey are sealed
or "sleeping." If a High Fey has an extremely strong intent to do
something, the sleeping minor Fey will awaken, and be led to
participate (along with the non-sleeping Minor Fey) in the "plan" of
the High Fey in question. The execution of this entire process is
subconscious, and the minor Fey are not being "controlled" by the High
Fey in any way. Indeed, they believe their actions to arise of their
own urges.

List of the relevant High Fey as of the 2080's:
Ranma, Saffron, Herb, Ryouga

List of the relevant minor Fey approaching High Fey status as of the
2080's:
Cologne (uncursed . . . dead as of 2084), Happosai (uncursed), Hinako
(uncursed)

List of the relevant minor Fey who died in the process of
purification:
Shampoo (2025), Mousse (2029), Genma (2027), Akane (2026)

List of the relevant minor Fey who died of natural causes:
Tatewaki (2038), Nabiki (2041), Kasumi (2047), Tofu (2042), Ukyou
(2041), Konatsu (2035), Akari (2052)

List of the relevant minor Fey who died in the Great War:
Hikaru, Kodachi, Tsubasa

Cameo (unrelated) Fey still alive in 2084:
The Senshi, Ryoko, the individuals related to "Team Urameshi" (the
YuYu Hakusho storyline begins a few years before to Great War),
Shinji, Rei, Nabeshin . . .

Note that Fox Mulder is not in the above list.

>>Second off, the "not quite outright mentioned" fate of the city of
Tokyo (or at least parts of it) make me wonder if this was due to the
American "final weapon", Nemesis' arrival in orbit, or a Fey "counter-
strike".<<

Tokyo was destroyed in a major clash between the Fey (seeming to be
based in Nerima) and a mixed force of the UNFEU, the JSDF, and the
American soldiers stationed in the area. Several large-scale bombs
were dropped after the forces reached the conclusion that it wasn't
manually possible to exterminate all of the Fey. Several large
sections of the city were destroyed. The rest, deemed inhabitable,
were evacuated and abandoned shortly after. In 2030, coastal flooding
had increased to the extent that many of the buildings were
underwater. The arrival of Nemesis in 2033 worsened the flooding.

>>Of course, just about *everything* in this fic almost cries out for
a sequel. Or, quite possibly, a series.<<

Sorry, but if I continue the story, it won't be anytime soon. If
anyone's willing to pick it up, I'd be happy to hand all this over to
them.

>>What was the USA's "final weapon"? Why was that battle so important
that they felt the need to use it? What was the reaction - domestic
and foreign - when it was discovered what "collateral damage" it had
caused?<<

In the early 2000's, the American government decided to reinforce the
Star Wars Defense System. With the aid of Anaheim Electronics and the
military, NASA launched a series of defense satellites into orbit,
each armed with the capability to convert solar energy into high-
intensity microwave beams. As it was a relative peacetime, the
satellites weren't tested until the Great War.

In the February of 2027, fourteen "giants" of seemingly variable shape
and constitution appeared in Antarctica. Alarmed at the existence of
these "Giant Fey," the US military brought the satellite defense
system online, and attacked. Unfortunately, (supposedly due to a
design flaw) the control circuits in the satellites failed after
activation, and remote control capabilities were lost. It wasn't until
twelve years later that the satellites could be disarmed. The public
was never informed of the exact circumstances under which all this
occurred.

>>Who's part of the UFQH, other than the Musk and the people of
Phoenix Mountain? Are the Amazons involved in it?<<

The UFQH is composed of the Musk, the Phoenix, the Amazons, and
Jusenkyo.

>>For that matter, what did the PRC *do* (or try/threaten to do) that
could get Herb and Saffron (and who knows who else) to put aside their
egos and old quarrels to work together for the last X number of
decades?<<

On the Samhain of 2027, the PRC massacred the towns and villages near
Jusenkyo that they couldn't previously access, and directly attacked
Phoenix Mountain and the capital city of the Musk. The advanced
firepower and mobile units of the PRC would have brought the
civilizations within the Jusenkyo area down, had it not been for the
fact that the Samhain ended before the "extermination" could be
completed. This event is what caused Herb, Saffron, and the Amazons to
decide to work together.

>>What ever happenned to Genma? (I freely admit to hating Genma's
guts, but the idea of him spending decades as an "non-human
experimental subject" gives me the shivers. Especially since, even in
the 2080s, the Fey aren't well looked upon by humanity....)<<

He died within the confines of UNGEHIRN in the form of a slightly
humanoid panda, after being subject to years of experimentation.

>>For that matter what happenned to the Nerima Wrecking Crew and
Co.?<<

Ryouga: he appears mostly human (not all that different from his
original form) . . . think Musk. During the Great War, he fought
against the human forces in Tokyo, but managed to escape before the
bombs were dropped. He married Akari shortly after, and lived with her
in isolation until her death, years later.

Cologne: physically, she didn't change that much. She moved back to
her village immediately before the war began, and tried to help defend
it from the PRC.

Happosai: still out there somewhere, living with Hinako.

Shampoo: Died, a neko-girl in Nerima, before the Great War.

Mousse: Fought in the Great War and survived. Died, an old man with
wings, years later, alone in the forests of northern Japan.

Tatewaki: Evacuated from Nerima with the humans before violence broke
out. Lived in Yokohama briefly, before being put into an asylum, where
he died. He never married.

Nabiki: became a well-known information merchant years before the
Great War. Immediately before, she lived in a town near Hakone, with
Ranma and Akane. Remained there until after Akane died and Ranma
vanished. After the war, she resumed her previous occupation, an
unmarried old woman. Rumored to have ties with individuals deep within
the UN. She died of natural causes alone in Yokohama.

Kasumi: married with Tofu. The couple didn't evacuate with the humans,
but managed to leave before being bombed. Moved to Yokohama, where
they spent the rest of their lives.

Ukyou: married with Konatsu and moved to Osaka after evacuating from
Tokyo.

>>When did it end?<<

Officially, the Great War ended in the March of 2028, but Fey
opposition ended in early November, 2027. The people of Jusenkyo
retreated back into the borders of the Summerland and declared
independence from the PRC in December. The PRC made it a point to
launch a small-scale attack each Samhain after 2027. This eventually
drove the Fey far enough from the borders of the Summerlands that the
PRC couldn't get to them; attacks ceased in 2032. Between 2033 and
2079, the UFQH built up enough military power to launch successful
attacks against the PRC, and expand the borders of the Summerlands.
They began to do so in 2083, launching a surprise attack on the city
of Xi Ning. This event began Cross-Qing-Hai War.

>>What happenned when the UN backed nations tried to take the war to
the Summerlands in the Samhain of 2027?<<

Many of the active minor Fey living outside the Summerlands died
before then. The ones living close to the edge got massacred, and the
Fey moved away from the Summerlands' borders.

>>In short, thank you for writing this story.<<

Thank *you* for reading. :)