And now, to bring a close to "No Need for Japan". I know, you all love the storyline. But fear not, this will not be the last time Raven and the other new characters appear. I've put to much into creating them and I'm just getting started on character development, so I'm going to continue using them in the perviously mentioned "Old Foe, New Foe". But before I begin this final part of NNFJ, I'd like to give credit to the following for inspiring the creation of Raven's friends: CHARACTER: INSPARATION: Drew Drew "Deviant" M. Kim Kim "Sped" N. Cass Casandra "Mariana" W. Patrik Patrick R. 8:08 Robert R. Kitty Daniele ?. Mel Melissa B. Gravey Eric "Gravey" G. Chunk and Brain Chuck and Brian D. Kris Kristen L. Goat Mike "Goat" M. Roy Royal "Mo" B. 6 Guage Mark "6 Guage" M. And finaly Troy Long, creator of Mike Wolf. He helped me write "House of Horrors", most of the humor in that chapter was spawned from his brain. He also thought up that about Mike getting trapped in the basement, so theres his credit for his work. Now, as for those who created "Tenchi Muyo!", thats all property of Pioneer Entertainment. But all the characters you see listed here are MINE/OURS, any likeness to any of them will be destroyed.... ****************************************************************************** * From the Diary of Kiyone Makibi: Dear Diary, Well we're finaly going home. It seems like it's only been four weeks, as opposed to the reality of nearly five months. God the time has flown..... I've packed all my physical baggage, it's stowed on the plane. But as I sit on this plane, and write (which I have time for due to EXTREME delays), I can't help of all the things in my mind that aren't quite bolted down. My head feels heavier, not in a physical sense, in a physical sense its lighter due to the fact that I cut over a foot and a half of hair off. It's more like, more like I'm taking stuff around in my mind. Stuff that I might not need, but I hold onto for safe keeping. Memories, song lyrics, faces, stuff from school.... My, how the list goes on and on. There's so much, how am I going to remember it all? I figured the best way to do that, is to write it down. Maybe this will help me clear my mind... Mihoshi, thats one thing I want to write down. I can't believe she's not going back. She made her announcement at the farewell party, but I'll get into that more later. In any sense, she's staying with Raven. She's going to go to school another semester, and then settle down after graduation. We're going back for the wedding, then I'll see her on holidays, but thats it. She quit the GP, they should have got her notice by now. I know I always said she was annoying, and I'd KILL to be rid of her, but only as a partner. She's still a great friend, best I've had. Sure she's with Raven, meaning she's in good hands, and visa versa. And it's also true that we're going to be sisters-in-law but that doesn't make up for the fact that we're going to be apart. I had always hoped Raven would come with us when we went back, and I'd see him all the time. Raven, he's graduated and is going on with his life. He's got a fiance, a bright future in the arts or music, and for the most part I'll never see the guy. We were seperated for several years. I thought he'd died, but it was all just a hoax, which I somehow knew. He confessed to me, after the party, that he'd done it because he didn't want to follow in fathers footsteps. Dad was a GP from age 20, and he wanted Raven and I to be like him. He'd always yell at my brother for being different, not wanting to conform, wanting to be something he didn't want his son to be. It killed Raven. And the funny thing is, the more he got yelled at, the more different he became. Eventualy, dad stuck us in the academy early. Age 13, and stuck in the GP academy. I'd always wanted to go, and my dad was proud of me for that. He was also beaming because he thought he'd finaly broke my brother's will to rebel. Well Raven, wanting to go into forensics and computer systems at the time, used the knowledge of these subjects to make a convincing crash on a routine patroler training session. He was monitered by the computer, so he didn't have to worry about hurting anyone but himself. He uploaded a program that made a SOS message then he made it look as if the patroler crashed in Indiana. He had us fooled the whole time, just so he could get what he wanted. Dad went balistic after that, he drove my nose to the grindstone harder and harder. Wanting me to be top in my class, which I wanted anyway. He got what he wanted, a kid in the GP. So I knew he was happy, but I realy wasn't. I had suspicions that Raven was alive, but sometimes that got so hard to believe....I wanted to die. Raven ment everything to me, and when he dissapeared/died I was lost. That might be why I could never get a guy, I always compared them to my brother. I don't mean I was IN LOVE with Raven, thats just disgusting. I just felt so attached to him, we had never really been seperated before, and with him gone I was only half a person. Almost knowing he was alive, that kept me alive..... Well onto other subjects, hopefully happier ones. Lets take that party for example. That was a time.... Raven was graduating, and we were leaving, so it was decided that there would be a party. We were intending for about 50 or 60 people. But when it was told that "Manufactured Youth" would be playing, we ended up with 150+. It went from just being a party, to a full on concert. Patrik did the light effects with 8:08s help, and we all put our parts in. Some got food, others cleaned and others did other things...To many to really discribe, so I'm not even going to try. Well, anyway, the party/concert started off with a real BANG. Dentalize took the stage, it was pretty cool. They played alot of cover songs by Wolfs favorite groups, not suprisingly Wolf was croudsurfing most of their set. The band consisted of Chunk on drums, Brain doing vocals, Gravey on bass, and Goat on guitar. The next band "Imperfection" was pretty good, their style was more of my person favorite. Very upbeat sounding, fast and driving. The guitars were suplied by Kitty, Kim did drums, and Mel played bass and did vocals. Suprisingly, the vocals were dark compared to the music. Also, to my suprise, Washu did a song with them called "Mind is my Own", I'll give that girl some credit, she's got real stage energy and a nice voice. Finaly, "Manufactured Youth" took the stage. I never realy like EXTREMELY heavy music. But this, this was...well its hard to say. It was heavy, loud, fast, insane, and overall wicked. The croud had turned into a giant mosh pit durring this set. I could see people I knew getting passed around on the hands of the croud. Ryoko, Mihoshi, even little Sasami went by overhead. I even joined the action with 8:08's help and encouragement. I was scared to do it at first, but after 8:08 told me it was safe and assured me of it, I tried. It was amazing, I had no control, yet I was in full control. Nothing I had ever experienced gave me this feeling. And the stage show, it was indescribeable. Each member of the band had their own little "act" they did. They were billed as such: Drew, the Hunchback of 69. Drew hunched down low to the crowd and growled and screamed his lungs out. He has a real "in your face" attitude, and he doesn't hold it back one damn bit. Throughout the show, he threw food, jumped around and tore himself up something awful. Roy, Shock Therapy. Roy's shaved his hair into a mohawk. It looks pretty weird on him, but who am I to judge? He's another nut out there on stage, he screams, thrashes about and acts like he's conected to a live wire or something. But his drumming skills are something else. Cass, Living Dead Girl. Cass does keyboards. She's good at it, and she's got a good persona too. She looks like a modern vampire, complete with fake fangs that look almost real. She stands in back, looking all dark and brooding, than from nowhere she lets out a mad cackle or scream. Then theres my brother. He's billed as "Raven, The Mechanical DevilBoy". He plays guitar, and seems to be the most focused of the group. His act consists of acting like he's some sort of automoton, starting the set off hunched over like he's out of power, and when he actualy starts moving its real jerky. The devil boy thing comes from these two peices of hair on the back of his head he gels into horns. It all comes together, somehow. Its weird but it makes for a dynamic stage show. Well that night was our last big fling. The next day we were packing, and here we are. Mike and Ryoko are keeping in touch, Ayeka has developed some fixation with Patrik, and I'm really gonna miss 8:08. We each found a guy, but theres still competintion. Washu and Ryoko both are into Mike, so every now an the tword the end of our trip Washu tried to get close to Mike and get Ryoko out of the way. But Mike's taken, Ryoko managed to seduce him the night of the party. Right at the end of Youth's last song we all heard "THANK YOU GOD!" from Mikes room. And when they came down the crowd all started aplauding. You should have seen the looks on their faces. Well, for now this is goodbye. The plane is preparing to leave, and though I know I won't, I feel I'll be seeing my American friends very soon..... Kiyone Makibi, January 13th ****************************************************************************** *** Ok, its over. Now ends the "No Need for Japan" storyline. And now begins "Old Foe, New Foe". Keep watching, and I'll keep writing.....