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I look forward to seeing what comes form this challenge. As for me, I have already thought about these ages for Mark in my AU. I don't have stories but I do have a "rough" history and the events that were going on during that time. I even have a little bit for Jason and Keyop, but at this time I have not given Princess and Tiny as deep a background. Hmmm ..... My Runaway story would cover the years 7-10 for Mark.

hmmm, this could be very interesting...... something I can really get my teeth into!!!!!

When I wrote fanfic as a teenager (without, of course, knowing that one day it would be called "fanfic" and have millions of people writing it), I had a little story about Mark and Jason being in boarding school the year that Princess was away meditating (remember it was mentioned in one episode that Princess had done this? OK, maybe meditating is not the correct word, but you know what I mean , I don't remember off hand what exactly she did). So in this story, they were in a very tough school and got into all sorts of trouble, and they organised the students against the teachers and made an effort to get better conditions (yes, a bit of a Mary Sue there...) Maybe a plot could develop from this...

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Very sweet, KT! And capturing exactly the different personalities of the team members -- I especially liked the bit about Joe poking around Nambu's car and Jinpei quipping back "you and who's army?" to Joe's threats!

Pretty funny, KT! I can see how a younger Jinpei would be constantly pestering everyone! I've written lots of stories about the Team as kids. It's a lot of fun because you can really play with the personalities, and things aren't usually so serious.

Nice job, KT....So like an 8 to 10 year old...

KT: LOL, it's a miracle that he ever survived to actually fight in the war, isn't it?

As Amethyst and I were talking in chat, my original idea for this went out the window, and suddenly I ended up with another Raven prequel. I blame this on Amethyst entirely! Gonna have to post this in parts. It's ... not short. I'm still finishing the last part but I'll start with part 1: Kozaburo Nambu watched his young wards from the window. They tore across the yard in some game that looked like a combination of soccer, football, and a few other random rules tossed in for good measure. He loved catching them in these unguarded moments, when they weren't trying hard to project the impression of the warriors they would become. For now, they were just kids. As usual, Ken and Joe played the roughest, though mostly with each other. At thirteen, the two of them still continually jockeyed over everything. Each week came the claims that one of them grew taller than the other, or could jump higher, or could hit harder. There were times he despaired that they were far too competitive to place on the same team. Then the two of them would pull off something so spectacular together, all the while pushing one another, that he felt certain he'd made the right decision. Though sometimes they pushed one another the other way. Kozaburo watched the pair try to pull something on gentle Ryu, using their collective speed and wits to try to steal the ball. The twelve-year-old was already big, never managing the more lithe build of his teammates, but the boy was no fool. Ken feinted left and Joe went for the ball. An impressively quick flash of a foot and Ken ended up with his face in the dirt. One shove of Ryu's hands, using the bulk of his body to power him, and Joe flew through the air until he landed on his back. Kozaburo chuckled. The older boys looked flat out stunned. Ryu watched them with gentle concern for a moment, but then they were up again, and the game continued. His only girl still looked a bit unsure of herself. Jun was out there playing, dirt-streaked like the rest. Yet the eleven-year-old who was already lethal grace in training was a bit more shy in her personal time. He regretted not having more female role models and influences for her. Tracking any down who he could trust, and had the core of strength he wanted her to cultivate, had proven difficult. Still, while the three older boys jostled over the ball, Kozaburo could see her planning. She might not have Ken and Joe's aggression or Ryu's bulk, but the girl was smart, very smart. If they weren't preparing for war, Kozaburo would ensure she had access to the very best schools. Hopefully, once the war ended, he could rectify that. He watched as she let the boys get absorbed in their battle. Then she looked to her little brother, who at just five was valiantly out there with them but not making much headway. She gestured Jinpei over, whispering in his ear, and then the two of them started to flank the others. Pigtails flapping, Jun managed to collide with the boys. They all stopped apologetically to fuss over her. Then suddenly she grabbed the ball. Only when she took off with it did Ken, Joe, and Ryu jerk and collapse into a heap, discovering that Jinpei had tied their shoelaces together. Kozaburo chuckled again. Trying to undo the mess turned into kicking off shoes, and then squeals as they chased Jun and Jinpei all over the yard, game forgotten. If he could just make time stand still, he might choose this moment, when they still had their innocence and war was far more play and theory than real. Even now, though, he could see their dynamics changing. As they charged toward adulthood, hormones coming into play, he occasionally caught them noticing one another in ways that had nothing to do with training or play. Should he do something about it? He wasn't sure. They were so young, but fairly isolated compared to most kids their age. He'd taken the coward's way out and asked their doctor to give all but Jinpei the basic "talk," not sure that he could survive having that discussion four times. Or worse, trying to talk to all of the boys together, then Jun one on one. His watch beeped. They were late for training. He might not be able to freeze time, but for fifteen more minutes he could let them remain children. After that, they would once again be warriors. #

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Part 5: Kozaburo examined some lab results of his own before going to find Jinpei. He should be in one of his special classes, one that the others had affectionately named the "Habitrail of Doom." After all, he was going to be their infiltration expert. As the smallest, he'd pass through the tightest spaces, so he had to be comfortable with them. That and Kozaburo wanted him to have an innate understanding of his limits. Such an understanding did not come natural to a five-year-old, but even moreso, to Jinpei. At first when he arrived he thought the class might have been canceled. Then he spotted the instructor walking under the monstrous creation that was the patchwork of ducting, ventilation shafts, and other nooks and crannies they wanted to get Jinpei used to. The occasional rattling noise signaled the boy's movements. He'd have to learn to be quieter. "How's he doing?" Kozaburo approached the instructor. The man chuckled. "Like the monkey he is." From above came a squeak and a thump, then scrabbling. Kozaburo looked up and then back to the instructor. "Timed mission," said the man. Then he looked up, yelling, "Two minutes until the base blows!" "I'll make it!" Kozaburo knew he shouldn't wince. That's what they were all being trained for. Still, it was chilling to remember that none of this was a game. Thirty seconds later, a laundry chute coughed one five-year-old menace into a load of towels. Jinpei cheered. If exuberance could be bottled, Kozaburo was pretty sure he could sell the kid for all the funding they'd ever need. "You wouldn't want to just stop though, right?" The instructor stepped forward. "Remember, the base is going to blow. Concrete and metal flying everywhere. You want as much distance as possible." "Right! Hi Hakase!" Jinpei took off running around the edge of the room, practically a little blur of frenetic energy. "Whatever you feed him," said the instructor, "I want some." "Food? You try stocking food with four growing boys." Kozaburo chuckled. "I'm surprised he gets any." "He may be small, but he's sneaky," said the instructor with what might actually be pride. "We've started working on tight hiding spots. One time I was sure he'd left the room. Was positive." "As long as none of the team forgets him at a base," said Kozaburo, his tone dry. "Tell them if it's too quiet, they've forgotten someone." The instructor stepped toward Jinpei. "Kaboom!" "Woo! The crowd goes wild!" Jinpei bounced over and grabbed Kozaburo's leg, looking up at him. "Did you see?" He still hadn't quite figured out how to interact with such a small child. "I did. Very good." "Can I have a big hamster ball to run in?" Kozaburo blinked. "I can't think of a strategic use for that." "Armor!" "It's not a very stable platform. And you could fit into smaller spaces without it." "But I could run on water!" Somehow, Kozaburo didn't think he'd actually move across the water, but he didn't think Jinpei was so much concerned with the reality. He just thought it sounded fun. "And I could take it to space!" Jinpei started running around the room again, arms out, and motoring his lips like propellors. That caused Kozaburo to try to picture a clear ball with propellors drifting in space, with a five-year-old child inside. No, definitely not a good idea. For the sake of what was left of his hair and heart, he hoped the war didn't begin for a very long time. Though, if he could develop some kind of energy armor that kept blows from even reaching the team, wouldn't that be something? He'd have to add it to the list. First he had to shake the bugs out of the birdstyles. They had a disturbing tendency to lethally irradiate the test dummies. Maybe he should add some kind of shielding in there for their reproductive tracts, too. Just in case. # (part 6 isn't done yet, to be continued ...)

Want to see the doodles! Seriously, though, this shows a sensitive side of Nambu, which I really like, and how he dealt with his teenage wards.

Originally posted by Daniella T Want to see the doodles! Seriously, though, this shows a sensitive side of Nambu, which I really like, and how he dealt with his teenage wards.

He describes one in the next section. And thanks, it seems to me that they care about him very much, which means he must have done a few things right!

Final Part (posted in 2 parts due to length): Kozaburo had definitely saved the hardest for last. During dinner, he quietly observed, trying to decide if he imagining things, but no. Jun did everything she could to gain Ken's notice. He remained completely unaware, confused even at her attentions. Of course, she was only eleven. If any of the boys showed her real interest he'd have them by the ears so fast they'd leave their heads behind. But Joe and Ryu certainly noticed Jun's clumsy attempts to gain Ken's affections. Jinpei picked it up from them, quietly teasing her about it. All Ken did was look vastly uncomfortable. Not that this was any kind of proof. No, but it was a data point. What had Kozaburo's attention more was watching Ken around Joe. It was like he was watching two people: the Ken who knew Joe or others were looking, and the Ken who thought he was unobserved. A dichotomy Kozaburo knew all too well. Was he just projecting? Was he letting his own past color what he saw? Maybe, but he didn't think so. He'd seen other girls try to catch Ken's attention. He looked so much like his mother, gifted with an almost pretty innocence that might annoy him, but would serve him well in undercover work and protecting his identity. Ken never batted an eye when they looked his way. Occasionally, though, Kozaburo had seen him notice other boys. So he wasn't imagining that. But an interest in Joe? Perhaps. Or it was just a boyhood crush that would pass on its own. Certainly, Joe didn't hide his own adventures. Ken had to be well aware of where Joe's interests lay. It wasn't that Kozaburo was concerned about stopping anything. Of all people, he could care less about any of their sexual preferences, as long as they were careful and discrete. No, his concern was that in hiding it, Ken was creating a weak point that could be exploited. The longer this went on, the easier it would be for someone to blackmail him, or worse. Hence, the talk he was avoiding. Just coming out and asking could crush the boy, making him fear it was far too obvious. Yet there was nothing effeminate about Ken and that much wasn't an act. Kozaburo wouldn't have noticed anything at all if he didn't see the boys interact every day, and didn't have his own history. A dozen tiny things gelling together toward realization. Suddenly he realized they were all looking at him, plates clean. Blinking, he realized they were being polite, waiting to be excused. Of all the days. Chuckling, he said, "You may go." Used to his drifting off in thought, they quietly collected their plates and marched toward the kitchen. While the housekeeper cooked and did many of the chores since the children trained and studied so hard, Kozaburo had insisted they learn some responsibility and civilized manners. He listened to them loading their dishes into the dishwasher, then returned to pondering the best approach to his dilemma. Perhaps the side-long approach was best. Start with the issue of Jun and go from there. Feet tramped on the stairs. Rather than going up and risking that someone might overhear the conversation, Kozaburo went to his office. He buzzed Ken's room, asking him to come down, knowing that by then the teen would be expecting the summons anyway. Information always spread quickly among the kids, and he rarely did his rounds with only four of them. It wasn't long before his office door opened. Ken was doing his best to look casual, but Kozaburo could see the tightness in the way the boy moved. That tactical mind had to be churning non-stop, as he wondered why he was last. Once Ken had closed the door, Kozaburo gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. Always the dutiful boy, Ken sat, apprehension in those bright blue eyes so much like his mother's. Since he'd already started his flying lessons, he would know he wasn't getting exciting news as well. "You wanted to see me, Hakase?" Kozaburo folded his hands on his desk. Since Ken always did well with praise, he started with that. "Your tutors are pleased with your work, and your flight instructor in particular says that you're doing better than many of his older students." As he'd expected, Ken brightened at that news. His instructor had actually said that Ken flew like he, himself, had wings. Kozaburo thought that was a bit much and preferred to keep Ken's mental feet on the ground. It would be far too easy to praise his ego right out of control. "There is something I wanted to talk to you about," he said. Ken tensed. "What is it, Hakase?" Was that a hint of guilt he saw? Kozaburo was under no illusions. The boy might have angelic puppy eyes, but he was as much of a hellion as Joe. He just put more effort into not getting caught. No matter. Today's issue was more important than discovering what Ken was getting away with. Steepling his fingers, Kozaburo braced himself for drama. "I wanted to speak with you about Jun." Big blue eyes blinked at him. "What about her, Hakase?" Kozaburo didn't doubt the confusion was real. That just made this discussion all the more important. "I don't suppose you've noticed," he said, knowing anyone else would find what he was saying humorously obvious, "that Jun has a bit of a crush on you." Blue eyes widened. "What?" Sadly, Kozaburo believed him. As a ninja, they needed to work on his observational skills. "You haven't noticed her trying to get your attention? Watching you?" "Sure. I'm the team lead," said Ken, still looking stunned. Kozaburo almost wished he'd snuck a doodle page from Jun's notebook. He could show Ken all the hearts with J+KW in them, but then the blush that currently creeping onto Ken's face might singe his fair skin. Of course, this wasn't quite getting things where he wanted to go, which meant he had to keep pushing. ...

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That was cute, KT. You had each character down, especially Junpei. Still catching up on the rest.

Chris, I like the way you're depicting Nambu as wanting, even needing to watch the kids grow and let them be kids, but also wanting to involve himself with their growing up.

Originally posted by Transmute Jun Chris, I like the way you're depicting Nambu as wanting, even needing to watch the kids grow and let them be kids, but also wanting to involve himself with their growing up.

Kids ... they kinda get under your skin ... And he does seem to care about them. He tries to stop them a few times from going on missions where he's sure they won't make it.

Chris - loved it, left a comment at Gatchfanfic !!!

Originally posted by KT1972 Chris - loved it, left a comment at Gatchfanfic !!!

Thanks!

Chris, I like seeing the kids personalities coming out in these segments - very good work. I found it interesting that he felt Ken would be the most difficult to deal with.

Originally posted by clouddancer Chris, I like seeing the kids personalities coming out in these segments - very good work. I found it interesting that he felt Ken would be the most difficult to deal with.

It was the topic he needed to broach that made him the most difficult. I enjoyed the irony of making Joe the easy one and Ken the hard one.

That's cute, KT, and so very like Jinpei! And I can sympathize a bit, as I remember when my older brother and sister were always into different, older things than me and were far more inclined to tell me to get lost than to play with me. At least he's got a buddy in Ryu!

Chris, I really like your take on the early life and training of the Ninjas -I too have always figured they had unusual and very specialized "home-schooling," very separate from other kids their age.

Originally posted by ChrisW "Not to mention your allowance isn't large enough to cover child support."

Originally posted by ChrisW The Sicilian took the packet with a dubious expression. As he pulled the papers out, his jaw started to drop. "You do remember I'm thirteen?" "Private track," said Kozaburo with amusement at Joe's sudden respect of the law. "Private rules." Joe flipped through the materials, a gleam in his eyes. "How well do I have to behave?" Offer the boy the world and he still wanted to know how far he could push things. Giuseppe, he truly is your son. Kozaburo kept his expression firm despite the urge to smile. "I don't want to hear any more about you sampling every eligible female in a fifty-mile radius." He rolled his eyes. "I'm not that bad.

This ties in well with Lucy's line to Joe in ep. 27, "What's it been, about five years?"

Originally posted by lborgia88 Chris, I really like you take on the early life and training of the Ninjas -I too have always figured they had unusual and very specialized "home-schooling," very separate from other kids their age.

Even if he attempted to send, say, Ken and Joe early on to regular schools, I'd think eventually one of them would absolutely trash some other kid and it would lead to problems. Though picturing them in a regular school is an amusing thought.

Originally posted by ChrisW "Not to mention your allowance isn't large enough to cover child support."

I pictured that as Nambu's version of "scared straight."

This ties in well with Lucy's line to Joe in ep. 27, "What's it been, about five years?"

I'd like to say I was totally aware of that, but I'd forgotten that completely!

It's always stuck in my head, trying to figure out how Joe (~18 in episode 27) could have known Lucy when he was only 13. (I'm always getting hung up on figuring out chronology -I think it's the historian in me). But if he were getting driving lessons at a private track and she was driving at the same track, then...

Originally posted by lborgia88 It's always stuck in my head, trying to figure out how Joe (~18 in episode 27) could have known Lucy when he was only 13. (I'm always getting hung up on figuring out chronology -I think it's the historian in me). But if he were getting driving lessons at a private track and she was driving at the same track, then...

Then apparently I'm brilliant! He might have been 19 by episode 27, which would mean they met when he was 14, but that's really no better. I tend to get hung up on chronology when I realize that I've got things happening when they can't be happening. I grabbed a timeline program to help me with my original stuff as it was getting so complicated. I also make a lot of notations in the margins in Scrivener on how many days/whatever have passed when I jump to a new scene.

Chris, What timeline program have you been using? I have been trying to recreate my own timeline for my AU just using a word document - but find that becoming overwhelming. Just wondering if there is something easier out there to use since I have never heard of timeline programs ...

And you guys all wonder why I like to have a story outline...

When I've had fics that were complicated, time-wise, I've usually just used Excel and made a separate spreadsheet with dates in one column and a description of whatever occurred on that date(s) in another. But as there is no specific year for Gatch (or BOTP), I usually just pretend that the first series started in the year 2001 (as I read somewhere that in the minds of the Tatsunoko creators in the early '70s, they were thinking it was about 30 years into the future).

Originally posted by Daniella T When I wrote fanfic as a teenager (without, of course, knowing that one day it would be called "fanfic" and have millions of people writing it), I had a little story about Mark and Jason being in boarding school the year that Princess was away meditating (remember it was mentioned in one episode that Princess had done this? OK, maybe meditating is not the correct word, but you know what I mean , I don't remember off hand what exactly she did).

Just looked it up on Jason's site now -- which is like a "study aid" to me , it was mentioned in "Charioteers of Changu" that Princess studied meditation in that village.

Cloud: The two main timeline programs I know of are Timeline 3D (http://www.beedocs.com/timeline3D/) and Aeon Timeline (http://aeontimeline.wordpress.com/). Both are for the Mac.

Thank you for the links Chris, when I get my laptop up and working again I will have a closer look at them

Originally posted by ChrisW

Originally posted by lborgia88 It's always stuck in my head, trying to figure out how Joe (~18 in episode 27) could have known Lucy when he was only 13. (I'm always getting hung up on figuring out chronology -I think it's the historian in me). But if he were getting driving lessons at a private track and she was driving at the same track, then...

Then apparently I'm brilliant! He might have been 19 by episode 27, which would mean they met when he was 14, but that's really no better. I tend to get hung up on chronology when I realize that I've got things happening when they can't be happening. I grabbed a timeline program to help me with my original stuff as it was getting so complicated. I also make a lot of notations in the margins in Scrivener on how many days/whatever have passed when I jump to a new scene.

That has long been a question of mine. I think they screwed up in the script or in the translation.

It's "five years" in the subs too, so my guess is that Lucy was intended to be someone Joe knew but hadn't seen in a long time and a Tatsunoko writer forgot that Joe is supposed to be only 18 at the beginning of the first series (so that him knowing her but not having seen her since he was ~13 seems a bit implausible.) But hey, almost anything can be fanwanked somehow...

Originally posted by lborgia88 It's "five years" in the subs too, so my guess is that Lucy was intended to be someone Joe knew but hadn't seen in a long time and a Tatsunoko writer forgot that Joe is supposed to be only 18 at the beginning of the first series (so that him knowing her but not having seen her since he was ~13 seems a bit implausible.) But hey, almost anything can be fanwanked somehow...

Just wondering -- how old could somebody be to get their driver's license in Japan at the time Gatch was originally produced? This hadn't occurred to me until I was taking a stroll down memory lane with an old classmate. When we were kids, a girl's family moved here from Texas -- her older brother was going nuts for a while because he'd gotten his Texas license at age 14, but couldn't drive in Indiana because he wasn't 16 yet. So I wonder if it's a mistake to assume Joe would have gotten his license at the same age as most Americans...

I don't know what the minimum legal age to drive in Japan was in the early 1970s, but it seems it's currently 18 to drive an "ordinary car" (as opposed to a moped, motorcycle or "small special car" where you only need to be 16) which suggests they could be stricter about minimum driving ages than in the U.S., even in the 1970s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_license_in_Japan Or maybe not -the ages could have been raised from lower ones in the years since Gatch was made? Did your classmate's family live on a farm in Texas? I want to think I've heard of licenses being possible to obtain at age 14 in order to be able to drive farm vehicles. My Dad grew up on a farm and he said he was driving (on farms & rural areas) by the time he was 12 (granted, that would have been 1945 when I doubt anyone paid much attention to that sort of thing.)

The exchange between Joe and Lucy could have been a prearranged code. That's my interpretation.

If that's the case, UW, a lot of fics have been based on misinterpretation, but it makes sense.

Here in Canada/Ontario some children are allowed to start driving as soon as their feet can touch the pedals and they can see over the steering wheel - but only if they stay on private property. Which is possibly why your Father was driving at the age of 12, LB. I knew quite a few farm boys who at a very young age who were driving tractors in and out of the fields to gather the hay or corn. They were not meant to drive on the roads and I suspect if they were caught, they could have been charged, but usually they would do a very "short" trip on the road - or just crossing it to get from one field to another, or to race across to get to the lane way leading to the barn/silo when the crop was being stored.

Originally posted by lborgia88 Did your classmate's family live on a farm in Texas? I want to think I've heard of licenses being possible to obtain at age 14 in order to be able to drive farm vehicles. My Dad grew up on a farm and he said he was driving (on farms & rural areas) by the time he was 12 (granted, that would have been 1945 when I doubt anyone paid much attention to that sort of thing.)

No, she lived just outside of Fort Worth. But, at that time (late '70's, early 80's), the minimum licensing age was 14. (It's probably different now, considering how attitudes have changed toward teenaged drivers and safety...)

In Virginia, kids can get their permits at 15 1/2. In Indiana, our friends said it's 14 1/2. I can't imagine my son already having his permit.

Originally posted by Becky Rock In Virginia, kids can get their permits at 15 1/2. In Indiana, our friends said it's 14 1/2. I can't imagine my son already having his permit.

Permits in Indiana at 14 1/2? That's new to me -- I was always told it's 15. Anyway, I wasn't talking about permits -- my classmate's brother had his full-blown license. He did have the option of going through the permit-to-license spiel again, but he thought it was stupid to go through something twice when everyone else only had to do it once. (I can't say I blame him there.)