Running.
In the forests of China, the individual that was once a boy named Ranma
Saotome, was running. She had defeated an amazon in combat. As
Ranma, an outsider, was now a girl (due to the curse of Jusenkyo's Spring
of Drowned Girl) this meant she must be killed to restore the loser's honor.
She had been running for what seemed like days on end, having lost track
of her idiot father's location some time before the amazon found them.
Some distance ahead, she could hear a river. If she could get out of sight
of her hunter, and into the river, she could lose her.
She jumped onto a strong bamboo stalk, running upwards as it bent under
her weight. As she came to the top, she leaped to another stalk. She
grabbed hold, swinging around and down, then letting go. She fell into a
river, and continued running. After about ten minutes she heard a second
set of splashes some yards behind her.
A dagger whizzed past her head, slicing off a piece of ear. Ranma screamed
in pain, and stumbled. Trying to get up, she slipped on the stones in the
river's floor, and fell face first into the water.
Forcing herself to get up, a sharp pain shot through her right arm. Pushing
herself up with the left arm, she glanced for a second. The elbow was twisted
in an unnatural manner.
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Seeing the foreign bitch fall, Xian Pu sped up, pulling her sword from it's
sheath. As she neared her target, the girl got up and started running again,
this time noticably slower. The right arm hung limply from the side.
After all this chasing, it would be done. Her honor would be avenged, and
she could go home without punishment. She wished she didn't have to kill the
girl, but failure would mean training at Jusenkyo.
The target had reached the shore, and stumbled into the forest.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ranma was starting to become truly aware of the effect of running for several
days with no food or rest. As she stumbled through the forest, she started to die-
adrenaline only lasts so long, and Ranma's reserves had been sapped beyond
human ability.
Seeing a small hotspring before her, Ranma grinned morbidly.
"Ranma! It end now, you die!"
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Xian Pu held the sword out, panting. The foreigner turned around, the right side of
her face soaked with blood. The deep red was almost the same color as the girl's
hair. The right arm hung loose, swaying in a sudden gust of wind. The rest of her
body was a portrait of fatal exhaustion. She looked like one of the monsters from
those stories the older girls used to tell around the fire.
"Yeah, I guess I will."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ranma fell backwards into the hot spring, changing back to a man as soon as he
hit the water. He would have derived some measure of happiness from this, except
he died halfway through the fall.
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Xian Pu was horrified. This person, who she had chased to the point of deadly
exhaustion. This person, who, had they been female should have died anyway, had been
a man. This, coupled with the manner of death, and the blood dyeing the hot spring,
was too much, even for a trained amazon warrior.
Thunder came from above, and the rain began to fall.
Crying, Xian Pu, greatest warrior of the new generation of chinese Amazons, collapsed.
In the forests of China, the individual that was once a boy named Ranma
Saotome, was running. She had defeated an amazon in combat. As
Ranma, an outsider, was now a girl (due to the curse of Jusenkyo's Spring
of Drowned Girl) this meant she must be killed to restore the loser's honor.
She had been running for what seemed like days on end, having lost track
of her idiot father's location some time before the amazon found them.
Some distance ahead, she could hear a river. If she could get out of sight
of her hunter, and into the river, she could lose her.
She jumped onto a strong bamboo stalk, running upwards as it bent under
her weight. As she came to the top, she leaped to another stalk. She
grabbed hold, swinging around and down, then letting go. She fell into a
river, and continued running. After about ten minutes she heard a second
set of splashes some yards behind her.
A dagger whizzed past her head, slicing off a piece of ear. Ranma screamed
in pain, and stumbled. Trying to get up, she slipped on the stones in the
river's floor, and fell face first into the water.
Forcing herself to get up, a sharp pain shot through her right arm. Pushing
herself up with the left arm, she glanced for a second. The elbow was twisted
in an unnatural manner.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Seeing the foreign bitch fall, Xian Pu sped up, pulling her sword from it's
sheath. As she neared her target, the girl got up and started running again,
this time noticably slower. The right arm hung limply from the side.
After all this chasing, it would be done. Her honor would be avenged, and
she could go home without punishment. She wished she didn't have to kill the
girl, but failure would mean training at Jusenkyo.
The target had reached the shore, and stumbled into the forest.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ranma was starting to become truly aware of the effect of running for several
days with no food or rest. As she stumbled through the forest, she started to die-
adrenaline only lasts so long, and Ranma's reserves had been sapped beyond
human ability.
Seeing a small hotspring before her, Ranma grinned morbidly.
"Ranma! It end now, you die!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Xian Pu held the sword out, panting. The foreigner turned around, the right side of
her face soaked with blood. The deep red was almost the same color as the girl's
hair. The right arm hung loose, swaying in a sudden gust of wind. The rest of her
body was a portrait of fatal exhaustion. She looked like one of the monsters from
those stories the older girls used to tell around the fire.
"Yeah, I guess I will."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ranma fell backwards into the hot spring, changing back to a man as soon as he
hit the water. He would have derived some measure of happiness from this, except
he died halfway through the fall.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Xian Pu was horrified. This person, who she had chased to the point of deadly
exhaustion. This person, who, had they been female should have died anyway, had been
a man. This, coupled with the manner of death, and the blood dyeing the hot spring,
was too much, even for a trained amazon warrior.
Thunder came from above, and the rain began to fall.
Crying, Xian Pu, greatest warrior of the new generation of chinese Amazons, collapsed.