An Echoes in Time Side Story Series
Echoes of the Past - Story #1 - Chapter 01
Version 1.03 (05/02/02)
By AllWhacked
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/
--- Disclaimer ---
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. The
characters of Hokuto no Ken belong to Buronson and Tetsuo
Hara. The characters of Ninja Scroll belong to Manga. The
characters of Highlander belong to Davis/Panzer Inc. All
other characters to appear are owned by their respective
owners. So in other words, I DO NOT own shit, so please
don't sue me because I have Zero money. Thank You.
--- Warning!!! ---
Anyway this is an Alterverse/Continuation fanfic with severe
x-over tendencies.
--- Note to Reader ---
This is a prequel to Echoes in Time. It focuses on Ranma's
adventures after being left behind in China, during the
Nanban Mirror episode(anime only). Now he's stranded 300
years in the past, stuck in the middle of Imperial China
surrounded by husband hungry Amazons. The events that occur
may not run in chronological order and will be based on
flashbacks on key events on his life.
Also, due to the X-Over with Ninja Scroll a few of the
beginning scenes will follow more of less the direct
dialogue with the movie. Although I try not to follow canon
word for word, I felt that it was necessary to do so for at
least a few scenes so that those who aren't familiar with
the series can get a better idea of who and what is going
on. Also note there will definitely be a lot of spoiler if
you've never watched Ninja Scroll though if you haven't
watched it by now then shame on for not already seeing it.
"..." = spoken dialogue
'...' = thoughts
--- End Note to Reader, Start of Flashbacks ---
*** Japan, Tokugawa Period (circa. 1600-1868 AD) ***
'Fantastic. I finally change into some dry clothes and it
looks as if it's going to rain soon,' remarked a young man
as he made his way along a lone dirt road. He was dressed
in a black, long sleeved button down Chinese shirt, with a
pair of matching black, loose fitting trousers. He carried
no pack or article on him except for a wooden staff that was
almost as long as he was tall.
As the man continued to walk with his staff strapped
securely to his back, he heard the sound of distant thunder
rolling in off in the distance. 'Great' he thought. 'Well
you better hurry up Ranma and find shelter if you don't want
to be using a wet rock for a pillow tonight.' Ranma
shivered at the thought and then wondered when he had gotten
so soft; in his youth it was so common for him to just camp
out under the stars whether under pouring rain or a hot
summer's night.
'Damn, the time in the village and then the monastery really
did a number on me. It's a good thing I decided to go on
this pilgrimage so that I can get back to nature and focus
on the art.' He suddenly felt a light dampness on his nose
as he realized the storm was coming sooner than he thought.
'Well, you better hurry' he said to himself as he
immediately went into a flat run. In the wind, his shoulder
length pigtail flapped violently up and down across his back
as he made good time running along the imperial highway-
-heading north towards a shrine in the mountains that he had
heard amazing stories about. While running, Ranma failed to
notice that on the cliff bluff high above him, eight lone
riders on horseback rode quickly towards the small fishing
community of Shimoda Village.
*** The Next Day ***
"What is it now?" remarked a man who was dressed in fine
silk robes. He was standing in a lush garden near the edge
of a pond; in the water koi swam slowly as he fed them small
bits of rice.
"I'm sorry to bother you sir, but I have something unusual
that I must report," remarked another man as he kneeled
deeply; his body was concealed within the shadows of nearby
shrubbery. "My man saw a strange group of men running away
from Shimoda Village last night. I thought it might have
something to do with the epidemic, so I came to you,
Chamberlain."
"What are you telling me?" the Chamberlain replied
sarcastically. "That they spread poison to the town as they
passed through it or something as equally improbable.
Preposterous! Don't even waste my time."
The man in the shadows lowered his head slightly then paused
as he heard his Chamberlain's words. "Sir, something is up
there... I can smell it."
"Let it go" his master rebuked.
"As you wish sire. I just thought that I'd bring it to your
attention."
The Chamberlain paused as he thought for a second. "Hmm, on
second thought perhaps we can't. So this is what I want you
to do Hanza; take the Koga Ninjas to Shimota Village and
find out what really happened."
"Yes" came his reply.
"Hanza?" the Chamberlain then added. "Incase your people
are infected by this disease..." He left the implied danger
float there.
Hanza simply nodded. "I understand, Chamberlain."
++++++++++
In an isolated building a group of twenty Koga Ninja waited
as they were debriefed on their next mission.
"Alright, I want the first group to head along the Shirakawa
River. The second group will go with me along Taro pass.
Are there any questions?" asked Hanza as he pointed to
places on an archaic looking map.
"Feh" remarked one of his men. "The watch said there were
only eight riders. That's hardly a match for us." The
other men in the group laughed in agreement, though Hanza
did not share his men's confidence.
"Perhaps" he began. "But our enemy will be the epidemic."
"Hehe, hardly worth our effort if you ask me." Just then
they heard the slight sound of approaching footsteps. As
the men in the room tensed in wait for the incoming
intruder, they were relieved to see it was only their lord's
food-poison taster, a beautiful young woman not much older
than her late teens, early twenties.
"Kagero, what are you doing here?" queried Hanza, he had a
slightly apprehensive look on his face as he looked at
Kagero's emotionless features.
As she surveyed the room and realized that this was a
meeting for a mission, Kagero's brow slightly furled.
"Hanza, tell me why you've counted me out of this mission."
Hanza gave a pained frown. "Need I remind you, you have
your own mission, Kagero? Don't forget that poison tasting
is a very important responsibility."
"While our lord is away there really isn't a need for my
expertise," she replied while keeping the same emotionless
face. "But till he returns I belong to you as one of your
Koga Ninja."
"But it is simply too dangerous," he answered back with
sincerity. He felt immediate guilt after saying it,
especially as she began to stare holes at him and proceeded
to cut her hair short in anticipation of joining the
mission.
"You might die on this mission," she said. "Do you expect
me to just sit her and wait? Alone... Now do you?"
The other ninjas just stared at the scene as they could only
sympathize with the two. On one side, Hanza was right and
the mission they were on was possibly a suicide run. On the
other hand, the men all understood that beneath Kagero's
gruff exterior she was still a woman and harbored feelings
toward their leader. There wasn't much debate there after
as Hanza relented. In an hour the twenty plus ninja headed
towards the woods outlining the route towards Shimoda
Village.
In the trees, man shaped shadows jumped from tree limb to
tree limb. Their swift movements and the ease at which they
jumped made it look as if they were flying. As the group of
Koga Ninja paused amongst their hiding spots in tall trees,
a screamed echoed through the night sky.
Then as suddenly as the scream began, a low whining sound
could be heard making its way closer to the group of Ninja.
"Look out!" cried someone as a whirling blade of stone and
iron flew through the air, cutting through tree trunks,
branches, and men--sending splinters of wood, blood, and
gore outward in its wake. Suddenly someone saw movement
from within the shadows.
"There!" shouted Hanza. The remaining members of the Koga
team turned and unleashed a torrent of ninja stars at a
nearby tree. Behind it, the shadow of their comrade's
killer was seen. With each passing second, the culmination
of dozens upon dozens of stars made their impact--felling
the tree in a matter of seconds to reveal behind it an ogre
of a man.
The ogre was tall, nearly nine and a half feet and had skin
with the texture of hardened rock. In a brazen move, Hanza
leapt high into the air as he avoided the flying lance
during its return flight back to its user. Beneath Hanza,
some of the ninja who were around him weren't as lucky as
they were cut in two by the twirling blade. While in the
air, he flung in succession three stars that bounced
harmlessly off the giant's skin.
From another direction, Kagero leapt for an attack, bringing
her short sword down on their attacker. However, she was
easily spotted and her blow was blocked by a simple twist of
the ogre's lance. With little give, her strike knocked her
back and she landed with a dull thud on the ground. She was
almost crushed as the lance was dropped down on top of her.
'Oh god' she thought. She had nearly been skewered and now
the monster had leapt down to the ground and was eyeing her
in a way that invoked no sense of good. Seeing the monster
lick its lips, Kagero shuddered in fear.
Then suddenly Hanza had come running with his sword ready to
do combat. He leapt at the giant and was prepared to bring
his own blade down swiftly. However, he let out a scream of
pain as he realized that his attack had failed. Now his
arms were caught in vice like grips, his limbs being pulled
out of their sockets.
"Kagero" he struggled to say as the sounds of snapping sinew
and breaking bones could be heard. "Re.. report to the Lord
Chamberlain while you still can." At that instant, Hanza's
arms were ripped free of his torso, his body falling limp to
the ground. On seeing this, Kagero let out a scream, her
body failed to move as she watched her leader get torn
apart.
Gasping, she finally recovered enough wit to slowly crawl
away. She didn't dare turn her head in the direction she
was going, watching in horror at the ghastly sight of the
giant drinking the blood pouring freely from Hanza's severed
arms. Finally, she got enough sense to run quickly, turning
her back away from her tormentor.
She jumped over large roots and various obstacles; she
eventually leapt high into the treetops, attempting to use
the higher ground to escape her attacker. However, the
sound of a low whine could be heard as the blade of the
giant was let loose and hurled towards Kagero's direction.
With amazing skill, the blade was able to snap the tree
branch that Kagero was standing on, causing her to plummet
to the ground.
As she closed her eyes, bracing for the painful impact,
Kagero was instead caught in the outstretched hand of the
monstrous giant. Although she did not die, she landed hard
on her stomach, knocking both the wind and the wits out of
her. With her eyes closing, she let out a low groan as she
realized she had failed Hanza.
++++++++++
'What the fuck?' thought Ranma as he was jarred awake by a
loud thud. He was sleeping soundly in a small wooden
building along the main road; the purpose of the building
was to provide shelter to travelers during the night.
Snapping open his weary eyes, he immediately scanned his
surroundings and narrowed them at what he saw.
In the middle of the one room building, less than twenty
feet away from him was an ogre of a man who was in the
process of stripping away the clothing of an obviously
unconscious young woman. Ranma watched in detached anger as
the man exposed the woman's breast and began to fondle and
suck on them. Because he was so tired he didn't react as
fast as he normally would have and so it took a little while
before he realized he needed to do something.
Getting up quietly, he utilized his skills of stealth and
made his way towards the giant while unnoticed. As he
neared the two, the girl known as Kagero, suddenly opened
her eyes as she woke up. She tried to get up but was
slammed painfully to the ground, her rapist pinning her neck
with his massive hands.
"Shut up..." the giant named Tessai began. "And perhaps
I'll let you live just a little bit longer... Don't let it
cross your mind that I wouldn't mind raping a dead girl."
At hearing this, Kagero seemed to sink back into herself and
though still defiant in mind, she knew to continue resisting
now would only result in her immediate death.
Meanwhile in the shadows, Ranma's blood was turned to a boil
as he heard Tessai's ultimatum. In his mind, men like this
had always made him angry; he had always hated those who
would prey on the weak--especially women. But, after
hearing something so sick, so disturbing as this, he knew
that he wasn't just going to settle with simply beating the
crap out of this guy, he was going to kill him. But first,
before he sent this scum to the next world, he was going to
have some fun with him.
"Yo Bub?" he began nonchalantly; Ranma was less than a foot
away from the two. "Do you mind knocking that shit off, I'm
trying to sleep here?"
"Piss off, I'm busy!" was the Giant's reply; it was followed
by a steely gaze that promised imminent death. In response,
Ranma either didn't seem to notice nor care as he continued
to speak in a casual tone.
"Nah I don't need to take a leak," he began. "But thanks
for asking. And yeah, I did notice which is why I'm telling
you to knock that shit off and let the girl go. Because it
simply breaks my heart to see such a pretty-thing being
raped by an ugly fuck like you."
Taking a deep sigh. "I know it's hard to meet girls now a
days, especially since you're so damn ugly. So why don't
you let the girl go. If you do, I'll let you have these two
pieces of silver. With them I'm sure you can find a farmer
who'd sell you a nice frisky little pig or mule to do it
with." Ranma smirked inwardly as he saw both the surprised
look on the girl's face and the enraged look on the giants.
*Swish*
Ranma simply slid back and away from Tessai's attack,
stopping less than an inch away from the range of the blade.
The giant had an impressed look on his face and was
surprised to see just how fast Ranma had moved. In fact,
the giant had initially thought he cleaved through Ranma,
but soon realized that he had only cleaved through an after
image of his form.
But, regardless of being impressed, the giant was none
amused. "I warned you to get out" he remarked as his skin
started shifting forms and was visibly taking on the texture
of rock. The man's mass more than doubled during the
transformation as Ranma watched in amazement and slight
amusement.
'I can't believe this' thought Ranma. 'Who would have
thought that I'd actually get to meet a rock monster that I
can try the breaking point on? Man, this is going to be no
challenge at all. But uh oh, if I use the breaking point
that girl might get caught in the shrapnel and there might
be the possibility that the attack might not work. I
shouldn't risk it--not when someone else's life is in
danger.'
"Whatever asshole," Ranma replied cooly. Looking down he
realized there was a cut on his shirt. "Hey you pig fucker.
You messed up my shirt, now I'm definitely pissed. I highly
suggest that you let the girl go and apologize now before I
kick your ass."
Tessai simply laughed as he let his guard down. At that
moment, Kagero leapt up and attempted to jam a metal blade-
-that had been hidden up her arm bracer--and slam it into
the giant's skull. However by then, the rock skin gave him
the protection needed to escape the attack unharmed.
"Nice try," he remarked to her. "Let me get rid of this
pesky insect and then I'll kill you." Turning to Ranma he
proceeded to slowly twirl his lance in one hand, while
pinning the girl down to the ground with the other.
"Haha, what now? Do you not regret running away?" He
continued to chuckle to himself as he waited for Ranma's
reply, confident that his transformation had struck a cord
of fear in his opponent.
However, Ranma did not show sign of nor was he actually
afraid of Tessai's menacing form. In a confident tone he
remarked: "Feh, I ain't scared of shit. Especially a shit
who'd use a girl as a shield. If she weren't there I'd kick
your fucking ass to the moon. So, why don't you let her go
and we can settle this outside?"
The giant just scoffed at Ranma's audacious words. "You've
got spirit you little punk so I'll indulge you in this
game." He proceeded to release his grip over the girl's
neck, a sign that he was now going to set her free and do as
Ranma had requested.
Kagero just looked at Ranma and then the giant. Seeing
Ranma nod, she quickly covered herself back up and scurried
over to Ranma's side. Turning to her, Ranma spoke in a low
voice. "I want you to walk out of here slowly, once you're
out of sight I want you to run away as fast as you can.
Don't stop until you're to safety." She nodded numbly and
proceeded to walk out.
Ranma merely turned and followed her, but stopped and headed
towards a small clearing away from the building. Behind
him, Tessai followed with his lance held firmly in his grip.
"I'm going to ask you one more time monster. Apologize now
and I'll forgive you for what you've done to my shirt."
Ranma stood tall with his feet together and his arms crossed
over his chest. He gave the giant an amused look as he
waited for the obvious reply of anger that such an audacious
demand would receive.
"Grr, I'm tired of this. Show me what you've got and
perhaps... if I'm impressed enough I might just make your
death quick." Ranma rolled his eyes.
"Confident aren't ya? Okay asshole, here's something for
you!" Ranma proceeded to walk casually over to a large rock
about two feet wide and a foot tall. With a casual flip of
his foot he flipped the large stone high up into the air.
When the stone was about eye level with him, he lashed out
with his right index finger and struck its surface.
In a cloud of smoke and broken shards of rock, the large
stone or perhaps small boulder was reduced to no more than
dust and a multitude of smaller fragments. The giant looked
on in surprise as Ranma smirked inwardly, sensing the fear
emanating from his opponent.
"That... is called the 'Bakusai tenketsu' or breaking point.
It's a marvelous technique created by a tribe of Chinese
amazons. It was originally designed to be used for mining
work and isn't much of a technique to be used against a
living opponent. However, on a rock monster such as
yourself... Well, I'm sure you can imagine what would
happen. So asshole, are you ready to die?" Ranma then
dropped into a low combat stance, by now the long staff on
his back had been pulled out and was held in a defensive
posture. He casually rocked it in his grip as if daring the
giant to move first.
After the initial surprise had passed, the giant smirked.
"That's a fancy technique I admit. But it'll do you little
good if I kill you before you can touch me." With a grunt
he flung his double bladed lance at Ranma. Ranma just stood
there unmoving as it flew towards him at high velocity.
At the last possible second before the blade could cleave
him in two, Ranma gingerly lifted the tip of his staff up
with a slight tap and deflected the blade towards the
heavens. Then in a blur, his form disappeared leaving
Tessai gaping at the utter speed of his foe. Before Tessai
had a chance to fully register that he opponent was no
longer in front of him, the monster's world erupted in pain.
*Wham!* *Swish!* *Pow!*
In what could only have been a fraction of a second after
having deflected Tessai's attack, Ranma blurred into action
to reappear at his opponent's right flank. In a two hit
combo, he jammed the tail end of his staff into the rock
monster's foot--eliciting a primal scream as the wooden rod
broke through Tessai's hardened exterior like no steel
weapon could. Then, as swiftly as the first blow had been
delivered, Ranma pulled up and swung the same tail end
upward, silencing Tessai's scream by breaking the rock
golem's jaw.
Then, in the same fluid motion, he continued the staff's
upward arc and twirled it so that it came to rest in his
left hand, with the top half nestled underneath his armpit.
Then taking a step to the right and with a twist of the
hips, he swung the staff again--delivering another
devastating blow to the back of Tessai's kneecaps. The
giant then fell to his knees, causing him to drop to Ranma's
head level.
In this blazingly fast display of martial arts skill, Tessai
only had a brief second to wonder how it was possible that a
mere man could even hurt him through his rock skin. After
all, no one before could pierce his hardened flesh through
mere physical attacks, yet here was someone who was and was
doing so with utter ease.
And so it was too bad for Tessai that he had never before
fought a Hokuto Shinken master, because if he had, he might
have been prepared for the fast paced and brutalizing blows
that were capable of punching through steel and designed to
cause an opponents inner organs to vibrate and implode on
themselves.
"Eat this. 'Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken Revised.' Fist of the
Thousand Bitch-Slaps. Atatatatatatatata--Wata!" Tessai was
flung back after the last slap to the face. He didn't get
up as he felt the stone on his body begin to crack and
crumble to his side. Across his face and body, small
fissures could be seen leaking out narrow red tributaries of
blood.
"Uh.." the giant moaned. "You haven't beaten me yet."
Tessai slowly began to pick himself up while Ranma watched
on with disinterest and disdain.
"Now that's where you're wrong, Monster. You're already
dead, you just don't know it yet," came his cold reply.
Tessai looked puzzled for a second, but after taking a step
forward he felt a clenching pain from deep within his
abdomen. He let out a scream as the remaining rock around
his arms and legs began to bulge and crack. Finally
shattering as torrents of blood, bone, and flesh exploded;
leaving Tessai as only a torso and head--his arms and legs
were no more, only stumps that were pouring forth blood in
abundance.
Walking up to the quivering mass of the once mighty giant,
Ranma looked down and saw the look of absolute fear. "I
hate to see people suffer, even a rapist fuck like you." In
that instant, Ranma poked his finger at Tessai's temple.
Nothing happened at first, and Tessai initially thought the
technique didn't work. However, as Ranma proceeded to walk
away Tessai felt his skull begin to split and in a scream of
intense pain his head exploded into a mass of pink noodles
and splintered rock and bone.
A few seconds later there was a distinct popping sound
coming from the heavens. Then with near super-sonic force,
Tessai's lance--which had been flung high into the air--was
making its return flight back to Earth, flying straight down
like a missile. The speeding lance came down with a crash,
piercing what remained of Tessai's body before the
projectile's kinetic energy formed a massive crater upon its
point of impact--reducing everything within a five-meter
wide radius into rubble.
In the shadows, an old man watched with interest while
elsewhere in hiding, a ninja girl watched in fascination and
horror at the ease her tormentor had been dispatched. Off
to the distance, an effeminate looking man sniffed a flower
and frowned ever so slightly at the loss of Tessai. 'The
fool' he thought. 'Lord Gemma is not going to be pleased
about this.'
To be continued...
--- End of Flashbacks ---
Q&A
Q1. Some have asked how Ranma learned about the Hokuto
shinken.
A1. Well, it'll be explained later on in the fic, that's
all I can say.
Echoes of the Past - Story #1 - Chapter 01
Version 1.03 (05/02/02)
By AllWhacked
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/
--- Disclaimer ---
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. The
characters of Hokuto no Ken belong to Buronson and Tetsuo
Hara. The characters of Ninja Scroll belong to Manga. The
characters of Highlander belong to Davis/Panzer Inc. All
other characters to appear are owned by their respective
owners. So in other words, I DO NOT own shit, so please
don't sue me because I have Zero money. Thank You.
--- Warning!!! ---
Anyway this is an Alterverse/Continuation fanfic with severe
x-over tendencies.
--- Note to Reader ---
This is a prequel to Echoes in Time. It focuses on Ranma's
adventures after being left behind in China, during the
Nanban Mirror episode(anime only). Now he's stranded 300
years in the past, stuck in the middle of Imperial China
surrounded by husband hungry Amazons. The events that occur
may not run in chronological order and will be based on
flashbacks on key events on his life.
Also, due to the X-Over with Ninja Scroll a few of the
beginning scenes will follow more of less the direct
dialogue with the movie. Although I try not to follow canon
word for word, I felt that it was necessary to do so for at
least a few scenes so that those who aren't familiar with
the series can get a better idea of who and what is going
on. Also note there will definitely be a lot of spoiler if
you've never watched Ninja Scroll though if you haven't
watched it by now then shame on for not already seeing it.
"..." = spoken dialogue
'...' = thoughts
--- End Note to Reader, Start of Flashbacks ---
*** Japan, Tokugawa Period (circa. 1600-1868 AD) ***
'Fantastic. I finally change into some dry clothes and it
looks as if it's going to rain soon,' remarked a young man
as he made his way along a lone dirt road. He was dressed
in a black, long sleeved button down Chinese shirt, with a
pair of matching black, loose fitting trousers. He carried
no pack or article on him except for a wooden staff that was
almost as long as he was tall.
As the man continued to walk with his staff strapped
securely to his back, he heard the sound of distant thunder
rolling in off in the distance. 'Great' he thought. 'Well
you better hurry up Ranma and find shelter if you don't want
to be using a wet rock for a pillow tonight.' Ranma
shivered at the thought and then wondered when he had gotten
so soft; in his youth it was so common for him to just camp
out under the stars whether under pouring rain or a hot
summer's night.
'Damn, the time in the village and then the monastery really
did a number on me. It's a good thing I decided to go on
this pilgrimage so that I can get back to nature and focus
on the art.' He suddenly felt a light dampness on his nose
as he realized the storm was coming sooner than he thought.
'Well, you better hurry' he said to himself as he
immediately went into a flat run. In the wind, his shoulder
length pigtail flapped violently up and down across his back
as he made good time running along the imperial highway-
-heading north towards a shrine in the mountains that he had
heard amazing stories about. While running, Ranma failed to
notice that on the cliff bluff high above him, eight lone
riders on horseback rode quickly towards the small fishing
community of Shimoda Village.
*** The Next Day ***
"What is it now?" remarked a man who was dressed in fine
silk robes. He was standing in a lush garden near the edge
of a pond; in the water koi swam slowly as he fed them small
bits of rice.
"I'm sorry to bother you sir, but I have something unusual
that I must report," remarked another man as he kneeled
deeply; his body was concealed within the shadows of nearby
shrubbery. "My man saw a strange group of men running away
from Shimoda Village last night. I thought it might have
something to do with the epidemic, so I came to you,
Chamberlain."
"What are you telling me?" the Chamberlain replied
sarcastically. "That they spread poison to the town as they
passed through it or something as equally improbable.
Preposterous! Don't even waste my time."
The man in the shadows lowered his head slightly then paused
as he heard his Chamberlain's words. "Sir, something is up
there... I can smell it."
"Let it go" his master rebuked.
"As you wish sire. I just thought that I'd bring it to your
attention."
The Chamberlain paused as he thought for a second. "Hmm, on
second thought perhaps we can't. So this is what I want you
to do Hanza; take the Koga Ninjas to Shimota Village and
find out what really happened."
"Yes" came his reply.
"Hanza?" the Chamberlain then added. "Incase your people
are infected by this disease..." He left the implied danger
float there.
Hanza simply nodded. "I understand, Chamberlain."
++++++++++
In an isolated building a group of twenty Koga Ninja waited
as they were debriefed on their next mission.
"Alright, I want the first group to head along the Shirakawa
River. The second group will go with me along Taro pass.
Are there any questions?" asked Hanza as he pointed to
places on an archaic looking map.
"Feh" remarked one of his men. "The watch said there were
only eight riders. That's hardly a match for us." The
other men in the group laughed in agreement, though Hanza
did not share his men's confidence.
"Perhaps" he began. "But our enemy will be the epidemic."
"Hehe, hardly worth our effort if you ask me." Just then
they heard the slight sound of approaching footsteps. As
the men in the room tensed in wait for the incoming
intruder, they were relieved to see it was only their lord's
food-poison taster, a beautiful young woman not much older
than her late teens, early twenties.
"Kagero, what are you doing here?" queried Hanza, he had a
slightly apprehensive look on his face as he looked at
Kagero's emotionless features.
As she surveyed the room and realized that this was a
meeting for a mission, Kagero's brow slightly furled.
"Hanza, tell me why you've counted me out of this mission."
Hanza gave a pained frown. "Need I remind you, you have
your own mission, Kagero? Don't forget that poison tasting
is a very important responsibility."
"While our lord is away there really isn't a need for my
expertise," she replied while keeping the same emotionless
face. "But till he returns I belong to you as one of your
Koga Ninja."
"But it is simply too dangerous," he answered back with
sincerity. He felt immediate guilt after saying it,
especially as she began to stare holes at him and proceeded
to cut her hair short in anticipation of joining the
mission.
"You might die on this mission," she said. "Do you expect
me to just sit her and wait? Alone... Now do you?"
The other ninjas just stared at the scene as they could only
sympathize with the two. On one side, Hanza was right and
the mission they were on was possibly a suicide run. On the
other hand, the men all understood that beneath Kagero's
gruff exterior she was still a woman and harbored feelings
toward their leader. There wasn't much debate there after
as Hanza relented. In an hour the twenty plus ninja headed
towards the woods outlining the route towards Shimoda
Village.
In the trees, man shaped shadows jumped from tree limb to
tree limb. Their swift movements and the ease at which they
jumped made it look as if they were flying. As the group of
Koga Ninja paused amongst their hiding spots in tall trees,
a screamed echoed through the night sky.
Then as suddenly as the scream began, a low whining sound
could be heard making its way closer to the group of Ninja.
"Look out!" cried someone as a whirling blade of stone and
iron flew through the air, cutting through tree trunks,
branches, and men--sending splinters of wood, blood, and
gore outward in its wake. Suddenly someone saw movement
from within the shadows.
"There!" shouted Hanza. The remaining members of the Koga
team turned and unleashed a torrent of ninja stars at a
nearby tree. Behind it, the shadow of their comrade's
killer was seen. With each passing second, the culmination
of dozens upon dozens of stars made their impact--felling
the tree in a matter of seconds to reveal behind it an ogre
of a man.
The ogre was tall, nearly nine and a half feet and had skin
with the texture of hardened rock. In a brazen move, Hanza
leapt high into the air as he avoided the flying lance
during its return flight back to its user. Beneath Hanza,
some of the ninja who were around him weren't as lucky as
they were cut in two by the twirling blade. While in the
air, he flung in succession three stars that bounced
harmlessly off the giant's skin.
From another direction, Kagero leapt for an attack, bringing
her short sword down on their attacker. However, she was
easily spotted and her blow was blocked by a simple twist of
the ogre's lance. With little give, her strike knocked her
back and she landed with a dull thud on the ground. She was
almost crushed as the lance was dropped down on top of her.
'Oh god' she thought. She had nearly been skewered and now
the monster had leapt down to the ground and was eyeing her
in a way that invoked no sense of good. Seeing the monster
lick its lips, Kagero shuddered in fear.
Then suddenly Hanza had come running with his sword ready to
do combat. He leapt at the giant and was prepared to bring
his own blade down swiftly. However, he let out a scream of
pain as he realized that his attack had failed. Now his
arms were caught in vice like grips, his limbs being pulled
out of their sockets.
"Kagero" he struggled to say as the sounds of snapping sinew
and breaking bones could be heard. "Re.. report to the Lord
Chamberlain while you still can." At that instant, Hanza's
arms were ripped free of his torso, his body falling limp to
the ground. On seeing this, Kagero let out a scream, her
body failed to move as she watched her leader get torn
apart.
Gasping, she finally recovered enough wit to slowly crawl
away. She didn't dare turn her head in the direction she
was going, watching in horror at the ghastly sight of the
giant drinking the blood pouring freely from Hanza's severed
arms. Finally, she got enough sense to run quickly, turning
her back away from her tormentor.
She jumped over large roots and various obstacles; she
eventually leapt high into the treetops, attempting to use
the higher ground to escape her attacker. However, the
sound of a low whine could be heard as the blade of the
giant was let loose and hurled towards Kagero's direction.
With amazing skill, the blade was able to snap the tree
branch that Kagero was standing on, causing her to plummet
to the ground.
As she closed her eyes, bracing for the painful impact,
Kagero was instead caught in the outstretched hand of the
monstrous giant. Although she did not die, she landed hard
on her stomach, knocking both the wind and the wits out of
her. With her eyes closing, she let out a low groan as she
realized she had failed Hanza.
++++++++++
'What the fuck?' thought Ranma as he was jarred awake by a
loud thud. He was sleeping soundly in a small wooden
building along the main road; the purpose of the building
was to provide shelter to travelers during the night.
Snapping open his weary eyes, he immediately scanned his
surroundings and narrowed them at what he saw.
In the middle of the one room building, less than twenty
feet away from him was an ogre of a man who was in the
process of stripping away the clothing of an obviously
unconscious young woman. Ranma watched in detached anger as
the man exposed the woman's breast and began to fondle and
suck on them. Because he was so tired he didn't react as
fast as he normally would have and so it took a little while
before he realized he needed to do something.
Getting up quietly, he utilized his skills of stealth and
made his way towards the giant while unnoticed. As he
neared the two, the girl known as Kagero, suddenly opened
her eyes as she woke up. She tried to get up but was
slammed painfully to the ground, her rapist pinning her neck
with his massive hands.
"Shut up..." the giant named Tessai began. "And perhaps
I'll let you live just a little bit longer... Don't let it
cross your mind that I wouldn't mind raping a dead girl."
At hearing this, Kagero seemed to sink back into herself and
though still defiant in mind, she knew to continue resisting
now would only result in her immediate death.
Meanwhile in the shadows, Ranma's blood was turned to a boil
as he heard Tessai's ultimatum. In his mind, men like this
had always made him angry; he had always hated those who
would prey on the weak--especially women. But, after
hearing something so sick, so disturbing as this, he knew
that he wasn't just going to settle with simply beating the
crap out of this guy, he was going to kill him. But first,
before he sent this scum to the next world, he was going to
have some fun with him.
"Yo Bub?" he began nonchalantly; Ranma was less than a foot
away from the two. "Do you mind knocking that shit off, I'm
trying to sleep here?"
"Piss off, I'm busy!" was the Giant's reply; it was followed
by a steely gaze that promised imminent death. In response,
Ranma either didn't seem to notice nor care as he continued
to speak in a casual tone.
"Nah I don't need to take a leak," he began. "But thanks
for asking. And yeah, I did notice which is why I'm telling
you to knock that shit off and let the girl go. Because it
simply breaks my heart to see such a pretty-thing being
raped by an ugly fuck like you."
Taking a deep sigh. "I know it's hard to meet girls now a
days, especially since you're so damn ugly. So why don't
you let the girl go. If you do, I'll let you have these two
pieces of silver. With them I'm sure you can find a farmer
who'd sell you a nice frisky little pig or mule to do it
with." Ranma smirked inwardly as he saw both the surprised
look on the girl's face and the enraged look on the giants.
*Swish*
Ranma simply slid back and away from Tessai's attack,
stopping less than an inch away from the range of the blade.
The giant had an impressed look on his face and was
surprised to see just how fast Ranma had moved. In fact,
the giant had initially thought he cleaved through Ranma,
but soon realized that he had only cleaved through an after
image of his form.
But, regardless of being impressed, the giant was none
amused. "I warned you to get out" he remarked as his skin
started shifting forms and was visibly taking on the texture
of rock. The man's mass more than doubled during the
transformation as Ranma watched in amazement and slight
amusement.
'I can't believe this' thought Ranma. 'Who would have
thought that I'd actually get to meet a rock monster that I
can try the breaking point on? Man, this is going to be no
challenge at all. But uh oh, if I use the breaking point
that girl might get caught in the shrapnel and there might
be the possibility that the attack might not work. I
shouldn't risk it--not when someone else's life is in
danger.'
"Whatever asshole," Ranma replied cooly. Looking down he
realized there was a cut on his shirt. "Hey you pig fucker.
You messed up my shirt, now I'm definitely pissed. I highly
suggest that you let the girl go and apologize now before I
kick your ass."
Tessai simply laughed as he let his guard down. At that
moment, Kagero leapt up and attempted to jam a metal blade-
-that had been hidden up her arm bracer--and slam it into
the giant's skull. However by then, the rock skin gave him
the protection needed to escape the attack unharmed.
"Nice try," he remarked to her. "Let me get rid of this
pesky insect and then I'll kill you." Turning to Ranma he
proceeded to slowly twirl his lance in one hand, while
pinning the girl down to the ground with the other.
"Haha, what now? Do you not regret running away?" He
continued to chuckle to himself as he waited for Ranma's
reply, confident that his transformation had struck a cord
of fear in his opponent.
However, Ranma did not show sign of nor was he actually
afraid of Tessai's menacing form. In a confident tone he
remarked: "Feh, I ain't scared of shit. Especially a shit
who'd use a girl as a shield. If she weren't there I'd kick
your fucking ass to the moon. So, why don't you let her go
and we can settle this outside?"
The giant just scoffed at Ranma's audacious words. "You've
got spirit you little punk so I'll indulge you in this
game." He proceeded to release his grip over the girl's
neck, a sign that he was now going to set her free and do as
Ranma had requested.
Kagero just looked at Ranma and then the giant. Seeing
Ranma nod, she quickly covered herself back up and scurried
over to Ranma's side. Turning to her, Ranma spoke in a low
voice. "I want you to walk out of here slowly, once you're
out of sight I want you to run away as fast as you can.
Don't stop until you're to safety." She nodded numbly and
proceeded to walk out.
Ranma merely turned and followed her, but stopped and headed
towards a small clearing away from the building. Behind
him, Tessai followed with his lance held firmly in his grip.
"I'm going to ask you one more time monster. Apologize now
and I'll forgive you for what you've done to my shirt."
Ranma stood tall with his feet together and his arms crossed
over his chest. He gave the giant an amused look as he
waited for the obvious reply of anger that such an audacious
demand would receive.
"Grr, I'm tired of this. Show me what you've got and
perhaps... if I'm impressed enough I might just make your
death quick." Ranma rolled his eyes.
"Confident aren't ya? Okay asshole, here's something for
you!" Ranma proceeded to walk casually over to a large rock
about two feet wide and a foot tall. With a casual flip of
his foot he flipped the large stone high up into the air.
When the stone was about eye level with him, he lashed out
with his right index finger and struck its surface.
In a cloud of smoke and broken shards of rock, the large
stone or perhaps small boulder was reduced to no more than
dust and a multitude of smaller fragments. The giant looked
on in surprise as Ranma smirked inwardly, sensing the fear
emanating from his opponent.
"That... is called the 'Bakusai tenketsu' or breaking point.
It's a marvelous technique created by a tribe of Chinese
amazons. It was originally designed to be used for mining
work and isn't much of a technique to be used against a
living opponent. However, on a rock monster such as
yourself... Well, I'm sure you can imagine what would
happen. So asshole, are you ready to die?" Ranma then
dropped into a low combat stance, by now the long staff on
his back had been pulled out and was held in a defensive
posture. He casually rocked it in his grip as if daring the
giant to move first.
After the initial surprise had passed, the giant smirked.
"That's a fancy technique I admit. But it'll do you little
good if I kill you before you can touch me." With a grunt
he flung his double bladed lance at Ranma. Ranma just stood
there unmoving as it flew towards him at high velocity.
At the last possible second before the blade could cleave
him in two, Ranma gingerly lifted the tip of his staff up
with a slight tap and deflected the blade towards the
heavens. Then in a blur, his form disappeared leaving
Tessai gaping at the utter speed of his foe. Before Tessai
had a chance to fully register that he opponent was no
longer in front of him, the monster's world erupted in pain.
*Wham!* *Swish!* *Pow!*
In what could only have been a fraction of a second after
having deflected Tessai's attack, Ranma blurred into action
to reappear at his opponent's right flank. In a two hit
combo, he jammed the tail end of his staff into the rock
monster's foot--eliciting a primal scream as the wooden rod
broke through Tessai's hardened exterior like no steel
weapon could. Then, as swiftly as the first blow had been
delivered, Ranma pulled up and swung the same tail end
upward, silencing Tessai's scream by breaking the rock
golem's jaw.
Then, in the same fluid motion, he continued the staff's
upward arc and twirled it so that it came to rest in his
left hand, with the top half nestled underneath his armpit.
Then taking a step to the right and with a twist of the
hips, he swung the staff again--delivering another
devastating blow to the back of Tessai's kneecaps. The
giant then fell to his knees, causing him to drop to Ranma's
head level.
In this blazingly fast display of martial arts skill, Tessai
only had a brief second to wonder how it was possible that a
mere man could even hurt him through his rock skin. After
all, no one before could pierce his hardened flesh through
mere physical attacks, yet here was someone who was and was
doing so with utter ease.
And so it was too bad for Tessai that he had never before
fought a Hokuto Shinken master, because if he had, he might
have been prepared for the fast paced and brutalizing blows
that were capable of punching through steel and designed to
cause an opponents inner organs to vibrate and implode on
themselves.
"Eat this. 'Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken Revised.' Fist of the
Thousand Bitch-Slaps. Atatatatatatatata--Wata!" Tessai was
flung back after the last slap to the face. He didn't get
up as he felt the stone on his body begin to crack and
crumble to his side. Across his face and body, small
fissures could be seen leaking out narrow red tributaries of
blood.
"Uh.." the giant moaned. "You haven't beaten me yet."
Tessai slowly began to pick himself up while Ranma watched
on with disinterest and disdain.
"Now that's where you're wrong, Monster. You're already
dead, you just don't know it yet," came his cold reply.
Tessai looked puzzled for a second, but after taking a step
forward he felt a clenching pain from deep within his
abdomen. He let out a scream as the remaining rock around
his arms and legs began to bulge and crack. Finally
shattering as torrents of blood, bone, and flesh exploded;
leaving Tessai as only a torso and head--his arms and legs
were no more, only stumps that were pouring forth blood in
abundance.
Walking up to the quivering mass of the once mighty giant,
Ranma looked down and saw the look of absolute fear. "I
hate to see people suffer, even a rapist fuck like you." In
that instant, Ranma poked his finger at Tessai's temple.
Nothing happened at first, and Tessai initially thought the
technique didn't work. However, as Ranma proceeded to walk
away Tessai felt his skull begin to split and in a scream of
intense pain his head exploded into a mass of pink noodles
and splintered rock and bone.
A few seconds later there was a distinct popping sound
coming from the heavens. Then with near super-sonic force,
Tessai's lance--which had been flung high into the air--was
making its return flight back to Earth, flying straight down
like a missile. The speeding lance came down with a crash,
piercing what remained of Tessai's body before the
projectile's kinetic energy formed a massive crater upon its
point of impact--reducing everything within a five-meter
wide radius into rubble.
In the shadows, an old man watched with interest while
elsewhere in hiding, a ninja girl watched in fascination and
horror at the ease her tormentor had been dispatched. Off
to the distance, an effeminate looking man sniffed a flower
and frowned ever so slightly at the loss of Tessai. 'The
fool' he thought. 'Lord Gemma is not going to be pleased
about this.'
To be continued...
--- End of Flashbacks ---
Q&A
Q1. Some have asked how Ranma learned about the Hokuto
shinken.
A1. Well, it'll be explained later on in the fic, that's
all I can say.