Ranma ½ Fanfiction
Desperation
By Ranko-chan
Part two: Then there was the Challenge
Chapter five: The Technique
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ranma characters.
The fighters circled around each other. It seemed as though their movements were well practiced to the passer by. But the one fighter, if you were to look closer was struggling. His moves were not of a practiced kata, they were fast reactions to the other fighters' attacks. The other fighter also seemed to be reading all of his opponents moves, being able to prepare, for the assault. Finally the losing fighter bowed ending the spar.
"Aww come on Mouse you can do better than that."
The other fighter panted for air. He was so exhausted that he fell back onto the short grass they had been fighting on.
"Ranma how many times do I have to tell you that you can read all of my moves, and I am not able to do a single thing about it. You seem to think that I am letting you win. Can't you see that you are able to read me through and through?"
"Mouse, if I were able to read your moves then I would know about it. Now stop bullshiting me."
"Jematsu tell him that he is reading my moves. You can see can't you? Tell him he's insane."
The old man standing on the sidelines chuckled.
"Muts Tsu don't you find it somewhat amusing that Ranma has learned an attack and he doesn't even know that he knows it? Frankly, I find it hilarious."
"Well I think that I would find it funny if I was not the one fighting on the losing end of the battle."
Ranma looked somewhat dumbfounded. He was staring at the old man, as if he were in shock.
"Old man is he telling the truth. Did I really learn this stupid attack? I don't remember using it. I don't feel different!"
Jematsu chuckled some more.
"Ranma calm down. Let me explain this to you. The entire 'stupid training' as you called it, was to get you use to telling the difference it the chi in all things. All of the time that you spent distinguishing smells, tastes, scents, moods, it was all part of the training. I made you so use to all of that, you didn't even realize it at first that you could in fact read a person. Ranma now it is like you have two different sets of eyes. They each allow you to see different things. Your eyes, the ones that you were born with, limit your ability of sight. But your new sight is like no eyes you have ever had. Like normal sight, it is automatic, but also like normal sight, you can harness it, focus it. Your new sight is a sight without eyes, is it, the sight of the mind."
Ranma thought about this. He had really learned it? Now he could finally find her. But he couldn't even feel this new sight. And he didn't even understand it. Yes he had it, but how did it work, how does one harness it?
"Wait, a thought just came to me."
"Yes Muts Tsu."
"Ranma knows the 'Soul of Ice" and I am sure that you too know it, you are an Amazon after all. But what if you used the 'soul of ice' to help Ranma to figure out how to use his new sight."
"I don't know that it would help him any, but it will make him Realize that he can subconsciously read my moves."
The 'Soul of Ice' Ranma thought. 'Mouse was right. If the old man was using it, it would freeze the entire chi, making it almost impossible to read him.'
"Well we will give it a try."
The old man took a battle stance in front of Ranma.
Ranma bowed in respect and the battle commenced.
The old man was fast. Ranma knew that from previous fights. Ranma knew that the old man could easily beat him, if he wanted too. In a hand to hand battle Ranma thought that he might have the advantage. The old man was good, but he was no longer in his youth, and that gave Ranma the upper hand. It went fast. The old man attacked and Ranma surprisingly parried, and attacked back. He didn't notice it at first, but after a few shots, Ranma noticed that he already started to block before he knew what the old man tried to attack with. Then he started to concentrate on this new ability. In the back of his mind, his brain was barely even working at all, he found that strange, seeing that normally in a fight, his mind would be racing. But now it was exceptionally calm. He didn't even have to think about the fight, it was like he had already been there, and done it, even though it was still going on. Finally he was able to feel the pulse of his mind, and the waves it was receiving and giving off. He was able to look inside of himself, even as he was fighting the old man, and see himself thinking. It was incredibly odd. It was as if he were sitting in front of a computer game, watching it, predicting the other players, and beating them.
'POW!'
"Ranma! Pay attention."
"...whaa..."
"You forget that the opponent that you are fighting also taught you the technique."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Stupid boys."
There was a long silence.
"I saw it, I could feel it, and I think I can control it."
The man looked at him queerly. The boy never failed to surpass himself.
"Muts Tsu go and hide somewhere on this hill."
"Hide and seek?" Mus Su thought that it was a different way to train, childish, but it would work for what the old one wanted to do.
"Ranma, keep your eyes closed, and when I till you, you tell me where he is hiding."
"I don't get to go look for him?" Ranma pouted with a queer smile on his face while cracking his knuckles.
"You don't need to." The old man smiled.
Ranma closed his eyes, and plopped onto the ground Indian style. He looked as if he could have fallen asleep like that. He looked bored.
The old man watched to other boy hide. He had hidden quietly in the top of the pine tree about a hundred yards away. The old man had not heard him ascend, so he was sure that if Ranma guessed correctly, he indeed knew the technique.
"Ranma, do you know where Mouse is."
"Well I don't have a photographic memory, so I can't tell you what is over in that direction, but I know that he is there, about a hundred or so meters, he's up too, so I am assuming that he is in a tree."
"Very good, but before you open your eyes, try and tell me what kind of tree you think it is."
He thought about it, he sniffed in his mind the waves that were radiating off of his friend. They smelled sweet almost, bitter, and well piney. 'A pine tree.'
"It is some sort of pine."
"Muts Tsu you may come down now."
Ranma opened his eyes. It felt so odd, inside his mind, he could see everyone already, it was as if he didn't have to even open his eyes.
"Jematsu this is so mind boggling, I can see you and him with out even opening my eyes. It is another sight. But do you really think that I will be able to sense things miles away?"
"I think so. You will probably be able to do it soon, it only took you a few minutes to find your sight."
"Well I am going inside for the evening. You boys need to go find tonight's dinner."
Jematsu left without another word spoken, and before the two young men could complain.
"Well Muts Tsu lets go."
They started to walk. Mouse seemed to be thinking about something, yet Ranma couldn't think about anything that would make his friend look upset.
"Mouse what's the matter. You look upset."
"It's nothing, I am just thinking about Shan Pu."
The name still gave him chills. He sometimes couldn't think how he and Mouse had become friends.
"Mouse, I have been training you, the next time that you have to fight her, your going to whip her. Don't worry about her, she will be yours soon enough."
"Yes, I know that all I have to do is beat her, and she will be mine, but I want more than that. I want what you and Akane had. I want her love."
Ranma looked away. Mouse knew that it was hard on Ranma whenever he heard her name. He blamed himself totally for her disappearance.
"Well, I wish I could have had that love before I lost her. You remember Saffron Mouse?"
"Ya I remember. What about it."
"You know I told her I loved her there, when I thought that I had lost her. She heard me, and asked me if it was true and I told her that she was hearing things that I never said it. I think that was the stupidest thing that I have ever done in my life."
Mouse was a little dumbstruck.
'Ranma had actually said that he loved her. That must have been why they had the wedding. Poor Ranma, he really does blame himself a lot for all of this.'
"Ranma she is still alive. I can feel it. You will find her."
'You will I came here to bring you two together, and I will not leave until that is accomplished.'
"Thanks Mouse."
Each and every day, Muts Tsu could see that Ranma was losing hope. It had been over a year since she disappeared. It was too long of a time, and Ranma thought a lot, that his time here, had been a waste. He was ashamed at himself, he was desperate, and depressed, and his heart ached. Muts Tsu would often be woken up at night by him. His whispers, his cries. He often cried in his dreams, It made Muts Tsu want to tell him that Akane was indeed alive. But his honor wouldn't allow him. He couldn't break his honor, but he loved his friend and Akane too much to give up. He would get Ranma to the village, if he had to drag him there. 'Ranma, don't worry, soon you will find her and then you can finally be happy.'
End Chapter Five
Desperation
By Ranko-chan
Part two: Then there was the Challenge
Chapter five: The Technique
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ranma characters.
The fighters circled around each other. It seemed as though their movements were well practiced to the passer by. But the one fighter, if you were to look closer was struggling. His moves were not of a practiced kata, they were fast reactions to the other fighters' attacks. The other fighter also seemed to be reading all of his opponents moves, being able to prepare, for the assault. Finally the losing fighter bowed ending the spar.
"Aww come on Mouse you can do better than that."
The other fighter panted for air. He was so exhausted that he fell back onto the short grass they had been fighting on.
"Ranma how many times do I have to tell you that you can read all of my moves, and I am not able to do a single thing about it. You seem to think that I am letting you win. Can't you see that you are able to read me through and through?"
"Mouse, if I were able to read your moves then I would know about it. Now stop bullshiting me."
"Jematsu tell him that he is reading my moves. You can see can't you? Tell him he's insane."
The old man standing on the sidelines chuckled.
"Muts Tsu don't you find it somewhat amusing that Ranma has learned an attack and he doesn't even know that he knows it? Frankly, I find it hilarious."
"Well I think that I would find it funny if I was not the one fighting on the losing end of the battle."
Ranma looked somewhat dumbfounded. He was staring at the old man, as if he were in shock.
"Old man is he telling the truth. Did I really learn this stupid attack? I don't remember using it. I don't feel different!"
Jematsu chuckled some more.
"Ranma calm down. Let me explain this to you. The entire 'stupid training' as you called it, was to get you use to telling the difference it the chi in all things. All of the time that you spent distinguishing smells, tastes, scents, moods, it was all part of the training. I made you so use to all of that, you didn't even realize it at first that you could in fact read a person. Ranma now it is like you have two different sets of eyes. They each allow you to see different things. Your eyes, the ones that you were born with, limit your ability of sight. But your new sight is like no eyes you have ever had. Like normal sight, it is automatic, but also like normal sight, you can harness it, focus it. Your new sight is a sight without eyes, is it, the sight of the mind."
Ranma thought about this. He had really learned it? Now he could finally find her. But he couldn't even feel this new sight. And he didn't even understand it. Yes he had it, but how did it work, how does one harness it?
"Wait, a thought just came to me."
"Yes Muts Tsu."
"Ranma knows the 'Soul of Ice" and I am sure that you too know it, you are an Amazon after all. But what if you used the 'soul of ice' to help Ranma to figure out how to use his new sight."
"I don't know that it would help him any, but it will make him Realize that he can subconsciously read my moves."
The 'Soul of Ice' Ranma thought. 'Mouse was right. If the old man was using it, it would freeze the entire chi, making it almost impossible to read him.'
"Well we will give it a try."
The old man took a battle stance in front of Ranma.
Ranma bowed in respect and the battle commenced.
The old man was fast. Ranma knew that from previous fights. Ranma knew that the old man could easily beat him, if he wanted too. In a hand to hand battle Ranma thought that he might have the advantage. The old man was good, but he was no longer in his youth, and that gave Ranma the upper hand. It went fast. The old man attacked and Ranma surprisingly parried, and attacked back. He didn't notice it at first, but after a few shots, Ranma noticed that he already started to block before he knew what the old man tried to attack with. Then he started to concentrate on this new ability. In the back of his mind, his brain was barely even working at all, he found that strange, seeing that normally in a fight, his mind would be racing. But now it was exceptionally calm. He didn't even have to think about the fight, it was like he had already been there, and done it, even though it was still going on. Finally he was able to feel the pulse of his mind, and the waves it was receiving and giving off. He was able to look inside of himself, even as he was fighting the old man, and see himself thinking. It was incredibly odd. It was as if he were sitting in front of a computer game, watching it, predicting the other players, and beating them.
'POW!'
"Ranma! Pay attention."
"...whaa..."
"You forget that the opponent that you are fighting also taught you the technique."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Stupid boys."
There was a long silence.
"I saw it, I could feel it, and I think I can control it."
The man looked at him queerly. The boy never failed to surpass himself.
"Muts Tsu go and hide somewhere on this hill."
"Hide and seek?" Mus Su thought that it was a different way to train, childish, but it would work for what the old one wanted to do.
"Ranma, keep your eyes closed, and when I till you, you tell me where he is hiding."
"I don't get to go look for him?" Ranma pouted with a queer smile on his face while cracking his knuckles.
"You don't need to." The old man smiled.
Ranma closed his eyes, and plopped onto the ground Indian style. He looked as if he could have fallen asleep like that. He looked bored.
The old man watched to other boy hide. He had hidden quietly in the top of the pine tree about a hundred yards away. The old man had not heard him ascend, so he was sure that if Ranma guessed correctly, he indeed knew the technique.
"Ranma, do you know where Mouse is."
"Well I don't have a photographic memory, so I can't tell you what is over in that direction, but I know that he is there, about a hundred or so meters, he's up too, so I am assuming that he is in a tree."
"Very good, but before you open your eyes, try and tell me what kind of tree you think it is."
He thought about it, he sniffed in his mind the waves that were radiating off of his friend. They smelled sweet almost, bitter, and well piney. 'A pine tree.'
"It is some sort of pine."
"Muts Tsu you may come down now."
Ranma opened his eyes. It felt so odd, inside his mind, he could see everyone already, it was as if he didn't have to even open his eyes.
"Jematsu this is so mind boggling, I can see you and him with out even opening my eyes. It is another sight. But do you really think that I will be able to sense things miles away?"
"I think so. You will probably be able to do it soon, it only took you a few minutes to find your sight."
"Well I am going inside for the evening. You boys need to go find tonight's dinner."
Jematsu left without another word spoken, and before the two young men could complain.
"Well Muts Tsu lets go."
They started to walk. Mouse seemed to be thinking about something, yet Ranma couldn't think about anything that would make his friend look upset.
"Mouse what's the matter. You look upset."
"It's nothing, I am just thinking about Shan Pu."
The name still gave him chills. He sometimes couldn't think how he and Mouse had become friends.
"Mouse, I have been training you, the next time that you have to fight her, your going to whip her. Don't worry about her, she will be yours soon enough."
"Yes, I know that all I have to do is beat her, and she will be mine, but I want more than that. I want what you and Akane had. I want her love."
Ranma looked away. Mouse knew that it was hard on Ranma whenever he heard her name. He blamed himself totally for her disappearance.
"Well, I wish I could have had that love before I lost her. You remember Saffron Mouse?"
"Ya I remember. What about it."
"You know I told her I loved her there, when I thought that I had lost her. She heard me, and asked me if it was true and I told her that she was hearing things that I never said it. I think that was the stupidest thing that I have ever done in my life."
Mouse was a little dumbstruck.
'Ranma had actually said that he loved her. That must have been why they had the wedding. Poor Ranma, he really does blame himself a lot for all of this.'
"Ranma she is still alive. I can feel it. You will find her."
'You will I came here to bring you two together, and I will not leave until that is accomplished.'
"Thanks Mouse."
Each and every day, Muts Tsu could see that Ranma was losing hope. It had been over a year since she disappeared. It was too long of a time, and Ranma thought a lot, that his time here, had been a waste. He was ashamed at himself, he was desperate, and depressed, and his heart ached. Muts Tsu would often be woken up at night by him. His whispers, his cries. He often cried in his dreams, It made Muts Tsu want to tell him that Akane was indeed alive. But his honor wouldn't allow him. He couldn't break his honor, but he loved his friend and Akane too much to give up. He would get Ranma to the village, if he had to drag him there. 'Ranma, don't worry, soon you will find her and then you can finally be happy.'
End Chapter Five