Master of Ki
Chapter 1
By Leif Johnson
Disclaimer: This humble (I AM LEIF JOHNSON, EXPERT AUTHOR AND MASTER OF
IC-NESS!) author did not create the characters in this story that share
the same names as any character in Ranma 1/2. The rest are mine.
***
Ranma was lying on his futon, sleeping peacefully. He turned slightly,
and smiled as a small beam of sunshine landed on his cheek.
"WAKE UP, BOY!"
"GYAAHH!!!" Ranma screamed as he jumped up and clung to the ceiling.
"Glad to see you awake! Time for early-morning training!" Genma called,
grinning.
Ranma responded by dropping to the floor and grabbing at Genma, who
jumped out of his reach. He bounced off the wall and came flying at
Ranma, who grabbed his foot and tossed him out the window. He quickly
threw on his clothes and jumped out after him, calling insults.
Akane sat up and groaned. She pulled the earplugs out and tossed them
on her desk. "I hoped they would work better..." She got out of bed and
yawned. "Idiots. You'd think they could be a little quieter..."
***
A boy wandered the streets of Nerima. He wore a worn brown leather
jacket over a blue featureless t-shirt. He stuffed his hands into the
pockets of his green Maoist pants. His black hair, tied in a ponytail,
covered his wandering eyes. He glanced at the buildings he passed,
which were giving the essence of tranquility in the early-morning
light.
Suddenly, he heard the sounds of battle. Snapping his head up, he
rushed to the noise. Hearing it coming from the other side of a wall,
he looked for a way to scale it. He stopped when he heard a loud
*WHUMP* of something colliding with the wall on the opposite side, and
he could only imagine the violence. *Which must, of course,* he thought
as he grabbed a handhold in the wall, *be stopped.*
As he pulled himself over the top of the wall he noticed the happenings
in the yard and nearly fell off. A short pig-tailed girl was chasing a
panda while being chased by an irate girl wielding an enormous mallet.
The first girl jumped up on the wall, right where the boy was half-on,
and leaped away quickly to dodge the mallet strike. The boy was not so
lucky.
The aforementioned blow tore him away from his perch and sent him
crashing into the door of the building across the street.
All Akane noticed was that her mallet had hit something that was *not*
Ranma, but shrugged it off.
***
Ranma walked along the fence, whistling. Akane looked at him curiously.
When they reached school, Akane looked around, confused. "Where's
Kuno?" she asked no one in particular.
"Okinawa," Ranma replied smugly. Akane turned to him.
"Why? And how would you know?" she asked.
Ranma chuckled. "I sent him a postcard from 'the pig-tailed girl'
saying she was in Okinawa on vacation, trying on new swimsuits at the
beach. I doubt he'll be back very soon. Ha!" Akane just shook her head.
"It'll be nice to have him out of my hair, for once," she mused.
They both rushed into the building before they were late.
In class, Miss Hinako bounced in followed by a boy no one had seen
before. "Good morning, class! This is a new student from Kyoto! Please
introduce yourself."
The boy stood in front, and glanced over the crowd quickly. He cleared
his throat, and said, "My name is Kijo Kuraki. I came here from Kyoto,
but I travel often. Pleased to meet you." He had black hair that went
slightly past his shoulders, tied in a ponytail. He wore a blue long-
sleeved shirt and had green Maoist pants and was sporting the usual
slipper-shoes. He also had an ice-pack on his forehead and seemed to be
nursing a major bruise.
Miss Hinako nodded cheerily. "You may be seated."
Kijo sat down and Miss Hinako started the day's lesson. The students
watched him carefully for signs of doing something especially
interesting, then focused back on the lesson when he didn't. They
didn't notice him glaring at Akane.
***
At lunchtime, Kijo looked all over the school grounds, then wandered
over to a table with no one sitting at it. He scanned the area, trying
to get a feel for who these people were, how they acted, and what went
on. A few people cast a glance his direction, but didn't give it much
thought. He chewed his sandwich slowly.
***
After school was out, Kijo stepped outside and leaned against the
building, watching students file outside. His eyes widened when he saw
the girl who had hit him earlier pull out a huge mallet and pound a
boy's head into the ground, and was very surprised when a man in a
tacky Hawaiian outfit showed up and ran around with shears, and he was
truly shocked when a girl on a bike slammed through the wall and jumped
on the boy who had been malleted earlier.
"This is an interesting place..." he mused, biting his fingernails.
He stood up and walked out the gate after the students had mostly
dissipated, and began wandering around the city he now called home. As
he strolled down the streets, glancing at signs and stores, he thought,
*Nerima. Nothing special in that name. Yet another city, or district,
or whatever, who knows what it will bring?* He sighed, thinking of a
school he had gone to a few years ago.
*It was... interesting. Lunch was certainly odd. In fact, it caused my
best friend to gain an enemy. Who'd of thunk it? A feud, born from
bread.* he stopped and looked at the restaurant up ahead. "Cat Café?"
he said aloud. He shrugged and walked in. "Why not?"
He strolled in and sat down at a table near a window. He watched the
inside of the restaurant carefully. A boy in a white robe was scrubbing
tables and a purple haired girl, who he assumed was the waitress, saw
him and quickly walked over. "Welcome to Cat Café! Here our menu," she
said, laying it on his table. He blinked, and slowly picked it up as
she walked off, never taking his eyes off her.
*Now THAT'S a babe,* he thought. He glanced back at the menu and
decided to get a deluxe ramen. He glanced over at the boy and saw he
was scrubbing the tables with his robe. Kijo cocked his head to the
side and looked up as the girl came back with some water.
***
Kijo dashed out of the restaurant as if the hounds of hell were at his
heels. "'Who knows what it will bring?' A question born of ignorance.
The day I see a boy turn into a duck is the day I start taking
medication." He shivered and slowed down. "Maybe it was a trick," he
said aloud. "Yeah, a customer entertainment thing. It seemed pretty
real though..." he shook his head and tugged at his shirt sleeves.
He looked up at the afternoon sun and watched a bird fly in an arc. An
arc? He looked closer and saw it grow bigger, until he was almost sure
it was a... human? He rubbed his eyes and looked again as a boy in
Chinese clothing landed in a nearby fountain. Kijo jumped in surprise
and jogged over hesitantly.
"Uncute tomboy! Jeez, what's her problem?" someone who was definitely
NOT a boy shouted as she burst out of the water. Kijo leaped backwards
in shock.
"Ah? You, he, eh?" he stuttered.
The girl looked at him curiously. "What?"
Rather than reply, Kijo tore down a different street.
***
"I don't know about this place anymore..." Kijo mumbled, tugging on his
shirt sleeves. "When a boy changes into a duck right before your eyes,
it's weird." He mumbled an apology as he bumped into a passerby. "But
when another boy comes flying out of the sky and lands in a fountain,
it's a miracle he survives."
Feeling a raindrop, he opened the door of a shop and stepped inside.
"But when he turns into a she, AND is unhurt, it's a sign of insanity.
MY insanity," he muttered, standing in the middle of the shop.
He looked around, and saw it was a bookstore. "Wonder if there's any
self-help books," he grumbled before he smacked himself in the head.
"Calm down, Kijo, you're not going mad," he assured himself. "You're
just under stress. Yeah, that's it, stress. Well why SHOULDN'T I be
stressed? I mean with what happened it China..." he trailed off and
shuddered. "Stop, Kijo. You came here to forget."
"May I help you?" a voice called from a dark hallway.
Kijo turned, startled. "Uh, no, just lookin'," he said, peering into
the shadows.
A middle aged man with short brown hair and glasses stepped out. He
nodded and said, "Well, let me know if you need anything!" Kijo nodded
absent-mindedly and turned to the bookshelves.
He ran his fingers along the spines of books, slowed, and pulled a book
out. He read the title out loud, "How to Overcome You Fear of
Heights," and laughed. "They wrote a whole book on that?" he chuckled,
putting it back on the shelf.
He suddenly lost his humor and sighed as he leaned against a bookshelf
tiredly. *Can I really escape the madness? I don't think I can. It
follows me, attaches to me, like a leech. But, I'm safe here, right?*
He glanced around the quiet, peaceful bookstore, and looked down at his
travel-worn shoes. *Right.*
"Have a nice day!" the man called as Kijo walked out of the store.
"Whatever," he mumbled. He was relieved to see that the rain had
stopped.
*What if people become suspicious? What if they find out I've never
actually been to Kyoto? Will they confront me? Will I have to tell
them?* he shivered and tugged at his sleeve. *You're being paranoid,
Kijo.* He briefly waited for a traffic light, and crossed the street
quickly, not hearing the sounds around him. He was lost in his own
world, and didn't have time for intrusions.
*What if... HE came after me?* He shivered so hard at the thought his
teeth chattered. *I'd better stop.*
He was beginning to get hungry again, and looked around for a close
restaurant, and smiled when he found one. He walked through the door,
looking around rapidly. There was only one customer, a girl.
In fact, he noticed, she was the same girl he had seen in the fountain!
He nervously tugged at his collar. He slowly walked up to the counter.
"I can't BELIEVE she tries to feed me that stuff! I'd prefer SEPPUKU to
dying from Akane's cooking!" the girl exclaimed as she wolfed down
another okonamiyaki. The girl behind the counter nodded
sympathetically while Kijo sat down at a stool.
"A special, or something," he said softly as he glanced at the girl on
the stool.
"Sure," the cook said as she poured more batter on the grill. "Say,
you're new here, right? Kino?"
"Kijo," he corrected, turning down his collar. "Yeah, I just came from
Kyoto."
"Well, welcome to Nerima. Here ya go," she said as she handed him a
plate.
"Thanks," he mumbled as he snapped his chopsticks apart. "You would
be?" he asked, stuffing the warm food in his mouth.
"Ukyo Kuonji," she greeted, handing the other girl another dish. "This
is Ranma," she added, jerking a thumb at the girl, who was currently
shoveling in the next batch.
"Mmmph," Ranma commented.
"Well, thanks for the food, Ucchan, and can I get some hot hater?"
Ranma asked, finishing.
"Sure, Ranma," Ukyo said warmly, as she filled a glass.
Neither of them had noticed Kijo continually casting nervous glances at
Ranma. This was PROOF that his hallucination was real. He was
raising the chopsticks to his mouth as Ukyo tossed the water on her.
Kijo's chopsticks snapped in half and he immediately began choking on
his food.
Both Ukyo and Ranma turned to him, as if just noticing he was there.
Kijo swallowed his food and fell backwards off the stool. He stood up
quickly, backing off. "You... you're..." he stuttered, pointing a
shaking finger.
"Hey, whoa, calm down," Ukyo said, waving her hand.
"CALM DOWN?!?" he shouted and dashed out of the restaurant.
Ukyo stared after him. "Geez! He just took off... without... paying!
Hey, he didn't pay!" she shouted.
***
Kijo was running again, to his house. "I went here to get AWAY from
madness," he huffed as he neared his home. "Not to see more of it!"
He dashed into his house and flopped down on the couch. "There must be
a logical explanation for this. Maybe I'm overreacting. After all, that
was some pretty weird stuff in China..." He shuddered and lay back on
his couch. "I just need a nice, long, rest, that's all." With that, he
went up to his room and tried to fall asleep at five o' clock in the
afternoon.
***
The next day at school, the students noticed that Kijo walked into the
classroom very carefully, as if something would attack him upon
entrance. He sat down slowly, not looking at anyone. He was wearing his
jacket, and the collar was turned up. He gripped the edge of the desk
absent-mindedly.
At lunchtime, he sat down at an empty table, and took a deep breath.
*Of course there's a good explanation,* he thought. *There HAS to be.*
"I hear you've run across our secret."
He looked up quickly and saw a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and a gleam in her eye standing above him. "Umm... what?" he ventured.
She held out her hand and said calmly, "6600 yen."
"WHAT?!" Kijo exploded, standing up.
"Okay, 3300," the girl said with a smile.
"Deal!" Kijo cried, reaching for his wallet. "Much better."
Nabiki smiled. Aw, the slow-witted type. She snatched the bills and
handed him a booklet. "You know, they DO give these things out free,"
she said, walking off.
Kijo gaped at her departing figure, then smacked himself in the
forehead. After quickly examining the booklet advertising Jusenkyo
Training Grounds, he sat down slowly. "Weird," he said softly, then
shrugged, accepted it, and got back to his lunch.
He took a bite out of his sandwich and chewed it thoughtfully as he
scanned the school grounds. His gaze stopped at the gate, just as a boy
with a large backpack stumbled through. He looked at his attire a
moment before spitting out his sandwich. "Wha...? God, it must be!" He
jumped up and dashed over.
"RYOGA!!" he yelled, running as fast as he could.
Ryoga looked up and saw a boy in a brown leather jacket running up to
him, shouting his name. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed his umbrella
until he heard the boy shout something else.
"IT'S ME! KIJO!!"
His eyes widened and he dropped the umbrella. "K-Kijo?" he said,
disbelieving.
"Yeah!" Kijo yelled as he reached him. "I can't believe I found you
here! How's it been?"
Ryoga grabbed both his shoulders and looked him in his eyes, his own
shimmering. "Awful! But that's a whole other story. It's great to see
you again!"
Ranma's chopsticks never made it to his mouth. "Uh?" he said
intelligently, staring at the pair. It was pretty obvious that they
were good friends, which was a surprise to Ranma. He had figured that
Ryoga was too pig-headed to make friends.
Kijo hesitated when he heard the bell ring, then shook his head and
walked out the gate with Ryoga.
Ranma gazed after them thoughtfully for a while before entering the
building.
***
"So, you find the guy you were looking for?" Kijo asked casually. They
were currently walking through a quiet neighborhood.
Ryoga looked at him curiously. "Huh?"
Kijo rolled his eyes. "Come on, the guy you followed to China? Over a
missed duel? Geez, talk about overreacting."
"Hey!" Ryoga yelled indignantly. "He ran out on it!"
"After waiting three days! It ain't his fault you couldn't find your
way out of a room with one door," he taunted.
"Oh, shut up."
"Heh. Still a sore spot? I didn't think you'd just accept it."
"Who could?" Ryoga scoffed.
"You might have a point."
They arrived at Kijo's house, and Kijo offered to let Ryoga use the
furo. "I mean, when was the last time you got a chance to find one,
much less use one?" he justified. Ryoga growled, then accepted.
In the bathroom, Kijo splashed the cold water on himself, and shivered.
He looked over at Ryoga, who was just standing there, fidgeting. "Well,
come on man, just get washed up so you can use the furo!"
Ryoga looked around nervously, then dropped down beside him. "I think I
can show you this. You promise you won't tell anyone?" Kijo narrowed
his eyes. "That depends."
"Within reason?" Ryoga pleaded. Kijo nodded.
"Sure," he said.
Ryoga walked over to the cold water faucet, and filled a bucket. "You
ever hear of Jusenkyo?" Kijo shook his head. Ryoga took a deep breath
and continued. "It's the Cursed Springs Training Grounds. It's filled
with hundreds of pools. Each one has a different curse. If you fall in
one of those springs, you become cursed with the form of whatever
drowned there. Hot water will change you back, but cold water will turn
you into your cursed form."
Kijo nodded in understanding. "So what spring did you fall in?"
Ryoga picked the bucket up, and splashed himself.
Kijo stared at the little black pig sitting on the floor, looking as
forlorn as it possibly could. Kijo picked him up and tossed him in the
furo. "Hey!" Ryoga shouted as he burst from the surface. "Don't do
that!"
"Sorry. Jeez, so what's it like being cursed?"
Ryoga clenched his fist. "It's hell! Wild animals, hungry farmers,
traps, and this helpless form, it's awful!"
Kijo nodded sympathetically. "I bet." He leaned back in the relaxing
water. "So tell me, what happened when you finally caught up with that
guy?"
Ryoga's demeanor instantly darkened. "You wouldn't believe it. The HELL
he's put me through..."
"Whoa," Kijo said, raising his hands. "Back up."
Ryoga sighed, and said, "His name is Ranma, and he's a jerk. HE cursed
me, and he teases me about it! He tries to keep me away from the girl I
love, and is always tormenting her!"
Kijo cocked his head to the side. "He's really that bad?"
Ryoga nodded solemnly.
Kijo straightened up. "I can't believe anyone could be so dishonorable
and cruel! He did all that to you? Geez, what a jerk."
Ryoga smiled. Here was someone who was mad at Ranma for his sake! He
now had a friend, a real friend!
Ryoga added for good measure, "He also has several girls hanging all
over him, and always is harassing Akane. She doesn't deserve him..."
"Of course not," Kijo said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Who's
Akane?" he asked, almost as an afterthought.
"She's the one I love," Ryoga said quietly.
"I see," Kijo said, stepping out of the bath. "Do you go to school?" he
asked suddenly.
Ryoga looked a little sheepish, and answered, "No..." Kijo waved him
off.
"It's OK, I understand. Say, I know you don't really have a place you
can call home, so how about you stay here? Don't you dare refuse," he
added, looking him in the eye. Ryoga stared at him, then broke into a
grin.
"Thanks," he said softly.
"And, If you stay here, I can lead you to school!" Kijo added.
Ryoga looked up at Kijo. "You'd really do that... for me?"
Kijo grinned. "What are friends for?"
Ryoga smiled. *Friends... I have a friend.* "Yeah, Kijo.".
Kijo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now that that's settled, let's get
to bed. It's been a fun day. You can sleep in here," he said, gesturing
to a room across the hall from his own.
"Good night!" he called as he shut the door.
Ryoga lied down on the bed and took his shoes off. He gave a silent
thanks to Kami-sama for his generosity.
***
Ryoga woke up and looked around groggily. He was sleeping in an
unfamiliar room. *Where on earth am I no- oh yeah.* He sat up and shook
his head to clear the cobwebs. He stretched and stood up. He was about
to open the door when...
*SPLASH* "YAAAAH!!!!"
He jumped in surprise, blinked, then dashed across the hall and opened
the door. Kijo was standing in the middle of the room, breathing
heavily. He was soaking wet. "What happened?" Ryoga asked, confusion
clear on his face. Kijo placed his hand on his chest and took a deep
breath.
"That's my alarm clock," he explained. "You gotta admit, it really
wakes you up! I'm gonna take a bath. Make yourself some breakfast.
Remember! Whatever you do, do NOT step outside!" He walked into the
hallway. "I'd never find you again."
Ryoga shrugged and walked down the stairs. He wandered all over and
finally found a door. He opened it and almost stepped through, then saw
it was the back door. *Don't go outside!* he reminded himself sharply
and continued searching. He found the living room, the pantry, (he
shuddered violently when he saw the can of Pork 'n Beans) the basement
(*That's funny, I don't remember walking down any stairs...*) and the
living room again. He sighed in despair and kept looking. Finally, he
found the kitchen.
Relieved, he opened the refrigerator, and pulled out some rice. He made
up a standard breakfast, and walked out the door to the dining room.
Wait, that was the pantry. No, that's the closet. No, that's the living
room. No, that's the closet again. Ah! There it was!
He sat down at the table and looked up to see Kijo sitting down with a
bowl. It was filled with rice, noodles, meat, vegetables, and other
assorted foods. He set it down on the table in front of him.
"G'mornin'," Ryoga yawned.
Kijo took a bite and asked, "Did you find the kitchen all right?"
Ryoga shrugged. "Sort of. By the way, is it possible to get into your
basement without walking down the stairs?" he asked, his chopsticks
poised in front of his mouth.
Kijo stared at him. "I don't think so..."
Ryoga shrugged. "That's odd then."
Kijo shook his head in slight amazement and went back to his breakfast.
***
Ryoga looked at the clock as he set his bowl down. "What time do we
have to be at school?"
"Nine o' clock," Kijo grunted, finishing his meal.
Ryoga groaned. "Aw, we're gonna be late! We have to be there in five
minutes!"
Kijo shrugged. "So? We're not gonna be late, trust me."
Ryoga glared at him. "How?"
Kijo stood up and picked up his backpack. "I'll show you. Get your
pack."
Ryoga dashed over to his pack, strapped it on, and dashed out the front
door where Kijo was waiting. He smiled and gestured to two loops on the
back of his pack. "Grab on to those, and hold on tight."
Ryoga did as he was told, and looked confused. "Now what?"
Kijo concentrated, then bent his knees a little. "Hold on," he
muttered. "YAH!" he shouted as he suddenly rocketed into the air.
Ryoga's eyes widened and he held on for dear life. "Jeezus, you're
flying!"
Kijo nodded, a huge grin on his face. "I love doing this! Do you have
any idea how much fun it is?" Ryoga shook his head and looked down.
They were flying pretty low, a little over 15 feet, albeit pretty fast.
"I can only do it for a short time, though!" Kijo shouted. "It takes up
a lot of energy!"
Ryoga looked down. "How short a time?" he asked nervously.
"Few seconds," Kijo answered.
"Eh?"
"Aw shiiit!" Kijo shouted, suddenly diving. He promptly slammed into a
brick wall, and slid down it onto the sidewalk. Ryoga stood off to the
side, brushing his sleeves off.
"You okay?" Ryoga asked the misshapen lump on the ground that once was
Kijo.
"Gnnnnhhh..." he replied.
"You haven't practiced this much, have you," Ryoga stated, already
knowing the answer.
"Nn Nnh."
***
"My name is Ryoga Hibiki. Nice to meet you."
Miss Hinako nodded. "You may be seated."
He sat down next to Kijo. He wasn't given much more than a second
glance, but Ranma looked at him oddly. The question was evident on his
face. *School? Ryoga?*
***
At lunchtime, Ryoga and Kijo began walking towards an empty table,
chatting.
Kijo looked over to the gate, and saw a boy dressed in kendo garb
stumble through. He quickly dashed over to them. "You! Strangers! Tell
me quickly, hath either of thou seen the fair Akane Tendo or my pig-
tailed goddess? Oh, how thine heart aches for their sweet presence!
Tell me, where are my loves?" Ryoga and Kijo stared at him, mouths
gaping.
"Um, they went that way," Kijo said, pointing vaguely.
Kuno dashed off in that direction. "I come for my loves!" he called
out.
Kijo shook his head. "Now THAT'S a screwball if I ever saw one. Wonder
who the 'pig-tailed goddess' is?"
Ryoga grinned. "I think I have an idea..."
***
On the coast of China, a young man stepped aboard a ship. He stood
tall, his muscular frame evident. In his eyes was a determined glint.
His flowing, elaborately designed clothing held a story in its
pictures. He clasped his hands behind his back and stood facing the
wind, letting it blow gently through his hair.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
He flinched and grit his teeth. "Oh shut up! It isn't funny!" he ground
out, clenching his fists. The passerby just rushed off, laughing. He
glanced into a nearby mirror, and glared at his reflection. He would
have made a majestic figure, if not for the bright, lime-green skin.
"Curse you, Kuraki, and everything you stand for," he grumbled,
stalking off.
END CHAPTER 1
Chapter 1
By Leif Johnson
Disclaimer: This humble (I AM LEIF JOHNSON, EXPERT AUTHOR AND MASTER OF
IC-NESS!) author did not create the characters in this story that share
the same names as any character in Ranma 1/2. The rest are mine.
***
Ranma was lying on his futon, sleeping peacefully. He turned slightly,
and smiled as a small beam of sunshine landed on his cheek.
"WAKE UP, BOY!"
"GYAAHH!!!" Ranma screamed as he jumped up and clung to the ceiling.
"Glad to see you awake! Time for early-morning training!" Genma called,
grinning.
Ranma responded by dropping to the floor and grabbing at Genma, who
jumped out of his reach. He bounced off the wall and came flying at
Ranma, who grabbed his foot and tossed him out the window. He quickly
threw on his clothes and jumped out after him, calling insults.
Akane sat up and groaned. She pulled the earplugs out and tossed them
on her desk. "I hoped they would work better..." She got out of bed and
yawned. "Idiots. You'd think they could be a little quieter..."
***
A boy wandered the streets of Nerima. He wore a worn brown leather
jacket over a blue featureless t-shirt. He stuffed his hands into the
pockets of his green Maoist pants. His black hair, tied in a ponytail,
covered his wandering eyes. He glanced at the buildings he passed,
which were giving the essence of tranquility in the early-morning
light.
Suddenly, he heard the sounds of battle. Snapping his head up, he
rushed to the noise. Hearing it coming from the other side of a wall,
he looked for a way to scale it. He stopped when he heard a loud
*WHUMP* of something colliding with the wall on the opposite side, and
he could only imagine the violence. *Which must, of course,* he thought
as he grabbed a handhold in the wall, *be stopped.*
As he pulled himself over the top of the wall he noticed the happenings
in the yard and nearly fell off. A short pig-tailed girl was chasing a
panda while being chased by an irate girl wielding an enormous mallet.
The first girl jumped up on the wall, right where the boy was half-on,
and leaped away quickly to dodge the mallet strike. The boy was not so
lucky.
The aforementioned blow tore him away from his perch and sent him
crashing into the door of the building across the street.
All Akane noticed was that her mallet had hit something that was *not*
Ranma, but shrugged it off.
***
Ranma walked along the fence, whistling. Akane looked at him curiously.
When they reached school, Akane looked around, confused. "Where's
Kuno?" she asked no one in particular.
"Okinawa," Ranma replied smugly. Akane turned to him.
"Why? And how would you know?" she asked.
Ranma chuckled. "I sent him a postcard from 'the pig-tailed girl'
saying she was in Okinawa on vacation, trying on new swimsuits at the
beach. I doubt he'll be back very soon. Ha!" Akane just shook her head.
"It'll be nice to have him out of my hair, for once," she mused.
They both rushed into the building before they were late.
In class, Miss Hinako bounced in followed by a boy no one had seen
before. "Good morning, class! This is a new student from Kyoto! Please
introduce yourself."
The boy stood in front, and glanced over the crowd quickly. He cleared
his throat, and said, "My name is Kijo Kuraki. I came here from Kyoto,
but I travel often. Pleased to meet you." He had black hair that went
slightly past his shoulders, tied in a ponytail. He wore a blue long-
sleeved shirt and had green Maoist pants and was sporting the usual
slipper-shoes. He also had an ice-pack on his forehead and seemed to be
nursing a major bruise.
Miss Hinako nodded cheerily. "You may be seated."
Kijo sat down and Miss Hinako started the day's lesson. The students
watched him carefully for signs of doing something especially
interesting, then focused back on the lesson when he didn't. They
didn't notice him glaring at Akane.
***
At lunchtime, Kijo looked all over the school grounds, then wandered
over to a table with no one sitting at it. He scanned the area, trying
to get a feel for who these people were, how they acted, and what went
on. A few people cast a glance his direction, but didn't give it much
thought. He chewed his sandwich slowly.
***
After school was out, Kijo stepped outside and leaned against the
building, watching students file outside. His eyes widened when he saw
the girl who had hit him earlier pull out a huge mallet and pound a
boy's head into the ground, and was very surprised when a man in a
tacky Hawaiian outfit showed up and ran around with shears, and he was
truly shocked when a girl on a bike slammed through the wall and jumped
on the boy who had been malleted earlier.
"This is an interesting place..." he mused, biting his fingernails.
He stood up and walked out the gate after the students had mostly
dissipated, and began wandering around the city he now called home. As
he strolled down the streets, glancing at signs and stores, he thought,
*Nerima. Nothing special in that name. Yet another city, or district,
or whatever, who knows what it will bring?* He sighed, thinking of a
school he had gone to a few years ago.
*It was... interesting. Lunch was certainly odd. In fact, it caused my
best friend to gain an enemy. Who'd of thunk it? A feud, born from
bread.* he stopped and looked at the restaurant up ahead. "Cat Café?"
he said aloud. He shrugged and walked in. "Why not?"
He strolled in and sat down at a table near a window. He watched the
inside of the restaurant carefully. A boy in a white robe was scrubbing
tables and a purple haired girl, who he assumed was the waitress, saw
him and quickly walked over. "Welcome to Cat Café! Here our menu," she
said, laying it on his table. He blinked, and slowly picked it up as
she walked off, never taking his eyes off her.
*Now THAT'S a babe,* he thought. He glanced back at the menu and
decided to get a deluxe ramen. He glanced over at the boy and saw he
was scrubbing the tables with his robe. Kijo cocked his head to the
side and looked up as the girl came back with some water.
***
Kijo dashed out of the restaurant as if the hounds of hell were at his
heels. "'Who knows what it will bring?' A question born of ignorance.
The day I see a boy turn into a duck is the day I start taking
medication." He shivered and slowed down. "Maybe it was a trick," he
said aloud. "Yeah, a customer entertainment thing. It seemed pretty
real though..." he shook his head and tugged at his shirt sleeves.
He looked up at the afternoon sun and watched a bird fly in an arc. An
arc? He looked closer and saw it grow bigger, until he was almost sure
it was a... human? He rubbed his eyes and looked again as a boy in
Chinese clothing landed in a nearby fountain. Kijo jumped in surprise
and jogged over hesitantly.
"Uncute tomboy! Jeez, what's her problem?" someone who was definitely
NOT a boy shouted as she burst out of the water. Kijo leaped backwards
in shock.
"Ah? You, he, eh?" he stuttered.
The girl looked at him curiously. "What?"
Rather than reply, Kijo tore down a different street.
***
"I don't know about this place anymore..." Kijo mumbled, tugging on his
shirt sleeves. "When a boy changes into a duck right before your eyes,
it's weird." He mumbled an apology as he bumped into a passerby. "But
when another boy comes flying out of the sky and lands in a fountain,
it's a miracle he survives."
Feeling a raindrop, he opened the door of a shop and stepped inside.
"But when he turns into a she, AND is unhurt, it's a sign of insanity.
MY insanity," he muttered, standing in the middle of the shop.
He looked around, and saw it was a bookstore. "Wonder if there's any
self-help books," he grumbled before he smacked himself in the head.
"Calm down, Kijo, you're not going mad," he assured himself. "You're
just under stress. Yeah, that's it, stress. Well why SHOULDN'T I be
stressed? I mean with what happened it China..." he trailed off and
shuddered. "Stop, Kijo. You came here to forget."
"May I help you?" a voice called from a dark hallway.
Kijo turned, startled. "Uh, no, just lookin'," he said, peering into
the shadows.
A middle aged man with short brown hair and glasses stepped out. He
nodded and said, "Well, let me know if you need anything!" Kijo nodded
absent-mindedly and turned to the bookshelves.
He ran his fingers along the spines of books, slowed, and pulled a book
out. He read the title out loud, "How to Overcome You Fear of
Heights," and laughed. "They wrote a whole book on that?" he chuckled,
putting it back on the shelf.
He suddenly lost his humor and sighed as he leaned against a bookshelf
tiredly. *Can I really escape the madness? I don't think I can. It
follows me, attaches to me, like a leech. But, I'm safe here, right?*
He glanced around the quiet, peaceful bookstore, and looked down at his
travel-worn shoes. *Right.*
"Have a nice day!" the man called as Kijo walked out of the store.
"Whatever," he mumbled. He was relieved to see that the rain had
stopped.
*What if people become suspicious? What if they find out I've never
actually been to Kyoto? Will they confront me? Will I have to tell
them?* he shivered and tugged at his sleeve. *You're being paranoid,
Kijo.* He briefly waited for a traffic light, and crossed the street
quickly, not hearing the sounds around him. He was lost in his own
world, and didn't have time for intrusions.
*What if... HE came after me?* He shivered so hard at the thought his
teeth chattered. *I'd better stop.*
He was beginning to get hungry again, and looked around for a close
restaurant, and smiled when he found one. He walked through the door,
looking around rapidly. There was only one customer, a girl.
In fact, he noticed, she was the same girl he had seen in the fountain!
He nervously tugged at his collar. He slowly walked up to the counter.
"I can't BELIEVE she tries to feed me that stuff! I'd prefer SEPPUKU to
dying from Akane's cooking!" the girl exclaimed as she wolfed down
another okonamiyaki. The girl behind the counter nodded
sympathetically while Kijo sat down at a stool.
"A special, or something," he said softly as he glanced at the girl on
the stool.
"Sure," the cook said as she poured more batter on the grill. "Say,
you're new here, right? Kino?"
"Kijo," he corrected, turning down his collar. "Yeah, I just came from
Kyoto."
"Well, welcome to Nerima. Here ya go," she said as she handed him a
plate.
"Thanks," he mumbled as he snapped his chopsticks apart. "You would
be?" he asked, stuffing the warm food in his mouth.
"Ukyo Kuonji," she greeted, handing the other girl another dish. "This
is Ranma," she added, jerking a thumb at the girl, who was currently
shoveling in the next batch.
"Mmmph," Ranma commented.
"Well, thanks for the food, Ucchan, and can I get some hot hater?"
Ranma asked, finishing.
"Sure, Ranma," Ukyo said warmly, as she filled a glass.
Neither of them had noticed Kijo continually casting nervous glances at
Ranma. This was PROOF that his hallucination was real. He was
raising the chopsticks to his mouth as Ukyo tossed the water on her.
Kijo's chopsticks snapped in half and he immediately began choking on
his food.
Both Ukyo and Ranma turned to him, as if just noticing he was there.
Kijo swallowed his food and fell backwards off the stool. He stood up
quickly, backing off. "You... you're..." he stuttered, pointing a
shaking finger.
"Hey, whoa, calm down," Ukyo said, waving her hand.
"CALM DOWN?!?" he shouted and dashed out of the restaurant.
Ukyo stared after him. "Geez! He just took off... without... paying!
Hey, he didn't pay!" she shouted.
***
Kijo was running again, to his house. "I went here to get AWAY from
madness," he huffed as he neared his home. "Not to see more of it!"
He dashed into his house and flopped down on the couch. "There must be
a logical explanation for this. Maybe I'm overreacting. After all, that
was some pretty weird stuff in China..." He shuddered and lay back on
his couch. "I just need a nice, long, rest, that's all." With that, he
went up to his room and tried to fall asleep at five o' clock in the
afternoon.
***
The next day at school, the students noticed that Kijo walked into the
classroom very carefully, as if something would attack him upon
entrance. He sat down slowly, not looking at anyone. He was wearing his
jacket, and the collar was turned up. He gripped the edge of the desk
absent-mindedly.
At lunchtime, he sat down at an empty table, and took a deep breath.
*Of course there's a good explanation,* he thought. *There HAS to be.*
"I hear you've run across our secret."
He looked up quickly and saw a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and a gleam in her eye standing above him. "Umm... what?" he ventured.
She held out her hand and said calmly, "6600 yen."
"WHAT?!" Kijo exploded, standing up.
"Okay, 3300," the girl said with a smile.
"Deal!" Kijo cried, reaching for his wallet. "Much better."
Nabiki smiled. Aw, the slow-witted type. She snatched the bills and
handed him a booklet. "You know, they DO give these things out free,"
she said, walking off.
Kijo gaped at her departing figure, then smacked himself in the
forehead. After quickly examining the booklet advertising Jusenkyo
Training Grounds, he sat down slowly. "Weird," he said softly, then
shrugged, accepted it, and got back to his lunch.
He took a bite out of his sandwich and chewed it thoughtfully as he
scanned the school grounds. His gaze stopped at the gate, just as a boy
with a large backpack stumbled through. He looked at his attire a
moment before spitting out his sandwich. "Wha...? God, it must be!" He
jumped up and dashed over.
"RYOGA!!" he yelled, running as fast as he could.
Ryoga looked up and saw a boy in a brown leather jacket running up to
him, shouting his name. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed his umbrella
until he heard the boy shout something else.
"IT'S ME! KIJO!!"
His eyes widened and he dropped the umbrella. "K-Kijo?" he said,
disbelieving.
"Yeah!" Kijo yelled as he reached him. "I can't believe I found you
here! How's it been?"
Ryoga grabbed both his shoulders and looked him in his eyes, his own
shimmering. "Awful! But that's a whole other story. It's great to see
you again!"
Ranma's chopsticks never made it to his mouth. "Uh?" he said
intelligently, staring at the pair. It was pretty obvious that they
were good friends, which was a surprise to Ranma. He had figured that
Ryoga was too pig-headed to make friends.
Kijo hesitated when he heard the bell ring, then shook his head and
walked out the gate with Ryoga.
Ranma gazed after them thoughtfully for a while before entering the
building.
***
"So, you find the guy you were looking for?" Kijo asked casually. They
were currently walking through a quiet neighborhood.
Ryoga looked at him curiously. "Huh?"
Kijo rolled his eyes. "Come on, the guy you followed to China? Over a
missed duel? Geez, talk about overreacting."
"Hey!" Ryoga yelled indignantly. "He ran out on it!"
"After waiting three days! It ain't his fault you couldn't find your
way out of a room with one door," he taunted.
"Oh, shut up."
"Heh. Still a sore spot? I didn't think you'd just accept it."
"Who could?" Ryoga scoffed.
"You might have a point."
They arrived at Kijo's house, and Kijo offered to let Ryoga use the
furo. "I mean, when was the last time you got a chance to find one,
much less use one?" he justified. Ryoga growled, then accepted.
In the bathroom, Kijo splashed the cold water on himself, and shivered.
He looked over at Ryoga, who was just standing there, fidgeting. "Well,
come on man, just get washed up so you can use the furo!"
Ryoga looked around nervously, then dropped down beside him. "I think I
can show you this. You promise you won't tell anyone?" Kijo narrowed
his eyes. "That depends."
"Within reason?" Ryoga pleaded. Kijo nodded.
"Sure," he said.
Ryoga walked over to the cold water faucet, and filled a bucket. "You
ever hear of Jusenkyo?" Kijo shook his head. Ryoga took a deep breath
and continued. "It's the Cursed Springs Training Grounds. It's filled
with hundreds of pools. Each one has a different curse. If you fall in
one of those springs, you become cursed with the form of whatever
drowned there. Hot water will change you back, but cold water will turn
you into your cursed form."
Kijo nodded in understanding. "So what spring did you fall in?"
Ryoga picked the bucket up, and splashed himself.
Kijo stared at the little black pig sitting on the floor, looking as
forlorn as it possibly could. Kijo picked him up and tossed him in the
furo. "Hey!" Ryoga shouted as he burst from the surface. "Don't do
that!"
"Sorry. Jeez, so what's it like being cursed?"
Ryoga clenched his fist. "It's hell! Wild animals, hungry farmers,
traps, and this helpless form, it's awful!"
Kijo nodded sympathetically. "I bet." He leaned back in the relaxing
water. "So tell me, what happened when you finally caught up with that
guy?"
Ryoga's demeanor instantly darkened. "You wouldn't believe it. The HELL
he's put me through..."
"Whoa," Kijo said, raising his hands. "Back up."
Ryoga sighed, and said, "His name is Ranma, and he's a jerk. HE cursed
me, and he teases me about it! He tries to keep me away from the girl I
love, and is always tormenting her!"
Kijo cocked his head to the side. "He's really that bad?"
Ryoga nodded solemnly.
Kijo straightened up. "I can't believe anyone could be so dishonorable
and cruel! He did all that to you? Geez, what a jerk."
Ryoga smiled. Here was someone who was mad at Ranma for his sake! He
now had a friend, a real friend!
Ryoga added for good measure, "He also has several girls hanging all
over him, and always is harassing Akane. She doesn't deserve him..."
"Of course not," Kijo said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Who's
Akane?" he asked, almost as an afterthought.
"She's the one I love," Ryoga said quietly.
"I see," Kijo said, stepping out of the bath. "Do you go to school?" he
asked suddenly.
Ryoga looked a little sheepish, and answered, "No..." Kijo waved him
off.
"It's OK, I understand. Say, I know you don't really have a place you
can call home, so how about you stay here? Don't you dare refuse," he
added, looking him in the eye. Ryoga stared at him, then broke into a
grin.
"Thanks," he said softly.
"And, If you stay here, I can lead you to school!" Kijo added.
Ryoga looked up at Kijo. "You'd really do that... for me?"
Kijo grinned. "What are friends for?"
Ryoga smiled. *Friends... I have a friend.* "Yeah, Kijo.".
Kijo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now that that's settled, let's get
to bed. It's been a fun day. You can sleep in here," he said, gesturing
to a room across the hall from his own.
"Good night!" he called as he shut the door.
Ryoga lied down on the bed and took his shoes off. He gave a silent
thanks to Kami-sama for his generosity.
***
Ryoga woke up and looked around groggily. He was sleeping in an
unfamiliar room. *Where on earth am I no- oh yeah.* He sat up and shook
his head to clear the cobwebs. He stretched and stood up. He was about
to open the door when...
*SPLASH* "YAAAAH!!!!"
He jumped in surprise, blinked, then dashed across the hall and opened
the door. Kijo was standing in the middle of the room, breathing
heavily. He was soaking wet. "What happened?" Ryoga asked, confusion
clear on his face. Kijo placed his hand on his chest and took a deep
breath.
"That's my alarm clock," he explained. "You gotta admit, it really
wakes you up! I'm gonna take a bath. Make yourself some breakfast.
Remember! Whatever you do, do NOT step outside!" He walked into the
hallway. "I'd never find you again."
Ryoga shrugged and walked down the stairs. He wandered all over and
finally found a door. He opened it and almost stepped through, then saw
it was the back door. *Don't go outside!* he reminded himself sharply
and continued searching. He found the living room, the pantry, (he
shuddered violently when he saw the can of Pork 'n Beans) the basement
(*That's funny, I don't remember walking down any stairs...*) and the
living room again. He sighed in despair and kept looking. Finally, he
found the kitchen.
Relieved, he opened the refrigerator, and pulled out some rice. He made
up a standard breakfast, and walked out the door to the dining room.
Wait, that was the pantry. No, that's the closet. No, that's the living
room. No, that's the closet again. Ah! There it was!
He sat down at the table and looked up to see Kijo sitting down with a
bowl. It was filled with rice, noodles, meat, vegetables, and other
assorted foods. He set it down on the table in front of him.
"G'mornin'," Ryoga yawned.
Kijo took a bite and asked, "Did you find the kitchen all right?"
Ryoga shrugged. "Sort of. By the way, is it possible to get into your
basement without walking down the stairs?" he asked, his chopsticks
poised in front of his mouth.
Kijo stared at him. "I don't think so..."
Ryoga shrugged. "That's odd then."
Kijo shook his head in slight amazement and went back to his breakfast.
***
Ryoga looked at the clock as he set his bowl down. "What time do we
have to be at school?"
"Nine o' clock," Kijo grunted, finishing his meal.
Ryoga groaned. "Aw, we're gonna be late! We have to be there in five
minutes!"
Kijo shrugged. "So? We're not gonna be late, trust me."
Ryoga glared at him. "How?"
Kijo stood up and picked up his backpack. "I'll show you. Get your
pack."
Ryoga dashed over to his pack, strapped it on, and dashed out the front
door where Kijo was waiting. He smiled and gestured to two loops on the
back of his pack. "Grab on to those, and hold on tight."
Ryoga did as he was told, and looked confused. "Now what?"
Kijo concentrated, then bent his knees a little. "Hold on," he
muttered. "YAH!" he shouted as he suddenly rocketed into the air.
Ryoga's eyes widened and he held on for dear life. "Jeezus, you're
flying!"
Kijo nodded, a huge grin on his face. "I love doing this! Do you have
any idea how much fun it is?" Ryoga shook his head and looked down.
They were flying pretty low, a little over 15 feet, albeit pretty fast.
"I can only do it for a short time, though!" Kijo shouted. "It takes up
a lot of energy!"
Ryoga looked down. "How short a time?" he asked nervously.
"Few seconds," Kijo answered.
"Eh?"
"Aw shiiit!" Kijo shouted, suddenly diving. He promptly slammed into a
brick wall, and slid down it onto the sidewalk. Ryoga stood off to the
side, brushing his sleeves off.
"You okay?" Ryoga asked the misshapen lump on the ground that once was
Kijo.
"Gnnnnhhh..." he replied.
"You haven't practiced this much, have you," Ryoga stated, already
knowing the answer.
"Nn Nnh."
***
"My name is Ryoga Hibiki. Nice to meet you."
Miss Hinako nodded. "You may be seated."
He sat down next to Kijo. He wasn't given much more than a second
glance, but Ranma looked at him oddly. The question was evident on his
face. *School? Ryoga?*
***
At lunchtime, Ryoga and Kijo began walking towards an empty table,
chatting.
Kijo looked over to the gate, and saw a boy dressed in kendo garb
stumble through. He quickly dashed over to them. "You! Strangers! Tell
me quickly, hath either of thou seen the fair Akane Tendo or my pig-
tailed goddess? Oh, how thine heart aches for their sweet presence!
Tell me, where are my loves?" Ryoga and Kijo stared at him, mouths
gaping.
"Um, they went that way," Kijo said, pointing vaguely.
Kuno dashed off in that direction. "I come for my loves!" he called
out.
Kijo shook his head. "Now THAT'S a screwball if I ever saw one. Wonder
who the 'pig-tailed goddess' is?"
Ryoga grinned. "I think I have an idea..."
***
On the coast of China, a young man stepped aboard a ship. He stood
tall, his muscular frame evident. In his eyes was a determined glint.
His flowing, elaborately designed clothing held a story in its
pictures. He clasped his hands behind his back and stood facing the
wind, letting it blow gently through his hair.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
He flinched and grit his teeth. "Oh shut up! It isn't funny!" he ground
out, clenching his fists. The passerby just rushed off, laughing. He
glanced into a nearby mirror, and glared at his reflection. He would
have made a majestic figure, if not for the bright, lime-green skin.
"Curse you, Kuraki, and everything you stand for," he grumbled,
stalking off.
END CHAPTER 1
