CHAPTER 2
SECRETS FROM THE PAST
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LEGEND
1)* *:THOUGHT
2)" ":ORAL LANGUAGE
3)MAKICHIRASU:SCATTER
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*Now's the time. I hope he's gotten better.*
The man kept beating his left foot on the pavement, trying
to generate force. It seemed to be working, since everyone
close to him felt a little tremor each time his foot
touched the ground.
Finally, his ritual was done with. He assumed a power stance,
and quickly leveled his weight.
"Now," he said in a very low tone.
He took off at an incredable speed, leaving a small dust
cloud where he once stood.
Ranma was unaware of the danger that quickly approached
him. Akane had managed to get him in a good mood. He was
now so inmersed in their conversation, it was only until
it was too late that he noticed the problem.
His eye caught extremly quick movement heading in their
direction. Almost instinctively, as he was trained to do,
he pushed Akane away from him.
Akane fell on the hard pavement bottom first.
"Ow! What are you doing Ranma!"
Ranma looked at her for a short moment. It was a dear mistake.
"Ranma look out!" yelled out Akane. It was already too late.
Ranma hadn't even turned his head all the way, before his body
was consumed in pure pain that started on his stomach and
quickly spread throughout all of him.
He slowly lowered his head to inspect what that had been.
His vision was blurry from the pain, so all he could really
make out was an arm. An arm that was digging its way into his
gut.
"Greetings Ranma," said the man as he slowly removed his fist
from Ranma's stomach.
He watched as Ranma slowly sank to his knees, clutching his
mid-section in pain. He laughed at how Ranma spit out small
droplets of blood as he desperately sucked in air.
"Pathetic," he said as he landed a short kick on Ranma's
cheek. Although it had no momentum, it still sent him flying
a good 15 meters.
Ranma felt as he flew through the air and landed flat on his back.
He tried to get up, but his body wasn't responding. No matter how
much effort he put into it, he just couldn't move.
"What the hell..." was the only thought he could think of.
He began to panic as everything around him started turning black.
He could see his attacker coming slowly towards him. He wanted to
get up and run, but he didn't have the energy. He finally gave into
the darkness that clouded his mind, falling completly unconscious.
The man reached Ranma. He looked down at him like he was bug. A bug
that had been easily squished. Much too quickly for his puposes.
He smiled as he picked Ranma up from the collar of his red chinese
shirt. His limp and almost lifeless body dangled in his grip.
He heard everyone around around him either scream, call him curses
or marvel at how he just beaten the strongest fighter any of them
had ever seen.
He paid no attention to the bystanders ramblings. He concentrated his
gaze on Ranma. He patted himself on the back as he saw Ranma's blood
ooze out of his mouth.
He felt on top of the world, yet very dissapointed at this situation.
He expected him to be stronger than the last time, but if anything,
he was grossly weaker. He sighed as he switched Ranma's body from his
right to his left arm.
"... (sigh) You're no better. If anything, you've gotten worse. I
thought you'd practice, but here you are, lying half dead in my hand
as I have barely even touched you."
The man balled his right hand into a fist.
"Well, I guess now I have to kill you."
"RANMAAAAAAAA!!!"
A furious Akane ran with all her might towards the man who held Ranma
in his hand. She was pretty quick when she was angry. She wanted to help
out before, but the shock had gone into her just as anybody else. She
had become paralyzed at this situation. But now she was up and ready to
put an end to this man's ideas.
As her customary manner, she focused all her strength on her right leg,
as it quickly hit the man's left shoulder blade. The impact made him drop
Ranma, but the effect was not complete, much to her surprise.
This kind of power kick had sent Kuno, Happosai, Ranma and others flying
through the Earth's stratosphere. But this man had been the exception.
Yes, she had managed for him to drop Ranma, but there wasn't any
noticeable damage. In fact, he'd barely even moved a few steps forward.
He was like a steel wall, and that thought didn't surprise Akane at
the very least. Her right foot felt swollen in her shoe. It pounded with
pain. She tried her best to step a few paces back on her left foot,
without falling over, since she had the disadvantage that her foot was
badly twisted.
The man let out a heavy sigh and slowly turned to see who had the guts
to strike him. It came as a small surprise that this person had been
the girl Ranma was with.
Akane gasped at the man's arm. As he turned to face her, she noticed
something that was not very pleasant. His left arm was twisted back
in a very weird form. She'd dislocated his shoulder.
Normally, she expected him to kneel down and grab his arm and scream out
in pain, as any regular HUMAN would. This would give her the advantage,
so in that instant, she could connect the blow that would earn her the
victory.
Instead, the man noticed his arm. She quickly saw as he placed his right
hand on his left shoulder. What she saw next almost made her puke.
He quickly pulled his arm all the way out, and twisted it back to its
original position. All it took was a little concentration and a loud
crack. He moved his arm around to check if he had performed the
procedure correctly. His arm moved just fine, no real damage had been
stressed.
He directed his gaze towards Akane. Immediately, she assumed a battle
stance that allowed her to keep her weight on her left foot, since her
right foot was injured. He didn't fail to notice that.
"I admire your courage miss. Very few people have ever been able to
hit me, mainly out of fear. Little alone have any of them ever managed
to dislocate something. But for your safety, I wouldn't do that again."
Akane was in a dangerous position ans she knew it. This man was powerful.
Too powerful. She'd attacked him and now found herself injured, even
though he hadn't even taken a swipe at her yet. She kept herself in the
defensive posture.
"Hmph. You wish to hurt me. I don't blame you. But think about it for
a moment. You are injured and I'm at full health. I could easily break
every bone in your body if I wanted to. So I say this for your own good,
back off."
His words didn't register with her. She didn't know the meaning of
'back off'. She didn't think about it twice, or the pain smeared on her
foot, before she unleashed a fury of attacks on him.
"Son of a bitch! How could you!" she yelled as she tried to hit him.
But it wasn't easy. He dodged each one of her attacks as if she was
a begginer. He began to laugh, which only made her angrier.
She had a few good tricks she could use on this particular battle,
although it would be painful. She decided she had no other choice but
to risk it.
She deliberately let all her weight fall on her injured foot. She tried
her best not to scream at the pain. He sensed this sudden advantage and
tried to simply push her off her feet. That's when she surprised him.
She sent a really quick kick near his face. Somehow, he had also
anticipated such a move, but barely managed to dodge it. He cursed
himself at his carelessness.
She didn't manage to do much, but he felt as her heel cut through
his right sleeve and sether some flesh on his shoulder.
He backed away for a few moments to inspect the wound. It was a
pretty deep gash, but a little pain wasn't going to stop him.
He removed his sunglasses and looked at Akane.
The sight of his eyes made her wonder if she wasn't fighting some
kind of demon. He had dark brown eyes, that clearly lacked any
kind of emotion. His pupils were small, as if he was starting
directly into a bright light.
*This guy's good,* she thought. It wasn't until she let her mind
wander a bit until she remembered a similar look on the pervert
Happosai. Whenever he fought, his eyes didn't show any kind
of feeling and his pupils always seemed to shrink. It always
gave him the advantage. His opponent was always dumbfounded
at the fact that he could not anticipate his next move by
looking at his eyes. This man obviously knew the same
technique.
Akane wasn't thinking rationally. She let her warrior spirit
take over her will as she attacked him again. It was even harder
this time. He stood his ground, only dodging at the very last
second. Each time, she felt a small amount of energy being
expended from his presence. It almost made him look like
a shadow.
She threw an uppercut directly at his jaw. She thought she'd
finally connect a hit, since he wasn't even moving. Just before
her fist hit, he caught her hand, pulled her off balance, and
as she fell to the floor, she felt him press a spot near her
neck. It made her feel very strange.
She dropped to her knees and slowly stood up. Any sudden moves
could prove dangerous against him. She stood all the way up and
assumed another stance, but there was a problem. She felt an odd
sensation shoot through her heart. Immediately, she fell to her
knees, hands placed on the floor to help her keep from fainting,
panting and sucking in as much air as she could. She was completly
exhausted.
She managed to look up at him. He was smiling.
"I warned you. Not to worry, your strength should return soon
enough."
He tore off the right sleeve of his shirt and took a good look
at his wound. It was bleeding, but not that badly. He slowly
began wrapping the torn piece of garment around the gash, so
the pressure would cut of the bleeding.
Akane sat down sideways, unable to keep her weight on her arms
anymore. She looked at him as he performed first aid on
himself. All she wanted to do was jump up and beat him to
a very bloody pulp, which was very much impossible now.
She could barely breath, little alone jump him.
He was wrapping his torn sleeve around his injured shoulder,
when she noticed a distinctive mark. A tatoo. A very well
done tatoo. A silver dragon, coiled up as it stared into
her eyes.
He finished with his cut and directed Akane.
"So, you must be Tendo Akane, right?"
Akane couldn't help but be surprised at what she just heard.
He knew who she was.
"How do you..."
He smiled. "I have my resources."
He turned his head to look at Ranma, who was still lying on
the ground, unmoving. He turned back to look at her.
He took a few seconds to look at Akane, memorizing her figure.
"Hmph. No wonder you won over Ranma from those three other girls.
I can see they cannot match your appearance, without a doubt."
He led his hand to his front jean pocket, pulling out a small
envelope.
He looked at the item, and then at Akane.
"Once your fiancee wakes up, please be sure to give him this."
He threw the envelope right in front of her. She watched in
surprisement as it cut through the air and dug itself to the
pavement on one of the edges.
Akane stared at the object. She was about to grab it when the man
bagan to walk away.
She turned to see him, but didn't expect that he would still talk.
"One more thing," he said without turning to look at her. "I
would like to believe this matter concerns the both of you.
So please feel free to take the liberty to read the note."
He began to walk toward his travel pack.
He picked it up and lost himself in the corner turn.
Akane took the envelope and placed it into her uniform pocket.
She slowly made her way towards Ranma. She managed to stand. The
pain on her foot was less and her unnatural exhaustion was fleeing.
She kneeled beside Ranma.
"Ranma, Ranma are you ok?"
No response.
She rocked his body. "Ranma, wake up!"
She was starting to get scared. She touched his face, but no reaction.
She placed her ear on his chest. He still had a heartbeat.
*Oh no...*
His heartbeat was decreasing and she could sense it.
Everyone gathered around her and Ranma.
"Help! Get help!!!" she screamed.
----------------------------------------------------
How long had it been?
Akane sat in a chair outside of the room.
She looked down at her foot. It was now wrapped in bandages.
Effectively, she had twisted it.
She let herself repeat the scene over and over again.
Ranma being hit, the strangers' horrifying thoughts, all of
it. It brought tears to her eyes.
She looked at the door again. All she wanted was some sign
that he was okay. She'd been sitting there for a long time now,
refusing to her families' requests on going home and getting
some sleep. Nodoka had been the last one there with her,
but sleep caught up with her too, so she retired back home
'till morning.
She had stayed. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to be
the first to know if Ranma was okay.
Why hadn't Dr. Tofu allowed her to be in the room?
She had insisted beyond annoyance, but no matter how she
requested it, he didn't want her to be in the room. He
used the excuse that the treatment he had to use to
heal Ranma might result disturbing to anyone else.
She had no other choice but to wait.
She heard some rustling noises come from the room and
finally, Doctor Tofu came out, drenched in sweat.
He looked at the worried Akane and smiled.
"You can see him now Akane."
Akane got up slowly and walked into the room. There he was,
asleep. A perfect site. Sheets barely covering his torso.
Just perfect. He seemed angelic in the barely lit-up room,
and wavory thoughts came to her. She pushed them back
quickly, deciding it was neither the time nor the place.
Dr. Tofu had gone, so she sat on the chair he had been using.
She looked directly at Ranma's face. It seemed to be at peace,
but after a beating like that it just seemed natural.
She took his hand and rubbed his palm with her fingertips.
*Ranma...*
Dr. Tofu came in again, drying himself with a small towel.
Healing Ranma had not been an easy task.
He saw how Akane held Ranma's hand in a loving grip, even more
so when she noticed he had been prying.
He smiled as he pulled a chair from the near desk so he could
sit next to Akane and Ranma's bed.
"Is he gonna be alright Doctor?"
Tofu sighed. "Akane, take a look at this."
Tofu started to uncover Ranma's bare torso, stopping on his
stomach. Akane gasped.
She gently moved her fingers over the unnatural mark that
stood out. A fist. A balled up fist, burned into his body.
"What is this?" she asked, as she suddenly remembered the earlier
events. Ranma had been hit in the stomach by that stranger. That
bastard had left this mark on Ranma.
"It's a ki burn Akane." Tofu said.
Akane looked at Tofu in confusion. "A ki burn?"
"Yes. Whenever a large amount of ki is used on a body, it usually
leaves a burn mark such as this one, but I've never seen such
presicion. Usually, the burn is scattered in an unruly fashion,
but this one," he touched the mark, "is anything but perfect.
Whoever hit him left him a message."
"Which one? That he can do this? To Show off?"
"Mainly, yes. He left it here to show us that he can do this.
He's showing us he's good."
Akane touched the burned skin once again.
"Akane," Tofu started.
Akane shifted her gaze to look at him.
"Could you tell me what really happened?"
"Sure, but why?"
"These injuries are severe. I'd really like to know how he
got them."
Akane thought for a moment, nodded and shifted her eyesight to the
floor.
"I, I don't get it. We were walking out of the main gate of the school,
just minding our business. Ranma pushed me down, so I turned and
tried to warn him, but he had already been hit. He got hit once on
his stomach, and another time on his face."
I tried to help him, so I attacked that guy. I just kicked him once and
twisted my ankle. I started to get scared, so I just let out all I
had on him. Then he just touched my shoulder and I felt really tired.
Then I fell and he just left."
Tofu noticed as tears were building in Akane's eyes. He was certain
she'd never felt so powerless against anyone if this story was true.
She shifted her gaze back to Ranma's face, caressing his cheek
delicately. "Not even Happosai can knock him out like that, and that
pervert's his master."
Tofu nodded. "Indeed, but Akane, are you sure he was only hit twice?"
Akane looked at him quizzicly. "Yeah. But why do you ask?"
Tofu was dumbfounded. He didn't respond to Akane's question right away.
He had treated Ranma for over 70 wounds all over his body. But if what
Akane said was the truth, this was not possible. He only treated Ranma
for minor injuries, even when he fought against Cologne or Happosai.
He'd never even seen such damage on such small wounds. He searched
through the memories of his training, recalling a technique that
might have been able to stress such damage, if it still existed
that is.
Tofu opened his eyes which had involuntarily been closed as he thought,
and looked at Akane then at Ranma.
"Akane, I think Ranma may have suffered the MAKICHIRASU."
Akane was confused. "What's that?"
"The makichirasu is also called the scatter attack. If memory serves
me right, it's a technique that distributes an equal amount of force
throughout the body as the main impact zone."
Akane looked at Ranma's burn. She stared at it intently, trying to
figure out just how the hell that was possible.
"I've never even heard of that."
"I know, and that bothers me."
Tofu looked at Ranma's burn.
"If I'm right, only a very specific form of martial arts teach that
technique. And also, that art was lost over 300 years ago."
Akane thought for a moment. Maybe it was true, maybe Ranma had suffered
such a powerful technique.
She suddenly remembered the note that guy had given her. She'd gone
home briefly to change, but she remembered putting it into her short
pocket.
She was pulling out the folded envelope, when she was distracted by
a storming Ukyo, bursting through the door.
"Oh, my poor Ranchan!"
Ukyo walked towards Ranma's bed. Akane covered up his torso, but Ukyo
didn't seem to notice.
She leaned over Ranma, placing her palm on his forehead as if looking
for a fever.
"Ranchan, are you okay?"
"Ukyo, keep it quiet. He needs to rest," said Akane.
Ukyo glared at Akane.
"How could you let this happen to him Akane? I thought you loved him."
Akane blinked at Ukyo's comment. It hadn't even crossed her mind that this
was somehow her fault. She quickly responded.
"Ukyo, at least I tried to help him. You weren't even around. So back off."
Ukyo reverted her glare to Ranma. That didn't do much good.
"How come you came until now?" asked Akane.
"I just heard. One of my morning customers told me, so I came as soon as I could."
Shampoo and Cologne both came through the door, followed behind by Ryoga.
Akane looked at all of them. "What're you guys doing here?"
"We came as soon as we heard," responded Ryoga.
Shampoo leaned at the foot of the bed. "Ranma, how this happen?"
"Wait a minute. Where's Mousse?" asked Akane.
"Mousse at Nekohanten. We come so he stay to run restaurant."
Ryoga looked at Ranma. "Who did this? If anything I should've been
the one to beat him."
Akane pushed back the sudden sense of annoyance that shot through her.
Ranma had almost been killed and all Ryoga could think about was that
he should've done this to him.
Cologne hit Ryoga on the head with her cane. "Be quiet boy. Ranma needs
to rest."
"Please, try to be quiet. Ranma needs to regain his strength," said Tofu.
Akane once again began pulling the note from her short pocket.
She stopped as a sudden chill ran down her spine.
She heard footsteps near the door. They were getting closer.
She held her breath as she could hear a laugh inside her mind.
Her eyes widened as a man leaned on the door.
"Good morning everyone."
Shampoo, Ukyo, Cologne, Ryoga and Tofu stared at this visitor curiously.
"Good morning. How may I help you?" asked Tofu.
Akane stood up from her chair and walked towards this man.
She stood defiantly before him, careful not to remove her gaze from his.
He smiled and that sent her over the edge.
"You bastard..."
She swung her right fist at his face.
He quickly caught her hand. He smiled as his pupils got smaller, his
grip on her hand becoming harder.
"I told you not to do that."
He gave her arm a slight push, knocking her off balance. Ryoga caught
her before she hit the floor.
Cologne stared at the man in disbelief. He radiated the same kind of
power she'd sensed the night before. Only now, it wasn't diminished,
only controlled. She took a good look at the tatoo on his right
shoulder. A silver dragon, coiled up. She knew, she knew it all now.
Ryoga helped Akane to her feet. "Who are you?" he demanded.
Akane stood up again, assuming a battle stance.
"He did this Ranma."
They all looked at him, complining to Akane's reaction, each assuming
their battle positions. Except for Ukyo.
Ukyo couldn't break her gaze from his eyes. They were dark brown,
an enchanting color. She couldn't help but notice this mans'
physique. He was a little taller than Ranma. His body firm and muscular.
He was not ashamed to show himself off, since he wore a sleeveless shirt
and sweat pants. She finally broke free of his hypnosis and reached back
for her spatula.
He looked at each on individually, especially at the spatula wielding
warrior. "Please, no need to fight, I'm only here to speak with Ranma.
Is he awake?"
He bagan to walk towards Ranma's bed, when Akane got in his way.
"Don't go near him," she said in a firm tone.
He looked at this woman. Twice she had stood up to him, a new record for
any fighter. He couldn't help but notice the look of pure hatred in her
eyes. She wanted to hurt him, and by the looks of it, it was the first
time she'd experienced such a feeling.
"Twice you have stood in my way. I cannot help but feel envious of Ranma.
He has found a good and strong woman's love, undying and faithfull. He is
truly lucky." He let out a short laugh. "In this case, I shall honor your
request. I shall return when he has healed. Until then."
He bowed and began walking out of the room. He would've left immediately,
if Cologne hadn't asked him something he just had to answer.
"That tatoo, I've seen it before. Who are you young man?"
He smiled as he slowly turned his head around to look at the old chrone.
"My name is Shegkusa Iori."
He let out a small laugh as he sensed the change in the old womans'
emotions. Although she didn't physically show it, she was surprised.
Not just that, but incredulous.
"It seems you have heard my name before."
He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to feel something around
him.
"Ahh yes. How could I have not seen this before? You are Cologne."
Cold sweat ran down her forehead as he mentioned her name. She
almost lost her balance.
"I suppose this will make our game that much more fun. I'll be
on my guard at all times."
He bowed at the small crowd, and quickly began walking away.
They all heard as the doors slide open, then close again. He was
gone.
Cologne sat on the desk, trying to breath in as much air as she could.
"Great-grandmother, what wrong. Why you act like this? Who that man?"
Cologne breathed in hard, trying to regain her control. She managed
to mutter a few words. "A Shegkusa, impossible..."
The name struck a cord in Tofu's memory. He quickly began to recall
his first sensei mention this name, and the fighters associated with
it.
Akane looked at Cologne completely baffled. She had never seen her
act like this. She had always maintained control, even in the most
extreme of situations.
"Who or what is a Shegkusa?" asked Akane.
"The legendary Shegkusa clan. I don't believe it," she responded.
"Shegkusa? Never heard of 'em," said Ryoga.
"Let me finish piglet boy!"
Ryoga immediately shut up.
She sighed. "The Shegkusa clan are a bloodline of warriors that date back
to China even before my time."
"Yes, but their last member died off over 300 years ago," said Tofu
as he remembered some history of the name.
"They didn't die, they just moved."
"How do you know?" asked Ukyo.
"Because I met the last member a long time ago."
"What!? Is that true!?" exclaimed Tofu.
"Yes. You see, the Shegkusa's were famous back then for having created
a style of martial arts that no other fighter could beat. It was a mixture
of every single chinese and japanese martial art. No fighter could go up
against the weakest of their warriors, for they knew how to counter
every attack the opponent could come up with. That style eluded even me.
I was never able to learn it."
Ukyo heard as the old chrone spilled some valuable information that really
didn't make any sense. If they were such magnificent fighters, how come
she'd never heard of them? And if the historical records showed the
wipeout of the entire clan, how come there was a representative of
such a group among them?
"If you're telling us the truth, where did they go to?"
Cologne sighed as the question echoed in her mind.
"It's a long story."
"Tell us then. Anything that'll help us in this situation." said Akane.
"The Shegkusa's survived. I can't believe it."
-----------------------------------------------------
FLASHBACK
Sounds filled an old house in the amazon village. The familiar sounds
of a kata. Complicated, yet easily mastered.
"Very well Cologne, that's enough for today."
Cologne removed her defense stance and bowed.
"Now why don't you go out and play for a little while. I'll call you
in when dinner's ready."
Cologne's face lit up.
"Thanks mommy."
Cologne left her house, going out of the village to sit on a nearby
flower field. She would have rathered to play with her friends, but
their training session for the day was not yet complete, so she
had no other choice but to go alone.
She sat there on the field, making crown flower arrangements. They
were her favorite. Each time she told herself this one was better
than the last, although they were really all the same.
She noticed as how the sun was beggining to set in the distant
mountains. Oh, how she loved seeing the sun set. It was magical,
such a beautiful sight.
She could feel her mother about to call her, so she got up and
pranced her way back to the village. Even though her training
was very tough, there was nothing that could tire out an energetic
seven year old.
She kept going and would've gotten there sooner if it had not been
for a very odd feeling that consumed her.
She looked around, but found nothing other than the landscape and that
giant tree that she and her friends used very frequently to play.
Almost as if guided by instinct, she made her way to this huge tree.
She looked up at it's branches, finding nothing more than leaves.
Although she felt like leaving, something inside her told her not
to. She decided to look around it.
She felt relief as all that surrounded this tree was nothing more
than a lot of grass.
She smiled to herself as she started walking back, until she felt
like she stepped in something.
She quickly got off of whatever it was, and screamed when she felt
something grab her ankle.
"Ahhhhhhh! Help! It got me!"
She furiously moved around to free herself, until whatever it was
let her go.
She lost her balance and fell to the ground.
She regained her composure, removing the grass to look what had attacked
her.
She pushed away the grass and screamed.
She saw a bloody hand lying there. It wasn't moving.
She wanted to run away, but instead she kept looking at the figure.
She revealed a body covered up by the grass. It was a man, covered
in blood, eminating a bad smell.
She tried to approach it, but lost her balance again and fell as it
began to move slowly.
The man lifted his head up as much as he could to see who this person
was.
He used tremendous effort to talk to this child.
"Please... help... me..."
He let his head fall again and fell unconscious.
Cologne didn't know how to react at this kind of situation, so she
did what she could think of. She quickly ran back to the village.
"Mommy, mommy! Come quick! Someone's hurt!"
-----------------------------------------------------
He could hear the sounds of his own regulated breathing. He felt
detached from his body. He knew he was awake, but the rest of
him didn't.
He could hear people talking over him. So many voices, so much
noise kept him awake, but asleep.
Many sounds filled his ears. Voices of men and women, asking who
he was, trying to ask questions he could not answer in his state.
The fight, so many people surrounding him, unable to defend
himself or those who he loved.
He ran.
He ran as fast as his feet could take him.
Nothing except his life mattered now. Everyone was gone now,
if he fell, how would his bloodline survive? It gave him
nightmares. Horrible dreams of these events, transpiring
over and over again, only now he could help, but chose to
run in fear.
All was too much to bear. He fell asleep once more.
He felt as he awoke once more. All the voices were gone,
now he could only make out two. Two voices that gave him
reassurance. He knew he was safe here. Wherever 'here' was.
"Mommy, is he gonna wake up?"
"I hope so honey. He's been asleep for over three days now.
I'm sure he'll wake up soon enough."
*Wake up,* his mind said. His body had to follow.
"Uhhhhhhnnnnnnn, ohhhhhhhhhhh..."
He slowly opened his eyes. He could tell it was night. The lit-up
candle hurt his eyesight.
He slowly summoned enough energy to sit up.
He immediately brought his hands to his face.
It felt weird to move. His movements were somewhat prevented
by something.
His eyes slowly came into focus. He could see nothing but dark,
now he could see more.
"Well, he's up," said the deeper voice.
He tried to look in the direction if this voice. He had to know
who it belonged to.
A face slowly entered his sight, taking form slowly.
He finally managed to make out its form.
A woman.
A beautiful woman, with long, silky purple hair.
"Whe, where am I?" he managed to mutter.
"It's okay. Don't worry. It's safe here."
He knew from this tone of voice he was safe.
Cologne slowly filled a glass with water and handed it to him.
"Here. It's water."
He took the glass gently from her, drinking the contents rather
quickly.
He finished and sighed at the relief. His thrist was subsided
now, but that's not all he felt. He was also starved.
The woman knew that water alone wasn't going to do anything.
Luckily, she was prepared for this.
She filled a small bowl with meat rice and gave it to him.
"You have to eat. Here."
She gave him the bowl, and watched as he satisfied his hunger.
He ate a few more bowls after that. Always very quickly, but with
excellent manners.
He felt very relieved. He hadn't eaten in days if he remembered
correctly.
He finished his last bowl. He carefully placed it down on the
floor.
He looked at the two women. A grown adult and a small child.
Without a doubt they mother and daughter.
He finally figured out why his moves were limited. Most of his
chest, arms and legs were wrapped up in layers of bandages.
He was also clean now. The dried up blood in his hair and face was
gone.
He quickly realized he didn't have a shirt on, but he still had
his pants.
Slowly, he stood up. It was hard to move, not just because of the
material, he was still in pain.
He looked at the two women who stood up to face him. The adult
was tall. She reached up to his pecks, and he was a very tall man.
The child was small, barely reaching his waist.
He bowed in respect at them.
"Thank you for everything. I believe I must go now."
He started to turn, but was stopped.
"Wait, you can't go," the woman said.
He looked into her eyes, almost getting lost in the light purple
color of them.
"Listen, I do not have any money, nor anything to give to you."
"I don't want your money. You can't go because you haven't
recovered yet."
"I must. I'm sorry."
He again started to turn, when he suddenly felt very dizzy. It
took most of his energy just to stay on his feet. He raised a hand
to his face in a vain attempt to stay focused.
"See? You can't even walk straight. Now lie down, you need to rest."
He had no intention of fulfilling her order, but his body felt too
weak to even stand up anymore. He sat back down on the small futon.
He pushed back the sick feeling that invaded him. He usually healed
very quickly, but even he had to admit he'd lost way too much blood.
The adult woman sat beside him and felt his forehead with her palm.
"Looks like the fever's gone."
He didn't know what to say. A complete stranger was playing healer on
him, but he didn't object. He actually enjoyed her touch.
"I um, thank you miss."
She removed her hand and rested it on her leg.
"Please don't call me miss. I am Yuriko, and this is my daughter,
Cologne."
She touched Cologne's shoulder.
"It is an honor to meet you. I'd bow, but I can't even stand."
Cologne looked curiously at him. He didn't fail to notice.
She touched his right shoulder.
"What is this?" she asked.
He looked at his shoulder tatoo.
"It's called a tatoo. This is my family symbol."
"You must be a Shegkusa, right?" asked Yuriko.
"Indeed. But how do you know?"
"Only A Shegkusa can have that mark. A coiled up dragon."
"You know much about us Yuriko."
"Barely. I only know what I've been told."
He flushed a little for some reason.
"Where are my manners. My name is Mitsurugi. It is an honor to
meet you both."
He slowly shifted his legs around so he could rest his weight
on his arms, and slowly bowed at them. They did the same
gesture.
"It is an honor for us to have a Shegkusa in our home. Mitsurugi,
may I ask you a question?"
"By all means," he said as he sat up.
"I have heard that the Shegkusa family symbol is the dragon. But
generally, it is outdone in black. Tell me, why is it that the
one you bear is silver?"
He looked at his tatoo.
"Generally, it is a black dragon. If it is silver, then he who
bears it is recognized as the heir to the Shegkusa throne."
Yuriko and Cologne both looked a bit surprised.
"That means that you know techniques that are forbidden to your
siblings."
"That is true."
"But I don't understand. You were hurt badly. How is it that you
had so many cuts on your body?"
He closed his eyes. He had hoped he could avoid that question.
"It's a long story."
Yuriko realized she was out of line.
"I'm sorry. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."
Mitsurugi sighed.
"No, it's okay. I want to tell you. It's better for someone other
than me to know the truth."
Yuriko and Cologne looked at him intently.
He had no idea where those words came from. His initial reaction
was anger, but something in it told him it was better to tell
what had happened.
"... (sigh) It all goes back a few weeks. This tatoo determines
who will be heir, but that's always been decided at birth, never
by skill. My only other brother was always jealous that I was
chosen and not him."
I was never able to convince him it had not been my fault.
Over time, my abilities grew as did his. He would propose two
challanges a year to see who was better. I always won, since
my training was superior. It always made things worse."
Three years ago he proposed one final challenge. If he defeated
me, he would be pronounced heir. My father always seemed to favor
me more than him, but he liked the idea. My brother went off to
perfect his skills, and we didn't hear from him since. Until
a few months ago that is."
He returned, stronger than ever. It was a difficult battle, but
I won. My brother fell in disgrace and dissapeared. He returned
home a few days after with bad news."
In his blind rage, he faced an assassin in combat and killed him."
Yuriko brought her hand to her mouth. Cologne looked confused.
"What's an assassin mommy?"
"It's a very bad person who hurts others for rare reasons honey.
Please continue Mitsurugi."
He nodded. "As luck came to be, he killed the leader of The Order
of Toaraoma."
Yuriko's eyes widened.
"As you probably may have heard, it isn't very wise to face anyone
from this order. It's even worse if the leader has fallen. Should
this case come to be, the order target all the family of the
culprit."
Yuriko breathed in. "But, I thought the Shegkusa clan could defeat
any fighter, regardless of anything."
He sighed. "So did I. That is just not the case. Unfortunately, our
main defense is to sense someone's presense by their ki. The order
knew this, and were able to bypass us."
She noticed how his voice was cracking up and tears forming behind
his eyes.
"It was late at night. We were all asleep. I heard screams from
mother and father's room. I ran, but I was already to late.
There they were, six of them, all in guise, standing triumphantly
over my dead parents. They had gotten to my brother too, for he
was lying dead near their bed."
They were waiting for me. They leaped in from the windows and doors,
too many for me. I was able to take down a few, but their techniques
are superb. They cut me up pretty bad. I had no other choice but to
run for my life. I ran non-stop, unsure of where I was headed. I hid
from them as long as I could, but they caught up with me again. This
time, they weren't as lineant. They attacked me at full force. I used
a ki attack to get away, but I had already been injured heavily. I
ran until I collapsed under a tree. When I woke up I was here."
Yuriko saw as how tear tracks formed on his cheek. He was truly in
grave emotional pain.
"My mother, my father, my brother, all my clan, dead. They wiped us
all out one by one. I'm the last one left."
He let sobs escape him. He buried his face in his hands, not ashamed
to cry in front of them.
Yuriko didn't know what to say to make him feel better. She just sat
there, running her fingers through the asleep Cologne's hair.
He wiped the tears from his face and stood up. This time he didn't feel
dizzy.
"Well, I must really be going now. Thank you for your hospitality."
He bowed at Yuriko.
"No wait," she said. She removed Cologne from her lap, placing her
on the bed.
She stood up right in front of him. She squeezed his arm a bit.
He immediately felt a sharp pain shoot through his arm. He grunted.
"See? You are too weak to travel. If the order finds you, you wont
stand a chance against them."
"Maybe, but..."
She put a finger on his mouth, flushing a little.
"No 'buts'. You have to stay until you recover."
He lowered his gaze to the floor, feeling a little ashamed to look
into her eyes directly. He realized he didn't have a choice here,
so it was better to compline.
"Very well, I'll stay. But only until I've recovered my strength."
He lifted his head and noticed as how Yuriko smiled at his answer.
He smiled himself.
-----------------------------------------------------
Days became weeks.
Weeks became months.
He slowly but surely recovered.
Everyday, he'd train from dusk 'till dawn. He'd perfect his abilities
and create new ones. All was in the idea that once he was fully
healed, he'd leave. But that idea had been forgotten. No one pushed
him to leave, they actually enjoyed his presence. And there was Cologne.
The child had grown on him, spawning a care similar as if she was his
own flesh. Then there was Yuriko. The most caring woman alive.
She was always ready to lend an ear, as was he. They's stay up until
high hours in the morning, just talking about their lives and what
they expected out of their future.
Each day, she'd tell him certain unclear messages that he was unable
to interpret. He knew he cared for her, and deep in his heart, he
knew she cared for him.
Every other day, he'd take young Cologne with him, helping train her.
Although she was very young, her abilities were exceptional. She could
learn new techniques in a matter of days. He'd shown her the basics on
very rare ones that only his family knew.
She had the most fun watching him practice getting chestnuts out of
a fire, and how he played jokes on everyone by making them intolerable
to hot water.
*
"Yuriko, I'll take Cologne with me today. I'm going to teach her
a new skill. We should be back before nightfall."
"Very well, but be careful."
Mitsurugi told Cologne to get ready for another training session. In
a matter of minutes the child was all set.
Cologne tugged at Mitsurugi's hand, speeding through the flower field.
The techniques he wanted to teach her required space, and this was
the perfect setting.
They stopped far out in the field, picking a spot surrounded by trees
and shade.
They both assumed a ready stance.
"Ready Cologne?"
"Ready Mitsurugi!"
"Hold on. I have a surprise for you."
She removed her ready stance and saw him walk over to a nearby tree.
He came back quickly, handing her a wrapped up and elongated object.
"Here, this is for you."
He handed the object.
She inspected it curiously, finally unveiling it.
"What is it?"
"It's a cane. I asked your mother if it was all right if I showed you
how to fight using weapons, and she gave the go-ahead. A cane is a simple
weapon, so it should be easy to handle."
"Thank you Mitsurugi!"
She hugged the kneeled down Mitsurugi, returning the embrace.
It was so nice to hug her. He had always wanted a child, and she was as
close as he wanted.
He broke the hug and looked at his pupil.
"Very well Cologne, first rule in weapons combat..."
*
They trained throughout the afternoon. He had to show Cologne how to
manipulate her cane more times than usual, but she was starting to
get the hang of it.
They were both exhausted, so they sat down to watch how the sun
set before heading home.
"Mitsurugi, I have a surprise for you too!"
"You do?"
"Yes! It's from me and mommy!"
Mitsurugi looked into her face curiously.
"Well, what is it?"
Cologne's face lit up. "I want you to be my daddy!"
Mitsurugi's mouth dropped and he flushed a little.
"I, uhh..."
"Mommy said that you might become my daddy because she loves you and
you two might get married! But I wanted to tell you!"
"Well um..." he looked at Cologne incredulous. "Did she tell you to
tell me?"
"No, but I wanted to tell you! Grown-ups are so silly!"
Mitsurugi scanned Cologne's face and tone of voice. He'd always had
the quality of smelling lies, but he found no remnant of such.
He stood up, picking up Cologne.
The child awaited an answer, so he had to come up with something.
"Cologne, I just, well I, I'll talk about it with Yuriko," he
finally said.
"Yay! You will be my daddy!"
He had to tame Cologne. "Don't jump to conclusions child. We'll see
what happens."
The atmosphere around them was starting to change. Late afternoon was
becoming night. The familiar night sounds were beggining.
"We better head home."
He turned and heard some rustling in the nearby bushes.
He inspected all surroundings with detail, but found nothing.
"What's wrong?" asked Cologne.
"Nothing. Probably just an animal. We better get going."
*
Mitsurugi walked with a fast pace. He wanted to avoid the cold
that he could feel setling in.
Cologne was very tired, and before long had fallen asleep on his
shoulder.
He didn't know why, but during his walk back to the village, a
sinking feeling had consumed him.
Now it was completly dark. The feeling kept getting worse.
He thought about the possibility of overtraining, but it wasn't.
His gut was sensing something nearby. Something dangerous...
The feeling became untolerable.
He stopped, shaking Cologne awake and placing her on her feet.
He placed her right in front of him, arms on her chest.
"What is it?" she protested in a sleepy voice.
"shhh. be quiet. don't move unless i tell you to."
Cologne felt scared and did as she was told.
Mitsurugi placed all his senses on full alert. Nothing had to
escape him.
He heard a twig break behind him, but was unable to respond in
time.
He felt a quick movement near his back, followed by a surge of pure
pain.
He pushed Cologne to her knees, shielding her with his body.
"Aaaaaahhhhh!"
He reached back to touch his back. He felt liquid run through his
fingers and drip on the ground. He retrieved his hand, and saw
it was covered in blood. His blood.
The stinging sensation was overwhelming. He was injured, bad.
"Cologne," he whispered into her ear. "I want you to run back to
the village. It's not far. Run as fast as you can, don't stop
until you get home."
He caught a flash of moonlight being reflected on his face.
He responded immediately, catching a sharp object in his hands just
before it hit. He felt as it dug into his left palm.
"RUN!! RUN!!!"
Cologne got on her feet and ran as fast as she could, not daring
to look back.
He held the object as long as the pain allowed him to. He sent a low
kick in it's direction. He hit something. A body. He felt as it withdrew
the object.
He focused on this dark body. It was hard to see with the small oil lamp
he had, but he managed to make out a tall figure holding a sword.
*An assassin.*
The figure took more shape. It was dressed in a dark coat, concealing
everything except its' arms and legs.
He watched as it assumed it's stance, he doing the same thing.
Only he was in disadvantage. He was tired from training, and had
two very deep cuts on his body.
He looked at this attacker with hate filled eyes.
"You and your stupid order killed my clan. You will pay for that."
*
Cologne ran non-stop back home. Her heart pumping to keep up with the
rest of her body.
She finally reached home, storming through the door, looking for
her mother.
She found her knitting by the fire, sitting in her favorite chair.
"Mommy Mommy!"
Yuriko looked at her daughter.
"Hi Cologne. How was your day?"
She looked around the living room.
"Where's Mitsurugi Cologne?"
"Mommy, he's in trouble! A bad person hurt him!"
Yuriko rose to her feet, dropping her work.
*Oh God, A Toaraoma!*
She kneeled at Cologne.
"Cologne, go into your room and lock the door. Stay there until I come
and get you!"
"Mommy, what'r you going to do!?"
"I'm going to go help Mitsurugi!"
Cologne ran into her room as Yuriko retrieved a small dagger from its'
hiding spot. She ran with all her might out to the field.
*Oh God, please, please let him be all right...*
*
The silence was deafening.
Neither dared to move.
One false step would mean the end for any of them.
The assassin stood frozen in his stance, ready to strike at the slightest
movement.
Mitsurugi tried to focus over the pain on his back and on his hand,
trying not to throw up.
The lamp burned it's last pint of oil, leaving only the moon for
lighting.
The killer took advantage of this, quickly swinging is sword in mid-
run.
Mitsurugi jumped out of the way, but his speed was less due to the
pain. He felt the swipe near his right shoulder. The blade had cut
a bit.
He grabbed his arm with his injured hand; he felt how blood ran down
his arm from his injured parts.
He quickly heard his attacker run towards him again, quickly formulating
a plan.
He waited until he felt the air being cut.
He ducked out of the way, turned on his heals and pressed a pressure
point on his leg.
The assassin's leg became paralyzed. He followed this move with a
standing split kick, knocking the sword into the air.
He jumped and retrieved the weapon, centering his aim and landing
lightly on his feet.
He stood all the way up, letting the sword fall from his hands.
He turned to see the attacker. He was standing motionless.
A light wind blew, making his head fall neatly of it's body. The
body collapsed on the floor.
He swallowed back the disgust. He'd never taken a life before, but
it was either him or the assassin.
He ran as quickly as he could back to the village, pushing the limits
of his will. The loss of blood was taking it's toll. His vision was
becoming blurred and he felt like throwing up.
He tripped on a rock, unable to stand back up. He let his weight rest
on his right hand, throwing up.
He could hear footsteps quickly coming his way. He tried to look up,
but could only see a bright figure moving. It looked sharp. Probably
another assassin with a sword. He tried to stand, but all his energy
was gone.
The last thing he felt was this person stop in front of him; then
he fell unconscious.
*
Hours later, he began to regain himself.
He felt warm.
He focused on standing up, finding it easy now. His strength was coming
back to him. Good thing he always healed fast.
He opened his eyes as he sat up. His eyesight slowly focused.
He was in a room. It looked familiar. He was back in the room Yuriko
let him use.
He slowly recalled what had happened. The killer, the fight and the
struggle against himself to find safety.
He felt his back. The blood was gone and the cut had been cautiorized.
His hand and shoulder cuts were still untreated, but had stopped
bleeding.
He brought his good hand up and scrubbed his face.
*How'd I get back here?*
The door slowly opened and Yuriko came in, carrying a bottle and some
bandages with her.
She sighed in relief as she saw Mitsurugi sitting up on the small
futon.
She sat beside him, opening the bottle.
"You okay?"
He sighed. "Yes, barely. But how'd I get here?"
"I found you, so I brought you back home."
She grabbed his injured hand and lovingly spread the contents of the
bottle on the gash.
The feeling wasn't exactly pleasant. It stung like hell. Mitsurugi
let a small moan escape him.
"Don't worry, it'll close the wound. Just relax."
He watched as this miracle medicine slowly closed the wound, but still
left a small opening. Yuriko used the bandages to completly close it
off.
"Now your shoulder."
The same procedure once more.
He moved and flexed his arm and hand, finding that the medicine worked
wonders.
"Thank you, Yuriko."
She stared into his eyes, making his heart beat a little faster. The
fact that his shirt had been removed from his body made him a little
ashamed.
"What happened?"
He sighed. "A Toaraoma. They found me out I suppose."
She placed a hand on her mouth.
"Oh my, now what?"
"I don't know. I just, don't know."
A few silent moments passed, when they both talked at the same time.
"I..." she began.
"I..." he began.
"You first."
"Yuriko, this may seem odd, but Cologne told me something today.
About you. I just wanted to find out for myself."
She flushed a little, knowing what he was about to ask.
"I don't know what to make of it. I need to know, Yuriko, is it
true, do you um, love me?"
"It's a little hard."
"I need to know. Please."
She sighed. "I really can't explain it. I know we've only known
each other for a short time, but I enjoy being with you. You
are the first man I've opened up to since my husband died. I really
admire who you are. You're everything I ever wanted to be, everything
I ever wanted. I don't know how it came to pass, but..."
She stopped talking when he placed his hand on her cheek. Her heart
stopped and a tingle rushed through her body.
"Yuriko, just stop talking."
He pressed his lips gently on hers.
She felt the warmth of his mouth, kissing back as she wrapped her
arms around his neck.
-------------------------------------------
The rain was soft on the ground. Gentle rappings could be heard
on the roof, creating a feel of comfort; it was all so rare to him.
Mitsurugi let the feel of the raindrops cover his essence as he
stared out the window. He wasn't really thinking, but couldn't get his mind
off what just happened. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the
cool window, just breathing. He couldn't believe how stupid he was.
He was being pursude by killers who would stop at nothing to see him dead.
He knew he had to come up with some way so that Yuriko and Cologne would
not be involved, but that was going to be painfully hard now. They were
now officially part of his messed up life, he had dragged them into his
fight.
He went over to the futon and sat next to Yuriko's sleeping figure.
He brushed a stray tendril of her long hair behind her ear, which made
her smile in her sleep. He smiled too and planted a kiss on her cheek.
He sighed and stood up. He retrieved a piece of paper and the ink stone
from it's keeping place. Slowly, almost not wanting to, he wrote. He wrote
what he had to, something he didn't want to do, but it was also something he
couldn't risk not doing.
-------------------------------------------
The break of dawn and the first rays of light awoke Yuriko.
She remembered the events of last night, sighing to herself in satisfaction.
She turned around to see her lover, only he wasn't there anymore.
She sat up, covering herself with the sheets.
"Mitsurugi?"
She inspected the room, but she was the only one there.
More importantly, all his clothes and limited belongings were gone.
She dressed herself in the same clothes.
She quietly looked around the house, but nothing. No Mitsurugi.
She rested in the living room, thinking. Not about
anything specific, just thinking.
A few minutes later, a sleepy Cologne wandered in.
"Mommy, where's Mitsurugi?"
She looked at her daughter without much to say.
She was about to respond when she noticed a note dangling
on the door.
She got up, and walked towards it.
Cologne looked as her mother slowly read the paper, then suddenly
picked her up and ran out of the house.
"Mommy, where we going?"
"We have to get to the field Cologne."
*
She stood at the edge of the field, uncertain of where to head.
By almost instinct, she headed towards the object that drew the most
attention. The giant tree.
She and her daughter reached the tree, uncertain of what to do
now.
Yuriko slowly circled the tree, finding a certain someone hidden
behind the massive mark in her previous eyesight.
There he was. Mitsurugi. Dresses in his gi, all washed and cleaned
of the dried up blood.
He sensed her presence and slowly turned. He looked at her face,
seeing relief and grief in her eyes.
She was about to hug him, when Cologne beat her to it.
"Mitsurugi!!"
Cologne pulled at his leg, finally getting scooped up by him
and getting a tight hug.
"Hey kid..."
Their embrace touched her heart. Her daughter with her lover.
Not as much as a lover now, now he was almost her father. It filled her heart
with warmth, but tears immediately built back up as she remembered why they were
here.
Mitsurugi put Cologne down, then walked toward Yuriko. He stood
in front of her, feeling awkward and inadequate. But these two feelings were quickly
overcome with grief. The worst feeling he had ever had since the death of his clan.
He knew this was it. The point of no return.
"I, read your letter. Is it true?" asked Yuriko, looking at the
ground rather than at him directly.
He felt the words as a stab at his heart. He stopped staring at
the top of her head, turning his eyes to the horizon. He closed his eyes.
"Yuriko..." was his only answer.
She managed to lift her gaze and saw that he had turned his head.
He'd rather see something else than her. She couldn't blame him, she felt the same way.
"You are leaving..." she said in a very low tone.
Cologne's eyes opened wide. "No, no!!!"
The child pulled at his leg. "You can't go!"
Mitsurugi had hoped he could have avoided this particular moment
with the child. He knelt in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm sorry Cologne. I have to."
"No! You can't!"
He didn't know how to manage this situation, so he tried to fondle words straight from
his heart. "Listen to me Cologne." He turned his head around to see Yuriko. He noticed
the tear tracks on her cheeks. "I would like nothing more than to stay here with you
and your mother. I wanted us so badly to be a family. A father to you, and a husband
to your mother. But that's not possible now. There are very bad people after me.
People who want to hurt me. If I stay here, they'll want to hurt you too. I can't
let that happen, because I love you too much. I have to go, so you two can be safe."
Cologne had started to cry, but she didn't sob. "But I don't want you to go!!!" She
gave him a tight hug that lasted a few minutes as she cried. She broke the hug,
turned around and ran as fast as she could back to the village. Never turning around.
He watched as Cologne ran back home. Never in his life had he regreted being so honest.
He turned around to face Yuriko again. He stood before her, filled with an inmense
desire to hug her. Yet he hesitated. He was afraid that if he hugged her, he might
not be able to let go.
"I'm sorry Yuriko." He started to turn away, but she stopped him by wrapping her arms
around his waist and digging her face into his shoulder.
He felt really odd, not sure whether he should respond. All inhibitions of rational
thought left him as he heard the first of her sobs. He finally gave into what he
wanted and hugged her tight, a tear spilling from his eye.
"Yuriko, please don't cry. Let me remember you as the strong and stern woman I met."
She really didn't pay much attention. All she did was increase the force of the hug.
"We can figure something out. We could hide until they choose a new leader," she
said between sobs.
"No, we can't and you know that."
His answer hit her like a ton of bricks. She wanted so badly for him to stay,
and yet she knew there was no way she could convince him.
"Where will you go?"
He remained silent for a short time.
"Tell me, please."
"... (sigh) I don't know. I suppose I can find somewhere to hide
outside of China for a while. Other than that, I don't know."
They were both silent for a long time, just remaining still in their embrace.
He finally broke the tender moment. "No matter where I am, you will live in my
memories."
She looked up at his eyes. She had always dreamed of living such a moment with
her beloved, only in a much distinct manner. She felt her heart break in half
as she gave him a small nod.
The movement of her head indicated him she understood what he was trying to do.
He felt tears build in his eyes again as he made their lips meet. It was the
sweetest kiss he had ever experienced, yet the most painful. He knew this was it.
All emotions were to be left here. He'd probably never see her again. He would
never be able to return.
More tears streaked down her face as they kissed. She really loved
him, but she had to let him go. For his sake and her own, she had to.
Finally the kiss was broken and one final hug was given as he
whispered into her ear. "Farewell, my love..."
He slowly removed her arms from his body and began walking away.
A few tears spilled down his face, and to his surprise, he let them follow their
tracks. Yet, no sobs came to him as he slowly walked away.
She saw as her man slowly walked away into the field, their distance increasing
each time. She had urges to run over and tell him she'd go along, but she
couldn't. All she was really able to do was kneel on the ground, cup
her face in her hands as light sobs escaped her throat.
Two men she had loved, the last more than the previous, and they were both gone.
Left her by force of circumstance. Not a very pretty record.
END FLASHBACK
-----------------------------------------------------
Cologne closed her eyes as she decided the best way to end her story.
"Well, after that we never heard from him again."
"Wait a minute, that really doesn't answer anything. So what does that explain?"
asked Ryoga.
"It answers just how strong he is boy. That tatoo of his means he knows attacks
that could surprise even me."
"Tell us, what happened to your mother after that?" asked Ukyo.
"Well, she really changed. She mainly dedicated herself to my training. The village
men still went after her, but she just ignored or beat them. On occasions, I could
hear her crying late at night. I guess she still loved him until the day she died."
"Poor woman..." said Tofu.
To all this, Akane had remained silent, just lost in her own thoughts. *How did he
do this? How is it possible?* Her thoughts were still on Iori, the man who had
defeated Ranma. Hearing Cologne's story had helped her understand the reach of
his abilities, but it was all still too weird.
"So Shegkusa teach you to use cane," said Shampoo.
"Just one more thing," began Akane. "...don't you know how to fight them? I mean,
if he trained you some, shouldn't you know how to beat them?"
Cologne looked at Akane and closed her eyes. "No."
"But, then how you use cain so well?" said Shampoo.
"He may have taught me how to use the cain, but his martial arts eluded me. He
was forbidden by the laws of his clan to teach anyone this art. He may have been
the last one left, but he wanted the honor to live on."
"Are you sure you don't know where he went?" asked Tofu.
"A few years later we heard he left China on a trade boat, but the ship hit a bad
storm and sank. Beyond that, I don't know."
"Don't you al least know how his martial art was called? It would really help,"
said Tofu.
"I'm sorry, but I don't. He never told anyone."
Tofu checked a watch on the wall, and motioned for everyone to leave. It was still
very early and Ranma might wake up soon. The only one he allowed to stay was Akane,
who still sat beside Ranma's bed.
As everyone left, Ryoga lingered outside the room door. He looked as Akane sat beside
Ranma, holding his hand, whispering or just thinking.
*Akane...*
It still hurt. He knew he had lost for good, but his heart was too stubborn to accept
the obvious. Akane loved Ranma, and he loved her and that would never change, yet
deep in his heart, he secretly hoped that there was still a chance. Just one chance
to win Akane for himself.
Win...
The word made him disgusted with himself. He knew he l-lo-liked Akari now, and that his
previous affection was just based on lust for Akane. Lust as a man, as a small
piglet nestled warmly between her breasts. He always needed that to feel secure,
but he was not dependant on her companionship. There was no gap in his heart as he
had lost her. That part belonged to Akari, and in the long run, he was hers.
He let the latter thought fill him with relief as he slowly left the clinic and
headed back to his camp site. For some reason, not even his superb sense of direction could
make him get lost this time.
*
*Ranma, just hold on. I'll be right here.*
She brushed her fingertips gently acroos his cheek, careful not to disturb his sleep.
She felt him smile under her touch, yet nothing was visible on his face.
She let go of his hand and nuzzled in the comfy chair she was sitting on. She managed
to get comfortable as a yawn escaped her. She was exhausted and some sleep would do
her good. Her eyes drooped slowly as she watched him. He was an angel lying on the bed.
Her angel, her's alone. No one would ever take him away from her, nor would she let
them. Her eyelids finally closed, allowing her access into the world of slumber. Just
one thought came to her before she fell asleep. *I wonder what he's dreaming about...*
*
An alarm sounded loudly, waking him from his sleep.
He turned, and with practiced presition turned off the noise. Slowly he sat up, thining
out sleep by scrubbing his face with his hands.
*What a strange dream,* he thought as he opened his eyes, only to find it was still
dark outside. He let his eyes come into focus as he stared at his clock.
*5:30?*
He was pretty sure he hadn't set it up at that time. Early classes didn't start
until eight that morning, and his afternoon was planned out to teach at the dojo,
then at night dinner with Akane.
He was about to sink back into sleep when he noticed a savory aroma that made his
mouth water, not to mention the curiousity that came as noises were heard from
downstairs and the hall light being on.
Quickly he stood, put on his tank-top (since he'd slept only in his boxers), left
the room and walked downstairs. The smell was getting better, making his stomach
growl. Time for an early breakfast.
He stood at the entrance of the kitchen, inhaling as much of the smell as he could.
He jumped a bit as arms snaked around his waist and a head rested on his back.
"Morning sweetheart."
Those words made everyday day worth getting up for. He turned and hugged Akane tightly,
kissing her gently. Enjoying these moments was what life was all about. Just him and her.
Four years together, and many more to come.
He broke the kiss and looked directly into her eyes. "Morning. Why you up so early?"
She smiled back at him. "Can't I surprise my husband on his birthday?"
Birthday...
The thought made him smile. He was stupid enough to forget his own birthday. A college
student, martial arts master, husband, all at 21.
"I have something for you," she said as she walked over to the cupboard. She took a
small gift out of one of the pots, well hidden from anyone's view.
"Here you go," she said as she gave him the gift.
"Thank you," he said as he took it in his hands, only to discover that she wouldn't
let it go.
"What?" he said in a playful tone. She lowered her head with a smile, keeping her
hands on the gift. He noticed that her cheeks flushed cutely as her eyes met his
again.
"It's a double event."
"Double event?" he asked, "about what?"
She smiled a warm and loving smile, love shining in both their gazes.
"Happy father's day."
His jaw dropped slightly and his eyes widened. "Fa...fathers day?"
She smiled at his reaction and hugged him. "Yes."
"Oh my God!" he exclaimed as he picked her up and spun around a few times. Both of
them laughing until the spinning stopped, but the hug remained.
"I love you, Akane."
*
"I know. I just wanted to hear you say it."
Sobs were heard and encouragements shouted as their display held on the way. How
long had everyone waited to see this moment it; was unclear, but it was happening
and that was all that mattered.
Akane removed her head from Ranma's chest so she could look directly into his eyes.
It had surprised her a bit when he just grabbed her and said those four words she'd
longed to hear. She'd heard them at China, but now was the time that counted. No one
was dying. No one was speaking a heart truth that was only talked about in a moment
of pure desperation. This was a regular day, until now that is. Ranma had said it.
He'd told her. She could not have wished for a better way. He wasn't afraid of it.
He accepted it. She knew now, then again, she'd always known.
"Thank you, Ranma," she muttered as she tried to keep the tears behind her eyes.
"I'm not done yet. I just wanna say that I'm sorry Akane. I know I denied the fact
I told you at China, but it was different then. I was about to lose you. You were
gonna die without being totally sure. Then we got home and I was forced to marry you,
even though you consented. Funny thing is that after all that mess we went back to
how we were, something that shouldn't have happened. Nothing was how we left it,
it was better. We were gonna be together. I got scared, I don't know why. I guess
it's cause it all happened too fast. I wanted to be the one to ask. Not because of
our parents, or honor or anything. Nothing of that matters to me. Only you matter
to me Akane. I wanted to be the one to ask, not our folks. Akane..."
Ranma released himslef from her hug, took her hand and kneeled down on one knee,
producing a small box. "Tendo Akane, I love you. I always have and I always will.
Not for compromises or honor, not for the future of the art, only for us, me and
you, for OUR future together I ask, will you marry me?"
"Ranma..." Akane began as he slipped on a ring and stood. Her tears were running
down her face. She felt so happy, so fulfilled when she threw herslef at him and
hugged him like no tomorrow. "OF COURSE YOU BAKA!!!"
For once in his life, the words came out straight. No inner demons, no lords or
fiancee's could stop it now. He had finally admitted his true feelings to the
person that meant the world to him. He felt a huge weight leave his heart as he lost
himself in the warmth of Akane's hug. The woman that would soon be his wife.
Akane looked into his eyes, finding nothing but the truth. It was now her turn to
say it. "Thank you Ranma. I love you too, and for that reason alone I will marry you."
Ranma smiled as Akane rose to stand on tip-toe, pressing her lips on his. It wasn't
their first kiss, but it was the first that counted. He wasn't a cat, under the
influence of mushrooms or anything. This was the kiss that meant everything. It
sealed them together. It made them one. It was the symbol for the true and only
engagement.
Everyone started to either cry or shout or try to restrain Kuno from recking this
oh so precious moment. They were glad they'd finally gotten together. The impossible
couple. They'd seen it before school ended that year. It had happened, and none of
them could have been more relieved.
After an eternity in the kiss, they both realized this had not been the most
appropriate of places. They both flushed red as they broke the kiss and looked into
each other's eyes. After they peeked into their souls, they just hugged.
Tightly and warmly.
Ranma ran his hand down her back, roaming his fingers through her hair. In an instant,
many images flashed before his closed eyes. Images of a not so distant future.
Their wedding day, the honeymoon, their children and so many others. Just in his
imagination, but each one was validated as true. It would happen. Maybe not in the way
he was seeing it, but it would happen.
He opened his eyes and looked at Akane's figure, still hugging him as if he were
saying good-bye. Only he wasn't.
He was here to stay, forever...
Then something odd happened. All the shouts went deaf, all the surroundings turned
black. Even the ground they stood on was removed. Only they remained in the
unmeasurable darkness.
He looked around, but all he saw was more black. He tried to speak, but no words
would come. He tried to move, only to find he was paralyzed. He could only move his
head. He looked at Akane, but she stood frozen, still hugging him.
He never noticed the figure standing right in front of them, until it began to walk.
Ranma stared at this figure as it slowly approached them, not liking the sinking
feeling he was getting. He surveyed it closely. It's face was not visible, but
his formation was. It was dressed in a gi, outfited in a much different style than
his own. His body stood out, it's muscles unrestraint by the fabric. It was a man.
It was a man that radiated a familiar aura. An aura he knew, but had forgotten.
It was different now. At first he felt this aura as kind and relaxing, now it was
pure hate and depresion. He tried violently to move when he noticed a menacing
object in it's hand. A sword. A menacing sword standing out with brightness as
dark surrounded it. He was only able to watch as he got closer and closer.
After a few minutes he was upon them. He stared at Ranma and Akane. Their hug,
their embrace. He grunted an empty laugh as he raised the sword high above his head.
Ranma tried to yell, scream, do something. He had to stop this man as he knew what
he was about to do.
In a flash of light the sword came down. Ranma felt Akane's grip become loose,
her body becoming limp in his arms. Finally he had control of himself and screamed
aloud. "AKANEEEEE!"
Ranma watched in horror as Akane slowly rose her head to meet his eyes, terror was
the prominent expression in her.
"Ra... Ranma..."
"NOOOOOOOO!" Ranma screamed as Akane began to fade before him. He tried to grab her,
but she was like a ghost, nothing he could hold on to. Soon she disappeared. Ranma
crumbled to his knees, screaming as tears splilled from his eyes.
"AKANEEE! NOOOOO!"
He raised his eyes to this man, watching as he wiped the bloody blade with a towel,
leaving the blade spotless. He was suddenly on his feet, running, being fueled by a
murderous rage unlike anything he'd ever felt.
"BASTAAAAAAAAARDDDD!!!!!"
He threw a frenzy of punches at this man, only to find that he too was like a ghost.
All his attacks went right through him. But when the man attacked, he could feel it.
He had been hit in the gut with a force unimaginable. He clutched his gut as
he once again sank to his knees, gasping in air desperately.
"Pathetic," he heard the man say. He slowly looked up at him, finding that his
face was now visible. A face that was burned into his memory since long ago. A
face that had changed.
"I...I...Iori?"
He smiled at Ranma as he raised the sword above his head once again. "The blood
of a warrior is like poison. Evil, yet good. Here you have two paths to choose from.
It doesn't which one you take, as long as you choose to take one." He smiled an evil
smile as he let the blade come down, only this time it was slower.
"Your blood, I will be glad to spill, Saotome."
Ranma watched in horror as the blade slowly descended on him, unable to do anything
to defend himself. Then he felt it slice through his chest...
*
"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" Ranma woke up abrutly from his nightmare, waking up Akane and just
about all the neighbors with his scream.
Akane saw Ranma sitting up, noticing the sweat that ran down his forehead. She sat
down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Ranma, Ranma it's okay. I'm here."
Ranma looked to his side to see Akane safe and sound, only a bit startled. He quickly
drew her within his arms, burying his face in the crook of her neck. *A dream, just
a dream.* He closed his eyes, trying to forget that horrible nightmare.
Akane felt Ranma breath out hard, his hold on her tightning. She hugged him back with
equal strength. Whatever he had dreampt had scared him, big time.
Ranma was barely recovering from his dreams, when he felt intense soreness and pain
on just about every part of his body. He grunted and closed his eyes forcefully as
he broke the hug and sank back on the bed.
Akane sensed as how Ranma felt pain, so she let go and sank on the bed with him.
She shifted her positions so she could lie by his side without putting any force
on his body.
Akane's body lying next to his gave him comfort and helped him soothe off the
unnatural pain that came to him. Slowly, he raised his head to look down his
chest, finding the spot that hurt the most. He clearly saw the burn mark on his
stomach, balled into a fist. He closed his eyes, sighed and let his head rest on
the pillow as Akane's arm came to cross his chest, her hand resting on his shoulder.
"Akane.." he said as he moved his arm so she could use it as a support. Moreover,
so he could pull her closer to him. Akane was happy to comply.
They layed there for a little while, until he broke silence with the question
she had hoped not to answer.
"Akane, is he here?"
She wasn't sure about the nature of his question, but she knew what he meant.
"Yes, he is."
"Iori's here..."
Neither spoke after that. After a while, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
-----------------------------------------------------
Ukyo just lied there, staring at the roof of her room. She had time to think,
reflect on the events that had transpired today, but she didn't. She pushed away
any and all inhibitions of the story the old ghoul had told them. Instead, she found
herself thinking of this man. Ranma's conquerer, the only man who had ever
managed to defeat him.
*Shegkusa Iori huh?*
She couldn't help but feel guilty about thinking over him. After all, he had almost
killed her Ranchan. Maybe she should stop calling him that, after all, it was her
pet name for him once they got married, something, that she knew very well,
would never happen now. Instead, she focused herself on something that she could
understand better, something that wouldn't depress her as much. Iori, such an odd man.
She felt it once he walked in. His aura radiated kindness, gentleness, yet undying fury
and hate. It was an aura similar to Tendo Kasumi's, but she was no idiot. She noticed
it in the moment she looked into his eyes. That sparkle, a brightness that wasn't very
evident in any human, not even Ranchan. She may not be a true martial artist, but
she understood some about ki and chi.
Those two parts that she noticed were not blended, instead they were very much
separate, much like a yin-yang. The brightness, the intensity in his eyes, she
knew, was born of personal experience, although it troubled her. A man with
evident hate and such power could kill anyone in an instant, yet he chose not
to kill Ranma. She saw it as Akane tried to slug him, how his pupils shrunk,
berfet of anything except defending himself, giving himself completly into the
world of the fight.
She shifted her positions so she could stare out the window. All she could see from
the closed window was the sun covered by dark clouds. Not an incentive, but a sign.
A sign of unknown origin, or maybe just her imagination. She sighed as her eyes slowly
closed. Tomorrow was saturday. She would have more time to think of this matter, but
that was tomorrow.
After a while, she got up and dressed for school.
-----------------------------------------------------
"Hufff..."
Smoke blew out of his mouth as he looked at the city that decorated his balcony view.
A sight such as this should be kept in a travel packet.
Smiling, he raised his cigarrette to his mouth again and inhaled deeply. He let the
smoke remain in his lungs until the effect was prominent in his head. He let himself
wander in thought about what had happened today. The challenge had started, rather
weakly, but it had started. Ranma was finally found. He had friends and rivals as
far as his sources had informed him, but that would just make his game that much
more fun.
He took a few more puffs, finally tossing the butt of the cigar off the hotel,
leaning on the railing. He took his time to examine in detail all possible outcomes
for his game. Maybe it would end in tragedy, maybe a happy ending,
maybe no ending at all.
"hahaha..." ha laughed bitterly. Maybe the third possibility was the most possible,
but all that mattered now was the challenge. A glorious battle. He smiled once again.
"I think I'm going to like it here."
Iori walked back inside and closed the sliding shoji doors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
I'm pretty sure you all have some doubts; let me clear them up.
1) Kanchuu Tenshin Amagurinken is an amazon technique that dates back many generations, right?
Or so said Cologne. But, just how old is Cologne? I'm betting on a few 'generations' worth,
so there you go. Same goes for the 'Cat-tongue' Tsubo.
2) Toaraoma is a word I made up; I highly doubt it means anything in Chinese.
3) To all Martial Artists: the Shegkusa style is NOT Jeet-Kune-Do. For starters, it
didn't exist back then. And also, it is missing many chinese styles.
4) On 'an aura similar to Tendo Kasumi's', what I meant was the kindness and gentleness
she always seems to radiate; just slash out that hate part. The wording just came out
wrong and I don't know how to fix it.
5) I know that Yuriko and Mitsurugi sound more Japanese, but I couldn't think of any other
names that would fit their character. Also, a scene is missing, and I'm sure you know
that it was a lemon. I decided to edit it out since it's way too early in the story.
There will be some, but not right now.
Like it? Hate it? Hate me for writing it? Send me your opinions at:
raetaurus@yahoo.com
All C&C welcome, flames also.
Until next time...
BlackDragon
SECRETS FROM THE PAST
-----------------------------------------------------
LEGEND
1)* *:THOUGHT
2)" ":ORAL LANGUAGE
3)MAKICHIRASU:SCATTER
-----------------------------------------------------
*Now's the time. I hope he's gotten better.*
The man kept beating his left foot on the pavement, trying
to generate force. It seemed to be working, since everyone
close to him felt a little tremor each time his foot
touched the ground.
Finally, his ritual was done with. He assumed a power stance,
and quickly leveled his weight.
"Now," he said in a very low tone.
He took off at an incredable speed, leaving a small dust
cloud where he once stood.
Ranma was unaware of the danger that quickly approached
him. Akane had managed to get him in a good mood. He was
now so inmersed in their conversation, it was only until
it was too late that he noticed the problem.
His eye caught extremly quick movement heading in their
direction. Almost instinctively, as he was trained to do,
he pushed Akane away from him.
Akane fell on the hard pavement bottom first.
"Ow! What are you doing Ranma!"
Ranma looked at her for a short moment. It was a dear mistake.
"Ranma look out!" yelled out Akane. It was already too late.
Ranma hadn't even turned his head all the way, before his body
was consumed in pure pain that started on his stomach and
quickly spread throughout all of him.
He slowly lowered his head to inspect what that had been.
His vision was blurry from the pain, so all he could really
make out was an arm. An arm that was digging its way into his
gut.
"Greetings Ranma," said the man as he slowly removed his fist
from Ranma's stomach.
He watched as Ranma slowly sank to his knees, clutching his
mid-section in pain. He laughed at how Ranma spit out small
droplets of blood as he desperately sucked in air.
"Pathetic," he said as he landed a short kick on Ranma's
cheek. Although it had no momentum, it still sent him flying
a good 15 meters.
Ranma felt as he flew through the air and landed flat on his back.
He tried to get up, but his body wasn't responding. No matter how
much effort he put into it, he just couldn't move.
"What the hell..." was the only thought he could think of.
He began to panic as everything around him started turning black.
He could see his attacker coming slowly towards him. He wanted to
get up and run, but he didn't have the energy. He finally gave into
the darkness that clouded his mind, falling completly unconscious.
The man reached Ranma. He looked down at him like he was bug. A bug
that had been easily squished. Much too quickly for his puposes.
He smiled as he picked Ranma up from the collar of his red chinese
shirt. His limp and almost lifeless body dangled in his grip.
He heard everyone around around him either scream, call him curses
or marvel at how he just beaten the strongest fighter any of them
had ever seen.
He paid no attention to the bystanders ramblings. He concentrated his
gaze on Ranma. He patted himself on the back as he saw Ranma's blood
ooze out of his mouth.
He felt on top of the world, yet very dissapointed at this situation.
He expected him to be stronger than the last time, but if anything,
he was grossly weaker. He sighed as he switched Ranma's body from his
right to his left arm.
"... (sigh) You're no better. If anything, you've gotten worse. I
thought you'd practice, but here you are, lying half dead in my hand
as I have barely even touched you."
The man balled his right hand into a fist.
"Well, I guess now I have to kill you."
"RANMAAAAAAAA!!!"
A furious Akane ran with all her might towards the man who held Ranma
in his hand. She was pretty quick when she was angry. She wanted to help
out before, but the shock had gone into her just as anybody else. She
had become paralyzed at this situation. But now she was up and ready to
put an end to this man's ideas.
As her customary manner, she focused all her strength on her right leg,
as it quickly hit the man's left shoulder blade. The impact made him drop
Ranma, but the effect was not complete, much to her surprise.
This kind of power kick had sent Kuno, Happosai, Ranma and others flying
through the Earth's stratosphere. But this man had been the exception.
Yes, she had managed for him to drop Ranma, but there wasn't any
noticeable damage. In fact, he'd barely even moved a few steps forward.
He was like a steel wall, and that thought didn't surprise Akane at
the very least. Her right foot felt swollen in her shoe. It pounded with
pain. She tried her best to step a few paces back on her left foot,
without falling over, since she had the disadvantage that her foot was
badly twisted.
The man let out a heavy sigh and slowly turned to see who had the guts
to strike him. It came as a small surprise that this person had been
the girl Ranma was with.
Akane gasped at the man's arm. As he turned to face her, she noticed
something that was not very pleasant. His left arm was twisted back
in a very weird form. She'd dislocated his shoulder.
Normally, she expected him to kneel down and grab his arm and scream out
in pain, as any regular HUMAN would. This would give her the advantage,
so in that instant, she could connect the blow that would earn her the
victory.
Instead, the man noticed his arm. She quickly saw as he placed his right
hand on his left shoulder. What she saw next almost made her puke.
He quickly pulled his arm all the way out, and twisted it back to its
original position. All it took was a little concentration and a loud
crack. He moved his arm around to check if he had performed the
procedure correctly. His arm moved just fine, no real damage had been
stressed.
He directed his gaze towards Akane. Immediately, she assumed a battle
stance that allowed her to keep her weight on her left foot, since her
right foot was injured. He didn't fail to notice that.
"I admire your courage miss. Very few people have ever been able to
hit me, mainly out of fear. Little alone have any of them ever managed
to dislocate something. But for your safety, I wouldn't do that again."
Akane was in a dangerous position ans she knew it. This man was powerful.
Too powerful. She'd attacked him and now found herself injured, even
though he hadn't even taken a swipe at her yet. She kept herself in the
defensive posture.
"Hmph. You wish to hurt me. I don't blame you. But think about it for
a moment. You are injured and I'm at full health. I could easily break
every bone in your body if I wanted to. So I say this for your own good,
back off."
His words didn't register with her. She didn't know the meaning of
'back off'. She didn't think about it twice, or the pain smeared on her
foot, before she unleashed a fury of attacks on him.
"Son of a bitch! How could you!" she yelled as she tried to hit him.
But it wasn't easy. He dodged each one of her attacks as if she was
a begginer. He began to laugh, which only made her angrier.
She had a few good tricks she could use on this particular battle,
although it would be painful. She decided she had no other choice but
to risk it.
She deliberately let all her weight fall on her injured foot. She tried
her best not to scream at the pain. He sensed this sudden advantage and
tried to simply push her off her feet. That's when she surprised him.
She sent a really quick kick near his face. Somehow, he had also
anticipated such a move, but barely managed to dodge it. He cursed
himself at his carelessness.
She didn't manage to do much, but he felt as her heel cut through
his right sleeve and sether some flesh on his shoulder.
He backed away for a few moments to inspect the wound. It was a
pretty deep gash, but a little pain wasn't going to stop him.
He removed his sunglasses and looked at Akane.
The sight of his eyes made her wonder if she wasn't fighting some
kind of demon. He had dark brown eyes, that clearly lacked any
kind of emotion. His pupils were small, as if he was starting
directly into a bright light.
*This guy's good,* she thought. It wasn't until she let her mind
wander a bit until she remembered a similar look on the pervert
Happosai. Whenever he fought, his eyes didn't show any kind
of feeling and his pupils always seemed to shrink. It always
gave him the advantage. His opponent was always dumbfounded
at the fact that he could not anticipate his next move by
looking at his eyes. This man obviously knew the same
technique.
Akane wasn't thinking rationally. She let her warrior spirit
take over her will as she attacked him again. It was even harder
this time. He stood his ground, only dodging at the very last
second. Each time, she felt a small amount of energy being
expended from his presence. It almost made him look like
a shadow.
She threw an uppercut directly at his jaw. She thought she'd
finally connect a hit, since he wasn't even moving. Just before
her fist hit, he caught her hand, pulled her off balance, and
as she fell to the floor, she felt him press a spot near her
neck. It made her feel very strange.
She dropped to her knees and slowly stood up. Any sudden moves
could prove dangerous against him. She stood all the way up and
assumed another stance, but there was a problem. She felt an odd
sensation shoot through her heart. Immediately, she fell to her
knees, hands placed on the floor to help her keep from fainting,
panting and sucking in as much air as she could. She was completly
exhausted.
She managed to look up at him. He was smiling.
"I warned you. Not to worry, your strength should return soon
enough."
He tore off the right sleeve of his shirt and took a good look
at his wound. It was bleeding, but not that badly. He slowly
began wrapping the torn piece of garment around the gash, so
the pressure would cut of the bleeding.
Akane sat down sideways, unable to keep her weight on her arms
anymore. She looked at him as he performed first aid on
himself. All she wanted to do was jump up and beat him to
a very bloody pulp, which was very much impossible now.
She could barely breath, little alone jump him.
He was wrapping his torn sleeve around his injured shoulder,
when she noticed a distinctive mark. A tatoo. A very well
done tatoo. A silver dragon, coiled up as it stared into
her eyes.
He finished with his cut and directed Akane.
"So, you must be Tendo Akane, right?"
Akane couldn't help but be surprised at what she just heard.
He knew who she was.
"How do you..."
He smiled. "I have my resources."
He turned his head to look at Ranma, who was still lying on
the ground, unmoving. He turned back to look at her.
He took a few seconds to look at Akane, memorizing her figure.
"Hmph. No wonder you won over Ranma from those three other girls.
I can see they cannot match your appearance, without a doubt."
He led his hand to his front jean pocket, pulling out a small
envelope.
He looked at the item, and then at Akane.
"Once your fiancee wakes up, please be sure to give him this."
He threw the envelope right in front of her. She watched in
surprisement as it cut through the air and dug itself to the
pavement on one of the edges.
Akane stared at the object. She was about to grab it when the man
bagan to walk away.
She turned to see him, but didn't expect that he would still talk.
"One more thing," he said without turning to look at her. "I
would like to believe this matter concerns the both of you.
So please feel free to take the liberty to read the note."
He began to walk toward his travel pack.
He picked it up and lost himself in the corner turn.
Akane took the envelope and placed it into her uniform pocket.
She slowly made her way towards Ranma. She managed to stand. The
pain on her foot was less and her unnatural exhaustion was fleeing.
She kneeled beside Ranma.
"Ranma, Ranma are you ok?"
No response.
She rocked his body. "Ranma, wake up!"
She was starting to get scared. She touched his face, but no reaction.
She placed her ear on his chest. He still had a heartbeat.
*Oh no...*
His heartbeat was decreasing and she could sense it.
Everyone gathered around her and Ranma.
"Help! Get help!!!" she screamed.
----------------------------------------------------
How long had it been?
Akane sat in a chair outside of the room.
She looked down at her foot. It was now wrapped in bandages.
Effectively, she had twisted it.
She let herself repeat the scene over and over again.
Ranma being hit, the strangers' horrifying thoughts, all of
it. It brought tears to her eyes.
She looked at the door again. All she wanted was some sign
that he was okay. She'd been sitting there for a long time now,
refusing to her families' requests on going home and getting
some sleep. Nodoka had been the last one there with her,
but sleep caught up with her too, so she retired back home
'till morning.
She had stayed. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to be
the first to know if Ranma was okay.
Why hadn't Dr. Tofu allowed her to be in the room?
She had insisted beyond annoyance, but no matter how she
requested it, he didn't want her to be in the room. He
used the excuse that the treatment he had to use to
heal Ranma might result disturbing to anyone else.
She had no other choice but to wait.
She heard some rustling noises come from the room and
finally, Doctor Tofu came out, drenched in sweat.
He looked at the worried Akane and smiled.
"You can see him now Akane."
Akane got up slowly and walked into the room. There he was,
asleep. A perfect site. Sheets barely covering his torso.
Just perfect. He seemed angelic in the barely lit-up room,
and wavory thoughts came to her. She pushed them back
quickly, deciding it was neither the time nor the place.
Dr. Tofu had gone, so she sat on the chair he had been using.
She looked directly at Ranma's face. It seemed to be at peace,
but after a beating like that it just seemed natural.
She took his hand and rubbed his palm with her fingertips.
*Ranma...*
Dr. Tofu came in again, drying himself with a small towel.
Healing Ranma had not been an easy task.
He saw how Akane held Ranma's hand in a loving grip, even more
so when she noticed he had been prying.
He smiled as he pulled a chair from the near desk so he could
sit next to Akane and Ranma's bed.
"Is he gonna be alright Doctor?"
Tofu sighed. "Akane, take a look at this."
Tofu started to uncover Ranma's bare torso, stopping on his
stomach. Akane gasped.
She gently moved her fingers over the unnatural mark that
stood out. A fist. A balled up fist, burned into his body.
"What is this?" she asked, as she suddenly remembered the earlier
events. Ranma had been hit in the stomach by that stranger. That
bastard had left this mark on Ranma.
"It's a ki burn Akane." Tofu said.
Akane looked at Tofu in confusion. "A ki burn?"
"Yes. Whenever a large amount of ki is used on a body, it usually
leaves a burn mark such as this one, but I've never seen such
presicion. Usually, the burn is scattered in an unruly fashion,
but this one," he touched the mark, "is anything but perfect.
Whoever hit him left him a message."
"Which one? That he can do this? To Show off?"
"Mainly, yes. He left it here to show us that he can do this.
He's showing us he's good."
Akane touched the burned skin once again.
"Akane," Tofu started.
Akane shifted her gaze to look at him.
"Could you tell me what really happened?"
"Sure, but why?"
"These injuries are severe. I'd really like to know how he
got them."
Akane thought for a moment, nodded and shifted her eyesight to the
floor.
"I, I don't get it. We were walking out of the main gate of the school,
just minding our business. Ranma pushed me down, so I turned and
tried to warn him, but he had already been hit. He got hit once on
his stomach, and another time on his face."
I tried to help him, so I attacked that guy. I just kicked him once and
twisted my ankle. I started to get scared, so I just let out all I
had on him. Then he just touched my shoulder and I felt really tired.
Then I fell and he just left."
Tofu noticed as tears were building in Akane's eyes. He was certain
she'd never felt so powerless against anyone if this story was true.
She shifted her gaze back to Ranma's face, caressing his cheek
delicately. "Not even Happosai can knock him out like that, and that
pervert's his master."
Tofu nodded. "Indeed, but Akane, are you sure he was only hit twice?"
Akane looked at him quizzicly. "Yeah. But why do you ask?"
Tofu was dumbfounded. He didn't respond to Akane's question right away.
He had treated Ranma for over 70 wounds all over his body. But if what
Akane said was the truth, this was not possible. He only treated Ranma
for minor injuries, even when he fought against Cologne or Happosai.
He'd never even seen such damage on such small wounds. He searched
through the memories of his training, recalling a technique that
might have been able to stress such damage, if it still existed
that is.
Tofu opened his eyes which had involuntarily been closed as he thought,
and looked at Akane then at Ranma.
"Akane, I think Ranma may have suffered the MAKICHIRASU."
Akane was confused. "What's that?"
"The makichirasu is also called the scatter attack. If memory serves
me right, it's a technique that distributes an equal amount of force
throughout the body as the main impact zone."
Akane looked at Ranma's burn. She stared at it intently, trying to
figure out just how the hell that was possible.
"I've never even heard of that."
"I know, and that bothers me."
Tofu looked at Ranma's burn.
"If I'm right, only a very specific form of martial arts teach that
technique. And also, that art was lost over 300 years ago."
Akane thought for a moment. Maybe it was true, maybe Ranma had suffered
such a powerful technique.
She suddenly remembered the note that guy had given her. She'd gone
home briefly to change, but she remembered putting it into her short
pocket.
She was pulling out the folded envelope, when she was distracted by
a storming Ukyo, bursting through the door.
"Oh, my poor Ranchan!"
Ukyo walked towards Ranma's bed. Akane covered up his torso, but Ukyo
didn't seem to notice.
She leaned over Ranma, placing her palm on his forehead as if looking
for a fever.
"Ranchan, are you okay?"
"Ukyo, keep it quiet. He needs to rest," said Akane.
Ukyo glared at Akane.
"How could you let this happen to him Akane? I thought you loved him."
Akane blinked at Ukyo's comment. It hadn't even crossed her mind that this
was somehow her fault. She quickly responded.
"Ukyo, at least I tried to help him. You weren't even around. So back off."
Ukyo reverted her glare to Ranma. That didn't do much good.
"How come you came until now?" asked Akane.
"I just heard. One of my morning customers told me, so I came as soon as I could."
Shampoo and Cologne both came through the door, followed behind by Ryoga.
Akane looked at all of them. "What're you guys doing here?"
"We came as soon as we heard," responded Ryoga.
Shampoo leaned at the foot of the bed. "Ranma, how this happen?"
"Wait a minute. Where's Mousse?" asked Akane.
"Mousse at Nekohanten. We come so he stay to run restaurant."
Ryoga looked at Ranma. "Who did this? If anything I should've been
the one to beat him."
Akane pushed back the sudden sense of annoyance that shot through her.
Ranma had almost been killed and all Ryoga could think about was that
he should've done this to him.
Cologne hit Ryoga on the head with her cane. "Be quiet boy. Ranma needs
to rest."
"Please, try to be quiet. Ranma needs to regain his strength," said Tofu.
Akane once again began pulling the note from her short pocket.
She stopped as a sudden chill ran down her spine.
She heard footsteps near the door. They were getting closer.
She held her breath as she could hear a laugh inside her mind.
Her eyes widened as a man leaned on the door.
"Good morning everyone."
Shampoo, Ukyo, Cologne, Ryoga and Tofu stared at this visitor curiously.
"Good morning. How may I help you?" asked Tofu.
Akane stood up from her chair and walked towards this man.
She stood defiantly before him, careful not to remove her gaze from his.
He smiled and that sent her over the edge.
"You bastard..."
She swung her right fist at his face.
He quickly caught her hand. He smiled as his pupils got smaller, his
grip on her hand becoming harder.
"I told you not to do that."
He gave her arm a slight push, knocking her off balance. Ryoga caught
her before she hit the floor.
Cologne stared at the man in disbelief. He radiated the same kind of
power she'd sensed the night before. Only now, it wasn't diminished,
only controlled. She took a good look at the tatoo on his right
shoulder. A silver dragon, coiled up. She knew, she knew it all now.
Ryoga helped Akane to her feet. "Who are you?" he demanded.
Akane stood up again, assuming a battle stance.
"He did this Ranma."
They all looked at him, complining to Akane's reaction, each assuming
their battle positions. Except for Ukyo.
Ukyo couldn't break her gaze from his eyes. They were dark brown,
an enchanting color. She couldn't help but notice this mans'
physique. He was a little taller than Ranma. His body firm and muscular.
He was not ashamed to show himself off, since he wore a sleeveless shirt
and sweat pants. She finally broke free of his hypnosis and reached back
for her spatula.
He looked at each on individually, especially at the spatula wielding
warrior. "Please, no need to fight, I'm only here to speak with Ranma.
Is he awake?"
He bagan to walk towards Ranma's bed, when Akane got in his way.
"Don't go near him," she said in a firm tone.
He looked at this woman. Twice she had stood up to him, a new record for
any fighter. He couldn't help but notice the look of pure hatred in her
eyes. She wanted to hurt him, and by the looks of it, it was the first
time she'd experienced such a feeling.
"Twice you have stood in my way. I cannot help but feel envious of Ranma.
He has found a good and strong woman's love, undying and faithfull. He is
truly lucky." He let out a short laugh. "In this case, I shall honor your
request. I shall return when he has healed. Until then."
He bowed and began walking out of the room. He would've left immediately,
if Cologne hadn't asked him something he just had to answer.
"That tatoo, I've seen it before. Who are you young man?"
He smiled as he slowly turned his head around to look at the old chrone.
"My name is Shegkusa Iori."
He let out a small laugh as he sensed the change in the old womans'
emotions. Although she didn't physically show it, she was surprised.
Not just that, but incredulous.
"It seems you have heard my name before."
He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to feel something around
him.
"Ahh yes. How could I have not seen this before? You are Cologne."
Cold sweat ran down her forehead as he mentioned her name. She
almost lost her balance.
"I suppose this will make our game that much more fun. I'll be
on my guard at all times."
He bowed at the small crowd, and quickly began walking away.
They all heard as the doors slide open, then close again. He was
gone.
Cologne sat on the desk, trying to breath in as much air as she could.
"Great-grandmother, what wrong. Why you act like this? Who that man?"
Cologne breathed in hard, trying to regain her control. She managed
to mutter a few words. "A Shegkusa, impossible..."
The name struck a cord in Tofu's memory. He quickly began to recall
his first sensei mention this name, and the fighters associated with
it.
Akane looked at Cologne completely baffled. She had never seen her
act like this. She had always maintained control, even in the most
extreme of situations.
"Who or what is a Shegkusa?" asked Akane.
"The legendary Shegkusa clan. I don't believe it," she responded.
"Shegkusa? Never heard of 'em," said Ryoga.
"Let me finish piglet boy!"
Ryoga immediately shut up.
She sighed. "The Shegkusa clan are a bloodline of warriors that date back
to China even before my time."
"Yes, but their last member died off over 300 years ago," said Tofu
as he remembered some history of the name.
"They didn't die, they just moved."
"How do you know?" asked Ukyo.
"Because I met the last member a long time ago."
"What!? Is that true!?" exclaimed Tofu.
"Yes. You see, the Shegkusa's were famous back then for having created
a style of martial arts that no other fighter could beat. It was a mixture
of every single chinese and japanese martial art. No fighter could go up
against the weakest of their warriors, for they knew how to counter
every attack the opponent could come up with. That style eluded even me.
I was never able to learn it."
Ukyo heard as the old chrone spilled some valuable information that really
didn't make any sense. If they were such magnificent fighters, how come
she'd never heard of them? And if the historical records showed the
wipeout of the entire clan, how come there was a representative of
such a group among them?
"If you're telling us the truth, where did they go to?"
Cologne sighed as the question echoed in her mind.
"It's a long story."
"Tell us then. Anything that'll help us in this situation." said Akane.
"The Shegkusa's survived. I can't believe it."
-----------------------------------------------------
FLASHBACK
Sounds filled an old house in the amazon village. The familiar sounds
of a kata. Complicated, yet easily mastered.
"Very well Cologne, that's enough for today."
Cologne removed her defense stance and bowed.
"Now why don't you go out and play for a little while. I'll call you
in when dinner's ready."
Cologne's face lit up.
"Thanks mommy."
Cologne left her house, going out of the village to sit on a nearby
flower field. She would have rathered to play with her friends, but
their training session for the day was not yet complete, so she
had no other choice but to go alone.
She sat there on the field, making crown flower arrangements. They
were her favorite. Each time she told herself this one was better
than the last, although they were really all the same.
She noticed as how the sun was beggining to set in the distant
mountains. Oh, how she loved seeing the sun set. It was magical,
such a beautiful sight.
She could feel her mother about to call her, so she got up and
pranced her way back to the village. Even though her training
was very tough, there was nothing that could tire out an energetic
seven year old.
She kept going and would've gotten there sooner if it had not been
for a very odd feeling that consumed her.
She looked around, but found nothing other than the landscape and that
giant tree that she and her friends used very frequently to play.
Almost as if guided by instinct, she made her way to this huge tree.
She looked up at it's branches, finding nothing more than leaves.
Although she felt like leaving, something inside her told her not
to. She decided to look around it.
She felt relief as all that surrounded this tree was nothing more
than a lot of grass.
She smiled to herself as she started walking back, until she felt
like she stepped in something.
She quickly got off of whatever it was, and screamed when she felt
something grab her ankle.
"Ahhhhhhh! Help! It got me!"
She furiously moved around to free herself, until whatever it was
let her go.
She lost her balance and fell to the ground.
She regained her composure, removing the grass to look what had attacked
her.
She pushed away the grass and screamed.
She saw a bloody hand lying there. It wasn't moving.
She wanted to run away, but instead she kept looking at the figure.
She revealed a body covered up by the grass. It was a man, covered
in blood, eminating a bad smell.
She tried to approach it, but lost her balance again and fell as it
began to move slowly.
The man lifted his head up as much as he could to see who this person
was.
He used tremendous effort to talk to this child.
"Please... help... me..."
He let his head fall again and fell unconscious.
Cologne didn't know how to react at this kind of situation, so she
did what she could think of. She quickly ran back to the village.
"Mommy, mommy! Come quick! Someone's hurt!"
-----------------------------------------------------
He could hear the sounds of his own regulated breathing. He felt
detached from his body. He knew he was awake, but the rest of
him didn't.
He could hear people talking over him. So many voices, so much
noise kept him awake, but asleep.
Many sounds filled his ears. Voices of men and women, asking who
he was, trying to ask questions he could not answer in his state.
The fight, so many people surrounding him, unable to defend
himself or those who he loved.
He ran.
He ran as fast as his feet could take him.
Nothing except his life mattered now. Everyone was gone now,
if he fell, how would his bloodline survive? It gave him
nightmares. Horrible dreams of these events, transpiring
over and over again, only now he could help, but chose to
run in fear.
All was too much to bear. He fell asleep once more.
He felt as he awoke once more. All the voices were gone,
now he could only make out two. Two voices that gave him
reassurance. He knew he was safe here. Wherever 'here' was.
"Mommy, is he gonna wake up?"
"I hope so honey. He's been asleep for over three days now.
I'm sure he'll wake up soon enough."
*Wake up,* his mind said. His body had to follow.
"Uhhhhhhnnnnnnn, ohhhhhhhhhhh..."
He slowly opened his eyes. He could tell it was night. The lit-up
candle hurt his eyesight.
He slowly summoned enough energy to sit up.
He immediately brought his hands to his face.
It felt weird to move. His movements were somewhat prevented
by something.
His eyes slowly came into focus. He could see nothing but dark,
now he could see more.
"Well, he's up," said the deeper voice.
He tried to look in the direction if this voice. He had to know
who it belonged to.
A face slowly entered his sight, taking form slowly.
He finally managed to make out its form.
A woman.
A beautiful woman, with long, silky purple hair.
"Whe, where am I?" he managed to mutter.
"It's okay. Don't worry. It's safe here."
He knew from this tone of voice he was safe.
Cologne slowly filled a glass with water and handed it to him.
"Here. It's water."
He took the glass gently from her, drinking the contents rather
quickly.
He finished and sighed at the relief. His thrist was subsided
now, but that's not all he felt. He was also starved.
The woman knew that water alone wasn't going to do anything.
Luckily, she was prepared for this.
She filled a small bowl with meat rice and gave it to him.
"You have to eat. Here."
She gave him the bowl, and watched as he satisfied his hunger.
He ate a few more bowls after that. Always very quickly, but with
excellent manners.
He felt very relieved. He hadn't eaten in days if he remembered
correctly.
He finished his last bowl. He carefully placed it down on the
floor.
He looked at the two women. A grown adult and a small child.
Without a doubt they mother and daughter.
He finally figured out why his moves were limited. Most of his
chest, arms and legs were wrapped up in layers of bandages.
He was also clean now. The dried up blood in his hair and face was
gone.
He quickly realized he didn't have a shirt on, but he still had
his pants.
Slowly, he stood up. It was hard to move, not just because of the
material, he was still in pain.
He looked at the two women who stood up to face him. The adult
was tall. She reached up to his pecks, and he was a very tall man.
The child was small, barely reaching his waist.
He bowed in respect at them.
"Thank you for everything. I believe I must go now."
He started to turn, but was stopped.
"Wait, you can't go," the woman said.
He looked into her eyes, almost getting lost in the light purple
color of them.
"Listen, I do not have any money, nor anything to give to you."
"I don't want your money. You can't go because you haven't
recovered yet."
"I must. I'm sorry."
He again started to turn, when he suddenly felt very dizzy. It
took most of his energy just to stay on his feet. He raised a hand
to his face in a vain attempt to stay focused.
"See? You can't even walk straight. Now lie down, you need to rest."
He had no intention of fulfilling her order, but his body felt too
weak to even stand up anymore. He sat back down on the small futon.
He pushed back the sick feeling that invaded him. He usually healed
very quickly, but even he had to admit he'd lost way too much blood.
The adult woman sat beside him and felt his forehead with her palm.
"Looks like the fever's gone."
He didn't know what to say. A complete stranger was playing healer on
him, but he didn't object. He actually enjoyed her touch.
"I um, thank you miss."
She removed her hand and rested it on her leg.
"Please don't call me miss. I am Yuriko, and this is my daughter,
Cologne."
She touched Cologne's shoulder.
"It is an honor to meet you. I'd bow, but I can't even stand."
Cologne looked curiously at him. He didn't fail to notice.
She touched his right shoulder.
"What is this?" she asked.
He looked at his shoulder tatoo.
"It's called a tatoo. This is my family symbol."
"You must be a Shegkusa, right?" asked Yuriko.
"Indeed. But how do you know?"
"Only A Shegkusa can have that mark. A coiled up dragon."
"You know much about us Yuriko."
"Barely. I only know what I've been told."
He flushed a little for some reason.
"Where are my manners. My name is Mitsurugi. It is an honor to
meet you both."
He slowly shifted his legs around so he could rest his weight
on his arms, and slowly bowed at them. They did the same
gesture.
"It is an honor for us to have a Shegkusa in our home. Mitsurugi,
may I ask you a question?"
"By all means," he said as he sat up.
"I have heard that the Shegkusa family symbol is the dragon. But
generally, it is outdone in black. Tell me, why is it that the
one you bear is silver?"
He looked at his tatoo.
"Generally, it is a black dragon. If it is silver, then he who
bears it is recognized as the heir to the Shegkusa throne."
Yuriko and Cologne both looked a bit surprised.
"That means that you know techniques that are forbidden to your
siblings."
"That is true."
"But I don't understand. You were hurt badly. How is it that you
had so many cuts on your body?"
He closed his eyes. He had hoped he could avoid that question.
"It's a long story."
Yuriko realized she was out of line.
"I'm sorry. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."
Mitsurugi sighed.
"No, it's okay. I want to tell you. It's better for someone other
than me to know the truth."
Yuriko and Cologne looked at him intently.
He had no idea where those words came from. His initial reaction
was anger, but something in it told him it was better to tell
what had happened.
"... (sigh) It all goes back a few weeks. This tatoo determines
who will be heir, but that's always been decided at birth, never
by skill. My only other brother was always jealous that I was
chosen and not him."
I was never able to convince him it had not been my fault.
Over time, my abilities grew as did his. He would propose two
challanges a year to see who was better. I always won, since
my training was superior. It always made things worse."
Three years ago he proposed one final challenge. If he defeated
me, he would be pronounced heir. My father always seemed to favor
me more than him, but he liked the idea. My brother went off to
perfect his skills, and we didn't hear from him since. Until
a few months ago that is."
He returned, stronger than ever. It was a difficult battle, but
I won. My brother fell in disgrace and dissapeared. He returned
home a few days after with bad news."
In his blind rage, he faced an assassin in combat and killed him."
Yuriko brought her hand to her mouth. Cologne looked confused.
"What's an assassin mommy?"
"It's a very bad person who hurts others for rare reasons honey.
Please continue Mitsurugi."
He nodded. "As luck came to be, he killed the leader of The Order
of Toaraoma."
Yuriko's eyes widened.
"As you probably may have heard, it isn't very wise to face anyone
from this order. It's even worse if the leader has fallen. Should
this case come to be, the order target all the family of the
culprit."
Yuriko breathed in. "But, I thought the Shegkusa clan could defeat
any fighter, regardless of anything."
He sighed. "So did I. That is just not the case. Unfortunately, our
main defense is to sense someone's presense by their ki. The order
knew this, and were able to bypass us."
She noticed how his voice was cracking up and tears forming behind
his eyes.
"It was late at night. We were all asleep. I heard screams from
mother and father's room. I ran, but I was already to late.
There they were, six of them, all in guise, standing triumphantly
over my dead parents. They had gotten to my brother too, for he
was lying dead near their bed."
They were waiting for me. They leaped in from the windows and doors,
too many for me. I was able to take down a few, but their techniques
are superb. They cut me up pretty bad. I had no other choice but to
run for my life. I ran non-stop, unsure of where I was headed. I hid
from them as long as I could, but they caught up with me again. This
time, they weren't as lineant. They attacked me at full force. I used
a ki attack to get away, but I had already been injured heavily. I
ran until I collapsed under a tree. When I woke up I was here."
Yuriko saw as how tear tracks formed on his cheek. He was truly in
grave emotional pain.
"My mother, my father, my brother, all my clan, dead. They wiped us
all out one by one. I'm the last one left."
He let sobs escape him. He buried his face in his hands, not ashamed
to cry in front of them.
Yuriko didn't know what to say to make him feel better. She just sat
there, running her fingers through the asleep Cologne's hair.
He wiped the tears from his face and stood up. This time he didn't feel
dizzy.
"Well, I must really be going now. Thank you for your hospitality."
He bowed at Yuriko.
"No wait," she said. She removed Cologne from her lap, placing her
on the bed.
She stood up right in front of him. She squeezed his arm a bit.
He immediately felt a sharp pain shoot through his arm. He grunted.
"See? You are too weak to travel. If the order finds you, you wont
stand a chance against them."
"Maybe, but..."
She put a finger on his mouth, flushing a little.
"No 'buts'. You have to stay until you recover."
He lowered his gaze to the floor, feeling a little ashamed to look
into her eyes directly. He realized he didn't have a choice here,
so it was better to compline.
"Very well, I'll stay. But only until I've recovered my strength."
He lifted his head and noticed as how Yuriko smiled at his answer.
He smiled himself.
-----------------------------------------------------
Days became weeks.
Weeks became months.
He slowly but surely recovered.
Everyday, he'd train from dusk 'till dawn. He'd perfect his abilities
and create new ones. All was in the idea that once he was fully
healed, he'd leave. But that idea had been forgotten. No one pushed
him to leave, they actually enjoyed his presence. And there was Cologne.
The child had grown on him, spawning a care similar as if she was his
own flesh. Then there was Yuriko. The most caring woman alive.
She was always ready to lend an ear, as was he. They's stay up until
high hours in the morning, just talking about their lives and what
they expected out of their future.
Each day, she'd tell him certain unclear messages that he was unable
to interpret. He knew he cared for her, and deep in his heart, he
knew she cared for him.
Every other day, he'd take young Cologne with him, helping train her.
Although she was very young, her abilities were exceptional. She could
learn new techniques in a matter of days. He'd shown her the basics on
very rare ones that only his family knew.
She had the most fun watching him practice getting chestnuts out of
a fire, and how he played jokes on everyone by making them intolerable
to hot water.
*
"Yuriko, I'll take Cologne with me today. I'm going to teach her
a new skill. We should be back before nightfall."
"Very well, but be careful."
Mitsurugi told Cologne to get ready for another training session. In
a matter of minutes the child was all set.
Cologne tugged at Mitsurugi's hand, speeding through the flower field.
The techniques he wanted to teach her required space, and this was
the perfect setting.
They stopped far out in the field, picking a spot surrounded by trees
and shade.
They both assumed a ready stance.
"Ready Cologne?"
"Ready Mitsurugi!"
"Hold on. I have a surprise for you."
She removed her ready stance and saw him walk over to a nearby tree.
He came back quickly, handing her a wrapped up and elongated object.
"Here, this is for you."
He handed the object.
She inspected it curiously, finally unveiling it.
"What is it?"
"It's a cane. I asked your mother if it was all right if I showed you
how to fight using weapons, and she gave the go-ahead. A cane is a simple
weapon, so it should be easy to handle."
"Thank you Mitsurugi!"
She hugged the kneeled down Mitsurugi, returning the embrace.
It was so nice to hug her. He had always wanted a child, and she was as
close as he wanted.
He broke the hug and looked at his pupil.
"Very well Cologne, first rule in weapons combat..."
*
They trained throughout the afternoon. He had to show Cologne how to
manipulate her cane more times than usual, but she was starting to
get the hang of it.
They were both exhausted, so they sat down to watch how the sun
set before heading home.
"Mitsurugi, I have a surprise for you too!"
"You do?"
"Yes! It's from me and mommy!"
Mitsurugi looked into her face curiously.
"Well, what is it?"
Cologne's face lit up. "I want you to be my daddy!"
Mitsurugi's mouth dropped and he flushed a little.
"I, uhh..."
"Mommy said that you might become my daddy because she loves you and
you two might get married! But I wanted to tell you!"
"Well um..." he looked at Cologne incredulous. "Did she tell you to
tell me?"
"No, but I wanted to tell you! Grown-ups are so silly!"
Mitsurugi scanned Cologne's face and tone of voice. He'd always had
the quality of smelling lies, but he found no remnant of such.
He stood up, picking up Cologne.
The child awaited an answer, so he had to come up with something.
"Cologne, I just, well I, I'll talk about it with Yuriko," he
finally said.
"Yay! You will be my daddy!"
He had to tame Cologne. "Don't jump to conclusions child. We'll see
what happens."
The atmosphere around them was starting to change. Late afternoon was
becoming night. The familiar night sounds were beggining.
"We better head home."
He turned and heard some rustling in the nearby bushes.
He inspected all surroundings with detail, but found nothing.
"What's wrong?" asked Cologne.
"Nothing. Probably just an animal. We better get going."
*
Mitsurugi walked with a fast pace. He wanted to avoid the cold
that he could feel setling in.
Cologne was very tired, and before long had fallen asleep on his
shoulder.
He didn't know why, but during his walk back to the village, a
sinking feeling had consumed him.
Now it was completly dark. The feeling kept getting worse.
He thought about the possibility of overtraining, but it wasn't.
His gut was sensing something nearby. Something dangerous...
The feeling became untolerable.
He stopped, shaking Cologne awake and placing her on her feet.
He placed her right in front of him, arms on her chest.
"What is it?" she protested in a sleepy voice.
"shhh. be quiet. don't move unless i tell you to."
Cologne felt scared and did as she was told.
Mitsurugi placed all his senses on full alert. Nothing had to
escape him.
He heard a twig break behind him, but was unable to respond in
time.
He felt a quick movement near his back, followed by a surge of pure
pain.
He pushed Cologne to her knees, shielding her with his body.
"Aaaaaahhhhh!"
He reached back to touch his back. He felt liquid run through his
fingers and drip on the ground. He retrieved his hand, and saw
it was covered in blood. His blood.
The stinging sensation was overwhelming. He was injured, bad.
"Cologne," he whispered into her ear. "I want you to run back to
the village. It's not far. Run as fast as you can, don't stop
until you get home."
He caught a flash of moonlight being reflected on his face.
He responded immediately, catching a sharp object in his hands just
before it hit. He felt as it dug into his left palm.
"RUN!! RUN!!!"
Cologne got on her feet and ran as fast as she could, not daring
to look back.
He held the object as long as the pain allowed him to. He sent a low
kick in it's direction. He hit something. A body. He felt as it withdrew
the object.
He focused on this dark body. It was hard to see with the small oil lamp
he had, but he managed to make out a tall figure holding a sword.
*An assassin.*
The figure took more shape. It was dressed in a dark coat, concealing
everything except its' arms and legs.
He watched as it assumed it's stance, he doing the same thing.
Only he was in disadvantage. He was tired from training, and had
two very deep cuts on his body.
He looked at this attacker with hate filled eyes.
"You and your stupid order killed my clan. You will pay for that."
*
Cologne ran non-stop back home. Her heart pumping to keep up with the
rest of her body.
She finally reached home, storming through the door, looking for
her mother.
She found her knitting by the fire, sitting in her favorite chair.
"Mommy Mommy!"
Yuriko looked at her daughter.
"Hi Cologne. How was your day?"
She looked around the living room.
"Where's Mitsurugi Cologne?"
"Mommy, he's in trouble! A bad person hurt him!"
Yuriko rose to her feet, dropping her work.
*Oh God, A Toaraoma!*
She kneeled at Cologne.
"Cologne, go into your room and lock the door. Stay there until I come
and get you!"
"Mommy, what'r you going to do!?"
"I'm going to go help Mitsurugi!"
Cologne ran into her room as Yuriko retrieved a small dagger from its'
hiding spot. She ran with all her might out to the field.
*Oh God, please, please let him be all right...*
*
The silence was deafening.
Neither dared to move.
One false step would mean the end for any of them.
The assassin stood frozen in his stance, ready to strike at the slightest
movement.
Mitsurugi tried to focus over the pain on his back and on his hand,
trying not to throw up.
The lamp burned it's last pint of oil, leaving only the moon for
lighting.
The killer took advantage of this, quickly swinging is sword in mid-
run.
Mitsurugi jumped out of the way, but his speed was less due to the
pain. He felt the swipe near his right shoulder. The blade had cut
a bit.
He grabbed his arm with his injured hand; he felt how blood ran down
his arm from his injured parts.
He quickly heard his attacker run towards him again, quickly formulating
a plan.
He waited until he felt the air being cut.
He ducked out of the way, turned on his heals and pressed a pressure
point on his leg.
The assassin's leg became paralyzed. He followed this move with a
standing split kick, knocking the sword into the air.
He jumped and retrieved the weapon, centering his aim and landing
lightly on his feet.
He stood all the way up, letting the sword fall from his hands.
He turned to see the attacker. He was standing motionless.
A light wind blew, making his head fall neatly of it's body. The
body collapsed on the floor.
He swallowed back the disgust. He'd never taken a life before, but
it was either him or the assassin.
He ran as quickly as he could back to the village, pushing the limits
of his will. The loss of blood was taking it's toll. His vision was
becoming blurred and he felt like throwing up.
He tripped on a rock, unable to stand back up. He let his weight rest
on his right hand, throwing up.
He could hear footsteps quickly coming his way. He tried to look up,
but could only see a bright figure moving. It looked sharp. Probably
another assassin with a sword. He tried to stand, but all his energy
was gone.
The last thing he felt was this person stop in front of him; then
he fell unconscious.
*
Hours later, he began to regain himself.
He felt warm.
He focused on standing up, finding it easy now. His strength was coming
back to him. Good thing he always healed fast.
He opened his eyes as he sat up. His eyesight slowly focused.
He was in a room. It looked familiar. He was back in the room Yuriko
let him use.
He slowly recalled what had happened. The killer, the fight and the
struggle against himself to find safety.
He felt his back. The blood was gone and the cut had been cautiorized.
His hand and shoulder cuts were still untreated, but had stopped
bleeding.
He brought his good hand up and scrubbed his face.
*How'd I get back here?*
The door slowly opened and Yuriko came in, carrying a bottle and some
bandages with her.
She sighed in relief as she saw Mitsurugi sitting up on the small
futon.
She sat beside him, opening the bottle.
"You okay?"
He sighed. "Yes, barely. But how'd I get here?"
"I found you, so I brought you back home."
She grabbed his injured hand and lovingly spread the contents of the
bottle on the gash.
The feeling wasn't exactly pleasant. It stung like hell. Mitsurugi
let a small moan escape him.
"Don't worry, it'll close the wound. Just relax."
He watched as this miracle medicine slowly closed the wound, but still
left a small opening. Yuriko used the bandages to completly close it
off.
"Now your shoulder."
The same procedure once more.
He moved and flexed his arm and hand, finding that the medicine worked
wonders.
"Thank you, Yuriko."
She stared into his eyes, making his heart beat a little faster. The
fact that his shirt had been removed from his body made him a little
ashamed.
"What happened?"
He sighed. "A Toaraoma. They found me out I suppose."
She placed a hand on her mouth.
"Oh my, now what?"
"I don't know. I just, don't know."
A few silent moments passed, when they both talked at the same time.
"I..." she began.
"I..." he began.
"You first."
"Yuriko, this may seem odd, but Cologne told me something today.
About you. I just wanted to find out for myself."
She flushed a little, knowing what he was about to ask.
"I don't know what to make of it. I need to know, Yuriko, is it
true, do you um, love me?"
"It's a little hard."
"I need to know. Please."
She sighed. "I really can't explain it. I know we've only known
each other for a short time, but I enjoy being with you. You
are the first man I've opened up to since my husband died. I really
admire who you are. You're everything I ever wanted to be, everything
I ever wanted. I don't know how it came to pass, but..."
She stopped talking when he placed his hand on her cheek. Her heart
stopped and a tingle rushed through her body.
"Yuriko, just stop talking."
He pressed his lips gently on hers.
She felt the warmth of his mouth, kissing back as she wrapped her
arms around his neck.
-------------------------------------------
The rain was soft on the ground. Gentle rappings could be heard
on the roof, creating a feel of comfort; it was all so rare to him.
Mitsurugi let the feel of the raindrops cover his essence as he
stared out the window. He wasn't really thinking, but couldn't get his mind
off what just happened. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the
cool window, just breathing. He couldn't believe how stupid he was.
He was being pursude by killers who would stop at nothing to see him dead.
He knew he had to come up with some way so that Yuriko and Cologne would
not be involved, but that was going to be painfully hard now. They were
now officially part of his messed up life, he had dragged them into his
fight.
He went over to the futon and sat next to Yuriko's sleeping figure.
He brushed a stray tendril of her long hair behind her ear, which made
her smile in her sleep. He smiled too and planted a kiss on her cheek.
He sighed and stood up. He retrieved a piece of paper and the ink stone
from it's keeping place. Slowly, almost not wanting to, he wrote. He wrote
what he had to, something he didn't want to do, but it was also something he
couldn't risk not doing.
-------------------------------------------
The break of dawn and the first rays of light awoke Yuriko.
She remembered the events of last night, sighing to herself in satisfaction.
She turned around to see her lover, only he wasn't there anymore.
She sat up, covering herself with the sheets.
"Mitsurugi?"
She inspected the room, but she was the only one there.
More importantly, all his clothes and limited belongings were gone.
She dressed herself in the same clothes.
She quietly looked around the house, but nothing. No Mitsurugi.
She rested in the living room, thinking. Not about
anything specific, just thinking.
A few minutes later, a sleepy Cologne wandered in.
"Mommy, where's Mitsurugi?"
She looked at her daughter without much to say.
She was about to respond when she noticed a note dangling
on the door.
She got up, and walked towards it.
Cologne looked as her mother slowly read the paper, then suddenly
picked her up and ran out of the house.
"Mommy, where we going?"
"We have to get to the field Cologne."
*
She stood at the edge of the field, uncertain of where to head.
By almost instinct, she headed towards the object that drew the most
attention. The giant tree.
She and her daughter reached the tree, uncertain of what to do
now.
Yuriko slowly circled the tree, finding a certain someone hidden
behind the massive mark in her previous eyesight.
There he was. Mitsurugi. Dresses in his gi, all washed and cleaned
of the dried up blood.
He sensed her presence and slowly turned. He looked at her face,
seeing relief and grief in her eyes.
She was about to hug him, when Cologne beat her to it.
"Mitsurugi!!"
Cologne pulled at his leg, finally getting scooped up by him
and getting a tight hug.
"Hey kid..."
Their embrace touched her heart. Her daughter with her lover.
Not as much as a lover now, now he was almost her father. It filled her heart
with warmth, but tears immediately built back up as she remembered why they were
here.
Mitsurugi put Cologne down, then walked toward Yuriko. He stood
in front of her, feeling awkward and inadequate. But these two feelings were quickly
overcome with grief. The worst feeling he had ever had since the death of his clan.
He knew this was it. The point of no return.
"I, read your letter. Is it true?" asked Yuriko, looking at the
ground rather than at him directly.
He felt the words as a stab at his heart. He stopped staring at
the top of her head, turning his eyes to the horizon. He closed his eyes.
"Yuriko..." was his only answer.
She managed to lift her gaze and saw that he had turned his head.
He'd rather see something else than her. She couldn't blame him, she felt the same way.
"You are leaving..." she said in a very low tone.
Cologne's eyes opened wide. "No, no!!!"
The child pulled at his leg. "You can't go!"
Mitsurugi had hoped he could have avoided this particular moment
with the child. He knelt in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm sorry Cologne. I have to."
"No! You can't!"
He didn't know how to manage this situation, so he tried to fondle words straight from
his heart. "Listen to me Cologne." He turned his head around to see Yuriko. He noticed
the tear tracks on her cheeks. "I would like nothing more than to stay here with you
and your mother. I wanted us so badly to be a family. A father to you, and a husband
to your mother. But that's not possible now. There are very bad people after me.
People who want to hurt me. If I stay here, they'll want to hurt you too. I can't
let that happen, because I love you too much. I have to go, so you two can be safe."
Cologne had started to cry, but she didn't sob. "But I don't want you to go!!!" She
gave him a tight hug that lasted a few minutes as she cried. She broke the hug,
turned around and ran as fast as she could back to the village. Never turning around.
He watched as Cologne ran back home. Never in his life had he regreted being so honest.
He turned around to face Yuriko again. He stood before her, filled with an inmense
desire to hug her. Yet he hesitated. He was afraid that if he hugged her, he might
not be able to let go.
"I'm sorry Yuriko." He started to turn away, but she stopped him by wrapping her arms
around his waist and digging her face into his shoulder.
He felt really odd, not sure whether he should respond. All inhibitions of rational
thought left him as he heard the first of her sobs. He finally gave into what he
wanted and hugged her tight, a tear spilling from his eye.
"Yuriko, please don't cry. Let me remember you as the strong and stern woman I met."
She really didn't pay much attention. All she did was increase the force of the hug.
"We can figure something out. We could hide until they choose a new leader," she
said between sobs.
"No, we can't and you know that."
His answer hit her like a ton of bricks. She wanted so badly for him to stay,
and yet she knew there was no way she could convince him.
"Where will you go?"
He remained silent for a short time.
"Tell me, please."
"... (sigh) I don't know. I suppose I can find somewhere to hide
outside of China for a while. Other than that, I don't know."
They were both silent for a long time, just remaining still in their embrace.
He finally broke the tender moment. "No matter where I am, you will live in my
memories."
She looked up at his eyes. She had always dreamed of living such a moment with
her beloved, only in a much distinct manner. She felt her heart break in half
as she gave him a small nod.
The movement of her head indicated him she understood what he was trying to do.
He felt tears build in his eyes again as he made their lips meet. It was the
sweetest kiss he had ever experienced, yet the most painful. He knew this was it.
All emotions were to be left here. He'd probably never see her again. He would
never be able to return.
More tears streaked down her face as they kissed. She really loved
him, but she had to let him go. For his sake and her own, she had to.
Finally the kiss was broken and one final hug was given as he
whispered into her ear. "Farewell, my love..."
He slowly removed her arms from his body and began walking away.
A few tears spilled down his face, and to his surprise, he let them follow their
tracks. Yet, no sobs came to him as he slowly walked away.
She saw as her man slowly walked away into the field, their distance increasing
each time. She had urges to run over and tell him she'd go along, but she
couldn't. All she was really able to do was kneel on the ground, cup
her face in her hands as light sobs escaped her throat.
Two men she had loved, the last more than the previous, and they were both gone.
Left her by force of circumstance. Not a very pretty record.
END FLASHBACK
-----------------------------------------------------
Cologne closed her eyes as she decided the best way to end her story.
"Well, after that we never heard from him again."
"Wait a minute, that really doesn't answer anything. So what does that explain?"
asked Ryoga.
"It answers just how strong he is boy. That tatoo of his means he knows attacks
that could surprise even me."
"Tell us, what happened to your mother after that?" asked Ukyo.
"Well, she really changed. She mainly dedicated herself to my training. The village
men still went after her, but she just ignored or beat them. On occasions, I could
hear her crying late at night. I guess she still loved him until the day she died."
"Poor woman..." said Tofu.
To all this, Akane had remained silent, just lost in her own thoughts. *How did he
do this? How is it possible?* Her thoughts were still on Iori, the man who had
defeated Ranma. Hearing Cologne's story had helped her understand the reach of
his abilities, but it was all still too weird.
"So Shegkusa teach you to use cane," said Shampoo.
"Just one more thing," began Akane. "...don't you know how to fight them? I mean,
if he trained you some, shouldn't you know how to beat them?"
Cologne looked at Akane and closed her eyes. "No."
"But, then how you use cain so well?" said Shampoo.
"He may have taught me how to use the cain, but his martial arts eluded me. He
was forbidden by the laws of his clan to teach anyone this art. He may have been
the last one left, but he wanted the honor to live on."
"Are you sure you don't know where he went?" asked Tofu.
"A few years later we heard he left China on a trade boat, but the ship hit a bad
storm and sank. Beyond that, I don't know."
"Don't you al least know how his martial art was called? It would really help,"
said Tofu.
"I'm sorry, but I don't. He never told anyone."
Tofu checked a watch on the wall, and motioned for everyone to leave. It was still
very early and Ranma might wake up soon. The only one he allowed to stay was Akane,
who still sat beside Ranma's bed.
As everyone left, Ryoga lingered outside the room door. He looked as Akane sat beside
Ranma, holding his hand, whispering or just thinking.
*Akane...*
It still hurt. He knew he had lost for good, but his heart was too stubborn to accept
the obvious. Akane loved Ranma, and he loved her and that would never change, yet
deep in his heart, he secretly hoped that there was still a chance. Just one chance
to win Akane for himself.
Win...
The word made him disgusted with himself. He knew he l-lo-liked Akari now, and that his
previous affection was just based on lust for Akane. Lust as a man, as a small
piglet nestled warmly between her breasts. He always needed that to feel secure,
but he was not dependant on her companionship. There was no gap in his heart as he
had lost her. That part belonged to Akari, and in the long run, he was hers.
He let the latter thought fill him with relief as he slowly left the clinic and
headed back to his camp site. For some reason, not even his superb sense of direction could
make him get lost this time.
*
*Ranma, just hold on. I'll be right here.*
She brushed her fingertips gently acroos his cheek, careful not to disturb his sleep.
She felt him smile under her touch, yet nothing was visible on his face.
She let go of his hand and nuzzled in the comfy chair she was sitting on. She managed
to get comfortable as a yawn escaped her. She was exhausted and some sleep would do
her good. Her eyes drooped slowly as she watched him. He was an angel lying on the bed.
Her angel, her's alone. No one would ever take him away from her, nor would she let
them. Her eyelids finally closed, allowing her access into the world of slumber. Just
one thought came to her before she fell asleep. *I wonder what he's dreaming about...*
*
An alarm sounded loudly, waking him from his sleep.
He turned, and with practiced presition turned off the noise. Slowly he sat up, thining
out sleep by scrubbing his face with his hands.
*What a strange dream,* he thought as he opened his eyes, only to find it was still
dark outside. He let his eyes come into focus as he stared at his clock.
*5:30?*
He was pretty sure he hadn't set it up at that time. Early classes didn't start
until eight that morning, and his afternoon was planned out to teach at the dojo,
then at night dinner with Akane.
He was about to sink back into sleep when he noticed a savory aroma that made his
mouth water, not to mention the curiousity that came as noises were heard from
downstairs and the hall light being on.
Quickly he stood, put on his tank-top (since he'd slept only in his boxers), left
the room and walked downstairs. The smell was getting better, making his stomach
growl. Time for an early breakfast.
He stood at the entrance of the kitchen, inhaling as much of the smell as he could.
He jumped a bit as arms snaked around his waist and a head rested on his back.
"Morning sweetheart."
Those words made everyday day worth getting up for. He turned and hugged Akane tightly,
kissing her gently. Enjoying these moments was what life was all about. Just him and her.
Four years together, and many more to come.
He broke the kiss and looked directly into her eyes. "Morning. Why you up so early?"
She smiled back at him. "Can't I surprise my husband on his birthday?"
Birthday...
The thought made him smile. He was stupid enough to forget his own birthday. A college
student, martial arts master, husband, all at 21.
"I have something for you," she said as she walked over to the cupboard. She took a
small gift out of one of the pots, well hidden from anyone's view.
"Here you go," she said as she gave him the gift.
"Thank you," he said as he took it in his hands, only to discover that she wouldn't
let it go.
"What?" he said in a playful tone. She lowered her head with a smile, keeping her
hands on the gift. He noticed that her cheeks flushed cutely as her eyes met his
again.
"It's a double event."
"Double event?" he asked, "about what?"
She smiled a warm and loving smile, love shining in both their gazes.
"Happy father's day."
His jaw dropped slightly and his eyes widened. "Fa...fathers day?"
She smiled at his reaction and hugged him. "Yes."
"Oh my God!" he exclaimed as he picked her up and spun around a few times. Both of
them laughing until the spinning stopped, but the hug remained.
"I love you, Akane."
*
"I know. I just wanted to hear you say it."
Sobs were heard and encouragements shouted as their display held on the way. How
long had everyone waited to see this moment it; was unclear, but it was happening
and that was all that mattered.
Akane removed her head from Ranma's chest so she could look directly into his eyes.
It had surprised her a bit when he just grabbed her and said those four words she'd
longed to hear. She'd heard them at China, but now was the time that counted. No one
was dying. No one was speaking a heart truth that was only talked about in a moment
of pure desperation. This was a regular day, until now that is. Ranma had said it.
He'd told her. She could not have wished for a better way. He wasn't afraid of it.
He accepted it. She knew now, then again, she'd always known.
"Thank you, Ranma," she muttered as she tried to keep the tears behind her eyes.
"I'm not done yet. I just wanna say that I'm sorry Akane. I know I denied the fact
I told you at China, but it was different then. I was about to lose you. You were
gonna die without being totally sure. Then we got home and I was forced to marry you,
even though you consented. Funny thing is that after all that mess we went back to
how we were, something that shouldn't have happened. Nothing was how we left it,
it was better. We were gonna be together. I got scared, I don't know why. I guess
it's cause it all happened too fast. I wanted to be the one to ask. Not because of
our parents, or honor or anything. Nothing of that matters to me. Only you matter
to me Akane. I wanted to be the one to ask, not our folks. Akane..."
Ranma released himslef from her hug, took her hand and kneeled down on one knee,
producing a small box. "Tendo Akane, I love you. I always have and I always will.
Not for compromises or honor, not for the future of the art, only for us, me and
you, for OUR future together I ask, will you marry me?"
"Ranma..." Akane began as he slipped on a ring and stood. Her tears were running
down her face. She felt so happy, so fulfilled when she threw herslef at him and
hugged him like no tomorrow. "OF COURSE YOU BAKA!!!"
For once in his life, the words came out straight. No inner demons, no lords or
fiancee's could stop it now. He had finally admitted his true feelings to the
person that meant the world to him. He felt a huge weight leave his heart as he lost
himself in the warmth of Akane's hug. The woman that would soon be his wife.
Akane looked into his eyes, finding nothing but the truth. It was now her turn to
say it. "Thank you Ranma. I love you too, and for that reason alone I will marry you."
Ranma smiled as Akane rose to stand on tip-toe, pressing her lips on his. It wasn't
their first kiss, but it was the first that counted. He wasn't a cat, under the
influence of mushrooms or anything. This was the kiss that meant everything. It
sealed them together. It made them one. It was the symbol for the true and only
engagement.
Everyone started to either cry or shout or try to restrain Kuno from recking this
oh so precious moment. They were glad they'd finally gotten together. The impossible
couple. They'd seen it before school ended that year. It had happened, and none of
them could have been more relieved.
After an eternity in the kiss, they both realized this had not been the most
appropriate of places. They both flushed red as they broke the kiss and looked into
each other's eyes. After they peeked into their souls, they just hugged.
Tightly and warmly.
Ranma ran his hand down her back, roaming his fingers through her hair. In an instant,
many images flashed before his closed eyes. Images of a not so distant future.
Their wedding day, the honeymoon, their children and so many others. Just in his
imagination, but each one was validated as true. It would happen. Maybe not in the way
he was seeing it, but it would happen.
He opened his eyes and looked at Akane's figure, still hugging him as if he were
saying good-bye. Only he wasn't.
He was here to stay, forever...
Then something odd happened. All the shouts went deaf, all the surroundings turned
black. Even the ground they stood on was removed. Only they remained in the
unmeasurable darkness.
He looked around, but all he saw was more black. He tried to speak, but no words
would come. He tried to move, only to find he was paralyzed. He could only move his
head. He looked at Akane, but she stood frozen, still hugging him.
He never noticed the figure standing right in front of them, until it began to walk.
Ranma stared at this figure as it slowly approached them, not liking the sinking
feeling he was getting. He surveyed it closely. It's face was not visible, but
his formation was. It was dressed in a gi, outfited in a much different style than
his own. His body stood out, it's muscles unrestraint by the fabric. It was a man.
It was a man that radiated a familiar aura. An aura he knew, but had forgotten.
It was different now. At first he felt this aura as kind and relaxing, now it was
pure hate and depresion. He tried violently to move when he noticed a menacing
object in it's hand. A sword. A menacing sword standing out with brightness as
dark surrounded it. He was only able to watch as he got closer and closer.
After a few minutes he was upon them. He stared at Ranma and Akane. Their hug,
their embrace. He grunted an empty laugh as he raised the sword high above his head.
Ranma tried to yell, scream, do something. He had to stop this man as he knew what
he was about to do.
In a flash of light the sword came down. Ranma felt Akane's grip become loose,
her body becoming limp in his arms. Finally he had control of himself and screamed
aloud. "AKANEEEEE!"
Ranma watched in horror as Akane slowly rose her head to meet his eyes, terror was
the prominent expression in her.
"Ra... Ranma..."
"NOOOOOOOO!" Ranma screamed as Akane began to fade before him. He tried to grab her,
but she was like a ghost, nothing he could hold on to. Soon she disappeared. Ranma
crumbled to his knees, screaming as tears splilled from his eyes.
"AKANEEE! NOOOOO!"
He raised his eyes to this man, watching as he wiped the bloody blade with a towel,
leaving the blade spotless. He was suddenly on his feet, running, being fueled by a
murderous rage unlike anything he'd ever felt.
"BASTAAAAAAAAARDDDD!!!!!"
He threw a frenzy of punches at this man, only to find that he too was like a ghost.
All his attacks went right through him. But when the man attacked, he could feel it.
He had been hit in the gut with a force unimaginable. He clutched his gut as
he once again sank to his knees, gasping in air desperately.
"Pathetic," he heard the man say. He slowly looked up at him, finding that his
face was now visible. A face that was burned into his memory since long ago. A
face that had changed.
"I...I...Iori?"
He smiled at Ranma as he raised the sword above his head once again. "The blood
of a warrior is like poison. Evil, yet good. Here you have two paths to choose from.
It doesn't which one you take, as long as you choose to take one." He smiled an evil
smile as he let the blade come down, only this time it was slower.
"Your blood, I will be glad to spill, Saotome."
Ranma watched in horror as the blade slowly descended on him, unable to do anything
to defend himself. Then he felt it slice through his chest...
*
"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" Ranma woke up abrutly from his nightmare, waking up Akane and just
about all the neighbors with his scream.
Akane saw Ranma sitting up, noticing the sweat that ran down his forehead. She sat
down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Ranma, Ranma it's okay. I'm here."
Ranma looked to his side to see Akane safe and sound, only a bit startled. He quickly
drew her within his arms, burying his face in the crook of her neck. *A dream, just
a dream.* He closed his eyes, trying to forget that horrible nightmare.
Akane felt Ranma breath out hard, his hold on her tightning. She hugged him back with
equal strength. Whatever he had dreampt had scared him, big time.
Ranma was barely recovering from his dreams, when he felt intense soreness and pain
on just about every part of his body. He grunted and closed his eyes forcefully as
he broke the hug and sank back on the bed.
Akane sensed as how Ranma felt pain, so she let go and sank on the bed with him.
She shifted her positions so she could lie by his side without putting any force
on his body.
Akane's body lying next to his gave him comfort and helped him soothe off the
unnatural pain that came to him. Slowly, he raised his head to look down his
chest, finding the spot that hurt the most. He clearly saw the burn mark on his
stomach, balled into a fist. He closed his eyes, sighed and let his head rest on
the pillow as Akane's arm came to cross his chest, her hand resting on his shoulder.
"Akane.." he said as he moved his arm so she could use it as a support. Moreover,
so he could pull her closer to him. Akane was happy to comply.
They layed there for a little while, until he broke silence with the question
she had hoped not to answer.
"Akane, is he here?"
She wasn't sure about the nature of his question, but she knew what he meant.
"Yes, he is."
"Iori's here..."
Neither spoke after that. After a while, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
-----------------------------------------------------
Ukyo just lied there, staring at the roof of her room. She had time to think,
reflect on the events that had transpired today, but she didn't. She pushed away
any and all inhibitions of the story the old ghoul had told them. Instead, she found
herself thinking of this man. Ranma's conquerer, the only man who had ever
managed to defeat him.
*Shegkusa Iori huh?*
She couldn't help but feel guilty about thinking over him. After all, he had almost
killed her Ranchan. Maybe she should stop calling him that, after all, it was her
pet name for him once they got married, something, that she knew very well,
would never happen now. Instead, she focused herself on something that she could
understand better, something that wouldn't depress her as much. Iori, such an odd man.
She felt it once he walked in. His aura radiated kindness, gentleness, yet undying fury
and hate. It was an aura similar to Tendo Kasumi's, but she was no idiot. She noticed
it in the moment she looked into his eyes. That sparkle, a brightness that wasn't very
evident in any human, not even Ranchan. She may not be a true martial artist, but
she understood some about ki and chi.
Those two parts that she noticed were not blended, instead they were very much
separate, much like a yin-yang. The brightness, the intensity in his eyes, she
knew, was born of personal experience, although it troubled her. A man with
evident hate and such power could kill anyone in an instant, yet he chose not
to kill Ranma. She saw it as Akane tried to slug him, how his pupils shrunk,
berfet of anything except defending himself, giving himself completly into the
world of the fight.
She shifted her positions so she could stare out the window. All she could see from
the closed window was the sun covered by dark clouds. Not an incentive, but a sign.
A sign of unknown origin, or maybe just her imagination. She sighed as her eyes slowly
closed. Tomorrow was saturday. She would have more time to think of this matter, but
that was tomorrow.
After a while, she got up and dressed for school.
-----------------------------------------------------
"Hufff..."
Smoke blew out of his mouth as he looked at the city that decorated his balcony view.
A sight such as this should be kept in a travel packet.
Smiling, he raised his cigarrette to his mouth again and inhaled deeply. He let the
smoke remain in his lungs until the effect was prominent in his head. He let himself
wander in thought about what had happened today. The challenge had started, rather
weakly, but it had started. Ranma was finally found. He had friends and rivals as
far as his sources had informed him, but that would just make his game that much
more fun.
He took a few more puffs, finally tossing the butt of the cigar off the hotel,
leaning on the railing. He took his time to examine in detail all possible outcomes
for his game. Maybe it would end in tragedy, maybe a happy ending,
maybe no ending at all.
"hahaha..." ha laughed bitterly. Maybe the third possibility was the most possible,
but all that mattered now was the challenge. A glorious battle. He smiled once again.
"I think I'm going to like it here."
Iori walked back inside and closed the sliding shoji doors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
I'm pretty sure you all have some doubts; let me clear them up.
1) Kanchuu Tenshin Amagurinken is an amazon technique that dates back many generations, right?
Or so said Cologne. But, just how old is Cologne? I'm betting on a few 'generations' worth,
so there you go. Same goes for the 'Cat-tongue' Tsubo.
2) Toaraoma is a word I made up; I highly doubt it means anything in Chinese.
3) To all Martial Artists: the Shegkusa style is NOT Jeet-Kune-Do. For starters, it
didn't exist back then. And also, it is missing many chinese styles.
4) On 'an aura similar to Tendo Kasumi's', what I meant was the kindness and gentleness
she always seems to radiate; just slash out that hate part. The wording just came out
wrong and I don't know how to fix it.
5) I know that Yuriko and Mitsurugi sound more Japanese, but I couldn't think of any other
names that would fit their character. Also, a scene is missing, and I'm sure you know
that it was a lemon. I decided to edit it out since it's way too early in the story.
There will be some, but not right now.
Like it? Hate it? Hate me for writing it? Send me your opinions at:
raetaurus@yahoo.com
All C&C welcome, flames also.
Until next time...
BlackDragon
