Chapter Three: Training Continued
Hiko stared at the waterfall as it cascaded over the cliff.
'It's been a week. He should be showing up any moment now...' Hiko thought to himself when Kenshin walked up next to him.
"He should be coming soon, ne?" Kenshin asked quietly.
"Yea..." Hiko answered, when he felt it.
Hiko turned around and smiled as he felt Ranma's faint trail of chi. Ranma walked up the cliff smiling, a series of bruises and cuts littering his body. His loose black pants had a few rips in them while his shirt was completely ripped apart as it barely clung to his body. Hiko looked into Ranma's eyes as he walked up to them. There was an aura of confidence in them as he strode forward. Hiko smiled. It was going to be an interesting match if anything.
"Long time no see, Saotome-chan," Hiko said smiling.
"Nice to see you too," Ranma muttered as he found himself already being insulted.
"You seem to be pretty beat up," Hiko said, stating the obvious.
"Yea, well training ain't exactly the most pretty thing," Ranma said right back.
"True enough. Well, do you wish to begin now?" Hiko asked.
"Anywhere and anytime," Ranma said smiling.
"Right here and right now," Hiko retaliated.
Kenshin just watched the interaction with a sigh. Ranma walked up to Kenshin and handed him the sword he had had during the past week.
"I won't be needing this," Ranma said.
"Are you sure?" Kenshin asked as he took the sword.
Ranma just smiled as he walked up to Hiko. Ranma looked at Hiko with a smug look as he stopped just a few feet in front of him.
"Ready?" Ranma asked.
"Of course," Hiko replied.
Both of them took a fighting stance. Hiko immediately grasped the handle of his sword and took a stance. Ranma merely shifted his weight to his front foot. A burst of water sprayed up as the two stood in front of each other. The amount of pressure in the air made Kenshin involuntarily step backwards. The two fighters stared at each other as they waited for the perfect moment of attack. The water that had managed to cascade over everyone landed right between the two. It was in that instant that Hiko and Ranma moved. They both leapt over the water and met in the middle as Hiko drew his sword and Ranma tucked into a ball. Hiko slashed horizontally as Ranma spun downwards before Hiko could hit him. Hiko looked down only to see the Ranma become enveloped in the water. Hiko expanded his chi as best he could and found Ranma's presence suddenly behind him. Hiko turned around midair as he fell and blocked Ranma's kick with his left forearm. The two separated and landed across from each other again. Hiko stared at the now feminine Ranma with a smile.
'He's even faster then he was when we first fought,' Hiko thought to himself. 'But I have yet to go all out...' Hiko said to himself smiling.
It had been a long time since Hiko had had to fight anywhere near this level. Kenshin had been fairly close but Ranma was just more experienced. Hiko sheathed his sword and entered into his basic battou jutsu stance.
"Well, I think that it's time to show you the true power of the Hiten Mitsurigi Ryu," Hiko said. "Keep track of the time, Kenshin. Remember, I'm giving him 10 minutes."
Kenshin just looked at Ranma stoically.
'What will you do now?' Kenshin thought to himself.
Ranma just stared at Hiko.
'Shit... I don't know anything about his fighting style and he already knows most of my techniques... I'll have to rely on my speed as a girl to avoid any major hits...' Ranma thought to himself as he steeled himself for Hiko's next attack.
Hiko bent slightly lower and gripped his sword tightly. In a burst of speed he leapt off the ground towards Ranma when he suddenly vanished from Ranma's view. Ranma immediately expanded his chi and felt Hiko's chi above him. Ranma watched as Hiko took the word out of its sheath and crossed his body with his sword as he reached the apex of his jump. Ranma felt a sudden shiver run down his spine as he watched Hiko's eyes narrow.
"Hiten Mitsurigi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Sen!" Hiko shouted as he plummeted towards ground.
Ranma shook himself out of his reverie and shot away from where he was just as Hiko exploded on the ground. Ranma breathed hard as he watched Hiko slowly get up.
'Damn... he's completely different from last time,' Ranma cursed to himself.
Ranma stood up as he began to channel as much chi as he could to his legs. He noticed Hiko's chi level spike again as he took another battou jutsu stance. Ranma noticed Hiko shift his weight to the front. Ranma gritted his teeth as he stood his ground in front of Hiko. Hiko drew his sword in a quick fashion, raising it up slightly, and then cut the ground in front of him in a swooping fashion spraying an array of rocks towards Ranma. Ranma jumped backwards quickly. As he landed he shot his index finger towards the ground.
"Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ranma shouted as his finger caused the ground to explode.
Hiko watched as Ranma's attack destroyed his own.
'Interesting technique... I guess I'll just have to do better...' Hiko thought to himself when he lost all sense of Ranma.
It had been during the confusion that Ranma had activated his Umisen-ken technique. Ranma ran around Hiko and slowly made his way near Hiko. In a sudden burst of chi Ranma dropped the Umisen-ken and called his next technique.
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
In an instant Hiko found himself being belted with hundreds of punches in his midsection. Hiko coughed slightly as Ranma jumped away after his attack. Hiko quickly found his bearing and searched out Ranma only to see a blur in front of him before another series of punches struck him. Hiko blocked as many as he could and sidestepped Ranma in an instant, and then simultaneously slammed the hilt of his sword straight into Ranma's midsection. Ranma flew into the back wall, crashing through a few rocks. Ranma coughed up a little blood as he slowly stood. His eyes steadied as he quickly regained his bearings. Hiko looked into Ranma's eyes and smirked.
'Still burning to prove himself. Well, this has gone on long enough...' Hiko thought to himself as he once again entered into his battou jutsu stance.
"Watch closely, Kenshin, and maybe you'll learn something," Hiko shouted out as he smiled.
Ranma stood his ground, readying himself for the next attack, still recovering from the last blow. Ranma watched Hiko closely trying to read his next attack. However, Hiko launched himself forward with incredible speed and then blew past Ranma, softly saying the name of his technique.
"Ku Zu Ryu Sen."
Ranma just stood there unable to comprehend what had just happened when 9 small cuts appeared on his body. Ranma stared at each of the cuts, each of them placed accurately on a vital point on his body. Ranma turned around slowly and looked at Hiko. Ranma sighed. He had been beaten.
"It's been 5 seconds past ten minutes, sensei," Kenshin suddenly spoke as he looked over at Ranma smiling.
Hiko looked at Ranma and smirked.
"You did better than I expected," Hiko said as he faced Ranma.
Ranma sighed as he looked over at Hiko. The last technique that Hiko had pulled on him still lingered in his mind. The speed that the technique had been carried out had been faster than even his Amaguriken. Ranma silently thought about the techniques he had seen so far. It made him excited to see what else there was. Ranma had also seen the speed that carrying the sword had enabled Hiko. It had been as if with the sword Hiko had been able to slice through the air, completely disrupting the space around him, allowing him to move seamlessly around. Ranma smiled as he looked up at Hiko.
"I concede defeat. I was never planning on holding you to that 10 min rule. A fight is a fight and there is only one winner and one loser and I lost this time. There's no question about that. I'll take up the sword, but that doesn't mean it's going to become my main weapon. I'm still a student of Anything Goes Martial Arts... but that doesn't mean I can't broaden my horizons, ne?" Ranma said with a smile.
Kenshin smiled upon hearing Ranma's words, as did Hiko. The three of them stood there for a moment when Hiko looked at he both of them.
"Well, I guess it's time for you two to start practicing. We've wasted enough time standing here. Pick up a sword Ranma. We'll be starting at where Kenshin is at the moment," Hiko said sheathing his sword.
Kenshin grabbed Ranma's sword and sheath that he had given him at the beginning and threw it back at Ranma. Ranma caught it in the air and tied it to his waist. They looked at each other for a split second and smiled. The sounds of theirs blades meeting echoed throughout the night.
Author's notes: I've finally finished another chapter of this. It's been tough to write lately. But no worries, I'm still writing and I'm still working on all my other stories. Hopefully I write better then before. Well, this chapter was a little short so I'll try to make it longer next time. Until then!
Hiko stared at the waterfall as it cascaded over the cliff.
'It's been a week. He should be showing up any moment now...' Hiko thought to himself when Kenshin walked up next to him.
"He should be coming soon, ne?" Kenshin asked quietly.
"Yea..." Hiko answered, when he felt it.
Hiko turned around and smiled as he felt Ranma's faint trail of chi. Ranma walked up the cliff smiling, a series of bruises and cuts littering his body. His loose black pants had a few rips in them while his shirt was completely ripped apart as it barely clung to his body. Hiko looked into Ranma's eyes as he walked up to them. There was an aura of confidence in them as he strode forward. Hiko smiled. It was going to be an interesting match if anything.
"Long time no see, Saotome-chan," Hiko said smiling.
"Nice to see you too," Ranma muttered as he found himself already being insulted.
"You seem to be pretty beat up," Hiko said, stating the obvious.
"Yea, well training ain't exactly the most pretty thing," Ranma said right back.
"True enough. Well, do you wish to begin now?" Hiko asked.
"Anywhere and anytime," Ranma said smiling.
"Right here and right now," Hiko retaliated.
Kenshin just watched the interaction with a sigh. Ranma walked up to Kenshin and handed him the sword he had had during the past week.
"I won't be needing this," Ranma said.
"Are you sure?" Kenshin asked as he took the sword.
Ranma just smiled as he walked up to Hiko. Ranma looked at Hiko with a smug look as he stopped just a few feet in front of him.
"Ready?" Ranma asked.
"Of course," Hiko replied.
Both of them took a fighting stance. Hiko immediately grasped the handle of his sword and took a stance. Ranma merely shifted his weight to his front foot. A burst of water sprayed up as the two stood in front of each other. The amount of pressure in the air made Kenshin involuntarily step backwards. The two fighters stared at each other as they waited for the perfect moment of attack. The water that had managed to cascade over everyone landed right between the two. It was in that instant that Hiko and Ranma moved. They both leapt over the water and met in the middle as Hiko drew his sword and Ranma tucked into a ball. Hiko slashed horizontally as Ranma spun downwards before Hiko could hit him. Hiko looked down only to see the Ranma become enveloped in the water. Hiko expanded his chi as best he could and found Ranma's presence suddenly behind him. Hiko turned around midair as he fell and blocked Ranma's kick with his left forearm. The two separated and landed across from each other again. Hiko stared at the now feminine Ranma with a smile.
'He's even faster then he was when we first fought,' Hiko thought to himself. 'But I have yet to go all out...' Hiko said to himself smiling.
It had been a long time since Hiko had had to fight anywhere near this level. Kenshin had been fairly close but Ranma was just more experienced. Hiko sheathed his sword and entered into his basic battou jutsu stance.
"Well, I think that it's time to show you the true power of the Hiten Mitsurigi Ryu," Hiko said. "Keep track of the time, Kenshin. Remember, I'm giving him 10 minutes."
Kenshin just looked at Ranma stoically.
'What will you do now?' Kenshin thought to himself.
Ranma just stared at Hiko.
'Shit... I don't know anything about his fighting style and he already knows most of my techniques... I'll have to rely on my speed as a girl to avoid any major hits...' Ranma thought to himself as he steeled himself for Hiko's next attack.
Hiko bent slightly lower and gripped his sword tightly. In a burst of speed he leapt off the ground towards Ranma when he suddenly vanished from Ranma's view. Ranma immediately expanded his chi and felt Hiko's chi above him. Ranma watched as Hiko took the word out of its sheath and crossed his body with his sword as he reached the apex of his jump. Ranma felt a sudden shiver run down his spine as he watched Hiko's eyes narrow.
"Hiten Mitsurigi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Sen!" Hiko shouted as he plummeted towards ground.
Ranma shook himself out of his reverie and shot away from where he was just as Hiko exploded on the ground. Ranma breathed hard as he watched Hiko slowly get up.
'Damn... he's completely different from last time,' Ranma cursed to himself.
Ranma stood up as he began to channel as much chi as he could to his legs. He noticed Hiko's chi level spike again as he took another battou jutsu stance. Ranma noticed Hiko shift his weight to the front. Ranma gritted his teeth as he stood his ground in front of Hiko. Hiko drew his sword in a quick fashion, raising it up slightly, and then cut the ground in front of him in a swooping fashion spraying an array of rocks towards Ranma. Ranma jumped backwards quickly. As he landed he shot his index finger towards the ground.
"Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ranma shouted as his finger caused the ground to explode.
Hiko watched as Ranma's attack destroyed his own.
'Interesting technique... I guess I'll just have to do better...' Hiko thought to himself when he lost all sense of Ranma.
It had been during the confusion that Ranma had activated his Umisen-ken technique. Ranma ran around Hiko and slowly made his way near Hiko. In a sudden burst of chi Ranma dropped the Umisen-ken and called his next technique.
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
In an instant Hiko found himself being belted with hundreds of punches in his midsection. Hiko coughed slightly as Ranma jumped away after his attack. Hiko quickly found his bearing and searched out Ranma only to see a blur in front of him before another series of punches struck him. Hiko blocked as many as he could and sidestepped Ranma in an instant, and then simultaneously slammed the hilt of his sword straight into Ranma's midsection. Ranma flew into the back wall, crashing through a few rocks. Ranma coughed up a little blood as he slowly stood. His eyes steadied as he quickly regained his bearings. Hiko looked into Ranma's eyes and smirked.
'Still burning to prove himself. Well, this has gone on long enough...' Hiko thought to himself as he once again entered into his battou jutsu stance.
"Watch closely, Kenshin, and maybe you'll learn something," Hiko shouted out as he smiled.
Ranma stood his ground, readying himself for the next attack, still recovering from the last blow. Ranma watched Hiko closely trying to read his next attack. However, Hiko launched himself forward with incredible speed and then blew past Ranma, softly saying the name of his technique.
"Ku Zu Ryu Sen."
Ranma just stood there unable to comprehend what had just happened when 9 small cuts appeared on his body. Ranma stared at each of the cuts, each of them placed accurately on a vital point on his body. Ranma turned around slowly and looked at Hiko. Ranma sighed. He had been beaten.
"It's been 5 seconds past ten minutes, sensei," Kenshin suddenly spoke as he looked over at Ranma smiling.
Hiko looked at Ranma and smirked.
"You did better than I expected," Hiko said as he faced Ranma.
Ranma sighed as he looked over at Hiko. The last technique that Hiko had pulled on him still lingered in his mind. The speed that the technique had been carried out had been faster than even his Amaguriken. Ranma silently thought about the techniques he had seen so far. It made him excited to see what else there was. Ranma had also seen the speed that carrying the sword had enabled Hiko. It had been as if with the sword Hiko had been able to slice through the air, completely disrupting the space around him, allowing him to move seamlessly around. Ranma smiled as he looked up at Hiko.
"I concede defeat. I was never planning on holding you to that 10 min rule. A fight is a fight and there is only one winner and one loser and I lost this time. There's no question about that. I'll take up the sword, but that doesn't mean it's going to become my main weapon. I'm still a student of Anything Goes Martial Arts... but that doesn't mean I can't broaden my horizons, ne?" Ranma said with a smile.
Kenshin smiled upon hearing Ranma's words, as did Hiko. The three of them stood there for a moment when Hiko looked at he both of them.
"Well, I guess it's time for you two to start practicing. We've wasted enough time standing here. Pick up a sword Ranma. We'll be starting at where Kenshin is at the moment," Hiko said sheathing his sword.
Kenshin grabbed Ranma's sword and sheath that he had given him at the beginning and threw it back at Ranma. Ranma caught it in the air and tied it to his waist. They looked at each other for a split second and smiled. The sounds of theirs blades meeting echoed throughout the night.
Author's notes: I've finally finished another chapter of this. It's been tough to write lately. But no worries, I'm still writing and I'm still working on all my other stories. Hopefully I write better then before. Well, this chapter was a little short so I'll try to make it longer next time. Until then!