Chapter 9
Diro stood outside of the men's locker room and stared at Ranma, still in female form, in a state of confusion and hesitation. The boy had seen strange things before, especially since his arrival in Japan, but this was too much for his system. More than that, he sensed an over whelming wave of sadness emanating from his friend. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to say something, but what? What could he possibly say that would comfort his friend, or at least show her that nothing had changed between them?
He was no good at this, he decided. Emotional confrontations were never his strong suit. He didn't even know what to do in potentially positive situations. Rei and Minako had been all too obvious with their respective feelings. He knew that they had some sort of emotional ties with him, but he never knew what to say or do about it. He chose to act as though everything was normal and ignored all indications that they cared for him, but he couldn't deny the situation. As much as he dreaded the idea, sooner or later he would have to address their feelings and his own. But Ranma's problem was more immediate.
Diro's head swam as he thought back to that transformation. He wanted to know how it happened. The last thing he saw was Ranma fighting Chun Li as a male, and then he got hit in the head with a bucket and became a female. Why was that? Was that some sort of magic bucket? No, of course not, that was a stupid idea. But then, what was it? He needed to find out, but he wasn't making any progress just standing around and staring at his friend's…generous figure.
Hesitantly, he approached her. His steps were as silent as the most strictly trained ninja and he stopped just behind her. Neither of them moved or said anything for several moments until Ranma finally stirred. "Don't you want to ask me?"
"I don't really know what to ask."
"And I don't really know what to tell you." She turned around to face him. "This is me now. When I'm splashed with cold water, my body becomes this." She gestured to her breasts. "And when I'm splashed with hot water, I go back to normal."
"How? Since when?" Diro demanded. "Ranma, I just don't know what's going on here!"
"You think I do?!" Ranma returned. "It's some stupid ancient Chinese curse! I fell in a cursed pond and this happened!" She then said more quietly, "I was hoping to hide that fact this time."
Diro leant against a locker and slid down to the floor. He looked at Ranma, studying her face and feminine body. "Sorry. I dunno what to think or say or anything."
"I was like that at first." Ranma said with a wan smile. "It still kinda gets to me. I mean, I'm still looking for a cure, but I can deal with it for now."
He nodded and kept silent for a few moments before speaking again. "I guess I can see why you might wanna hide it too. Were you embarrassed?"
She scoffed a little and pulled her knees up to her chin. "Of course I was. I'm embarrassed every time this happens. You couldn't imagine what it's like, Di. I was raised to be manly, and now I'm half woman!"
"Well, despite this new, ah, turn of events, I don't see a reason why anything should be different. I mean, you 'n me are still buds right?"
She looked up with a perplexed expression. "You mean, you still want to hang out with me?"
"Yeah." He said. "Y'know, Usagi would say that something like this doesn't really change who you are. So you're cursed, big deal. So am I, y'know? So's the rest of the goddamn world when you think about it. That doesn't change a thing."
She made a slight squeak which Diro took as a chuckle, or maybe even a giggle, who could tell? She then stood up and pulled her friend to his feet by his hair. "Don't you have a match to get ready for, 'buddy?'"
"Ah! Hey knock it off!" He pulled away and rubbed his head.
"Don't be such a weakling, Di." She turned him around and pushed him out the door. "I'm gonna clean up before your match. See you in a few."
Diro let out a sigh of relief. He allowed his friend to push him into the hallway and smiled slightly when the door slammed behind him. It would appear as though Ranma was back to his old self again, or at least would be shortly. He started to walk back to the ring when he saw a familiar blue-haired girl peeking around the corner.
"Hey, Mercury, is that you?" He asked.
She stepped around the corner and flashed him a shy look. "I was worried about Ran—er, Saotome-san. Is he alright?"
He glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "Yeah don't worry about that jerk. I swear to God, a house could fall on his head and you'd never know it. He'll be fine."
She heaved a sigh of relief. "Yokatta (what a relief)! I was so worried and confused when I saw what happened."
"You don't seem too shocked about it."
She giggled slightly. "Well, in my line of work you see a lot of strange things. I've become accustomed to it."
"Why are you the only one of the others who came to check up on Ranma? Do you like him or something?"
"No!" She blurted out in defense, then blushed and covered her mouth. "Maybe a little."
Diro stroked his chin. "Uh huh. Well if that's what you want, I gotta tell ya, you've got some competition. I dunno how he does it, but Saotome's got a ton of girls chasing after him. Including this one girl I know, Ami. He doesn't seem like her type at all, but I guess opposites can attract." Her blush deepened. "Anyway, I gotta go. I can't leave the audience waiting, y'know?"
Sailor Mercury nodded, keeping her eyes averted almost shamefully. He was right. Ranma Saotome truly wasn't her type. Normally, she preferred very intelligent guys with actual goals as opposed to a handsome brawler. But on the other hand, Ranma was very brave and despite his apparent lazy nature, he honestly tries his best to be a great fighter. Maybe that was confusing her, but ever since she first met Usagi, the girl had learned to listen to her feelings. And right now, her heart was screaming for Ranma.
She waited until Diro turned the corner, and swallowed a lump in her throat before making her decision. She looked around, making absolutely certain no one was around and there were no security cameras spying on her before she transformed back to normal.
The girl waited outside the locker room for a few minutes, tapping her chin in anxiety. She felt her heart leap into her throat when the door opened and Ranma stepped out. She couldn't help but stare at him. He had obviously reverted back to his original state, and it looked like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Her face grew hot and her eyes fixated on his body. His confident walk, his easy-going, non-chalant style; the moment was perfect. That is, it would have been perfect if he had noticed her.
Ami's heart sunk from her throat to her stomach as Ranma walked past her. She had hoped he would notice her and recognize her, and then they could talk. But he didn't recognize her. Hell, he didn't even know her at all! "Sao-" She tried to call out to him, but he didn't hear. "-tome-san." Her voice trailed off in disappointment. Maybe the others were right. Maybe she really didn't have a chance.
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"Ladies and gentlemen!" The ring announcer addressed the crowd once again. "We have a very special treat for you tonight! Two fighters who have studied the same style! One, a newcomer to the ring, but no stranger to the sport, Diro Kotaishi!" He gestured to Diro, who in turn waved to the cheering audience, giving special notice to his friends in the crowd. "And the other, a true master, the heir to Bushin Ninjitsu, Guy!"
The crowd cheered with exuberance. The idea of a battle between master and pupil seemed to thrill them. "We will begin this match as soon as our medical staff removes the remains of our previous battle!" All heads turned to the staff attending to the unconscious body of Dan Hibiki. His pink gi was ripped only slightly more than his flesh and soaked with blood. The attendants loaded his body onto a stretcher and quickly carried him away. "Let's hear it again for our previous winner, Vega!"
The masked fighter ignored the audience's clamor and stared at Diro. His blood-red eyes locking onto the boy's own dull brown ones. Diro clenched his fists and gritted hi teeth as Vega flung his long braid over his shoulder and walked away. Their brief exchange had the desired result; Diro knew he had to win. Somehow, he would have to defeat the greatest Bushin ninja of his time.
"Fighters take you stances! Hajime!"
Guy wasted no time in testing the boy's strength. He immediately rushed toward him and nimbly hooked his arm, holding him up from behind. He lifted the boy up and suplexed him hard. The Bushin heir leapt back and rushed forward again before the disturbed sand of the arena settled. He grabbed Diro in a headlock and ran up the fence, driving the boy face-first into the ground.
"If you truly were trained by Kotaishi Kunio, you ought to be able to do better than that." He said, putting a little distance between himself and his opponent.
"Much better." Diro assured him. "You just caught me off guard. But at least now I know what you can do."
"Impressed?" Guy asked.
"A little." The boy admitted. "I should expect as much from Bushin style's greatest ninja. Y'know, I've actually been looking forward to this."
"As have I, little Kotaishi. I've heard a lot about your grandfather. I'm sorry I never got to meet him."
"So you know I have to win this fight." Diro took his stance. "But don't hold back!" He roared and ran toward Guy and performed a kubikari, skimming just above the ground as he shot a kick straight from his side. The boy delivered a volley of punches until he broke through Guy's defense and planted a foot on his chest, launching himself upward to kick his opponent with both feet.
As Guy stumbled back, Diro jumped back and clung to the chain fence. He waited for his opponent to run toward him before springing off the fence to perform a midair Bushin izuna drop. Guy leapt up and allowed himself to be grabbed, he then reversed their descent, wrapping his legs around Diro's neck and driving his shoulders into the ground.
"Don't forget, Kotaishi. I know all your moves." He said and tossed Diro up by his gi top and kicked him to the side. "And I trust you know all of mine?"
The boy stirred and struggled to his feet. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "I should hope so. But that's kinda boring. Why don't you try showing me something new?"
Guy smirked. "Okay, you asked for it." He dashed toward Diro and grabbed his gi so fast the boy had no time to defend. "I call this the Bushin Musou Renge."
Diro couldn't even see the dozen ki-powered blows that landed in less than a second. The only thing he felt was pain, dizziness, and an odd sense of euphoria before Guy finished him off with a strong side kick to the ribs, sending him crashing into the fence.
"Holy shit what a move!" The announcer mistakenly breathed into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, that was absolutely amazing! I don't think anyone could withstand such an attack! I didn't even see half of those punches! It would appear as though we have a winner for our fourth match!"
"Wait!" Diro choked out. He slowly lifted his face, as those nearest him cringed at its current bruised and swollen state. "I can still fight."
The boy wrapped his fingers around the fence and pulled himself up. He then doubled over in pain as he felt something in his side snap. He screamed and fell back down, choking on the sand coating the arena floor.
"Diro! Diro let it go!" An urgent voice called out from behind him. "Not even I would go on after that!"
"Ken?" He shook violently and spun around to face his old friend. "I can't give up." He pulled himself up to crawl, swallowing the pain of his fractured ribs. "If I can win this match, I'll fight Vega next. And then…"
Ken looked into the boy's visible right eye. By some odd trick of the light, it seemed to emit a strange white glow. He sensed Diro's fighting spirit would not allow him to quit. He felt a need to go on, greater a need even than that to breathe. "Fine. If you must win, then use my technique."
It took the boy a moment to realize what Ken was talking about. He nodded and limped back to the center of the ring. "Guy! You don't know all my moves!" He took a different stance, inhaling sharply as he did so. "Let's do it one more time."
Guy didn't even wait for Diro to finish. He took off running and jumped high in the air, preparing for another izuna. Diro waited until he was almost on top of him and shouted, "Shinryuken!" An explosive column of fire trailed his ascent in the air, igniting both bodies when his fist caught Guy's chest.
Both fighters landed hard on the ground and the flames engulfing them slowly died down. The audience watched them intently in an awestruck hush. Finally, Diro screamed in pain and rolled over on his side, emptying the contents of his stomach.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! In a stunning turn of events, the pupil of Bushin Ninjitsu, Diro, defeated the heir to the very same style apparently using a variation of Shotokan's rising dragon!"
"Diro!" Sailor Mars screamed and scrambled over the fence, immediately followed by Venus. The two rushed to his side and fawned over him, however every time one of them touched any part of his body, he moaned and convulsed. The senshi were gently pushed aside by the attending medical staff.
The ring announcer scratched his head. "It would seem that our young friend's last attack took more out of him than expected. We will be taking a short intermission to prepare the ring for the next match, at which time I will inform you of Kotaishi-san's condition." A staff member whispered something to him that evoked an exasperated look. "Oh very well, if I must. Let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby. Let's all go to the lobby, to get ourselves some snacks."
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Kasugano Sakura waited outside sickbay with the rest of Diro's friends. That last battle had excited her like never before. It made her want to fight him even more. Especially since Ryu was now out of the tournament, she prayed Diro would recover and give her a good fight. She craved it. She needed it.
A medical assistant stepped out of the room and motioned them to enter. She followed the others' lead and walked in. The room itself was pretty sparse. It resembled the nurse's office at school more than anything else. She had to wonder how they were able to treat anyone in such a small area with so little equipment.
"Your friend's last fight took a lot out of him." The nurse said to them. "Among multiple bruises, he seems to have suffered three fractured ribs. It seems that he also somehow received a third-degree burn down his right arm. How on earth that happened, I've no idea." She tucked an errant strand of her deep red hair behind her ear and looked at the group quizzically.
"I'd like to know how that happened, too." Sailor Venus said and looked accusingly at Mars.
"What?" Mars insisted. "Do you honestly think I'd do something that might harm Diro-kun?!"
"That was the shinryuken." Diro answered wearily. "A more powerful version of Shotokan's rising dragon."
"A shoto move?!" Sakura demanded. "Where'd you learn that?!"
"I guess that's my fault." Ken answered. "I taught that technique to him about three of four years ago, back when it was unrefined. Instead of an even stream of flames feeding off of the fighter's ki energy, it explodes out from the body, sending him flying upward, and at times causing serious damage to both fighters."
"It's supposed to be used only as a last resort." Diro continued. He winced as the nurse tightened his bandages. "But it's never hurt this bad before!"
Ken shot him a cocky half-smile. "Remind me to show you the new and improved version later."
The nurse spoke up. "Well, whatever it is, I'm afraid Kotaishi-san is far too injured to continue on in the next round. I'll send a notification of forfeit to the announcer right away."
"Don't!" Diro coughed. "Vega's in the round. I gotta get him!"
"The nurse is right, kid." Ken insisted. "I know you want to avenge your gramps, but you can't even move let alone fight! And going up against Vega when you're like that is suicide!"
"The boy will fight." A stern voice announced from the doorway.
The nurse's ears twitched at the sound of the voice. She spun around, with a bright smile she squealed, "Melchy-sama!"
"What the?" Melchior stumbled back as the nurse clung to him. "Blast it, Mizuho! What are you doing here?" He demanded.
"I'm here to take care of Kotaishi-san, just like his mother sa-" Melchior quickly cupped his hand around her mouth before she said any more.
"Never mind that." He said. "Don't worry about your condition, Diro. Balthazar will see to your recovery. Once you manage to defeat Vega, we must speak privately. Until then, I have a match of my own." Having said that, he left, dragging the starry eyed nurse with him.
"What the hell was that all about?" Ranma asked with his usual tact.
"Melchior is having a little lady trouble at the moment." Balthazar explained. "I'm sure that's something Diro and yourself can relate to. In any case, this room has gotten somewhat crowded and I'll need plenty of space to attend to our friend's wounds. If you would all kindly give the two of us some time alone?"
Reluctantly, the group filed out of the room, leaving only Mars and Venus behind. Venus approached Diro first and held his good hand. "Hey, Diro-kun. Be careful there, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt again."
Before he could respond, Mars pushed her out the door. As she walked out, she yelled, "Diro if you die on us I swear I'm gonna kill you!"
The boy laid his head back and relaxed a little, although the pain of his ribs impeded that to a great extent. He was very tempted to forfeit as per his friends' requests, but he just couldn't leave the tournament without facing Vega. What if he came after Usagi like he threatened to that night? And what if he didn't stop there and continued to attack each of his friends individually? He had to insure against that at all costs.
"Lie still." Balthazar commanded somewhat sardonically. He removed the boy's bandages and ran his hand over his wounds, feeling for the exact locations of the fractures. He then removed a decorated dagger from its sheath on his belt. He said, "This was given to me by your father. Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you." He added when the boy stirred. "It's purely ritualistic. Diro, I know you don't believe us or trust us, but please keep an open mind. We've been more patient than you can imagine in our attempts to find you, and I have so much to tell you about your family and where you're from." He stopped to calm himself. "All will be made clear very shortly. I do not wish to cause your mind to stray from your battle."
The holy knight placed the dagger's edge in the palm of his left hand and squeezed it until his blood trickled out and spilled on Diro's body. He ran his hand over his wounds, smearing his blood over the boy's fractured bones. Finally, he dipped his middle finger in his bloody palm and traced a runic symbol on the boy's abdomen.
"May my blood be your bond." He said and placed his left hand on the boy's chest. "And may that bond never be broken." The symbol started to glow as did the rest of the knight's blood on Diro's body.
He started to stir and then to writhe. "It-it burns! Jesus, B! What'd you do to me?!"
"That's how you know it's working." Balthazar answered calmly. "My blood and the spell will fuse your bones together and ultimately make them stronger. Your skin will also strengthen, becoming nearly impenetrable."
"Why are you doing this?" Diro asked, flexing his muscles and testing his body's reparations.
"We will speak after your match. All will be made clear then." The knight said and walked out of the room, leaving Diro to focus on his upcoming fight.