Disclaimer : I do not own Ranma 1/2, nor claim to.
Chapter Twenty Seven: Broken:
"At first I see an open wound infected and disastrous. It breaths chaotic catastrophe, it cries to be renewed. Its tears are the color of anger, they dry to form a scab." Incubus: New Skin
"Are you sure?" the middle aged man asked. He and the girl were watching the boy, as he nodded again.
Raising his head back up, still kneeling on the floor, he looked on more confidently than before. "I am ready, father." His confidence was not total, but it looked as if he felt his words were true. "I'm ready to do this. I am not afraid."
Slowly, gently, silently, his eyelids began to flutter. They twitched and moved ever so slightly for several seconds, but they didn't open. Then, they paused, holding shut, before carefully opening, letting the eyes beneath focus on where he was looking. The first thing he saw was a ceiling; one he knew plenty well enough to know what it was. The weight of the sheet on his body and the semi-lumpy bed under his back confirmed it.
He was lying on his back in his uncle's clinic.
Moving a little more, he could feel several things out of place. One, he had no shirt. Two, there was a large amount of bandages wrapped around his chest. Three, his left arm was also bandaged, resting on his stomach in a sling. Four, there were bandages over his cheek and both hands, along with other small patches on his forearms and such. And five . . .
He felt like he could sleep for a week and still be tired.
"So, Sleeping Beauty decided to wake up?"
He turned to see Sakura sitting nearby, her right arm in a sling, and a splint tied under her ring and pinkie fingers. She also had several bandages on her face, but she was otherwise normal, still dressed in the martial arts gi she had left in. Glancing around, he also noticed that he was sealed of from everyone else in the back room by a cloth screen.
Slowly, he began to lean up. His mouth was dry and dusty, but he spoke anyway. "Uh . . . what time is it?"
"Whoa now, you lean back down!" Sakura said, hopping up out of the chair she had been sitting in, and pushing the boy back down. "Just rest, Sauske. It's about eleven thirty."
"In the morning?" the boy asked.
"No, it's still night." Sakura replied, smiling. "You've only been out for a few hours."
Sauske sighed, turning his head away. "I did it again, didn't I?"
Sakura sighed as well. "He's always got to do this to himself, doesn't he?" she thought to herself. Then, she began her reply. "Yeah, Sauske, you did. But that's not the point. The point is, you did it because you had to. It wasn't for something pointless; you had your reasons."
Sauske turned, "Yeah, whatever."
His sister scowled for a moment, before sighing. "Well, I got a surprise for you." Sakura said suddenly, which caused the boy to turn his head back to see him. "Some people wanted to talk to you. Let me go get them, m'kay?"
Sakura was already up and through the screen before Sauske could reply, so the boy chose to simply sit and wait. There was little noise outside. Suddenly, a loud argument picked up.
"YOU SAID YOU WOULD KEEP AN EYE ON THEM!" A female voice shouted.
"Hey, hey, calm down, Ucchan!" That was his father. "We didn't expect all that to happen!"
"No?! Well, how about the fact that you threw the bomb into Keira, Ranma!"
"It was an accident, I'm tellin' ya!"
"Do you think that matters?! What if . . ."
A new voice interrupted suddenly, which was also female. "Cookies, anyone?" Aunt Kasumi.
There was a sudden grab at the plate, followed by several "Thank you"s from a number of people, one being Kuonji-san. Everything was quiet after that.
Sauske sighed again. He had screwed up, he knew it. That aura was never supposed to come out again. And it did. How could he have let himself lose control again?! He was being stupid, that's what! He'd have to be careful, more than he had been before. If only he had been willing to say no back then, this would have never happened.
It was all his fault. He should have been more assertive . . . or determined.
He was a failure.
SHINK! The screen swung open, as Sakura ushered in two new people. "Well, Sauske, here you go! Hopefully this will cheer you up!"
"Sauske-kun!" Keira said jubilantly, hopping down in the chair next to the bed, smiling happily at the boy, and scooting right up next to him on his right side, where Sakura had been before. "How are you doing?" Aki shuffled in behind her, and Sakura closed the screen behind them, leaving the three to themselves.
"All right, I guess." Sauske said with a sigh in his voice, before forcing himself to lean up.
Keira scooted closer, before poking him playfully in the shoulder. "Aw, come on, Sauske-kun, cheer up! You didn't mean to, and if it's anyone's fault, it's mine! Heck, I should have been paying attention instead of rushing in at top speed!"
"No, Keira, I should have had more control. I can't use that."
"Why not?"
Sauske looked up at Aki. She stood, somewhat looming over him, at the foot of the bed, her arms crossed. She was looking at him curiously and slightly disgusted. "What?"
"Why can you . . . not use your aura? . . . It is very powerful . . . you would be a much better fighter . . . if you would use it." The Amazon replied flatly.
Keira glared at her, but it was Sauske who spoke. "I can't use it, Aki-san, because if I do, someone's going to get hurt!"
"People get hurt . . . in fights, Sauske."
"Not always!"
"Like who? . . . You? . . . Happosai was too strong . . . obviously you would get hurt . . . Stick-girl was hurt when you couldn't help her. . . the adults knew they would get hurt . . . the other boy was hurt . . . back at the house . . . and Fast-girl was hurt by her own idiocy . . . Where is it your fault?"
"I can't use it, Aki!" Sauske shouted from the bed, leaning up a bit. "No matter what, I can't use it!"
It didn't make sense. "Why not?" Aki replied, looking intently at him.
"Because I can't control it!" WHAM!
Keira, Aki, and Sauske all looked at the wall. Sauske gulped, before wrenching his hand free, releasing some dust and wood chips from his hand. The three of them stared at the small depression in the wall where Sauske had backhand-smashed it. There were footsteps up to the curtain, followed by the SHINK! as they slid open.
"Sauske," Ono said with a sigh, "enough fighting for one day." The man walked in, shooed the two girls out, before sliding the boy back down. "All right, just rest."
Sauske simply nodded, turning aside, the paleness in his face still there.
- - -
On the outside, Keira immediately grabbed Aki by the arm and started dragging her across the room. Ono slipped back through the curtains, and walked into the waiting room, where most of the adults and children were.
Aki suddenly stopped walking. "What are you doing, Fast-girl?"
"You're coming with me!" the girl barked.
Aki blinked, letting the girl continue to pull while she stayed put. "And if I don't . . . want to?"
"I'll make you go." Keira replied cold, stopping her feet, and simply standing facing away from the other girl.
Aki chuckled. "I don't think you . . ."
The girl was cut off by the sudden movement, as she swung her free arm up and around, grabbing for the thing shooting towards her face. Snatching it in her hand, she clenched her fingers around it, realizing that it was Keira's wrist. Then, she blinked.
Five centimeters from her neck, rolling around on the index finger of Keira, the only one extended on her hand, spun a single throwing star, rotating around slower and slower until it stopped.
"I said, you're coming with me. That wasn't an invitation." Keira said with cold eyes. "It was an order."
Aki glared down. "Why should I?"
"You want to know Sauske's aura? I'll tell you everything. But you're coming with me."
Aki glared down at her more, before swinging Keira's hand down, and freeing her own from her grasp. "Fine."
- - -
"Haku?" Auska said quietly, peering in. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah, I am." the boy muttered in the dark. "You can come in."
Auska slid the curtain open more letting in some light, before walking into the room. Sitting down at the chair, she heard the rustling of blankets as the boy sat up in bed. "Sorry to bother you." She said quieter, flicking on the lamp. The light brightened the small area, causing the boy to lurch back, rubbing his eyes, before shaking out his head, and looking at her.
"Oh, Auska." He said, realizing who it was. "Don't worry about it. Mom's taking us home soon anyways. I just wanted to rest a bit."
"Oh, okay. I . . . I just . . . I just wanted to say sorry."
Haku blinked. "For what?"
"I should have seen that the camera was loose. If I had, it wouldn't have hit you."
Haku blinked again. "What? What happened?"
Auska looked at him oddly, before speaking. "The camera you were working on fell down and hit you. That's what knocked you out. It was laying on the floor next to you."
Haku stared more, before turning to stare at the foot of his bed, thinking. "I thought something went around my neck? . . . maybe it was the camera cord . . . but I'm pretty sure I screwed that in right . . . right? . . . I don't know." he turned back to Auska. "Don't worry about it, Auska. If I didn't notice it, it's my own fault. I should have been paying attention."
"Well, it's just that . . ."
"Auska, don't worry about it." the boy said with a smile. "After all, I'm fine now, right?"
The girl paused, before looking up at him, smiling. "Yeah, you're right!"
- - -
There was a sudden crack of the fire, which was the first sound he heard as he woke up. The man leaned up a bit, groaning in pain and blinking several times to clear his vision. Glancing around, he was on the edge of the city, up on a hill and near a small forested area. Some of the buildings he recognized as Tokyo.
"You're awake. That's good." a voice said.
The old man looked up. "Where am I?"
"Outside Tokyo still. I found you laying on the ground in the downtown area. So, I brought you here."
- - -
"What happened to Happosai?" Akane asked finally.
Her husband glanced up, before turning away. "He's got away. When we went to where he landed, he was already gone." There was a sigh around the room. "But, we beat him up so bad, he should be out of commission for a while."
"Like most of us." Ukyo tacked on.
Ranma shrugged. "Hey, it could be worse."
Ukyo glared at him. "Sauske has two cracked ribs, a dislocated elbow, and lots of bruises. Sakura has a dislocated finger, a bruise on her chin, among other places. Keira got blown off a roof onto asphalt. Not to mention you four. How much worse does it need to be for it to be bad?"
Akane shook her head. "Doesn't matter. It happened; just let it go, Ukyo."
The chef glared at her, before Shampoo jumped in. "What old man after, anyway?"
Ranma looked up at her, before sighing and shaking his head. "Same as always. He was after new students. He was kind of lax about it though; he must've known we wouldn't let him. He was probably just planning on beating us up for a while, or something."
The rest of the room nodded, before silence began to spread. It was over. Happosai was defeated.
- - -
"Sit down." Keira commanded, shoving the Amazon into one of the two chairs in the back room office. The Amazon resisted, keeping herself up, before sitting down herself, glaring at Keira. The ninja then took the other seat very carefully, grimacing at the pain in her back as she leaned into the seat.
The brown haired girl paused for a minute, before looking up, a bit calmer. "Promise me that you won't bring up Sauske's aura anymore, and you won't try to force it out."
"What?" Aki asked, surprised at the other girl's sudden calmness.
"Promise me you won't try to force out Sauske's aura anymore!"
"All right."
"Say it!"
Aki blinked, before nodding. "I promise to not force out Sauske's aura anymore."
Keira nodded too, satisfied, before sighing and leaning her head down. "I take it you want to know what the aura is, don't you?"
Aki nodded. "Yes, I do."
"Well, if it's to learn how to do it, or if you can, I'll tell you straight out you can't. It's not a technique that can be passed on." Keira paused, before looking up. "Do you still want to know?'
Aki blinked, but nodded anyway. "Yes, whatever it is, . . . I want to know what it is."
Keira stared at her a moment, before nodding to herself. "Have you ever heard of a 'primal' technique?"
Aki gulped immediately, her face paling and a visible increase in sweat coming up. Her thoughts sprang to life. "He knows a primal?! That's . . . that's crazy! How could he . . ." The girl steadied her thoughts, before speaking. "Yes, I know about primals."
(Primal: A form of techniques that are the basis for several other popular techniques. They are rarely learned, since almost all come about intuitively to the user. Some can be, usually through rigorous training or assistance elements like moxibustion or calligraphy marks. More at the end of the chapter.)
Keira nodded. "That's what his aura is. If you look on his chest, right here," she pointed to a single spot on her body, in the center, where the ribs rise and meet each other, "you'll see a black mark. If you look closely, you'll see it's a kanji. 'Akuma'. Do you know what that means?"
Aki shook her head, although the word sounded familiar.
"It means 'demon'." Keira said slowly. "It's the mark signifying he has the Demon aura, an aura of pure rage, in place of his own. Sakura has one too, except it says 'Mitsukai', or Angel. Her aura is of pure determination. And, Saotome-san . . . has both."
Aki blinked. She remembered what Akuma was now, when it was next to Mitsukai. The Angel and the Demon, the original aura primal. And the most potent. She had only heard of it, let alone understand it. And Sauske, Sakura, and Ranma had it?! "How . . . did they get them?"
Keira sighed again. "It was back when they went on a training trip together. The three of them. It was about a year after Happosai left, and near the end of the trip, that Saotome-san heard a rumor about an old monk who knew how to teach the primal. After checking it out, and finding out it was true, the three went to learn from him.
"The old man agreed to teach the three of them, after they spent two days rebuilding the temple. But he gave them a warning. While Saotome-san, being an adult and . . . had special circumstances already, would inherit both auras, both Sauske and Sakura would only get one, and would only be able to use one.
"He warned them that, if they were not totally devoted and determined to fight with their power, and ready to face oncoming struggles when they arrived, they must not take it, for fear of only inheriting the Demon aura. Sakura was unafraid, and so she immediately agreed. Sauske was reluctant for a moment, before, realizing he was the odd man out, gave in and went ahead with the ritual anyway."
"And Sauske . . . wasn't ready?" Aki asked.
Keira shook her head. "No. Back then, we just thought of him as being nice, trying not to hurt others. We didn't know it was also disgust with the idea of harming someone. And that was enough to keep him from inheriting the Angel. They spent the next two weeks trying to build him up so he could draw out a blue aura, hopefully the Angel aura, but they couldn't.
"Since then, he's been trying to keep the aura from ever coming out. Sakura can use her aura safely, and can control it easily, since it's designed that way. But rage is hard for Sauske to deal with, so he's locked it inside, for better or worse."
Keira paused, and so Aki spoke up. "Is it really that bad?"
The ninja nodded. "It is. The primal aura has three major parts. One, it locks attention on a single thing. That thing, their opponent, becomes their whole life. Nothing can really break their attention from it, and they fight through anything: pain is worthless. If the aura is strong enough, they could be dismembered and still keep fighting. Their will is . . . undeniable.
"The only way to really break them out of that concentration is either letting them get tired, which is pretty easy, since it takes a lot of strength to keep the aura up, or get in their way. And getting in their way is the worst idea, because if it doesn't snap them out of it right then, they'll attack you first, then go back to whoever they were fighting before without even thinking. As they get tired, it gets easier, and if they aren't really, really, mad or concentrated, it's possible to break them out eventually."
Aki nodded. "I overheard . . . that you and Sakura did."
"Really?" Keira asked. "Overheard from who?"
"Sakura and Ranma . . . were shouting about it . . . after you fell."
"Oh." Keira muttered, before nodding. "Yeah, we did, once. Sakura has a few times, though, although I only helped stop him once. It was the first time I saw his aura, so I didn't understand it yet . . ." She paused, thinking, before sighing. "But, anyway, the second thing is the emotion. When the aura comes out, certain emotions get driven into the mind very tightly. The Demon aura forces in rage, fear, or hatred, while the Angel forces in determination and focus. Just like their ordinary auras.
"Third, . . . the aura takes over totally. Depending on how strong the emotions are going in, the stronger the aura comes out. For Sakura and the Angel aura, since it focuses on determination, there's no real problem with her fighting because of it. She doesn't act any different than before; just really, really focused. No matter how strong the aura is, she's still in control.
"But, Sauske and the . . . aura, they change him. He loses all control. Rage just makes rage. And his fighting . . . it's brutal. He'll do anything to kill his opponent. If they aren't strong enough . . . if he can get through . . . Sauske can't stop himself like Sakura can. He won't stop if he's beating on someone who can't take it.
The ninja let her head drop. "That's why he's so afraid of his aura."
Aki nodded solemnly. "I see."
Keira nodded. "And the angrier he gets, the worse it gets. More rage, more aura . . . Sure, as it gets bigger, there's more stress on him, and he can only hold it out so long, but even at how strong I heard it was at, Sauske can go for several minutes. That's at huge levels of strength, too. He's a lot stronger and faster than he acts, but even that's rare to see. With the aura out, he doesn't hold back anything. He believes he just can't let his strength come out . . . It . . . scares him."
There was a quiet pause as the last of Keira's words died out. Neither girl said anything, content to stare at the floor.
Aki gently stood up, silently moving, before walking to the door.
"Don't forget. You promised." Keira said loudly. The Amazon turned to see the ninja glaring up at her.
Aki nodded. "I won't forget." And then, she disappeared out the door.
Keira watched her go. There was a strong feeling of trust in that Amazon. She knew the girl would keep her word. After what Keira had heard about the fight, it would be hard to deny what she had told her after school that day, over two weeks ago.
Didn't mean she liked Aki.
But she trusted her.
- - -
"And that's what the aura is." Sakura said finally, staring over at her old friend.
Kite sat, thinking for a moment, before shaking his head. "That's insane. I know Sauske was strong, but this . . . it's just crazy. I don't know if I'll have the guts to fight him for a while . . . but hey, we'll just have to see. At least I know how strong he's going to get!" He finished with a cocky smile.
"He wasn't at top levels." Sakura responded immediately, which was met by a shocked glance from Kite.
"You're kidding."
The girl shook her head. "Nope, he can get more aura out."
"No way."
"Yes way. I've seen it."
"He get's stronger?!"
"Stronger, and even more . . . brutal. And the control he dies off the stronger he gets."
"How strong can he go?"
Sakura paused, thinking. She sighed suddenly, though, before shaking her head. "I don't know. But he's done more."
Kite had nothing to say in reply, just sitting and thinking about that "human inferno" being even stronger. Sauske had smashed tiles around his hand that he hadn't even touched! How could he do more?!
- - -
"Chii, what do you think?" Tenchuu asked, as they cleaned up the house, since the two of them had gone home right after the battle was won.
Chii glanced up at his brother. "It's the most amazing aura I've ever seen. I don't know how he did it, but if I get another shot at seeing it, I'll probably figure it out." He smiled. "It's what I do best, after all."
Tenchuu nodded. "True. But I'm worried . . ."
"About Aki, I know." Chii finished. "You can trust her, you know. She does know how to protect herself. All of us do. And from what I heard, . . . Sauske . . . I think that's it, right?"
"Yes, that's it."
Chii nodded. "Yeah, she said he was pretty well in control of it, since he had almost used it on her. I don't think it'll be something to worry about."
Tenchuu didn't nod, frown, smile, or shake his head. "We'll see."
- - -
"Are you sure?"
Aki nodded. "He did. I saw it. The attack wasn't clean, and it came back together quite quickly, but he tore Happosai's aura in half with his bare hands! There's no way he would know how to do that! I've only ever seen you do it. Nobody else could see enough of the other aura to get the tips, but he did, somehow!"
The person with Aki said nothing, content to think for a moment.
"Do you have any idea what might have let him do that?"
The other girl continued to stand and think, before inspiration struck. Moving as fast as she could, she gave her idea words. "He used his aura! Like a big waterfall!" Squeaky-Squeaky! "When the attack came, he saw it pass through his aura, and then followed the displacement, and caught it!" Squeaky-Squeaky! "Chi must have been flowing through his body already!"
Aki nodded. "That's a good idea. Better than what I though." The Amazon paused a moment. "I'll watch him, but I doubt he'll be able to do that again. He needs his opponent to throw his aura at him, unlike you."
Pai nodded as well.
- - -
"So, we're outside Tokyo." The old man replied. "How did we do otherwise?"
The figure, cloaked and concealed, darkness covering the face, simply raised both hands, holding three scrolls in the left hand, and two in the right, along with a book between the fingers of the right hand. "I got everything."
"What's the book for?"
"It is Saotome Genma's, and I thought we might be able to get some insight with it for my. . . problem. Along with his notes."
"Ah, I understand."
The figure nodded, before lowering the scrolls to the ground, along with the book. "I didn't get through cleanly, though; I had to knock out one of them. They had put up cameras. Don't worry, I'm not on tape, and I cleaned up everything else."
"How long do you think it will take?"
The figure paused, glancing at the scrolls before looking back up. "A few months, probably, to learn it all. Ranma's scrolls have a few techniques on each. It will definitely take some time. But I'll do it. I'll learn it all. I swear."
The old man, no longer even worried about his defeat inside the city bounds that night, even through the pain he was feeling, nodded happily. Everything was almost totally perfect. He wanted another heir, to finally declare . . . it wasn't important. This came first. "I believe you." Happosai said confidently.
"I won't fail you," the figure replied, "Master!"
Next Chapter: After a day to recover, it's Monday again; back to school, everybody, even if some people don't trust you!
Well, that's chapter 27. It's come out well, I think, but I'm sorry it's coming out so late. Which is something that's really important for me to go over. Since school vacation is starting next week, and I'm going on a trip, I can't be certain that I will have the time or the tools to post a new chapter of this story for a little while. I probably won't put up a new chapter until either the weekend of the 9th or the 16th of January, 2005. But, by then, it should be smooth sailing for a while, since college applications will be done. Also, my other stories should be starting back up around then too.
That's what's going to happen to this story. I am by no means stopping the story here, if you were wondering; there's too much to do, so, until I see you all next time, happy new year!
Now, on with the reviews:
nonengel: Good,I thought the fight turned out well. But, by close to what youexpected, does that mean you want bigger fights, or was that too over the top?
Battousai: YAY! Another reviewer who likes my story!
Paige C: Hey, Keira isn't gone. She just got blown off a roof by a giant explosive device. I am glad the fight went well. I had been waiting to do that chapter sinceI started writing this story, and it sounds like it turned out well. As for Happosai being beaten so easily, don't forget the whole fight. First, he beat Sakura, then he fought and defeated Ryoga, Mousse, seven Konatsu's, half beat up Ranma, and then fought Sauske. That's a lot of fighting, even for Ranma. But it did end abruptly. As for what happened to Haku,I hope you can figure it out now.
Shinjiku: Well, good news. Aki's back in the story now, and she'll be playing a big role in the story again for a long time now. But so will everyone else. As for the relationships, well . . . I just can't say anyhting.
Primal: A form of technique which is not created nor learned in its original use. This category of techniques consists of any ability which is created through intense circumstances in the original user. For example, the Demon aura was first used when a warrior in Japan saw the destruction of his entire town, and was enraged to the point of creating it in a quest for revenge.
What primals are best known for is their incredible power. The techniques are often far more potent that those of any other type of technique. However, there is a serious downside, as almost every primal has some negative effect. For example, the Demon aura costs the user his control and civility, making him a berserked fighter without any ability to change their current mindset. Also, it is much easier for the person to become angered at others without warning. Other primals often require severe emotional states, most involving extreme cases of depression and/or rage, although other emotions are possible (as in the Angel aura).
More importantly, however, is that most primals are often the basis of other techniques. By reducing their power greatly, and reducing the penalties of use, or altering the style of the primal has created some of the most important techniques known. For example, the Aura burst used by Aki is based off the Angel aura, and the Shi Shi Hodokan is also formed from another primal.
In recent times, most primals are simply legends, and no new primals have been found. Due to the current structures of society, it is rare for events to conspire to the point that the emotional levels are proper to form an old primal. Most are inherited through some other form of physical and mental therapy, such as moxibustion, martial arts calligraphy, etc. However, it is rare to see anyone who actually knows a primal, since even through techniques like martial arts calligraphy and such, the problematic elements of the primals still effect those who use them. As such, they have all but fallen out of favor.