Chapter 7 New Beginings, Old Facings
I should wirte interesting thought provking things here...but I'm not...
Aken's eyes were all on Akane. She, for the most part, was surprised that Akane actually survived. But, the silver mallet explained much to Aken. Even though Ranma, consciously, didn't understand the ki mallet, his mind knew what it meant. A brain working at 100 percent can understand many things.
"You surprise me, Akane. You completed your family's special move."
Aken looked closer at the mallet and noticed that a fading R.S was on it. That's when the mallet disappeared.
"Even though I strongly oppose this, I grant you the key to Ranma's mind. Hopefully you will understand something. But, I'll be watching you in the shadows. Your test will happen later."
Aken's body started to glow a black and white and faded slowly into the air. At the very same moment, a key formed itself into Akane's hand. The key was a gold color and it shined a great gold.
Everything else in the room faded away except the door. Just a door.
The sun shined brightly upon Ranma's face. The rays of light disturbed Ranma enough to wake him from his slumber.
Argggggg……if this is my mind… why can't it have some weather control. Darn that evil light ball thingy of heat. Where am I, by the way?
Ranma's eye opened up back to normal persons and looked around. It wasn't the place he that he fought his old man. It was entirely different. He noticed that he was sitting on and bench. And he noticed the fountain nearby it.
Damn, this must the Nermia Park. This is where I beat Ryouga soo easily before he had the Breaking Point training. But what am I doing here anyways.
"You're here for obvious reasons, sonny boy."
"Yes, son, haven't you figured it out?"
"This foul sorcerer, naught knows of nothing."
Ranma turned his and saw most of the people talking to him. Kuno was leaning on tree; Cologne and Soun were sitting down.
"Son, there are many others, this final test is confronting everything, one after another. We are here as mediums. If you succeed at certain points one of us will disappear and the door to the real word will unlock itself. From here and-----"
Cologne hit Soun on the head and she was rewarded with the demon head.
"Listen, foul sorcerer; basically this is a big test. You fail, you don't move on. We disappear as you get closer to the end. And now the final test begin. These tests are far more difficult than any of the others."
As Kuno finished, Kodachi, Shampoo and Ukyo appeared and latched onto Ranma. Each giving their own Amazonic Hug to Ranma.
"Ranma-SAMA!"
"Airen."
"Ranma-honey!"
Each of the girls was choking Ranma under this pressure. As Ranma was struggling to breathe a familiar Blue Haired girl was walking toward them.
Damn, these crazy girls. NOW I'm gonna get malleted on get a round trip to space and earth thanks to the Akane express. Unless, its time for this madness to end. And I don't wanna fly today anyways.
Frost began to appear on the grass, and Ranma's eyes changed to an ice-blue color. The looked at Ranma and looked at him with evil eyes. But then their expressions changed quickly to a bright smile.
"Well, Ranma-honey, it seems you pasted. You hafta learn to stop us gals from jumping all on you. Or else you and Akane aren't gonna last long, Sugar."
With this Kuno disappeared with the girls except Shampoo.
"Tofu, look at the boy"
Tofu got up from his chair and looked to Ranma. His Ki levels were beginning to stabilize. He began to press points on Ranma and checked out his heart and breathing rate. Cologne, on the other hand, began to look closer at the ki levels of Ranma. She noticed that Ranma's mind wasn't as closed as earlier.
It's as if sonny boy is starting to return. His mind isn't as closed and it looks like there is more life in him now. Well, son-in-law I'll let you be. That Ryouga needs to be checked up on.
Cologne hopped out of the room, leaving Tofu to monitor Ranma. Tofu felt a sudden movement behind and he heard a loud pitched scream.
"RANMA-SAMA!"
Kodachi appeared behind Tofu and launched her clubs of doom on Tofu. Tofu moved out of the way and was about to pressure her into temporal paralysis until two spatulas flew toward Kodachi. Kodachi dodged and almost got struck by the two bonboris in her blind spot.
"How dare you peasants attack someone of royalty! And you even ruin my tender moment that I was about to have with my prince. Don't worry Ranma-sama, I'll fix this and you and I can run off into the moon."
Kodachi's wild scream and declaration made some nervous but Ukyo and Shampoo we not phased by it. Kodachi jumped back and changed into her battle costume. In a split second, her whip already disarmed Ukyo, but Shampoo was able to dodge. Kodachi kept Shampoo on the defensive by using her but it was snapped in two when Ukyo threw her mini-spatulas at the whip.
Then, Kodachi threw some roses at Shampoo, that exploded a gas automatically and Shampoo froze, she was paralyzed. Ukyo, then, threw many more spatulas and Kodachi countered by throwing clubs. But, by then the battle was over. Kodachi fell to the ground as well as Ukyo. They turned to necks to see Tofu's back.
"You, girls shouldn't be fighting; this is a clinic and people here are recovering and resting."
Tofu placed his finger on his glasses and moved them up.
"The pressure points should wear off any minute now. When it does I want all of you to move out, Shampoo you should be able to move now."
Tofu's words were stern and had an air of coldness to them. The girls left, one by one, each not wanting to provoke Tofu's anger. When they left, Tofu continued watching over Ranma. Over his shoulder, he saw Cologne monitoring Ryouga.
This boy's healing rate is spectacular. Almost as impressive as Ranma's. He should be ready to move in a few hours and at least take a walk.
"Nihao, Airen!"
Ranma looked at Shampoo, and wondered why she hadn't disappeared like the other 2.
"Airen, confused, yes? Shampoo here to try and help mend your past. I try like this!"
Shampoo manifested a bucket and dumped it on herself and well…
"HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP! A CAAAAAAAT"
Ranma bolted for it. Everything in his mind told him to run. In the sky he could hear Cologne.
"Sonny boy, she won't leave unless you confront her. You will have to be able to think a more rationally when you see a cat. The running like a frightened child gets old, anyways."
Ranma, of course, wasn't listening. He was still running and flailing his arms like a madman. What Ranma didn't notice was a wall in front of him. And this wall, did stop Ranma. The pain in his face made him forget about the cat and he started ranting about how walls shouldn't be in his mind.
Ranma heard a soft meow behind him and he went back in a berserk mode. The eyes were the first things to change, this time. Normally, Ranma loses control first and become cat. But lately now, his eye's began to change more catlike, along with other things. Ranma felt the change, and he was collapsing into Neko Ranma.
Damnit…I don't want to change. It's like the old hag said. I gotta learn control one day…I gotta try an' use heart of ice…it's my only chance!
Ranma's neko eyes glowed an ice blue.
"That's it son. Fight, fight until you cannot and fight once more."
The screams were heard loud and far in the world. Cologne was a reasonable distance from Ranma. She saw a faint ki rise up and down in Ranma, one being red the other being blue.
The boy is fighting the cat within him. The red representing the cat, the blue his own energy.
The energies created strong gusts of wind, pushing neko-Shampoo and Cologne farther away. Cologne decided that even at this distance things could go very wrong. A gust of wind pushed beside her and Shampoo appeared was there in place of the air.
"Airen is having bad time, no? Us should help him back to normal, try again later, yes?"
"Wrong child, look carefully at Ranma. By now he would of become a cat, but if you look you can see ki lines everywhere. His energies are out of control and swirling violently. The blue represents his resistance, he fighting as hard as he can to not change."
"Aghhghghghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."
Ranma's voice grew louder and the world was collapsing. Cologne vanished and Shampoo did as well. The world went bright white and then black…with Ranma in the middle.
Tofu took a glance at Ranma; he felt a subtle change in his ki. He noticed that is ki fell much lower, closer to the death side. Tofu quickly began pressing points around Ranma, eventually finding out that nothing was helping him, at all.
"What has happened to my boy doc?"
Tofu never even noticed Genma standing behind him. He never even sensed his presence until he spoke. But, Tofu kept his poker face on.
"In all truth, Mr. Saotome, I don't know. At first, he was more stable but it seems as if he is getting closer to the death side. His energy just went lower….very, very down."
"Doc, I don't want to see my son like this, he's so weak lookin'."
"At least, you've seen your son for many years Genma."
Nodoka appeared behind Genma, apparently unarmed. In place of the sword was a small piece of paper. It was torn in half.
"This stupid little paper kept me away from my son. I never seen him grow up and now he's nearly dead. But, from what I've heard, Ranma has succeeded in becoming a man amongst men. Genma, I now release you of you duty."
Nodoka tried to say more but her voice was breaking and the tears in her eyes were everywhere. It was almost a good rivalry to Soun's famous waterworks. Genma noticed and, for once did something intelligent, he hugged his wife. The reunion was complete.
The sobs were getting louder as Nodoka pounded Genma, pouring everything out. The years of loneliness, the years of not seeing her son, the missing of her husband fell out of her lips quickly. Before she got anything else, Nodoka fell to the ground unconscious. Genma's hand print was on her neck. Before Tofu could do anything else, Genma faded away and disappeared, without a trace.
Akane woke up, slowly. She felt a bit bruised from the battle and tired. She looked around and noticed that her new hammer was gone. In place there was key. She lifted the key up and noticed it shined very brightly. Her eyes fell upon the door that laid in front of her.
She took a few step and then she stumbled. She was more damaged than she expected. She cursed silently under her tongue. She got up once more and continued to limp to the door.
Hang in there. Just think of that proverb..6 times fallen 7 up.. or something. I beat that copy-cat, I just can't just stop halfway and not make it. I've risked too much and have too much to gain just to lose. I will make it, even if it take a whole day!
Akane glowed a bright gold, matching the key in her right hand. The limp was gone and Akane was walking normal. She made it to the door and her hand lifted up, without command. The key flashed and disappeared and then reappeared into the door. The key hole disappeared and made a click noise.
Akane turned the handle to the door, as her body lost its golden color. The light flashed a great bold color as Akane gasped
Welcome to another finished chapter. I am a very lazy person. Or else I would of finished this chapter a long time ago. But, then again, I like keeping all of you guys in suspense. Well, kudos and stuff like then. Sorry, no cool Japanese Attack names today..