夢ばかりじゃない少女 - Yume Bakari Jyanai Shoujo
Not Just a Dream Girl
Chapter 3
Akane was flung backwards, the force of the blast left her winded she landed on her end onto the soft grass by the riverbank.
"Woah..."
Akane woke up. At first, she was disoriented, the ceiling above her seeming utterly alien compared to the evening sky she last recalled after being knocked over from the blast of the Bakusai Tenketsu. As her recollection finally caught up to her present, she furrowed her brow. She was looking less and less forward to getting out of bed. A pity too. She had been looking forward to hanging out with Ranma and the others this weekend.
The thought made her skin crawl slightly. While not as upset as she felt in the dream, she still felt hurt by what had happened there and her reaction to it. Her only solace was that no one else she knew had seen it. "Well," she surmised, "there's the chance a random Japanese boy living somewhere in Europe had seen it, but no harm, no foul." Ryouga, whoever he was in this world, wasn't of any concern.
The boy she had trusted, however, was. There was also the matter of what the apparition known as Cologne was and what she, or it, wanted. She didn't necessarily buy the story given to her, unlike Ranma. Then again, she had seen the evidence that at least pointed to the existence of a Cologne at one time. The old map with the Amazon village and Jusendo labeled also seemed to add credibility to the facts, not to mention the fact that the landscape was apparently quite different. Perhaps this was caused by the catastrophe alluded to by the monks Ranma knew and by the old woman herself.
She rummaged through her desk and found an old, half-empty notebook she had used for a class years ago, which only had about a quarter of the pages filled in. She started noting all of the facts she had enumerated in her head. Then, she started writing out, in as much detail as she could remember, how she performed the Bakusai Tenketsu; she noted both the theory and physical movements, and the emotional and energy flows she felt around her when it happened.
She then began writing the events of last night as best as she could recall them. What stuck out most were the words Ranma said in the dream.
"I had this curse and I just wanted to see. I wasn't gonna have a chance otherwise."
"When I'm awake, it always feels like I'm trapped in lead and foam rubber. I feel like such a creep and a pervert, but I don't think I've ever felt more alive than like I am now."
She ruminated on those words in silence, unsure what Ranma meant by them in the dream. Half an hour passed before her body signaled its presence with a growling stomach and, after closing the notebook and letting out a sigh of frustration, got up and prepared for the day.
In retrospect, Akane wasn't surprised that Ranma had already left for school by the time she made it downstairs. Aside from that, the scene at home felt rather surreal. Akane wanted to scream, "why is everyone acting like nothing happened!" Yet she understood why implicitly. Akane wished she had someone else to talk to about what happened, as embarrassing as it was.
She ate her breakfast quietly and made her way to school. If anyone at club practice thought something of her mood, they didn't say much, but Akane was caught off-guard a few times, once during a sparring match with a first-year. She fell backwards onto her rear end, looking embarrassed.
The classes weren't much better. The teacher's voices hung in the air like a gray fog and she could barely pay much attention to it.. She was just grateful she sat a few rows ahead of Ranma, so she didn't have to see him, though her concerted effort to not look at the boy was noticed by other people. By the time lunch rolled around, Akane just sat at her desk, head down. Ranma for his part, stood up and took a step towards Akane, before stopping and, after a long pause, turned around and walked out of the classroom.
Daisuke, who had been pretending to sort his notes stood up a few seconds after Ranma did. He stared at Akane, who was slowly sitting up again and taking out her lunch and not so much eating as lifelessly picking at it. Daisuke walked down the hall and up the stairs, meeting Hiroshi and Sayuri, who had already sat down on a bench on the school roof, their lunch boxes open.
Daisuke stood before them and cleared his throat. Hiroshi and Sayuri looked at him expectantly.
"So? What's goin' on Dai?" Hiroshi asked, lightly kicking Daisuke's shin.
Daisuke nodded glumly. "Well our suspicions were confirmed. Something happened between them."
Sayuri looked at Daisuke with a frown. "Well, we have to help them. Whatever it is, we can't just not help!" Sayuri said as she and Hiroshi stood to leave. Daisuke held them back, hand in front of them.
"Woah, woah, woah. I think it's something personal, guys." He shook his head, "I don't think we're gonna do them any good by meddling."
"How do you know that, Dai?" Hiroshi asked.
Daisuke turned away from them and affected his best Sherlock Holmes impression, placing a hand to his chin and imitating smoking a pipe.
"It's rather obvious, my dear happened to change their relationship. After all, they're acting like they just broke up."
Hiroshi raised a hand to protest, "But they weren't together like that, Dai."
"They're best friends, Hiro. I don't I've ever seen Akane make a friend that quick, even with somebody she liked, like Yuka. Also, remember there's two different set of circumstances. We can be reasonably sure whatever occurred was not 'here'," Daisuke said, making air quotes with his fingers.
"But I haven't had any of those dreams lately," Hiroshi said. He turned to Sayuri,"Have you?"
"Nope," Sayuri shook her head.
"Dai?" Hiroshi let the question hang in the air.
Daisuke stood stock straight, closed his eyes, and muttered, "actually... I have. But it was different this time."
"Different how, Daisuke?" Sayuri asked.
Daisuke shrugged, "I don't remember it too well... you ever have a dream where you fell asleep in the middle of it? I remember an old lady telling me she needed some assistance and that I would do nicely. Then I found myself standing toe to toe with Ranma, fighting him. And then, it was like I knew how to fight or, really, like I'd memorized a script beforehand."
"And?" Hiroshi beckoned Daisuke with the twirl of a hand.
Daisuke turned around and looked at Hiroshi dead in the eye. "Dude, I was that guy, Ryouga. From before. This old lady was there, talking to Ranma and Akane. I felt myself move and fight, until Ranma kicked my ass. I fell down this cliff and into this river I felt really small. Turns out the bastard is cursed, too."
"Cursed like Ranma?" Sayuri asked.
Daisuke let out a chuckle. "Nah, Ryouga turns into a little pig. Not nearly as much fun for peeping at whatever fictional women my subconscious can come up with."
Sayuri rolled her eyes, "Gross. Okay, so what happened?"
Daisuke shook his head again, "I… don't remember. Everything went white and it was like I fell asleep in my dream. When I started coming to I saw Akane yell at Ranma before she blew up a boulder with two fingers. Then I woke up."
Daisuke looked at the two and finally sat down next to them. "If I get another dream, I'll try and see if I can figure it out more during Golden Week. If you guys start dreaming about, I dunno, bein' Kodachi or something, let me know."
The three of them shuddered at the thought. They ate in silence the remainder of the lunch period.
Akane came home late that evening, after an extra-long club practice before the week-long holiday. She was all but literally kicking herself after having snapped four times during practice, admonishing the other members for otherwise trivial mistakes in their forms or performance. It wasn't until Yuka grabbed her shoulder and gave her an angry look, that she realized she had to go home and clear her head. She apologized to the club and left them to clean up.
Entering the Tendo Home. She slowly, but directly, made her way to her room. She wasn't really in the mood to talk. She lay on her bed with the lights off in silence.
About ten minutes later, she heard a knock at the door. With a light 'tap-tap' sound, the person on the other side spoke, with a soft, high voice.
"Can I come in Akane?" a soft voice asked.
"Sure, Kasumi."
The door slowly opened and the tall, brown haired girl entered. She was wearing a simple cotton dress and apron, her typical outfit around the house. Kasumi looked worriedly at Akane as she turned on the lights.
"Akane? Are you all-right?" Kasumi asked, concerned.
"I'm okay, sis. I just had a long day," she said then sighed.
Kasumi looked at her younger sister quietly for a moment. She effaced a slight smile. "Dinner will be ready soon. Do you know where Ranma is? I came back from the greengrocer's later than usual and haven't seen him."
"Well, knowing him... I guess the dojo," Akane replied.
"Ah, well if you could make sure he knows when dinner is, I would-" Akane touched Kasumi's wrist, stopping Kasumi mid-sentence.
"Kasumi... I'm sorry," Akane replied. "I'll be down soon, but, can you please get him yourself? I don't feel up to it."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kasumi asked, her expression appearing open and honest.
Akane sat up, looking downcast as she shook her head. "Sis, I really don't think I can. It's personal and... you know you'd be the first person I'd talk to if I needed help, but... I have to figure this out by myself."
Kasumi looked at Akane, trying to gain some insight into her. She smiled faintly and said, "I understand. I'll see you downstairs soon. But I want you to do me a favor and take care of yourself. If you ever decide you can talk to me, I'm always here, little sister."
Akane nodded, "Thanks, sis."
Kasumi exited Akane room and quietly closed the door. She shook her head smiling as she walked back downstairs.
Akane came downstairs ten minutes later. The family was seated around the table, as was Mr. Saotome, but Ranma was nowhere to be found.
Akane asked Kasumi, "Is Ranma not home, after all?"
"No," she looked away, "he's where you said he was. He's just meditating it seems. He wouldn't leave to come to dinner."
Akane looked at Kasumi skeptically and replied, "Ranma wouldn't miss dinner for anything. I'm going to see what's going on with that jerk." She stood and walked out in a huff. When she left their presence she calmed down. "Great," she admonished herself. "Now I'm putting on an act, too. What is that idiot doing?"
She walked into the unlit dojo. She felt a sense of deja vu as she slowly brought up the lights. In the dark, Ranma looked to be meditating. Now, however, it looked as if he had been staring blankly the whole time. He slowly stood up and began practicing a form.
Akane looked at the downtrodden boy in front of her. He seemed tired, his lean frame actually looking more frail than lithe. His eyes had dark circles around them. He moved in a distinctly mechanical manner. That bright, yet kind energy that he once radiated had dissipated, or, rather, seemed distinctly dimmer.
After a few minutes, in the middle of his second time through he stopped and slumped his arms. He turned around to walk out when he finally noticed Akane. He fell down from the surprise and looked away.
"A-Akane... I-" Ranma couldn't get any words out. His throat felt like dry cotton.
Akane sighed. "Look, Ranma. I… We said a lot of things last night. I was in shock. I'm still sort of in shock. For lots of reasons." She took a moment to compose herself, "I guess I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit difficult to look at you, but that's because in just a day you let yourself get like this."
Ranma felt himself shrink even more. Akane walked up and kneeled next to him. She twisted his head so she could look at his face.
Akane spoke as evenly as her emotions would let her.
"Ranma... I don't hate you. I'm mad at you. I'm disappointed in you. But I don't hate you. You wanna train together? You want to see if the old ghoul's moves can actually done in real life? Fine by me. I don't know if we can be as good of friends as we were, but... I'd like to try."
Ranma nodded slowly, "I understand." Akane let go of Ranma's face and he looked down again, sighing.
Akane, slapped him on the back and spoke in an encouraging voice, "Look, you're a mess. Get some food in you. Then we'll start from the top. I'll run you through the Bakusai Tenketsu, you run me through the Tenshin Amaguriken. Okay?"
Ranma stood up and nodded, "...okay. I know you don't believe me or the old ghoul, but I really think there's something to what she said. I... wanna believe there's somethin' to it."
Akane nodded blankly as she led the boy back to the living room. Ranma followed, but stopped before leaving.
"Hey Akane-"
"What?" She asked, wincing as it came out a bit more curt than she meant it.
"Am I-" Ranma stopped and shook his head, "Nevermind. It ain't that important. I think I need dinner. I didn't eat at all today."
Akane stood there until Ranma walked out of the dojo and back towards the house. She turned out the lights to the dojo and followed.
Ranma found himself in the athletics field of Furinkan High. Being a bit disoriented at the familiar landscape, he tested the waters with a jump. After hitting the 5 meter mark, he saw Cologne standing nearby, on the side of the track behind the school.
Ranma shifted himself and landed next to her. He had a sly smirk on his face.
"Hey Granny, how's it goin'?"
Cologne narrowed her eyes. "Son-in-Law, you are aware this isn't a courtesy call?"
Ranma brushed off the remark with a wave, "Yeah, yeah. Where's Akane?"
Cologne pointed her staff towards the baseball diamond where she was in the middle of avoiding Kuno who was simultaneously waving a bokuto around in a show of affection. Ranma sighed.
"Stupid Kuno, "he remarked with a chuckle. "Ah, well. I ain't gonna pass up the chance to knock his skull in." Ranma cracked his knuckles and he prepared to run after them.
"Son-in-law, wait!" Cologne reached out with her cane, but Ranma bounded off.
In the middle of his arc, two figures emerged. The first looked like a small shriveled old man, about the size of Cologne, dressed in a purple gi. The second appeared to be a mirror of him, except for the fact it was cloaked in shadow. The second figure surprised Ranma and it was far too late for him to maneuver away from its eldritch touch.
It was only Cologne's staff with stayed its touch and the shadowy entity ran off away from the field, Cologne chasing afterwards. Ranma then felt a searing pain in his lower back and he fell face first onto the infield dirt. He heard a cackling laughter from the old man recede into the distance as well as he stood up slowly, massaging the spot that ached.
"Who was that old troll?" Ranma muttered. Unsure what was happening, he walked towards his destination.
Over near home plate Akane had kept up a defensive stance, dodging the strikes and pushing away the swordsman's attempts to hug her. She yelled out to her attacker, "Dammit Kuno! Wake up! I'm not interested and neither is the pigtailed girl!"
Kuno tilted his head, confused, "Whatever do you mean, oh beauteous Akane?"
Akane sighed and put a hand on her face, "Oh, I don't freaking believe this. You're too stupid to realize this is a dream."
"The only dream in my heart is your stunning countenance in my life... along with the pigtailed girl, of course." Kuno opened his arms in preparation for an embrace.
"Well prepared ta get disappointed Kuno! She ain't comin' round no more!" Ranma said as he dove into a kick to the kendoist's face. Ranma jumped off and landed in front of Akane.
However, when Ranma looked back at Kuno, instead of seeing him knocked over, Kuno just let out a light sneeze. He started laughing.
"Hahaha! What in all the heavens was that, Saotome? That felt weaker than a feather brushing against my face!"
Akane and Ranma's eyes widened. Ranma leaped at Kuno again.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma yelled as he pummeled Kuno with a barrage of strikes. Kuno laughed.
"What are you doing? Perchance you held hope I would yield if tickled enough?" Kuno swiped at Ranma with his bokuto. Ranma had mostly dodged it, but the sword grazed his shoulder slightly. Ranma, doubled over, clutching it protectively.
"Ranma!" Akane yelled, "What is wrong with you?" Ranma began tearing up as he seethed in pain.
After a moment, he was able to weakly get out, "T-that hurt... more than anything else in my life." He let out a tear and took a ragged breath, "More than when I had to get my bone set by Master Li after falling from a persimmon tree."
Kuno laughed, pointing his bokuto at the kneeling Ranma, "I knew you were always pathetic, foul Sorcerer. I had no idea such a trifle was actually a weakness!"
Kuno raised his sword once more and stuck downwards. Akane spun around Ranma and caught the blade in her fingers.
"Bakusai Tenketsu." She said calmly, but strongly. The bokuto shattered, sending the spray of shrapnel towards Kuno's face, blinding him. Akane followed it up with a few well placed kicks to his face, stomach, and solar plexus, sending him flying back towards the school building. Kuno shakily stood, grasping his way towards an eyewash station.
Akane turned back to Ranma and helped him up. When she tapped his shoulder forcefully, he winced.
"Ow! That hurt tomboy. Did ya punch me or something!?"
Akane's eyes widened. "I just tapped your shoulder to get your attention. What happened to you?"
With that a rhythmic tapping sound could be heard rounding third base and approaching home plate.
"I had warned you this was a time for serious training, Son-in-Law," Cologne reproached harshly. "There are things more serious than that benighted fool." She had a stony expression on her face.
Ranma yelled at the amazon elder, "What happened to me, ya old witch!?"
Cologne lightly rapped the back of Ranma's skull with her cane. As he writhed in the ground in agony, she explained. "I was not the one who charged in recklessly. Time is short." She muttered to herself, "Shorter than even I expected."
Cologne shook her head and continued. "In the original timeline, the affliction you suffer from was caused by the Grandmaster of your school, Happousai. He is of no concern, particularly since he died decades ago in your world," Cologne closed her eyes and mouthed something silently.
Ranma slowly nodded, shuddering at the thought of a shriveled old guy like him running around alive. "What was that thing that tried to get in the way? Why did it look like it was covered in, I dunno, tar and sadness?" Ranma asked, slowly regaining his countenance.
"The shadow, yes..." Cologne nodded. "I will be honest. I do not know. I need time to understand. Even in the cocoon of the dream, we may be in greater danger than I expected. Regardless, your present condition is but temporary. There is a moxibustion diagram you'll have to recover from Happousai. It won't be easy. Aside from being demonically skilled, he's an unrepentant pervert."
Standing up from the infield dirt, Ranma looked at Cologne, "And how am I supposed ta fight if I can't take a punch, much less throw one." He stood next to Akane as Cologne began hopping around them on her cane.
"That's a fair question and the reason why we are here this evening. Son-in-law, I wish to show you a new technique. We Nujiezu call it "Feilong Shengtian Po", or in your tongue, the Hiryu Shouten Ha."
"Granny, how am I supposed to learn a powerful attack like that if I can't even bruise Kuno?"
"The advantage to the Hiryu Shouten Ha is that it harnesses the strength of your opponents. Ironically, the stronger the foe, the more powerful the attack. Of course, once you are back to your normal strength, you can will it to be even more powerful, but I'm getting ahead of myself. For now your strength, such as it is, shall suffice."
Cologne turned to Akane, "Please keep this in mind as well, Akane Tendo. I know you still question the veracity of my claims, but I'm sure you would agree that, regardless, you may as well take advantage of the training opportunity given to you. At worst, you can dismiss this as harmless fantasy."
Akane rolled her eyes as Cologne turned to Ranma.
"Now then, Son-in-Law. There are two keys to the Hiryu Shouten Ha: the Heart of Ice and the Spiral. Today, we will focus on the Heart of Ice. The Heart of Ice is a state devoid of emotions. In relaxing and removing your emotions, you will generate cold ki. The difference between that cold ki and the hot battle aura of your opponent is what powers the blast. The Heart of Ice is also useful in that it will help you remain focused on the battle at hand."
Ranma and Akane nodded.
"Now, both of you," Cologne continued, "kneel and prepare to meditate."
The two teenagers kneeled in front of the old master, in seiza, and closed their eyes, breathing slowly. Cologne looked at the two, taking special notice of Ranma. She could see the slight twitch of the muscles on Ranma's face.
Cologne jumped of her staff and whispered to Ranma, "Are you sure you wish to continue like this? I sense you struggling with removing your emotions fully."
Ranma hesitated, but nodded, "I gotta learn how to do it like this. I ain't gonna lie again." Akane almost lost her focus on hearing his words, but took a breath and continued.
Cologne let out a derisive snort as she eyed the boy in front of her for a moment. She began her lecture, "Remember, the key is to separate out your emotions from your focus. You cannot get angry, embarrassed, or thrown. While your enemies are inflamed, you will be as cold as the Bayankala Range in mid-winter."
The next day had been fairly uneventful for Akane. She and Ranma trained in the morning in relative silence, Akane practicing various Chi Sao strikes using the Mook Yan Jong Ranma built from scrap wood he found behind the grocery store one afternoon. In the far corner of the dojo, Ranma was throwing himself into Chaya-style Muay Boran drills, throwing shin strikes and punches against an invisible opponent with seemingly all of his force, his voice screaming occasionally.
After lunch, Akane looked over to Ranma and asked, "We don't have anything until next Monday. Wanna go catch a movie or something?"
Ranma shook his head, "I can't. I need to go train more." He ran off back towards home.
Akane looked on, slumping her shoulders. She thought of going to the movies by herself, but instead ended up at the old coffeeshop, nursing a black coffee and writing her thoughts on the last dream in the journal.
"What does the calm state have to do with temperature? What did Cologne mean when she asked Ranma why he's trying harder?" She shook her head as the answer wasn't coming to her. She drew several spiraling shapes to pass the time. Eventually, her attention was pulled towards the activity on the street. As she spent the time people watching, she spotted Hiroshi and Sayuri walking down the street. Akane quickly grabbed her bag and ran out to catch up with them.
"Hey guys!" she said, a bit breathlessly, "What are you up to? Out on a date?" Akane asked playfully.
The two threw their hands up in surrender. "N-no! Just out for a stroll... as friends! You know! Friendly—like friends do, you know, when they're being friendly," Hiroshi said, his brow sweating.
"Yep. What Hiro said. It's just a friendly walk," Sayuri concurred, her cheeks reddening slightly.
Akane smiled, "I'm just kidding. You guys look like you're having a nice time." Her smile turned serious and she asked softly, "Anyway, maybe we can hang out sometime during the break?"
Hiroshi and Sayuri looked at each other for a moment before they almost imperceptibly nodded to each other.
"Sure, Akane."
"Of course, Akane."
Akane nodded at the two. "Thanks... I'll talk to you guys soon." She turned back and began walking home. Slipping around a corner, Sayuri pulled Hiroshi close and the two of them leaned against a building. They let out a deep sigh.
Sayuri sighed and leaned against the boy, "Hiro, should we have said something just then?"
Hiroshi looked down, his slight frown turning into a look of affection, "Daisuke will talk to them soon."
"I don't like hiding things from Akane," Sayuri said sadly.
"Yeah. Me neither," Hiroshi agreed.
The next morning, Akane, dressed in her gi, entered the dojo preparing to spar. She saw Ranma, wearing the same clothes as the night before seated at the center of the dojo, his eyes closed.
"What are you doing?" Akane asked.
"Meditating." Ranma shook his head, "Actually, I trained for most of the night until I almost passed out in the middle of Luk Dim Boon Gwun training." He let out a soft chuckle. "Hitting myself in the face with my own staff woke me up though. I couldn't really sleep so I decided to meditate."
"You've been awake since yesterday?" Akane's eyes widened in shock as Ranma nodded. "Dumbass! Aren't you exhausted?"
Ranma nodded solemnly, "Yeah, but I have a lot to think about."
"Such as?"
Ranma began counting off with his fingers. "Cologne. The Hiryu Shoten Ha. The mess I've gotten myself into..." Ranma shook his head, "Actually, I was thinking a lot about myself. It wasn't until dawn that I started tryin' to recreate the Heart of Ice. It's difficult when you're of two minds."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't tell you the rest of Master Guo's letter." Ranma slowly drew in a deep breath. He motioned to spot of floor next to him and Akane sat down next to Ranma. She copied his meditation pose, though she just wanted to focus on his words.
"Master Guo is well known at the monastery for not just his fighting style, but also his ability to connect with people. I guess if he were a regular person, he'd be a therapist or somethin'. He helped me talk through some things I find... shameful. "
Akane titled her head slightly. "Shameful?"
Ranma sighed. "Lemme start at the beginning. When I was a young kid, I cried a lot of the time. Pops always scolded me about it, saying 'a martial artist shouldn't cry so much', 'you're supposed to be a man' that kind of thing. By the time we came to the monastery, I was really quiet and didn't say much. From the first day, Master Guo took an interest in training me. Not just fighting, but the mental and emotional training Pops wasn't ever good at."
Akane nodded. " I noticed that you almost never talk about your father when you talk about your training."
Ranma betrayed no emotion as he remained motionless, eyes closed. "Yeah. Pops and I... we got our differences. Master Guo told me once that sometimes parents want their kids to live up their ideals, even if the kid has different ones. I, I like training, I like fighting. I like being strong, bein' the best. but... I don't. I didn't..."
Akane saw beads of sweat on Ranma's brow and his jaw seemed clenched tightly when he wasn't speaking.
Ranma sat up straight, rubbing the back of his neck. He gave something of a uncertain smile. "Sorry. It's tough to talk about. I did something that Pops thought was wrong." he let out a bitter chuckle, "He definitely kicked my ass for doing it. But it didn't feel wrong."
He closed his eyes and continued. "One time, when I was about thirteen, I got to go to Xining, the biggest city in the province. I had some money I made tillin' fields at the neighboring farms. I was walkin' around town when I came across something I liked and bought it."
"What was it?"
Ranma let out a puff of air. "Well I was buyin' a tangzhuang jacket and some pants. I was growing pretty fast so I needed clothes. It was all kinda like what I wear these days. What caught my eye was..." He froze, hesitated, as though the next things he said would cause him to crumple in on himself.
"It was a silk dress. Ya know, kinda like a qipao, but not so narrow?" He said almost too fast and too quiet for Akane to understand. He looked briefly to Akane somewhat vacant nod that suggested she only half-understood. "It was a real nice red, a bit brighter than my shirt, and trimmed with gold." Ranma let out a bitter laugh, "I guess it was kinda gaudy lookin' back, but..."
There was a tense silence as Akane could see tears form along the edge of Ranma's closed eyes.
"Anyway, Pops found me with it and beat the crap outta me. I don't think I ever been beaten up as badly before or since. He called me a faggot, and that if I ever did it again, he'd beat me ta death." Ranma held up his hands as he continued, "I mean I defended myself, but I couldn't go all out then cause it was Pops. I never let my guard down around him, not since then."
Akane looked at Ranma's form as he curled in on himself.
"After Pops left to cool off, Master Guo found me, bruised to hell and back and cryin' like I was just a little kid. He told me that what I did wasn't wrong, but I needed to reflect on my... he called it my 'self-image'."
Ranma froze for a moment, not saying anything. His brow was furrowed, as though he was exerting himself greatly.
"I didn't understand what he meant then. i guess I still don't. I thought... I thought what he meant was that I had an image of myself that... wasn't ever going to be. That I'd have to work harder than most folks ta be" he shrugged. " 'Normal', I guess."
"Ranma..." Akane replied, opening her eyes and reaching an arm out towards his shoulder but hesitating to make contact.
"A-and I was doin' good. I even started feelin' normal. I felt okay for three years... until I came here. Until we started havin' those dreams together."
There was little noise as the dojo seemed to hang on the sound of Ranma's heavy and ragged breathing.
Ranma shook his head. "I want to be your friend again, Akane. You put yourself out there just to be my friend. I never wanted to ruin that. You're too good a friend to make my desires more important than your friendship. And I- I gotta be normal."
Akane felt a sudden chill in the air, but she chalked it up to the evening breeze passing through the dojo and its open doors.
"I know you think the whole thing is bunk and, maybe it is, but maybe this is a chance to raise our skills to the next level and be fast and strong and... I don't wanna hurt ya again. You're too nice a person to do that to. Emotionally, I mean. Physically, I plan on clobberin' you once or twice when we spar, " Ranma said, finally let out a small smirk.
Akane rolled her eyes and said, "Either way, you need to rest, maybe eat something like a normal person, you know?"
"I can't yet. Not until I master the Heart of Ice."
Akane stared at the boy as he resumed his meditation, a rumbling sound emanating from his stomach suddenly echoed in the empty dojo. Akane sighed and kneeled next to him and closed her eyes.
"Did you see Daisuke and the others yesterday?" Ranma asked quietly.
"Not really. I ran into Hiroshi and Sayuri, but they were really distant. I mean, we talked a little, but it was like they were afraid to say anything."
Ranma nodded, "Well they know about the dreams. Maybe they saw ya beat up Kuno. Awesome work by the way."
Akane smiled weakly, "Thanks, Ranma... but I don't remember them being there, so they didn't see it, right?"
Ranma shrugged, "I guess not... Maybe they've been busy?"
"No," Akane slowed down in sudden realization, "They were giving us space. Of course. They saw how angry I was and they had to have figured something happened. We need to explain to them, huh?"
"If you think we oughtta." Ranma took deep breaths until the tension in his forehead abated.
"They're our friends Ranma. We don't have to tell them everything, but we can explain a little bit of it. So they understand."
Ranma nodded, "Does this mean we're friends again , too?"
Akane rolled her eyes and punched Ranma's shoulder softly. "Yeah, but don't let it go to your head."
There was more Akane wanted to ask, especially about what Ranma thought of himself, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything by the time Ranma moved back into seiza and began to meditate. Akane did the same and they meditated in silence until a few hours later when Kasumi scolded them for not having come to breakfast.
Akane's feet itched. The lime they "borrowed" from the athletics shed irritated her feet, distracting her as she followed the pattern Cologne had carved into the baseball infield before wandering off after, in her words, "sensing a disarming presence."
She and Ranma had been practicing the spiral movement. One person taking the role of "attacker" while other was leading them into the spiral.
Ranma, who's face sported several bruises and bumps, was moderately successful in throwing Akane's movements off.
"Hah! you flat-chested tomboy! Nobody'd ever date ya!"
Akane snorted, "That all you got?"
Ranma pressed, throwing a combination of arm strikes, "Even if you found a girl who liked girls too, they'd think you were a boy!"
Akane gritted her teeth, blocking his attacks and feeling her control slip, "Not gonna... work this time Ranma..."
Ranma blocked Akane's counter-attack, idly remarking, "Hell, if I was cursed in real life, I bet I could date Yuka in a-"
The force of Akane's punch sent Ranma flying clear across the field into home run (or at least ground-rule double) territory. The pain knocked him cold as he landed.
"Dammit! He got me that time." Akane scolded herself as she walked to the outside of the spiral again.
She closed her eyes and took a long, slow breath, feeling the cold ki accumulate within her. She opened her eyes only to have that centeredness shake slightly upon recognizing the sight before her.
"Beauteous Tendo," the tall, hakama and uwagi clad young man said haughtily as he moved towards her.
"Oh, not this again," Akane bemoaned as she began to draw Kuno inwards. She frowned as Kuno took up his weapon and became completely focused on his goal.
"Why do you resist my earnest appeals for your affections?" he said, swiping his bokuto.
"Goddamit, Kuno!" Akane exclaimed in dismay as she jumped back from the strike. "Why can't you keep your head straight? This is a dream! We talked about this over coffee, you idiot!" Akane yelled to no avail as she was forced to dodge the precise sword strikes.
In an instant, Ranma jumped into the tableau, standing next to Akane. "Hey Kuno," Ranma called out with all of his swagger, "You know she did a number on ya last time. Why don't ya pick on somebody more your speed, like a box turtle or a sloth?"
Kuno let out a confident laugh as he briefly held up his bokuto. "Hmph. If I recall, you rake, your strikes were as ineffectual as my sister's attacks against my love, the pig-tailed girl."
Ranma shuddered for a moment before returning to a smirk. "I think you're gonna change your tune after today, you stupid dope."
"So you say," Kuno replied, turning away from Akane and holding his bokuto towards him, "Fight me, Coward!"
"Not before he fights me!" A deep, gruff voice called out as Ryouga emerged from the bushes.
"Or me!" Moussed yelled, jumping down from the chain-link fence.
Ranma and Akane looked at the three rather perturbed martials artists
"Aw, hell…" Ranma moaned.
"Well you asked for it," Akane said.
Ranma turned his head back at Akane, offended, "How the hell did I ask to fight Mousse, Ryouga, and Kuno all at the same time?"
"You said you wanted to be a martial arts badass, here's your chance."
"You better help me out here, Akane." Ranma groaned before turning back to the three opponents. Suddenly there was a cackling voice overhead as a diminutive figure seemed to fly in the air.
"Ranma! Prepare to meet you match by your master!"
"Happosai too? Maybe we should start taking appointments for challenges," Akane quipped.
"Not funny." Ranma deadpanned as the three youngest fighters made their move.
Ranma faced his attackers. Ryouga's slow moves were easily He had dodged their attacks, deftly spinning around Kuno, Ryouga, and Mousse.
"Ya want me? Come and get me!" Ranma lashed out as he dodged punches from seemingly everywhere. Ranma came perilously close to strikes that, if they even grazed him would knock him out of the fight. He started to panic, but snapped awake. He couldn't afford to lose his composure, not now. He called out.
"Akane, I could use your help here!"
Akane almost made a sarcastic remark, but saw the focus on Ranma's face and her face grew impassive. She jumped in the fracas attacking both Mousse and Kuno. Akane was glad Ranma had made her go through that kata so many times, as she knocked the glasses off of Mousse's head and sent the bokuto flying.
Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. Everyone stopped in the middle of combat and saw a flash of dark light zoomed from the sky towards them. Just as the light resolved itself into a figure above the field, Cologne jumped up and, with her staff, stopped it from coming closer.
Ranma and Akane were entranced as Cologne fought the human shaped patch of darkness. They had yet to see the old woman go all out and her speed, energy, and skill were jaw dropping to say the least. It was a tense skirmish, the figure at times striking the old woman, but Cologne, with sweat on her brow and gritted teeth, beat it back and, with one last stroke of her cane she penetrated the darkness. The figure faded away like sand being let out of a punching bag as it slowly croaked, "You cannot hope to win Ke Lun. The Order will have its way."
"Not while I draw breath, monster," she solemly replied.
The figure gurgled a laugh as it faded from view. Cologne, almost like magic, came down from the sky, obviously tired. Before Akane or Ranma could go to her, a new distraction entered the tableau.
"Sweeto!" A high-pitched gravelly voice called out.
"Oh Dammit, we forgot about Happosai!" Ranma and Akane said in unison as they saw Happosai holding a crumpled piece of parchment in his small hand. "The diagram!" they exclaimed.
Ranma, then Akane tried to get his attention through combat but he calmly outmaneuvered and outclassed their martial art skills with the wave of a wrist.
Ranma quickly turned to Akane, "Damn, his aura isn't even lukewarm... how are gonna rile him up?
Akane looked to Ranma, "How did Cologne describe him? An 'unrepentant pervert'?
Ranma's eyes widened as he snapped his fingers. "That's it! We gotta tempt this pervert! We need him riled up if we're gonna get him and the only thing that's gonna get his attention's a half-naked girl!"
"What!? Why me?"
"Well, you're the only one around tomboy!"
"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed, halfway between embarrassment and anger.
Ranma became stricken as his expression grew pained. "We need a distraction and... I can't. You know that."
Akane stared Ranma down, unsure at what to do. After a second, she closed her eyes and nodded."Fine, but you owe me," Akane said, exasperated. She slid the shoulder of her dougi and sports bra down, showing off her collarbone and a bit of cleavage, which acted as a beacon to both the shriveled master and Kuno.
Mirror images of each other, the two martial artists reached the center of the spiral, back to back, and raised their fists high in the air.
"Hiryu ..."
Ryouga and Mousse turned away from Happosai to face Ranma and Akane.
"Shouten..."
The crowd of opponents closed in on them, fists raised.
"HA!" they shouted simultaneously as the winds roared around the trio of combatants in the middle of the action until the pressure from below sent them hurtling into the air, over the school building and towards the other side of the small campus.
Once the winds subsided, Ranma was on one knee, clutching his heart and catching his breath. Akane quickly ran to his side.
"Ranma, what's wrong!"
Ranma held up a shaking hand, still catching his breath. "I'm... I'm okay. That's a damn good spiral, tomboy."
The sound of tapping signaled Cologne's approach. "Son-in-Law. Why are you struggling with yourself like this? It would much easier if you didn't push yourself so."
Ranma shook his head vehemently, coughing up phlegm tinged with blood. "I don't wanna be a liar. I don't wanna hurt her anymore. She's my friend. I can't betray her just for... something stupid."
The old woman shook her head. "Foolish child. But I suppose we all have to learn from our mistakes." Cologne sighed as she took a breath from her pipe. "When we next speak, I have much to discuss about the figure that tried to attack you. I was able to hold him at bay, but time is growing short. For now, take you rest and think upon what you have learned."
Far off in the distance, piled on a heap, the nearsighted Chinese boy on top of the mound of would-be combatants looked up at the sky before turning his head and addressing the bandanna-clad boy below him, "You're right Dai, that was a rush. Hurts like a mother, though."
"No shit."
"What in blazes are you yammering about, barbarian?" Kuno mumbled painfully, from his position at the bottom of the pile.
Mousse née Hiroshi grinned wildly, "He really is that stupid, huh?"
"No shit," Ryouga née Daisuke replied in a tired deadpan.
About a week later, Ranma and Akane walked down the street. They had gone into the city to hang about Shibuya. It was growing late that night and the two youths were walking home towards the train station in order to catch the last train home. They were walking next to each other, though they kept a greater distance than they had their first trip. That said, Ranma was energetic and smiling.
"Man, that last fight at the end was so awesome! Jackie Chan is a genius at selling the fight in the choreography! I loved the way he mixes Wing Chun and Shaolin."
"Don't forget the Peking Opera training." Akane added. "It's great to see him do his stunts, even when they're dangerous."
Ranma nodded. "I guess, but we could do most of that. I'd love to go toe to toe with him in a fight and see what's he's got. I bet he knows a ton of moves that we could pick up!"
Akane raised an eyebrow at Ranma before offering, "Well you probably can't fight a movie star, but you can always fight in competition."
Ranma shook his head. "Not much competition to be found around here Akane. You're the only one that could give me a run for my money and you stomp most everybody fightin' with your gorilla strength."
Akane bopped Ranma in the head, 'proving' his point. "I'm serious Ranma, you could do well in a tournament and it would be a chance to test yourself against other masters."
Ranma grabbed his braid, twirling the end a bit as he thought "But what if I hurt them? Martial arts ain't a sport to me like it is to most of those guys, even the higher-dan masters. It's a way of life to me! I'm one of the best!"
"Aren't we being egotistical?" Akane whimsically remarked.
"I'm serious, tomboy. Aren't you worried you're gonna hurt someone in a fight? You're already a hell of a lot stronger than you were in that tournament we went to," Ranma said.
"You really think so?"
"Hell yeah, we've been training our asses off!" Ranma began counting off "Well you saved my ass when I was getting ganged up on cause of the moxisbustion, and before that there was that tea ceremony fight, and then those weird dwarves after my hair, and, oh yeah, Shampoo's cousins! You kicked major ass against Lung Lung."
Akane rolled her eyes, "Dummy, those weren't real fights."
"They were," Ranma replied seriously. "They taught us tactics, how to react in tense situations, how to assess an opponent, when to defend and when to strike." Ranma scratched his head, "'I'm slowly figurin' out that we're getting close to other selves. There's a gap missing, but I can't quite pick up what it is..."
"Well, while you figure it out, think about entering the tournament, okay?"
"Okay, Okay," Ranma replied.
After a few minutes of walking, both Ranma and Akane felt a presence behind them. Akane turned her head back and saw four thuggish looking men, all tall and rather imposing.
"Hey little girl, you wanna make time with us," one of the guys, short with a ridiculous pompadour asked with a smirk.
"Piss off." Akane replied flatly.
One of the men, the tallest and most-broad shouldered of the the group, moved in front of them
"I don't think that's a good answer," he said looking down on Ranma and Akane.
"Hey! Lay off. We're just tryin' ta get by." Ranma said, drawing his hands into fists
"You gotta problem, faggot?" The man said, scowling at Ranma.
Ranma's eyes widened and he said icily, "Whad'ya call me?"
Another person in the gang pointed at Ranma, laughing. "Look at you, mincing about with your fag hag here."
Akane turned and yelled, "Don't you talk that way to him, you creeps!"
The third man called out in a mocking tone, "Oh no, guys! I should've known. I bet you're a dyke, aren't ya?"
"You're a long way from Ni-Chome, queers," the fourth man added with a smirk as he pulled out a switchblade.
Akane eyes widened and began to growl in anger. Ranma caught her expression and loudly whispered, "Soul of Ice!" Akane blinked before nodding to him. She took a calming breath as she raised her arms defensively.
Regaining his own countenance, Ranma looked at the tall one in front of them as he took a relaxed stance. He gave him a coy smile. "I see... You askin' me out on a date, hot stuff?" Ranma turned his head back as Akane moved to stand back to back.
"Hey 'kane, you like girly girls right?" Ranma asked, pointing at his target, "'Cause he's daintier than Kasumi!"
Akane smiled and place a finger to her mouth, saying, "Ooh, that so? I could be persuaded, but only if I get to top."
At this, the men lunged at them. Ranma quickly punched the kinfe out of the fourth man's hand. Each of them taking two of the punks each, goaded them into a fight, unconsciously tracing into a spiral until Ranma and Akane met back in the center.
"One... two..." they called under their breaths, finally yelling, "Three!" as they struck out, knocking the four would-be muggers out, their bodies splayed on the street.
"Well it isn't a Hiryu Shouten Ha, but that works, too," Akane remarked, dusting her hands off.
"I kinda wish they'd do mixed-doubles Sport Martial Arts at those tourneys. We'd clean up all the trophies," Ranma smiled.
"Dumbass," Akane muttered as they walked towards the station home.
A few days later, The Furinkan High Karate club met in the closed practice space by the athletics field. Formerly the Ballroom Dance Club room, the space was carpeted rather than wood-floored and safety mats covered much of the floor, but otherwise it had been remodeled to be as close to the Tendo Dojo as possible. It even sported it's own iroha sign above the mirrored wall that made up the front of the space.
After half an hour of calisthenics and form practices, Akane called the club's dozen or so members together. Yuka, the club vice-president stood to her right looking on impassively.
"Everyone. I know you guys know Ranma," she said pointing to the boy in question who had been observing and following along with the workout in the back of the room. "I asked him to come and give us a demo of some of the styles he's learned in his time in China."
Ranma nodded and moved towards the front of the room, next to Akane's left. He turned and bowed to the class. "Thank you for having me today. I want to show you a few moves from a style I learned at a monastery in Xining. It's a great style because it has use in both unarmed and armed combat. From what I learned, the form is meant to be practiced while wielding rather large chuí that, seemed to be meant for practice rather than actual combat, kinda like using weights during batting practice in baseball of softball."
He then stood in a light stance, his arms away from his body, as though he was holding the hammer-like weapons in question. He then demonstrate the form, with its various high kicks and sweeping arm strikes, for the club at full speed before repeating it much more slowly.
Afterwards Akane said, "Lets get into four rows and we'll practice the form.
For fifteen minutes, the club members struggled with the complicated motions, following along with Ranma and Akane as best they could. Yuka herself tripped three times during a stance change. At the end, Akane called a halt and Ranma spoke.
"That was very good for a first time. If it's okay with your captain, I'd like to offer extended training on these sorts of-"
"You've done enough!" Yuka replied.
"Yuka?" Akane said.
"We don't need any of these fancy Chinese moves. This club is about straight-forward kenpo!"
"Well, ain't it a good idea to be adaptable, then? Kenpo's all about incorporating moves, ya know."
"I'll show you what's worth adding to our fighting style! I challenge you!"
The club arose in a tittering noise.
"She's asking for it."
"Yuka's gonna get creamed."
"I thought we only spar on Saturdays?"
"Hope he goes easy on her."
Which only served to aggravate Yuka. Akane calmed the side-chatter down.
Ranma nodded. "That's fine. Hopefully we'll both learn something from it."
Akane rolled her eyes. "Okay. Everyone else take three big steps back and don't interrupt. I'll referee."
Ranma and Yuka stood facing each other. Ranma was in the relaxed Anything Goes stance, lightly dancing on his feet whereas Yuka stood in the kenpo first position.
"Begin!" Akane yelled and Yuka threw herself at Ranma. Ranma made a point to keep his strikes soft, though form-perfect whereas Yuka exerted more strength in her sloppier attacks. Ranma easily dodged or blocked many of her strikes. In return, he clipped her side with a roundhouse kick as well as struck her exposed collarbone with a quick arm strike.
Yuka groaned in pain and frustration and she backed up and charged Ranma, who put up his arms. At the last moment, Yuka turned around and, with a twist, kicked Ranma in the back, which knocked him forward. Yuka took the opportunity to strike again, but Ranma somersaulted and, using his legs, used a jiu-jitsu double ankle grab to pull Yuka to the ground.
"Stop!" Akane called out. Ranma quickly jumped away from Yuka. Ranma extended a hand "That wasn't half bad. Maybe you can show me that spinning move sometime? "
"Don't ever touch me again!" Yuka replied, spitting at Ranma's feet before running out of the dojo.
Akane followed after. The other members took this time to disperse for the day. Ranma, still confused walked slowly towards the door.
He heard soft whispers
"You're a club officer! What is the matter with you!"
"That bastard grabbed me. I need to take a shower."
"Why he's a guy?"
"A bit. Men are already gross enough. They throw their weight around, acting like they rule everything! And he's the worst. He's creepy as hell. Why are you of all people letting him boss you around? We've shown we can lead the club without anyone else!"
Ranma winced and slumped down a bit.
"Boss me? Ranma's my friend! He's also the best martial artist I've ever seen period. You need to get your head out of your man-hating butt and fast."
As Ranma heard footsteps stomp back towards the dojo, he quickly jumped to the center of the room to stretch his legs.
"Did everybody go?" Akane asked, then sighed, "That Yuka... I'm sorry Ranma."
"Nah. Ain't your fault." Ranma replied lowly... "I-I wasn't tryin' to show her up or nothin' ya know."
"Of course you weren't! She's just a jealous bitch who's using her lesbian card to hate on you because you're a guy." She saw Ranma freeze for a second before he switched legs.
"Y-yeah, I see."
"Anyway, I'm gonna change. It'll be a bit early, but we can meet up with Daisuke and the others soon."
Ranma nodded and raised a hand to give her a thumbs up sign.
Once Akane left, Ranma screwed up his eyes and wiped his face with his shirt sleeve. He stood up and, before leaving practice space, bowed to the empty room and turned off the lights.
Back home, Hiroshi, Daisuke and Sayuri were already waiting for them in front of the house. "Hey guys!" Akane said with a small smile.
"You guys look better," Sayuri said with a relieved look. "We were worried for you all throughout Golden Week."
"Yeah... it's about the dreams. They've been kinda weird lately."
"You mean the shadows?" Daisuke asked quickly.
"Figures you guys knew something was up," Akane said. Ranma looked on and smirked.
"Not as much as you two probably do, but let's say the old lady decided we'd make good understudies."
"Wait... you sayin' you guys have been in the recent dreams?" Ranma asked.
Hiroshi nodded. "That's right. Daisuke and I anyway. He's playing Ryouga and I was Mousse."
Ranma pointed to Sayuri. "You?"
Sayuri shook her head. "Nothing yet, though I suppose if needed, it wouldn't shock me if I got made to be Shampoo or Kodachi." Everyone shuddered at the mention of the latter name.
Ranma and Akane nodded. "Okay," Akane said, "But why bother at all with putting you in the dreams?"
"I got nothing." Daisuke replied. "Maybe she likes messing with us. Or maybe it's important we're around to make sure you guys are doing okay in reality."
"Sounds like a a load of bull to me," Hiroshi said, "But it's better than nothing as far as leads go."
"So what do you guys think of the shadow, then?" Akane asked.
"Looks like somebody's trying to mess with you guys," Daisuke, put a hand to his chin. "What did the ghoul tell you?" he asked Ranma and Akane.
Ranma look at Akane briefly, "It's a long story..." Akane began.
"We're on vacation. I'd say we have some time. It's either this or do homework," Sayuri replied.
"Okay..." Ranma nodded. He pulled on his pigtail. "Actually, I was thinkin' in that case, I can show you guys the stuff I got from Master Guo."
Ranma ran upstairs excitedly as Akane explained what had happened in the last few dreams, in particular their encounter with Cologne and the explanation they received.
"Timelines?" Hiroshi asked, "So reality as we know it isn't supposed to be this way?"
"Heh. Explains why life's so dull," Daisuke quipped.
"I don't know about all that. Obviously something is going on if you guys, Kuno, Ranma, and I are all involved in the same dreams, but..." Akane crossed her arms, "I suppose I'd be lying if i wasn't a little excited. Ranma's obviously gung ho about the whole thing."
"Big surprise there," Daisuke said, deadpan. "Isn't the whole idea a martial artist paradise? It's everything a guy like Ranma could want."
Akane blinked at Daisuke. Sayuri then asked, "So why were you guys so upset in class?"
"It's..." Akane thought for a while, "Well I got angry at Ranma because I guess he learned he had more control in the dreams than I thought he did and didn't tell me. There was also something else."
"it's about that curse he has in the dream, isn't it?" Hiroshi asked. Akane nodded.
"Yeah. It kind of got to me and I got upset. I think we're okay now, but... maybe I'm taking it out on him a bit still."
Nobody had much of an answer by the time Ranma came back. The pigtailed boy delighted in showing everyone the maps, photographs and semi-translated records given to him my Master Guo.
"Wow, so that old lady is more than a figment of our imaginations, huh..." Daisuke remarked.
"This is starting to get really scary, you guys," Sayuri said, nudging next to Hiroshi just a bit.
"O-okay," Hiroshi said, startled slightly, "so if something important like a big fight or something happens in the dream, we meet the next day and go over what we know, all right?"
"That sounds like a plan," Akane replied with a nod.
"I'll make sure next time it happens, 'Kane and I'll try to get some more outta the old ghoul about that thing that attacked us."
As Hiroshi, Sayuri, and Daisuke headed out, Ranma spoke up.
"Hey Akane, I've been thinkin'..." He rubbed the back of his head. "I wanna compete at the next tourney, after all. It'd be good to get some sparring in."
"That's great! I'm sure you'll do well," Akane smiled at Ranma.
"Thanks, I mean with your gorilla strength, I can take any hit."
Akane hit him on the head and growled.
"See what I'm talkin' about. Some friend you are," Ranma chuckled a bit.
Akane smiled as she walked next to him. The days were getting warmer and she wasn't looking forward to the humid Tokyo summer.
The third weekend of June was the All-Tokyo Kenpo Tournament. It was a busy affair, taking place in a large auditorium in Tokyo's Chuo Ward. Hundreds of participants were aching to prove themselves in the tournament. Among them were women's favorite Akane Tendo of Furinkan and, a newcomer, Ranma Saotome of Furinkan.
"Hey Akane!" Ranma exclaimed, carrying out a trophy and a certificate. "You see that? You were right, I had so much-"
"Oh Hey Ranma." Akane, blinked in surprise, pointed over to the girl standing next to her. She was a bit shorter and slighter than Akane, her long black hair was put back in a simple ponytail. "This is Akari Unryuu. This is her first tournament."
Akari smiled at Ranma and bowed. "Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm still pretty new. I moved from the country with my grandfather a while ago and I guess I needed a new hobby to stay in shape. I met Akane after my exam to advance to yon-kyuu rank. I hope to be a 1st dan by the end of the year!"
"Oh, that's cool," Ranma replied, his excitement tempered as he saw how close Akane was standing to Akari.
After some awkward silence, Akane spoke up. "Hey, uh Ranma. If it's okay, do you mind if you go on home ahead of me? I was thinking of showing Akari around a bit before she has to go back."
Ranma needed a second to understand what he was being asked. "Oh... oh! Yeah, that's, uh, cool. I'll see ya later, tomboy."
Ranma turned around and slowly walked towards the station. Akane watched and only moved on when she felt the girl next to her pull the sleeve of her dougi.
When Akane finally came home, she found Ranma sitting in the living room watching television. He was also stretching his legs before performing a few bicycle kicks in the air. .
"Where's everyone?" she asked.
"They went out a while ago," Ranma replied as he sat back up. "It's just me."
"Oh... I brought back some ice cream if you'd like."
Ranma paused his movements. "Thanks." he said softly.
Akane came back with some bowls and spoons and they sat down at the table watching tv.
"She your type, huh?" Ranma said suddenly.
Akane nodded. "Well a little. I mean she's nice and easy to talk to."
"That's good," Ranma replied a bit listlessly.
"Something wrong?" Akane asked, concerned.
"Nah. Just... I guess I'm just gettin' tired. I'll see ya tomorrow, Akane." Ranma stood and walked upstairs.
Ranma found himself in a vacant lot he couldn't quite place. The lack of oppressive heat was the first sign that he back in the dreamscape. He guessed maybe there was something built where this lot was and moved on. He began practicing a kata, enjoying the almost absurd height he began to hit as he jumped up in the air.
Ranma smiled. There was something to the air in the dreams. He could focus in a way that real life made difficult. It was more than the cool breeze and open sky. It felt like there was less tying him down from gravity to more mundane forces. Ranma forgot about those matters as he focused on the kata. As soon as he stepped down, Ranma saw Akane approach.
"Hey tomboy," he said with an smile so easy he surprised himself. He waved her over.
"Hey yourself, Ranma," she said. "Anyone else around?"
"Nope. Just us weirdos," Ranma said with a smile. "Come on, let's spar. Been a while since we had some quiet in either place."
"As long as that tea ceremony guy doesn't show up, I'll be glad," Akane said matter of factly and she put her hands up in a loose kenpo stance.
They fell into a practiced ease that could have been mistaken for coreography, but bespoke familiarity. Ranma, attempted to leverage his greater reach and speed whereas Akane utilized her lower center of gravity and strength to counter him. As Ranma reared up an arm, he admired the way Akane had gotten faster and more agile and he was only slightly disappointed when she jumped high in the air away from the ground.
"Bakusai Tenketsu!" he cried out as the ground exploded. The shards of dirt still stung, but it was a reminder of how much hardier he himself had gotten. He didn't have much time to appreciate that fact as Akane thundered back, calling out her chi in her hands.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
Ranma quickly put up his arms and the two were locked into a fierce exchange of strikes, blocks, and dodges. After nearly a full minute of this, Ranma quickly blurted out.
"So have you and Akari kissed yet?"
Thrown by the question, Akane was startled momentarily and , as she got a "Huh" out, Ranma got his arm and, using her planted feet to his advantage, he pivoted over Akane and threw her over his shoulder. Akane landed with a thud.
"You okay, Akane?" Ranma called out.
"Oww, my butt," Akane murmured. She quickly stood back up. "You always pull that kind of stunt and I always fall for it."
"Sorry, I was just tryin' ta trash talk a little.," Ranma said, with a little bit of repentance in his voice. "
Akane nooded and they resumed sparring. A few seconds later Akane asked playfully "What are you jealous?"
Ranma cricked his neck as he blocked a strike. "If I gotta be honest, I guess a little." Akane blinked and almost said something before Ranma interrupted her, "But hell, she seems like a nice girl. Maybe, I'm a little envious while I'm at it. Not much goin' on for ol' Ranma Saotome." He threw himself, trying to catch Akane unaware with a leg sweep.
Akane jumped up quickly. She briefly saw Ranma's face tighten in overexertion. "Now you're beginning to sound like Daisuke," she replied, landing and then turning to deliver an arm strike. "You know, after that Kuno stunt on the roof as well as the demo, you got like half of the girls in our year after you."
Ranma let out a low laugh as he counterattacked, "I don't remember any tearful confessions on the school roof lately."
"Only reason for that is most of them are convinced we're dating in secret or something," she replied, throwing a kick at Ranma. "Sorry," she quickly added after a second of silence.
"Nah, I'm happy to be a... what did you call it? A 'beard'? I got your back." Ranma nodded as he performed an adroit backflip away from Akane. "Okay, time to get serious again and-"
There was a sudden explosion in the distance, creating a hole in a nearby birck wall. From the clearing smoke, Ryouga slowly emerged from the smoke.
"Oh hey, it's Daisuke," Ranma noted.
"Hey man. You come to teach me a new move or somethin'?"
Ryouga née Daisuke nodded, "Yep. This should be a doozy, Ranma." He moved into a ponderous, heavy stance. "I think you'll have your work cut out for-"
"AAAAAAH" Ryouga screamed in agony as out as a bolt of energy hit him. His body became enveloped inside the dark energy.
"Daisuke!" Ranma and Akane cried out running towards him. They were stopped by a wooden cane.
"Stay back children!" Cologne yelled. "Begone from him, foul demon!" Cologne commanded as she rammed her staff at Ryouga's solar plexus. As though pulled by a string, the mass of energy flew back and dissipated. However, what was left behind changed Ryouga's body. His skin was paler, his eyes white. Gone was the easygoing expression that one could place to the man behind the mask. In its place was a lifeless expression of hatred. He turned to Cologne briefly before looking at Ranma square in the face.
"You are too late, young matriarch. Now, vortex of ruin." He pointed at Ranma, becoming more animated. "I now have the means to destroy you once for all. Prepare to die!"
"Daisuke?"
"Order shall have the day!" The ghostly figure raised his hands. A sickly green orb of energy began forming between his palms.
"SHI SHI HOKODAAAAN!" the figure yelled as the orb coalesced into a beam of energy aimed directly at Ranma.
And that's all she wrote. Thank you Richard Ryley for pre-reading this chapter. I'm just getting back on the wagon. Real life has taken too much of my attention from writing and I've been suffering a small crisis of confidence. Also, video games.
-裏には裏がある
