For this story, it's been a while.
I hope you the reader enjoys.
Troy
***
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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: authorthomasciteoc6.txt
Comfort in the Eye of Chaos
By Troy Thomas
Ranma 1/2 and its characters are the creations and properties
of Rumiko Takahashi. Tenchi Muyo and its characters are the
creations and properties of Masaki Kajishima. Excepting
flames, if you have any comments or criticisms, feel free to
send them my way.
***
I can be found at the following addresses:
URL: ca.geocities.com/therealsilentnova/fanfiction/index.html
E-mail: Silentnova@go.com
***
Chapter Six
Ranma jumped, and punched towards Kamen's head, but was
knocked aside by an elbow to his chin. Akane attacked from
the other side with a sidekick to the back, but was knocked
down by a backhand. Mousse and Ranma attacked from both
sides, but Kamen teleported away at the last moment, which
caused the two boys to crash into each other.
However, no one expected the old lady to strike Kamen in his
stomach.
"Old woman!" Kamen growled, before raising his hand, and
shooting a large blast of energy at the elderly lady.
"You're too young to be facing me, whelp!" the old lady said,
her voice determined and steady, from behind Kamen. She
quickly rapped the man on the head with her staff. "Why test
the children when I am here? I teach the children what I
know! Thousands of years of knowledge, in a young hundred
year old body!"
With a simple looking prod, the lady knocked Kamen down into
the ground with enough force to crack the earth.
"Yeah! That's the way, Old Lady!" Ranma shouted.
"The name is Cologne, Ranma. Don't forget it!" the lady said,
taking a second to glance at Ranma.
"Cologne!" Ice cracked all around. "Do not interfere else
there will be consequences!" Kamen rose from the earth, his
expression one of fury.
***
Ukyou Koniji peered over the edge of the ice, and saw below
the two young men she had heard speaking. "I was on the other
side...I know where the source is." She looked at the one
with the bokken, knowing he was the one who screamed. "Is she
still alright?"
The young man nodded, since he couldn't speak, his voice box
momentarily muted.
The other boy stood. "If you know, then let's go. We have to
stop this madness."
***
Kamen looked at Cologne. "You may be able to beat me, but you
wouldn't win. The ice, it is me."
Cologne stared at the young man. "Is it your very soul,
whelp?" she asked.
"A demonstration..." Kamen whispered.
Shattered.
Ice shards flew passed his eyes. Ranma stared, shocked to his
soul, his world spinning too slowly to think, to act.
Dreams and lives.
Hundreds.
Now cold as the silence, which is only held at bay by the
hopes of a man, the faith of a woman.
"This is why I can die, and you wouldn't win." Kamen
whispered, his voice cold. "I would not go out with wimper,
but with a bang."
The sounds of silent screams filled the air, overflowing the
senses of the human soul, love and hope.
There was a whisper, but nothing listed, except pity,
"Beast..."
Hundreds.
Again, a whisper, "No...even worse."
One was one too many.
What is the opposite of the creeping cold, but a fierce
eruption?
"Monster!" Ranma leapt forward, his aura a brilliant blue.
His fist slammed into Kamen's stomach, doubling the man over.
A knee connected with Kamen's jaw, an elbow to his back put
the man into a flying spin towards the ground. The blows
seemed to flash red, but for a moment.
Chains wrapped around Kamen's torso, and swung him into the
air.
Below him, Kamen could see the three young teens chasing
after his beaten body, which had been flung so wildly by
Mousse's chains it was released into a throw. "Fools." he
said. "I've made my decision." He snapped his fingers.
A mist enveloped the whole of the ice, and in a moment, the
field was again alive.
"What?" Kamen shouted. He flipped upright, amazingly in mid-
air, and then began to stand, as though below his feet was
the earth. "What's happened?" He watched as the people began
to run, unfrozen, and aware.
"I said, you're too young." Cologne said, as she rapped Kamen
on the head, knocking him to the earth. "You cannot defeat
your betters." She landed on the ground, a metre away from
the man.
Kamen stared at Cologne, his eyes, fierce, anger, fire. "My
betters..." The ground around him began to freeze. "I cannot
win...Never..." He seemed to begin staring through Cologne.
"The world, ablaze. He isn't better...I will kill him..."
Kamen stood. In his hand, a staff of ice formed. He pointed
it at the elder Cologne, and then said, "You are in my way.
I've come to challenge he who is a direct descendant of..."
He spat out his next two words, "My Better's mortal enemy."
A flower of ice grew from his staff. It, the ice flower,
seemed to surround Colgone, but it never neared her.
Kamen turned from the elder, and refocused his attention on
Ranma. "Today is hard. You were losing. There are lost
lives." His anger seemed to cool down. "A distraction has
brought to a standstill our battle. However, I have ensured
you will continue to fight."
Cologne reached out to touch the ice. Strangely, the ice
shrunk away from her reach. When she pulled her hand away
from the ice, it seemed to explode towards her hand, trapping
it.
Kamen walked towards Ranma.
Behind him, Ranma felt Akane and Mousse shift into attacking
stances.
"Time is now your enemy, Ranma. The ice will eventually take
the old lady." Kamen stared deeply into Ranma, his gaze
freezing the young man's heart. "Can you defeat me before
it's done?"
The silent screams continued.
Ranma clenched his fist. He lowered his gaze to the earth. He
thought, 'Dad, I wish I knew what to do...' He returned his
sight onto Kamen. "I have no choice, do I?"
"You know I do not lie." Kamen began to run towards Ranma. An
sword of ice began to form in his hand.
Reaching Ranma, Kamen jabbed forward, but missed the boy, who
jumped into the air avoiding the blade. Unexpectedly, for the
three teens, a blast of energy shot out from the ice sword.
>From the jab, Kamen slashed at Akane and Mousse, who both
fell back onto their hands, and backflipped away from the ice
energy.
Coming down, Ranma aimed a kick at Kamen's sword, only to
find...
Kamen had disappeared from in front of him...
"What?" Ranma asked, before being blown forward, his head
into the ground.
Kamen lunged forward, his sword in a downward angle, ready to
impale Ranma.
Kicking his legs into the air, Ranma pushed off the ground,
and almost seemed to flow away from the explosion at the
point where Kamen's sword entered the ground.
Cologne broke free of the ice's grasp, but quickly found it
grabbing a hold of both her hands. "No..." she growled. "I
need both free to destroy this ice." It, the ice, began to
take her knees, which rested on the ground.
"Her lungs will be the last to freeze, Ranma." Kamen said.
Chains took hold of Kamen's feet and neck.
"Let her go! She's just an old woman!" Mousse shouted. He
swung Kamen into the air, and began to bring the man down
towards the ground at an impossible speed.
Using his hands, still free, Kamen sliced apart the chains,
and landed gently. However, he was tripped by a sliding kick
from Akane, and in his fall was punched hard by her in the
stomach causing him to fall away from the three.
Landing on his knees and hands, Kamen glanced up at the
three, and then smiled. He disappeared.
"No!" Ranma shouted. He kicked out backwards, and caught
something in the stomach. "I won't fall for that again!"
Using his inertia, Ranma followed through with a
sommersaulting kick to Kamen's chin.
Kamen flew head over heels through the air. However, he
didn't land, instead stabilising his flight into a slight
hover over top of the three. "You're good. But, I am not
dead." He pointed to the Cologne. "She dies."
In the ice flower, Cologne reared her head back, and began to
chant. Ice began to cover her whole body. It searched for
entrance into her body. It searched for heart and lungs.
A glow seemed to eminate from Cologne. Her words stayed the
ice.
"She's not going to last..." Ranma said. He began to run
towards the ice flower. "The staff, Akane! We got to destroy
the staff."
However, the two teens ran into a wall of ice, which took
their forearms, which they had used to protect themselves
from running into the wall.
"That is not possible." Kamen said. "You will instead die,
and thus, My Better will displeased."
A single rock. Its purpose, its destination, the staff of the
ice flower.
Cologne smiled, and prepared herself.
The rock flew through the staff piercing and shattering the
cold.
The flower seemed to wilt, and fade away into steam as
Cologne seemed to outwardly expand her aura, which melted all
the ice.
"What a surprise. I believed for a moment I could not
escape." Cologne looked up, and saw running towards her three
young people. "And who are these three?"
"Ryouga?" Ranma asked, looking to Cologne's saviors.
Kamen roared. His voice shook the field. "Damn your luck!" He
seemed to surround himself with an air of ice, which the
people dreaded touching. "Damn this day!" He looked at Ranma.
"This cannot always be. Expect to meet me again." In a flash,
Kamen disappeared.
Ranma sighed, and then fell forward into unconsciousness.
***
He knew none, but they all stood above him, gently smiling.
The tears on the earth, his.
He lay on the ground, face forward. He dared not turn to look
on the faces, smiling.
Why did the people smile? Why smile on his failure?
"You did what you could, my son." someone said. "You did not
fail."
If he were better...
"Kamen was by far greater."
Who spoke onto him?
He looked up, only to see a beam of light falling from the
clouded sky. He pushed off of the ground, standing to be
ready for the light's landing.
"People, please leave us."
He looked at the people who had stood above him smiling.
People he had noticed in his earlier battles, who had watched
the tournament.
"I'm so sorry. I just wasn't good enough."
"I'm so sorry. Back then, I wasn't strong enough." the voice
said.
The people who smiled onto him eached passed him each with a
gentle whisper of gratitude. Each whisper though was a blow
against his will. Each thanks...
His hands covered his face. He wouldn't cry...
"Ranma, my son. Please do not take any blame." The light
began to envelope the world. "Take nothing from your battle,
except..."
***
Ranma opened his eyes. He looked at an unfamiliar ceiling,
words whispered to his soul echoing throughout his memory.
'Take nothing from your battle except the desire to succeed
next time.'
End Chapter Six
***
Author's Notes:
Wow. I wonder how long it's been since the last chapter?
Originally, this chapter was a part of Chapter Five, but I
cut it apart because I felt this was too strong for a larger
chapter.
Anyway, I hope the reader's enjoyed the work.
The mistake '"..." said ex cetera' is intended in every case.
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