Heaven And Earth Chapter 1 Arun
(arun.prabhu.destiny@gmail.com)
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and Flame of Recca belong to
their creators. I own none of these characters in this
story except the ones I create on my own.
***
The fight began like most other fights between Ryouga
and Ranma.
Ryouga wandered into the Tendo compound as p-chan
after a hike in the woods that lasted three weeks
while he did soul-searching. Akane was so delighted at
the sight of her beloved p-chan that she hugged him to
her chest and showered him with love and affection.
Her actions drove Ranma crazy with jealousy and
anger.
Ranma tried to vent his frustrations on p-chan by
picking a fight with the pig, but his actions brought
out the protective streak in the youngest Tendo. She
called Ranma a jerk and accused him of being a bully.
He retaliated by making an unkind remark about her
figure. When Akane's face paled at his words, Ranma
knew he had goofed and tried to make amends. But she
would have none of it and kicked him into the
stratosphere. Later, safe from prying eyes in the
confines of her room, she cried her heart out to her
p-chan. Her sobs fanned Ryouga's anger at the
pigtailed boy and after she cried herself out to
sleep, he quietly slipped out of the room.
With the help of some hot water, courtesy Kasumi,
Ryouga regained his human form and set out in search
of Ranma, whom he found, quite by accident. Words were
exchanged between the two, but not before blows -Ranma
took exception to what he considered an unwanted
intrusion into a private argument between him and
Akane, and Ryouga to Ranma's unapologetic behavior -
and pretty soon, a full-blown fight was raging in the
schoolyard as the rivals fought each other for
supremacy.
But even as the first of the bystanders gathered at
the edge of the field to watch the fight, it was clear
that this battle was different the ones in the past.
There was no exchange of threats and the fight was
no-holds barred, with both combatants resorting to the
deadliest attacks in their arsenal with impunity. And
the grace with which they moved brought gasps to
everyone's lips. Even those who'd seen Ranma fight for
a year were frightened by the look of a feral predator
in his eyes. His actions provoked a similar reaction
in Ryouga who slipped as Ranma had into the mind of no
mind, forgetting all but his opponent before him.
By the end of the first fifteen minutes, every
martial artist of repute had gathered to watch the
fight and the schoolyard was a nightmare landscape of
smoking craters, uprooted trees and destroyed masonry.
Even Happousai and Cologne left what they were doing
and joined the crowd. The two centenarians stood in
the sidelines as mute spectators, ready to step in the
second either of the fighters lost control of the
battle, but unwilling to interfere otherwise. To their
experienced eyes, it was clear that this was a battle
that could not be stopped by outside interference -
the two young masters would simply continue it
elsewhere away from prying eyes - until a clear winner
emerged and the claims of honor was satisfied.
The fight continued in that vein for another half an
hour with brief breaks in between - making it the
longest fight ever in Nerima -and while it was obvious
to all witnesses that the duel would end with the
first blow struck, neither opponent landed even a
glancing blow on the other. Still, while the fighters
looked evenly matched to the untrained eye, it was
clear to the experts that Ranma would emerge the
winner for the blistering pace he set was taking its
toll on Ryouga. They waited at the edge of their seats
for that moment when the speed differential between
the two became telling and Ranma stole the winning
strike under Ryouga's defenses.
The moment drew ever nearer and Ranma, sensing one
last assault would push Ryouga over the edge
disengaged and circled back at his opponent at
amaguriken speeds. His intention was not to break
through Ryouga's defenses with the attack, but to use
the momentum behind his attack to pummel at them until
the strain of blocking such high speed strikes sapped
Ryouga beyond the limits of his inhuman endurance. An
errant step on a loose stone made him stumble while
executing the maneuver, however and Ryouga seizing the
moment, lunged at the off balance Ranma. The sudden
shift in scales was just enough to push Ranma himself
over the precipice as he dug into his deepest reserves
for that extra something that would ward off the
looming defeat.
He found it and in that instant, Ranma saw his vision
filled with a face from his nightmares.
Time stopped.
'Mine,' the red-haired bringer of death whispered
throatily in his mind.
Outside, in the real world, Ryouga was thrown into
the air as Ranma exploded in a corona of blue flames
centered on his forehead that vaporized the ground he
stood on but somehow left him untouched. Ryouga
crashed into the wall of the school a good seventy
yards away and collapsed limply to the ground. He did
not get up, the force of the explosion having knocked
him senseless.
Ranma, for his part, stood perfectly still in the
middle of the raging inferno, his head thrown back and
his mouth wide open in a scream of agony that was lost
in the roar of the flames. Off to the side, Genma
looked torn between rushing to his son's side to
rescue him and fleeing from the scene, but there was a
light of understanding in his eyes that the matriarch
did not miss. She had that same look in her eyes
herself and without a word, she turned her back on the
fight and bounded away. She glanced back at heir to
Musabetsu Kakutou Ryuu once she cleared the crowd and
with a sigh and a shake of her head, kept going on her
way.
The crowd, most of which had thought that Ranma had
invented a brand new technique to snatch victory from
the jaws of defeat, stepped back as the inferno grew
until it was sphere almost thirty feet in diameter.
The heat radiating from the flames pushed them back,
and more of the pavement melted and vaporized. The
retreat became a stampede as the cloud of vaporized
dirt solidified in the air and began to rain down as
red-hot pebbles and scalding hot dust. Burnt by the
fall, the sane ones ran away but the stupider ones
halted just past the edge of the rain of fire, a good
fifty meters from the blaze in the center. Trees and
brush and grass all burst into flames, cloaking the
area in smoke.
The rain of fire stopped within a minute and by the
time firemen arrived at the scene, most of the small
fires had been put out by concerned citizens. After
that, there was only one thing to do - wait out
Ranma's own pet inferno - and while the police
cordoned off the area and kept spectators at a safe
distance, the firemen bathed the surroundings in a
continuous stream of water at high pressure. And
through it all, Akane, the Saotomes, the Tendos,
Ukyou, Kodachi and Happousai - Ryouga was carried away
to the hospital in an ambulance to treat his burn
injuries, despite his protests to the contrary - stood
waiting, waiting for the fire to die and Ranma to
return. None of them noticed the absence of Cologne
and the Amazons, not that their noticing would have
mattered in the events to unfold in the days to
follow.
Finally, at just past eight in the evening - three
hours after the battle - the flames started to shrink
in on themselves. The girls gasped, fearing the
exhaustion of Ranma's reserves and perhaps even his
death, and Nodoka's grip tightened on Genma's wrists,
but he shook his head.
"The caster lives," he whispered, causing heads to
turn towards him.
"I'll explain everything later. Now, just be content
with the knowledge that the flames shrinking is good
news. It means Ranma's gaining the upper hand in the
battle against the spirit of the flame."
"Huh?"
"Shh... Look, Ranma's visible through the flames once
again."
And so indeed Ranma was. The flames were rapidly
shrinking now and in their center floated Ranma, his
face a mask of fear, pain and grim determination. The
flames petered out even as they watched and he
stumbled to his knees, overcome by the strain at last.
The girls broke through the barriers and tried to rush
toward him, but he jumped back -tottering as he did -
and shouted a warning to stay back.
"Don't come near me. She's barely under control and
if she gets loose, she'll kill you all."
"Ranma?" Akane whispered, pulling to a stop. The
others halted around her and they watched as Ranma
made a fist with his right hand and raised it before
him. Sparks of blue flame shot from it before the eyes
of the witnesses.
"Akane, I think it'd be best if you leave the boy
alone while he masters the flame," Genma shouted from
behind the safety of the barricades. Turning to Ranma,
he said, "Boy, take your backpack at the Tendos and
go. Train in the mountains until the flame answers to
your will. I'll answer your questions when you
return."
Ranma nodded with gritted teeth and took to the
rooftops at top speed.
***
The fianc�e brigade sans Shampoo, the Tendos and the
Saotomes stepped into the Tendo compound a quarter to
eleven that night. All of them looked haggard, even
Kasumi, with Genma and Nabiki easily the worst looking
of the lot. The poisonous glares that the middle Tendo
kept shooting at Genma did not go unnoticed by the
object of her ire and he shuffled uneasily on his
feet.
The cause of Nabiki's anger was understandable The
police had interviewed all witnesses about the events
of the evening, but only Genma had panicked and
confessed his guilt in everything from rape cases in
far-off Bangkok to serial murders in Kentucky under a
detective's relentless questioning until the policeman
had shook his head in disgust and left. Nabiki had
been left with the task of running damage control
after Genma's escapade, and between soothing the
detective's wounded pride - he had honestly believed
Genma when the elder Saotome started confessing his
heinous crimes - and convincing the police that
neither Ranma nor Ryouga could be held accountable for
the damage, which they were, but hell would freeze
over before they made her accept it, she had been
drained of all her energy.
Stumbling into the hall in the lead, the nervous
Genma and the bushed Nabiki collapsed on the couch and
the rest of the troop sprawled around them. After
several minutes during which no one so much as moved a
muscle, Kasumi stood up with a sigh of resignation -
she'd hoped someone else would order takeout. She rang
up Ucchan's to order take out and when she returned,
she shot a disapproving look at the culprits as she
gingerly eased her behind on the couch.
"Uncle, what happened to Ranma today?" Akane asked.
Nabiki turned on the couch to face Genma.
Simultaneously, heads turned to the Saotome patriarch
with eager faces overflowing with curiosity. Genma
looked at his audience with unease.
"Well?" Nabiki and Ukyou asked.
When no answer was forthcoming, Nabiki looked to her
father for support, but he avoided her eyes and Ukyou
reached for her spatula.
"Girl, the information Akane wants is the most
closely held secret of the Saotome and the Tendo
clans," Genma finally said to Ukyou. "Frankly, I don't
see any reason why I should share it with you."
"I'm Ranchan's fianc�e, you ass!" she exploded. She
brought her spatula into play to beat some sense into
Genma, but Soun blocked her blow before it could gain
any momentum.
"Sit down, Ukyou," he said in a voice that brooked no
argument. "Saotome, you know as well as I do there's
no hiding the secret after today. Our enemies have
survived the passage of time and thrived. They are as
powerful as ever and sooner or later, the news of the
battle is going to fall in the wrong ears. We need to
prepare for all eventualities and sharing the secret
with those who're most in danger is a good way to
start, don't you think?"
"Soun's right, Genma."
"Master," Genma intoned. His voice was full of
respect and he gave a slight bow emphasizing the same
to the aged grandmaster sitting opposite him. "Ranma
will marry Akane, girl, but Soun's right. You're in
mortal danger because of your friendship with my son."
"Friendship? Why, I'll..."
"You'll behave, young lady, or we'll have to revisit
your claims on my son. I refuse to have him married to
a brat who can't be troubled to mind her manners under
another's roof. Now, take your seat and listen to my
husband's story."
Ukyou's cheeks reddened at Nodoka's rebuke as she
remembered where she was. She closed her mouth and sat
down.
Genma cleared his throat to regain everyone's
attention. He was unusually eloquent and for once, he
carried himself like the master he was.
"What I'm about to reveal is knowledge that'll put a
price on the head of your family and you if the wrong
people learn you're privy to it. It's about the
origins of the clans Saotome and Tendo, which has been
kept a secret for four hundred years. So, before I
tell you anything, I must have your oath on your honor
that you will not share this knowledge with anyone
under any circumstances. Do I have it?" he asked.
Heads nodded.
"Good. Four hundred years ago, during the Senguku
period, when Daimyo Oda Nobunaga conquered all of
Japan, our ancestors were the most feared ninjas in
the land. We were the Hokage and we were so powerful
that Oda Nobunaga himself was afraid of us and envious
of our power. He led his army against the Hokage on
the pretext of ending the menace of the ninja clans
once and for all, but his real objective was
different. I shall not go into that particular detail
now. There are some secrets about the Hokage that none
but the patriarch can know and this is one of them.
"Moving on with the tale, Nobunaga defeated the ninja
clans in battle and decimated their ranks. He killed
all Hokage except two who were away on spying missions
in China. One was a distant relative of the patriarch
of the Hokage clan and the other was a sworn retainer.
When they learnt of Nobunaga's machinations, they
returned to Japan, but were too late. They found that
while Nobunaga had succeeded in achieving one of his
objectives, he had failed in the second objective of
gaining control of the secrets of the Hokage. To keep
the secrets from falling into the daimyo's hands, they
hid their identities and petitioned the Saotome and
the Tendo clans for adoption. Subsequently, they
renounced their art and lived out their lives as loyal
retainers.
"Until today, we did not know which one of our
ancestors was the rightful surviving head of the clan.
The two-who-lived refused to pass on this secret to
their sons on their deathbed, fearing the knowledge
would risk exposure of their families and the secret.
For you see, even though Nobunaga was long dead by the
time of their demise, there were others who knew the
power of the Hokage and dreamt of controlling it.
After today however, there can be no doubt. Ranma's
flame is evidence that he is the clan leader. And
that's as much as I'm willing to share with anyone. No
offense, but only I, Soun, the master and Ranma -
after he marries Akane - can know ever know the whole
story. It's just too dangerous."
***
Meanwhile, at the Nekohanten...
"I'm sorry Shampoo, but you have no choice in this
matter. I've already communicated the news to the
other Elders and the matter is truly in their hands."
"But great grandmother..."
"I know what you're thinking, child. I'm the
Matriarch and I should be able to do as I please,
right? But things aren't that simple even at the best
of times. I've been away from home for many months now
and you can be sure that my rivals have used the
opportunity to make inroads into my powerbase. The
clan's standing is further weakened by the fact that
you haven't consummated your marriage with Ranma a
year after the event," Cologne said sternly. She
stopped her lecture for a second and sat down on the
cushion lying before the writing desk with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, child. I truly am. I would give anything
to see you happily married to the boy, but the
situation is beyond my control now. All I can do is
salvage what I can out of this mess for the sake of
the clan."
"I love him, grandmother," Shampoo pleaded.
"I know," Cologne said tenderly. Then, raising her
voice, she shouted, "Mousse, where are you?"
There were sounds of shuffling as Mousse navigated
the way to the stairs and walked up.
"What do you want?" he barked to a vase.
His insubordinate tone earned him a hit on the head
with Cologne's gnarled staff.
"Listen, boy," she said, "I leave you in charge of
Shampoo for the next fortnight. In this period, you
will keep her within your sight at all times. You will
not allow her to meet anyone without my express
permission. If you fail in this duty, she will be
charged with treason and executed and you with her. On
the other hand, if you obey my orders and keep my
Shampoo safe, I'll reconsider your claim on my great
granddaughter."
"You really mean it, Elder?" Mousse asked in a voice
full of disbelief.
"Grandmother..." Shampoo whispered simultaneously in
a voice full of despair.
Cologne nodded gravely in reply.
"Yes, Mousse. Forgive me, Shampoo, but the clan comes
first."
***
Author's notes:
Like it? Hate it? Mail me.
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