Unfortunately, I have problems thinking of Japanese names as opposed to
Chinese names.  I guess it's based on the fact that I can speak Chinese and
not Japanese. :)  Anyways, if any of you think the names in this story are
dopey or something, email me your suggestions. :)







Psi.

This is an original fic by me.  It's a big departure from doing fanfics, and
since I have no clue where to seek comments, here is my submission to the
FFML, a non fanfic story.

Introduction

     Since the dawn of time, man has considered himself a creature whose
superiority was based entirely on the use of tools.  However, unknown to
most men, there existed a few gifted amongst them, these gifted were capable
of seeing the innate power of the human mind.  For it was the mind and the
gift of dreaming that forced man to learn to build tools.  The mind and it's
ability to drive man to strive for goals.

    These individuals had the innate ability to use their minds and their
internal life force to effect their environments.  These people however,
have been downtrodden in history, shunned and feared.  Branded as witches,
mind devils and worse, they have been surpressed by most people as unusual,
as minor quirks of evolution and nature.   However, some with the gift
managed to hide within society, and their offspring displayed similar talents.

[16 years ago, 1980]

    A woman cried out in agony as she felt her body go through the birthing
contractions.  She stared at her husband who was going through her pains
simultaneously, however whether it be some natural instinct that took over,
he managed to maintain some control while the woman screamed in agony.  He
wasn't merely afraid of the blood or the fact that his wife was screaming.
Every contraction his wife had, he felt his muscles in his stomach grind.
Every movement that his wife felt, he could feel.  Normally, he could
surpress other people's sensations from surfacing his body, but the sudden
shock of his wife going into premature labor burned right through his defenses.

   Kei, the woman who was giving birth, tried to control her pain for her
husband's sake.  Hiroshi felt his stomach go through such wild spasms that
men were never meant to feel.  Breathing deeply, Kei finally felt the baby
pass right through, and she was surprised to see Hiroshi stare quite glumly
at the baby.

    Hiroshi had expected a live and kicking baby, instead, he received a
four pound runt that barely lived.  Kei stared at the almost lifeless body
that her husband gingerly held in his hands.  Unlike most normal people, Kei
had accepted her husbands gift's as something extra.  Her husband had a
great personality, and had a magnetism that made him virtually friends with
everyone.  Kei was so sad when she looked at the baby, who was barely lifeless.

    Hiroshi had insisted on giving birth to the baby in an isolated area.
He had stressed that this was important, for the baby's sake, and Kei, not
one to argue with her dear husband, agreed.  Hiroshi berated himself as he
thought he was a fool.  'I managed to survive being born in the city!  My
son needs to be in a hospital!  Why should this be happening to me?' He
could feel the life in his son slowly wanning.  Kei, whether through
maternal instinct or through some hunch, could feel it as well.  Her face
flushed with tears looked at her husband, and she barely whispered.  "Will
he live?"

   Hiroshi felt the giant painful wave of sadness from his wife, and he
yearned to make her feel better.  He turned to his wife, and he managed a
wide enthusiastic smile that didn't fit the occasion.  "Kei-chan, don't
worry a bit."  His hand, bloodied from the baby, reached out to Kei, and he
held her hand.  "I will always be with you."  Kei's eyes openned wide, and
she struggled to restrain her husband.

    Hiroshi looked at his son.  Drawing on all of his internal energy, he
hugged the bloody baby once, and whispered into his ear.  "I will always be
in your dreams and I will be with you for eternity."  Slowly, Hiroshi felt
the world around him grow darker, as he staggered to his wife.

   However, despite the darkening world, a glimmer of light showed in the
baby, as miraculously, the baby stirred to life.  Hiroshi's hand tremored as
he handed his wife the baby.  Kei watched helplessly as her husband slowly
deteriorated in front of her as her baby started to stir.  Hiroshi's eyes
still glimmered as he stared at Kei.  His voice was barely a whisper as he
said.  "He will be different when he gets old, and promise me that you will
take good care of him."  Hiroshi laid back, and closed his eyes.  However,
even as death grew closer, he struggled up again, and forced his hand to
rest on Kei's shoulder.  "And forget me, he will need a father."  The glow
in Hiroshi's eyes extinguished as his life force was completely given to the
baby in Kei's arms.

    Kei cried out in anguish, and she hugged both her screaming son and
lifeless husband.

* * *

    Somehow, in the center of Tokyo, a freak coincidence occurred.  A
nervous man watched his wife on the table, her legs lashed to bars making it
easier for the physicians to aid in child birth.  He winced every time his
wife shook, but he did not truly feel the pain.  His wife laid on the table
agonizing, her screams drowning out every other sound.

    The man paced nervously as he thought about his wife and his new child.
According to the obstetrician, the child would be normal, but in his mind he
had an element of doubt.  It was normal, for fathers always had this certain
fear when a bundle of joy is imminent in their life.  They wonder whether
it's a boy or girl.  They wonder how the child is going to be.  They
mentally plan their child's rise to power in the business world as an adult.
Fortunately, before the man could die from nervous breakdown, a baby girl
was successfully delivered into this world.

    Almost immediately as the child broke free from the womb, her mind was
immediately beset with a giant barrage of mental activities.  Emotions,
thoughts, whatever came flooding into this poor girl's little mind.  This
girl who did not yet have thoughts, this girl who had no experience in this
world.  This girl who had living in virtual darkness, suddenly plagued with
sensory overload.  She was an "early bloomer."

     This girl was put through the situation that Hiroshi too had suffered
when he was born.  Unfortunately, Hiroshi was a rare individual in that this
traumatic experience didn't make him insane.

Chapter 1: The Birth of Hiroshi (the second)

    "Hiroshi!  Your technique is very sloppy!  Why, I should beat you for
such ungraceful movements!  How do you think I will feel when my son is
easily clobbered the first time he gets in a fight?"  Hiroshi smiled
enigmatically at his step-father.   Kei sat on the porch of her dead
husband's home, which existed far from civilization.  She stared at her
beloved son, Hiroshi, named after her husband.  He was unlike most boys she
could remember.  He was extremely polite and considerate.  He had the habit
of being able to second guess one's thoughts, and he frequently did as his
mother told him, before his mother actually told him to do something.

   However, Hiroshi was different in other ways too.  His father had a weird
habit of constantly using his powers.  "Whenever possible, use the mind.
Tools are crutches that have dulled man's abilities."  Hiroshi was not
similar.  He seemingly lacked the gifts his father had.  Not that his mother
was disappointed.  Considering that their family had lived in isolation for
sixteen years, Kei desired to move back into the world and Tokyo.  And to
Kei, the more "normal" her son was, the easier it would be for him to be
accepted.

    Hiroshi's mind was filled with pleasure as he easily countered his step
father's attacks.  He was an intense child, one who had focused much of his
energies into the art.  Consequently, he had a certain amount of ability and
was quite decent in the martial arts.  However, even with his skills, he was
not a match for his stepfather.  He was surprised when his father feinted
with the spear, and used the butt to trip him.  In seconds, the spear
whirled around, and it's lethal head no more than centimeters from his head.

    Kei watched her son, as he tried hard to get better in martial arts.  He
had rapidly progressed, thanks to her new husband who had no qualms of
accepting Hiroshi as his only son.  Kei smiled to herself thinking about her
son's fortune, but she immediately frowned as she thought again about their
isolated life.  Watching her son, she strongly wished he could have a normal
life, live in the city, and meet different people.  Resolute, she finally
convinced herself.  They were moving to Tokyo.

* * *

    Kyoko walked alone bitterly laughing at the insignificant efforts of the
people around her.  She looked at their pitiful efforts to achieve some goal
by building tools, using tools, and building even better tools.  Laughing to
herself quite loudly, a group of students who were close to her, decided to
leave a little room.  Kyoko was known to be a queer, and most people gave
her plenty room.

    Pausing in front of her locker, Kyoko yanked the locker open, and
withdrew her books for the first class in school.  She truly hated to use
such a minor inconvenience like a combination lock, but deep within herself,
she struggled hard to attempt to be a normal girl.  However, that was hard.
Her mind was accutely tuned into the thoughts of other people.  Looking at
people, she instinctively tuned into their thoughts, often resulting in her
uncovering a funny secret, and without any thought, she'd break into
laughter.  Or she could answer people's questions before they could ask them.

    Consequently, people were afraid of her.  Especially when weird things
like falling objects, short circuiting appliances happened whenever she was
near.

    Kyoko walked silently down the hall, selectively probing the minds of
other people, when she felt a new presence.  This presence, however weak,
was completely different from the people she was used to feeling.  This
presence had a certain reflectivity.  Upon probing it, she felt a weak probe
at her mind from that individual.  Intrigued, she tried to find that person.

    Hiroshi smiled as he talked avidly with a group of new friends he had
just made.  He found it amazing that he could say the exact phrase to evoke
laughter from the people around him.  While talking, he felt a tingling that
he had never felt before.  Breaking off in his conversation, he turned his
head, and scanned the people in the crowded hallway.  His eyes immediately
landed on Kyoko, and he smiled.

    "Who's that girl?"  Hiroshi asked.  He felt something different about
that girl.  There was something that girl had no one around him had.
Hiroshi didn't know that his talent was slowly burgeoning.

    Some other girl immediately grabbed Hiroshi's arm and pulled him away.
"Oh, she's just Kyoko.  Never mind her..."  She walked away and whispered
into Hiroshi's ear.  Kyoko stiffened slightly as she learned what that girl
was saying.  Angered, she felt a rage build up within her, and she stormed
off in anger.

    All of the light bulbs in the ceiling simultaneously burst, showering
the shocked students below with splintered glass.  Hiroshi somehow had
known, and he had moments before, ushered his friends into another hallway.
Hiroshi thought.  'What's happening to me?'  He was scared of himself.

* * *

    During lunch time, Hiroshi walked down the aisle, his mind sickened with
the unsavory entrees that the school cafeteria had to offer.  Sickened, he
made a very sparse selection, basically taking extremely small portions of
food that seemed pretty average.  After paying a huge fee for the small meal
he had, Hiroshi walked into the boisterous cafeteria.  Looking around,
Hiroshi unsuccessfully found an empty seat, but he didn't give up.

   Continuously looking, he found a table that was practically empty, except
for that girl Kyoko.  Shrugging his shoulders, he walked up to the table,
and seated himself down.  Kyoko had seemed started when she felt someone
quite close to her.

    "Hi.  My name's Hiroshi.  I'm kind of new here."  Hiroshi offered his
hand to Kyoko.

    She didn't acknowledge his friendly gesture.  "I know."  She cryptically
responded.  Hiroshi stood still for a moment, quite unsure why this girl
would act unlike the others.  Then ignoring her rather unfriendly attitude,
he unwillingly tore into the food.  Despite his repugnace to the food, he
nevertheless ate.  It was better to have a bad taste in one's mouth, then
have a empty cavernous feeling in one's stomach.

    "So, what do you think of this school?  I've never been in a school
before.  My mom basically taught me everything I know."  Kyoko groaned
internally.  She just didn't like the talkative types of people, but feeling
his mind faintly probing her made her feel a sort of kinship with this new boy.

    "I don't know.  The people her are rather weak."  Kyoko watched Hiroshi
blink as if he didn't understand.  But suddenly her attention was drawn away
to something else.  Looking at the entrance to the school cafeteria, her
eyes landed on her sometimes boyfriend, Toma.  She groaned as he approached.
Like her, Toma harbingered a growing dissent with normal people.  Unlike
her, he enjoyed abusing his talents, forcing people around him to his will.
He was the local telepathic bully.

    He slid into the chair next to Kyoko and across from Hiroshi who
otherwise ignored.  Toma concentrated on Kyoko.  'Did you do the deed?'
Kyoko shook her head, evoking a blast of rage from Toma which she felt.  The
blast was so powerful, that even Hiroshi stopped eating and stared at Toma.
Toma snickered, and he slapped Kyoko.  'Dumb girl!  I don't even know why I
let you stay around me.'

    Hiroshi stood up, and shouted at Toma.  "Hey, why did you do that?"
Toma's cold eyes turned away from Kyoko who was nursing her stinging cheek
to Hiroshi.  His eye openned slightly as he felt something different in the
boy in front of him.  

    He disdainfully spoke.  "I treat whomever in the way I like."  He turned
to Kyoko.  'You'd better tell this boy to stay away if he wants to be
alive.'  Kyoko faintly nodded.  She stood up, and left with Toma, leaving
Hiroshi quite befuddled.  

    All the students around him were quite shocked, for Toma had a nasty
habit of attacking anyone who dared as much to talk loudly to him.  There
had been rumors passing around that those who Toma really hated, he killed them.

   Hiroshi shrugged his shoulders, completely oblivious to the thin ice he
had been treading on.  He finished his meal, dumped his tray into the trash
can, and returned to class.  'Maybe I can ask Kyoko after school.  I think
she's in my class.'

* * *

    Hiroshi watched as his teacher go through the lessons on Japanese
history in front of him.  She struggled hard, despite the fact that Toma and
his gang of followers stirred up trouble.  Trying very hard to ignore the
noises, she valently plowed onwards, her anger at Toma's disrespect to his
elders gradually building up.  Finally unable to stand anymore, she whirled
around and shouted at Toma.

    "Toma!  Go out into the hall!"  Toma didn't looked the slightest bit of
surprise.

    He leaned back in his chair, and stared at the teacher straight in the
eye.  "No."  The teacher felt a strange wave overcome her body, and she
suddenly didn't know why she had shouted at the class.  Looking around, she
turned back to the board and continued with her lessons.  Everyone had tried
not to think of the issue, for Toma had done this a lot in the past.

    Classes finally ended, and Hiroshi waited in the hall for Kyoko to walk
out.  He couldn't help but notice and emptiness that seemed to be within
her.  She seemed to have an imaginary field around her.  A field that no one
dare enter, except Hiroshi who eased right next to her.  "Hey!  What's with
that guy you're always with?"  Kyoko froze for a bit.  She had quite
resented Toma, but as an individual, he was stronger, and the only person in
her life who had accepted her at all.  And Hiroshi, although he was
obviously an inferior person with minimal mental powers, he made up his
deficiency with an eagerness to be a friend.

    Kyoko, who disliked speaking, prefering direct communication, curtly
said.  "Nothing, he's my boyfriend."  Hirsohi couldn't be more than amazed
when the recalled the incident in the cafeteria.  'He's her boyfriend.  And
I thought he should be treating her a lot better.'  Kyoko stiffened
slightly, for she too had heard Hiroshi's thoughts.  Someone else did too.

    Hiroshi decided that directly voicing his thoughts would be completely
insulting to the girl, so he decided to say something else.  "Well that's
cool with me.  Anyways, did you think it was weird when Toma stared down the
teacher today?"  Kyoko almost laughed out loud for she had known that
Hiroshi had been polite in changing the topic.  Unconsciously, both had
walked out of the school, and headed off.  Toma followed the two.

    "Hey, Hiroshi.  I'd like to have a few words with you."  Kyoko stopped,
for she knew that voice extremely well.  Hiroshi turned around, just in time
to see Toma's fist plow into his chin knocking him backwards.  Hiroshi
landed into a bunch of trash cans, but he pushed himself off the ground, and
was on his feet in moments.

    "What did you do that for?"  Hiroshi stood in his ready stance.  Toma
smiled to himself.  He just enjoyed pounding people into the ground.  He
turned to Kyoko.  'Just watch.'  Kyoko couldn't help but feel sorry for
Hiroshi.  

    Toma stared at Hiroshi.  "Because I can."  He lashed out at Hiroshi with
his fist, and he was quite surprised when Hiroshi countered with two fast
jabs to his chest, and a kick.  It was Toma who fell this time, and Kyoko
dreaded what was going to happen.  Toma stood up, and he let loose a huge
blast of energy, that caught Hiroshi, and threw him forcibly against the wall.

    Hiroshi settled onto the ground, every bone in his body aching from that
blow.  Kyoko, finally frustrated, shouted at Toma.  "Toma, you idiot!  Just
leave him alone!  He was trying to be friendly, that's all!"  Toma slapped
Kyoko sending her into the ground.  'Stay out of this.'  Hiroshi felt that
slap, and he knew how much it stung Kyoko.  Hiroshi felt something build up
within him.  Anger at how Toma could be so disrespectful, how he could be so
dishonorable.

    Toma turned to Hiroshi, and instead of seeing a battered person, he saw
this blinding mental aura building within Hiroshi.  Hiroshi felt a tingling
in his spine, a focus from which a flood gate was openned, and immense power
filled him.  He shouted.  "You leave her alone!"  His shout was punctuated
with an awesome invisible wave that blasted a huge forty foot crater in the
ground.  Toma took a step back for even he didn't have the capability to do
that.

    Hiroshi was too angry to notice what he had just accomplished.  He ran
at Toma.  Toma grinned as he saw Hiroshi's battle aura flicker away, and
both boys landed on the ground and grappeled.  Unfortunately for Toma,
Hiroshi was experienced, and Toma found himself propelled against the wall.
Not willing to lose, Toma latched his arms onto Hiroshi, and let loose a
giant pulse of energy.

    Hiroshi saw lightning streak about on Toma's arms, and fly into his
body.  Hiroshi landed on the ground his body still steaming from the
electricity.  Doggedly, Hiroshi fought to his feet, and he rammed into Toma,
knocking him into the wall.  Ignoring the blows he felt land to his back, he
continuously rammed Toma, until Toma fell down unconscious.

    Hiroshi struggled over, and helped Kyoko to her feet.  She was still
quite dazed, but totally dazed.  She recognized the huge energy that had
Hiroshi had unleashed, but within him she could feel nothing different.
Hiroshi definitely had the talent, but he didn't know how to control it.

    "Hiroshi, you're bleeding."  Kyoko couldn't help but feel sorry for
Hiroshi.  A trail of red leaked from his lip and dribbled down his face.
Hiroshi pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, and dabbed at his cut lip.  

    "It's nothing."  He watched in surprise as Kyoko shouldered Toma and
walked off.  "Hey!  Why are you being so nice to him?"  Hiroshi was quite
amazed to say the least.  Kyoko was constantly abused by Toma, and she still
tried to be nice to him.  

    "Let's say, Toma and I are alike."  She struggled off.

    Unknown to Hiroshi, a person across the street had video taped the
entire incident.