Ryoga: The Ultimate Breaking Point.
The year 2006...
Jun smiled as he spun around and kicked out at the older man
standing behind him. "Got you old fart." he said with a smile.
"Not quite boy." said Ryoga as he ducked under the boy and struck
at the ground with his finger. The earth beneath his opponent swelled and
exploded sending the unfortunate boy into the air. Jun flipped and saw
several objects flying towards him.
"Shit!" cried Jun in shock as he fling several of his own
bandannas at the projectiles. "Are you trying to kill me?!" he cried out
in anger.
"You have no faith in your old master my boy. You must be taught
a lesson." said Ryoga as he rushed the boy. Jun smiled and grabbed the
older man's arm and flung him into the air. Ryoga twisted in the air in
the boy's grip and kicked the him in the back sending Jun crashing into
the ground hard. "Try harder." said Ryoga as he walked over to a large
rock and sat down.
"Yes sir." grumbled Jun as he stood shakily.
The pair sat down for a long while and said nothing as they
caught their breath. "He's getting better, I wasn't expecting that."
thought Ryoga to himself with a smile as he watched Jun go through a
loose kata.
"Hey, why are we here old man?" asked Jun casually as he
finished.
"Huh? Training boy." said Ryoga casually. They had been traveling
through China for some time now.
"I know that old man, why are we -here-?" said Jun calmly.
"I just wanted to stop by and see some old friends of mine that's
all." said Ryoga as he lay back and watched the sky for a moment. "Just
don't get into a fight here no matter what Ok?" said Ryoga with a small
smile.
"Why is that?" said Jun with an unusual stare.
"Just trust me." said Ryoga as he drifted off to sleep.
"Senile old fart." grumbled Jun as he continued his exercises.
A few days later...
Ryoga and Jun entered the village. Many of the women watched them
enter and gazed at them with a hungry stare. "Hey whats going on old
man." said Jun nervously.
"They are assessing their prospective husbands." said Ryoga
calmly as he led the boy through the village.
"Oh is that all..." grumbled Jun nervously as he followed closer
to his master.
A few moments later they approached the central hut and Ryoga
smiled. "Well if it isn't my old pal Mousse. How's married life treating
you?" he said to the slim long haired man standing in the small garden
out side the hut. He had a large basket on his back and simple Chinese
robes.
"Hibiki? Is that you?" said Mousse in surprise. "What are you
doing here?"
"I'm training with my student here, his name is Jun. We were in
China so I figured we'd stop by and see you and everyone." said Ryoga
cheerfully.
"Are you out of your mind? Get that boy out of this village while
you can!" cried Mousse in shock.
"He's been warned." said Ryoga calmly.
"I'm surprised you came here now that your a bachelor now."
muttered Mousse.
"I know better." said Ryoga.
"Listen to me boy, this place is a man trap. No matter what
anyone does to you don't pick a fight with any of the women here got
that? Marrying an Amazon is the fastest way to screw up your life. I had
to learn the hard way." said Mousse to the boy.
Jun just looked at him blankly. "I'm just here to train, whats
going on?" he muttered.
"And check up on Jusenkyo." said a familiar high pitched voice
from near by.
"Of course Shampoo." said Ryoga with a smile. He turned to see
that she had not really changed much in appearance. If anything she was
more attractive now.
"Don't bother, it'll be at least another two years before it's
recovered from the last time one of us tried to get there." said Mousse.
"I think its protected from us by some sort of magic. If a cursed person
tries to cure themselves there the whole spring is destroyed for a few
years some how."
"Who said you could speak husband?" snapped Shampoo angrily.
"Shut up you evil hag." muttered Mousse as he returned to his
work.
"Good boy." snorted Shampoo as she kicked him into the dirt.
Mousse growled and simply returned to work again.
"I take it Mousse isn't as happy as you thought he'd be?" said
Jun as he noted the bewildered stare on his master's face.
"He used to live for her. He ate, breathed and slept just for the
day he would finally win her heart. Now look at him, he's a bitter old
fart." said Ryoga with a dazed stare.
Shampoo only smiled and led them into her home. "Come on, I guess
you can stay the night with us, piggy." she sighed.
"Hey..." said Ryoga half heartedly as he followed.
Jun only turned to see the female populous of the village staring
at him. Mousse turned and smiled at him. He turned and ran after Ryoga
and Shampoo. "Hey wait up!"
That night they all sat around a small fire and ate with Mousse
and Shampoo. Jun noted that Mousse was doing all the work around the
house. He didn't seem like the man his master had told tales of from his
youth in Nerima. "I wonder what happened to him?" he muttered.
"She did." said Ryoga from beside him. Mousse only nodded grimly.
Jun blushed, he had forgotten how keen a martial artist ears can be.
Jun noticed a small book near him and he picked it up and flipped
through it casually. "What's this?" he asked Idily as he read a few
passages.
"Those are ancient Amazon legends, look through them if you
like." said Shampoo with a smile.
"Xiopu...something about an ultimate technique?" said Jun as he
read to himself.
"You can read Chinese?" said Mousse in surprise.
Ryoga nodded, "I don't know where he picked it up he's been able
to pick up on languages fairly quickly ever since I've known him." he
said casually.
"Languages are my hobby." replied Jun as he flipped through the
book some more. "Its a big story." he commented to himself.
"Its a very old legend. It tells the tale of a woman who
discovered an ultimate technique and tried to destroy the world. She was
stopped by a woman named Ku lon. Tragicly she died stopping her." said
Shampoo.
"Ku lon? Wasn't that your..." started Ryoga.
"Yes, that was my great grandmothers name." said Shampoo.
"You knew that?" asked Jun in surprise.
"I knew her, she's the one who taught me the breaking point, and
allot of other things." said Ryoga with a smile.
"Oh," muttered Jun. "This technique was called the 'Ultimate
Breaking Point' right?" he asked.
"Yes." said Shampoo with a smile.
"Does it really exist?" asked Jun with a smile.
"Yes it does." replied Mousse gravely.
"Yes, but no one knows how to do it. It is a very powerful and
dangerous technique. It was sealed away in four pieces many thousands of
years ago the only know piece is in a monastery in Tailand. All the rest
have been lost to time." said Shampoo as she gave Mousse a disapproving
glare.
"Interesting." said Jun.
That night Ryoga was awakened by Mousse and Shampoo. Mousse was
looking beaten and tired and Shampoo had an angry look on her face. <You
knew to keep quiet about that!> said Shampoo in Chinese angrily.
Mousse looked at Ryoga and handed him a small piece of paper. "We
have a problem." he said.
"What?" said Ryoga groggily.
He looked at the note. "Gone to Tai land. Don't wait up. Jun." it
said.
"Damn." said Ryoga with a sigh.
"Ryoga that move was sealed like that for a reason." said
Shampoo.
"He must be stopped, that move is powerful enough to destroy the
entire planet. That's why it was developed." said Mousse.
"If he learns even a single piece of it he'll have to be killed,
you must stop him before he reaches the first piece." said Shampoo sadly.
"What?!" cried Ryoga in shock.
"I'm going with you." said Mousse.
"I..." started Ryoga.
"No arguments Hibiki. This is partly my fault, besides I don't
trust you to find him in time." said Mousse with a serious gaze.
Shampoo glared at the two. "You don't have any time to waste, I
don't think he realizes how much danger he is in." said Shampoo flatly.
The pair were gone within a half hour.
TbC...
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