Spirit within II: A new world of mystery. Prolouge.

	I decided to write a sequel to Spirit within. I won't tell what
series it is just yet and it should not go near as long as the first one
did. I hope it comes out as well as the first one did and not end up as a
'Our hero comes and fixes every one's problems' self insert fic. Well,
its not really one of those any more anyway. Lets just say this guy used
to be me. 

	One hundred and twenty year old Ranma Saotome lay in his bed and
smiled at his family. At one time he had been two people one named Sean
and the other named Ranma. One of them wasn't real, at least until some
mysterious power joined them together as one being. His family was
unaware of it, he had never told anyone of his secret simply because they
didn't need to know. It would not have changed anything. They stood
around him and wept as he slipped away. "Great grand father don't die!"
cried Ritsuko as she hugged him. She was a beautiful young girl of twenty
who had recently married her long time fiancee'.
	"You look just like your great grandmother did at your age." said
Ranma with a smile. Much had happened in his life even if it was not
really his own. "I lived a blessed life, I saw all I wanted accomplished
in it." said Ranma with a smile that faded as his heart began to give
again.
	"Don't worry father. The Hibiki line will carry on the school."
said His son in law as he comforted his wife. She clung to her husband
tightly and wept not wanting to see her all powerful father in such a
weakened condition. Well, he seemed that way to her anyway.
	His son walked up and smiled as he griped his fathers shoulder
tightly in affection. "As will the Saotome line." he said confidently.
Ranma smiled at this and looked at his now eighty year old son. 
	"I know that is why I go to join your mother and many old
friends." said the dying man. "I leave you as the head of the family.
Perhaps I should have long ago, but I wanted to see my great
granddaughter become the woman I knew she would." said Ranma as he
returned his son's grip.
	"Father." said the man as his wife came over to him and took his
arm. At that Ranma's heart gave out at last. He was dead.

	Darkness was all Sean could see. He could not move and it had
been so for a long time. He occupied his time by playing back the many
memories of his past life. "Perhaps this is what heaven is." he thought.
He felt very warm and secure. Then everything changed, behind him he felt
something give.
	 He felt something pushing him forward and crush him. He tried to
breathe but no air could be found, he writhed as he felt the world shift
forward, in a panic he began to struggle. The wall around him began to
close together. "Oh god! I've gone to hell!" he thought desperately. He
felt something grip his head hard and pull. Sean felt cool air on the top
of his head and tried to open his eyes which seemed sealed shut. He felt
himself being lifted into the air by his feet and bright lights
surrounded him. A sudden pain came across his back and he saw a large
colorful blur move towards him. He registered speech in the air and he
realized what had happened. He had just been born. He began to scream.
The only sound he could make. 

	Seven months later...
	
	The young child sat in its crib and laughed and smiled at the new
play thing his parents had placed over the crib. They were nice people
and he liked living with them. Even if she insisted on breast feeding
him. He giggled as she played with him through the bars making coddling
noises at him and laughing at herself for doing it. The man treated him
like a fragile object that could break at any time. He seemed nervous
when handling him and smiled at the life in the crib that he had helped
create. They soon left the child to himself and turned out the lights as
they left the room. 
	The young boy known as Ryo stood up in the crib and looked at the
door as he thought of his new family. His childish joy disappeared as he
looked at the world with a hundred and twenty year old wisdom.
Emotionally he was still seven moths old, and he knew it. He had all the
desires and feelings of a seven month old baby. But his knowledge had
remained the same. He knew how to talk, write, drink, ride a bike. ect.
ect. But more importantly he still knew how to fight. He just had to
train this new body, and that would take years. He frowned and realized
that he could be in an entirely different world. Perhaps reality again,
perhaps not. He lay back down and went to sleep. "I'm going to need a
training partner." he thought as he drifted off. "Or perhaps a rival." he
thought with a wry grin.

	Two years later...
	
	Ryo walked with his mother and frowned as she handed him a
lollipop. "Just how old does she think I am?" he mental growled before it
registered. "Oh, yes. Two." he reminded himself. As he had gotten older
he had to be more careful about his intellect and training. He had to
remember to speak and act the way a relatively normal two year old would
until he figured out where he was. He had discovered that he lived in a
place known as Shininome and that the Nerima he had known for so many
years did not exist. Nerima was there but no Tendo dojo or Cat cafe',
even Ucchans was non existent. His child like instincts stuck the candy
in his mouth greedily and he allowed himself to be reminded to thank the
kindly old store clerk for the candy. As soon as he turned two he had
begun basic martial arts training on his new body. Very basic stretching
mostly to help with his flexibility when he was older. He of course knew
how to do the exercises on himself having done it to three generations of
Saotome and Hibiki children. However, he had to be careful. He could
seriously hurt himself or even stunt his own growth if he pushed himself
too far at such an early age. He still wondered exactly what world he was
in. Then he saw it, it was sitting in a news stand. Shonen Sunday, on the
cover was a picture of Ranma 1/2 and its cast. He frowned deeply and
began to wail loudly.

	A few years pass...
	
	Ryo Kagome sat at his desk and sighed as he began his first day
of school in over one hundred years. He looked around the room and saw
the other children happily playing amongst themselves and talking about
simple subjects. He noticed a familiar looking boy sitting in the back of
the room and could not place him. He walked back and sat at the desk
directly in front of him. Some of the more shy students edged towards the
back of the class and some even cowered in fear. The perky young teacher
began the lesson and smiled brightly at the children as she called the
roll. Ryo sat laid back and confident as she reached his name. "Hai." he
replied as he looked at her calmly. "I'm certainly glad I'm still in my
'all girls are ikky' stage. A woman like her would usually be
attractive." he thought to himself.
	Ryo froze, something registered in his head. 
	"Mizuhara, Makoto." she said after a few other names.
	Ryo slowly turned and looked at the now very familiar boy behind
him and gawked at him for a moment. "Thats it! That's where I am!" his
mind told him. As he stared at Mokoto a strange blue aura formed around
the boy that only Ryo could see. It was faint but he was the only one in
the room who had it besides himself. "So, That is our destiny Mizuhara."
he said to himself.

[[[Insert El-Hazard theme here.]]] 
	
	Mokoto sat with his new friend in the small playground at the
school they attended. His attention in the other child faded as he looked
at the strange boy in the corner of the yard. He had taken over the
balance beam that the larger children usually used as a seat during their
own recess. He was balancing on it and doing a simple kata flawlessly. He
was a handsome child it was easy to tell he would grow up to be a real
lady killer. He had short brown hair that was styled after Ranma's but
without the pigtail. He was wearing a normal school uniform, shorts and a
tie and jacket, the clothes restricted his movements somewhat, but Makoto
couldn't tell. 
	Mokoto watched in amazement. The boy looked over at them and
smiled. "Mizuhara Makoto, prepare to die!" he cried as he jumped off the
beam and leaped five feet into the air and came down in a kick near him.
	"D-do I know you?" asked Makoto nervously.
	"My name is Kagome Ryo, and no, not really." said the boy as he
stepped into a loose stance.
	"Why are you doing this to me?!" said Makoto near tears.
	"Don't worry Makoto san. I won't hurt you, yet. You are the only
one who will stand a chance against me as my power increases. I can see
it in your aura. We will fight every chance I get, you will become better
over time." said Ryo with a malicious grin. "And you will be much better
prepared for El-hazard." he thought to himself.
	"Your crazy! I don't want to fight you!" cried Makoto.
	"You leave him alone you bully!" said the other child as she
stood between them.
	Ryo grabbed her and threw her down in a painless maneuver that
rendered her helpless for a moment. It also moved her out of his way and
let her know that she didn't stand a chance. Well, if she was older
maybe.
	"Ha. That didn't hurt at all." she said triumphantly as she stood
up and dusted herself off.
	"It wasn't supposed to. I don't want to hurt him yet girl, or you
for that matter." said Ryo confidently as he turned on Makoto. He didn't
even try to fight back. Ryo walked away leaving a shaken but unharmed
Makoto standing in the corner as recess ended. The play ground monitor
finally woke up and walked into class. 
	Makoto looked at the boy in front of him with mixed emotions of
fear and loathing. Ryo had simply tagged him repeatedly with light
punches during the play period, no one would even care. Fact was he
wasn't even hurt, he just felt humiliated. The same thing would happen
every day for months. The only time he got breaks was during breaks in
the school year and weekends. 

Until one day...

	Makoto stood as Ryo punched at him lightly. "Stop it please!" he
cried.
	"One day you'll thank me for this." said Ryo in a slightly
frustrated voice. Makoto dodged around as many of the blows as he could,
that wasn't many. Only once had he gotten hurt in the cruel boy's game
and that had been a fluke. The some of Makoto's new friends ran after
them yelling simple insults to the boy as he chased Makoto around keeping
well out of their range with quick movements. All it took was for Ryo to
turn and face them for most of them to back off if they got too close.
	 Then Makoto finally did it. As Ryo swung Makoto performed a
simple block and punched shakily at Ryo. Both of them froze. Makoto
looked in terror at what he had done and prepared to get beaten for it.
His arm was stuck out missing Ryo's head by millimeters. Ryo smiled as
Makoto's fan club caught up and began to laugh and cheer for their
friend. 
	"That's it Makoto! you don't have to take that from him!" cried
one of the boys in approval for him finally fighting back.
	"That's the spirit Makoto!" cried Ryo slapping him on the back.
	"Huh?!" cried Makoto in shock.
	"You fool, why do you think I did this to you all this time. I
need a rival, you are the only one capable of becoming that man." said
Ryo with a large grin. "I've been training you." 
	"You call this training?" yelled Makoto as he took another swing
at the laughing Ryo in his anger. Ryo dodged and the game resumed this
time Makoto was actively participating, although he was doing very
poorly, he only got off one more punch in before the teacher called the
class in again.
	"Boys, no wonder they are so creepy." said one of the many girls
watching in disgust. The others only nodded in agreement.

	A few weeks later....
	
	Summer break had begun and Nanami was cheerfully walking over to
her friends home. She heard strange noises coming from the back yard of
one home. Out of curiosity she peeked into the yard.
	Little Makoto was standing and yelling as he swung clumsily at
the air in the back yard of his home. "What are you doing?" asked Nanami.
	"Practicing." said Makoto. "I don't want to get beat up." he said
to her as she walked back and sat down.
	"Your Makoto right? But he never beats you up, not really
anyway." said Nanami to no one in particular.
	"Yea, I know. But its really annoying. I never get to enjoy my
recess." whined Makoto.
	"Not from what I see, I'd almost think you look forward to it
lately." she commented looking at him with a board expression. 
	"I do not." cried Makoto blushing. "Do I?" he thought. Nanami
shrugged and walked away to see her friend.

	Several years pass and recess is still the same... 
	
	Makoto however is much improved. He holds his own against the now
full force blows of his self proclaimed trainer. Also the schedule has
been toned down to once a week or so. However it also includes attacks
outside school. They were in the seventh grade now. He had long ago begun
formal training at a local Kung fu dojo in an effort to finally defeat
his rival. He had come close but never accomplished the task, He was
something of a celebrity among local dojo's and had won several
tournaments and his matches with the mysterious Ryo had begun to draw a
crowd. 
	Ryo was an enigma. None of the dojo owners could make out his
style. He had often been questioned on the matter and had disappeared or
run away from many an outraged Dojo owner. Often in fact Ryo received
challenges from students of the dojos involved.
	"If you want to fight me, you have to beat Mizuhara." He
announced one day after beating several boys. Three years had passed and
his challenge had only been met once, and that had been a fluke. Makoto
had had a very bad case of the flu and had to forfeit the match. Ryo had
made quick work of the boy. In short, Makoto's life was turning into an
episode of Ranma 1/2. 
	Today was special, it was the first time in a very long time that
Makoto had been beaten so easily by Ryo. "Damn him." he muttered as he
walked towards the store on an errand for his mother.
	"Hello Makoto." said a familiar voice from above him.
	"Not again! Haven't you humiliated me enough today?" cried Makoto
as he turned to face Ryo, who was standing on a roof top and smiling down
on him.
	"Come with me, this will only take a moment, I want to show you
something." Said Ryo calmly as he lept down beside the boy.
	
	"Today you learn your first special attack from me. With this
what happened to you earlier will be a distant memory." said Ryo as they
walked into a deserted alley.
	"Why should I trust you?" yelled Makoto.
	"Have I ever deceived you before?" asked Ryo.
	"Special attack? I think you've watched too much anime." said
Makoto as he began to walk away.
	"Watch." said Ryo as he started a fire in a large basin that had
been prepared. Makoto watched as he pulled a bag from his shirt and flung
it into the flames.
	"This is your special attack?" he grumbled.
	"No, this." said Ryo with a sneer. His arms vanished and after a
moment two piles of roasted chestnuts appeared on either side of the tub.
	"T-Thats the..." started Makoto in amazement.
	"Yes, Makoto san. Katsutenshin Amaguriken." said Ryo with a grin.
	"Just like in the manga." said Makoto with wide eyes.
	"Every technique in that manga is real. I have achieved three of
them already." said Ryo with a smile.
	"Three?!" cried Makoto in shock.
	"Yes, I will teach them to you and you will be a better
opponent." he said with a wry grin.
	"How can I beat someone like this?" thought Makoto desperately.
	Ryo saw the look and smiled. "You can defeat me Makoto san. I am
not invincible. However you will have to work very hard to do so. You
already know the method of training for this, I suggest you get started."
said Ryo as he walked away leaving a bewildered Makoto watching him
leave.
	After a few moments Makoto looked at the ground. "What did I get
myself into?" he cried. A few more moments passed and he stood tall.
"I'll be damned if I let him beat me so easily." he cried to the sky.

	A few days pass...
	
	Nanami bandaged Makoto's hands carefully and he winced in pain.
"How did you burn yourself so badly Makoto san?" she asked calmly.
	"Uh, It was an accident." said Makoto sheepishly.
	"Uh Huh, well I'm not letting you read my Ranma's any more." she
said to him.
	He sat quietly and turned red. 
	TbC....

	Next time: El Hazard land of mystery and danger!
C&C to Catbert25@aol.com

BtW I'll be using the four tape original and not the TV series as the
background for this story.

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