Heart of flame, breath of fire. Ch. 2
Ryu vs. Kuno...secret of the Dragon heart.
Pantyhose Taro stood at the gates of the Tendo dojo and frowned as a
light shower began. The pervert had not been around for some time now and
he would have to look else where for his prey. His tentacles twitched in
frustration as he jumped onto the roof of the home. "I guess they won't
mind if I borrow a little hot water," he thought as he climbed through
the window. He snuck in and changed quietly without getting noticed. He
was just about to jump back to the ground from the roof when someone
kicked him in the head from above.
"What do you think your doing trying to peep on Akane you withered old
goat!" cried Ranma as he attacked the intruder.
"What do you think your doing Fem-boy?!" cried Taro in frustration as he
kicked the boy off his back.
"Well, if it isn't o'l Pantyhose! Its been a while, still tryin to find
the old freak?" asked Ranma smugly.
"Ranma what's going on? Will you keep it down were trying to teach a
lesson over..." cried Akane angrily as she rounded the corner and stopped
cold as she saw Taro standing in the yard by the koi pond. Ryu jogged up
followed by Soun behind her.
"Well look who it is, did ya ever find who you were looking for in that
book?" said Ryu cheerfully.
Taro went white a look of anger crossed his face. Akane heard him mutter
"Ryu," under his breath and he crouched low immediately. "Uh, yea. He
sorta hangs out here," he backed away from Ryu and stumbled back into the
koi pond reverting to the cursed monster again.
"Hey, those are new," said Ryu looking at the tentacles.
"BU-FU," said Taro as he nodded and continued to back off. The beast
jumped over the wall and flew away.
"What was that all about?" asked Nabiki.
Ryu stopped and looked as if he had forgotten she was there. "Uh we met
in China a while ago. He was looking for some guy who had been to
Jusenkyo a long time ago," answered the boy nervously.
"Why did he seem scared of you?" asked Akane in wonder, Taro had never
acted like that before.
"Uhh, Well somehow he got the weird idea that I was uhh, gay, yea that's
it. He thinks I'm gay," said Ryu as he struggled for an answer.
"Your not right?" asked Ranma nervously.
"Of course not!" cried Ryu angrily. "...not that there's anything wrong
with that."
"What are you a pervert or something? Of course there's something wrong
with that!" snorted Ranma.
"Umm, I gotta go practice now," said Ryu as he turned back toward the
dojo.
"Yes, you'll spar with Akane again today," agreed Soun cheerfully.
Nabiki simply stared at the exchange coolly. Taro was not just repulsed
by the boy; he was terrified of him. This was much deeper than a simple
homophobe. Ryu was hiding something big.
Ryu stepped from his small one room apartment that was only a few blocks
away from the Tendo dojo and Furinkan high in either direction. He took a
deep breath and started towards the school. The sky was clear and it was
turning out to be a beautiful day. He threw his school bag over his
shoulder and looked at the people scurrying around the street passively.
It took about fifteen minutes for him to walk to the gates of the school
through the crowd. He smiled as Ranma and Akane charged through the gate
and kicked Kuno to the ground before rushing to class. "Well its nice to
see them early for once," said Ryu to himself.
"It is unusual, but how would you know that?" said a familiar voice from
behind the boy. He turned and smiled; Nabiki stood with her arms crossed
glaring at him.
"I pay attention Tendo-san. I hear rumors and I always find out what I'm
getting myself into before I do anything. Its a necessity for someone
like me, I have a lot of enemies," said Ryu as he glared at her.
"And why is that?" asked Nabiki calmly.
"I'm not a likable guy, I'm a lot like Saotome that way I guess. I
suppose that's why I chose your dojo," answered Ryu carefully.
"He's not telling me every thing," thought Nabiki calmly. "I suppose,
but I think your a little too observant," she said bitterly.
"Think what you like Nabiki," said Ryu as he walked off. "She is more
dangerous than I had thought. I'll have to keep an eye on her I suppose.
Maybe I should just avoid her all together," he thought as he left her
standing in the yard.
Akane met Ryu in the hall and waved at him cheerfully. "G'Morning
Akane-san," said the boy as he bowed in polite greeting.
"You don't have to be so formal Ryu," said Akane as she blushed.
"Oh, sorry I'm still getting used to Japanese customs," he said as he
blushed and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Akane
suppressed her smile. He sort of looked like Ryoga when he did that.
"So you're really going to keep studying at our dojo?" asked Akane.
"Yea, I need some formal training, I've only gotten so far on my own as
you saw..." muttered Ryu as he slowly realized that they were being
stared at.
"I thought that after the other day you might have thought about
leaving, I'm really sorry. We don't have many students..." a blush formed
on Akane's face as she said this.
Ryu smiled as he realized what was going on. Akane was afraid that she
had drove him off after beating him so easily the day before. "Don't
worry Akane, I won't leave the dojo just because I got a few bruises, in
fact I was expecting it. Honestly I was surprised I did as well as I did
considering this is Nerima and all."
"What?" asked Akane in confusion.
"Don't worry about it," said the boy as he walked towards his class.
"Wow Akane, I'm surprised you didn't drive him off with your uncuteness.
I sure wouldn't train at a dojo if I saw such an uncute tomboy as a
student there," said Ranma as he walked up to her from the corner he had
been watching from. He glared at Ryu as the boy moved through the crowd,
completely ignoring Akane; in fact, his words were almost a reflex. He
seemed surprised when she elbowed him into the ground from behind.
Ryu was sitting under a tree during lunch and picked at his school
bought meat bread lazily. He had developed quite a taste for beef in
recent months. "I wonder if it's a side effect?" he thought to himself as
a shadow loomed over him.
"I understand you had words with Akane Tendo this day, tell me how it is
you are so familiar with her?" demanded Kuno angrily.
Ryu looked at him and thought for a moment. "How should I handle this?"
he wondered. Kuno pointed his bokuten at the boy's face and he decided to
be diplomatic.
"I am studying at the Tendo dojo. It was a business conversation," he
said as calmly as he could, he was not afraid, but Kuno's tone was
irritating.
"So you hound Akane Tendo," said Kuno as his eyes narrowed and he
clenched his weapon tightly. "I will not permit this."
"Weren't you paying attention? I am a student of her father's school of
martial arts, I have no interest in Akane romantically," said Ryu warily
as he stood and backed away from the angry kendoist.
"So you use her father's place of business to get closer to my beloved.
Dishonorable cur! I will prevent your wicked plan," said Kuno angrily as
he stood at the ready.
"I'm not going to fight you Kuno, leave me alone." Ryu found he didn't
have anywhere to run as a small crowd started to form around him and the
boy.
"How dare you speak to me in such a way coward?!" said Kuno angrily.
"How dare you assume that my intentions are less than honorable with out
proof. I have made no advances towards Akane Tendo and I'm not going to
argue with you about this, leave me alone," said Ryu forcefully. "No
wonder there aren't any students at the dojo."
"I will not permit you to speak to one of my standing in such a way
defend yourself cur!" yelled Kuno as he struck out at Ryu with his
bokuten. Ryu dodged barely in time and scurried away cursing.
"Are you insane? You could kill me you moron!" yelled the boy in anger.
"Silence fool!" yelled Kuno as he turned and slashed the boy in the
face. The blow struck dead on but Ryu had managed to deflect the blade
with his hand enough to turn the edge down. He received a nasty looking
cut on his hand and face and was thrown twenty feet back into a tree.
He hit it with his back and cried out in pain as he left a dent in the
oak, with that he slumped and browned out for a moment. He shook his head
and stood shakily. His vision blurred and he was aware of a crowd forming
around them. He focused his vision in time to see Kuno charging him with
the bokuten over his head.
Akane stood and gasped in horror as Kuno attacked Ryu across the
schoolyard. "Leave it alone Akane he probly deserved it anyway," said
Ranma as he downed his lunch nearby with his own group of friends.
"Ranma, you know he can't beat Kuno! We have to help him!" cried Akane
in shock and anger.
"Why do you like him so much all of a sudden?" said Ranma as he glared
at the fight. Ryu was barely avoiding Kuno's strikes and desperately
looking for an opening with his unusual style. "He's doing OK now."
Akane just glared at him and ran over to the fight. She knew she
couldn't help him, but if Kuno seriously hurt him he would pay. Truth was
he had paid an extremely large amount of money for the lessons, Nabiki
was shocked into almost complete disbelief and had developed an extreme
new interest in this mysterious new student. Akane however had not seen
her father as happy as he had been during the lesson in many years. He
had not taken students since her mother died. He looked better in just a
few days than he had in years. She did not want him driven off by Kuno or
Ranma.
Silence overwhelmed the crowd for a moment. Akane gasped at what she saw
and Ranma dropped his chopsticks and stood across the schoolyard from the
fight. A scowl crossed his face and he ran to the fight as he realized
what the boy was doing, he hadn't done it right so it wouldn't work but
the fact that he even had knowledge of it sent chills down Ranma's spine.
Ryu dodged Kuno as best he could but the kendoist was far to fast for
him. He took several blows on his arms and side. He was bleeding heavily
from his face and light spots of blood appeared to stain his shirt from
the lighter shots. He frowned as Akane watched from the crowd, he was not
going to beat Kuno with his hands; it was obvious Akane would jump in and
try to save him in a moment. He had to do something fast if he wanted to
keep his pride intact. Akane stepped forward with an angry look on her
face. Kuno struck out a final time and stopped as he turned to face her.
"Stay out of this Akane, I won't lose!" cried Ryu as he swung at Kuno
who simply blocked with his bokuten causing Ryu to smash his hand against
the hard wood painfully. Kuno smirked and prepared to finish the fight.
Ryu gave into the beast in his heart and finally let instinct take over
completely.
The dragon woke, Ryu stood in the center of the battle and raised his
arm into the air. Kuno's face went white as he realized what had
happened. Ranma had done this to him once and that was enough to make his
blood run cold now, but this was different. Kuno didn't realize it yet
but they had not run the spiral. A blue circle of light formed around
them on the ground and Ryu's eyes seemed to take on a reptilian
appearance as they glowed red. "Shin-Hiryu-shouten-ha!" cried the
battered student in an inhuman voice. A pillar of flame erupted around
the pair within a ten-foot circle at the top of the pillar that took on
the shape of a dragon. The flame began to twist and turn like a giant
tornado as they reached a thousand feet into the air.
Ranma stood and stared in disbelief at the blast. The power of the
initial blast had sent the students within thirty feet of it flying
through the air and scurrying away from the intense heat. Akane stood
only twenty feet away and shielded her face covering her shock. "What the
hell was that?!!" yelled Ranma as he ran up to Akane, forcing his way
into the super heated wind. He dragged her back away from the blast site
forcefully and she struggled weakly for a brief moment.
The flames died down and Ryu stood in the center unscathed, almost
thirty seconds later a blackened form crashed to the ground. Kuno was
completely charred and covered in minor burns and a few serious ones.
Most of his hair was gone and he simply lay smoking. Ranma approached him
and turned him gingerly. He was alive, barely.
"What have you done?" asked Akane in terror.
"If he had landed that last blow I would have been killed. He doesn't
realize his own strength anymore thanks to Ranma's fights with him. I
couldn't have dodged in time," said Ryu calmly. "This is why I need your
help, If I can become a martial artist I won't have resort to my powers.
I won't have to kill anymore to protect myself. I need your help."
"If your not a martial artist how can you do this?" said Ranma angrily.
The blast was more powerful than anything he had ever been able to
create; only Herb could compare to what he had just seen. Kuno would not
simply recover from this in a few days. The Kendoist was almost killed.
"Because son in law he has somehow managed to get a hold of the heart of
a dragon. A very powerful and ancient one it seems," said an aged voice
from nearby.
"Ghoul!" cried Ranma in surprise.
"Where did Ryu go?" asked Akane as she turned and looked for the boy. He
had vanished.
"It seems he has fled, a wise decision. I will hunt him later," said the
old woman as she jumped away with a grim look on her face.
"What?" said Akane in shock as she watched her leave.
Ranma remembered Taro's reaction to Ryu the other day. "I'm going to
have to talk with Taro," he said to himself. "He might know something
about this Ryu guy."
As she leapt through the rooftops of Nerima Cologne smiled. "A dragon
heart in this day and age. Fortune smiles on me, with it the amazon tribe
could be all powerful."
"I wouldn't bet on it," said a voice from behind her.
Cologne whirled around and frowned as she saw Ryu standing with a huge
chi blast ready. "You thing that thing will be strong enough to stop me?"
she asked him.
"The question is will you be strong enough to stop it?" said Ryu calmly.
"What is it boy?" snorted the old woman.
"I'm warning you not to pursue your foolish ambition woman," said Ryu
angrily.
"How will you stop me?" snorted the old woman. "Why shouldn't I just
kill you now?"
"Because if you could I wouldn't be talking with you now," said Ryu
calmly. "I can easily escape you now and you know it."
"Still it will not always be so. I will hunt you all across Japan if
need be," said the woman with a cackle.
"You think you're the first to try? Even if you get your hands on my
heart you too will be marked and hunt by other hunters. Not even your
amazon tribe will be able to protect you. They will be slaughtered to get
to you; your family and friends will die. Is my power truly worth the
price?" said Ryu bitterly as the chi blast he had been holding died down.
"You underestimate my people," said Cologne.
"You overestimate yourself. Even with my power I may not be able to kill
you old woman, but can you protect your Granddaughter forever?" said the
boy as he stepped off the edge of the roof.
Cologne stood and simply stared at the edge where he had been and
frowned. She knew he was right about that, Shampoo would not have a
chance against someone like him, Mousse would probably die trying to
protect her, but would it be worth the price she would pay? For the good
of the tribe? "Well that is something to think about isn't it?" she
snorted as she hopped away. In the distance of Nerima the lightening
flashed as a storm approached.
TBC.....
I've finally returned to the list! Well this should get even more
interesting as time goes on. Wondering about how 'Ryu' got the dragon
heart and how powerful he really is? All will be explained. Also Ranma
investigates and discovers Ryu hides a dangerous secret. [Duh, but this
is a different secret.] Will he try to destroy Ryu for fear of Akane's
life? Can he? Find out next time!
ja
C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com