Well, I've re-written the first bit, and Kijo is no longer the same person.
Which is good, because he previously had about a million things wrong with
him. This chapter actually suggests a plot, don't worry. I've changed the
name to English for a few reasons. First, there's not really a point of
putting it into Japanese. Second, I made a translation error last time and
don't want to do it again.
But, now that Kijo's been re-done, I'm not sure about the title.
Suggestions, please?
Master of Ki, chap 1
Ranma was lying on his futon, sleeping peacefully. He turned slightly, and
smiled as a small beam of sunshine landed on his cheek.
"WAKE UP, BOY!"
"GYAAHH!!!" Ranma screamed as he jumped up and clung to the ceiling.
"Glad to see you awake! Time for early-morning training!" Genma called,
grinning.
Ranma responded by dropping to the floor and grabbing at Genma, who jumped
out of his reach. He bounced off the wall and came flying at Ranma. Ranma
grabbed his foot and tossed him out the window. He quickly threw on his
clothes and jumped out after him, calling insults.
Akane sat up, and groaned. She pulled the earplugs out and tossed them on
her desk. "I hoped they would work better..."She got out of bed and yawned.
"Idiots. You'd think they could be a little quieter..."
A boy wandered the streets of Nerima. He wore a worn brown leather jacket
over a blue featureless t-shirt. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of
his green Maoist pants. His black hair, tied in a ponytail, covered his
wandering eyes. He glanced at the buildings he passed, giving the essence of
tranquillity in the early-morning light.
Suddenly, he heard the sounds of battle. Snapping his head up, he rushed to
the noise. Hearing it coming from the other side of a wall, he looked for a
way to scale it. He stopped when he heard a loud *WHUMP* of something
colliding with the wall on the opposite side, and he could only imagine the
violence. *Which must, of course,* he thought as he grabbed a handhold in
the wall, *be stopped.*
As he pulled himself over the top of the wall he noticed the happenings in
the yard and nearly fell off the wall. A short red-headed girl was chasing a
panda while being chased by an irate dark-haired girl wielding an enormous
mallet. The red-head jumped up on the wall, right where the boy was half-on,
and leaped away quickly to dodge the mallet strike. The boy was not so
lucky.
The blow tore him away from his perch and sent him crashing into the door of
the building across the street.
All Akane noticed was that her mallet had hit something that was *not*
Ranma, but shrugged it off as probably just the wall.
Ranma walked along the fence, whistling. Akane looked at him curiously. When
they reached school, Akane looked around, confused. "Where's Kuno?" she
asked no one in particular.
"Okinawa," Ranma replied smugly. Akane turned to him.
"Why? And how would you know?" she asked.
Ranma chuckled. "I sent him a postcard from 'the pig-tailed girl' saying she
was in Okinawa on vacation, trying on new swimsuits at the beach. I doubt he
'll be back very soon. Ha!" Akane just shook her head.
"It'll be nice to have him out of my hair, for once," she mused.
They both rushed into the building before they were late.
In class, Miss Hinako bounced in; followed by a boy no one had seen before.
"Good morning class! This is a new student from Kyoto! Please introduce
yourself."
The boy stood in front, and glanced over the crowd quickly. He cleared his
throat, and said, "My name is Kijo Kuraki. I came here from Kyoto, but I
travel often. Pleased to meet you." He had black hair that went slightly
past his shoulders, tied in a ponytail(not a pig-tail). He wore a blue
long-sleeved shirt and had green Maoist pants and was sporting the usual
slipper-shoes. He also had an ice-pack on his forehead and seemed to be
nursing a major bruise.
Miss Hinako nodded cheerily. "You may be seated."
Kijo sat down and Miss Hinako started the day's lesson. The students watched
him carefully for signs of doing something especially interesting, then
focused back on the lesson when he didn't. They didn't notice him glaring at
Akane.
At lunchtime, Kijo looked all over the school grounds, then wandered over to
a table with no one sitting at it. He scanned the area, trying to get a feel
for who these people are, how they act, and what goes on. A few people cast
a glance his direction, but didn't give it much thought. He chewed his
sandwich slowly.
After school was out, Kijo stepped outside and leaned against the building,
watching students file outside. His eyes widened when he saw a girl pull out
a huge mallet and pound a boy's head into the ground, and was very surprised
when a man in a tacky Hawaiian outfit show up and run around with shears,
and he was shocked when a girl on a bike slammed through the wall and jumped
on the boy who had been malleted earlier.
"This is an interesting place..." he mused, biting his fingernails.
He stood up and walked out the gate after the students had mostly
dissipated, and began walking around the city he now called home. As he
strolled down the streets, glancing at signs and stores, he thought.
*Nerima. Nothing special in that name. Yet another city, or district, or
whatever, who knows what it will bring?* he sighed, thinking of a school he
had gone to a few years ago.
*It was.... interesting. Lunch was certainly odd. In fact, it caused my best
friend to gain an enemy. Who'd of thunk it? A feud, born from bread.* he
stopped and looked at the restaurant up ahead. "Cat Caf�?" he said aloud. He
shrugged and walked in. "Why not?"
He strolled in and sat down at a table near a window. He watched the inside
of the Restaurant carefully. A boy in a white robe was scrubbing tables, and
a purple haired girl, who he assumed was the waitress, saw him and quickly
walked over. "Welcome to Cat Caf�! Here our menu," she said, laying it on
his table. He blinked, and slowly picked it up as she walked off, never
taking his eyes off her.
*She looks.... familiar,* he thought. He dismissed it and decided to get a
deluxe ramen. He glanced over at the boy and saw he was scrubbing the tables
with his robe. Kijo cocked his head to the side and looked up as the girl
came back with some water.
Kijo dashed out of the restaurant as if the hounds of hell were at his
heels. "'Who knows what it will bring?' A question born of ignorance. The
day I see a boy turn into a duck is the day I start taking medication." He
shivered and slowed down. "Maybe it was a trick," he said aloud. "Yeah, a
customer entertainment thing. It seemed pretty real though...." he shook his
head and tugged at his shirt sleeves.
He looked up at the afternoon sun and watched a bird fly in an arc. An arc?
He looked closer and saw it grow bigger, until he was almost sure it was
a.... human? He rubbed his eyes and looked again as a black haired boy
landed in a nearby fountain. Kijo jumped in surprise and jogged over
hesitantly.
"Uncute tomboy! Jeez, what's her problem?" a redheaded girl shout as she
burst out of the water. Kijo leaped backwards in shock.
"Ah? You, he, eh?" he stuttered.
Ranma looked at him curiously. "What?"
Rather than reply, Kijo tore down a different street.
"I don't know about this place anymore..." Kijo mumbled, tugging on his
shirt sleeves. "When a boy changes into a duck right before your eyes, it's
weird." He mumbled an apology as he bumped into a passerby. "But when a boy
comes flying out of the sky and lands in a fountain, it's a miracle he
survives."
Feeling a raindrop, he opened the door of a shop and stepped inside. "But
when he turns into a she, AND is unhurt, it's a sign of insanity. MY
insanity," he muttered, standing in the middle of the shop.
He looked around, and saw it was a bookstore. "Wonder if there's any
self-help books," he grumbled before he smacked himself in the head. "Calm
down, Kijo, you're not going mad," he assured himself. "You're just under
stress. Yeah, that's it, stress. Well why SHOULDN'T I be stressed? I mean
with what happened it China...." he trailed off and shuddered. "Stop, Kijo.
You came here to forget."
"May I help you?" a voice called from a dark hallway.
Kijo turned, startled. "Uh, no, just lookin'," he said, peering into the
shadows.
A middle aged man with short brown hair and glasses stepped out. He nodded
and said, "Well, let me know if you need anything!" Kijo nodded
absent-mindedly and turned to the bookshelves.
He ran his fingers along the spines of books, slowed, and pulled a book out.
He read the title out loud, "How to Overcome You Fear of Heights," and
laughed. "They wrote a whole book on that?" he chuckled, putting it back on
the shelf. He grabbed another one and pulled it out. "The Book of Five
Rings, by Musashi?" He put it back on the shelf. "A hero in his time, an
outdated samaurai today," he mused, turning away.
*That may be jumping to conclusions. He WAS a master, after all.... even if
it was just swordplay.* He shook his head. *Kijo, it's not inferior just
because it's different.* He sighed and leaned against a bookshelf tiredly.
*Can I really escape the madness? I don't think I can. It follows me,
attaches to me, like a leech. But, I'm safe here, right?* He glanced around
the quiet, peaceful bookstore, and looked down at his travel-worn shoes.
*Right.*
Kijo noticed he was leaning against a shelf labeled, LANGUAGE. He pulled out
a book and read, "Speaking Chinese." He took it with him, thinking, *Why
not, I know most of it already.*
After paying, he tossed the change in the tip cup. "Thank you," the clerk
said, handing him his receipt.
"Whatever," he mumbled as he paused to snatch a pamphlet out of a cheap
plastic bin on his way out.
He was relieved to see that the rain had stopped, and stuffed the book in
his jacket pocket.
*What if people become suspicious? What if they find out I've never actually
been to Kyoto? Will they confront me? Will I have to tell them?* he shivered
and tugged at his sleeve. *You're being paranoid, Kijo.* He briefly waited
for a traffic light, and crossed the street quickly, not hearing the sounds
around him. He was lost in his own world, and didn't have time for
intrusions.
*What if... HE came after me?* He shivered so hard at the thought his teeth
chattered. *I'd better stop.*
He was beginning to get hungry again, and looked around for a close
restaurant, and smiled when he found one. He walked through the door,
looking around rapidly. There was only one customer, a girl.
In fact, he noticed, she was the redheaded girl he had seen that morning! He
nervously tugged at his collar. He slowly walked up to the counter.
"I can't BELIEVE she tries to feed me that stuff! I'd prefer SEPPEKU to
dying from Akane's cooking!" the girl exclaimed as she wolfed down another
okonamiyaki. The girl behind the counter nodded sympathetically, while Kijo
sat down at a stool.
"A special, or something," he said softly as he glanced at the redhead.
"Sure," Ukyo said as she poured more batter on the grill. "Say, you're new
here, right? Kino?"
"Kijo," he corrected, turning down his collar. "Yeah, I just came from
Kyoto."
"Well, welcome to Nerima. Here ya go," she said as she handed him a plate.
"Thanks," he mumbled as he snapped his chopsticks apart. "You would be?" he
asked, stuffing the warm food in his mouth.
"Ukyo Kuonji," she greeted, handing the other girl another dish. "This is
Ranma," she added, jerking a thumb at the girl, who was currently shoveling
in the next batch.
"Mmmph," Ranma commented.
"Well, thanks for the food, Ucchan, and can I get some hot hater?" Ranma
asked, finishing.
"Sure, Ranma," Ukyo said warmly, as she filled a glass.
Neither of them had noticed Kijo continually casting nervous glances at
Ranma. He recognized her as the girl that had popped out of the fountain.
This was PROOF that his hallucination was real. He was raising the
chopsticks to his mouth as Ukyo tossed the water on her. Kijo's chopsticks
snapped in half and he immediately began choking on his food.
Both Ukyo and Ranma turned to him, as if just noticing he was there. Kijo
swallowed his food and fell backwards off the stool. He stood up quickly,
backing off. "You.... you're...." he stuttered pointing a shaking finger.
"Hey, whoa, calm down," Ukyo said, waving her hand.
"CALM DOWN?!?" he shouted and dashed out of the restaurant.
Ukyo stared after him. "Geez! He just took off..... without..... paying!
Hey, he didn't pay!" she shouted.
Kijo was running again, to his house. "I went here to get AWAY from
madness," he huffed as he neared his home. "Not to see more of it!"
He dashed into his house and flopped down on the couch. "There must be a
logical explanation for this. Maybe I'm overreacting. After all, that was
some pretty weird stuff in China..." He shuddered and lay back on his couch.
"I just need a nice, long, rest, that's all." With that, he went up to his
room and tried to fall asleep at five o' clock in the afternoon.
The next day at school, the students noticed that Kijo walked into the
classroom very carefully, as if something would attack him upon entrance. He
sat down slowly, not looking at anyone. He was wearing his jacket, and the
collar was turned up. He gripped the edge of the desk absent-mindedly.
At lunchtime, he sat down at an empty table, and took a deep breath. *Of
course there's a good explanation,* he thought. *There HAS to be.*
He noticed that Ranma was running up to him. "Hey, you're probably
wondering..." Kijo nodded furiously. "You see," explained Ranma, "I have a
curse where cold water turns me into a girl, and hot water changes me back
into a guy. A few other people have curse, too..."
"Like a duck?" Kijo asked, smiling faintly.
"Hm?" Ranma said, looking down at him. "Oh yeah, that's Mousse. He's a blind
idiot," he added, bitterly.
"Yeah," Kijo said, glancing around, "Right."
"Well, just thought you should know," Ranma said, before running off.
Kijo shook his head. "Well, I guess it's not that bad..."
He took a bite out of his sandwich and chewed it thoughtfully as he scanned
the school grounds. His gaze stopped at the gate, just as a boy with a large
backpack stumbled through. He looked at his attire a moment before spitting
out his sandwich. "Wha...? God, it must be!" He jumped up and dashed over.
"RYOGA!!" he yelled, running as fast as he could.
Ryoga looked up and saw a boy in a brown leather jacket running up to him,
shouting his name. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed his umbrella until he
heard the boy shout something else.
"IT'S ME! KIJO!!"
His eyes widened and he dropped the umbrella. "K-Kijo?" he said,
disbelieving.
"Yeah!" Kijo yelled as he reached him. "I can't believe I found you here!
How's it been?"
Ryoga grabbed both his shoulders and looked him in his eyes, his own
shimmering. "Awful! But that's a whole other story. It's great to see you
again!"
Ranma's chopsticks never made it to his mouth. "Uh?" he said intelligently,
staring at the pair. It was pretty obvious that they were good friends,
which was a surprise to Ranma. He had figured that Ryoga was too pig-headed
to make friends.
Kijo hesitated when he heard the bell ring, then shook his head and walked
out the gate with Ryoga.
Ranma gazed after them thoughtfully for a while before entering the
building.
"So, you find the guy you were looking for?" Kijo asked casually. They were
currently walking through a quiet neighborhood.
Ryoga looked at him curiously. "Huh?"
Kijo rolled his eyes. "Come on, the guy you followed to China? Over a missed
duel? Geez, talk about overreacting."
"Hey!" Ryoga yelled indignantly. "He ran out on it!"
"After waiting three days! It ain't his fault you couldn't find your way out
of a room with one door," he taunted.
"Oh, shut up."
"Heh. Still a sore spot? I didn't think you'd just accept it."
"Who could?" Ryoga asked, scoffing.
"You might have a point."
They arrived at Kijo's house, and Kijo offered to let Ryoga use the furo. "I
mean, when was the last time you got a chance to find one, much less use
one?" he justified. Ryoga growled, then accepted.
In the bathroom, Kijo splashed the cold water on himself, and shivered. He
looked over at Ryoga, who was just standing there, fidgeting. "Well, come on
man, just get washed up so you can use the furo!"
Ryoga looked around nervously, then dropped down beside him. "I think I can
show you this. You promise you won't tell anyone?" Kijo narrowed his eyes.
"That depends."
"Within reason?" Ryoga pleaded. Kijo nodded.
"Sure," he said.
Ryoga walked over to the cold water faucet, and filled a bucket. "You ever
hear of Jusenkyo?" Kijo shook his head. Ryoga took a deep breath and
continued. "It's the Cursed Springs Training Grounds. It's filled with
hundreds of pools. Each one has a different curse. If you fall in one of
those springs, you become cursed with the form of whatever drowned there.
Hot water will change you back, but cold water will turn you into your
cursed form."
Kijo nodded in understanding. "So what spring did you fall in?"
Ryoga picked the bucket up, and splashed himself.
Kijo stared at the little black pig sitting on the floor, looking as forlorn
as it possibly could. Kijo picked him up, scrubbed him with soap, splashed
him again, and tossed him in the furo. "Hey!" Ryoga shouted as he burst from
the surface. "Don't do that!"
Kijo grinned as he stepped in the furo. "There's less of you to clean that
way. It's much easier. Jeez, so what's it like being cursed?"
Ryoga clenched his fist. "It's hell! Wild animals, hungry farmers, traps,
and this helpless form, it's awful!"
Kijo nodded sympathetically. "I bet." He leaned back in the relaxing water.
"So tell me, what happened when you finally caught up with that guy?"
Ryoga's demeanor instantly darkened. "You wouldn't believe it. The HELL he's
put me through...."
"Whoa," Kijo said, raising his hands. "Back up."
Ryoga sighed, and said, "His name is Ranma, and he's a jerk. HE cursed me,
and he teases me about it! He tries to keep me away from the girl I love,
and is always tormenting her!"
Kijo cocked his head to the side. "He's really that bad?"
Ryoga nodded solemnly.
Kijo straightened up. "I can't believe anyone could be so dishonorable and
cruel! He did all that to you? Geez, what a jerk."
Ryoga smiled. Here was someone who was mad at Ranma for his sake! He now
had a friend, a real friend!
Ryoga added, "He also has several girls hanging all over him, and always is
harassing Akane. She doesn't deserve him...."
"Of course not," Kijo said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Who's Akane?"
he asked, almost as an afterthought.
"She's the one I love," Ryoga said quietly.
"I see," Kijo said, stepping out of the bath. "Do you go to school?" he
asked suddenly.
Ryoga looked a little sheepish, and answered, "No..." Kijo waved him off.
"It's OK, I understand. Say, I know you don't really have a place you can
call home, so how about you stay here? Don't you dare refuse," he added,
looking him in the eye. Ryoga stared at him, then broke into a grin.
"Thanks," he said softly.
"And, If you stay here, I can lead you to school!" Kijo added.
Ryoga looked up at Kijo. "You'd really do that... for me?"
Kijo grinned. "What are friends for?"
Ryoga smiled. Friends... I have a friend. "Yeah, Kijo.".
Kijo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now that that's settled, let's get to
bed. It's been a fun day. You can sleep in here," he said, gesturing to a
room across the hall from his own.
"Good night!" he called as he shut the door.
Ryoga lied down on the bed and took his shoes off. He gave a silent thanks
to Kami-sama for his generosity.
Ryoga woke up and looked around groggily. He was sleeping in an unfamiliar
room. *Where on earth am I no- oh yeah.* He sat up and shook his head to
clear the cobwebs. He stretched and stood up. He was about to open the door
when...
*SPLASH* "YAAAAH!!!!"
He jumped in surprise, blinked, then dashed across the hall and opened the
door. Kijo was standing in the middle of the room, breathing heavily. He was
soaking wet. "What happened?" Ryoga asked, confusion clear on his face. Kijo
placed his hand on his chest and took a deep breath.
"That's my alarm clock," he explained. "You gotta admit, it really wakes you
up! I'm gonna take a bath. Make yourself some breakfast. Remember! Whatever
you do, do NOT step outside!" He walked into the hallway. "I'd never find
you again."
Ryoga shrugged and walked down the stairs. He wandered all over and finally
found a door. He opened it and almost stepped through, then saw it was the
back door. Don't go outside! He reminded himself sharply and continued
searching. He found the living room, the pantry, (he shuddered violently
when he saw the can of Pork 'n Beans) the basement (That's funny, I don't
remember walking down any stairs...) and the living room again. He sighed in
despair and kept looking. Finally, he found the kitchen.
Relieved, he opened the refrigerator, and pulled out some rice. He made up a
standard breakfast, and walked out the door to the dining room. Wait, that
was the pantry. No, that's the closet. No, that's the living room. No, that'
s the closet again. Ah! There it was!
He sat down at the table and looked up to see Kijo sitting down with a
bowl. ---It was filled with rice, noodles, meat, vegetables, and other
assorted foods. He set it down on the table in front of him. "G'mornin',"
Ryoga yawned.
Kijo took a bite and asked, "Did you find the kitchen all right?"
Ryoga shrugged. "Sort of. By the way, is it possible to get into your
basement without walking down the stairs?" he asked, his chopsticks poised
in front of his mouth.
Kijo stared at him. "I don't think so..."
Ryoga shrugged. "That's odd then."
Kijo shook his head in slight amazement and went back to his breakfast.
Ryoga looked at the clock as he set his bowl down. "What time do we have to
be at school?"
"Nine o' clock," Kijo grunted, finishing his meal.
Ryoga groaned. "Aw, we're gonna be late! We have to be there in five
minutes!"
Kijo shrugged. "So? We're not gonna be late, trust me."
Ryoga glared at him. "How?"
Kijo stood up and picked up his backpack. "I'll show you. Get your pack."
Ryoga dashed over to his pack, strapped it on, and dashed out the front door
where Kijo was waiting. He smiled and gestured to two loops on the back of
his pack. "Grab on to those, and hold on tight."
Ryoga did as he was told, and looked confused. "Now what?"
Kijo concentrated, then bent his knees a little. "Hold on," he muttered.
"YAH!" he shouted as he suddenly rocketed into the air. Ryoga's eyes widened
and he held on for dear life. "Jeezus, you're flying!" Kijo nodded, a huge
grin on his face. "I love doing this! Do you have any idea how much fun it
is?" Ryoga shook his head and looked down. He gripped the loops tighter.
Kijo skimmed over the rooftops, and glided down to the steps of Furinkan.
Ryoga was still clutching the straps, his eyes wide as dinner plates.
"L-l-l-let's g-g-get t-to c-c-class," he stuttered. Kijo nodded and dashed
inside. He ran to the principal's office with Ryoga still holding the
straps. He quickly explained to the principal's aide that Ryoga was joining
the school, and gestured to the boy still holding the backpack in a
white-knuckled grip.
The aide turned to Kijo and asked, "Is he alright?"
Kijo nodded, grinning. "He just had a bit of a scare, but he's fine. Ahem,
let go of the backpack, Ryoga."
"My name is Ryoga Hibiki. Nice to meet you."
Miss Hinako nodded. "You may be seated."
He sat down next to Kijo. He wasn't given much more than a second glance,
but Ranma looked at him oddly. The question was evident on his face.
('School? Ryoga?')
At lunchtime, Ryoga and Kijo began walking towards an empty table, chatting.
Kijo looked over to the gate, and saw a boy dressed in kendo garb stumble
through the gate. He quickly dashed over to them. "You! Strangers! Tell me
quickly, hath either of thou seen the fair Akane Tendo or my pig-tailed
goddess? Oh, how thine heart aches for their sweet presence! Tell me, where
are my loves?" Ryoga and Kijo stared at him, mouths gaping.
"Um, they went that way," Kijo said, pointing vaguely.
Kuno dashed off in that direction. "I come for my loves!" he called out.
Kijo shook his head. "Now THAT'S a screwball if I ever saw one. Wonder who
the 'pig-tailed goddess' is?"
Ryoga grinned. "I think I have an idea..."
On the coast of China, a young man stepped aboard a ship. He stood tall, his
muscular frame evident. In his eyes was a determined glint. His long,
elaborately designed shirt held a story in it's pictures. He clasped his
hands behind his back and stood facing the wind, letting it blow gently
through his hair.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
He flinched and grit his teeth. "Oh shut up! It isn't funny!" he ground out,
clenching his fists. The passerby just rushed off, laughing. He glanced into
a nearby mirror, and glared at his reflection. He would have made a majestic
figure, if not for the lime-green skin. "Curse you, Kuraki, and everything
you stand for," he grumbled, stalking off.
End
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