The Three Saotomes
Part 13
The Closed Sword of Kuno.
++++++++
It was five a.m. in the morning at the Tendo Dojo. Normally only one
resident was ever awake at this hour of the morning. However, since the
time that the three Saotome's had arrived, it had begun to get a little
more crowded.
Genryu and Genma stood on the back porch watching intently. Akane and
Ranma were jumping at each other in the yard. Akane had an angry scowl on
her face as she attacked her self-proclaimed sensei. Ranma merely smirked
as he dodged, and occasionally, even countered the girl's attacks easily.
"Hey. She is getting better Pop," commented Genryu. He almost sounded
surprised.
"Your brother is to inherit the school one day, boy. I have trained him
to be an excellent teacher as well as a great martial artist," replied
the older man with a small snort.
"That's enough, you've got a jog this morning right?" said Ranma as he
landed nearby. Akane came down across from him and scowled.
"Whatever," she spat angrily.
"Get started, we're going to spar again before we leave for school,"
said the boy as he sat down at the table. By spar, he meant that Akane
would do her best to kill him, while he taunted her and forced
corrections on her. It was quickly becoming his favorite game, he almost
regretted that he hadn't picked her as his fiancee, almost.
As if on cue, the girl of his dreams walked down the stairs looking as
incredibly tired as ever. "Do you have to do this every morning?"
"Ah, good morning fiancee," he seemed unusually cheerful over the past
few days or so.
"Don't call me that," muttered Nabiki halfheartedly. She wasn't in the
mood to get into a verbal war with him this morning. Or any morning for
that matter. She was just up way to damn early these days, and not by her
own choice.
"But you're so cute when you're tired," said Ranma playfully.
"Shove it up your..." Nabiki mumbled the last part of her phrase as she
put her head down on the table inside her arms.
"Oh my, it sure has been busy in the morning lately," said Kasumi as she
walked into the room with tea in her arms. "Breakfast will not ready for
at least an hour."
"Don't worry about that Kasumi, Akane's not going to need it until then.
She might get sick if she eats too much before we spar. She hasn't
developed her stomach for that yet."
"I guess that my sister just isn't used to all that jumping around."
Ranma nodded cheerfully. "You've got it! Right on the nose!"
The younger girl rushed by them and out the door, she took a few quick
swipes at Ranma as she passed him. He dodged them without even paying
attention. Genryu and Genma passed as well, on their way to their own
morning practice.
++++++++++
A loud splash sounded in the koi, and Genryu walked into the room
lazily. The panda was sitting in the pond, still trying to figure out how
he had landed there. Surely his attack wasn't that predictable.
"Akane is getting better. I don't think she realizes it though,"
commented the younger boy lazily.
"She knows. That's what's bothering her these days. The fact that I'm
actually helping her." Ranma smirked cheerfully as he said this.
"Let me get this straight. The reason you're so happy lately, is because
you're annoying my sister?" Nabiki raised her head off the table and
glared at him for a moment.
"That about covers it, yup," said Ranma as he smiled at her.
"She's right, you are a jerk," muttered the girl.
"I don't think she's ever been kind enough to call me a jerk. Her
vocabulary has become quite colorful since my arrival," commented Ranma.
"Die! You fucking bastard!" screamed Akane as if to prove the point as
she entered the house in a full-blown run. Ranma jumped over the table
and into the yard as she rushed up to him from behind.
"Hurry it up Akane! We've only got like forty minutes until breakfast!"
called the boy.
Akane merely screamed in rage and followed after him.
"I wonder if that Kuno guy is going to try and fight Ranma today?" said
Genryu lazily.
Nabiki raised her head up and looked at him. "Huh?"
"It's been two months. He should challenge him again soon."
That woke the girl up instantly. She was on her feet within moments and
rushed up the stairs. "I've got to get ready for school!"
"Huh? We don't gotta be there for like two hours," said Genryu in mock
confusion. Nabiki owed him again.
++++++++++++
The day started pretty normally at Furinkan. Kuno and Ranma ignored one
another at the gates. Things stayed relatively calm since the challenges
had been issued and the fights finished about two months before. It
seemed like things were finally going to be normal for the rest of the
year.
"Yeah right," muttered Nabiki to herself. Her eyes went to Tatewaki; the
boy was wearing a live blade again. He had not done that since the time
he had attacked Ranma last. She knew it was all about to start again,
Akane had been training with Ranma in the mornings, and the new student,
Matin, in the evenings. Ranma would make her spar again after she
returned home, but never pressed any information out of her about where
she had gone. She suspected that he already knew.
Genryu had become quite impressive to her over the past few months. He
seemed to be an expert information gatherer. She had even employed him a
few times; he even worked for free. She knew that she owed him a few
favors, but it was an unspoken agreement. She suspected that the two
Saotome brothers looked out for one another quite seriously. It seemed
like they were an excellent team, without either of them even realizing
it sometimes.
"I'm going to make quite a bit pretty soon," she loved it when she could
say that. Business was about to go on another drastic rise.
++++++++++++
Akane stood with Matin at the doors to the school. "I think Kuno's going
to challenge Ranma again today. I don't think he'll win though."
"Heh, I know he won't," said the boy in reply with his arms crossed.
"Right, we've got to go over a few things later. I want you to watch
this fight. Ranma favors his left leg, and his right arm, but it's very
slight. He also changes patterns very quickly, don't let yourself get too
comfortable. If he starts to have any trouble at all he'll change the way
he fights instantly. He doesn't wait for you to get the upper hand, you
have to keep on your toes."
"I was planning on watching the fight. I want to see how much better he
is since he's recovered from that fight he had," said the boy as he eyed
his target carefully. "I can wait for a little. If I rush into this
fight, I'll lose for sure. You've sure been a big help though."
"I just want him gone," said the girl coldly. "How I do it doesn't
matter."
Matin closed his eyes and nodded quietly. After a moment he simply
rested against the wall until the bell rang.
+++++++++++
Ranma walked out of the school silently. His hands were in the pockets
of his uniform, and he had a lazy stroll as he slowly made his way across
the courtyard towards the gates.
"Saotome, hold."
Ranma paused in the middle of the yard and did nothing. He merely stood
silently. The students around him quickly spread out and formed a crowd
around him.
"I have come for your life," said Kuno as he appeared from behind his
tree.
"Oh, is it that time already?" muttered Ranma as he finally spared the
kendoist a glance. Kuno was wearing two blades on his side, his Katana
had either been repaired or replaced, and a smaller batto rested just
above it. "A two handed style? He's taking this samurai thing a little
far," thought Ranma lazily.
"The time has come for your reign of terror to finally end Saotome. I
shall be the instrument of your destruction. The vengeance of heaven is
slow but sure, now you face the mighty wrath of the Blue Thunder of
Furinkan High!" A lightening bolt crashed in the distance, despite the
absence of any clouds in the afternoon sky.
"How does he do that?" muttered Akane as she approached the sidelines
with Genryu.
"My brother can do it better," snorted Genryu.
"Are you ready?" said Ranma as he took up a very relaxed position. His
arms were hanging at his sides, and his feet were only slightly spread
apart.
"Come Saotome, let us end this," snarled Kuno. His stance changed as
well, he immediately closed up. His right hand rested on the hilt of the
Katana, and his left was hanging up at his side.
"That's very defensive... Iaido? Or perhaps something a bit older,
Iaijutsu? He seems like the type who might dig up something that old."
Ranma's mind worked quickly. "Iaido usually uses a single sword. It must
be Iaijutsu, the batto he's wearing... Yup, I'm sure of it."
"I attack!" cried Kuno as he rushed forward. The sword remained in the
scabbard as he did so, only when he was directly in front of Ranma did it
leave the sheath. The strike was almost too fast for those watching to
follow. Kuno stood with the blade held above him at an angle. Ranma
rolled across the ground backwards and quickly rose to his feet.
"Humph, I've never fought an opponent who uses this style. This should
be interesting."
"I had hoped you would not make this too easy, Saotome! You have not
disappointed," commented Kuno.
"I'm a lot of things, boring isn't one of them," said his opponent as he
stepped back and took up a Kung fu stance. His arms were bent in front of
him with his palms open. He was using a stance that kept his feet close
together, his front leg barely touched the ground in front of him with
the tips of his toes.
"I shall end this quickly," snapped Kuno as he rushed forward again. He
slashed at Ranma with a horizontal strike. The boy jumped over the blade
and ducked as he landed to avoid the batto strike that followed. Kuno now
had both blades drawn.
Kuno quickly put him on the defensive, Ranma was forced to twist and
turn around two blades at once as Kuno sliced through the air around him.
His clothes were covered in small cuts, and a small red line became
visible on his right hand.
"Damn, he's still as fast as before," thought Ranma as he was forced
back. Kuno spun around with his back facing the boy and lashed out with a
spinning horizontal strike, followed by an upward slash with the smaller
batto.
Akane watched the scene in shock. Kuno was winning. Ranma had not yet
attacked the boy. He was dodging around his strikes though; it wouldn't
be long before Kuno became worn down. She had to do something. Finally,
she swallowed and called out across the field. "Kuno! If you beat him,
I'll go out with you!"
Kuno and Ranma both froze in mid battle. They turned to look at Akane;
Genryu was standing beside her and looking at her, along with everyone
else who had gathered around the battle.
"What the? Oh shit," muttered Ranma as he turned to look at his
opponent.
"Akane! At last your true feelings have been revealed! My tigress! For
you I shall vanquish this villain!"
Ranma jumped to avoid the first slash and was forced to twist and turn
in the air to keep from being cut in half. Kuno's speed had just doubled.
"Stupid Akane!" growled the boy as he ducked and rolled under Kuno's
legs. Kuno was not surprised by the maneuver. He turned and slashed
behind him catching Ranma in the back. The boy fell to the ground
gritting his teeth in pain. The back of his shirt was torn open, and a
long bleeding slash could be seen across his shoulders.
"Hold still knave! So that I might smite you and finally date the lovely
Akane Tendo! Have you no sympathy for my plight?"
"That does it," growled Ranma as he rolled across the ground and
staggered to his feet after avoiding Kuno's stab. "You're going down
now!"
"Surely you jest! It is clear that you do not have the skills to defeat
me!"
"Eat this!" screamed Ranma as he charged forward. "Dragon Strikes from
Mountain Top!"
Akane, Genryu, and everyone else in the crowd did not even see the move
connect. Ranma had jumped into the air and performed a spinning kick that
looked like it passed over the kendoist head. Kuno was thrown to the
ground; he shook his head and staggered back to his feet, glaring at
Ranma angrily.
"So, it seems that you have actually gotten a blow upon my person. I
shall admit that your skills are great if you managed that. However, no
one can surpass my skills." Tatewaki's face now had a large red mark that
covered most of the right side of his face.
Ranma said nothing; the look of anger was still etched on his features.
He punched at the air, in what seemed to be a mere display of power. His
hands and arms appeared to multiply into ten different limbs. After a
moment he stopped and took a wide, side stance. One of his arms pushed
slowly forward, and the other was behind him slightly bent upwards. "Come
on. Show me what you've really got."
"Very well, I shall end this quickly," said Kuno.
On the sidelines Genryu looked at Akane. "Now you've done it. My brother
is pissed."
"Good! Maybe he'll screw up and Kuno will win," snapped the girl in
retort.
"You saw what my brother can really do. You were there when he fought
Xianghua. What do you think is going to happen?" snorted the boy in
retort.
Akane paused and looked at him. "Wha?"
Kuno attacked at full speed. A flurry of slashes seemed to shine in the
air as lines of curving silver that faded after a split second. It seemed
like there were dozens of them. Unfortunately for him, it seemed like
there were dozens of Ranma's as well. Each of them was dodging a
different strike.
"Impossible! To move one's whole body as fast as my most powerful
strikes? He cannot be human!"
Finally, the battle stopped. No one really saw what happened. All of a
sudden, Ranma was standing with his fist in Kuno's mid section, with the
swordsman slashing just over his head.
Kuno fell to the ground, and Ranma stood upright while rotating his
right shoulder in a circle, after a moment he sighed and sat down.
The Saotome boy's clothes were in tatters, scraps of cloth hung from
what remained and the ground was littered with dark blue and white
confetti that had been cut from his school uniform. His right shoulder
had been exposed completely; his left was still covered by the rags of
his white button up shirt. His belly was also exposed, and a few tiny red
lines could be seen there. His pants were still mostly intact, there were
a few cuts on his upper thighs, but most of the damage was below his
knees, where the cloth was shredded completely. Kuno's clothing was
undamaged, but he was the one on the ground unable to move. He was not
knocked out though.
"Well, that's the end of that," said the Saotome boy as he stood up and
turned away.
"Saotome, wait! Are you not going to finish our duel?" Kuno struggled to
sit up and glared at his former opponent.
"What? You think I'm going to kill you?"
"Why would you not? This is a battle of honor!" The swordsman's voice
was strained as he said this. It was obvious he was still having trouble
breathing.
"No mere sword is worth another man's life, Kuno."
"This was the Kuno family blade! Our family's symbol of honor and
courage! You dare say that..."
"It was still nothing more than a piece of metal," replied Ranma
casually. "Swords can be replaced Kuno. The honor and courage of a family
is not measured in steel."
Tatewaki fell silent and glared at his rival's back angrily. "Your words
ring true Saotome, but it is still a grave dishonor you have placed upon
my family."
"Do as you will then," replied Ranma as he walked out of the school
gates and towards the Tendo dojo.
++++++++++
A few moments later Kuno rested against the oak in the school yard with
Akane and Matin at his side.
"A good fight my friend," said the new boy to him.
"Who might you be?" muttered Kuno.
"Don't worry about that. Any enemy of that guy, is a friend of mine,"
said the boy.
"I see, I wish you luck then," replied Kuno with a nod. "Akane Tendo, I
am sorry that I cannot date with you because of my failure."
This took the girl completely by surprise, he had never, ever said
anything remotely close to that to her. "You'll get him next time right?"
said the girl with a little hope in his eyes.
"Akane Tendo. I apologize, I shall not seek out my honorable vengeance
with steel again."
The girl gasped and looked at Kuno in shock once again.
"The sword of my family has been replaced. It was not for this reason
that I sought to destroy him. I had thought him a danger to you and your
family. I could not allow that."
"What are you saying, Kuno?" said the girl as she backed away from him
suddenly.
"Ranma Saotome, did not kill that woman's brother. Of this I am
certain."
Matin and Akane stood silently. The boy stood by the pair, unsure of
what was going on. "Ranma? Did you kill someone?" he whispered.
"What do you mean? You heard what she told us!" snapped Akane.
"Then she is mistaken. He could have taken my life this day. No
punishment would have befallen him. This was a battle of honor, I had
ensured that if one of us perished, it would have been overlooked. Do not
fool yourself into believing that he was unaware of this. No, Akane
Tendo, his words were not that of a killer. He is innocent of this crime.
I shall exact my revenge yet, but not with a blade of steel." Kuno stood
up and started to stagger towards his home.
"Damn it," grumbled Akane angrily.
"Well, we've got training to do, right?" said Matin after a long moment
of silence.
"Right, come on. We'll get started," agreed Akane with a stern look on
his face.
++++++++++++
Genryu stopped and stared down at the animal in front of him. He had
stumbled across it on his way home from school. It was a wolf, a huge
wolf. It lay sprawled out in an alleyway, beaten half to death. He
frowned and stared at it for a moment. There was a pair of silk nylons
tied around its neck. He shook his head and smiled slightly. "No way. It
couldn't be," he muttered as he walked away.
Behind him, the wolf's nostrils flared for a moment. It sniffed the air
around it, seemingly still half asleep. A low growl escaped its throat as
it slowly opened its pale blue eyes and looked around in confusion. After
a moment, it sniffed the air again. It slowly staggered to it's feet and
started to follow the familiar scent. "Genryu! I've found you at last!"
it thought angrily.
TBC...
++++++++++++++
Next time: Genryu vs. the Wolf?
C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com