Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ashes of the Phoenix ❯ Legacy ( Chapter 6 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Chapter 6: Legacy

Cologne stared in awe at her pupil. Not only had he mastered
the technique she'd showed him, but he had actually mastered a more
advanced form. This in itself was surprising, but what had caused her
jaw to drop was that she'd never seen this variation before and had
only heard of it once. And that had been nearly a century and a half
ago.

As Ryoga's form appeared before her, she composed herself and
gave him a warm smile. "Well, you certainly are full of surprises,
aren't you? How about after your battle, you come back to China with
me? My great-granddaughter Hyacinth would just love to challenge you."
Cologne chuckled and made placating gestures with her hands as Ryoga
blanched and began stammering refusals. "Calm down, Boy. I was only
joking."

Ryoga sighed in relief and wiped his forehead with the back of
his hand.

"I am impressed with your progress in mastering that technique,"
Cologne said, serious once again. "I must ask, though; how did you
learn to improve it like you have? The technique you just demonstrated
has only been mastered by one man in history," Cologne explained. "And
he died almost 150 years ago, taking his secret to the grave with him."

"Well, uh," Ryoga stammered, shocked and somewhat embarrassed
by the compliment, "I really don't know. It just felt like the right
thing to do." With this, he put his hand behind his head, now clad in
a solid black bandanna, and chuckled nervously.

"My, my, you are an interesting young man, aren't you?" Cologne
said, entertaining thoughts of kidnapping him for the tribe before
banishing them under the crushing weight of her memories of Ranma.

"By the way," Ryoga began, disrupting her train of thought and
drawing her back to the situation at hand, "I've been meaning to ask
you about Shampoo and Mousse. How are they? What have they been doing
now that they're back home in China?"

"Well," Cologne started, "because Ranma is dead, Shampoo's
honor before the tribe was restored and, owing to the training she
recieved from fighting everyone here, she remained the undisputed
tribal champion since her return. Mousse was readmitted to the village,
although not many wanted him. Only his mother's tearful plea and a few
words from Shampoo and myself saved him from permanent exile."

"Shampoo?" Ryoga asked quizzically. "I'd have thought she'd be
glad to be rid of him."

"Shampoo may not want to marry Mousse, but neither does she hate
him," Cologne countered. "He is one of her oldest friends and means
much to her." Cologne's eyes darted around quickly and she leaned over
to whisper in Ryoga's ear. "To tell you the truth, I think she'd happily
marry him if he could manage to defeat her in combat."

Cologne straightened herself, then burst into a fit of laughter
at Ryoga's reaction. "You- you mean she never really loved Ranma?" he
stammered, in shock.

Cologne's mirth fell like a stone as she smacked Ryoga across
the head with her staff. Her gaze was like ice as she spoke. "My
great-granddaughter was devestated by the loss of Ranma, and it took
quite a bit of effort to keep her from killing herself and to turn her
pain into a reason to excel. I will not have you questioning the honor
of my family and my heir."

"I'm sorry," Ryoga said, head hanging in shame. "I spoke without
thinking again. I'm trying to stop doing that, but it's very hard. I
meant no disrespect."

Cologne's face softened, though the memories of her great-
granddaughter's hardships still burned like acid in her heart. "It's
alright," she said finally. "That was a very trying time for my family
and it still hurts to think about it. This situation you're in isn't
helping my mood, either."

"What about Mousse?" Ryoga asked after a lengthy and uncomforatable
silence. "How does he feel about what happened?"

"When I told him and Shampoo the news, I expected a celebration
out of him, but he simply nodded his understanding and locked himself in
his room. When we were preparing to leave two days later, he emerged
fully packed with a look of peace on his face. Upon our arrival in China,
he told Shampoo that he would end his pursuit of her so that she may
grieve for her loss. I have only caught a few fleeting glimpses of him
since then. Each time, he was watching Shampoo from a distance with
a deep longing in his gaze and his face wrought with determination."

Ryoga looked at the amazon matriarch skeptically. "That doesn't
sound like the Mousse I know."

"I know what you mean," Cologne said, a thoughtful look on her
wisened face. "I asked around the tribe about him, but the only people
who knew anything at all about him simply said that they didn't see him
often and that, when he was around, he kept to himself. Even his mother
said that he would be gone for days or weeks at a time and that he
wouldn't say more than necessary when he came home for supplies."

Ryoga's face became a mask of puzzlement as he contemplated what
he'd just been told. "That doesn't make sense," he muttered to himself.
"He's always been persistant in his quest to win Shampoo..."

Cologne was about to reply when she sensed something, her head
snapping up and her eyes narrowing. "Yes, it is indeed baffling, but
we have no time for that now. Someone's coming."

Ryoga nodded and teacher and student faded from view as two dark
figures approached the makeshift training ground.

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Author's note:

Hey there! I know it's been waaaay too long since the last time
I did anything with this story, but, well, I've been having personal
problems that put me in the mood to do, well, not much of anything, let
alone write a love story. This, as you can tell, is not anywhere near
complete, but I decided to post something new to avoid public lynching.
As usual, if you have any comments, questions, suggestions, etc, give me
an email at AzraelNCSU@aol.com.