Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Trial By Fire ❯ Chapter 6 - Awake ( Chapter 6 )

Trial By Fire

Section I: Melodies of Life

Chapter 6: Awake

Author: Jial Silverthorn (jial_silverthorn@hotmail.com)

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<....> denotes a thought, not verbally spoken. When it involves Ranma/Ranko/Akane, the other(s) can possibly ‘hear’ it.

[....] denotes a feeling or a short action, usually before speech takes place.

*....* denotes a sound effect

(....) denotes writing

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Ranko stumbles into the Tendo Dojo, her mind a mix of anger, fear, relief, and sadness. Focusing past all that, her thoughts are loud and clear.

Ranko:          <RANMA! I know you are home...Meet me out by the koi pond...NOW!>

Shaking his head from the sheer emotional force, Ranma picks himself out of bed and quickly puts on some clothes. Heading downstairs in a hurry, he is shocked to see Ranko a mess, her clothes partially torn, her hair an unruly tangle. Looking into her eyes, he swallows hard, suddenly nervous, as her blue eyes are far from pleased.

Ranko:          Forgive the attitude bro, but I may haveta break my word.

Ranma:          What...or who should I say has your panties in a bunch?

Ranko:          Simple, that damned panda! I just ran into another one of his...mistakes today and it cost me a lot to walk away from it.

Cautiously setting his hand on Ranko’s shoulder, Ranma’s voice is weak but tinged with worry.

Ranma:          Hold on...I know ya don’t like him, but are ya so sure it’s HIS fault?

Ranko:          Ok, let’s assume for a minute that bastard has nothin’ to do with this; let’s try to narrow down why I got banged up.

Brushing some leaves and grass from her hair, Ranko sighs as she tries to calm down, sitting on one of the rocks.

Ranko:          First, does the name Shinai mean anything to ya? Reach back if you have to, may be another guy like Ryoga for all we know.

Ranma:          Not exactly, why?

Ranko:          Well that’s the name of the guy who did this ta me. I’ll give him credit, he’s one helluva fighter. Almost kept...pace...oh shit!

Ranko’s eyes suddenly widen as she replays portions of the fight in her head. Gulping hard, her face loses some of the fire from her outrage.

Ranma:          Uh, you look like just saw a ghost, care to fill me in.

Ranko:          Well, I though he was a good fighter, now I have to put him in or near our class of fighter. He almost kept pace with me, even in the speed department.

Ranma’s blinks a few times as he realizes just how fast this person had to be just to have Ranko give that assessment.

Ranma:          Hold on, ya mean ta say he’s almost as fast as you are?! That means he can move at about my speed...

Ranko:          Well, that may have been adrenaline fuelin’ him; I kinda gave him a rather rude wake up call. But let’s assume you are right, if only for a margin of error.

Walking behind Ranma, Akane’s face is filled with concern as she rests her hands on Ranma’s shoulders.

Akane:          I take it this has somethin’ to do with your lovely outburst from earlier, doesn’t it?

Ranko turns away, her face slowly matching her hair color, as she recalls her emotional tirade. Her voice drops a little as a hint of shame filters in.

Ranko:           Ya mean you FELT that? I suppose that was part of it, since I wasn’t too happy when I ran into this oaf.

Ranma:          Well since the name isn’t familiar, what’s he look like? Who knows, we may know where ta find him. And if WE can’t find him, I am sure that Nabiki CAN.

Ranko:          Well, the little guy was that...little. I’d put him at no more than 152 centimeters tall, tops.

Akane:          [giggling] Must be nice runnin’ into someone shorter than you, although not as short as your temper as of late.

Ranko:          Quiet Acchan or I’ll make sure you get no peace from the twins tonight. The guy had to tilt his head up a lil’ ta see me, and that’s no small feat.

Ranma:          Well, him bein’ that short isn’t good, he could hide anywhere. Anything else we should know?

Ranko:          Eh, he...he had this silver hair. About shoulder length I’d say. Sucker knew how to use it too, blinded me with it and some sunlight. For a second it was like it was bouncing off a mirror and not strands of hair.

Akane:           Tactics, that’s something rare. So this Shinai knows how to fight and think on his feet. Again, that is something not too common with average people, and more in line with the sort of people that Genma used to barter with. I hate saying it; this is beginning to resemble one of his schemes.

Hearing the name of her wayward father, Ranko’s voice hardens slightly as she continues.

Ranko:          Yeah, ya don’t need ta remind me of THAT, Akane. That’s only the start of it though...he’s a pretty adaptive little bugger.

Ranma:          Well, silver hair is not too common, although after seein’ what the Amazon’s look like, I am not surprised anymore. Is there a chance he might be an angry Amazon?

Ranko stands up and stretches slowly, wincing in pain as her back tenses.

Ranko:          Maybe, but I never could place WHERE he’s from, he never said word one to me. And we still have Cologne’s edict. Up until now, her word has been good; I do not think she would break it now.

Ranma:          Then how’d ya get his name? I mean, if he didn’t say anything...

Ranko:          That’s the odd thing; he wrote his name in the dirt. Didn’t really make any effort ta talk, just wrote it and moved aside quickly...very quickly.

Akane:          Is it possible that he is unable to speak? Mute people are not THAT uncommon ‘Ko-chan.

Ranko:          [hanging her head] If that’s the case, this may have been partially my fault then.

Ranma:          How so? I mean how were ya supposed ta know?

Ranko:          Not sayin’ I should be psychic, but I said some rotten things about him because he didn’t say anything ta me. Thought he was bein’ a jerk and ignoring me, thinking me below his notice. And I kinda took offense at the chance that anyone would consider doing that.

Akane:          We’ll just have to find him and listen to what he has to say, or not say, whatever the case may be. Is there anything else you can remember about him? Even the smallest details are valuable in their own way.

Ranko:          Yeah, the one thing that stunned me the most...his eyes. They were this fiery red, kinda like my hair. I looked at his face, and it was like staring into an inferno. On the one hand I knew it was not safe, but the beauty amid the chaos...it just held me for a few seconds.

Ranma:          Say WHAT?! That’s somethin’ ya don’t see every day. You sure this guy’s safe ta be near? Last time I ran into someone with red eyes, they were bad news.

Ranko nods and begins walking around, her breathing slightly ragged.

Ranko:          ANYBODY that can bring me to a standstill like that, the way he did it, I don’t care. He seems mostly harmless now that I think about it. Almost everything he did was a reflexive or defensive action, almost nothing aggressive.

Ranma:          Yeah, you mentioned somethin’ about it costing ya ta walk away from the fight. Care to tell me what happened?

Ranko:           Well, for starters, I said he was adaptive, and I mean it. How many people can you name that know any form of a counter for the Hiryuu Shoten Ha?

Ranma:          Outside of not being caught in it at all...there is no real counter for it.

Ranko:           Well, when he was thrown up into the vortex, the fool managed to suspend his movement from repeated flip kicks. Eventually he was floating up very slowly.

Ranma:          How the hell could he do that? Once you get caught in the spiral, you go flying. There isn’t much time to slow down, let alone float sis.

Ranko sighs and nods. Remembering how she looked on incredulously as Shinai nearly hovered in the air, she smiles.

Ranko:          Well, if I had to guess, I’d place him at about 45 kilos, tops. He really is a lightweight, but that’s just a guess. I’m havin’ to base this off of how fast he was, how far he flew when I kicked him, and a few other things. Course now, he coulda just been lettin’ himself get thrown around.

Akane:          The more I hear, the more this sounds like a child...Are you sure that you were fighting someone your age?

Ranko:          [nodding] Can’t be sure, but yeah I think so. He seemed too well adjusted to fightin’ for a kid. Even when I cracked his shoulder, he kept goin’. Hell, I think he turned it up a notch at that point.

Ranma:          [surprised] YOU DID WHAT?!

Ranko:          [sheepishly] Uh, yeah...I launched an axe kick at him and when it landed, I heard this crunch. And I know all too well what a broken bone sounds like...

Ranko stares at the ground as a sad memory flashes through her mind. Shaking her head, Ranko’s voice wavers as the emotional strain begins to build again.

Ranko:          All I wanted...all I wanted was a chance ta try to sort out my feelings. Instead, I get this. Instability, anger, and fightin’ some guy who probably is wishin’ he was dead too after how I treated him.

Akane sighs as she walks over to Ranko and places her hands on the distraught redhead’s shoulders.

Akane:          I thought we agreed that kind of talk was not allowed any more. Self pity does NOT suit you, or your brother. I put up with it when I didn’t feel so close to him, but I will NOT let either of you two go anywhere NEAR that road again. Now, I suggest you try to relax, rest, and tell us more. Not about what set you off, but Shinai. After all, we have to discuss what your fiancée is like.

Ranko:          [sputtering] MY WHAT?!

Akane:          Just teasing...although if he ever finds out about that obscure Amazon law, you might be cooked and hooked.

Ranma:          Hold on, she didn’t get beat by this punk. He just got lucky from what it sounds like. Sis, you DID walk away from the fight right?

Ranko:          Uhh, he did actually. When he crashed into me after falling, he got up first, and could have easily trounced me. I was still a little weak from that, not to mention stunned and disoriented. I might have pulled it out in the end, but it woulda taken some serious time and energy to bounce back that hard.

Ranma:          You have GOT to be kiddin’...You pounded this guy, tore up his shoulder, and sent him flying...

Akane:          And yet HE let her leave unharmed. The point is, anybody that can hold their own against your sister on one of her worst days is someone to keep an eye out for.

Ranko:          Can’t argue there, I can’t believe he did next to nothing against me and I feel like I went through the wringer.

Akane:          Emotions can do that to you. You know we won’t pry into what made you go out of control today, but I am always ready to listen, when you are ready to speak your mind. <Although I would watch it, you are pretty out of it as it is now...>

Ranma:          For now though, just try ta calm down, and go rest. You probably need it.

Ranko:           Thanks ya two, and sorry for disturbing ya when you were...busy. Next time I’ll try to schedule my blow ups better.

Heading out towards her room, Ranko feels each tired muscle ache as she walks the short distance. Closing the door, she sighs and flops onto the bed, closing her eyes.

Ranko:          <Another day gone and here I am angry again...I only hope Shinai’s okay, he didn’t really deserve ta have me kick the tar out of him>

Letting her mind drift into the abyss of sleep, Ranko clutches her pillow tightly and hopes that her dreams are peaceful for once.

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Author’s Note:

1)          This and the previous chapter were written at the same time, and occur in the same timeframe. I split the chapters for personal reasons, but it did not feel right leaving them condensed together.

2)         Anothe r chatter chapter...still trying to balance that out.

Next Chapter: Chapter 7 – Serenity (Artist: Godsmack, Album: Faceless)