Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Trial By Fire ❯ Chapter 9 - Bodies ( Chapter 9 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Trial By Fire

Section I: Melodies of Life

Chapter 9: Bodies

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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Landing on the ground next to the red-head, Shinai begins a breathing exercise, slowing down his rapidly beating heart.

Shinai:              <This, I do not understand...why am I so worried about this?>

Looking at the figure meditating peacefully in front of him, Shinai looks into her closed eyes and frowns.

Shinai:              <Something is not right...she should have noticed me by now.>

Tilting his head to the side, he jerks back as Ranma’s eyes suddenly open. Glaring at Shinai, Ranma smiles weakly.

Ranma:             <So this is the guy that gave ‘Ko that rough time. Surely he can’t be back for a rematch.>

Slowly unfolding her legs from the lotus position, Ranma begins rubbing her thighs, working out some of the slight cramps. Moving to stand up, she is surprised to feel a soft, but firm hand push her down.

Ranma:              <What the hell does he think he is doing?!>

Forcing her way to her feet, she stares into the fiery pits of Shinai’s eyes and is slightly entranced by the flickering motion. Snapping her head to the side, she feels his hands on her shoulders again gently pushing her down. Sighing, she sits down on the rock, and looks up at the strange fellow in front of her.

Ranma:             Whaddya want? If you came here looking for…

Shinai gently presses a finger against the confused girl’s lips, silencing her. Getting down on one knee, his hands are shaking as he says a silent prayer to his teachers.

Ranma:             <Whatever this guy wants ta say or do, it seems important. I might as well play along, surely can’t hurt.>

Shinai:              <This looked a lot easier when I was shown how to do it...Somehow, I thought that it would be different, this...this nervousness, where did it come from. And why is her voice so distracting...before, I could ignore it, but now it shakes my concentration like a leaf in a wind storm.>

Looking at the petite martial artist seated in front of him, Shinai steels his nerves and gently holds Ranma’s face within his hands. Gulping slightly, he kisses her left cheek, quickly followed by her right. Seeing her eyes flash with anger, Shinai leans up and kisses Ranma on her forehead. Tilting his head down, he lightly kisses Ranma’s red lips, his facing matching her hair color.

Shinai:              [silently] You have been chosen, I can do you no harm…ever.

Getting up off of his knee, Shinai looks at the stunned figure on the rock and lets out a sigh of relief. Turning to jump back up to where the Elder is sitting, he feels a dropkick send him skidding into the grass.

Shinai:              *SIGH* <Round Two…and this time, I can’t win, period.>

Ranma:              [angrily] I dunno who the hell ya think you are, but no guy gets away with kissing me! <Well, that teaches me ta lay off someone because I think they may be harmless. Next thing ya know, they’re...GAH!>

Walking over to the fallen Shinai, she grabs his shirt and yanks him up, glaring at him, before slapping him. Watching his head recoil from the impact, a nice red mark appears on his face. Smirking, Ranma throws him over her shoulder, towards the pond.

Ranma:              If ya think you are walking outta here in one piece, you have another thing coming!

Hearing a crash sound instead of the splash she was expecting, she sees Shinai slumped against the far wall.

Ranma:              <How the hell? I know I didn’t throw him THAT hard...>

Seeing Shinai stand up, she shakes her head and runs at him, using a handspring launch to clear the pond, slamming her feet into Shinai’s chest, sending him sprawling.

Shinai:               <The things I get to suffer through for that which I was taught...However, ‘Ryu never joked around, so I gotta take what he said to heart. I just hope that she’ll wear herself down. Not likely, but that’s about my only chance.>

Ranma:              Now, why don’t ya tell me why you decided to drop in, and do what ya did you fool?

Forcing himself to his feet, Shinai shakes his head and crosses his arms.

Shinai:              <I’ll tell her, but when she asks nicely. Might earn me an extra beating or two, but it’ll be worth it.>

Ranma growls and charges Shinai, jumping over him at the last second and landing a hard chop to his left shoulder. Feeling a bolt of pain pass through him, rolls to the side, narrowly avoiding the follow-up roundhouse kick.

Shinai:              <Damn her, I didn’t think she’d target the shoulder...ok, so I am going to really be hurting when this is over.>

Getting to his feet again, Shinai places his hands up in the air, urging Ranma to stop.

Ranma:             Sorry buddy, you gave up any chance of mercy once you kissed me. So be a good boy and take your beating!

Walking over to the silver-haired youth, Ranma is surprised to see him drop his guard completely, and stare at the ground. Shrugging, she enters the Soul of Ice and feels her anger dampen slightly. Gripping Shinai by his collar again, she pulls him close.

Ranma:             Giving up won’t make this any easier on you, so FIGHT!

Shinai:              <I refuse to fight you this time. I will have earned this round of pain.>

Seeing Shinai shake his head, Ranma lifts him up and dunks him into the pond. Walking over to the rock she was meditating at, she picks up a small thermos and empties the contents over her head. Feeling the familiar change occur, Ranma smirks at the shocked Shinai.

Ranma:             You asked for it...now you are going to wish you hadn’t!

Shinai:              <Ok, this just went from bad to worse. This must have been one of those things the Elder could not tell me about.>

Hauling himself out of the pond, Shinai settles into a defensive stance and waits. Smirking, Ranma lunges forward, slipping around Shinai’s left side to land a quick burst of punches on Shinai’s shoulder. Seeing him noticeably wince, Ranma lands a roundhouse kick square in Shinai’s back, sending him towards another wall.

Ranma:             So how are ya feeling? Think you are ready to talk, or am I gonna have to keep working at this?

Letting his left arm hang loosely at his side, Shinai again shakes his head and jumps up, heading towards the roof. Seeing his target trying to escape, Ranma growls and follows him, grabbing Shinai’s right leg, and whipping him towards the ground. Twisting his body around, Ranma aims a shot at Shinai’s right leg, hearing a crunch as they hit the ground hard. Stepping back, he watches the wraith-like figure limp to his feet uneasily.

Shinai:              <The guy hits like Genbu…great. And I think that wasn’t as hard as I was could have been hit either. If pain is what he wants out of me, then that is what he will have.>

Ranma:             You know...most sane people at this point would give up and tell me what the hell is going on. Your silence is beginning ta get on my nerves. And you won’t like me when I am really angry, but I guess you’re about ta find that out!

Charging at Shinai, Ranma is surprised to see him vault over him, using his back as a launch pad. Whirling around, he sees Shinai land, a crooked grin on his face.

Ranma:             Not bad…I am a little surprised that you are on your feet…but not bad. The only problem is, that won’t be good enough.

Bracing for the inevitable onslaught, Shinai tries to dodge as Ranma tackles him, hanging onto his wounded arm. Standing up, Ranma launches him up into the air towards the pond, putting extra force into the throw. Watching him fly up, Ranma is surprised to Shinai flip around and stop his upward motion, quickly falling to the pond below.

Shinai:              <Oh well, at least the water is nice and cold. Should help the pain...a little.>

Watching the wraith fall into the pond, Ranma walks over and reaches in, gripping Shinai by his throat, lifting him out of the water.

Ranma:             Now, are ya finally gonna give some damn answers, or is this gonna keep going?!

Ranko:             HOLD ON! Bro, what the hell is goin’ on? Shinai, what are YOU doin’ here?

Reaching over, Ranko knocks Ranma’s hands down, letting Shinai crumple to the ground. Lifting his head up at the words, Shinai looks at his former captor, staring into twin pools of icy hatred.

Shinai:              <So...this is Ranma Saotome.  There is much here that was not explained to me, and I paid for my folly.>

Ranma:             <I dunno why he’s here, sis. One second I’m meditating peacefully out here, next thing I know, he’s...he’s...>

Glaring at Shinai, Ranma kicks him in the ribs as the memory flashes through the link, his face reddening slightly.

Ranma:             <This joker had the nerve to kiss me, and I have not heard a reason WHY!>

Ranko:             <I think...I think you are overreacting here. I understand that you had every reason to be angry and beat him up, but...this was a bit excessive.>

Leaning down, Ranko smiles weakly and looks at Shinai.

Ranko:             Ya know, I never thought about this when we first met. You seemed pretty quiet ta me, is it because you can’t speak at all?

Struggling to a sitting position, Shinai feels his body convulse in pain as his control over the fractured and broken bones slips slightly. Nodding his head weakly, he closes his eyes and hangs his head.

Shinai:              <Ranma is beyond what I expected. That little slip showed me the true extent of the damage, some of which I didn’t know fell apart.>

Ranma:             You’d better not be playin’ with us here. If I find out...

Hopping down, Cologne smacks Ranma in the head. Looking up at her finest pupils, she shakes her head.

Cologne:           You will do NO such thing. I can tell you right now that he is not lying.

Ranko:            Then I dunno about my knucklehead brother here, but I apologize for the way I yelled at ya the first day then. I was not thinking clearly, and to be honest there is little excuse for my actions that day.

Looking over at the crestfallen Shinai, Cologne examines his aura, only to find it extremely weak.

Cologne:           You just had to go and confront him today...I hope your curiosity has been satisfied child.

Shinai again nods weakly as he attempts to struggle to his feet, only to feel his right leg cave out under him, pitching him forward. Bracing for the impact and more pain, he is surprised to feel soft and gentle arms catch him and set him on the ground. Opening his eyes, a familiar red-head is visible.

Ranko:             Hey now, no trying to stand up just yet, ok? You are in no shape ta move yet, ok?

Cologne:           He is certainly not in any shape to move at this time. Ranma, I want YOU to carry him back to the Nekohanten, and be gentle about it. You’ve done enough damage for today. And while he earned most, if not all of it, that does not mean you get to extend that pain any further.

Grumbling, Ranma picks up Shinai and contemplates slinging him over his shoulders. Looking down at Cologne he decides against it and begins walking slowly out of the Dojo.

Ranma:             [whispering] You and me ain’t done yet. I WILL have my answers about today...one way or another.

Letting his mind slip into the void, Shinai begins to wonder about the mess he just landed himself in.

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Author’s Note:

1) Not 100% pleased with this chapter...but meh.

Next Chapter: Chapter 10 – By Myself (Artist: Linkin Park, Album: Hybrid Theory)