Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Trial By Fire ❯ Chapter 14 - Aura ( Chapter 14 )

Trial By Fire

Section I: Melodies of Life

Chapter 14: Aura

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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Feeling a familiar prodding sensation, Shinai opens his eyes, glaring at the Elder. Taking a moment to asses his injuries, he notices very little change.

Shinai:          <At best, I’ve had two more days of rest...I only hope that the Elder has a good reason for disturbing me.>

Sitting up, Shinai begins rubbing his shoulders, soothing the pain a little. Turning to face Cologne, he sighs.

Cologne:        Oh, stop that. You were doing just fine yesterday, you just overexerted yourself. Today, you won’t be making that same mistake again. Now, here’s you ‘voice’ back.

Handing over Shinai’s pad of paper and pen, she patiently waits for the familiar writing to form on the paper.

Shinai:          <Yesterday, great. I need more rest, not interruptions.> (What is it that I can help you with today?)

Cologne:        Answers and a few things I have been meaning to discuss with you.

Shinai:          [fidgeting] (What is it that you wish to know then?)

Cologne:        What...if anything do you know about my people?

Shinai begins running through his various lessons, trying to recall what he was taught about the Joketsuzoku Amazons.

Shinai:          (Just the basics. You are very reclusive and quiet. Your sense of pride and honor are one of your stronger points, but at times it can lead to disaster instead. Traditions, family, and fighting are some of the things that make up your tribe, as well as the lessons you teach your children. What prompted this line of thought?)

Cologne:        I am not entirely positive how the Shin’yuu regards helping others, but I have been asked by my tribe to work out some semblance of an agreement. They would like to see you as a member of the Tribe, but they would rather see you remain friendly and come of your own free will.

Shinai:          (I see. Who I help, and how I help them has been left to my discretion. There are no...protocols. It is my life; I dictate what happens to it.)

Cologne:        Then let me ask you; will you consider becoming a part of the Tribe?

Shinai:          (It depends on the method you wish to utilize. Unless I have forgotten my options, only marriage or adoption into the tribe are the viable paths.)

Cologne:        Well, it would not be that hard to utilize the latter option. I will not lie; they would much rather see the former option though. We only have records of the extent of your knowledge, and it is...impressive.

Shinai:           (You assume that I have all of that knowledge at my disposal. I regret to inform you that is not the case. Granted, I was trained, but I am far too young to have millennia of knowledge at my hands yet.)

Cologne:        Somehow, that ‘little bit’ of knowledge you have has proven to very effective. The Shin’yuu are the caretakers of many lost arts. To your masters, knowledge is sacred, correct?

Shinai:         (This is true. You speak of my entering the Tribe; forgive the rudeness, what’s the upside to this? I have remained a free, wandering person for all my life. I only heed myself, and my ties are only to myself. If that changed...the reason has to be good.)

Cologne:        <Somehow, I knew this would not be so easy.> You would be able to learn much more than you already have, child. While our cache of knowledge is not as vast as the Shin’yuu, I imagine there is much to be learned from there. No one group of people can know everything after all.

Shinai:          (I will...consider your offer Elder. To be honest, I do not know whether or not I will be around Nerima much longer. If that is the case, I may go looking for my next challenge.)

Cologne:        Challenge? Is not Ranma Saotome a difficult enough puzzle to unlock? Have you forgotten about Ranko as well?

Shinai:          [closing his eyes] (Those two are formidable opponents, and I sense that they have much that could be useful to learn. Not to mention that some of what I do know could go a long way in their arsenal. I am just not so sure that I am welcome here at this time.)

Cologne:        You have me confused here Shinai. You heard Ranko, as well as Nodoka. You are not being blamed, or punished for your actions. In a sense the Saotome family is like you; they only seek answers. What makes you feel as though you are not welcome here?

Shinai:          (I...I do not know. It is just a feeling I have had for a little bit of time now, as though I am here at the wrong time. I can see why I should be here, but the timing just seems...wrong.)

Cologne:        If nothing else, your arrival is perfect. You wish to see how well those two match up in a fight again, do you not?

Shinai:          (Of course. The more I can see them in actual matches, the easier it will be to gauge a starting point for any training we do.)

Sighing, Cologne realizes that trying to hold Shinai would require tipping her hand to him at the very least.

Cologne:        <Such a pity that he is so affected by the desire to roam. I wonder if the boy would know what to do with a stable environment for once.> Then I would get your rest. In a couple of months, I will be having a tournament of sorts. Nothing special, but I have noticed the overall lack of competition for Ranma. And many of his old sparring partners have been abroad for a while now, improving their skills. While I do not believe any of them to be above Ranma in skill, it will be nice to see the difference.

Shinai:          (And I would assume that I am welcome to participate in this little endeavor of yours, if I so please?>

Cologne:        Why would I prohibit you from doing so? If you choose not to enter, you are still welcome as a spectator for the event.

Shinai:          (I do not do the spectator bit very well...Fine, I will see what comes of this. I still need to recover fully for such a thing. And I will also need a bit of practice myself. Between how easily Ranko took me down, and how hard Ranma hit me, it appears that my own training has been lax.)

Cologne:        That was another thing I was going to ask you. Are you averse to learning a few things from me after you have recovered? I imagine live combat will be better to help you recover than just practicing katas by yourself.

Shinai:          (I will not commit to anything, but I would appreciate something along those lines. Or if not with yourself, I imagine you can think of a few sparring partners, correct?)

Cologne:        Well, a couple of the people that has been abroad will be returning shortly. Assuming you are up to it, I know they will be eager to face a new challenger.

Shinai:          (Am I to assume that one of them was the former occupant of this room?)

Cologne:        Yes, but that is no longer a concern. He will have no need for this old room any longer. And with how heavily you sleep, the...noise at night should not trouble you.

Shinai:          (A heavy sleeper I am not, I only disregard the sounds that I do know. I imagine it will take some time to get used to it, but that is a fact of life, if those two are happy with their lives.)

Cologne:        For the longest time, those two had a very...odd relationship. In time, things fell into place, and only recently have they begun to see the happiness that they denied themselves for so long.

Shinai:          (Just who are these...guests?)

Cologne:        One is my great-granddaughter Xian Pu, and the other is her husband Mu Tse. And I know that at the first mention of a tournament, especially one where Ranma is most likely to be present, they too will join the fray. In the past, it was a combination of malice, and misguided love. Now, it would be for the sheer thrill of the fight, because that young man represents the best. And to find out that they can still come close to the best, that would certainly drive them to do better in their Art.

Shinai:          (That is one thing you never told me. What is at stake in this tournament you are planning?)

Cologne:        I do not know whether you would be affected by it. The prize is one of the main driving forces of most of the participants; pride. I know that real prizes do not mean anything to them. Being the best though, that is what they have trained for, and in some ways live for.

Shinai:          (Well, the prize is of little interest to me then. I know that someone will always be better than me, but it will be interesting to see how these others stack up to Ranma. I gave up on personal pride some time ago, as it dulled my senses. It was too easy to be consumed by it.)

Cologne:        <Whoever trained him...did it well. He’s on the edge of being heartless, yet his mercy and kindness remain. The question is, how do I change that, if at all?> As I stated, you are welcome to enter, I have no problems with that.

Shinai:          (You said that you had more to discuss...)

Cologne sighs as she realizes that he is doing his best to evade her again. Just as she is about to respond, a familiar figure bursts in, her red hair still slightly damp. Watching as Ranko catches her breath, Cologne smiles inwardly, as she watches Shinai focus on her.

Cologne:        <I hate to do this to you daughter, but you seem to be his weak link right now.> Ah, Ranko. How can I help you today?

Ranko:          Just...came...ta see...how he was doin’.

Cologne:        <Hmm? Her aura...it’s so radiant right now...but how?> Well, you have come at the right time, for once. He is awake, so you do not have to watch over him.

Ranko:          [blushing] Thanks...think we can get a little bit of privacy?

Shinai:          <Well now, this looks...interesting. She’s almost peaceful, when yesterday she was rather wound up. Something good must have happened to her.>

Nodding, Cologne walks past Ranko, her voice full of mirth.

Cologne:        Do with the boy what you will; it is not as though he can refuse you right now.

Heading to her room, Cologne closes her door and begins meditating, focusing on the peculiar aura that Ranko now had.

Cologne:        <What could have changed in one night? Before, it was still the same red, just...spotty at times. Now there are new elements. The holes have been filled in by golden and blue, almost like...> Cologne’s eyes snap open as she realizes the main source of where that kind of merger came from. <Of course...those are fragments of Akane and Ranma’s aura. But how would they have known how to help her stabilize, unless...>

Mulling over the options in front of her, Cologne just shakes her head.

Cologne:        <I told that girl what she did not want to hear, and she still took care of it. Akane, you can be very surprising. I think it is a good thing you evaded everything we threw at you. Only now, are you beginning to show sign of the woman you are becoming. What you did took guts, and an understanding that I did not think you had. It appears that I need to have another talk with her.>

Ranko:          Hey Shinai, how ya feeling?

Shinai:          (The same as yesterday, only a little better.)

Ranko walks over to where he is resting, sitting down next to him. Feeling a wave of peace flow through him, he looks up at Ranko, unsure of how to treat the new sensation.

Shinai:          (You seem...better. Did you get good news or something?)

Ranko:          [smiling] You can call it that. I managed to resolve somethin’ that has been botherin’ me for a while now.

Shinai:          (It shows. Your smile is much brighter. Forgive my rudeness, but why are you here today?)

Ranko begins working her damp red hair into its familiar pigtail, her voice still slightly ragged from the extended run over to the Nekohanten.

Shinai:          <I need to talk with the Elder...this odd sensation, what is it?>

Ranko:          Well, I came ta talk with you. I was wonderin’ if you could find in ya to forgive me.

Shinai:          (Forgive you? Why would I need to do that?)

Ranko:          Because we did not start off on the best of terms. I’m kinda hoping you’ll be my friend, despite how we’ve treated ya so far.

Shinai:          (Truthfully, you have nothing to be forgiven for. What happened that day was an accident, nothing more. It is not as though you planned what went on; did you?)

Ranko:          No...but I just feel bad. I hurt ya, and you didn’t even...

Ranko’s voice freezes as Shinai drops his notepad and glares at her. Shinai forces himself into a sitting position, ignoring the pain that surges through his body. Reaching over, he hesitantly rests his hands on Ranko’s, looking into her gentle blue eyes. Nodding, he lets go, quickly returning to his writing.

Shinai:          (If you insist, you are forgiven. I still say you don’t need to be though.)

Smiling, Ranko leans over and gently hugs the sore youth sitting in front of her.

Ranko:          [whispering] Thank you Shinai. Its good ta have a friend like you.

Leaning back, Ranko giggles as she notices Shinai just sitting there. Looking into his stunning red eyes, she focuses on the edge of them, a faint tint of green visible on the outer edge,

Ranko:          <Nah, that can’t be...just gotta be a light trick.> Hey Shinai, you ok?

Shinai shakes his head, bringing himself out of his temporary stupor. Nodding, he realizes that his aches have receded a little. Filing the thought away for later consideration, his writing is shaky.

Shinai:         (I would be proud to call you my friend Ranko. I can not expect the same out of your brother yet, as I still owe him an explanation. But maybe in time, I hope to call him friend too.)

Ranko stands up, smiling at the young man below her.

Ranko:          Then get your rest. The sooner you can get up and mobile again, the sooner things can be straightened out.

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Author’s Note:

1) Next chapter actually takes place partway through here, but I split the chapters apart. Sorry for the confusion. You’ll see what I mean when you read the next chapter.

Next Chapter: Chapter 15 – Real Emotion (Artist: Koda Kumi, Album: Final Fantasy X-2 OST)