People have been bugging me about 'Lunar Urge 2'. The thing is,
I've lost my passion for lemon (writing, not reading). So I ask you,
should I continue the series or just stick with the traditional? Send me
a mail, anything.
---------------
The Leper
Part 4
"Lessons to be Learned..."
by Nikholas "NomaD" F. Toledo
Ranma 1/2 is the property of Kitty, VIZ and the omnipotent Rumiko
Takahashi. I am a property of Switch (so you know who to sue).
I am NomaD... I am coming... I am near...
Don't expect any summaries...
Names and spellings have been explained in part 1...
-----------
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
Writer will self-destruct in <BOOM!>, never mind.
-----------
Ukyou was already awake this morning, but she stayed an extra half-
hour in bed. It was unusually quiet but she still did not want to go
down just yet.
"What happened last night?"
Ukyou recalled the dinner invitation with the Tendos. Everything
collapsed after dinner, with Cologne spilling the beans.
"How did she know...?"
Kiiroi disappeared right after Ranma jumped out the courtyard.
Kiiroi came back afterwards but he never spoke to her anymore that night.
Something was bothering him, this she knew.
She secretly wept on her pillow. Stifling her sobs, she finally
got up and changed. She slowly crept down the stairs. Peering outside,
Ukyou breathed a sigh. She saw the sleeping bag neatly folded and set on
the counter. She checked the time: it was early, too early.
"Where is he?"
She immediately panicked upon uttering her words. She quickly went
behind the counter and saw his backpack and his clothes in a neat pile in
a corner. She sighed in relief. That's when she noticed a note on his
clothes.
Ucchan,
I went out, I need to be with
myself for a while. Be back by dinner.
Breakfast's set on the table. Have to
go, bye!
Kii
Ucchan glanced at a table and saw buttered croissants, bacon strips
and a tall glass of orange juice. She smiled at the setup.
"He's sweet. He'll be all right, I guess. At least he doesn't get
lost like..."
Her voice trailed off. She failed to finish her sentence and
decided on breakfast instead. She thought of following him but it was a
Saturday. People would be coming in, come lunchtime. She'd have to work
hard... maybe afterwards...
----------
From where he stood, he witnessed everything. He would stay there
and observe the rest of things to transpire. He saw him, again. But
this time, he regarded the man with caution. He remembered last night,
he remembered falling. Because of what? Of her. He blushed
unintentionally. He saw him greeted at the gate by the eldest. He
wondered if she enjoyed sweeping all day. They went in. He heard them
talking downstairs, she wasn't there. She's still sleeping at this time
- it's a Saturday, after all. He couldn't hear them talk, should he go
down? No, he stopped himself in time. He couldn't risk losing them. He
stayed put; that way, there's no possible way of him getting lost, was
there? This thought sent shivers down his spine. His thoughts were
distracted when the two men emerged from the house and walked on the
cobbled pathway leading to the adjacent building. He moved his position
to get a better view of the Tendo dojo. He could see everything from
here, this was good. He sat and watched.
----------
"Now what?"
Ranma pulled his belt tighter. He wasn't used to wearing his gi
anymore. Kiiroi stood opposite him, wearing the same outfit. Ranma
examined his new student. There was something in Kiiroi that he couldn't
point out. He was a weakling - Ranma knew that, but there was
something... He remembered himself weaker than this, but his spirit still
fought. That's when he learned the 'Hiryu Shoten Ha'. Was it Kii's
spirit?
"Miracles still happen..."
"What was that?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Now, let me see you move. You have speed,
Kii, but not enough strength. From what I've heard of your family's
history, I'd assume you can run really fast."
"Yeah, I guess..."
"Okay, go to the other end of the dojo and when I tell you to run,
dash here to me."
Kiiroi proceeded as ordered. When he got there, he just stood with
his arms crossed. Ranma hoped that this weakling can back up his
arrogance. He raised his hand; Kiiroi just stood there.
"Go!"
As Ranma dropped his arm, Kiiroi disappeared from his sight.
Turning around, he saw the man smiling behind him. Ranma blinked in
surprise: he didn't even hear Kiiroi move or see him dash.
"Wow, that was..."
"Actually, it wasn't. I could've done it faster but I was trying
to keep my steps silent."
Ranma whacked Kii upside the head.
"You maybe fast but your ego's too darn large. If you think you're
fast enough, then let me see you run in a spiral."
"Pardon me?"
Ranma showed him what he was supposed to do. He reminded Kiiroi
about the upper thrust when he reaches the center.
"Try it first by yourself, nothing will happen, though. Remember,
try to relax and stay cool. If you get this, I'll attack you and you'll
have all the hot chi you need."
Kiiroi stared at the chalked path that Ranma traced on the wooden
floor. He stared at Ranma. At Ranma's nod, Kiiroi dashed towards the
outside of the spiral. He kept his breathing shallow and relaxed. He
slowed down his speed to make the turn, but he was still considerably
fast. The turn came and Kiiroi took the first curving step. The next
thing Ranma knew, Kiiroi was lying on the floor, face flat. Ranma
scratched his head.
"Now what the hell happened?"
Kiiroi sat up, dusted his gi, and looked at Ranma shame-faced.
"I... I tripped..."
"What?! Tripped on what?"
Kiiroi sat on the floor for a moment. His face started turning
red.
"I tripped... on my foot."
Ranma slapped himself.
<No, it can't be. This is gonna be long day...> "Try again."
Kiiroi got up and readied himself again. He dashed once more but
this time he slowed his speed even more. When the turn came, he
sidestepped... and fell. Ranma turned around and tried to relax himself.
After calming down, he turned to Kiiroi once more. He began teaching him
the basics of running.
----------
*CRASH!*
"What the...?"
Akane jolted up on her bed. She was wide awake and very irritated.
She was hoping to wake up late today but now she didn't even had time to
stretch. She stared out her window and heard the commotion from outside.
Akane got out of her room and went down stairs for breakfast. She was
surprised to see that his father and Mr. Saotome were at the dining
table.
"Uncle Saotome? If you're here, then who's Ranma sparring with in
the dojo?"
"That would be..."
"The loser, who else."
Akane was shocked by Nabiki's nonchalant answer.
"Nabiki! Please stop referring to him like that!"
"Can't help it, Akane - that guy just lost me money. I'm not used
to losing..."
Akane shivered at her sister's glare. The look was ironically so
much like Ranma's the day before.
<What's the world coming to?!?>
----------
Ranma stood his ground while being pelted by multiple punches.
>From his look, he was very disappointed. Kiiroi's punches were hitting
him, primarily because he wasn't even making any attempts to block. Just
a while ago, he showed Kiiroi the 'Katsu Tenshin Amaguriken'. Because of
his speed, Kiiroi was able to simulate the move. But the strength of his
punches did little to even harm a mosquito. It was almost lunchtime and
there was still no progress attained. Ranma was getting pretty fed up...
"Aaaaargh!!! What the hell is wrong with you?!? You punch like a
girl!!!"
Ranma started blocking Kiiroi's strike with only one hand. Kiiroi
was amazed at Ranma's surprising speed. He doubled his efforts but Ranma
blocked him without breaking a sweat. Then when Ranma saw an
opportunity, he took it and struck Kiiroi on the jaw. Kiiroi fell down
on the ground. Kiiroi rubbed his sleeve by his lips and drew blood. He
stared at Ranma dumbfounded. Ranma just stared at him with a look of
pity.
"You make me sick..."
Ranma took off his top and walked out of the dojo. Just then,
Kasumi called everybody for lunch. Kiiroi took his moment before he
stood up. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, mixing the tears and the
blood.
From the Tendo rooftop, a figure leapt down the structure and
landed squarely on the pond below. He got out and ran to the waiting
arms of the woman who he knew would always love him the way she does. He
was set down and fed beside the panda. He saw Ranma enter and sit
himself with the others. He waited for the other but he never came.
"He's not coming, pig."
P-chan stared up at Ranma; he then crept up to Akane for more food.
"Where's Kii?"
"Who knows? Who cares?"
That was when Kiiroi came in. He entered with his head down,
showing everybody his shame. Ranma and P-chan just glared then looked
away. Kasumi came up to him and saw the cut on his lip.
"Oh dear, we should do something about that cut of yours..."
"No, it's okay... thanks anyway, Kasumi..."
Kasumi just walked into the kitchen without losing her sunny
disposition.
When Ranma finished his share, he got up and went to the dojo
again. He gestured at Kiiroi to follow. When Ranma left, Kiiroi finally
sighed in relief. He felt a gigantic arm on his back. He stared to his
side and saw the panda consoling him with mournful eyes. Akane felt her
sorrow rise to the surface. Kiiroi just let the panda do what it was
doing. He leaned on its shoulder, letting all the frustration escape.
"Don't worry, Kii - Ranma's just not used to failing. He thinks
that there's hope in you as there is in everything he does or gets
involved with. I can guarantee you this, he's not gonna give up on you,
just don't give up on him."
"Thanks, Akane. Thanks, Mister..."
Kiiroi frowned as he stared at the panda.
"Do I call you Mister Saotome or Mister Panda?"
The panda just shrugged and shooed Kiiroi away to the dojo with a
grin.
----------
It was already late afternoon but the customers kept trickling in.
Ukyou thought about closing again but she just felt stupid that she
wanted to kick herself. She was making six okonomiyakis at the same
time. She would normally be able to handle this crowd but thoughts of
Kiiroi kept nagging her at the back of her mind. A table just cleared so
Ukyou came over to get the dishes while the okonomiyakis cooked. She
piled up the plates and utensils. A glass slipped from her hand and
started falling. For some unknown reason, she thought of Kiiroi. At the
last second and last few inches, Ukyou caught the glass. All the
customers watched her with satisfaction.
"I've got you..."
Ukyou got up and placed the glass on top of the plates. This is
when the glass toppled over and fell once more. Ukyou made a grab but
missed her mark. The glass shattered into a hundred pieces. Ukyou felt
the tears surfacing to her eyes.
"No! Kii..."
The customers saw the hostess kneeling on the ground, crying. They
all tried to turn away and not get involved but all conversations ceased,
ebbing to quiet munching. Ukyou dashed for the entrance and turned her
sign. Some of the waiting customers moaned in protest as Ukyou began
closing the place. She served the last batch of okonomiyaki and waited
for everybody to finish. To her satisfaction, everybody seemed to hurry
their eating. When they finished and left, she closed the lights, got
her spatula and locked the restaurant. She didn't even bother to wash
the dishes. Her heartbeat became abnormal, something was wrong. She
panicked, she didn't know where to look.
"Kii!!!"
----------
The Tendos and Genma Saotome ate their dinner in silence. The
noise of crashes that started late afternoon hasn't cease since.
Everybody stared at his or her food except for Akane, who kept looking
outside. She was expecting P-chan to come for dinner but he never did.
Suddenly, all turned their heads to the entrance as they heard knocks on
their front gate.
"Oh, my... who could that be?"
Akane got up before Kasumi and headed for the door.
"I'll get it, Kasumi..."
Akane slid the gate open and was able to catch in time a collapsing
Ukyou. Akane stared wide-eyed at the bedraggled girl. She carried her
inside.
"Hello, Akane, is... is Kii here?"
"Yes, c'mon inside. Where have you been?"
"Just about everywhere..."
And explosion echoed through the whole block. The two stared at
the dojo as they saw the roof blow up.
"That's them..."
"I want to see..."
"We have to sneak up, Ranma doesn't want anyone to disturb them."
----------
"Did you see that?! That's how it's supposed to look like! Not
that puffball you made!"
Ranma couldn't contain his anger anymore. They just missed dinner
but, still, they had no progress. Ranma's battle aura glowed a sickly
red. He crossed his arms and focused his chi.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!!!"
A gigantic energy ball appeared in front of Ranma and knocked
Kiiroi off his feet. Ranma didn't mean to hit the guy, the ball just
reflected his own fury.
"See? That's how you're supposed to do it! Are you really that
stupid?!"
"He's getting hurt. I better stop this..."
"No, Ukyou, you'll only get in the way."
Akane grabbed Ukyou's shoulder, stopping her from entering the
dojo. Ukyou gave Akane an uneasy look but settled down, eventually.
They satisfied themselves watching from the entrance.
Every time Kiiroi stood up, he managed to fall on the floor
inevitably. Kiiroi was too weak to do anything. He hasn't been worked
up like this and he felt his consciousness leaving him. From outside, a
soft whimper came from a very worried person. But he remembered what
Akane told him. Ranma was never gonna give up. So he got up once more.
And fell again.
"Are you stupid or something? Look, the fight is a day from now
and I still haven't seen any improvement from you. You can't punch, your
speed is useless, your technique stinks... How the hell do you expect to
beat Tsubasa?"
Kiiroi stood up. He felt all the anger, pain and frustration
boiling up in him.
"Well, I'm trying my best, okay?!? I've never had my body racked
like this but I still haven't given up and I doubt if I will. All my
life I've been running away, mostly because of the instinct I got from my
ancestors. You have no idea how hard this is for me nor have you an idea
how much I need this!"
Then Ranma saw it. It was faint but it was there, illuminating the
tired man. Kii's battle aura started to surface. It was a soft white
glow dancing in the air. Ranma breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
Finally, he reached Kiiroi's spirit.
Kiiroi stared at Ranma for a moment. Kiiroi lost his anger, his
expression was replaced by wonder. Was Ranma smiling?
"Kii, I have to be honest with you. At your state, there's no way
that you could possibly beat Tsubasa."
"Geez, Ranma. Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Man, you've seen yourself. You just can't be taught how to fight.
I was amazed at myself when I actually taught you how to run and punch
properly. But these things are negligible when it comes to actual
combat."
"Thanks, anyway, for what you did, I really appreciate it."
"This is where the lesson ends. I believe in you, Kii, I believe
you'll win."
"But you said..."
"Never mind what I said. Even though you have no strength, no
technique and useless speed, you can still win! And you know why?"
Kiiroi shook his head.
"Because you've got something worth fighting for."
Kiiroi just stared at Ranma with awe and ignorance.
"Because no matter what, you'll never give up. Because no matter
what, you know that it'll be all worth it. She'll be all worth it."
"Ukyou..."
"Yes, Ukyou. Take me, I've had my share of hopeless battles."
Kiiroi was taken back by this.
"Don't be surprised. I've battled seven-headed dragons, Chinese
emperors, ogres and princes of floating islands. Toma, Ki-rin, Herb...
I've beaten them all, even against the greatest odds because, deep
inside, I knew that it'd be all worth it. She'll be all worth it..."
Ranma blushed at the things he was saying but he continued his
dialogue.
"Then there was Shinnosuke... I was afraid I'd lose her that
time..."
"Oh, Ranma..."
Akane quickly clamped her hands over her mouth. Ranma turned his
head a bit.
<Rats, he heard me... oh, Ranma...>
"Ranma?"
Ranma turned his head back to Kiiroi. He'd deal with the
eavesdroppers later.
"Hmm?"
"Is Akane really worth that much to you?"
Ranma was unsure on how to answer. He had a feeling that it was
Akane who was listening outside.
"Uh, yeah... without her... I don't have a home to freeload on!"
<gulp>
<SPLASH!!!>
Akane jumped inside with an empty bucket, her fiery blue aura
visible to everyone around. Ukyou followed timidly. Kiiroi stared wide-
eyed at the now voluptuous Ranma Saotome.
"What the hell did you do that for?!?"
"Ranma, you JAHERK!!!"
"You are so terribly uncute!!!"
Akane chased Ranma around the dojo with the pail while Ranma dodged
with great agility. Kii stared at the two then turned to Ukyou.
"Are they always like this? In denial?"
"Since when are they not like this?"
"Has he... she... Ranma always been like that?"
"Takes after the father..."
"This is just the tip of the iceberg isn't it?"
"Yeah. I'll tell you on the way home."
The two left the other two. On the way, Ukyou told the wonderful
secrets of cursed Chinese springs. From the rooftop, Ryouga watched
Ukyou and Kiiroi leave with jealousy, though he probably wouldn't admit
it. Ryouga jumped off the roof with the thought of Kiiroi still in his
mind. He didn't notice that he overestimated his jump and landed on the
yard beyond the Tendo walls. He was thinking about how he was to deal
with Kiiroi but decided to watch how he deals with Tsubasa first. When
Ryouga did notice his surroundings, he began sweating and shaking. He
looked around for any sort of landmark. Deep inside, he just wanted to
be a pig and be safe. He pulled on his hair and began clobbering all
structures in front of him.
"WHERE THE HELL AM I NOW?!?"
From inside the Tendo household, Kasumi stared beyond their wall.
"Oh, my, isn't that Ranma's little friend?"
----------
Ukyou got up with a start. There was some sort of clamor
downstairs. But she was too tired to even investigate. Yesterday
exhausted her too much.
"Must be Kii anyway..."
Ukyou turned to her side and hugged her pillow. She blinked one
eye open and immediately got up.
"Oh, shit! It's almost lunch time!"
----------
When Ukyou emerged from the stairs, she saw that the restaurant was
bustling with customers. She tried to fix her hair as decently as
possible. She then got out and greeted everybody. She gave a muffled
giggle, seeing Kiiroi fumble with utensils on the grill. She immediately
got to his side and replaced him.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You were sleeping so soundly. Besides, they just started coming
in."
"You actually cooked the okonomiyakis?"
"They were already starting to complain. It's your fault - you
still won't tell me how to cook this stuff right."
Ukyou nudged him with a spatula.
"Family secret."
Ukyou proceeded cooking more okonomiyakis while Kiiroi started
serving and cleaning up after tables. Ukyou felt her hunger and started
nibbling on her cooking. They eventually managed to survive the lunch
crowd and now the numbers were manageable. Kiiroi got out a mop and
started cleaning the place up. Ukyou was lazily cooking two okonomiyakis
on the grill. The chimes on the door tinkled and the two stared at the
incoming customers. Kiiroi immediately recognized one of the two ladies.
Ukyou waved to them and gestured them to a table.
"What'll you two have?"
"Just give us one piece, child... we've already stuffed ourselves
with ramen."
"Aiya! You right, great-grandmother. He spitting image of stupid
Mousse, but at least he no look so stupid."
Kiiroi looked at the purple-haired beauty in front of him and then
looked at Ukyou then back to the stranger.
"Oh, where are my manners? Kiiroi, this is Cologne, as you might
remember, and this is her granddaughter, Shampoo."
"Shampoo, what a beautiful name..."
Ukyou's face reddened slightly. She just grinned at herself for
acting that way. Shampoo started a conversation with Kiiroi.
"So, you also from China?"
"Yeah, very near your tribe in fact."
"Oh, you coward family!"
"Er, yeah..."
"You new fianc�?"
Shampoo gave him a wink, Kiiroi gulped and blushed. He looked back
at Ukyou but apparently, she didn't hear any of this. Then Kiiroi froze
as Shampoo placed her palm on Kiiroi's cheek.
"You I like..."
"Incoming!"
Kiiroi was startled by Ukyou's voice. He turned around to see a
whirling okonomiyaki heading straight for his face. A hand with a plate
went infront of him and caught it in time. He stepped back to see that
the hand belonged to the sexy Amazon girl.
"... maybe you visit Shampoo in Nekohanten sometime?"
"Uh, sure!"
When the two Amazons left, Ukyou went over to Kiiroi.
"That tramp never knows how to keep her hands to herself!"
Ukyou blushed at what she said. Kiiroi heard it and grinned.
"The way you're yappin', it sounds like your getting mighty jealous
of her."
"Ha! In your dreams, buster! Still... I wonder why they went here
in the first place. It's not like they haven't any restaurant to worry
themselves with..."
Kiiroi apparently was concerned with the matter, too. The
seriousness in his voice seeped through Ukyou.
"I don't know if it was just me or something, but it seemed that
they were... studying me."
Ukyou stared at the exit. She felt a breeze chill her in this hot
Sunday morning in her packed restaurant. Now she knew that something was
very wrong.
Kiiroi passed her and went behind the grill. He removed his apron
and put on his backpack. Ukyou panicked at the thought of him leaving
her.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
"Hmm? Oh, I'll just be out for a while. I've got to train for my
big fight tomorrow. I'll be back by dinner."
These words pained Ukyou's heart but she hid it well.
"I'll just pick you up at the Tendos..."
"Oh, no, I'm not gonna be with Ranma, I'm training by myself."
"So where will you go?"
"Wherever the road takes me..."
The words dwindled in Ukyou's mind. These weren't the words of
Kiiroi alone. There was another who said these words to her. Then she
never so him again... for three weeks. When Ukyou snapped out of her
reverie, Kiiroi was already gone.
----------
The grass was prickly, soft and dry. Kiiroi dropped his pack on
the ground and sat. It was a hot day, and so people in the park
preferred to stay under the shade of trees. He looked up and squinted at
the sun for a moment, taking in the heat. He heaved a sigh and readied
himself. He fished from his pack a book. It was a very old book made of
parchment and had leather bindings. Kiiroi turned the cover with a
trembling hand. The leaves were already brittle in creases. Kiiroi
turned each page with great care. He scanned what it contained.
Immediately, his memory was flooded to his training when he was just a
child. He remembered trying to distract himself as much as possible when
his grandfather lectured him on the techniques of their martial arts.
Kiiroi never wanted to be a martial artist. He always wanted to be a
photographer. It was a pity that he forgot to bring his camera along
when he took off to find Ukyou, but that didn't matter anymore. What
mattered now was remembering, remembering the past long forgotten.
Slowly, Kiiroi took off cloth wrappings of his fingers. He looked at
them, long and slender. After his grandfather died, he vowed never to
practice the arts again. He would remain a pacifist even if he was the
only one left in line to carry on their martial arts school.
"But this one's for Ukyou..."
Kiiroi began to read.
--------------
end of part 4
--------------
Just when most of your questions were answered, I come with more
mysteries - ain't life a bitch. So, what's the Amazon women planning or
does Shampoo actually like Kii (even though he's a splitting image of
Mousse)? What's this secret style Kii has? For more questions (that'll
probably not get answered), comments and general criticisms, send me a
mail... "Nikholas F. Toledo Zu" at niftol@i-manila.com.ph, care of NomaD.
Hope I finish this thing, my PC's acting up again. I'd like to
thank the following people:
Switch, the official Deputy Bastard Taskmaster from Hell, if all goes
well, we might become roomies and I get to borrow his tapes for free.
Nomadess, I'm praying she gets the house she wanted. It's near our
school and beats the hell out of dormitories.
Elf, poor kid, she's on hands and knees with countless deadlines.
All of you who managed to read up to here, I've got a question for
you. Doesn't Mihoshi have the cutest feet? Does she have a shrine? I'd
really like to know. And to finish off, quoting Kasumi, 'Bye bye,
Birdie!'.
-NomaD-
=);):)=);):)=);):)=);):)=);):)=);):)=);):)=);):)=);):)=);):)=);):)=);):)
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