Trials of Destiny
by Kyle Emmerson
Ranma � and all of its characters and situations are
the creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi. I use these
characters and situations without permission.
Prologue: The Dawn
"The true power of a man lies not in the strength of
his muscles, but of his heart. Not by the skill of
his art, but by the knowledge of his mind. Neither by
the might of his allies, but by the trust he places
in them." ~ Unknown
****
"Amaterasu. It's been a while," he laughed. An evil
laugh, corrupted the the rows of jagged teeth in the
demon's mouth.
"You can't defeat us that easily, Rogi," she replied.
"Ahh, to have the Goddess of the Sun shouting idle
warnings. This is a good day indeed." He continued to
laugh. "Look about you, Goddess. Your army has failed. I
still reign."
"Wrong, Rogi. In defeating the ones who fight under
my name for justice, you too have lost your fighters."
"So it seems, Goddess." He continued to laugh.
"However, I still stand. You are far from your realm. You
have no power that can overwhelm me."
Amaterasu sneered. "Damn you, demon."
Rogi stopped laughing long enough to stare the
Goddess down. "No, Goddess," he said with contempt. "Damn
you."
As Rogi slowly approached the lone figure of the
Goddess Amaterasu, he continued to laugh. Amaterasu,
fearful of what would happen, stood expressionless. She
would have to come up with something. Anything.
Thankfully, she didn't have to. The wind started
blowing heavily into the ridges of the valley, through
the branches of trees and past the craggy peaks high
above. They converged on one single source.
Amaterasu smiled. She knew what was happening. The
wind blew past her ear, and she heard a voice. The voice
of an ally.
*I'll fight him back. You get rid of him.* the voice
said.
She looked up into the sky and smiled. "Thank you,
Fei Liang."
Rogi blinked. His demonic form rippling in the wind,
deep red eyes staring in confusion.
"No," he muttered. He could not move. The wind was
holding him back.
"No!" He shouted again.
Amaterasu thought. She had used up the last of her
magic in the battle, and now she was weak. She had come
to a decision.
"Rogi. This battle is not over. It is far from over."
"You bitch! You will die by my hand!"
"No." She said. "I will die by my own."
The wind seemed to let up for a moment, allowing Rogi
momentary movement, but as a lone figure appeared before
Amaterasu, it caught up again, holding Rogi in place.
"Fei Liang." She said.
"What are you thinking, Amaterasu?"
"I have used up the last of my magic. There is only
one other alternative."
Fei Liang shook his head. "You cannot, Amaterasu. The
sun in your land shines because of you."
Amaterasu shook her head. "There will be a successor.
I have prepared one in case. The sun will continue to
shine upon my people."
Fei Liang shook his head again. "I cannot allow this,
Amaterasu. You know I cannot."
Amaterasu smiled. "You would place your own life
before that of a foreign deity? My Fei Liang, how you've
changed."
"I will not allow you to make such a sacrifice,
Amaterasu."
"You must." She looked up at Rogi. "If I do not, he
will succeed. You need mankind as much as I do, Fei
Liang. Without man, we will cease to exist."
"Ama--"
"Stand aside, my old friend."
Fei Liang stared at his friend. It took him a few
moments to consider, but at last he decided. "Very well,
friend."
"Thank you."
"If you do not let go of me, both of you will pay
with your lives!"
"Silence, Rogi. I will not be ordered by a demon."
Amaterasu stared at him. "I curse you." She said. "I
curse you to five thousand years of slumber. Five
thousand years in which the resistance of mankind will
rise again to fight you."
Rogi closed his eyes. "Very well, Goddess. But be
forewarned." He opened his eyes again. "In five thousand
years time, my servants shall return to me. In five
thousand years time, I will not require an army to defeat
the likes of you. Or humankind."
Amaterasu continued. "In five thousand years time,
the lives of all who have fought here shall be
rebirthed."
Rogi smiled. "Then we shall have a rematch, Goddess."
Fei Liang realized what Amaterasu was doing. He
smiled in understanding as Rogi flickered out of
existence.
A moment later, Amaterasu collapsed to the ground.
"Amaterasu? Can you stand?"
The Goddess looked up towards Fei Liang and smiled.
"I cannot."
Fei Liang frowned as he stepped towards her. "Ama--"
"Fei Liang. I have used the last of it."
"The... Last?"
She nodded. "It no longer flows through me."
"But, how?"
"I will die soon, Fei Liang. I can feel the coldness
gripping me." She smiled. "I have always wished to know
the feeling of it. Of mortality."
"Amaterasu," he knelt down beside her. "You will not
die. You will--"
"Five Thousand years, Fei Liang. Gather us." She
said, smile still on her face.
"Amaterasu, I cannot--"
Her voice was now rasping. "Promise me, my friend."
"I--" He began. "I promise. You have the word of Fei
Liang, foreign Goddess."
Amaterasu placed her hand to Fei Liang's face
momentarily, stroked it with love in her eyes. As if like
a lantern dimming, so did the life of her eyes.
Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun, died that day.
Fei Liang stood motionless for several moments. The
death of a God, foreign or not, was not to be taken
lightly. Or be dishonoured in the least. He looked up
towards the sky and began to shout.
"I honour the memory of my friend, Amaterasu. I
hereby bless this valley in her name. Each of those dead
here shall become a spring. Each spring shall be blessed.
Those who drown in each spring shall be remembered. Those
who fall in springs in which a life has been taken shall
take the form of those who died. So says I, Fei Liang.
God of the Winds."
As if melting, each of the dead bodies that riddled
the ground of the sacred valley, turned into a spring.
The water glistened as Fei Liang smiled. Then he spied a
lone figure at the center of the valley.
He walked calmly over to the figure, and then knelt
over to catch a glimpse of his face.
He smiled. This man was fortunate to have survived.
Fei Liang lifted him up and slung him over his shoulder.
The bloody wound at his side pouring a crimson flow, he
frowned. He managed to seal of the blood temporarily, but
he would have to find more permanent healings. As he
started away from the sacred valley, he paused. He had
forgotten the most important of all. A name.
The man on his shoulder muttered something. Fei Liang
could barely hear it.
"J...Senkyo..." he said, half conscious.
After a moment of thinking, and trying to decipher
what the man had said, he looked at the valley.
"Very well, warrior of man. I name this valley,
Jusenkyo."
The hidden valley of Jusenkyo lay unknown to mortal
man for a thousand years.
****
I had originally planned on releasing this once ALOL was finished,
unfortunately, the final chapter is taking a bit longer than I had
anticipated, so now I've released this. I hope you enjoy it. I'm also going
to call out for pre-readers for future chapters. Any C&C on the prologue
would be appreciated, email me at kyle_emmerson@geocities.com.
-------------------------
| The TydRipper | "'Tis an old saying, the Devil
| | lurks behind the cross. All is
| Master of the Tides, | not gold that glitters. From the
| Devourer of noodles, | tail of the plough, Bamba was
| Writer of the Fanfic, | made King of Spain; and from his
| Baka to the end... | silks and riches was Rodrigo
------------------------- cast to be devoured by snakes."
- Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
Questions? Comments? Flames? Email Me.
~ The TydRipper
http://westwood.fortunecity.com/versace/189/
ICQ UIN: 41450221
[Take my love, it is not true,
So let it tempt no body new;
Take my lady, she will sigh
For my bed where'er I lie;
Take them, said the skeleton,
But leave my bones alone.
Take my raiment, now grown cold,
To give to some poor poet old;
Take the skin that hoods this truth
If his age would wear my youth;
Take them, said the skeleton,
But leave my bones alone.
Take the thoughts that like the wind
Blow my body out of mind;
Take this heart to go with that
And pass it on from rat to rat;
Take them, said the skeleton,
But leave my bones alone.
Take the art which I bemoan
In a poem's crazy tone;
Grind me down, though I may groan,
To the starkest stick and stone;
Take them, said the skeleton,
But leave my bones alone.]
Allen Ginberg (1926-1997) -
Complaint of the Skeleton to Time