I do not have chapter 4 archived, because I'm having trouble with word
wrap, text files and the internet. Bah. Anyway, if you want chap 4,
email me. Also, I'm revising the first three chapters slightly, just a
little polish, but I can't update them yet because of word wrap
problems. Well, I'll figure it out sometime.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, Rumiko Takahashi does. Some of the
characters in this fic are my own, however.
Previous Chapters: www.geocities.com/leif_wj
Master of Ki
by Leif Johnson
CHAPTER 5
There was nothing; a void. Wait, it was clearing up... A face. No
discernable features were present, but it was a face. There was a hand.
It was reaching to him. Then, there was a voice.
"Kijo? What's wrong?"
At least that's what he thought it said. He wasn't entirely sure. Then,
he saw a another body. His own.
"Why are you crying?"
He looked down at the two figures; his own image clear, the other was
nothing more than a fuzzy outline.
"Mommy's here."
A tear rolled down his cheek, and slipped into his lips. It tasted like
brimstone.
***
Kijo's eyes slowly opened. He blinked, then sat up. He gingerly touched
his cheek, and felt wetness. What had he been dreaming about? He shook
his head, then stood up. No matter. There were other things to think
about.
Like his new curse. Whatever it was. And his upcoming fight.
Now fully awake, he stood up and pulled a shirt on. Ranma had beaten
Thyme, so he wasn't invincible. Kijo had a chance. Thyme was built like
a tank, and probably stronger than one, too, so he would need to use
extremely powerful blows. He briefly recalled when Thyme splashed the
Magic Vacuum water over him, and knew he would have no trouble doing
that.
***
On a hilltop overlooking Tokyo, a lone figure stood. A ragged brown
cloak whipped in the breeze, and the figure looked upward. A female
voice made an announcement to whomever might be listening; "Kijo Kuraki,
I will find you, no matter what! I've been waiting too long!" She
clenched her fist as she said this, and lowered it. "Just wait."
***
The week passed swiftly, without sign of Thyme, or Kijo's mysterious
curse.
He stood stoically in the middle of the ball field, with his arms
crossed, his face filled with an expression of determination. There was
a crowd beginning to gather, and he glanced around at them. From the
easy atmosphere, he figured this must not be an uncommon event.
Then, Thyme appeared. He made a real entrance, in an almost subtle way.
He jumped in, unnoticed until he hit the ground. He was dressed in his
full outfit, overcoat and all. He slowly and methodically removed each
item until he wore only a white muscle shirt, black pants, and shoes. He
smirked at Kijo, and gestured that he was ready. Silence followed.
Kijo nodded, and Thyme charged forward. Kijo took one step forward,
preparing himself...
***
The entire crowd blinked at once. Thyme stood in the middle of the
arena, his fist outstretched and angled slightly downward. A long streak
in the dirt led to Kijo's body, which lay unmoving in a crumpled mess of
bleachers.
No one made a sound.
Thyme stood up straight and turned around to pick up his clothing. The
audience looked over to Kijo to see if he would get back up, but he was
fully unconscious.
Thyme left without a word, and then conversation picked back up.
"Man, that was a let-down!"
Kijo lay unmoving.
***
"GOD, I'm lucky I'm frigging ALIVE, for god's sake!" Kijo ranted, lying
on his bed, a block of ice strapped to his chest. "I mean, have you ever
been hit by a train? Well, me neither, but that was WORSE. Like being
hit by a jet plane going mach 38, or something. God."
Ryoga nodded, mumbling the occasional "Uh huh," "Right," and "I'm sure."
He was busy observing the numerous flight patterns the leaves took when
descending from the trees, on that bright, sunny morning. He wished he
was outside. But nope, he was in here, offering his condolences.
"I must've looked PATHETIC. I didn't land ONE blow! I was down in about
FOUR seconds! God!"
"Uh huh."
"I... I have to challenge him again! My honor won't rest until I do!"
"Right."
"As soon as I can feel my body, I'm going back out there! I'll show him
who's boss!"
"I'm sure."
"You said it! He'll regret he ever gave me that curse! I'll bash him up
so bad he'll look like some squashed melon under some fat sumo
wrestler's foot!"
"Right."
"Thanks Ryoga, I really needed that."
"I'm sure."
"You listening?"
***
"Kijo, I know you're near, I can sense it!" the cloaked woman cried,
clenching her fist. "Now let's see... One o'clock train to THIS place in
Nerima, but the four o'clock train goes to THIS place in Nerima. Which
one is better?" She scratched her head, ignoring the groans of the
customers standing in line behind her.
"Gosh," she exclaimed, "I could be here forever!"
***
"Okay, I'm ready for you THIS time!" Kijo shouted at Thyme, as they
stood in the arena again. Thyme smirked and rushed him. Kijo waited
until just the right moment...
"What the...? He's running away!" Hiroshi cried.
"Yeah, he looks terrified. Thyme missed him by a mile!" Daisuke added.
Kijo gasped as sweat ran in rivulets all over his body. He had seen his
life flash before his eyes, even though Thyme was about 12 feet away
when he started running. *Okay,* he thought. *Get a grip.*
"Alright, NOW bring i-" he started, lifting his head, only to see
Thyme's fist bearing down. He had just enough time to scream like a
little girl before everything went black.
***
"You seen a boy around here, about this tall, probably causing a bunch
of bright flashes and loud explosions?"
The old man looked at the cloaked woman and raised his eyebrows. "Well,
Ma'am, I'd say you've come to the right place."
***
Ranma watched through half-lidded eyes as Kijo made his announcement to
Thyme. He was sporting a huge block of ice on his head, and was
stuttering so bad and sweating so hard that Thyme was apparently using
every ounce of willpower he had not to burst out laughing.
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I... I... I... I-I..." Kijo started, looking
fearfully up at the other boy.
"Y-y-y-y-you what?" Thyme asked mockingly.
"Ch... ch.... ch... cha... chall..." Kijo stuttered.
"Okay, I'll be there. Tomorrow. But this is the last time, got it? Give
it up after this one."
Kijo nodded, grabbed his ice block to keep it from falling off, and
darted away.
Ranma sighed and shook his head. "No WAY he's gonna make it," he said
aloud.
***
Kijo and Thyme stood across from each other, Kijo much more composed
than he had been the other day. The audience watched with only mild
interest. At Kijo's signal of readiness, Thyme charged again.
Kijo darted aside and dashed away while watching Thyme over his
shoulder. He stopped, took a deep breath, then faced him and assumed a
stance. He bent his knees a little, but kept his back perfectly straight
and vertical, with his hands poised in front of his chest.
Ranma and Ryoga leaned against the bleachers, watching. "Kung fu. The
mantis." Ryoga stated.
Ranma looked over at him, chewing on a piece of curry bread. "Yeah, so?"
"Well, the mantis is where the fighter focuses all of his power into a
single devastating strike, right? Uses his ki?" Ryoga said.
"Yeah? So he uses his... oh." He perked up and began watching more
intently. This might prove to be interesting.
Thyme rushed at Kijo again, pulling his fist back slightly... and Kijo
didn't run away. As soon as Thyme was within range, he jabbed forward
with two fingers, an almost maniacal look in his eyes...
And missed. Thyme twisted out of the way, and delivered a counter punch.
Kijo barely managed to dodge, and ended up getting batted away. He
wasn't hit by the full brunt of Thyme's blow, so he was uninjured.
Instead of letting Thyme charge him again, Kijo darted forward, still in
the mantis stance. As Thyme made to punch him again, he jabbed forward
with two fingers, and hit him directly in the sternum. Thyme immediately
toppled backwards, doubled over in obvious pain. He clutched his chest
with his eyes squeezed shut, and a small grunt of pain escaped his lips.
Kijo sighed as if a huge tension had been taken off of his shoulders,
then tightened his expression and assumed the position again.
Thyme stood up slowly, watching Kijo out of the corner of his eye. He
stretched out his arm, and beckoned. Kijo ran forward, then ducked at
the last minute and rolled between his legs. After passing under, he
rooted his feet and pushed himself upwards, sliding his fingertips over
Thyme's back. He gripped Thyme's shoulders, leapt into the air, and
drove him back down to the ground with his knees, where Thyme landed on
his back. He pulled his hand back, two fingers outstretched, and jabbed
downward.
Thyme interrupted him by swinging his legs up and kicking Kijo in the
back.
Kijo lurched forward and his fingers plunged into the ground, causing a
cloud of dirt to burst into his face. Thyme booted him away and stood
up. Kijo landed on his back, and slowly sat up.
"So, have you discovered your curse yet?" Thyme called. "Weakness? Or is
that just natural?" He chuckled. "Bring it on, little man, bring it
on..."
Kijo trembled, feeling his anger growing. He concentrated on this, on
how quickly Thyme became a bastard after achieving his own personal
goal, how little he cared about others, and his mocking arrogance. Truly
someone who needed to be punished. He concentrated on his own hatred.
There were two main ways to truly bring out your ki; calmness and hate.
He chose the latter in this case.
"I..." Kijo started, closing his eyes. "... Will give you ALL the
humiliation you NEED!" As he shouted the last part, he shot forward,
surrounded by a blazing aura. Thyme jumped forward himself, and then
they collided.
They both fell to the ground at the same time, landing on their backs.
Kijo had a footprint on his chest, just below his neck, and Thyme had
two rips in the sides of his shirt, revealing several small dots that
looked like fingerprints. They both sat up slowly, shaking their heads.
They stared at each other, then leapt to their feet.
Kijo steadied himself, then started to do what appeared to be a dance in
Thyme's direction. Thyme approached him, then landed a vicious upward
punch on Kijo's midsection while his arms were raised above his head.
Neither of them moved. A red aura quickly built up around Kijo, who
suddenly slammed his arms down on Thyme's shoulders.
Thyme dropped to the ground, then pushed himself into a handstand and
tried slamming his feet into Kijo, who had leapt away with a giddy
expression on his face.
***
"How'd he do that?" Hiroshi cried, blinking.
"Yeah, he took the whole blow without flinching!" Daisuke added.
"Tai Chi," Ranma answered. "Tai Chi masters can absorb an opponent's
blow, eliminating its force and making it useless."
"But, can't this guy punch through titanium or something?" Hiroshi
asked. "That's a lot of force to absorb!"
Ranma didn't reply.
***
Thyme advanced toward Kijo slowly, his fingers twitching in agitation.
Kijo held his hands above his head for a minute, then bolted toward
Thyme as fast as he could. When he was halfway, he dived forward, his
aura coming to life. He slapped the ground with the back of one hand,
spiraled forward, then brought his hand back and struck the ground ten
feet in front of Thyme.
He slammed into Thyme like a rocket. The audience watched them both sail
out of the arena, and quickly rushed to follow. Ranma leapt over the
bleachers and saw them land in the center of the street.
Kijo was an animal. He threw himself at Thyme, his style nothing more
than super-charged chaotic strikes. Thyme blocked several in quick
succession, then slammed his foot into Kijo's chest. He flew backwards,
crashing into the cement wall surrounding the school. He appeared
unhurt, however.
He stood up and assumed an odd stance, his eyes closed. He had one leg
jutted forward, the heel resting on the ground while the toe pointed
straight up, and he was kneeling on the other. His left arm was held
forward, the hand hanging limply. His right hand was held back over his
head, his fingers in a claw-like position.
Thyme looked around rapidly at his surroundings, then glanced back at
Kijo. A monstrous aura had formed around him, projecting a forty-foot
image of himself. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and he leapt forward
into the air, his right arm still pulled back. With a deafening yell, he
swung forward, five spears of energy projecting from his fingertip.
Thyme rolled forward, dodged the full attack and stood upright behind
Kijo. He glanced over at a cement truck.
***
"Wow!" Daisuke breathed. "Didja SEE that?!"
"Hell yeah, man!" Hiroshi answered.
Ranma frowned, noticing that Kijo hadn't yet moved from his hunched-over
position. And Thyme was walking towards... a cement mixer? His eyes
widened as Thyme glanced it over, then ripped the entire mixing part off
with his hands. Thyme ignore the frightened shouts of the operator and
turned towards Kijo.
"Jeezus!" cried Hiroshi. "If he doesn't move now, he's gonna get
creamed!"
Ryoga barely nodded.
***
"I'll make sure you STAY DOWN!" Thyme cried, leaping high into the air
with his burden held above his head. At the peak of his arc, he thrust
it downward with all of his strength.
"Oh, shit!" Hiroshi cried. Daisuke blinked in grotesque anticipation,
waiting for the crunch. It never came.
Everyone looked on in amazement at the sight before them. Kijo, still
hunched over, held one hand in the air. The cement mixer rested on his
fingertips. Thyme landed nearby.
"How the HELL...?" Ryoga asked no one in particular.
Kijo stood up slowly, the street below him starting to crackle. He
turned toward Thyme, finally showing his eyes. The force of his aura was
so great they had seemed to dissolve into twin pools of glaring white.
With a feral scream he hurtled the mixer at Thyme's stationary figure,
who merely shrugged and stopped the object, holding it in front of him.
Because of that, he never knew what hit him.
***
Kijo stepped forward, and, with an enraged cry, swung his right arm in a
diagonal motion from upper-right to lower-left. This sent a monstrous
wave of energy at Thyme, slicing the mixer in half. This was immediately
followed by the same attack from the left arm. He followed this be
leaping into the air and jabbing downwards at his opponent. The punches
sent pistons of ki slamming into his helpless form.
He dropped Thyme on his descent with a charged-up kick to the head. As
he straddled the nearly unconscious boy's chest, he launched a rapid
assault of more super-charged strikes, finishing with a power blow that
rocked the surrounding area and left them both in the center of a wide,
shallow crater. Finally, he slumped forward, unconscious.
*Three to four seconds, tops. Amazing,* Ranma thought. Suddenly, a shout
rang out.
"Kijo! At last I have you!" The speaker was a tall, cloaked woman
standing on top of what was left of Furinkan's wall. She quickly jumped
down onto Kijo's still form, and gripped his shirt. After staring at him
for a few seconds, she began slapping him briskly across the face.
"Er, Miss?" Ranma tentatively asked.
"What?" she snapped, turning towards him.
"Um, never mind," he said quickly, backing up. He shot a questioning
look at Ryoga, who shrugged helplessly.
"Wake up, stupid, wake UP! What's the matter with you? You're not THIS
much of a weakling! WAKE UP!!" As she yelled the last part, she slapped
him hard across the face with a glowing palm. Ranma raised his eyebrows.
Kijo mumbled something and covered his face with his arms. The woman
leaned back and took a deep breath.
"WAKE UP, YOU MISERABLE BOY!!!"
"GYAAH!" Kijo shrieked, leaping backwards. He blinked, then gingerly
touched his reddened cheeks. "Who? Wha? Eh?" he stuttered, staring at
the woman.
"Don't you remember, Kijo? You couldn't have forgotten, could you?" she
said in a melodramatic tone. Everyone held their breath, wondering what
Kijo had done to anger her.
Kijo stared at her, then made gestured for her to remove her hood. She
did so, revealing a breathtaking face. She had long, flowing dark brown
hair tied up in a high ponytail. Her face showed the perfect combination
of inner softness and an iron will. Overall, an exquisite specimen of
her species.
Kijo blinked, then whispered so low that it was barely audible, "Mom?"
"...I didn't think so," she replied, wrapping her arms around him. As
everyone quietly watched the warm little reunion, Daisuke nudged
Hiroshi.
"Hey," he whispered, "isn't she..."
"Pretty hot? Yep. Especially for someone's mom," Hiroshi replied.
"...You guys are sick," Ryoga muttered.
Kijo's mother sat back, sniffled a little, then lurched forward and
grabbed Kijo fiercely, bawling. "AAAHHHH!! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU FOR
SO LONG!! I'M SO HAPPY!!!"
Kijo couldn't help but join in.
"........" was the general feeling given off by the crowd.
"Um..." Hiroshi trailed off.
"Heartwarming?" Daisuke suggested.
"Pathetic?" Hiroshi countered.
Ranma stared at the wailing duo, and his father's voice spoke in his
head. *Not very manly.* He glanced at Ryoga, who looked about ready to
cry himself. *Geez, whatta wimp.*
***
"So, tell me how you've been!" Mikiri, Kijo's mother, chirped. She sat
in his kitchen, perched on the table. He nervously looked up at her from
his chair.
"Er... fine, Mom..." he said slowly.
"Haven't been getting into trouble, have you?" she asked, wagging a
finger. At his nervous look, she laughed and said, "Well, it runs in the
family, anyway. So, tell me all about it!" She leaned forward intently.
"Um, about what?" he asked, feeling very much like a specimen. A living
one. Like one of those little lizards that looks up and sees an enormous
face peering down at it, and is frozen on the spot.
"About the trouble you're in!" she answered, as if it were obvious. At
his even more nervous look, she inquired, "What, did you kill someone?
Impregnate some girl and leave her? Rape someone?"
"NO!" he shouted quickly, looking up at her in shock. "Of course not!"
"Then, if it's not that bad, tell me!" she demanded, starting to look
irate.
"Um, just some fights," he answered evasively. Mikiri looked down at him
through half-lidded eyes.
"That's aaall...?" she asked slyly. "With who?"
"Er..." he mumbled, before he was conveniently interrupted by the wall
exploding. Both Kurakis stared through the gaping hole, at a familiar
Chinese boy...
"HA! Kuraki, I have discovered my cure! I have come to laugh in your
face!" Pen Zan announced, jabbing a finger in the air. He held an odd
looking gadget under his arms that resembled a small motor.
"...You?" Kijo inquired. He glanced nervously at Mikiri, who had an
amused expression on her face.
"Why yes, you pathetic slacker, I have been searching for a cure to what
*you* caused, and have discovered it! And I'm here to show it to you,
and let you know that NO ONE brings down the mighty Pen Zan, and keeps
him down for very long!" He smirked and held the gadget up like it was a
trophy.
"Listen, that's over, right? You beat me, it's not my fau-" Kijo said
tiredly, glancing at his ruined wall.
"WHAT?!" Mikiri shouted, flopping on her side. "You lost to him?! Why,
he doesn't look THAT tough!"
Pen shot her a glare that could kill flowers. "I just happen to be the
incarnate of invincibility, for your information!" he announced proudly.
Mikiri burst out laughing. Pen glared at her, then said, "Well, I would
beat some respect into you if you were not a fragile woma-" She
interrupted him by sending a small bolt of energy slamming into his Very
Best Friends. He responded by dramatically rolling his eyes into the
back of his head and flopping to the floor with all the grace of a dying
fish, clutching himself.
"...That was cruel," Kijo said. "Even if he is a twit."
"He's a chauvinist!" Mikiri cried, glaring down at his groaning form. "I
hate pigs!"
"Ah... ha ha... heh..." Pen chuckled weakly as he brought himself up to
a standing position. "I still have my cure." Mikiri rolled her eyes and
booted his gadget out of the house.
"AAAAUUUGGHHH!!! MY CURE!!" he shrieked, dashing off after it.
"So, he must be one of those guys you pissed off," Mikiri said
matter-of-factly.
"Umm, you might say that." Kijo scratched the back of his neck. Before
he could continue, the floor swelled upwards, followed by a burst of
energy. Mikiri stared into the settling dust cloud, while Kijo stared at
his ruined roof. Ryoga rose through the hole in the floor.
"Where could I be now?" he said ponderously, glancing around. He found
himself nose-to-nose with Mikiri. "Yah!" he cried, backing up quickly.
"That's Ryoga, a friend of mine," Kijo informed her, dropping his gaze
from his new skylight.
"Oh," Mikiri said, brightening. "That's nice. I'm Mikiri Kuraki," she
greeted, pumping Ryoga's arm.
"Umm..." Ryoga replied, embarrassed. "Kijo's mom? Hey, aren't you a
master of ki, also?" Kijo looked slightly sheepish as his mom answered.
"Kijo? He's no master! He's just a pup! I, however..." she trailed off,
placing her hand on her chest in an exaggerated manner. Ryoga leaned
forward excitedly.
"He showed us this really cool light show with his hands, and said he
learned it from you," he said, watching her intently. She smiled and
lifted a hand up. It began glowing white, and the light suddenly took
the shape of a multicolored flower. It morphed into a writhing snake
crawling along her arm, and then a dragon soaring around in small
circles. It ended in a bright flash of colors.
"Something like that?" she said, awaiting his answer eagerly. He
blinked, then a smile crept across his face.
"Awesome! Way cooler than Kijo's!" he answered, missing Kijo's wince.
"Know any more?"
"Of course, kid. But, a good magician never gives away too much at
once." She smirked at Ryoga's disappointed expression. She suddenly
glanced over at Kijo, and smiled warmly. "It's so wonderful to be around
you again..." she said in a tired, satisfied voice.
Kijo smiled too, then frowned. There was something bothering him, and he
had to voice it. "Say, Mom? How come I haven't seen you for... 10 years,
anyway?"
Mikiri's smile froze on her lips, as if it had stopped being authentic
and had been replaced by a fake one. "They couldn't hold me," she
whispered. "I was stronger than them. They couldn't keep me locked up."
Kijo's eyes widened in surprise and confusion, while Ryoga suddenly
looked extremely nervous and curious.
"Wha... What's that mean?" Kijo asked haltingly.
"We've been hunted, Kijo, for years..." Mikiri started, a tired and
far-off look in her eyes. "For revenge, and our power." She sighed, then
began her tale.
"Unparalleled control of ki has run in the family for generations. Your
grandparents have it, their parents had it, and so on. The use of it has
been kept fairly low-key; challenges, difficult tasks, and so on. The
truth is, it goes much deeper. There is a style of our art that is
devoted to its purest form: death.
"Your grandfather, on your dad's side, was a master of this dark art.
"It started when he was staying at a Chinese family's house. He was
working for them for a short time, with plans to leave soon. One night,
the family was attacked by a group of assassins. He had no idea why. He
had grown attached to them, and took their deaths personally. After
asking around, he discovered that the family had angered the Chinese
government. He took it upon himself to avenge his former employers.
"He went to the nearest governmental building, which happened to be a
research laboratory, and began slaughtering. He attacked with no mercy
until he was sure that every last person there was dead. He also
happened to notice a helicopter flying away, too late.
"He became hunted. He met each attempt on his life with full ferocity,
and destroyed his attackers every time. By this time the government must
have been thoroughly interested in his abilities, and attempted to
capture him. They tried to draw him out by capturing his son. However,
they quickly realized that the boy possessed the same power as his
father, and felt they had no need for the man. When he came to rescue
his son, he was killed by a trap they set for him.
"They raised the boy up as a lab rat, trying to discover the secret to
his power. They never did. He managed to break out years later, and has
sworn himself to destroy them. While he was there, he discovered that
the whole scheme had been operated by one branch of research, not the
entire government. Simply a corrupt man of science in charge of it all.
"They hunt all Kurakis to this day, including myself. I was captured
when you were six, and imprisoned in the strongest confinement you could
imagine. I eventually escaped, though, and found you." Mikiri finished
her story with tears dripping down her face. Kijo stared at her in
horror and amazement. Ryoga was torn between disappearing and staying to
hear the rest of the story.
"That boy..." Kijo started. "...is my father, isn't he?"
Mikiri shook her head slowly. "No, not is, was." Kijo looked at her with
wide eyes.
"He... He's de...?" Kijo sputtered, unable to finish the dread word.
Mikiri hesitated, then gave the slightest hint of a nod. Kijo stared at
the floor in disbelief, suddenly noticing the gaping hole there. He
would have to fix that, he knew. Just like he would have to fix
everything else. All the little things, like his ceiling, his wall, his
perceptions... He suddenly slumped back into his chair, trembling.
Mikiri only gazed at him softly.
Ryoga tugged in his collar nervously. The family value angst in the room
was almost overpowering. *I thought I had troubles,* he thought
bitterly. *At least my father hasn't died like a lab rat.*
Kijo sat there, silent, occasionally shivering. Then, he lifted his head
and asked, "Mom? If Grandpa had the power, and Dad did too, how did you
get it?"
Mikiri looked over at him and answered, "It's transferable. A Kuraki
with the power has the ability to transfer it to their 'partner.' This
was one of the reasons they studied us so extensively."
Kijo's eyes widened "'Partner...?' Oh, god, they didn't..." he trailed
off, staring at her in horror.
"Rape me?" Mikiri finished, and Kijo nodded, his face pale. She snorted,
relieving a massive amount of his tension. "No, they couldn't get near
me. I was kept in a small room that was strong enough to withstand
powerful explosions, but they couldn't touch me. They couldn't disable
me, tranquilize me, or wound me. It's like locking up a prisoner of war
while he still has his rifle."
"But couldn't they have injected gas through a small hole, or put
something in your food?" Ryoga asked carefully.
"The gas wouldn't work, because I could close off and destroy anything
they put near the walls, and there's a ki technique that eliminates
toxins from food. It gets rid of a lot of good vitamins, and burns the
heck out of it, but at least it's safe," Mikiri answered. Kijo looked
extremely relieved, and a little embarrassed.
"So they kept you locked up for ten years without ever even getting near
you?" Ryoga asked, raising his eyebrows. "Then it was all a big waste of
time for them."
"Pretty much," Mikiri confirmed with obvious pride.
"But wouldn't that mean..." Kijo started nervously, "... that they're
following you?"
"Aw, I lost 'em for sure," Mikiri answered, sounding quite sure of
herself. Kijo didn't feel quite as confident.
"Well, they're probably pretty persistent..." Kijo said, nervously
ringing his hands. "They wouldn't just give up..."
"Aw, we can take 'em," Mikiri announced. She flashed the victory sign,
and produced a larger glowing replica. "We're Kurakis."
End Chapter 5
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