Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ In Darkness In Fire ❯ Blood's Remembrance ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: xzero

The ages came and went, and with them, history faded to legend, in turn legend faded to myth, until even myth was gone, fairytales told to frighten children into their beds. Eons pass, and only blood remembers...

In Darkness, In Fire

By: X-Zero

Disclaimer: I own nothing... This was all Paul's idea...

Chapter 1 - Blood's remembrance

The sun shone just barely over the horizon, false dawn fleeing before the rising of the sun. Clouds hung sparsely in the sky above Nerima, their presence seemingly permanent, threatening to pour their liquid burden upon the earth at any time. The sun had just risen to greet the world, but the Tendo household was already rousing. Tendo Kasumi stood in the kitchen, watching the Saotome men spar. The two were trading blows mercilessly, but her practiced eye could see the younger holding back. He'd been doing that recently, asking her to sew the heavy materials into his clothing, training during the night, when she was cleaning and the others slept. Her worried expression went entirely unnoticed, even during the fights with his rivals, everything since Saffron to him had seemed unimportant. "What are you up to Ranma?"

Ranma Saotome was often considered to be an unintelligent youth whose only skill was martial arts. This was close to the truth, but at the same time, far from it. His mind was sharp, and his skills had branched outward since the beginning of his training trip as a child, he had found that the more he learned no matter what it was, brought him closer to his goals as a martial artist. "Gotta be the best." A motto he had lived by since his early childhood, a motto that had seen him through good and bad times, bad being more common than anything else. Currently he was training with his father, a word that the larger man could barely be considered by most standards. Despite this though, his father was the only person to be through everything with him. He was not just a gluttonous thief, he had raised Ranma as best he could, making mistakes much harsher than other parent's mistakes, but then, other parents hadn't lived under Happosai. He smiled broadly as he ducked under a vicious asp hand aimed at his sternum. "C'mon pop, let's take it up another notch." He half shouted as his father nodded, a proud smile coating his blunt features.

Genma marveled at the stamina and strength his son was displaying, proud of the intensity and joviality found in his son's spirit, they had been through tough times together, but were ultimately happy with the way things were. They had survived their trip, and both had learned things others could only dream of. They had faced the odds as they came, and suffered ultimately, a wince of pain crossed his face as his son took a blow at the chest and was submerged beneath the pond waters. He knew what he would find when he surfaced, he'd face off against his son again, but this time, he'd be fighting a red haired daughter rather than raven haired son. "I'm sorry boy." He whispered as he waited for the attack. "Moko Takabisha!" A ki blast shot out of the water, and lit the immediate area as if bringing the sun with its arrival. The buxom redhead emerged from the waters with a powerful leap as expected, water trailing down from her clothing in the morning light. "Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken" Was the whispered warning she gave as her arms blurred and struck at her father's torso, impacts dancing across his chest and forearms, catching his guard.

Nabiki woke as usual to the din of combat outside, her eyes refusing yet to open she lay in bed, growling about the sun, men with nothing better to do than brain each other, and life amongst the day beings in general. Her mind gradually returned, but even as it did so, her eyes still refused to open, sleep having stuck them shut, and the pain even a crack brought was only encouragement toward further rest. "Damnit." She muttered quietly under her breath, sluggishly rising to her feet. Stiff movement took her sluggishly to the bath, and only Kasumi's thoughtful actions had it ready for her after she had rinsed, the practiced motions taking nearly no effort as her mind started itself into more sensical patterns. The middle Tendo daughter sank into the blissfully hot waters of the furo and went about the final step of waking up, making up a list of things to do, people to talk to, plans for money-making operations of the day. Her factors would keep things running even if she wasn't there, but they would not blossom unless she took active part.

The Tendo patriarch had risen before the dawn, just as his old training partner and his son had, but his early waking was not for training, was not for chores, or unwelcome, but instead it was a ritual he had started shortly after the death of his wife, bless her soul. He was kneeled in prayer, asking guidance and strength. The near death of his daughter had shaken the man. The feebleness that Kimiko's death had brought upon him was creeping away, being replaced with a slow rising pillar of stability, he knew that he must be strong, he had remained idle and grieving for far too long. Instead of weeping at his departed spouse's shrine as he would have, he was instead asking forgiveness for his weakness. Finished with his prayers, the man rose smoothly to his feet, and donned his clothing, the usual dark brown gi, belted across the waist by a rough black cloth belt. "Let us begin the day, and seek strength where we have been weak, let us find the light where only darkness has been for far too many years.

The heavy footfalls and shallow breaths helped to clear her mind, and the tingling of her jaw from both the cold and pace of breath was soothing in an exhilarating way. She pondered her situation, and found that as much as she hated the engagement for being not her choice, she had come to care for her pigtailed fiancÃ©e. Akane Tendo was out this morning jogging, spending her time of peace thinking, something most would find odd. Her face was not a mask of rage, but instead, peaceful. She recalled times when Ranma had helped her, and never once asked for a thank you. Sure, he was rough around the edges, but given his upbringing she could forgive that. He is such a jerk sometimes, she reminded herself, but immediately change that, knowing that all he did was voice his thoughts in the only manner he had been taught. Her mind was firm though, marrying him was not what she wished for her future, she hated doing it, but showing affection for the roguishly handsome young martial artist was out of the question, anything of the kind would only cause her grief. He feared losing her dreams to an early marriage. Saffron had made that blatantly clear to her, made the fact that she could never love him like that very clear indeed. His life was devoted entirely to the pursuit of martial mastery, she, however, wished to act, to see the world, and not out of a backpack. She trained herself because she did love the art, but did not have the drive to study it as completely as Ranma or Ryouga.

Her route was nearly done, she realized as she was drawn back into reality by a passing vehicle, and saw the rear gate to her home. She dreaded her entrance; she knew what the day would bring. It went without saying that she slowed, and took deep breaths, calming herself, and donning the mask she wore. She prepared herself for a day filled with needless violence toward someone she had realized cared for her. But she saw the same as he must have, that they couldn't live together as man and wife, kami, she hoped he had. Taking another deep breath she pushed through the gate, and silently took in the sparring between father and son, which was, as it had been since the return from China, and since the failed wedding. Their usual morning spar was nothing like this, she could see from what she knew that both were utilizing ki. Genma emitted a deep hunter-green aura, which trailed after his limbs as the lashed at his son, while the other struck with a beautiful sapphire. His aura, different from his father's did not trail, rather, it was a constant, his speed amazing, the crimson silk of his tang blurring into bolts of color within the aura. Finally, she managed to completely gather her wits, and stepped into the yard, the gate clicking closed behind her.

Ranma decided that sparring was finished for now, and nodded to his father, the older man taking the cue to remove all stops from his attacks. The two Saotome men became mere blurs to the eye, nothing more than their clashing fists and feet to tell where they were, the deep hunter and the rich sapphire lit the morning sky above the Tendo grounds, clashing over and over, auras intermingling in places, pushing against each other in others. The two men met over and over, brutal punches, kicks, and grappling maneuvers traded in rapid succession. "Time to finish things for now pop." Ranma said, and the rich color of his aura deepened, as more and more energy pumped into his body, infused every cell until his body sang the hymn of battle. Ecstasy was not enough to describe what he felt, but he would not shame himself to try, this was the ultimate, nothing compared to this. "Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken revised: Moko Tosshin!" He yelled as he flung himself at his father, his fierce smile never wavering as he struck at his parent.

Genma too, intensified his attack, "Genma Kakekomi!" Needless to say the younger man was unsurprised that his father had adapted the chestnut fist, but was surprised by the incredible speed that his father had managed, his size belied a great deal many things about him, such as his razor wit, and catlike reflexes. They traded blows for nearly a minute, before each landed a solid blow in a hit-trade, the incredible force throwing both back to opposing edges of the koi pond. "Moko Takabisha!" "Genma Tama!" Brilliant gold met deep violet, and struggled against one another before slowly the aurulent sphere managed to overcome its violaceous counterpart, rocketing toward the elder combatant. It was greatly diminished from the extended struggle, but struck Genma solidly, knocking him back and down. The aura's surrounding them faded, and they relaxed, both panting heavily, sweat that had until now been invisible shown on glistening heads.

"Great workout pop." Ranma breathed to his father, who reclined in the grass, hands supporting him as he greedily gulped air, "Good job boy, you make me proud." He admitted his voice high enough that Ranma heard him. The Saotome patriarch sank down onto his back, eyes closed and tired, waiting patiently for his breath, and more importantly, for breakfast to be ready.

To say that Akane was shocked would be gross understatement, her mind boggled at the display of strength, the Saotome men rarely let their sparring go past anything more than a morning workout, then again, Ranma had been training more and more intensely recently. "Ranma..." She whispered with a touch of awe. Most of his battle with Saffron was a hazy blur, flames and death having taken from her the majority of memory, the doctors she had seen since had stated that she must be blocking her memory of a traumatic experience. She knew better, as did they all, you cannot remember what you were not truly alive to experience. Ranma had freely admitted that her intervention had saved him and given him strength at times during that battle. It was one thing to know that someone had defeated a god in combat, it was another to witness this strength brought to bare. She shrugged herself out of her thoughts, not wanting to be seen taking notice that would do no one any good, but could not shake the feeling of being watched. Her gaze scanned across the skyline surrounding the Tendo complex instinctively, but found nothing. Putting both Ranma's seriousness and her weird feeling aside, she continued into the house, it was only then that she noticed that she had been watching them spar for several minutes, and she would not have time to bathe as she saw Kasumi pad lightly out of the kitchen, carrying the tray full of breakfast foods.

"Breakfast is ready Akane; please tell Uncle Saotome and Ranma." The mellow tones of Kasumi's voice broke her again from unbidden thoughts. Numbly she nodded to her older sister, pangs of jealousy at the woman's feminine grace and domestic skill tainting her mind momentarily, banished long before they could grow into the tirade she would have allowed had it been Ranma. Her light footsteps carried her to the sliding door that led to the backyard, "Uncle, Ranma, breakfast." She called to them halfheartedly. She could only force herself to look away when Ranma glanced at her questioningly, an unspoken question passing between them. She could see him wonder if she was alright. He knew her well, and could tell at times things about her that she didn't know about herself. "Hurry up baka, or you'll miss breakfast." She growled at him, having watched as the tired master dashed toward the heavy wooden table, seating himself quickly on the tatami. She turned to reenter when she felt a hand fall on her shoulder, the others all too preoccupied with getting food to bother noticing what was to pass between the younger of the two houses represented. "You alright Akane? You look like something's bothering you." Ranma's eyes were, at that moment, the color of a clear day, endless and deep blue; she felt in that instant that she could drown in them. She blinked away the spell that his eyes had captured her in for a moment, and then, just as quickly, a false smile that she had perfected for the world around her was in place, a mask almost equal to Kasumi's. "Of course, let's get some breakfast." She strode quick and calm to the table taking her usual seat, just as Ranma sank bonelessly into his own place, quickly gathering food to refill the wear on his energy reserves that this morning's match had taken from him.

Breakfast had proceeded quickly and relatively silently, Ranma had of course, decided to remain quiet through then meal, choosing instead to think on the strange feeling of something on the horizon, something important. "Ranma, would you like some more rice?" Kasumi's gentle tone and smile lightened his mood, but nothing would take from him that heavy feeling that lingered in the air. "No, no thank you Kasumi." He said, throwing to bear his usual lopsided grin. "I think I'm gonna visit Mom today." He worded offhandedly, "She said that she wanted to spend some time with me, and I have nothing else to do today." His nonchalant manner took most of the family off guard; Nabiki merely raised an eyebrow questioningly, while Kasumi merely beamed that smile that could light any man's day with its honest gentle nature. "What gives Saotome? Usually, you take any opportunity to avoid going there." Nabiki would try to find his ulterior motive, find it from anyone, even if there was none to be found, especially, if there was no other reason than the one provided. "No reason in particular, I just want to spend some time with my mother, is there a law against it?" He asked almost acidically of the bowl-haired brunette, his caustic glance causing her own to waiver slightly. "That's wonderful Ranma, were you going alone?" Kasumi implied something, but Ranma couldn't find a meaning, and wasn't sure there was one in the first place. Too much time spent in company with Nabiki, he supposed. "Yeah, I don't get much alone time with her, and it would be nice to spend some quality time with her." He explained, making it fact that he was indeed going to see his mother, alone, and no one would change this.

"Say hello for all of us, will you?" The eldest Tendo girl said punctuating it further that no one else would be joining him. "Sure." Was the casual response, as he rose fluidly to his feet. "I'm heading out now." Was all that he said, before leaving silently. Little else to say, but that he was gone, leapt over the fence and running across the rooftops, enjoying the feel of wind whipping across his face as he dashed carefree toward his destination.

Saotome Nodoka wiped away a band of sweat across her brow, her family sword held tight in her hands, this pause in her training was merely to take a breath, before she began a new set, these motions were blindingly quick, and her overall performance was awe inspiring, it was as such that Ranma found his mother, training intensely, power surpassing even his own. "Damn mom, why did you let Pop's train me if you were the strong one?" He asked playfully as she finished a kata that he had been watching for at least fifteen minutes, one that didn't look to have just started.

"Because son, you are your father's heir before being my own, besides, anything goes will compliment your arms training wonderfully." She stated matter-of-factly, sheathing her katana and granting him a serene smile. "So, you decided to take me up on my offer Ranma?" She stated more than asked, using a towel to wipe the light sheen of sweat from her brow.

"Yeah, I know the basics of most weapon styles, but I never really got into them because, well, once you're disarmed as a weapon user, you're screwed." He said, quickly realizing his mistake and covering his mouth, looking at the auburn haired woman abashed. "It's perfectly alright son, but please realize, that learning a weapon doesn't mean you are reliant solely on it, I am a good fighter without my sword, but with it, I am stronger. Losing my sword only removes it from the equation, not me entirely. Think of it this way, if you learn to use a weapon, you have an extra tool in combat, and know better how to deal with someone using a weapon." Her curt explanation awed him, and he knew it to be true. "You're right mom; I never saw it before... I just don't want to give my opponents a weakness to exploit, and pops, well; you know his opinion on weapon users." Ranma sighed, disappointed in himself for not having seen past his tainted opinion earlier. "Can we start, I don't think I'll have too long before someone follows me." Nodoka nodded, and directed him to take a seat in the middle of the dojo, sitting opposite him. "First son, we must ascertain your ability, our family style is dependent on both the mental state and ki ability of the blade wielder. Release your aura, and raise it to its limits." She stated, her eyes closed and her breathing evened out as she grasped her centered. The sudden appearance of Ranma's almost overwhelming aura shocked her, she had heard of her son's travels and enemies, but had always thought them exaggerated, only now could she truly believe Saffron's claim's true, her son truly did possess immeasurable power, as much if not more so than her own. Recovering herself, she began the probing that she had been taught, began searching throughout his aura, looking for the components to unlock his strength, and then teach him how to do so. Her family's scrolls detailed the training, and how it would vary once in the advanced stages, no two students could ever be exactly alike, and so, the concept of training was immensely up to the teacher.

She searched within his aura for what seemed like hours, mapping the emotional roller coaster that was her son's soul, and within this lay his deepest secrets, things buried within the core parts of a person's aura could tell you a great deal about them from early in life. Once she found his deeper ki regions she was once again shocked, a great darkness lie there. A spectral shape formed within her mind as she concentrated on this darkness, that of a small feline. "What is that?" The auburn haired swordswoman whispered to herself, struggling to maintain control as the image of a housecat, which had grown from domestic sized housecat, to an aberration, its form was greatly similar to a tiger, but distorted, as if it was built of conflicting emotions. Whatever it was, every time she poked it, Ranma whimpered, flinching despite his intense focus. He truly did have remarkable energy control, but so much of his energy went wasted constructing an emotional filter, did he not realize that he was limiting his strength using such a technique? No matter, she said to herself, dismissing the topic to continue her scan. Finally, reaching the core of his aura, the center where she could feel control being focused from, she found something that she could not believe, the ki here was immense, like something she had felt , but it was as if he were unaware of it, unaware of this power that lie dormant. It was the same power that she felt in her father, and in her grandfather.

To Be Continuedâ€¦

A/N: This was shorter than I thought it would be, but I believe that ending the chapter here, and continuing in the next chapter which will begin his training in his motherâ€™s style, as well as the introduction of the SM elements. As is common with my story, I will now provide you with the Technique Translation.

Technique Translations:

Genma Kakekomi: Dark Horse Stampede. This is Genmaâ€™s adaptation of the Chestnut Fist.

Genma Tama: Dark Horse Shot. This is a ki attack similar in construction to Ranmaâ€™s own, though his greater study of the arts have given him an insight into emotional ki, he restrains, waiting for Ranma to ask him.

Moko Tosshin: Fierce Tiger Charge. This is a more powerful version of the amaguriken, as the original was insufficient, it is a new creation by Ranma, with mild assistance from Happousai and Cologne (unwittingly).