Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Prayer ❯ Belonging ( Chapter 7 )

And he walked away, leaving behind friends who had, in the time he was with them, become as brothers, maybe one day he'd return, to visit with the men of this place.

Dark Prayer

By:X-Zero

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and whoever produces it, Street Fighter, Sakura, Chun-Li, M. Bison, and Colonel Guile all belong to Capcom and their affiliates

Chapter 7- Belonging

Traveling the country, even on foot as the young man was doing, was costly. The pigtailed young man had spent a great deal of his money on a few investment tips that he'd gotten from a conversation Nabiki had been having with one of her flunkies, that investment was holding steady and would hopefully rise in value. He would need that money to produce more if he was going to start a new life. He'd long ago sworn to never be like his father, and felt that learning the things he believed could be useful given his unique talent for property damage would also benefit him with a job if he ever ran out of money and was in need of it. This had led him to Kyoto, where the construction workers of Nerima had learned their craft. The speed, and skill of these workers were boasted to be the best in their industry and had easily drawn the pigtailed warrior's attention.

The building was nothing special, a sparsely furnished and simple place of brick and mortar consisting of a partially constructed building standing three stories above the single floored main building. "Excuse me, is this the Kyoto Construction Union?" The young pigtailed man asked meekly, knowing that he was a novice to them, in their trade at least. The only other one in the reception area was a tall, barrel chested man who looked to be in his late fourties, with arms like logs and legs lean and sturdy. "Yeah, you got the right place kid, what can I do for ya?" He asked raising a brow to look the younger man over. Funny, he couldn't possible want to learn the trade, could he? He thought to himself while appraising Ranma. "I was looking for someone who could tell me where I applied for apprenticeship, I used to live in Nerima and plan on moving back there." He hoped that that explanation would prove enough here. Even if it was a bad reputation, most people understood and accepted the explanation that one was a resident of Japan's second most crazy city. He didn't want to go into detail about his life, nor his reason for being so far from home. "Sure, I can help ya, my name's Ichiro Kino, but everybody calls me Tou. I'm one of the guys to talk to about gettin' set up as an apprentice. You got any problems with workin' long hours in the sun?" He asked, his opinion of the young man's stature starting to show. "I'm Ranma, and no, it can't be anywhere near as hard as some of the stuff I've done in the past." He said, thinking all the while, yeah, like pulling chestnuts out of a fire quickly enough to avoid being burnt, crashing through buildings via punch propulsion, or shooting ki blasts would count as hard compared to learning to build things.

'Tou' nodded a moment while pursing his lips before stopping suddenly and smiling, "Alright kid, show up out back at 6am tomorrow." He spoke, deep baritone voice holding a slight chuckle in its tone. "Alright, see ya than." Ranma headed off, grinning. When this began
I had nothing to say
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me

"Alright, let's see, I should get something to eat, and... oof." He'd bumped into a young woman, who similarly was lost in thought, to the point of not watching the sidewalk ahead. "Oh, hey, watch where you're going!" The young woman screamed, looking up at the form of Ranma, and very suddenly began began appraising him, as a fighter might. Ranma, keeping his cool as best he could in light of the situation calmly reached a hand out to the young woman, who he noted had short brown hair that gave her a tomboyish look, oddly, she wore a blue and white school fuku, her brown eyes showed innocence that belied her experience which was easily read in her aura. Her arms fell to the sides loosely and at the ready, hands in half fists that were covered by orange knuckle-studded gloves which suited her, and a pair of orange high top sneakers. She accepted his proffered arm and was quickly on her feet. "Sorry about that, guess I was too hungry to notice where I was going. Say, how about I buy you lunch as an apology." He knew that he'd been in the wrong, or at least thought he was, and so he wanted to make amends. With some luck, getting a friend out of the deal couldn't hurt things. "I'm Ranma by the way." He said with a slight smile, gesturing to the cafe a few yards away, the place in fact, that he was headed.

Sakura's anger was quickly derailed, she could feel his aura and wanted a good fight, and to do that, she'd need to eat, as she hadn't eaten in a while. Looking for her sempai was tiresome, and hungry work, she'd take the time to get a quick meal, not like she had anywhere to be. "Sure, I have time for that. I have to get back to finding this guy I know afterward though." She blushed slightly as she thought of exactly who the 'guy' she knew was. "Let's go than."

They had been seated and had ordered when the the curious strength to the girls aura, "You wouldn't happen to be a martial artist, would you?" He asked tentatively, not wanting to anger her if she was, reading someones aura might be considered an invasion of privacy. Her expression to his surprise wasn't an angry one, she instead grew a large grin on her features, "Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to have a match. But I was too hungry to fight before I ate." She blushed and lowered her head sheepishly. I was confused

The food arrived a moment later and they quickly devoured their meals, Ranma getting himself alot of ramen and Sakura mimicking his order. In short order they had demolished the titanic supply of food. Ranma paid the bill with a wallet that looked to have seen better days. "So, you wanna have that match now? And I let it all out to find, That I'm
Not the only person with these things in mind

That led them here, to a vacant lot on the edge of the city, the area surrounded in debris from a destroyed building, the chunks of construction material strewn about, but perhaps by serendipity an area of 20 meters was left level and uncracked, the foundation of the building maintained for future use, and strangely clear of all but a thin layer of dust. Sakura and Ranma now stood near face to face, right arms crossing at the wrist. The fierce determination in the pair of eyes was strangely similar, and one could swear they were siblings. A single pebble rolled down the large mound of rubble.

"Yahh!" Sakura dashed in at the unspoken signal and delivered an opening straight, low kick, spinning ax combo. Her opponent was fast, and ducked around her strikes easily, letting her know she'd need to up the ante before she'd see his real strength. She continued her assault, missing narrowly, and on the occasion she did connect, he'd block and counter her moves with a throw. She'd started to pick up speed and with it the strength her momentum based style could produce, her blows flowed evenly and with strength at times blurring together as the misses were redirected into kicks of extreme strength. With every miss or blocked blow she'd increase strength, and soon she glowed with the supernatural blue light that her inner energies created as they swirled around her fists and feet. The momentum base become a background to the rapid barrage of punches and kicks of all variety. Finally, she decided to hold nothing back, and began unleashing a fatal series of ki attacks, short range blasts swirling to life only to be lobbed without care at her opponent.

Throughout the match Ranma couldn't help but marvel at how her fighting style was unlike any other he'd come accross, she appeared to have taught herself everything, every move was designed to flow evenly into another to create and endless torrent of fists and feet. She reminded him of himself, a few years ago, and how very impulsively he fought, each of her moves was a make or break attack. Everything she had she poured forth at him, this was her entire spirit. She fought like he had once done, without a care for anything other than the battle she was in. He wished he could still fight as she did, but with the overeager demons he kept within him, he could not risk the excitement of battle, lest he lose control. Inside of me

Thunderous damage echoed out into the fading light around, he and his opponent devastating their surroundings. "This is fun, but now it's time to end it." They had remained on even levels the entire fight, with Sakura elevating her power and prompting Ranma to do the same, but now, with a short burst of power he had rushed in laying into the younger girl with a savagery that seemed to be cruel. His grin that matched her own the only detail saving this from being a murderous act. Sakura's face contorted momentarily in pained concentration as she fought the darkness that had encroached her vision, but with her strength fading, she lost conciousness. Ranma looked up to the sky he'd exhausted a great deal of energy and realized with a bit of awe at the girl, this fight had lasted somewhere near two or three hours, she was strong. The pigtailed fighter followed the shorthaired girl to the land of dreams shortly after, his endurance having been taxed to poverty through their long going match.

Birds... she could hear birds, but, but why would birds be in her room, and right next to her no less. Curiosity aching to be sated she cracked an eye, immediately recanting that decision as daylight thrust into her retina. She winced as the soreness from what she recalled as a sparring match between her and that guy, Ranma. Her eyes widened, despite the slight pain of sun in her eyes, "What?" Her thought interupted as she noticed to her displeasure that she was laying on concrete. "What's going on?" She wondered aloud, and to even greater surprise, she received an answer. "I won."

Ranma had woke almost an hour and a half ago, and had guaged the sun or rather the lack thereof, realizing that he had a couple of hours until he was to be at the union house. He'd gone about making sure that all of his stuff was still there and checking the girls injuries, making sure that his excitement during their match hadn't broken anything. He'd found the obvious bruising, and in some places thin red slices, like she had been clawed by a cat. This worried him, as he couldn't remember exactly those last few moments. That bothered him, when he had gotten tired he felt himself shift, it was like watching reality change before his eyes. Of what he remembered was something supressing him, pushing his thoughts down. "I ain't bein' anyone but me." He recited his promise to himself and sat beginning his meditation. The power he felt coursing through him was still being partially governed by the being that claimed to be who he was in another life. He dove deep into his own mind, pushing past the natural barrier, and into his very soul. He concentrated hard and found what he was looking for. The familiar energy pattern of the other man in himself, the one he assumed pushed through partially in battle. "Reiko, show yourself!" He announced angrily. But all the vacancy the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel

Reiko Metsuretsu awoke from the pseudo sleep that he had while trapped half alive by fate, though he hated to call it that. It wasn't fate was it? It couldn't have been, fate doesn't involve what you want. This was something much crueler, he hadn't had the power to finish what he had started, and so, the temporary solution was obvious. He had needed to die to seal away that darkness, and die he had, in a spectacular battle that shook the world, one that had seen an entire island sunk beneath the waves. But now that time had passed and it was up to this youth to finish what he could not. His thoughts were interupted as the voice of his successor to his strength rang clearly throughout the sort of dreamscape he inhabited.

"You called for me?" He responded curtly, his voice oddly hollow, as if something were bothering him, but what could bother he, a dead man, Ranma would wonder. "What the hell was it that you did to me? Why did I start to lose control during that fight?" Ranma pleaded for the answer, even though his voice held nothing but outrage. He could feel his own insecurities about losing control as he had before, during the sparring match with master Sho. He cringed at the thought, and depression leaked into his aura, visible as day to this grandmaster. Reiko shared his pain in the fact that it was a part of his soul that had struck out at the blind master. "That Ranma was the manifestation of the Neko Ken, within our soul, I fear that with my becoming aware here, so too has that beast. The supressing effect of the bracers is holding it mostly at bay, but I fear that the demon that fuels that dreaded technique will continue to grow in strength if we do not find some way to exercise it. For now you must continue to grow stronger, and gain mastery over your strength, or we will be consumed by ourselves. I am truly sorry, and can only hope that in time I will fade, and leave your mind, ending my current existence, and return to you yourself."

Reiko turned around within the dreamscape and left Ranma to his thoughts, but as soon as the man was gone he could hear the voice of Sakura, her scream was enough to pull him back. The tunnel like effect of a man rushing to retake the helm of his body was odd, but Ranma was far from unused to the feeling.

He reached the world around him just in time to make out a question from the brown haired girl's lips. "What's going on?" She mused quietly now, and apparently did not expect an answer, as upon hearing the grinning reply, "I won." She jumped, her entire body heaving itself backward, than upward, backward roll handspring. She landed in a defensive stance and began charging her energies, though she released the buildup upon seeing a smiling pigtailed man. "Ranma?" She asked, hoping to god that a challenge such as he would not be a dream, that she hadn't had the horrible luck to have imagined this all. Upon his nod her wary look turned to a broad smile. "Will you teach me?" She asked him bluntly, causing him to narrowly avoid kissing the concrete. Nothing to lose
Just stuck...Hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
And the fault is my own

"Um, while I would normally, right now I have matters that take precedence. Now, you could train with me while I'm here in Kyoto, but I simply don't have the time necessary to train you properly." He responded with a 'we regret to inform you' tone in his voice, remaining clinical, despite the growing fear within him that the NekoKen, a technique, no, a torture visited on him by his father, would indeed consume him, his dreams of the pit had returned, and now he had only one choice, gain mastery, or death. Nothing else was an option to him now, he could only do those two things. His refusal to be a danger to innocents was too great, he wouldn't want to accidentally hurt someone he loved because he lost control of that demon. He returned again from his introspection to see Sakura looking at him with a slight frown, which transformed into a smile quickly. "I suppose that's okay."

Ranma reached the union with just a few minutes to spare, he and Sakura parting ways after a quick breakfast. "Tou? You here?" He asked as he moved into the back area of the building, as he had been instructed the previous day. "Hello?" He called out through what, to him, appeared to be a completely deserted building. He was surprised a moment later when the giant frame of Tou appeared in the doorway. "You were early, eh? Well, put these on and meet me outside." He casually tossed the young man a toolbelt, coveralls, and a hardhat. "You'll need that. Oh, and here." He walked the few feet between them, handing the young a book. "These are the basic measurements and whatnot, mostly stuff you learned in school, but skim through that, make sure ya got everything down." The much larger man turned and left than, heading off down into the practical application area of the instruction area.

It was these times, when Ranma sat alone in study, or in preparation of something that would later have a great deal of effect on his future, that he reflected upon his life. He could remember the loneliness of his training trips, and somehow, each time he sat in solitude, these memories would return to haunt him, leaving him feeling hopeless, but lately, they hadn't, they could only enforce his decision to leave that worthless and pitiful existence.

Nabiki was right, thank god I actually listened, too bad she had to blackmail me to do it. He smiled at that thought, instead of the expression most would have when thinking of blackmail. He'd learned some time ago that everything Nabiki had ever done had been to support her family, and from what he could tell, eventually that took to mean him as well. He'd become a decently shrewd businessman when it was needed, and as the saying goes, 'forewarned is forearmed.' He browsed quickly through the book, picking up a few things he'd need, such as the names and uses for the tools that he saw in his belt, and the uses of the different types of lumber, and other building materials he'd need. He noticed that most of these things were simple, but that he'd need to memorize the portion of the book that listed the building codes for the country, those where bound to have some importance.

Half hour later the pigtailed young man entered the construction zone, where the journeymen would teach their apprentices the different things they'd need to become licensed contractors. Throughout the two and a half hours he spent in the 'class' he'd kept his attention sharply focused on Tou, the large man showing him the way to do things, and after a couple demonstrations expecting him to be able to repeat it. The first few times he'd failed to even grasp the simplest concept, measuring and marking. A few months later though, the same young man was spot marking, a talent that had taken Tou many years to perfect.

These classes lasted for nearly two months before something happened, during the time Ranma had grown closer to Sakura, finally glad to meet another person who didn't look at him as a trophy, a commodity to be passed around. Before they knew it, the Street Fighter tournament had crossed into Japan again, and as it did news of something terrible came to the young warriors. I want to heal
I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long

End Intermission

"B-bison?" Sakura stuttered as the chinese woman and she circled one another, both with tired expressions. "Yes he's coming here, it seems that he survived, like the roach he is." She stated, several kicks launched from the elder woman, striking at first a solid block which flashed blue as a small aura flare stabbed into the older woman's leg, but further met nothing but air nothing but air, as Sakura leapt over the blows, right leg searching for the top of her adversaries head. Her foot found purpose momentarily as she used the woman in blue's head as a spring board of sorts, launching herself further into the air. "Shinku Hadoken!" She screamed, loosing the quickly gathered energy burst. It flared out from her palms and caught her opponent by surprise at the speed which she had gathered the large attack, and catching her off guard enough for her to lose the match. Chun-Li sank into unconsciousness seconds after the blast subsided. Sakura landed and assumed a victory pose, before she herself fell into the abyss of subconscious, exhausted from her match with the more experienced fighter.

Hours later both world warriors rose from a resting place that was much too soft for the ground both knew they had lapsed into the dark on. "Wha, where am I?" The two women spoke in unisen, each taking a moment to account for themselves, and each finding that they were well bandaged and only suffering from a lack of energy. They were tired, and thus needed food to replenish their energy stores. Sakura lifted her head to look around the room, and saw that it was nought but an empty room with a pair of futons and a pack in the corner, a sword resting against both pack and wall. She heard what sounded to be a guitar coming from outside, slowly, as the snails pace she moved at was the most she could manage she wandered toward the window, to look outside. She saw nothing, but now knew that the sound was coming from up, as she turned her head roofward she noted the familiar stiff boot hanging from the roof's overhang. "Ranma?" She called weakly, her breathing coming in gasps. She berated herself for being so weak, but right now, she couldn't think about that, because, she realized all too quickly that she'd leaned out too far. Her normal supernatural strength was gone, replaced by the frail frame of an exhausted teenage girl. She couldn't even scream, she knew she'd not last long afterthis incorrect fall, and without hjer usual reserves she didn't have enough to stregthen herself enough to endure. But suddenly she felt the security of Ranma's arms holding her, dispelling the tightness of her chest. Erase all the pain 'til it's gone
I want to heal
I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I Belong

The pigtailed man had found Sakura and Chun-Li unconscious in what had become his and her training grounds, where they sparred with one another, and where Ranma would meditate, and gain greater control by wrapping himself in his aura, practicing the techniques that he had the basics for. "What the hell's with you and fighting anyway?" He had asked the unconscious girl, even as he'd lifted her and her chinese companion. He'd checked their injuries and bandaged them, laying them down on his futon and spare bedroll. The pigtailed martial artist grabbed his guitar from the case beside his pack, and climbed out the window, swiftly leaping to the roof. He started playing the six-string and humming to himself as time went on, he felt the time pass, and watched as the sun crossed the sky and sunk beneath the horizon. His hyper-senses felt Sakura and Chun-Li wake, but only Sakura moved she stumbled to the window, as he would've, if he'd woken up in an usual place and weak as... a mouse, definitely not a kitten. (ripped from somewhere, not sure where, it just sounds too good to pass up) When he looked down to see her falling he abandoned the song, which most would recognize as Green Day's "Time of Your Life." He swung around to the underside of the overhang, pushing off and using his ki to increase his weight dramatically. Even swifter still he caught up with her, but only as he was flipping over to land. He landed and immediately crouched, cushioning the fall. "You ok, Sakura?" He asked, the concern written in bold marker accross his face. The younger girl nodded, and could not maintain her strength any longer, and embraced the darkness of sleep.

When Ranma returned to the room he'd laid her and the other woman in, he noticed that she was now sitting up, looking very distressed. "What's wrong?" He asked, "I'm Ranma by the way, brought you and Sakura here inside when I went to the demo zone for some training and saw you two knocked out." He said, laying Sakura back into his futon, and reaching over his back to grab his guitar, which was set into its case seconds later.

Chun-Li had tiredly witnessed her fellow street-fighter's plummet out the window, she hadn't known if there was a long drop from the thing, but when the younger girl fell out, she felt her heart jump up into her throat, worry overwhelming the Chinese woman. "Sakura!" She gasped, and then again gasping out a barely breathed, "What the?" As she saw a blur drop accross the moonlit sill. She heard the scream end and feared the worst but realized only moments later that she hadn't heard the meaty thud that usually accompanies a hard fall. She was confused for the few moments, and wanted dearly to rise to aid her friend, but her aching muscles wouldn't respond, and the lifelessness in her legs was a further blow. Have I been paralyzed? What's going on with my legs? She continued to think, and watched through the window unblinkingly, until the door opened, and she felt the power flowing off him, a man of about six foot, shadowed by the halo of the silver moonlight. His face was undiscernable with the way the shadows cast about him, but the tender way he carried Sakura's prone form convinced her of her safety. As he lay her down he turn to her, "What's wrong?" She blushed as she noticed that she had been staring at him. He went on to explain where she was, and near the end she had figured out what to say, she realized that after having underestimated Sakura, she'd not be in shape to fight Bison, especially if her legs truly were paralyzed. "Wh-what's wrong with my legs?" She asked in a near panic. She near immediately was relieved at his response, "Oh, that? Your leg was broken, so I paralyzed them so you wouldn't turn in your sleep and aggravate it. Sorry if I scared ya, thought I'd take you to a hospital or something after you woke up. It'd be kinda hard to explain that you two were unconscious after a street fight. You are one of those Street Fighters that Sakura was talking about, right?" And I've got nothing to say
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face
I was confused
Looking everywhere/Only to fin that it's
Not the way I had imagined it all in my mind
So what am I

"Oh, yes, yes I am. My name is Chun-Li by the way. Wait, broken leg? Oh, oh god no. Bison, he, he's coming and there's no one left, Ryu..." She faded off, silent sobs at what she imagined may happen to her, fear that the insane drug-lord, and powermad general(I never knew what was up with Bison's military-esque outfit was about.) might have in store for the currently incapacitated world warriors, or what might happen to him. Another racking bout of sobs escaped her, causing Ranma to stop off in his motions for a chair. He moved cautiously toward the the weeping woman, kneeling to sit at her level. "Who's Bison? What's he gonna do here? And what would he want with you?" He asked concernedly, only adding, "And what's wrong with this Ryu guy?" Chun-Li spilled her heart, the weight of the upcoming troubles weighing greatly on her. She cried and spoke for nearly the entire night before falling into a fitful slumber. What do I have but negativity
'Cause I can't justify the
Way everyone is looking at me
Nothing to lose
Nothing to gain/Hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
The fault is my own

Ranma walked to the edge of the room and gathered up his guitar, and MP3 player and jumping to the roof. He lost himself in his music playing tirelessly for hours, only deciding finally what he would do as the dawn broke over the horizon. This Bison, he was apparently a madman without regard for human life. A monster who preyed on those who rotted their bodies to arm his criminal soldiers. "Bison has to go, but how can I do it, if he can control a fighter of this Ryu guy's caliber?" He wondered to himself as he prepared himself mentally for his upcoming trial. I suppose this is one of those Saffron moments, where I must hold nothing back, and attack relentlessly, aiming to destroy my opponent. The strange thought seemed to come to easily, and in an eerily familiar purring tone. The Neko-ken. That primal possession, the tireless clawing at his sanity.He would recognize it even if his rational mind refused to believe what it was being told. I will never know
Myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel
Anything else until my wounds are healed
I will never be
Anything 'til I break away from me
And I will break away
I'll find myself today

His internal reverie ended when the light caught him in the eye, awakening him in a sorts from his thoughts. "I suppose that in the end, this is the result of my actions, and that my greatest test of control will come soon. He smiled sourly to himself, gathering his things before dropping into the window. I'll plan later, I need sleep now, bad. he decided as he set his guitar into the case, and leaned against the wall, falling into sleep soon after. I want to heal
I want to feel like I'm
Somewhere I belong

TBC...

A/N: This was a great deal shorter than I had expected from the amount of time I worked on it. Recently life has been hectic, as I've taken on an A Certification Course with all my other studies. I have chapter 8 written but no track for it selected. This is probably a bit weaker than my usual. But ultimately you'll all be glad for the slow buildup, I promise. My editor, Paul is currently in the process of writing his own original work, and I wish him the best of luck. Thought I don't recall introducing any techniques in this chapter I'll throw down the translations for any that have been used. Technique Translations : Shinku Hadoken: I have been informed that my translation of Shinku Hadoken was erroneous I wish to thank the reviewer “kyuketsukiouji†for correcting me. It is my intention to present as accurate a translation as I can for all techniques and names I list. The actual meaning of it as kyu, as I am sure must be a Street Fighter buff, states it is “True Emptiness Wave Path Fist†Thank you again. X signing off...

End Transmission