Ever since I was a young lad, I trained to be the best martial artist in the entire world. As such, my pop and I went on a decade-long journey. I was quite agile at the art of fighting, dancing around my enemy, but I could be quite deadly. Pop was the only family I had, and he was my best teacher. There was an old saying that there are three teachers in life, a good person, a bad person, and yourself. I constantly practiced to be the best. Every time I mastered a technique, my pop would become so proud of me that sometimes he would even share his food. But as I grew up, year after year, Pop became less and less like a father, and more like a teacher. He would no longer praise me when I mastered a new technique, but instead he'd sell me into slavery for food. He frequently also left me behind to clean up his mess, such as eating at a restaurant without paying. All for the sake of training to be the best. Despite all this, he's still my pop, my family.
Here at the Tendo residence, Soun Tendo was arranging a marriage for his daughter. Just like a traditional father, he would always look out for his daughter's best interest, even if the methodology was outdated. Kasumi, the eldest daughter, helped with the house chores. Nabiki, the middle-child, managed the finances. And the youngest daughter, Akane, assisted with fulfilling the school's dream. In the morning, there would be greetings of "Good Morning!" and breakfast would be served. The sisters would head back home with Akane everyday and someone would greet them with "Welcome Home!". When Akane got a sprained ankle from fighting, Mr. Tendo would cry and became protective of her. A typical loving family. A life that I had no part in or experiences with.
Everything had a price. To became the best martial artist, I had sacrificed family life and a home. That's the price to become the best. But even if I sold my soul for the sake of my father, I was still not acknowledged. To think that a hobbyist martial artist could catch me in a surprise attack, and to think that after ten years, my father would leave me behind... I was but a failure, an extra.
Akane, who didn't take martial arts seriously, who sacrificed nothing, had a loving family, a home, and impressive martial art skills. Everyone was always protecting her, favouring her, and spoiling her. Even if she hurt others badly, she would be forgiven, because she was a lovely innocent girl. She lived a different life than me; everything must to be perfect, from education and honour all the way to martial arts. One mistake, and I would be taken down.
You told me you want to be my friend, right Akane? But you stayed in the light, always doing what you thought was best for everyone. But everything faded away eventually. Like a withering rose, you would be devoured piece by piece until you were completely covered in darkness.
Chapter 4: Precious Memories
The news of Ranma's engagement was exposed. It wasn't like Ranma cared, but now she got a samurai wannabe as her enemy. Kuno was his name, or perhaps it was his last name, Ranma didn't care either way. She just knew she disliked Kuno.
After Ranma disappeared from the windows, Kuno ran all over the school in order to hunt down this demon who committed immorality. When he walked into the woods near the school forest, the wind suddenly stopped blowing and silence filled the air like a heavy mist. When he looked up into the sky, he noticed that the sun was covered by the shadow of the moon and the sky was a bloody crimson. The ground was covered by thick snow, stained red due to reflecting the colour of the sky. Shrouded in shadow, the dark silhouette of a young boy appeared! He looked to be roughly 10 years old, his face was smeared with filth, and he hadn't eaten for days.
"Father, father, where did you go?" the young boy walked on a deserted street. Father had promised that he would come back after a few days, but he never returned. Where could he have gone?
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a car screeching to a halt followed by the sound of crashing. He ran onto the scene and saw his sister standing there and staring at the wreckage before her.
The boy grabbed his sister's hand and asked, "Kodachi, have you seen Father?". But she didn't respond.
"Kodachi? What's wrong?" The boy asked the girl, but she continued to tremble as she stared onto the street in front of her.
That's when he saw the blood on his sister's face, and their mother laying on the street. However, her head was twisted in unnatural angle with white, black, and red all mixed together, and flattened like a thick pizza.
The young boy screamed and disappeared. The forest was filled with silence once again, while a thick layer of fog began to form.
Amist the fog, there stood another boy and girl. The girl was around 15 years old, and she wore the same hair style as the pizza-head woman; whereas the boy was around 16 years old, and he wore a kendo garb. Like always, the boy was bullying other student, until the girl got into an heated discussion with the boy and struck out at him. It was the first time since her mother's departure, that someone struck out at him like that because he did something wrong. Ever since then, the boy became obsessed with that girl.
"Why do you want the girl?" A voice asked.
"Because she is the first girl I could fall in love with," Kuno answered.
"Why?" The voice questioned again.
"Because she is like the sun that brings Winter into Spring," Kuno answered.
"Wanting someone because that someone could bring comfort?"
"Of course," Kuno answered.
"Just like a mother?"
"You said you love her? Stop joking!" the voice growled, "You are only using her, like a tool, to bring you comfort. Everything fades away eventually, she who you have treasured will lose radiance, even then can you embrace the darkness within her?"
"Akane will always be the sun,"
"I wonder... Fuhuhuhuhu."
The wood returned to normal as the snickering died down. Kuno looked at his hands, they were wet with sweat.
It was lunch time and Akane was eating lunch with her friends, just like she usually did, until a teacher approached her.
"Akane, please go to the principal's office immediately! He would like to have a talk with you," the homeroom teacher told Akane during lunch hour. Akane was a bit surprised, afterall, she had just visited him yesterday, maybe he forgot to tell her something?
Sakura and Yuki looked at Akane in worry. "Don't worry, it probably isn't anything important," Akane reassured them.
Akane walked through the noisy hallway, the chattering of her peers echoing off the walls like some claustrophobic dream.
When Akane entered the principal's office, she was greet by the serious and disapproving face of the vice principal. What he still mad about yesterday's incident? And where was the principal?
The vice principal cleared his throat and spoke. "I have just warned you yesterday for assaulting fellow classmate. Just because you are the daughter of Soun Tendo, it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! This is NOT acceptable!"
Akane sweated nervously while he continued. "It has been found that the boys you fought with today were seriously wounded, to the point that they are still unconscious and hospitalized."
"I ... am sorry", Akane stated meekly.
"You better be! I have overlooked past incidents, but not this time! You call yourself a martial artist, yet you are consumed with anger and have no control!"
Akane fumed and tried to control her temper. She was no longer the kid who couldn't take an insult, she told herself, and calmed down. "I didn't strike out in anger. I only fought them as usual."
"Then, tell me why they were beaten half to death?! You were the only one there!"
"I don't know. They'd stopped bothering me ever since Ranma arrived. I thought they gave up because they knew there was no way they could beat me with Ranma's daily training."
"Perhaps you have gotten stronger these days and you didn't realize those were just regular people," the vice principal sighed and looked down. "But you still broke the school rules, and it's happened two days in a row now. I would have to talk to your father later. You may go home now."
"But I still have class," Akane pointed out.
"I want you to think about your actions instead, that is more important. You can catch up on lectures tomorrow. You are dismissed," the vice principal gestured for Akane to leave.
As Akane walked away from the principal's office, she got a mixed feeling about this whole affair. She didn't know she had improved that much, and she probably was a little giddy about that. But still...
Then, she headed towards the nurse's office nearby. She might as well check on those injured jerks, serves them right for trying to attack a girl! Akane sneaked inside and looked at the injured bodies on stretchers. One of them had an arm in a stiff cast, the other one had a broken neck, and the last one had his face all bandaged up. Akane left the room quickly, shaking her head slowly. She couldn't look at them anymore. This was not her will, it just couldn't be!
"I'm home!" Akane greeted after closing the door softly. In contrast to the bright outdoor sunlight, the interior hallway was shrouded in shadow.
"Oh, welcome back," Kasumi hurried out of the living room. "Is it time already?"
But her question was unanswered as Akane was already on her way upstairs to her room. "That's strange, it is only 2:30pm," Kasumi remarked.
After Akane entered her room, she threw her school bag to the floor as usual and collapsed onto her bed. She stared at the all-too-familiar ceiling as she recalled today's morning event. Even though she wouldn't admit it, she did strike out at those guys without holding back. She was quite eager to beat those pervs up so that they'd stay down for once. But now, was this what she was longing for? To become the best martial artist, she used the blood of others as sacrifices. And they had been so nice to her back when she had first entered high school.
knock knock
Akane's introspection was interrupted by Kasumi knocking on her door. "Akane, are you inside?"
"Yeah"
"May I come in?"
Akane got up and opened the door, and her sour face was greeted by Kasumi's worried face, "What's wrong?"
Akane went back to sit on her bed and confessed, "Its those perverted guys again."
"I fought them like always this morning, but ...", Akane could not bear to look at her sister's face anymore. Instead, she looked down at her feet, studying the interesting carpet in her room.
"What happened?"
"They stayed down. I don't know why, but none of them has gained consciousness yet, and it is reported that several of them have a concussion," Akane continued to look at her feet, but the image was distorted by her tears. "I didn't mean to hurt them like that. I just .."
Kasumi sat next to her on the bed and hugged her. "Akane, its alright. I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt them."
Akane sobbed. She hadn't meant to hurt them, but she did, and that wasn't the whole story.
Kasumi continued to hold Akane for several minutes, until Akane calmed down. "Kasumi, I think I have become a monster."
Akane elaborated, "It was bad enough I sent most of them to hospital. But what was worst, was that I got giddy about how much I can hurt others. What have I become?"
"Akane..." Kasumi paused for a while before she continued, "You are always a strong hearted person. Please have faith in yourself. After all, you are the sister of a sweet girl like me."
Akane began to tremble. Did her joke create the opposite effect? Kasumi was getting worried until Akane couldn't hold it anymore and laughed out loud.
"Let's go see them tomorrow," Kasumi suggested.
Akane nodded and went downstairs for a quick bath.
Eleven years ago, when Pop and I still had a home, I saw Pop practicing martial arts in the backyard. I had never seen people move so elegantly. I was quite impressed.
"Pop, you are amazing!" a five-year-old boy, hair in a ponytail, went into the backyard after his father was done with his kata.
"Of course!" the man boasted, "the Saotome school is the strongest martial art of them all! When you grow up, you can be a great martial artist as well."
"But Pop will always be the best!" the little boy beamed and grabbed his father's hand.
Pop was always eager to show me the arts and I soon found myself learning the basics fairly quickly. He was always proud of me whenever I successfully memorized and executed a move. He was someone I always looked up to, and was proud to have a father. It was only natural for me to tell others about how great my Pop was.
"Pop is the best martial artist!" the ponytailed boy told the other boys in the park when they showed their martial arts moves to each other.
"Oh yeah, show me!" one of the boy boasted, and I tried to execute a kata I had been working on. But I was interrupted shortly, and found myself pushed to the ground. Hands, legs, fists, kicks. That's all I could feel.
"Haa, you are only good for shows," the children walked away while I laid on the ground. My mouth was broken and I could taste blood and salt in my mouth.
Then, my mom found me crying in the park. She hurrily walked over to me and asked, "What happened, my son?"
But I could only cry. I didn't know why those people had became mean to me. The news of me being bullied travelled to my father's ear soon afterward.
Ever since then, I was trained vigorously. After a few months, my skills had improved so much that I became famous in the neighbourhood. I was called a genius in the arts, and it was the first time I could be truly proud of myself. I was enrolled in many social events and won many tournaments. And no one dared to say ill of the Saotoma family again. And it was since then, that I learned how important it was to become the best.
Until one day, while my mom was talking to the owner of a fish market store, I bumped into the same boy who bullied me a year ago.
"Watch it," he snarled.
"I am sorry," my heart began to race. Did he recognize me? I was stronger now, so there was no way he would bully me again.
"I... I am a martial artist," I said to calm myself.
But before I knew what happened, he knocked me to the floor and began landing punches and kicks on me.
This wasn't like the sparrings or tournaments at all, there was no bowing to each other, no assessment of each other's skill, no fairness. I never got a chance to stand back up, all I could do was cry in pain.
When I opened my eyes again, the bully was gone. My mom picked me up and we went back home. When my Pop heard what happened, he became upset and yelled at me about how he had spent so much time to teach me the art and berating me with questions on why I didn't fight back.
Ever since then, I seem to have lost the passion for the arts. I lost every tournament I joined thereafter.
One day in the early morning, my pop grabbed my hands tightly and whispered, "We have to leave."
"Where is mom?" I asked in dazed confusion.
Pop said nothing. Instead he picked me up and jumped over the wall in our backyard. My shrinking house, the puffing next to me, the ground that moved quickly under me. Everything seemed surreal to me.
At late morning, Pop finally stopped running. "Where is mom?" I asked again.
Pop looked around for a while before he replied,"We are... going on a training journey. You cannot see your mom until you are the greatest martial artist, do you understand?"
"I am not good enough?" Am I being a bad boy? Did mom leave me because I lost all those tournaments? Everything I loved, everything I treasured, they were all gone, because I had lost my confidence! That day, I cried myself to sleep.
Ever since then, victory had became my goal. I must win every fight. Even when my pop threw me into a pit of wild cats, if I could return home, I must endure it. Do you see how hard I'm fighting? I will win every fight from now on, so mom, please forgive me. I will become the best.
Ranma woke up from her dream in the middle of the night. She stared at her empty bedroom and the shadows on the floor. The silence was unnerving. She had already gotten used to her Pop's snoring. The night had never been this cold to her.
Pop, when I open my eyes again, would you be there, and taunt me like you would?
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, the story was written a couple of weeks ago, but it was full of errors. I would like to thanks my friend here for proofreading this chapter for me. This story will not be action oriented, and this is the pace I am striving for. I found that many people prefer shallow stories of heroes fighting "bad guys" bravely, or the sadistic people who prefer stories of other people suffering. This will not be the case here.
Editor's Note: Hello everyone, I am DarkWraith007, and I proofread this story for my friend. It was like an incredibly buggy program, spelling and grammar mistakes everywhere. I took some liberties in places, enhancing the text or adding meaningful metaphors or synonyms. In its original state, it was readable but I hope this proofread copy will provide more enjoyment and make it worth the extra 2-day wait. And if you have a problem with that, deal with it, as it was I who had to delay things due to having a life, especially on the weekends.