Wow it's been ages since I last picked up a metaphorical pen I apologize to those of you who enjoy my story that it took so long but ending junior year was a bit more hectic than I wanted, so this got shoved onto the back burner it is NOT a sequel to my last fic but more like an alternate path for it…this is a much darker version of what could have happened with the bear as always read and review.

"thought"

"speech"

"SHOUTING"

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Isolated mountain when Kenichi is being chased by the momma bear.

"I have to get away! I don't want to die yet!" Kenichi screamed in his head to conserve energy for running. He jumped over another bush and as he landed his foot caught on a root, not missing a beat he tucked into an ukeme roll and bounced back onto his feet running faster. "Thanks Akisame-sensei I you hadn't drilled all that ukeme into me I'd be dead right now." He looked in front of him and saw the trees starting to thin out and the ground just stop meaning a cliff was ahead. "You've GOT to be kidding me!" He looked to his left and right and saw that the bear had chased him into relatively narrow chasm. Cliff walls on either side an incalculably high cliff at his back and a bear the size of Appachai in front of him. "This isn't fair, I haven't even told Miu my feelings." Kenichi looked at the bear who had stopped and was staring him down. "The hell if I go out like this! Appachai is scarier than this thing by a long shot." Kenichi got into stance with his left arm in front of him and right arm behind him curled ready to punch. "COME ON YOU UGLY BEAR I HAVEN'T GOT ALL DAY!" Kenichi yelled at the bear throwing as much ki as he could generate at the bear.

The bear reared back onto its hind legs and roared meeting Kenichi's challenge. "Fuck." Kenichi cursed "That didn't quite go according to plan." He sighed and resigned himself to what he had to do. "I've got one shot or I'm dead." Kenichi looked at the bear and waited for it to make the first move. The bear roared and then charged at Kenichi. When the bear reared up Kenichi delivered a full force Mubyoshi to the bear's ribs hearing audible snaps and cracks. The bear roared again this time in pain and then used its proximity to Kenichi to bite down on his left shoulder completely breaking the joint, ligaments, and bones, and almost ripping it from his body completely spraying blood into his face and hair.

Kenichi almost fainted out of shock but the adrenalin pumping through his viens wouldn't let him, his mind blocked out the pain and focused on one thing. "KILL!" Kenichi's dormant rage burst open like a broken dam, and flooded into his right fist, which he repeatedly slammed as hard as he could against where he, moments ago, delivered a Mubyoshi breaking the ribs further and driving the broken bones inward towards the heart and lungs of the bear, forcing it to release, the now useless, left arm to roar in pain. Kenichi in his enraged stated didn't notice and continued to smash the bear's chest till its rib bones protruded from its flesh and even after that he didn't stop pummeling it until he realized the bear had stopped moving. Kenichi's mind now cleared of the adrenalin realized the blood loss was catching up to him. He began blacking out but not before seeing the horrified expression the elder made before he picked him up, or hearing the muffled "I'm so sorry I wasn't here sooner. This shouldn't have happened at all," or feeling the soft tear drops fall onto his face from the elders shadowed eyes.

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The Camp Elder set up

Kenichi blearily awoke from his sleep and tied to rub his eyes, only to realize, his left arm wasn't there. Then the events of, what he though was, the previous night hit him full force and he almost wanted to puke. "I lost my arm," his right arm subconsciously drifted to where his shoulder should be only to find air. "I killed that bear…" he said to himself almost horrified "and I kept going after it was dead." This time Kenichi couldn't stop himself he ran out of the tent and retched onto the ground remembering how the bear's ribs were pierced through its own body and the blood that coated his fist, arm, and face before he succumbed to unconsciousness. He retched again tears streaming down his face.

The elder appeared beside him and put a hand on his back "Kenichi what happened to you is something not even I could have predicted. I should have been watching you the entire time but I didn't and as a master the greatest fault is to fail in protecting you pupil. I won't ask for your forgiveness nor will I ask you to continue training." The elder stood up. "These are things that you must decide for yourself. Is it really worth the risk of being killed to continue to fight? You have acquired a great handicap, and a handicap such as this, you may well give up becoming a martial artist." The elder said grimly.

"Kenichi, I'm going to ask you to take this day to decide. Will you continue despite your heavy loss, or will you settle down and enjoy the rest of your life as best you can." The elder held up his hand when Kenichi looked up at him immediately. "Think very hard on this Kenichi. Think of the people who would be hurt if you died, think of your family, your friends, even your masters. Think long and hard," and as an after thought "if you get hungry just ask you're in no shape to be foraging for food. You've been unconscious for three days and your body is weak from the lack of nutrition and exercise." The elder then sat down into a meditative position thinking "I'm sorry I failed you so my disciple and I hope you choose to live a quiet life you've been through so much without any preparation. You weren't meant to be pulled into our world. Please, for if not your sake, for Miyu's, please make the right choice."

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Kenichi listened to the elder and started to feel doubt creep into his mind. "Is it really worth dieing for? I've only just begun to learn but I've already helped so many people…but is that worth dieing for?" Kenichi pondered over what peoples' reactions would be if he died. "Honoka would cry for months she'd be beyond heartbroken. Mom and Dad they'd probably move away because they wouldn't be able to stand living in the house I had shared memories with them. The masters…Shigure would close herself off from everyone completely, Sakaki would drown himself in beer, Kensei he might even go back to china, Appachai would probably fly off the handle and start wrecking the town, Akisame…he'd be the calmest but I'll bet everyday he'd light a stick of incense on a memorial tablet he made for me. Everyone at school they wouldn't believe it was possible for me to die, until they saw Miyu. Miyu…" Kenichi stopped his train of thoughts right there he knew full well Miyu wouldn't be the same she'd lose almost all of her motivation in whatever she did. She wouldn't be bright anymore she'd be like an empty shell and Kenichi felt a part of him die when he pictured how his death would impact the people around him.

Then he thought "What if I stop training then? Ryuto would hurt more people and I wouldn't be able to stop him, my friends would get hurt even more. How would my life be happy at all? I've been exposed to his world and I can hardly see myself just going back to being normal I've lost my arm I don't even have the choice of normalcy I'd have a mediocre life at best, but I'd still have my life at all." Kenichi's thoughts whirled at the possible outcomes of the choicehe had to make

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The elder pondered his own thoughts on Kenichi's choices. "I didn't think of this when I said it, but with only one arm he can't possibly return to a normal life, with that in mind he'll feel he has no choice but to continue on this path, and I can't to anything but train him as best I can if he comes to that decision." The elder sighed resignedly. "I shouldn't have brought him here this mess is all my doing, while I had no ill intentions my luck seems to have followed me even to here in the no man's land. Why has it come to this?" The elder sighed again he already knew the boy's decision and Kenichi hadn't even told him yet.

Kenichi looked up at the elder eyes determined. "Elder I've made up my mind." He straightens up and declares "I will continue my training as a martial artist. I know the risks but even if I was whole I wouldn't have the option of returning to normal life, people seeking a fight with 'Shirahama Kenichi the disciple of Ryozanpaku' would seek me out no matter what I did. I have no choice but to continue." Kenichi finished

The Elder looked back at him and saw no waver in his determination, but he already knew Kenichi would continue to learn martial arts regardless of the obstacles. "Very well Kenichi," The Elder got up, "take today to eat and regain your strength. Tomorrow we'll be training very hard to make-up for both your handicap and the time lost while you were unconscious." As he said the last words he felt determined not to let this happen again. He would teach Kenichi EVERYTHING he knew if it was the last thing he did on this earth.

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Decided I'd try a little variant of my previous story, which I'll still be continuing I just need time.

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