All right, I've had enough people bother me and tell me to get my butt
back on this one. I suppose I'll finally finish it now. That will delay
my other stuff, but I don't really have much of a problem with that since
I've wanted to finish this fic for a while now. As soon as I get all of
this out, I'll send out SWI 3. The Neon Genisis Evangelion story, and the
last chapter in this Trilogy fic, I hope you're all happy for forcing me
to do this.
Spirit within II: A New World of Mystery.
Prologue.
I decided to write a sequel to Spirit within. I won't tell what series
it is just yet and it should not go near as long as the first one did. I
hope it comes out as well as the first one did and not end up as a 'Our
hero comes and fixes every one's problems' self insert fic. Well, it's
not really one of those anymore anyway, let's just say this guy used to
be me.
One hundred and twenty year old Ranma Saotome lay in his bed and smiled
at his family; at one time he had been two people one named Sean and the
other named Ranma. One of them wasn't real, at least until some
mysterious power joined them together as one being. His family was
unaware of it, he had never told anyone of his secret simply because they
didn't need to know. It would not have changed anything. They stood
around him and wept as he slipped away. "Great grand father don't die!"
cried Ritsuko as she hugged him. She was a beautiful young girl of twenty
who had recently married her long time fianc�e'.
"You look just like your great grandmother did at your age," said Ranma
with a smile. Much had happened in his life even if it was not really his
own. "I lived a blessed life, I saw all I wanted accomplished in it,"
said the old man with a smile that faded as his heart began to give
again.
"Don't worry father, the Hibiki line will carry on the school," said his
son in law as he comforted his wife. She clung to her husband tightly and
wept not wanting to see her all-powerful father in such a weakened
condition. Well, he seemed that way to her anyway.
His son walked up and smiled as he griped his fathers shoulder tightly
in affection. "As will the Saotome line," he said confidently. Ranma
smiled at this and looked at his now eighty-year-old son.
"I know that is why I go to join your mother and many old friends," said
the dying man. "I leave you as the head of the family. Perhaps I should
have long ago, but I wanted to see my great granddaughter become the
woman I knew she would," said the old man as he returned his son's grip.
"Father," said the man as his wife came over to him and took his arm. At
that Ranma's heart gave out at last. He was dead.
Darkness was all Sean could see. He could not move and it had been so
for a long time. He occupied his time by playing back the many memories
of his past life. "Perhaps this is what heaven is," he thought. He felt
very warm and secure. Then everything changed; behind him he felt
something give.
He felt something push him forward and crush him. He tried to breathe
but no air could be found, he writhed as he felt the world shift forward,
in a panic he began to struggle. The wall around him began to close
together. "Oh god! I've gone to hell!" he thought desperately. He felt
something grip his head hard and pull. Sean felt cool air on the top of
his head and tried to open his eyes, but they seemed sealed shut. He felt
himself being lifted into the air by his feet and bright lights
surrounded him. A sudden pain came across his back and he saw a large
colorful blur move towards him. He registered speech in the air and he
realized what had happened. He had just been born. He began to scream.
The only sound he could make.
Seven months later...
The young child sat in its crib and laughed and smiled at the new
plaything his parents had placed over the crib. They were nice people and
he liked living with them. Even if she insisted on breast feeding him. He
giggled as she played with him through the bars making coddling noises at
him and laughing at herself for doing it. The man treated him like a
fragile object that could break at any time. He seemed nervous when
handling him and smiled at the life in the crib that he had helped
create. They soon left the child to himself and turned out the lights as
they left the room.
The young boy known as Ryo stood up in the crib and looked at the door
as he thought of his new family. His childish joy disappeared as he
looked at the world with a hundred and twenty-year-old wisdom.
Emotionally, he was still seven months old and he knew it. He had all the
desires and feelings of a seven-month-old baby, but his knowledge had
remained the same. He knew how to talk, write, drink, ride a bike, etc.
More importantly he still knew how to fight. He just had to train this
new body, and that would take years. He frowned and realized that he
could be in an entirely different world. Perhaps reality again, perhaps
not. He lay back down and went to sleep. "I'm going to need a training
partner," he thought as he drifted off. "Or perhaps a rival."
Two years later...
Ryo walked with his mother and frowned as she handed him a lollipop.
"Just how old does she think I am?" he mental growled before it
registered. "Oh, yes. Two." he reminded himself. As he had gotten older
he had to be more careful about his intellect and training. He had to
remember to speak and act the way a relatively normal two-year-old would
until he figured out where he was. He had discovered that he lived in a
place known as Shininome and that the Nerima he had known for so many
years did not exist. Nerima was there but no Tendo dojo or Cat cafe',
even Ucchans was non existent. His child like instincts stuck the candy
in his mouth greedily and he allowed himself to be reminded to thank the
kindly old store clerk for the candy. As soon as he turned two he had
begun basic martial arts training on his new body. Very basic stretching
mostly to help with his flexibility when he was older. He of course knew
how to do the exercises on himself having done it to three generations of
Saotome and Hibiki children. However, he had to be careful. He could
seriously hurt himself or even stunt his own growth if he pushed himself
too far at such an early age. He still wondered exactly what world he was
in. Then he saw it; it was sitting in a newsstand. Shonen Sunday, on the
cover was a picture of Ranma 1/2 and its cast. He frowned deeply and
began to wail.
A few years pass...
Ryo Kagome sat at his desk and sighed as he began his first day of
school in over one hundred years. He looked around the room and saw the
other children happily playing amongst themselves and talking about
simple subjects. He noticed a familiar looking boy sitting in the back of
the room and could not place him. He walked back and sat at the desk
directly in front of him. Some of the more shy students edged towards the
back of the class and some even cowered in fear. The perky young teacher
began the lesson and smiled brightly at the children as she called the
roll. Ryo sat feeling laid-back and confident as she reached his name.
"Hai," he replied as he looked at her calmly. "I'm certainly glad I'm
still in my 'all girls are icky' stage. A woman like her would usually be
attractive."
Suddenly he froze as something registered in his head.
"Mizuhara, Makoto," she said after a few other names.
Ryo slowly turned and looked at the now very familiar boy behind him and
gawked at him for a moment. "That's it! That's where I am!" As he stared
at Mokoto a strange blue aura formed around the boy that only Ryo could
see. It was faint but he was the only one in the room who had it beside
himself. "So, That is our destiny Mizuhara."
[[[Insert El-Hazard theme here.]]]
Mokoto sat with his new friend in the small playground at the school
they attended. His attention in the other child faded as he looked at the
strange boy in the corner of the yard. He had taken over the balance beam
that the larger children usually used as a seat during their own recess.
He was balancing on it and doing a simple kata flawlessly. He was a
handsome child it was easy to tell he would grow up to be a real
lady-killer. He had short brown hair that was styled after Ranma's but
without the pigtail. He was wearing a normal school uniform, shorts and a
tie and jacket, the clothes restricted his movements somewhat, but Makoto
couldn't tell.
Mokoto watched in amazement. The boy looked over at them and smiled.
"Mizuhara Makoto, prepare to die!" he cried as he jumped off the beam and
leaped five feet into the air and came down in a kick near him.
"D-do I know you?" asked Makoto nervously.
"My name is Kagome Ryo, and no, not really," said the boy as he stepped
into a loose stance.
"Why are you doing this to me?!" said Makoto near tears.
"Don't worry Makoto san. I won't hurt you, yet. You are the only one who
will stand a chance against me as my power increases. I can see it in
your aura. We will fight every chance I get, you will become better over
time." Ryo gave the boy a malicious grin. "And you will be much better
prepared for El-hazard." he thought to himself.
"Your crazy! I don't want to fight you!" cried Makoto.
"You leave him alone you bully!" said the other child as she stood
between them.
Ryo grabbed her and threw her down in a painless maneuver that rendered
her helpless for a moment. It also moved her out of his way and let her
know that she didn't stand a chance. Well, if she was older maybe.
"Ha! That didn't hurt at all," she said triumphantly as she stood up and
dusted herself off.
"It wasn't supposed to. I don't want to hurt him yet girl, or you for
that matter," said Ryo confidently as he turned on Makoto. He didn't even
try to fight back.
Ryo walked away leaving a shaken but unharmed Makoto standing in the
corner as recess ended. The play ground monitor finally woke up and
walked into class.
Makoto looked at the boy in front of him with mixed emotions of fear and
loathing. Ryo had simply tagged him repeatedly with light punches during
the play period, no one would even care. Fact was he wasn't even hurt, he
just felt humiliated. The same thing would happen every day for months.
The only time he got breaks was during breaks in the school year and
weekends.
Until one day...
Makoto stood as Ryo punched at him lightly. "Stop it please!"
"One day you'll thank me for this," said Ryo in a slightly frustrated
voice. Makoto dodged around as many of the blows as he could, that wasn't
many. Only once had he gotten hurt in the cruel boy's game and that had
been a fluke. The some of Makoto's new friends ran after them yelling
simple insults to the boy as he chased Makoto around keeping well out of
their range with quick movements. All it took was for Ryo to turn and
face them for most of them to back off if they got too close.
Then Makoto finally did it. As Ryo swung Makoto performed a simple
block and punched shakily at Ryo. Both of them froze. Makoto looked in
terror at what he had done and prepared to get beaten for it. His arm was
stuck out missing Ryo's head by millimeters. Ryo smiled as Makoto's fan
club caught up and began to laugh and cheer for their friend.
"That's it Makoto! You don't have to take that from him!" cried one of
the boys in approval for him finally fighting back.
"That's the spirit Makoto!" cried Ryo slapping him on the back.
"Huh?!" cried Makoto in shock.
"You fool, why do you think I did this to you all this time. I need a
rival, you are the only one capable of becoming that man." Ryo's smirked
at him. "I've been training you."
"You call this training?" yelled Makoto as he took another swing at the
laughing Ryo in his anger. The boy dodged and the game resumed this time
Makoto was actively participating, although he was doing very poorly, he
only got off one more punch before the teacher called the class in again.
"Boys, no wonder they are so creepy," said one of the many girls
watching in disgust. The others only nodded in agreement.
A few weeks later....
Summer break had begun and Nanami was cheerfully walking over to her
friend's home. She heard strange noises coming from the back yard of one
home. Out of curiosity she peeked into the yard.
Little Makoto was standing and yelling as he swung clumsily at the air
in the back yard of his home. "What are you doing?"
"Practicing," answered the boy without looking up at her. "I don't want
to get beat up!" She walked into the yard and sat down.
"Your Makoto right? He never beats you up, not really anyway," said
Nanami to no one in particular.
"Yea, I know, but it's really annoying. I never get to enjoy my recess,"
whined Makoto.
"Not from what I see, I'd almost think you look forward to it lately,"
she commented looking at him with a board expression.
"I do not!" cried Makoto blushing. "Do I?" he thought. Nanami shrugged
and walked away to see her friend.
Several years pass and recess is still the same...
Makoto however is much improved. He holds his own against the now full
force blows of his self proclaimed trainer. The training now includes
attacks outside school. They were in the seventh grade now. He had long
ago begun formal training at a local Kung fu dojo in an effort to finally
defeat his rival. He had come close but never accomplished the task, He
was also something of a celebrity among local dojos and had won several
tournaments and his matches with the mysterious Ryo had begun to draw a
crowd.
Ryo was an enigma. None of the dojo owners could make out his style. He
had often been questioned on the matter and had disappeared or run away
from many an outraged Dojo owner. Often in fact Ryo received challenges
from students of the dojos involved.
"If you want to fight me, you have to beat Mizuhara," he announced one
day after beating several boys. Three years had passed and his challenge
had only been met once, and that had been a fluke. Makoto had had a very
bad case of the flu and had to forfeit the match. Ryo had made quick work
of the boy. In short, Makoto's life was turning into an episode of Ranma
1/2.
Today was special, it was the first time in a very long time that Makoto
had been beaten so easily by Ryo. "Damn him!" he muttered as he walked
towards the store on an errand for his mother.
"Hello Makoto," said a familiar voice from above him.
"Not again! Haven't you humiliated me enough today?" cried Makoto as he
turned to face Ryo, who was standing on a rooftop and smiling down on
him.
"Come with me, this will only take a moment, I want to show you
something," said Ryo calmly as he leapt down beside the boy.
"Today you learn your first special attack from me. With this what
happened to you earlier will be a distant memory," they walked into a
deserted alley.
"Why should I trust you?" yelled Makoto.
"Have I ever deceived you before?" asked Ryo.
"Special attack? I think you've watched too much anime," snapped Makoto
as he began to walk away.
"Watch," Ryo started a fire in a large basin that had been prepared.
Makoto watched as he pulled a bag from his shirt and flung it into the
flames.
"This is your special attack?" he grumbled.
"No, this," said Ryo with a sneer. His arms vanished, after a moment two
piles of roasted chestnuts appeared on either side of the tub.
"T-That's the..." started Makoto in amazement.
"Yes, Makoto san. Katsutenshin Amaguriken," said Ryo with a grin.
"Just like in the manga," muttered the boy with wide eyes.
"Every technique in that manga is real. I have achieved three of them
already," said Ryo calmly as he stood up.
"Three?!" cried Makoto in shock.
"Yes, I will teach them to you and you will be a better opponent," he
said with a wry grin.
"How can I beat someone like this?" thought Makoto desperately.
Ryo saw the look and smiled. "You can defeat me Makoto san. I am not
invincible. However you will have to work very hard to do so. You already
know the method of training for this, I suggest you get started." He
walked away leaving a bewildered Makoto watching him leave.
After a few moments Makoto looked at the ground. "What did I get myself
into?" he cried. A few more moments passed and he stood tall. "I'll be
damned if I let him beat me so easily!"
A few days pass...
Nanami bandaged Makoto's hands carefully and he winced in pain. "How did
you burn yourself so badly Makoto-san?" she asked calmly.
"Uh, It was an accident," replied the boy sheepishly.
"Uh Huh, well I'm not letting you read my Ranmas anymore," she said to
him.
He sat quietly and turned red.
TbC....
Next time: El Hazard land of mystery and danger!
C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com
BtW I'll be using the four-tape original and not the TV series as the
background for this story, and yes, I'm finishing the story this time.