A Son's Duty, Chapter Two [FanFic]

[Hitomi Ichinohei]

Here is the second part, I hope people enjoy it.

As usual, it is dedicated to a lot of very good friends, especially Adam.

***

A Son's Duty.

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's ongoing Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,
Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,
Mousse, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, and Hinako Sensei are copyright
1987, 1995 by Takahashi Rumiko.

Publishing rights:

Japan: Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong: Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America: Viz Inc.

Chapter Two:

The school yard was suddenly quite silent.

Akane was looking at the scene; a little bit startled and with a trace of
a smile starting to twitch at the corner of her mouth. What surprised
Akane, and had probably silenced everyone else, was the fact that Ukyou
had ended up sprawled out on the ground, stunned. Ranma, on the other hand,
was flat on his face about five feet further on, having some trouble getting
his breath back. She couldn't help but stare, her knowledge of their
skills made the two of them hitting each other accidentally immensely funny.

What had started out as a nominally good day for Ranma was steadily getting
worse. His face clearly showed that he had lost his breath. As usual,
however, he was going to be ok. He usually was in these situations, and
had a tendency to recover faster than most people. Of course, he had to
concentrate and focus on those parts of the body that were injured, not
very much of a problem given his stamina.

Actually, Ranma's stamina was a product of two different circumstances, the
first being that of his study of the various martial arts and the
associated medicines that allowed ones body to heal at a rate much faster
than normal, and the second being that he was a trouble magnet.

The first was a distinct advantage, allowing him the chance to concentrate
on healing, and on getting a task accomplished. It was one of the many
secrets that he had learned while growing up. His mind was the focus of
all thought and wisdom, therefore he must be willing to learn from as many
different people as possible. He was sometimes stubborn about doing this,
and his father occasionally went overboard in trying to train Ranma in so
many disciplines, but he did get trough to his sometimes wayward son.

So as Ranma grew, he learned many schools of thought, and the most
important lesson he had learned, the one that was common to every
discipline that he had ever been taught, was that the mind is more
important than the body. His teachers in the school would have disputed
this as Ranma never seemed to pay attention in class. This, of course,
was not entirely true as he concentrated on the expansion of his mind and
senses, integrating his knowledge in order to act instinctively and
decisively when the time came. It allowed him to experience more than most
people, especially since he had been concerned with the study of Kenpo,
seemingly to the exclusion of all else, for most of his life. The many
training trips he had gone upon would have meant his being a failure in
school long ago if he was unable to use his head.

The second reason was sometimes his worst nightmare.

Wether it was Kunou Tatewaki; who was in a way both a romantic rival, (at
least to Kunou-Sempai's mind), or a potential and persistent suitor, (in
the oddest sense), to people he had never heard of before, their first
reaction to was usually to marry or kill him. It had become an almost
constant factor in his life since he moved here. People at school enjoyed
it, partially for the entertainment value, partially because interesting
thing were always happening, but, somehow, Ranma kept wishing for a
chance to be normal.

In the past few months alone, Ranma had been attacked several times,
offered dates, threatened with marriage, and...complications...occurring
from his...other half. He was still angry with his father over that
particular incident, and at times hit Genma when reminded about it, but
was able to act a lot calmer now than when it had first happened. Of
course, he wouldn't admit it, but the reason Ranma was able to handle his
situation was due to Akane.

Nobody would have believed that, however, given the way they acted in front
of their family or in public.

For both of them, the relationship started out well. Ranma had just
arrived at the Tendo Training Hall and was being...harassed...by Nabiki,
Akane's elder sister. Ranma had been embarrassed, and Akane noticed the
blush Nabiki's...handling...of the situation had caused their guest. She
decided to take some pity on this new arrival to their home and took Ranma
out to the Dojo proper in order for them to practice Kenpo. She wanted
to test this person who was supposed to be an arranged husband for her,
or one of her sisters. Ranma ended up defeating Akane, but at the time,
she didn't mind. Losing to Ranma was not so bad, and they had started
to become friends. Somehow, the fact that her father wanted Ranma to
marry either her, or one of her sisters, was still ridiculous, but not
really as bad as it sounded originally.

At least that is how it started out.

During the battle and afterwards, Akane had revealed a bit of herself
that normally would never have been revealed to a male. How determined
she was, the fact that she did not like boys, at least, not romantically,
and that the only people that she respected were other women. Ranma's
face had displayed a bit of shocked strain at the acknowledged respect
Akane had shown.

A lot of it had to do with the fact that Akane had said some things that
only her family and closest friends would hear. The emotions she revealed
told a lot about the trust she placed in her father and in the apparently
close relationship between their family's. Still, she had shown a shadow
of her true self, the part that was hidden away beneath the many layers
of her personality, and not one that she would normally allow to be
observed by a male.

Wondering what to do about this, Ranma decided to sit down and contemplate
the garden, allowing the mind to drift to different areas and touch
lightly on the situations that had brought them here. Paying no
attention to the surroundings, time past and no answers were found, At
least not answers that made sense. A driving need surged up, and Ranma
wanted nothing more than to go back to China.

This was how Kasumi found Ranma, looking at the garden, staring with a
determination and seriousness that looked cute on the young face. She
had prepared a hot bath for the two practitioners and insisted that their
guest take a bath. With no option, Ranma headed for the bath, still
wondering what to do, and not realizing Akane would be coming in soon.

Ranma's bath had changed the respect Akane had shown earlier to a type
of hatred and rivalry.

During the past few months, however, their respect had once again grown
for one another. The one thing wrong was that both were as stubborn as
mules about everything they did. Not wanting to be the first to admit
defeat, they started to hide their true feelings behind the wall of hate
and contempt that they had built; Akane calling Ranma a pervert, and
Ranma retaliating by calling Akane a tomboy. These times, while
interesting to those around them, had created a situation that made them
decide to avoid the possibility of marriage for all time.

Words both outwardly lived by, but inwardly balked at, creating situations
that would be untenable in a normal persons life.

Somehow though, through all of this turmoil, Akane had grown to support
Ranma, and to help him get out of most of the situations that he found
himself in. It was not that he could not handle himself or could have
not have defeated what was coming at him, but more that he did not have
the heart to do so himself. It was this that she had come to recognize
as a part of herself in him, that of the nervous, slightly scared
individual who cannot bare to show it. Of course, when it came to a
battle, she found him stupidly macho, full of fight and bluster, but put
him in front of people where he had to reveal or display emotions, and he
was a wreck.

Being with Akane made what Ranma had to go through a lot easier to bear.

At least until it came to his many other fiance's, of which Shampoo and
Ukyou could be counted officially. Shampoo from a complete accident, and
Ukyou by an old choice. Of course, they had different ways of going
about getting close to Ranma, some of which he dreaded.

At the moment, Ukyou could have cared less about getting close to Ranma,
in fact, he just lay there, his eyes closed and seemingly unwilling to
get up.

Akane smiled slightly as she approached the two, pointedly not paying
attention to Ranma. She noticed a strange, almost-grimace evident on
Ukyou's face, something that was unusual, especially given Ukyou's
tendency to be as obstinately macho as Ranma. Usually he was ok when in
a fight, and could take a lot of damage. He had proven that several
times in the past, and would probably prove it again, despite the fact
that he did not have to. For some reason, however, this time seemed
different and Akane was a bit concerned. Despite their competition for
Ranma, they were friends and if Ukyou was hurt then she wanted to help.

"Want a hand Ukyou?" Akane asked.

Ukyou opened his eyes slowly as the words sank into his head. He was
really bad off if he couldn't avoid getting hit by someone, especially in
an accidental manner. The practice of harakei had given him the skills
necessary to avoid such occurrences and only severe emotional stress
could cause him to disregard the warning signals that must surely have
been in the air. This was not a good sign, and that meant the news that
he had received from his father had disturbed him more than he was
originally willing to admit.

Sighing, Ukyou looked up at Akane, "Thanks Akane-chan, I appreciate it."
So saying, he took the offered hand and allowed himself to be helped up.
"I am just annoyed with myself at the moment," Shaking his head, he
continued, "I should have been able to avoid getting hit like that,
After all, I am supposed to be a martial artist."

Akane had to grin at that. The reputations that Ukyou, Ranma, her, and a
few others in the school had gained was immensely overrated at times.
Although he looked a bit unsteady at the moment, if Ukyou could joke like
that, he was going to be ok. Shaking her head, Akane said, "Are you
sure? For a moment it looked as if you were hurt."

Ukyou smiled slightly, "I'm sure, although this is probably going to start
some new rumours around here." Turning, he started to look for his
briefcase, and noticed Ranma with it. At the moment, it was open, with
the magazines now on the ground, and a certain letter being held by
Ranma, who looked as though he was about to open it.

While the discussion between Ukyou and Akane had been going on, Ranma
managed to get air back into his lungs. Noticing that his two 'fiance's'
were talking with each other, he groaned to himself. Despite the valiant
try, he was going to end up with bruises; again. At least this time he
would not have to go to the doctor. Standing up, and trying to bounce
back quickly, (He couldn't allow anyone to notice that he was hurt.),
Ranma noticed that Ukyou's briefcase had popped opened and that
everything usually contained inside was now spilled over the ground.

As both women were not paying attention, he started to gather up everything
and place it back in the briefcase. The spill wasn't too bad, and he was
able to gather most of the papers and books, placing them back inside the
briefcase. It was when he started to get the mail that he came across
the letter addressed to Ukyou.

Ranma had known for some time that Ukyou received a lot of mail. Actually,
he was a bit surprised at the amount of mail that his friend received
every day, but usually paid no attention to it since it was related to
the restaurant business. This was the first time that he knew of that
Ukyou had received a personal letter. Ranma was curious, and he stared
at it as if to open it up.

"Ran-chan, If you don't mind, I'll take that.", and Ukyou proceeded to
grab his briefcase and the letter, then proceeded to pick up the magazines.

"Who is it from Uk-chan?", Ranma asked, curious, and trying to get a closer
look at it.

Sighing, Ukyou replied, "Nothing you should be concerned about, just a
letter concerning my past."

Akane was the only one who noticed the slight grimace appear briefly on
Ukyou's' face once again. Realizing that Ukyou needed a friend more than
a pest at the moment, she grabbed Ranma by his pig tail, took him, and
tossed him some distance away. A cry of "Kawaiikune" could be
heard coming from that direction as Ranma headed for parts unknown.

In the meantime, Akane was trying to get Ukyou to open up a bit.

"Want to talk about whatever's bothering you?"

"What's to talk about Akane-chan, I'm just not at my best today."

"Is that so? Then why so protective over that letter?"

Sighing again, Ukyou answered the only way he could, "Something to do with
the past, and now has to do with the future. It's really nothing that
should worry you."

Akane shrugged and looked up, noticing the time. She decided that she
would have to try again later. The two of them, each thinking their own
thoughts and hoping to get there before Hinako-Sensei, rushed towards
their room. Both had forgotten that Ranma had been sent into the
air, and that the direction he was travelling in was towards the pool...

Said person was climbing out of the pool, and she was not having a good
time. "Gah...Why did she have to do that? JUST WHAT DID I DO TO HER
TODAY!!!" She fumed a little bit, and started to wring out her clothes,
"Just perfect, I didn't need this to happen to me today. Why can't
I go a little while without getting wet somehow...It's as if someone
really wants to complicate my life."

The young red head, who looked very cute because of the fact that she
was angry, went out of the fence surrounding the pool and started back
towards the school entrance. She glanced up quickly at the clock tower
and noticed the time, "It figures, no time to get any hot water...Ah well,
it's not as if the class doesn't already know. At least I'll be able to
get some water at lu..."

At that moment, a happy yell went through the air. A yell that most people
in the yard ignored, while a few just smirked. A yell that made Ranma
close her eyes in utter frustration, and groan with contempt at the
person who had just grabbed onto her.

"My Pig Tailed Goddess, how I have longed to see you. I am glad that you
have managed to elude that sorcerer, Saotome!", Kunou Tatewaki said as he
hugged the young woman, completely oblivious to the signs of almost pure
hatred coming from her, "I have wanted to hold you in my arms, and to
take you away from the evil that abounds here."

Ranma didn't even try to explain; she just booted him into the sky.

She grumbled and went into the school. One of these days Ranma was either
going to get rid of her curse, get rid of her idiot father who was the
cause of the trouble, or kill Kunou.

It was not a good day for her.

The usual school antics happened during the day. Hinako-Sensei speaking
to Ranma and telling her that, when she was a girl, she should wear a
proper girls uniform, Akane attempting to both ignore Ranma and to get
her to pay more attention to her work, especially in English, and Kunou
trying to find his "pig tailed goddess" during the lunch break.

It was also obvious to Akane during the day that Ukyou's concentration was
off. Their professors had come in and out of the class and while,
normally, Ukyou was an excellent and intuitive student, today he had
almost no reaction to what was going on around him. Somehow, she
would have to try and get Ukyou to open up about what was bothering him,
after all, they were friends.

For Ukyou, the day seemed to be one long torture session. There was a
very good reason for not paying attention; his thoughts were in complete
turmoil. He hardly heard what any of his professors said as he tried to
decide what to do. It wasn't going to be easy to stop Ran-chan coming to
the restaurant, Ranma was too curious for his own good at times. Shaking
his head, he suddenly realized something and started to laugh silently at
himself. He had chosen this life, chosen to be considered a male in
front of all Japanese society and yet he still loved Ranma. The duties
he must fulfill because of his new sex and the duties that he wished to
fulfill were at complete odds to one another.

Almost exactly the same situation in which Ranma usually found himself in.

"I'm going to need help with this," Ukyou thought, "But who can I go to?
Ran-chan is a good friend, but father would kill him. Shampoo is out,
and so is Mousse..." Trying to decide which of the many people that he
knew who might have been able to help, Ukyou looked lazily around the
room. As he did so, details of the past flitted through his upset mind
and for some reason his eyes settled on Akane. "Why not, " Ukyou
snorted, "She's the only one who might be able to help, and she has some
knowledge of what I'm going to have to go through."

Since the best course of action would be to ask Akane for help, Ukyou
decided to walk her home after school so that he could explain the situation.

***

"So your father is coming to the District? I would be very happy to meet
him. From what you and Ranma have told me, he must be a very nice
person, and I am sure that Ranma would enjoy talking with him again."

Ukyou face took on a hurt expression, "I wouldn't say that Akane, if he
saw Ranma, there would be a lot of trouble. In any case, my father has
his own ideas of what his 'son' should do."

Akane caught that last part, and looked at Ukyou, "What are you talking
about, You're a girl."

Shaking his head, Ukyou pulled out the letter and handed it to Akane,
"Not legally Akane-chan, by law, I'm a boy. This means that I have
certain obligations to fulfill, not the least of which is one that you
are familiar with."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just read the letter Akane"

Akane started to read. Normal stuff, things that she hoped her father
would write to her when she went off to university. It was when she got
near the end, that she saw what had caused her friend some worry.

***
(Begin excerpt)

Turning to business concerns about the store, Ukyou, it is a pleasant
surprise that you have managed to be profitable during the past few
months. Your mother and I expected to still be supporting you, even
though you told us that you would have more than enough customers in
Nerima District. Your books are showing a nice profit, but then, that
is what I would expect of you considering the business courses that you
had opted for. I guess an old man has to take a back seat once to his
son once in a while.

There are some concerns I have however, such as the fact that your profit
margin seems to be low. Is this a promotion of some kind to get new
customers to come to the shop? I would like to know, because it seems to
be a success where you are and I was thinking of implementing it here
at this shop. Another thing, haven't you hired on any help? From the
looks of the figures, you seem to be leaving a lot of time open. I know
you have to go to school, but couldn't you find some girls to waitress
and run the shop during the day?

On a more personal note, your mother and I were going to take a vacation,
but she convinced me that it would be better if I come out to visit you.
We do have a lot to discuss, such as your education, and I would like to
spend some time with you. You are growing up fast son, and I wish to be
a part of your life now and then. If you want, we could take a Sunday
and go fishing, like we did when you were younger.

As to the main matters of my visit, there are some duties that you must
perform now that you are old enough. Although it will be several years
before your coming of age ceremony, your mother and I must insist that
you carry them out. One of these duties will be for you to visit the family
shrine in Kyoto. As my eldest son, you will have to make the proper
offerings to our ancestors in preparation of becoming the one to inherit
the business and honours of our house. The Kuonji line is old Ukyou, and
our origins are tied with that ancient city. The priests and members of
the temple have already asked if you were ready so you will have to
travel there soon.

Other than that, there is one particular duty that will require your
immediate attention, which is setting the date for your marriage. I will
admit, we would not discuss this normally considering what happened in
the past, but it is time that you were engaged. I have spoken to a friend
of mine, and his daughter will be arriving with me in Nerima on Saturday,
March 19. I am sure that you will like her. She is a pleasant young
girl, and will make you a good wife.

As always son, I am proud of you.

Father.

(End excerpt)
***

Akane had stopped walking, shuddering a bit at the information that she had
just absorbed. "That is some letter, I can see why you were troubled.
What are you going to do about it?"

"What can I do. Family honour requires I go through with whatever is
planned." Ukyou put one hand in his pocket and the with the other
dejectedly lifted his briefcase to his shoulder.

Akane just looked forward, the letter forgotten in her hand and whispered
to herself, "Family honour..."

Ranma had rushed home in the meantime. He did not want to stick around
the school any longer that he had to. It was not that he hated the
school, although he did feel that most of the courses that he was forced
to take in the science stream had no relation to his future profession,
but rather that whenever he stayed around something, or someone, always
managed to pull him into some type of battle. After the bruises he had
received earlier in the day, he was not feeling up to having a fight.

As he reached the gates to the Tendo household however, he ended up being
drenched with cold water.

Ranma glared at the panda that was standing on the road outside the
stonework fence. "What did you do _that_ for pop?" she shouted, "You may
_like_ being a panda, but I do _not_ like being a girl!"

Wanting nothing more to do than to take a hot bath, Ranma paid no heed to
the panda, who was now trying to stick a sign in front of her face, and
entered into the yard. "Perfect, " she muttered to herself, "Now I need
some hot water to change myself back. Sometimes I think I should
skewer the old man, just on principle."

"Hello everyone, I'm home! Kasumi? Do you happen to have any hot water
available?", Ranma shouted as she went through the door.

Kasumi stepped out from the kitchen, "Yes Ranko, do you want some tea?"

"No Kasumi, I need it in order to..." Ranma stopped talking as she
realized _what_ Kasumi had called her and suddenly knew _why_ her father
had thrown the water at her.

The person who stepped out of the kitchen behind Kasumi wore a very nice
silk kimono, with an eye pleasing geometric pattern on one shoulder. She
looked very much like 'Ranko', the same facial features, same delicate
grace, and a confidence that fairly exuded from her. Although both
denied it, anybody who looked at them would have said that they were
mother and daughter.

"Hello Ranko," said the woman, "How are you today?"

Ranma could only answer, "Hello Auntie Saotome."

GLOSSARY

KENPO

Also known as Kempo.

This is an ancient art that is the basis of all the higher levels of the
martial arts that are in existence today. Basically, it is a hand to
hand style of fighting that has evolved over the centuries to encompass
all of the teachings of arts, and has evolved into many differentiating
styles. It is also the first known combat art.

The origin of the art is said to have begun long ago at the Shaolin
Temple in China. While this is true in a way, it is necessary to trace
the art back even further. According to recorded history, the legend of
the martial arts started when Prince Bodhidharma, a warrior, and later a
monk, was sent by his teacher, Prajnatara to China to reteach the
principles of Buddhism and introduce the knowledge of Dhyana, or Zen
Koans, to the practices of those there. Bodhidharma agreed to do
this and headed north, to the various southern kingdoms.

In the year 520 BC, Bodhidharma travelled to the kingdom of Wei where he
had an intense meeting with the Emperor Wu. This conversation led
nowhere since the Emperor was concerned with worldly matters and did not
have much time for spiritual concerns. This had discouraged
Bodhidharma and he left for the Honan province and the Shaolin Temple
in a kind of depression.

When he arrived, his worst fears were realized. The monks of the famed
Shaolin Temple, which was known even then as a place of great learning,
had grown physically, and mentally, deficient having no other concerns
than meditating all day long. Bodhidharma was not happy with this and
had to find some way to return the temple to the place of learning it once
was. He left for a time and returned to teach all the monks of the
monastery the art of Shih Pa Lo Han Sho. This art was _not_ meant to be
used as a way of war, but instead used to inspire vigour, confidence, health,
and concentration so that the monks could continue to pursue enlightenment.

Forty years later, the first of many attacks occurred. Bandits had decided
the temple held vast sums of treasures. In the attack, the monks did not
fight well, and it looked as though the temple would fall, and indeed,
the elders of the temple were ready to give up. Instead, a young monk,
known only as the begging monk to history, fought back with his hands and
his feet killing some of the attackers and driving away many more. Thus
began the training in the Shaolin temple of the first fighting style
known as Chuan Fa.

Over the next few decades, the techniques were expanded so that the
learning of Shih Pa Lo Han Sho, supplemented with Chun Fa raised the
various techniques from the original eighteen to seventy two. This
allowed the monks an advantage, and they were soon known as the silent
protectors of the people of China. Later still, a meeting between Ch'ueh
Taun Shang-Jen and a master of many martial ways known as Li, developed
the fighting style of Wu Xing Quan, which had one hundred and seventy
distinct techniques and were divided into five different animal forms.
This was the true start of the higher arts, and it was the greatest gift
that the monks could give to the peoples whom they were to teach.

According to some legends, it is said that Kenpo originated in the
Okinawian Islands and the Ryukyu kingdoms as well as in Japan, however,
this is not entirely true. Kenpo, or Law of the Fist, was a derivative
of Chuan Fa. Many wandering monks had brought the arts across Asia, but
nowhere was the art more welcomed than in these far off islands and
kingdoms where fighting for survival was paramount. Thus, since monks
thought the practice of bodily skills to any who wanted to learn, Kenpo
was available to Noble and Commoner alike.

Kenpo also developed due to the many disappearances and returns of people
from Okinawa and the Japanese Islands. Many times had they left for
China, and many in the villages thought they had died, their families
leaving a marker in the gravesite above the village. They had instead
travelled and applied themselves to many differing ideals, and thus
learned of the fighting skills of the Shaolin. In their time away, they
learned many ways, many types of masteries of different arts, but at the
base of which was Kenpo, or Chuan Fa. In most cases, there is a mystery
behind the spread of these arts in Japan, especially since it was as a
rather abrupt explosion of learning in the seventeenth century.
Unfortunately, the reasons for this development have been lost to
history, or rather, been kept from history as many schools of learning
are only handed down within the family line.

Today's modern art of Kenpo, as known across the world and most especially
in North America can be traced back to the Kosho ryu Kenpo which was
developed in Kyushu, Japan by the families of Kumamoto and Nagasaki.
These schools of arts, however, are not the only forms of the arts
available. As of last count, there were over five hundred different
schools with most of the training going back to as a basis centuries
older than that of Kosho Ryu Kenpo.

To be honest, Kenpo is the first of the "Anything Goes" or "unrestricted"
Schools of Martial Arts, the real question was, what was the secret that
allowed the Kenpo practitioner such power? A saying from the Han
Dynasty, "Nothing is impossible to the willing mind." was the first attempt
to put into words the power of the form, the power of the mind. Thus in
reality, Kenpo is a way of training the mind more than that of training
the body. This has left the world with few true masters of the Kenpo
style for to master this style one must be able to master oneself and then
integrate both mind and body into one cohesive unit. It is an emphasis on
the combination and utilization of body and mind in concert, and thus
being able to achieve the higher levels of enlightenment, that makes the
art so difficult.

As one master said, "Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self
requires enlightenment." thus summing up all that has been learned by
striving to study Kenpo. A way of the enlightened, on the path to the
goal of enlightenment. A way for all of the forces of nature, and the
forces of man to go past what has been known before. Thus as the basis
for the martial arts, Kenpo is best described by Bruce Lee, who in
comment on his art of Jeet Kune Do said, "To have no way as a way; To
have no limitations as a limitation."

And before anyone asks, Kenpoist can use weapons, although true masters of
the techniques disdain them.

HARAKEI

Harakei is the practice of knowing when an opponent is going to strike or
do something. Sometimes described as a sixth or seventh sense, it is
practised by many arts, but actively developed among the higher arts,
especially in the Japanese practice of Bujutsu, or the study of all
martial arts.

When training begins, the student is taken into as a room to practice by
themselves. The student, when they are truly ready to learn the
techniques, will first feel a presence of another person in the room, or
observing them. When they are ready to go on, they will be able to
determine from feel alone weather the person watching means to harm them,
observe them, or help them. Somewhat difficult to know at first.

When the Sensei decides to teach the student the art, the student is
blindfolded and sent into a room filled with objects, the idea is for the
student to avoid the objects placed in areas around the room. Each time
this is done, the room is rearranged so that memories of what the room
was like before will not interfere with the training. When the student
is able to pass through the room, the ears are then blocked and the trial
begins again. Then the nose is stopped and this is repeated.

After this, training with as a live person begins, again following the
steps outlined above. The main difference here is that the student
learns how to use the currents of air, the small change in the feel of
the floor of the dojo, and to access the part of the mind that has never
truly disappeared in the human species, that of the instinct. Working
through this, the student comes to be at a level where mind and body work
in harmony to react before knowing. They training is long and
arduous, usually lasting between three to five years for the hand to
hand combat.

Finally, training is completed with weapons being used to face one another.
The weapons used are for practice, and usually do not have any sharp
edges or killing points on them. There is a point however, where
sharpened and deadly weapons are used, and that is at the point where the
student is about to graduate from that Dojo. While not usually practised
publicly today, there are still incidences of this final training
technique being carried out, especially in the Koga district.

It is theorized that the training is not actually creating a sixth sense,
but is intensifying the other five senses that humans have available.

This last point is still debated by physicians and philosophers.

***

Authors note:

I want to thank everyone who wrote into me and sent me the comments. I
certainly needed them, and I hope people keep making them. Strange as it
may seem, my writting gets better the worse the comments are. It makes
me strive to be better than I am so I do not disappoint anyone.

I know I cannot please everyone, and changes in writting style sometimes
turn people away from a writer, but I _need_ to listen to the fans.
Without the fans, without all of you who read these words, the books from
the stores, or the comic books, what is the use of sharing a point of view.

So I _KNOW_ the value of free speach which is why I want flames to come
in to me on my writing.

I would be a hippocrite if I, who have decided to write words down, denied
the same rights to another individual.

Until Next time.

Ichinohei Hitomi
Hitomi_I...@MBnet.mb.ca