Ranma the Tenth Hakkeshu or Ranma’s Cousin Iori (------) Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½. That is property of Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own The King of Fighters is property of SNK. I do however suggest you look up information on these two properties. You won’t be disappointed. (------) Note: This takes place after the Ranma ½ manga and little while after the King of Fighters ’97. (------) Ranma the Tenth Hakkeshu Chapter 2: Secrets Revealed Ranma begins to toss and turn on the futon he’s lying on. He realizes what is he doing on a futon? Could what have happened been a dream? He opens his eyes to see his mother Nodoka sitting beside him. No, what happened isn’t a dream. It is a living nightmare. He looks up to his mother and asks Ranma: Mom, What happened? Where am I? Nodoka (Looks down at him): You are in my house son; but as for what happened, why don’t you tell me. Ranma (A bit hesitant): Well… I was forced to eat Akane’s cooking, I insulted her, got beat up by her pummeling me with her mallet, had Ryoga show up, he beat the tar out of me and… Nodoka: And? Ranma: Then the color purple and blood and then… I don’t know what. Nodoka: Ranma, that is a curse our family lives with. That was the riot of blood. Ranma: The riot of blood? Nodoka: Please son, don’t interrupt. The riot of blood is caused by an imbalance with our Human blood and Orochi blood of the Yagami clan. Our blood is like this because of a pact made with the Orochi 660 years ago because of a feud with our rival clan the Kusanagi. In the pact we get the power of Magatama no Orochi, in return we have to defeat the rival clan of the Kusanagi. The feud started because the Kusanagi clan fought with the Yagami clan along with the Yata to defeat the Orochi when he first came to this world 1,800 years ago. We defeated him, but only the Kusanagi clan got the glory and the prestige of being the world’s saviors. This caused jealousy among our clan members, for it was not a single effort that defeated Orochi but our combined effort. When the chance arose, our ancestors made the pact to get power from Orochi to defeat our enemies. Instead, we were seen as the enemy, traitors to the cause, and had our allies turn their backs on us. We are seen as a tainted people because of this. There is a horrible side effect to this power as well. The Orochi blood is incredibly powerful, but it is also poison to the human body. Because of it we live short lives. The average life span being around 50 years. As members died from either the poison of our power, or being killed by members of the Kusanagi clan, we scattered; for there are those that fear us and would try and kill us, because of our connection to the Orochi. You get this power from me because I am a member of the Yagami clan. I’m sorry. Ranma sat on the futon dumbfounded. He didn’t want to believe that is what happened, he couldn’t be a member of the dreaded Yagami clan by blood. Can he? He makes a stab at maybe it’s because of something else. Ranma: I don’t believe you. (Ranma’s eyes bug out because of what he sees). Wha… Ranma just stares dumbfounded. He looks at the violet flame engulfing his mother’s right hand, but it is not burning her. She closes her hand and it disappears. Ranma (Frightened): How? Nodoka: I told you, I am a member of the Yagami clan, and so are you Ranma. More importantly, by going into the riot of blood, you’ve proven that you the Legendary Tenth Hakkeshu. Ranma: Hakkeshu!? Nodoka: Yes. The Hakkeshu is the title for the 8 generals of the Orochi. That includes his Four Heavenly Kings each having power over an element of nature. Earth, fire, wind, water, and lightning. There is a legend. When the 8 Hakkeshu fail to resurrect the Orochi there will be two more. The ninth will have very little power, but the Tenth will have power equal to that of the god Orochi himself, to replace the Orochi and carry out his unholy mission. Ranma: What makes you think I’m the Tenth Hakkeshu? Nodoka: Because I have seen the 8 generals and I have seen the Ninth Hakkeshu. You yourself have exhibited the power of the Hakkeshu today meaning you, my son, are to be the replacement for the Orochi. (1) Ranma sits there shocked he can’t believe what he’s hearing. The fear of becoming a demon tears through his mind like a hurricane. Ranma begins to shake with fear. Even though he knows it not manly to, he cries. Nodoka goes down to him and gives him a reassuring hug. She starts to talk. Nodoka: Ranma it will be alright. You don’t have to become the New Orochi if you don’t want to. Your destiny is up to you to decide. This just means you have another possibility for your future. Ranma: What should I do? Nodoka: I suggest you find your cousin. My brother’s son Iori Yagami. He himself is a Hakkeshu, but he has been able to refuse the dark path for the most part. He will be able to teach you how to control your powers better than I ever could. But be warned my son. Iori is not an easy person to find, nor is he very trusting, but I have something that may remedy that. Also you must be warned there will be those that would stop you. There are the Hakkeshu that will try to get you to lead them in destroying the human race. There is also the members of the Kusanagi clan and the Yata, that would try to kill you as soon as look at you. There are also greedy humans that know of the Orochi power, that want it for themselves. Finally there are your fighters that fight, because they believe in the will to fight, just like you Ranma. Well… it’s getting late. I suggest you get some sleep tonight. You have a long journey ahead of you Ranma if you plan to overcome this part of your life. We will talk more about this in the morning. Slowly Ranma agrees. She takes him to the guest room and lays him down, slowly but surely, he falls asleep. In his dreams he sees only the color purple. (------) It is morning when Ranma wakes up. He smells food from downstairs. Being whom he is Ranma runs downstairs and starts to chow down his meal. After Breakfast Nodoka hands Ranma a necklace. It is a simple silver chain with the crescent moon symbol of the Yagami clan on it. She tells Ranma to show it to Iori when he finds him, for he will see him as family. She tells Ranma a description of Iori, so he knows what to look for. She also tells him there are rumors that he is in the heart of Tokyo at the moment. Later, she hands Ranma a huge backpack with plenty of survival gear and hands Ranma a decent amount of cash. She tells him not to spend it all in one place, for he will probably need it for something important. She tells him that now on when he will use a ki based attach, it will draw upon power from the Orochi as well, so he should be careful no to gain attention with it’s purple flames. For he has the power over Orochi fire. Ranma hugs his mother goodbye and is on his way. All the while thinking Ranma: Chinese curses, multiple fiancées, and now the power of a demonic god. I guess she didn’t name me “Wild Horse” for nothing. I’ll just look at it this way gives me an excuse to get away from the normal craziness of my life… And most likely gain some new craziness along the way. Oh man, what have I gotten myself into now? Nodoka stands, watching Ranma make his way down the street. She let’s out a sigh of relief. She has always feared the coming of the Tenth Hakkeshu, but now she sees, it’s her son. She knows that he has the will, and the strength to succeed. Female voice: Are you sure it’s wise to let him go like that? He doesn’t seem that strong willed to me. Nodoka turns her head to see a woman she recognizes immediately. Nodoka: Chizuru Kagura… Chizuru: It’s been a long time Nodoka Yagami. Do you despise me for not believing in your son? Nodoka (Angry): Ranma is not like the rest of the Yagami clan. He will overcome this. HE WILL! Chizuru (Smirks): Very well, I’ll leave him alone for now, but be warned. If I see him start to slide down the wrong path, I will take matters into my own hands. And with that, Chizuru disappears as mysteriously as she appeared. (------) End Chapter 2. Next time, Ranma sets off in his search for Iori and ends up facing off against “Legendary Lonely Wolf” Terry Bogard during a bar fight. Blue Mary also shows up and offers some assistance to Ranma. (1) For those who don’t know, the Hakkeshu consist of Goenitz, Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, Chris, Vice, Mature, Iori Yagami, Leona, and Ryuji Yamazaki Questions and comments can be sent to RedPriest17@aol.com or at Ryutsurugi@yahoo.com Note: Flames will be read and then fueled to power the Orochi