Most of the characters within the story are from the Anime Series,
Ranma 1/2 and are property of Rumiko Takahashi, and whoever else may
own the rights. I write this without permission and do so with no
attempt to profit off of the marvelous works. Rather, I do so for
everyone's benefit. Please enjoy and tell me what you think.
In the end, there is often times said to be a bright light at the end
of a narrow tunnel, beckoning the bodiless souls to the afterlife.
For Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial
Arts, that is true, but he is not headed towards the afterlife. A
darker, more sinister, fate lies in store for him, one filled with
false promises and double meanings. Everything comes with a price,
and life bears the greatest of them all.
********************************************
*A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Mists of Jusenkyou*
********************************************
Chapter Two of In Search of the South Star
by Ryan Erik
Prelude: Day Dreams
With a glazed donut held delicately in his mouth and a cup of
coffee in his left hand, Officer Joseph Martinez shifted through his
pocket for his keys. Upon finding them, he unlocked the door to his
patrol car and sat down in it, setting his cup on the dash board. He
took a large bite out of his donut and placed it next to his coffee.
Martinez sighed in contentment. There was no place better in all
of California to be a Highway Patrol Officer, than Big Sur. Between
the beautiful scenery, the fresh air and the friendly people, he
definitely did not take working here for granted. There was rarely
ever much going on, especially where he patrolled. There was nothing
but mountains, forests and animals in the area.
He was still thanking God for his seniority, which allowed him to
pick Big Sur as his place of work. This enabled him to work out of
his house, with only one other officer under him. He, his wife and
his two kids all loved it out here. It seemed like it was an escape
from reality, compared to where he used to work. Los Angeles was not
a forgiving place for rookie police officers, and he had seen enough
of its violence.
*27-14, Monterey,* his car radio sounded just as he was about to
take a sip of his coffee.
He lifted his car radio's microphone and responded, "Monterey,
27-14."
*We have an RP Reporting a possible explosion in the area of
Andrew Molera State Park.*
<10-4. I'm responding from the River Inn code 3.> He rolled his
eyes, and stuffed the entire donut into his mouth, trying to finish
it as fast as possible. He took a large sip of his coffee, started
the engine and turned on his car's siren.
He backed out of the River Inn's parking lot and started in the
direction of the state park. It was camping season, but so few times
did anyone actually call for the police, let alone for an explosion,
that it startled him to receive one. he
muttered.
Martinez arrived in the area of the reported explosion, and after
questioning a few of the campers who were nearby, he walked towards
the location where it had taken place. His jaw dropped open in
surprise when he saw that a fairly decent sized area had been cleared
of trees and was now smoking harmlessly. He came closer and examined
the area, seeing that there was a large indentation in the ground,
appearing to have been struck by a meteor.
Martinez went back to his patrol car and picked up the
microphone,
*27-14, Monterey,* dispatch returned.
he told dispatch,
requesting the fire department. The last thing he wanted was to see
part of Big Sur go up in flames. Martinez hoped that the smoke was
just the remains of the blast, and not smoke caused by fire.
The State Park Rangers, Big Sur Volunteer Fire Department, and
Monterey County Sheriff's Deputy all arrived at the scene within a
few minute's time of each other. Martinez led them to the site of the
explosion and the firefighters started hosing down the area that had
been affected. They all began to search the area and its surroundings
for a possible cause of the explosion.
Officer Daniel Stevenson, his partner (and friend)
who also worked as the only other Highway Patrol Officer for all of
Big Sur, called out in hello. Martinez turned and greeted his friend,
and he explained the situation briefly.
The two went to the edge of the cliff and gaped at the huge area
of the ledge that had been torn apart. Martinez cautiously made his way to the edge, gazing down
over towards the bottom.
They searched the area below with their eyes, and Martinez spoke
up, Stevenson nodded and the two went around
the cliffs and split up, combing the ground in search.
Martinez's heartbeat quickened when he saw a prone figure on the
floor, face down. He picked up the receiver on his collar and spoke
over the radio.
*27-14, Monterey. 10-4,* the dispatcher replied.
Stevenson rushed over to partner and looked at his finding.
Martinez knelt to the floor, and put his fingers over the girl's
neck, checking for a pulse and finding a very slow one. Within a few
moments some of the firefighters came down and checked the victim,
turning her over very carefully. After a few moments of examination,
they spoke to the officer. Martinez nodded.
The Highway Patrol dispatcher then replied, *27-14, Monterey.
10-4.*
After about ten minutes, the Calstar helicopter arrived, taking
the victim to the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.
* * *
Beep. Beep.
Claws and teeth met him as he was lowered into the pit. His
screams of terror were met by reassurances that went unheard. The
smell of fish sausage filled his lungs, which were pumping furiously.
He violently tugged against his bonds, but his strength was that of a
child. Nothing he could do would save him from his fate.
Pain seethed through his body as he felt, not the bottom of the
pit, but steel that cut him like fire. His whole existence was
threatened by the agony of his skin being sliced. He dared not open
his eyes to look at the miserable beasts that now attacked him, but
he kept his lids shut tightly, protecting them.
Beep. Beep.
The attacks stopped, but the pain lingered on. He drew in ragged
breaths of relief believing that his father decided that today's
session was complete. The cold surface that his wounds were pressed
up against told him otherwise, and he dared to open his eyes.
His vision was met with darkness, and he looked around, trying to
see if the c...c...to see where the terrible creatures went. He
thought he saw his father and called out, "Papa?"
Terrible laughter, followed by an approaching figure, were what
he knew next. Who was this person? Walking towards the boy, he spoke,
"Not your father, Ranma. I am definitely not your father."
Beep. Beep.
Who could this man be? He tried to look at the shaded man's face,
but there was not enough light to see it clearly. The laughter
resumed, terrorizing the child even more. "You put me through hell,
Ranma! Now you are here forever!" The person walked into the light,
but Ranma failed to recognize him, though he did seem familiar. The
yellow and black spotted bandanna tied around the man's head stuck
out in Ranma's mind.
"Now, face your worst fear!" To Ranma's pure horror, the figure's
clothes fell off as if they had been completely shredded, replaced by
fur. Hair protruded from his face, and the man's teeth grew jagged
and long. Ranma screamed again. Eyes wide open, the little boy
watched as the man turned into a very large feline bearing the
familiar yellow bandanna.
Beep. Beep.
Ranma was on the verge of unconsciousness when someone's yell
took the cat-man's attention. A blur of a figure jump kicked the
cat-man, turning into a mist and fading out of existence. Ranma's
stunned expression refused to change as a girl with long black hair
walked over to him, kneeling down. She untied him and picked him up,
leaping out of the pit that he had originally been tossed down. "It's
going to be okay, love." His pain slowly died down, and he tried to
figure out what had just happened. "Don't worry. I won't let them
hurt you ever again." Young Ranma smiled at his savior's beautiful
face as she reassured him. He believed her. "I'll make everything
okay."
He felt himself being lowered down and placed on a very soft bed.
Beep. Beep.
He felt her warm lips kiss his forehead.
"No one will ever hurt you again." Never to be hurt again. Never
to be thrown into a pit of c...no, never again. "I promise you.
Together we will make things right." He felt her warm hand press
against his cheek softly. "My Ranma-chan."
* * *
Beep. Beep.
Ranma's eyes slowly opened and she still felt the warm hand
against her cheek. "Never again," she muttered, barely audible to
even those with the best hearing. She drew in a breath slowly, taking
in the odd, cold air.
Beep. Beep.
She looked over to the source of the beeping noise, a machine. It
looked like one of those things that they had in hospitals on TV.
There was not much light in the room, but what little there hurt her
eyes. A dull ache formed in her head and she faced the ceiling before
closing her lids once again. "Never again."
"Never again." The voice of her savior was deeper, much deeper. A
hand pressed up against her head, relieving some of her tension.
"Never again will anyone hurt you. I will not allow it." The silky
smooth hands that her savior possessed were now a little rougher and
stronger, but they still felt gentle, lovingly gentle.
She let herself drift off into unconsciousness once again, but
this time she dreamt pleasantly. Her nightmares were far from
finished with her, but for the moment they were replaced with restful
sleep.
Beep. Beep.
* * *
Doctor Michael Chang looked at the charts that he held
in his hands. He walked into room 24 that had two
occupants, not counting the patient who slumbered as she had the last
time he had seen her.
The nurse beamed a broad smile at him. Her eyes,
sparkling at him, were a light green and she had her blonde hair back
in a ponytail.
'What was her name? Oh yeah, Connie.' He said,
causing her to giggle at her recognition and walk out of the room,
closing the door behind her. He glanced over the charts on more time
and then looked up at the young man that was seated on the edge of
the bed on which his patient lay. The man didn't seem to notice the
Doctor's presence as his eyes never left the girl's face.
Dr. Chang looked at the young man not
wanting to bother him, but he approached him anyway.
Without moving in the slightest, the young man responded, His voice had a very slight Japanese accent, but it was so
slight that if one were not listening for it wouldn't be noticed.
Dr. Chang looked over the charts again, and
addressed Mr. Nishiyama again. Dr.
Chang received a nod for his question and he continued. If Mr. Nishiyama heard, he did not
respond.
For the first time the man looked Dr. Chang's way, staring at
him, unblinking. His eyes were of a steel-gray, and his hair was
long, down past his shoulders a foot, and very black. His handsome
features seemed godlike, with the sun's light shining in from the
window's, seemingly glowing. His skin was perfect, not a flaw
visible, and his gaze was unnerving.
he agreed. Dr. Chang set down the girl's charts on a table
and was about to speak again when the girl shifted in her sleep. They
both turned to her, the doctor walking over to the unoccupied side of
her bed.
Her eyes opened. They were of the bluest of blues, resembling two
beautiful sapphires sparking in the sun's light. Her face was pale,
but flawless, like her brother's. She was much shorter than him and
greatly resembled her age of fifteen. While she didn't quite look
much like her brother, she definitely shared his good looks. Her red
hair was very long, and it would probably stretched to her knees if
she were to stand up.
She sat up slowly, putting her right hand to her head with her
eyes closed. "Can you please close the window?" Dr. Chang, not
knowing Japanese, looked at her quizzically.
"Of course, Ranma-chan." Mr. Nishiyama stood up and walked over
to the window, drawing the shades, before returning to his seat at
his sister's side. She looked at him, then at the doctor and back
again. She looked confused, and it was justified.
He smiled at the girl and picked up one of her hands in his. The doctor nodded. He spoke to the
confused girl once more, "What do you remember?"
Tears started to well up in her eyes as she looked like she was
fighting back a torrent of emotions. "The pit... fish sausage..." She
started bawling into her hands causing the two men to look down at
her sympathetically. She looked up at Mr. Nishiyama and asked, "Who
are you?"
"I'm a friend, Ranma-chan." The child-like innocence expressed on
her face as she looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes, made him
wonder if she remembered anything at all. But her mention of a pit
and fish sausage pointed out that she remembered the Neko-ken
training that her father imposed on her when she was a child. Being
one of the more traumatic experiences in her young life, it was too
bad that she had remembered that before her fonder memories.
the doctor asked him
after the girl stopped sobbing. He nodded and asked her how she was
feeling in Japanese.
"My head hurts," she answered. "Where's my papa?" She sounded
like a child. Her voice was soft and was no louder than a whisper. He
could tell that she was still trying to keep hold of herself, but was
slowly losing her control to tears again.
"Your papa isn't anywhere near here. It's just me." That seemed
to make her a bit more comfortable. "You do not want to see your
father, do you?" She shook her head.
The doctor looked a little relieved and spoke, He was about to say
something else, when his beeper went off. He then left the room, closing the
door behind himself.
There was a brief silence, which was cut off by Mr. Nishiyama's
question. "Do you remember anything besides the pit and the fish
sausage?" She winced, and closed her eyes. Her face contorted in fear
and her eyes fluttered open again.
"Where am I?" She strained, pulling herself into a sitting
position and yawned. After a few blinks, she looked over at him
again, meeting his stare. As if reading his eyes, she looked into
them thoughtfully.
"You are in a hospital."
She looked thoughtful, and yet still confused. "Why?"
"That is not important at the moment. Let's just say that you had
a nasty accident." He considered what he would tell her and what he
would let her remember on her own. A few things, such as Jusenkyo and
her near-marriage to Akane, she would have to remember on her own.
Hopefully they would come slowly, after she remembered other more
pleasant things. "Do you remember your name?"
"My name is..." The redhead stopped and looked down at herself
for a second. 'Who am I?' The harder she tried to remember, the
further the answers hid from her. Then it hit her. Memories of her
early childhood flooded into her mind. She recalled her father's face
and how he looked down at his son. He was so very proud. 'Proud of
me.' With her right hand she felt her chest, finding the size of her
breasts quite startling. "I'm...a girl." It wasn't a question;
rather, she was trying to convince herself.
"So you remember who you are now?" the man asked after a minute
of silence. She looked at him. He was so unfamiliar, but his presence
felt reassuring. The look on his face expressed genuine concern, yet
she didn't recall meeting him.
Memories of being a youth, traveling around with her father,
running from the police and other things, came back to her in clear
detail. She remembered clearly that she was a boy when she was a
child, but obvious anatomy differences in her current physique
clashed with her memories. She even remembered acting like a man, not
hitting girls, and her father's promise to her mother about making
their son a 'man amongst men.'
Images of her mother appeared in her mind, of when she was a
small child and from recent times. This sparked other memories.
"Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."
The man beamed at her, and she grinned back. "Can I have a mirror?"
Looking around, the young man found a mirror on a nearby table
and handed it to her. She held it up with her left hand and looked at
the face in the mirror. It was a stranger, with a beautiful face,
long bright red hair, and a cute smile. Something about her face
seemed very strange, but she disregarded it since she had more
important things to deal with at the moment. The smile turned to a
frown and she looked up at the man. He looked back at her with no
visible emotion.
"Oh, God! Akane! How long have I been here, and where's Akane?!"
Images of the beautiful, raven-haired girl, hitting and kissing her,
suddenly made her nervous. Ranma thought that if anyone would have
waited for her to wake up, it would be Akane, not a strange man.
With eyes cast upon the floor, the man lowered his head. "I
assume you remember everything then?" She nodded and waited for him
to answer, suddenly thinking that she wouldn't like what he had to
say. "You've been in a coma for nearly seventeen years, and Akane is
safe at Tendo Training Hall."
Denial saved her from going into complete shock. She looked at
the mirror in her left hand, gazing at her youthful face. She put her
hand through her hair, which was a little bit knotted but still
seemed as if it had been brushed and cleaned recently. Seventeen
years would have made her thirty-five years old. How could she be
thirty-five and still not look any older? "You're lying! You couldn't
have been more than two when I fell into the coma!" She tried to keep
her voice down, to not attract unwanted attention. This was getting
strange. What she needed was some hot water, her clothes and a hot
meal.
"I'm afraid it's true. There's a lot more that you need to know
about, which I will tell you later. For now, I want you to rest." He
put his left hand on her forehead, his right pressing a point between
her breasts. For an instant, a wave of unnatural heat coursed through
her body, relieving all of her tension. Moments later, she was fast
asleep.
* * *
After hitting Ranma's sleeping pressure point, Mr. Nishiyama knew
that she would be out for the rest of the day, so he left the
hospital. He would have to conclude his business very quickly to make
it back before she woke up. Finding his car, he turned on the engine
and listened to it hum for a few seconds.
He was still a new driver; though, he quickly mastered it like
everything else in his life. He drove for a quarter of an hour, and
found himself near a gorgeous bay. His eyes never left the street,
nor did his concentration ever leave the task of driving safely. It
did not matter much, as he had seen the beautiful bay many times in
this chapter of his life. When he had first arrived here, he was
amazed at how beautiful nature could be. The smell of the sea and of
fish, drifted in the air making it pleasing just to breathe.
Arriving at his destination, he found a parking space large
enough for his car and parked. He walked down the street and entered
the Monterey Bay Aquarium, finding the shark exhibit quickly due to
his familiarity with the building. He arrived there perfectly on
time, and walked up behind his associate.
Theodore McArthur glanced at his wrist watch with mild
impatience. Quarter passed ten. He was expecting his boss at any
moment. Though he now stood in a place that could be called very
peaceful, his anxiety seemed to be getting the better of him.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium was an excellent spot for business
meetings of nearly any kind due to its accessibility and quiet
atmosphere. Taking a deep breath, Tedd watched a rather large tiger
shark swim along the glass in its tank. Its black spots were easily
visible as they rubbed across the Plexiglas window.
A little over a year ago, his old employer, Mr. Nobukazu
Nishiyama, died of natural causes leaving his estate and little over
a billion dollars in assets to his adopted son, Kiyoshi. There was no
dispute to the claim, for Kiyoshi was a very able businessman and
investor who had worked up the ranks of Nishiyama Inc. over the past
five years. Tedd worked under the young man for nearly as long.
There was only one problem; Kiyoshi Nishiyama almost never had
private meetings with anyone, preferring nothing to be secret.
Exactly why Tedd was called to this private meeting they were about
to have, he had no idea. Mr. Nishiyama's lifestyle was a blank. No
one knew much about him, where he came from, or anything else that
would help one understand another. All of this made Tedd overly
anxious to get this meeting over with.
His eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets, Tedd turned around
to stare face to face with his boss. he
greeted and they shook hands.
Standing nearly a foot under his boss, Tedd looked up at his
friend and colleague. Something was the matter with him, and Tedd
knew it. He had never seen him so tense.
Mr.
Nishiyama said, eyes looking over towards the tank.
So that's what
this was about. Mr. Nishiyama actually had a life. Though it
surprised him, he figured Kiyoshi would need time off sooner or later
with the hours that he had been pulling off.
Mr.
Nishiyama then turned and left.
Tedd said as he watched his boss' departing
figure. It was time to prove his loyalty and worth. He would not let
his boss down.
* * *
Young Ranma looked at his savior as she carried him, cradled in
her arms. Her long black hair swayed as she gracefully jumped out of
the pit, landing on the edge. Daring not to open his eyes to risk
catching a glimpse of his father or any of the other terrors that
might jump out at them, he clutched at her tightly as she walked with
him. Her fragrance smelled like flowers in full bloom, and her soft
touch soothed his nerves. He started to feel drowsy, but would not
fall asleep.
"Who are you?" he whispered into his savior's ear. He opened his
eyes, looking at her once more, a pure white light encompassing her
figure. A smile came to her lips and she looked down, shushing him.
"Don't worry, little one. You are safe now." Her steady pace
lulled him into the gentle grasp of sleep.
His eyes opened slowly, beholding his savior's magical features.
The smile that touched her lips reassured him that he was safe, and
wouldn't be troubled by anything wanting to cause him harm. "Good to
see you awaken, little one."
"I'm not little. I'm ten!"
"Of course, you're not, Ranma-chan. Of course, you're not." She
leaned over his prone form and kissed his forehead, the warmth from
her lips spreading over his body. "No one can hurt you here as long
as you let me help you. You do want my help, right Ranma-chan?"
His eyes wide with innocence, he looked at her with full trust.
He nodded silently to her, and she pulled him up into a hug, kissing
his cheek. "Are you my mommy? Poppa said that she had was really
pretty like you."
She let him lay back down looking at him, consideration in her
eyes. "No, Ranma-chan. I'm not your mommy, but I'm closer to you than
her. I will never let you get hurt. Your mommy let you go with your
Poppa a long time ago. She loved you, but not as much as I do." Ranma
looked into her sparkling green eyes gazing down upon him.
"I love you too!" He sat up and hugged her as tightly as he
could. He felt her hands stroke his hair fondly before they let each
other go. An ache in his head caused him to moan in pain. "My head
hurts," he complained.
"Don't worry, hon. You're starting to remember. It will be over
very soon." She rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. Suddenly, it hit
him. Nearly ten years of memories cascaded into his conscious memory
causing him to scream in pain. She hugged him close again, but he did
not notice through his agony.
His life played out before him, but he was just a spectator this
time. Memories, fond and horrible alike, resurfaced from his
subconscious tearing his very existence. Though it seemed like an
eternity, it was over in a few seconds, the pain dying down. Fresh
tears covering his face, he looked at the girl who still held him
tight.
"Who are you?" His memories had returned to him; he was no longer
a child. Feeling very conscious of how close he held a beautiful
young girl, he gently pushed her back.
"I am a lost soul who has found a home after nearly fifteen
hundred years of waiting." Her familiarity startling him, he intently
stared at her in an attempt to realize who she was. As if reaching
into his subconscious, he recalled seeing her before. It was no more
than a flash at the time, but the instant he touched Nyanniichuan's
cold waters, he saw her.
"I saw you in Jusenkyo! You were near me when I..." Ranma looked
at the girl again. "...fell in Nyanniichuan," he finished slowly.
"Are you cursed too?" Her mood changed from amused to solemn with his
final words.
She nodded her head slowly looking into his eyes. "I was, but not
in the same manner as you were." She sat down next to him on the bed
and laid back, putting her arm around him. "You're going to wake up
soon now, Ranma-chan. The man out there is going to help you. Trust
him; I promise he will not hurt you." She kissed his cheek again.
"Close your eyes now."
* * *
Ranma opened her eyes, remembering the dream clearly. It had
seemed so real. She actually remembered the smell of the girl's hair
and her smooth, soft skin. She was beautiful and strange, yet very
familiar. She appeared to be protective, as if she were her mother,
yet there seemed to be a deeper love there than a motherly one.
Ranma tried to make out anything in the dark room where she had
been sleeping, but no single ray of light found its way into her
room. She heard soft, slow breathing of someone who was sitting near
her, and a heart beat slowly. She slid the blanket of her bed off of
herself and swung her legs over onto the floor, sitting up. Testing
her legs she tried to get up, but her muscles were very tight and
refused to answer her.
After stretching her muscles a bit, she stood up wavering a bit
before she stabilized herself. Walking over to the edge of the room,
she felt the wall for a door or light switch, and after bumping into
almost everything in the room she flicked the lights on.
She stood in a hospital room, filled with a bed, a few machines
and a sleeping young man sitting in a chair. Memories of her last
awakening flashed before her. "Seventeen years? Hah!" She turned,
found a door, and opened it, but was stopped by a hand which softly
grabbed her left shoulder.
Dropping her shoulder, she reached her right hand over her head,
grabbing the hand and quickly pulling the assailant into an arm bar.
She looked at the person, revealing him to be the young man who slept
moments ago. To her surprise, the man threw her off balance a bit
pulling out of her grasp.
"Please wait, Ranma-chan." The man made no move to touch her
again, but now blocked her exit. "Let me explain what is going on
before you do anything, okay?"
Ranma prepared to attack him when she heard the familiar voice of
her savior tell her, "Let him help you. I promise he won't hurt you."
The shock of hearing the voice outside a dream caused her to feel
very faint.
Mr. Nishiyama stood poised for Ranma's attack, but it never came.
Instead, her legs wobbled, toppling her over. Reacting on pure
instinct, he caught her in his arms, walking back over to her bed and
placing her in it.
He hated, more than anything else to ever happen in his life, to
have to explain his and her situation to the girl. He shared so much
in common with the girl before him that he was scared to tell her.
This was one of the few times in his life that he had ever actually
feared to do something. He had to break the news to her very softly.
"What I told you about being in a coma was true." Carefully
forming his words in his head, he had to do his best to soften the
blow. "There are a lot of things you need to know, and that I don't
want you to find out on your own."
Ranma propped herself up in a sitting position taking in her
current situation. Besides hearing a voice from a person who existed
only in her dreams, she was now in a hospital talking to a complete
stranger who apparently had horrible news for her. If things could
get any worse, she wondered how it could possibly be so.
As if to prove that it could be done, she heard what was possibly
the worst from him. "Please do your best to stay calm, ne? Listen to
all I have to say before you jump to conclusions." Considering he
probably wouldn't tell her otherwise, she nodded her approval.
"You are stuck in your cursed form permanently."
The complete shock that prepared to consume her had yet to sink
in. She just sat there, staring dumbly at the young man. His words
floated in her mind, slowly being pieced together. She was stuck in
her cursed form permanently. Taking a deep breath she looked down at
herself then closed her eyes. Permanently. She could now no longer
turn back into a male with a douse of hot water.
In one of her rare moments, Ranma fainted into unconsciousness.
Waking to piercing steel-gray eyes, she pulled herself into a
sitting position again. Remembering every word that had been spoken
before her faint, she calmly started breathing deeply. Removing all
conscious thought, she went into deep meditation. 'I am a warrior. I
can find a way to change back, no matter what he says.' This repeated
in her mind, nothing else.
Opening her eyes, she saw him sitting on the bed, arms around
her. Though she felt slightly comforted by his warm treatment of her,
she pushed out of his grasp.
"Tell me who you are. Now." This was not a question; it was a
command.
"You probably don't recognize me, do you?" She shook her head at
his question. "You may remember me by the name I discarded over ten
years ago." An unearthly silence loomed over them as Mr. Nishiyama
prepared to finish his statement.
"I was called Happosai."