Meio Setsuna sighed. How millenniums had it been now? How many millenniums since the fall of the Moon? She continued to walk along in the night. This forest was one of the few places on Earth that she visited on a daily basis. She came here whenever she had to think. And right now she had a good deal to think about. The time stream had changed. Chiba Mamoru would die, but not in a millennium far into the future. He would die during the battle with Beryl. Now the Princess would have no protector, and the Earth would have no Senshi. Going back in time was no option. If she did that she’d not only violate the rules it could very well cause a paradox. And finding a replacement would be difficult if not impossible. Mamoru had rather chaotic aura. That chaos seemed to be essential to the continued existence of the planet and gaining the power of the Senshi of Earth. And people with the right amount of chaos in their blood and goodness in their heart didn’t just appear.
Of course she could be wrong.
“No Papa…don’t…I don’t wanna…” The child muttered incoherently. His eyes wandered to the pit next to him. The monsters were down there. They would hurt him if he went down there again.
“Quiet boy! Now you get in there and learn the Neko-ken!” The boy’s father yelled and tossed him into the pit. He slammed the doors shut and turned back towards the camp. He still had some left over sake in his pack.
Setsuna’s quiet was shattered by the cries of a small child. It sounded as those the boy was being ripped apart. She tensed, straining to determine where the cries were coming from. Finally she turned in their direction and ran as fast as she could. She prayed she would make it in time.
It didn’t take long. The cries led her right to the area. She became worried when they lessened and then altogether stopped. She crashed though a bush and into the clearing. (“Nothing?”) She looked again. Finally her eyes came to rest on the covered pit. There were sounds coming from it. “Cats?” She wondered aloud. The covering came off easy enough. But she was not prepared for what awaited her. Down in the pit was a boy, lying in a pool of his own blood. Cuts and bit marks littered his body. The cats that had obviously injured the boy were licking his blood up as though it were milk. It took a good deal of her will, but Setsuna bit down the urge to vomit and dropped into the pit. She quickly knocked the cats off of the boy and cradled his head in her arms.
“Papa…Stop…” He whispered.
“He’s in shock.”
A day later
The doctors had worked what one had called a miracle. The boy would live and would only have a few scars. The scar on his right eye showed just how close he had come to being blind. “Miss Meiou?”
“Hai, doctor?”
The middle-aged doctor adjusted his glasses and flipped a page before speaking. “The boy is surprisingly conscious and speaking. From what we can gather his name is Saotome Ranma. He’s been traveling with his father, one Saotome Genma, for the past few years. The boy says his father was teaching him to be the best martial artist in the world.”
Setsuna arched an eyebrow. “So where’s the boy’s father? He might be able to tell us what happened.”
The doctor shook his head sadly. “Not necessary. According to the boy his father was the one who did this to him.” Setsuna paled. “I feel the same way. The boy says that his father was teaching him something called the Neko-ken.”
“The Neko-ken?” Her eyes had gone wide.
“Hai, you know of it?”
She nods. “The Neko-ken is forbidden. Now that I think about it, it did look like the Neko-ken training.”
The doctor nods. “We’re trying to find the boy’s mother. But without a name or even a hometown it will be unlikely that we will find her. The boy will most likely be given up for adoption.”
“May I see him?”
The doctor looks at her appraisingly. “I’ll allow it but keep it short.”
He looked around the room in confusion. The bed felt nice, but he couldn’t train with these things in him. Not only that but they hurt too. He turned to the door as it opened. He blushed as a woman entered and sat down next to his bed. She sat there for a moment studying him in silence. Finally she spoke. “How do you feel?”
He smiled. “I’m fine.”
The woman frowned. “You feel fine?”
“Well,” He rubbed the back of his head. “These things they put in my arm are bothering me.”
Again silence. She continued to stare at him. It was as though she were looking for something. But Ranma didn’t know what. He blushed under her gaze and turned his head. “Say, Ranma,” She started. “You’re a martial artist, right?”
He turned back and smiled. “Yep. I’m going be the best ever! Better even than my papa.”
The lady smiled. “I know someone who might be able to help you.”
“Really?” The lady nodded. “Someone better than my papa?” She nodded again.
Setsuna entered the room as quietly as she possibly could. There was something about the boy. Something only she could see. She had only caught a glimpse of it on the way to the hospital but even in his weakened condition she was sure she had saw what she needed. She sat down near the bed and looked the boy over. (“Amazing. He should be dead or in a coma, and yet he’s already recovered from the worst of it.”) She focused her senses onto the boy. It appeared that the Neko-ken was all but infused into his being. But that wasn’t what she was looking for. She finally found it. The boy already had a tight grip on his aura and was subconsciously directing it into his being to speed up his recovery time. (“No wonder he’s all but healed.”) She finally spoke. “How do you feel?” Surely there was some pain.
He smiled. “I’m fine.”
Setsuna frowned. That couldn’t be right. “You feel fine?”
“Well,” He rubbed the back of his head.
(“He looks so cute like that. And trying to act tough saying he was fine.”)
“These things they put in my arm are bothering me.”
(“Nani? That’s it?”) Her eyes went wide for only a second. Once again she concentrated her sense on him. He blushed and turned away. Setsuna smiled. (“A heart of gold.”) She spoke again. “Say, Ranma, you’re a martial artist, right?”
He turned back and smiled. “Yep. I’m going be the best ever! Better even than my papa.”
Setsuna’s smile grew even wider. “I know someone who might be able to help you.”
“Really?” She nodded. “Someone better than my papa?” She nodded again.